Anyway, I found a copy of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, which is the sequel to Aria of Sorrow that I already own. Not that it would have mattered if I hadn't, because video game sequels aren't the same as movie sequels; keeping track of the plot lines isn't mandatory, unless it's a hard-core RPG like Final Fantasy. (As a matter of fact, I played Golden Sun: The Lost Age before the first game, and I finished Sonic 2 way before I even got to play the first Sonic.)
This was the first game in the series released for the DS, and it shows, because they've made sure to use the "Touch-screen ability" in a slightly odd way. In order to properly defeat any of the mid-bosses, you need to quickly trace out a pattern on the screen to break the "seal" on the enemy. This is done with the stylus or the fingertip, but since the rest of the game is played with the traditional button arrangement, and the boss scenes are kind of fast, using this system is unwieldy. It smacks of "Hey, let's do this because we CAN!", when um, sorta, no, they shouldn't.
Nonetheless, the game is still excellent. It was also under $30 which is a good price for a DS title, even one from a couple of years ago. Now all I have to do is wait for Order of Ecclesia to come out, and that will be very soon!
The other game I scored was NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, one I'd been looking for since we acquired the Wii.
The original game of NiGHTS into Dreams was released for the Sega Saturn about ten years ago, and it became one of the few "must-have" titles for the under-rated console. I've never had the opportunity to play it, though I did get to play the Christmas edition; Ta Andrew!
Yuji Naka was part of Sonic Team, developer of the excellent Sonic the Hedgehog games duh! for the Mega Drive. He created the character NiGHTS so that the player could experience the ability of flight, allowing the character to twirl and glide around beautiful surrealistic landscapes. Though the lead character never achieved the recognition of his blue-spiked counterpart, he developed a strong fan base, and ever since then gamers have hoped for an official sequel to the seminal game.
Naka was at first reluctant to return to the game, explaining that he wanted the original experience to stand on its own terms, as a work of art. However, clearly he has relented, because I now own the excellent sequel.
It is beautiful - and tricky. I am using the Wiimote-with-nunchuk configuration, as the controls for the character are quite delicate. I'm finding it a little hard to steer NiGHTS in the correct direction at times, especially when I have to try and aim for a small target. Incidentally: the standard analogue controller for the Saturn was designed specifically for the original NiGHTS. But playing the main levels is fun, and I'm enjoying finding out the best way to make links and collect the blue chips.
My housemates had a look-in of the game while I was playing it the other day, and my nephew finds the game enthralling. He sat there quietly watching as NiGHTS paralooped and twirled across the screen. I thought, "This is better than those SpongeBob DVDs!"
The others gave it a positive grade, though my sister said that the cutscenes were rather overdone - Let's spoonfeed our players, shall we? Considering that the game is supposed to appeal to a wide audience (including younger children) , that is understandable - though why do I have to play through them every time I start the game from scratch, and I can't skip through them, ARGH?!? - oops, not the time and place for it...
Then my sister said that it was "obviously designed to appeal to young girls" - Whaa?
Okay, so I was playing as Helen at the time - I'd already played through the first level with Will the day before, you see...
Despite its appearace, the game is NOT easy. In fact it's quite tricky to get a good score in the game, and I said as much. Then I said that it wasn't the kind of game she would be into, because "you're more into the sandbox-type of game, anyway".
Eep. We launched into a big debate about the games we're into after that. Basically the pros and cons of the Sims, and Animal Crossing, etc. etc. etc.
I feel the need to say this on her and my behalf.
My sister is not necessarily into the "Sandbox" type, which implies the "free-form" game that doesn't have any specific goals. Rather, her preference is the "Non-Linear" game, that doesn't expect you to achieve a Gold Medal, but rather a free-form multi-outcome experience. This explains why she's also into the Pokemon series, and also certain RPGs like Golden Sun and Legend of Zelda (though GameFAQs comes in very handy with those)!
Whereas my favourites are:
- Puzzle games, like Tetris or Columns (or arguably Pacman)
- Puzzly Adventure games, such as the Myst series
- Role Playing Games, like Legend of Zelda or Golden Sun (something we have in common!)
- Platform games - Sonic and Mario Bros. fall squarely into this camp, of course!
PS. Upon reflection, I realise that NiGHTS is, um, kinda gay. but hey, at least it's not Cho Aniki.
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