Critical Myth-Interpretations

I have a love/hate relationship with most action/adventure games.  I love how smooth the gameplay can be, and when it’s well-designed, most of the inherent frustrations don’t matter so much.  But I hate the games that are so hard and demanding that it’s remarkably easy to “die”, thus forcing you to re-start the game and, if lucky, start at some point that was about two hours earlier in your life.

The trick to the new “Prince of Persia” is not ridiculous difficulty or even the most compelling of stories.  It’s how well the creators of the game managed to turn the experience of failure into a fluid return to the game.  When you make a wrong move, misread a situation, or let an enemy get the better of you, your ever-present partner Elika uses her magic to save you and deposit you on the most recent patch of solid ground.  As a result, you can try the same sequence of moves as many times as necessary to achieve your goal.

For some, that sounds like a cheat.  In effect, however, it makes the game incredibly immersive, because you start to love that gorgeous batch of pixels saving your butt on a regular basis.  It also means that the game becomes addictive very quickly, because there’s no unwelcome “end screen” and restart sequence to remind you that it’s been several hours since you started playing.  I literally beat the game at the end of a six hour marathon.

It also helps that the visual style is stunning.  Instead of pushing for photo-realism, the creators went for something out of a fairytale.  Combined with a stirring musical score, the visual style pulls you into the setting incredibly well.  The fact that the game is less about button-mashing and more about rhythm and pacing only adds to the serenity of the gameplay.

There are some battles to be fought, and they can get annoying, but almost all of them are an exercise in patience, rhythm, and flow.  Miss the flow and the battle becomes endless and frustrating.  Find the flow and the battles are simplicity itself, and just as visually appealing as the rest of the game.

I wouldn’t call this a particular difficult game; I finished it in around 10 hours, and I was taking my time.  Experienced gamers will likely find it easy and therefore a bit disappointing, especially the aspects that seem to hold your hand.  But for me, it was more than worth the time.  Some games are meant to be fun and played for relaxation, and this is one of them.

Rating: 9/10

After the wild success of “Final Fantasy X”, a sequel was released entitled “Final Fantasy X-2”.  Unlike the original, the sequel was mostly a light-hearted romp with more of a mission-based format than the typical hero quest format.  By most measures, that new format was not as well received, and it seemed more like an attempt to pull in female gamers than a serious attempt at continuation.

The same creative team was behind “Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings”, and it shows.  Vaan’s involvement in the rise and fall of empires gives way to a semi-serious sky pirate adventure where Vaan learns to consider the consequences of being…well, a sky pirate.  More than that, quite a bit of time is spent on Vaan’s relationship with Penelo.  It shouldn’t be hard to figure out how that goes.  (By the way, for those complaining about her wardrobe…did you bother finishing “Final Fantasy XII”?  Same outfit!)

That’s not the only change.  The action-RPG format of the original gives way to a simplified real time strategy (RTS) concept.  When I say simplified, I’m not kidding.  There are essentially three different types of support units, and in rather predictable fashion, one unit is always weak to another in a rock-paper-scissors fashion.  It takes about three battles to get the basics down to an instinctive level, and from there, it’s just a matter of checking out the competition before each new battle.

This makes it remarkably easy to prepare for most engagements.  You build up your “esper” units fairly quickly, so while some missions are difficult, it’s mostly a matter of unit management.  You check out the type of unit, the elemental weaknesses, set up your single gambit, and from there it’s a simple matter of positioning and movement.

Devoted RTS gamers will get bored very quickly.  The missions are not all that complicated, and things only get hairy when the bosses have a massive “area of effect”, which is usually remedied by spamming the enemy with ranged units or a bit of quick leveling up.  The strategy is so simple and predictable that additional elements like weapons crafting are almost entirely unnecessary.

All that said, these apparent weaknesses make it an almost perfect portable game.  It’s possible to tackle a single mission in a few minutes, especially in the beginning, and by then the simplicity of the game makes it mildly addictive.  The only problems are the long stretches of expository cut-scenes at certain points in the game.  Also, if you save right before a battle, in some cases the cut-scenes leading to a battle will repeat.

So while the format is not what I would prefer, and the tone is more light-hearted than the original, the sequel works as a fairly easy and mostly time-friendly extension to the “Final Fantasy XII” story.  Those looking for a true RTS challenge, however, would best be served looking elsewhere.

Rating: 8/10

This is the final installment of the franchise for the PS2, which had an interesting history with the Final Fantasy series.  Final Fantasy X was a massive hit for the console in its earliest days, taking the 3D adventures on the original PlayStation to a completely new level.  It was popular enough to spawn the first true sequel to a Final Fantasy game (X-2), which has since become a norm for the franchise.  Final Fantasy XI was a MMORPG, and it took quite some time for XII to see the light of day.

Final Fantasy XII sets aside the classic turn-based format of previous installments in favor of the real-time format of the MMORPG version.  Battles are fought in the same world as exploration, which allows the game to proceed at a much faster pace.  Granted, the game still took me about 80 hours to complete, but that was mostly due to the challenge presented over the course of the story.

The story itself has certain Shakespearian qualities, focusing on empires and ultimately the desire to forge man’s destiny by stealing the power of the gods (more or less).  Vaan is a young man in the city of Rabanastre, the capital of a nation overrun by an enemy Archadian empire.  Eventually, he and his friend Penelo wind up helping the Princess Ashe and her bodyguard Basch defeat the Archadian Empire and restore freedom.  Sky pirates Balthier and Fran also join them.

With few exceptions, the player can choose a party and roam the unlocked portions of the world of Ivalice forever.  As each new major turn in the story is completed, the available regions expand.  It’s a massive amount of territory to explore.  Transport crystals allow for quick travel once they are unlocked.

All enemies can be seen before encountered; there are very few random battles in the course of the game.  As previously mentioned, the combat is real-time, and the party consists of three members (plus, now and then, a guest).  To aid in the administration of certain tasks (such as healing, status effects, and so on), the player can assign “gambits” to party members.  This is very important, because as the game progresses, the gambits allow the player to focus on the task at hand, strategizing the use of “gambits” to specific types of enemies.

To keep the game from becoming too tedious, Vaan is part of a Hunt Club, and he can accept commissions to hunt down difficult enemies over the course of the game.  This generally results in getting money, special weapons, and plenty of experience.  More difficult hunts involve espers (basically, summons), which can then be used by the party.  Every character also has the potential to acquire a “Quickening”, a special attack ability.  However, in this game, the summoning/Quickening abilities are almost unnecessary; the party, once strong enough, can handle most situations with standard attacks.

That equipment can be hard to buy, however.  Enemies no longer drop money; instead, they drop loot, which can then be sold at various vendors.  Buying the weapon is only half the battle.  One must also purchase the license for the weapon using license points, also acquired after defeating an enemy.  This does require a bit of leveling up, which can get tiresome; I wound up taking a break in the middle of the game specifically to keep it from getting boring and repetitive.

Graphically, this is one of the best looking games on the PS2, even if the color palette of the game is a bit too light for my tastes.  The environments are massive and highly-detailed, and the cutscenes are better than ever.  After playing this game to its stunning conclusion, I was left drooling over the prospects of Final Fantasy XIII on the PS3 and the anticipated graphics leap.

On the other hand, I was a bit disappointed by the character arcs.  While the larger story was resolved at the end, the characters were never given much exploration.  This is really Ashe’s story, with a strong subplot for Balthier.  Vaan, the central character, doesn’t change much at all and ends up a supporting character for the game.

That said, it is a rewarding game experience, especially for RPG fans, and it was definitely worth the money and the time!

Rating: 9/10

After a disappointing departure with the final PS2 installment (“Ratchet: Deadlocked”) and an entertaining but fleeting taste of the familiar with the PSP installment (“Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters”), Insomniac Games knew that the best way to bring the franchise to the PlayStation 3 would be a return to the most popular format.  “Ratchet and Clank Future” feels like a more-refined successor to “Going Commando”, incorporating the best elements of “Up Your Arsenal” in the process.

“Ratchet and Clank Future” is the beginning of a planned trilogy of games, all dealing with the question of Ratchet’s origins.  Once again, the galaxy is in peril when the last surviving Cragmite, Emperor Tachyon, unleashes an army of thugs and pirates with the purpose of asserting dictatorship and eliminating the last Lombax: Ratchet.  In the process of hunting down the truth behind Tachyon’s rise, Clank comes into contact with odd robotic beings known as the Zoni and Ratchet discovers the Lombax legacy.

That is a story of massive scope, and the action takes place over more than a dozen highly-detailed worlds.  As usual, each world poses a different kind of challenge, alternating between Tachyon’s thugs and a band of robotic pirates led by Captain Slag.  Generally speaking, everything is very similar to the standard “Going Commando” style, but rendered in high definition and expanded accordingly.  The levels are much larger, for example, making each world more substantial as a result.

One key improvement over past installments is balance and specificity.  The game is so well-balanced that it seems much easier than previous installments have been.  In truth, it’s more that the previous installments never gave you a reason to use most of the weapons; you chose a select few as favorites and took on every challenge with that arsenal.  In this game, enemies have defensive strengths and weaknesses, so specific weapons are necessary to defeat them.

That forces the player to buy the weapons as they become available, because in most cases, the weapon is needed for that particular level.  In addition, the weapons need to be upgraded to make them fully effective as the enemies gradually increase in strength.  Weapons automatically upgrade with use (a total of five levels), and the bolts needed for weapons and ammo are plentiful enough to keep the player moving forward.

Weapons can also be upgraded in several categories using raritanium, which is also collected from enemies, boxes, and chests.  As with the bolt collection, the available raritanium is always just enough to prevent backtracking.  This allows for certain RPG elements to be included without the need for “leveling up”.  This is even true for the requisite arena battles; most of them can be won at the time they are unlocked along with the required battles inherent to the story.

In addition to plentiful weapons vendors, there are vendors for devices and armor.  Devices are far more useful than expected, particularly items like the Groovitron.  This device compels enemies within a certain radius to dance for a short period of time, allowing you to decimate them.  What starts as an amusing novelty becomes a key strategic item in later levels.  Armor is effectively identical to the system introduced in “Up Your Arsenal”.

In past installments, the main complaint was always the quality of the required racing or aerial combat missions.  The controls were never intuitive, and they seemed to get in the way of the action.  The motion control included with the PS3 Sixaxis controller resolves that issue beautifully.  When Ratchet conducts an air drop, the controller is used to move him around the screen.  Flying levels are completed by tilting the controller, and this turns out to be an incredibly natural use of the technology.

The one “racing” aspect of the game utilizes a Gyro-Cycle.  If Insomniac Games ever wanted to put together a Ratchet Racing game, this would be the perfect concept for it.  The Gyro-Cycle levels were incredibly responsive, and it was a lot of fun to race around tunnels like a marble.  I hope that concept is incorporated into the inevitable sequel (or, even better, a downloadable expansion on the PlayStation Network!).

In addition to the usual elements, this game brings back the fan-favorite Clank levels.  Instead of DoomBots or monkeys, Clank is joined by the semi-mystical Zoni.  They serve largely the same function, and Clank’s action is basically the same kind of Lemmings-style puzzle-based affair that it’s always been.  Some might find that tedious, but for those nostalgic for similar levels in the earlier installments, this is a welcome touch.

If there is one minor disappointment, it’s the three space battle sequences.  Graphically, these levels are stunning, easily surpassing anything else in the franchise.  Functionally, they are similar to the Giant Clank space sequences in “Size Matters”, using an “on-the-rails” approach over the freestyle flying of “Going Commando”.  Still, that would be acceptable if the controls were more intuitive.  The movement of the ship is controlled by the left analog stick, and targeting is controlled with the right analog stick.  The control settings cannot be changed, and as a result, it can be very difficult to target if your preferences (like mine) are completely opposite to the defaults.

As usual, there are gold bolts to collect, allowing the player to purchase different skins for Ratchet, and skill points to achieve.  Additionally, every planet hides one piece of the “holo-plan” for the RYNO IV.  Needless to say, taking the time to find the full plan before the final battle is a plus.

Every game in the franchise has included a “challenge mode”, and this entry is no exception.  In fact, one might argue that the gamers annoyed with the apparent ease of the first play-through will be more than satisfied the second time around.  The enemies are much more difficult to defeat, despite the ability to upgrade to Omega versions of all weapons.  Getting that RYNO is definitely a plus.

Most hardcore gamers will also complain about the lack of multiplayer, but that has never been the strength of the franchise.  In fact, this installment is that much better for the focus on the single-player experience.  No matter what might have been present in this game, superior multiplayer games (even Insomniac’s own “Resistance: Fall of Man”) are on the shelves.

In the end, this is the kind of game that will leave you begging for the sequel and more than willing to jump right into challenge mode and play it all again.

Rating: 10/10

The final installment of the franchise on the PS2 was a complete departure from the familiar design of the “Ratchet and Clank” series.  Most obvious was the elimination of Clank from the action, which was less than ideal for fans of the original.  The game was also designed for fans of online multiplayer rather than platformer goodness.  This left many fans on either side of a very large fence.

There is a single-player story, but it is very short compared to the other games.  This PS2 games can be completed in less time than the PSP game “Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters”, which is very disappointing.  The single-player campaign can be tackled at several challenge levels ranging from very easy to nearly impossible, but the difference is the density of enemies to destroy.

Most of the action is incredibly straightforward.  Play is either in an arena against waves of enemies and a final boss competitor, or a well-defined planetary setting with clearly delineated objectives.  All of the arena and most of the planetary action boils down to constant destruction with very little nuance.  Some of the planetary challenges involve hoverbikes, hoverships, or landstalkers (the best part of the game), all of which seem designed to break up the monotony.  However, if you hated those elements of the previous games, having them all concentrated in one game is probably not a positive note.

The default controls are also completely different.  The quick select menu cannot be modified, which is unfortunate.  Jumping is a straightforward affair without Clank to help out.  The left analog control moves Ratchet in a strafing stance, with the right analog stick controlling turns and the camera.  Shooting is mapped to R1, though the traditional circle button will also work.  This is designed to appeal to the fans of FPS games, a genre I generally dislike.  Thankfully, you can adjust the controls here and there to match the previous control schemes more closely.

One interesting change is the ability to customize weapons with different modifications, which is a trend that continued into “Size Matters” and will probably continue into future installments.  Ratchet has two “bots” as partners, and they can also be upgraded as the game progresses.  On the downside, there are no special bolts and very little in the environment can be destroyed for bolts.  Money comes easily, but mostly through constantly wiping out hordes of enemies.

There are 15 skill points in every location.  All of them are identified, so it’s easy to figure out what to do to complete those challenges.  Most of them involve killing a certain number of enemies with a certain weapon, finishing a challenge in a certain time, and so forth.  Many of them are completed without trying, which takes some of the fun out of it.

All in all, this is a game meant to appeal to fans of multiplayer online carnage and destruction.  For fans of the original game and its successors, this is likely to disappoint.  It gets repetitive very quickly, and before long, the game is over.  Science fiction fans will enjoy the constant insults tossed at the FOX Network, but that’s hardly a reason to play this game.

Rating: 5/10

This is the third installment of the classic Insomniac Games franchise, following up on the original and its sequel “Going Commando”.  This particular game takes the previous formula and takes it in a more military direction.  The premise is simple: one of Captain Quark’s former adversaries, Dr. Nefarious, has returned, launching a campaign against organic life in the galaxy.  Ratchet and Clank are recruited when Ratchet’s home planet is invaded by Nefarious’ allies, the alien Tyrrhenoids.

The game is quite extensive, but in the end, it’s a series of missions to invade Tyrrhenoid space for information and lead various military campaigns against Tyrrhenoid forces.  The typical racing sequences are replaced with long, multi-part military missions involving an airship, making them a bit more strategic.  The puzzles are minimized in favor of a series of 2D Quark platformers that advance the plot and break up the constant gun-slinging.

The emphasis on combat is not necessarily a bad thing.  Some players may miss the mixture of exploration and mass destruction, but the canvas of this game is wide enough that the exploration components are a necessary function.  On the other hand, if a strong military tone is bothersome, the two earlier games (and the PSP incarnation “Size Matters”) might be a better gaming choice.

Visually, the game looks a bit washed-out compared to the first two games.  The production values are still quite high, of course, so that difference is a minor nuisance at worst.  The graphics are about as good as they get for the PS2, and the action seldom slows down, even during the best frenetic battles.

Gameplay gets an update in small but significant ways.  The “quick select” function upgrades from one ring to two fully-customizable rings.  This is incredibly convenient.  The dynamo and slingshot are combined into one device, and most weapons have an automatic lock-on function.  All weapons can be upgraded a total of five times in the initial playthrough, and the differences between levels are significant.  Weapons from the first two games can be uploaded over time, making loyal fans of the franchise very, very happy.

The game took me about 22 hours to complete, including all sidemissions, arena battles in Annihilation Nation, and collection of all 40 titanium bolts.  Skill point hunting will no doubt take a lot longer.  That’s far better than the anemic length of “Size Matters” (which became a rather ironic title in the end), and comparable to the first two games.

As usual, the game offers a challenge mode once the game is completed, giving the player the ability to upgrade the weapons even further and chase after the elusive skill points.  There’s also a relatively primitive multiplayer function, essentially the precursor to what would eventually become “Ratchet: Deadlocked”.

For many, this was the last game in the franchise to remain more or less true to the preferred franchise format.  “Deadlocked” would be largely designed for online multiplayer madness, and “Size Matters” was an effective but incredibly short side dish for the PSP.  The next true installment, “Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction”, will be coming to the PlayStation 3 in late October 2007.  If nothing else, it’s worth playing this game to make sure all the weapons are fully available for the new adventure!

Rating: 9/10

The great thing about Netflix is the ability to turn off a boring or underwhelming DVD without a shred of guilt. Buy the DVD, and you feel like you must watch the whole film just to recoup some measure of dignity. See it in the theatre, and it’s about getting some value out of the $50 you paid (and finishing the popcorn). With Netflix, when the movie just doesn’t cut it, you can send it back and try something else.

Gamefly is the equivalent service for video games, where the concept is even more appealing. Let’s say a game looks interesting and you want to give it a shot. The typical game these days can cost anywhere from $35 to $60. Sure, you can buy used games for less, but then you’re waiting for a copy cheap enough to justify the wait. Why not spend a fraction of the cost per month to test drive a game before buying it, used or new?

I’ve been using the service for more than two years now, and I’ve been very thankful for it. This game is the perfect example. It’s an attempt to take Ratchet and Clank concepts and meld it into the Star Wars universe. If there was nothing like a Ratchet and Clank game on the PSP, it might have fared better. However, having just played Size Matters, this game pales in comparison.

Ultimately, the game boils down to a strictly linear series of obstacle courses and shooting matches. Initially, given the graphics, this is fun. It quickly becomes repetitive and boring. By the time I began the Mustafar campaign, it was abundantly clear that the game wasn’t bringing anything new to the table and the story wasn’t nearly enough to keep my interest.

This game actually helps explain why I love playing RPGs. Action games tend to bore me unless the characters can evolve. That’s the payoff in an RPG: customization and evolution. As you grow more comfortable with the character, the character grows in turn, based on your preferences. Ratchet and Clank gives you that level of flexibility, within certain boundaries; Lethal Alliance does not. Some may find that kind of simplicity appealing, but I’d much rather play a game where I can immerse myself in the action on a more personal level.

Rating: 5/10