 |
THQ Astro Boy Omega Factor
by SWSt
I recently dug out my old Gameboy Advance and have been playing on some of the titles that I missed out on first time around. Since Astro Boy Omega Factor had recently featured as a classic title in Retro Gamer magazine, I decided that was a good a place to start as any.
The game is based on the popular cartoon character Astro ... Boy (personally, I'd never heard of him, but then that's probably because I'm old). Omega Factor sees the robotic boy flying into action to save the world from a dastardly plot to make all robots subservient to humans. This amounts to a series of different stages where Astro Boy must fly, shoot and negotiate platforms, overcoming a variety of enemies and bosses out to stop him.
There are a number of things that really set Astro Boy apart from other, more generic platform/shooter hybrids. Chief amongst these is the presentation, and particularly the story which flows throughout the game. Every level has a cut-scene before and after it (and sometimes mid-way through as well) which charts the story. Never mind that the story is a bit bonkers and doesn't make a whole heap of sense - it really adds to the atmosphere of the game. Rather than simply doing a level because that's the one you are up to, you feel as though you are doing it for a very specific reason, explained to you through the cut-scenes and its accompanying dialogue. It also gives you a sense of progression and achievement as you move through the game. This is not just a generic shooter, it's one which makes good use of its licence and immerses you in Astro Boy's oddball world.
True, occasionally the cut-scenes occur a little too frequently and it sometimes feels as though for every 5-6 minutes of gameplay, there is 2-3 minutes of dialogue to read through. However, the cut-scenes are quite endearing and without them, it's unlikely the game would be anywhere near as entertaining (and you can always skip them if you really get bored).
Graphics, too, are excellent. Each level has a very different setting and hence a very different feel. Again, these graphical differences add to the sense of progression as the look and feel of the game changes as you move through the plot. Although relatively simplistic by today's standards graphics are clear, crisp and well-defined and have a pleasing cartoon like quality that captures the feeling of a cartoon. There is a huge variety in the different sprites used for the enemies. Some of these are fairly generic "evil agent" man-shaped enemies, others are far more imaginative; all are excellent. I particularly liked the frequent use of bosses which offer a bit more of a challenge
Sound is also surprisingly good, with creators Treasure squeezing some excellent tunes and effects out of Nintendo's little grey box. The tunes are catchy without being annoying, whilst the sound effects are suitable and very atmospheric. Sound is sometimes an area which can let games down badly, but there's no problem here.
It's the superb level design which is the real icing on the cake, though. They are generally short (typically taking less than 5 minutes to complete) and so are ideal for more casual pick-up-and-play gaming sessions. They are also varied and fun. Some are simple straightforward shooting levels, other are platform based, whilst still others see you having to defeat a series of enemies before you can move on. This mix of styles means that the game never becomes dull as no two consecutive levels are the same. Throw in the end of level bosses, and plenty of variety to hold your attention.
True, it's not the most difficult game in the world, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The game is such a joy to play that you will want to get to the end of it, and for once, even the most average of gamers stands a chance of doing just that. It's also a lot of fun, so even when you've completed it its replay value is high and it's a game you will return to every so often.
Controls initially seem a little daunting. Basic directional controls are accessed via the D-Pad, whilst the two buttons control other features like Jump. The shoulder buttons are used to access more advanced weapons and (this is where it gets more complicated) various combinations of all these buttons control other moves (such as the handy dash attack). Unlike many games, all these moves are available to you from the start and whilst there is a brief tutorial level, you do initially feel as though you have to learn a lot of controls at once. Initial fears quickly subside as the controls prove to be surprisingly intuitive and after a few short minutes of experimentation, you will soon have the hang of them.
Best of all, getting hold of this game is not going to bankrupt you. I bought a boxed copy in excellent condition for just over Ł5. For the number of hours' entertainment you will get out of this Omega Factor that is excellent value for money. I might not know a lot about the Astro Boy character or be able to comment on how faithful a representation this is, but I know a good game when I see one.
© Copyright SWSt 2011
Read the complete review |
 |
Power Rangers: Ninja Storm (GBA)
by Dentolux
Power Rangers: Ninja Storm is a Gameboy Advance video game based on the long running kids show of the same name. The series was known for mixing story segments featuring American actors with action sequences lifted from the Japanese Super Sentai shows. The combination was a big hit and no one seemed to notice the most politically ... incorrect casting ever. The girl naturally had to be the Pink Ranger, an African American was selected for the role of Black Ranger and the Yellow Ranger was an Asian chick. Speaking of the Yellow Ranger, did you know that they picked a girl for the part even though the fight scenes featuring the character were recorded using a costumed Japanese man? Is it a lady or a boy? Sounds like a Thai holiday nightmare come true.
STORY
I have very little to say with regards to the game's plot as I haven't got the foggiest what it is. The in game cut scenes merely show bad guys up to no good prior to a level starting. There's no text describing what is going on so I can only presume that they wrote the story in the game's manual, which I no longer have access to. I cannot even hazard a guess based on the TV show as I never watched it. When it originally aired I was too old to be interested and besides I was already tired of ninja stuff having watched reruns of the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles a million times over. I must however say that the show's cheesy theme song was rather catchy. Go, go Power Rangers... you mighty morphing power rangers!
PRESENTATION
The game's audio and visuals aren't terrible, but they won't be winning any gaming awards either. The graphics are nice and colourful, but the character designs don't seem to mesh. The Rangers are drawn realistically, almost as if they digitised the actors in question, but some of they enemies they fight look cartoony (such as a giant plant with a face which you encounter in level one.) It's almost as if two different artists worked on the title and didn't communicate with each other. That flaw coupled with bland repetitive backgrounds really lowers the quality of what you see on screen. The soundtrack isn't much better either. It's another example of a game with mediocre tunes that loop over and over to the point that they start to get annoying.
GAMEPLAY
Simple is the best word I could use to describe this game. You pick the Ranger of your choice and then control him through a number of side scrolling levels beating up the enemies that get in your way. Pressing the attack button slashes your sword which can be switched for a ranged weapon by picking up the relevant power-up. There are no combos to perform and frankly they are not needed as most of the bad guys you come across will go down in one hit. Using the L button performs a special move, but I barely used it as the regular attack seemed to get the job done. The only other significant move in your arsenal is a weak throw that can knock down oncoming enemies and break down obstacles that get in your way (such us fences or cars.)
Pressing one button to down weak enemies gets real old real fast and the tedium isn't alleviated by varied enemy types. All the bad guys you come across in the levels look the same aside from a slight tweak to the colour scheme of their outfit. The colour of your foe determines what is special about them (e.g the yellow ones perform a baseball slide attack, the red ones can take more damage before dying etc) but it is rare to see them do their thing as most of the time you knock them down before they can unleash any offence. The only variation comes in the form of end of level bosses who aren't particularly tough. They all have easy to memorize attack patterns so it is easy to fend them of with hit and run tactics. Some of the easier bosses didn't even require dodging as you could trade blows with them and win as your energy bar would outlast theirs.
Beating a boss isn't enough to complete the stage though. Before you clear the level and earn a password to save your progress you must battle a giant guardian by piloting your Ranger's transformable mecha. I was expecting the action to switch to a fighting game at this point, but what we get instead resembles a dance game. You press the prompt that appears on screen (for example A and up) to land a hit before the monster you are battling strikes. After dealing enough damage the bar at the bottom of the screen fills up allowing you to perform a death move that blows up the bad guy. One thing of note is that these duels always take part at a forest outside of the city. It doesn't matter whether the level you are on is underground, in a warehouse or alien lair you always end up in the forest. You know the developers were lazy when they cannot be arsed to draw enough backgrounds to cover every stage.
OVERALL
There's very little to recommend here. Power Rangers: Ninja Storm is a run of the mill side scroller that gets boring after a few minutes due to its overly simplistic fighting engine. I can only imagine that hardcore fans of the show with an age that doesn't reach double digits would enjoy this. They will be content with playing as their heroes and won't get frustrated as the title is lacking in difficulty. The parents who cough up cash to purchase it may however be less than amused when said child is pestering them again for a new game seeing as how Ninja Storm can be completed in one sitting. Do yourself a favour and give this a wide berth. If this game was a character from the show it would be the Turd Brown Ranger.
Read the complete review |
 |
Dragon Ball Advance Adventure (GBA)
by Dentolux
Dragonball Advanced Adventure is a GBA title that combines elements of a beat-em-up with those of a platformer. The game is based on the anime/manga created by Akira Toriyama (whose work includes designing the characters that feature in the cult classic Chrono Trigger and the wildly popular RPG series Dragon Quest.) Prospective buyers ... should be aware that the game is based on the original Dragonball series and not the follow-up Dragonball Z that is more well known on these shores. I was attracted to the title as it looked different from the usual DBZ fare which focuses more on one versus one fighting. Let us see if the departure from street fighter style combat results in anything worthwhile.
STORY
The game stars a young Goku, a boy with a monkey tail, who possesses incredible strength and agility. Viewers of the show will know that Goku's superhuman abilities come from the fact that he is a member of an alien race of powerful warriors called Saiyans. He crashed down to Earth and was adopted by a wise old man named Gohan who taught him martial arts. Think Superman with less red underwear and more gravity defying spiky hair. When the game begins Goku leaves his adoptive parent's home to join Bulma, a genius girl, who is on a quest to locate the seven legendary dragonballs.
Whoever has all the dragonballs will have the power to summon a dragon (oddly enough) who can grant you any wish you desire... sort of like a blue skinned Robin Williams minus the annoying voice. The game chronicles most of the Dragonball series which has our heroes search the land for the mythical balls. Along the way Goku will have to contend with the evil Red Ribbon Army (whose leader wants the balls to grow taller), take part in a number of martial art contests and thwart an invasion by a powerful green skinned demon named King Piccolo. If you haven't seen the anime you may be a little lost in this world of Japanese zaniness, but don't worry as brief cut scenes at the start of each level will explain what is going on.
PRESENTATION
Graphically the game captures the visuals of the show. The colourful character designs match the look of the anime and the fluid animation brings to life the fighting styles of the cast. Detailed backgrounds setup the location of each level which include caves, military bases, fighting arenas and jungles. Sonics are alright if nothing outstanding. The music is decent and the sound effects are what you would expect comprising of smacking noises when you hit someone and whooshes when you perform a high jump. There isn't much in the way of voice acting, but from time to time you'll hear Goku's Japanese victory cry when he downs a boss.
GAMEPLAY
The bulk of the game plays like a platformer. Goku moves from the starting location and heads towards the exit jumping across platforms, avoiding pitfalls and keeping away from traps such as rolling boulders. Most of the levels are fairly linear, with a few hidden areas which conceal power-ups that boost Goku's health and the range of his staff attack. To keep things interesting there are however a couple of maze like levels were you have to navigate through doorways to locate the correct path which leads to your destination. Patrolling the levels are a wide range of bad guys which include Red Ribbon's anamorphic soldiers, exploding robots, pterodactyls who drop bombs on you and demons.
In many platformers you are encouraged to avoid nasties, but not so in Dragonball Advanced. Goku can dispatch his foes with a combo of punches performed by bashing the attack button. By holding the d-pad in different directions you can unleash different moves such as flying kicks, staff tosses and a spinning baton shield that reflects projectiles back at the shooter. Holding down the right shoulder button also allows you to fire a Kamehameha (fireball style move) to hit opponents from range. The combat could potentially get repetitive as pounding one button normally gets the job done, but thanks to the fast paced action I never found the gameplay getting stale.
During the martial art tournament knockout rounds and certain boss fights the action switches from a platform/fighter hybrid to a more traditional 1v1 beat-em-up akin to something like Mortal Kombat. To triumph in these duels you have to reduce your opponent's health to zero before he does the same to you. Hitting your opponent enough times breaks his guard meter which will allow you to harm him and inflict some flashy aerial combos. To prevent spamming of Kamehamehas the projectile move is powered by a chi bar at the bottom of the screen. Firing a blast depletes the bar, but fear not as you can replenish it by landing hits on your adversary.
SUMMARY
I have to say that Dragonball Advanced Adventure is one of the most fun if not the most fun Dragonball video game I have ever played. It's a shame that the story mode can be finished in around two hours, but thankfully there is some extra content to keep you occupied once the end credits roll. For a start you can replay the game as Goku's rival turned friend Krillin. The hairless Krillin doesn't come equipped with a staff, but he is far better at jumping which makes controlling him feel different to the title's Saiyan lead. By playing the extra mode, which allows you to revisit completed levels, you can also find other characters hidden in areas which are not accessible the first time you play through the story.
Completing the story mode also allows you to play mini games which include a side scroller were Goku flies atop a nimbus cloud and a training segment were you have to break rocks which fall down from the sky. Of the unlockables on offer I suspect that fighting game fans will flock to the tournament mode that allows you battle in the martial art contest as Goku or one of the other fighters you faced in the main game. The package on offer should encourage you to plop the cartridge into your handheld for multiple playthroughs which compensates for the story's length. Overall you get a varied selection of game types for your money which stands out from other Dragonball games that feel like shallow cash ins. Whether you are a fan of the show or not the game is a platform fans' wish (no summoned dragon required) come true.
Read the complete review |
