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One would think that a portable top-down Resident Evil would be easy to make into an awesome game. In many ways, the first few RE's already feel like top-down shooters. RE Gaiden is very close to being awesome, but Capcom tried way too hard.
[img width=150 height=149]http://i51.tinypic.com/wqwjnr.jpg[/img][img width=150 height=135]http://i53.tinypic.com/2lvo8wo.jpg[/img]
It takes place inside a zombie infested cruise ship, accidentally caused by none other than the Umbrella Pharmaceuticals. At first glance, Gaiden looks like a top-down shooter with zombies. Awesome, right guys? Guys?...
[img width=150 height=135]http://i52.tinypic.com/15505ye.jpg[/img][img width=150 height=131]http://i51.tinypic.com/qs8sgi.jpg[/img]
To kill a zombie, you hold down B to move the crosshairs over the enemy and engage in battle mode. You are then taken to a first person perspective, shooting the enemy Mario Golf style. The red box in the center line moves back and forth, with its speed depending on what type of weapon you are using. This is partially where Gaiden falls flat on its face for two reasons: You can only run away by killing the enemy, or by forcibly taking damage. If a zombie approaches you, you are then forced into battle mode regardless of the ammo you will keep running out of. It's a fun twist at first, but when your trying to get to the other side of the ship, it gets annoying real quick. Once out of ammo, you are forced to use the weak combat knife.
Aside from this, RE Gaiden plays and feels like a traditional Resident Evil game. To make things more simple, I will break down the rest of the review into two categories:
:::Good for Survival Horror Fans:::
The first part of the game is spent exploring the cruise ship, and hoarding off zombies along the way. As plot develops, most of the ship becomes already explored making you find ways to get into other places, usually with keys. Often times, you will find yourself in a frustrating situation because you either ran out of ammo AGAIN, or cannot find the item you need to access your current destination. This can be solved by exploring areas hinted by cutscene dialogue, or by finding a map on the internet IRL.
There's plenty of gameplay to be had, with the average gamer spending about 20 hours before beating. In many ways, it does feel like the classic RE titles, but too often does it drift off into a zombie filled match of Blues Clues. Example: Plot development says I need to get into this room, but its locked. I have already went inside every current unlocked door on the entire ship, and am out of keys/items used to unlock other doors. So now I need to rummage through the entire ship starting from the general vicinity in order to make progress, all whilst avoiding zombies, and not finding sufficient amounts of ammo. Ammo conservation has always been a factor in Resident Evil, but Gaiden took that a bit too far. Which brings us to the next section:
:::Bad for People Who Want to Shoot Zombies:::
Why you may ask? Because most of the time, you won't have enough ammo to shoot them with. And despite the large amount of zombies, 80% of the game progression lies in exploration and gaining access to certain rooms. You do pick up kickass weapons along the way, like shotguns, grenades, and a rocket launcher, but only so much ammo is available to collect. And once you've used ammo, it does not reappear. But you know what DOES reappear? The zombies!!! This has been the primary roots my frustration with Resident Evil Gaiden.
Final thoughts: I still think RE Gaiden is a good Survival Horror game, but it needs some work in order to be one of the Game Boy's best. Fans of the series and genre will probably like it, if they can get past its flaws (and yes, the dialogue is still hilariously cheesy.) I personally think this game kicks ass a portable gem, but don't expect it to be perfect. Nowadays, you will find more enjoyable Game Boy titles at much cheaper prices, but others might be okay with having to spend at least $20. It's not a common cartridge, but hey, at least its not as rare as Shantae!! ^_^
This really does stay true to its original. After Ubisoft gave Rayman a 3-D sequel, they decided that the coupe de grace of side-scrolling platformers (it's been re-released for 15 years now) had earned itself a second go:
[img width=145 height=145]http://i53.tinypic.com/idhjdv.jpg[/img][img width=160 height=144]http://i53.tinypic.com/9k70a0.jpg[/img]
What we have here is a revamp of one of the most iconic platformers of all time. Rayman mocks the concept of its predecessor while giving players all new ground to cover. After beating the game, I can safely say that this Game Boy Color exclusive is just as brilliant, challenging, and fun as its brethren. You might as well call this a sequel to the 2-D masterpiece, since it takes a lot from the original, but gives brand new levels. Once again, Ubisoft has taken everything great about platforming, added some of their own spices, and created quite a tasty quadrito(1).
:::HOME TO POCKET:::
[img width=320 height=240]http://i54.tinypic.com/15i7t5f.jpg[/img] ---> [img width=160 height=144]http://i56.tinypic.com/msm1om.jpg[/img]
Now that's definitely a visual masterpiece. I don't remember a 2-D anything on the PS1 looking that good (even some of the newer 2-D games can't compete.) Rayman on the GBC is more lush in color than most games on the console, giving it that same sense of visual dominance. They both have perfect controls, which are simple and easy to use. Add complex level designs, and you've got yourself a fine gem. Less is more.
HOME TO POCKET Verdict: It's the same game, but with different levels, 8-bits, and no boss fights. Wait... NO BOSS FIGHTS!?!?!
Well, there technically is one kickass final boss, but all that does is make you wonder why Ubisoft cut such a huge corner. The original had loads of boss fights, and they were all awesome!! But why not here? Was Ubisoft in a hurry?
But that was not a hindrance to my experience. The challenging gameplay is more than enough to keep you busy. After you beat the game, you have the option of going back and rescuing all the Toons for 100% completion. Then you unlock a new set of levels, along with a Time Trial Mode. Time Trial mode? That's as much replayability as a racing game!!
Here's a couple quick examples of how variety-tastic this game can be:
(Not my videos.)
If there's one thing that needs credit all, then it's the brilliantly clever level designs. That giant grape can be used to bounce down a spiky hill, or get stuck on an enemies head and be used as a moving platform. If there was an item or a type of obstacle, it was milked for every possible situation that could have ever been thought of, without copying the same situation twice or harming the exotic variety. True genius.
Final Thoughts:
I'm impressed that they were able to keep track of all your data with a 10 character password system, because there was a lot of game to be offered. I may have beaten it, but I still plan on taking it off the shelf sometime, and beat me some Time Trial records.
Don't let the lack of bosses turn you away. If you're a fan of platformers at all, then I highly recommend Rayman. Its not commonly played, but its very affordable. I scored my copy for only 2$ plus shipping. You owe it to yourself to sacrifice a Starbucks beverage for hours of colorful platforming.
VOCAB:
(1) Quadrito: Take one burrito, wrap a burrito around it, place both inside of a third burrito, and finish it off with an all encompassing fourth burrito.
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This is scarper's Blog.
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I really love Game Boys, but more so the simplicity of owning a Game Boy Color. Although its not immediately noticeable, the GB/GBC has a LOT of fantastic portable versions of just about every franchise at the time it was commercially available. And most of the time, they had different content than their home console predecessors. Dare I mention the amazing exclusive games. The general experience of owning a Game Boy has yet to be re-created by anyone, including Nintendo.
The goal of this blog is to give those forgotten yet fantastic Game Boy games the credit they truly deserve, and to show people how amazing and genuinely fun it is to own an original Game Boy. Colors included.
I am an avid retro gamer, and used to collect for a lot of systems, but now that I plan on attending college and whatnot, money and time have become an importantish thing. So now I collect nothing but Game Boy games. I'm a film maker, and also show considerable interest in broadcast journalism (My YouTube channel reviewing GB games will happen shortly.) I am a senior high school, and plan on studying film in college. Although Game Boy Advance reviews are not contained in this blog, I do love the GBA to death. It was my childhood console, and a treasured one at that.
Here's mah Backloggery page:
http://backloggery.com/games.php?user=scarper&console=GBC |
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