I like games… sometimes.
Archive for September, 2009
The Beatles: Rock Band (360)
Sep 9th
When The Beatles: Rock Band introduction video was first shown at E3 2009, you could tell that Harmonix was really putting the time in to get everything right with this game… and I’m sure there’s probably a ton riding on that.
In case you’re new to the genre, gameplay is handled by multicolored musical “notes” descending an on-screen track. It’s your job to time your button presses or drum hits as they cross a horizontal bar at the bottom of the track. Alternatively, The Beatles: Rock Band allows for up to three players to take part in three part harmonies, made famous by The Beatles, singing along karaoke style. In total, up to six players can play at the same time (three vocalists, three instrumentalists).
Gone is Rock Band’s typical World Tour mode. Instead we’ve got a very methodical progression through defining moments of The Beatles career, not unlike the original Guitar Hero venue based setlist. You’ll go from the humble beginnings in The Cavern Club, perform at Shea Stadium, and ultimately finish at the Apple Corps Headquarters Rooftop (please note, this is not Apple, Inc.). Each venue is a great digital representation of these historic locations, but where the visuals really shine is when the Fab Four records at Abbey Road Studios.
You’ll spend almost half of the game inside the studio and this is where, I’d wager, most of the development time was put in. Harmonix appears to have crafted a full music video for each song presented here, most starting with the Beatles playing in a recording booth then melding into some fantastical, other worldly representation of the song’s lyrics… complete with kaleidoscopes, sunshines, and of course, men dressed like walruses. It’s beautiful and disconcerting at the same time.
Before Rock Band 2 came out, Harmonix briefly talked about including a jukebox mode, which would allow you to just turn on the game and let it play through the catalog of songs with a digital band playing out the songs. The Beatles: Rock Band unfortunately still does not include that mode, instead relying on the “Performance Mode” which just removes the note chart from your screen while you play. Considering the work put into the visual aspect of this game, it’s a bit disappointing.
While including support for three vocalists, some of the old trappings of the series are still in place. You’ll be able to start up the game with three microphones connected, but considering that the Beatles as a band consists of three guitarists and a drummer, it would have been nice to see support for three guitars as well. Additionally, if you want to have any vocals at all, you STILL need to sign in as a separate player with a standard 360 controller.
Ultimately like any other music game, the soundtrack is what truly defines it. While there are only 45 total songs here, every single one of them is a classic track from one of the best bands ever formed. If you compare it to the likes of Guitar Hero: Metallica, well… This is a huge win over that partial Metallica soundtrack (49 total songs, only 28 from Metallica). Sure, there are omissions (Where’s Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da?) but generally all the songs you would hope for are here.
Before playing Beatles, I had severe concerns that the audio quality itself wouldn’t be of wonderful quality considering when these were recorded. The originals were mostly two or four track masters and now they have to be multi-track to deal with the separate instruments in-game. I’m very happy to report though that at this point in time, that not only do they successfully split the tracks, but this is probably the best sounding Beatles material ever released.
If you’re a Beatles fan, or a music game fan… or both, you should buy this game. The music is superb, the visuals are phenomenal, and there’s a ton of fan service for Beatle-heads including unlockable photos and loading screen “never before heard” audio clips from their recording sessions. With multiple difficulty modes, tons of game specific achievements, and promises of at least three more full album downloads, there’s plenty of Beatles here that’ll keep you and your parents busy for a long, long time.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
The Good
The best audio catalog to hit any music game.
Lovingly crafted presentation and visuals from start to finish.
Watching The Beatles travel through their heyday is eye opening and impressive for those of us that weren’t alive at the time.
The Bad
Other than support for three microphones, there’s not much else new to report.
Too many people in the crowd are doppelgangers.
The Ugly
Why are there so many American teenagers in Japan’s Budokan?
Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)
Sep 8th
really want to know why developers continuously rely on the ole “amnesia” trait for characters in their games. Not only is it old hat at this point, but it just feels like a lazy way to do an RPG. Luckily, that particular complaint really doesn’t mean all that much because the story of Muramasa: The Demon Blade really doesn’t mean all that much. In fact, it’s really a footnote in a very action based RPG.
Muramasa is brought to us by Japanese developer Vanillaware, who’s only standout title to this point is a PS2 ARPG called Odin Sphere. It’s a two dimensional side scrolling title exclusive to the Wii, although there’s nothing in the game that indicates that. There’s no funny waggle mechanics that don’t make sense; there’s no pointing at the screen to navigate menus. In fact, probably the only reason why this game is even on the Wii in the first place is because it is a 2D side scroller and not using super awesome 3D photorealistic visuals.
No, instead The Demon Blade opts for a more simplistic, hand drawn visual style that’s both unique and beautiful. This is a perfect example on how to make a wonderfully vibrant and gorgeous Wii game instead of forcing the expectations of the current generation onto the Wii’s userbase. At no point did I say to myself “Man, if only this was in HD it would look so much better…” because it just doesn’t need it. The audio is top notch as well using spoken Japanese for the primary dialog with English subtitles, and an overall delightful soundtrack.
To start things off, you’ll get to choose between one of two playstyles, and one of two main characters. Choosing the “simple” mode will let your character auto parry attacks, generally making the game much less entertaining and more button mashy. Opting for “advanced” controls on the other hand makes you actively block all the incoming attacks, and causes battles to be more challenging and rewarding. The two protagonists are Momohime, a young girl that gets possessed by swordsman’s spirit, and Kisuke, a ninja on the run for a crime he just doesn’t remember (amnesia!). The characters start out on opposite sides of a rather large world map and can wield three swords from their arsenal as well as one piece of equipment but other than story and model differences, they’re effectively the same removing some of the drive to play through as each.
Gameplay is handled by running from story point to story point, often taking time out to slice and dice some bad guys. When you have to fight, a large exclamation point will appear on the screen and your play area will be somewhat gated off, as if you were entering into a fighting arena. Dispatch your foes with easy-to-use controls, and you can keep moving on. Die, and there’s no real penalty so you’ll get to try it again or even bypass it.
At first, the controls can feel a bit weak and out of your control. I spent a large portion of time just hammering on the A button and pressing towards my enemies until I learned some of the nuances which started making my hundred-hit combos feel like I was actually earning them. Due to the lack of death penalty, the game doesn’t really force you to get any better, you’ll have to figure that out on your own (or by reading this review). Additionally, while the combat system does get better the more you use it, eventually you’ll plateau and it will lose it’s luster potentially landing you into overly repetitive zone.
Taking out bad guys earns you experience, spirits, and items which go to improve your character. You do gain character levels, although you don’t really have control over that. It’ll just up your stats and hit points for you on a fixed basis, but that’s not really a problem thanks to the forge system.
Each time you take out bosses and challenge enemies, you’ll get a brand new blade. Swords are broken up into two types, either long or regular. Longer swords have more range and deal more damage, but are much slower making your misses that much more painful while regular swords are quick, but have less range and deal less damage. Each sword you obtain from an enemy will fit into what equates to a tech tree found in your pause menu. You’ll be able to utilize your obtained swords to create new swords by spending souls and spirit which you obtain by dispatching enemies and eating mass quantities of food. Obtaining new swords and forging new ones is a highly addicting system. Not only do you get more powerful, but each sword has a unique feel to it as well as a special ability (magic). While you’re never sure what you’re gonna get till you get it, it’s a ton of fun to try out your new blades. Additionally, the two playable characters share portions of this sword tree forcing each to obtain a specific blade in each before you can forge the next in line. It’s not a requirement to do this, but you certainly get incentivized to do so.
The biggest drawbacks to Muramasa are its repetitive nature and the amount of pointless backtracking you’ll need to do. Sometimes after taking down a boss, you’ll have to work your way back many unpopulated screens you just fought through to go to a different map branch. It’s completely unnecessary except to get the point across that, hey, you’re going back where you came from to go somewhere else. If you can overlook these few low points, you’ll find a game that’s beautiful, entertaining, and quite addictive. You can easily spend 8+ hours with each character, and plenty more trying to get all the blades. Now, lets see about getting those last few for Momohime…
Score: 4 out of 5
The Good
Hallmark example of how to make a great looking Wii game.
Addicting collection and forging system for your blades.
Simple yet deep and engaging fighting system.
The Bad
Even with the mirrors, there’s too much pointless backtracking.
For an ARPG, the story is unfulfilling
The Ugly
Yo! Where’s my map-based fast travel?