Monochrome Emotion -- Inkheart Review

GamerNode - Books and movies don't often translate into magnificent videogames, and Inkheart is no exception. This DS adventure will not be winning any GN Nodie Awards this year, yet still maintains a few redeeming qualities and will appeal to less experienced gamers.

Inkheart is based on the film of the same name, which in turn is based on the best-selling novel by Cornelia Funke. The plot remains relatively true to the other media, although additions and omissions have been made to create a more viable videogame experience. The story revolves around Mo, a book restoration expert with the unique and magical ability to read books into reality, his daughter Meggie, and a few unlikely companions, all of whom are working together to stop some of Mo's most sinister past animations from wreaking even more evil upon the world.

Besides saving the world, the father-daughter tag team aims to rescue Meggie's mother, an early victim of Mo's supernatural gift. Whenever "Silvertongue" (Mo's nickname among fictional characters) reads someone from a book's pages into reality, someone from the real world has to take their place, becoming a permanent resident in what amounts to an alternate dimension. Nobody really wins.

Playing Inkheart is much like reading a choose-your-own-adventure book; the DS is held sideways, there is plenty of reading, and options are fairly limited. Each solution is generally not very difficult to figure out, because players are limited to only a few areas at a time and can only interact with a handful of objects in each location. Even so, the game doesn't feel so easy that it is insulting, just that players are simply going through the motions to reach the next area. The minigames that are sprinkled throughout the game, such as guiding a marten (weasel) over a maze of planks or following a looped and zig-zagged line with the stylus as it scrolls across the screen, break things up a bit, but seem slightly out of place and feel tacked on.

The relative ease of Inkheart is most likely in order to cater to the film's youthful audience, but certain features, such as the stars that indicate which parts of the environment are interactive, also work to remedy other issues from which the game suffers. In the case of the stars, which only appear if the A button is pressed, the problem is the game's visual uniformity, where no objects stand out from the background wash of dull-colored pixels. While this feature does help improve the game's pacing, it also removes much of the sense of exploration that adventure gamers seek. And the graphics are still not very good -- especially the mechanically animated and poorly detailed character models.

The game's audio, on the other hand, is both appealing and varied, making it better to listen to than to look at. There are many different compositions included in Inkheart, and they set the mood well, without becoming tortuously repetitive, as in some other DS adventures. Sound effects, on the other hand, are simplistic and generic, but they'll likely go unnoticed, or will at least be forgotten by the time the DS powers down.

Inkheart is not for the seasoned adventure veteran by any stretch of the imagination, but is instead intended for the same audience that rushed moms and dads to the theater to see the movie. Truly engaging puzzle-solving and high quality presentation are absent from the game, but its accessible control style and somewhat interesting plot make it at least playable.

Rumble on the Walk: The Street Fighter IV Inaugural Tournament in LA

On Thursday, February 19th, hundreds of Street Fighter fans, gamers, and passers-by found their way to the packed courtyard in front of Universal City Walk's GameStop store in Los Angeles, CA to witness and take part in the company's inaugural "Rumble on the Walk" Street Fighter IV tournament, the first of thousands to be held at stores across the country.

In addition to a 64-competitior tournament played on eight Xbox 360 consoles, the final rounds being displayed on a two-story high big-screen display for all to see, the event also included a raffle for multiple prizes -- headbands, autographed copies of SFIV, and an Xbox 360 console -- a costume contest, a "Best Street Fighter Move" competition, and a martial arts demonstration.

_{The bracket}

Almost as soon as the event began, the tournament bracket was filled to capacity, as was a list of 20 alternates, just in case any of the first-stringers suffered from strained thumb syndrome or fell unconscious at the sight of their opponent's street fighting ferocity. Both groups were lined up behind security gates and could be seen chomping at the bit like ancient gladiators or modern day UFC fighters.

I spoke with the group at the front of the line, including Player #1, the first registrant, "Big Dre Dre." He told me that claiming those spots was "a mixture of being early and being on top of this s***." Unfortunately for him, being the first in line only meant that he got to play first...against a friend occupying slot #2. "They play in order. That sucks." Dre would much rather have used his "Ken Bizzle" skills to KO unknown opponents.

_{The first three entrants into the tournament, including quarter-finalist "Big Dre Dre"}

Once the tournament got underway, things moved rather quickly, grinding down to the top eight street fighters in what felt like no time. In the quarter finals, two of the four matches -- Dre's crushing Ryu-Ken defeat included -- saw players who were down two rounds to none come back with three straight KOs, advancing them to the semis. At this point, matches played out on the big screen, where every super and ultra combo prompted "ohs" and "oohs" from the diverse crowd -- even babies looked on wide-eyed.

_{Sanchez vs. Gutierrez: "Round 1, FIGHT!"}

The final round was a best-of-seven match between Alex Sanchez and Ryan Gutierrez, better known as M. Bison and Balrog. Whereas earlier contests were exhilarating and suspenseful, this championship bout looked like a mismatch, as Gutierrez, or Gootecks, as he called himself, won easily in four straight rounds. This performance earned Gootecks a seed in the Evo 2009 Street Fighter IV Championship Tournament in San Francisco later this year, as well as a one-on-one match with Evo founder and Special Advisor to SFIV Seth Killian immediately following his victory.

Here's the final round of that epic confrontation:

^{Gootecks shows Seth Killian that he's the new kid on the block}

Fans thoroughly enjoyed the tournament, but it wasn't the only attraction of the evening. Four enthusiastic cosplayers were chosen from the crowd to compete in a Street Fighter franchise costume contest, where winners were determined by crowd applause. To no one's surprise, a scantily clad Cammy won easily.

_{Dudley, Q, Cammy, and Ryu pose for the camera}

In the "Best Street Fighter Move" competition, yours truly lost in not-so-grand fashion to the main tournament's runner up, who delivered a very vocal Shin Shoryuken to an imaginary opponent on stage.

Here's the winning move:

^{Mr. Sanchez caters to the fans with his Ryu impression}

...and my losing "Fei Long" impression:

_{I know it's not exactly a Fei Long kick, but I had to choose a character, and he was the closest I could think of}

Far more impressive than our fanboy antics, however, was the live Capoiera demonstration that took place in front of the stage about halfway through the event. A group of performers sparred with one another, performed acrobatic kicks and flips, and tumbled across City Walk like gymnasts doing floor exercises. It was enough to make me want Tekken's Eddie Gordo to join Capcom's Street Fighter IV roster.

_{Capoeira at the Rumble on the Walk}

GameStop's inaugural Street Fighter IV Tournament was truly enjoyable for all involved, from the old-school fans of the franchise, to the new, competitive players, to the random shoppers of City Walk who found the ever-more-mainstream gamer culture interesting enough to stop and watch. The manager of the City Walk GameStop store was especially pleased, saying that the event really helped out with regular foot traffic and general patronage, as well as obviously bolstering Street Fighter IV sales on both consoles -- especially for the Collector's Edition. He also said that Capcom was very helpful, providing plenty of merchandise and support for the event. In all, it was a great success.

In classic Street Fighter fashion, to everyone in attendance, "YOU WIN!"

_{"To GamerNode! <3>}

Voracious Simplicity -- The Maw Review

GamerNode - In an industry where many games rely on formulaic design and re-treading the same old beaten paths to be successful, it's very comforting to know that creative, original games do still remain. One such example is The Maw, an Xbox Live Arcade game that follows no established rules, instead setting out to define it's own style of rather peculiar fun.

The Maw is a third-person platformer where players guide Frank, a recently liberated ex-con alien, and Maw, a purple, cycloptic blob with a razor-sharp smile worthy of its name, through eight short levels, on the road to freedom. The sans-narrative tale begins when the prison ship the two soon-to-be friends were held on crash lands on an unnamed planet, thus freeing both from the clutches of their captors.

Very early on, Frank finds a remote energy leash that lets him latch onto Maw, as well as other critters, enemies, and obstructive objects throughout the journey. The actions associated with this leash mechanic range from moving boulders out of the way, to hurling explosive creatures at enemies, to uprooting annoying sentry guns, to tossing hapless victims into the Maw's gaping...Maw. All the Maw cares about, really, is eating; it is up to Frank to feed it. This causes Maw to grow, and to gain special abilities like fire breath, laser eyes, electro-zappers, and balloon-like floatation. These abilities, in turn, allow the dynamic duo to progress through simple puzzles leading to each level's goal.

Controlling Maw is not as easy a task as it may sound, however, as the basic 3D controls are somewhat imprecise. Players don't so much direct the Maw as much as simply let it tag along behind Frank. As a result, one might find him/herself running around in circles more than should be necessary in order to get the Maw to go to the exact locations desired. This often comes into play when trying to eat individual Yums (one type of Maw prey) or attack enemies/objects. A better route may have been to map the fussy camera to the D-pad and give players direct control of the Maw with the right analog stick.

Otherwise, the commands available to players work fairly well. Frank grabs the Maw with X, and everything else with B. Depending on what is in tow at that point, commands differ, but are all accomplished with simple, single-button input. This comfortable simplicity to a degree (but not entirely) redeems the game of its navigational woes. Yes, you will have fun playing The Maw.

The game's more endearing quality is undoubtedly its presentation. The bright and colorful 3D graphics are not what one might expect from the cutting edge HD era, as they are not terribly impressive from a technical standpoint, but they do fit the game's theme perfectly, and just about all aspects of the visuals are oozing with character. The style is reminiscent of a Pixar film, or DoubleFine's classic gem, Psychonauts.

The audio, too, fits the bill, with a score that sounds as close to semi-humanoid alien pop music as I could possibly imagine, mixed with jazzy synth-instrument tracks and borderline elevator music. The songs blend into the action so well that one might question whether they are plain and forgettable, or simply so perfectly matched with the gameplay that they become impossible to separate. Character noises and sound effects are silly and simple, again befitting the title.

The Maw is a simple, yet enjoyable game, with charm to spare. It may not be enamoring enough to ignore its gameplay flaws and the fact that it's not terribly deep, but despite those setbacks, it is still a refreshing change of pace that is worth playing.

Whaduya Get When You Cross A...? -- Halo Wars Preview

GamerNode - The gaming community has been waiting a long time for its first taste of Microsoft and Ensemble Studios' new take on Bungie's Halo universe in the real-time strategy game, Halo Wars. Many questions and concerns have filled the air, wondering if this attempt to meld the popular franchise with the historically difficult console RTS genre would effectively portray the fictional world that fans have come to know and love. More importantly, would gamers be able to pick up Halo Wars and have fun?

Judging from what we've played here at GamerNode, Ensemble Studios has managed to build this RTS from the ground up for the 360 in such a way that gameplay feels streamlined, without taking the player out of the equation. For seasoned RTS veterans, the "dumbing-down" of the genre may not be the most appealing premise, but for the 360, it appears to be just what the doctor ordered, and remedies much of what has made the genre so cumbersome on consoles in the past.

Players select individual units by placing the cursor over them and pressing the A button, or holding the button down and dragging the consequently expanded selection circle over as many units as desired. There are also "global" and "local" select-all functions mapped to the left and right bumpers, respectively, to help grab the bulk of the army more rapidly. These, along with a D-pad mapped ability to snap the camera to each individual mass of units across the map, make selecting units quite efficient. What's lacking, however, is the option to manually set up and select specific groups of units, something that could have easily been done with a simple shift function combined with the D-pad or control stick.

Commands to move, attack, collect, take over, etc. are issued with the X button, and although the player can't custom-define squads, pulling the right trigger does toggle through the grouped unit types for quick delegation of duties. The selector changes, depending on what is below it; clicking on land tells units to move, while highlighting an enemy readies an attack order. That much is fairly standard for the genre, but Halo Wars also allows units to perform secondary functions, such as the infantry's grenade bombardments or the Warthog's ram attack, quickly and easily with a tap of the Y button.

Where Halo Wars will most likely either win over or turn away fans is in its base-building and resource acquisition systems. Unlike the typical RTS, where the "base" area can expand as far as the player is willing to build (and protect) structures, Halo Wars restricts each base -- several will be scattered across each map -- to a small mall consisting of the main HQ and 7 surrounding support buildings. These are the typical soldier- and vehicle-growing centers, which double as centers for skill and equipment research, as well as two types of upgradable resource-generating centers. There is no harvesting of naturally-occurring resources in Halo Wars, only the drop-shipments from the UNSC at each of the bases' supply pads. This allows players to focus on building and combat without as many micro-management tasks on their plates. The process is very streamlined and easy to use.

On top of what seems to be a solid and functional RTS core, Halo Wars has the benefit of being able to layer on the well-established lore from Bungie Studios' Halo universe. This game takes place prior to the events of Halo, so the tale will still be somewhat original and inviting to Halo newbies, but dedicated fans will likely gobble up all of the familiar elements of the game world, high-production cutscenes, and references to other Halo games. Even the soundtrack, though composed by Ensemble Studios' Stephen Rippy, sounds very similar to the epic scores of the Halo trilogy, and indeed borrows elements from those works.

Halo Wars appears to be exactly what Ensemble Studios hoped it would be: a faithful translation of the Halo universe into an accessible and functional console RTS. If the demo is any indication, this game could be a hit from all angles. I'm not even a big Halo fan, and it's got me excited.

Second Time's A Charm -- Ar Tonelico II: Melody Of Metafalica Review

GamerNode - Gust is known for developing highly unique videogames, sometimes sacrificing wide audiences for implementation of very specific original design elements. If there was ever a game to break this niche status, the well-crafted Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica may be it. Published by NIS America, the still-out-of-the-ordinary Ar tonelico II improves upon its predecessor in nearly every way, and proves itself as a very worthy entry into the ever-growing RPG catalog.

Ar tonelico II takes place in Metafalss, a troubled land that is caught in the midst of a war between rivals the Grand Bell and the Sacred Army. These two groups both seek to steer Metafalss toward peace and prosperity, but each has very different ideas regarding how that goal would best be achieved. The Grand Bell wishes to obliterate the Goddess of Metafalss, who has neglected the land and its people for far too long, and then build a perfect world without her impeding the people's progress. The Sacred Army believes that the Goddess is the key to Metafalss' salvation, and that the Grand Bell must be stopped in order to appease her. As the story progresses and the intricacies of each faction are revealed, the lines between "good" and "bad" or "right" and "wrong" become increasingly ambiguous.

The game's story begins when protagonist and Grand Bell soldier Croix is given the task of protecting the exalted Lady Cloche from assassination by the Sacred Army. From there, the complexities of the narrative continue to mount through one of two entirely separate story arcs -- paths that are determined by highly consequential player choices. Regardless of which way the story is directed, it is consistently interesting throughout, with very few lulls in the narrative pace. Thanks to a map system that eliminates the long-distance travel and slow exploration of many other RPGs, players spend more time in locations that advance the plot, and less time getting there. By selecting destinations from a menu, players progress quickly and continuously drive the story forward.

Character development is a huge part of Ar tonelico II, and players will spend much of their time cultivating relationships with the special Reyvateil members of their party. Reyvateils are the magical female race with the power to cast powerful spells and understand the fabled Hymmnos language. By having conversations with these ladies and "diving" into their subconscious "soulspaces," they develop both as characters and as RPG party members. The Cosmospheres, which are essentially separate game-within-a-game adventures inside the girls' minds, are especially important for revealing the girls' thoughts and feelings, growing closer to Croix, and learning new song magic to be used in battle. For the player, spending time exploring these areas adds great depth to all of the characters, and sheds new light on the different aspects of their personalities. These quirky and unusual mini-stories don't fail to entertain, although it's possible that some players may show greater interest in the more action-packed "real" world of Metafalss. After all, what's an RPG without it's combat?

Ar tonelico II's combat is complex and creative, but not so much that it disrupts the flow of battle. In fact, fighting through the game's random encounters is a pleasure compared to many other JRPGs, and something players are likely to look forward to, rather than dread. As in the previous game, the song-magic-wielding Reyvateils are the most important part of the party, but between launching powerful, charged spells with these unique characters, there is still plenty to do. Vanguards, who occupy the front line in a four-person battle formation, will see the most action in any given fight, as they are tasked not only with inflicting physical harm upon their foes, but also with defending against attacks directed at the fragile Reyvateils.

Combat involves a series of timed attack and defense phases in which players use the Vanguards to fight in semi-real-time. During the attack phase, pressing the action button associated with a character (square for the top row, X for the bottom) along with a direction on the D-pad will make him or her launch one of three attacks on the targeted foe. Two to three attacks per Vanguard can be strung together before the phase ends. If a Reyvateil is singing a song, a small graph representing her emotions indicates which types of attacks will make that magic most effective. Other factors, such as the Reyvateils' connections with the Vanguards and each other (as cultivated through gameplay), also affect the strength of spells, which can be unleashed at any time during the attack phase with a tap of the circle button.

During the defensive phase, players absorb and deflect enemy attacks using the same Vanguard-specific buttons as in the attack phase. Timing these commands with a meter that corresponds to enemy actions will result in varying degrees of defensive success. Pressing the button just as the cursor passes over the horizontal meter's sweet spot will result in a completely deflected attack, while premature input will result in a few levels of partially cancelled damage. A split-second late, and the party will feel the full brunt of the blow(s).

This new battle system makes each fight fast-paced and interesting, and makes the player feel very connected to the action. Improving one's efficiency in battle over the course of the game is rewarding and enjoyable, so long as the player doesn't mind actively participating in combat. Coupled with the limited number of random encounters per area and the clear indication of impending battles, the entire combat experience in Ar tonelico II is very well put-together.

The game's audio, too, is above average. Even on the normally unimpressive English side of things, the game's voice acting is solid, and works with the game's oftentimes peculiar and innuendo-ridden dialog to further color the game's characters. For purists, a Japanese language track is also included. The musical score, however, outshines any of the voice work. From light and playful songs, to industrial beats, to dark, foreboding tunes, there is a composition for just about every occasion, and the game's key events are all the more captivating when experienced in conjunction with the appropriate compositions. Even with such variety, there is a common multi-instrumentational and folksy sound that persists throughout the entire soundtrack, which happens to be included with the retail copy of the game on a separate audio CD.

While possibly the weakest aspect of the game, Ar tonelico II's graphics are still quite charming. The game makes use of sprites that are reminiscent of the 32-bit era, treading along backgrounds made up of a mixture of 2D and 3D objects. The sprites themselves are bulky and bland, but the low-angle perspective of the environments, with very near foreground and very distant background layers creates a unique aesthetic that makes exploring the various locales just a bit more interesting than they would be otherwise. Unfortunately, the technical quality of these visuals is less praiseworthy than the style in which they are put together, and the whole package looks fairly dated. The minimally animated, hand-drawn character portraits that accompany the game's copious dialog segments, on the other hand, are very nicely detailed and quite appealing. That's a good thing, considering how often players will be staring at them throughout the long adventure.

Ar tonelico II is a shining example of how to improve upon a franchise's shortcomings and create a truly high-quality sequel. It is also proof that a game with very niche concepts can be molded in such a way that it becomes appealing to a broader audience than one might initially expect. Ultimately, though, Ar tonelico II is a great JRPG with a unique, though not exactly cutting-edge presentation, great combat, and an interesting, well-paced story. RPG fans shouldn't miss this one.

Throwback Fun -- Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? Review

GamerNode - With its new Disgaea series spin-off, Nippon Ichi Software stirs up fond memories of a bygone era, when side-scrolling, 2D action/platformers were all the rage, and the simple joys of jumping around and slashing/pummeling everything in sight were enough to keep us happy for hours on end. Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? for the PSP delivers those simple pleasures, while at the same time punishing players for thinking they're actually good at playing videogames.

In Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero, the ever-enslaved, explosive, penguin-shaped vessels for loathsome human souls are sent by their spoiled master, Etna, to collect the ingredients for the Ultra Dessert, after she discovers that her pantry has been plundered. Unfortunately for the expendable Prinnys, these ingredients are scattered across the Netherworld among ten uniquely-themed levels, and guarded by numerous enemy creatures and powerful boss characters, both from the Disgaea series and unique to this title. Because each Prinny can only withstand four hits before croaking (and just a single blow on hard mode), conquering these foes is not a very easy task.

The frequency with which players die rarely pushes frustration to its limits, however, possibly because the 1000 Prinnys available before the dreaded "game over" create a sense of comfort somewhere deep in the backs of their minds. Amid all the slashing, butt-stomping, bomb-chucking, and vehicle manning, the biggest gripe comes from the sometimes rigid feel of the game's controls. Rushing through the various stages is not really an option, as players employing that strategy will most likely only find the bottoms of many endless pits along the way. Care must be taken in order to successfully traverse the forests, fortresses, volcanoes, etc., and especially to defeat each area's boss. Simply mashing the square button won't work on these baddies; it will take timed butt-stomps to stun them, followed by short barrages of the Prinnys' regular and aerial attacks...and lots of dodging.

Throughout the journey, players will be treated to very pleasing visuals, with detailed 2D sprites moving across crisp and colorful 3D backgrounds. Character design is especially impressive, as each different type of enemy seems to convey its own personality simply by way of its appearance. Voice acting and sound effects also help to convey the silly nature of the characters, and the story in general. The game's soundtrack is enjoyable, albeit somewhat forgettable.

Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is certainly an enjoyable little game. It feels like a throwback to the SNES and Genesis days, which, along with its carefully rendered visuals and lighthearted audio, will put a smile on many gamers' faces. Even so, the game doesn't skimp on challenge, and I can guarantee that the "Hell's Finest" difficulty setting will keep any gamer busy for quite some time. This one is definitely worth a try...

... dood.