Level Up: Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest

… How to you even talk about a game like Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest? I don’t mean that in an “I’m offended by it, don’t bring it up” way, I mean what can you actually? See, for those of you not in the know, Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is a game that was designed with the intention to be an easy RPG for the US market that wasn’t too embracing of RPGs at first(this isn’t even a guess: it’s called Final Fantasy USA in Japan). For this reason, this review might be about the things that AREN’T in this game over the things that are in it. Here is Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest for the Super Nintendo.

The game starts off with Benjamin- your pretty bland main character- climbing up a hill. He meets the standard wise old man who tells him about an impending disaster and what he can do to stop it. Benjamin accepts this role and goes off to save the world by finding 4 stones in the sections of (and I kid you not)- Foresta, Aquaria, FIREburg and WINDIA (they weren’t even trying for the last 2).

This story couldn’t be more generic if it was trying. The Crystals, the “Earth, Wind, Water, Fire” elements, having to save the world… It’s pretty much the default RPG story. That being said, there are a couple of things that’s kind of neat. First off, you’ll notice that I said Benjamin “accepts” his role. It’s cool that he isn’t a chosen one for a change, just someone who decided he would help out (it still isn’t the first time this happened though). Also, you only get 1 partner at a time, so the story has to compensate for this and give the characters a reason to leave and come back later on (which is cool that they do that too). It’s not anything deep, but it fleshes them out a bit more. At least more so than our boring hero…

While the story of this game is paper thin, that can be forgiven because its default for a reason (so many other games have done it). However, the basic game play can’t be, as by this point the concept of improving on the basic battle system was set. Here’s where I really talk about what’s missing from the game: you only ever have one partner, your armour is automatically equipped and you can’t sell them, spells are found instead of learned and there is no free roaming on the world map. That last one might especially damning to the game, because being linear is not a good thing for RPGs. If you want to explore, you’ll have to do that in the towns or in the dungeons.

However, this was all to guide the player along (this is an introduction RPG after all). What I really miss though are random battles. Remember I had said in Dragon Warrior that I like level grinding? That’s nearly impossible to do here.  In the dungeon areas, you see all the enemies you have to fight and they will stay still until YOU decide to fight them. The ones you can skip clearly outweigh the ones you need to fight. Level grinding is still possible… but in battle stations over the world map. They really make the fights become tedious, so I guess it works out that they’re so easy to avoid.

So you might think I believe this game to be boring…. But you’d be wrong. There is one thing that this game got so incredibly right that makes it worth it. Yeah, that’s right, I like Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest and I over look all its flaws because of the exploration. Unlike most top down RPG heroes, Benjamin can jump, and this is a mechanic that is used rather well for certain puzzles in a way that reminds me a bit of StarTropics, but less action and more cerebral. Beyond the jumping, you also have you weapons that are used as tools that will let you climb up walls or cut a path through trees (like a simple Legend of Zelda). It actually reminds me of the Paper Mario games, which is also an easy RPG that people enjoy.

It’s an unpopular opinion of mine that Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is actually as pretty good game, and for one big reason: it did its job. If this game was meant to ease people into playing more RPGs by providing a simple jumping off point, than I’d say that’s exactly what this is. It trims the fat off more complicated games of the genre so that you can pick up another one and easily build off what you already know. But in the discussion of what Mystic Quest doesn’t do, what it does do is over looked, and I think the puzzles and weapons gimmick is great. The music is rocking too and the graphics are fine (I like how the enemies show damage as you beat them). Granted it is hard to recommend this game now a days, as the fighting is boring, the plot almost not there and things are way more complex now,  but it really does have a very simplistic charm about it. It’s too light hearted for me to criticize harshly. I give Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest 7 levels out of 10.

Level Up: Back to the Future the Game

2015 is here! Hoverboards, flying cards and craaaaazy fashions! Hahaha-uuuuuggggghhhh. As a Back to the Future fan, I was tired of those jokes even before 2015. That being said, I do appreciate the reminder that one of my favorite movies is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. But when looking at video games based on McFly’s adventures in time, it sucks to say the one that gets the most attention is the LJN disaster. There’s one that I think deserves more attention: Back to the Future The Game available for the PS3, OSX and iOS, but I’ll be playing it on the Nintendo Wii and PC.

Back to the Future the Game is a point and click title. This should come as no surprise as this game is developed and published by Telltale games (who you might know from the Walking Dead game or the Wolf Among Us). The basic game is clicking around to interact with objects in order to reach certain goals. Some of it might be obvious while sometimes it requires some lateral thinking. Unlike The Cave, this style involves a lot more thinking and figuring out, and a lot less doing. I could see why people into more action based games would find this boring, but alternatively I can see people who aren’t into regular video games but enjoy puzzles more likely to play this.

But how does this game handle its puzzles? For the most part, they are straightforward, but there are times where you have to use an item that hasn’t come up in a while (so you’re not thinking about it). Luckily, this game has a hint system, so you’re not left on your own for those situations. However, there are also times that you’ll need to interact with small, hard to see objects. I have clear memories of being frustrated by them and had to look up where exactly I had to click (the Wii-mote pointing control didn’t help). I have to mention that this game comes after Telltale Game’s Tales of Monkey Island, which had an option to highlight all the objects you can interact with.

And there’s often a lot you can interact with, not just objects for the story. You can inspect things and talk to people that really serve no purpose other than maybe provide a red herring. Your gameplay time might significantly increase from wanting to see every option, but you sometimes just get one shot. I guess this was made so that it feels like your choices make a difference, but this is handled poorly, as McFly often spouts a combination of all choices or gets interrupted before saying it. This is one thing the Walking Dead game did much better. It is cool that your name choice is remembered though.

The story of Back to the Future the Game is really where its appeal comes from for BTTF fans. Taking place the year following the 3rd movie (well, in terms of where Marty is now, you know, due to that whole time travel thing), Doc Brown has been gone for some time and the state is selling off his estate. A disappointed Marty is trying to convince someone to stop it, when the Delorean appears. Einstein comes out, but the only clue to the Doc’s location is a recording he left explaining that he set the Delorean to go to that time automatically if he can’t get to it for whatever reason. After a bit of puzzle solving, you find that you have to travel back to Hill Valley in 1931 (full swing of the prohibition era).

That is all I want to share of the plot, and it really is the tip of the iceberg for the full game. What I have described is just the start of the first episode, and there are 5. The story takes so many twists and turns with its plot that I don’t want to spoil it in any way. Of course, along with all the new stories this game has to share, there are also old characters and recurring story elements that are recognizable for most fans and a joy to see implemented in this game.

To be perfectly honest, Back to the Future the Game is not a game that I enjoy because of the game play. Don’t get me wrong, it can work to get you invested in needing to see what happens next, and figuring out a puzzle can give you a rewarding feeling even if they aren’t the most challenging ever. But the true allure of this game is the plot. This is one of those licensed games where you can tell the makers really cared about the source material. This is shown with certain references and moments that would make most fans really appreciate that it wasn’t over looked. Along with that, I think that the 1931 setting for most of the game was a brilliant idea, the story structure is solid and the twist and turns over 5 episodes surprisingly don’t get old. This game is of course worthwhile for fans of point and click games, but even more so, even the most casual fans of Back to the Future should enjoy this. I give Back to the Future the Game for the Wii and PC 9 levels out of 10.

Level Up: Xexyz

There’s sometime a lot of talk about people buying games just based on graphics, cover art or a licence. However, I have bought a game based on nothing more than the name. Try to pronounce this: X – E – X - Y – Z. According to Wikipedia it is either pronounced “zeks-zees” or “zeks-iz” (I go with the second one). If you’re like me, you just gotta find out what type of game lies behind the name. Let’s find out in this review of Xexyz for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

This review was chosen for Valentine’s Day so there is a damsel in distress. However it feels very tacked on and unnecessary here. I mention this now, because it doesn’t come up in the following summary.

So by the title Xexyz, have any of you guessed that this was a sci-fi game? Taking place in the year 2777, the earth has been changed to the point where only five islands exist. Together, they form the nation of… Xexyz (yay for title explanation)! Not only is Xexyz home to humans, but it also fairies and other spirits, all under the rule of a king. One day Xexyz is attacked by an alien named Goruza (who I assume is related to Garuda from Shadow of the Ninja). Goruza sets up a mechanical fortress on each of the 5 islands, kidnaps each of the island’s queen, kills the king of Xexyz and kidnaps the king’s daughter (damn, normally bosses only one of those). You play Apollo, a battle-soldier fighting back in a “space battle suit” (because it’s not sci-fi unless you needlessly put space in front of something).

Again, the romance doesn’t play much of a part in the story, but the game IS named after the setting. That’s where I feel was the focus here: the world you’re in. It actually creates a neat theme of balancing the old ways (the peaceful but defenseless fairies) and the over bearing but powerful technological future. Apollo, who lives with the fairies but enhances himself with technology, walks the line between the two. Or maybe I’m over thinking a game with a last second romance shoved in there.

The game play of Xexyz is an interesting mix. For the most part it’s a platformer adventure type thing comparable it to Zelda 2, but not quite. You’ll walk around the main area jumping and shooting monsters to get money in order to buy upgrades and better weapons (essential in later stages). You also can’t just walk left to right and get the boss: there is some exploring that needs to be done. As previously mentioned, each island has a fortress. To get into this fortress, you need a star. In order to get a star you need to find the proper room and beat a sub boss. In order to find that sub boss, you must find the correct star block (there are many in a stage) and shoot it five times. All that, THEN you’re ready to enter the castle, and NAVIGATE your way around it to find the boss.

However, that’s the main part of the game play. In between platforming levels, you’ll have side scrolling shoot ‘em up ones, which seems very inspired by Gradius. It’s pretty much your typical shoot things before they hit you affair. While they have their own level numbers, they’re done much faster and pretty much just serve as a means to get you to the next island and mix up the game play. But if you think this change feels jarring at all, then you’d be wrong. You know how modern games have physics, and you can take its engine, put it in a different game and it still feels the same? Yeah, that’s what these sections are like. While the game play is switched, it still feels like the same game.

I was pleasantly surprised by Xexyz. While it can come off as a space rip-off of Zelda 2, the game play works really well and it does make it more engaging than a typical side scrolling platformer. The graphics and music/sounds aren’t anything to rave about (in some cases, kind of bad) but for the world that developer Atlus and publisher Hudson Soft tried to create, it’s fitting enough. There are also some moments where it can get pretty frustrating, like when you need to start collecting money for an upgrade you lost while dying, finding the right star blocks and navigating the castles. But all together, Xexyz is one game where my curiosities about it really paid off, and it comes recommended for any NES collection. I give Xexyz for the NES 8 levels out of 10.

Level Up: the Cave

The earth has rotated around the sun once more since I have been born and I am reminded of my mortality: and I celebrate this by reviewing a PC game! Yaaaaaaay! This year is a little different though, as I’m reviewing my first steam game. And by that, I don’t just mean that it’s the first time I talk about a game available on Steam, but also it’s the first game I bought on there. As a matter of fact, the game was even released to Steam on my birthday in 2013. Let’s take a look at The Cave.

I typically make a purpose of mentioning the companies involved in the making of a game, in this case Double Fine Productions are the Developers and Sega is the Publisher. I do this not just to give credit to them, but because it can give people an idea of what type of game you might be in for. In this case the name Double Fine might have been a hint, but I think it would be better to mention the game was created, directed and written by Ron Gilbert, who is mostly known for his work on The Monkey Island series and the Maniac Mansion games. That is pretty much the linage that leads us to this game and heavily influences the style, but I might be getting ahead of myself.

The game stars 7 archetypal characters: a Hillbilly, a Knight, a Scientist and so forth. You start off at the entrance to a Cave knowing practically nothing about them. However, The Cave itself is apparently magical (and sentient), as it promises that it will deliver what you desire most. However, as you adventure into the cave, you’ll find that there is a section that represents a scene from the past of each character. Here’s where you learn about the characters one by one and what they have done to land them in the Cave. There are also cave paintings which show these scenes in better detail. As there are 7 characters, the stories don’t run TOO deep, but it is enough to give you an idea of how different the Aventurer and the The Knight are.

Package all that with puzzles and NPCs full of just odd humor, and you get a weird story that kept me coming back for several playthrews.

While the game has 7 characters to play as, you only pick 3 characters to use per game. This means having to play at least 3 times to see the full game (as the sections for the characters you aren’t playing as are locked off), and as every character has a good and bad ending, you’ll need to play through at least 5 times to see all of them. However, since this game is sort of a point and click adventure, parts of the game you’ve already played through will go faster making each run shorter due to already knowing what needs to be done. Yeah, while there are 4 sections of the game that are mandatory no matter what character you are, there are only one or two times where something  feels like a chore.

Also, some of the characters can help make those sections easier. While most of the time, your three characters are like pawns- strategically placing them so that they can get the most done the fastest, having them carry items and interact with their environment- each character also has a special skill you can use. All of them are used heavily in their respective sections, but people have found ways to use them creatively to skip certain sections of the game. While not all are as useful- the Twins’ power don’t have much use while the Knight is almost invaluable- they do have their moment and change the game enough to keep things interesting, even if it is just for one section.

The Cave is one of those games that I have played over and over again and keep enjoying due to the quirky humor of it. The game play balances having to think and having to do well for a point and click inspired game. True that the characters might as well be chess pieces in some cases, just to be set in certain locations. But, in a way, that’s what I enjoy about the game: controlling the characters, placing them in the right spots and using their skills the right way. The graphics also look pretty good (making the characters look like figures, back to the chess pieces thing) and it even runs well on a relatively bad computer like my old laptop was. It may not be a perfect game, but I think I’ve proven with Spider-man Shattered Dimensions that I’ll take a really charming game, fun game that makes me want to play through again and again, over one I can’t find a flaw in. I give the Cave for the PC 10 levels out of 10.

Level Up: Rock Band Country Track Pack & Rock Band AC/DC Live Track Pack

For the past few years, I’ve been talking about the Guitar Hero series to celebrate the New Year, and I think it’s time that we talk about Rock Band. I’ll get into the history behind the two series someday, but today I want to focus on how they both handled additional content. One of the reasons Rock Band “won” over Guitar Hero is that Guitar Hero focused on pumping out games, while Rock Band just provided more songs. While most were DLC, they also had standalone disks with 20 or so songs on them. Let’s take a look at one of those with the Rock Band Country Track Pack for the Nintendo Wii.

While it might seem a little silly to only have a disk with about 20 songs on it, I need to mention that this was mostly a way for Developers Harmonix and Publishers MTV games to put out extra content for the Wii and PlayStation 2 consoles (which apparently couldn’t support DLC like the others). A handy work around as it gets you a lot of songs at a bulk price, and since it’s a standalone game, you could buy the instruments and not bother with the original Rock Band. But if you just wanted Alan Jackson’s good time, you’ll have to still endure and pay for Sara Evans’ Suds in the Bucket.

This is also a very bare bones version of the Rock Band game mechanic. There’s no shop in game and no avatar creation; you only get the songs. Plus, since it’s modeled after the first Rock Band, you don’t have the option of changing instruments or difficulty if it gets a too hard for you, and in some modes that may stop your progress completely. I can’t hold this too much against the game though, as this remains from what Guitar Hero was doing before. I will say that I believe the songs to be well arranged for the instruments, so no sudden difficulty spike. As a matter of fact, I’ll say that there’s not much difficulty at all. This isn’t for people who want a challenge, this is just for people who like and want to play country.

Well that’s all I really have to say about a Track Pack that’s a little bit country, so now let’s move on to one that’s a little bit Rock and Roll. Here’s the AC/DC Live Track Pack.

I need to start off by saying that AC/DC ranks pretty high among my favorite bands, and that’s why I bought this game. That being said, band specific track packs are very polarizing: you either like pretty much all the songs, or you might like none.However, unlike the country track pack, I can see people playing this game for the challenge, as some of AC/DC’s songs can be fast with a lot of notes. While a higher difficulty isn’t a bad, this does cause a problem with the song order. See, they were arranged to preserve the live concert experience, so the songs aren’t put in order of difficulty. Thunderstruck (one of the songs I’ve had the hardest time with) starts things off, instead of something easy like Money Talks. Also, since this is a live recording, even if you are familiar with the songs you might have difficulties with subtle changes (particularly if you’re singing).

One more issue that might come from the fact that this is focused on a band is that the difficulty the remains pretty consistent. In other Rock Band games, individual instruments have their own difficulty curve, so no matter what you’re playing, as you play, you get better. In here, there are no real mountains to make valleys, and the hardest song for one instrument tends to be the hardest song for another. Other than that, it’s pretty similar to the Country Track Pack: it’s very bare bones, but if you’re an AC/DC fans who likes to play Rock Band, than this is for you.

The Rock Bands Track Packs were definitely a neat way to tide you over between major game releases, and I really do like how they’re standalone games. The country track pack has a really good selection of songs for its theme, however it could be argued that you might be missing your target demographic for this reason. The AC/DC one hit that mark, but it made me realize how much variety having other bands adds to the game play. Now when I was writing this I questioned if it was fair to give these games scores, as with collections, it’s the songs that decide if you’ll like this game. But, since these are standalone games and I can still judge them on how they handle, increase in difficulty and other such elements, so  I still feel just in giving them scores. The Country Track Pack is a good mix for country fans, but that’s it. The AC/DC Track Pack offers songs for AC/Dc fans, a decent challenge, knows its audience more and uses more Rock Band elements (like most of the songs having an ending bonus). I give the Rock Band Country Track Pack 8 and the Rock Band AC/DC Live Track Pack 9 levels out of 10.