Battle Hunter
Released: 1999
System: Playstation
Creator: A1 Games
Age Group: All Ages
Rating: 5/10
Wild 9 follows a basic hero story, using key plot devices used for all reluctant heroes: Wex Major, your average post-teen male, is thrown into a battle of mass proportions when he and his parents are taken from their home of present day and made prisoner by Karn, a creature made of pure evil thought, to the Andromeda Galaxy. Wex somehow escapes and vows to rescue his still imprisoned parents from Karn's grasp with the help of a bad of misfits and mutants: The Wild 9.
Of course, that isn't the plot of the game, but back-story I managed to piece together with info I gleaned from the game manual and internet. The plot of the game takes place after the Wild 9's darkest hour, when all but one member is kidnapped by Karn after an ambush, leaving Wex Major to set off and rescue them. To do this, he has the help of "The Rig", a weapon system only Wex can use, having others call him the destined "Great Champion". With The Rig, he can use a telekinetic beam which allows him to lift 100's of metric tons as if they were a weight of a feather.
The game itself is rather unique, allowing you to torture your enemies. This facet is even advertised on the game case itself, with the words "Torture Your Enemies" spelled across the manual cover. By use of The Rig, gamers can grab an opponent and throw them onto spikes, into a grinder, hot boiling lava, or put them into any of the contraptions they come across. If that weren’t enough, some of these torturous acts are used to solve puzzles in order to move forward. The action is fast paced and difficult if you aren't used to action games, but once you master it, torturing your enemies will feel very good.
However, Wild 9 has many short-fallings, such as the game being too short. There are only fourteen stages, some of which can’t even be called a stage due to their length. When you do finish the stages and defeat the final boss, no rewards are given to help expand the gameplay. No minigame, extra features, or even another playable character from the Wild 9. You would think they would at least give that, considering how much they developed the characters. Which is another thing: Despite the detailed plot, there was very little of it within the game. So much effort was put into it, they even went as far as to create story arcs which take place after the game, where one of the Wild 9 quits and joins Karn, only to be replaced by one of Karn's former generals.
What we have here is a game full to the brim with potential, only to not fully grasp it. Even so, Wild 9 is a fun game, though knowing what it could have been makes me really sad. Still, all hope isn't lost, because Shiny could decide to make a sequel/remake of the game. Taking a chance of making such a game would be worth it, and with all the right actions, Shiny could redeem themselves from what has probably been a sore in their side. In the meantime, we have the regular Wild 9, a good game in itself, but can also be seen as a preview of an upcoming video game which will totally rock.
Far in the future, mankind has faced a worldwide civil war, the results of which imprisoned the "unfit" of humanity (mutants, telepaths, hackers and criminals). Intent on spreading mankind beyond Earth, a scientist loaded 40,000 of the "unfit" to start colonies on far off worlds. During the journey, the ships malfunction and travel warp speed for thirty years instead of one, and crash on planets 60,000 light years away from Earth. Not even 100 years later, the survivors (calling themselves Terrans) are fighting over land and power. But then out from nowhere, an alien race calling themselves the Protoss eradicate an entire planet, creating chaos among the already war torn Terran world. And if that weren't enough, not long after another race called the Zerg begin to attack as well.
In itself, that is a huge story to have for a video game, but that's only a summarized 1/3 of StarCraft. The Protoss and Zerg, two alien races, have their own history as well, making great depth to this real time war strategy game. Players assume the commanding role in an army for each of these alien races, each with their own attack units and style of play. The goals of each mission can differ, but it’s usually a cycle of gathering resources, amassing an army and then slaughtering the opposition.
As a futuristic version of the popular Warcraft series, StarCraft is fantastic. The game mechanics and controls are easy and simple, and taught through the 1-player game as the player completes the story for each race. After the game is finished, infinite possibilities of play and fun await with multiplayer games, where players can play custom-made maps created from a map editor within the game. As with most war strategy games, it can be stressful when you are being attacked and have no soldiers to defend your base, but I’ve found StarCraft to be easier to play than other games of its type.
The game is expanded further with the StarCraft: Brood War expansion, giving different units and entirely different style of play. If that weren’t enough, there are countless custom-maps and Mods which change basic gameplay entirely, making for great replay value. Even though StarCraft was released in 1998, it’s still one of the most popular games around, and it comes highly recommended by me.
The world is veiled in darkness. The wind stops, the sea is wild, and the earth begins to rot. The people wait, their only hope, a prophecy...'When the world is in darkness Four Warriors will come'. After a long journey, four young warriors arrive, each holding an Orb. That is the intro to Final Fantasy, one of the most notable Nintendo games ever created, and the first of a long line of games from the famous series.
Right when you turn the game on, you realize the game is an immersive customizable experience. You are taken to a screen where you select your four party members, each of which can be made into six different classes and named anything you want (only four letters though). From there, you travel the land fighting monsters to restore the light to the orbs you carry. Because of the customized gameplay, the replay value is incredible high, and experts of the game could even try to challenge themselves for fun (having four fighters is my personal favorite). While simple in design, Final Fantasy can be complex at first, but easy to pick up over time, especially if you had the gaming manual it came with, which walked you through the first portion of the game.
But like many older games, it has its flaws, the most notable being speed of play. Traveling the large world of Final Fantasy can be tedious, and simple battles can take over a minute to finish, due to text messages moving at a speed the player has no control over. The game does give the option to speed up the text, but with no control, it’s possible to miss important messages. Playing the game on a NES computer emulator can help, due to a built in speed-up button, but on the regular cartridge, the speed will just be to slow to today’s gamer.
Another gaming flaw comes from its interactivity, of which it has very little. NPCs repeat the same text each time you speak to them (sparking the “Welcome to Cornelia” joke), and character actions don’t appear to have much affect on the world around them. It was of course possible for the creators to expand them, as was shown in the two Final Fantasy sequels (both never released stateside for the Nintendo). Besides a more complex gaming system and a better explained plot in those games, the interaction was much better, with NPCs becoming more involved in gaming, and actions had more profound statements, which constantly expanded the world and story.
Even so, this was the game which showed what could be done for future games. Before Final Fantasy, the idea of an interactive game was in its infancy, and the interactions the game gave were revolutionary at its time. Even the games intro, which didn’t give the games “Title Screen” until after the player completed the first quest, is a style still used among many games today. Give Final Fantasy a play to see how better gaming began, and see where greatness sprung from.
While a sequel, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 pretty much follows the story of the original game: Sonic's friends are disappearing and being replaced with metal robots under the control of the mad scientist Dr. Robotnik. This time around, he is using them to build his space-faring doomsday machine: The Death Egg! Yes, a parody of the Death Star from Star Wars. Copyright infringement? In either case, the user must control the super faster Sonic (along with his new partner, Tails) in order to safe his friends and island.
Of all the Sega Genesis games I owned, this one gives me some of the fondest memories. It's full of fast paced fun, with each stage offering different visuals for the eyes. There’s even 2-Player player option to control Tails. Granted, the second player will spend most of the time trying to catch up with the first player, but on the plus side, the second player can’t die, which is a priceless commodity in the later stages of the game.
The only downside of the game is the over 60 minutes of playing nonstop to get to the end. Personally, I don't enjoy the fact I have to play through the whole game again to get to a point where I stopped playing. Thankfully, there is a cheat code which allows you to select stages, and even automatically start with the "Super Sonic" skill, which required time and game knowledge to achieve. So not only is the long game playing taken care of, you get an extra perk, making the downside not really matter.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is a fun game to play, especially a friend. You would need no more proof than to see my own cartridge, which has been fried from continual play. Now whenever a jump is made, you are teleported to the end of the stage, which is go or bad depending on the level. At least I was able to enjoy those moments of being "Super Sonic", which is trill when achieved.
Every year or two, the popular wrestling circuits of USA thought it would be a good idea to come out with a video game, summarizing stories and grudges between all their popular wrestlers for gamers to have fun with. WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role is such a game, and while fans of the sport could enjoy it, I found it to be a very faulty game.
When I first started playing WWF SmackDown! 2, I was overjoyed with it. I could create a custom character, show them off to friends in fights, and kick major wrestler butt. But throughout all my playing, I began to notice the many flaws, the most annoying aspect which has afflicted all video games: loading times. Every other screen you enter, the game will tell you to wait for the specific data to load. Because of problems such as this, it takes five minutes and up to start a fight with the computer or your friend.
Fighting even becomes a breeze when you master the button mashing and countering necessary to play. The computer offers no challenge, and when playing with your friends, the only sound you will hear is the destruction of your controllers (and cursing) as you try to get in a move. Season Play, which allows you to take the role of a wrestler for the world championship (a never-ending cycle I might add), just makes the flaws worse. One whole set of wrestling matches could take 10-30 minutes, depending on the random occurrences...to make it more exciting, though it just comes off as annoying with the “Loading” in your face 50% of the time.
WWF SmackDown! 2 is a horrendous time consumer, which doesn’t reward you appropriately. After you’ve lost the appeal of fighting all your favorite wrestlers, the only fun you will have is in the custom character creation options, turning this wrestling game into nothing more than a dress up game.
Battle Hunter
Released: 1999
System: Playstation
Creator: A1 Games
Age Group: All Ages
Rating: 5/10
It’s the year 2089. 50 years ago, 75% of the world's population was wiped out in "The Great Destruction", a war which pitted all countries against each other with weapons of mass destruction. Mankind survived, and now searches the ruins of the old world for lost technology. No average human can venture into the ruins, due to the mutant animals, renegade robots and booby traps which remain. Only Hunters, mercenaries proficient in the art of combat, can walk into the ruins and hope to come back alive. You play the role of one of those Hunters.
Don't get too hyped up by the storyline, because Battle Hunter is different from traditional video gaming. Gameplay takes place entirely on a board game, with attack, defense, and movement gauged by dice. Using RPG-like elements, players can use points to alter their character stats along with special items in their inventory to make die rolls play in their favor.
Dungeons are randomly generated yet all look the same, the only difference between them being music and terrain texture. You can expect to follow this pattern throughout play: go into dungeon, come back with item(s), sell items, level up/heal, and repeat. Finishing the storyline is will be the only thing keeping you motivated to play, and after that’s finished, you can continue to play random dungeons for fun or discover all 100 different items, something which should only be undertaken if you’re big on completing a game and enjoy the game style.
Because Battle Hunter plays as a board game, multiplayer gaming is possible with up to 4 players. This will of course require friends to build a character, or at least have a character ready for them. Multiplayer makes the game more enjoyable, but controls are very awkward. If you aren’t careful, you could accidentally control your friend’s character.
Battle Hunter had its flaws, but I still enjoyed it. It was a break from normal gameplay, and had a simple and appealing look to it. Due to the difference in gaming style, however, Battle Hunter may only appeal to those who are really bored, and want a break from conventional play. It’s good enough for a rental, but should only be bought if you are willing to take a chance.
Ever since the release of the original Grand Theft Auto III, countless have tried to destroy the franchise, claiming it was too violent, damaged society with its over-the-top stereotypes, and make people commit crimes. Despite the criticisms it is widely popular, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is perhaps the pinnacle of the series.
Set in the fictional state of San Andreas, an amalgam of the west coast, players fully assume the role of Carl Johnson who returns after his mother is murdered. Soon after, he is framed for the murder of a police officer, and discovers the crime, corruption and gang life of the city is worse than when he left, and it’s up to the player to work everything out. This is where the criticisms come in, because the game requires the player to be a criminal most of the time.
This is merely circumstance, however, as would be the case when you accept the role of any character. What San Andreas offers though is something most games don’t, which is a free will over the environment you are in, allowing for almost endless possibilities and options for the player to use. Down to the things you eat, working out, clothes, and steady girlfriends, San Andreas is filled with involvement and complexity, giving a very rewarding experience, which when outside of the missions is up to the player how they play.
While enjoyable, some of the mission guidelines and tasks to unlock certain features are too harsh for the average gamer. You may spend countless hours screaming at the “Mission Failed” message and replaying sections to receive the next mission or feature to enhance gameplay. Also, due to the size of San Andreas, you will be looking forever for certain vehicles or items which only spawn in one spot, making a gaming guide almost necessary to fully complete the game.
Despite these faults, the shear amount of things to do in the game make up for them. If you enjoy riding countless vehicles, blowing stuff up or looking smooth as you “clean up the hood”, give Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas a try. It’s like being in an action movie, and you are the star.
In Dragon Warrior VII, you play the role of an ordinary boy on an island. Now, as unbelievable as it sounds, this one island is the only landmass in the whole world. For as long as anyone can remember, this was the way it’s been. But you, along with your friend Prince Kiefer, believe there has to be something more to the world than an island about ten square miles wide. And so, your quest to unravel the secrets of the world begins.
Because graphics are the allure to most games even on the original Playstation, gamers may be scared to play Dragon Warrior VII because its creators decided keep the graphics close to 2D which has been the series’ trademark for years. The result is a 3D overhead view when traveling with character and battle animations retaining the 2D look. Because of this, it’s almost identical to Dragon Warrior VI on the Super Nintendo, released in 1995.
It may not look pleasing to the eyes, but due to the amount of space left over without the flashy graphics, more content and depth could be added to the game. To the hardcore and dedicated gamer, there is well over 200 hours of gameplay, which can be sickening but in a very good way. If you are tired or fighting monsters to continue the story, you can capture them for a monster collector, gamble at a casino, and revisit towns to hear new gossip or build your very own city of immigrants.
The world of Dragon Warrior VII is, vast, engaging and fun, and is complemented very well by the simple graphics. Bottom line, it is a great game, considered a masterpiece by Dragon Warrior enthusiasts, and should be played at least once for being so involving.
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