10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring. These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair. Column Archives: If it ain't broke...Friday, January 28, 2005 You'll have to forgive my seemingly contradictory stance on game design. On one hand, I want nothing more than innovation in my gaming. Katamari Damacy was the king of 2004 in large part because it was unlike anything else out there. When a game like Halo 2 comes around and offers no improvement on its predecessor, I let it sit alone in my stack of games so it can think about what it has done. But, while I chide games like Halo 2 and GTA:SA for not offering anything particularly new, I get even more upset when a series I love decides to change some of the best moments of a game just for the sake of being different. These are three games that would have been much better off simply updating the original. Mario Power Tennis – I've mentioned this a few times in these pages already, but it bears repeating – Mario Tennis (N64) is not only one of my favorite games of all time, but it is the greatest sports game ever made. There are two reasons why Mario Tennis is so close to perfection. First, the developers at Camelot crafted an amazing tennis title first and foremost. Though the graphics are cartoony, the movements and physics are just what you would expect from a tennis title. That the Mushroom Kingdom All-Stars are the players has no real bearing on how the game plays. Second, they made a game so easily accessible, even the most casual of game players could be smashing shots in no time flat. Camelot destroyed both of those strengths with one fatal new addition – Power Moves. First, the game no longer plays like real tennis. Power Moves make it easy to return any shot on the court, no matter how far away you actually are from a ball. So, while in Mario Tennis you would try to pin your opponent to one side so you could smash it past them on the far court, in Power Tennis the opponent can just retrieve that well placed move with a few button presses. Any semblance of skill the game required is immediately taken away. Not only do they cheapen the gameplay, the power moves are just difficult enough to pull off that casual gamers will stay far, far away from this title. Mario Tennis worked so well because it only required two buttons to play. To pull of a power move you need to hold down the R button while you hit – something many casual games are not adept at doing. Furthermore, the moves completely kill the pace of the match. Each move takes about ten seconds to pull off. It's like Square had a hand in development. For Mario Tennis 3, they should just go back to their roots, throw in a few more characters and mini games, and only charge $30. That way, everyone (especially me) is happy. Metroid Prime: Echoes – I love this game, just like I love every title in the Metroid Universe, but Retro Studios tried a little too hard to make this stand out from the rest and it ultimately took away from the experience. What am I talking about exactly? The removal of my beloved Wave and Ice beams in favor of some non-descript light based weapons. One of the joys in the other Metroid titles was not only discovering the new weapons, but figuring out how each weapon could help you on your quest. For instance, if you need to shoot throw a solid object just whip out the wave beam. Or, and this is one of my favorite things to do in any Metroid title, you can freeze enemies to build a bridge across a deadly ravine. The two new weapons – the Dark and Light Beam – offer no such gameplay innovations. Instead, they merely open up designated doors or flip certain switches. While the rest of the game plays as well as you'd expect a Metroid title to play, the variety of puzzles is not quite as good as it used to be. And to make matters even worse, they made these ultra lame weapons have a limited amount of ammo. So basically, you have to go through the whole game using the Power Beam as your primary weapon. Retro shouldn't worry about changing Metroid in the future. The formula has worked incredibly well for almost 20 years now, even spawning imitators like the Castlevania series. Better to just work on creating an eerie world and imaginative puzzles than destroy some of the fun. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within – While the other titles in this column feature some new gameplay tweak that try to ruin a great game, the designers of PoP:WW decided to use art as their weapon of choice. The Sands of Time was not only one of the most fun games this generation, and the only true 3D platform game I have ever played, it was also one of the most beautiful. Ancient Persia may not be the most diverse environments, but they made it look gorgeous. They made The Prince one of the most likable characters around – a good natured hero who was actually funny, with a hint of sarcasm. Every second of that game was pure bliss in large part because of the awesome main character. However, the game didn't sell all that well. Despite receiving Game of the Year from a number of respected publications, the low sale numbers are the only thing Ubi Soft noticed. They decided consumers didn't want a good hearted hero; they wanted a generic action hero bad ass. They didn't want the women to wear clothes either, at least not clothes normal women would wear. Instead, they equipped them with metal thongs. I hope Ubi Soft enjoyed the slight increase in sales. They destroyed the soul of a series in the process. - Tom |
