DS

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations

November 7, 2007

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

The Phoenix Wright games are an example of how the game industry has changed in the last five years. Only recently could niche games like these be a success in the American market. With Trials and Tribulations, the trilogy now comes to a close. The title’s five cases flash back to before the first game, and move forward to wrap up the series’s cliffhangers.

There’s an undeniable charm to the series, and this entry is no exception. The point-and-click adventure genre relies heavily on this, and it’s where Phoenix Wright shines. The characters are intriguing and always walking the line between truth and lies, making for captivating cases. Everyone likes yelling A

Front Mission

October 30, 2007

DS / Reviews / by Justin Last Make a comment! / Tweet it!

The Front Mission series should be more popular than it is. It’s got giant mechs (wanzers in the in-game parlance), deep customization, and a history of solid titles. Front Mission DS is actually a port of the original Front Mission, a Japanese-only release, and while it’s obviously not as advanced as its sequels, it’s arrival in the U.S. is a welcome sight.

Front Mission shows its age a bit in its battle system. In today’s SRPG’s, activity points dictate how far you can move and whether you’ve got enough energy left to fire a weapon or use an item, but Front Mission is a product of a simpler time. Each unit, in sequence, gets a two-phase turn: movement followed by action. This makes the game simpler and places a focus on unit capabilities instead of tactics. This unit-oriented focus lets the wanzers and your customization thereof take center stage. As much fun as it can be to destroy enemy wanzers there’s a lot of enjoyment to be found in Front Mission‘s customization system. Just make sure that you decide on each character’s specialty and stick with it; your pilots level alongside their wanzers and switching your shotgunner to a machine gunner means that your pilot won’t be as effective in battle.

It’s a good thing that FM’s customization is well-implemented because you’ll be spending a lot of time in the menu system trying out new arms, legs, missile pods, and guns. Wanzers have three key parts: body, legs, and arms. Each can be changed out so long as the end product is light enough to be moved with your power allotment. Weapons and shields (both handheld and shoulder-mounted) are factored into the weight/power equation as well.

Pacing is hard to get right in an SRPG, but Front Mission‘s alternating focus on grid-based battles and menu-driven cutomization makes for a game that is fun to play and doesn’t feel boring during an extended play session. Stylus controls are supported but not forced on the player, which is good, because they don’t add much. Buttons are small and it’s easier to just use the directional pad and face buttons. There’s also a multiplayer mode included, but 1-on-1 local play is the only mode supported.

Front Mission is a good game, but a bit dated. If you enjoyed FM3 and FM4, then seeing how everything got started should be a treat. For everybody else, take a chance on it. It’s got giant mechs, explosions, and two campaigns. There’s enough here to keep players busy, and Square knows how to put out a good product.

DK Jungle Climber

October 30, 2007

DS / Reviews / by Chris Rasco Make a comment! / Tweet it!

The Donkey Kong franchise has run the full gamut of game types since its debut so long ago. One of the more interesting and unique games to come out of the franchise was 2004’s GBA release, DK King of Swing. Featuring almost exclusive use of the shoulder buttons for controlling DK, King of Swing showed that an old dog like the GBA still had a few new tricks left up its sleeve. King of Swing was the first DK title by developer Paon after Rare’s departure to Microsoft and they’ve followed it up with a sequel titled DK Jungle Climber on the DS.

Jungle Climber has a pretty shallow story that begins with DK and company on a vacation and progresses with the appearance of a massive floating banana atop a nearby mountain. DK and his friends head on over to check things out and their adventure begins. From that point, things get very fuzzy as the story dissolves into an almost random series of events that seem to do little more than give you a poor reason for playing through each level.

Jungle Climber sports 4 unique gameplay modes including a single player story mode, a challenge mode featuring a collection of mini-games, a multiplayer versus mode, and an extras mode that contains Cranky’s lectures, the story videos, and even a collection of cheats you can enable. The Adventure mode is broken up into different islands each with many stages. To progress to each subsequent island you will need to complete all the stages and defeat the boss at the end of the final stage. Most stages can be completed on the first playthrough and require nary more than a few minutes to complete.

The mechanics of the game are quite simple. Use the L and R shoulder buttons to move side to side. Basic movement can also be accomplished through the D-Pad. To jump, press both shoulder buttons simultaneously. When one of DK’s hands is over a peg, press the corresponding shoulder button to grab that peg. Pressing both shoulder buttons will result in DK grabbing 2 pegs if they line up with DK’s hands. Grabbing a single peg will result in DK spinning around the peg, clockwise from his right hand and counterclockwise from his left. You can also jump from a peg by releasing the button.

Early in the game you will be introduced to additional features like invincibility and the appearance of Diddy Kong. While invincible you can fly through the air, guiding your way with the shoulder buttons. Diddy Kong is used to execute a spin attack or to collect far off items that DK can’t reach. The game does feature a moderate learning curve, but the game introduces you to each new action available to you and should be simple enough for gamers of all ages to pick up rather quickly.

Adventure stages include the standard DK items such as barrels, bananas, DK Coins, and many more. These items, while sometimes essential to completing the level, are more or less there to give you a reason to go back and replay any stages that you don’t complete on your first pass.

As you complete stages in the Adventure mode of Jungle Climber, you’ll unlock new mini-games in the Challenge mode. There are 6 total mini-games available to play and they range from Banana Grab, which challenges you to grab as many bananas as you can, to Rolling Panic where you are jumping over logs rolling down the hill. Each mini-game has different difficulty levels that are unlocked as you beat the current level. Each new difficulty level has an increasingly difficult goal to unlock your next level. Some of the mini-games are entertaining, but the upper level difficulties require an almost flawless performance and can become frustrating very quickly.

The multi-player mode in Jungle Climber allows you to play with up to 3 of your friends with a single game card. This is definitely a nice touch, but the total lack of multi-player game types makes this mode lackluster at best. The variety of modes is limited to Speed Climb and Booster Battle, both games which feature a short race and are ultimately not enough to keep you coming back.

Graphics are 2D and pretty average, as is the accompanying soundtrack. The DS’ second screen merely expands your view of the current stage. Touch controls are used sparingly, but are used when activating invincibility.

DK Jungle Climber represents a relatively unique gaming concept that Paon seems intent on refining. With their second attempt, they’ve put out a relatively solid game that has a broad appeal with its subject matter and its execution. Jungle Climber does a great job of presenting a fun gameplay experience, but doesn’t present any real reason to replay any of the levels after their initial completion. This lack of replay value really pushes Jungle Climber down a notch as you can no doubt zip through this title in a week or maybe even a weekend. Jungle Climber is a good game, but ultimately suffers from being too short with not enough substance to justify a full price purchase.

Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol

October 23, 2007

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

The first Chibi-Robo went, for the most part, under the radar. The GameCube title was a niche hit with endearing characters and addictive gameplay. So, for the sequel, Nintendo wanted to reach a larger audience, so they released it the same week as Phantom Hourglass and made it only available at Wal-Mart.

Um… yeah.

After playing Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol, it’s a bit easier to understand why Nintendo buried it under larger releases: it’s not a better title than the first one. The quirky, lovable family the first game was based around has been replaced by… well… nothing. Instead of helping a family get a clean house, Chibi now has to grow flowers and turn a park green again. The new setting brings with it elements of Harvest Moon and, strangely enough, Roller Coaster Tycoon. Watering flowers is important, and Chibi gets happiness points for each visitor that comes.

Some of the changes in this game just seem arbitrary. Now happiness points aren’t exclusively for buying things, and must occasionally be converted to Watts to charge Chibi’s battery. This seems to have little purpose other than to make the game take longer, and the same could be accomplished by increasing the items’ prices. Also, the game seems to force use of the touch screen. The issue, while not uncommon on the platform, is still frustrating. Somehow the flowers multiply by dancing to music, and players must consistently turn a turntable-like thing on the bottom screen to successfully get the flowers to groove.

Not all things have been scrapped, though. There’s still some charming interaction with various toys, though it makes little sense for them to be wandering in a park or sitting on a city sidewalk. The new sidekick is much like the old one, and Chibi himself feels pleasantly familiar.

All in all, Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol isn’t a bad game. Though it doesn’t live up to the GameCube original, there’s enough here to keep fans busy for a little while. Without the Nintendo name on it, it would be a sleeper hit, but as it is, people expect more from a first-party title. Still, if you’re a fan of the genre, make sure to give it enough playtime to prove itself.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

October 2, 2007

DS / Reviews / by Chris Rasco Make a comment! / Tweet it!

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass might as well be called The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker DS. The game features the same fabulous cel-shaded game engine of the GameCube game and picks up a short time after its conclusion. Phantom Hourglass follows our hero on another adventure on the high seas, and features new friends and a whole new gameplay style thanks to the touch screen and stylus.

When starting out, the game fills you in on the backstory so you aren’t required to play through Wind Waker to enjoy. Your adventure begins while exploring the high seas with Tetra and her crew. These particular seas are protected by a great spirit named the Ocean King, and rumors of a mysterious Ghost Ship abound. A thick fog surrounds your vessel as a rickety old ship appears in the distance. Tetra boards the ship to investigate. As Link tries to follow Tetra aboard, he falls into the ocean and awakens on a strange island with a curious fairy buzzing overhead. That is as far as the manual covers so I won’t spoil anything further for you, but rest assured Wind Waker‘s great storytelling has made its way into Phantom Hourglass.

Despite using some modified version of Wind Waker‘s engine, the graphics obviously aren’t quite as smooth as what the GameCube was able to produce. However, they are still impressive, and all things considered, Phantom Hourglass definitely isn’t limping along in the graphics department. The animations are very smooth, and during gameplay you might even forget that you aren’t playing on your GameCube.

As with the Wii, one of the most important aspects of a DS game is how the controls are implemented. Phantom Hourglass was no exception to prerelease control anxiety, with its exclusive use of the stylus for movement, combat, and virtually all gameplay. But rest assured, it becomes second nature after a few minutes. The d-pad (or ABXY for lefties) gives quick, handy access to various menu screens, such as your Map or Collection Screen. Your shoulder buttons handle holding an item, and the mic even makes a cameo for various tasks.

After making my way through quite a few levels, the combat and movement system is really solid. On occasion, I did have issues executing a spin move or a roll, which take a little practice. Combat, on the other hand, is easy and works great. Using the stylus for interaction with other objects on the screen is perfect. Nintendo really nailed Hourglass‘s controls.

Since sailing was such a large part of Wind Waker, it was obvious that it would make a return in some fashion. Nintendo has reworked the mechanism for this and made it quite easy to get where you are going, in most cases. After boarding the ship, you’ll simply bring up the Route screen and draw where you want to go. A jump button is provided if you need to make a mid-ocean leap. Move the stylus around while sailing and you can look around as you follow the course you drew. After obtaining your cannon, you’ll spend plenty of time fighting off enemies while cruising along. This new system makes sailing much less tedious compared with Wind Waker due in large part to the much smaller map and auto-sailing components.

Phantom Hourglass also adds a few new elements to the Zelda series. For example, you can customize your ship’s appearance. Another new feature is the included local and online multiplayer Battle Mode. You can use the game’s matchmaking service to find someone of equal skill, or play against a friend. The mode pits two players in a head-to-head competition to collect the most Force Gems before time runs out. Up to two additional players assume the role of a Phantom and try to catch the other players and end their turn. The mechanics of Battle Mode are quite neat and will become very familiar once you’ve played through a few levels of the single player adventure mode.

The only gripe I really had about Phantom Hourglass is related to saving your game. You are able to save your game at any point in time, but if you end a game while in a dungeon you start at the beginning of that dungeon the next time you start your game. With some very long dungeons, Phantom Hourglass can be difficult to play in short bursts as you are left putting your DS to sleep instead of saving and powering down. Once, I had to leave my system on for several hours until I could pick the game back up. This may not be a problem for everyone, but it’s worth mentioning.

Needless to say, Phantom Hourglass is a very deep game, and I am absolutely loving every minute. The Wind Waker engine ported nicely to the DS and the controls make it an absolute joy to play. Phantom Hourglass is a game for everyone, especially the Zelda fans.

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