DS

Ninjatown

November 10, 2008

DS / Reviews / by Michael Walbridge Make a comment! / Tweet it!

A new DS game that is based on a line of toys and comics for young children would expectedly be akin to shovelware, a husk of a game that is nothing more than marketing assistance funded by its purchasers as much as its purveyors. Ninjatown is not that game. Instead, Ninjatown resulted in a simple strategy game that uniquely builds on solid tower defense fundamentals and injects it with humor and replayability.

Ninjatown is loyal to the world upon which it is based; ever-present demons live in a nearby forest, frequently conflicting in various ways with Ninjatown and its many ninjas. These demons launch an unprecedented assault and it is up to Ol’ Master Ninja to defend the different secrets and pieces of Ninjatown from the onslaught.

The demons march in a line down the streets and you must prevent them from either walking off the screen or attacking your object of defense. Gameplay is almost completely stylus based; the menus and layout of the map are arranged perfectly so that they rarely interfere with execution of your strategy. The “towers” in Ninjatown are not towers in the traditional sense but huts manned by two ninja units with their own stats. Tower defense games are not common and Ninjatown’s mechanics here are unique, so some more elaboration is necessary.

Only half of the 8 types of huts are ranged; the majority of defense will actually be performed by ninjas who use melee attacks, which is one of the game’s unique mechanics. The ninjas have their own hit points, and if they go down to zero the ninjas return to the hut, shutting it down temporarily. Melee ninjas also stop engaged enemies in their tracks, but only if they can catch them.

With some demons being slow, heavily-armored and heavy-hitting, while others are highly quick and hard to catch but easy to take down. Air units are still a problem, but the costs involved for ranged units sacrifices your power on melee units, so the challenge isn’t even a dichotomy or trichotomy, but rather some intricate rock-paper-scissors mechanics you might see in an RTS.

Lastly, there are special items and abilities that you can use to gain a significant advantage or last-minute save.

The story is cute and fun, managing to slip a clever mix of Japanese and American-styled humor revolving around the adult world amongst the cutesy themes. There are 36 levels, each with a grade you can receive, and 8 multiplayer levels–multiplayer is similar to singleplayer, only the player who holds the waves off first is the victor.

Ninjatown is accessible to both beginners and advanced players, simple and complex, and with 10-15 minute levels is compatible with both short and long-term play sessions. From the DS’s rich buffet, Ninjatown is a light, unique, and flavorful dessert.

ESRB: E. Super cute and simple graphics

Plays like: a tower defense game with unique elements. While simple, there isn’t anything quite like Ninjatown

Pros: Humorous, appeals to a broad range of players while alienating few, unique elements; when failing, you manage to always barely lose, and it leaves you hungry for more

Cons: Some may not like the complete reliance on the stylus, somewhat challenging, very date graphics and noise

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time

October 30, 2008

DS / Reviews / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

In 2006, Nintendo released the Chunsoft-developed Pokemon Mystery Dungeon:Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team games. These two versions were only marginally different. The game combined the Pokemon characters with Chunsoft’s traditional Mystery Dungeon gameplay, to moderate success but without the addictive nature of either.

It’s all just a little bit of history repeating. 2008 sees the release of yet another Pokemon Mystery Dungeon installment, Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, and there’s really nothing new here. The new creatures from Diamond and Pearl have been added in, including the new starters. Upon playing, though, you come to realize that, except for type differences, the creatures all play the same. As long as your creature’s type isn’t weak to your opponent’s, battling is simply reusing your best move until one of you loses.

The controls are also the same as in Rescue Team. Moving in cardinal directions is easy enough, but the game expects the player to move diagonally, and doing so requires holding down the L button and pressing a diagonal. This is an understandable attempt at making it easier to not accidentally move left when you want to move up-left, but the implementation is weak, and accidental moves still happen. Unfortunately, this comes up in battle, and a wasted move leaves you open to an extra attack. Many times, the battles are even, so victory is then a result of lucky breaks rather than skill and tactical prowess.

One thing that the game (and every Mystery Dungeon game) has going for it is the use of randomized dungeons. Human-designed dungeons are typically more challenging and enjoyable; random dungeons sometimes spawn exits in the same room as entrances. However, this random nature does allow for infinite replayability. If someone truly wants to complete this game, it takes getting hundreds of characters to level 100. While this is highly unlikely, some prefer games that offer a lot of bang for the buck, and it’s hard to argue against PMD in that regard.

The difference in Time and Darkness essentially boils down to the top prize Pokemon: Darkness features Mewtwo and Time stars Celebi. There are also a few other exclusives, but those are not very powerful and are simply a ploy to promote trade between versions. 

To justify these two versions, an addition in the latest Mystery Dungeon games is the ability to “call for help” and have another player rescue you from a dungeon, allowing you to keep your items and experience instead of losing most of it. Explorers allows this to be done through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or local wireless. While this is an intriguing feature, most players can get themselves back to that area in the time it takes to find a friend to rescue them.

Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness aren’t bad. For people who really enjoy Chunsoft games, it continues the line, and for those who haven’t ever played one, this isn’t a bad way to get a taste of the genre. For those, however, that dabbled in the genre with the first PMD game, there isn’t much here to warrant a second purchase.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness

October 30, 2008

DS / Reviews / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

In 2006, Nintendo released the Chunsoft-developed Pokemon Mystery Dungeon:Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team games. These two versions were only marginally different. The game combined the Pokemon characters with Chunsoft’s traditional Mystery Dungeon gameplay, to moderate success but without the addictive nature of either.

It’s all just a little bit of history repeating. 2008 sees the release of yet another Pokemon Mystery Dungeon installment, Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, and there’s really nothing new here. The new creatures from Diamond and Pearl have been added in, including the new starters. Upon playing, though, you come to realize that, except for type differences, the creatures all play the same. As long as your creature’s type isn’t weak to your opponent’s, battling is simply reusing your best move until one of you loses.

The controls are also the same as in Rescue Team. Moving in cardinal directions is easy enough, but the game expects the player to move diagonally, and doing so requires holding down the L button and pressing a diagonal. This is an understandable attempt at making it easier to not accidentally move left when you want to move up-left, but the implementation is weak, and accidental moves still happen. Unfortunately, this comes up in battle, and a wasted move leaves you open to an extra attack. Many times, the battles are even, so victory is then a result of lucky breaks rather
than skill and tactical prowess.

One thing that the game (and every Mystery Dungeon game) has going for it is the use of randomized dungeons. Human-designed dungeons are typically more challenging and enjoyable; random dungeons sometimes spawn exits in the same room as entrances. However, this random nature does allow for infinite replayability. If someone truly wants to complete this game, it takes getting hundreds of characters to level 100. While this is highly unlikely, some prefer games that offer a lot of bang for the buck, and it’s hard to argue against PMD in that regard.

The difference in Time and Darkness essentially boils down to the top prize Pokemon: Darkness features Mewtwo and Time stars Celebi. There are also a few other exclusives, but those are not very powerful and are simply a ploy to promote trade between versions. 

To justify these two versions, an addition in the latest Mystery Dungeon games is the ability to “call for help” and have another player rescue you from a dungeon, allowing you to keep your items and experience instead of losing most of it. Explorers allows this to be done through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or local wireless. While this is an intriguing feature, most players can get themselves back to that area in the time it takes to find a friend to rescue them.

Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness aren’t bad. For people who really enjoy Chunsoft games, it continues the line, and for those who haven’t ever played one, this isn’t a bad way to get a taste of the genre. For those, however, that dabbled in the genre with the first PMD game, there isn’t much here to warrant a second purchase.

Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2

October 23, 2008

DS / Reviews / by Michael Walbridge Make a comment! / Tweet it!

I will begin by admitting that I haven’t played any of the other Naruto games. I still know, however, that Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 will be a disappointment, even for some younger Naruto fans.

I know this because the dialogue and plot are watered down, even for Naruto; this may not matter since fans of the show aren’t exactly picky in that regard. The opening scene depicts some bad guys unleashing spirits that, should they make contact with regular people, will take over their bodies and make them wish to fight until they die. It is caused by a catfish, and you must recover five awesome mirrors in order to reverse the process. Fighting ensues, drama does not. The characters of Naruto are only barely represented and sketched through their words and actions, though they are perfectly represented through voice; each time it is a character’s turn, he or she shouts something obnoxious (Choji shouts “Chubbies rule!” one third of the time, and after hearing that dozens of times it still makes me uncomfortable); each time a character attacks he or she shouts too (“Take that!”; “Uuuuughhhh!”; etc.), and annoying as that is, they really do sound like the characters from the show.

The single-player story is mind-numbingly easy. Defeated characters are revived with 1 hit point after a battle ends. Any time you hit a save point all characters have their HP and chakra (magic) restored. Items are everywhere. A level-up also instantly restores hit points and chakra. These happen frequently. Numerous characters can heal. Chakra is plentiful. Any fight that is not a boss fight can be beaten by pressing A until it’s over. You can do this for minutes. You also seem to have a 50% chance to run away. You can attempt again with each character. You literally don’t even have to fight in random encounters if you don’t want to!

The journey remains in this droll state until it dawns that you are not simply adding members to your party, you are collecting them. Path of the Ninja 2 has a multiplayer mode that takes itself quite seriously as it attempts to emulate many elements of Pokemon while supplying the characters and items through the single-player storyline.

There are a few redeeming graces for Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2. You collect dozens party members that stay permanently in your party. There are also “ninja cards” that grant jutsu (spells) or abilities that stay only as long as the card is equipped. You only use 4 party members at a time, though; the fun is in the many combinations you can achieve through equipment and choosing four out of over two dozen characters.  Of the 4 party members, 3 are on the field at any time; any party member can switch out for the fourth, with the switched character being able to act immediately. There is also a grid for the characters to move around on; moving doesn’t use up a move, but the amount of damage a character can deal and receive depends on position; even some of the moves vary depending on field position. So the combat is not as bad as the story, at least, and for two kids who buy a semi-annual game together in which they will have lots of time to level their characters to 99 in order to challenge each other later, this whole system has the possibility to justify itself.

All this customization bodes well for multiplayer action and for boss fights. The bosses in the story do at least require some ingenuity, strategy, and even creativity, and this is where the unique elements of combat become somewhat rewarding. Bosses can and will kill you if you take an incorrect mix of party members. The saving grace here is that in most cases there is no magical formula for a correct or incorrect set of party members or moves that are required for victory, a common problem with many Japanese RPGs.

Still, it must be emphasized that Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 is for kids. It is simple in design and language even by some kids’ standards, emulates Pokemon, and is full of annoying sounds and simple graphics. It’s a smooth ride for the kids, but the older you are, Naruto fan or not, the less likely you are to enjoy Path of the Ninja 2. This is the 9-year-old annoying version of testosterone in 20-hour-form, a long version of the show that would be considered one of the better representatives of the Naruto universe if only it had some more challenge and some more authenticity in the story.

ESRB: E 10+: if the kids can watch Naruto, it’s fine. In fact, content is milder than the cartoon.
Pros: Unique combat system, endless customization, extensive multiplayer options
Cons: Annoying, repetitive, dreadfully easy, and a plot so generic that it could be transferred to a Halo, Mario, or any other RPG
Plays like: an updated very simple RPG from the days of the NES, SNES, or Game Boy + Pokemon combat system

Prey the Stars

October 22, 2008

DS / Reviews / by Michael Walbridge Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Is there a way to make a timing-based, competitive Pacman complete with Mario Kart style attacks and competition? If there is, it’d have to be Japanese, like the nonsensically titled Prey the Stars.

In Prey the Stars, you play a cute and mute little monster with large teeth that roams around levels and eats stuff for points. First to a certain amount of points wins. Single player is really just the

multiplayer version with all computer opponents and tutorials.

The variation comes in through different elements. Courses will take different shapes and through random elements. You start each round only being able to eat the small

items, but through the consumption of special small items that appear

at random points your monster can grow and thus be able to eat some of the bigger items. This is a key part of winning because the larger items are worth many more points and the majority of the items aren’t

small. Some items have to be licked before they are ready to be eaten. Bigger items take more bites before they are fully consumed, and all items have a timed bar wherein you must press A on the green area if you want to build up your meter to Gabu Gabu mode wherein you are mostly invincible and don’t have to time your chews. The bigger the item, the more difficult the timing.

Also in the mix are elements or types of items; in gin rummy style, you must either eat three of the same element or one of each element in order to get an one of many items that allows you to disrupt your opponents that are also eating everything in site.

This all sounds extremely weird, but the premise could easily be something else due to the game’s simplicity. The imagery and music are simple and repetitive–this could have been a Game Boy Advance game or even a flash based game.

The multiplayer is a bit more interesting than the single player, which pits you against idiots or gods. However, the distribution of food and powerups and the time it takes to eat everything make this more a simple “who gets there first” type of competition when everyone is the same speed. Trajectory shouldn’t mean this much in a zone that is shaped like a square, circle, or cross. Items are also uncommon and difficult to use to any major effect. Most of them end up being useless or doing little to alter the game, though a few are dramatic game-changers. Still, these dramatic comebacks are rare and wholly dependent on luck in a game of nominal, bore-inducing skill. There are only 4 monsters to choose from and these all must be unlocked from the single player mode. You can switch out their “skins” which will add a bonus to stats, allowing for some minor custimization, but this does little to the core gameplay.

It’s an interesting premise and the curious mix of traditional gameplay elements make it one-of-a-kind, but Prey the Stars becomes too old too fast. You’ll want to play it just to see what it’s like, but the single player is monotonous and the novelty of multiplayer quickly wears out its welcome.

ESRB: E for everyone. Cute monsters with big teeth eat simple depictions of shopping carts and birthday cakes and occasionally knock each other down. Completely safe.
Plays like: Pacman and Mario Kart combined; you’re in a race to

eat the most stuff while using random picked-up items to get ahead to

victory, and you do it on various levels with various obstacles.
Pros: So unique you’ll want to just see it. Kind of cute and mildly amusing. 
Cons: Limited scope, very repetitive, gets old quickly. “Button-mashing” is usually a cliche, but it’s literally more than 100 hundred presses of the A button each match.

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