Best Moment: Definitely better as a multiplayer game, the first few levels are quite fun.
Crash Bash could have been great. It's a shame it wasn't. Why? Basically, it runs out of steam too quickly. This was the first Crash Bandicoot game that was done after Naughty Dog sold the game series. And it was a wise decision to work with a party game format, replicating the format that Mario had set. Super Mario Bros and Crash Bandicoot? Yup. Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing? Sorted. Mario Party and Crash Bash? Sure. But this game pales in comparison. When I say it runs out of steam too quickly, it's for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the game's story game layout is the same as the original Crash Bandicoot games, in the respect that to play new levels/party games you have to beat previous levels/party games. But what makes a party game fun is being able to play a variety of levels off the bat straight away, not being forced into playing what's in front of you in a linear format. And the second reason it runs out of steam too quickly is because the latter levels are poor compared to the first few levels. The first few levels of the game are actually lots of fun. But the last ones are difficult, frustrating and simply, not fun. And a party game needs to be fun. So, this game is simply not up to scratch, which is a shame, because I'd love to see Activision give the Crash Bandicoot party game experience another, erm, bash, because I do think it could be successful if they learn the lessons of Crash Bash.
10 down, 40 to go! Find out what came in at #40 by clicking here!
For the latest updates on my work, follow me on Facebook and Twitter here!
"Considering the circumstances Activision truly have
put Wumpa fruit, sweat and tears into giving us a brilliant remaster of the
games we all remember."
Crash Bandicoot first came out in 1996 and was developed by
Naughty Dog. They went on to make two sequels, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex
Strikes Back in 1997 and Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped in 1998. After that Naughty
Dog released a spin-off kart racing game called Crash Team Racing before
leaving the Crash Bandicoot series to make other incredibly successful video
game series in Jak and Dexter, Uncharted and The Last of Us.
No matter where your feelings lay with the other Crash
Bandicoot games released between 2000 and 2010 it’s safe to say the series went
downhill from then. From mixed reviews to negative reviews to different
developers and different publishers, to an unsuccessful reboot in 2007, things
have been frustrating for both Crash Bandicoot fans and anyone who has helped
create any of the games at any point in its history. Activision, who have been
the publisher since 2008, had a video game series that from 2010 to around 2015
or so, they didn’t know what to do with. It was like Activision were standing
right next to a Nitro box in a Crash game, anxious to move around it just in
case it explodes in their face but also they wanted to move forward. There was
potential in the Crash Bandicoot series, but they didn’t know how to make it a
success.
In around 2014 or 2015, rumours went around that Crash
Bandicoot was going to have a reboot. Activision had to many times play down
the rumours, mainly because they were just that, rumours. Even Naughty Dog had
to emphasise that they don’t have the rights to the video game series anymore,
and, even if they did, they don’t know if they would have made another Crash
game. But the rumours turned into hype – fans wanted Crash to return. A beloved
franchise and once mascot of the Sony Playstation, fans reminisced over how good
the original Crash trilogy was. They wanted a new Crash game, or a remake.
Crash Bandicoot, like Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario before it, had become
a classic platformer that fans would talk about as being some of their
favourite childhood memories. Surely the Crash Bandicoot series couldn’t stay
in limbo?
Crabs always go sideways. It's just a fact.
And then in 2016, Activision announced they would fully
remaster all three original Crash Bandicoot games. It wasn’t Naughty Dog, but
Activision, partnered with Vicarious Visions (who worked on the series from
2002 to 2004), would redo the three games in full HD and with some new features
too.
I would like to say, the circumstances that were handed to
Activision were difficult. Firstly, the original trilogy is very well loved by
a large selection of fans. They needed to redo the games to please them, but
also keep the games open to newer fans who haven’t played the games before.
They were taking on the three games originally done by Naughty Dog, a
completely different developer, using very outdated coding, lots of which they
were unable to reuse. Most importantly (in my opinion) they also needed to get
the “feel” of the original trilogy correct, something intangible that made
those games so great in the first place. Let’s get on with the review.
If you’ve not played Crash Bandicoot before, it’s a 3D
platformer where you control Crash (or in some levels Coco, his sister) where
you have to go from the start of the level to the end. In Crash 2 and 3 you’re
also expected to collect a crystal placed somewhere in the middle of the level.
You can jump and spin enemies and crates, the latter which gives you extra
lives and “Wumpa Fruit”, which you get an extra life when you collect 100 of
them. Other crates exist in the game like arrow crates which you can use to
jump extra high on, TNT boxes which countfrom 3 to 1 before exploding and exclamation crates which unlock a crate
somewhere else in the level. In Crash 2 and 3 you can also do a slide attack
and crawl, as well as do a belly flop and a high jump by doing the slide attack
quickly followed by jumping. In Crash 3 you also can unlock other special
abilities every time you defeat a boss. In Crash Bandicoot 1 you get a gem for
collecting every single crate in a level and completing the level without
losing a life. In Crash 2 and 3, they made this easier by only the need to
collect all the crates. One thing that was added in Crash 3 was Time Trial
mode, where you had to repeat levels as quickly as possible, getting time bonus
crates along the way. Earning fast times gets you Sapphire, Gold and Platinum
relics respectively. In the Crash Bandicoot remaster, they’ve added this
feature into Crash 1 and 2 as well.
Nothing like a bit of breakdancin' before beating up a massive robot with torpedoes!
Again if you’re not familiar with the story of Crash
Bandicoot, it’s not the most important part of the game but a brief outline is
that Dr Neo Cortex create a machine called the Evolvo Ray which is used to
mutate animals into super beasts. They experiment on Crash who Cortex was
intending on being the leader of an army of animal soldiers. They try to put Crash
into a machine called the Cortex Vortex which rejects Crash and allows him to
escape his lab. Instead, Cortex kidnaps Tawna, Crash's girlfriend to experiment
on instead. Crash decides he needs to rescue Tawna and defeat Cortex. In Crash
2 and 3, the story continues at the defeat of Cortex at the hands of Crash,
where Cortex is hell bent on getting revenge on Crash by using crystals to
power up the Cortex Vortex, to try and destroy the earth.
Comparing this to the original trilogy released between 1996
and 1998, naturally the graphics have had a complete overhaul. To be fair,
these aren’t the best graphics on the Playstation 4 but they were never meant
to be. They were meant to be crisp, polished and easy on the eyes. Activision
have done a splendid job of making Crash look brilliant. Being a big fan of the
original games, there are a couple of things I would have changed (like make
Crash look a bit goofier than he does comparatively to the original) but I
honestly can grasp at straws in terms of thinking of anything negative to say
about the redesigning of the games. The redesigns of all the boss enemies look
spot on too.
Being a massive fan of the original games, I was a little
concerned when I heard they were remastering the soundtracks of the original games.
The music in the original games has a big place in my heart and the job Naughty
Dog did in the original would be hard to beat. But, pleasantly, I barely notice
any difference when actually playing the game when hearing the music. It does
sound almost identical most of the time and the few changes are welcome because
they often substance rather than subtract, such as add native jungle sounds to
emphasise the area of the world the games are set in.
It's not realistic enough. Surely Crash would be sweating buckets, being next to all those grills??
When it comes to the sound of the game, overall it does
sound very crisp and each individual sound correlates well to what’s happening
on screen. But – and a big but – perhaps its nostalgia, but for me, Activision
have replaced many of the key sounds from the original games that didn’t need
replacing. Think of Sonic as an example – can you imagine if they changed the
sound of collecting rings? Or Mario, when he jumps into one of the tubes? These
sounds are over 20 years old and are iconic parts of the respective games. When
it comes to Crash Bandicoot, there are also classic sounds, completely omitted
from the remaster which disappoints me as a guy growing up with the games as a
kid. For instance, getting an extra life has a very mild “kerching” sound
compared to the brilliant one from the original games. The “whoa” sound that
Crash makes is completely changed too. The glorious “aaaaah” noise when
collecting a crystal is replaced. Just these little things, these iconic
sounds, should have remained in the game in my opinion to remind people that
these are the foundations of a 20 year old classic platformer that should be in
place in every Crash Bandicoot game ever released in the future. But never
mind!
Speaking of sound, the voice actors have done a good job in
the remaster overall, and most of the dialogue remains untouched too, with some
subtle changers here and there mainly for clarity. My only bug bear with this
remaster however is Cortex. That’s not to say that Lex Lang has done a bad job
as Cortex, but when Clancy Brown offers his services to completely redo his
work from Crash 2 and 3 and they don’t even consider him, it stings a little.
Cortex from the trilogy is one of my all time favourite villains and Clancy
Brown brought that life to life in a massive way during this period.
One thing that was a criticism of the Crash Bandicoot, but
was improved on slightly in Crash 2 and 3 was the controls and mechanics. In
what was a stumbling block in the original trilogy, the game play mechanics,
combined with the controls, are “almost” identical, for good or for bad. As
stated earlier in this review, for me an imperative factor in this transition
was to make the games “feel” the same, the intangible quality that was so
specific and evident in the original games but lacked in other titles, the
feeling so hard to define, HAD to be present in this remaster. And the result?
It’s 99% there. And I emphasise 99%. Sometimes the game play mechanics feel a
little “off”, sometimes the controls are a little stiff, but overall they do
feel the same, very much so. There’s one or two things that are different in
the mechanics, again, something hard to give examples of, but one thing is the
ice levels in Crash 2 – gliding across the ice doesn’t “feel” the same as the
original games, they definitely got that wrong and you have to mentally adjust
to that if you’re playing comparatively from the original from 1997.
However, I emphasise the mechanics and controls are almost
identical, “for good or for bad”. Why? Crash Bandicoot is HARD. Especially the
first game. The second and third games are a lot easier than the first, but
that doesn’t take away from the fact that overall as a package, this game, even
though it’s aimed at a younger audience, is a tough nut to crack. And while the
controls and mechanics are almost identical to the original games, this could
throw some people off. Aiming for that ambitious jump? Good luck. You’ll go,
“how did I not make that jump! This is ridiculous!”. You’ll swear there was
enough space between you and Nitro boxes. If you do Time Trials, be prepared
for trial and error, getting far into a level before falling down a pit at the
end. This game requires a lot of patience and it’s something a lot of modern
day gamers may struggle to adapt to, when, generally speaking, games are easier
than they were in the nineties.
No joke here. I love this picture, it's totally badass.
A final thing about the mechanics - if you’re someone that
completely mastered the original Crash Bandicoot series (something that I
actually did only 2-3 months ago), I would like to stress that this game isn’t
identical. I said earlier that it’s 99% the same, but those 1% moments make a
big difference. I got Game Over on Crash 2 a good few times in my run through
that game, despite the fact that in my run through the original game only 2-3
months ago I finished the game with 82 lives and didn’t get Game Over once.
There’s just certain parts of the remaster that are just harder than the
original. I can’t put my finger on what makes those moments harder, they just
are. You point and go – “I didn’t lose so many lives on this part of the game
on the original!” – and you just can’t put into words what it is. Trust me on
this, it’s not me being bad at the game, it’s just legitimately harder! That
being said, if you’re not someone that played the games over and over again,
and you only played Crash on occasion, you probably won’t notice. But it is
super hard regardless!
This next paragraph is for those who have played the
original trilogy and want to know what’s added into the game, or what remains
on a subtle level. I mentioned it earlier briefly but you can now play as Coco
in Crash 1 and 2, something you weren’t able to do before. Coco in these games
plays almost identical as Crash does and is purely there as for novelty
purposes, in the end her presence completely goes against the story of the game
but they did justify that by saying that she “uses the time machine from Crash
3 to relive Crash’s old adventures”. Coco can’t play every level however, but
she can play most of them. Also, she can’t be used to go against the bosses
either. As stated earlier too, you can now do Time Trials in Crash 1 and 2.
There’s also a leaderboard, so you can compare your times to how people are
doing around the world, which is nice. Also, if you beat Crash 2, you can
unlock the Spint Shoes (also named Crash Dash) ability from Crash 3, which is
definitely required because some of the Platinum times that you need to beat
are just crazy. The password saving system from Crash 1 has been removed and
replaced with a simple system similar to Crash 2 and 3, and the bonus levels
from Crash 1 allow you to try as many times as you wish, which too is similar
to Crash 2 and 3. When you get Game Over, Uka Uka from Crash 3 is the one to
give you the bad news, regardless of what game you’re playing. This, in my
opinion is a bit odd, mainly due to the fact that he was imprisoned up until
the story of Crash 3 so there’s an error of continuation. The jet pack levels
of Crash 2 gives you an option of inverting the up and down buttons to down and
up, if that makes sense, so those who found the controls confusing in the
original game can change them in the Options menu.
Overall, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a brilliant
remaster of the original games which came out, 21, 20 and 19 years ago
respectively. Activision considering the circumstances, truly have put Wumpa
fruit, sweat and tears into giving us the games we all remember playing two
decades ago but with very polished look, remastered audio, some subtle but very
justified changes to the games and have truly given it a whole new lease of
life. Everything from the original Crash trilogy is there, all the good and the
bad and you can’t fault Activision in many ways for the job they have done. And
this game is great value, available in the UK for £25-£30 at base value, a
bargain compared to most new games that have come out. The question really now
is, what happens from here? Do Activision bring out a Crash Bandicoot 4, in a
similar style to these three? Or do they bring out a version of Crash Team
Racing? Early reports are saying this game has sold tremendously well, so this
certainly won’t be the last time we see Crash Bandicoot on our consoles!
Rating: ****1/4 stars
As an aside, this is what rating I would give the original
Crash Bandicoot games released in the late nineties in comparison:
Crash Bandicoot - ***3/4 stars
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back - ****1/2 stars
Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped! - ****3/4 stars
For the latest updates on my work, follow me on Facebook and Twitter here!
Game: Crash Bandicoot Level: 1 (of 31, including boss battles) Level Type: Jungle Random Fact: Being the first level in the history of the series, this is the first time the player sees almost every type of crate available, bar TNT crates really! Nitro crates came into the games in Crash 2.
I’ve put down that this level is a “Jungle” level but it starts off at the beach, and goes into the Jungle, so in theory you could say it’s the only “beach” level in the game to do so. Ah, the first level. It’s a classic really. It’s not on the level of, say, Green Hill Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog or World 1-1 in Super Mario, but for so many gamers, this was the gateway into the Crash Bandicoot series. Overall, it’s not the best level, it’s not the best designed level either, and for a first level of a video game it isn’t terribly easy. That bridge of see-through boxes still gets me at times! But it’s still an iconic level, and just hearing the music and seeing Crash wake up from the shore, is a classic moment no avid Crash Bandicoot fan will ever forget.
If you missed #21 click here. For #19, click here.
For the latest updates on my work, follow me on Facebook and Twitter here!
Hey everyone, and welcome to my newest listing. On the 30th
June the remaster/remake of all three of the original Crash Bandicoot games is
coming out. I am/was a MASSIVE Crash Bandicoot fan. I’d probably say it’s only
second to the Sonic the Hedgehog Mega Drive games in terms of my favourite
platformer series. Yes that means I prefer it to Mario and Spyro, and all of
the others.
I can’t put my finger on why I loved the Crash games so
much. I love the sense of humour, it’s a style that you just don’t find
consistently in other platformers. The games are so slick, or, at least, the second
and third games were. Crash as a character is the perfect mixture of nerdy and
cool, and he’s just so awesome. I love the many, MANY different level designs.
I love the music. I love the power ups in Crash 3. I love the chase levels. I
love riding the hog, Polar and Pura. I love trying the Time Trials on Crash 3,
unless they’re super tough anyway! I just love this game series so much.
Unfortunately, since Naughty Dog sold the Crash series, a
load of mediocre Crash games have been made since. Activision have held the
rights to the series since 2008 and have only really made one major title , Mind
Over Mutant back in 2008, and a few mobile games in ’08, ’09 and 2010. For the
last seven years we’ve had nothing.
But a couple of years ago, rumours were flying that Crash
was going to return. Rumours that Activision were going to bring the series
back, or Naughty Dog were going to buy the series off them again. Either way,
the rumours were initially false, but the hype and excitement that came from
those rumours set in motion the beginnings of a fully remade version of Crash
1, 2 and 3. And to be fair, Activision have paid a very good tribute to Naughty
Dog’s original gameplay, music and level design, the game does look fantastic.
We’ll all find out on June 30th if all the hype and hard work that
Activision has put in will be worth it.
So! To pay homage to Naughty Dog’s three fantastic video
games, and to celebrate the release of the remaster, I thought I’d countdown,
one day at a time, my favourite 30 Crash Bandicoot levels. So please note,
these levels are only in Crash 1, 2 and 3. Also, there are no boss levels in
this listing either. By all means tell me about your favourite levels, and
favourite moments in the series by commenting below. So without any further
delay, let’s start with #30!
#30 Heavy Machinery
Game: Crash Bandicoot
Level: 18 (of 31, including boss fights)
Level Type: Factory
Random Fact: This was actually the first level Naughty Dog created,
ever!
Despite the level being difficult (to be honest, the second
half of Crash 1 is harder than any of Crash 2 and 3, in my opinion anyway),
this level is lots of fun. The song is really catchy, the gas platforms that
push you upwards very fast are cool and are very reminiscent of Sonic, the
steam popping upwards as a hazard is a good idea to add further difficulty to the
level, and the hot and cold pipes are a fun and novel idea too. Simply, all in
all, it’s just a fun level to start off the third and final island in the game.
Click here for #29! ...or go straight to #1 by clicking here!
For the latest updates on my work, follow me on Facebook and Twitter here!
If you don’t lose your head over the difficulty, Super Meat
Boy is an awesome homage to retro 2D platformers.
Super Meat Boy was released sixteen months ago on the Xbox
360 Live Arcade and was produced by Team Meat. It’s also seen releases on the
PC, the Mac and on Linux since. It’s a 2D platform game and pays homage to the
old school genre in general, particularly Super Mario.
Super Meat Boy is the sequel to an online Flash game called
Meat Boy. Meat Boy was released on cult gaming and humour website Newgrounds three and a half years ago. Newgrounds is a website where many animated videos and flash
games are posted. Meat Boy was a huge success on there and had over 8 million
hits on all internet media. It was then decided that the success of Meat Boy
could possibly be found on console gaming, so for the next two years hard
negotiating, contracts and production were made to release Super Meat Boy. Team
Meat contact all three major console gaming companies. Sony were not
interested, and Microsoft showed a little interest. The most interest came from
Nintendo. Microsoft made a large surge in the end for interest in the game, and
a nice contract was made for the release on the Xbox 360 Arcade. Due to
contractual obligations, it was to be released on the Xbox 360 first and lots
of blood, sweat and tears went into the game, as well as a lack of sleeping
hours to get it released on time. So much effort went into the game in the end
that the game ended up being too big for Nintendo’s WiiWare, so they had to
pull out, as Nintendo were not interested in a physical release for the game.
So it ended up out of the three consoles, to be Xbox exclusive, and has since
met major critical and commercial acclaim. I’m sure Sony regret their lack of
interest now.
This is not going to end well...
Super Meat Boy follows a very simple story line. You play as
Meat Boy, a red square with pixels for eyes and a very animate mouth, and small
limbs. His girlfriend, Bandage Girl has been kidnapped by the main antagonist, Dr.
Fetus. It’s such a simple storyline and the creators are emphatic on this, due
to it being a strong homage of the simple storylines in the late eighties video
gaming, particularly Super Mario. There’s no extended plot really, you as Meat
Boy follow Dr. Fetus through over 300 levels to try and save the girlfriend, Bandage
Girl. No further plot is needed either.
The game itself as mentioned earlier is a 2D platform game.
To finish one of the 300+ levels, you start off at the far left of the level
and have to make it to the end of the level, where Bandage Girl is waiting. You
control Meat Boy and run and jump your way through obstacles to reach her, only
for Dr. Fetus to take Bandage Girl to the next level. The game is split into 20
levels for the most part, “chapters” as they call them, where at the end you’ll
have a Boss level where you have to once again either find Bandage Girl at the
end of the level, or more often than not, run away from the boss themselves.
Minor story continuation is usually shown between each “chapter” you visit.
Meat Boy himself is a square piece of meat. It sounds quite
disgusting, and it is in theory, but the fact that the game is in 2D means
nothing is really shown, the game is for the most part probably a 12+; the game
itself shows very little that’s graphic or unsuitable for children but there
are small references here and there that aren’t suitable. For instance Dr.
Fetus quite often likes to stick his middle fingers up at the screen or Meat
Boy, but those subtle things aside it would probably class as suitable for
children in honesty. Due to the fact that Meat Boy is a piece of meat, whenever
he runs, small trails of blood follow him everywhere he goes, once again it
sounds quite horrible but it’s all pixelated and is fine once you get over the
initial observation. Whenever he runs or moves, small squishy sounds follow
him, to emphasise the piece of meat that he is as well. This paragraph is here
to tell you that yes, these things are present and if it offends you not to
show your children if you have any, that’s understandable, but for the most
part it’s absolutely fine for children, if they don’t understand these things.
To control Meat Boy, you use the D-pad like always, and that
lets you move Meat Boy left or right on the screen. To jump, you press the “A”
button, and you can also jump off walls, multiple times, so you can jump from
wall to wall to wall if you’re in a short space. You can also run by holding
the “X” button while you move. To jump across large spaces you have to hold the
“A” button while jumping. It’s very simple really.
The intro to Super Meat Boy is homage to Street Fighter. If you play the game you'll know what I mean.
But what makes the controls so amazing is how tight
everything comes together. Have you ever played “Super Mario” back in the day,
and the controls were hard to get your head around when first playing? There’s
none of that while playing Super Meat Boy. The controls are incredibly tight;
when you stop moving, Meat Boy stops moving. If you time everything correctly,
you’ll jump, skid, run and drag against the wall (hold the D-pad direction
against the wall to drag) as you are supposed to. The controls in essence, are
what bring everything in Super Meat Boy together.
Because the controls are so tight, that usually means
everything you do on Meat Boy is to your touch. There’s no blaming the game for
bugs or the controls being poor. It’s your fault. And that’s quite frustrating
in some ways. Why? Because this game is hard. It’s very hard. It’s really
really hard! Team Meat worked very hard on making this game fun to play, but
also challenging. There are over 300 levels in this game, but completing the
first 40 is in some ways a challenge. But this game is a game of trial and
error, you’re supposed to die, and die a lot, to be able to beat the level.
Dying is only half the fun, because once you beat a level in Meat Boy,
especially later on, it’s some achievement. You have unlimited lives, and the
levels are short, and this equation makes for a fun yet frustrating game. You
have to time things to an absolute tee (as I said, if you don’t, it’s your
fault) to beat levels, especially later on
The levels for the most part take around half a minute to
complete, but to beat each level it usually can take a lot longer. But don’t
let this put you off, as I said, it’s difficult but the fact that you can try
again and again instantly means you get a second go straight away. It’s the
trial and error part of Super Meat Boy that makes it fun. If you were to
flawlessly play Super Meat Boy it would be boring, trust me. Also, you don’t
have to play the levels in order. They are however, as mentioned earlier, split
into “chapters”, and to unlock the next “chapter” you’ll have to beat the boss
in the previous one, and to unlock the boss of that chapter you have to beat a
certain amount of levels. But if you get stuck and frustrated on a certain
level, you can skip it, temporarily anyway, and come back to it another time.
There’s other ways to play Super Meat Boy. If you complete
each level exceptionally quickly, you get an A+ stamping on the level. Doing
this means you also unlock the “Dark World” version of the level. The “Dark
World” version of the level is an even harder variation of the original level,
meaning the difficulty of the level is increased even further! The “Dark World”
levels are usually in design the same as the original level, but certain
elements are usually added to increase the difficulty; either more obstacles
are put in place to avoid, or certain platforms are shorter or not there at
all, making the level harder to cross.
The boss battles are exceptionally challenging, but in a fun 'trial and error' way.
There are other characters to play as in Super Meat Boy, but
all require unlocking. Most characters are unlocked by collecting plasters.
Plasters are found on certain levels, usually in a difficult-to-reach section
of the level, and the idea is to collect this plaster on the level and complete
the level at the same time. Collecting a certain amount of plasters unlocks
characters individually. All the characters bring something to the table; Gish
plays almost identically to Meat Boy although he’s slower, but the main thing
he can do well is stick to walls with exceptional grip, making him perfect for
the levels in the game that are hard in this department. Jill has horns on her
head and can stick to ceilings, while Tim can’t run at all but can turn back
time three seconds, in case you do a mistake or fail to get a bandage or a key
in the level.
Not all characters are unlocked by collecting plasters. Some
are unlocked by finding warp zones on selected levels. Warp zones are great;
they’re usually the same game but even more retro than the style the game is
in. They’re usually thee levels of a much more pixelated version of the game,
usually harder to complete and worse yet, you only get three lives rather than
the unlimited lives you get in the main games. Beating certain warp zones
unlock characters, and some even pit you as the character you’re about to
unlock, rather than Meat Boy.
The game’s soundtrack is great. It’s not exceptional in
terms of its quality, but it’s not supposed to be, the music is there simply to
support the game, not to overshadow it. The music is often atmospheric to the
level’s that are being played, and there’s also a lot of retro style music,
especially for the warp zones. The sounds are also great, as mentioned, the
squelches that are heard when Meat Boy runs or dies are perfect, and the guy
who does the emphatic shouting of certain events (like “Super Meat Boy!” and “Warp
Zone”, similar to the Street Fighter guy) are great too.
Overall Super Meat Boy is well worth every penny if
you like retro games, it does the old 8-bit and 16-bit games of old complete
justice. If you don’t lose your head over the difficulty, it’s well worth your
time. I’d recommend you try the demo out, which is quite fleshy in itself and
if you like that, get the full game. Just remember that the game is made for
you to fail before you succeed, which is the way games were made in the
eighties anyway. So if you don’t lose your head over the difficulty, Super Meat
Boy is an awesome homage to retro 2D platformers and well worth a punt if you
like Xbox Live Arcade games.
Rating: ****1/4 stars
For the latest updates on my work, 'like' me on Facebook here!
I got motivated to write this very quickly, it was just a thought bubble in my head last night that developed over the 24 hours that has gone. Don't worry, the Noughtie series is still very close to my head and probably around 85% ready, but I still have a few more articles I want to write before I do that. I just have so many things I want to do and not enough time to do it in! Anyway...
This is my personal favourite levels from some of the best platformers to grace our television screens. I'm sure you know what a platformer is, but just in case you didn't, a platformer game is a game that generally requires jumping from platform to platform. The most popular platformer is undoubtedly Mario, Nintendo set the seeds over and over again on how to make a perfect platformer. That being said, my favourite platformer of all time is Sonic, and if I were to be completely honest, at least 5 of the Top 10 in this would be from the Sonic series. But I've set a limit to one level per major series, some are just individual games anyway. Without further ado, here's #10...
#10 The Volcano's Base - Wario Land 3 (Game Boy Color) This level starts off the Top 10 because it's great as it's the first time you can really use the roll function in the game to great effect. Wario has many powerups in the game but the basic roll is very effective too, if done properly as this level requires you to master. At first it's difficult, but you try and try again, and eventually you'll be able to roll and jump your way to many coins and hidden areas. It's also home to the first boss too, although he's quite easy.
Keep rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin'.
#9 Magic Carpet Level - World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck (Megadrive) There are no names for the levels in this game but the first time you get yourself on the magic carpet in this game is a wonderful feeling. This game is full of imagination as well as great two player action, but this level stands out as my favourite.
#8 Cloud Spires - Spyro: Year of the Dragon (Playstation) It's hard to pinpoint one level once again on any of the three original Spyro games, they're beautiful levels really, but my best effort is Cloud Spires in the third and best instalment. There's a lot to do in this level despite it being one of the first in the game, there's lots of clouds and angelic elements, it just looks wonderful and is a blast to play in too, with all the gliding opportunities.
#7 Street (Stage 3) - Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (Megadrive) I don't know why, but this game lacks the popularity it deserves, maybe it was the court cases, maybe it was the fact that gamers didn't like the idea of an MJ game, but it was great. The best level is definitely the Street level, with "Beat It" playing in the background. The third stage in particular, is fun to play, the highlight being the boss battle, when you have to take on a hoard of vicious dogs, with the ringleader white dog, and you can use MJ's special powers to make them all dance with you. Great stuff.
How did this game not get popular?!
#6 Tokyo (Stage 2) - The Revenge of Shinobi (Megadrive) Maybe I've included too many Megadrive/Genesis games, but I truly believe it gave us the best platformers, this being one of the best. This level is just so much fun, taking on other ninjas, particularly the ones dressed like nuns, testing your mettle. The funky music in the background definitely helps, and the skyscrapers you have the opportunity to walk under or over. This is truly a brilliant level.
He worked very hard to get his 999 shurikens.
#5 Chapter 6 - LIMBO (XBox 360 Arcade) LIMBO is just one very long level with no pauses, but if you load the game up you can start from certain "chapters". In chapter 6 of the game a moment really stands out for me and I thought it deserved inclusion, despite the game not being out very long. A large spider tries to get the better of you, but you dodge a huge rock and it knocks the spider out. All that remains is his body and one leg. But oh no, he's still alive! His one leg tries to get you one last time, but if you dodge that, he gets it stuck in the ground! Haha! Sucker! But oh dear, you're trapped! There's a platform to your right, but it's too far away and spikes are below. So what does our young hero do? He goes to the spider, now dead or just trapped, he yanks off his ENTIRE leg, spider juices flowing, leaving just the spider's main core, and he rolls this body into the pit of spikes, even more spider juices splatting everywhere, so you can climb on the body and over to the other platform! It's gross stuff, but hey, who said platformers are only for kids?
The spiders in LIMBO are really scary.
#4 Egypt - Quackshot (Megadrive) Quackshot was a game that required you to travel over the world and getting items from one part can unlock sections of others. That's why when you see a scribbled note saying "1. Sun 2. Moon 3. Star" that you have for ages. You think "Wha?! What is this for?!" Then, when you get to Egypt, it all makes sense. You enter a tomb and all of a sudden the door shuts behind you, and the ceiling is closing down! You panic, and all of a sudden, you see three placards on the floor, appropriately they're the three shapes mentioned on your note! So you quickly step on them in order, and your life is saved. The rest of the level is great too, you have a mining cart ride amongst other things, but the sheer horror of failing to solve this puzzle haunted me for hours. Until I checked that note!
I can't find a screenshot of the level so an angry duck will have to do.
#3 Space Zone (Stage 2) - Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (Game Boy) I love this level so much. It's truly a magnificent feeling, going through space as Mario in your little space outfit... avoiding all the evil nasties... and all the horrible walls... getting as many coins as possible... sorry I reminisced too much! It's actually one of the hardest levels in the game, especially the end bit before the boss. The best thing about the level though, is the music, it's definitely my favourite song in the game, and it's exclusively used in this level too.
#2 Un-Bearable - Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (Playstation) This is the level that inspired me to write this list. It's just the best Crash level ever. In Crash 1 and Crash 2, to have these levels that start with you going downwards - most levels make you go upwards. These levels tend to be you running away from a large spheric rock, dodging everything along the way. They're great levels. But just over half way through Crash 2, you have a humongous polar bear coming after you! It's a harder level too, with even more obstacles than before. However, that's not the end, oh no. The end, is this super-fast version of the bear! How am I meant to run away from that?! Well, the solution is, you hitch a ride on a baby polar bear cub and run off! It's just so much fun, so much mayhem and it's one of the best levels in gaming history.
Run little polar cub run!!
#1 Hydrocity Zone Act 2 - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Megadrive) Here we are, my favourite level of all time. This level is just flawless. The first act was fun enough, but the second one, full on with a remix of the original song, is just full brim of loop de loops, above water, under water, running ON water, running through gushes of pressurised water. It barely stops. It's just truly a magnificent ride that you barely control, you mainly watch, and it just epitomises what was good about the old Sonic games. You really have to see it to believe it, it's the best platforming level of all time.
Sonic may look scared but trust me, he's having fun.
There you have it, it may be Megadrive/Genesis game happy, but as I said, I really believe the Megadrive had the best platformers. I was going to include the first level from Super Mario Bros, just for how memorable and popular it is, but I wanted to explore other games, besides a Mario game has been featured. Thanks for reading.
Hallo everyone, it's unlikely I'll be able to get another retro review in
until my computer is fixed, but here is my review on Final Fantasy XII, which I
did in April 2008. It's possibly the last review I did, I can't remember doing
one since. But as that was the highest vote tally in my first poll, I'll do my
first proper review on this site as a video game review. To your right is four
options of game review, choose which game you're most interested in. Anyway, onto
the review.
"It has great qualities, but it’s just when you compare
it to the storytelling of previous games, it’s just disappointing."
It's hard to review this game and give it a rating because
as everyone who knows me is aware I adore this series with a passion. But, it's
a disappointment. I asked my girlfriend, “What would you rating FF12?” She
replied, “6 or 7 at the most.” But I gave it an eight, because it's not a bad
game. Not by far. It's a great game in fact, but when you put it up on the wall
next to Final Fantasy VI, VII and IX it really does not shine out.
The game is set in a world called Ivalice, the world of
Final Fantasy Tactics, where the main character Vaan and his childhood friend
Penelo dream get caught in a war between Archadia and Rozarria, two nations
where the battlefield is about to be set in their kingdom of Dalmasca which was
taken over by Archadia two years prior the beginning of the game. Ashe, the
princess of Dalmasca and Basch both thought to have died two years ago
eventually join forces and create a resistance movement against Archadia.
Balthier and Fran are sky pirates along with Vaan and Penelo who get caught in
the resistance movement. That's… pretty much the storyline. It's not great to
be honest, and when you compare it to some of the others, it's as brief as
comparing the Saw series to Cabin Fever. I mean, when people ask me to describe
Final Fantasy VII's storyline, I gasp and say “Well… it's complicated.”
The graphics on the game are absolutely fantastic, there are
no glitches no patches and they are as smooth as can be – it gives the
Playstation 3 a run for its money. There is a small load scene between FMV's
and the action but apart from that the scenes move smoothly. The best word to
use here as you have probably already noticed is smooth. There is some gorgeous
scenery in the game, especially in the latter stages of the game.
The sound is great – the voice acting is better than Final
Fantasy X's and the soundtrack is decent. Once again if you compare it to some
of the soundtracks of the other series then it stands out as pretty bad.
When it comes to replay value, something that the Final Fantasy
series masters, it's not bad. I mean there is actually only one really, which
is disappointing. It's called “Mark Hunting” which is basically hunting a
monster that is pestering people in the game, they get harder and harder and
eventually you go against some of the hardest monsters in the game. There is no
“Blitzball” or “Card Game” like in the other series which is disappointing.
Even the smaller side quests don't offer much.
The main thing I would like to talk about is the battle
system. Ever since Final Fantasy IX the people at Squaresoft/Square Enix
believed they had to change the battle system. In the old series, there was an
ATB gauge, and until it fills up the characters stand still and do nothing. In
Final Fantasy X they got rid of the ATB gauge which made the game flow much
more. In X-2 they brought it back but instead got rid of all the waiting and
delays and made the fighting flow even more. Final Fantasy XII works in exactly
the same way but you can control the character in a 3D environment rather than
in a set screen battle like the other games. The world map and battlefield is
the same field this time around, the monsters can be seen as you scroll across
the deserts, mountains and plains you go through. This sounds like a vast improvement
doesn't it? My only problem is, the original way of fighting in the Final
Fantasy series was not a problem whatsoever in the first place. I have no idea
why Squarsoft/Square Enix think they need to improve the battle system. I've
never seen anyone complain about it. Yes it has gotten mocked over time but
games do! How many games in the past have got mocked but have kept the system
the same over time? Game Developers always think they need to improve the game
if it gets mocked, mainly games that contain scrolling or 2D graphics. Sonic
went downhill and only makes one or two decent games every five years now
because they tried to go 3D – Mario as good as their 3D games are no match for
2D Mario.
The Final Fantasy series has not been “great” since Final
Fantasy IX, and this game follows that trend. Look how much time has past since
Final Fantasy X – six years nearly? Six years and they make a tolerable but
simple storyline with an improved battle system. It really isn't good enough.
Where is the plot is twist? The complex storyline? The dark/hidden side of the
main protagonist? The great female counterpart? The sick but great villain? The
scenes that make you want to cry, that get you hooked on the game? There is
nothing. Oh, but the battle system is good and improved. So for the past six
years they think that all these things are best to be sacrificed in order to
get a super battle system. Also, the storyline is so basic, they make you
travel the whole world and stretch out the small storyline by making you have
hours of battles in between. Basically, you go to one place which is all the
way across the world, fight loads of monsters for hours, get there, beat the
boss and *Insert story progression here*. And repeat. It's not good enough.
Vaan, supposedly the main protagonist has nothing to do with the storyline,
nothing, well he lives where the Archadian army took over. That's it. There's
no love story, the villain is disappointing, Penelo is just annoying. The best
qualities this game has, is Balthier, the awesome sky pirate who is arrogant,
witty and sounds like David Bowie, it's fantastic! The graphics are great the
battle system is good too. That's about it.
As you can tell judging on this review I should be giving it
less than 8/10 but it is a good game. It has great qualities. All the series
does. But it's just when you compare it to its great history of storytelling,
it's just disappointing.
Overall: 8/10
I do maintain the opinion that FF12 is just a shadow on the
Final Fantasy games around it, Final Fantasy 13 is a much better game, although
I'm yet to complete it, so can't do a full review on it. I'll hopefully be
doing a review in the next fortnight, we'll see how fortune works in my favour
first. Have a good day.
For the latest updates on my work, follow me on Facebook and Twitter here!
Crash Bash could have been great. It's a shame it wasn't. Why? Basically, it runs out of steam too quickly.
