PSN Review: Acceleration of Suguri X Edition

Looks like these girls here are having a blast!

By: Uma Smith

Anime fans can scream “Bonsai!” when they see an additional game fashioned in a Japanese-cartoon style. Those who enjoy being attacked with a beautiful array of destructive projectiles will be happy to know that their wishes have been granted thanks to Acceleration of Suguri X Edition, released exclusively for the Playstation Network. This side-scrolling shooter created by Rockin’ Android will have players flying, blasting, dodging and jumping for joy. And to add a cherry on top, the cute and adorable characters adds a little “kawaii” to the mix.

CONTROLS (4/5)

How well can you adapt to the controls for this game? It all depends on how fast you can figure out through trial and error what the face and shoulder buttons actually do. Although the game gives you a layout of the controls, it would have been more effective if there were descriptions of the effects indicated somewhere.

Nonetheless, players will have little difficulty mastering and executing different attacks once they get past that initial learning curve. Movement is easy with its responsiveness being at very acceptable levels. It can be compared to top-down shooters like Geometry Wars where control is a vital part to a players’ success. Keeping that in mind, players will be able to navigate and execute commands with ease and precision.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (3.5/5)

Being an anime-style game, Acceleration of Suguri X Edition is presented with a beautiful array of colors and nicely detailed in-game characters. However, looking closely at the animation, all the objects displayed seemed to appear static as they move around the screen. Not much variety can be seen here, including the background where there isn’t much going on. This actually makes sense when players want to be able to dodge projectiles without mistaking them for objects in the background. Graphically, the game can be appreciated in its static form, much like a comic book.

If you enjoy trance or rave music, you will be playing this game for hours on end. Nicely arranged techno beats and repeating melodic synthesized tunes are things to expect from the soundtrack. On the flip side, you can barely hear or notice the brief sounds of the weapons firing and blasting away. If it weren’t for the music, Acceleration of Suguri X Edition would seem calm and dull, which would be odd considering that shooting projectiles should be bringing excitement to the forefront.

GAMEPLAY (3.5/5)

Engaging in a one-on-one battle equipped with attacks that create a barrage of explosive projectiles, blasts of humongous missiles, and crazy special attacks is the fundamental premise of this game. Confined within an arena set by circular boundaries, players must fly around and unleash a shower of bullets until only one is left standing, all within a set time limit. Some attacks result in heat-seeking projectiles that follow the opponent while others lead to random blasts that occupy a major portion of the screen. These can be avoided by dodging, but considering that doing so will overheat the character, it becomes a double-edged sword.

A local multiplayer match in versus mode against a friend is where the fun is. However, you can also play against a computer opponent with the arcade mode. In either case, you can choose from seven nicely-dressed and innocent-looking female fighters who have a lot to offer in terms of firepower. As you progress there are new stages as well as additional characters to be unlocked.

Two story modes, Falling Wonder and Pudding Deity, help provide some background story for the characters you use. Although Falling Wonder has a lot more dialogue, it also has a nice surprise with the boss battles. For instance, you will encounter a giant killer robot that will push your skills to the limit.

Pudding Deity, on the other hand, adds humor to the story as you witness the characters dramatically enter into conflict as a result of someone wrongfully eating another’s pudding. After playing this mode you’ll learn never to mess around with a woman’s sugar!

Each story mode takes about an hour to complete, which is unfortunate. It seems the basis of this game is simplicity rather than design or variety, which can be acceptable to those who just want to play casually. How much players will enjoy engaging in such battles depends on how much diversity they are willing to sacrifice for straightforward gameplay.

OVERALL (3.5/5)

Despite the drawbacks associated with the initially-confusing controls and lack of variety in content, Acceleration of Suguri X Edition still retains its budgeted value at $5.99 with its intense gameplay and beautifully-drawn artwork. Fans keen on hoarding any anime-related merchandise they come across should definitely consider adding this title to their collection.

XBLIG Review: Love Hurts

Just one example of the Shakespearian levels of writing.

By: David Cooper

Love Hurts, from JonCorp Games, describes itself as “a side-scrolling beat-’em up about man’s redundant need to save princesses and the fact that clichés are clichés because they work.” While it would be fair to say that this game has clichés, it’s a little more up for debate as to whether they work or not.

You play as a young man whose quest is to save his girlfriend, who is being held hostage. The game acknowledges that this plot has been done to death, but because it’s primarily a comedy it gets away with it. The writing was 50/50 for me personally; I felt a lot of the humor fell flat and relied on self-referential humor too early. Additionally, there are noticeable grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the dialogue, making it feel very sloppy.

The graphics are a little amateurish. And because the game attempts to have an SNES feel, the resolution is low and the backgrounds and sprites are very pixelated. This is a common choice in indie games, to provide a throwback feel, and so in order to be done right, graphics need to be top notch to stand out from the crowd. Sadly, this is not the case in Love Hurts, in which elements look like they were drawn exclusively in MS Paint.

Characters are done in a cartoon style but have very little charm or, well, character. Background elements repeat themselves very quickly, especially with wallpaper patterns and such, meaning it gets very repetitive. To pull off retro design in your game you have to earn it, but Love Hurts feels half-assed in this respect, sadly. It doesn’t look terrible, but it doesn’t look very good either.

By contrast, the soundtrack (by David Morrison) is fairly nice. It’s chiptuney and retro but doesn’t rely entirely on attempted nostalgia – instead it’s fun and catchy in its own right. It might not be to everyone’s tastes, but I certainly enjoyed it. Score one for the score.

At heart Love Hurts is a side-scrolling beat-’em up, centred on navigating your 2D character down a corridor and occasionally punching bad guys until you find a boss. The problem here is that there is no variation on this theme whatsoever. Levels are completely flat and characterless, with no platforming elements or puzzles, leaving gameplay to rely entirely on combat.

This would not necessarily be a problem if combat felt fresh or dynamic, but sadly this is not the case. Your move set is limited to punch, kick, jump, block and some weird special move I could never get to work. As enemies are very slow and signpost their lone attack from a mile off, there is little variation in fighting strategy. As a result, fighting through hordes of enemies feels more like a chore than a fun distraction, slugging through identical sprites to reach the level boss.

The bosses are not much different. Some jump, some have a ranged attack, some can’t be blocked, but their attacks are very repetitive and provide few surprises. Once their basic pattern is recognized, it simply becomes a case of using the same moves over and over until their life bar is depleted. This is not challenging or fun, but simply a way to progress to the next level. A lack of innovation is forgivable in a game, but to provide few thrills with what’s available is less so.

Overall, the experience provided in Love Hurts feels very average. There is nothing here that feels new or original, and what is here is underwhelming. It’s difficult to dismiss an indie game altogether, especially when it is only 80 MS Points, but Love Hurts doesn’t have very much to warrant a recommendation.

OVERALL (2/5)

Love Hurts feels like a wasted opportunity. The potential was there for something quirky and charming, but the generally unpolished feel makes this seem amateurish and sloppy. Nice try, JonCorp Games, but you don’t get points just for trying.

PSN/XBLA Review: Swarm

That's no ordinary vacuum cleaner we got here!

By: Uma Smith

How many little blue critters does it take to collect DNA? According to Hothead Games, it all depends on the Swarm. Available on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live, Swarm gives gamers the opportunity to understand the importance of unity and collaboration in achieving a particular goal. On top of that, they get the added bonus of finding out how many different ways these particular critters, called Swarmites, can possibly die.

CONTROLS (3.75/5)

Rather than selecting commands and having your characters follow accordingly like in Lemmings, you are in direct control of all the Swarmites on screen. Movement is achieved through the left stick while jumping and interacting with objects are executed with two of the face buttons. Because you are controlling a group, you also have the ability to spread them out with the left shoulder button as well as bunch them up together with the right.

You’ll need to manipulate your Swarmites in different ways to get them to pull off certain commands. For instance, to stack them up, you hold the right shoulder button while repeatedly pressing jump. To crash into objects you would dash by holding the right shoulder button and releasing, and then pressing the left shoulder.

Luckily, Swarm does not have a lot of buttons for you to memorize. Nonetheless, the commands can get complicated and tricky. It will definitely take some time to master them. If you try to rush the commands, the Swarmites may not even follow properly, which can be annoying if you are impatient.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (4.25/5)

Swarm has a cartoonish look with quite a bit of nicely-polished detail. The numerous deaths that these Swarmites endure have never looked better graphically. With all the explosions, impalings and suffocations occurring, the game still continues to run at a good pace.

With an instrumental soundtrack playing in the background, Swarm adds a comical atmosphere appropriate for the game’s premise. Along with all the mayhem and destruction, you will hear humorous sounds of the Swarmites moaning as well as the splatters on the screen. Adequate use of audio for a game like this has proven that you don’t need constant sounds of blasting weapons or hardcore rock music to appreciate the violence.

GAMEPLAY (4.75/5)

Stranded on some planet, these little blue Swarmites must work together to search for and collect stands of DNA. Along the way, they will come across death traps and various hazards which they must somehow overcome to return to the giant tentacled creature from which they originated.

Starting each level, you have 50 Swarmites to navigate through various obstacles and implements of danger. In order to get to the next level, you must earn enough points to fulfill the score prerequisite. This is accomplished by collecting various orbs that will add to your score.

Along the way, there are “health packs” that replenish your Swarmite count, which is vital for a game that requires sacrificing some of these critters in order for the others to journey further. Also, note that killing them will retain a high score multiplier as well as help gamers achieve various death medals that reference a particular way in which a Swarmite can die. If enough critters get eliminated in a specific gruesome fashion, a medal is earned.

It is a rare occasion to encounter a game like this that rewards players for their own characters’ deaths. On the title screen, you can see the counter that provides the cumulative number of Swarmites killed by players within the worldwide network. It doesn’t serve any real purpose, but it is amazing to see the rate of kills that are taking place in real-time. What a way to feed on players’ sadistic tendencies!

With 10 levels in all, Swarm takes around seven hours to complete. The real challenge lies in achieving a sufficient score, done by maintaining a high multiplier, in order to gain access to the next level since the various obstacles will constantly hinder your progress. And to add salt to the poor Swarmites’ wounds, you must also get them to find enough DNA strands to be able to face the game’s two bosses, which put up quite a fight given their giant size in contrast to the puny creatures you control. Hothead Games has definitely gone above and beyond providing gamers with an addictive and unique set of challenges that proves to be enjoyable and satisfying.

OVERALL (4.25/5)

Considering the engaging gameplay and dark humour that should satisfy the sadistic nature in players, Swarm has more to offer than just a bunch of mindless blue creatures that barely acknowledge their existence. Controlling these Swarmites may lead to frustration, but rest assured their deaths will make up for their lack of precision and responsiveness. For 1,200 MS Points ($14.99), you too can lead these idiots into oblivion without guilt.

PSN/XBLA Review: Ghostbusters Sanctum of Slime

Looks like there is something cooking in the kitchen tonight!

By: Uma Smith

When there’s something strange in the neighborhood, who ya gonna call? Ideally, you’d call the local authorities to handle such matters. However, if it involves paranormal activities, then the Ghostbusters would be the appropriate number to dial. Well, here they come in Ghosbusters: Sanctum of Slime, a new game available on both Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Developed by Behavior Studios, players must hunt down ghosts and demons that are running amok in the city in this twin-stick shooter.

CONTROLS (4.25/5)

Moving your character and aiming your proton pack at ghosts is very manageable using the left and right analog sticks respectively. Throwing the ghost trap is executed with the right trigger button while menus are activated with the d-pad.

At times, you may be required to switch between three different weapons using the face buttons, which can be very awkward as your right thumb is already engaged with the right stick firing your proton pack. Thankfully, this potential issue has already been addressed with the shoulder buttons acting as an alternate method in cycling through weapons.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (2.5/5)

Since Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime is presented in a top-down perspective, one would expect the graphics to be detailed given the amount of content that could be presented on screen. Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. The colors appear dull and uninspiring. In particular, the ghosts lack a crisp, glowing appearance and instead appear to be transparent and grainy.

As for the musical score, it’s your typical instrumental soundtrack that attempts to add to the spooky atmosphere. Conveniently enough, it actually doesn’t seem to be repetitive or annoying mainly because it’s muffled. Even the sound effects seem to be lacking some degree of clarity. There are the occasional echoes from the ghosts, but they fail to add that needed element of creepiness.

GAMEPLAY (2.75/5)

Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime takes place in New York City, where ghosts are terrorizing its residents, and it’s up to the Ghostbusters to save the day. You, alongside three CPU players or friends either offline or online, must defend the city against these ghastly beings. Everyone has an energy bar and if yours is depleted, you will need to be revived by your fellow players.

Quicker kills in succession result in the multiplier increasing for earning cash faster. Strangely, the cash won’t actually let you buy upgrades or weapons, but instead is recorded on the leaderboards for bragging rights.

You’ll actually acquire two additional weapons by the time you reach the third mission: a gun that shoots yellow web-like plasma and one that fires blue plasma balls that ricochet off walls. These functions actually serve a specific purpose. Every ghost is colored red, yellow, or blue and you’ll need to switch amongst your three equipped weapons to be able to damage them.

During your travels, you’ll come across power-ups such as invincibility, health and bonus cash when you kill ghosts. Occasionally, a green blobbish ghost by the name of Slimer appears randomly and gives you additional power-ups once eliminated. You may also come across Stay Puft Marshmallow collectibles for gaining achievements.

There are different settings where the game takes place such as a hotel, sewers and a graveyard. Two of the levels actually have you and your fellow Ghostbusters riding on a truck and shooting at the ghosts that come along. About halfway through, you actually end up revisiting the same areas, which says a lot in terms of the game’s lack of variety.

At the end of the level, you must fend off a boss, which can add a few moments of laughter with their antics. Once you are about to defeat the boss, you must throw the infamous ghost trap and press the appropriate buttons indicated on the screen.

Difficulty is actually set quite high. If it’s not the crazy amount of ghosts that come at you at once, it’s the times when some ghosts actually have attacks that drain your energy bar faster than others. Even the final boss has a lot to offer in terms of providing different ways for your character to die, from the single giant arm swing of death to releasing fireballs from above.

OVERALL (3/5)

Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime has a lot of promise but fails to deliver in a few key aspects. Visual and audio presentations aren’t that impressive, and the gameplay could use some diversity. However, the co-op feature does add the fun factor to the game. Priced at 800 MS Points ($9.99), this Ghostbusters title may not necessarily be suited for everyone, but fans of the franchise should enjoy it.

PSN Review: Space Ace

Press X to Dexter?

By: Jess Castro

Want to spark up a heated gamer debate? Bring up the term “QTE” and see what happens. Some might bring up the spectacular God of War III death sequences while others will complain about Heavy Rain‘s lack of “real” gameplay. Love it or hate it, gamers can give credit to the 80′s laserdisc-powered arcade title, Dragon’s Lair, for creating and popularizing this timed button-press gameplay mechanic — long before Yu Suzuki coined the term, “Quick Time Event (QTE)”, in his beloved Dreamcast title Shenmue.

It was shortly followed up by Space Ace, a sci-fi adventure also directed by animation maestro, Don Bluth. It’s had its fair share of console conversions for almost two decades, and now another re-release is available for download on the PlayStation Network, courtesy of Digital Leisure. Read on and decide if this new port of Space Ace is a worthy lesson in video game history or a cruel reminder of how painfully lame the 80′s were.

CONTROLS (2.5/5)

The controls of this iteration of Space Ace are the same as they’ve been since 1984. Based on visual cues within the game’s preset animation, the gamer must move the joystick in the corresponding direction or press the action button at the correct time. When these games originally hit arcades people were dazzled by the outstanding animation and sound, and they didn’t realize there wasn’t much to control.

Of course, games have evolved and so has the quick button-press mechanic, which usually involves multiple button combinations and complex joystick motions nowadays. But Space Ace sticks to its original guns by having the fate of its heroes decided by how fast you can push up, down, left, right and action. It’s limited and dated, but the responsiveness is on-point and more accurate than ever when compared to older ports that have suffered from sluggish and choppy scene transitions.

GRAPHICS/SOUND (4/5)

When games like Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace hit the scene, there was nothing that could compare to their visuals and sound. While other game’s characters were represented by blocky pixels with limited color palettes, these games kicked down the arcade doors and wowed people with lush Hollywood style animation and a booming realistic soundtrack. Guys with Mohawks and checkered pants would say things like, “Whoa, like, it’s not even a game, man, it’s like playing a movie, dude!” (Okay, maybe I made that last part up.)

While these kind of games faded away with Swatches, legwarmers and Tab soda, the animation quality for Space Ace has somewhat stood the test of time. Bluth and his animation team (perhaps best known for Secret of Nimh and An American Tale) provided a fast-paced space adventure with fluidity and innovation. Certainly, there are some design elements that fall in the category of retro cheese, but on a technical level, this is still a nice looking piece of work and its 1080p HD presentation does it justice.

There is also a cabinet display mode that simulates the original arcade display in a 4×3 presentation with scanlines, cabinet artwork and a monitor concave effect, which is a great option. The soundtrack is transferred over nicely as well and sounds just as silly as it did before with recognizable space cartoon stock effects and really bad voice acting, which has a particular charm all its own. Ultimately, this is the best looking and best sounding Space Ace port to date.

GAMEPLAY (2.75/5)

Space Ace, the macho titular hero and his curvy sidekick, Kimberly, fight against the evil blue villain Borf and his “Infanto Ray,” which has the unspeakable power to turn it’s victims into younger versions of themselves. Before the game begins, Ace gets blasted and turns to into the wimpy boy-wonder Dexter. He whines “Kimmy!” for the majority of the time while dodging a barrage of space-aged insanity while occasionally energizing back to Ace form and asking Kimberly out on a date. I’m sorry, should I have typed, “Spoiler Alert?”

In last year’s Heavy Rain, gamers drove the story through a great number of quick time events that were packed with numerous outcomes and consequences based on which actions you hit and missed. In the classic age of Space Ace, it’s easy to say that if you missed an action, you probably were going to lose a life. And that’s the gameplay in a nutshell; press the correct button or die.

Occasionally, you might see a piece of animation you didn’t see before because you went left instead of right at one of the few fork-in-the-road moments, but, after a few playthroughs, you’ll probably see all 20 or so minutes of animation available. And this isn’t to say that Space Ace is a cake walk. First-time players should prepare themselves for unpredictable fake outs and super quick decision making. Not every motion is brightly lit or illustrated in the cartoon and direction is only implied. The game was designed to gobble quarters by making it an exercise in memorization and quick reflexes.

Thankfully for some, there is an additional on-screen indicator that throws guessing out the window and clearly marks which button to press and when to do it. The downside is that if one was just to look at the indicator instead of the animation itself, the game becomes a snap, even on the higher levels of difficulty which shorten the reaction window and lives available.

Too distracted by the gameplay and missed some of the scenes? Then the Watch Movie mode is the way to go, giving the ability to watch Space Ace in it’s entirety without lifting a finger and it’s available from the get go. That said, the only real incentive for actual game replay is leaderboard scoring and personal satisfaction, and with a game as limited as this it can only be recommended for hardcore fans and nostalgia buffs.

OVERALL (2.5/5)

Digital Leisure’s presentation of Space Ace on PS3 is fantastic and does this quick-time-event classic justice. But the reality is that the gameplay is dated and will only appeal to die hard fans of these 80′s animated games, especially with the $10 price tag.