Title	:	Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
Platforms	:	Nintendo GameCube
Publisher	:	Sega
ESRB Rating	:	Everyone
Game Rating	:	6.7
Review by	:	Jeremy Bell

"The night makes people gloomy and brings out the darkness that resides deep within their hearts." So advises a friend as Billy Hatcher begins his quest to restore the sunlight to "Morning Land." Any fan of anime will probably not find it terribly surprising to hear these kinds of weirdly ominous pronouncements spouted by cute, fuzzy animals. I have always wondered if Japanese cartoons and video games really are as strange as they seem to my American ears, or if something is lost in the translation. At any rate, Japan's preteen pop culture delivers a delicious combination of the syrupy and the surreal that has earned it a cult following from English-speakers of all ages. Sega's Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, for the Nintendo GameCube is a good example. 

Morning Land is a world, much like many video game worlds, where the laws of nature and physics become more like loose guidelines, and logic never gets in the way of a good time. Here, Billy Hatcher feeds cherries and watermelons to unhatched eggs, and then hatches them by yelling, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" (or the Japanese equivalent). The eggs then burst open, giving birth to adorable little killing machines that dutifully assist Billy in defeating his equally adorable foes. The eggs themselves can also be used less adequately as weapons or as modes of transportation in areas that would be otherwise impassable. Aside from the regular eggs, there are also the precious golden eggs which, when hatched, reveal wise old roosters who impart wisdom and dispense "Courage Emblems," which allow access to subsequent levels. And finally, there is Billy's ultimate goal: The Giant Egg, the whereabouts of which are detailed only in riddles. 

What initially attracted me to this game was that it was made by Yuji Naki, the creator of Sonic the Hedgehog — truly, one of the best games of its kind. But it quickly became apparent that Morning Land was hardly as ambitious in scope as the vast, expansive worlds that the hedgehog hurtles through. The graphics are reasonably good, but they'll probably look a little flat to the ardent Sonic enthusiast. And while the game has some fast-paced moments, it certainly can't keep up with the lightning-fast pinball machine action of Sonic. 

But let's not sell Billy Hatcher short. After my initial disappointment wore off, I found myself getting drawn in, and I was soon pushing that egg around with the single-minded determination of an Everquest junkie. As the levels progressed, it was fun to discover what new egg animals were available, and what attacks they would perform. And don't let the child-oriented aspect of the game fool you; after a few levels, it starts getting fairly tricky. Pushing a giant egg definitely adds a level of complexity when maneuvering through the game's various obstacles and conveyances. Billy's enemies are formidable, and there don't appear to be any power-ups that restore health. And don't forget that both Billy and his eggs can take damage, and if a golden egg is destroyed, so is Billy! 

While the game is certainly no match for the Hedgehog series, there are similarities between the two. Anyone who has ever played Sonic Adventure has probably noticed by this point in the review that this egg-hatching scheme sounds a lot like Sonic's Chao World. In a way, it is, but if you're looking for a glorified Gigapet, you best look elsewhere. Billy doesn't really "raise" his animal helpers, nor can he do anything to modify their capabilities. Once they've performed their allotted number of attacks (five or so), they're gone. Still, I preferred the animal-raising routine in Billy Hatcher because it was incorporated into the gameplay, instead of being kept wholly separate from the action, as in Sonic Adventure. 

I noticed no major flaws in the game's presentation and technical workings. The camera movements are a bit sluggish, but thankfully the game offers adequate manual control of the perspective. The camera includes a feature that I think all games of this type should have: a single button press to automatically reorient the camera to its default position behind the player. The handling generally reminds me a little of Super Mario Sunshine (and, come to think of it, Billy Hatcher's whole storyline is a bit derivative of that title). And as for the audio - most of the music is annoying and repetitive, and the effects sound like they were sampled from a Scooby Doo cartoon. But this is not a huge problem, since most modern televisions now come equipped with a volume control. 

The game also has a multiplayer combat mode which seems totally unnecessary. There is nothing about Billy Hatcher that particularly lends itself to multiplayer fun; the creators seem to have simply inserted a multiplayer game into a single-player environment. This is certainly not a fault of Billy Hatcher alone. As a rule, if a multiplayer mode is simply an extra feature, it probably won't be worth playing. 

I'm still not sure what hatching giant eggs has to do with restoring sunlight to the world. And I don't particularly care. I wasn't blown away by this game, but I did have fun. So if you're a fan of Japanese kids' stuff, you might want to put down your Gigapet and your Pokemon DVDs and spend a few hours with Billy Hatcher.

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This article is copyright (c) 2004, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Gamebits, 03-Feb-04

Title	:	Sonic Heroes
Platforms	:	Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox
Publisher	:	Sega
ESRB Rating	:	Everyone
Game Rating	:	7.8
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Sonic the Hedgehog has been a mainstay of the entertainment industry almost as long as Mario. Yet Sega's mascot has not successfully transitioned to as many genres as Nintendo's plumber, with mediocre racing and party games to his name. Whereas Mario's leap to 3D essentially defined what a 3D platform game should be, Sonic's adventures on the Sega Dreamcast were less inspired, thanks in part to the hedgehog sharing the spotlight with several playable castmates. This tradition continues with Sonic Heroes, the hedgehog's first multiplatform release. [GameCube version reviewed here] 

The variety of gameplay styles in this 3D action game is similar to that established in the episodic escapades of the Sonic Adventure games, except less divisive. Whereas previously, each level would feature a different protagonist, in Sonic Heroes, players remain in simultaneous control of a trio of heroes. Switching between characters is a snap, and a constant necessity, as each has unique moves and strengths necessary to advance past each stage's many obstacles. 

A total of twelve characters, familiar from past Sonic games or new to this installment, offer four unique paths — sometimes treading the same ground, sometimes intersecting with the other heroes (or anti-heroes). Each team has three archetypes: a speedster (such as Sonic), a flyer (Tails, the two-tailed fox), and a powerhouse (Knuckles the Echidna). 

Whether it's fighting or fleeing, solving puzzles or flying to new heights, the Sonic squad can do it all. There are some excellent moments of high-speed freneticism, which have always been what Sonic does best. Unfortunately, such moments comprise only a third of the action. Sega had the wisdom to split various gameplay styles further among the different teams — Team Chaotix, for example, has goal-based missions, such as finding specific hidden items on each stage, while Team Rose is aimed at beginner players — but this doesn't change the fact that a sudden burst of Sonic speed may be just as suddenly halted by a hurdle only Knuckles can overcome. 

Other gameplay vices are present. The game exercises the archaic practice of bottomless pits, where one misstep can send players to their doom, no matter how much health they have or progress they've made. One character's main attack often sends him charging forward, regardless of his proximity to precarious perches, which decreases the usefulness of his primary function. 

The presentation is enjoyable but not without flaws. The prerendered sequences that advance what passes for a plot (as though we needed one) are gorgeous enough to warrant lamenting their rarity. But once inserted into the actual gameplay, players will find the camera is often tightly focused on Sonic's destination, presenting a poor view of his immediate surroundings and leaving him open to attack. Mostly cheesy, yet catchy pop tunes compose the soundtrack. 

Given the game's ternary nature, a cooperative multiplayer mode would seem natural. Instead, only a two-player, split-screen, competitive option is available, and doesn't offer much beyond standard races and ring-collecting sessions. 

The gameplay provided by the hedgehog's pals is not poor, but it does create unbalanced enjoyment which ultimately drags down the whole product. Perhaps it's time for the hedgehog to go back to his roots and take his next adventure solo.

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This article is copyright (c) 2004, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Tech News, 03-Feb-04

Title	:	Spy Hunter 2
Platforms	:	Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube
Publisher	:	Midway
ESRB Rating	:	Teen
Game Rating	:	5.5
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Spy Hunter, a classic coin-op of the Eighties, was successfully remade into a modern title that captured the spirit, if not the mechanics, of the original. 

Developers often hunt for innovation to enliven sequels. But in this case, what made the original Spy Hunter remake a triumph has been abandoned, leaving publisher Midway with a mundane and unspectacular husk for PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube. [PS2 version reviewed here] 

Players still engage in vehicular combat as they progress through global stages, fighting terrorist cells. Though the concept is the same, the execution is not. The faults begin with the vehicle of choice, as vintage Interceptor super spy car has been remodeled for this sequel. The original G6155 has been emasculated into a far less effectual, "new and improved" G8155. The amount of damage the main vehicle can sustain is minimal, shedding its shell at a moment's notice into weaker motorcycle and jet ski models that look like rejects from a Terminator movie. As any of these units become damaged, their capacity to locomote decreases; what good is a crippled spy vehicle? Even the ability to traverse rough terrain is impaired, requiring players to manually engage an off-road mode. The speed boost, once a finite but renewable utility, is now granted a set number of times per level. 

The changes don't stop with the wheels. Formerly a loner, Alec Sects, the man behind the wheel, has teamed up with a female spy, and though Bond set the precedent of working with attractive counterparts, Alec has always been a mysterious loner. Making him part of a team has, in my eyes, weakened his "cool" factor in this sequel. Granted, he always had help from the mysterious weapons van, but its form in this game is just silly, especially when players briefly take control of its turret. 

The game structure has also been altered from the original's controversial requirement to complete multiple goals to access further levels. I found this style added depth to each stage, requiring gamers to fully explore and master each course beyond the primary objective. Along with perfect execution, the pre-rendered entrances, exits, and passing attempt at a plot cemented the game's cinematic spy style. 

Spy Hunter 2 is more focused on getting players from start to finish without looking back. Secondary goals are just that, and are no longer essential to unlocking further development. The story and non-interactive graphic sequences are mostly absent, shedding the polish of its predecessor. 

The graphics have also been reduced from their original quality. The vehicle itself has become a more solid mass of gray, lacking the lustre and detail of the prior Interceptor. An intuitive health meter, decreasing with damage, has been replaced with a damage meter that increases. The cockpit view has been completely eliminated, and the rear view mirror is just small enough to be useless, while still taking up a portion of the screen. Pushing down on the analog stick completely reverses the camera, but this angle cannot be maintained while simultaneously steering left or right, rendering it, too, useless. 

Years after the Sony PlayStation 2 came out, I finally found for it a piece of software I liked: Spy Hunter. To see what has become of the sequel truly saddens me, but there's no sense hunting for quality that isn't there; Spy Hunter 2 is the game that came in from the cold with none of the entertaining qualities of any of its predecessors.

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This article is copyright (c) 2004, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Tech News, 27-Jan-04

Title	:	Rogue Ops
Platforms	:	Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube
Publisher	:	Kemco
ESRB Rating	:	Mature
Game Rating	:	6.5
Review by	:	Jeremy Pallant

In Rogue Ops, you play Nikki Conners, a cute, petite blond who had the minor misfortune of having her husband and daughter killed in an explosion courtesy of a terrorist group with the unlikely name of Omega 19. Your average housewife would simply mourn, but Nikki is an ex-Green Beret, and so she joins a distinctly shadowy, ruthless, anti-terrorist group called Phoenix, presumably related to the notorious Operation Phoenix run by the CIA in Vietnam and Cambodia. After two years of intense training, she is unleashed upon those who murdered her family. 

I really wanted to like this game [PS2 version reviewed here]. It has a lot going for it. Primarily it's all about stealth, restraint, and precision. Nikki's equipment is relatively limited, and her armament is austere with only limited ammunition. That's a refreshing change. I recently finished Max Payne 2, and was amused at the colossal weaponry he would accumulate by the end of a chapter. He shouldn't have been able to keep walking with that lot. 

Nikki, on the other hand, might go in with a silenced pistol, a silenced sniper's rifle — both having very limited ammunition — and a handful of shuriken. You have to be precise with your shots, and just going in gung-ho doesn't work. Fortunately, the controls are sufficiently well-tuned to assist you in this. More ammunition can be scavenged from the bodies of those you kill, but you will rarely be comfortable with the amount you have. This was actually an enjoyable part of the game, and certainly added to its feel. As usual, there is an initial training mission to introduce you to the game, and to Nikki's capabilities. 

There are several ways to take aim at the enemy. There's an aiming point as you move around that turns from red to green when it passes over an enemy. Secondly you can switch to a view mode that zooms in slightly for greater precision, but prevents you from moving. If equipped with a sniper rifle, you can zoom in on a target more closely. Finally, if equipped with a thrown weapon like a grenade, the trajectory is displayed. 

Precision is important here, because hits are position sensitive. Shooting someone through the head will result in an instant kill, but body hits, especially if the target is wearing body armor, might require several shots, and with limited ammunition available, this is something you want to avoid as much as possible. 

The AI is a cut above the average. Everyone's familiar with this phenomenon: you shoot a guard, and the guy standing next to him won't notice. That doesn't happen in Rogue Ops. Perform the same deed in this game, and the alarm will sound, and your enemies will start to actively look for you. Where the AI falls short is that, after a short time of your not being found, or you kill everyone engaged in the search, the alarm will be switched off. That's hardly realistic. Similarly, if you attract attention by, say, shooting out a searchlight, that's a pretty obvious indication someone's around, but the tactic described above works, and soon the heat will be off you. 

Alarms will also sound if you're seen on a security camera, and that can have rather disconcerting consequences if there are turreted guns nearby, which will duly open up on you, and generally make life very unpleasant. This action will also alert nearby guards. 

It seems odd to me that in a game primarily about stealth, it is impossible to avoid combat, and there's only ever one way to achieve your goal. One of the strengths of a game like Deus Ex: Invisible War is that there are many ways to meet mission requirements; Rogue Ops needed a feature like this. One the other hand, it does make you pay more attention to your environment, looking for that switch, ledge, or crawl space necessary to advance the game. 

A prime weakness of the game is that it often devolves to a switch hunt, or a search for the right swipe card. This design became old with the original Doom; however, the means of acquiring the right swipe card, or finding the switch is a little more interesting. Swipe cards are most often found by the bodies of your kills, or by picking the pockets of the living. Switches are often hidden, and might need to be found by the infrared visor you are equipped with, which shows the extra heat given off by electrical circuitry and hidden enemies. 

Graphically, Rogue Ops does not represent the best the PS2 is capable of. Textures are sometimes muddy and pixilated. In fact, I found myself wondering if the game hadn't originally been intended for the PSOne, and then changed in mid-development. The character models are surprisingly low in polygons, except for Nikki herself who has a few more. Mind you, you spend most of the game with a view of her shapely rear, so the extra detail was appreciated, although I did get tired of the skin-tight, midriff-baring outfit she favored. Not exactly what you would call practical. 

The game fails to excel in its execution. While the missions themselves can be quite long with changing objectives, and the cut-scenes do a good job of outlining the plot, the lack of a proper save-game feature strongly detracts from the experience. The in-game menu certainly gives you the option, but it doesn't work as you might think. Each mission is divided into a series of objectives, and each objective met is indicated by a green flag on the screen. If you save at this point, should you die later, even if you make further saves, you will be returned to the checkpoint when you reload. 

To add insult to injury, the in-game menu doesn't actually have a load option. Should you die, you get the option to resume from the last checkpoint, but if, for example, you decide you could have tackled that last section with less ammunition expenditure, you must exit to the main menu to reload the game. I found this to be very irritating, and is why I scored the game as I did. If a proper "save/load anywhere" feature had been implemented, I would have awarded another whole point. 

Further frustrating the gameplay is the sheer length between opportunities to save. Being a stealth game, you spend a significant amount of time sneaking carefully from place to place, which takes time. On one occasion, I came as close as I ever have to throwing the controller on the ground, because after spending perhaps half an hour slowly and carefully making my way around, I made a mistake, got myself machine-gunned to death by remote turrets with no clue what I did wrong, and was then returned to where I had been a half-hour previously. 

In summary, Rogue Ops isn't a bad game, and with a little more effort on behalf of the development team it could have been a better game. However, the deceptive save-game system, second-rate graphics, rigid mission structure and endless view of Nikki Conner's odd attire all contribute to making it something less than a competitor to Splinter Cell. If anyone's considering a purchase, I definitely recommend renting first.

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This article is copyright (c) 2004, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Gamebits, 07-Jan-04

Title	:	Gladius
Platforms	:	Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox
Publisher	:	LucasArts
ESRB Rating	:	Teen
Game Rating	:	8.0
Review by	:	Ethan Deneault

I usually shy away from any game that has a game reviewer's opinion on the cover. This is a long held fear of reviewers from major magazines - they don't get paid to write bad reviews. (Hello GamePro!) However, it was my charge to review the GameCube version of Gladius, so into my console it went. And it hasn't yet come out, even though Mario Kart has been pleading for me to beat the Mirror Mode. 

Gladius, as its name implies, is based around a pseudo-Roman-era world. The scene is set with a rather well-done intro, painted frescoes depicting an ancient battle between the lamely named "Affinity Gods" and the dark forces, with the wars of men serving as the catalyst. In the end, the dark power is sealed away, etc. etc. etc. It's too common these days to have a cliched story; luckily, Gladius doesn't dive into the all-too-common "lone boy saves the world" motif, and instead presents you with an unexpected option right at the start: Who do you want to play today? You get a choice, patrician Valens (marked as 'advanced') and barbarian Ursula (marked as 'beginner'). The back story seems no more than flavor text throughout most of the game. In fact, barring some ominous warnings interspersed throughout, one senses that the story is subtle in it's telling. 

In the world of Gladius, everything revolve around gladiatorial combat, which is the way that the lands of the world remain at peace. No matter which staring character you choose, you are unceremoniously dumped into a tutorial-cum-plot section, where you are shown the ropes of combat in the games. In a refreshing change from the Final Fantasy school of tutorials, Gladius' tutorials are tightly integrated into the game itself, never breaking the flow of the story, or sounding like someone is reading the manual to you. During the many long load times, your sagacious character will pop up and give some general assistance. Interestingly enough, however, at some points the main characters seem to act as though they know they are in a video game, which is creepy. 

As most of the game centers around combat in the arena, any aspiring gladiators should be willing to slog through hundreds of battles with a less than stellar combat system, right? Not so. Gladius' controls and combat is where the game really shines. I often found myself retrying already-mastered combats just to kick the crap out of a bunch of punk barbarians again. 

The combat system is much slower paced than other RPGs, and its emphasis on facing, placement and movement across the arena puts Gladius into the same category of "tactical" RPGs such as Ogre Battle or Final Fantasy Tactics. The control scheme for the game is wonderful, and makes good use of the GameCube's controller. The number of options is a bit daunting at first, but the tutorials help immensely, and with only a bit of practice, the player can get a sense of how intuitive it really is. 

Not content to simply assign each player a certain to-hit ratio as in OB or FFT, the developers added a nifty feature called the swing meter. The swing meter is similar in form to the version seen in golf games. The indicator bar hums along a horizontal bar on the bottom of the screen, and you tap a button, or series of buttons, at the right time to either hit normally (get the marker in the orange), glancing (get the marker in the blue), or strike a critical hit (get the marker in the red). To keep things fresh, different types of attacks have different types of swing meters as well. Critical hits are completely within the player's control, and a player with good timing can go an entire battle without missing a critical hit. As the difficulty ramps up early on, knowing the swing meter is invaluable. 

Speaking of difficulty, Gladius isn't a particularly hard game once you get into the swing (har har) of things. But early in the game you may be tempted to throw your controller through the window if you don't keep your gladiators upgraded with the best weapons and ensure they all level up equally. Good skill choice is also important: forget affinity skills until you acquire the capacity for combo attacks. When you hire other gladiators for your school, don't forget to grab some spearchuckers (Peltasts and Gungnirs), too; with conscientious effort, they are surely the most important fighters on the field. 

The graphics are a bit average for the GameCube. Every gladiator is made with what looks like a low-polygon count model. For long camera angles, this is fine, but up close, it's very noticeable — especially in Ursula's hair. There is very little slowdown or choppiness; however, and even with many gladiators on screen, the game maintains a nice, smooth framerate. 

Whereas in many games, voice acting is a cringe-inducing nightmare, it's a good thing here; each character is played with an appropriate tone, and never once does it sound forced. Doubtless this quality is due in large part to Gladius being originally written in English, for American sensibilities. The game's music keeps it moving, and is perfectly suited to the game without being ostentatious, or sounding too much like elevator music. 

Now, for the bad: load times, load times, load times. There is no excuse for a GameCube game to have such long and frequent loading screens. Even though the pain is buffered by having a "tip of the day" flash up on many of them, sometimes 5-10 seconds is lost to a black screen. On a PC, the constant loading times would be acceptable, and even expected — but console games are a different breed. The menu system is also not quite up to snuff. Outside of combat, selecting gladiators, even going from the arena to the world map is tedious. All in all, Gladius seems to have been designed from a PC-centric perspective — which isn't bad, but it's not what I would have expected from a console game. 

Overall, I give this game an 8 out of 10. It has a few deficiencies - notably the curmudgeonly menu system and the load times, but it is an enjoyable tactical RPG. Such games are not designed for everyone; those that desire a deep storyline, lengthy cinematics, and a fast paced battle system will be disappointed on at least two counts. However, those who are seeking a well-made tactical RPG will do well to pick up Gladius.

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This article is copyright (c) 2003, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Gamebits, 31-Dec-03

Title	:	Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
Platforms	:	Nintendo GameCube
Publisher	:	LucasArts
ESRB Rating	:	Teen
Game Rating	:	6.7
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Even rebels can go bad. 

Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader was a launch title for the Nintendo GameCube, and amazed audiences with its graphics, gameplay, and significant but manageable difficulty. 

Sadly, Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike flounders in inadequacy, compromising the success of the series with a dispersed effort across many gameplay styles that drags the whole product down. 

More than enough games have been based on Lucas' original trilogy, so LucasArts has wisely moved away from those familiar scenes. Unfortunately, the original missions they've created in their stead lack the cohesion of the films. The levels comprise a series of disconnected missions that, while relating to the Star Wars universe and plots, offer little substantive expansion. 

These missions have senseless objectives and rules. In one, an enemy troop transport is trying to escape, but does so by making hops, landing every fifty feet and exposing itself to the player's fire. Another level has gamers attacking an enemy transport which previously escaped with Rebel prisoners; later, players defend a transport under fire, but the level ends when the players find a means of escape. A third level has local citizens offering the vague advice, "Here's a bomb — use it!", turning what should be a standard defensive mission into a nebulous search for a target and means of detonation. 

A supposed improvement in this installment of Rogue Squadron, and one of the downfalls of the series, is the variety of mission styles and vehicles. Luke, Wedge, and other avatars will occasionally tackle their targets on foot. But whereas Shadows of the Empire, the lukewarm Nintendo 64 game, employed this method with some strategy, Rebel Strike puts gamers in control of models that senselessly exchange fire with enemy troops. The camera angles are terrible, making the heroes too small or obscure, and the aiming, even using the target lock-on, is imprecise. 

Other ground vehicles, including land speeders, tauntauns, and AT-STs, suffer similar problems. Dash Rendar experienced a greater sense of speed when he mounted a swoop bike in Shadows of the Empire seven years ago. 

The two-player versus mode is similar to Star Wars Demolition, another past, failed licensing attempt, and the opportunity to connect a Game Boy Advance to issue orders to one's wingmen is a barely noticeable feature. But the two-player cooperative mode is a significant addition to the series, as it features every level from its predecessor, Rogue Leader - though some stages don't adapt well to multiplayer, such as the Death Star trench run. 

The graphics have supposedly been enhanced since Rogue Leader, though such improvements don't seem critical. Enemy fighters still swarm in impressive numbers, though noticing them against space's black background often requires using the targeting computer. The collision detection has some serious issues, especially in the automated cinemas, which feature ships flying through asteroids and into each other. These cinematics further display momentary black screens when switching from one cut to another — a discontinuity that interrupts the fluidity of the presentation. 

Star Wars games are often hit-or-miss; the Rogue Squadron series had been exceptional in its quality, but Rebel Strike finally succumbs to the license's curse. Developer Factor 5 proved their mastery of flight in the previous Rogue Squadron games; in this installment, they've demonstrated their ineptitude at most other styles, rebelling without cause from a proven formula.

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This article is copyright (c) 2003, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Tech News, 18-Nov-03

Title	:	Viewtiful Joe
Platforms	:	Nintendo GameCube
Publisher	:	Capcom
ESRB Rating	:	Teen
Game Rating	:	8.0
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

It's just like the old days: be a hero, defeat the villain, rescue the girl. An average Joe is pulled into the silver screen and must learn cinematic fighting styles to save the world in Viewtiful Joe, a Nintendo GameCube game from Capcom. 

Viewtiful Joe harkens back to side-scrolling platformers that were popular during the 8-bit era, from well-known titles such as Contra to lesser-known games like Kabuki Quantum Fighter and Shatterhand. Gameplay occurs on a 2D plane, though the environment can twist and turn as Joe advances through the levels. Players guide Joe through countless minions, traps, and bosses as he fights to rescue his girlfriend Silvia, save Movieland, and prevent an invasion of filmic foes into the real world. 

Other than the modern rarity of 2D gameplay, what makes Viewtiful Joe unique are the Viewtiful FX, or VFX, maneuvers at his disposal. Similar to the Xbox game Blinx, Joe has limited control over time through manipulation of unseen movie cameras, employing slow motion, mach speed, and close-ups. Though must be used conscientiously, lest Viewtiful Joe revert to everyday Joe, these techniques are the only way to progress through the game, as Normal attacks do little damage and earn little reward, while slow motion allows Joe to chain together several punches and kicks while dodging enemy blows. Players must constantly be aware of their surroundings and create situations in which they can cause the most damage; simply barrelling through will produce little effect. 

VFX also has innovative environmental results, such as causing fan blades to turn more slowly, or fires to burn out more quickly. Progressing from one area to the next often involves finding the right combination of local items, attacks, and VFX. 

Despite the repertoire at players' disposal, they will find Viewtiful Joe to be exceedingly difficult. Losing a life returns Joe to an undefined earlier checkpoint, while losing all lives sends him to the stage's very beginning. The levels are long, with seldom save points. Making it to the level's boss is a feat itself; applying whatever stamina remains to successfully surviving the encounter is nearly impossible without the repetition of practice, which perforce includes a run of the entire prefacing stage as well. The only upside to this routine is Joe's points accrue, allowing him to purchase additional moves and items between stages — should he make it that far. 

The beautiful view ("viewtiful" — get it?) afforded by the game is owed to the cel-shaded graphics, which are appropriate for the over-the-top movie world in which players are immersed. The action is colorful and detailed, and slows down or speeds up according to the VFX, though the Mach Speed effect often animates Joe too quickly for players to make effective decisions. 

The dialogue between Joe and his mentor, Captain Blue, is quick and witty, though lines by the villains are mostly unintelligible, which is unfortunate since they reveal the plot. The sound effects punctuate Joe's blows in exaggerated Hollywood style, with cheers and applause for spectacularly rewarding combos. 

Viewtiful Joe is a graphically unique throwback to gameplay style that needlessly waned in favor of 3D. While modern games better cater to gamers' short attention spans, Viewtiful Joe demands practice and patience with a difficulty setting that is more deterring than challenging: when this game throws down the gauntlet, players are likely to throw down the controller.

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This article is copyright (c) 2003, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Tech News, 04-Nov-03

Title	:	Soul Calibur II
Platforms	:	Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox
Publisher	:	Namco
ESRB Rating	:	Teen
Game Rating	:	9.4
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Welcome… to the stage of history. 

The introduction of a new Soul Calibur game is rightfully defined as a historical event. In the genre of fighting games exists three categories: realistic, such as Virtua Fighter or Tekken which employ actual martial art styles; surrealistic, as with Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat; and weapons. Namco's series of weapons fighters, which has also been known as Soul Blade and Soul Edge, exhibits the finest qualities to be found throughout the fighting genre, with Soul Calibur II living up to and surpassing this high mark of quality. [GameCube edition reviewed here] 

Nearly two dozen characters battle one-on-one, maneuvering across a 3D arena, seeking to decimate the opposition or knock them outside the ring. Each warrior fights with a unique weapon or weapons, including swords, bos, nunchakus, and polearms. 

The GameCube controller, while not well-suited to many fighting styles, is easily configured to suit Soul Calibur's setup of two attacks, kick, and guard, with combinations of each, allowing for easy accessibility to and execution of a variety of actions. Combat can be as sloppy or as precise as one wishes. With dozens of moves and combinations for each combatant, mastering just a single repertoire can be taxing, but elevates the conflict to a work of art. There is an amazing rush of adrenaline as a bout nears its end; as swords clash and defensive postures are tested, the excitement of each landed and missed blow is addicting, no matter the outcome. 

Beyond the gameplay depth, the game's most engaging quality is its multitude of modes. Though fighting with a friend is often the main allure of fighting games — and Soul Calibur II offers several such ways to duke it out — a dozen one-player modes will keep the sole fighter occupied as well. The Weapons Master mode is the most detailed, pitting players through a series of plot-driven, single-round bouts, often with unusual goals or conditions, including time limits, odd physics, and the like. Gold won in these battles can be used to purchase new weapons, costumes, and other secrets for each character. 

Each console version of Soul Calibur II has a character unique to that edition: the comic book character Spawn on Xbox; on PlayStation 2, Tekken's Heihachi, and Link, the hero of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series, on GameCube. On the GameCube, adult Link (not the cartoonish, cell-shaded version) demonstrates all the moves he has acquired during his years on Nintendo systems, wielding sword and shield, boomerang, bow and arrow, and bombs, as well as whirling dervishes and various thrusts, all set to his trademark theme music. 

Music plays its vital role, setting the stage and emphasizing every physical exertion. A limited amount of spoken dialogue punctuates the opening and closing of each round — something which quickly wanes from inciting one to combat to something that is easily skipped. 

Despite the number of characters and attacks, all movements flow smoothly into each other, whether the player is vertical or horizontal, offensive or defensive. The backgrounds are panoramic but unadorned with unnecessary displays that would distract battlers from the action in the foreground. 

Gamers looking for a realistic-looking fighting game with an air of fantasy and mystery about it will find such a combination in Soul Calibur II. Its depth need not be fully explored by players deterred by such complexity, thus accommodating many styles and skill levels. If you decide to whet your blade with Namco's latest offering, the rest will be history.

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This article is copyright (c) 2003, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Tech News, 07-Oct-03