Joe Teed

Rumble Roses

January 10, 2005

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/rumbleroses/cover.jpg[/floatleft][i]Rumble Roses[/i] is a simple, yet fun, all-female wrestling game. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the game is aimed at a male audience, but it has the perfect attitude for a game of this sort. It makes no attempt to conceal the exploitative nature of the game, yet never actively enters the kind of creepy realm that you see in similar games. There is no tacked-on dating sim or gift-buying system here-just a fun and fairly goofy wrestling game.

The characters were designed purely for male entertainment and have themes based on such classic fetishes as the nurse, schoolteacher, schoolgirl, and…uhh…Mongolian chick? OK, maybe scratch the last one. Just like in real pro wrestling, characters can be face or heel wrestlers (that’s good guy and bad guy, respectively, for all the rest of you folks). Each persona has her own theme, giving you almost twice the characters. They even have an elaborate entrance sequence for each character.

Each character has a complete story you can go through in story mode, and a more basic alternate story mode once you complete that. The stories are not necessarily from the height of writing talent, but they are entertaining enough. Unfortunately, the exhibition mode (which is also the multiplayer mode) only allows you to unlock one version of each character at a time. You can take vows before each exhibition match. These are conditions, which if met during the match will move you closer towards face or heel status. It’s a neat system, but I would prefer it if there were some way to unlock both variations at the same time. The exhibition mode also keeps track of who is the current champion, and defeating the champion in a championship match gets the challenger the best, but this doesn’t do much beyond helping to unlock things.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/rumbleroses/ss05_thumb.jpg[/floatright]There are only three match arenas, and there is very little difference between them. There is, however, an excellent mud match mode. The mud is a little watery, but this is the first attempt I have seen at creating realistic mud. The fact that it clings and flows off the characters so well is very impressive. The mud mode doesn’t play too different from a normal match, but it does look kind of neat if you want a little variety.

The controls to this game are pretty simple. Although they may seem a bit too simple for those used to fighting games, anyone who is familiar with a wrestling game should feel right at home. New players can actually jump in with minimal ramp-up time as well. Your character can attack with a strike or grapple, with the other two face buttons being used for running and general actions like leaving the ring or pinning. There are also super moves (more on that later) and a simple counter system based on hitting R1 and then either the grapple or strike button, respectively. This counter system basically gives the matches a large rock/paper/scissors strategy element, which can lead to a few rounds with excessive reversals, but is mostly very enjoyable and easy to pick up. The game is more heavily submission-based than any recent WWE game, and those are handled with a nice button-tapping system. Sadly, the manual doesn’t explain all the controls perfectly (mostly leaving out non-combat controls), and there is no training mode.

The game also has weapons, but they are somewhat poorly implemented. They are a pain to get a hold of and easy to lose. At least one of the items is a glove on a stick, which has a hilarious tickle attack. There’s really no other way to explain the tickle stick. It needs to be seen in action to really understand it.

Each character has a wide variety of hilariously elaborate throws and submission moves, as well as some more basic ones. Different grapple moves are chosen by holding the D-pad in different directions as you hit the grapple button. In addition to normal moves, you can fill up your super meter as you beat up your opponent, and each time you fill it you can store a super move. These are often crazy-looking grapple moves that pretty much guarantee a pin afterwards, or less frequently are powerful submission moves. If you use your super attack in a specific situation, you will execute a different super move, which will basically have the same effect, but it will usually look even more impressive. Of course, each character has an even better move, which requires a stored super move, and it requires you to fill your opponent’s “humiliation gauge.” These humiliation moves are always almost unbeatable submissions and are some of the most amusingly spectacular wrestling moves you will see in a game.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/rumbleroses/ss03_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]There’s plenty to unlock in the game, such as character galleries and the ability to use the second player colors and bathing suits at any time, but there are no special game modes beyond the mud match. The game could stand to use at least a few different match types and maybe more elaborate alternate costumes. Also, it makes no sense to me that you cannot unlock the face and heel versions of a character simultaneously for multiplayer. I hope in a sequel they put the face/heel and championship elements into a league mode, or something similar, so you can use any character you’ve unlocked in exhibition mode.

The biggest strengths and weaknesses this game faces are the inevitable comparisons to the current WWE games. I found that the slower pace of the game made it much easier for new players to learn and get into, but the lack of many gameplay modes may potentially hurt the long-term staying power of the game. Still, I haven’t been a huge fan of any of the recent WWE offerings as they tend to have a painfully high learning curve. This game looks a lot prettier than Raw vs. Smackdown (I mean graphics-wise, honestly!), and I don’t have a huge personal attachment to the WWE franchise.

Overall, the game is a nice, simple wrestling game with a well-done theme that’s just perfect for playing with the guys. It could use a better selection of game modes, and maybe the ability to unlock all the face and heel versions of the wrestlers at once, but that doesn’t stop it from being a nice party game. The single player will undoubtedly get a bit stale after you have beaten most of the story modes, but that really isn’t the main reason to have the game. I’m hoping we see a sequel that corrects some of the deficiencies of the game without hurting the simple underlying gameplay model or the fun theme too much. This game will stay in my rotation list until then.

Pac-Man vs

August 18, 2004

GameCube / Reviews / by Joe Teed /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/pacmanvs/cover.jpg[/floatleft]Pac-man vs. is a pretty simple game. It is, after all, Pac-man. We all know how to play. Gobble up the dots until there are none left. Avoid the ghosts, or use a power pellet and eat them. The “vs.” aspect is, of course, the ability to play against 3 other people, who control the ghosts and attempt to eat you. A simple formula, but one that I love. I think it may be one of my favorite multiplayer experiences of all time, equaling even the mighty Bomberman and Mario Kart series.

The setup for this game requires 1 ‘Cube, 1 GBA, and a link cable. Anyone who owns Four Swords or Crystal Chronicles should have the required gear. The GBA is used by the Pac-man player, who plays a conventional game of Pac-man on it. The three ghost players use a normal controller and only get to see a small portion of the screen surrounding each ghost, as well as a little “radar” screen.

When you start the game, it randomly selects who gets to be Pac-man. The 4th player takes the GBA and passes it to Pac-man, taking his old controller. This exchange happens again anytime someone new becomes Pac-man. This set up actually works really well, and I don’t think I have ever lost track of who is supposed to be whom. You may want to watch the cable tangle, though, since the constant swapping back and forth causes some serious chaos with the controller cords. If you have the money, maybe you should look into buying Wavebirds.

Now, as I have stated before, one person plays Pac-man, and the other 3 play ghosts. Pac-man gets ten points for each dot he eats, 50 for power pellets, and so on. The goal of the ghost players is, of course to stop Pac-man before he can pump his score up. The trick is that the ghosts must cooperate, but they each want to catch Pac-man for themselves. The one who actually catches Pac-man gets a bunch of points and a turn at further upping his score by being the new Pac-man. Whoever reaches a preset score limit first is the winner.

Again, a simple game, but the sheer intensity of it is amazing. Although you face only 3 ghosts, rather than 4, you must remember that your opponents are humans. You will face much better tactics than any Pac-man player is used to. By the same token, the ghosts have to be careful to try to keep an edge on catching Pac-man before the other guys do. Pac-man himself can perform some incredible jukes and misdirections. The first time I actually completed a board on my friends without being caught, the shame and humiliation I gave them almost felt better than the actual points I earned from it.

One other nice touch is Mario’s voice at key events: “Pac-man ate a power pellet,” “This-a look not so good,” and the classic “Big F*cking Fruit!” I’m not sure what the last one is really supposed to be, but everyone I know is on agreement in what we hear. These little jabs and information help add some extra Nintendo texture to the game.

This game is only $20 with Pac-man World 2 (Which I won’t be reviewing, because I wasn’t a big fan). If you can afford all the gear to play Four Swords or Crystal Chronicles, you can pick this up. I can honestly say this game may be the most value for money of any party game I have ever played. One warning, though: DO NOT PLAY WITH ANYTHING LESS THAN FOUR PEOPLE. It just doesn’t work to have dumb AI ghosts in the mix.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

August 17, 2004

GameCube / Reviews / by Joe Teed /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/fourswords/cover.jpg[/floatleft]Four Swords has been much maligned because, like Crystal Chronicles, it requires a Gamecube, 4 links cables, and 4 GBAs (and you’ll want to use SPs, too, unless you are playing outside in broad daylight). Many people would argue that they cannot afford the cost of all this gear. I somewhat sympathize with these people, but god forbid they should ever try to set up a LAN party or something of that sort. Suffice to say, to really play this game, you will need a bunch of friends with GBAs. The game itself comes with a link cable and they seem to be pretty cheap.

But enough about that, lets get to the game itself. It can be played single player, and even without a GBA (single player only), and it is even bearably fun this way. However, to really get the full value out of the game you need more than 1 person playing. It is obviously optimal with 4 players, but it is even pretty decent with 2.

The graphics in this game were made using an interesting technique. All of the “sprites” are actually flat polygons being manipulated by the Gamecube’s 3d system. The graphic you see is actually an animated texture painted onto these polygons. The GBA screens are obviously not that impressive, but the Gamecube occasionally treats you to a really nice visual effect here and there. The graphics are standard 2d Zelda fare for the most part, but the occasional flexing of the ‘Cube’s muscle is a nice touch.
If you have played Four Swords from the GBA version of a Link to the Past, you will know a lot of what to expect. The game controls pretty much like Zelda should, but you can only carry one item at a time. Although this can lead to some annoying backtracking, as long as you make sure everyone carries a different item, you can solve most of the puzzles. Also the items are usually only one or two areas away from where they need to be used. Unlike the Link to the Past version of Four Swords, the dungeons in this game are static and will not change between playings. Although this might somewhat limit the replay value, there are quite a few levels and the game isn’t just about beating the levels. A replay with different friends could be very interesting, especially if you know where all the money is…

The money in this game, no longer rupees but force gems, is where the main competitive element of the game comes in. Who ever has the most force gems at the end of the level wins, but the game also factors monsters killed, hearts left, and deaths into your score. This leads to a lot of racing for gems, and a great deal of subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) backstabbing. In a 3 or 4 player game, players can even vote for a Link of Darkness (bad) and a Link of Light (good) to modify those players scores. This anonymous vote allows players a very minimal defense against “griefing” and also serves as an amusing way to mess with people. The contest for high score is really where a lot of the fun of the game is, provided people stay on track enough to finish the level.

All four players share the primary screen most of the time, but the Gameboy screen is used whenever players enter a cave or building within the main screen, or when they travel to Dark World. This gives them a good opportunity to loot these areas without letting anyone else know what’s going on. Although it sounds gimmicky, I found it far more enjoyable and sensible than the GBA use in Crystal Chronicles.

The levels were mostly fun, but occasionally a little puzzle heavy. Sometimes you have to convince everyone to calm down and stop worrying about who has the most gems so you can just struggle through a level. Although some of the puzzles were fairly non-obvious, very few actually totally stopped the game for us. The boss fights were often excellent, and usually made great use of four player co-operation. I would have preferred more combat and some less obscure puzzles, but it was pretty enjoyable overall. When you tire of adventuring, you are usually able to access the Tingle’s Tower bonus stage, which is filled with a bunch of amusing competitive mini-games. These are a nice change of pace, and they also teach you some techniques that will be helpful later in the game.

Aside from just the main game (called Hyrulian Adventure), there is a deathmatch mode called Shadow Battle. This actually turned out to be very fun provided you have at least 3 and preferably four players. If you have learned the mechanics of the game well, you can really use it to your advantage here, and many of the levels have deliberate traps and a good balance of item spots. The ability to hide in a room on your GBA and not be visible to anyone else can also be a huge tactical consideration. I was really expecting this to be very mediocre, but it is almost to the level of Bomberman in its quality.

If you have access to a ‘Cube and some GBAs and a few friends, you’d almost have to be crazy not to pick this game up. It’s really fun, and has a great mix of competitive and co-operative gameplay. If you get bored of the main game or just want to warp up, Shadow Battle is also a great vs. game. As a single player game, it might be worth picking up just because of the low price, but once you realize what you are missing out on, you won’t want to play it solo again.

Megaman & Bass

August 13, 2004

Game Boy Advance / Reviews / by Joe Teed /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/megamanbass/cover.jpg[/floatleft]It seems the Megaman series has been with us forever. With 8 games in the main series, 5 on the Gameboy, 7 X-series games, and numerous spin-offs into other genres and one shots, it is a huge franchise. Often it seems like many of the spin-offs or sequels have lost what I really loved about the original games. Megaman and Bass, being based in the original series, seemed to have the potential to bring back the good old magic of the Megaman 2 and 3 days. Does it succeed? Yes and no.

Megaman and Bass is a traditional Megaman game, but it allows you to choose between Megaman and Bass as your main character. Each has slightly different abilities which change the game experience a fair bit. Megaman has his traditional charge shot and slide, and can shoot through walls. Bass, however has a neat double jump, and aimable turbo shot, and a dash move. This gives the game some replay value, but I found the game a bit too difficult with Megaman, as I’ll discuss later. I have played through the game with Bass, and have only started to delve into Megman’s side.

Ever since Megaman 6 on the SNES, the traditional access to all 8 bosses from the get go has been broken up. In this game you can pick from any of 3 bosses after you beat the intro level, and from there you can earn paths to more bosses by beating individuals out of the first set. Although I miss the more open and traditional method, I won’t complain about the new layout. As usual, beating a boss gives you access to his weapon, which has a gimmick that might make it especially useful in certain parts of the game.

For the most part the levels are challenging, but not too difficult. Because this game was ported from the SNES, it was originally designed for a larger screen. I haven’t played the original version (it was Japan only), but I noticed there were very few “leaps of faith” (where the screen was too small for you to see where you were going) and I was happy about that. Once you get in a good groove with Bass, you can clean through most of the levels pretty easily, especially if you have some upgrades. The only thing that disappointed me was that Bass’ aimable automatic shot made boss weapons unnecessary almost all of the time.

The bosses are a bit trickier. Many of them have a weakness to another bosses specific weapon, but if you don’t have the right weapon equipped they can be almost impossible. Your normal shot does minimal damage to them, and their shots or other special attacks can take off a lot of your health bar. Ground man was the worst offender, and was quite difficult even when I found his weakness. I eventually managed to overcome them all. Curiously, I had an easier time with Dynamo Man using my normal blaster than his “Achilles’ Heel” weapon.

Now I may make it seem like the game is a walk in the park, but actually it resembles the early Megaman games quite a bit. At first, levels and bosses seem impossible, but as you learn the tricks and patterns you can breeze through them. Also, as the game gets more difficult, Auto (another of Doctor Light’s creations) offers you more and more permanent powerups that you can purchase with the many bolts you find lying around. You can also replay earlier levels to get more bolts if you need them. Many of these powerups are only active when you equip them, and you can only equip one at a time, but with some fast switching you can easily make use of all of them effectively during a level.

This game also seems to have some decent replay value. Not only can you play through again after having beaten it with one hero, but the game also has CDs scattered throughout each of the levels. These CDs unlock all of the Megaman characters and robot masters from the previous games (even the three special bosses from the Wily Wars!). They are often only accessible after you have beaten other levels, and some are only available to one of the two characters. I usually dislike item hunts like these, but many of the CDs are in plain sight and they bring back the old Megaman nostalgia.

Now I get to the one thing I don’t like: playing as Megaman. I played through the game with Bass, and had a great time. Megaman was much more difficult to get through the game with. His lack of a double jump and his slower shot make many of the levels harder, and the bosses are nearly impossible to dodge in some cases. Although I like using him as a harder “difficulty level,” he is just too frustrating. I haven’t been able to get far with him at all. I would have preferred a more balanced approach here.

Don’t expect Megaman and Bass to capture the level of perfection that was Megaman 2 and 3, but it is really a great game. I honestly think it’s one of the best entries in the series for quite some time. If you are a GBA-toting Megaman fan (and I mean the real deal, none of this Battle Transmission stuff), you really owe it to yourself to take this for a spin.

Driv3r

June 24, 2004

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Joe Teed /

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/driv3r/cover.jpg[/floatleft]First of all let me explain that I have not even come close to finishing Driv3r, and probably never will. Secondly, let me point out that I loved the original Driver, and I really wanted to like this one.

Driv3r follows the further adventures of Tanner, our undercover wheelman from the other two games, in a new a graphically beautiful setting. This game looks sweet, and the collisions and scraps are not to be missed. The sound compliments the game well, and when further story is needed, top Hollywood talent is there to provide it. But Driv3r is still just a mediocre game, and I was hoping for a whole lot more.

The Driving sequences in Driv3r are quite decent, as they ought to be. The cars handle as I would expect big muscle cars to handle, and the graphics are great. It plays almost exactly like a graphically souped-up Driver, and this is both its greatest strength in driving mode, and its greatest weakness. You see, Driver was an excellent car-chase game, and this plays very much the same only with gorgeous graphics and even better physics. The problem is that many of us have played Driver before, and although we want more of the same, it seems like they haven’t dealt with any of the few minor issues that plagued Driver years ago on the PS1. For starters, there is still a “burnout” button, which should have gone years ago. Most games assign this to a combo of buttons (like handbrake+gas) and these seems no need to waste a button control, or make the player change buttons during the course of their acceleration (from burnout to gas). Also like the original Driver, cars just spawn around you, meaning cops can randomly appear out of nowhere when you make a u-turn. This really takes away the feeling that you are in a living world. Games like GTA also spawn cars locally, but the range is far enough that you usually don’t notice. Still, the driving sim is not bad, and that makes things much worse when you get to the on-foot sequences.

[floatright]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/driv3r/ss01_thumb.jpg[/floatright]The big problem is that the driving mode, while realistic, is mercilessly unforgiving. To compound this, the computer is capable of making almost 90 degree turns at top speeds without even applying the handbrake. It’s not that the computer is making impossible turns, but it is driving with top-notch skill from the very first level. Combined with the fact that hitting a telephone pole or large tree stops your car (as it would in real life, but still), this makes chases incredibly frustrating. Often failing a chase means you have to redo the sections that come before it, as well. This unnecessary tedium and frustration has been a trademark of past Reflections games, but here it is just obnoxious and unnecessary.

The on-foot sequences are just awful. Shoddy, slow controls and several glitches make you wonder why this is even in the game. The game isn’t called “Shoot3r” or “Runn3r” and we didn’t need another GTA clone. The game controls like a first-person shooter, which is hard enough on a console, but combined with the third person view, and the general slowness, it comes off as very poor. Auto-aim is a must. I found that the default controls (left stick to move, left to aim) conflicted with my Turok-trained instincts, and there is no way to reset them (more on that later). The on-foot mode feels tacked-on, and if they had to keep it in, they should at least have kept it simple (and rare).

Then there’s the AI in this game. Sometimes cops just stand there looking blankly at you as you exit a vehicle and run off to grab another one. As a matter of a fact, if you get out of your car, the cops will take no action unless you draw a gun or have a very high felony level. Cops and other cars will randomly run you off the road even when you are driving a police car with the siren on (noticeable in your very second mission). Most of the time the AI is not a serious problem because as long as there are people to chase and be chased by along with innocent traffic in the way things are fine. Still, the AI problems are glaring when you encounter them.

[floatleft]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/reviews/driv3r/ss04_thumb.jpg[/floatleft]The last major negative issue I encountered was my inability to remap controls, something I can still barely believe. Who leaves this option out this day and age? I can sort of adjust for the driving sequences, but the on foot mode is fairly difficult and ponderous for me without the ability to reverse my joysticks. You can change the x-axis inversion and the aiming speed, but the latter always stays pretty slow. The controls also occasionally just don’t do what they are supposed to do. Occasionally my attempts to take a car have been met with my hero’s blank eyed stare as he slightly shifts in position and refuses to enter the vehicle. Landing on angled surfaces can cause your character to float or even take off and fly around a little bit.

One thing to note is that Driv3r still has the “Take a Ride” mode and the driving games that were in the original, as well as the cameras to make your own film. This part still retains its fun, although not much has changed except for how pretty it looks. If you want to kick back and have some fun, simple cop chases and get some nice replays of them, that’s still here. I really do enjoy me some survival mode.

The graphics are pretty damn good, and of course the voice acting comes from top talent, but in the end it isn’t enough to save Driv3r. There is some decent fun to be had with the driving games, but except for the graphical upgrade, you may just want to stick with the first game. Let’s face it, even without the numerous minor glitches this game wouldn’t be that super. I will check the PC version of this game out when it is released, since I have a wheel and there is some hope the on-foot might control better with the classic mouse/WASD combination, but for now, maybe make this a rental.

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