Dissidia: Final Fantasy Review

Let's face it: Smash Bros. is popular as hell. It's a fanboy's dream come true. An assortment of beloved characters in an immense crossover where your wildest fanfiction dreams play out in button mash murder. Since the franchise's inception, there have been many emulations of the crossover party fighter concept, from Capcom's Onimusha Buraiden to Ubisoft's upcoming and none-too-subtle named TMNT: Smash Up. Let's forget that Castlevania Judgment business altogether, shall we? I'd prefer it stays locked up in the recesses of supressed memory far deeper than my being molested as a child by Lee Majors.

Now it's Square Enix's turn at the plate, and they've come swinging the Nail Bat (materia is for pussies) with Dissidia, a hyperactive crossover brawler for the PSP featuring the main protagonists and villains from each entry of the first ten Final Fantasy games.

Now, as a reviewer, it's my duty to remain as unbiased as possible and give each game a fair rundown based on its own merits in a completely objective fashion. However, as this is the Final Fantasy franchise, this is absolutely damn well impossible for me to do. That being said, the series died with Final Fantasy X. Additionally, forgive the following fangasm (please insert "squees" wherever you feel appropriate).

OKAY GET THIS THE MASAMUNE IS LIKE 15 FEET LONG NOW AND FIRION CAN USE THE BLOOD SWORD AS HIS LIMIT BREAK ALSO CHAOS IS VOICED BY KEITH DAVID HOW RAD IS THAT MOOGLES CHOCOBOS CLOUD ESPERS KAWAII DESU NE!!!11one

Ahem. Moving along, let's take a look at the game beyond the fanservice.

It goes without saying that anything produced by Square Enix will push the graphical boundaries of any system to its limits, and Dissidia does not disappoint. The lush, vibrant visuals are unbelievably dazzling, from the gorgeous FMV cutscenes to the epileptic laser-shows of every battle. The graphics engine improves upon the one last seen on PSP in Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core with smoother animations and better particle effects. Most of the character models themselves are a sight to behold, particularly characters from the 8 and 16 bit games that have been wonderfully recreated from the original art of Amano Yoshitaka (expect lots of horns). On the other end of the presentation spectrum is Dissidia's wondrous score. Newer pieces such as One Winged Angel and Jecht's theme return, along with excellent remixes of the standout pieces from each title (Gilgamesh's theme and series staple Prelude sound friggin' amazing). In addition to the expected new arrangements, Dissidia composer Ishimoto Takeharu introduces a handful of original songs, including a vocal piece and a piano instrumental nearly the caliber of Uematsu's work. The quality of the voice work is parabolic, with strong performances like Johnny Yong Bosch (of DMC4 fame) as Firion and disappointingly wretched vocal fare, such as Bryce Papenbrook's Zidane. Again, I lament that Square Enix never includes the option to switch vocals back to the original Japanese (Sakurai Takahiro's Cloud is impeccable).

I fiddled with the Japanese version of Dissidia upon its release late last year, and I was completely shut out by the schizophrenic gameplay and ambiguous damage systems. I chalked my confusion up to language barrier, and now that I can finally play the game in English...well, it's still confusing as hell at times. Gameplay-wise, Dissidia falls more in line with Atari's Dragonball Z: Budokai series. Matches are one-on-one, three-dimensional fare in various exceptionally destructible arenas. All three dimensions are used to full extent, as characters are capable of flying, dashing, running on walls, and other Advent Children-esque chaos. While characters do have health bars, focus lies in the Bravery Gauge, similar to Guilty Gear's Momentum system. Bravery points are depleted with Circle combos, and once the Bravery gauge is depleted, HP damage combos can be employed to their fullest extent with Square. It keeps the entire battle a game of tug of war, and keeping pressure on your enemy while evading BP-crushing combos is vital to a quick victory. It's a nice change of pace from the standard fighter's health gauge or Smash Bros' glorified ring out combat system. Combat is nothing more than messy button mashing, but it's some of the prettiest button mashing you'll ever encounter.

Beyond the frantic combat itself is a staggeringly deep portable experience. Along with the standard arcade and versus modes (both CPU and multiplayer), the game features a full nonlinear story mode that plays out similarly to the tactical battles sections of Suikoden III. Character customization is expansive, with alternate costumes, fully customizable movesets and abilities, a shop system, Espers, and all the other RPG element dressings to remind you this is Final Fantasy (oddly enough, the game has a menu-based battle option to make it feel even more like the originals). Throw in the ton of unlockables and online play, and Dissidia becomes a pretty nice package for the PSP.

Now, as I said, it's impossible for me to review this game without bias. I spent years obsessed with this franchise. I wrote fanfiction. I ran roleplaying guilds. I created an FF-based pen and paper RPG from scratch. I have played every single game and memorized so many facets of the overall mythos you'd think I was a Trekkie. For Mog's sake, my own loathing of Final Fantasy VIII brought me together with my fiancee. Truly, the original Final Fantasy series holds a deep meaning for me. Regardless, the game manages to properly pay homage to the franchise and replicate the epic feel of the battles with the chaotic battle system, so brawler/fighter fans will probably enjoy this anyway (it's not as though there are many alternatives on the handheld). But for those of you like myself who have loved this franchise and its many wonderful stories and memorable characters for years, this will be a treat. I cannot resist the widest of grins upon the imposing first notes of One Winged Angel's cacophony or be overcome by gooseflesh upon seeing Garland knock you all down in the Chaos Temple or feel a powerful tinge of delight seeing characters like Exdeath and Cecil Harvey represented in glorious 3D and on such a grand stage. Truly, if you are any sort of FF-fanboy, this will hold all the same sweeping nostalgia as Nintendo's own fanservice brawler.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy is just as bizarre and rowdy as its name. Its convoluted battle system and its grandiose presentation of gaming's foremost RPG series earns it a cavalcade of mixed feelings and truly makes it one very spoony bard.

Final Score: In lieu of a numerical score, my review of the game rests simply that fans will eat it up and I cannot speak for anyone else. Or, if you're really damn pushy about it, I guess an 8.0 or something.

Seriously, though, the storyline is an utter ripoff of a concept I created seven years ago...jerks.

Turtles in Time: Reshelled Review

Time for a nostalgia bomb. Imagine you're back in 1991 and presumably below the age of twelve. The 80s are dying away, with only remnants of fades and teased hair, Metallica and Run DMC, and other cultural miscellany left as the new 90s subcultures arise. But there is one thing that has remained strong until now: the arcade. You are not horsing around outside or doing other typical kid stuff. You are surrounded by teenage sweat and pizza grease in a dark place lit by flickering monitors and neon. There is something in your pocket that burns a hole and screams to be devoured by these bright, loud machines. Clink clank as you feed the machine and are greeted by only the most bodacious of surfer slang.

The place? The arcade. The thing? Your hard-earned quarter. The slang? Cowabunga!

The game? The sequel to one of the hottest arcade beat 'em ups ever: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. If you were anything like me as a child, you were swept up in both Turtlemania and the allure of the arcade and there was nothing better than pouring your coin into this badass cabinet. Four player co-op through your most beloved franchise? What could be sweeter?

Perhaps a remake to bring back all those arcade feelings? It has been said that online play is the console equivalent of the arcade environment, and I believe XBLA has been the haven for old school style revival. Thus, from Ubisoft Singapore comes TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled, a full 3D remake of the original classic. So what's changed?

Most apparent is the graphical overhaul. The game is beautifully rendered in 3D, and the visuals are certainly Reshelled's greatest aspect. All the environments are bright and colorful and very evocative of a comic book. The dark, neon glow of Big Apple, 3 A.M. or the various candy-colored foot soldiers really make the game eye-popping and vibrant, and the redone attack and enemy animations and the large sound effect bubbles really enhance the cartoony feel. Fans will gush over seeing their favorite characters redone in the 3D models and the wonderful new concept art. The music has also been redone, and while the remixes are nice, they lack the charm and catchiness of their original MIDI counterparts. The game also features new voiceover work by the cast of the 2003-Present TMNT television show, complete with original lines such as the ever-infuriating "MY TOE! MY TOE!" (You know what I mean and you know that made you rage as a kid.)

For better or for worse, however, the gameplay remains almost completely unchanged. There are a couple tweaks. The turtles now have their own unique stats (Don still has the longest reach, don't worry) and have the ability to signal their location on the screen at the push of the button, clearing up the old "where the hell am I?" confusion during co-op. As the game is rendered in full 3D, the combat is also now three-dimensional. This means players no longer have to adhere to the beat 'em up staple of remaining on the exact same plane as an enemy in order to hit them and allows players to pincer attack bosses from all angles. It's a small change, but really serves to freshen up the beat 'em up formula. Unfortunately, as exceptionally as the original game has been served up on a gleaming silver platter, it's still just the original game. A survival mode and four difficulties have been added, but the game is virtually unchanged. Ubisoft had the opportunity to pull a Zero Mission and do a truly impressive remake, replete with additional levels, characters (perhaps Karai of the original comics and most recent film), modes of play...or maybe just the ability to play the original version of the game (a bizarre and criminal exclusion). Instead, we've just received the exact same game, which is a shame considering how good the new engine is. Hopefully Ubisoft sees fit to use the same engine to make a completely brand new TMNT beat 'em up for XBLA.

The value of this game will really depend on the individual. The game does feature both local and online co-op, but the game is frightfully short and replayability will depend on your love for the franchise and the genre as a whole. The game goes for only $10, so if you loved the original or the TMNT franchise in general, the game is certainly worth downloading. Plop down with three friends and a large pizza and relive some glory days.

However, if you don't find yourself saying, "Why the hell isn't Slash the boss of Prehistoric Turtlesaurus anymore" or "Boy, Baxter Stockman makes a better nerdy Jew than a psychotic black guy," this game probably isn't for you.

Final Score: 7.8

Wish granted.

In the Raiden Fighters Aces review, I urged readers to purchase the game so sales would incentivize a North American port of the latest game in the series, Raiden IV. Well, just to make me feel like an ass, UFO is bringing us that very aforementioned port.

As I'm fully convinced that my word is cosmic law and I possess some form of eldritch magic laced into my very utterances, I issue the following:
"Now, if only Treasure would get off their fat asses and port Radiant Silvergun to XBLA..."

Expansion Pack.

Readers,

It has come to my attention that the Bandicoot12 Studios blog is exceptionally boring. While I plan to continue reviewing the smaller games that typically do not receive media attention (not to mention hopefully post updates on Bandicoot12 projects), such things are far too typical. I feel an obligation to all three of my readers to be more than just informative. As a game designer and a writer, I am part of the entertainment industry. Thus, this blog should be entertaining. I have decided to begin developing new features for the blog beyond simple reviews.

So I turn to you. What would you like to see implemented on a weekly basis? Ideas circulating include a possible podcast/webshow with a couple of my fellow hardcore gamers, a webcomic, and a weekly rant series on the various pet peeves that plague gaming as a whole. However, I don't feel like proceeding without the thoughts of those around me. After all, as any sort of journalist, I am at the service of my readers. I am here to inform or entertain, so I must give the people what they want to know or what would shock, infuriate, titilate or humor them. I would like to develop a hub for gaming thought, a place where gamers can be informed and discuss their thoughts and find new ways to foster their culture as a whole.

So come on! Post some comments and give me your thoughts! Otherwise, we're looking at a Velvet Assassin review, and I don't think either of us want that.

Insert coin to continue,
Iwasaki Koji

Raiden Fighters Aces Review

After long overlooking my obligations to Bandicoot12 Studios and this blog, it is wonderful to return to the art of weekly updates with an equally overlooked genre: the shmup.

For those of you not familiar with the term shmup, it is a portmanteau of "shoot-em-up" and refers to the typically ship-based shooters evolved from classics like Zaxxon or Space Invaders. They come in different varieties: horizontal (Gradius, R-Type), vertical (Ikaruga, 19XX), or arena (Geometry Wars). These games are typically Japanese arcade exclusives and are notorious for their unrelenting, rape-you-until-every-orafice-bleeds difficulty. The genre requires the quickest reflexes and ability to navigate enemy attack patterns known only as "bullet hells."

Even Hell, shadowy and forsaken abyss for the lost and the damned and the eternal prison of torment and hate reserved for Lucifer and his legions of avarice who so defiled the grace of Heaven...doesn't seem harsh enough of a term for this bullcrap.

Being such that the genre demands more dedication and mastery than a fighting game, these games are the very definition of niche, thus falling right up my alley. The genre has been rather dormant on the Xbox 360, with only a few XBLA games filling the void. Enter Raiden Fighters Aces to save the day (and make you look like a bitch). Most of us are familiar with Seibu's Raiden series. The original hit arcades way back in 1990 and has devoured our quarters ever since. However, we laymen who have sought refuge in consoles since 1995 may be oblivious to the spinoff trilogy Raiden Fighters. Lucky for us shmup fans, Valcon has brought us a compilation of all the games:

Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2: Operation Hell Dive, Raiden Fighters Jet, and Raiden Fighters Episode 4: Khan Strikes Back Harder.

The games themselves are extremely straightforward. Pick a ship, fly through an assortment of stages (around nine areas per game) while avoiding enemy shots and unleashing havoc. Attacks include shot, charge shot, and bomb. Each ship has two shots depending on the pickup type you grab (Laser or Missile) and each ship has unique helper drones that add to your firepower and can absorb damage for you. Don't think this means little variety, though: the trilogy boasts a ridiculous 14 fighters (even more than the Castle Shikigami series!), including a cameo by the Raiden MK-II from the classic Raiden trilogy. The trail to a legendary score is blazed by a combo system based on how quickly and in succession you are able to destroy enemies the moment they spawn and dotted with combo-based medals and other rare pickups. The bosses are immense, some of them actually comprising the entirety of the stage, leading to some rather lengthy and challenging battles. Unfortunately, this series runs on the one-hit system, so even grazing an enemy bullet will kill you, and since the hitboxes are a little too large to even be considered forgiving, the beginning player will die. A lot. Mercifully, you can bump up the default three continues all the way up to free play, so you don't have to see that gamer over screen so often. Additionally, you don't have to share this burden alone, as the trilogy includes the genre staple of local co-op. Oddly enough, the compilation lacks online play...but that doesn't mean this port isn't loaded to the hilt with some impressive features.

Those looking for an arcade perfect port won't be disappointed, but there's plenty else to do here. Exclusive to this collection are classic modes such as boss rush, score attack, and even a new expert mode, which increases the hectic enemy shot patterns tenfold. Beyond increasing playability, this home version includes features to please the hardcore shmup obsessive. Along with the obvious online leaderboards, the game includes a practice mode with an optional bullet time feature that puts the game into slow motion and allows players to easily identify exactly how to navigate a certain bullet hell. The most laudable feature here, however, is the ability to save recordings of your runs and upload them to Xbox Live. This way, players can not only show off their skills, but study the techniques of the world's top shmuppers.

These are the exact sort of things needed to invigorate the shmup community on the 360, and hopefully this compilation will inspire others to bring this genre back to console prominence. Though Raiden Fighters Aces is not the most complex or difficult shmup out there, the 20 dollar price tag, easy achievement points (I racked up around 400 gamerscore after about an hour of play), and incredible extra features make this an irresistable package to the hardcore shmup fan or those interested in the genre. Of course, if you're actually looking to break into the genre, I only have one piece of advice:

Buy a Dreamcast.

Final Score:

8.9

(I don't care how you guys voted, I like the single floating point system.)

Editor's Note: Buy this game so those lucky Japanese bastards feel compelled to release Raiden IV for the North American version of XBLA.

Guitar Hero: Metallica Review

Guitar Hero has become a force of nature within our pop culture, parodied in television and film and played by millions, both gamer and non-gamer alike. The guitar simulation series has become so successful that life has begun to imitate art, with bands lending more than their music to the production of the games: their likenesses, their trademarked style and stage presence, even their very own legacy. This intimate pairing of game and music industry became inevitable the moment bands began gaining more notoriety (not to mention sales) from new listeners faster than ever before (DragonForce saw a 126% increase in CD sales and a 500% increase in digital track purchases after being included in Guitar Hero 3). What began as guest appearances by Slash, Tom Morello and Bret Michaels has expanded into a new line of band franchises, starting with last year's unexpectedly excellent Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. Aerosmith allowed players to play a huge selection of the band's best tracks from over the years, along with favorites from bands Aerosmith had played with. You could play as not only Aerosmith's guitarists, but other musicians as well, including hip hop legend Darryl McDaniels. Yes, Aerosmith was a glorified expansion pack, but all so much more, with band interviews that completed the full presentation of the rock legends. Yes, the game was fantastic...but it still left many wanting.

This is because of the long-running rumors of a highly anticipated Neversoft/Metallica collaboration that had circulated just as GH3 was released. The notion was a pleasing one, particularly since the series had neglected so many appropriate songs from the band (One simply wasn't enough). Metallica continued existence as a rumor out in the gaming aether until the release of Guitar Hero: World Tour. Neversoft announced that the band's newest album, Death Magnetic would be available as DLC (along with the song "Trapped Under Ice" being in the included set list) and the uncertainty was put to rest by a teaser trailer in GH:WT's video menu featuring the song "Master of Puppets" and boasted the tagline Ride the Lightning.

A few months later and here are with Neversoft's celebration of one of the best-selling and most influential metal bands in history. Was the wait and anticipation worth it? To the Metallica fan (such as myself), the answer is an easy one. To the uninitiated...it's still an easy one. But before commanding you to add this game to your library, let's examine.

The set list is the most obvious feature to inspect. Upon first glance, it's incredible. Over 20 guest acts and hits from Metallica's extensive catalog, mostly consisting of older hits (there's only one track from the unfortunate abortion that was St. Anger). Additionally, a good amount of these songs are from the band's two masterworks: Master of Puppets and the "Black Album." The highest selling point for me was the inclusion of instrumental masterpiece "Orion," a lifelong favorite showcase of late bassist Cliff Burton. At a second glance, however, the setlist shows some problems. The primary issue here is the paltry sum of 49 tracks, only 28 of which are by Metallica. That's not a small amount, but contrasted the sheer number of songs in the standard GH series (World Tour shipped with over eighty), it feels insubstantial. The quality of the guest acts is a mixed bag. While there are some truly kick-ass tracks, like "Blood and Thunder" by Mastodon or "Toxicity" by System of a Down, too much of it feels alien in the context of this game. Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone" and Bob Seger's "Turn the Page" are fine songs, but southern rock just doesn't fit in with the edgy spirit of the game (why they didn't include Metallica's own covers of these songs from Garage, Inc. is beyond me). More appropriate bands abound, like Slayer and Samhain, but I am baffled by the exclusion of other 80s metal (particularly Megadeth, for obvious reasons). This game could have been a glorious celebration of the thrash metal genre spearheaded by its reigning kings. Whereas eclecticism is essential to the main GH series, it feels a little odd here. I will, however, make an exception for Queen, as they are one of the best damn bands in the history of everything and better damn well get their own game soon.

The gameplay is...well, Guitar Hero. However, unlike Aerosmith, which ran on the GH3 engine, Metallica runs on the GH:WT engine. This is a two-edged sword. The con: GH:WT engine is not as responsive as GH3. The pros: World Tour's tap/slide mechanic make certain solo much more forgiving (I'm looking at you, One) and the full band experience truly soars in this context. Having four players fully realizes the series' effort to immerse you in a rock star fantasy, and Metallica does just that. You're not simply playing fake guitars, you're stepping into the shoes of Kirk Hammet or Robert Trujillo. The drums, particularly, are a star feature, considering Lars Ulrich's relentless style and trademark double-bass work. The game capitalizes on this by featuring support for a second bass pedal for the GH:WT drum set used in the game's new Expert+ difficulty. I was extremely dismayed to discover this new difficulty was only available for drums, and any hopes for open notes for lead guitarist or more demanding charts for bass were demolished.

Speaking of which, the game's difficulty (more precisely, the lack thereof) is baffling. The Metallica tracks in previous GH titles were among the most challenging, so one would assume GH:M would be the hardest game yet, but many of the songs are incredibly easy for veteran players. I five-starred a good portion of the songs on my first try. Now, the game isn't without challenge. Tracks like "Battery" and "Master of Puppets" are soul-crushingly tricky, and Slayer returns to top the horror of GH3's "Raining Blood" with the almost impossible "War Ensemble." The game's climax is the absurdly easy "The Thing That Should Not Be," played in a dark ice cavern surrounded by the tentacles of the Nameless One (rad!). "Master of Puppets" is a far more difficult chart and oft considered their magnum opus, so I would have picked that as the finale...or, at the very least, capitalize on the Burton-inspired Lovecraftian surroundings and include "The Call of Ktulu."

Such exclusions are the game's greatest downfall. Whereas Aerosmith felt like a full collaboration between Neversoft and the band and a full representation of their storied career, GH:M ends up feeling slightly incomplete, like a big track pack with a few new characters. Now, the game has some really nice features. New to the HUD is Rock Band's patented star meter that lets you know the progress of your final grade whilst playing the song. The in-game manifestations of the band are polished and well animated, and the overall aesthetic fits the content. The lyrics (and for some, a concert video) are included for every song, and most tracks have a mode called Metallifacts, which plays out like VH1's old Pop Up Videos. The digital band will perform on screen while factoids about the song play at the bottom. It's a neat feature that provides interesting trivia with a listening theater, but the factoid list is too short and will repeat, sometimes 2 or 3 times, before a song is over. You have a good deal of actual guitars at your disposal and World Tour's create-a-character mode returns along with two guests: 80s rocker King Diamond and Lemmy of Motorhead fame (finally!). This is where I take the most fault with the game. Only Metallica's current four members are included. No Newsted, no Mustaine (again, where the hell is the Megadeth?), and sadly no Cliff Burton. Neversoft said the exclusion of former bassists was to not "slight" Bob Trujillo, but I feel they've slighted the fans and the memory of a phemomenal musician by excluding proper tribute to Cliff. This is something the common player will be completely oblivious to, but as for me and other hardcore Metallica fans, this will stand out as the most irking oversight.

But is it fun? Hell yes. Should you get it? The aforementioned easy answer is yes. Even at sixty dollars, this glorified expansion is still a welcome series addition brimming with variety, and some of these songs have been awaited for far too long. Metallica fans will eat it up and others will be introduced to some of the most memorable metal anthems in history. If you love Guitar Hero, this is a no brainer. Grab your axe and ride the lightning.


Final Score: 3 Facemelting Shred Solos out of 4.

Paging Mr. Hollister.

It has come to my attention that fellow gaming journalism and Fire Emblem enthusiast Sean Hollister has been visiting the Bandicoot12 Studios blog. This gentleman was one of the Nintendo booth attendants at Wondercon and was a true joy to interact with.

Sean Hollister! If you are reading this, you are commanded to email your contact information and friend code for Shadow Dragon to bandicoot12studios@gmail.com as soon as possible.

And an additional comment regarding Shadow Dragon: Sean is correct on the items being the balancing factor. Upon fully exploring the forge, I realized how easily I could turn a simple rapier into an instrument of God's will, an implement so omnipotent and filled with limitless power that a simple brandish could eliminate our world. (Damned crit rate, always getting me one-hitted...)


Insert coin to continue,
Iwasaki Koji

PS: To all of my friends and readers and fellow tacticians, let's engage in warfare!
FC: 4382 7584 0843

Boing! Docomodake DS Review

Product tie-in games are nothing new. Countless websites have Flash-based timewasters devoted to their products, and there have been many interactive advertisements on the consoles, such as the much maligned Yo! Noid on the NES or the awful (if free) Yaris racer on the Live Arcade or even the just plain silly, as with Dorito's dinosaur versus delivery truck game, Dash of Destruction. Not dissimilar from their film-based counterparts, these "advergames" are rushed and derivative, seeking only to get you to buy more crap (or even destroy the competition, as with Coca Cola's Pepsi Invaders on the Atari 2600). However, there are a small few where the branding is ultimately irrelevant and the game itself can stand out through the clutter of its peers to be one fine platformer, such as MC Kids or Cool Spot. Thankfully, Docomodake is in the latter category.

You may be thinking, "what the hell is Docomodake?" and that would be the proper response for the Western audience. The Docomodake Family are the mascots of NTT docomo, Japan's premiere cellphone provider with over half of the market share. The Docomodake brand itself is wildly popular, selling various merchandise on an almost Hello, Kitty level, so it's no surprise such a popular mascot received an advergame on the country's most popular platform. Initially, the real surprise was that this game saw the light of day on our shores at all, as we have zero connection to the mascot and are not even remotely NTT docomo's target market. However, upon playing the game, I can see exactly why it was ported overseas: it's excellent.

Docomodake is a simple sidescrolling puzzle platformer, consisting of 50+ bite-sized levels, each never taking any more than five minutes to complete, making it a perfect on-the-go DS title. The various set pieces are familiar: block puzzles, weighted platforms, killer death spikes. What makes the game shine is the abilities of the titular Papa Docomodake, who is off on an adventure to find his family who have gone missing in preparation for an upcoming festival. Besides running, jumping and rolling with the d-pad, the touch screen is used to partition Papa Docomodake by touching him and dragging off pieces with the stylus. The more you do this, the more little Papa clones there are and the smaller your player becomes. There's a multitude of uses for this mechanic. To squeeze through a small opening, split off into as many tiny pieces as possible. Use pieces to weight down a scale platform and get past or drag a tiny Papa to press down a button to open a passage. Pick up pieces to hurl at enemies or break blocks. Or my personal favorite: stack pieces on top of eachother to form a ladder for Papa to climb. The list goes on, and each use of Papa's segmenting power is inituitive and interesting. The mix of puzzle platforming and miniature players can't help but remind of the GBA's exceptionally underrated Mario VS. Donkey Kong.

The difficulty curve is fairly consistent. To the experienced gamer, many of Docomodake's puzzles won't be a challenge once you fully understand all of Papa's capabilities. The game grades you on the percentage of treasure you manage to collect in each stage and your completion time. I got 100% on most levels with a time of under 2 minutes and still received a C a good deal of the time, so this game can become a speedrunner's dream (or nightmare, depending on your level of optimism) if you so choose to be a completionist. The game itself is fairly short, lasting only three hours or so, but at Docomodake's 20 dollar price tag, it's nothing to gripe about.

Boing! Docomodake DS, with its immense charm and creativity (not to mention some nice music), stands out as one of those obscure gems that, sadly, few people will ever invest in. If you're a casual handheld/on-the-go player who wants a mix of cute and loveable little mushroom folk and clever puzzles or a hardcore gamer looking for a game to actually show you something new, you simply cannot go wrong with this title. Score yet another point for Nintendo's unbeatable pocket champion.

Final Score: 8.5

Correction.

In my original preview of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, I complained that there would be no quick match for online play, limiting you to only playing friends. I have since purchased the game and found that to be untrue. Chalk this one up to the Nintendo booth staff not exploring their own product thoroughly enough. Additionally, the aforementioned handicap system is exceptionally broken, giving so massive an advantage to the weaker player that the feature might as well not exist at all.

On a side note, however, the retail product still encourages my endorsement.


Insert coin to continue,
Iwasaki Koji

EA strikes again!

The industry juggernaut Electronic Arts was present at Wondercon, as well.

Now, Bandicoot12 Studios has been no stranger to frequent criticism of EA, whether it be the power-hungry, monopolous fashion in which the company devours smaller studios, the continued lack of innovation in their franchises, or the ever astounding lack of polish in their games which causes one to speculate if they indeed have QA testers on staff. However, I'd like the readers to know that this coverage of EA's booth will actually be...more of the same.



Haha, oh wow. Just look at the cute little bugger! Hovering near Capcom like a rabid hyena, waiting to scavenge some of their traffic. To my (absolute lack of) surprise, EA was showing off a rehash and a feature that should have been included in the initial package: both the new Burnout Paradise: Ultimate Box and the new Mirror's Edge DLC.

This isn't to rip on Burnout Paradise, though. Many may recall me blabbering on about "best racing game in years" last year, so rest assured I consider Paradise, along with its substantial amount of free DLC to be a phenomenal effort by EA. This isn't to rip on Mirror's Edge, either...I did quite enough of that in December, what with phrases like "biggest disappointment of 2008" being thrown around. Truly, Mirror's Edge had the potential to be something truly special, one of those games whose names conjure goosebumps when uttered, something to be said in the same sentence as The Sands of Time or Katamari Damashi. Unfortunately, inconsistent design philosophy and pacing, coupled with some astoundingly bad hit detection and peppered with a shamefully shallow story and equally shallow characters left me wanting and hopeful for a sequel with vast improvements.

This is the part where I would talk about the fresh new DLC that focus only on pure parkour paradise...but instead this is the part where I get to say that I only spent a few frustrating minutes with the game. This would be because everything playable was only on a few laptops, which habitually crashed every ten minutes.

Oh, EA. Thank you for matching your incompetent software quality with hardware failures as well. Oh, EA. Thank you for having a bitter booth staff who became extremely irritated when I mentioned Mirror's Edge's technical problems.

Though, honestly, all past hatred aside...thank you, EA, for trying. Last year you put out Burnout Paradise, Dead Space, Boom Blox, Mirror's Edge and others that do not spring to mind right now. After years of churning out assembly line, Triple-A shovelware, you took the time to make an effort and ended up with a couple stellar games for your troubles...and massive layoffs.

The nature of the industry is such right now to make me tremble with rage or simply sigh in bewildered exasperation. You, EA, are damned if you do and damned if you don't: a catch-22 between making money and making good games. Anyone with their fingers on the pulse of the gaming world knows what I speak of: the death of innovation, the rise of fierce and ugly competition, the overall Hollywood transformation of our industry. Truly, I think many of us suffer for its success.


To quote Tycho Brahe: "We are being digested by an amoral universe."

Epic win.

I hate to interrupt coverage of the Wondercon Capcom booth (particularly my rundown of Bionic Commando), and I wanted to keep personal posts to a minimum, but this was simply too fantastic of an event to not chronicle here.

I MET SHOE. THAT'S RIGHT. DAN "I'M SO AWESOME I APPEAR IN RETRO GAME CHALLENGE, THE BEST GAME OF 2009 THUS FAR" HSU. DAN "I'M RAD ENOUGH TO HAVE PENNY ARCADE WRITE ABOUT ME" HSU. DAN "PERHAPS THE MOST RESPECTABLE JOURNALIST IN THE GAMING FIELD" HSU.

Oh...and his lovely girlfriend.

Ahem...let me rap for you. Upon arriving at Wondercon (this being my first convention of this kind), I was slightly overwhelmed, yet simultaneously underwhelmed by the amount of content that interested me. I had spent over an hour grilling the guys at the Nintendo booth and wandered around long enough to meet Mike Mignola, but I still felt restless.

However, upon rounding the corner at the Suicide Girl's booth whilst chatting boredly on the phone with Bandicoot12 Studios' own graphic designer, Momo...I came upon the strangest sight. Beside a tower of graphic tees, leaning restlessly against an adjacent booth, was a strikingly familiar face. Surely my eyes deceive me! 'Tis only another young Asian fellow with a goatee. But I refused to believe that and my eyes scanned for his pass badge, which ended up displaying the simple, yet evocative moniker: Shoe.

"I need to call you back."

Cellphone snapped closed and was banished to the confines of my pocket as I was rendered speechless and babbling for pretty much the first time in my life. Sure, I'd met all sorts of celebrities (some just minutes earlier), but this was different. This was an individual I revered, aspired to be, possibly emulated...frankly, someone I gave a crap about. Excited introductions exchanged and I spouted boyish praises like so many careless roses at a prize bullfighter's feet. I admitted my devastation at EGM's untimely death. Not only did I hold that (along with Game Informer) as the pinnacle of print game journalism, but I hoped to one day move to SF and, at the very least, intern there. (Plus, the bastards at Ziff never sent me the final issue.)

And, as is likely when two or more passionate gamers congregate, the inevitable dissection of gaming topics ensued. Topics included Resident Evil 5, the effect of the shooter genre's prevalence on established franchises, the advent/resurrection of local co-op in the current generation...and how he was starving and waiting for his girlfriend to finish picking a tee shirt. This would be Rachel (I do believe! If my memory is faulty, do forgive me!), the adorable blonde in the image above. I proceeded to help her pick between various Umbrella logos, Star Wars, and Hylian crests. Which two she decided on, I have no idea.

After some other idle chatter, I shamelessly requested an autograph and a photo and we parted ways. I spotted him chatting up some guys at the Capcom booth while I was inside, busy on my second hour of Bionic Commando play. And gasp, he waved and recalled my name. Tee hee and blushes abound.

Now, if this all sounds like a pathetic orgasm of words of worship from a little twelve year old fanboy...then I've succeeding in using the best of my writing ability to express my feelings. Sure, he may just be some unemployed journalist, but I spent years as a faithful EGM subscriber. I have always respected those well established in the gaming industry, particularly any journalist who can not only attain merit and reknown, but keep a sense of character and integrity. Shoe is one memorable bastard, and I've considered him among the ranks of Jerry "Tycho" Holkins as a ranter/raver of highest degree, someone with the balls to sell it straight and keep it down to earth. So as a fan and someone aspiring to get into the gaming industry (particularly the journalist aspect), this was a momentous occasion for me, and easily the highlight of my Wondercon experience.

Here's to hoping I can maintain a correspondence with him, as his input would be invaluable. You should check out his blog he's got going with Crispin at http://www.sorethumbsblog.com/ and keep an eye out for the big new project he's got up his sorcerous sleeves.

Oh man, seriously! Shoe! I met Shoe! It's embarrassing to think he might actually look at my business card and visit this amateurish nightmare, so ghastly in its shoddy late night verbosity. Eh, at least my Shadow Dragon rundown is halfway decent.


Insert coin to continue,
Iwasaki Koji.

News from Capcom's booth!

This update comes a handful of days late, but I figure it's better late than never, or so the adage goes.

As recapped in the last post, Nintendo had a solid presence at Wondercon...but nothing compares to the sprawling monolith at the heart of the convention center dedicated to the one and only Capcom. Though a comic convention, Wondercon's most prominent display was from a video game company. It warmed my heart to see DC in Capcom's shadow.

Capcom had several games on display, the most prominent being the recently released and long-awaited Street Fighter IV. The front of their booth held a kiosk of two 360 units, a PS3, and an arcade cab. Throughout the con, it was a hotspot for newcomers to play their first fighter since Championship Edition on the SNES and some heated competition between hardcore fighter fans. Even yours truly got in a pretty nice streak before being unseated by some cheap Zangief tactics.


Off to the side of the quarter circle orgy was a modest display of Capcom's upcoming DLC strategy title Flock, where you control an alien ship herding sheep. It's an intriguing little title, but I unfortunately did not get to spend any time with the game. Being remiss in neglecting the little cottonball, I plan to inspect it when it's released on April 8th.

The main attraction of the booth, however, was nestled away behind the merchandise store in a glorified cubicle of mysterious treasure. This was Capcom's M-rated booth, where those blessed with the appropriate identification or mastery of Jedi mind tricks could sample the more graphic goodies: Resident Evil 5, Dead Rising: Chop 'Till You Drop, and Bionic Commando. RE5 was merely the Japanese version of the XBLA/PSN demo, so it needs no discussion here.

Chop 'Till You Drop is the Wii remake of the early 360 smash Dead Rising, a simple beat-'em-up that let players roam through a playable Dawn of the Dead homage and cause whatever zany chaos they liked. I was originally baffled at the decision to port this nearly 3 year old game to a less powerful system. However, after some hands-on time with it, I can say my initial impressions are more positive than I anticipated.

The first thing anyone will note is the graphical hit required to function on Nintendo's little white box. While the actual models haven't changed much, there are some very noticeable jaggies. The most severe graphical downgrade is in the animation, where the 360's fluid dismemberments are replaced with generic bloodspurts and explosions that would seem more at home on the late PS1. The Wii's limited on-screen unit capabilities means no more littering an area with your fallen foes.

Gone is the photography mechanic, which is a two-edged sword. On one hand, you've lost the ability to take hilarious screenshots of your Ashley Williams-esque escapades, but you've also lost the tedium of finding fresh frames to level up. Experience is now gained solely via stomping the undead. Not all that has been stripped away is a bad thing, as the loss of most voice acting not only saves you from hearing Frank West's "I've covered wars" broken record, but also Otis' insufferable nagging.

But for all that has been toned down or taken away, Capcom seems to have balanced it out with new controls, gameplay mechanics, and other tidbits. The camera has become somewhat more situated over Frank's shoulder, which, coupled with an aiming control scheme assimilated from RE4 Wii, gives the game a more streamlined run and gun experience. Melee hits are now divided into weak (A), strong (waggle), and a host of new specials, usually performed once the zombie in incapacitated by a knee shot or buckshot spray. For instance, the old Home Run move with the baseball bat is charged with a fast wiimote waggle that results in a swing of immense splash damage that hurls all in-range zombies off into the distance like Team Rocket in a way that is inexplicably gut-busting. Unfortunately, many of the waggle motions required for special moves are ambiguous or unresponsive.

The once universal inventory screen has been split between a d-pad controlled weapon selection, a miscellaneous item/healing pause screen, and the ability to have a melee weapon equipped at all times, even during gunplay. The AI has been revamped and new enemy types added (the killing of which results in bonus PP), including the ravenous poodles from the intro and some rather annoying parrots. A major complaint I had for the original version was that it boasted many a time when a couple hours would be spent mindlessly slaughtering zombies only to have happy gore time come to a crashing halt upon accidentally stumbling on a side-boss and being woefully unprepared. Cheap death and it was back to your last save, which was whenever you felt it necessary to find a bathroom. Saving now happens anywhere you like, and the addition of checkpoints makes the game far more enjoyable. Booth attendants informed me of new costumes and other extras, but my limited time with the game did not prove these new bounties.


Overall, the original Dead Rising experience remains intact. From this reviewer's position, Chop 'ill You Drop just feels more fun than its predecessor. But, even as a "budget" title at 39.99, it's hard to recommend this to owners of the original version, as there does still not seem to be any truly significant new content. But for those of you who don't own a 360, this would be a welcome addition to the pitifully tiny M-rated Wii library.

A sneek peak at the recently released remake, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

The first of the two big companies present at Wondercon is The Big N. Nintendo's booth is purely themed and focused around the release of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, the new DS remake of the original 1990 Famicom debut of the series, which tells the rise of the Smash-famous Prince Marth. The booth is staffed entirely by an external marketing firm, which left me no opportunities to talk to real industry professionals, but I was able to weed out some pertinent sound bites for those of you who are already familiar with Fire Emblem's age old rock/paper/scissors mechanics. Now, reflecting Nintendo's company-wide emphasis on catering to the casual gamer and making every product as accessible to the non-initiated consumer as possible, the Fire Emblem booth and its presenters was very much geared to the family audience. While the speakers were preaching the wonders of a game as simple as chess, I was more interested in the nitty gritty details of what new features this entry in the series has to offer, as while this series has always been solid, it has seen very little in innovation with each additional game. The first thing to behold is the gorgeous new character designs, all done by legendary mangaku Masamune Shirow, of Ghost in the Shell fame. Also, Prince Marth. But enough fanboyism, let's talk gameplay.

The core basics of the gameplay remains untouched, but there are certain little flourishes that truly make the game shine and gives it a far more polished depth than the other recent Fire Emblem games. The most obvious addition is the ability to control everything via touch screen. While those averse to d-pads may find this a welcome option, I found it to be less than useful, as the overall playing grid and sprites are fairly small, so trying to navigate menus and control units seamlessly is not as fluid as one could hope. However, it's the top screen that makes best use of the DS platform. Each highlighted field unit has their profile displayed automatically, so perusing the stats of enemy units is a breeze. When using this feature on friendly units, however, the ability to switch between equipment presets is available with the press of a single button. Additionally, there are various useful screens you can tab through using L and R, including a mini-map that shows your entire playing field and the location of every single playable unit (this becomes very useful for formulating tactics in multiplayer). Another cool feature is the ability to highlight multiple units to calculate their combined range of movement and attack. Overall, many of the new little features focus mainly on being able to fully micromanage and remain aware of all possible outcomes during enemy phases.

Beyond the actual combat, there are two new systems certainly worth mentioning. The first is the introduction of a forging system. While it takes immense amounts of resources, players are now able to craft truly unique weapons with customizable stats (I was informed by a booth attendant that the crafting system, when mastered, led to equipment far better than the built in "legendary" equips) and the ability to name your new equipment whatever you wish (a trivial feature, but lends a nice sense of personalization to your characters). Even better than the forge system is the new "reclassing" system. At the beginning of each battle, players are allowed to convert characters to different classes. This leads to many stat combination possibilities, as which class you are and which class you're transitioning to affects the effectiveness of your reclassing (i.e., Generals may make terrible Mages). This opens up a new world of possibilities to maximize your party and spend a lot of time outside of combat and cutscene to unlock the full potential of the playability.

The single most noteworthy feature of Shadow Dragon is the multiplayer. Aside from local, Shadow Dragon takes a page from Intelligent Design's previous effort, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. This means online head-to-head action with full voice chat via the DS microphone. Unfortunately, the voice chat works against the game in that it effectively quashed the chance for a real online scene to flourish, as the game only supports friend code play. The game is devoid of a ranking system or quick play, so the opportunity to truly challenge yourself, meet new players and experience new strategies is crushed. This is, of course, because Nintendo is keeping with the family friendly atmosphere and shielding players from the potential trash-talking assbaggery commonly seen in online gaming. (Why they don't simply have an option to disable voice chat for the kiddies is beyond me.) But I digress. The multiplayer mode has six selectable maps and a multitude of time and turn limit options to keep the gameplay fast paced, and a fairly capable handicap system that nerfs higher-level teams by balancing stats and doing the appropriate class promotions/demotions to ensure all players have a fighting chance (don't worry, this option can be disabled for those of you who want to trounce your friends after hours of grinding). Possibly the nicest feature is the ability to create premade teams, consisting of five characters each. This way, players can experiment with different character combinations to find the best mix of classes and choose whatever party best fits the situation or mood. Last, but not least, is the addition of non-battle related online modes. It's been well advertised that Shadow Dragon would feature a character trade system, a la Pokemon that would allow players to level up someone else's units. But a lesser known feature is an online store, the contents of which are very useful, but come at a hefty price. At this time, the goods list is dynamic (possibly changing daily), but not player generated. I hope the capability for players to hock off their uniquely crafted weapons in exchange for gold is introduced in the future. Overall, Shadow Dragon has many intriguing possibilities to its online portion and, while not capitalizing on its full potential, the game seems to be a welcome addition to the long running strategy RPG series. I hope to purchase this game soon and give my final impressions.



...Oh, and for those of you confounded by the dissonance between Fire Emblem's approachable simplicity and its oft soul-crushing difficulty, Nintendo has included an astounding six different difficulty modes. Too bad "Normal" is the easiest of the six.

Wondercon!

Today marks the first day of Wondercon 2009! For those of you unfamiliar with the event, Wondercon is an offshoot of Comic-Con that occurs earlier in the year and in the significantly farther north San Francisco. Bandicoot12 was there to not only take in the sight of those in the comic industry, but to investigate the video game presence and try to increase Bandicoot12 Studios' visibility. To spare you the irrelevant details (such as meeting Mike Mignola and Bruce Timm), let us focus only on the game industry topics.

This year's Wondercon has a handful of game studios, including Telltale (the studio at the reigns of the Sam and Max series and the Strong Bad adventure games, and none other than EA themselves. Telltale has a very small presence (of which Bandicoot12 has yet to investigate) and EA had a measly four machines running, all of which habitually crashed. Apparently the performance of their games had infiltrated their hardware, as well. Also, much to my chagrin, Namco's presence is limited to a small merchandise booth, definitively crushing my hopes to latch onto them and beg the representives until they let me head up the Pac-Man franchise.

I hope to bring you as much news as possible from the booths, including my first day impressions of the two houses with the biggest booths and the most storied history. Keep checking back for more news from Wondercon 2009!

Insert coin to continue,
Iwasaki Koji

Bandicoot12's latest game project!

The entertainment and education industries have been working together for years to create new and interesting products that deliver information in engaging ways, particularly in game development. This has given rise to the edutainment or serious games genre. Truly, there could be no greater media for immersive learning than video games. Unfortunately, far too many have put too great an emphasis on only learning, and the games become nothing but loud, animated point & click adventures. Bandicoot12 Studios seeks to change this method by introducing the concept of incidental learning. That is, knowledge is the by-product of playing, with fun being the primary goal. This way learning no longer seems like a burden and students become eager to learn. Knowledge is gained incidentally through the simple act of playing the game.

Enter Elemental: The Fusion of Fun and Fact, the first fully interactive game to bring the daunting task of mastering the periodic table down to earth in an easy to play fashion that can adapt to the knowledge and skill level of all ages!


Elemental expands on classic, addictive puzzle gameplay by replacing arbitrary gems and stones with the elements of the periodic table and random colors are given meaning with the nine families of the periodic elements. Players learn characteristics of the various families through gameplay traits, such as the self-destructive nature of the rare earth/radioactive elements, and begin to associate atomic symbols with the appropriate name, family, and atomic mass. Advanced players can test their knowledge on the various Hardtype modes, which require far more demanding memorization of elemental facts.

But even though Elemental focuses on the fun, that doesn't mean learning is lost. The game includes a customizable tutorial mode that lets players explore the periodic table and learn the basic facets of chemistry in the simplest way possible, via a specially created layman's introduction co-developed by chemistry and physics professor Dr. David Sopjes.

Elemental is currently in an early beta phase, with animations and graphics yet to be finalized. Additional game modes are being considered, included a more sophisticated and interactive tutorial mode. A trial version should be available online once some of the finishing touches are added and a few glitches sorted out. Early trials have been a big success, with playtesters becoming addicted to the gameplay and beginning to memorize facts after extended play.

Bandicoot12 Studios is excited about the prospects of this game and hope it can become a fun learning tool in the future. Bandicoot12 has always been about games for gamers, so it is our mission with Elemental to ensure that the playing experience remains intact and innovative. Check back soon for further updates!

Welcome to the new Bandicoot12 blog!

In light of the original MySpace blog becoming far too immersed in personal pursuits, Bandicoot12 has migrated to Blogspot. Check here for all the latest news on upcoming projects, plus previews, reviews, rants and raves, and discussions on the latest topics and issues in the game development universe. 'Till then...

Insert coin to continue,
Iwasaki Koji