Game-spectrum

Written by James Pikover
Tuesday, 04 March 2008

There is no good introduction to Patapon. But it’s a game that needs none. A simple yet cunningly complex rhythm game that requires players to have quick wit, and does it better than any before it, need not receive a half-strewn history or poetic saying. Patapon is simply as its name suggests; simple, catchy, and utterly amazing.

As the mighty Patapon, a sort of deity to a race of small creatures with giant eyes for bodies, it is the sworn duty for players to lead the Patapon back to their promised land which they had long ago lost by unknown means. Using the power of drums, it is the duty of the Almighty Patapon to return the Patapon to their land, find “It” and regain their former glory.

Simple as it may sound, the odds are always stacked against the Patapon. Not only are they small of stature and always short on numbers, but they are essentially worthless without the imbued power of the players drums. They have complete and utter faith in the players decisions and do exactly as they are commanded, which says much about this tribe that stares at you through the PSP screen.

The commands are simple and training to use them is a necessity followed through well. With four different drums to collect over the course of the game, commands can be attack, defend, move forward, retreat for cover, using magical powers, and more. So long as the beat is kept, the Patapon will do as they are told.

Following the beat is key, and while it may appear to be easy at first takes lots of practice to do continuously and well. Hitting the notes perfectly requires expert timing, though the rewards for doing so are great. Should the beat be kept for ten moves straight, the Patapon enter “Fever” mode, where they become more energetic and attack with more vigor.

For the different types of Patapon, this means different things. Yaripon and Yumipon are projectile attackers, using spears and arrows, respectively. Tatepon are the brunt force, attacking with swords, axes and carrying shields, while Dekapon, huge and wielding massive clubs to pummel the opposition. Kibapon ride gallantly on noble steeds and fight with lances, and finally Megapon fire tremendous sound attacks. And there are variations of each, depending on what type of materials are used to spawn the different Patapon.

In Fever mode, attack strength practically doubles. Dekapon and Tatepon attack more often and are more likely to amass critical hits. Yaripon jump up to throw their spears farther, Yumipon shoot three arrows simultaneously instead of one, and Megapon become much more effective. Kibapon are the most effected by Fever, galloping back and forth around the battlefield and sending enemies careening back to whence they came.

Enemies come in numerous shapes and sizes. Most inviting are the Zigotons, a race similar to the Patapons, but distinguishable by their red square eye-for-body. Like the Patapon, they fight in groups, typically the same size as the largest Patapon arrangement, but they fight in waves, use buildings for protection, better armor and weaponry, and set traps for the Patapon.

Beyond the different types of Zigotons are the different forms of creatures that are meant to be hunted. Buffalo, ostrich, and giant crab-like creatures are the typical foray on the Patapon diet, but they will eat anything they kill, save for the Zigotons. Even and especially the large bosses.

These behemoths will be ten to twenty times the size of the attacking force, carry thousands of health points when for most of the game each Patapon can only inflict tens worth of damage. Each has specialty attacks that can clear the battlefield with just a few connected hits.

All along the road traveled are new obstacles to overcome, items to find and treasures to uncover. The items earned are typically weapons or armor as upgrades, but can also open up new areas to explore, battle and hunt. Equipment is dealt with prior to any outing and is familiar to typical RPG’s, except that it can only be obtained from the Zigotons after battle.

This may seem like a downside, but it fits brilliantly into the model developer Pyramid sought out to create. The level of depth in Patapon is unrivaled because it all plays through the simplest of terms. How many regular Patapon are required based on the number of helmets, since some Patapon don’t need helmets. How to properly distribute weapons when only so many are available, but different teams can use different amounts.

Using such deep strategies and tactics, however, is not necessary. Players can just as easily spend hours farming for “ka-ching”, the money of the world, to further upgrade all their Patapon. It comes at a price, for doing so takes much time and because it isn’t simply monotonous button presses that typical World of Warcraft players have grown accustomed to. Keeping the beat for hours of farming is completely different from hours of progressing, fighting actual enemies and carrying out the story.

A rather large annoyance is the inability to pause the game, with the exception of putting the PSP in standby mode. Pressing start simply asks if the mission should stop, though realistically as a rhythm game there is no solution. The option to pause it without stopping the system cold would be an improvement.

Properly playing Patapon takes practice and patience, and those short on either will ultimately reach the end of the game with incredible difficulty in defeating the final stages. This may occur because they simply paid for standard troops instead of more powerful ones, and filled their ranks completely instead of mastering the controls to progress.

The final missing piece is the lack of direction towards necessary and unnecessary steps towards progression. Several times backtracking will be necessary and it will only say in one particular spot, which is very easy to miss. For anyone without hawk eyes, time will be spent simply playing over various maps to achieve something they know nothing about, only to stumble upon it in anguish of time ill spent.

Keeping the tradition of simplicity in all parts of the game, Patapon is a visually pleasing, cute, intelligent and surprisingly addictive title. Taking a step back from the gameplay, it’s easy to marvel at the ingenuity of Patapon from every angle; artwork, music, control, presentation…very little holds it back. Even with its faults, there is no doubt that Patapon is a contender for game of the year on the PSP.

Final Verdict:
Gameplay: 10
Graphics: 9.0
Audio: 10
Last Appeal: 9.0
Overall: 9.5

Written by James Pikover
Thursday, 13 March 2008

The Ghost of Sparta has a horrible curse on his life. We all know that from the exceptional PS2 titles which have taken us along with Kratos’ journeys, across practically every inch of Greek mythology ever written. Yet the god of war was once human, and even acted like such, bu the death of his wife and child left him all but soulless.

Ready at Dawn Studios, developers of “Daxter” on the PSP, had their work cut out for them. Following up two of the biggest games from the biggest franchise on the PS2 is no small task, and for a PSP version they did an amazing job. Considering that everything from controls to graphics to storyline had to be different and yet the same. they really pulled it off.

As the story goes, Kratos killed his wife and daughter in blood-lust (unknowingly), and forsook Ares wishes. Left wandering the earth for 10 years, he was a slave to Olympus until that fateful day upon defeating the sea serpents for Poseidon that he summoned Athena the first time. That was the first “God of War” title.

Chains of Olympus takes place just as his wandering began ten years earlier, at the shores of Attica during a Persian invasion (300 reference anyone?). Kratos battles a giant Basilisk, and upon defeating it watches Helios’ chariot falling to earth. Not long after Morpheus, the god of dreams, threatens to take over the world because there is no sunlight, and of course Kratos is called to save the day.

However, it isn’t merely about Kratos searching to rid himself of the horror of his past. We are led to learning about who Kratos actually is, as a human being, through the hope he gains in finding he may be able to save his daughter. As a prequel, it’s not hard to figure out how it all turns out, but keeping it secret was never the intention.

Control was an expected issue, since the PS2 titles had access to two sets of triggers and a second analog stick. Chains of Olympus instead makes excellent use of what the PSP has to offer, using the triggers as sub-command buttons (ie, hold down the left trigger and square to perform a certain attack).

It has improvements over the PS2 design by using the different magic attacks as sub-commands rather than switching between them, which was easy to use previous magic energy wrongfully. Leaping away/toward enemies is done marvelously by holding down both triggers and using the analog stick to point where to jump. Finally, weapons changes are done by using the D-pad. Everything else remains identical to its PS2 counterparts. If anything, the biggest flaw is the excessive use of the PSP’s analog stick which can drive one mad (it simply is not made right), though that’s hardly Ready at Dawn’s fault.

Everything including most of the attacks. Through the course of gameplay it becomes easy to identify and use combo’s from the previous titles, which we tested to make sure. Not all of the combinations are present, but most are. Side by side comparisons show just how great a job was done.

That goes for how the game looks as well. Even at a low 480×272 resolution, Chains of Olympus is the best looking PSP game ever made. It shockingly runs completely smooth on both PSP versions, though the older ones will have longer loading times between levels and occasionally in-game, which is attributed to the lower RAM count on the older PSP systems. But put the smooth, fast-paced slashing gameplay together with top-of-the-line graphics never before seen on the system and you’ve got the most amazing viewing experience available on a portable console.

The limitations of the PSP’s smaller UMD’s do cut in pretty visibly though, but for the most part don’t really cause too much trouble. There are only a few different types of enemies, and on the mortal or hero difficulty settings (easy and normal, respectively) there is little variation in gameplay mechanics. It’s very easy to figure out which enemies succumb to which tactics, and then follow those guidelines. Typical battles can be very easy once you understand how each NPC functions.

On the Spartan or God mode, that doesn’t happen. Health fades much faster and suddenly every attack isn’t just a flesh wound. The variation of different enemies will be treacherous, and like it’s PS2 brethren it can be amazingly hard. And even if you know the Weakness of each enemy type, the different combinations of enemies and landscape will leave you ducking and dodging and, undoubtedly, restarting.

As a God of War title, Chains of Olympus fits in perfectly. The combat system, graphics, story, and controls are all optimized for the PSP, but play like it’s on the PS2. A title this strong doesn’t deserve merit or applause; sheer awe is the best description. It’s almost a shame that Patapon came out just a week before, because it’s spot as current game of the year for the PSP just changed hands.

Final Verdict:
Gameplay:10
Graphics:10
Audio:10
Lasting Appeal: 9.5
Overall: 9.7

Written by Chris Matel
Wednesday, 09 April 2008
Baseball, the American pastime, has been imagined and adapted into a multitude of variable contexts (see future, monsters and pure casual). However, it’s the simulators which catch the most attention, and criticism, for offering players deep, engaging experiences. Sony Computer Entertainment of America San Diego’s MLB: The Show franchise has offered one of deepest baseball game opportunities out there for the past couple of years via the Playstation 2 and 3, as well as the PSP. While the ’07 outing of The Show caught some flack for rough animations and gameplay functions, the ’08 season returns with updates to both technical and gameplay aspects.

Some of the major areas of criticism from last year concerned crucial fielding, batting and pitching gameplay. Whether you’re playing on Sony’s handheld system, or either of its consoles, expect a similar-yet-improved experience. A few tweaks and changes to problem areas have made ’08 an improved package over last year’s game.

Last year, The Show introduced Adaptive Pitching Intelligence and Pitch Command System to the simulator, and while both of these mechanics return to this year’s game, a few tweaked dynamics give ball-slingers added insight into managing their pitches. Instead of blindly throwing fast balls one after another, it’s possible to take a break before a pitch, see just how well and how effective different pitches have been against the current batter, which of your pitches are working well, how the resulting hit might pan out, and a whole host of other statistics to proceed accordingly with an appropriate pitch.
It may seem a bit unfair for a pitcher to pause before executing their money-making service, but if you take into account that real spit-ballers have a lengthy career of knowledge, coaching and intuition behind them, both pitching tools really put you into the head of a major league pitcher.

The pitcher-batter match-up isn’t all one sided however, as the batter has their own analytical tool to asses what the pitcher is likely to throw and how effective they have been at bat. By using the Progressive Batting Performance, the game tracks how hot or cold the current batter is, allowing you to judge how to hit the ball. By using a spectrum of color-coded icons ringed on the batter while at the plate, you’ll know if you should swing for the fences or take a bunt. Just like the pitching mechanics, the batter’s tool gives you the feeling that you have an influence in the batting process. Hitting balls well isn’t a simple task in The Show, but then again, neither can it be while playing at Fenway Park…when you’re Derek Jeter.

Changes have also been made for fielding and while running bases, which make the game play out smoother than its predecessor across all systems. While some minor tweaks in animations make fielding and running feel overall more responsive, a new system for robbing sluggers of home runs has been implemented. By timing the corresponding control just right, it’s possible to snag a ball from clearing the fences. Ultimately, it’s a small change, but being able to more effectively deny another of a homerun is a completely rewarding feeling.

For all of its praiseworthy changes and minor tweaks, not everything is perfect with this year’s Show. Unfortunately, the game’s A.I. is still not as solid as if you were playing with the ’98 Yankees. Minor issues in defensive play will make even the casual baseball fan wonder what happened. Missed cutoffs, pitchers neglecting fieldable balls, and slow reactions make the game sometimes feel as if it’s a beer league. However, tightened playmaking decisions and controls mask some of the problematic inconsistencies.

Some technical issues pop in all versions of the game as well. While last year’s framerate problems on the PSP seem to be have cured, all versions suffer from tearing brought on by new camera angles. Also, repetitious crowd animations and clipping are annoying preponderances. Graphically, the PS2 version is the weakest of the lot, with aliasing and texture issues, but they aren’t enough to ruin a solid experience.

All of these functions come included in a game which offers players unique and rewarding franchise and career modes. Just like ’07, this year’s game has all of the options for playing games. Like other sports games you have the option to just play single games, seasons, franchises and special events (i.e. Home Run Derbies), however, The Show throws in a special mode: Road to the Show. Unlike other games that focus on team development in a franchise, Road to the Show centers on the development of a singular player, from creation to making it big.

In these games, instead of playing as different people during games, you’ll focus on your player’s specialty. If you’re a pitcher, you’ll pitch; a shortstop will only play in-between third and fourth base; and, with any other position you choose to play, that’s where you’re going to play. To keep things interesting, goals are doled out by your manager to complete for each game. Unlike last year’s pass-fail model, this time, things are little more forgiving, and make for a more enjoyable experience.

While playing locally with a buddy is fun, friends aren’t always around. The online feature for ’08 has been updated with a new SCOUT (Sports Connect Online Users Tracking) system which allows players to find matches quicker based on player criteria. Such a setup does away with annoying, time consuming menus and is a welcomed addition.

Though, for the most part, each version of The Show is nearly identical—save for graphical differences—there are some differentiating features. The PS3 version is the only one which allows players access to the Replay Vault. Instead of simple replays, it’s possible to capture a stellar moment anytime in-game, and repeat it over and over again for bragging rights. The problem here is that the word “vault” is a bit deceiving. While you’re able to replay whatever, whenever, there’s no ability to save your replay or transfer it to a friend.

Also, the PS3 and PSP really get a host of more fun, and practical, features that the PS2 version lacks. Custom playlists, from MP3 and music files stored on your hard drive or memory stick, are able to be uploaded in-game for a customized audio experience. The last, big, difference between the formats is the ability to save games while still playing. Both the PS3 and PSP versions allow for players to save their progress at any time while in the middle of a game, but PS2 owners are forced to either play through the rest of their game, simulate to the end, or keep the console on until their next sitting.

Finally, each version of the game looks great for their respective format and each does a stellar job on the audio side of things. Players and their animations look recognizable and athletic, though limited options in player creation is a little disappointing. However, everything from the announcing to in-game music is spot on. There are instances where you won’t hear the umpire’s call until sometime into your next pitch, but the above-average play-calling makes you feel like you’re listening to a real game while the boisterous crowd gives you the feeling you’re actually there.

In all, you can’t go wrong in picking up this season of The Show. It may feel like there’s not that much of a difference from ’07, but there are enough minor changes and tweaks to make this year’s outing a more complete, refined experience. The PS2 version is a bit gimped compared to the other two formats, but that’s a case of hardware. Also, there still remains the wished-for functionality of cross-compatibility between PS3 and PSP games to make the series really standout from SCEA’s MLB 2K8 competition. But, in the end—wishes aside—MLB ’08: The Show really is the baseball fan’s game.

Gameplay: 8.5
Graphics: 8.0
Audio: 8.5
Lasting Appeal: 9.0
Overall: 8.5