Let The Wild Rumpus Start -- Where The Wild Things Are Review

If you were ever a child (and somehow I'm willing to wager that you once were or currently are one), then you've likely encountered Maurice Sendak's award-winning tale, Where the Wild Things Are. Being one of the most acclaimed children's books of all time, it comes as no surprise that this story of a child's imagination and anger has been adapted into a Hollywood film. The film, of course, has given rise to a video game... and it's actually not bad. Although it is in every way a simplistic take on often-recycled video-game concepts and gameplay mechanics, Where the Wild Things Are is still an enjoyable platform adventure that will keep many players -- children and adults alike -- interested until the end.

As one might expect, Where the Wild Things Are more closely mimics the movie than the original book, but takes plenty of liberties in creating its own original plot. The game is about a boy named Max who lands his boat on the island of the Wild Things. The monsters, with some resistance and a mixture of hospitality and distrust, crown him the "King of All Wild Things," and enlist his help in escaping the island before it is destroyed.

While it is presented as a kids' game, the tone of Where the Wild Things Are is just a few shades darker than your average children's title. Max's relationship with the Wild Things is not all love and cuddles, despite what the game's "hug," "dance," and "roar" buttons might suggest. The themes of anger and loneliness aren't on display here as in the source material, but players will certainly question whether the Wild Things can be trusted, or if they will just as soon kill Max as exalt him. Watching Wild Thing Island fall apart on screen is also notably less flowery than the average children's tale. The game's atmosphere, like Spike Jonze's film, is somewhat reminiscent of Team Ico's work, and is peaceful, mysterious, and foreboding at the same time. The score and setting contribute equally to this, with orchestrated compositions playing over desolate island backdrops throughout the adventure.

Gameplay will be very familiar to most players, as it borrows from popular titles such as the Prince of Persia, God of War, and the 3D Mario games. The primary action consists of running, jumping, climbing, and swinging, as well as basic one-button melee combat with a few modest enemy types. Special actions such as flying and gliding are also possible with the help of temporarily equippable items. The controls are generally smooth and responsive, and the lengthier platforming segments full of falling pillars, ledges, vines, branches, and other obstacles are very satisfying. Max's less-than-Olympic jumping skills will make some maneuvers more frustrating than they should be, though, and the more combat the game adds -- particularly the frequent fights with "gunk" creatures toward its later stages -- the less interesting things become.

Although exploring the island is an enjoyable experience, it is also a very guided one. The range of Max's exploration feels very obviously and artificially limited, with only a few hidden places off of an otherwise well-beaten path. The Wild Things' village is a more open area, but there is very little to do there beyond collecting objects for the monsters. Max will collect items throughout the story segments, too, but the process never feels forced, unlike many other games. By the same token, however, this natural collection process rarely challenges players.

Where the Wild Things Are isn't about to win any awards for pioneering new technology or gameplay mechanics, but by borrowing from well-established franchises and settling into a genre designed for fun, Griptonyte Games has managed to create a charming film-to-game adaptation that many people will surely enjoy.

Goooaaaaalll! -- FIFA Soccer 10 Review

It's that time of year again: the stage is set and the most popular sport in the world is gearing up for next year's mega event, the World Cup. For now, the various Champions Leagues are underway, and individual clubs are competing in-between their national teams' World Cup qualifying matches. So what does this mean for gamers? It means that EA Canada has put forth an incredible effort with its FIFA franchise, and delivered what is one of the best football (association football, not American football) games of all time.

FIFA Soccer 10 is easily the most polished, fluid, and comprehensive football game I have ever played. The game features over 500 individual clubs from 30 leagues in 24 countries throughout the world, as well as 41 national teams, each of which is fully customizable in terms of squad makeup, player roles, team formations, tactics, home stadiums, etc.

On the pitch, controlling the team is one of the most intricate, yet still manageable systems in gaming. A new 360-degree skilled dribbling system, by which players can use advanced moves to skip past defenders, as well as better contact between players as they fight for the ball, makes man-to-man challenges more realistic affairs. Just about everything that one might expect to see on the pitch in a professional football match is possible in FIFA 10, and moving the ball feels smooth and natural. Of course the most impressive feats of ball handling and playmaking aren't easy, and the game challenges players to develop their skills as they play. With practice, however, one can turn the game into a highlight reel usually reserved for ESPN and YouTube.

Along with the advanced player controls come smarter opponents and realistic on-field tactics. Matches, especially between top flight teams, are always intense, and statistically even match ups tend to be low-scoring ones, staying true to the sport's real-world counterpart. Each player's presence on the pitch is substantial, making careful passing and man-marking essential for earning victories. Recklessly punting the ball downfield has become just as ineffective as one might expect it to be. FIFA 10 isn't like videogame MLB or NFL, and is certainly no longer just a game of electronic foosball; you have to earn your goals through smart and skillful play, and it feels incredibly satisfying when you do.

New to the series this year is Virtual Pro, which lets players create a football star who improves as he is used throughout all of the game's modes. It is also the first implementation of EA's Game Face technology, allowing players to create a 3D model of their own face from a photo online, and then transfer it to the game via a broadband connection. Players can use their virtual pros in the game's returning Be A Pro mode or take them online to participate in the new Pro Club Championship, where groups of players form clubs and vie for top honors in Regional Leagues against other player-built clubs.

Both Be A Pro mode and Pro Club Championship place each player in the role of a single footballer throughout the entire match, and are as much learning experiences as they are competitions, especially the former. With constant rewards and punishment for my performance, I found myself paying less attention to the broader scope of the action on the pitch than to my chosen player's positioning, passing, ball control, and shooting. The feeling is reminiscent of individual participation in real-world sports, where players are but a small part of a bigger machine, and must operate in synergy with others for the good of the team. The downside to these game modes is that players have far less control over the development of each play, and may at times feel detached from the action, or even less interested in the game. Playing online, however, the adrenaline rush of competition minimalizes that feeling.

Building upon what was available in FIFA 09 is Live Season 2.0, something that has the potential to be a footie fan's dream come true. In this mode, players download the current schedules and scores of the league(s) they'd like to follow and participate in, then have the opportunity to re-play and alter the outcomes of those matches in their personal season, all the while tracking progress against what is happening in the real world. With each match, the virtual teams have only one shot at "changing history," as there is no retrying the matches downloaded from EA's servers. Friendly games are available, but when it comes to the big show, everything's on the line, and just like in real life, players will find themselves feeling the pressure of all that is riding on each contest.

Finally, Manager mode has been heavily reworked with big improvements to the transfer system, player development, scouting, and financial matters. Opposing AI managers will make wiser decisions both during and outside of games, too. The assistant manager feature is a big help for less savvy managers, and will take care of much of the match-to-match minutia when activated. For pros, though, this mode is a surprisingly deep experience for a game that is not entirely dedicated to team management.

FIFA 10 is an all-around winner. Not only does it greatly expand upon previous franchise iterations, but the improvements to its core gameplay prove that EA Canada is devoted to what matters most to fans, and makes this game one of the greatest virtual translations of association football to ever grace videogame consoles.

A Rare And Dangerous Beast -- Demon's Souls Review

Although countless dungeon crawlers have been released throughout videogame history, there has never been anything quite like From Software's Demon's Souls. This Atlus-published action RPG uses sprawling, atmospheric worlds, haunting game concepts and mechanics, an unconventional control scheme, and formidable difficulty to envelop players in an experience that is easily one of the best of the year.

Amid a thick fog, Demons have descended to claim the souls of the living, and it is up to players to walk a path between spectral and corporeal planes of existence, slaying these beasts and restoring the world to its former, peaceful state. This will take place across five distinct locales, each guarded by up to four major demons (bosses) and a multitude of less epic foes, all of which are unique to the areas that they inhabit.

Unlike the throwaway encounters in many other games, Demon's Souls makes each new confrontation, from the delightfully distinct and often awe-inspiring bosses, right down to the game's basic enemies, a significant event to be taken very seriously. It is easy to be killed in Demon's Souls, especially when enemies attack in numbers; a slow, thoughtful approach is usually the most effective. Combined with the already overwhelming supernatural themes and lonely, imposing environments, this instilled sense of danger engages players much like a survival horror title. The fear of the unknown lurking around every corner and the apprehension with which players are forced to proceed through each surreal and, at times, downright creepy world make exploration in this game highly suspenseful and engrossing.

Death is a very fluid concept in Demon's Souls, and operates like a distant evolution of the ring health system in Sonic the Hedgehog. When players are killed, they lose all of the souls -- the game's currency AND measure of experience -- they have collected from killing enemies, and are revived in "soul form" at the beginning of the level. They may then continue as if still alive, but with less health and a slightly augmented difficulty level, until they defeat a major demon or revive using a special item. When they come upon the site of their prior death, they may reclaim their lost souls by touching their own bloodstain, and the only serious loss is time. Dying before reaching the bloodstain forfeits those lost souls forever. The Sonic analogy deals with the idea that any isolated death is minimally consequential, but two deaths in a row, without reacquiring what was only temporarily lost the first time, is detrimental to players' progress.

Leveling a character is immensely important in this oppressive game world, so players may find themselves doing a bit of grinding to earn more souls on more than one occasion. Although an initial character class must be chosen from a list of 10 at the journey's outset, only by trading souls for stat boosts will a character truly develop into a specialized warrior. Just because a character begins as a knight doesn't mean he or she can't ultimately become a powerful magician or priest, and vice-versa. Likewise, a huge list of weapons and armor can be upgraded using souls and ores in a myriad of ways, including many special weapons with powerful effects, each tailored to a different type of character. Two separate (and UNequal) blacksmiths offer different upgrades, making the depth of this tiered upgrade system quite incredible and offering new goals for which players will strive throughout the game.

Demon's Souls features a unique control scheme that maps left and right hand actions -- blocks, parries, normal and strong attacks -- to the four shoulder buttons, quick-access consumable items to the square button, and a lock-on/target swap function to the right analog stick. Players can roll out of harm's way with the circle button and quickly swap equipped weapons, items, and spells with the d-pad. Other intricacies include the ability to wield a weapon with two hands if it is otherwise too heavy for the character to use, or simply to improve its efficacy in battle. This all feels very natural and quickly becomes second nature, although there can be occasional hangups and mistakes related to the lock-on function, and the third-person perspective, action-oriented gameplay, and level construction may leave gamers searching for a jump button that isn't there.

Players have significant influence over their characters, from stat-building, to equipment management, to in-game action, but there are still elements that make the game feel much bigger than the players themselves. A very original online component has been implemented in Demon's Souls, allowing players to make both positive and negative impacts on others' games. At any time in online mode, players may select from dozens of phrases (warnings, hints, irrelevant banter, etc.) in the game's menu and leave them as glowing messages on the ground, viewable by anyone on the server in their own single-player games. Phantom versions of other characters also make short, intermittent appearances as players traverse the same areas at the same times, and soulless bloodstains can be touched to reveal visual playbacks of how others have met their demise at those particular locations. Additionally, special stones allow players to enter others' games, either to help slay demons, or to kill the host player in exchange for revival from soul form. This intertwining of worlds works well and expands upon the epic feel of Demon's Souls.

The primary reasons for faulting Demon's Souls are mostly tantamount to the game's successes. The game's difficulty and the slow grind of progress are most likely to repel easily frustrated and impatient players, especially because retreading old ground repeatedly can cause one to become more impatient and try to rush through the familiar parts, only to act carelessly and fall into a cycle of... death and frustration. However, the rush of danger throughout the game and the feelings of conquest that come with each incremental success compensate for (and wouldn't exist without) these obstacles. Also, the story is unfortunately nowhere near as riveting as the gameplay, but the minimalist approach to narrative also lends itself to the game's desolate atmosphere.

Demon's Souls is a unique and awesome experience. Its immense and immersive world, fine control scheme, deep gameplay, and creative concepts are hampered minimally by the frustration of the grind and a daunting level of difficulty. The game engages players from beginning to end, and keeps calling them back for more. PlayStation 3 owners would be making a mistake to pass up what is one of the best games of 2009 so far.

One Word Review | Kingdom Hearts

This is One Word Review, a concept that I shamelessly lifted from my friend Creighton over at Nerdology (it's okay, he said I could). The idea behind OWR, as we like to call it, is that videogames are so often rated, reviewed, and discussed to exhaustion that it is sometimes a relief to read a succinct, definitive description of a game--a single word that sums up the most prominent characteristics of the gaming experience. That's the idea, so here goes:

Fairytaley