The first few months of the year are usually relatively barren, leaving gamers like us to scour the previous year’s releases for games we just didn’t get to. What of last year’s games are you planning on playing? The low-selling critical darling de Blob? A downloadable game like Braid? Or are you some sort of masochist? Let us know in the comments.
January 2009
SB Asks: Garbage time
News / by
/ 
It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen a snowboarding game on the Xbox 360… Amped 3 was about the last worth mentioning, and that was a launch title. Since then gamers hoping to hit the slopes without risking cracked wrists and broken tailbones haven’t had much to do. So, naturally, when Ubisoft announced a partnership with Shaun White and the development of a realistic riding game, many virtual shredders were really stoked. Sadly, though, this one’s only worth the price of admission if you can get a discounted lift ticket.
Far and away the biggest issue in the game its feel. Jump right in and the controls seem a little off; far too twitchy and a long-shot from the effortless, gliding sensation you get when riding through powder. A light touch to either side on the left analog stick has your rider veering in that direction, a reaction that takes some time to acquaint to and, even then, doesn’t feel natural. On the other hand the trick controls, which use a Skate-like setup to assign grabs to the right analog stick and spins/flips to the left while in the air, are quite intuitive and natural – it’s the all-important sensation of carving that’s lacking.
The other missing aspect relating to feel is any sort of sensation of speed. The game relies on motion blur and fluttering clothing on your (completely customizable) rider to try to add some perception of velocity, but even when you’re racking up “Speed Demon” bonuses and traveling at maximum warp in the game the sensation is more bunny slope than black diamond. Top speed on a snowboard in real life is thrilling and frightening, and should be at least engaging in a game; instead it just feels boring here.
And that’s a shame, because there are four gigantic mountains to make your way down. Sadly only one of them is real, Shaun’s home terrain at Park City in Utah, but even the three fakes are large and full of things to do. What they are not full of is places for you to warp to, which makes the game’s many “find the hidden coins” quests a real chore. You can only travel to the top of the few lifts scattered about or to the odd helicopter drop point, usually leaving you with a long, slow, boring ride to find what you’re looking for. And, since the in-game radar guiding you to these hidden coins is hardly precise, you’ll often overshoot them, leaving you the options of spending a few minutes hiking up the trail or twice as long riding back down it. The fact that this isn’t an easy decision to make should give you an idea of how far off the feel of this game is.
There is plenty to do beyond fetch coins, both online and off, but if you want to unlock all your rider’s abilities (and spend some in-game face time with Shaun White) you’ll be searching endlessly for the floating things; that mechanic may work for Mario but it’s a complete bore here. The only thing interesting about exploring the slopes while looking for hidden goodies is the opportunity to appreciate the game’s fantastic graphics engine, which renders a sea of powder as far as the eye can fathom, as well as plenty of details up close. Avalanches are also a real possibility as you explore, which add some much needed excitement when you’re poking your way through the terrain.
Overall there’s a good snowboarding engine here if you can get past the puzzling feel; your rider does react differently on different surfaces, grinds and tricks feel good, and things are certainly lovely to behold. But it takes a strong commitment to get past the irritating fetch-quests at the beginning, and, with the sensation of speed feeling muted at the very least, each run down the gigantic mountains is rather more boring than it should be. There is fun to be had here if you skip the coin collecting, but in a title like this you shouldn’t have to go out of your way to find it.
ESRB: E10+, for lyrics, mild suggestive themes, and mild violence
Plays Like: Amped 3
Pros: Gorgeous mountains, many ways to play online or off
Cons: Twitchy controls and overall poor feel, missing sense of speed, in-game progression hinges not on riding skills but coin-finding abilities
Are you ready to farm? Natsume’s Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility is a visual departure from the previous entries in the series, but largely sticks to the basics that have cultivated an intense following— and that means lots of crops, lots of animals, lots of romance…and lots of patience.
The new visuals are slightly more realistic and rural-looking, and feel natural for the series. In previous installments, the anime feel was just a bit over-the-top, and took some time to get over. Unfortunately, the upgrade didn’t extend to the sound effects. Some animals sound like other animals, and the human voices are beyond obnoxious. Players will find themselves rushing through the start screen to avoid hearing “Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility!” one more time.
The core gameplay, however, largely remains the same as Magical Melody, the last release. Players start out in a mostly-deserted town and, through improving the area and growing crops, you revitalize the area and get new people to move there. Different farm locations in the area still add variety, and attracting villagers and wooing suitors is still as important as farming, mining and fishing. The motion controls certainly aren’t revolutionary, and are really sort of a pain, but most can be avoided. In a game that is already tedious, load times make tasks take even longer.
No, Tree of Tranquility isn’t the Harvest Moon for people who didn’t like the previous game. Most people don’t have the patience, and most people don’t aspire to be a farmer. It does, however, add features that series fans have been wanting. Crop spacing is no longer a headache, caring for animals has been streamlined, and festivals are easier to get to and enjoy. Also, though it has its share of glitches, the number has been decreased from the higher number in previous HM games. One thing to watch out for: Calvin, one character, triggers a game-breaking glitch, and Natsume has yet to fix this.
Natsume tacked on some minigames to this title, but they are not worth playing. On a system with so many quick, gimmicky multiplayer options, it just seems like overkill.
Tree of Tranquility requires patience, and lots of it. For those with a healthy supply, it can certainly be a rewarding game. Just don’t come in expecting instant gratification.
Plays like: Your standard Harvest Moon game.
ESRB: E– Don’t worry about a thing content-wise.
Pros: Updated graphical style, relatively glitch-free.
Cons: Voice acting is horrendous.
