Level Up: Double Dragon

Double Dragon was a popular arcade beat-em-up game. The point of it was to fight through hoards of enemies to save your love interest. Like any popular arcade game of the late 80’s, it was ported to countless home consoles: Commodore 64, Ataris 2600 and 7800, the Amiga, Sega Master System and so on. As a matter of fact, there’s even a remake for the iTouch. Sadly, I don’t own any of these versions, so I’ll be talking about the one I got: here’s Double Dragon for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

I already pretty much covered the plot in the intro, so let’s get right into the game play. Then again, I almost completely covered the game play in the intro too: it’s a Beat-em-up like most other beat-em-ups. Punch and kick enemies enough that they fall and blink out of existence and hope no one does it to you. If you like these kinds of games, than you’ll like this. If you don’t, then you won’t.

However, there is some originality. As you’re punching thugs in the face, you’ll be given experience (depending on what kind of attacks you’re using). Once you reach one thousand, you’re given a heart signifying a new skill level. With each new skill level, you obtain new abilities, such as the jump kick, head butt and hair grabs. This is something that I don’t see represented much in games from 1988 (at least not to my knowledge), but I do see in later games, mostly of the Action RPG genre. Basically what I’m saying is that, in this way, Double Dragon was actually ahead of its time.

As usual with home ports of arcade games of the time, this game has a significantly downgraded visual quality. But, not even taking that into consideration, this game doesn't look at its best: Billy (the player character) looks skinny and not macho at all. He also has a minimum of shading, meaning he comes out looking flat. The worst part about this is that it was obviously a design choice by someone at either Technos or Tradewest since, in the 2 player battle mode, he looks much better. Of course, the poor graphics aren’t limited to Billy: there are enemies with faces that just look like random black pixels, others with weird proportions and some make poses that make you wonder “WTF?” Though, the backgrounds are very, very nice, but that makes me just a little more aware of the bad character sprites.

To quickly mention the music, I’m actually a minority in the sense that I don’t like the music in this game. Personally, I think it’s too busy, trying to play too many notes, while at the same time not using a wide enough range. But, I’m no musician, so what do I know? Like I said, a lot of people disagree with me.

If there is one thing this version of Double Dragon is probably most famous for, it would be its flaws: some of the glitches are so famous and well know, they are considered legitimate strategies for beating this game. Though those are quirky and can be helpful, the flaws that I feel like mentioning (which I believe are just as well known) make this game a lot harder than it should be. The first one is the jumping. You have no control while you’re in the air, meaning if you misjudge a jump, you’re gone. This isn’t helped by the ledges that are easy to fall off of and the fact that, when you land, you have a second of recovery time for your enemies to hit you. Also, jumping is essential to beating the game.

Even without that, this game is hard, but 75% of the difficulty can be attributed to one obstacle: the walls that greet you on level four. These knock you down and hurt you, and once you get back up, they can, and will, hurt you again! It has no pattern or frequency, it only takes 4 hits to kill you and has 8 chances of striking you down. A friend of mine and I have both beaten this game, and we both agree, that those walls are simply unfair.

If you think that I don’t like this game because I spent most of the review pointing out its flaws, I don’t. Honestly, these were things I felt I needed to mention. However, the graphics and music never bothered me and I did eventually figure out the jumping and how to get past the walls most of the time. The core gameplay is honestly just so good that it’s easy to overlook anything that might bug you. The controls work well, the hit detection is accurate for the NES and it’s really just a classic. Again, if you don’t like beat-em-up, then this won’t change your mind, but if you do like them, then you won’t regret getting this. I give Double Dragon for the NES 9 levels out of 10.

Level Up: X-men 2: Clone Wars

Once again it’s time for a Canada Day special, but unlike last year, it won’t be a Superman game. Superman, as a character, is generally known as an American Citizen. But, there is a Canadian super hero that is almost as well known. And not only is he Canadian, but it comes up a fair bit, and a few stories starring him has brought his team to the great white north. He’s also a major bad-ass and one of my favorite heroes. I’m of course talking about Wolverine of the X-men. So, for Canada Day, I’ll be looking at X-men 2: Clone Wars (no, it has nothing to do with Star Wars) for the Sega Genesis, bub.

The game begins throwing you right into a level. I’m not even exaggerating: you put on the power, you see the Sega start up screen and then you’re playing. You only learn the actual plot of it all after the mini level. What’s happened is that an alien race, the Phalanx (which sounds too close to phallus for my liking) has invaded earth and is attempting to assimilate the earthlings in order to rule to world (M. Bison: OF COURSE!). They’ve also kidnapped and cloned some of the mutants in order to run experiments on them. Only a handful of X-men are left: Cyclops, Gambit, Beast, Psylock, Nightcrawler and, of course, Wolverine! It’s pretty much up to these 6 (and later on, Magneto) to save both human and mutant kind alike.

I enjoy the story, its classic comic book or super hero cartoon type plot. The path to destroying the alien invaders takes some twists and turns, and though some of it could seem pointless, it gives the game more variety. Where I have to criticize it, though, is in its presentation. There are no real cut-scenes or images to advance the story: all we get is communication text between Xavier and Cerebro. It’s about as interesting for the eyes as text only adventure game, but without the interaction, and it just comes off as lazy, bub.

The game play is nothing too amazing, but does have a few intriguing elements. You start off with the basic platforming stuff: you run from one point to another and enemies along the way that will try to stop you. Then they give you the twist of being able to use mutant powers, such as Nightcrawler’s teleportation or Cyclopes’ laser. But beyond just that, each character has been given individual stats and some non-power related skills (example: some X-men like Psylock have a double jump). What holds it all together though is the design of the levels; there will be some times where you need to change your way of going through things. If you read any Walkthrough or guides, you’ll find that no two suggest the same route; one person might tell you to pick Beast before a certain section to bash through all the enemies, while another will suggest picking Nightcrawler to teleport past them and avoid conflict. I really like this for some reason; it feels like problem solving with more than one answer and it’s almost like giving your own person touch to the game, bub.

This video game is mostly based on the 90’s cartoon series more than any other X-men property (which is why I’ve been using Wolverine cartoon quotes in this review), and the game’s sprites reflect that. Now, I have this problem with how some super hero cartoons looked before Bruce Timm came along and really shook things up; a lot looked too stiff and too much like the comic books of the time. And sadly, that has translated into the game. The character sprites are really big, which can hinder the game play a bit. That being said, the graphics in this game are amazing. Everything is incredibly well detailed and it all looks like it’s supposed to. The backgrounds are also done in the same quality making it all that little bit more immersive, bub.

X-men 2: Clone Wars is a good game, but I wouldn’t say great. The gameplay (by concept) is fun, the graphics (taken for why they look like they do) are of good quality and the plot should be interesting, considering it’s a very “super hero” happening. However, these are cancelled out by somewhat clunky controls, sprites that are too big and based off a source with stiff looking characters and the poor presentation of the story. The sound doesn’t have a high point, but neither a low point. What saves this from being too average a game is how immersive it is though. As I’ve said, with the choice of 6 X-men (and eventually Magneto) and the well-designed levels, you almost get to add your personal touch to game. After it’s said and done, this game ends up being an enjoyable experience if you can see through to the end. I give X-men 2: Clone Wars 8 levels out 10.

Level Up: Soul Calibur 2

In online gaming communities, there are a lot of series that come up as being popular, but sometimes you only hear mostly of one game. I’m talking about games like Silent Hill 2, Street Fighter 2, Final Fantasy 7 (or 6 in some cases); these games are said to be better then it’s predecessors and nothing that’s come yet has beaten it either. Today’s game is one of those examples: Soul Calibur 2. Despite having a couple of games in the Soul series come before it, and 5 different games after, no one really cares for those, but mention this one and you’ll get a lot of excited gamers. Why do so many people like this one? That’s what I’m going to try to explain in this review of Soul Calibur 2 released for the PS2 and X-Box, but I’ll be playing the Gamecube version.

In most fighting games, one issue I always had was that they were very boring when playing alone: all you normally get is an “arcade” mode where you fight enemies one by one. Soul Calibur 2, though, gives you Weapon Master mode just made for single players: you pick a character, complete missions and move across a map. Sure, the mission will always be based on the normal one on one fighting, but each time you’ll get new conditions: you may have to beat a series of enemies within a time limit, you may be forced to play as a certain character or you may only be able to damage your opponent using a certain technique (and the list goes on).

Of course, this is called “weapon master” for a reason. As you’re completing challenges, you’ll receive money and unlock new areas. In each new area there’s a shop where you can buy new weapons. Though each character has their basic weapon, like Asteroth’s ax or Mitsurigi’s katana, they can be changed with similar weapons with different effects (often affecting the defense or offense of the holder). You can use these weapons in Weapon Master and the “extra modes”, so that, even if you and a friend play for hours, you can keep things constantly interesting by switching weapons. All this to say that Namco figured out an easy, fun and simple way to keep people playing whether they were alone or not, which isn’t something a lot of fighting game developers seem to consider.

As usual for a review on fighting games, I have to take a look at the diversity in the characters, and I have to say, this is one of my favorite selections. In essence, we have a pirate, a ninja, a samurai, a knight, a fencer and almost 20 more characters. (This is of course not even counting Zelda’s Link, Tekken’s Heihachi and Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, which were exclusive to the games on the Gamecube, PS2 and X-Box respectively).You can argue that one of the characters is a random copy of another’s moves and 4 are composited from a selection of them, but their unique looks, designs and personalities more than make up for it. And when I say “personality” I don’t mean that metaphorically, like the impression I get from them. I mean that each character has their own personality and back story. While you’re playing some of the original modes, you’ll see some cut scenes that talk about the characters motivations and you also unlock full profiles for each person. If you’re just in the mood to play, don’t worry, the story never gets intrusive and everything can be skipped. But I, for one, really appreciate all the work that went in to making each fighter unique and 3 dimensional, and this is actually one of the few games I WANT to see made into a movie for this reason.

There are so many things I wish I could have mentioned, such as the graphics that blew me away and the dramatic soundtrack, but I just don’t have the time. So, let’s look back. Unique characters full of personality. A story that connects them all. Gameplay that makes both single and multiplayer fun and constantly interesting. Looks good. Sounds good. I can’t think of anything I don’t like about this game. It’s not hard to see why it outshines the rest of the series; having improved on the previous games, it set the bar too high for the next titles to reach, so the reaction wasn’t as impressed. This game falls really high on many people’s top 10 lists for Gamecube game and it’s not hard to see why. I give Soul Calibur 2 for the Nintendo GameCube 10 levels out of 10.

Level Up: Sonic Rush

Note: I start the review by playing the Sonic X theme.

Yeah, I could have used the Sonic X theme when reviewing any Sonic video game, but I think it suits this game best. The lyrics “gotta go fast” just make me think of how Sonic games seem to concentrate more on zooming, so by the time it got the DS, the blue blur really earned that title. Even the name of the game implies nothing but speed: here’s Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS.

The story begins with the introduction of a new character (not surprising for any Sonic Game): Blaze the Cat. As her name would suggest, Blaze has the ability to control fire. As we play along, we learn that Blaze comes from another dimension, complete with its own version of Eggman (Eggman-Nega) and Chaos Emeralds (called the Sol Emeralds). Turns out the two Eggmans (Eggmen?) have been communicating and decided to work together with the goal to use the emeralds to conquer the two universes. Of course, Sonic and Blaze eventually have to team up and vanquish their enemies.

Sure, the story is a little cliché, but Blaze’s character development saves it from being too boring. Blaze is kind of a female Knuckles; the protector of the Sol Emeralds in her universe. However, when they are stolen, she feels dishonored and is determined to get them back on her own. But once she gets into Sonic’s universe, she meets up with Cream, who shows her nothing but affection. This is unfamiliar to the cat that tends to burn everyone who tries to approach her (“SYMBOLISM!”). As the game progresses, she gets to observe Cream’s kindness towards her and her mother, which is of course in direct contrast to how she reacts to Sonic. The Sonic side of the story is pretty weak, but I don’t mind it all that much; as a whole it’s making good use of a new character.

The game play seems changed up quite a bit from most of the other 2D Sonic games and its mostly due to the game titular technique: the rush attacks. Basically, this allows Sonic or Blaze to run at a boosted speed for a limited amount of time, destroying any obstacle or enemy in the way. Think of it like the spin dash, but can be activated at any time and runs on a meter. This meter can be filled by doing two things; either doing various tricks in the air or on a rail, or destroying enemies. This is probably the one thing that makes it so that this is one of the fastest Sonic games, but that makes it so there are a lot of speed traps, which are annoying.

Now, despite the fact that I like the rush attacks (because of the speed), the boss fights are one of the things that make me not want to play this game. To sum up the boss fights in a word, I’d have to say “bland”. The designs are uninspired and don’t have that Eggman feel to them. The boss areas seem really small and are too easy to figure out. As with anything I say in these reviews, it could just be me, but I just didn’t have fun with these fights.

However, the boss battles aren’t my only complaint. In this game you play as both Sonic and Blaze on two different journeys across the same land. However, that means that the levels are the same for both characters, just in a different order. There is minimal difference between Blaze and Sonic, meaning that you end up playing every level twice. I don’t know who thought that was a good idea, but it just feels lazy and like they’re padding the game.

I think Sonic Rush is a great addition to the Sonic library (especially considering the state he was in when it came out). The pace of the game is fast and fun, the story is decent for a Sonic game, showing good character development, and the soundtrack is of course great (this IS a Sonic game). Also, since this was on the DS, the graphics were rendered in 3D, so they look good, but when you’re playing, the characters sometime move from one screen to the other… don’t know how I feel about that. However, I really need to subtract points for how annoying having to play every level twice was and the boss fights that I hated. Still, I recommend this game for any DS owner or Sonic fan, especially since you can still find it new and cheap. I give Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS 8.5 levels out 10.

Level Up: Wario Blast Featuring Bomberman

There are some games with concepts and game play so unique yet simplistic that you don’t think there’s any way they can keep things fresh without alienating the original fans. One that comes to mind is Pac-man; I haven’t played any of the new games that aren’t just remakes of the original, but the idea of adding power ups and missions into it seems odd. Another game I thought would have also fallen into this category would be the original Bomberman; simple enough to start and it seems the only way you could improve on it would make things too needlessly complicated. Surprisingly though, this series continued and did change things, with games like Bomberman Tournament, Bomberman Hero and Bomberman 64. And though I plan to get to those eventually, today I’m going to take a look at how well Bomberman crosses over with Wario in the game Wario Blast featuring Bomberman for the Game Boy.

This game starts off using the original Bomberman game play; you place bombs to blow a path through destructible blocks to destroy all enemies. However not all blocks are destructible, enemies kill you with one touch and you’re bombs blow up in a cross pattern meaning you can kill yourself. You can also get upgrades to place more bombs on the field or get a larger range. Now, taking this basic concept, Wario Blast makes it slightly more difficult by giving your enemy (either Wario or Bomberman, depending on who you choose to play as) the same abilities as you, and made them much more intelligent (instead of just going back and forth). This is evened out by the fact that there a max of three enemies on a level.

Another thing that makes this different are the boss fights at the end of every section. Not too much to say about these, typical platforming boss stuff; figure out how to hurt it, and keep doing it. What really mix this game up though are the permanent upgrades. I’m not talking about the ability to place more bombs or the stronger blasts, those are temporary. No, these are things like the ability to kick a bomb as far as it can slide or ram your opponent so they are temporarily unable to move. This may sound like you get a major advantage, but remember, the enemies also get these abilities and WILL use them, so you’ll need to get skilled with them just to keep up. I like that they make this essential to learn and not just optional, so you get the full game out of it. It keeps things… interesting to say the least.

The plot is nothing special. Basically, Wario inexplicably find his way in Bomberman’s world and decides that he’s going to get rich (somehow). However, this has no impact on the game what-so-ever (there’s not even an opening scene, I had to look this up on wikipedia) and it actually raises more questions: why is Wario fighting Bomberman to get rich? How did he get in Bomberman World to begin with? Why are there several copies of both Bomberman and Wario? Though these things are never explained, I might have an explanation. Turns out, this game was originally called Bomberman GB, and didn’t feature Wario. But when it was ported to North American, they added him in for some reason (I figure they thought it would sell better). Later on, North American citizens did get a Bomberman GB, but this was actually the Japanese Bomberman GB 2. Just a little something to add to that growing list of why you’re chronologically confused by video game sequel titles.

Wario Blast is not the best expansion on the Bomberman series, but it is decent enough game. The game play is changed up quite a bit in interesting ways that still work; you’re eased into things and the bosses, though very different, are well done for this type of game. But as I’ve said at the start, Bomberman succeeds mostly due to the simplicity of it, and this is one of those games where the formula was either changed too much or not enough (I’ll explain in later reviews how this works). The concept of having fewer, more intelligent enemies was inspired, but can only take you so far if you remove the old type of levels. Plus with this style of gameplay, it’s disappointing that there’s no 2 player option. But still, it’s good to pick up and play the first few levels every once in a while, and if you want to continue, the passwords are only 4 numbers long. Also, the simplicity will probably make you forget Wario contributes nothing to this game, so it kind of works out. It’s an altogether good experience; just nothing ground breaking or omg amazing. I give Wario Blast featuring Bomberman for the Game Boy 7 levels out of 10.