The idea of A
June 2007
Looking back to its humble roots on the Nintendo 64, one would be hard pressed to expect a series like Mario Party to make it all the way to eight editions. But here we are: a new console and a new Mario Party game. Who could have imagined it would have the staying power to have come so far? Well, many gamers would question if indeed it does, and instead accuse Mario and his Parties of having overstayed their welcome. What is unquestionable is that the Mario Party series has continually declined in average review scores as the series has progressed.
But amidst this reasonable skepticism was a current of anticipation leading up to Mario Party 8. The innovative Wii controls and the openness of the Wii experience seemed to carry a lot of potential for revitalizing the series. The Wii has already seen more than its fair share of games that revel in the minigame experience, a vernacular the original Mario Party helped establish. Mario Party 8 then could be seen as the heir to the throne in a certain respect.
The actual experience of Mario Party 8 is thus a conflicting one. It is without a doubt an extremely solid rendition of the tried and true format, but it is not ambitious or daring as you might have expected it would be. This perhaps was an unreasonable expectation as few series can claim the sort of conservative stick-to-your guns approach of Mario Party. But the Wii is a vibrant and radical new way to game, and it is mildly lamentable that Mario Party 8 is so very similar to the previous games in the series.
To be sure, the new motion-activated minigames are a welcome addition, but it is a bit surprising how many minigames avoid motion controls and instead serve as retreads and rehashes of the same sort of games we’ve seen before. Sure, some of the boards feature dramatic game-changing effects, but winning is still just as much luck as it is skill. And, just like all the games before it, Mario Party 8 still features a boring, unforgettable, and best avoided single-player experience. When you look on the game as a whole you are overwhelmed with an impression that they have played it extremely safe with Mario Party 8 and some will undoubtedly find that disappointing.
Some will also feel there is a conspicuous omission in the multiplayer features due to a total lack of online play. Of course this is unsurprising for Nintendo who have been timid, perhaps overly so, in exploring online play. But while some would criticize, the decision has an undercurrent of wisdom. While online play is often refreshing and invigorating, the experience of Mario Party is one that would be sold short without 4 players in the same room. Disembodied internet presences would be disheartening and only marginally more interesting than the single-player game.
So while modest in its ambitions, Mario Party 8 is exactly what you’d expect of it, and if you’ve played any other version of it you already know what you’ll find here. There is a new Wii spin on it, and it works well, but Mario Party 8 faces a competitive field its predecessors mostly didn’t. Your own purchase of Mario Party 8 is a decision based on how much you want another group-friendly minigame title. While you might have already exhausted your interest in the genre, Mario Party 8 is a solid entry in the series that should, even if skeptically, considered.
Pac-Man Championship Edition
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Today, Microsoft and Namco Bandai Games unveiled Pac-Man Championship Edition in NYC at the first ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. 10 gamers from 8 countries on 4 continents competed to be dubbed the Pac-Man World Champion.
The event was being held at The Supper Club in New York’s Times Square and our very own Roger Helgeson is on hand at the event. We’ll be sure to post pictures of the event as soon as we can.
Toru Iwatani, the designer of Pac-Man, released the exclusive surprise as the 10 contestants became the first in the world to play the new game before it’s released on XLA tomorrow.
Pac-Man Championship Edition features the first new Pac-Man mazes in over 26 years as well as new mazes that dynamically change shape during gamplay along with 6 new time game modes and all new soundtracks. The XLA version is polished off with HD graphics.
Screenshots of Pac-Man Championship Edition are here:
A Tragic Tale of Gamesaves
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Gamesaves are an important thing to many gamers. After all, it’s the singular piece of evidence that you logged 267 hours on Game X and managed to completely unlock every little secret, including the ones that nobody knew about. In essence, the gamesave is like a report card that you show off to fellow gamers. They are important, and even more so if you haven’t complete said game.
As the average age of gamers rises, the likelihood of one being a parent also rises. I personally have 2 wonderful children. My oldest is now 3 and loves gaming. He’s just kind of in that spot where he can play just about anything by himself, but navigating menu structures can be a bit confusing, although sometimes I swear he can read. On many games he knows how to load up his profile and game and get playing all on his own. An ideal situation right? The tragedy of this tale comes in the form of that same confidence going horribly awry on a recent gaming day.
You see, he loves Ratchet & Clank. He calls it “Ratchet Cat Game”, which is altogether disgustingly cute. I also happen to love R&C. So much in fact that to this day I am working to max out and purchase every single weapon, even the sucky ones nobody used, in all of the R&C games. On this particular day, my son decided he was going to play R&C. I think it was Up Your Arsenal, but I can’t be for certain. The R&C menus give him a hard enough time, as most of his gaming time is done on the Wii or the 360. This time, my wife was telling him to wait so she could load the game. This of course results in a frenzied rush to attempt to load the game without mom’s help. The end result was none other than a complete erasure or my precious game save.
*gasp*
Like any good parent would do, I said it was ok, but we all know deep down inside I’m hurting here. I think we all know that tiny little gamesave represented days if not weeks of my life spent trudging along for digital accomplishments.
With no real way to prevent this incident from repeating, I find myself in a precarious situation of danger. I keep telling myself, “They are just gamesaves”, but are they?
Have you lost an “important” gamesave? If so, I’d like to hear your tales of horror in the forums so I can move past the grieving stage of my own loss.
Fallout 3 Teaser
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As if the entire collective internet is visiting the site, it is currently not accessible in any capacity, but at some point today you might get lucky and see the Fallout 3 teaser that was slated for release today. If you want to join the millions of people hitting the official site, you can go here http://fallout.bethsoft.com or you can wait for someone to get a mirror up. I’d expect GameTrailers.com to have something by about midday.
