Review #533: Disaster Report

 Call 911, this is a disaster!

Just let her go. She is gimping the Framerate!

 Disaster Report was a rarity at the time of its release, a survival game in which the only enemies were your thirst and the environment itself. Survival games are a dime a dozen this days, but Disaster Report still has a charm of its own.

 You play as Keith Helm, en route to Capital City, a newly built city that has the oddity of existing on a man-made Island. But life ain't fair, and the entire city comes crushing down, victim of numerous earthquakes. Now Keith must make his way to the rescue choppers, and join up with whoever is willing to lend a hand. The game has impossibly narmy voice acting, and eventually the story takes a turn for the ridiculous featuring conspiracies and what not. It's a weird game, so your mileage may vary on the story. While you play the entire game as Keith, I didn't feel like the story was as developed as it was in its sequel, Raw Danger!, nor did it offer as many possibilities and choices. That said, there're two slightly different routes depending on a choice you can make midway through the game, so there's some replayability factor in here.

Not as impressive as its sequel.

 The game is very simple, you must traverse the environment, collecting items and drinking water as not to die of thirst. It's not a survival game in the truest sense, water fountains are plentiful, and double as savespots, but while your thirst gauge drops pretty rapidly, you can take water bottles with you, which can be recharged, in order to restore your thirst. And if you die you'll be taken back to the nearest section, completely healed, so even carrying healing items becomes unnecessary. Keith has a very limited storage space on his backpack, and the game loves throwing at you items that you won't ever need or you won't be needing until much later in the game, and in which case they'll have a spare lying around nearby. Regardless, most of the game is pretty simple, and you just need to use certain item on a certain spot to proceed.

 ...which is not to say that Keith isn't in any danger. There'll be moments when you'll need to hold R1 to brace yourself for earthquakes, lest you take damage. There'll be action sequences in which you'll have to run away from fallen debris or even stealthily avoid gunmen. It's not the most exciting of games, but for the setting that it wants to convey... it's appropriate.

The thirst gauge isn't as bad as it seems, water is very plentiful in the game.

 The game is very rough around the edges, controls are particularly clunky and movement is very... stiff. What's really annoying is the camera, you can't rotate it and must settle with pressing L2 to place it behind Keith's back... which isn't allowed at times. It's quite disappointing, since more control would've helped immerse the player in this bleak, devastated city. That said, don't even let me get started on the framerate... it's bad, it's veeeeeeeeeeery bad. Most of the game will be played under 10FPS or maybe even less. It can make a few of the well placed slower-paced sections unbearable, since they are already slow to begin with, but the framerate makes them lose the impact they could've had.

 The best thing about Disaster Report is how it makes me appreciate its sequel so much more. Mind you, Disaster Report is a very decent game, a great concept but just a passable execution. Everything this game does, the sequel does even better. Except the framerate, that one's bad in both games.
 6.0 out of 10

Now Playing: Disaster Report

 Took some time, eh!

She reminds me of a certain celebrity...

 Finally I got my hands on the Raw Danger's prequel, Disaster Report and... it's quite janky, as expected. For starters, I'm finding the focus on Keith mre interesting than a rotating cast, and I think i dig the Earthquake scenario a bit more than the flood.

 All in all, I've not much to say. The game is very similar to its sequel, which is both a good and a bad thing, since that makes it very quirky and unique... but also very dated and rough around its edges. Only time will tell if the story and setpieces make it better.

Review #532: Galactic Wrestling - Featuring Ultimate MUSCLE

 Weird doesn't come close to describing this game.

Kinniku Mantaro gets to be on the cover over his father! Hey, USA was fond of the OG's toys!

 You might've heard about MUSCLE, a 90's era miniature collection that people used to love.... well, they came from Kinnikuman, a manga and anime series from the late 80s. Galactic Wrestling is a Wrestling game I used to play when I was younger, when I knew very little about the series, and even so, I found it to be fantastic. Over 10 years later... the game is still just as good.

 Disappointingly, for a licensed game, there's no story mode, but there's a decent amount of modes to make up for it, as well as a few bonus intros between specific characters. There's VS(CPU or Player), which can be 1 on 1, 2 on 2, Tag-team and 3 or 4 man battle Royales. As for fancier modes, there's Survival, Mask Hunt, in which you play as Neptuneman and Big the Budo and try to finish off specific opponents with your Tag-Team ultimate to steal their masks, Team Battle and Tournaments. It's a decent selection, although it could've used a few more bells and whistles. There's a 48 character roster, but there's a handful of clones in there that could've easily passed as alternate costumes, and maybe they should had, as clones tend to be alternate forms or costumes that characters once wore in the series.

Bitter enemies in the MUSCLE toyline, buddies in the Kinnikuman franchise!

 Controls are fairly simple, tap X for combo attacks or hold X for a stronger attack, tap or press circle to perform different throws. triangle to jump, and then you can dive for a grab or aerial attack, and square to dash or block. If they try to grab you, you can deflect it with a punch, and you can deflect punches by guarding, easy peasy. As you deal and receive damage you'll ignite three different orbs under your health bar, and you can use them for super attacks. L1+X performs a level 1 melee super, L1+O is a level 2 super grab and L1+R1 is your cinematic super attack. The right analog stick is used to ask your tag team partner for support or tag in-and-out with him. There's also a green gauge that fills as you fight, once full you get Muscle P, which increases your power for a short while, and in a few cases, also grants you other benefits, like regeneration or even invulnerability.

 The gameplay is very fast and simple, anyone can just pick up the joystick and start having fun with the game. That said, the game could've used better balancing. Some characters, like Rogue Shogun, are simply too strong, his Muscle P invulnerability makes him an incredible powerhouse. Speaking of the characters, while having so many clones is a bit disappointing, I think the biggest letdown is that it's missing some classic characters, namely, the five fated princes. At least Kinnikuman Super Phoenix and Kinnikuman Zebra should've been here, in place of fodder like 'Vance McMadd' or 'Grandpa'.

Warsman's about to lose his mask.

 Unlocking characters could've been made a little easier. Mask Hunt is a great idea for a mode, and it's fun, if only you weren't depending on an AI buddy. It can be so aggravating when you're building up your energy orbs, and depleting your target's lifebar since you must finish them off with the tag-team super, only for your idiot AI buddy to decide to waste both of your energy orbs on the tag-team super... but on the other opponent. You'll probably end up killing your target before both of your gauges refill. For as much fun as I had in that mode, and I did, the CPU vexed me so much at times. There're about 4 characters tied to the toys, basically, as you play through the game you earn Medals which you can then spend on capsule machines. The problem is... you can get repeated figures and you need to collect them all in order to unlock everyone. Pro-tip: Unlock Rogue Shogun first, then play Tournament, 4 opponents, Hard difficulty(It's not hard, I promise) and change the rounds on the last match to 3, you'll be swimming in coins in no time. Regardless, it's annoying having to depend on luck in order to unlock everything.

 One of the game's biggest strengths, and the one that makes this game so memorable, is its very colorful cast of characters. The designs are simple, but very distinct and snappy, so you'll have fun trying everyone out. Super moves are quite a treat, even if they are missing the franchise's trademark brutality. This is not another boring wrestling game in which Random Man#4(Blue tights) fights Random dudebro #54(Yellow tights), oh no, this is a game in which a guy with a hole for a face creates a portal to outer space and sucks in a golden giant made out of bricks and then proceeds to pummel him while inside a pink distortion somewhere between time and space. This is a very weird game, and it's all the much better for it!

Shivano's one tough cookie.

 Galactic Wrestling is one of the most unique wrestling games out there thanks to its fantastic cast of characters. If you light wrestling games... nay, even if you like fighting games the game is worth a look, and trust me, you don't need to know anything about the manga or the show to appreciate its brilliant weirdness.
 8.0 out of 10

Review #531: Prince of Persia - The Forgotten Sands(Wii)

 It could've been my favorite...

That 'bonus' game is a detriment, not a boon!

 And now we're onto the third iteration of The Forgotten Sands, the one released on the weakest home console of its generation, the Wii. The Wii usually got shovelware and The Forgotten Sands... is quite the exception, it's just what the Wii needed more of.

 Set between Sands of Time and Warrior Within, the Prince finds himself joined by a genie, one that promised him a Princess and a Kingdom. What follows is the Genie coercing the Prince into stopping the corruption of a Kingdom and save a princess. The tale is pretty charming, as a matter of fact, this game feels more in line with Sands of Time than any other sequel. The Prince is chatty and snarky, and gets to have a back and forth with the genie, who is constantly by his side. It's also worth noting that this is one of the best looking games I've played on the Wii, this is one of the few games that really show what that console was capable, and not only is it gorgeous, it also runs at a buttery, stable framerate.

Thankfully, the Genie is nothing like Navy.

 The game, just like any other modern Prince of Persia, mixes acrobatics, acrobatic puzzles and combat, but also has a few mechanics that make it feel pretty unique. Let's start with what's usually the series' weakest element: Combat. It's actually relatively good in this instance. You waggle the Wiimote to slash, and you waggle the nunchuck to punch. Yes, it's not perfect because motion controls never were, but it works most of the time. The slash-and-punch system works really well, and as you play you get to unlock more moves, by earning experience by defeating foes or smashing chests, giving you more options, like powerful jumping slashes, spin attacks, parries and what not. You can roll around by pressing down on the directional pad, and block with Z. It's simple, a bit rough, but it's the best combat the Prince has had yet.

 Platforming and acrobatics are pretty much the same as usual, run on walls, cling to ledges, the whole gamut. But it features three new mechanics that give you quite a bit of leeway on how you handle certain puzzles. Firstly, you get the Hook, which lets you place rings you can hold on to on special panels. You simply aim with the Wiimote and press B. Then you get the cyclone, which works pretty much the same, aim the Wiimote at special panels on the ground and press B to make a whirlwind appear which can propel you upwards. And then... you get the ability to place whirlwinds and rings on pretty much any surface. You've no idea how much freedom this gives you on how to tackle puzzles. But then, later on, you get the bubble, by pressing B while on the air the Prince will be temporarily encased in a floating bubble, and then you can jump outside before it bursts. The game does an excellent job of making you mix all these powers, as well as the Prince's natural abilities to produce a ton of puzzles and obstacles you haven't seen in any other PoP yet. It's an excellent mix of old and new.

The corruption takes the form of vines.

 The only thing I found myself missing was the Rewind feature, this game instead opts for a life system, of which you start with a max of three and can increase it up to six. Recovering lives is very easy, but if you happen to lose all of them you'll simply respawn back at the last fountain you drank from. You'll be able to unlock Prince of Persia Classic, the revamped SNES version, of which I'm not too fond of, and you can also unlock a couple of costumes, skins for the Prince's blade and a few challenge maps. There's quite a bit of replay value here.

 The game sounds fantastic, and it could've been my favorite Prince of Persia, but sadly, it has a few glaring short comings. Let's start with the Wii's analog stick: It's not very good, if you've ever held one you'll know what I mean, as it doesn't give you a perfect 360 degree radius of directions, so the Prince will inevitably fall to his doom a few times because you couldn't just get the angle right. The game also overuses Puzzle Doors, door's in which you must draw a connect-the-dots sigil, with the Wiimote, of course, and until you get it right it won't open. At the end of the game you have to draw four massive versions of these, and you won't be able to progress until you get them right. And the game will sometimes decide to mess with you by rotating the plates. The first few times it was cute, but the game overuses these doors to the point of annoyance.

Easily one of the best looking games in the system.

 The bosses feature conflicting designs, for whatever reason, as if different people where in charge of them.... or they couldn't decide what they wanted. The first boss, for instance, features three annoying QTE sections... and these are the ONLY QTES in the ENTIRE game. The next boss also follows the rules of threes, you have to defeat him three times and then press the correct button, with the Wiimote, of course, three times. It's barely even a puzzle since the game pretty much tells you what to do. The third, and final, boss has you depleting its health bar three times, and every time you deplete it you have to go through the same platform-obstacles to get to the top at which time a cutscene will trigger in which the Prince hurts the boss. It's inhumanely tedious, not hard, since it's so boring and long. Three different kinds of bosses, all of them rather lame.

 This easily could've been my favorite Prince of Persia game, if only it didn't have such big, but few, issues. Overusing the Wiimote for needless tasks, like the sigil doors was a big mistake, and they probably could've done a better job of automating a few of the Prince's jumps to make up for the Wii's analog stick. That said, it's a great game that's worth playing for fans and newcomers alike.
 8.5 out of 10

Month Overview: February 2018

 Tally:
Prince of Persia - Warrior Within 7.5
True Crime - Streets of LA 8.0
Prince of Persia - The Two Thrones 8.0
Marvel Nemesis - Rise of the Imperfects 1.0
Prince of Persia - The Forgotten Sands(DS) 5.0
Digimon Rumble Arena 2 6.5
Digimon Battle Spirit 4.0
Samurai Shodown - Warriors Rage 8.0
Digimon Battle Spirit 2 4.5
Le Mans 24 Hours 7.0
Digimon Racing 3.0
Digimon World 4 2.0
Prince of Persia - The Forgotten Sands(PSP) 6.5

 Quite a bunch of games this month! I finally decided to start playing Digimon games... they were kinda bland. Got reacquainted with a few gmaes from my childhood, some held up well, others didn't. There was variety this month!


Runner-up:

  The Two Thrones was a pretty good sequel to Warrior Within, righting a few of its wrongs... although still far from being quite as memorable as Sands of Time. Still, the Prince of Persia on PS2 has held up pretty well, and all three games are worth a look.

 Game of February 2018:

 I used to love this game back when I was younger, and boy oh boy am I happy to say that the game is almost just as good these days. It's got a few shortcomings, yes, but the core gameplay is great, and it does a good job melding all the different gameplay styles together.

Now Playing: Prince of Persia - The Forgotten Sands(Wii)

 I forgot the Wii could look THIS good.

Same cover, now with an ugly red note.

 Alright, so I popped in the disc, expectations at a medium level.... and the game blew me away just with the intro alone. This game looks like a diamond and plays like butter. No other PoP game has looked this good before, and the framerate is so smooth, at least when compared with the PS2 version. It's games like this that prove just how much potential the Wii really had.

 I played. And played. And played. I logged in about an hour chasing the demon-sand zombie-thing. I love the game, even though it uses motion controls for combat, they work well. Platforming is great and combat is, probably, the best it's ever been in the Prince of Persia franchise.

 I don't wanna jump the gun, but the game is already promising to be among the best Prince of PErsia games yet.

Review #530: Prince of Persia - The Forgotten Sands(PSP)

 Because the PSP is not forgotten.

The prince stands tall in the PSP's elongated box!

 While the PSP proved itself capable of running Warrior Within and Two Thrones, Ubisoft wanted something... less than just port of the Wii version, so what we got was a 2-D sidescroller with 3-D graphics. It's an interesting premise, you get the feeling of the classic PoP, albeit with all the modern obstacles and aesthetics.

 Sometime between Sands of Time and Warrior Within, the Prince finds himself captured by his own father. A fire Djinn knows of a prophecy regarding the Prince's bloodline ending him, so he'll put an end to the family before they end him. The Prince's father locks the Prince in a tower, for his own protection, but another mysterious Djinn appears before the Prince and lends him her power in order to defeat the Djinn. The set-up is pretty interesting, but it's very underdeveloped, you'll not be getting much story with the game, which is kind of a shame since the setup was so promising.

Combat always features 1 or 2 enemies on opposite sides of the screen. Same set-up all the time.

 As the Prince you'll slash your way through enemies, while jumping, climbing, scaling vines, walljumping, wallrunning, jumping from poles and the whole gamut, all in 2-D. They did a great job translating the 3-D Prince's abilities into 2-D, with a very simple control scheme. X jumps, Square slashes and circle rolls, while you also get a ton of context-sensitive abilities. The core moves of the Prince feel great, although you'll have to learn not to be too trigger happy, since the Prince might remember you were tapping X, in a futile effort to make him climb a ledge faster, and thus jump to his death as soon as he climbed the platform.

 The Prince doesn't have access to the dagger of time, but the Djinn lends him time-shifting abilities. Now you have lives, and if you die you restart at the closest checkpoint until they run out, when they do, you'll be transported back to the last fountain you visited, with your entire life stock replenished. It works well, it's fair and it does away with loading times, although I do miss rewinding back time. You control the Prince with the directional pad, while the analog nub is used to switch targets among things that the Djinn can manipulate. While the wisp that represents the djinn stands over an object, or enemy, you can hold R to accelerate it, or L to slow it down. It's a great mechanic, since it affects both platforming and combat.

Armored enemies can heal other enemies. If you obtained the charge attack you can break their armor swiftly.

 Manipulating time is a great mechanic, executed a bit poorly. The puzzles in the game are about quickly figuring out how to affect the environment in order to proceed, so you'll find your self jumping towards a pressurized leak of sand, freezing it in time to use it as a pole, an jump to the next leak and freeze it just before you grab it, rinse and repeat. You'll be freezing sand whirlwinds in order to move them, and then accelerate them to push you upward, slowing down or accelerating moving blades, etc. It's a fantastic idea, and when it works well it's a blast, it just so happens that the Djinn likes to predict, wrongly, what your next target will be. Many times it cost me my life, since maybe I wanted to slow down an incoming spiked log, but the game decided that I wanted to manipulate the sand whirlwind. Some areas were very vexing until I proceeded the way the game wanted me to proceed as opposed to the way I wanted to proceed. Sometimes you'll also be caught unprepared since you were expecting the game to auto-lock on to the upcoming obstacle, but turned out you had to aim at it yourself.

 Unsurprisingly, combat is still the series' weakest point. Firstly, collision detection is a bit wonky, which can make the first boss a major pain in the butt. Secondly, you can affect enemies with time mechanics, and when it works its great, since you can turn a few enemies berserk and have them attack their own allies! But also... sometimes frozen enemies will lose their collision detection, so you can't harm them. A few situations can turn unfair since not every enemy can be jumped over, and there're very few attacks in the the Prince's repertoire. You can unlock a few by spending collected elixir at fountains, but it's better spent on health upgrades. Throughout the game you can unlock three different swords, but each one has a bonus and a drawback. I just equipped the one that made your attacks unblockable at the cost of making you unable to block. But who needs to block if you can just spam square to death? Although it's better if you time it, since your attacks will deal more damage. All in all, passable at best, boring at worst. It would've been nice to have more opportunities to use time manipulation against enemies, like the area in which you can accelerate spiked ceiling tiles to smash your enemies to bits.

For a simple 2-D sidescroller, some stages are rather pretty. Others are quite ugly with muddy textures.

 The Forgotten Sands on the PSP had a lot of promise. It had some fantastic ideas, and while most of the execution was fine, at times it felt like it needed more work. A few levels could've used a bit more polishing, like the infamous rolling boulder sequence in which you've got just the right amount of time to make it through, and a single mistaken button will cost you the entire sequence. A few trap rooms too felt like they were nigh impossible to clear without taking a bit of damage. It's not a bad game to have on the PSP, but it hurts how close they were to making something really fantastic.

 If anything, I'd call this game uneven. Some platforming sections are brilliant, while others falter due to silly technical issues, like the automatic wisp. Combat can be decent, but it grows stale very quickly, since all encounters are basically the same. Some stages look gorgeous and have great level design to match, while others feature ugly looking textures that make some platforms look like part of the background. If you like the Prince, go for it, it's a better alternative than the DS game, but if you don't... approach cautiously.
 6.5 out of 10