December 2004

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

December 7, 2004

Game Boy Advance / Reviews / by Jason Dobson /

Those who become Heartless lose their memories, as well as their minds. But that didn’t happen to Sora. Why? This question, along with many others, permeates the latest game in the Kingdom Hearts series, aptly named Chain of Memories. Perhaps it is the strength of his heart – the heart chosen by the Keyblade. The heart is a mysterious thing, and Square-Enix’s latest union between the worlds of role-playing and Disney animation takes players on an adventure to uncover these mysteries as they explore the enigma known only as Castle Oblivion, a place wherein memories are clouded the longer one stays inside. Along the way players will come across many familiar faces, both as friends and foes, as these nostalgic touches are the bread and butter of the series. However, while this game, like its predecessor, is strong on many fronts and in the end delivers a worthwhile gaming experience, there are a few facets of Chain of Memories that come off not quite as well developed or fully realized as might have been ideal.Though playing through the original Kingdom Hearts is in no way a prerequisite to appreciating the story woven by Chain of Memories, there is a certain continuity in the series that begs to be experienced in its entirety. This is in contrast to most console RPGs, which as a rule seem to pride themselves on their loosely connected or more often than not totally independent stories. Chain of Memories picks up with Sora, Donald, and Goofy traveling through a seemingly endless field, thoughts of having locked Riku and the king in darkness weighing heavy on their hearts. Suddenly they are met with a vision of a man who speaks cryptic words, and directs them to a nearby fortress called Castle Oblivion. The man tells them that in this Castle lies something they need, but to obtain it they must loose something dear. So the group heads into the mysterious building, hoping to perhaps find their lost friends, while worrying what more this new quest will cost them.

For something as ludicrous as a Disney-uninspired role-playing experience, this plot is not only well told, but it maintains a very satisfying balance of drama and levity throughout the span of the game. While not as engrossing as its PlayStation 2 predecessor, the script does a respectable job of keeping the player interested for all of the few hours that the adventure lasts. This is not a long game by any means, and again, it is not essential to have experienced the previous game, but the numerous story references will no doubt inspire those who have not experienced the original Kingdom Hearts to go back and see what that game has to offer.

Gameplay in Chain of Memories is built upon the concept of using cards to perform actions in the game world. These cards fall into two general classes: Map Cards, which are used to determine that types of rooms available in the Castle, and Battle cards, which are used during combat. As Sora moves about the Castle, he will often come upon locked doors that require certain cards to open. Some doors simply require any general Map Card to be used, while others are more specific in their requirements. The type of card can also determine the type of room that becomes available on the other side of the door. For instance, there is a Moogle Room card that, when used to open a door, will cause the next room to house a Moogle Shop that sells cards. There are also special Map Cards that are used to open a few select doors on a map, and these advance the story by causing events, such as boss confrontations, to take place.

Combat in Chain of Memories is unique and complicated, arguably overly so. Integrating a card game mechanic into a game that does not necessarily warrant such a system has become a popular experiment among recent game development efforts. Such is the case here, and while combat is functional the pains of learning how to adapt to its shortcomings could have easily been avoided if a more conventional fighting system had been used. Here cards are used to represent any and every action that Sora can undertake while in combat, from summoning his friends for a short time, to casting a spell, to simply attacking with the Keyblade. The primary problem with fighting here is that it takes place in real time, but players are forced to sift through a deck of cards to find the action they wish to perform while combat continues at an all too frantic pace. The easiest way around this is to build your deck beforehand in such a way that as little attention as possible needs to be paid to which card is being dealt at any particular time. This reduces combat to a button-mashing affair, which is itself a less than ideal situation, but it is at least much less frustrating and much more functional than having to flip through all of the available cards to find the one you wish to use at any one time. Unfortunately once a deck has been exhausted it must be reshuffled in order to reclaim the used cards so they are again available. This action not only makes Sora unable to move or defend himself while shuffling, but it also takes longer and longer each time the deck again needs to be replenished.

Compounding the frenetic nature of conflict in Chain of Memories is that the enemies are using cards at the same time as the player, and when cards are used at conflicting times, their face values are compared. If one card’s value is greater than the other’s, the effect of the lower valued card is countered. This is a great and strategic element to the game, but when injected into combat that is already so furiously paced this particular gameplay element can lead to considerable frustration. Imagine trying to heal, only to have your card trumped by your opponent’s card. Thankfully this particular area of combat becomes less of an obstacle as time goes on, as players will find and earn more powerful cards with higher face values, and by incorporating these new cards into their deck their prowess in combat becomes much more formidable. A workable strategy often calls for waiting until an opponent uses their card, and then either countering with a superior card, or waiting until their attack has passed before using the card of choice.

As if this was not enough to think about while fending off numerous Heartless, there is also the concept of Sleights to consider. Sleights are special attacks that are learned throughout the game which add that little extra punch that is needed time and again in order to survive. Sleights come in numerous shapes, sizes, and potency, but they are all triggered in the same manner. While in combat, up to three cards can be stocked by holding down both shoulder buttons when the card of choice is currently active. Instead of activating this card, it will instead be placed at the top of the screen in the form of a tiny card icon. Done twice more, and the three stocked cards are ready to be unleashed. Depending on the cumulative value and types of cards stocked, pressing both shoulder buttons again will unleash the Sleight attack. Examples include tossing the Keyblade like a boomerang across the screen, or causing the area surrounding Sora to erupt in an inferno. However, something to keep in mind is the first card in the triumvirate is lost until the battle concludes, so these sleights should be used only when needed else Sora’s deck be fatally diminished for the duration of the conflict.

As mentioned previously, deck building plays an important role here, and taking some time to carefully engineer a workable and efficient deck is the key to lessening frustration later on. Thankfully the deck can be retooled at anytime outside of combat, so experimentation is in order to design a compilation and order of cards that best suits a particular style of play. While at first only small decks can be built, by gaining levels it becomes possible to construct larger, and much more formidable groupings of cards. In addition, multiple decks can be built and saved for different occasions. For instance, you may thoroughly enjoy stacking your deck with fire-based spells, but there are a few bosses in the game that are immune to, or even heal from fire, so having another deck equipped that focuses on a different set of cards is advisable.

As is par the course for a Square-Enix development effort, the presentation in this game is simply amazing. Chain of Memories is quite possibly the most visually stunning piece of work yet seen on the Game Boy Advance. The backgrounds are rich and colorful, with each world showcasing its own unique look and feel. Levels are accompanied with their own Disney or game-inspired themes, all of which have been sampled and remixed spectacularly for the GBA platform. The worlds each manage to capture the look of the particular Disney franchise that they are taken from, from Pooh Bear’s 100-Acre Woods to Jack Skellington’s Halloween Town. The different Heartless are likewise as varied and impressive, as are the numerous bosses. If a complaint must be levied against the presentation, it has to be the inability to skip past the sometimes quite lengthy narrative sequences that precede the boss encounters. Make no mistake, some of these fights are quite difficult, and as such players will find themselves having to retry the fights multiple times until they get a working strategy in place. While the game is nice enough to let players continue from the room just outside the boss’s lair, having to enter that room, and then mindlessly press buttons to skip past the dialog so the fight can begin again can become tedious.

Taking only a few short hours to complete, players may be put off by the game’s length. However, the developers have included a couple treats to help entice players back after the game is completed. Finishing the game opens up a second quest, called Reverse/Rebirth, which is a new game mode wherein the story is told from a different point of view. Here even more secrets surrounding the game’s story are uncovered. This mode also features a slightly different game system, so players will have to rethink their strategies a bit. Additionally, completing the game will open up the ability to link up to another player for a one-on-one versus battle. These battles work essentially like the single-player battles, with players able to select their deck, the world where the battle will take place, as well as various handicaps.

Chain of Memories is a fantastic continuation of the strange, yet strangely compelling marriage of two separate mediums, and serves as the perfect appetizer to tide players over until the release of Kingdom Hearts 2. Though certainly not without its flaws, the most problematic of which being the somewhat mismanaged combat system, this is nonetheless a terrific game that delivers a fun quest, stellar presentation, and an added incentive to revisit the game after it has been completed. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is a title that, for a short time at least, lets a player of any age feel like a kid again.

Sprung

December 7, 2004

DS / Reviews / by Jason Dobson /

Dating sims seldom enjoy the mainstream success in America that they have in Japan, instead being relegated to a niche fan base or, if they are lucky, perhaps a modicum of mainstream acceptance. This is perhaps why the developers of Sprung decided that the most opportune time to release their experimental adventure game would be during the early days of the DS platform’s life, when there would be fewer competing products vying for consumers’ money, and thus the game would be more apt to find gamers willing to take a chance on its quirky and offbeat style. Sprung is an odd game, to be sure, and it is more likely to play the role of a guilty pleasure than a breakthrough hit for either Ubisoft or the DS itself. However, beneath the game’s unusual exterior lies an experience that is somewhat endearing, unquestionably humorous and perhaps more than anything else a nice surprise.It is always a welcome treat to come across a game that is anticipated to be an embarrassing failure, only to find that the title exceeds initial expectations. Sprung, against all odds mind you, turns out to be a surprisingly addictive adventure game that will have you suffering from a near-terminal case of the giggles, unless you are were born without a hint of a sense of humor. Sure it’s crude–and sometimes, perhaps, overly so–but the tone of the dialog is perfectly in line with the atmosphere of the game, that being twenty-somethings on the hunt for sex, love, and that ever-elusive meaningful relationship.

The two main characters in Sprung are Brett and Becky, and each character offers players a unique adventure. Brett is a lonesome guy who is secretly out to seduce Becky, his friend for as long as he can remember. Becky, on the other hand, is just looking to get away after going through a painful breakup. Both have decided to head out to Snow Bird, a ski lodge in Colorado, to get away from the trials of real life as they immerse themselves the resort’s dating scene. Along the way the characters meet up with an interesting cast of friends, rivals, and the occasional hulking Indian.

Sprung is broken up into a long series of scenes that each play out at the resort. Each scene presents the player with a certain objective, and it is up to the player to determine, though a number of different dialog and action choices, how to achieve this goal. Sometimes, especially early on, the path is more or less laid out for the player, and achieving the goal of the scene a simple matter. As the game progresses, however, things get more complicated, and players will find themselves retrying scenes over and over until the proper order and type of dialog choices and actions are selected. While there are times when there are multiple paths to achieve victory in a scene, there are usually only a couple of paths to the objective. This makes the bulk of Sprung boil down a game of memorization coupled with trial and error, and this will no doubt turn off players looking for a more dynamic adventure. Still, the road is littered with such witty dialog that those who can put up with the shortcomings of the rather simplistic gameplay are in for a treat.

There are, however, occasions when a glimpse of dynamic gameplay does make itself known. Saying exactly the right thing at the right time will unlock what is called a Golden Line. These lines can be collected, and used to access certain hidden levels throughout the game. These levels offer exclusive encounters with some of the characters in the game, and this goal of achieving perfection infuses a bit of replayability in a game that otherwise would have been good for a single play though with little incentive for a return visit.

Additionally, much like any adventure game, there are a host of items that also play a role in getting to the end. Sprung features a great many items, and they have a variety of uses. For example, while attempting to woo an Asian temptress by the pool, you find out that she needs something to maintain her blood sugar, so you run off to buy candy from the hippie girl who has been eyeballing you, only to find out she needs you to snatch some mushrooms for her from someone else. Still other item uses are more straightforward, such as presenting a love-to-be with a gift to win his or her affections. Choosing the right item to use, as well as when is key in proceeding through the game.

As mentioned earlier, humor plays a key role in Sprung‘s presentation. It is impossible to take a game like this seriously, so to have the experience itself littered with amusing and well-written dialog is a boon for the adventure as a whole. For instance, there is a scene a little way into Brett’s story wherein he must play a sort of Cyrano de Bergerac role while trying to assist a local hipster in winning the heart of a lady. Before going into the potential disaster, both guys plan out their attack, going over what to say, but in practice words are often poorly communicated, and the resulting banter is laughable, but in a good way. However, players must keep a keen eye on what is being said, as they must recover despite the plan’s self destruction and achieve the scene’s goal (in this case getting the two to hook up). This is just one example of an area that will most likely have to be replayed several times in order to memorize the correct dialog choices, but luckily this is rendered as painless as possible through the use of a checkpoint system. Again, this sort of gameplay is sure to alienate some gamers who do not have an affinity for games whose primary game mechanic is based around retention.

Sprung‘s presentation is visually impressive, opting for a whimsical comic book-style of art that plays well with the game’s comedic overtones. However, the music is atrocious, and most players will no doubt find themselves fumbling for the volume slider in an effort to dull the pain. It wouldn’t be so bad if a majority of the tracks used in the game were not a simple grouping of four or five notes set to loop throughout the scene.

This is a game that proved to be much better than expected. For players looking for a unique adventure game, Sprung is sure to deliver an experience quite unlike any other in recent memory. However, the somewhat elementary gameplay is sure to turn away a number of gamers who are looking for something a bit more well-rounded. For what it is, Sprung dishes out a worthwhile and memorable experience that is both entertaining as well as quite funny. I only wish I had known some of these lines when I was dating.

A Letter to Gamerush

December 6, 2004

News / by Chris Rasco /

I have mentioned my troubles before with Gamerush and how Philip took care of things. The store at Babcock and Prue has decided they too want to suck. I have since decided to complain to Blockbuster/Gamerush’s Corporate office. I have sent this via their online Customer Service and I will also be mailing a hardcopy directly to their HQ. Enjoy.

[quote]Dear Gamerush Management,

I am writing this letter to you today not as the owner of a video game Web site but as a gamer and a customer of your Gamerush stores. You see, being a growing Web site, we are not always privy to free and early copies of the games we review. Sometimes we are forced to purchase them with our own money. As an avid shopper of a single EB Games in San Antonio, some of the deals and special promotions you have set up were far too good to pass up. I have since purchased quite a few games from Gamerush, most of them have been paid in full preorders.

My troubles began with the release of [i]Jak 3[/i] last month. In the video game industry, there are two key dates to be familiar with: the ship date and the release date. Your company seems to disregard both. The ship date is when the game is mailed out to retailers; the release date is when it is available in retail stores for purchase. [i]Jak 3[/i]’s release date was the 9th of November 2004, so it would be a safe assumption that the hundreds of Gamerush stores across the country would have it available on November 10th. Well, I strolled into the Gamerush store that I shop at and walked up to the counter. There were three Blockbuster employees doing various things, and only two other people in the store who had just been helped. I told the clerk that I have preordered [i]Jak 3[/i] and gave him my ID. He inputted something in the computer and then told me, “Well, the games haven’t really been finalized in the system. You should try back tomorrow.” As I gazed behind the counter at the stacks of unpacked boxes of games, I responded with, “But you guys have the games, right?” The clerk then assured me of two things: they did have the games, but I still would not be leaving with my copy of [i]Jak 3[/i]. The manager of that Gamerush is a reader of my Web site, and after detailing my adventures on the [url=http://www.snackbar-games.com/news/1136]front page[/url], he apologized profusely. I returned on November 12th to pick up my game. Again, he apologized for the problem. Problem solved.

I figured it was a one-time incident and thought nothing of it. I even did an [url=http://www.snackbar-games.com/news/1142]update [/url]on our site to let everyone know that the situation had been rectified.

While Christmas shopping on Saturday (December 4th), however, I decided to stop by a different Gamerush from which I had preordered [i]Prince of Persia 2[/i]. This particular game was released on November 30th, and since it was the 4th of December I figured the store would have had ample time to finalize the games in the system. So, I strolled in and once again explained that I have a game on order and handed the clerk my ID. After about five minutes of shuffling around behind the counter, the clerk returned to tell me they haven’t received any copies of [i]Prince of Persia: Warrior Within[/i]. Obviously, I was a little pissed off at this point. I left the store with my son and continued my shopping adventures.

I am not sure what type of business you are running, and since you guys are the “new kids on the block” I have been very lenient in my judgment so far. I realize that not all Blockbuster employees are trained to be Gamerush employees, but I suspect if this kind of apparent lack of customer service and all-around disdain for the customer are to be the norm, then you may as well close up shop because Gamerush won’t be around for long. As a consumer, I expect the employees of a store to show some sort of desire to satisfy me, and while I have seen a few employees show this (Philip at Store #48316 is a good example), the vast majority act like it is a burden to simply do their jobs. On another note, I am not sure who handles the ordering of games on a per store basis, but if I preorder something at your store and pay $40 or $50 up front then I expect that item be available the day it is released. What purpose does Gamerush serve if it takes a week or longer for preordered items to arrive at the store? I would be better off waiting until the release date and going over to Wal-Mart, EB, or the myriad of other places competing for video game sales.

Finally, this letter is being published on the front page of the video game site that I operate. Make no mistakes about it, if you cannot treat your customers properly, you won’t have to worry about it for long because they will be shopping elsewhere.

Chris “Snowcone” Rasco
[email protected]
http://www.snackbar-games.com[/quote]

Oooh Jolly Good

December 3, 2004

News / by Mike Carabajal /

Very interesting article that Cone has just posted. I have a few takes on this. The article brings up many interesting points, one of which I brought up about two weeks ago. Reviews getting grades. On the whole I think it’s a bad idea, but you almost have to give them now. We are still coming up with ways to best handle that solution, I personally think the readers should give the grade and the reviewer just give his take, but that’s just me.

If for any reason you have something to say about Snackbar, then just shoot us an email. You don’t like how our reviews flow, or you don’t like how we present information? Feel free to tell us, Snackbar is always changing and always evolving. I would like us to be the perfect website for YOU to have a voice, not us. Just thought I would share.

Halo 2

December 3, 2004

Reviews / Xbox / by Snackbar Crew /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/halo2/cover.jpg[/floatleft][author]Pickle[/author]The anticipation for what some prematurely called “The Greatest Game of All Time” was at an all-time high prior to November 9th. Midnight struck, and [i]Halo 2[/i] was launched in the record books. You cannot deny the appeal of [i]Halo 2[/i], with the first title being an extremely solid first-person shooter. A sequel only meant innovation and tweaking, all of which leads to a better game. Not to mention the implementation of Xbox Live so you can hook up online and play with some of your good buddies.

The end result is an extremely solid game-yet a game, in my opinion, that did not live up to its tumultuous hype. The fact of the matter remains that [i]Halo 2[/i] is a well done first-person shooter game, if that’s your bag. If not, you will find another first-person shooter with a semi-interesting story mode. This game is a lot of things to a lot of people; it very much caters to the tastes of the genre fans and multiplayer junkies. I found the game lacking in originality-if you’ve played Halo 1 and enjoyed it, you will love [i]Halo 2[/i]. This is a very hard review for me to write. It is an extremely solid game, but it is one that doesn’t cater to my tastes or keep my attention. I am so in the minority, however, that you probably think I am smoking something strange.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/halo2/ss09_thumb.jpg[/floatright]This is a group review, so I can be pretty general about it and chances are high that you already have this game and have played it. [i]Halo 2[/i] has reached phenomenon status unlike anything ever released, so we are here basically giving our takes on it. I know the crew loves it and defends it with stalwart dedication when I run my “overrated” jabs at [i]Halo 2[/i]. In all honesty, however, there is nothing overrated about it (I love raising a fuss), I do admit. [i]Halo 2[/i] delivers on every single aspect of video games above and sometimes beyond expectations and standards of video games-but not mine, though. Breaking down each part of the game would be redundant, as words like “brilliant” and even a few “perfects” come to mind, with its only downside being what I consider to be a drawn-out single-player story mode. I am confident that most everyone will enjoy playing [i]Halo 2[/i] in many aspects. I, however, won’t. I am sorry. Why do I apologize? I have no idea. I just feel the need.

[author]Pretzel[/author]As many of you know, I along with many others on this site am one of [i]Halo 2[/i]’s biggest fans. I was very happy to see hundreds of people standing in line to get a copy at midnight. I must say that playing the multiplayer is quite impressive in some areas, but lacking in others. Playing among friends and setting up custom games are very entertaining for hours on end. Features like selecting party leaders to host are very efficient just in case someone’s connection just can’t hold up. Another feature is the matchmaking system while playing on your own. The days of playing against someone who is supremely better than you are over. There is an even playing field across the board in matchmaking. The downside to matchmaking is the lack of gameplay variety. After one match is over, it automatically sends you back to look for another match. This can get very annoying at times if you want to play continuously. Another downside is the lack of slayer matches and map selections. There is just not enough slayer matches for bigger party duels, and the map rotations are not very balanced.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/halo2/ss07_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The soundtrack to [i]Halo 2[/i] is just beautiful. With the original chanting theme song and other orchestral music, the soundtrack is up to par with some of the best movie scores, especially with the new addition to the story. Playing as the Covenant is a very unique aspect to the story of [i]Halo 2[/i]. Playing as both the Master Chief and an Elite really keep the gamer entertained on both sides of the games.

After the hype and wait, [i]Halo 2[/i] is an excellent game with countless new features and unique gameplay that make it one the best FPS games today.

[author]Snowcone[/author]I tried my hardest to avoid pre-release information on [i]Halo 2[/i] and to fend off the ever-present hype machine that has long since become a standard part of big-name releases. It wasn’t until the very end that I gave in and really got excited. [i]Halo 2[/i] is obviously the sequel to the wildly popular Xbox launch title from Microsoft and Bungie. Three years after its initial release, people were still playing it. That all changed on November 9th. The release of [i]Halo 2[/i] marked the largest video game release that I can remember. The release was celebrated with thousands of midnight openings across the country, with hundreds of people standing in line at each location, and well over one million preorders. I may have done a good job fending off the hype, but it was apparent that the hype had gotten to a few people.

[i]Halo 2[/i] is here with a slight graphical upgrade and a huge one in terms of gameplay. The graphics look cleaner and have a higher level of detail. They certainly make the original game look like something of a joke. My one complaint was that at certain times, and even in cut scenes when the models were loading, you would see the stages of the loading process. First, the polygons would appear and then the different textures would be applied. Bungie addressed this issue and mentioned that it was merely a side effect of using the game engine for cut scenes.

The storyline of [i]Halo 2[/i] has caused quite a controversy. Many people were hailing it as brilliant, while others simply uttered, “It stinks.” Personally, I found the switch to a Covenant perspective refreshing and very cool. Along with this comes the need for Covenants to speak English, which I felt humanized them a little too much. After that point, I almost felt bad for busting an Elite in the face with my rifle. In the end, I believe that most people will be satisfied.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/halo2/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The Multiplayer and Live areas are where this game really shines. In system link, you can now sport 16 Xboxes and 16 players giving each person a full-screen view of the action. Sadly, there is no Co-op over system link. [i]Halo 2[/i] takes advantage of a lot of the new Live 3.0 features such as Clans. The array of game types and options on Live is almost daunting and sure to provide even the pickiest player with a large enough variety to keep them busy for hours. Bungie was also gracious enough to put one of the most in-depth stats tracking portals online. You can view regular and clan matches, see the stats for each player in that game, and see an interactive map of where everyone was killed and by whom. It is definitely a very impressive site and makes sharing your nice kills that much cooler.

All in all, [i]Halo 2[/i] really delivered what was expected. The audio and videophiles will be glad to know that it supports 480p as well as in game DD5.1 audio. Despite the fact that [i]Halo 2[/i] is one of the best games of the year, it really hasn’t grabbed me quite like the original did due to all the new games and hardware that have come out recently. With that in mind, I think anyone with an Xbox should definitely make this an addition to their gaming library.

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