Tagged: Gamecube
Sky’s the limit in Skies of Arcadia Legends (Gamecube)
Panzer Dragoon Saga and Final Fantasy had a child and its name is Skies of Arcadia. (Actually, technically, Phantasy Star should replace Final Fantasy here since the Skies of Arcadia studio was made up of ex-Phantasy Star and ex-Panzer Dragoon staff. Without having played any Phantasy Star though, I feel more comfortable comparing this with Final Fantasy.) Nevertheless, this child of two franchises peddles more child-friendly content than either of its parents. The exploits of a few teenage Robin Hood-like pirates facing a cartoonishly evil empire covers most of the plot. As you might expect, there are definitely aspects of Skies of Arcadia Legends that are a bit formulaic and a little bland, especially in the story and characters. Continue reading
Multiplayer mayhem with Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (Gamecube)
So many games, so little time. Despite not being active on the blog, there’s been no shortage of new games at home. There’ve been some hits and some misses, and thanks to my recent peripheral obsession I now possess a vast array of Gamecube accessories including a pair of bongos and a microphone on top of the Gamecube to GBA cables I got for this game! (Updates on those forthcoming.)
One big hit I’ve been dying to write about and get out of my system is the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. Wow, does this game capitalise on the potential of the Gamecube-GBA connectivity. It makes for a startling contrast with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, which has a basic 2D map on the GBA screen, much like Wind Waker’s Tingle Tuner. Four Swords Adventures moves the action to the GBA screen whenever you enter a house or cave, and not only are the graphics, sounds and gameplay the same but it moves between the two screens utterly seamlessly. It’s a pleasant change to Crystal Chronicles, which despite a simple display manages to feel like it’s brushing up against the limits of the connection. Continue reading
Why Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube) is awesome
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance on Gamecube is one of the most expensive games we own so I was naturally a little suspect of it, sitting there on the shelf, looking innocuous and yet oh so smug in the way expensive things do. But you know what? I loved this game. As a girl who is obsessed with any decent combination of meaningful subtext, storytelling and engaging gameplay, Fire Emblem delivers on these fronts and many more. Crucially (listen up Persona), the translation was phenomenal; it nails the “ye olde” fantasy setting perfectly, and manages to be poetic without being hokey or overwrought. Continue reading
Alien Hominid (PS2) mini-review
Christmas served as a most effective Scrooge training course this year. Best one yet, I’d say. But it’s time to put that training behind us and get on to the old games of the New Year. So to that end, let’s meet Alien Hominid.
Alien Hominid is not simply inspired by Metal Slug, it basically is a Metal Slug sequel in all but name: add a few new moves and tweaks, change the art style, and hey presto, Metal Slug: Alien.
Brief Crissed-Crossed-mas update (plus Wind Waker impressions)
Forget “ho ho ho”, in reality it’s more “woe woe woe”. And woe woe woe to you all during this brief annual holiday. It’s a truly despicable time of year in the UK for those who celebrate Christmas, and even worse if like me you don’t, but everyone around you does. I am going to exorcise a few demons by discussing in this here post the English mind (and, perhaps get around eventually to the Wind Waker on Gamecube). So fair warning that if you’re not interested in my Christmas demons – and frankly who would be – it’d be wise to skip to the last quarter of the post. Continue reading
Very Very Gaming 