And so 2009 comes to a close, and we look forward to an exciting 2010; one filled with new experiences, new excitements, and of course – new games!
I managed to get a sneak peak at some of the games of the new year, coming to a games retailer near you. So let’s check them out!
Bayonetta, Platinum Games – Xbox 360 & PS3
There have been quite a few games like this now – 3d slash-em-ups where you’re you’re a lone force against waves of monsters and demons, with flashy moves and dangerous weapons to assist you. Devil May Cry did it, God of War did it, and soon Dante’s Inferno will have a crack at it too – but now is the time of Sega’s attempt, Bayonetta. And by goodness, what an attempt it is. You play as the titular Bayonetta; a witch from another dimension with a costume made from her magic hair, heavy-duty handguns attached to her stiletto boots, and assets to make a glamour model jealous. She uses all of these things to take on angels, animated statues, and rival witches bent on taking her down.
The combat is both smooth and entirely over the top. Basic attacks string to acrobatic kicks, to giant fists appearing out of portals, to the enemy being crushed inside a giant iron maiden that springs entirely from Bayonetta’s kinky imagination. And that’s just your basic combo.
Bayonetta’s does its best to go into overdrive in all aspects – and most of the time it definitely succeeds. A must purchase for fans of the genre… or fans of sexy witches.
Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom, Capcom – Wii
Capcom is a major publisher for a lot of game genres, and are responsible for even more poplar game franchises. Gamers the world over have heard of Street Fighter, but Capcom have done even more fighting games than that – a personal favourite of mine being the ‘Capcom Vs.’ series. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 has been a recent release on the Xbox 360’s Live Arcade – but for a Spring 2010 release, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom is heading to Europe, and it’s even more visually stunning and even more haphazard than its predecessors. Like Marvel Vs. Capcom, this game pits some of the stars of Capcom games (most recognisably MegaMan and Ryu) against famous comic book characters, but the Tatsunoko franchise is a Japanese-only comic brand (They’re responsible for Speed Racer, fact fans). But don’t let that put you off! Even if you don’t recognise them at first, everyone in the cast is brimming with personality, are easy to play as – even if you’re a beginner to fighting games – and the visual displays of their abilities are ridiculous. The game even goes so far to calculate the damage you do – upwards of several billion!
With the ability to use either the remote, the Gamecube controller or a Classic controller, not to mention the availability of online matches – is high-octane fighter promises to grab hold of you, shake you hard, and never let go. And you’ll enjoy every second.
Phantasy Star Zero, Sega – DS
A continuation of a rather old series, Phantasy Star Zero is a nicely contracted version of the classic Dreamcast and Gamecube game, Phantasy Star Online (it’s even evidenced in the name – PSO & PS0. Get it?). In both games, you run around the planet of Ragol with up to 3 human or computer-controlled allies, taking on the aggressive wildlife that threaten civilisation. The bright sci-fi look of it all is a breath of fresh air from the Lord of the Rings-style fantasy of RPGs both then and now.
The audience for this game might be a little niche… although the game looks and sounds good, it lacks a bit of polish; and the dungeon explotartion and monster-whacking might be a bit repetitive for some. However, if you like your games a little old school, enjoy RPGs like World of Warcraft, or just have a bunch of adventure-hungry mates, this is a game that’ll last and last. It even utilises WiFi to allow dungeon exploration with friends on the other side of the world; or a bit of casual monster slaying with some strangers.
Ninja Gaiden 2, Tecmo – PS3
The Ninja Gaiden games are hard; and they relish in the fact. For the last few games in the series, Easy Mode was called ‘Dog Mode’, and the in game characters made fun of you. While it’s extremely polarising to its audience (no one wants to pay for a game that makes fun of them, least of all me), it’s a precious favourite to the kind of game player who likes a challenge – even if ‘challenge’ is a gross understatement.
Many of the games in the series have been remixes or spin-off incarnations of the first Ninja Gaiden game, but this is the first true sequel. The main draw and difference of the game is the ability to play as a new female lead, in addition to the grumpy and brooding Ryu, who has starred in all the previous. Aside from that, it looks very much like the previous incarnations. The graphics are a little prettier, but the enemies are still hordes of ninja punctuated by a fantastical mythical being (in the demo I played, it was a gigantic animated Buddha statue. With laser eyes.) as a boss. The controls are the same, and unfortunately, so is the slightly loose and wonky camera. However, it did feel just that little bit more forgiving when I played – maybe this could be a gateway for newcomers to the series?
Fairytale Fights, Playlogic – 360/PS3/PC
When it comes to games, I’m more of a fan of ones I can play with friends co-operatively; working with them, instead of shooting them in the face. So this game, with promises of a co-operative story, and gameplay that channelled multiplayer classics like Power Stone, I was really excited to have a crack at it.
Sadly, that excitement didn’t last. While it did play like Power Stone, it was an uphill struggle to play it at all. The characters slid around on the screen like they were on skates, and attacking was stiff, limited, and unresponsive. The graphical direction had some charm (classic, happy fairytales peppered with slapstick violence and cartoon gore), but it’s been done before, and in a way that didn’t make it so hard to see where you’re going. You died more often by accidentally falling off the stage, rather than succumbing to an enemy. You’re teased with promises of treasure in hard-to-reach locations, but collecting it did nothing useful, and you’re likely to fall off the stage 3 or 4 times while trying to get it.
This game lacks polish, it lacks point, and to top it off, the advertising campaign is both completely unrelated to the game and just that little-bit uncomfortable-making. Leave this well alone.