Trigger Man

Trigger Man has a hard time with first impressions. Case art? Solid. Title screen music? Solid. First ten minutes of the game? Not as much. I went into Trigger Man with no expectations, which is the best way I could have. I did read the back of the case, however, which promised a realistic setting, guns, and a knife camera to steer my throwing knives. It certainly delivers on those fronts.

Trigger Man tells a cheesy, Hollywood style story about the mafia. It contains all the plot twists, betrayals, and Italian bars you might expect. The main star of our game is "The Trigger Man": a huge Frankenstein-ish member of the Coladangelo family who was raised as the son of the Don. The Don's rise to the top brought peace to the feuding crime families, until Don Montagano's son was apparently murdered, and he pins it on your family. There's credit to be given for an attempt at some kind of story, and it's certainly competent, just nothing outstanding by any means.

Well lit rooms are not a priority to Don Colaandnadnangfnfan

In the presentation department, Trigger Man is a little rocky. The cutscenes are voice-less and told entirely through text, although I assume for budget reasons, and quite a few of the textures wouldn't seem out of place in an N64 title. For the most part, though, the game does keep its promise of realistic locales. That doesn't necessarily mean the environments look interesting, but they still delivered on one of their drawing features.

The music accents the gameplay and general mood of the title nicely. It wouldn't be as fun to listen to on its own, but it doesn't really need to be. There are also a small number of cute little details that add to the admittedly flimsy immersion, such as permanent bullet holes in the environment and accurate gun shells dropping to the floor.

I cannot express how impressed I was when I found out they made both Male and Female bathroom doors.

Gameplay wise, Trigger Man is a little bit confused about what it wants to be when it grows up. For quite a while, the title is an awkward mish-mash of tactical shooting, outright over-the-top firepower, and stealth. This makes the first three stages pretty rough.

The first thing you're bound to notice is that every enemy takes near countless rounds to the torso to go down. If you plan on scratching deeper than the first ten minutes, you're going to learn really quickly how to pull off head-shots. In spite of the many other play-styles Trigger Man tosses at you in its first act, over half of the game is dependent on your proficiency at this. Luckily, the controls work fine, which makes this more of an earned skill than just luck.

After your first experience with the precision based combat, the game nearly immediately hands you a shotgun and asks that you just blow the hell out of everything. The ammo crates and health packs -which are normally spread further apart to create more challenging stage design- are abundant, and there isn't an enemy that won't go down with a blast or two. It's easy to mistake this as Trigger Man's true intention, and then mark it off as another fun but straightforward shooter.

Again, immediately after the newly introduced shoot em up style of gameplay, the game switches gears again to give you a stealth section. Thankfully there are only three of these in the game, but you have no way of knowing that, and after your first outing with one, it's pretty likely you'll be done playing Trigger Man.

The stealth sections are based entirely around trial-and-error. Also lots of waiting. I assume Point of View was trying to create a tense situation with these segments, but due to the ridiculously picky nature of the game, you can only hide in a few spots, and even then need to be completely concealed. All three stealth sections are about equally frustrating, and if you have enough patience to fumble your way through them, you may be the kind of person who manages to squeeze enjoyment out of the less broken elements of Trigger Man.

Although the game introduces all of these play-styles, only one of them is going to be the main star. The majority of your playtime will be spent with the precision based combat. While the game starts out very rough, and the first three stages easily put most people off, it honestly gets some wind in its sails about halfway through. Enemy placement begins to require simple real-time strategy from the player, and tests both their reflexes and ability to keep track of their surroundings.

This becomes most strongly represented in a very small stage where you're tasked to move down rows of train-cars toward a boss holed up in a small office. Enemies are behind every box and around every corner. They have to be dispatched quickly and precisely, because the greatest danger to you in Trigger Man is taking more than a few seconds to down your enemies, as several are bound to be swarming you at any given time.

Most importantly, during these sections, I never wanted to put the game down. Nearly everything else about the gameplay flounders, but it did precision combat right. That still doesn't mean the game isn't rough, or that it's by any means necessary to play. You have to want to get something out of Trigger Man, and when there are so many other third person shooters with the same kind of satisfying combat, it's hard to find a reason to bother with this one specifically.

Trigger Man isn't a broken game. It's playable, and in long stretches, it's fun. There's value to be had here, certainly, but when you have to work so hard to uncover it -unless you're a really big fan of cheesy mob stories- there's very little reason to actually play. It's a shame.

Zack Zero

Zack Zero is a 2-D, sidescrolling platformer created by Crocodile Entertainment. Although it is a platformer, Zack Zero doesn't really try to imitate any sort of retro style, except in its overall outline of the dev's previous work: Phantis. It goes straight for the cheesy, comic book superhero route, and has a few gimmicks it hopes you'll find to your liking.

The game's story -what little there is- revolves around Zack's kidnapped girlfriend, Marlene. Zack of course has a long and complicated history with the villainous Zulrog, who captured his beloved, and hopes to lure the hero into a trap by which he will then be forced to power a home-made time machine. It's silly stuff, but that's part of the charm.

With that out of the way, let's talk about the gameplay. Zack's core feature is the power suit, which contains three elemental transformations. That's actually a little misleading to say, as they're more just readily available platforming hero powers than all out changes to your character.

How well does the suit work? Pretty good, actually. It gives you more options in the surprisingly difficult combat than most platformers, and plays a small, unimportant, but healthy role in the exploration of less linear stages. Could the abilities have been put to more innovative and original use? Certainly! The fire power is little more than a hover jump, the rock power is just used to break open new paths and push blocks, and the ice power briefly slows down time for some of the trickier timing puzzles.

Sound familiar? Well, it should. Zack Zero plays like every other colorful, child friendly platformer, just more challenging. There are collectibles in hidden areas of the stage, lava levels, bosses with simplistic patterns to make use of your abilities, and so on. Zack Zero's strength doesn't lie in any kind of originality or innovation: it lies in its colorful graphical presentation, fast paced jumping, and the fact that it does absolutely stick to a tired formula.

Even the trailer above lets you know exactly the kind of game it is. Unashamedly, it is every single E-rated platformer you've ever seen. And it's really good at it. If you ever want to just dig into six or so hours of no-nonsense jumping and collecting goodness, it's probably the best offering to date.

Tekken: The Motion Picture

  

Since the beginning of history, people have fought in the name of god. Bending to the invented demands of their fickle deity, and screaming for righteousness, they wantonly spilled the blood of their enemies, as well as their own. The purpose behind this bloodshed, however, goes beyond simple explanations of religion, or notions of "justice".  The truth is buried deep within those who rage the wars.

Since the birth of this planet, a memory has been engraved deep in the genes of all living things. A memory of aggression, as a means of survival. A memory of fighting.

Humans seek to defend their actions in the name of truth. The act of fighting is itself a true act. Without this truth, the fighter will perish. To learn the way, ask your own flesh and blood. Because one's flesh is the door to the truth. To master the way, ask your own ken, or fist. Because complete knowledge of one's flesh, blood, and fist, is what creates one's Tekken.


And Tekken... is the key to life.



Go watch this ridiculous movie. Now.

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness is an action-RPG published and developed by Konami. It's dissimilar from its predecessors in nearly every way imaginable, but still manages to maintain a consistently dark atmosphere. New to the series from this entry is rather surrealistic humor and a crazy-weird storyline.

The game stars Hector, a Devil Summoner and former servant to Dracula. He betrayed his master and set out to live a normal life with his love, Rosaly. Unfortunately, even after Dracula's defeat, his dark curse is still held over the entire populace, spreading disease and violence. To make matters worse, Rosaly is indirectly murdered by Hector's former partner: Isaac.

This is where most Castlevania games would drop off and leave the plot to fly straight as an arrow, but a time-bending British gent named Saint Germain and a rather disturbing priest named Zead both vie for Hector's attention every step of the way.

They contrast rather well.

The game's control scheme and basic battle mechanics are a mimic of those found in Dynasty Warriors/Samurai Warriors and the like, but with a bit more flavor. Even with a large variety of characters, attacks in other hack n' slash games tend to feel samey. The folks at Konami, perhaps because this game was more focused on its RPG elements, made every genre of weapon feel entirely different.

At any given time, you can equip Swords, Knuckles, Spears, Axes, or special items. Each of them plays wildly differently, and even then, there are several variations inside each genre of weapon. A claymore is vastly different from say, a rapier.

The move lists for these weapons are also pretty remarkable, with up to fifteen different attacks each, depending on the specific item. Pressing triangle after the fourth punch in a chain with knuckles would send a flurry of quick jabs, while doing the same a button earlier would send a blast of wind from Hector's fist. It's simple, but it keeps hack n' slashing through an assortment of ancient Transylvania architecture interesting.

Better still is that Curse of Darkness features a simplistic crafting system. Being a Devil Summoner, Hector is able to use alchemy to fuse items together. Unlike other Japanese action-RPGs, however, obtaining a new crafting metal doesn't just aid you in creating one genre of weapon, it unlocks an entire tier for all of the weapons.

Obtaining Red Steel, for instance, will allow you options to forge a new sword, axe, armor, and knuckles. As supplies are limited, you end up having to make choices as to what you forge and what you equip. It adds another layer to what could've been pretty simple hack n' slash gameplay. It may sound a little too complex at first, but it's all very easily navigated and performed, keeping things streamlined and action oriented.

Going even deeper into the trench of customization through equipment, accessories in the game offer the standard RPG buffs: resistance to fire, wind, ice, etc. A few creative ones can be found in hidden little corners of the map, and net you more useful abilities. In example, the "Sixth Sense" accessory lets you know when an enemy off-screen is about to strike at Hector. You barely notice it during gameplay, but it does make things easier in the long run.

A lot of little things work to make the stabbing fun.

Last, but certainly not the least of the mechanics, are the Innocent Devils. An honestly innovative feature of the game, the Innocent Devils are creatures that Hector can summon, and are the central pillar of his magical powers. They come in several different classes: Battle, Fairy, Magical, Flying, and just flat out Devil.

Each class has an evolutionary chain. They evolve and gain more special attacks based on what Evo Crystals the enemies drop. Subsequently, what Evo Crystals enemies drop depends on the type of weapon you carry. There are a lot of evolutions for any given class. Far more than it's possible to see in just one playthrough.

When equipped, depending on the class of ID and their evolution, they can carry out various attacks. The battle Devils have a variety of moves all based on offense. They do everything from rain swords down to transforming into a flying Mercury Meltdown blob. Other classes, like the magician, can even stop time briefly.

Like most of the RPG elements, Innocent Devils seem complex, but they work themselves directly into the main gameplay. All of the RPG elements rely on Hector slashing through his devilish assortment of enemies. It's brilliant in its design.

It's pretty involved.

As for the environments, Curse of Darkness went the honorable path of making all of their hallways look interesting. Despite any flair on the surface, it's a straight up action-RPG at heart, and the stages are just hallways filled with enemies for you to slash at. Most of the environments are enormous, and when they aren't, they still manage to feel it. This can be both a blessing and a curse.

Most of the game's locations, like the mechanical Eneomaos Tower, look haunting, dark, and moody, while still offering neat visual touches. There are gears beneath the floor under metal casing, and if you pay close enough attention, only the connected ones will spin. Even in that single location, the environment gets changed pretty rapidly, from an outdoor garden to a series of circular rooms to a gloomy balcony to the tippy top of the clock-tower. It shows that Konami was absolutely dedicated to their design.

The excellent atmosphere and art direction are complimented by an appropriate score that takes a page directly from the Book of Ys. It's fast paced and fierce, but it still manages to hold a good mood for each stage's personality. To help matters further, the hammy voice-acting -the robotic actor for Julia aside- hits the mark perfectly, solidifying the overall feel of the game and Hector's place in it. Bottom line is: CoD has created a damn good world.

While we talk art direction, Curse of Darkness has a pretty odd gag or two that acknowledges how ridiculous and surreal the time traveling British fellow in a top-hat is. While he's taken dead serious by the few characters who interact with him in the story, as to them he's just an incredibly outlandish sorcerer, the game tips its hat to us and our understanding of his time-bending tomfoolery.

There's a bizarre building late in the game, where upon entering, you're greeted with a modern desk, complete with a laptop, half a bathroom, containing only slippers and toilet paper, and an odd little collection of chairs from your adventure so far. While the idea of a floating garden island with impossibly advanced future technology would appear to be some sort of magic to Hector, it looks absolutely absurd to the player.

A few other instances of odd little visual gags are a modern park bench with little characters wearing top-hats plastered on it, an office chair sitting in the middle of nowhere, and a little Rube Goldberg puzzle sequence. It's cute, clever, and absolutely did not need to be there, which is all the reason it's so wonderful.

An abundance of environments wouldn't be any fun without the proper pacing, and this is something CoD is thankfully aware of. The game has a very, very slow pace, but because of that, it's always consistent. The treks through individual stages of the game seem like a complete journey by themselves. The game clocks in at the standard 8-10 hour length in the end, assuming you only complete one run, but it winds up feeling much longer than that.

This pacing isn't lost on the gameplay, either.  The bosses gradually grow from a cakewalk to unbelievably tense and challenging, as the game does so itself. By the end of the game, it's almost awesome how far you've come and what you're capable of.

There are so many things I could never praise properly, regardless of how long I talked. The massive variety in enemies, the precision based theft system, the hidden bosses, and the effects of raising different generations of Innocent Devils, to name a few. Curse of Darkness is a brilliant game made by a brilliant dev team. It nearly surpasses greatness. If any speck of thought you've ever had has made you wonder about this game, you need to play it right now. You will not be disappointed.

Not too satisfied with my Dark Void and Fracture posts.

I like picking games apart and seeing how they work. Looking at what makes what click together, or why certain pieces matter how they do. I didn't do that with Dark Void, because I couldn't. I couldn't understand why the jet-pack worked the way it did, or how vertical cover impacted the gameplay as meaningfully as it had, or even why the game managed to be so idiosyncratic in general. I just wound up forcing words out so I could say I had written something.

Same goes for Fracture. There were things I really enjoyed and wanted to share about both, as they left really unique tastes in my mind, but my words couldn't do it. So I apologize for the dip in quality with the last two posts. They're removed now, and hopefully I'll have better writing up in the future.