Retro Game Friday: Burnout

Hey all I’m back with a pretty classic game for this week’s Retro Game Friday. It’s Burnout!

Gameplay: The game plays unlike most racing games in that it features traffic. It also has a pretty sweet crash camera system, although that can get old pretty quickly. However driving recklessly, i.e. in ways NO ONE should ever try to replicate in reality, allows one to build up a Burn meter to speed up and pass their competition. But seriously DO NOT drive like this game encourages. Please.

Art: The art has aged pretty badly since the game was first released in 2001, but it was pretty freaking epic at the time. And the crash camera was pretty fun if you could pull off a particularly spectacular crash.

Music: The music is okay, but really not worth mentioning.

Overall: A fun racing game, though it can’t compete with games like Diddy Kong Racing or Mario Kart.

For those who like: Racing, Crash Cameras, Reckless Driving.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

 

Retro Game Friday: Super Monkey Ball

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m back with a game that is often overlooked. It’s Super Monkey Ball!

Gameplay: There is no story so I’m not surprised that it took me this long to remember about this game. The gameplay itself is pretty solid but very repetitive and really the only saving grace for me was the multiplayer games. The Monkey Fight one in particular was fun for me to play with friends and my brother. This was definitely a rental game, and yeah there were such things as video rental stores back then, because I couldn’t really fathom bothering to pay for what amounts to a game you’ll enjoy for an afternoon or two at max.

Art: The art has aged fairly poorly, but that is no surprise given that it’s in 3D.

Music: I don’t remember much of it, but it fit the simian theme of the game pretty well.

Overall: A fairly skippable game, and not that special overall though it does have solid gameplay it wasn’t worth it to me to purchase outright instead of just renting it for a weekend.

For those who like: Physics, Repetitive Gameplay, Puzzle Gameplay.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Retro Game Friday: Splinter Cell

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m back with a game that really took the Stealth genre and made it popular. It’s Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell!

Plot Synopsis: In April 2004, the President of Georgia is assassinated, allowing Georgian billionaire Kombayn Nikoladze to seize power with a bloodless coup d’état. In August 2004, former U.S. Navy SEAL officer and Gulf War veteran Sam Fisher is recruited by the National Security Agency to work within its newly formed division, “Third Echelon.” Working with his old friend Irving Lambert, Fisher is introduced to technical expert Anna “Grim” Grimsdóttír, and field runner Vernon Wilkes Jr. In October 2004, Fisher is dispatched to Tbilisi, Georgia to investigate the disappearance of two CIA officers.

Plot: The plot is pretty standard Military Thriller which should come as no surprise as this is part of the Tom Clancy franchise.

Gameplay: This game took the stealth genre and made it mainstream paving the way for future games like Assassin’s Creed. The main draw of the gameplay was the use of the light and shadows. You were encouraged to take your time and carefully move from shadow to shadow to get around. You couldn’t really go in with guns blazing and just shoot your way through the game. You had limited ammo, and even than your armaments were usually more non-lethal than anything else.

Artwork: Sadly the art has aged incredibly poorly, but at the time they were pretty damn good.

Music: I don’t remember any of the music sadly.

Overall: A fun game, but with a very aged art and gameplay compared to modern day games, it’s probably best left in the bargain bin.

For those who like: Military-Thrillers, Tom Clancy, Stealth.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Retro Game Friday: F-Zero GX

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m back with the last entry in a series that is long overdue for another game. It’s F-Zero GX!

Plot: This had a story mode, but I honestly don’t remember it at all, which isn’t a good sign.

Gameplay: The gameplay of GX is okay, but it honestly felt more like Wipeout than F-Zero did with it’s past entry F-Zero X, which is a pity as that game was all about tight curves and high speed. This game felt more linear, and the times it wasn’t were awkward or downright frustrating for anyone with less than stellar reflexes. That said it was still a fun game, but if you didn’t have those reflexes playing this game is more an exercise in frustration than anything else.

Art: The art is okay, but it’s aged poorly, not as bad as an N64 game, but still poorly.

Music: I don’t remember a whit of it, sorry.

Overall: An okay sequel, but not a perfect sequel.

Retro Game Friday: The Falsebound Kingdom

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a rather obscure game in a series that was a huge fad back in the 2000’s. It’s Yu-Gi-Oh: The Falsebound Kingdom!

Plot Synopsis: Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Téa being invited to the testing of the virtual reality game “Kingdom,” created by the company SIC. When they enter the game they soon find themselves trapped within it, and they must summon the help of the game’s characters and monsters in order to defeat the game’s villain, Emperor Heishin, and ultimately stop the plans of the game’s designer, Scott Irvine…

Plot: The plot is pretty freaking terrible, although it serves as a reminder that the “trapped in game” plot device has been around for ages.

Gameplay: This plays mostly like an RPG, although there are some Turn-Based Strategy elements as well. Frankly the game wasn’t that great and the fact you’ve probably never heard of the game is a good indication of how bad it was.

Art: The art is really dated, but given that it’s almost purely 3D on a console that wasn’t known for it’s power compared to it’s competitors is another sign that this game wasn’t all that big.

Music: I don’t remember it at all, sorry.

Overall: Skip this game, it’s definitely not worth your time playing, unless you are incredibly bored. However there are better games out there that are free.

For those who like: Yu-Gi-Oh, RPGs, Turn Based Strategy.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, terrible plots, or Konami in general.