cracwhore
17th Dec 2005, 06:29 PM
So many games, so little time...
Animal Crossing: Wild World
But, What's The Point?
I had my doubts about the game. I never bought into the hype that my friends tried to sell me on the Gamecube version. The game seemed to be 'Real Life: The Game'. You pay off your mortgage, work, deal with friends and d-bags...
Yeah? So what? I do that on a daily basis.
How could that possibly be fun as a game? Why would I ever need or want a game that emulates the misery of life?
Well, it's been a week - and I still don't know the answer to that question. However, I must concede - the game is fun. Sometimes, too fun.
The Power To Be A Dick
One of the most entertaining aspects of this game is the amount of control you have over your town. The WIFI multiplayer only sweetens the deal.
Your 'goal' is to live your life. You buy a house and pimp it out, 'MTV Cribs' style. You are rewarded by how well your home 'theme' works. Want to turn your living room into the lunar suface? Have at it champ.
You create your own town song, a town flag - you can be a dick and cut down all of the trees, dig holes in people's yards...
Should you feel it necessary - you can mail dirty letters with monetary bribes to anyone in the town (or in the town of your friend). You can mail them some clothes with your flag emblem on it, or a pile of trash. Whatever you feel like.
There is a town bulletin board where the shop owners and the mayor will post important information. For example - when the local shop will be closed for remodeling, there will be a notification. When the town holds a fishing contest, it will be posted.
If you don't check it often, fear not - the townsfolk will mention the weekly activities in your conversations. Some of them will talk trash about how they think you cheat...at fishing.
However, you'd be missing out on half the fun. You can post whatever you want onto the bulletin board. Slanderous comments about the shop owner? Sure. You want to write something nasty about your friend for everyone to see? Go for it.
Should you find the ancient fossils of the 'missing link' - you could donate it to your museum for all to enjoy - or - you could sell it and rake in the cash.
Some of the 'people' living in the town will look up to you and become your friends. They'll talk about how they dislike other people and conspire to rip people off (if your personality persuades them enough). If you're a dick, people will treat you like **** and try to rip you off.
Your friends will often times give you free 'things' (furniture, etc.) and greet you with a 'secret greeting' or phrase (which they will ask you to supply).
My favorite so far is 'Mein Fuhrer!'
When you're down on your luck and broke - your friends will support you and give you items that you can either keep, or sell for profit.
So why are people so addicted to this game? What's the catch?
For me, the hilarity of it all. The propaganda if you will.
Buying Gives Me Purpose!
At the start of the game, you are in debt. You owe something like $60,000 on your mortgage and to pay it off, you become the personal slave of the loan shark. I can't recall who said it (it may have been the loan shark / shop owner) - but someone suggested that 'soon enough', I'd be making money that I could spend on other things. And as such, these things would give my life meaning.
These things you ask?
Furniture. Stereos. Clothes. Instruments. Accessories.
The game is filled with capitalist propaganda. Add to the fact that you can turn your town into a modern Fascist society and invite your friends into to town to hang out and marvel at your sick creation?
But What About The Two-Screened Gimmick? Is It A Map Again?
Thankfully, it's not a map. However, it is rather gimmicky (at least it's pleasing to look at).
The top screen - 90% of the time - is the sky. Literally. The world is 3D, and the sky moves along with it (which looks nice), but it's hardly useful.
That's not to say they didn't incorporate it at all. There are 'gifts' tied to balloons that you can watch out for. You can shoot those down with your slingshot.
Also, the sky changes with the time of the day and weather. Sometimes, you can search for constellations (should you feel the need to), other times, the sky is a depressing gray.
When you enter a shop or house, the top screen simply turns black. The touch screen is used to navigate through stores, rotate the camera, sell items, communicate, etc. Pretty lame, but it works I suppose.
This doesn't hinder your progress at all, nor does it necessarily aid it.
My biggest complaint is that in the outdoor environment - you have no control over the camera. When you're fishing, sometimes a tree will be blocking your view of the river. The only way to solve this problem is to cut down that mother.
Is This One Of Those Games That Makes You Perform Tedious Tasks Such As 'Switching Items' Through The Touch Screen - Rather Than The 'L' And 'R' Triggers?
Yes. Yes it is.
You will often times need to switch between the 'shovel', 'fishing pole' and 'axe'. Doing so, requires you to load the touch menu, watch the game lag for a second as it transfers the 3D world to the top screen, grab the item and drop it onto your avatar, watch a little 'movie' of your character equipping said item, exit the menu, watch it lag again and then hope that you still have time to aim and shoot down that floating 'gift' in the sky.
Basically, it takes five seconds when it should (and could) take one.
Just one of those things that Nintendo loves to do, for some reason.
Verdict?
We have a winner. Pick it up
You'll have the most fun with this game online with your friends.
Each town has it's own NPCs - unique fruit trees, etc. You can go to your friend's town and steal some fruit from his trees and bring them back to your town to plant.
If your town isn't nice enough, maybe your NPCs will migrate to your friend's town (which, apparently, they will do).
Should you be forced to play without the WIFI - don't worry. New NPCs show up every now and then. Some of them are antisocial, others will go out of their way to be your friend.
It's quite odd...
It's a collection game. If you are obsessive compulsive, you will never stop playing this game.
If you've got the spare time to dedicate to the game - at the very least, a half hour per day - go for it. Be warned, unless you have the ability to ignore all of the 'events' that go on in the town - this game will consume your life much like the lives of your friends, before they started playing 'WoW'.
The only downside (aside from the ****ty menu 'equip' function and the censorship of some of the more 'colorful' words) is that you can't pull a coup de grâce on the mayor and expand the town into an actual empire. You can't amass the townsfolk to gather behind your cause to invade Europe and force your religion and way of life onto the unsuspecting towns. You can't kill people.
Maybe in the sequel, huh?
Regardless, it's still fun for some reason.
I haven't tried the WIFI yet, simply because I'm still building my loyal, fascist empire fanclub. However, once my empire small group is a force to be reckoned with has enough cool stuff to sell for inflated prices, the gates shall open and the inhabitants of 'Berlin 6' - the true Reich - will rape your mothers and sacrifice your first born kin be the primary source of shenanigans in your town by posting slanderous comments onto the bulletin board!
That's about all we'll do though, so it's nothing to worry about I suppose.
Mario And Luigi: Partners In Time
You may be thinking...
'That sounds like the title to a gay porn movie...
And if you weren't - you are now.
Don't let that fool you. The game is really about Mario and Luigi, going back in time and teaming up with their childhood incarnations of themselves.
Ok, that didn't sound any better...
Either way, the game is the sequel to 'Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga' - the famed GBA RPG. However, if you haven't played the first one - fear not - the game is not tied to that timeline. It can be enjoyed by itself. Although, I would argue that you should enjoy the first game as well.
Gasp! An RPG!? For My DS!?
Yes. Finally. An RPG. And not a lame push-over port. An actually original RPG!
The artwork is excellent. Great sprite animations, surpassing even the 'golden age' of the 16-bit consoles.
As with the previous game - Mario and Luigi is filled with humor.
At one point, a man was insulted by my talking breifcase (don't ask). I believe the term he used was 'Nincompooter'. Delightful.
The butt of most jokes - as usual - is Luigi. He is a big *****.
And besides, when a primary function of your battle system is throwing babies...
Controls / Battle System
Basically, the game fuctions like so:
The game allows you to avoid enemies or to enter combat. The enemies walk around in the environment (much like 'Chrono Trigger', 'Mario RPG', etc.). You can jump on them, hit them with hammers, etc. previous to entering combat to stun them or damage them. Of course, they can also hit you and catch you off guard or automatically deal damage at the start of the battle.
Once you enter battle, you may be slightly confused. The system is quite simple - however - it is different.
Like every 'Mario' title - the basic mechanic is 'jumping'. You can jump to hurt enemies as they attack you - by way of timing your counter-attack. When your turn is up, jump to activate the menu blocks above your head.
Basically, it's turn-based RPG battle with jumping.
Each button is a character. Sometimes, you have only two. Other times (with baby and adult versions of Mario and Luigi), you have four. The buttons are 'stacked' in that 'A + X' = Pair of Marios and 'B + Y' = Pair of Luigis.
The babies ride 'piggyback' - and when jumping to avoid attacks, you only need to jump the adults. You only need to worry about the babies when it comes to attacking.
Both babies and adults have their own stats. So, they all act as their own party members in that sense. However, when their attack 'turn' rolls around - they act in sets. So, basically, you have two turns - but within each attack - you can perform a combo attack. As one of the brothers is about to jump onto the enemy, you simply hit the 'baby' button first ('Y' or 'X'). After the baby hits, you hit the 'adult' button ('B' or 'A') to finish the combo.
Here's where it gets a little...'Nintendo'...
When you attack - as in - using a standard, everyday 'turn-based RPG' attack - you must hit the button corresponding to the attacking brother - as he hits the enemy.
So, say you've taken Mario, and he's jumping onto a goomba. Well, as he's about to land onto the enemy, you must hit 'A' to damage the goomba. If you don't, he will hurt his ankle, deal maybe '2' points of damage and hop away. This also allows for critical hits. Should you hit 'A' at exactly the right time - you could deal a critical hit which is worth about two to three times your usual damage.
Now, here's where it becomes even more tricksy...
There are combo attacks that require you to alternate between all of these buttons. To be honest, some of them are extremely difficult to pull off. For example, one of the harder 'Bros. Attacks' throws one of the babies onto a spinning turtle shell. If you start with Mario, baby Mario is throw onto the shell. To start, Mario must kick the shell using 'A'. The shell will fly towards the enemy - and now - you must hit 'X' to have baby Mario hit the enemy. Now, the shell deflects to Luigi, who must kick it back by hitting 'B'. Once the shell reaches the enemy again, baby Mario must (again) hit 'X' to damage the enemy.
Basically, those are the complicated 'Bros. Attacks' - which only become more complex. The one I described above is the first one you learn.
Avoiding damage isn't as complex. Often times, you'll have to jump one, or both of the brothers at the opportune moment to avoid damage. Most enemies will attack one of the brothers at a time - you'll just have to watch to see who they attack and time your jump to avoid the hit. Sometimes, they'll trick you into jumping, when the only way to avoid the attack was to stand still.
But I Like A Serious Story In My RPG!
Don't play this then - although - I'd argue that the gameplay is good enough to keep you entertained.
Just remember, the story is for the most part - a joke. It's filled with humor and silly animations. If you want a tragic game where people die and it makes you sad, this isn't your game.
It's A Map Screen, Isn't It?.
Yes. Yes it is.
The top screen while you're exploring the world is a map screen. And a terrible map screen at that.
Basically, it's the worst map screen in a DS game to date!
It's an illustration of the 'zone' you're in. Now - instead of the 'Bros. Avatar' showing your position in real time? The icon jumps around.
It's difficult to explain...
For example, when you're in Peach's Castle - you start in the 'royal chamber' or whatever it's called. Now, when you go 'left' - you would expect the map to show your avatar in the room directly to your left? Sorry.
What happens is, your avatar teleports to some random part of the illustration, where nothing on the drawing represents what you're exploring. The only resemblance it shares is that it's 'on the left'.
Basically, EA has made better use of the second screen.
During combat, the top screen is a little more useful - but more often than not, it shows clouds and looks pretty.
When the Marios and Luigis split up to solve puzzles - they each get their own screen (which I suppose is useful, somehow?) - despite the fact you can only control one pair at a time. Granted, there are puzzles where you alternate between the two pairs, where it comes in handy.
Anything Else That Sucks?
Not really. The game is pretty solid, aside from the useless second screen.
Verdict?
Great RPG. Great artwork. Lots of fun to play. It will keep you entertained for hours. Thankfully, the 'rumble pak' works with this game - nice to see that they're actually supporting that thing.
There's no multiplayer support, and yeah, the second screen is a waste of battery life. However, it's an excellent RPG.
Could it have been made on the GBA? Yes, without a doubt. Hardly any of the DS functions are used at all. It's a 'sequel', no doubt about it.
Pick it up if you've been looking for a solid RPG to play. If you've been looking for an RPG that takes advantage of the microphone, WIFI and touch screen - sorry - wrong game.
Animal Crossing: Wild World
But, What's The Point?
I had my doubts about the game. I never bought into the hype that my friends tried to sell me on the Gamecube version. The game seemed to be 'Real Life: The Game'. You pay off your mortgage, work, deal with friends and d-bags...
Yeah? So what? I do that on a daily basis.
How could that possibly be fun as a game? Why would I ever need or want a game that emulates the misery of life?
Well, it's been a week - and I still don't know the answer to that question. However, I must concede - the game is fun. Sometimes, too fun.
The Power To Be A Dick
One of the most entertaining aspects of this game is the amount of control you have over your town. The WIFI multiplayer only sweetens the deal.
Your 'goal' is to live your life. You buy a house and pimp it out, 'MTV Cribs' style. You are rewarded by how well your home 'theme' works. Want to turn your living room into the lunar suface? Have at it champ.
You create your own town song, a town flag - you can be a dick and cut down all of the trees, dig holes in people's yards...
Should you feel it necessary - you can mail dirty letters with monetary bribes to anyone in the town (or in the town of your friend). You can mail them some clothes with your flag emblem on it, or a pile of trash. Whatever you feel like.
There is a town bulletin board where the shop owners and the mayor will post important information. For example - when the local shop will be closed for remodeling, there will be a notification. When the town holds a fishing contest, it will be posted.
If you don't check it often, fear not - the townsfolk will mention the weekly activities in your conversations. Some of them will talk trash about how they think you cheat...at fishing.
However, you'd be missing out on half the fun. You can post whatever you want onto the bulletin board. Slanderous comments about the shop owner? Sure. You want to write something nasty about your friend for everyone to see? Go for it.
Should you find the ancient fossils of the 'missing link' - you could donate it to your museum for all to enjoy - or - you could sell it and rake in the cash.
Some of the 'people' living in the town will look up to you and become your friends. They'll talk about how they dislike other people and conspire to rip people off (if your personality persuades them enough). If you're a dick, people will treat you like **** and try to rip you off.
Your friends will often times give you free 'things' (furniture, etc.) and greet you with a 'secret greeting' or phrase (which they will ask you to supply).
My favorite so far is 'Mein Fuhrer!'
When you're down on your luck and broke - your friends will support you and give you items that you can either keep, or sell for profit.
So why are people so addicted to this game? What's the catch?
For me, the hilarity of it all. The propaganda if you will.
Buying Gives Me Purpose!
At the start of the game, you are in debt. You owe something like $60,000 on your mortgage and to pay it off, you become the personal slave of the loan shark. I can't recall who said it (it may have been the loan shark / shop owner) - but someone suggested that 'soon enough', I'd be making money that I could spend on other things. And as such, these things would give my life meaning.
These things you ask?
Furniture. Stereos. Clothes. Instruments. Accessories.
The game is filled with capitalist propaganda. Add to the fact that you can turn your town into a modern Fascist society and invite your friends into to town to hang out and marvel at your sick creation?
But What About The Two-Screened Gimmick? Is It A Map Again?
Thankfully, it's not a map. However, it is rather gimmicky (at least it's pleasing to look at).
The top screen - 90% of the time - is the sky. Literally. The world is 3D, and the sky moves along with it (which looks nice), but it's hardly useful.
That's not to say they didn't incorporate it at all. There are 'gifts' tied to balloons that you can watch out for. You can shoot those down with your slingshot.
Also, the sky changes with the time of the day and weather. Sometimes, you can search for constellations (should you feel the need to), other times, the sky is a depressing gray.
When you enter a shop or house, the top screen simply turns black. The touch screen is used to navigate through stores, rotate the camera, sell items, communicate, etc. Pretty lame, but it works I suppose.
This doesn't hinder your progress at all, nor does it necessarily aid it.
My biggest complaint is that in the outdoor environment - you have no control over the camera. When you're fishing, sometimes a tree will be blocking your view of the river. The only way to solve this problem is to cut down that mother.
Is This One Of Those Games That Makes You Perform Tedious Tasks Such As 'Switching Items' Through The Touch Screen - Rather Than The 'L' And 'R' Triggers?
Yes. Yes it is.
You will often times need to switch between the 'shovel', 'fishing pole' and 'axe'. Doing so, requires you to load the touch menu, watch the game lag for a second as it transfers the 3D world to the top screen, grab the item and drop it onto your avatar, watch a little 'movie' of your character equipping said item, exit the menu, watch it lag again and then hope that you still have time to aim and shoot down that floating 'gift' in the sky.
Basically, it takes five seconds when it should (and could) take one.
Just one of those things that Nintendo loves to do, for some reason.
Verdict?
We have a winner. Pick it up
You'll have the most fun with this game online with your friends.
Each town has it's own NPCs - unique fruit trees, etc. You can go to your friend's town and steal some fruit from his trees and bring them back to your town to plant.
If your town isn't nice enough, maybe your NPCs will migrate to your friend's town (which, apparently, they will do).
Should you be forced to play without the WIFI - don't worry. New NPCs show up every now and then. Some of them are antisocial, others will go out of their way to be your friend.
It's quite odd...
It's a collection game. If you are obsessive compulsive, you will never stop playing this game.
If you've got the spare time to dedicate to the game - at the very least, a half hour per day - go for it. Be warned, unless you have the ability to ignore all of the 'events' that go on in the town - this game will consume your life much like the lives of your friends, before they started playing 'WoW'.
The only downside (aside from the ****ty menu 'equip' function and the censorship of some of the more 'colorful' words) is that you can't pull a coup de grâce on the mayor and expand the town into an actual empire. You can't amass the townsfolk to gather behind your cause to invade Europe and force your religion and way of life onto the unsuspecting towns. You can't kill people.
Maybe in the sequel, huh?
Regardless, it's still fun for some reason.
I haven't tried the WIFI yet, simply because I'm still building my loyal, fascist empire fanclub. However, once my empire small group is a force to be reckoned with has enough cool stuff to sell for inflated prices, the gates shall open and the inhabitants of 'Berlin 6' - the true Reich - will rape your mothers and sacrifice your first born kin be the primary source of shenanigans in your town by posting slanderous comments onto the bulletin board!
That's about all we'll do though, so it's nothing to worry about I suppose.
Mario And Luigi: Partners In Time
You may be thinking...
'That sounds like the title to a gay porn movie...
And if you weren't - you are now.
Don't let that fool you. The game is really about Mario and Luigi, going back in time and teaming up with their childhood incarnations of themselves.
Ok, that didn't sound any better...
Either way, the game is the sequel to 'Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga' - the famed GBA RPG. However, if you haven't played the first one - fear not - the game is not tied to that timeline. It can be enjoyed by itself. Although, I would argue that you should enjoy the first game as well.
Gasp! An RPG!? For My DS!?
Yes. Finally. An RPG. And not a lame push-over port. An actually original RPG!
The artwork is excellent. Great sprite animations, surpassing even the 'golden age' of the 16-bit consoles.
As with the previous game - Mario and Luigi is filled with humor.
At one point, a man was insulted by my talking breifcase (don't ask). I believe the term he used was 'Nincompooter'. Delightful.
The butt of most jokes - as usual - is Luigi. He is a big *****.
And besides, when a primary function of your battle system is throwing babies...
Controls / Battle System
Basically, the game fuctions like so:
The game allows you to avoid enemies or to enter combat. The enemies walk around in the environment (much like 'Chrono Trigger', 'Mario RPG', etc.). You can jump on them, hit them with hammers, etc. previous to entering combat to stun them or damage them. Of course, they can also hit you and catch you off guard or automatically deal damage at the start of the battle.
Once you enter battle, you may be slightly confused. The system is quite simple - however - it is different.
Like every 'Mario' title - the basic mechanic is 'jumping'. You can jump to hurt enemies as they attack you - by way of timing your counter-attack. When your turn is up, jump to activate the menu blocks above your head.
Basically, it's turn-based RPG battle with jumping.
Each button is a character. Sometimes, you have only two. Other times (with baby and adult versions of Mario and Luigi), you have four. The buttons are 'stacked' in that 'A + X' = Pair of Marios and 'B + Y' = Pair of Luigis.
The babies ride 'piggyback' - and when jumping to avoid attacks, you only need to jump the adults. You only need to worry about the babies when it comes to attacking.
Both babies and adults have their own stats. So, they all act as their own party members in that sense. However, when their attack 'turn' rolls around - they act in sets. So, basically, you have two turns - but within each attack - you can perform a combo attack. As one of the brothers is about to jump onto the enemy, you simply hit the 'baby' button first ('Y' or 'X'). After the baby hits, you hit the 'adult' button ('B' or 'A') to finish the combo.
Here's where it gets a little...'Nintendo'...
When you attack - as in - using a standard, everyday 'turn-based RPG' attack - you must hit the button corresponding to the attacking brother - as he hits the enemy.
So, say you've taken Mario, and he's jumping onto a goomba. Well, as he's about to land onto the enemy, you must hit 'A' to damage the goomba. If you don't, he will hurt his ankle, deal maybe '2' points of damage and hop away. This also allows for critical hits. Should you hit 'A' at exactly the right time - you could deal a critical hit which is worth about two to three times your usual damage.
Now, here's where it becomes even more tricksy...
There are combo attacks that require you to alternate between all of these buttons. To be honest, some of them are extremely difficult to pull off. For example, one of the harder 'Bros. Attacks' throws one of the babies onto a spinning turtle shell. If you start with Mario, baby Mario is throw onto the shell. To start, Mario must kick the shell using 'A'. The shell will fly towards the enemy - and now - you must hit 'X' to have baby Mario hit the enemy. Now, the shell deflects to Luigi, who must kick it back by hitting 'B'. Once the shell reaches the enemy again, baby Mario must (again) hit 'X' to damage the enemy.
Basically, those are the complicated 'Bros. Attacks' - which only become more complex. The one I described above is the first one you learn.
Avoiding damage isn't as complex. Often times, you'll have to jump one, or both of the brothers at the opportune moment to avoid damage. Most enemies will attack one of the brothers at a time - you'll just have to watch to see who they attack and time your jump to avoid the hit. Sometimes, they'll trick you into jumping, when the only way to avoid the attack was to stand still.
But I Like A Serious Story In My RPG!
Don't play this then - although - I'd argue that the gameplay is good enough to keep you entertained.
Just remember, the story is for the most part - a joke. It's filled with humor and silly animations. If you want a tragic game where people die and it makes you sad, this isn't your game.
It's A Map Screen, Isn't It?.
Yes. Yes it is.
The top screen while you're exploring the world is a map screen. And a terrible map screen at that.
Basically, it's the worst map screen in a DS game to date!
It's an illustration of the 'zone' you're in. Now - instead of the 'Bros. Avatar' showing your position in real time? The icon jumps around.
It's difficult to explain...
For example, when you're in Peach's Castle - you start in the 'royal chamber' or whatever it's called. Now, when you go 'left' - you would expect the map to show your avatar in the room directly to your left? Sorry.
What happens is, your avatar teleports to some random part of the illustration, where nothing on the drawing represents what you're exploring. The only resemblance it shares is that it's 'on the left'.
Basically, EA has made better use of the second screen.
During combat, the top screen is a little more useful - but more often than not, it shows clouds and looks pretty.
When the Marios and Luigis split up to solve puzzles - they each get their own screen (which I suppose is useful, somehow?) - despite the fact you can only control one pair at a time. Granted, there are puzzles where you alternate between the two pairs, where it comes in handy.
Anything Else That Sucks?
Not really. The game is pretty solid, aside from the useless second screen.
Verdict?
Great RPG. Great artwork. Lots of fun to play. It will keep you entertained for hours. Thankfully, the 'rumble pak' works with this game - nice to see that they're actually supporting that thing.
There's no multiplayer support, and yeah, the second screen is a waste of battery life. However, it's an excellent RPG.
Could it have been made on the GBA? Yes, without a doubt. Hardly any of the DS functions are used at all. It's a 'sequel', no doubt about it.
Pick it up if you've been looking for a solid RPG to play. If you've been looking for an RPG that takes advantage of the microphone, WIFI and touch screen - sorry - wrong game.