GameCube

Mario Party 6

December 14, 2004

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

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/marioparty6/cover.jpg[/floatleft]Party games are very popular these days, especially with the frequency at which video games are pulled out at parties and large gatherings. Typical shooters or platformers limit gameplay to one to four players and are largely not very fun to watch. Party games, on the other hand, are a blast to play and equally as fun to watch. The fast-paced action and large variety of games can keep large crowds entertained for quite some time.

[i]Mario Party 6[/i] is the newest in the wildly popular party game series from Nintendo, and despite owning every Nintendo system and my love for the Nintendo characters, I have somehow managed to never play a single [i]Mario Party[/i] game until this weekend. I will admit that my initial reaction to the game was not a very positive one. You see, Dots and I started out playing Party Mode. Party Mode has 20 rounds-where each player has 20 turns-and with a mini-game in between each round of turns, it can get very long. We started close to midnight, and the game ended right before 2 am. This didn’t help matters. Even worse, the Party Mode plays just like [i]Pac-Man Fever[/i], which Dots and I hate with a fiery passion. Needless to say, we almost prematurely gave up on it. But after playing the rest of the game modes, I started to have some fun with it.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/marioparty6/ss07_thumb.jpg[/floatright][i]Mario Party 6[/i] sports a variety of game modes, including Solo Mode, Party Mode, Mini-Game Mode, and even a Mic Mode. Party Mode can be played with up to four players in two vs. two or a free-for-all style. It takes place on a very large board filled with obstacles and orbs. The goal of Party Mode is to get to the location of the Star on the board. The location of the star changes after someone reaches the star and purchases it. Party Mode consists of 20 rounds, with a round comprising of a turn for each player, and with a mini-game after everyone has rolled and moved their player. The ultimate goal of Party Mode is to collect the most stars, which you can use at the Star Bank to purchase some neat secrets, such as a few extra levels and a hidden character. Solo Mode features a much shorter board, strips out the other players, and has you playing to unlock mini-games and collecting stars based on your overall performance, instead of chasing the star around the board. Mini-Game Mode will allow you to play any of the mini-games freely that you have unlocked while playing Solo and Party Modes. Finally, Mic Mode allows you to play a small variety of mini-games that make use of the microphone.

The included microphone plugs into one of the two available memory card slots on the GameCube and features a single button you hold down when you want to speak into it. The cord on the mic was somewhat short and will create a cramped area with four people crowded around the console.

The game boards in Solo and Party Modes are riddled with different types of spaces you can land on. Blue spaces reward you with three coins, while Red spaces deduct three coins. Orb spaces reward you with one of the many special orbs. Orbs can be used for a myriad of different things, from slowing down the dice to give you a better roll to the orbs you cast on a space that prevent an opposing player from continuing on. Then there are Bowser Spaces and Duel Spaces that begin a Bowser mini-game, allowing you to duel an opposing player for high-stakes rewards. Any number of orbs will transform ordinary spaces into dangerous places to land. Coins are important since you have to purchase the Star for 20 coins when you reach it. Purchasing Orbs at the Orb shop along the way can ensure your speedy and safe arrival but can be risky should you hover too close to the 20-coin mark.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/marioparty6/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The real meat and potatoes of the game are the mini-games. The quality of mini-games in [i]Mario Party 6[/i] is really quite dynamic, with most of them being very original and well thought out. Other games are purely luck of the draw and barely qualify as games, in my book. After unlocking a ton of the mini-games, I found most of my time was spent replaying those in Mini-Game Mode and not in Solo or Party Mode. The Party Mode was far too time consuming, and the boards in Solo Mode are awfully short with one board having only 15 spaces. 15 spaces ended up being two to four well-planned turns, and quite frankly I would rather just play the mini-games.

Dots and I also spent a fair amount of time playing Mic Mode, and I have to say that it is a very interesting concept. The mini-games using the mic range from a Jeopardy-style trivia challenge to a handful of games that use voice commands to move your character around as opposed to a controller. As a whole, the voice recognition was very good, and the implementation and planning-regarding a microphone as a peripheral-was very good. The mic did seem a little gimmicky in the beginning but ended up being highly entertaining.

While I can’t compare this release to previous [i]Mario Party[/i] games, I can say that in the end I had fun with the mini-games. I doubt [i]Mario Party[/i] will get as much play as the other games in my library due to the nature of the game, but I will be thankful I have it when company comes over. Fans of the [i]Mario Party[/i] series will enjoy the 75 new mini-games and overall experience that this release brings to the table. If you aren’t a fan of party games in general, then I doubt that [i]Mario Party 6[/i] will sway your opinion of the genre. While not the best party game I have ever played (an honor that belongs to [i]Kung Fu Chaos[/i]), [i]Mario Party 6[/i] definitely has a place in my library. For the game renters out there, renting the game will give you a partial experience: I highly suggest checking out the Mic Mode, but I doubt the microphone will come included in the rental. I suggest finding a friend with a copy and checking it out that way.

Mario Power Tennis

November 23, 2004

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

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mariopowertennis/cover.jpg[/floatleft][i]Mario Power Tennis[/i] is the latest in the series of highly successful [i]Mario Sports[/i] games. Over the years, Mario Sports games have become quite a staple for Nintendo fans. The Nintendo style and approach seems to draw people to certain sports that would otherwise not give it a second glance. I know that I fall squarely into that category as I don’t have any desire to play a tennis sim, or any other tennis game for that matter, as the sport just doesn’t strike me as being overwhelmingly fun to play.

With that being said, [i]Mario Power Tennis[/i] rocked my world. I am not familiar with the previous Mario Tennis, so I had no idea what to expect. Knowing that Nintendo has been on a hot streak lately with their first-party titles, I was expecting something great-but how they were going to accomplish that I wasn’t so sure about.

[i]Mario Power Tennis[/i] brings it’s A game in terms of a straight-up tennis game. You have a myriad of different hits that anyone familiar with the game of tennis will appreciate. A gives you a normal topspin shot, while B gives you a nice slice. Moments before you hit the ball, you have the opportunity to aim your shot with the analog stick. The direction of your hit can make all the difference in the world, so execute those shots with skill. You are also equipped with a lob, a drop shot, and a smash shot. You can hit a high lob by pressing A and then B, or a shot drop shot by pressing B and then A. Keeping those straight can be a difficult task, but using a variety of shots is sure to keep your opponent guessing. In order to execute a smash shot, your opponent has to lob the ball to your side of the court. When this happens, a small star will appear on the court. If you get to the star and press A and B at the same time, you will drive home a point for sure. Double-tapping the button for normal shots will also give you a slight increase in power.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mariopowertennis/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatright][i]Mario Power Tennis[/i] gives you the option of playing as a number of different familiar faces. Many of these people made an appearance in Mario Kart: Double Dash. With such a wide variety of characters, it was fitting to have different characters exhibit different strengths and different weaknesses. This will make who you play as a very important choice and ultimately make it about choosing a player geared towards your style and not just your favorite Nintendo character. In addition to different strengths, each player sports a few different SuperMoves. SuperMoves can be executed when the player’s racket starts to glow and they can turn the tides of a match. Each character is equipped with one defensive SuperMove and one offensive Supermove. Defensive SuperMoves assist you in saving a shot that you would otherwise be unable to hit, while Offensive SuperMoves create an interesting trajectory for the ball or a massive amount of power behind the shot. SuperMoves can be turned off should you get tired of watching the mandatory cut scene each time you perform one.

If plain tennis is not your cup of tea, then boy is [i]Mario Power Tennis[/i] for you. There are a massive number of gimmick courts and gimmick games for you to play. The gimmick courts are a standard game of tennis set on a court with a very abnormal set of rules. Take the Gooper Blooper court for example. On the face of the court are a bunch of brownish panels. Landing the ball on these panels causes them to move. The panels will either expand to cover more of the ground or contract and expose water underneath. The catch is that you can only hit the ball onto areas of your opponent’s court where a panel currently exists. So not only do you have to keep a game of tennis going, but you have to keep the ball in play on an ever-changing court. This is just a small example of what is in store for you with the gimmick courts of [i]Mario Power Tennis[/i].

The special games are also a blast and keep the tennis concept fresh and enjoyable. Games like “Artist on the Court” place you in front of an unpainted wall where you are bombarded with colored paint balls. You are expected to hit these paint balls to the correct spot on the wall in order to properly color the picture. A mirror image of the picture in full color is projected onto the court floor to aid you in the task. As you progress, the paintings become more and more complex. The Bowser and Yoshi pictures could very well cause you to pull your hair out if you don’t have a very comfortable grasp on the different types of hits in the game. More special games can be unlocked by winning one of the many tournaments in the game.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/mariopowertennis/ss13_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The tournaments are the bread and butter of [i]Mario Power Tennis[/i] and will probably occupy the bulk of your single-player time. Tournaments vary in length and difficulty, and they utilize a mix of standard and gimmick courts. The early tournaments feature a single-elimination bracket with three rounds. The first rounds are single-set matches, and the finals are a three-set match. Latter tournaments feature rounds with longer matches and much more difficult opponents. The nice thing is that you can save the game after each round and come back at a later time. This allows you to keep a game in progress on each of the many tournaments.

In essence, [i]Mario Power Tennis[/i] covers all its bases from standard gameplay to the wacky and zany antics you have come to expect from Nintendo. The single player experience is great and highly entertaining, while the multiplayer and party game aspect is about as good as it gets. Making [i]Mario Power Tennis[/i] a part of your GameCube library would be a very smart move. Just make sure you watch out for Diddy Kong-he is a tricky one.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

November 16, 2004

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

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/papermario2/cover.jpg[/floatleft][i]Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door[/i] is a sequel to the highly popular [i]Paper Mario[/i] on the N64. This time around, Princess Peach has gone missing…again. As the story begins, Princess Peach sends you a treasure map and asks you to meet her in the town of Rogueport. Of course, Peach never shows up, and the hunt is on. Rogueport is a little town filled with rough characters, and it is about as far away from the Mushroom Kingdom as you can get. As you begin your journey with the treasure map as your guide, Mario will begin to uncover the secrets hidden deep within the city.

[i]The Thousand Year Door[/i] sends Mario on a quest of hunting down seven Crystal Stars while looking for Peach at the same time. These Crystal Stars are powerful artifacts and may help Mario defeat Peach’s captor.

If you are familiar with the [i]Paper Mario[/i] games, then you know they are turn-based RPGs. This could spell trouble in the hands of Cone, or could it? With this being only my second turn-based RPG, I was kind of nervous that I would hate the combat system, but many props go out to Nintendo for making it seem less turn-based and a lot more like real time. Since the combat system is second only to the story, I want to touch on it first since it can really make or break a game.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/papermario2/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatright]To start a battle with an enemy, you have a few options. You can walk into the enemy to engage them, hit them with your hammer, or simply jump on them; be careful, however, because if you are too slow, they may attack you first. The difference between engaging and attacking them is that an attack affords you a first hit prior to the battle. This first hit can make a big difference against powerful enemies. Likewise, the enemy can get a first strike against you. Once you engage an enemy, the fight moves to a theatre-yes, a stage with curtains and an audience.

Of course, since this is a turn-based game, you have to select your action from a menu, but the Nintendo touch is always present. Assuming you select a hammer attack for your move, you have to use the left analog stick to control that attack to inflict maximum damage. Jump attacks require a timed press of A in order to get a second bonus hit. On the defensive end of things, you are able to block attacks and minimize damage, or block them and counterattack. Both require precision skills and will change with each new enemy as they all have different attack methods. All in all, I really enjoyed the combat. As you perform more skilled and flashy attacks and defensive moves, the audience will grow. This gives way to a few “bad seeds” in the crowd who will attempt to toss items at you. A simple press of a button will deal with them, so keep your eyes on the crowd.

The crowd also plays another integral role in your battle. As you please the crowd with spectacular moves, they will fill up your star meter. As this meter fills up, you will be able to perform special moves. These special moves can inflict massive damage upon your enemies. The rule of thumb is that if you attack with style, you will be rewarded heavily.

I never thought that I would be so long-winded when talking about turn-based combat. Moving along to the normal aspects of play, the main parts of the game play just like any 2D Mario game-and this time around you really are 2D. You see, Mario and most everything in the game are made of paper, so it is only fitting that the world and the characters take on paper-like characteristics. As you progress, you will earn new special moves such as the ability to slide between small openings or fold yourself up into a paper airplane, flying to otherwise impossible areas. More often than not, unlocking a new ability will open your eyes to secrets all over the game that you previously hadn’t noticed.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/papermario2/ss10_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Being that this is a first-party Nintendo game, you probably have a high expectation. Well, [i]Paper Mario[/i] won’t disappoint you. Many characters from the Nintendo family make appearances, and the personality and depth of character that a group of goombas can take on will blow you away and take you to a whole new level.

[i]Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door[/i] is a fairly long game by any standards, weighing in at about 30 to 40 hours. I expect that this will be a little daunting and put off many people, but likewise it will thrill big-time RPGers who are looking for a nostalgic trip back to their roots. Since I am only partially finished with the game, I can say that I am honestly looking forward to the length of the game because most games don’t truly capture and hold my attention. I hope [i]Paper Mario[/i] is one of those games that can keep me going.

While I am touting the game as the greatest thing since sliced bread, I do want to mention the focal point of complaints that I have seen with the game: backtracking. Many people have found it extremely cumbersome to revisit areas of the game that you have already beaten. While I have not personally become frustrated with this aspect of the game, I can see how many people with possibly short gaming attention spans would quickly lose patience over this point.

Winding things up, I have to say that [i]Paper Mario[/i] is one of the best titles in the GameCube’s library. In fact, RPG fans might even proclaim it as the top title for the Cube. One thing is for sure, Nintendo has yet another stellar first-party title on its hands. In summary, RPG fans will love [i]The Thousand Year Door[/i], and anyone that has grown up with Mario may find themselves strangely addicted to a genre of games they have previously avoided.

Donkey Konga

October 28, 2004

GameCube / Reviews / by Lauren Rasco Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/donkeykonga/cover.jpg[/floatleft]I wanted to hate this game. I really wanted to hate it and never buy it…ever. There was just something that made me want to scream “the only reason Donkey Kong plays the bongos is to activate special pads in DK64!!!” But then, low and behold, we got a review copy of the game. All I can say now is; I still hate the game.

I hate Donkey Konga for one reason and one reason alone, it is so freaking ADDICTIVE. I cannot, yes you heard me – cannot put those bongos down. I am a Donkey Kongette for sure. Now, I am not saying this is the game that revolutionized the gaming world. No, not at all. Heck, it isn’t even the best Gamecube game that there is; but by golly if that sucker doesn’t reel you in and keep you eyes glued (unblinking) for hours on end. I’ll tell you another thing too; it sure brings out the competitive side in some people (cough, cough, CONE).

The best way to describe Donkey Konga (and it sort of taints it in my mind) is to call it DDR (this is Dance Dance Revolution for all of you people that have been asleep under a rock for, oh I dunno, the past couple of years!) I digress… Donkey Konga is like DDR for your hands. You start off as a street performer at Monkey level, the easiest level. You can pick from a wide variety of songs, from Bingo (yes, that loveable song about a Farmer’s dog B-I-N-G-O) to Wild Thing (you make my heart sing…you know…with all the parenthesis this review it is starting to reveal inner thoughts like an episode of Scrubs (and for all you people who don’t know what Scrubs is check you local listings, it’s good and it’s on ABC…and yes, I put a parenthesis in a parenthesis)) to the Mario Brothers and Zelda themes. So, to sum that ridiculously hard to follow sentence up – lots of music to chose from. My personal favorite is Rock Lobster by the B-52’s.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/donkeykonga/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The controls are simple enough to figure out. The yellow half circle means hit the left bongo. It just so happens that the yellow shading is on the left side as well in case you forget what the color means. The red half circle, yes indeed shaded to the right, means hit right bongo. The pink full circle means hit both and the burst means clap. Here’s a tip: if the song tempo is too fast to actually clap, just tap the side of your bongo. The clapping is achieved by a sensor in the middle of the bongos that picks the clapping noise up. It also picks up other noises sometimes too, like the baby or the dog barking or a door slamming. It isn’t bad enough to screw the game up though. The nice thing is that you don’t have to have a Donkey Konga bongo to enjoy this game; you can use a regular old bongo if you are clever enough with a soldering iron and some wire. I jest; you can use your Gamecube controller to play.

There are three levels in the street performance part of the game – Monkey (the easiest), Chimp, and then Gorilla in which you have to use the coins you earn playing in the first two levels to purchase the songs in the Gorilla level. In case you were wondering if the songs actually get harder with each level progression…the answer is YES! Gorilla songs are definitely a challenge to beat and a lot of the Chimp versions of the songs have their moments of great frustration as well. To earn the coins to buy the Gorilla songs (and other things which I will get to later) you have to hit the colored circle, or note, as it passes through a circle that denotes the time to hit the appropriate bongo. At this point in time you earn a great, ok, bad, or miss for the note you just played. The more greats and okays you get, the higher the coinage you earn. It also counts your combo, which is the number of times you hit an okay or a great with no bads or misses. The nice thing is that if you want to sort of improvise during the breaks in the songs, you can with no penalty. The only time you get penalized is if you miss a note completely or if you get a bad on a note.

The other ways to enjoy the wonderfulness that is the Donkey Konga is to play another mode, such as multiplayer or the Jam session. In the Jam session you have to play the songs at the level of your choosing from memory. I have yet to accomplish this task. I have a child to chase around, remember this before you make fun of me. I can barely remember to take a shower, much less the “notes” to a Donkey Konga song…any who… I am not sure what you get for beating a song in the Jam session because, like I said, I have yet to do it.

In the multiplayer area of Donkey Konga you have a few options. The first is Challenge mode. In the Challenge mode you work with the people you are playing with (up to four people total) to see how many songs you can make it through without screwing up horribly. There is, of course, room for some error. No coins are awarded in this area, so don’t play it unless you just want to see yourself get a really high score. Another multiplayer mode is the Battle mode. In this mode you compete with another player to see who can get the best score in a particular song. It is fun to kick people’s butts here. Not to brag, but I showed Cone a thing or two. The last mode available in multiplayer is the Mini-game multiplayer mode. I haven’t talked about mini-games yet, so I will hold off on that for now.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/donkeykonga/ss02_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]Mini-games. Okay, so I am not really holding off on the subject of mini-games… There are three mini-games you can purchase; Bash K Rool, 100 Meter Vine, and Banana Juggle. I will not talk too heavily on these as not to ruin your fun in earning the coins and purchasing them for yourself. All I will say about them is that they are fun. I particularly liked bashing K Rool.

Speaking of spending the coinage that you earn; that is what DK Town in for. In the area you can purchase the mini-games as well as purchase new sound sets for your bongos. Some examples are: NES, Big Band, Latin Percussion, and Zelda. I personally found it too hard to concentrate with a different sound set on, but I am sure people more talented than I can use them. This is also where you purchase the Gorilla level songs. The other thing available to you at this point is the place to adjust your bongo settings.

Well kids, this is the end of the Donkey Konga trip. If you want to experience more I suggest renting or buying the game for yourself. In all honesty, the bottom line is this-if you like to have fun (and like music or DDR or Donkey Kong or Banana birds or bongos or winning) then you will probably like to play Donkey Konga. Everyone that I have played it with so far has really enjoyed it. I also think it is worth the few extra dollars to get an extra set of bongos (The game comes with 1 set already and additional ones are $29.99-$34.99). It makes it that much more fun. You could even try to convince your friends to spring for the other set or two and I guarantee you’ll have a blast.

In conclusion, Donkey Konga = good.

Pikmin 2

October 15, 2004

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

Pikmin 2 is the second game in a series of games that could only have come from one of the most imaginative designers in our industry, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. This time around you Captain Olimar has returned to the home planet of the Pikmin, but his intentions are anything buy accidental. The company Olimar works for is in severe debt and his assistant Louie has come along to help Olimar collect items which will help repay the companies debt.

Fans of the previous game will rejoice at the returning red, blue, and yellow Pikmin and be happy to know that they will be joined by purple and white Pikmin with powers of strength and resistance to poisons, respectively. New game modes such as the head-to-head Vs mode and a cooperative mode open this release up to even more fun.

The characters in Pikmin 2 just ooze fun and that should make the game appeal to gamers of all ages. I can be rather hard to please and I found myself really enjoying Pikmin 2 even though it seems like it might appeal to a younger crowd.

The graphics in Pikmin 2 were very well done and you are given the ability to rotate the camera and zoom in on the characters. I think Nintendo did a nice job allowing the engine to scale in and out while still maintain a good level of detail in the characters and the surrounding environments. The sound effects in the game were good and didn’t make any huge impressions on me and didn’t seem to really add or detract from the gameplay experience.

While the Gamecube handles modern games and their high tech graphics engines just fine, Nintendo always keeps one thing in mind and that is that gameplay is king. A game can look good, but if it isn’t fun then you have nothing. Pikmin 2 is no exception. Mixing and matching any number of different colored Pikmin in an effort to conquer the challenges at hand was a blast. To create a level of difficulty, each day you have to load your Pikmin back into the space craft to avoid being devoured by native animals. It can create a time crunch if you find yourself too far from home with not enough time to get back, so keep your eyes on the sun.

To help you out with managing your Pikmin, you can split them up into 2 groups with a group being led by Olimar and one led by Louie. Switching between the 2 main characters is a single button press away. This allows you to complete multiple tasks at one time and increase your productivity.

While I mentioned that you have to head home at the end of each day, there is no limit on the number of times you can visit a given landing space so you can feel free to explore the areas many times or return to certain areas to transform your standard red Pikmin into powerhouse purple ones or invulnerable white ones. Should you complete your tasks for the day and want to call it quits at noon, simply enter the menu and end the current day.

If Pikmin 2 sounds like it is a very simple game that is because it is. Running around with your Pikmin army collecting items and solving puzzles is quite simple, but don’t mistake it for easy. The game will rack your brain and make you work for the success you hope to achieve.

Pikmin 2 is a well designed highly entertaining game that pulls in aspects of real time strategy games with elements of puzzle games that makes it a wonderful lighthearted game for everyone. It packs the same high quality gameplay that Nintendo is known for and brings with it a unique creativity that is refreshing in this time of rehashed concepts. Pikmin 2 is definitely game I am glad to have in my library and Gamecube owners should definitely give it a try.

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