Monster Rancher Advance 2

The Monster Rancher series, whilst not widely popular, has a very loyal cult following. This is for a good reason; the games offer much depth in their design, allowing players to breed their own monsters from the ground up, and control its development throughout the game. Monster Rancher Advance 2 is no exception in this monster-raising series, offering a deep, tight role-playing simulation experience that proves to be rewarding and satisfying.

The premise of the game is that you play a rookie breeder - who is supposed to be you – who must breed a monster to fight in various championships hosted by the monster-breeding company, AGIMA. Luckily, you don’t have to go it alone and you are accompanied by your assistant, Holly, who is on hand to help you with any breeding questions you may have and essentially acts as your guide, telling you what mood or state your monster is in. What is unique about the game is the method in which monsters are created. Visiting the Shrine area in the Town Square will prompt you to input a number of random characters on-screen, which will subsequently create your monster based on the letters, numbers or symbols you used. This proves to be a fun experience as you never know what monster will appear, especially surprising beginners to the games. Another good feature is that you are not stuck with that monster on the first attempt; you can keep inputting characters until you produce a monster that suits you. Now, your monster will start off as a Rank E monster and it is through fighting in tournaments that they are able to progress in rank as well as progression in your Breeder Level. Increasing your Breeder Level means you can train monsters that were previously inaccessible to you and raising their rank drives the game’s narrative forward and also allows the player to fight in higher-ranking tournaments. Rank progression is fairly straightforward which is a good thing so players new to the series will easily be able to understand the concept but, at the same time, it will take much work to train your monster to be able to progress through the game.

The game offers the player a selection of methods in which to train and develop their monsters. The first and most obvious of these choices is to train your monster yourself in different areas i.e. Power, Intelligence, Speed, Defence and the like which will subsequently raise its stats in the desired area – however, should the monster be too tired or fatigued, the training session could prove to be a failure which opens the option of either scolding it or leaving it be. Another more effective method lies in assigning your monster coaches for the fields in which you want it to develop; some are more effective in certain fields than others, but generally your monster’s stats are raised higher in these sessions than they would if they trained independently. Of course, monsters will also gain experience in actually fighting in tournaments, not only raising their popularity in the in-game world but also significantly raising their stats. Offering the player such a wide selection of ways to develop their monster is an admirable addition and makes things more exciting than seeing the same old training animations take place over and over again. This takes us onto monster battles in the game. Once you feel like your monster is up to snuff, you can pit its strength and skill in monster tournaments by choosing events off the in-game event calendar. As expected, battles offer the monster the chance to perform moves it has learned through its training; these are executed by waiting for the indicator to hover over your monster’s skills and essentially taking in turns to execute them against the enemy monster. The skills that are displayed in battle are the ones the player equips their monsters with on their creature’s status screen and more can be learned through training and sparring with a coach. Overall, battles are very satisfying and can prove to be one of the game’s most addictive features, allowing your monster to show off the results of its training and often being intense, heated moments in later stages of the competitions.

Where the game fails though, is offering a decent narrative. It’s true that, as you progress through the competitions, you will encounter various animé-styled characters that drive certain events forward that act as a mini-narrative, if you will. Players who are huge fans of the Pokémon series and who like a decent narrative to unfold amongst their hours of monster-training and battling won’t be impressed by what story this game has to offer. Characterisation is generally quite bland so the NPCs do little to save what little of a story the game possesses. At the very least, the game establishes its own fictional universe pretty well and references events from previous games so Monster Rancher veterans will feel right at home in that respect.

Overall, Monster Rancher Advance 2 is fine monster-simulation/RPG hybrid that has the potential to draw in the right player. Armed with an in-depth monster-breeding system and addictive battling, players looking for an intelligent and gripping monster-breeding simulator could very well start looking here. The numerous amounts of monster possibilities means a vast potential for replay value and the huge number of tournaments contribute to the game’s healthy lifespan. It won’t satisfy all players, but for those in search of an in-depth monster-breeding experience, this is the game for you.

Pokémon Red and Blue

Pokémon is a franchise that anybody should at least be vaguely familiar with, having sold millions and millions of copies of its games worldwide with an equally successful anime series. Saying that, with Pokémon X and Y being unleashed upon the gaming world in October, it seemed like a good excuse to delve back into the games that started the monster-collecting/battling phenomenon. Hold onto your seats for a blast to the past.

Professor Oak acts as your mentor in the early stages of the game.

The game's unique concept of collecting and battling monsters revolutionised the RPG genre as well as portable gaming. Gamers could trade their Pokémon via the GameBoy's link cable or even pit their own monsters against their friend's. As a result, this created a more sociable element to the game, especially since that, in order to fill the PokéDex (the in-game Pokémon encyclopedia) and achieve 100% completion, one had to obtain monsters from each of the two games. So, indeed, while Red and Blue are essentially the same game, they each have their own version-exclusive monsters; so, if you had Red and your friend had Blue, you would require their help to get the monsters you needed and vice-versa. Of course, the sociable element of the games was just the tip of the iceberg; in-game, the player is in the Kanto region, a land obsessed with the pocket monsters. The storyline follows the player as they fight in Pokémon Gyms to obtain special badges that will earn them in a place in the game's final Indigo League. To achieve this, the player must travel through Kanto, battling gym leaders in each town but also finding their way through wild areas such as caves and forests. The game's travel element was also a great concept, establishing an idiosyncratic setting where people's lives revolved around Pokémon. It was also through traveling that wild Pokémon were encountered outside of towns, offering players the opportunity to weaken it with their own creatures before capturing their wild prey with a PokéBall. this, of course, leads onto the whole RPG element of the game; the idea of leveling up your monsters.



RPGs are built upon the idea of developing and upgrading your party and Pokémon is no different in that respect. In Red and Blue, as Pokémon level up by winning battles, they also gradually learn new moves. Up to four moves can be taught to each monster and, after that, should the option arise to learn another one, you must choose which of the Pokémon's learned moves it must replace. This is a good addition to the game as it forces trainers to choose the right combination of moves in their creature's move list. Another good addition is that, unlike most RPGs, your party's moves can be used outside of battle to aid exploration in the field. Moves such as 'CUT', for example, allow a Pokémon to cut through certain trees that obstruct the way to previously inaccessible areas and 'SURF' allows your Water-type Pokémon to carry the player across the sea. It is small ideas like this that contribute to the game's overall concept of teamwork since the player can hold only up to six Pokémon at one time (the rest being stored on an in-game PC until you want them) and, thus, thought is required as to what combination of Pokémon would prove most useful on the adventure. It is this element, perhaps, that makes these games different to other games of the genre.

The battle system is simple but fun to use.

For games with so much depth, they are very accessible to all players. Controlling your avatar on the field is easily done with the directional pad, with a choice of four directions. Furthermore, talking to other characters and interacting with items and signs is all accomplished with the touch of the A button. What is slightly more complex, albeit not by a great deal, is the game's battle system. Battles are simple, turn-based affairs normally associated with the RPG genre, with the options to 'ATTACK', 'Switch Pokémon', 'USE ITEM' or 'ESCAPE' present. This simplicity is where the games excel in terms of the way the gameplay is executed. For example, when the ATTACK menu is opened, the player has access to all four moves they have chosen to teach their monsters and, again, this is all done with the simple tap of the A button. Battles are fun and fast-paced and, yet, allow a lot of room for strategy and thought. It encourages exploiting your rival Pokémon's weaknesses by allowing you to switch between your team of monsters mid-battle; for example, when your opponent sends out a fire-based Pokémon, you should use a Water-based Pokémon to defeat your enemy more easily.

The games feature stores where you can buy medicines to treat your monsters.

All in all, it's amazing to think that, even by today's standards, Pokémon Red and Blue are still very playable games, untainted by the rise of the later releases in the series. For many gamers who were lucky enough to play this generation of games first, the first pair of monster-collecting adventures provides a pleasurable source of nostalgia and, for younger gamers, an intriguing discovery as to where the craze began. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the GameBoy is a highly outdated console, it's unlikely anybody nowadays will be able to utilise its unique link cable methods popular in its heyday. Nonetheless, the main adventure can still provide many hours of entertainment and proves that these classic games still have the spark they had upon their initial release.

Rayman

The Sony PlayStation was home to some great platformers in its time; Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Croc and, of course, Rayman. To many people who remember and cherish the days of Sony's debut console, this two-dimensional platformer is among those memories due to its simple but fun gameplay and charming visuals. Thankfully, UbiSoft have emulated the style of this classic game in the franchise's recent releases, Origins and Legends for the Wii-U, all the more reason to cover the game in this blog.

Although this game is eighteen years old, the visuals still look appealing today, with bright and charismatic colours aiding beautifully-animated levels. The character of Rayman himself is also well-animated, with every move in his arsenal, whether it be a simple jump or swinging fist, done with great detail, making the game feel like an interactive cartoon in some respects. But while the graphics are of great detail, the gameplay is fairly simple in comparison (which is no bad thing, of course). The player must guide Rayman through six areas, each area of which contains many levels within itself, and must walk, jump and punch his way to victory in his quest to save the world from the evil Mr. Dark. The levels have all the hallmarks of classic videogame platforming, with chasms to leap over (even water will kill Rayman) and obstacles to avoid. What is unique about the game is Rayman's arsenal of powers that he obtains along the way.

In certain levels of the game, the player will be given a new power by Betilla the Fairy. These include the ability to throw the limbless hero's fist into his enemies to defeat them, to twirl his hair into a helicopter-like motion to propel him over short distances and even, wait for it, the ability to run (Rayman is a slow learner apparently). I could go on for hours about the powers Rayman obtains in the game but the main point to be made here is that all of these powers are required in order to progress through certain sections of the game. One power lets the player latch Rayman's fist onto flying rings and allow him to swing over large chasms or pools of water whilst running allows Rayman to gain enough momentum to make larger jumps to get him across...well, you get the idea. So, while the powers are inventive and cool to see, they all seem to achieve similar purposes, apart from the Fist ability, of course. Sadly, there isn't an ability to lower the game's difficulty level since that is, ultimately, what lets it down. The early stages are predictably simple, essentially leading the player by the hand and getting them used to the game mechanics. However, once these stages are over, it becomes much harder, with more emphasis on perfectly-timed jumps on floating platforms or trying to overcome ridiculous obstacles that may deter some gamers, especially due to the limited number of lives.

Another element that makes completion hard is trying to free all the Electoons (little pink-spherical creatures) from their cages. In order to complete the game 100% and battle the game's ultimate villain, Mr. Dark, the player must free these Electoons by punching their cages and, yes, there are dozens and dozens of them to find, some in painfully hard-to-reach areas that sometimes raises the question as to whether it is really worth it. Although levels are filled with these, at the very least, they are accompanied by a pleasant and catchy soundtrack that does well in accommodating the great cartoon visuals. By the end of many levels, it is hard not to be chirpily humming along to its charming melody, which raises the atmosphere of this already-vibrant fictional world.

So, while the game has its flaws, there is no doubt that this is a fun platformer that still holds up today. Whilst challenging in areas, it can be ridiculously hard in others, but if the player is willing to overlook this and drive past this fact, they'll find a great game. Its no wonder that the latest Rayman releases have emulated the beautiful two-dimensional visuals of this game as well as the zany but rudimentary gameplay because it truly is the main attraction of the game and offers plenty of fun because of it, which is, god help us, why people play games.


*Note: screenshots were taken from the GameBoy Advance version of the game which is similar on many levels with the PlayStation version albeit with synthesised sound and a slight decrease in graphical quality.

Star Ocean: The Second Story

The Sony PlayStation is respected for its vast library of quality RPGs and, yes, this library extends far beyond the three Final Fantasy games and the countless other remakes released on the platform. One of these lesser-known gems is Star Ocean: The Second Story, a game developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix before it joined with Square to become Square-Enix. As the title suggests, it is a sequel to the original Star Ocean for the Super Nintendo, which was not released outside of Asian territories, making it the first instalment of the series to make it onto Western shores.

Claude is the son of Ronixis, one of the heroes of the first game.

The game’s backstory follows the undeveloped planet of Expel, which has become plagued with monsters and natural disasters following the impact of a meteorite known as the Sorcery Globe on the Continent of El. The player is given the choice of two main characters; Claude Kenni, a young soldier in the Earth Federation, and Rena Lanford, a teenage girl living on Expel who possesses mysterious healing powers. As you can tell, the plot is subpar and hardly anything special, relying instead on the relationships and interactions between the game’s characters to provide the player’s emotional link to the game. Although the game’s preferred pairing is that of Claude and Rena, players can ‘hook up’ their chosen protagonist with the other party members they recruit along the way. This is done through the use of mini-events called ‘Private Actions’ which occur in towns, giving the player various choices that will affect their relationship ratings with the other characters. These relationship values then contribute towards the evolution of the storyline and the game’s ending as well as enraging characters in battle when their loved ones have fallen.

Indeed, the game’s battle system is a fun and engaging experience. They are all played out in real-time, much akin to a beat-‘em-up game and offer the player a list of ‘Killer Moves’ and spells with which to take down their opponents or heal and support their party members. As might be expected of a videogame of this genre, Killer Moves and spells are learned gradually as the player gains levels and, in turn, gaining levels earns party members a certain amount of skill points per level. These skill points can be allocated to various abilities that can raise the character’s strength and agility and other attributes although, for the most part, the ‘Skill’ system is used mainly for the game’s prominent and unique feature; Item Creation. Item Creation as a feature is fairly self-explanatory, allowing players to utilise various ingredients acquired in the game to create a possible result out of 1000 items. These can include food which can restore ailments or HP/MP or even weapons and armour that may not even be available in the in-game stores otherwise. Plenty of time can be spent using this system to help make the game that little bit easier and, again, the results of Item Creation improve the more experience your party members gain.

The real-time battle system is engaging and fun.

It’s a shame then, that the Item Creation system can often be overlooked by traditional RPG gamers. Sometimes, the system feels like a weak addition to the game as money can easily be gained by killing monsters in battle and buying weapons, armour and items in-store. There is a certain chance that players who stumble across a walkthrough that tells them how to create the rarest items that aren’t available in shops will use Item Creation solely for that purpose. Another thing to consider is that, although Item Creation can be used as a tool to create items that can be sold in shops for extra money, you must still fork out money yourself to buy the ingredients to create these items. This is particularly annoying when you fail to create a decent item since successful creation is dependent on probability and also uses up these ingredients. There are skills available to increase the probability of successful Item Creation but these won’t be immediately obvious to starting players, making it a bit of a chore at first.

The game unites science fiction and fantasy elements in its plot.

The Item Creation system is not the only part of the game that can feel like a chore. The game’s dialogue and scripting is, it has to be said, quite awful. It is notorious for its painfully bad English translation and, as a result, you can spend half an hour scrolling through reams of bad dialogue that almost appears as though a child has written it. That is not to say that the game has its moments where the dialogue is satisfactory and meets demands, but, for the most part, it is a poor translation. This leads us onto the overall pacing of the game which isn’t great. Players may find the introductory chapter of the game particularly tedious to plough through due to dialogue and the setting-up of the narrative, this slow pacing also present in various other parts of the game. This is not to say that it is completely unbearable; especially first-time gamers will want to stick around, especially as the plot progresses, but it can feel a bit odd when the plot gets in the way when you want to explore at your own pace.

The game gives you a choice of two lead characters.

Speaking of exploring, the music in the game is a joy to listen to, with beautiful and charming melodies present in certain towns and forests. The music really gives the game its own unique aura and overall atmosphere, making it seem all the game’s world appear even more magical as a result. The dungeon and cave melodies are mostly not as great as the rest of the game’s music, although it still retains the same feeling as the rest of the game’s world. The world map music in particular gives the player a sense of grandeur and epic adventure that seems somewhat appropriate as you run through the lowly-proportioned area. Although the world map area is great to explore, it’s a shame that the dungeons and caves don’t offer the same kind of satisfaction. Although in terms of visual presentation, they give off the feelings they intend i.e. eerie or strange in some cases, their map design is their weak point, with some area exits unobvious to the player, some rooms requiring several revisits before you figure out the right route through the dungeon.

The translation is absurd at times...

On an overall level however, Star Ocean: The Second Story is no dungeon, but rather, a paradise that all RPG gamers should visit at least once. The game offers an exciting mix of challenge and pleasure, with a great cast of characters and variety of abilities as well as a unique Item Creation system. It is a somewhat flawed gem, sure, but if you’re willing to overlook the game’s little niggles, you’ll find yourself an adventure that will keep you hooked for hours.

Presentation – 8/10

Overall, a very colourful presentation that is common in Japanese RPGs.

Graphics – 7/10

Decent graphics that hark back to the SNES era of RPGs but 2D sprites against pre-rendered backgrounds can sometimes look a little odd and out-of-place in sections.

Sound – 8/10

The game’s soundtrack is beautiful and gives the game a somewhat magical atmosphere. The voice-acting that occurs during battle, however, can only be described as awful.

Gameplay – 8/10

Exploration is easy to control due to Analog-stick compatibility, and battles are generally fun to play. However, battles have been known to be glitchy in places.

Lifespan – 7/10

This is not the longest RPG on the planet – it can be completed in just over 40 hours. However, with over 80 different endings and various side-quests and mini-games, it could keep you occupied for far longer if you choose to indulge in these extra offerings.

Overall: 8/10

Worms: Armageddon

Worms is a game that heralds  fun memories in the minds of many games players. Its comedic presentation coupled with the zany, cartoony weapons has provided players with a great party game that offers hours of enjoyment. Worms: Armageddon, the series' third installment, was originally released for the Sony PlayStation, PC and N64 and is generally considered the finest game in the explosively fun franchise.



Okay, so let's start with the game's overall presentation. For a game that was released back in the early 2000's, Worms: Armageddon still looks beautiful. Sure, nowadays, fans are used to the three-dimensional visuals of the latest releases but the 2D graphics of Armageddon give the game its own charm, presenting the series' trademark quirky landscapes in a cartoony style; in some landscapes, you'll have giraffes and donkeys, in others, piles of car-wrecks - the level design is that random. In terms of the gameplay itself, these levels offer a variety in challenge as players must strategically determine how to scale the landscape, should it be via the use of a few well-timed jumps or even ropes or jetpacks to recah a good vantage point to take out your opponent's worms. When you successfully get from point A to point B, you can't help but be impressed with yourself!

 

The weapon variety in Worms: Armageddon is commendable, offering players a wide range of comedic and satisfying ways to take out their opponent's worms. There aren't many more satisfying moments you can gain than from blowing up a whole group of enemy worms with the Holy Hand Grenade! Likewise, the Concrete Donkey, a contender for the title of Armageddon's most random weapon, that falls from the sky above your opponents, destroying everything, even the landscape that surrounds them. It's the way you can cause complete mayhem in this game that makes it so enjoyable and great for multiplayer.

 

As fun a game as Worms: Armageddon is, its going to have its bad points. The zany fun and antics do start to wane after a while of playing, especially when your worms are dotted in ridiculous places on the landscape and you're forced to spend a couple of turns traveling from A to B before you can finally kill something. Another flaw arises in the form of the game's single player mode; it really does benefit most from having multiple players in the room (or online on WormNet if you have the PC version), mainly because the enemy AI can become predictable after a while and you have no-one with which to trade banter through the game. The game's single player mission mode, although it tries to challenge the player, again, suffers from a lack of multiple players and most missions are so difficult that you'll end up wondering why you're playing them in the first place when you could be indulging in the excellent multiplayer mode.



However, I wouldn't let any of the aforementioned flaws of the game detain anyone from playing it. Worms: Armageddon is a fun and engaging multiplayer party experience that will appeal from the most casual gamer to the most hardcore, which is rare in a game. By providing players with a large array of weapons and levels thanks to its random level generator, Armageddon contains hours of fun and replay value.