Level Up: Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble

Another year has rolled by for us, and now we celebrate with our look at the Viewtiful Joe series. As I said when I first chose Viewtiful Joe to replace Earthworm Jim, this series actually has a lot of similarities with it, which gets us to the 3^rd game. In both cases it’s a black-sheep, departure from the main series based more on their respective TV shows (yeah, there was a Viewtiful Joe TV show. If you didn’t know about it I’m not surprised). But while Earthworm Jim 3D was just an attempt at going 3 dimensional, Viewtiful Joe’s equivalent is a party game. Let’s get right into Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble for the Nintendo GameCube.

It’s really hard to know where to place Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble in terms of the other games. It would be easiest to say that it happens after all of them, but that doesn’t quite add up. See, unlike Earthworm Jim 3D, which was just inspired by the TV show, Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble is based directly on it. This means you get characters like Captain Blue Jr. and Sprocket that I have no idea who they are.

Regardless, the plot of the game is that Captain Blue is announcing his retirement and is need of a successor in his films. As the director can’t decide who should take his place, it is left to a contest between the regular Viewtiful Joe staff (and yes, this include Captain Blue competing. I guess he thinks that if he wins, no one deserves to take his place?). More than any other Viewtiful Joe game, this plot confuses me. While with the others, we’re inside a movie world, this game makes it quite clear that they are filming a movie. So while I get it could be that the director is filming multiple people at the same time to see who gets the best audience reaction, the fact that he’s chosen some people would mean he’s already narrowed his choice. Also, while I understand that there is SOME improv that could be involved, there still needs to be a script, and that would heavily influence all the events. And the tasks that you’re asked to do would make for a really weird movie. I get this is just a party game and that I’m probably missing things by not knowing anything about the cartoon, but it still doesn’t seem right.

Each section does try to have its little episodic lessons and eventually there’s another plot that rises and takes over, making for a “let’s not fight and just be friends” BS no one really wins ending. All of it is lame.

Saying that this game is a party game might give you the wrong impression, as it is desperately trying to be Super Smash Bros at the same time. This is a 2D game where you can fight (albeit with health bars) and has simple controls for your attacks. The main difference being that the point of each round isn’t always to fight and dying is often only a penalty at most.

As I’ve said, the game is divided in section called “movies”. Each movie has a certain number of “acts” within them, with a goal to win and an instant lose condition. Those acts are composed of many mini games. The game is so compartmentalised, I think it was trying to be a Russian nesting doll…

Instead of fighting, you get these quick missions like “collect gems!” “grab the flag!” or “pick the right side!” All very simple stuff, but it gives the game a rushed kind of feel. Now, I don’t mean that because it’s a mini-game collection, I enjoy WarioWare and I think the pacing in that game is perfect. But the problem is that the games in Viewtiful Joe Red hot Rumble don’t work with how the game is laid out with the fighting controls. It gives you just enough time to get used to them and then yanks the rug from under your feet with a brand new game with a brand new goal.

Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble actually comes out to be one of the weakest times I’ve ever had to introduce *Capcom time*. The story is confusing and pointless and the game play can be annoying at times. I do admit, both of them aren’t terrible, and there is some fun to be had with the game once you get used to the sensory overload of all the rushing. But I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before, a game that you have to force yourself to get used to kind of works against itself in that regard. The best thing about this game is that it was most commonly available in a cheap bundle with Viewtiful Joe 2. I give Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble 5.5 levels out of 10.

Level Up: Diddy Kong Racing

The Mario Kart series is something to be admired. No offense to all of those who like the other types of racing games, but before Super Mario Kart came out in 1992, a lot of them seemed rather boring and too realistic. Mario Kart changed that with wacky weapons galore, more emphasis on the racer and not the car and just simply the fun that comes with Mario. It wasn’t long before it not only took off as a series, but was also getting copied left and right. Which is why I don’t feel guilty copying my intro from Mario Kart: Double Dash for this game. Here’s Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo 64.

Calling Diddy Kong Racing a Mario Kart copy might not be accurate to its true origins (especially since it was published by Nintendo). As weird as it seems this game might have had its origins in an RTS game that Rareware started to develop but was quickly scrapped. Some of the aspects of the game, which was caveman themed, were reused for a racing game that was originally called “Wild Cartoon Kingdom”. This was going to be based around a Disney World type amusement park where you could go in different sections with themes. This idea of themed worlds did stick and it might explain why the first world is a pre-historic level. Eventually this project was given a few more titles, and was even supposed to be a sequel to Rare’s NES game R.C. Pro-AM at one point. Apparently it was Shigeru Miyamoto that suggested Diddy Kong. Despite some initial resistance, this idea stuck in order for Nintendo to strengthen the Donkey Kong brand and allow Rareware to create some new characters for future series.

The adventure concept of the game is likely the defining feature. It’s actually less like Mario Kart and more like Super Mario 64. The game has a map for you to drive around, and doors for races that are locked until you earn a certain amount of balloons. Most of the balloons are earned by completing races, but there are others that you can find while adventuring around, giving this game a completionist aspect to it too.

The second most defining feature is that there are multiple vehicles to race in. You can choose to race in cars, airplanes or hovercrafts on most stages. They all control very differently, and they do a good job to put a new spin on the tracks. You can adventure around in them too.

Speaking of adventuring, in each world there is a key to find to unlock a bonus mini-game. These are sometimes a mission, like collecting or stealing certain items from your opponent, or battles where you try to hit your opponent without getting hit yourself. These, like the rest of the game, take a game play element that seems limiting at first, but offers a creative spin to it.

Even putting all that aside, Diddy Kong Racing finds a way to mix up the basic races. After completing a set of tracks, you are allowed to race the world boss, which is a much different 1 on 1 race that feels like a racing battle. After you beat him, the previous tracks are changed to silver coin challenges: race around the track collecting silver coins found throughout and still win. After that, there’s another boss challenge for a piece of an amulet that you need to face the final boss.

And this is still without mentioning the items, tracks, racers and other typical stuff that varies among racing games. That shows how far that the makers went to in order to make this game unique.

While it’s easy to write off Diddy Kong Racing as a Mario Kart clone for babies on first impressions, it is so much more than that. This continues Rareware’s trend of not inventing a certain game play style, but perfecting it as I believe this game to be a better single player experience than most Mario Kart games. Beyond simply being a creative use of an already existing game play style,  this game helped introduce the Kritters used for the Donkey Kong 64, Banjo (of Banjo-Kazooie), Conker the Squirrel. I don’t know how many more ways I can say this game is great: turning racing into an adventure was simply inspired. There’s a reason why this game was eventually remade for the DS too. I give Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo 64 10 levels out of 10.

Level Up: The Giana Sisters

Well, it’s time to close off femme-month. I’m sorry that I didn’t get a chance to speak about more original video game characters (Lara Croft being the most obvious one missing from the theme), but to make up for that, here’s a video game character that comes specifically from the fact that the company couldn’t get a license for what they wanted to do. Here’s the Giana Sisters for the iPhone.

Playing this game for any amount of time it’s clear to see that it’s a Mario clone. That is almost no exaggeration, and with good reason: the creator wanted to port Super Mario Bros. to the commodore 64 but couldn’t get the rights (which is a good business move on Nintendo considering how big of a system seller it was). How much they actually tried to obtain it is up for debate, but the… “inspiration” is not hard to see. Just look up a screen shot of the original game “The Great Giana Sisters” and you’ll do a double take.  Not surprising, but there was a lawsuit and the series remained dead until this game. Which, shockingly, was first released on the Nintendo DS!

This may partially be due to the graphics. Yes, it’s easy to see how this game could be a sequel to the original Commodore 64 game, and many Mario inspired elements have stuck (brick blocks, the star blocks that look like question mark block, pipes, etc…), but if you look at this game and a Mario game that came out at the same time, there is a clear distinction now, especially in scale (as Giana seems tiny) and the look of the main character.

The original creator of the game Armin Gessert passed away soon after this game’s released, but there has since been another Giana game that came out about 3 or 4 years after this one from the company that now owns the rights. It’s a much more different game that I’ll get into some other day, and was even created due to a successful kickstarter campaign. Perhaps what was pretty much a glorified Mario bootleg is going on to be its own series now.

Despite the changes to the look, there are still many game play similarities between the Giana Sisters and the Mario Bros. It’s very much the same platforming game with a more child targeted coat of paint on it. With that in mind, I’ll go into specifics and small details, as that’s what separates this game from the other ones you might get (appropriately enough, this game sits next to Lep’s World on my iPhone).

First off, you run and you jump like in Mario, but the jump button in this game is an auto fire (handy when you’re under blocks that give you gems). You have a “punk” form in this game too, which allows you to take an extra hit and throw fire balls. They don’t bounce, and while the arc is wider than Mario’s fire, I’d prefer it to go straight forward. Also, despite having an extra form, Giana can only take one hit out of punk mode: no tiny version and mushroom rip off. One cool thing for the platforming is that after you hit some blocks, they fall to the ground and act like a step for you to get higher.

There are also a few things added to the game, though again, they are very small aspects. Like many modern platform games, there are items to find for completion and unlocking extra levels (in this game: red gems). There’s also a bubble gum item which allows Giana to float up as long as you don’t hit an obstacle. This isn’t the first game to do anything like this though (and it might be another Mario rip off, as it’s like the P. Balloon from Super Mario World). The most original thing might be the Soda Bottle. Giana will lock her position and release a stream of soda able to break blocks and push back enemies. I’m surprised this gimmick isn’t used more often or there wasn’t a level based using it excessively.

That’s really all to say about the Giana Sisters: if it weren’t for the history behind it, there really wouldn’t be any reason to talk about the game or series. Not knowing anything about its past, it would still be easy to play this game and label it a Mario Clone… but it’s a good quality clone. The graphics and music are actually really good (though the music is more mystical than appropriate), and while some games trying be Mario have weird physics, this one is smooth. As one of the more expensive games I’ve bought on the Apple Store (though apparently the price has gone down), it’s hard to recommend the game, even though there is a lot to play through. It’s of great quality, but it doesn’t do anything impressive. I give the Giana Sisters for the iPhone 8 levels out of 10, and that ends femme-month.

Level Up: Xena: Warrior Princess

Femme-month continues, and now I get to talk about my favorite fictional character: Xena: Warrior Princess. I may have just gotten into the series a couple of years ago, but I could go on and on about why I think Xena is amazing. From how skilled she is in fighting, to her constantly search for redemption, I just can’t get enough. In a time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power, the passion, the danger… her courage will change the world… Ok, that might have been directly quoted from the show, but it doesn’t make it any less true.  Not wanting to contain her awesomeness to just TV, there was of course a video game based on the series. Let’s get right into Xena: Warrior Princess for the Sony PlayStation.

It’s worth noting that this video game was released in 1999, just a few episodes into season 5 (the second to last season).  I bring this up, because the story is played out more like an episode from the first or second season. I suppose that makes sense, as when people think of Xena in the mainstream, it’s probably those times they go to most, but I still find it kind of weird, and I’ll explain a bit more later.

The journey starts off with Xena and Gabrielle when they come across a town being attacked by pirates. Turns out this was a plot to distract Xena so a king named Valerian could kidnap Gabrielle. After the attack, Xena leaves to save her friend (… ok, soul mate) by following some clues. She then arrives at an island where she is greeted by a Cyclops. This pattern continues for a bit: Xena finds some clues to Gabrielle’s location, follows them, meets a monster and repeat. Eventually, Xena does rescue Gabrielle, only to promptly get kidnapped again just a few levels later.

Gabrielle’s role in this game is probably what bothers me the most about when this game was made. By the fifth season, Gabrielle was far beyond the helpless girl that needed constant saving as she’s portrayed in this game. I’m not even sure if she was ever this helpless, but by the 5^th season she was a warrior by her own right. Playing this now a day, it might be easier to mentally place this game as a first season filler, but I can’t help but sympathize with people who might have played this when it was new.

The game play is a pretty simple, early 3D hack and slash game, which is pretty much what you’d expect from the Warrior Princess (oh my god, a 2D Xena beat ‘em up platformer would be amazing: someone make that!). You (of course) play as Xena as you smack around opposing warriors, monsters and whatever comes your way. While the Sword is Xena’s main weapon in this game, the Chakram had to be an important element (beyond just being the art for the disk itself). You can actually control it’s direction which helps you solve some puzzles, beyond simply being a good range attack. There are also items to collect, such as scrolls for completion’s sake, defense and strength upgrades and temporary power items. All pretty standard stuff really.

But of course, as I said earlier, this feels like a very early 3D action game, so sometimes hitting your mark can be a little iffy. Hit detection isn’t what it should be, and mixing that with controls that aren’t great, fighting can be frustrating if you’re outnumbered or fighting a strong boss. What this game really would have needed was a targeting system, either an active one like Z targeting in Ocarina of Time, or an automatic one like in Batman Arkham Asylum. Considering this could be categorized as an action-adventure game, the action part of it is not really up to standards.

Xena: Warrior Princess is almost what I expected, but definitely not what I had hoped. I know that it’s my favorite show and that my hopes would have been a bit too high, but still this game comes in as average at best. The game play is clunky and the story is cliché, not reflecting what Xena was actually doing at the time of its release. However, it does have its positive points; the levels are diverse and fun to travel across, and some of the puzzles are neat (though they may be simple, they still fit well in the game). Really, I think, other than the story, this game’s main problem is the limitations of when it was released, as I’m pretty sure you can find a lot of similar “clunky” combat games from that time. For how awkward it feels though, it’s still very playable. I give Xena: Warrior Princess for the PlayStation 7 levels out of 10.

Level Up: The Little Mermaid

Today I’m talking about a Disney game on NES, and it seems like Disney and Nintendo are a very appropriate match for each other. They’re both known and criticized for their “family friendly” values and for having a certain style in their medium that some have called dull, repetitious and “overrated” over time. They’ve both seem to have been around since the start of their domain and if there’s someone who could challenge Mickey as the most recognizable character, it might be Mario (both their names even start with M!). I guess for these reasons and more, it feels right to play an NES game based on a Disney movie. This week for Femme-Month, we’re hanging out with Ariel in The Little Mermaid for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Talking about a Disney game on the NES, it should be of no surprise that it’s *Capcom Time*. As previously discussed, they did amazing work with Ducktales and Darkwing Duck. However, those were both series already rooted in action and adventure. While it was obvious for Darkwing to be a Megaman style game and Ducktales would be about adventuring to get rich… how do you make a game out of the Little Mermaid? I think they started by looking at the obvious: where does Ariel live? In the water. Much like the Legendary Starfy, this game is a free roaming platformer (and there are small sections on land, but they are very few and far between).  Much like with Starfy, it makes the game easy, but it does make it much more different that the other games I previously mentioned, and it works within its own world.

What else is notable about Ariel? She’s a mermaid, so she has a tail. Maybe she could use that to attack? However, instead of making it a basic tail whip attack, she launches bubbles which capture enemies. You can then grab those captured enemies to throw at other enemies or whatever needs to be hit. Think of this kind of like using a koopa shell in Mario, or how you could grab enemies and throw them in Disney’s the Magical Quest (actually, this game did come out before that one, so maybe it provided some inspiration?). In what would be an otherwise pretty boring game gameplay wise, this element shines through to make it a bit more complex and provide more of puzzle element.

Being adapted from a Disney movie, it does make sense that this game would have great music, and I have to admit, “Under the sea” was made to be chiptuned. *play segment if it is not background music*. The rest of the music is also pretty good. Appropriately, they tried to have the same type of calypso style for the levels, and it does make it a lot of fun for Ariel to dash through the water to this music. The sound effects mostly seem pulled from the standard Capcom library, but to nitpick, the sound of the bubble popping if you get no one in it is completely wrong.

The graphics are good. Considering the fact that the game takes place under water and on the NES, they actually did a good job. One way this was achieved is that the sprites don’t have a black outline, which gives them that sort of water color effect on them. There’s also the fact that it’s simply Capcom, and they’ve pretty much mastered their sprite style by this point. The size scale (no pun intended) isn’t quite right though, as most fish are half the size of Ariel (which is a TERRFYING concept), but in NES that’s a common thing I suppose. Yeah, all around good quality around the aesthetics, which you should come to expect from the company behind it.

The Little Mermaid is pretty OK game, but there just clearly wasn’t enough put into it. I understand that it was likely made for younger kids at a time when games were already simple enough, but this game can be beaten in less than 30 minutes (and I don’t mean speed running it). Personally I beat it on the second time I played it, and the first time all I did was start it up to make sure things worked right and got a quick feel for the controls. If there was more to the game- more or bigger levels, harder difficulty, and more variety in game play- I’d be more likely to recommend the game. As it is, I certainly can’t tell you to avoid it, as there is fun to be had and the game is of great quality, but it’s very fleeting. I give Disney’s the Little Mermaid on NES 6.5 levels out of 10.