BRAIN DRAIN

Back in early June, Kotaku’s Brian Crescente wrote about how EA Sports ran a simulation of what was then the soon-to-be-played NBA Finals to see who would come out on top. It’s something the folks over there — both at EA (who use their games in this way from time to time) and Kotaku (who write about it accordingly) — do somewhat regularly. The results? Lakers beat the Celtics in seven.

I wanted to write about it in the run-up to the actual Finals but never got around to doing so. All for the best, I suppose: since the real thing is already over, it’s fun to compare how the actual Finals measure up.

It also goes without saying the write-up makes for a curious look into what might have been — especially for Lakers fans out there.

I swore to myself I’d avoid using my blog in this way, but I have to let it out:

Chrono Trigger is coming to the Nintendo DS. North American release (in my opinion, likely to be pushed back) will be this holiday season.

Based on the information out there, it’s a port with added features — full touch screen functionality, dual screen support, an extra dungeon and WiFi multiplayer battles. And while I’m certain that there are throngs of fans out there simply disappointed that this isn’t a straight-up sequel, the news just keeps bringing a smile to my face.

Hot damn. Can’t wait.

[Square-Enix confirms Chrono Trigger DS (Kotaku)]

My brother got me a copy of Touch Detective for Christmas that I’ve only managed to try out and wrap up recently. On the whole it’s a decent enough game, yet because it falls short on several fronts it is at best only an average title for the Nintendo DS.

In broad strokes, everything about the game seems to be right up the alley of someone with an affinity for the mystery genre and for casual gaming. Players play the part of the titular Touch Detective, Mackenzie, who aspires to make it into the ranks of the Great Detective Society. To do this, she must prove her mettle, and thus players undertake four unusual cases, directing Mackenzie to investigate people, places and things by tapping around on the touch screen. In this regard, it’s simple gameplay akin to ye ole point-and-click mysteries on the PC of years back. More, the visual style of Touch Detective is quite unique, presented as it is in a pseudo-anime fashion that is above all else eye-catching.

So what’s not to love about Touch Detective? In truth, the game often feels disjointed, mostly because the gameplay feels broken in so many areas. Particularly, the main problem lies in that the script is often too obtuse, so much so that there are some points in the game where players are left with absolutely no idea what to do next. Granted, it is a mystery title and thus not everything should be spelled out in big bold letters; yet even taking that as given, sometimes experimentation becomes useless because the game depends so much on sequence. Far too often, the story can only be pushed along if players “touch” the appropriate items on the screen in the correct order, which would not be a problem if there was the slightest hint that such is actually required. Speaking from experience, there were maybe two or three instances where I found myself stuck after performing an action, and no amount of exploring helped me move the story along — until, that is, I clicked on the character beside me, something I had no reason to do in the context of how the story was unfolding.

This doesn’t mean that I hated the game; personally, it’s something I fancy if on principle: it’s a detective game on the DS, after all. At best, perhaps only one of the four cases in the storyline is really worth playing through, while the remaining three have slivers of brilliance that just don’t live up to their potential, for the reasons identified above. So yes, I liked the game enough, warts and all — but certainly not enough to go and invest in the sequel.

I have become quietly addicted to Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

It’s not like the game is new: it’s prior release on every platform in at least two other separate incarnations allowed me to hedge my bets (correctly, I might add) and just wait for a collected Wii port. Nor is the game particularly well designed: in fact, it is mostly quite the opposite, with many a frustrating moment caused by terrible camera angles, character control, or stage layout.

Yet for all that I can’t keep from playing the game, struggling to unlock all the extras and gain “True Jedi” status in every level. Why? Simply because none of what’s wrong with the game really matters, because it gets so many other things right.

Ultimately, the combination of Lego and Star Wars is just ripe for a geekgasm and utterly irresistible, to boot. In many ways, it brings back much of the charm that made the original trilogy a smashing success, warts and all, while also doing justice to what the prequels tried to be but never were (while they were a travesty in theaters, in Lego Star Wars they’re fantastic!). All this while poking fun at the Star Wars legacy with a lot of off-kilter and insider humor that’s just right on.

It also helps that, even in Lego form, Darth Maul is wicked cool. That alone is enough reason to pick up the game and lose oneself a long time ago in a (Lego) galaxy far, far away.

Some time ago, I picked up a used copy of Kirby Canvas Curse, a relative oldie but goodie for the Nintendo DS. Built around the premise of guiding Kirby (who’s been transformed into a ball) through several stages by drawing paths for him to follow on the touch screen, it’s good clean fun that’s as simple as it can get.

Although it isn’t a groundbreaking revolution in gaming and lacks the gloss of other titles — every time I play, I half-expect Kirby to rocket through each stage much like Sonic the Hedgehog — what will prevent even serious gamers from writing this one off are Canvas Curse’s level design and unlockables. With regard to the former, some of the stages can be positively devious (in a fun sort of way), requiring multiple playthroughs just to find everything that they have to offer. As for the latter, the game has enough unlockables to keep obsessive completists at it for hours. While the resulting rewards are admittedly a tad underwhelming, they nevertheless give this otherwise short game a little more mileage: I finished it the first time a shade under six and a half hours and later on completed it after logging in over twenty.

Anyone who can find a copy (did I mention I got mine used?) would do well to add Kirby Canvas Curse to their library.

Because I apparently live in an alternate dimension far removed from mortal men:

Channel Surfing

When I woke up this morning, I turned on the TV and tuned in to CNN. There, the running ticker informed the world that Fabio Capello led England to victory in their football friendly against Switzerland. “That’s nice,” I thought, then proceeded to channel surf. A few clicks of the remote later, I found a repeat telecast of the same game already in progress on Star Sports.

For a minute or two I toyed with the idea of watching the game through to its conclusion, but decided to continue channel surfing instead since I already knew the outcome. However, nothing in particular really caught my fancy for the better part of the hour, and I ended up passing through Star Sports several times, eyeing snippets of the game in the process.

Later, it hit me: those “snippets” from the game I managed to see happened to be each of the three goals that would make up the final score.

What are the chances of that happening?

Ambient Music

While on an errand at the mall, I was in need of a midday pick-me-up and got myself a cup of joe. The barista who took my order was friendly and chatted me up, though we were both rendered speechless when the music over the store’s sound system started playing a song that was…untimely:

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”

As the song played out, it was clear that the three-man crew present were just as dumbfounded as I was about this. They made a few jokes to make light of the situation, making it all too clear that they thought this was just a fluke.

Then the next song started to play:

“Have yourself…a Merry Little Christmas…”

By this time there was stifled laughter all around, and as the barista went on a mad scramble to fiddle with their CD changer the look on everyone’s faces was priceless.

At the Video Game Store

I was browsing the shelves at a video game store in the area when some guy made a beeline for the Wii games. He picked up a copy of Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles then headed straight towards the register. Talking to a clerk, he pointed at something on the cover and inquired whether the store had any in stock.

He was asking about the Wii Zapper.

Excited to make a sale, the clerk enthusiastically said they had just the thing and proceeded to get one for the customer. Knowing that the Zapper isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be (it’s an unnecessary peripheral, in my opinion) and curious as to why this guy would want one for the game, I couldn’t help but politely remark in his direction, “You know, you don’t really need it.”

In my experience, comments like this usually open the floodgates for fairly interesting conversation. For novices who don’t know any better, it usually invites the right sort of questions to make an informed decision about the purchase. In those instances where the person is in fact a tried and true gamer, it sets the stage for impassioned discussion about why they’re so interested in what they intend to buy.

But this guy was different: He gave me the evil eye, looked in my direction with an affronted look, and angrily replied “My son is three years old. It’s hard for him to play. This will make it easier.”

As I listened to this, two things were going through my head.

First: His son is three years old, and he’s buying Resident Evil?!

Second: Why was he so…confrontational?

Not wanting to come across as some know-it-all, I just nodded my understanding (or really, my lack thereof) and left it at that. When the clerk showed up with the Zapper in question, he proceeded to return the copy of Resident Evil, which fortunately he wasn’t buying for his child, and hied off to the register to make his purchase.

Before handing over his credit card, he began reading through the details on the box and saw there was a bundled game. Concerned, he asked the clerk whether the Zapper only worked with that game. Ever helpful, the clerk replied that the Zapper could actually be used with a host of games, “like Resident Evil, Medal of Honor, and Super Mario Galaxy.”

Super Mario Galaxy? Played with a tommy gun? Hearing this made my poor gamer’s heart bleed just a little bit. Obviously, the clerk didn’t have a clue, nor did this well-meaning father. I just hope he understood that all he really bought was an overpriced piece of plastic that comes with half a game.

Still at the Video Game Store

Something I noticed while browsing through the shelves for Nintendo DS games: at this store, Diner Dash, the Flash version of which is actually free to play online, was more expensive than Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney — Trials and Tribulations, one of the best games on the platform.

That’s just not right.

In My Room

Today I realized that too many things in my room have a remote control.

I’d walked in and absentmindedly picked up a white remote to put on the airconditioner. After clicking on it several times to no effect, I was beginning to get annoyed that it wasn’t working.

Until I realized I was trying to put on the airconditioner with a Wiimote.

The manual that accompanies Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure contains the following special message from Capcom:

Thank you for selecting Zack & Wiki^TM: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure for your Nintendo Wii^TM computer entertainment system. Capcom&reg is proud to bring you this new addition to your video game library.

And well they should be, because it is positively one of the best games available for the Wii. Or any platform for that matter.

Zack & Wiki hearkens to the glory days of the point and click puzzle adventure. Players take on the role of Zack, pirate wannabe and newly inducted member of the “notorious” sea rabbits. On his journey he is assisted by Wiki, a monkey who, strangely enough, magically transforms into a bell. Their adventure begins when they meet the legendary pirate Barbaros — or what’s left of him. They find the pirate cursed, his body turned to gold and dispersed around the world. He asks for their help to put him back together; they agree, thus beginning Zack’s quest to establish himself as one of the world’s greatest pirates.

This treasure hunt is implemented in superb fashion. The control scheme is simple, and entails making use of the Wiimote much like a mouse in order to direct Zack’s actions (in point and click fashion). As each stage is setup as a mind-bending puzzler, this requires that players figure out the correct sequence of actions to perform in order to successfully avoid traps and acquire the treasure that lies ahead. But there’s more: shaking the Wiimote like a bell activate’s Wiki’s ability, which has the effect of turning living objects into useful tools — umbrellas, saws, and at least one lighter — for beating the stage. To make use of these entails moving the Wiimote so as to mimic how such objects are used in real life.

The game is a gem on nearly all fronts. Graphically, the cel-shaded anime style used in Zack & Wiki is pure eye candy. Also, despite its English localization the game manages to retain much of its Japanese humor (which is a good thing). Yet a few blemishes remain. For one thing, the game’s motion controls tend to be occasionally dodgy. Further, as a puzzler, there is an unavoidable amount of repetitive trial and error involved to getting anything done. The most glaring shortcoming, however, has must be in the odd time-sensitive puzzle, especially those that require clicking on just the right thing almost by reflex, which would not be so bad had the clues for what to do been clearer. Inasmuch as these tend to make the game slightly more frustrating than it should be, they do not detract from the overall experience of an otherwise solid game.

Commercially, it would appear that Zack & Wiki never quite took the marketplace by storm. In fact, I’m pretty sure that there are a host of Wii gamers out there that don’t even know the title exists. More’s the pity. The long and the short of it is that Capcom have a real winner on their hands that may just be the Wii’s best kept secret.

Believe the hype: Super Mario Galaxy has taken game platforming to an entirely new level. Whether it’s the ingenious level designs; the playful use of different gravities as players jump, spin, and fly through different planetoids; or the truly exceptional soundtrack, it doesn’t take very long to realize that this game is something special.

There can be no denying that Galaxy is a true and blue 3D platformer if ever there was one. It’s not just in the character rendering: playing the game often requires thinking in 3D, to explore the different nook and crannies that each stage has to offer to find objects, to think about how to position Mario in just the right way to clear obstacles, and occasionally to take control of the pudgy plumber from positively maddenning angles (upside down and sideways are certainly more challenging than most people might think). Disorienting? Only at first. Innovative? From start to finish. Fun? Beyond measure.

As an added bonus, the game allows for two-player cooperative play. This is accomplished by one player essentially playing through the game as Mario, with the second player assisting by using another Wiimote to point out things onscreen, collect and fire star bits, or help the first player pull off double or super jumps. Granted, it seems like a very limited role to play for a second player, but it’s a whole lot more engaging than it sounds. In fact, some stages seem nigh impossible without such an assist, and overall it seems that Nintendo have touched on an entirely new mode of two-player gaming that is not just workable but has lots of potential.

It’s hard to conceive of how anything can possibly top Super Mario Galaxy. Indeed, what Nintendo have accomplished in the latest offering for their flagship character is absolutely extraordinary.

The first real Zelda game for the Nintendo DS, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is both a worthy sequel to the Gamecube’s Wind Waker and an all-around great role-playing game (RPG) for players on the go.

Fans of the series will note that Phantom Hourglass is perhaps the most palpable departure from the Zelda formula to have graced a gaming platform in a long time. Here there is no Triforce, no Master Sword (although there is a close substitute), and ultimately no dark wizard Ganon to defeat — all of which happens to be a good thing. That the story takes place following the events of Wind Waker has given the developers an opportunity to craft something refreshingly new albeit still cast in the Zelda mode, resulting in a game just ripe for players new to the series to try out and that long-standing fans (especially those of Wind Waker) will also enjoy.

The game has to be the most impressive release on the Nintendo DS to date. It’s not just the game’s near flawless stylus-based controls; beyond that, nearly the entire range of the DS’s functionality — such as the microphone and even its clamshell design — factor into the gameplay quite thoughtfully. While some players may object to the to the need to revisit a particular area in the game several times over just to push the story forward, it is a quirk of game design executed fairly well.

Although relatively short for an RPG (it can be finished in around twenty hours), a number of extra features ensure that gamers won’t be putting Phantom Hourglass down all too soon. The reason for this, aside from two token minigames within the main story, is the game’s Wi-Fi component. Because it is essentially a seafaring adventure, the game inevitably involves customizing the ship being used to travel from island to island, which can be done more quickly by trading parts with other players via Nintendo’s Wi-Fi connection. This takes place via a separate online game pitting players against each other in turn-based matches akin to “capture the flag” mixed with “hide-and-seek”, which also happens to be quite addictive on its own.

Nintendo have once again struck gold with The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, a must-have title for the DS if there ever was one.

I have a soft spot for Capcom’s Street Fighter series. It began with Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, carried over to the subsequent Alpha/Zero iterations, and more or less died down with the revamped cast of characters that accompanied the release of Street Fighter III. Because the attempt to render it in full-blown 3D has more or less been a disappointment, nearly ten years have passed since anything new worth writing home about has happened to this beloved fighting game.

That is, until Capcom released a trailer teasing at an upcoming Street Fighter IV already in development. So this is me (very belatedly) “writing home” about it.

Gamer or no, one has to concede that it’s a very well made and, dare I say, stylish trailer. The manner in which the characters’ sparring was rendered is quite cinematic, with the brushstroke motif making it look all the more classy. Further, there’s a ton of fan service throughout the clip, the most satisfying of which just has to be the uber-fantastic Ha-Dou-Ken! at the very end.

In the onrush of speculation that followed, arguably the best is the following feature from GameTrailers dissecting the Capcom clip. It’s very much worth playing if only for the catchy tunes (a remixed version of the background music from Zangief’s stage).

Reading too much into it? Maybe. But as the initial development-stage gameplay footage go to show, a fair amount of the speculation has been spot on. Truly, it’s a great time to be a Street Fighter fan.