Insignificant Life -- Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon Review

Natsume's Harvest Moon series has been around the proverbial block. Since its early days on the Super Nintendo, the setting and plot have remained fairly consistent. Players would be responsible for taking a farm from its infancy to a fully functioning operation, and building a long-lasting relationship with a certain member of the virtual community. With Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon, it appears that Natsume has been reaching for new ideas. What it has come up with is an oversimplified and much less charming version of it's beloved series.

Innocent Life is set in the near future, and stars an artificial life form called, interestingly enough, "Life." He has been created by a scientist named Dr. Hope in order to calm the angered spirits of Heartflame Island. These inhabitants of the heart-shaped island are at odds with the human population for bringing technology too far and are threatening to destroy civilization with a volcanic eruption. Apparently, they are okay with robot technology that comes in the SHAPE of a human, though, so Dr. Hope aims to appease them by having his AI Pinocchio restore the ruins of the island.

At the same time, Life is trying to become truly human, but must first learn the value of life...by nurturing life. In the process he will work to improve upon his human attributes of humor, creativity, cooking, intelligence, love, and challenge. Your guess as to what "challenge" entails is as good as mine. Life's traits improve when he eats, sleeps, works the farm, etc., bringing him ever closer to becoming a real boy.

The premise sounds very promising, but in actuality, the game falters at every step. First of all, this is one of the slowest-paced games I've ever encountered, treating gamers to a tutorial-laden quasi-state of control for a full hour at the game's outset. For that entire time, the player's actions are restricted to clicking through dialog boxes and walking a maximum of two rooms before encountering the next block of drawn-out text. Additionally, there are long sequences describing how to equip and swing a hoe, plant seeds, and pour a watering can. These CANNOT be skipped or hurried along in any way. It would be VERY easy to put this game down in the early goings. I personally fought an intense internal battle to A) stay awake and B) keep the PSP running long enough to reach the actual gameplay. The experience was brutal.

When the player finally does take full control, there isn't really all that much to do. Life ends up being sent to bed around midday, simply in order to advance time and avoid boredom. The first time it rained in my game, I was told that I didn't have to water my crops. I instantly asked myself the question "What CAN I do?" At that point watering crops was my only option, so sleep cam around 10 AM. After a few weeks, even the primary tasks involved in maintaining a typical Harvest Moon farm are taken away, automated by a robot presented to him by Dr. Hope. The only action that remains for the player is to harvest and ship the plants once they are fully grown. Even the livestock are tended with some degree of automaticity, on top of the fact that the farm's capacity is limited to five animals per species.

With nothing to occupy the time, players are free to explore the surrounding areas in search of various wild plants, tool upgrades, and magic jewels. These jewels are of particular interest because they unlock new areas on Heartflame Island as well as opening up more farmable land. When it comes down to farming, each square is hoed and sowed individually, then watered each day - until your robot takes over, of course. Players run around with the PSP's analog stick and walk with the directional pad. The d-pad is useful for aligning Life precisely with each square of soil, but the game generally seems to handle that fairly well.

Basically, farming consists of shipping crops to buy more seeds - which grow more crops, and so on. Cash flows like water, so the rewards for playing eventually become non-existent. Other than more seeds to make more money, there isn't much else to buy. Tool upgrades are found for free via exploration, and there are no upgrades available to improve farm structures or living quarters. The piles of money one makes in Innocent Life are somewhat meaningless.

The game is very story-driven compared to other Harvest Moon installments, where the player drives the story. Additionally, the entire narrative only spans a single year - not the normal 30-odd years Harvest Moon veterans are used to. Each Sunday, when Life goes to visit Dr. Hope, the state of the plot is advanced, revealing more of the story on Heartflame Island. Mostly all of the conversations that occur throughout the week are trivial. Social interaction as a whole is only a shadow of what could be found in previous Harvest Moon games. There are fewer festivals and events for Life to attend, and the characters that populate the town are about as interesting as slugs. More importantly, there is no courtship/flirting, no marriage, and no family life. Playing as a robot has given Natsume the opportunity to remove one of the biggest aspects of the Harvest Moon series. I guess robots aren't that good at mingling, anyway.

Innocent Life is not bad to look at. Although the water lacks detail and the trees sometimes look flat, there is a good deal of variety in the environments, and the art style does carry a certain aesthetic appeal. When the camera drops low in the areas outside of the farm, the background vistas can be quite attractive, and the perspective creates a fresh and inviting look. The music is not bad, but I wish there was more of it. The same handful of background songs accompany the action, throughout. If there was just more of a variety, then the pleasant guitars, violins, chimes, and other instruments could make an even better impression. As it stands now, the soundtrack quickly becomes repetitive.

If "the future" means a setting relatively identical to the present, with automated tasks and a few stylized items, along with the removal of any meaningful social interaction and culinary appreciation, then Innocent Life has hit the nail right on the head. As I played, I managed to piece together a short bill of truths about the game. I found that there is no reason to keep the main character awake, because there is nothing for him to do; there is no reason to socialize, because the non-player characters are boring and useless; there is no reason to buy items, because they can all be found; there is no reason to tend the farm, because an automatic robot helper takes care of that job; there is no reason to make money, because there is nothing to buy; and ultimately, there is no reason to play Innocent Life at all.

Virally Enhanced -- Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition Review

Back in 2005, I could do nothing but praise the Gamecube version of Resident Evil 4. The incredible gaming experience it delivered pushed me so far as to call it a "masterpiece" and a "new benchmark." That praise was well-deserved. Almost two-and-a-half years have passed since then, and Resident Evil 4 has been ported to the PS2, PC, and now the Wii. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (RE4:WE) brings with it a budget price ($29.99) and the biggest overhaul the game has seen yet. The control scheme has been adapted to fit the unique console, resulting in what turns out to be the definitive version of the game.

RE4:WE is essentially the best of all previous iterations of the game. It features the graphical quality of the Gamecube version, with the bonus content of the PS2 version, a true 16:9 widescreen mode, and of course the the new - and old - control schemes. Otherwise, the game is completely unchanged. It is the same action-oriented quest it was two years ago, when it reinvented the series, and the survival horror genre as a whole.

Resident Evil 4 stars Leon S. Kennedy, who is on a mission to rescue the president's daughter Ashley from a remote location in the European countryside. What he runs into is a nefarious plot involving ancient parasites, mind control, and world domination. He gets his hands on a wide variety of weapons along the way, and finds himself in all kinds of places, ranging from forests and caves to a castle and a military base. The locales are all very well designed, and the game flows like butter.

The Wii Edition retains the camera system found in previous versions, where all the action is viewed from behind Leon, so the old Resident Evil control annoyances never become an issue. Up always moves forward, down always moves backward, and left and right always turn our hero in the proper direction. Because the camera always follows Leon, this is a more optimal and intuitive setup. Unfortunately, it isn't perfect - navigating through halls, turning corners, and avoiding enemies can feel pretty clunky when compared to the average FPS setup. The lack of strafing was somewhat of an issue when the game was initially released, and is even more blatant now. Another gripe was that Leon cannot move while aiming, leaving him more vulnerable to attack - especially from behind. This is a different type of game, however, and changing the basic movement controls would make for a very different experience, and might ultimately detract from the game's intended feel.

The adjustments to the control scheme for the Wii Edition are centered mainly around combat. Now, rather than moving Leon's laser sight with the control stick, players simply hold the B button, aim at a target on screen, and fire with the A button. The level of control is much improved as a result, and RE4 veterans will find themselves executing gunplay they never thought possible. Another big, but under-advertised addition to the game is the quick knife attack. Simply slashing with the Wii-mote without holding the aim button makes Leon turn to face the nearest enemy or environmental object and take a quick hack. This small change actually does a great deal to better the game's already fine pacing. Smashing barrels and boxes is as simple as standing nearby and swinging, rather than turning, aiming, and slicing. Close quarters combat benefits greatly, as well. Now there is a quick way to stunt an encroaching enemy's assault without any hesitation.

To reload Leon's gun, players either wave the remote or by tap the d-pad while holding the B button. Other changes to the control scheme are as simple as remapping buttons. Running is now accomplished by holding the nunchuk's Z trigger, and the map, inventory, and pause screens are accessed via the remote's face buttons. Finally, if none of this newfangled control scheme seems to work for you, Capcom has included the old style, too, which is automatically selected if the Wii's classic controller is plugged in. The Gamecube controller is NOT supported at all.

If you have gotten used to the older versions of Resident Evil 4, then be forewarned that the switch to Wii-world may not come as second nature. It took me a good 10-20 minutes and a few deaths to really get the hang of the new combat controls. After that jarring transition phase it was smooth sailing, though, and has become my preferred style of play. Don't give up on it too quickly, RE4 veterans. As for new players, I imagine it would be less of a problem, but still allow a bit of time for the learning curve. The new style is definitely the better of the two.

When it comes to Resident Evil 4's context sensitive actions, a few changes really work to the Wii Edition's advantage. No longer will players be asked to mash on the A button to run, slice, or break free from an enemy's clutches - those have all been re-assigned to a continuous shake of the Wii-mote. This is a much more natural and intuitive motion, and using the large muscles of one's arms make these segments easier to complete than the thumb-crippling action of the older versions.

RE4:WE does include all of the extra content and gameplay modes of the older versions, meaning the Assignment Ada, Mercenaries, and Separate Ways campaigns, as well as all of the new weapons, new costumes, and the movie browser are in there. I wouldn't exactly call this a bonus, but if the extras hadn't all been included, Capcom would not soon be forgiven. In any event, all of the new gameplay modes and options that are unlocked after the first play-through are excellent, and really complete the RE4 experience.

So if the original game was a "masterpiece" and a "new benchmark," then what is this enhanced port? Well, it is just that - a combination of all the best features of the previous releases, improved by a better control scheme and the addition of a small, but very useful command. It all comes at a discounted price, which is good, but expected for a two-year-old piece of software. Is it worth the purchase? If you haven't played Resident Evil 4, then there is absolutely no reason not to grab this game, and if you are a fan of the title, then you might want this definitive version in your library, anyway, but if you've played it before, and aren't drooling already, then save your money for something new.

(For a fully detailed review of the original game, please see the Smashing Bricks Resident Evil 4 Gamecube Review)

Nice Wrapping Paper -- Odin Sphere Review

Every so often, a game comes along that just says, "masterpiece." These are the games that ooze artistic values beyond what most have come to expect from this particular medium of entertainment, and also offer a gameplay experience that gamers do not soon forget. Odin Sphere tries to be this sort of game. Unfortunately, developer Vanillaware has fallen short, forgetting to support all of the thoughtful conceptualization and beautiful presentation with that which matters most - smooth, enjoyable, well-executed gameplay.

Odin Sphere is captivating from the second it begins. The fantastical storybook art style and epic score are like little pieces of candy that entice the player and beg to be consumed. The 2D hand-drawn artwork surpasses most any game on the market, with highly detailed and oddly caricatured character design, as well as unusually interesting backgrounds on which those individuals perform. Nearly everything is in motion - characters undulate with each breath, trees wave in the wind, stars swirl, mist wafts, etc. The world of Odin Sphere seems very much alive and possesses almost disturbingly fluid properties.

The entire concept of Odin Sphere is very creative. All of the events in the game take place within a small girl's storybook, and at the outset we see her sit down in a big comfy chair to do a bit of reading. Each area of the world (or chapter in the book) is made up of a web of smaller areas, connected at specific points. As in most beat-em-up titles, each of the stages is a straight 2D run from left to right, with various enemies showing up to spoil the party. The unique thing about Odin Sphere's levels is that they circle back around to the starting point, and form a continuous loop that can be traversed in either direction. Since there is no endpoint, the level is complete once all foes have been vanquished. At that time the player is scored, ranked, and rewarded based on performance, and the stage's exits open up. Because levels arranged in a web-like fashion, the path by which players may complete a chapter is not always the same. One may wish to defeat all enemies and collect all possible items, or alternatively, may want to make a beeline for the area's boss.

Probably the most stunning examples of the game's aesthetic might are the boss characters, of which there are many. It's too bad that they are often so large that the focused confines of the screen are too small to display them in all their glory. As a matter of fact, it is uncommon that many of the larger, nicer-looking enemies are on the screen for any great length of time, as the hectic hack-n-slash gameplay keeps players running all over the place...all of the time. This is not a terrible tragedy, however, because gathering too many sprites on the screen at one time could cripple Odin Sphere's fragile frame rate. As early as the title screen, slowdown is evident, and the problem reappears throughout the game - at times dipping near unplayability.

Odin Sphere's gameplay is very interesting. The game is caught between the classifications of action/rpg and side-scrolling beat-em-up, but never achieves the quintessential feel of what either genre is capable of being. As beat-em-ups (or hack-n-slashes) go, Odin Sphere is rather repetitive, boiling down to basic mashing of the square button with some aerial maneuvers thrown in and a HEALTHY amount of attack-and-retreat tactics. The game features special skills and items, but the aforementioned strategy generally remains intact. The RPG elements in the game are limited to gaining new psypher abilities by way of experience points, buying and selling items at vendors scattered about the world, and performing alchemy.

Alchemy, or maybe just inventory management as a whole, is an exercise in tedium that many gamers would do better to pass up. That isn't really an option, though, as it it pretty integral to the gameplay. Players are allowed such a limited carrying capacity that it is hard to make it through a full chapter without spending a significant amount of time juggling items. Most of these items are either synthesized from "material" and some other item or grown from seeds fed with phozon (the game's experience points). While the idea of creating a brand new item by combining its constituent parts is what I'll take the liberty to call "appealing," the execution of the idea just feels like an out-of-place or tacked-on endeavor.

The audio in the game is both beautiful and painful at the same time. The musical score is a beautifully orchestrated and not-so-repetitive pleasure to listen to. Nothing strikes a sore note, so to speak. The voice acting, on the other hand, can leave ACTUAL sores all over your ear canal if you are exposed to it for too long. Dialog is generally ridiculous, and despite a handful of solid performances, the actors make listening to said dialog even more of a chore. I found that changing the spoken language can provide some respite, simply because I don't know exactly what each sentence should sound like in Japanese. That workaround seems slightly counter-productive, however, since gamers really just want to hear smooth dialog - in a language they understand.

Overall, playing Odin Sphere is much like tearing through golden wrapping to find an empty box, or wearing a pair of perfectly shined, but soleless shoes. Something is missing, and that something is essential. The game is worth a rent, though, if for no other reason than to experience the brilliant veneer on this only quasi-enjoyable and experimental game.

P.S. - Bonus love for the cool title.

Multi-Dimensional -- Crush Review

Crush is the story of Danny, an insomniac who is looking to be rid of his sleepless condition. Doctor Ruebens introduces him to the C.R.U.S.H. (Cognitive Regression Utilizing pSychiatric Heuristics), a machine that allows him to explore the recesses of his own mind, in hopes of clearing out any issues that may plague his subconscious. Hopefully normal sleeping patterns can return, and Danny can be slightly less bugged out.

Gameplay in Crush is like a reversed version of Super Paper Mario, but much more complex. The world inside Danny's mind is a three-dimensional conglomerate of cubic structures, with stairways, platforms, boulders, and chasms everywhere. Using the special ability of the C.R.U.S.H. machine, Danny can flatten the complexities of his scattered brain into a neat two-dimensional package, thus allowing him to collect his lost marbles (literally) and clear each successive area in his mind. At first glance, the environments suggest that Crush is a platformer, but players will soon find that it is really much more of a puzzle game. Figuring out how to manipulate the environment in conjunction with the camera, and then executing that strategy is the focal point here. The platforming aspect of the game boils down to walking, jumping, crouching, and pushing objects, and is merely an embellishment on the puzzle gameplay.

The game begins with a series of tutorial levels, which could be construed as a thoughtful gesture on the part of the developers because they serve to familiarize the player with the mechanics of the game, as well as point out a few key elements of Danny's mind. Unfortunately, these tutorials are made tedious by the doctor's incessant commentary, which the player can't skip or speed up, and has the ability to make eyes explode and ears bleed. This is especially discouraging in a handheld game, since patience is at its lowest when gamers go mobile. The worst part is that tutorials return at the beginning of each of the three new areas that follow.

Once the tutorials are over, and Danny's mind is accessible sans-interruption, Crush shines as one of the most engaging experiences on the PSP. The game plays out a lot less like the aforementioned Super Paper Mario, and more like...well...nothing gamers have yet experienced. Rather than simply "flipping" in one direction from 2D to 3D, Crush is riddled with a plethora of different perspective changes. Beginning in the 3D world, players can rotate the camera 360 degrees, one-quarter turn at a time, and even shift the camera to a top-down view. "Crushing" is the main tool at the players disposal, and basically takes whichever 3D perspective is in view, and flattens it into a 2D representation. From a side view, distant platforms are suddenly made to be on the same plane as Danny, and from the overhead view, the entire level becomes a single surface. It is a truly innovative design, and creates an incredibly variety of navigation options. As the levels become increasingly complex, players will feel the same sort of tingle in the spatial centers of the brain as a Rubik's cube might produce.

The game is put together in such a way that it often requires lengthy and elaborate procedures to reach the exit in each level, and even more so if the player suffers from the disease of completism, as there are plenty of hard to reach doodads scattered about. The main collectibles in Crush, like coins in Super Mario Bros. or rings in Sonic the Hedgehog, are marbles. Once Danny collects enough marbles, the level's exit will open up, and he may progress to a new portion of his mind. In addition to marbles, each level contains special items such as thoughts and memories. Thoughts are designs printed on certain walls that, when crushed, do things like opening up "trophy mode" (time trial) for that particular level, or granting Danny the ability to jump higher. Memories are floating puzzle pieces - one per level - that unlock gallery photos when grabbed. Also lurking within Danny's psyche are cockroach-like creatures that represent his neuroses and will dump him out into the real world if they manage to make contact with him. Luckily, the same "crushing" mechanic that allows the player to navigate the environments also a weapon against these demons. Line them up against a wall and crush to make them go splat!

As the game progresses, more of Danny's history is revealed via clips of conversations between he and the doctor. There he remembers his past, and the player is treated to comic book style still drawings to illustrate the narration. Not only is the story surprisingly good for a puzzle game, but the artwork used to convey it is excellent. The hand-drawn images carry a certain dark quality that fits right in with the more mature themes the game presents. The rest of the game's visuals are solid, as well. The architectural appeal of the levels is a big draw, with different colored blocks stacked up in all manner of shapes and arrangements; the themed backgrounds that linger off in space add to the feeling of being within the mind, looming like suppressed thoughts over Danny's subconscious; and the stylish 2D presentation of the "crushed" mind is vibrant and alive, lacking the complex torment Danny's mind is usually plagued with. The point is that the visuals do for the game exactly what they should - besides being aesthetically pleasing, they augment the game's content and improve the overall experience.

The audio in Crush is an aural combination platter of tasty treats. I managed to become hooked on what I would call the Crush theme song, which plays on the PSP XMB, on the game's title screen, and during various in-game transitions. This, and the rest of the game's tracks are either relaxing and trance-like, upbeat, or mentally disturbing. Sometimes it's hard to tell which of those it is, but at all times, the music fits the game very well, and simply sounds good. The voice acting is very well done. The conversations sounds quite natural despite the scenario and the doctor's stereotypical Freudian accent. Sometimes the voices come out a bit muffled, though, and with the already-crappy PSP speakers the words become difficult to make out.

It's been a while since a puzzle game has done as much for the genre as Crush does. The game manages to inject a plot into the usually stale genre, keeping players interested in what will happen next. It also blends platform elements into completely fresh and fully realized puzzle gameplay without sacrificing the analytical nature of the genre. Although the platforming portion of the game is slightly substandard as a result of loose controls, the core puzzle dynamics more than make up for it. It is this unique new concept of manipulating one's environment from a variety of perspectives that make Crush great. On top of that, an attractive presentation both visually and aurally rounds out the reasons to keep Crush in your PSP library.

Back To School -- Brooktown High Review

Brooktown High is an abnormal game for the western market, but with the recent influx of new ideas and the broadening of the industry's reach, Konami has taken a shot and put it squarely in gamers' hands, on the PSP. Billed as a dating sim, Brooktown lets players live the (social) life of a high school senior, trying to keep grades up while earning money, remaining fashionable, making friends, and finding a significant other.

The game opens up with a sequence of questions that the player must answer in order to define the traits of the main character. It works much like one of those internet "personality tests" that people put on MySpace, except the results manifest via the character's in-game attributes. The four types of personalities in high school are apparently rebel, jock, nerd, and prep, which correspond to character traits of originality, athletics, smarts, and charm, respectively. Percentages are assigned to these four facets of one's character, giving the basic base stats to build off of throughout the game. Obviously, the goal is to be well-rounded and increase ALL of those stats, because they help with everything from grades to jobs to relationships. After a brief character creation using a handful of different faces, hairstyles, and postures, it's off to school.

The earlier MySpace reference is appropriate, because the game mechanics play out in much the same way as communication on the social networking site. At the outset of the school week, players have just a few minutes to converse with classmates, trying to talk to as many as possible before everyone's gotta run. It is sometimes frustrating, because with the finicky targeting, it is easy to talk to the wrong person and waste precious time. The pace is indeed fast, but it manages to find a balance between all the elements of the game. Once a class is selected, the entire week whizzes by, with a brief clip of the player's Friday afternoon activity -- be it work or a club. Classes, clubs and jobs all affect one's attributes, and serve as vehicles for character growth and for fitting into cliques. The game doesn't necessarily encourage this segregation, however; the groups merely serve to represent the nature of traditional high school archetypes. Actually, it is far more rewarding to interact with all members of the school, as greater exposure around campus and doing favors for others increases one's popularity.

Conversations are a big part of Brooktown High. They build the relationships that the main character is so eagerly pursuing throughout the game. Unfortunately, success or failure in these conversations does not come as a result of the player's knowledge of the other party, nor from their skill in deciphering the mystery of the opposite sex. Most of the conversations are obvious and predictable, with universally positive and negative choices. There is very little to consider when choosing words -- except when the selections are so vague that it is difficult to even figure out what exactly they are meant to convey. This is because rather than displaying the available responses in their entirety, the game offers only a few words to give the player a general idea of where things are going. It's a good idea, and makes the conversational flow more realistic, but the choices are simply too ambiguous and leave the player guessing too often. Expanding upon the everyday conversations of Brooktown, players find themselves charming the other students into flirtatious phone calls and weekend dates. This is where the most progress can be made in relationships, as these rendezvous' at the beach, mall, park, etc. can bring the player and his/her dreamgirl/guy closer, with plenty of mushy dialog and lovey smooching.

Between the routine activities of a stressful adolescent life, Brooktown High offers a number of mini-games to engage in, each of which has some sort of benefit or stat boost attached to it. These mini-games range from the DDR-inspired BoogieTron 5000 boombox to...strip blackjack? Some are mildly entertaining, but not for long. That's an overarching theme in Brooktown High -- bite sized entertainment. The game is actually fairly addicting, at first, with that "one-more-round" sort of absorption found in many games. Unfortunately, what it offers in initial captivation, it lacks in staying power. After week upon week of "wake up, use computer, go to school, talk to students, go to class, play mini-game, call girl, study, go on date," gamers will feel like they are just going through the motions.

Graphics in Brooktown High are pretty standard fare. The models are a bit cartoonish, and move in much the same way. Textures are lightly detailed and environments are few, as well as unimpressive. There are no glaring issues that make one's eyes sore, but there isn't much to applaud, either. On the plus side, the frame rate is always pretty smooth. As for the audio, it features a mix tape -worth of licensed indie/rock music, capturing that familiar old high school feel quite nicely. The game even features the Breakfast Club signature, "Don't You (Forget About Me)." The only problem is that mix tapes never had many tracks, and neither does Brooktown. You'll find yourself listening to the same tunes over and over, so unless you're a huge fan of these songs, they will eventually get old. The game includes a bit of voice acting, as well, and like the soundtrack, the dialog is limited. Characters may say just the first line of an exchange, or they may say nothing at all. The voices portray the stereotypical characters well, though, and I even let out a chuckle at one point.

Brooktown High manages to capture the essence of its subject matter very well. It doesn't cheapen the experience with overly theatrical or exaggerated content, but does present a fair amount of stereotyping. Mixed in are more complex personalities and more valuable ideals to try to hold on to the definition of a simulation. The game may not win any awards for graphics, sound, gameplay, or storytelling, but it doesn't utterly collapse in those areas, either, and is enough to keep a player entertained during the type of play sessions the PSP is intended for.