Friday Night Beer N' Game

This Week's Beer: Dos Equis Amber

This Week's Game: Breakout

The Beer: The regular Dos Equis isn't bad, but it defiantly tastes like any run of the mill Lager. Amber Dos Equis on the other hand, has a rich flavor that satisfies the palette, while not leaving the sensation of being full after only a few. It has a dark gold/red color that is really appealing to the eye, and a crisp, refreshing flavor that can be appreciated by both the drinkers of light beer, and drinkers of stout/dark beers. This is a beer that can be enjoyed by everyone, and I highly recommend it.

The Game: Breakout on the Atari 2600 is a game that has represented a generation of gamers. For the one or two of you who don't know, Breakout is that game in which there is a bunch of blocks at the top of the screen. You use your paddle controller (a controller with a big dial and a single button) to move around a paddle at the bottom of the screen. A single pixel will bounce around the screen, when it hits a block it disappears and you get a point. The pixel will bounce back to the bottom of the screen, you are to position the paddle so the pixel will bounce again, hitting more blocks. Sounds simply? That's because it is, and that's the beauty of it. Nowadays we are all looking for the most advanced games to play, which is fine. Thirty years ago, all you needed was something so simple as Breakout. Even today people, myself included, have found this game to be both enjoyable, and addicting. I personally find it sort of therapeutic. Like my brain is defraging itself while I play. Maybe that's just me. Anyhow, remember, the best way to kick off the weekend is with a Friday Night Beer N' Game!

PaRappa The Rapper

As you know most cult classics become thus because they are, well, different. This is a good thing, because originality is king in my book, but every once in a while I stumble across a game that is so weird that I can't help but love it. PaRappa The Rapper is one of those games.

You play as a teenage dog named PaRappa who is out to win the heart of Sunny Funny (who is a daisy). To do this PaRappa will have to, or at least in his mind have to, learn karate, get his drivers licence, work at a flea market, bake a cake, win the right to use the toilet, and finally put on a concert. PaRappa won't be doing this alone though, he seeks out the aid of "masters" to teach him. Each master will explain everything in the form of rapping, and PaRappa will have to copy or improve upon their raps in order to learn.

You rap by watching the line at the top of the screen. When a master says a line that you are to repeat, symbols representing the buttons of your controller will appear on the line, fallowed by a depiction of your master. Then, your likeness will race across the line towards the symbols. You have to press the correct button at the exact moment your head crosses the represented symbol. You can either just press the buttons and repeat your teacher verbatim, or you can add in some more button combinations, to improve on the lyrics.

During each level you will be rated on how well you are doing. At the bottom, right hand side is a meter that says U-Rappin', fallowed by either cool, good, bad, or awful. You always start out at good, screw up two times and you drop to bad, two more to awful, and two more to fail the song, you can move back up by rapping good two times in a row. At the end of each line, you will hear either the scratch of a DJ to let you know you rapped that line well, or you will hear a "quacking" sound to let you know you messed up. To pass a song you will have to complete the song with a good rating, so there isn't much room for error.

Your masters include, a karate master onion, a driving instructor moose, a rastafarian frog, a cooking chicken, and a professional rapper who is like a spider/monkey. Each master has their own style of rap, but all of them feature the same thing; catchy, humorous and downright weird lyrics, set to a funky beat. The music is where the game really shines, after all, it is about rapping, though, that doesn't mean that just because you don't like rap or hip hop, that you won't enjoy PaRappa. I personally don't like rap one bit, but still this game manages to put a smile on my face with it's cheery, oddball lyrics.

Somebody was also having a good day when they came up with the artistic style. All of the characters in the game are two dimensional, while their environments are 3d. This creates a sort cardboard cutout like world, which is both artistic, and amusing. During the levels though, the 3d rendered objects that are present in the cutscenes are gone. Instead the developers used 2d objects, but arranged them to create a 3d looking stage. Think of it like this, if you take a piece of paper, fold it into thirds and stand it up you create the illusion of 3d, kinda like Wolfenstein, or Doom, only prettier. The environments you are rapping in also change depending on how well you are doing. If you are doing good your teacher will be really into the song and jump around and dance. If you are doing poor, they will lose interest.

The story is heart warming, and is told through a series of amusing cutscenes, but don't expect anything epic. The characters are, like in any good story, the best part. Each has there own special mannerisms and quirks. PaRappa is your stereotypical nice guy who gets ignored by the pretty girl, Sunny of course being that pretty girl. By the way don't try to make sense of the game or the story, you'll just end up hurting yourself.

Let's take a brief look at difficulty. Simply put, this game is hard, like makes you question your skills hard. I have to admit, when I saw the game's cutesy style, I wasn't expecting a challenge. For starters, the game's manual doesn't do a very good job of explaining how to play. You assume that you push the button right as your head passes over the symbol, after all that's what it says in the manual. But no such luck, you mess up even though your rap sounded good. So you try again, this time and the next couple of times you get it, but just when you think "hey, I got the hang of this" you mess up and fail the song. Then you start to wonder if the game is broken, or if you've just been deluding yourself into thinking you were a good gamer. Only after an hour or so of trial and error, do you realize, your supposed to hit the button, just after PaRappa's head passed over it. Duh!!

So once you figured out how to play, you can fly through it, right? Wrong. You see the game is only six levels long, which means in order to make a challenging game the difficulty has to step up exponentially. So for a game that could be beaten in less than an hour, you end up spending more like three or four (or six in my case). You don't necessarily get mad when you fail though. Actually, I found I was having so much fun, that it didn't bother me. What did bother me was when my sister, who never plays video games, sat down and beat the first level on her second try, when it took me like ten. Life just wanted to kick me in the nuts repeatedly that day.

PaRappa The Rapper hasn't age well unfortunately. This game came out when rhythm games were just starting to make an appearance, and although it blew those who played it away, it now has little ground to stand on. Now a days the rhythm genre is extremely big thanks mostly to Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but back in the days of the Playstation PaRappa was top dog (no pun intended). On August 30, 2001 PaRappa The Rapper 2 hit shelves, although it sold fairly well, it is not considered to be a very good game. For one it is about the same length as the first, which is to short to justify spending fifty bucks on. Also it seemed as if the creative spark that carried the first game, no longer existed.

PaRappa The Rapper was really popular in his day, spawning plenty of merchandise, along with a children's anime in japan, and a spin off game, UmJammer Lammy (weirdest name ever). PaRappa's success is like an Offspring song, good, but ends shortly after it's begun. The hip-hop hero may be back sooner than you think though, with talks of a third game on the PS3, hopefully it will be more than six levels long, and slightly easier, but most importantly, it better be as goofy and lovable as it's predecessor.

Overview:

Story: 3/5

Gameplay: 3/5

Graphics: 4/5

Music: 4/5

Originality: 5/5

Difficulty: Hard

Learning Curve: High

Length: Short

Total Score: 3.8 Worth Buying

Next Post Hint: Clean between your toes, and put on some funky jams, we gotta find the pieces of our ship!

Friday Night Beer N' Game

This Week's Beer: Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale

This Week's Game: Ninja Gaiden

The Beer: Harvest Moon is basically Blue Moon with more spices. Upon drinking it taste like any other American Ale, but when swallowed the full range of flavors hits you. First nutmeg, then a little clove, but when your taste buds start to settle down, you get this brew's most predominant flavor of pumpkin; as if you had just finished a piece of pumpkin pie. The first thought that crossed my mind was "Well that's kinda weird." The second was my brain telling my arm to lift it up for another swig. Weird, but in a good way. This is part of Blue Moon's seasonal collection, so I'd recommend picking some up soon, before it's all gone.

The Game: Ninja Gaiden on the NES is a game for anyone who loves screaming profanities at the top of their lungs. Don't get me wrong, this is a great game, but goddamn is it hard. Your only solace is knowing that every other person whose ever played this game shares the same frustration. Ninja Gaiden isn't just known for it's difficulty though, It's also known for it's fast paced gameplay, tight controls, great music, oh, and cutscenes. Though it may be extremely common nowadays, back in 1989, gamers were amazed at the level of depth a game's story could be, and Ninja Gaiden is considered to be the first (console) game to feature cutscenes.

So there, you got drunk, had a history lesson, and broke an NES controller all in a short period of time. Why? Because the best way to kick off the weekend is with a Friday Night Beer N' Game!

Happy Halloween!!

Jet Grind Radio

Jet Grind Radio is one of them games that isn't afraid to be different. This game, like the characters that reside inside it, continually marches to the beat of its own drum while simultaneously flipping off the statas quo. I just got my Dreamcast, (my collection of consoles is almost complete) and I figured what better way to break in my new system, than with one of it's greatest games. So strap on those skates, and turn the volume to 11, because we're gonna go for a ride.

Background: Jet SET Radio was unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show in 1999. It received a generous amount of attention due to it's revolutionary Cel-Shaded graphics, which give 3d graphics a "Cartoonish" look. Jet Set Radio was developed by Japanese game company Smilebit, and published by SEGA for the Dreamcast. It was released November 1, 2000 in North America, retitled Jet Grind Radio.

Jet Grind Radio sold relatively well, but failed to leave it's mark in history on a console that was slowly fading into obscurity. I never got a chance to play this game back in the Dreamcast's glory days, but I do remember seeing commercials of it on TV, and actually commenting on the "3d cartoon style." So far only one sequel has been released, JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future, for the Xbox. Sporting better graphics and better controls, JSRF is considered by many to be just as good (if not better) than it's predecessor. Recently talks of a third game in development for the Wii have sprung up. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but seeing as how the Wii has become a haven for original (and fun) games, I think it's only a matter of time before we'll be tagging the streets again.

Story: This is defiantly the weakest point of Jet Grind Radio, but that doesn't mean much. To me, a good game is defined by good gameplay or a good story, preferably it would have both, but I would still like a game if the gameplay was awesome and the story wasn't that great, or vice versa. That seems to be the case for most people who play Jet Grind Radio, they play for the gameplay. Don't get me wrong the story isn't terrible, just don't be expecting anything too epic or complex. This game, however, isn't about having storytime, it's about fun. The way I see it, a complex story attached to this game would only harm it's fun and carefree atmosphere. So don't read too much into it and just have fun. Well with that out off the way...

Beat, a 17 year old runaway, decides to start his own gang of skaters and graffiti artists after being shunned by every other gang. After proving himself, he eventually gets his first two members, Gum and Tab. The game takes place in the city of Tokyo-to, a city that resembles Tokyo but isn't. Beat's gang is known as the GG's, and their home turf is the shopping district of Tokyo-to, Shibuya-cho. Benten-cho, and Kogane-cho are the two other sections of the city, and are home to the rival gangs the Noise Tanks, and Poison Jam respectively. Another rival gang, the Love Shockers, resides it Shibuya-cho.

You start the game by battling the Love Shockers, an all girls gang made up of heartbroken lovers, as they tag your turf with their graffiti. Soon after, you challenge Poison Jam, a group of thugs that wear fish costumes, kinda like Kratos in Cod of War. While you were away in Kogane-cho, the technophile otaku gang, the Noise Tanks, kidnaps your dog and attaches an Ipod to his brain. All the while you're in battle over the right to run the particular area, the police, led by Captain Onishima, are out to arrest you by any means necessary. The majority of the story is narrated by Professor K, the DJ of the pirate radio station Jet Set Radio.

Okay, so I probably made the story sound more complicated than it really is... oh well.

Gameplay: The gameplay revolves around skating and graffiti. The object of each level is to find all the red arrows, which represent where a rival gang has tagged, and cover up their graffiti with your own. You skate around grinding on rails and doing crazy tricks while picking up spray paint cans. When you reach a red arrow, you pull the left trigger on the controller to start spraying. There are three sizes of graffiti you can spray, small, large and extra large. With the small graffiti all you have to do is pull the trigger and your art is complete. The large and extra large take some more work and more paint, but also give your more points. When you press the trigger, you will enter a mini game. Arrows will appear at the bottom of the screen, and you must move the control stick in the way the arrow designates. If you mess up, you waste a can of paint, and lose some points. Boss battles play pretty much the same way, only the object here is to spay your opponent while they run away from you.

The gameplay is extremely fun and satisfying, but can be frustrating at times. The biggest problem I have is the camera control, in which you pull the L trigger to position the camera directly behind you. This creates a split second jump in the gameplay and can be disorienting at times, especially if there happens to be something behind you. What's even more annoying is the fact that the L trigger is also used to initiate the graffiti scenes. This normally isn't too problematic, until the boss battles. In each boss battle there are three opponents that are running away from you, each of them must be sprayed ten times in order to defeat them. The problem is if you go to spray them but aren't close enough, the camera moves. So what do you do? You pull the trigger again, and you're still too far away, and the camera jumps again. So all the while your trying to tag your enemy, the screen is doing this strobe effect; it doesn't really give me a headache or make me nauseous, but it makes the game look cheap, and takes away some of it's shine.

My only other problem is the weird controls. There not bad, but they take some getting used to. So overall the gameplay is good, nothing spectacular and I was a little disappointed when I found out that all you have to do in order to do a trick is to have enough speed and jump, no complex mid-air controller inputs. There are a lot of other cool features Jet Grind Radio has. For one it has a cast of ten playable characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. You also have the ability to change up graffiti, create your own, or download more from SEGA or other players, so the artwork never gets old. Anyone who plays this game will probably play with a smile on their face, I know I did. Even though the gameplay has it's short comings, it's still overall an enjoyable experience.

Graphics: Now we're talking. Few games before, and few games since have had such a unique and colorful style to them. Jet Grind Radio is considered to be the first game to feature cel- shaded graphics, a technique that has now become synonymous with unique games. Not only that the game has a very "Japanese" feeling to it; From Beat wearing goggles, to the anime billboards spread all over Tokyo-to. Usually I state graphical errors that I have noticed, but I haven't run into any. What more can I say? At the time of it's release, Jet Grind Radio showcased some of the best graphics the video game industry had ever seen, and certainly showed off the Dreamcast's capabilities. So, from a graphical stand point, this game is, at least for me, flawless.

Music: This is definitely Jet Grind Radio's greatest achievement. The music is undoubtedly some of the best I have ever heard in my 15+ years of gaming. Every song is like a funky ride into euphoria. It's a combination of rap, hip-hop, funk, techno, rock, metal, pop, soul, and god knows what else the artists of these songs threw in to make an awesome tune. Hell I could almost just turn the game on just to play around with the sound test. The music fits so well with the carefree nature of the game and it's characters, and also goes well with the scenery of the city. If you like any of the genres of music listed, you're sure to love the upbeat music featured in this game.

Originality: SEGA has always had a knack for creating original games, (**cough NiGHTS Into Dreams cough**) and Jet Grind Radio is one of their best. We need more games that feature this much color and style, instead of the dark and dreary post-apocalyptic environments that seem to be in every game as of late. Hmm... if only some company that starts with an S and ends with a EGA would make a new console, we might see more of games that aren't afraid to take a chance. Please SEGA....no? Damn.

Overview:

Story: 3/5

Gameplay: 4/5

Graphics: 5/5

Music: 5/5

Originality: 5/5

Difficulty: Medium

Learning Curve: Slightly High

Length: Average, About 5 Hours

Best Part: Funky Music

Worst Part: Camera Control

Total Score 4.4 Worth Every Penny

Conclusion: The Dreamcast may be a thing of the past, but it's games like Jet Grind Radio that keep it alive ten years later. While it hasn't aged as well as some of the other Dreamcast titles, back at the start of the new millennium, this was top of the line. Jet Grind Radio is a game that should by no means be taken seriously. It's about having fun and listening to some good tunes, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Next Post Hint: "I Gotta Believe!!"

Friday Night Beer N' Game

Beer of the Week: Guinness

Game of the Week: Super Mario World

The Beer: Guinness is probably the greatest beer ever made. It's dark, smooth, and most importantly, it gives a giant middle finger to the supposed "King of Beers". Its dark amber coloring is often mistaken for black, especially with it's thick, off white head. While most beers lose their head after only a few minutes, Guinness' sticks around from the time it's poured, to the very last drop. Unfortunately Guinness has gotten some unjust prejudice from the majority of American Drinkers, due to it's dark color. People assume just because it's dark, that it's bitter as well, and never try this wonderful Irish brew. The way I see it though is, if you judge a beer by it's color, your unworthy of drinking it. All Hail the True King of Beers!

The Game: Super Mario World is one of my favorite games on the Super Nintendo. Hell, do you know one person with a SNES that doesn't own at least one copy of this game? I sure don't. This is the game that set the standard for what was to come on Nintendo's 16 bit console. Even though I grew up rooting for Sega, I cannot deny that Mario's jump into the next generation, was a work of art that had even the blue hedgehog himself saying "Oh Shit!" Spectacular levels filled with color and secrets that put the previous Mario games to shame, and Yoshi. How awesome is it to stomp on enemies, or eat them only to spit them back up and kill yet another foe. Man this game is great, and you know what else? It's hard as fuck! I swear they designed this game just to screw with you. Giving you a bunch of easy levels, and then one that Makes you want to chuck your controller at the T.V. Damn it's hard, but not so hard that it's unenjoyable and, this may have been a coincidence, but it sure seemed like the game got easier after my second pint. Weird huh?

So pour yourself a Guinness, (the proper way!) dust off that Super Nintendo, and play some Super Mario World, because there's no better way to kick off the weekend than with a Friday Night Beer N' Game!

Shadow of the Colossus

Yeah I know I'm skipping over this game's predecessor, Ico, which is more of a cult hit than Shadow of the Colossus is, but I have a good reason for that. I don't own Ico... yet. But rest assured when I do get my hands on it I will review it promptly. Besides it kinda works that I should review Shadow of the Colossus first; people who have played both these games will have already realized why, so anyway on with the review.

Background: Developed by Team Ico under the working title Nico, (short for Next Ico) Shadow of the Colossus proved to be something different right from the beginning. Fumito Ueda, lead designed of Shadow of the Colossus and Ico, expressed that he wanted to make a game that was similar to Ico, but also remained completely different. He wanted to make the game feel as "organic" as possible, in order to do this the game had to be programed from the ground up to allow for more immersible gameplay and realistic in game physics.

Overall Shadow of the Colossus has been well received, and has been praised as one of the PS2's best titles by critics and fans alike.

Story: The story revolves around a young man named Wander, who has brought the body of his girlfriend to a far off temple in hopes to bring her back to life using an ancient spell. Upon arriving a disembodied voice tells Wander that in order to bring her back to life he will have to seek out and slay the 16 Colossi that roam the surrounding lands. Wander is warned that the price of the ritual will be heavy, but he states that it does not matter, and along with his trusty horse Agro, sets off in search of the Colossi.

Almost all of the story is told at the beginning and the end, with little being told during the actual game. While playing you get a sense of loneliness and foreboding, as if slaying each Colossi is an unforgivable sin. You are never sure until the very end if what you are doing is right or wrong, or inconsequential. There are no enemies other than the Colossi, no villages, towns or other characters in which you can interact with. It's just you and your horse, so naturally you start to bond with the only living thing that doesn't try to kill you. All in all this is a very dark game that blurs the lines between right and wrong, while at the same time promoting companionship and undying love, and I for one am glad to have experienced such an amazing story.

Gameplay: As you probably already guessed, the Colossi are huge. Like REALLY huge, and the only way to defeat them is to find the weak points on their bodies, climb to them (yeah, your climbing on the Colossi) and inflict some serious damage by stabbing with your sword. This is easier said than done though; the Colossi know why your there and will do whatever it takes to stop you, whether that be crushing you with their weapons, shaking you off their bodies until you fall, or stomping on you with there massive feet. Though before you can fight them you will first have to find them, which is a feat all it's own.

You start off at the temple, and by holding your sword to the sun a beam will appear which shows you exactly where the immense beast is. The challenge in this is determining whether you need to go around something, climb over it, or deviate to another area to find the correct path. The lands are immense and almost completely devoid of life. While riding your horse to your next destination, you will notice plenty of ruined structures, which makes you wonder what took place in this land, who built these monuments, and what happened to them.

As much as I love Shadow of the Colossus, it is one of the most frustrating games I have ever played. Each Colossus has a different way in which to beat it, your job is to find out how to defeat it, making it somewhat like a puzzle game. This is fine, but you start to feel stupid after about twenty minutes of trying to find a way up the Colossus. Not to mention the whole time your trying to figure out what to do, you are running from, or dodging incoming attacks. Don't get me wrong I don't think they should have changed this and made it easier, I'm just saying prepare yourself (and your family) for a lot of four lettered curse words. When you finally slay the beast, a cutscene will show it's last moments of life. You'll feel really excited that you won for about two seconds, and the remainder of the cutscene is spent wondering if what you did was right, or feeling stupid that you had to look up how to beat the colossus on the Internet.

Graphics: The graphics are gorgeous, and really give off that organic feel that Ueda was talking about. The world, like the colossi is massive, and almost everything can be interacted with. The colossi move around while you are climbing them, making you feel as if you were actually ten stories in the air, fighting for your life, while the scenery reacts when the Colossi strikes it, by crumbling or shaking. The lighting is believable; when climbing, the various parts of the Colossi cast a shadow that stretches and warps depending on the location of the light source. Overall the art and design of the Colossi work together to give off a wonderful graphical appeal that shows off the capabilities of the Playstation 2.

There are a few graphical errors that I have noticed. First of all, there are a few glitches in the scenery or while climbing a Colossi, and since so much is going on the framerate does tend to drop from time to time. Secondly, horse riding isn't as responsive as it should be. Sometimes I'll go to turn, but the horse will just keep on going, only to run into whatever is ahead. You tap the X button to spur the horse and increase your speed, but it seems like the horse only listens when it wants to. From what I've heard, the designers wanted to make the horse more realistic, by making it random if the horse listens or not, because horses in real life don't always listen to commands. That makes sense, but when I'm trying to avoid a tree, and the horse runs straight into it, how realistic is that? I don't know of any horses that would willing run into trees just to say "Hey Fuck you."

Music: The music is really where Shadow of the Colossus shines. As usual I don't have much to say about the music, since it's hard to describe something that's meant to be heard, but I will say it's amazing. It does the job of sucking you in, and bringing the events alive. Each Colossi has it's own epic score; combine that with the sound effects that Wander, and Agro make during the gameplay and it really feels like your part of the action. But what I find coolest about the music, is when there is none. While searching for the next Colossi, the only sounds you hear are from Wander, Agro, and the wind. This is a brilliant device in which to create the feeling of solitude, and when the music starts up for the battle, it only feels that much more epic.

As I said before, when you finally slay a Colossi, it feels as if you did something wrong. This, again, is due to the music. During the cutscene of the Colossi's death, you hear somber music, along with the grunts and groans of the Colossi struggling to hold onto life. This same music is played at the end of each battle, and no matter how many times you hear it, it evokes the same feeling.

Originality: Wandering in a desolate land, fighting only enemies that tower above you, and wondering the entire time if you are playing as a hero or a villain. Shadow of the Colossus gets big points from me in the originality department. Can you think of any game that even comes close to being like this? I sure can't.

Overview:

Story: 4/5

Gamplay: 4/5

Graphics: 4/5

Music: 5/5

Originality: 5/5

Difficulty: Hard

Learning Curve: High

Length: Average, about 7.5 hours

Best Part: The Ending, Wow!

Worst Part: Can be frustrating

Total Score: 4.4 Worth Every Penny

Conclusion: For a game that is truly unique, and an adventure that is larger than life, look no further. You won't be disappointed, especially since this is now a Playstaion Greatest Hits, and can be picked up for around $20. So what are you waiting for pick up Shadow of the Colossus now.

Next Post Hint: In order to save Tokyo, we'll have to graffiti the hell out of it!

Random Video Game: Boom Boom Rocket

Well it's my off week, which means I'm still working on my next review. So to stick to my once a week post I decided that whenever I have an off week I will deviate from the cult classics to write about whatever else that interests me in the video game world, whatever that may be.

Boom Boom Rocket is a downloadable game from Xbox Live Arcade, though it came on a disc with my 360. The goal of the game is to trigger the explosions of fireworks in time with the music, as if you were putting on a huge display for the city below. Arrows representing the rockets fly upwards towards a line at the top of the screen; to blow it up, you have to hit the correct direction on your D-pad at the precise moment the arrow hits the line. The screen floats about as if you were in a helicopter, making it more challenging because the rockets always come from a different place.

The game is full of color, and is a complete joy to watch, let alone play. There are three different difficulties, easy, medium, and hard, but don't think that just because your good at other rhythm games you can skip right ahead and take on hard mode. The first time I played I remember thinking to myself, "Ha, I'm a master of Guitar Hero, this will be a piece of cake." Oh how I was wrong, so wrong.

All of the songs are of the classical variety, but are remixed into some pretty funky techno tracks. The game is short, simple and to the point. You'll probably learn how to play faster than other rhythm games, but don't expect to master it over night, but luckily the enjoyability will keep you coming back for more. So crack a beer, light up that big ol' HDTV of yours with some color and play some Boom Boom Rocket!

Kid Icarus

In the late seventies/early eighties, the Atari 2600 ruled the video game market, even though other consoles such as the Colecovision and Intellivision managed to do fairly well. But in 1983 the bottom fell out of the gaming industry, and video games seemed to be nothing more than just a fad. Thankfully Nintendo, a company that started out making playing cards and eventually arcade machines, decided to take a gamble and create their own console. In 1985 they released the "Nintendo Entertainment System." (known as the Famicom in Japan) Nintendo had the idea to allow third party development of games for their system, increasing the amount of games and diversity. Nintendo also made their own games. Super Mario Bros., The legend of Zelda, and Metroid were among their firsts. But one game has been over shadowed by the success of it's brethren. "He can jump like Mario, collect items like Link, and shoot enemies like Samus." Quite possibly the first video game to be labeled a Cult Classic, Kid Icarus is the game that Nintendo forgot.

Background: Kid Icarus was developed by Nintendo R&D1 alongside it's sister game Metroid. The game uses the same engine as Metroid and was released the same month. The reception of Kid Icarus, was relatively good and it is frequently mentioned as one of the best NES titles, though it failed to outshine the success of Metroid. So far only one sequel has been made, Kid Icarus: of Myths and Monsters for the Gameboy, even though fans have begged Nintendo for more. Kid Icarus 2 had been in development for the Super Nintendo, but was never released. Since then rumors of a sequel have sprouted up with the release of the N64 and Gamecube, but so far none have been confirmed. The latest rumor of a sequel on the Wii, seems inevitable to some fans with the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where Kid Icarus' protagonist, Pit, is a playable character. Supposedly the company Factor 5 is working on this unconfirmed sequel, and it will be released next year, though I wouldn't hold my breath.

Story: The story tells of a time when gods and humans coexisted in harmony. Angel Land is ruled by two goddesses, Palutena, the goddess of light, and Medusa, the goddess of darkness. Palutena shone light on the mortals and helped cultivate their crops, while Medusa destroyed their crops and turned the mortals into stone. Enraged, Palutena used her powers to turn Medusa from a radiant maiden, into an hideous beast, banishing her to the underworld. Medusa, angry at her exile and new form, created an army of monsters and attacked angel land. Turning it's residents into statues, and hiding the three sacred treasures (the only weapons able to stop her) in her three evil fortresses, Medusa becomes the ruler of Angel Land.

Meanwhile, Pit, an angel youth and captain of Palutena's guards, is captured and is being held in a dungeon in the underworld. Palutena realizing he is their only hope, uses the last of her power to free Pit and asks him to retrieve the sacred treasures from Medusa's gatekeepers. Pit agrees and sets off on his journey, armed with only his bow.

Gameplay: Gameplay is where this game really shines. Like mentioned before it features aspects of Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, but brings in it's own uniqueness that makes this a truly satisfying game. In the beginning of the game you start by climbing up the ruins of the underworld while fighting countless enemies. You could just run past these monsters making the game somewhat easier in the short run, but if you stay and fight them, you will gain experience to up your endurance and strength, making the game's final levels much more fun.

The game is broken up into four different levels; the first three ending with a fortress stage. Level 1 and 3 are both vertical, and you will have to climb up to the top to move on, being careful not to fall. Level 2 is your basic sidescrolling platformer, though I found this level to be the hardest in the game. The fortress levels are completely different from the rest of the game, and take on more of a Legend of Zelda feel, in that you can retrace your steps, your overall goal being to find the boss and defeat him. The fortresses are difficult, and feature enemies that will push your skills to the limit. Among these are the Eggplant Wizards, which turn you into a walking eggplant that cannot attack. If you get turned into an eggplant you will have to find the fortress's hospital to get the curse removed. These wizards usually roam the rooms near the boss, creating a frustrating situation when you have to backtrack to the hospital.

As you climb up to reach the top of the first level there will be sections where the platforms seem to lead you to a dead end on the side of the screen, but just walk into the side of the screen and you will appear on the other side. This adds to the enjoyment of the vertical levels, and I find this a very unique approach to designing a game. I do find it somewhat annoying that on some platforms, if you press down you fall through. I'm sure the designers planned this to make it so you could drop down onto another platform, but why just down, most games that have this "jumping down" feature use it by pressing down and the jump button. I don't know how many times I hit down to duck under enemy fire, only to fall to my death.

Along your journey you will come across shops where you will be able to buy helpful items such as water of life and angel feathers. The water of life fills up your heath meter part way, while the angel feathers make it so if you fall, pit will start flying and you can save yourself from death. I did find it a bit strange though that hearts represent currency and not health. The first time I played this game I remember taking damage, and figuring it was no big deal since I was picking up so many hearts, and seconds later I would die. But I did figure it out and it didn't really bother me once I thought to look at the red meter instead of the number next to the heart.

Graphics: Not a lot to say here, since most NES games had the same look to them. The graphics are okay, but not quite as visually appealing as later NES titles such as Contra, or Kirby's Adventure. The background is a solid color, usually black, much like in Metroid or Super Mario Bros.. The enimies are all designed well, as is Pit, and the platforms are great, making the levels seem believable. Although some enemies glitch and appear in areas where they weren't supposed to, such as inside a wall or down a couple of platforms. The game does slow down from time to time when too many enemies are on screen, but speeds back up as you kill them.

Music: The music is pretty good for being in the 8-bit era. It does a good job of setting the mood for each level, like any good music should. Creepy when in the underworld, foreboding in the fortresses, and epic when facing Medusa. Again there isn't much to say here. Hmmm....oh the sound effects are pretty good too!

Originality: The game stems from a line of Nintendo games that saved the world of gaming, and takes aspects from each. At no point during the game did I feel bored, or unenthused. The story is loosely based on Greek mythology, and has nothing to do with the story of Icarus and how he flew too close to the sun. The game is diverse and doesn't fallow a pattern. The enemies are creative, even those Eggplant Wizards which I hate so much, and challenging. The third level even features metroids, and the Manuel says "These beings are thought to be from another planet." paying homage to the game's sister franchise. Overall this is a very enjoyable and unique game that has never been seen before, or since, and I would recommend this to anyone with an NES or a Wii with an Internet connection. (It's on the virtual console)

Overview:

Story: 3/5

Gameplay: 4/5

Graphics: 3/5

Music: 3/5

Originality: 4/5

Difficulty: Medium

Length: Average (about 2 hours, that was pretty good in those days)

Best Part: Putting on the Sacred Treasures and kicking Medusa's ass.

Worst Part: Getting turned into and eggplant (again)

Total Score: 3.4 Worth Buying

Conclusion: If your a Nintendo fan, this game is for you. It is a classic that represents the history of video games, and exemplifies the quality of Nintendo's first console. You won't be disappointed in this game.

Next Post Hint: From now on I will give a hint at the game I will review next so here goes, This game is unique, in that the only enemies you fight are bosses, otherwise there aren't any.

NiGHTS Journey of Dreams

Ok, so technically it's not a Cult Classic, but it is the long awaited sequel to one. Besides my job is not only to bring you the classics, but bring you the classics, their sequels, and games that are so unique that they scream play me. Besides, just because a game is popular dosen't mean it isn't a cult classic. So anyway on with my review of NiGHTS Journey of Dreams.

Background: It has been 11 years since the Saturn masterpiece, and the whole time fans have been begging Sega for a sequel. Eventually people got tired of begging for somthing they were sure they'd never recive, and with recent releases from Sonic Team that totally sucked, (I.E. Shadow the Hedgehog) some fans would rather keep playing their Saturn than have Sonic Team butcher another great game. But did you know that a sequel for NiGHTS Into Dreams has been in the works since the final days of the Saturn?

That's right a working title called "Air NiGHTS" was in early development. It was planned to be a direct sequel to NiGHTS Into Dreams, and used the tilt controls present in the Saturn's analog gamepad. Unfortonatly the project died with the Saturn, however the project started up again once the Dreamcast hit shelves, and as any gamer worth his salt will have already realized, the project died yet again along with the short-lived Dreamcast. Though it's thought that the motion controls for Air NiGHTS was salvaged to make Sonic Team's minor hit game Samba de Amigo. (Another Cult Classic I may review someday)

Yuji Naka, lead programmer of Sonic Team, was quoted in saying this when asked about a future NiGHTS release: "I know a lot of people love it and want us to make a sequel, but for us it's a really important game. Like the way Speilburg likes E.T. so much he won't remake it, I don't want to make another NiGHTS.” At this point pretty much all hope of a sequel was lost, now that Sega has stepped out of the hardware buisness, such is the fate of many Cult Classics. However, after years of rumors from various video game magazines, Sega Confirmed that a sequel was in the works on April 1, 2007.

Most people doubted the ligitimacy of this anouncment, since it came on April Fool’s Day, but the conformation stuck and on December 18, 2007, after 11 years of waiting fans finally received the game they had dreamed of since soaring through the skies all those years ago.

Story: The story fallows closely with the pattern of the first game in which you take control of either a boy or a girl. Will Taylor and Helen Cartwright live in the city of Bellbridge. Will is an aspiring soccer player and Helen is a child prodigy of the violin. Will has a big game coming up and he is sad because his dad has to go away on buisness during this time. Helen has a big concert in which her and her mother are going to preform a duet. Helen feels she is good enough to play without anymore practice, and decides to go hang out with her friends, though she feels guilty leaving her mother to practice alone.

As with the first game, both Helen and Will fall asleep with heavy emotions that draw them into Nightmare. They both escape and end up at the fountain of dreams where they meet Owl, a talking owl that acts as your guide through the whole game. Owl tells each child about the Night dimension, and how it is divided by two separate worlds, Nightopia and Nightmare. NiGHTS makes an entrance and asks if the respective child would like to "Duelize" with him, there by sharing his body and allowing them to fly. Each child is hesitate, but agrees and the adventure to retrieve the four missing Ideya begins.

All of the story is told through the use of cutscenes, which are impossible to skip or pause. The story is rather good, and keeps the same style of it's predecessor, but the one downside is the voice acting, which is horrible. It's so bad that I find myself cringing half the time, or straining to understand what each character is saying. Luckily there are subtitles to help you out, but my biggest problem with these is there is no option to turn them off, so my question is why have voice actors at all when you're just going to have everything written down anyway. Not to mention the voice acting is so bad I wish I could turn it off and just read.

I must admit though, that some of the voices do the characters justice. NiGHTS sounds like a young boy or girl, that mirrors his personality. Reala and Wizeman's voices are perfect. Reala's voice is more manly than NiGHTS's and he has this way of speaking that gives off an aura of being cold and maniplative. Wizeman's voice is deep and slow, as if he where speaking through a long tunnel, it kinda reminds me of Sauron from Lord of the Rings. Overall though I'm not very happy with the way in which the story is told, (even though it is a good story) and I would probably dislike this game if it wasn't for the spectacular gameplay.

Gameplay: The gameplay is fun and keeps the series at it's roots while adding new challenges that make this a truly enjoyable game. Things are slightly different though. Instead of flying around collecting blue chips then flying into Mares and retrieving all four Ideya, each level is divided into five different stages. The first stage is always a chase level, you fly around chasing after a bird-like nightmaren. Once you catch him, drill dash into him to recive a key. This key allows you to move on to a different section of the stage and chase after another nightmaren; there are three nightmaren in each chase stage.

Next are the octopaw stages, octopaw is a octopus like creature that flies around creating rings in which you can fly through. When you fly though a ring or collect a blue chip you get 1 link, you have about three seconds to fly through another ring before the link counter resets. The object is to get at least 30 links to complete the stage, and you have five tries to do so. Two of the stages are challenges that vary from level to level and are more like mini games than acual stages. Occasionally you will have a platforming stage, where you play as either Will or Helen and try to find NiGHTS. You go around jumping up on to other platforms, shooting blue chips at your enemies, and solving minor puzzles. These stages aren't terrible, but they do take away the majestic feeling you get from the other stages.

The last stage of each level is always the boss. You face the boss first upon completion of the chase stages, but face a more powerful version of them in this one. Staying true to it's roots each boss unique and has a different strategy you must impose to defeat them. After the boss is defeated a cutscene is shown of the respective child receiving an Ideya. You return to the fountain of dreams and open a chest that contains a persona, a mask that allows NiGHTS to transfom into diffirent things. The game is set up like the first. Each child has three unique levels and shares the final level, but to get the true ending you will have to complete each stage with at least a C rank.

Like a lot of Wii games, you are able to choose between the Wiimote by itself, the Wiimote with the nunchuck, the classic controller or the Nintendo Gamecube controller. When using the Wiimote by itself, a cursor will appear on screen. NiGHTS will fly in the direction of the cursor, but you will have to hold down the A button in order to make NiGHTS go, and use the B button to drill dash. I find this frustrating and my wrist tends to get sore after about five minutes of holding the A button down. Using the nunchuk is a lot better. Since you have a thumbstick, you can push forward in order to make NiGHTS go, so you don't have to hold the A button down. If you really want to enjoy this game though use the classic controller or the gamecube controller, as they have thumbsticks, and shoulder buttons which allow for aerial stunts to be preformed like in NiGHTS Into Dreams. My biggest problem however is that my thumb tends to slip off of the thumbstick. Half the time I'm playing with the side of my thumb and I am forced to readjust in the middle of the game. The more I play NiGHTS Journey of Dreams, the more I wish I had my 3d controller. Maybe someday I'll hack into one for use on my Wii, I'll be sure to post instructions if I do.

Graphics: There really isn't much to say in this category about a game from this generation. Graphics really aren't important to most gamers anymore, seeing as you can pretty much bet that a game is going to have good graphics now a days. NiGHTS Journey of Dreams is very colorful and lifelike and gives the same sense that you are in a dream as it's predecessor. The CG cutscenes are great, but the in game cutscenes are rather choppy and look just like any run of the mill game.

Loading times are the worst; even slower than the Saturn, but I do have to say that once the loading screens are over, the game is really loaded. I can't even once think of a time when the game slowed down or hiccuped. The background is pleasant to look at, and has a lot of depth, but sometimes the foreground gets in the way and there will be a couple seconds where you can't see where you're going. Though the worst thing is that you will get stuck occasionally, and will have to start button mashing to get free. This happened to me after about five minutes of gameplay, and happen to me three more times before the game was over, though the first time was the worst. Overall the game's graphics are good but seem to be unfinished, but what can I say, this is defiantly the best game Sonic Team has made in the last five years.

Music: The music is superb, really setting the mood for what is happening. Dreams Dreams is used very often during the game and cutscenes. 4 different versions of the legendary theme song are used. One for each child's ending credits, a remixed version for the final level, a slower more emotional version for the true ending credits, and you even get to play the song in one of Helen's stages by flying along score lines, having to hit the notes in time with the beat. The remakes of Dreams Dreams are good, but a little more pop culture-e than the original, though they get the job done and fit in well with the rest of the game.

Originality: Yet again there isn't much for me to say that hasn't already been said. Of course the game is original, it's the sequel to one of the most original games in history. NiGHTS Journey of Dreams does a good job of staying away from those video game cliches that are in every game, such as having to have a fire and an ice level, or having to save a princess.

Overview:

Story: 3/5

Gameplay: 4/5

Graphics: 3/5

Music: 4/5

Originality: 4/5

Difficulty: Easy

Length: Short, about 3 hours

Best Part: It's a sequel to NiGHTS Into Dreams, duh

Worst Part: Voice Acting

Total Score 3.6 Worth buying

Conclusion: NiGHTS Journey of Dreams may not be for everyone, but it is defiantly better than no sequel to NiGHTS Into Dreams. Gamers who purchase this game will receive entertainment and joy that few games today offer, and fans of the Saturn classic will not be disappointed.

NiGHTS Into Dreams

First of all welcome to the Cult Classic Gamer page. My Aim is to break away from the status quo, and dig deep to find the video games that live in the hearts of the few, but dwell in obscurity to the many. So for my first review I thought I'd show you the perfect example of what a cult classic is with none other than NiGHTS Into Dreams on the Sega Saturn, a console that in its self is a cult classic. Enjoy!

I won't lie to you and say that I played this game as a kid, because I didn't. Growing up being a Sega fan wasn't easy. No one I knew owned a Saturn (let alone a Genesis) and by the time the new millennium rolled around I jumped ship to Nintendo. A couple years passed and I got a Gamecube, my first game being Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (though I was stunned and somewhat angry that Sonic now resided in the house of Mario) . There while raising the cute little creatures known as chao, pronounced "chow", I fist learned of NiGHTS, as chao taking his likeness and name passed my poor little Chaos. Who is NiGHTS I thought a few times but eventually came to the conclusion he was a Sonic character I had never heard of.

Jump a few months ahead when Sonic Adventure DX came out. I enjoyed this game so much, but while in the pinball like world of Casinopolis I see a dancing "Jester" and I knew it was him, but just shrugged it off. Then again he appeared in Sonic Riders as an unlockable character. Now I had to know just who he was, and what I found turned out to be better than I could imagine. NiGHTS had his own game on the Sega Saturn, a system I remember begging my parents for but never received. Jump to the year 2009, when I managed to score a Saturn on eBay with my own copy of this beloved game.

Background: NiGHTS Into Dreams was created by Sonic Team, the development team that created Sonic the Hedgehog and later killed him. NiGHTS was developed to give the sense of flight by using three dimensional graphics combined with two dimensional gameplay. The overall effect was enhanced with the use of the 3d controller, the first to feature a thumbstick, though Nintendo likes to take the credit. Though NiGHTS was loved by fans and critics alike, it failed to shine in the shadows of Super Mario 64 (released a month prior) or Crash Bandicoot. (released four days later)

Story: Nightopia is the realm in which human beings go to when they dream. The evil Wizeman the Wicked is the ruler of Nightmare where all nightmares reside. He seeks to control both Nightopia and the waking world. In order to do this he creates henchmen called Nightmaren to carry out his evil deeds. Two of these Nightmaren are created to be much more powerful than the rest, and are given the ability to think and act for themselves NiGHTS and Reala. Reala remains loyal to Wizeman unlike his sibling, NiGHTS, who rebels against his master and is punished by being locked up in the Ideya palace. Ideya is the form in which our personalities take when in Nightopia, each human has five Ideya of varying colors. By stealing this, Wizeman gains power. However he is unable to steal the red Ideya that represents courage.

Clairis Sinclair and Elliot Edwards are two children from the city of Twin Seeds. Each of the children have a nightmare and are forced to flee to Nightopia. There the Nightmarens steal their Ideya and they meet NiGHTS who is imprisoned in the Ideya palace. Since Claris and Elliot poses the Red Ideya they are able to free him, and NiGHTS tells them of Wizeman's plans. The three then set out to retrive their stolen Ideya and defeat Wizeman.

Gameplay: At the start of each level Wizeman's henchmen steal four of the five Ideya the child possesses an locks each up in a seperate "Mare". The first thing you must do is head to the Ideya palace and free NiGHTS. Then the object is to fly around and collect 20 blue chips to defeat the Mare. You use the 3d controller to fly using the thumbstick, and by pressing either the A B or C buttons you can do a drill attack that sends you spinning quickly through the air to defeat your enemies.

When you have enough blue chips you need to fly inside of the Mare, destroying it from the inside out. Once you defeat the mare you will retrieve an Ideya. With this you can return to the Ideya palace and and move on to the next Mare, or you can fly around some more and collect gold chips to increase your score, but don't take to long because you can only fly for so long until you change back into a kid and fall, losing all of your chips. You will then be forced to run from an egg shaped alarm clock, if it catches you, you will wake up and the game will be over.

You earn a grade for each separate Mare, and you must have at least a C in every level in order to play the final level. You are scored on the amount of gold chips you collect and how fast you were, and a number of other things, such as how many bonuses you collect or the number of aerial stunts you preform.

Boss battles play very much the same way except you don't have to go around collecting chips, instead you take the direct approach and attack, though each boss has a slightly different strategy you must use.

Graphics: The Sega Saturn's biggest competitor was Sony's Playstation, which was a more powerful machine. However NiGHTS Into Dreams show that even though the Playstaion was more advanced, the Saturn could still hold its own. Flying around and taking in the lush beauty of your surroundings is why NiGHTS is so majestic. Every detail has been taken into consideration, making you feel as if you were in a dream. The colors and shading really bring this game to life making it look like it was on a much more powerful console. Rarely, if ever, does the game slow down to load, truly this is a work of art. Pixel Perfect.

Music: The music is positively outstanding, fitting in perfectly with the scenery, and setting the perfect mood for which to enjoy it. The sound effects are original and not stock, leaving a feeling of satisfaction when you collect that last blue chip or fly through that last ring. The game's theme song is call "Dreams Dreams" and once again fits in perfectly with the overall package. The fact that during the ending credits you are rewarded with this beautiful duet sung by a boy and a girl, (representing Elliot and Clairis) is enough to make you want to cry tears of joy all over your controller.

Originality: Sonic Team set out to prove they could make games that broke away from the traditional platformer genre and hedgehog based games. They did just that and so much more. You can tell that a lot of hard work went into this game and that the developers actually cared about the project, something that almost never happens with today's "Make it and hope it sells" attitude. A lot of love went into crafting this masterpiece, and a lot of love has been returned as a result.

Overview:

Story: 4/5

Gameplay: 5/5

Graphics: 4/5

Music: 5/5

Originality: 5/5

Difficulty: Medium

Length: Too damn short, can be beaten in under an hour

Best Part: Flying though the air in your own little dream world.

Worst Part: Starting the game over for the 85th time because it's too damn short!

Total Score: 4.6(Worth Every Penny)

Conclusion: If you have a Sega Saturn you should buy this game, if you don't have a one, get one, you won't regret it. NiGHTS Into Dreams is a timeless cult classic that is still as magical today as it was the day it was released. I like to think that this game was made not for the general public who continue to buy the same old, same old, repolished in a different package, but for those like me, who strive to be different. Those who play video games not to escape life, but to enhance it. The few people that fallow their passions and never let go of their dreams.