Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

The Metroid Prime series have always been an oddball in the First Person Shooter genre.  Namely, It’s not really an FPS more so than an FPA (First Person Adventure which doesn’t really exist but should if the Metroid Prime series is any indication).  Metroid Prime 3, however, pushes the series closer to the FPS side of the equation. Read more

Carnival Games

Oh geez, this is only my first review and already I am outing myself as a closet “casual gamer”.  I admit it, I enjoy casual games!  There, with that entirely embarrassing revelation out of the way (and a drop in street cred. of Kevin Federline proportions) let’s take a look at one of the Wii’s latest forays into the world of casual gaming: Carnival Games.

Being on the Wii, chances are high that a game will not be catering to the hardest of the “hardcore”.  Well, maybe if you count paying 6 hour marathon sessions of Mah Jong as “hardcore”.  Um, nope (that falls under the “weird” category).  And based on the name, it doesn’t take a Michio Kaku (look him up) to guess that it would be a carnival simulator of sorts, a collection of mini-games themed like those found at the traveling carnival, deceptively difficult and designed to empty the pockets of overzealous ego-inflated rubes determined to put that giant newspaper-filled elephant into the arms of their tragically stuffed-animal-less girlfriends. Bingo!  Lastly, based on the fact that developer Cat Daddy Games does not carry the cachet of a Capcom, or even a Suda 51, you’d be forgiven for expecting less than a very polished product.  Luckily, this is one area where your (so far) insightful musings prove only partially correct.

Carnival Games is a surprisingly accurate recreation of a Saturday afternoon trip to the fair, only with more winning and less creepy stares from toothless, over-sexed and under-sanitized carnies.  The game manages to draw you into the experience from the very beginning as the title screen recreates standing outside the gates of a carnival, waiting to enter, while the barker, a classic staple of every carnival worth it’s overly salted food, clues you in on the various options before you.  You can choose to brave it alone or bring along up to three of your friends.  The single player game manages to be mildly entertaining due to the variety of games and the continual unlocking of new games and prizes (though none are very exciting).  That said, I recommend you don’t go it alone as playing with yourself is bad (or so my sixth grade catholic school health teacher would have you believe). Besides, a little healthy competition is good for you.  But be forewarned, you can’t unlock hidden content by playing the multiplayer mode.

Before playing any games you are given the chance to customize your character.  The options here are very limited.  You can choose between a male or female character, either adult or child.  You can choose from ten faces, hair-colors, shirts, and pairs of pants.  There are accessory items that can be equipped but only after being won in the carnival games.  While adequate in the most basic sense, the customization menu is missing some very elementary options, the most glaring of which is the ability to choose your race, Caucasian being the default.  This should be a standard feature in any game that allows character creation.  In general the characters designs are not bad, but feel uninspired, brightly colored and somewhat gaudy.  My only specific complaint is that the characters’ lack of arms connecting their hands to their bodies, in shades of Rayman, makes them look like arm amputees with a pair of gloves on their belt.  The graphics overall are well polished but bland; a shiny penny is still just a penny.  The occasional framerate hiccups are unusual given the fact that the game does not look like it should be taxing the Wii’s hardware.   Where the game does manage to shine, however, is the sound, which is surprisingly well done.  The obnoxiously noisy carnival atmosphere is in full effect, from the persistent background din of the laughing of children and the cat calls of carnies, to the cacophony of repetitive cheesy organ music.  One area that particularly stands out is the voice work.  Most of the “talent” lives up to their title, the dunk tank redneck, who mocks you for each missed throw, being an enjoyable example.

The various games at your disposal are your typical carnival fare: ring tossing, ball throwing, shooting galleries and a dunk tank, to name a few.  Most of the games are straight forward and make good use of the Wii’s motion control.  Some are fun, some are not, and there is an over abundance of “tossing” games.  In most of the games you simply mimic the gestures as if you were playing them in real life.  Like with all Wii mini-game collections so far (and probably to come), the accuracy of said gestures is hit or miss.  One specific problem I noticed was that the speed with which you must swing your arm in some games seemed to be too binary, making it hard to execute a throw anywhere between the two extremes of soft or hard.  Though the game uses the Havock engine, the physics never come across as exceptionally realistic.

Though hardly exceptional in any way, Carnival Games manages to be a somewhat enjoyable experience in small doses.  Some of the games are quite fun and the competitive multiplayer mode could add that missing spark to your next party.   Experienced gamers will likely deride it for its imperfect controls and immature presentation.  Families will enjoy it for its authentic carnival atmosphere and pick up and play accessibility. If you are a fan of mini-game collections and burnt out on Mario Party 50, it should at least be worth a rental.  Like you have anything better to do with your Saturday nights, nerd.

Graphics:
They went for the teddy bear but came home with the goldfish in a bag.

Story:
Once upon a time, the end.

Gameplay:
It’s like popping pimples, fun in small bursts.

Music and Sound FX:
You can clearly hear the sound of carnies guzzling whiskey bottles.

Game Over:
Casual gamers and families with children will probably enjoy this competent diversion.  Seasoned veterans need not apply.  The only things missing are the funnel cakes and Amber Alerts.

6 out of 10

Reviewed by Katrina Laffy

Bioshock

Sometimes turning off the game doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve turned it off in your mind.  When the game haunts you as you go about your life, something special is happening.  The game has literally hijacked a part of your brain and taken permanent residence there.  I can say with certainty that Bioshock has done exactly that.

Enter the underwater city of Rapture, which, at first glance, seems like a wondrous jewel of the Atlantic ocean where massive blue whales serenely swim past sky…uhm… “sea-level”scrapers.  All that changes from the moment you’re greeted by two denizens of Rapture.  One of them does not have a happy ending.  This feeling of “Something is horribly, horribly wrong here” does not end there.  In fact, it persist through the entire game.  Hideous corpses of what at least looked like humans, or was humans, can be found sporadically all over the place.  Disfigured people mumbling nonsense can be heard just beyond the next ornately decorated door.  Writings scribbled in blood on ads for a rhinoplasty.  Clearly, Rapture was a once city that one could be proud of, but since then, nothing has gone right for it.

The citizens of Rapture have not fared well either.  Their addiction to genetic enhancement have driven them insane.  They will brutally attack you at first sight with pipes, guns, and even fireballs, an example of a genetic enhancement, but they’re still pretty smart.  If they’re health is low enough, they will retreat to the nearest health station for an instant health recovery.  As disturbing as they look, it is the residue of humanity that shows up from time to time that is most distressing.  One of them sits in a room in despair over what they’ve become.  Another stands over a crib talking to a baby that’s not even there.  These “splicers”, as they’re called, could’ve easily been just some dumb enemies that’ll run straight at you while they’re being shot at, but they’re given more than that.  They’re given substance underneath the usual “kill you for no reason whatsoever”.

Besides these splicers, Rapture have another set of denizens, and there’s a reason why they’re on the box art.  The Big Daddies and Little Sisters, guess which is which, also roam the world of Rapture looking for the genetic material, called Adam, needed for genetic enhancement.  They’ll ignore you as long as you don’t get in their way.  Unfortunately for you, you’re going to have to get in their way.  Be afraid.  Be VERY afraid.  The Big Daddies may very well go down in history as one of the most well designed enemies ever!  That suit of steel isn’t just for show.  It really will take a lot to take down even one Big Daddy.  Don’t let their size fool you either.  They can run faster than you can.  They are truly worthy protectors for a worthy prize, the Adam that the Little Sisters have in them.

The Little Sisters also present a problem to you, but not in the same way as the Big Daddies do.  The game presents two ways to extract Adam out of them.  One will net you fairly more Adam while the other not.  This is the only way to get any Adam which is vital in strengthening yourself for the later, tougher enemies.  The choices may not seem too hard to make, but if you pay attention long enough during the game, and if there’s a shred of humanity in you, it will be clear why the decision isn’t that easy to make.

All this show, as good as it is, will not amount to much without the ability to interact with it well, and Bioshock delivers.  Aside from the customary weapons (pistols, shotguns, machin guns, etc, etc) Plasmids sets Bioshock’s gameplay above any other first person shooters.  Basically like magic, Plasmids give players unprecedented control over the environments.  Almost anything in the environment can be turned to your favor given the right Plasmids.  Even your enemies can be “Enraged” to attacking other enemies.  Even the gunplay is varied with a variety of ammo types like armor-piercing rounds for the machine gun or exploding shells for the shotgun.  No encounter will ever end the same way thanks to the almost limitless things you can with your armament of guns and Plasmids and the very environment you’re standing in.

A rose without thorns just wouldn’t be a rose at all.  Bioshock does have flaws.  Bugs and glitches of physics can be seen almost everywhere in the game.  None of them will stop the gameplay nor will they cause any irreparable harm to you, but they certainly break the almost perfect illusion of Rapture.  Also, the way Bioshock handles your death is somewhat controversial.  On the one hand, it frees you from that frustration of having to over again from a save file.  On the other hand, it lacks any real repercussion which takes away some of the exhilaration out of combat.

As first person shooting games go, Bioshock is certainly noteworthy.  As a piece of immersive experiences go, Bioshock has no equal until Holodecks become a reality.  Go.  Go directly to your game store.  Do not hesitate.  Do not wait.  Get an Xbox 360 and a cheap HDTV if you must.  Just go.  And don’t make me say “Would you kindly” either.

Graphics: Remember Gears of War?  Same engine.  Same results

Story: Don’t let the fact that I haven’t mentioned the story fool you.  It would be a disservice to you if I tell you anything at all.

Gameplay: Most people can only dream about gameplay this varied and engrossing.  Dream no more.

Music and Sound FX: Wonderful use of music of its era and extremely effective sound effects makes this an auditory masterpiece as well.

Game Over: Why are you still reading this?  Go!

5 of 5