Game Boy Advance

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.

Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls

November 30, 2004

Game Boy Advance / Reviews / by Lunatic Clam /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ff12dawnofsouls/cover.jpg[/floatleft]The [i]Final Fantasy[/i] series has become larger than life over the past 15 years, and few things depict how far the series has come than the facelift given to the original two games in [i]Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls[/i] for the Game Boy Advance. It was with great pride and joy that I popped this cart into my GBA: SP, eager to enjoy the remade games without the annoying load times that the PSX remakes suffered from. A portable [i]Final Fantasy[/i], with new graphics, sound, tweaked storyline, and additional content was too much for this reviewer to take at first glance.

Before diving into the game, I have to preface my review with a confession: [i]Final Fantasy[/i] on the NES was one of my first gaming experiences; thus, this review walks the fine line of a nostalgic bias. Luckily for you, both games contain a few glaring flaws that allowed me to put aside this warm, cozy feeling to speak the truth about this game. I’ll cut to the chase early, and explain myself later-this game is meant for diehard fans of the series and will appeal mostly to those who have played the original, functionally flawed games.

[i]Final Fantasy I[/i] has been given a complete graphical and audio overhaul-the game more closely resembles a polished version of [i]Final Fantasy V[/i], right down to character avatar as you move around the games many locales. From the minute the game opens, you can see that several large problems have been addressed: townspeople provide more intriguing dialogue, quests are explained in more detail, and evidence of efforts to fill in gaping plot holes have been made. This is pure gravy, folks. You’ll immediately feel the difference if you’ve played the original game.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ff12dawnofsouls/ss05_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The battle system has been given a massive facelift as well, with broad implications for how the game is played. Magic, for example, is now powered on the standard mana system; in the original game, you only had a few spells per spell level that you could cast without resting. Since you couldn’t rest in dungeons in the original, spellcasters were of little use, as they would spend most of their time conserving magic and weakly attacking non-boss characters as you waded through dungeons in search of the said boss. Now, you can easily replenish mana, however, with cheaply purchased ethers, making the concept of a four black mage party a potential reality instead of a whimsical pipe dream.

Hand-to-hand combat has also received attention. In the original game, you could “miss” an attack if the creature you had targeted was dead by the time it was your turn. This lead to all sorts of annoying issues in the past, but it’s been addressed, and in combination with the new magic system, battle in [i]FFI[/i] has been completely changed for the better. And thank the maker it has, because you’re going to be dealing with more random battles than you can shake a stick at. In one dungeon, there’s an empty room that has the same encounter on every tile. It serves no purpose outside of annoying you to the point of powering down, which is now much easier to do since you can save anywhere.

On the subject of annoyances, [i]FFI[/i] still has many facets that can drive you completely bonkers. For one, there’s next to no guidance in terms of quests, and the overworld map is both huge in size and sparse in useful locations. Massive forests with nothing in them, huge spans between the four to five towns in the game, dungeons more difficult to find than to complete-this game is sure to test the patience of even the most devoted gamer. You’ll wind up finding your next challenge more by accident than design, armed with cryptic clues from townspeople and extensive time spent scanning the world for new locations. Ironically, the map system has been completely streamlined and updated to give you a fantastic view of where you’ve been and places you could go, but none of these locations are marked or flagged in any way as to give you a hint of where you’re supposed to be. Some might call my objection to this petty, but these people obviously enjoying trekking over a landscape, fighting weak monsters every next step in the vain hope that you’re on the right track. These people have my respect, but I still think they’re crazy.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ff12dawnofsouls/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The plot is as threadbare as the original, though as previously mentioned, it’s been given a shot in the arm by extra dialogue. But above all, the challenge in this game is to figure out where you’re going to next, more so than completing said task when you get there. Since you have no idea where you’re going, you’ll fight a lot more random battles, level up to inappropriate heights, and steamroll through each objective with ease. Money, which was an issue throughout the original game, is now in complete abundance; so while items are still expensive to buy, you’ll have no problems with cash after you complete the Elven section of the game.

Perhaps to address the now dumbed-down difficulty level, Square decided to implement four additional dungeons: one opened after each crystal is restored. I cannot stress how much these need to be avoided-the levels are stuffed with low-level random encounters, repetitive dungeon layouts (the first dungeon requires that you enter, defeat one of four bosses, and repeat this process until all four are dead, after which…nothing happens!), and measly rewards. Never before have I been so disappointed in a gaming experience. It almost made me stop playing the game altogether, but I trudged through the remainder (avoiding the last two optional dungeons) to bring the truth to light.

[i]FFII[/i], at least, provides you with a fresh skill progression system and a bona fide stab at a storyline. Instead of restoring the crystals and defeating Chaos, you’re embroiled in a political battle with an empire and resistance (sound familiar?) and a search for a lost companion. The leveling system in [i]FFII[/i] warrants specific mention, since there isn’t one. Instead, character skills and abilities progress as you use them-swing your sword, gain some strength while you intelligence festers. Cast magic and your intelligence and spirit will rise along with your spell level while your strength remains at the basest of levels. This system is incredibly innovative given the time the game was originally released, and is something that I wish its ancestors would have adopted. Nonetheless, [i]FFII[/i] is no barnburner of a title either, but fans of the original will enjoy it (including the optional hours of play available after the endgame) as long as they approach it with the same grain of salt needed for [i]FFI[/i]. The game suffers from the same lack of guidance issues as the first, except that this time you know the names of places you’re supposed to go, but finding them is just as obtuse a process. From the initial town, you’ll wander in a forest looking for a city. One moment you’ll be fighting creatures you can easily handle, the next you’ve wandered too far (in the same forest, mind you) and are completely wiped out by monsters 10 times your level. Game over. Sure, you wandered too far from the beaten path, but when there is no beaten path in the first place, you can begin to see where this becomes a problem.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/ff12dawnofsouls/ss15_thumb.jpg[/floatright]But, I digress-there’s still more optional material to discuss. The cart also comes with a bestiary that you populate as you meet and defeat monsters. It’s a neat little tool that allows you to analyze your opponents, but given that the scope of each game is so small, it never really comes into play. It’s filler, but when compared to some of the other additional content, it’s a welcome addition (until you realize that in order to fill said bestiary, you’ll need to schlep through the optional dungeons!).

To a vintage console RPG fan, [i]Dawn of Souls[/i] is a tribute to the humble beginnings of a game series that has evolved into some of the most popular and controversial titles on the market. You can clearly see some of the innovative threads from which the [i]Final Fantasy[/i] series has been spun in these humble beginnings. The time and effort that was given to restoring these games is akin to that used to rebuild and preserve old colonial houses. Unfortunately for the end user, however, the results are much like taking a tour through such a restored house-you can appreciate the time devoted to rebuilding the archaic foundation, repainting the faded walls, and polishing the former owner’s ugly collection of medieval sculptures, but you’ll tire of its lack of air conditioning, high-speed Internet access, and major appliances quicker than you’ll appreciate the overall nostalgia and aesthetic. Only serious history buffs need apply here.

Beyblade GRevolution

November 24, 2004

Game Boy Advance / Reviews / by Roger Helgeson /

Beyblade GRevolution is the latest in a long line of Anime-related titles for the Game Boy Advance. Based on the Beyblade Anime series, this game allows players to enter the arena and engage in Beyblade battles against other opponents in the form of a Role-Playing Game. As one progresses through the game, however, it becomes apparent that this title’s lack of focus and direction is its biggest flaw.At the start of the game, you wake up at your grandfather’s insistence for A

Donkey Kong Country 2

November 15, 2004

Game Boy Advance / Reviews / by Robert Naquin /

Donkey Kong Country 2 is the sequel to one of the first groundbreaking games on the SNES and it manages to add even more fun and intuitiveness to the series. The GBA version of the old game is cleaned up a bit, graphics enhanced, and looks better than ever on the portable screen.

The game does not take itself seriously at all. In fact, Cranky, the Kong from the original arcade game, even mocks the plot, saying it’s even worse than the first one, where your job as Donkey Kong was to retrieve his massive banana horde. Donkey Kong has been kidnapped this time around and it’s Diddy and his girlfriend Dixie’s job to go save him, or risk forfeiting DK’s fabled banana horde. The two younger chimps have different attributes, Dixie is faster, Diddy has more attack power, etc, although a direct hit on either of the primates will kill them. This leads to a slightly more acrobatic game than the first, where as Donkey Kong was more of a brute force character, the young monkeys swing around on hooks by their tails (or ponytail in Dixie’s case), launch each other into barrels, and generally monkey around, pun intended. The two characters complement each other nicely, as not only do their separate talents serve for different occasions, but they can also lift each other, allowing one to use the other as a weapon or a way to get to out of reach areas by hurling their partner.

The core of the game is side scrolling action, though what sets it apart from other games is the sheer amount of stuff packed into each level. You have to collect KONG letters, bananas, DK symbols, Banana Bunch Coins, Kremkoins, Photographs, and that’s not even going over the extra lives and secrets. It adds a lot to the replay value to know you can return to each level several times to find each nook and cranny. There are even animals to ride, letting you get to special bonus areas, earning more coins to turn in for rewards and gameplay hints.

Enemies come in all shapes, from those disguised as treasure chests to boss monsters at the end of each area. Everything can be killed in a usually creative way, although the standard of using their heads as a springboard is generally a viable option.

For a side scrolling platformer, it’s a fairly easy game, though there certainly are difficult parts and those unseasoned to leaping action games will probably be a bit overwhelmed at first. However, the ease of getting extra lives more than makes up for this, striking a nice balance between difficulty and retrying. Luckily, the level design is fantastic, making every repeat through a level bearable, as many sections are just fun. Who doesn’t love getting launched out of a barrel into the sky to swing from post to post while grabbing bananas only to land in a mine cart which travels the worst kept track in existence? Everything flows beautifully; the game controls seamlessly letting you swing like a Cirque De Soleil performer.

New to the GBA version are several minigames including a time trial mode, in which you move as quickly as possible through levels you’ve beaten in the story mode. You can also race on Expresso the Ostrich, fly a helicopter (which you also do in the story game) and play A

Duel Masters: Kaijudo Showdown

November 2, 2004

Game Boy Advance / Reviews / by Robert Franklin /

The devil is in the details, and sometimes those details can make the difference between a mediocre game and a respectable one. Released just months ago, Duel Masters: Sempai Legends was a decent but ultimately forgettable addition to the card-battle genre. Its successor, Duel Masters: Kaijudo Showdown, gets the details right and raises the bar for the inevitable sequels to follow.

Originating in Japan, the world of the Duel Masters follows the familiar pattern of collectable card games. The Game Boy experience plays out much the same as both the television programs and real-life card games. Players collect and manipulate massive machines and imposing beasts in a never-ending struggle to prove themselves the best battlers in the world. There is, of course, an evil plot to stop and glory to be won in this card-obsessed world.

Kaijudo Showdown begins with a passing of the torch, as an older brother gives his collection of cards to his sibling and charges him with upholding tradition and becoming the best card battler around. From here, things progress in a fairly linear story that will feel amazingly familiar to many players. Everything revolves around the neighborhood card shops, where cards change hands and reputations are built through one duel after another. Only after building a strong enough deck to win the local tournament can a player receive sponsorship to move on to another shop, another tournament, and eventually down the path to explore an age-old mystery.

The battles themselves are fairly straightforward, with enough variety to keep things interesting without slowing things down with too many rules or variations. Each player begins with a shield made of cards drawn from his deck, and a handful of cards to act with. Cards from the hand may be turned into mana, the universal resource needed to bring cards into play. If enough mana is available, creatures may be brought into play and spells may be cast to interfere with the enemy. Depending on their mana cost and which of the different colored civilizations they belong, creatures may be able to block, attack, or use special abilities in combination with each other. Players take turns trying to bring down their opponent’s shield, until a final blow is struck and the opponent must surrender.

Although these basic mechanics work identically to the earlier Duel Masters title, they seem to flow a bit more smoothly in the new one. The opponent AI seems to make better decisions, particularly when deciding when and how to block an attack. Decisions regarding which creature to attack also seem to make more sense, matching more closely to what a human player might do than following simplistic rules. The process of building a successful deck has become easier, as a number of starter decks may be purchased from the card shops. These static decks can’t be altered, but they do provide a good foundation for learning the game and winning prizes to improve the overall collection.

The presentation of the cards has also improved. Though the battle animations are still very simple and unexciting, it is now possible to view the interesting artwork from the real-life card game, instead of only seeing the simplified versions available in the earlier title. The bland card management and information screens from Sempai have also been replaced with a polished PDA-style interface called the Gizmo. It is now possible to manage multiple decks from the beginning of the game, as well as read small reference books about the game and receive advice on whether or not a trade is a good deal. The Gizmo also allows access to emails sent from game characters, an in-game magazine website, and practice versions of minigames that can later be played in card shops for prizes. Even these simple distractions, like the card trivia minigame, add some depth that had been missing in the series.

Still, many of the smaller complaints from Sempai are still valid. The crisp graphics are marred by the disappointing animation, and the sound is still quite forgettable. Multiplayer battles are possible via link cable, though they exist without many options or Pokemon’s support for the wireless adapter. Names familiar from the television series may be found, but in the end the RPG portion of the game still boils down to an extended excuse to string battle after battle together.

Overall, Kaijudo Showdown is a worthwhile title for Duel Masters fans, even those who may have bought Sempai Legends not long ago. The addition of expansion sets raises the total card count to over 300, but it is the small improvements that bring life to the game and make it more worth playing. Newcomers to the series will find a more accessible and friendly interface, and a better world to learn to duel in. Kaijudo Showdown isn’t for everyone, but those who love collecting and fighting with cards could do much worse.

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