Game Diary #3: Nintendo DS.

Hello there. How are you guys and girls? Welcome to a new entry into my game diary series. In this series, I write a fake diary entry and it’s your goal to fish out the hidden game titles. I try to hide 10 in these stories. Each entry has a certain system or theme to it to help you find them. All the previous entries in this series you can easily find back in the category “Game Diary”. For the solutions, you simply have to select the list under the story. I have written the solution in white text on purpose so cheaters have to do some effort. So, enough fooling around. Let’s get to the story and let’s see how many Nintendo DS games you can find. It’s nearly always the title I have hidden. I tried to exclude the DSiWare games and such. So, the hidden games are games you can have as a psychical copy. Oh, and let me know in the comments how many you found. Let me know which ones I missed in the solution and which ones you found in the comments. 

The story

Dear diary

Man, I feel like a young teenager girl writing the introduction like that. I have to find a better introduction. Otherwise I can go to Sally’s Saloon like my mother and sister. My mother already got me there once. I had to wait there so she can drive me home from school when she was done. But she won’t succeed again.

Today I LOL’ed pretty hard at college. Somebody nearly fell on his face. It’s that old professor again. His brain age is surely pretty old. I can’t believe he isn’t retired yet.

So our geographic teacher went on and on about the moon again. It’s so annoying to hear him doing that. We need to learn about other things as well. I hope he finally learns his lesson when we pull that prank with him next week.

My dad’s new job is amazing. He is a zoo keeper now. Well, part of a team that keeps that zoo in town here clean. They needed new people. Thanks dad for not being home all the time now, thanks to that the candy cupboard is unguarded. Now I can steal candy with ease while writing in this secret diary of mine. – Happy face –

Tonight I went to the Pop Town. In case I forget, it’s the local club. It’s near that Hotel Dusk. That old hotel. But now I’m off to play some street football with my buddies. See you later.

And stop reading my entry, it’s my life alright?

Solution

1. Sally’s Saloon. A PC game ported to the DS. 
2. Again. Such a disappointment. 
3. LOL. Yes, it’s a party game. 
4. Brain Age, come on. That was an easy one.
5. Moon. Okay, okay. That was not an easy one.
6. Zoo Keeper. Well, I need to play to judge this game. 
7. My Secret Diary. Thanks WiKipedia for remanding me of this game/thing.
8. Pop Town. Uhu.
9. Hotel Dusk. Still need to finish this gem.
10. Street Football. Yeah, I can’t play it in real life.

Thanks for playing with me. Hopefully you had as much fun looking into this story as I had writing it. I hope to welcome you the next time but until then. Game on! 

Advertisement

Android Games #2: Lovely tablets.

A while ago, I wrote an article about Android games you should try out. Also remember that I said I would write more? Well, here are few now games you can try on your Android device. I haven’t written one recently since I have been playing other games and I have been busy with my personal life. But now I had the time and no other real good idea to write about. So, for the ones new to this series of mine, I write articles here about games you should try. I try to pick games with no or few ads. But my main goal is that they need to be free. Also, I write a short review about the most recent version that was released on the moment this article has been written. Besides, these games don’t provide me with enough material to write about for a full review. So, that’s why I review them here. So, let’s get some new games for on your mobile or tablet and let’s get playing. 

Airport Scanner

This game took me by complete surprise. I never expected a game about this to be this much fun. The game has fun and melodic music that directly sets a great tone for the game.

Graphically the game looks pleasing to the eye. Nothing is too small or pixel-y.

The gameplay is where this game really shines. You have to look into the messy bags of the passengers and tap on illegal goods. But, you have to keep it moving since first class passengers want to be on the plain fast.

I adore the silly humor like the pause menu being “coffee break”. And when somebody is caught, they get literally kicked out. Great title to play.

Score: 5/5

Flow Free & Flow Free Bridges

There isn’t really a more simple Android game out there. Connect the dots without crossing lines.

This game is a classic. And I found it when I was looking for an Android version of Tron for on my tablet.

The fewer moves you use, the more points you’ll get. There is also a variant where you have to make a bridge. Or in other words, where you have to cross one line. (Or the amount of bridges displayed on the screen.)

The amount of levels is amazing, so you won’t get bored easily by this game. Yet, this game has one drawback. The ad at the bottom is way too big for my tastes. I wish they made is smaller.

But when you can pick your level freely and eventually buy more level packs, this game surely ain’t a steal of your time. The grids will get big though and challenge your mind. One of the biggest levels I have seen is one that is 14 by 14 squares. Well, let’s get filling.

Score: 4/5

Short?

Wait, no more games? Awn. Yeah, sorry guys, but I haven’t played much on my tablet lately, so I have not that many new games. But feel free to leave games I should try out here. Maybe one day I’ll feature a game you recommended me.

Also, it’s way too hot in here to write and concentrate. I sweat so much that my shirt is sticking to my body. So fellow gamers, keep safe and keep drinking. Preferably non-alcoholic drinks.

I want to thank you for the reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.

Review #012: Aladdin (GB) ~ Terribleness on the go.

GameFaq’s Link

I have a cousin who I went to each Saturday. One day he lend me DuckTales on the gameboy, which was a great blast. But I do remember one game that he lend too with it. A game so bad, I’m not even going to finish it before I write a review of it. This game on the SNES isn’t that bad, but the gameboy version is terrible. I got this game from a friend, when she didn’t want to keep her gameboy games anymore. I was so happy that I got new free games. But when I saw this cartrigde, I wish I could cry right there on the playground. Man, bad memories of this game. I’m even putting on a sad face while writing this review. Sadly enough, this game is playing next to me on my SuperGameboy and my SNES. It’s already clear that I’ll rip this game a new one, but how bad is it actually? Let’s dive right into Aladdin, without a magic carpet to save our ass. 

Flawed or bad?

Some games might have a few flaws. Or just have some things not polish. But this game is a joke. Let’s start analysing this insult of Virgin Interactive by looking at the options.

The difficulty levels are not what you expect from a normal game. Easy is practice and hard is difficult. Yes, I kid you not, the screen says literally “difficult”. Signs for a great game. Also they feel the need to be special and or grammatically correct. Somewhat. The options for the music and sound are displayed as follows:

“Music is: ON”

“Sound FX are: ON”

Why? These “is” and “are” aren’t doing the game any good. It’s silly and just lines of code lost for the actual game. And they could have used it. Oh yeah, a minor annoyance is that you can’t scroll back that the difficulty menu. But that’s nitpicky me.

So, let’s move on with this review by pressing the B button to get out of the options menu. Wait, it’s one of those games. You need to go to “exit” to go back to the main screen. Oh yeah, “exit” instead of “return”. Whoopsiedasy.

The gameplay, my god, the gameplay.

In the name of all the holy and good cartrigdes, be happy that I played this joke for you so that I can warn you about this game. First of all, this adventure and platform game suffers from one major flaw that is also quite visible from the menu. There isn’t a save or load option. This is the kind of game that could have benefited from this feature. Like the first Super Mario Land on the gameboy, this is one of the games you have to play in one sitting. And that isn’t good at all for a handheld game. No, since usually you play these kind of games on the bus or at the doctor’s office. So, you wish you could save.

The controls are weird at best. But at the start of the game, you don’t have any guide or nothing to explain you how this game works. Let me give you one hint. Press the select button at the start of the first level so you don’t waste any apples. Yup, they start you with an attack that is limited. And without giving you a slight hint that you can press select to switch weapons, the game gets annoying really soon.

While I do realize that I ranted about game tutorials more holding your hands these days, this game should have had at least an easier first part. The very first part of this game is filled with all sorts of things. You barely get time to get used to the game mechanics or the controls. You are expected to play this one with already knowing every sort of enemy or hazard.

I just noticed this too, while writing this review, I have to pause the game and then write a bit. And the pause screen actually kindly reminds you that the game is paused with displaying a “PAUSED!” message at the bottom left of your screen. How lovely that they think we are stupid people. Just like the enemy AI in this game. I could stand in visible range of an enemy and it kept just standing there. How lovely. Also, some enemies seem to have a very special attack pattern. The one the animators gave them. And your goal is to be faster then the animation.

All the apples of the nopes. 

For a Gameboy game, the flaws don’t stop there. The music is the next victim of my critic-ing. And it’s terrible. The menu music is true to the movie. But the music in game is just a loop of a 1-2 minutes melody and it gets annoying and repetitive extremely quick. And there is no way to go in game to the option menu to put it off. They forgot to program that in I suppose.

The first camel you pass in the game, which can be used as a mini-trampoline, actually spits out knives from it’s mouth. This happens after you see an enemy cheat by walking over hot coals. Which is actually a black puddle on your screen. That brings us to the graphics. They are bland. Somethings even don’t represent that they are supposed to be. The apples look like bombs. And who dies of apples, except from chocking on them, anyways?

Also, the attacking of enemies is flawed. Their melee attack reaches further then yours. Which means that you need to use your valuable apples to take no damage. And believe me, you are going to need that health since it’s so rare to find a health pick up. In addition to that, you don’t get explained what the power ups do. One of the first power ups I came across is one that wipes out all enemies on screen. And guess what, there was only one enemy on screen. ONE, for NOPE’s sake, ONE!

Oh, and what’s up with the jumping? You can’t attack when you are in the air. In addition to that, when you fall from a platform, you are locked vertically. So, if you see a vase dropping down on you, it’s damage you can’t avoid. Oh yeah, cheap game. Very cheap. But lucky me, the damage doesn’t get taken since the animation was still playing of Aladdin getting up after the fall. And this ended after the vase actually hit me. Oh joy.

Also, what did I say from the AI before? Further in the first level, I was able to get an enemy in attack mode without even the ability to hit me. Wait, why isn’t it coming closer to me then? Oh yeah, movie game. That explains a lot. So I destroyed this enemy with my rock apples. Which brings me to another complaint. There is no clear indication which weapon you have selected. You just need to guess or to press the attack button to know that.

The decent animations of the characters are ruined by the white outline around them. Which makes those very clear, but not the places where you can and can’t jump on. Since this game isn’t so linear, this is another issue.

And then my copy decided to freeze. Which it often does. So, end of this review! On to the conclusion.

Conclusion

The good:

+ Follows the movie story quite well.

+ It’s exists for reviewers to rip apart when they need to review a bad game.

The bad:

– Terrible AI.

– Lacking save and load feature.

– Bland graphics.

– Annoying music.

– Major flaws in the controls.

– Too steep of a learning curve.

– Nothing of the game gets explained.

– Bland sound effects and some parts could use sound effects.

– Difficult even on easy.

– …

My advise

When you are a Gameboy collector, get this game. But let it gather dust. As a hobby gameboy gamer, don’t even spend money on this title. You’ll regret it for sure. There aren’t many games I don’t finish for a review but this is one of them. I had trouble finding good points to defend this game.

This was a promising game though, but the lack of so many things and screwed up basics make this game a shouting fest for adventure and platform gamers. I forgot to mention a few things in my review like the sound and the enemy always being able to hit you first, but it’s clear that this game has more flaw then Swish cheese has holes.

And if you would excuse me, I need to play better games now to finish up other reviews of actually good games. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave in the comments what your experience is with the game.

Score: 27 / 100

3 games I wish I finished.

Thanks Nhi for creating this

As a hobby-blogger and game reviewer, I play a lot of games. Yet, I can’t succeed in finishing them all. One of my general rules is that I need to finish each game before I make a review of it. So, I can give this game a fair review. Since there can always be something in the end that makes or breaks the game. But with so many games that catch my interest, a gaming neko like myself can easily be distracted. Or I try to play a game and finish it but I play so many of them at once I barely can keep up. So, in this article I will talk about the games I haven’t finished yet and I wish I finished. (For what ever reason.) Of course there are more games I wish I finished but hey, let’s keep it at three for now. 

Okami (Wii)

I love myself some Japanese gaming culture and this game is truly a gem of it’s kind. Okami was originally released on the PS2. But I like the port to the Wii a lot more. Since this game was made for more free movement and the Wii delivers just that.

After finishing the amazing Okamiden on the DS, I directly wanted to play the original game on the Wii. I was blown away with the quality, graphics, music and level design.

Everything wasn’t perfect though, sometimes my Wii movements didn’t got recognized, making for some frustrating moments in the game. Also, the combat is just a joke to me. Waving the Wii Remote gives painful feelings after repeated action.

But why didn’t I finish this game? Well, I was nearing the end and when a friend of mine tried out the game, he saved over my save file by accident. And my save file back-up was so close from the start, that I decided to restart. But the fun is a bit gone since it doesn’t have that “new” freshness you get from a game. But this game is surely one I’m going to finish on calm periods.

Mirror’s Edge (PC)

Everybody who watches and follows my video’s on the YouTube, know that I’m extremely bad at parkour. But why do I play the game known for only parkour? Simple, because it’s a great game. I got this title for an extremely low price of 5€ and I played it always until a certain point.

Then other games start to distract me and I leave this game at this side unfinished. But I heard on the MindCrack podcast that it isn’t a long game anyways.

This game is pretty and really pulls you in. The graphics, music, level design or difficulty aren’t any factors of this game holding me back to finish it. Also, I didn’t follow the story the first time around. Which I of course regret since it was the game which I wanted to use to make my comeback as reviewer on my forum.

Till this day, this game often appears in the “What are you playing” thread for me since I play short bursts here and there and I’m anything but progressing in the game. I should actually start playing this game after publishing this article so I can finally make a review of this game.

Hopefully my terrible jumping skills aren’t going to hold me back for ever since that’s a reason why I don’t play this game for very long. Also this game asks a lot of my graphics card of my laptop so, that’s holding me back as well.

Mystic Quest (GB)

I was so excited when I got this game for the cheap at a garage sale. When I came home, it was the only game I played for a while. I even put aside my laptop to play this game with the use of my Super Gameboy and my SNES on my TV.

It really gave me a Zelda-vibe and really kept my attention with the game. The neat graphics, decent difficulty and interesting, yet somewhat generic story, keeps me interested to play.

So why have I stopped playing this game and not finished it? Well, simple. I got stuck and didn’t really found my way out, not even with the help of a walkthrough. So, I stopped playing.

But this game is one I am willing to finish. It’s collecting dust right now and as game collector I can’t let that happen. I’m not that kind of a collector.

So, any tips for this game are welcome in the comments. Maybe you can help me. I know that I defeated a dragon for some spell and that I need to find some holy water. See, my memories are getting vague, it has been that long since I played this game.

Final words

Of course, there are a lot more games I wish I finished. And not because they are bad, but simply because I got stuck or got distracted with another game.

Which games do you guys and girls wish you have finished? And why? And why isn’t it finished yet? Let me know in the comments down below. Anyways, that’s all for me. Thanks for reading and have an enjoyable remainder of your day.

Rant #006: Is Nintendo for kids?

So, Mario is for kids? I can’t believe that. I don’t understand why so many write Nintendo off as a company that makes games for kids. Since when are family friendly games, games for kids? Well, I pretty much said my opinion right there and I haven’t started this rant yet. So, let’s dive some deeper into this matter. What exactly do people say about Nintendo? Is it a company that makes games for kids? So, let’s begin. Also, let me know in the comments what you think. 

Family games vs kids games

What exactly makes a game a kids game? That’s a pretty good question. Is a game for kids a game that has a 3+ rating? Well, no. Games like RollerCoaster Tycoon are 3+ and are anything but kids games. Since ask a kid that is 3 years old to manage a theme park easily. It’s true that most games have a rating, but the rating doesn’t mean that this game gets an age group stamp.

Don’t misunderstand me, I mean that most tycoon games get a stamp for 3+. This means that the content is suited for people from the age of three and up. But I haven’t seen an age that says: “if you are over this age, you can’t play this game.”. Since that’s just plain silly. Oh, you may only be between the age of 7 and 16 to play this game.

Some games are intended for kids, like educational games. But there are some games you can play with the whole family like Mario. Is Mario, Pokémon, Zelda made for kids? That not. Kids games are known for being extremely simple. But some Zelda games aren’t that simple or easy to finish.

Nintendo is for kids!

Whenever I’m at some friends place and when I tell to them I’m playing a game on my DS, they laugh at me and say it’s a kids console. But the DS has a lot of adult games. Some of my favorites are 999 and Ace Attorney. Yet, these games aren’t made by Nintendo.

It’s only fair to say that the Nintendo consoles aren’t consoles for kids. The main target may be kids but there are several game series that aren’t for kids. And never intended to be played by kids in the first place.

But does Nintendo make games that are not for kids? Yes, of course they do. But they are family friendly so even the kids can play too. This will be probably a shorter rant since most of my points have already been said.

Actually, I am not going to go in bigger detail. My point is that Nintendo makes family friendly games to get the kids interested. And that there isn’t a maximum age on games. Anyways, I’m sorry for the shorter rant today but I am out of points to make it a long article like usual on my blog. So, keep gaming guys and I look forward to the comments.

First Impression: Pokémon Black & White (DS) ~ Late to the party.

Official website

Before start this blog, I want to apologize for not posting for a while. I have been quite busy with my personal life. Follow me on my twitter if you need to know more. Anyways, I realize too that I am extremely late starting to play this entry in the Pokémon series. But I have distracted by other games. Yeah, that excuse will convince you. I hope. Anyways, I’m playing it now and as long time Pokémon fan I feel mixed about this entry. And I shall explain why in this first impression. Remember that these is what I think when first playing the game. Anyways, I’m going to play the sequel after this and I will probably buy the next installment on the 3DS. Anyways, let me know in the comments what you think of my opinion and what you thought yourself when you first started to play this game. Oh, and I place the Pokémon Black box-art here since that’s the version I’m playing through.

Updated yet step back.

This game has a few flaws. And I want to direct here. This game feels like how Pokémon Mystery Dungeon – Gates To Infinity cuts a lot of things. It’s a great game in many ways but I dislike many things. One major example is the unhandy menu.

Seriously, who thought of the menu? It’s such a neat idea for having some items like the drowsing machine on the bottom screen but the menu is also displayed on that bottom screen. So what happens is that you have to switch if you want to take something from your bag. This could easily have been avoided or solved if they used tabs in this game to easily switch between your items.

What I feel is a downfall in this game is that the creativity in the Pokémon design is a bit lacking. Some Pokémon don’t look as original as all the previous generations. I keep asking myself, why don’t they stop creating new Pokémon and just use the overflow of Pokémon they have? The legendary Pokémon don’t feel as legendary anymore either.

Also, they removed the ability of a Pokémon running behind you. A feature I extremely liked in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. It does make those games more unique and it gives them a reason to replay them yet the PokéWalker was doing that for Nintendo already.

And what I also find disappointing as well is the fact you can’t name your friends. This which such a nice feature in every previous game. Now they just have names already. Awn, no fun Game Freak.

More 3D

Visually this game is extremely well done. In presentation of the world, it’s a great job. The seasons are such an amazing idea and the Pokémon that fly by, it pulled me into the game without a doubt. Yet, I wished that the seasons where set with the calender instead of somewhat random. Since it confuses me that it’s autumn in the game while it’s summer here for me.

Apart from some not so creative Pokémon, this game brings a lot of features I like to the table. A feature where you can quickly access often used features is such a great addition. I said earlier that the drowsing machine has gotten an amazing upgrade. The trainer card is what it’s supposed to be now. You can make a greeting, put your mood and your trainer style! Great work.

I love running through the new world. The camera is such a nice thing. In certain area’s it shows you the area’s from the side or from other directions. Something I felt that was missing from the series for a long time.

The battles, while not perfect, have gotten a major step in the right direction. The battle screen is more animated and the camera moves more with the attacks instead of standing still. The animation is one of the better I have seen in the Pokémon games and it really sets the bar high for the next games.

Nods to the older games

This game does feel more realistic. But I doubt if this will make the game timeless. But that’s something that we will need to see in the future. But the game’s story is one that caught my attention. It’s different and it’s really fine from what I read now.

But the game has also nods to the older games. It like starting your journey at a young age or the guys of GameFreak putting themselves in the game. Nice easter egg guys.

The music is enjoyable but doesn’t have the magic that older music has. It’s probably the nostalgia factor for me but it’s not bad. The sound effects are what you are used to of Pokémon.

The game has a lot to offer. It seems that this game is extremely long too. And finally, there is now a good reason to choose between the two versions. Pokémon Black and White have a location that is exclusive to that game. The difference isn’t simply some Pokémon and the legendary one anymore. Thank the lords.

In conclusion, this game does a lot to pull you in. There are a lot of features I haven’t yet seen in the game. Like wild battles with two Pokémon instead of one, I haven’t messed around with that enough to give my full opinion. It’s clear to me already that this game is a good game but it’s far from perfect. It’s a step in the right direction for the series. So, another game I will have to review when I finally finished it. Oh dear, I better get back to playing so I can post my final thoughts on it. Take care and thanks for reading!