Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

If you are a fan of the Resident Series and a Wii owner you are in for a treat with Resident Evil: The Dark Side Chronicles. I just want it to be known that I’ve never played a Resident Evil game which I’m sure quite a few people will say I’m missing out, but, I’m just not that interested in the survival horror genre. Sure I’ve seen the movies and they were ok, but, Degeneration is probably the best in my opinion. Any way the question remains how well this game pulls off being a Rail shooter.

By far the best levels I’ve played are in dark areas which are exactly what you want for any time of zombie/monster shooter. The problem is that when it comes to the areas that are well let the environment looks kind of bad. I mean noticing pixels on the environment bad. That really took me out of the game which really took me out of the game. Though I have to admit that they did an excellent job with the character and boss models. Especially one boss in the Memories of a Lost City story had me enjoying is overall look. Then again I did fight him a few times because I kept dying.

For some reason I can’t think of any sort of music that stands out in my mind. Don’t ask me why, but, I’m just drawing a blank. The voice acting is enjoyable overall despite one character seemed like his actor couldn’t make up his mind on if he should use an accent or not. The various monsters sounded pretty cool, especially the Lickers, but, seeing as they were my favorite part in the movies I might be some holding bias towards them. The weapons sound amazing as well though I have to admit the bow gun sounded weird. I mean it was like someone took a silencer to an automatic hand gun and fired three shots for it.

You basically get your typical run of the mill rail shooter. Obviously these are the type of games are an excellent genre for the Wii. One nice feature is being able to set up the D-pad and control stick on the nunchuk to change weapons on the fly. This was really helpful because I used this handy feature a few times in both boss fights and regular game play. I do recommend you playing with a friend however considering the partner AI makes you wonder how that character survived all the events in the game being represented. I mean at one point I was using Claire and Chris was just in front and to the side of me and he stood there and took damage from a zombie while I was fighting three others. Plus I’m certain that having a friend playing along will make thing easier in the boss battles, but, they are all awesome. Unfortunately there is only one zombie boss that is missing. Then again only Zombie Nation is hardcore enough to contain the awesomeness that is NAKED ZOMBIE SEAN CONNERY! (Sorry I’ve wanted to use that reference to the Spoony One, Noah Antwiler for a while now.)

Honestly though Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is a good rail shooter. Not spectacular, but, a good pick up considering all I know about the series comes from Wikipedia. I know it will sell fairly well, because, it is apart of a beloved series. Hopefully Resident Evil fanatics will understand that I’m giving it only 7 out of 10 Drunken Heart Points. Yes I did have fun at times, but, at other times I was getting annoyed with it too.

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues

It has been a little over five months since the time I had staff; as in Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. It has also been almost six months since I’ve tackled Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. Well this week I get to take on Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues for the Nintendo Wii.

I have to admit this game looks just as good as the previous games in the series. They do rehash some of the models from the previous Lego Jones so there isn’t much of an improvement in that regard. What is new comes in the form of the story selection screen. It takes elements from the Crystal Skull by having each section in crates spanning all of the movies. Another great thing is that they did change things up with the stories of the movies from the first game, but, in comparison to what they did with Crystal Skull it does have a slight tacked on feel.

Sound wise you get what you expect with the Lego games. There is fairly decent music featuring the movies sound track occasionally. Sound effects are what you get with legos as well, but, the whip does sound nice. The audio growls and grunts do increase the pantomime of the characters.

Now when it comes to the Lego Series you get that combination of puzzle and adventure elements. My number one favorite improvement is the fact that the whip is actually a worthwhile means of attack. With it you can attack multiple enemies or objects which will help when you’re surrounded. Of course I loathe the driving stages for this game because they are such a pain in the ass. I mean the way it controls you’ll find your self flipping or being ejected from what ever vehicle you are using while making a turn. Plus as usual with the driving stages you have to destroy enemy vehicles by bashing into them so that gets to be a bit of a headache.

One thing I can appreciate is the attempt at humor. There are some legitimately funny moments, but, some of their attempts might as well be one of Kate’s jokes. For example when you begin the Temple of Doom story the club’s name is “Club Obi Wan.” When I saw that I went, “Ooohhh… that’s not funny.” Anyway this game does improve upon what they did in the original Lego Indiana Jones without slapping on what they originally did. It is actually its own game unlike the Lego Star Wars game which is a combination of two games. While it is not my favorite Lego game it is pretty fun at times. So this set of Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues for the Nintendo Wii builds 8 out of 10 Drunken Heart Points.

A Boy and His Blob

This week’s review I find kind of funny. Mainly because I just found out that I can’t eat jelly beans (damn peanut allergy) and one of the main characters in this game gets special abilities through eating jelly beans. I’m referring to A Boy and His Blob for the Nintendo Wii. I know there is a fat joke in that title some where but I can’t find it. Any way this game is a re-imagining of the original game released in 1989 for the NES so this is one hell of a way to celebrate its 20^th anniversary.

I have to admit that this game looks pretty good. Each level you visit really pulls of the puzzle-plat former really well to the point where you aren’t thinking of it as one or the other at times. The simplistic art design really sets the mood for child’s vision of an epic adventure. After all we all imagine meeting aliens to hang out and have fun with right?

The sound is fairly nice as well. The sound track is a helps set the mood of exploring the four worlds you visit. In the terms of sound effects while not having a whole lot proves that you don’t need multiple sounds to make a game enjoyable. After the multitude of times you have to transform the blob there is no annoyance factor. That is reserved with the boy’s calling out and whistling to blob.

When you need to undo the transformation the boy will call out; and during the times when you’re to far away for blob to reach you he’ll whistle as well. I don’t know why but that whistle grates on my nerves. Anyway this game will focus on getting from A to B using the jelly beans you’re allotted to use. If you played the classic game you already know that the Jelly Beans will allow Blob to transform into various objects like ladders and trampolines. You can also use some of these transformations to defeat enemies along with using elements in the environment. Just be careful because if you are to close to a destroyed enemy you’ll die as well.

There is also one more thing that I have to point out. During my play through when I was going up against the second boss some how I killed him and he killed me but instead of having to restart the fight the game acted as if I was still alive. That is a game breaking glitch that is a pain considering I had to restart the whole level. Overall though A Boy and His Blob is a good game and I give it 8 out of 10 Drunken Heart Points, but, I highly recommend you getting the original version on the virtual console. It is the smarter buy, because, they’re pretty much the same game where the only difference is the graphics.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

There is always one character when you think of video games, Mario. Ever since he was first showed up on the scene battling Donkey Kong the legendary plumber has had multiple games spanning all of Nintendo’s consoles plus a few others. His newest release calls back when he was at his best as a 2-d platforming with New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

In the visual department this game looks excellent by Wii standards. The vibrant worlds you visit on the quest to save the princess are look great while they levels are of great designed. One thing you’ll notice right off the bat is that the camera is pulled back quite a bit for its multi-player experience, but, this can be a slight pain during single player because of the chance at missing a Koopa that has blended in with the back ground. The character models are great and none other then the Koopa kids have made their way back into a main stream Mario game from their long hiatus starting after Super Mario World look better then ever. The new power-ups brought along look great and very fitting for this game.

Sound wise you the combination of music and sound effects steal the show. The level music really brings back the nostalgia of the classic 2-d games with remixes of songs from the original Nintendo days. The sound effects have also been adjusted with new sounds of Goombas being stomped and Shells being kicked. Even the sound Yoshi makes when he’s hatched makes a return and it is not as loud back in Super Mario World. There is also some voice acting made by Mario and Luigi that is customary.

If I wanted to make a comparison with this game I would say New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a combination of Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World. The boss battles are more challenging, but, if you find yourself stuck at one level due to excessive dying there is always the Super Guide which will allow you to let the computer beat the level for you. Another aspect that returns is power up storage via Super Mario 3 where the power ups from the toad house and when you rescue a toad can be used prior to a level. Now while I’ve haven’t experienced the multiplayer mode I can already tell you that if your playing through the main game make sure it is with the right people. I bet we all know a few people would find it funny to screw up a jump by landing on your character’s head or steal a power-up they don’t need from you. The control style has your wiimote on its side like a NES controller and shaking the wiimote allows you to use the spin jump or pick up objects, toads, and other players.

Overall Super Mario Bros Wii is a solid on school Mario game with a twist. Fans of the plumber will love this game while others will enjoy it as well. My only real complaint I have from what I’ve scene is why wasn’t Wario and Waluigi in this game. Wario has been in Super Mario 64 DS and I bet everyone would rather play as them instead of a toad if they were forced into the player 3 &4 positions. Any way New Super Mario Bros. Wii jumps its way towards 9 out of 10 DHP.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

As a kid I use to love sitting down in front of my Sega Genesis and playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2 right after watching Sat AM (Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon show). After all Sonic had some great games back in the day. Unfortunately the blue blur has had some well less then stellar games as of late. Take Sonic and the Secret Rings for example. Damn that game was by far the worst game I've played staring him, and I’ve played Sonic R. But when I heard that a Sonic RPG is coming out, not only that it was made by Bioware one of the greatest RPG game making companies out there this side of the Pacific Ocean I was wanting to get this game a.s.a.p. My expectations for this game to be just as good as Super Mario RPG and the people that make the Final Fantasy series made that one.

In the visual department you have some decent graphics. The over worlds are nicely designed and the transitions that use either Sonic or Tails are nice in their on way. In the games battle mode the characters are a little pixilated and look strange. The non robotic enemies are the same way and for some reason the robots look smoother. There are title cards for each chapter of the game that look incredible and look great in terms of design.

Sound wise you have some good music. Each theme has a unique feel that matches each location. The main focus in the audio department is the games sound effects. In the over world you typically hear the ring chime along with any noises made by enemies that will activate the battle mode when you touch them. The sounds for the attacks are ok considering what there is. Typically it is sound effects from previous sonic games like the sound when you get crushed in between two platforms.

When it comes to game play you have a Turn based RPG. Each character has a set number of attacks per round so typically faster characters can attack more often then slower ones. There are things called Pow Attacks which is an equivalent to Magic attacks which could use one or more characters on a team. The Pow Attacks are set up where you are doing a type of rhythm based game like Elite Beat Agents which shouldn’t have been in this game in my opinion. Another complaint I have against this game is the Attack and Defense stats determine the chances of how many times you can hit or get hit. There is also a mini game if an enemy tries to flee your team chances them down by jumping boxes and running over speed boosters.

Overall I have to say this game didn’t meet my expectations for it. As much as I’m a fan of Bioware’s products they need to stick with their Action RPGs. Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood for the Nintendo DS only gets a 6 out of 10 Drunken Heart Points.