Rodea: The Sky Soldier Review (Wii U)

It’s been a very long road for Rodea in making it to the West. It was originally set to come out on the Wii but delay after delay has meant it now finally reaches us a generation later. For the dedicated among you, you can buy a special edition of the game which comes with the motion controlled Wii version included. Sadly we couldn’t get hold of that so our review will be solely focusing on the Wii U version of the game.

The plot is confusing. As far as we can make out it’s about a robot with a heart that is tasked with protecting a princess of a flying realm which is invaded. Upon the princess’s capture she gives half of something called ‘the key of time’ to Rodea and this prevents the invasion somehow. (We’ve read the official plot blurb and still have no idea). Rodea is found 1000 years later by a young mechanic girl just as the invasion starts again and sets out to save the world.

The game is a 3D platformer at heart with stages set out where you have to reach a certain point and then normally defeat a boss of some kind. The twist is that Rodea’s favourite mode of traveling is by flying. By jumping in the air you can then set Rodea on a flight path at the touch of a button. The analogue sticks are used to move a reticule around which can then be used to change direction. While flying pressing the ‘B’ button unleashes a spin attack which can be used to smash through enemies. The spin attack can also be chained to allow the destruction of multiple enemies in sequence. It takes a while to get used to but does work. There are also a host of other gadgets like weapons and slide boots which are added as you progress and help keep things varied.

While the games cut scenes look suitably lovely the in-game world shows a few too many signs of its non-HD heritage. The graphics certainly show up the fact that the game was originally designed for the Wii and while effective they often look muddy and bland with levels lacking a discernible character. That said at least there aren’t any draw distance issues.

The game draws influence from both Sonic Adventure and Nights into Dreams but a more accurate comparison with regard to its overall flow and feel would be Gravity Rush. The flying mechanic is pretty much the same and the need to hit enemies glowing weak spots is also remarkably similar. Sadly, for much of the time we were playing it we were thinking about going away and playing Gravity Rush rather than progressing further in Rodea. That isn’t to say Rodea is a bad game it just lacks the same cutting edge and dizzying highs of the Vita’s offering.

There are a lot of positives in the game and despite the visuals the level design is strong. There are multiple routes through the courses and ample opportunities to rack up high scores as you race between smashing enemies and picking up the various floating collectibles. There is also an excellent feeling to flying around and, once you’ve upgraded a bit, you get a real sense of speed. 

Rodea is a funny game to place. It doesn’t really do anything wrong but the time for it to have come out and really blown us away has long since passed. We enjoyed our time with it and there isn’t much else like it around but it also didn’t leave a massive impression and there was an overall lack of spark and magic that stops the game reaching its true potential. There’s certainly enjoyment to be found here but the transition from being a Wii game is too rough around the edges. If it had been built again from scratch we could have seen this being something very special, as it is it’s just an enjoyable diversion for platform fans that does things a little bit different.

Overall 6/10

Colour Blind Issues - No
Review Code - Yes

Akumajo Dracula X: Chi No Rondo Review (PC Engine CD)

The now almost mythical Castlevania title was released in 1993 on PC Engine CD. Unluckily for the west the console was dying a death in America and so the game never made it out of Japan. Legal issues also meant that it was difficult to port it to any other systems . Eventually an altered and watered down SNES version did appear but it is far from the game it should be.

This time a dark priest named Shaft sacrifices a girl in order to resurrect Dracula. Shaft wishes to control the world and knows he needs the dark lords help to fight the powers of good. The forces of evil attack Richter Belmont's Village and capture four women, including his girlfriend Annette Renard and her sister Maria. Thus the stage is set and off our hero goes to save the world.

Chi No Rondo really is a master class in level design. Each stage is unique, with most having multiple routes. The fun comes in finding the secret exits, which take you on a completely different journey to Dracula's castle. Along the way, if you look hard enough, you can rescue Maria from sacrifice. Once you have done this she becomes a playable character and brings a different approach to how levels must be tackled.

Richter handles a little different from Simon Belmont. You are no longer able to attack diagonally and the whip always stays in chain form. To compensate for the lack of whip flexibility the sub weapons you pick up can be super charged to cause massive damage across the screen. A back flip move has also been added and you will need it if you are to progress in the later levels.

The level design may be excellent but there is no escaping that this game is hardcore when it comes to difficulty. The new moves are all welcome but removing the diagonal attack can create console-smashing levels of frustration as enemies taunt you from unreachable positions.

Of course in order to play the game you are going to need to be pretty hardcore as well. It certainly isn't a player afraid of a challenge that imports a Japanese console and pays a three-figure sum for an old two-dimensional platformer. Once the new moves have been mastered it is possible to make progress but you must be patient. At least the excellent electronic orchestral score will keep you amused as you plummet to your doom continually.

It was a real travesty that a game of this quality remainws so elusive for many fans. There is a PSP port but it simply is not the same and the PSP is hardly the perfect platform to take the game to a mass audience. However, there is now an much easier way to play the game in the form of the Wii virtual console. Chi No Rondo deserves its excellent reputation and we can only hope it makes it's way onto more consoles in the future.

8/10

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Review (Wii)

After a long-winded journey where Twilight Princess was first set for the Nintendo Gamecube only then to be fostered onto the Wii, it came as a relief to see both versions on the shelves. While the Wii was guaranteed to be a sell out come launch, the need existed for a AAA standard bearer from day one, and a grand finale for its older sibling. Cross platform titles always carry the fear of simply being half-baked ports and failing to take advantage of their new surroundings. Normally we would be nervous about what the outcome might be, but with one of Nintendos main franchises on the line what could go possibly wrong?

This time we find ourselves in a small outback village. Link is a sort of elf cowboy looking after the livestock and doing local chores. The various tasks the villagers ask you to complete (although a little drawn out) act as a highly effective tutorial, which considering the new Wii remote control scheme is very welcome. The control dynamic is impeccably implemented and becomes second nature after about five minutes.

Zelda games always have a gimmick and this time it comes in the form of the theme of light and darkness with the land of Hyrule is under attack from the land of shadow. To begin with when Link enters areas cursed with darkness he is transformed in a majestic white wolf. As a wolf Link is granted new abilities as well as a  dark elf helper named Midna who rides around on you. As a wolf Link can dig and follow a scent trail, skills which are vital to finding new areas and missing people.

Unfortunately the first few wolf sections are rather drab. Later in the game things do improve, but much like the rest of the title it takes about four or five hours to really get going. Once you hit the third dungeon things start happening that will really make you sit up and notice. Indeed, for the first time in years we found ourselves thinking, "that is really clever" as each new puzzle and solution unfolded. The further you get into the game the more inspired the level design becomes and ends up being on par with, if not better than any other game in the series.

You really do need to get past the first five or so hours as anyone who is familiar with Zelda games may well feel they have seen it all before. But press on and you will be rewarded with a wonderfully inventive and fun Zelda game.

Although the main gimmick is the working of the light and dark scenario, there is something else that this title delivers and that is scale. To begin with dungeons are compact, but later on grow to huge proportions. Zelda dungeons have never appeared on such a grand scale, some of them are truly breathtaking as they seemingly scale up into the clouds and down in the depths, and that's before we get onto the bosses.

It's not only the dungeons but also the landscape that carries an epic (some would say Lord of the Rings) style about it. Bridges cover huge valleys and mountain ranges frame the countryside. Not something especially impressive you may think until you realise that now if you fall off a bridge you just keep going down until you hit the river below, or just like Oblivion that the glint on the horizon can actually be reached. Never before has a Zelda game had a landscape so rich for exploration.

The Twilight Princess experience is by no means perfect especially near the start of the game. Here there is far more outside influence than many would wish for, and it certainly takes a while for the Zelda theme to come through. Influences are drawn from Okami, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Princess Mononoke and other studio Ghibli films, as well as Lord of the Rings and are not so much subtly implemented as hammered into the Zelda framework. However, once the game gets all of these influences under control it all seems worthwhile. Lasting for more than forty hours, by the time you are swinging your sword through the later reaches of the game the uneven start seems like a distant memory.

Overall, Zelda The Twilight Princess is a triumph. Every dungeon reveals something new whether it is weapons, environments, brilliantly designed puzzles or bosses. Those just starting the title reading this review may well be thinking that Wind Waker is the better game and most of it has been seen before. Keep pushing on and you will find wonders you have never seen and a game that may well be looked upon in the future as one of the best adventure titles of all time. The final question can only be is this better than Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? Well it's certainly a closer call than anyone could have envisioned, just try and forgive those first few hours.

9/10

Samurai Shodown Anthology Review (Wii)

The Samurai Shodown series is one of SNK's best known franchises and players have been chasing decent home versions of the games for years. Though a number of the titles have appeared on everything from the SNES to the Mega CD there has never really been a version that lived up its arcade origins.

The Samurai Showdown Anthology gives many players the chance to play arcade perfect versions of the six Shodown games for the first time. As well as the games there are a few other minor options included such as being able to edit characters colours and play a small mini game.

The Shodown series has always taken a slightly different approach to the beat'em up genre due to the characters carrying weapons. The games are also much more about waiting for an opening and capitalising on your opponents mistake. Matches in any Shodown game can be incredibly cagey as it can take as little as three strong attacks to down an opponent due to extra damage being given for counters and hitting people in the air.

The first two Showdown games are the best example of what makes the series so special. The second game especially, is incredibly tactical. One mistake and your opponent will be all over you. This makes it pretty tough in single player but it does illustrate the different way you need to play the game.

In order to win matches you need to understand which moves counter other moves and which will leave you open if they are blocked. Special moves are also used differently with their main aim being to make your opponent jump or move into a position where they can be struck with you weapon.

Samurai Shodown II is also the best balanced of all the games. After this, SNK started to add in mountains of new techniques and even changed the button assignment. Samurai Shodown III is the worst affected with gaudy, overly large sprites and bizarre move sets making it seem messy and unfocused.

Luckily, the series does recover and the forth and fifth games return to being fun. However, they are still full of overly complex techniques and difficult moves to pull off (especially on the small Wii classic controller), and still feel more than a little unbalanced. In there favour is an ever increasing roster of characters that remain interesting and different enough to warrant players trying out the newcomers.

Samurai Shodown VI is the most over the top and allows you to pick just about every character in the game. You can even choose to play as a small monkey or one of the characters dogs. It also allows for a large degree of customisation in which special bars and techniques you use. It may not be as tactical as before but it is excellent knockabout fun.

8/10

Geometry Wars Galaxies Review (Wii)

Everyone's favourite fake retro shooter Geometry Wars has come a long from being a mini game in Project Gotham Racing 2. When it was released on Xbox Live Arcade is was met with a kind of excited dizziness not normally seen in this day and age. The move to a retail title always raised a few eyebrows but we never really believed it would be allowed to fall short in terms of quality.

For those that don't know, Geometry Wars sets you in an arena into which enemies of different shapes appear and you have to shoot them. It may be simple but then most of the best ideas normally are. While the previous version of the game only had one arena Galaxies has many of all different shapes and sizes. To progress through the game you must play each arena or 'planet' to earn points which are then used to unlock more levels.

Helping you in your shape shooting quest is a drone. This is a small square which can be programmed to do a number of things. For instance you can get it to go and pick up score multipliers, defend your ship or aggressively go after and shoot targets. As you progress you gain experience points for your drone which raise its effectiveness.

There are a whole host of different planets to visit. Some are a different shape, while others contain new enemies, different attack formations or extremes such as meteor showers and moving blocks. The developers really have done an admirable job of keeping the game interesting from start to finish. Control wise the game lets you use, pretty much, whatever you want. For those settling in for the long haul you may want to master the intricacies of the remote. For the rest of us the classic controller's twin stick set up will do just fine.

The key to longevity in Geometry Wars on the Xbox 360 was the live leader boards. Thankfully the Wii has its own set for each level. After each encounter players have the chance to upload their score and see where they stand against the rest of the world. Unfortunately you cannot check how you have done against your friends as you are restricted to looking at the top ten and scores around your own. This is a bit of an over sight as not many people will really care what score some random stranger has posted on level three.

Overall Geometry Wars Galaxies is a tight and fast paced shooter that is guaranteed to get the pulse flowing. The difficulty builds nicely over the different planets and there are so many good ideas that add variety we really didn't expect to see. Galaxies shows that the basic idea of the game is more than strong enough to stand as a retail title and every single Wii owner owes it to themselves to give it go.

8/10

Sam and Max: Season 1 Review (Wii)

It seems like a lifetime ago that the wise cracking canine shamus in the suit and the hyper kinetic, ultra violent rabbit first made an impact on the gaming world. Luckily for us, after the proposed sequel was cancelled, Sam and Max have found another way to reach their audience. Sam and Max: Season One, is a collection of all six episodes on one disc that where available for download on the PC. The Wii should be the perfect platform for point and click adventures, but have Sam and Max still got what it takes?

Sam and Max, as we all should know by now, are Freelance police who undertake missions given out by the commissioner. Sam is the thoughtful one, often pointing out the lunacy of what is happening around him, while Max is borderline insane and always looking for things to shoot, break or eat. The duo are joined in there adventures by Jimmy the rat- a low level fence who lives in their office, Bosco the shop owner and Sybil the woman of ever changing career.

The game controls almost identically to its PC counterpart with the Wiimote taking the place of a mouse. Though still very much a point and click adventure the character models and objects are now in 3D. Though not really adding anything to the gameplay it does help to bring the duo into the modern age.

It's somewhat of a relief to find that the writing and voice work retains much of its excellent quality. The humour and style that the original game was well known for is upheld admirably here. Some of the lines that our two heroes come out with are absolute genius and will have you laughing away on many occasions. The six episodes all have their own theme and range from average to excellent in terms of humour and general madness. Abe Lincoln must die stands out as a brilliant piece of social satire while Reality 2.0 might strike a little too close to home for many players.

As these episodes where released as episodic content on the PC and are self contained three hour adventures there is a certain amount of repetition in location. Most episodes require you to visit Sam and Max's room, Bosco's Inconvenience store and Sybil's office. You will then typically have one or two other locations to explore relating to the episode you are playing. This isn't ideal and certainly not on a par with the original games layout but certainly shouldn't put you off.

On the whole the puzzles are a mix of the logical and lateral thinking variety. Quite often you will have to be in the mindset of the game world to work out how to solve a certain situation. This works fine as most gamers will soon get the drift of how they should be thinking. There a couple of instances where solutions are quite obscure though, our advice is simply to make sure you look everywhere and try everything. Even so, it's likely that players will stumble a few times and find themselves frustrated just that little bit too often.

We are really happy to see Sam and Max: Season 1 make it onto the Wii as it shows that point and click adventures can work on a console. The first six episodes may not be perfect but they certainly show glimpses of the greatness that could well be on the way as the team get to grips with their new way of producing adventures for the duo. We hope that the season two builds on the good work done here and we get to see it on the Wii as soon as possible.

7/10