Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (PC, PS2, Gamecube & Xbox – 2002)

Hitman 2 is by definition a puzzler disguised as a stealth action game. Sounds odd but not when you think about it for a moment. Each mission is practically a brainteaser as to how you complete a mission without raising suspicion. It’s like a really brutal rubik’s cube puzzle. There’s normally three or four ways to compete the mission, the proper stealthy way by not being noticed by anyone (solving it by yourself) picking off the numerous guards that get in your way one by one without anyone noticing (solving just one side and neglecting the rest) or resorting to pure wanton violence (slamming the rubik’s cube to the ground and telling it to go to hell).

All good stealth games require planning of some sort. Before each mission, you’re briefed as to what you need to do, being supplied with the appropriate documents and images needed to carry out the kill as well as a satellite map to work out guard routines and civilian placements as most missions take place in public areas.

In theory you could just get a machine gun and wade in taking out all who oppose you yet chances are you’ll be overwhelmed by guards in a few seconds. You could get a sniper rifle, climb to the top of a really high building and pick off your target from afar. But chances are the building will be surrounded and swarming with guards (getting the picture yet?) within moments making escape almost impossible. In these instances, a different approach comes into play, mainly concealment and disguise.

Sneaking up behind someone with the fiber wire is one way of silencing guards or potential witnesses

People will be suspicious of the shady bald man in a black suit if they were standing 20 feet away from them but won’t if he’s dressed up in guards or civilian clothing. Therefore when killing or knocking out a guard or civilian, taking their clothes is sometimes the only way to get into areas you couldn’t access by yourself.

The first level is a perfect example of this: there’s a mansion that you need to enter to kill a mafia leader and free a hostage. The main gates are being patrolled by guards, the first side entrance has a guard normally coming through to ‘relieve’ himself every now and again, there’s a postman nearby having a cigarette and there’s a courier delivering food to the kitchen.  One of the possibilities is hiding your weapons in the food and stealing either the postman or courier’s uniform and walk straight into the premises after being searched, collecting your weapons in the kitchen and wrecking havoc from the inside. There are many others options and methods but it all depends on how you approach the situation and what happens when you do.

Common sense comes into play as well when you obtain these disguises, you can’t be close to certain personnel otherwise they’ll discover you and wearing guard uniform is a no no if your face is visible. If you’re out of place, they’ll suspect you but only if you stay within their field of range. Pressing forward normally allows you to bypass  this unless you go into an area that’s out of bounds in which case you’ll be greeted with machine gun fire.

Obtaining disguises are normally a good way of getting through security. Just be sure to actually hide the bodies.

Also guards don’t suffer from Solid Snake syndrome (everyone suffering from collective amnesia when you’re out of sight for ten seconds), when you’re spotted, you’ll need some powerful weapons and a good vantage point to get out alive. They won’t forget you or your disguise and will search every nook and cranny until they find you which normally leads to some of Hitman 2 most thrilling moments.

But the greatest thrill is simply going in unnoticed disguised or otherwise, getting past security, performing your kill and getting out unnoticed. Trying to achieve the perfect kill is a mixture of tension and exhilaration as you carefully make your way through each situation without blowing your cover.

But the real joy is approaching each mission the way you want to, the game doesn’t penalize you so long as you complete each task, directly or indirectly . To be honest, there’s something liberating about breaking the rules and massacring an entire army because you didn’t want to hide in the shadows for half an hour but that’s missing the point. For those who want to break away from the norm and the Metal Gear solid definition of stealth, they’ll find themselves playing a thoughtful and clever action puzzler.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES – 1996)

Is there a mascot as recognizable in the world as Mario? While he’s always be revered for his platforming adventures, recent times has seen him indulge in a number of alternative activities like go-karting, golf, tennis, board games, the summer and winter Olympic and so on. Perhaps the only thing Mario has yet to branch out is into Cooking mama which considering his Italian heritage should be a natural fit. Some were good, some bad, some quite meh but one area that he’s slotted in quite nicely is the world of RPGs. Of all the developers to team up with Nintendo, Square would be seen as an unusual choice as RPGs and action platformers tend to have vastly contrasting game mechanics and pacing.

Mario’s first fray into the land of RPGs was released at the end of the SNES’s long life and  was seen as the perfect swansong to an era. The story is as follows, as Mario enters Browser castle to defeat him and rescue the princess…again, a giant sword falls from the sky, sends the three flying into different parts of the world and eventually Mario finds himself having to find seven star pieces to repair star road and save the day.

Exploration incorporates platforming elements and enemies wandering around can be fought or avoided.

The story is as complex as the Mario games that came before it but it’s a game that plays for laughs and pokes fun at the source material at every available opportunity. Mario is renowned by all for his amazing jumping ability but his mute demeanor is mocked at every turn so when he has to explain something, he must act it out using over-elaborate gestures. The citizens of Toadtown do nothing more than groan when they hear that the Princess has been captured yet again. Browser is revealed to be an egomaniac who is just upset that his castle has been stolen from him and Geno is a lifeform from Star road who possesses a doll out of a group of three as it looked the strongest (the other two being Mario and Browser). Such moments punctuate your time exploring the Mushroom kingdom and the surrounding lands and and it’s enjoyable just to see what other moments of mockery or fanservice Nintendo will provide.

Exploration is done by an isometric viewpoint where Super Mario RPG shows its platforming heritage. While there are no instant kill obstacles or shrinking when colliding with an enemy, it’s perhaps the only RPG in existence to ever include a jump button in its control setup. All the usual Mario staples are present like the ? blocks, coins, goombas, koopa troopas and invincibility stars (which when found allows you to eliminate enemies on screen and get the experience). Thankfully, there are no random encounters in the game, instead enemies are wandering around on the maps and running into them switches into combat mode.

Combat is a mixture of turn-based fights and reflexes, sounds odd but works perfectly.

Combat is a mixture of the traditional turn based battle and reflexes. While you can get through the entire issuing battle commands and nothing else, all the actions be it normal attacks, special moves or even just using an item have a quick button moment to increase the actions effectiveness, a mechanic inherited by the paper mario series. This implements an element of skill to gain a critical hit  which is normally left up to chance by other RPGs and gives the player a greater role in determining the outcome of the fight. It also stops the player from being a passive observer who only has to press a button to decide the outcome.

The usual RPG elements are still here, mainly talking to townspeople and shopping for equipment

To be honest, I’m not really sure what else there is to say about Super Mario RPG. There’s mini-games, side quests (including a boss fight with a Final Fantasy inspired character), the graphics are bright and varied and capture the mood of each location, characters are distinct and varied and the story moves along nicely. But most importantly, it’s fun, enjoyable and a perfect way to spend your virtual console points (or real money if you happen to find the original cartridge on sale somewhere). It’s just a pity that Square didn’t team up with Nintendo again to produce more of these games or as such a developing tagteam would have surely led to great things being produced, be it Mario or something else completely different. Still, one can dream!

(Super Mario RPG is available for download on virtual console channel for the Nintendo Wii)

Just a thought (no 3.)

Maybe I’ve far too much free time on my hand but I’m trying to figure out if the koopa turtle in the above header (a) just has his mouth hanging wide open or (b) does he just have a really large Adam’s apple? Thoughts anyone?

Sonic CD (Sega CD – 1993)

The world of console development has been always about one thing: staying ahead of the pack either in capability or innovation (as the Wii has proven). During the early 90s, the SEGA Mega Drive and the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) were both constantly striving to be one step ahead and ultimately gain an advantage over their major rival. The introduction of the CD-ROM was the new holy grail with its potentially (you’ll later see why I decided to use that word) superior capabilities such as greater memory, cheap development costs, CD quality sound and the inclusion of Full Motion Video (FMV) cutscenes. Both consoles had an equal share in the console market and introducing the CD-ROM to the gaming masses would have meant creating an entirely new console. Neither side were willing to do this as both consoles had developed a firm foundation of fans in which the majority (of which the average age of console owners were 14, I think) didn’t have the funds to buy an entirely new machine, developers would slow down or halt their support for their current console of choice plus the development costs would suck up funds that could be invested in maintaining their hold on the market.

Therefore, both companies decided to create an add-on for their existing consoles. Nintendo drafted in Sony to create a prototype console which played both SNES cartridges and CD-ROMs games which they dubbed the Playstation (which was described by one console magazine as “the sad lad of the pack”).  SEGA decided to market separate add-ons for the Mega Drive, the first was the 32X before they introduced the SEGA CD. Both add-ons were the beginning of the end for SEGA’s involvement in the console market. A limited number of games were developed for both add-ons due to them being poorly supported by third party developers. Consumers were reluctant to buy them due to how expensive they were and developers who did create games for them were either simply updated versions of existing games with slightly improved graphics or a new game that consisted of a plethora of FMV cutscenes that were of terrible quality and added nothing to the gaming experience. Despite that, there were some games for the SEGA CD that showed what it was capable off when used correctly. Snatcher, Shining Force CD, the Lunar Series and its flagship title, Sonic CD.

The first sonic zone always seems to be set in a obligatory green tropics area.

Sonic CD was released in-between the second and third series on the Mega Drive and its graphical style is similar to the first two games. Its similarity has been put down to the idea that it was originally supposed to be Sonic 2 before the game split up into two different projects (but that’s another story). The game incorporates all the traditional Sonic elements, speedy gameplay, precise control (something that the majority of future sonic games lost, mainly his 3D games)  loop-de-loops, rings but there’s a lot more to Sonic CD that separates it from the pack. For one, while Sonic retains his traditional Spin Dash attack, he also has a new move called the Super Peel Out which allows him to do a sprint dash on the spot but leaves you open to attack. The game’s major hook is introducing the concept of time travel that while sounding gimmicky, does make the game richer as a result.

Throughout each zone or level, Sonic can access different time periods, mainly the past, present and future which can be accessed through different signposts denoting a different period (The present will have a past and future, future a past sign and past a future sign). Finding these signs is one element but actually time traveling is a bit more complicated. Taking a leaf out of Back to the Future, you can only time travel if you’re able to sprint at the same speed (88mph to be exact) without interruption. The reason for traveling to the past is to undo the actions of the series antagonist Dr Robotnik who (yet again) has made all the animals into robots. Your actions (or lack of action) in the past affect the future and determine whether the third act of each zone, which is always set in the future, is good or bad. A good future consists of solely animals, no enemies (except the boss) and a bright and cheerful level. A bad future however offers the exact opposite with a bleak setting affected by pollution and machinery, numerous enemies, the sort of future that Al Gore would most certainly recommend against.

However, while previous games allowed you to sprint uninterrupted from point A to B, the level design for Sonic CD is a lot more haphazard meaning if you’re looking to zoom through a zone, you’re going to be left disappointed. Therefore, having a knowledge of the level and learning where the best routes are to achieve time travel are essential if you wish to complete the game properly. It’s a simple idea that adds an extra layer to proceedings and builds on the run, jump, spin foundations that had been utilized so well in the Mega Drive games.

The Good Future of Zone 1. Vibrant and lively unlike...

...the bad future. If somebody can tell me how I can put two images side by side I'd really appreciate it!

Other areas worth mentioning are the bonus levels where you collect the time stones (the game’s version of Chaos Emeralds) are nicely animated and are similar to the graphical style shown in SNES racing games like Super Mario Kart (as in 2D sprites in pseudo-3D levels). The levels can be somewhat testing but not near as difficult as those found in Sonic 1. The music is also quite good with the musical theme being dance-centric and showed off the sound quality and capabilities of the CD-ROM. They even had time to include a opening and closing FMV movie, both complete with music and cheesy, cheesy lyrics. (To be honest, the opening song ‘Sonic Boom‘ does sound like it could have been the theme tune for a Saturday morning cartoon made back in the late 80s, early 90s).

Does the phrase "pseudo 3D" make sense now?

Sonic CD is perhaps one of the best sonic games ever made and if you’ve become disillusioned with his latest exploits, then this will remind you why you first fell in love with the speedy blue blur and why he’s better suited to the world of 2D.

Sonic CD is also available on PC CD-ROM as well as being featured on Sonic Gems Collection for the Nintendo GameCube and Sony Playstation 2.

Grandia (PSX – 2001)

It’s an accepted fact that the Playstation was responsible for bringing gaming to the masses. Through a combination of clever marketing, relentless advertising and massive support from third party developers, it helped transform a past-time that was perceived to be the domain for geeky 14 year old boys to one that was accessible for a more “mature” audience, mainly the 18 – 30 year old age bracket. Another contribution the Playstation made was bringing the concept of the RPG (that’s role playing game to you and me) to a western audience with the introduction of Final Fantasy VII which is regularly cited as one of the greatest games of all time and proved that RPGs don’t always have to follow a Dungeons and Dragons style setting to work. This opened up the floodgates for a number of identikit RPGs to be released on the Playstation, one of which was called Grandia.

Originally released on the Sega Saturn in 1997, Grandia was a japanese exclusive until it was ported to the Playstation in 1999 where it was released to both Japanese and, for the first time, an American audience. It required another two years to pass before it was finally released to a European audience in 2001 (by which point, Grandia II was released on the Dreamcast a few months later). But enough of the protractive history lesson, such details are only there to emphasize the fact that when Grandia was eventually released, it was up against established RPGs which included Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire and (in America) Xenogears. How it separates itself from the other games in this genre will be touched upon later but first the game itself.

The IP bar (located at the bottom right of the screen) determines who gets to strike first in battle.

Grandia tells the tale of Justin a 14 year old romanticist who dreams of becoming an adventurer and discovering new worlds. After discovering some hidden ruins and inside a hologram instructing him to travel to the mythical city of Alent, he sets off on his own adventure. The story has the traditional elements, lost cities, ancient civilizations, swords and magic, different races, an evil thing that has been sealed away and threatens to destroy the world unless somebody stops it before it’s too late and so on and so forth. To be fair, the story does hold your interest thanks to the development of your ragtag party members and the variety of locations experienced throughout your journey.

The characters are fleshed out quite well, thanks to the slightly weird but snappy dialogue but not because of the voice acting. It’s not that it’s bad (although the voice acting does tend to sound unaccomplished at best), it’s because the voices sound like each line was read separately before the producers pasted them together akin to gluing jigsaw pieces together that clearly don’t fit. It essentially means that the script doesn’t flow as well as it should and undermines what is essentially a good script. Thankfully, these scenes don’t tend to happen that often meaning you can concentrate a little more on what exactly is going on in the game. The music is fantastic, however, and captures the mood perfectly. It’s quite diverse too ranging from the main theme which is an epic and arousing track to bouncy and jaunty tunes, each track does evoke a specific emotion thanks to the soundtrack’s orchestrated feel.

The game's tutorial is a clever kiddie style treasure-hunting quest that gets you acquainted with the game world.

Like any RPG, the game is split up into three different sections, the World Map, where you basically select an area to go to on the map which means the game can tend to be somewhat liner compared to other games, the field map which you explore or progress through an area and battle mode which we’ll get to later. Gameplay in the field-map consists of 2D characters exploring 3D landscapes which is a departure from other RPGs like Final Fantasy where they incorporated 3D characters into drawn 2D environments. This style means you can rotate the camera 360° to properly scout an area for any hidden treasure. This style (from a personal viewpoint) work better than the 3D character, 2D background style mentioned earlier as it gives the feel that the characters blend in with the world they inhabit while the 3D characters tend to look odd when put against a 2D backdrop. In short, the graphics do their job well and can be very vibrant or brooding depending on the context.

But what separates Grandia from the rest of the pack is it’s battle system. Battles aren’t discovered through random encounters, instead your enemies are already on the map minding their own business until they spot you and give chase. Depending on how you’re positioned, you can approach them head on and start the battle normally or can sneak up on them from behind and launch a surprise attack, however, they can do the same and put you on the back foot. The battle mode, which works in real time, is determined by the IP bar which can be effected by whether you launched a surprise attack or ambushed. It basically determines the speed of each character (friend or foe) and how fast they get to act and pull off techniques and spells. Once you chosen your action, unless it’s a basic attack or defend action, your character still takes time to pull off a technique or magic spell which leaves them open to attack which can potentially cancel their action but such a window of opportunity lessens as your character gains more experience with techniques and spells. Here, anything your characters are vulnerable to, you can be sure the same applies to your enemies. Your characters can also move around the screen if you choose to do so which is handy if you’re grouped together and want to avoid any radius attacks your opponents may have. What you have is the result of a quick and dynamic battle system that’s fun to play but never takes up too much of your time.

As you advance through the game, battles do tend to get quite hectic but a little strategy will see off most enemies

The experience system is also a unique element of the game and is definitely worth mentioning. While you gain experience for your characters through battles and level them up making them stronger, Grandia takes this to another level by introducing the same formula for weapons and magic. So the more you use a weapon or cast a spell in battle (or outside battle depending on the spell) grants you experience depending on what you use instead of randomly granting new spells or techniques when leveling up your character.

Also, while your magic (which you gain through mana eggs found on your travels) are originally limited to the obligatory fire, earth, water and wind elements that appear in so many games, leveling up certain elements grants you access to combinations elements which are lightning (fire + wind) snow (water + wind) plant (earth + water) and magma (fire + earth). Leveling up your weapon or magic skills also effects your overall status by increasing certain status slightly for every level up. The system has a multitude of nice touches that rewards you for how you battle instead of how many battles you’ve had.

Overall, Grandia is definitely worth an investment of your time and if you’re new to the world of RPGs or want something different than the Final Fantasy series, it’s the perfect place to start.

No More Heroes (Wii – 2008)

Few games will begin the same way as No more Heroes. No cut-scenes, no main menu, no tutorials, just three options, Sweet, Mild or Bitter, before it gives you control of the game’s protagonist, Travis Touchdown. Immediately you know you’re playing something that isn’t afraid to stray from the conventional and do something different. Such thoughts evaporate after five seconds of play when the game pulls the rug under your feet and bombards you with cut-scenes and a lengthy tutorial.

If No More Heroes sounds like it’s as unconventional a game you can get, that’s because it is. The game takes every traditional gaming mechanic and either turns it on its head or satirises it. Travis is aware that he’s a character in a videogame and therefore acts as one (Such a mechanic normally involves him being beaten to a pulp in spectacular fashion in cutscenes yet being at full health when you regain control, an aspect that features in every videogame to date).

First things first, the presentation is sublime. Combining cel-shaded graphics with 8-bit retro stylings may seem like an odd combination in theory but in practise, it actually works quite well.  Both are quite distinct in comparison and gives the game a not so subtle nod to its retro heritage (in more ways than one as you play through it). The game experiences little to no slowdown and the game never suffers no matter how much activity is happening ingame. Such an achievement is all the more impressive when you take into consideration the raw graphical power the Wii possesses compared to its console rivals.

The audio is worthy of mention with the soundtrack, consisting of a mixture of techno and rock, fitting their purpose nicely, especially during boss fights while the sound effects, which comes in a mixture both 8-bit sounds and modern sound effects, do their job. The nicest audio touch, however, comes courtesy of the Wiimote which acts as an in-game mobile phone via the remote’s speaker. It’s a clever touch and is representative of the developers approach to think outside the box and realise the proper potential of Nintendo’s machine.

Taking part in a batting mini game is one of many ways you can kill your victims.

In a nutshell, the plot concerns Travis’, a beam katana wielding otaku who resides in the fictional town of Santa Destroy, California, quest to become the number one ranked assassin. Therefore, be prepared to face off with some of the varied and bizarre assassins ever to feature in any medium. Gun slinging detectives with a taste for karaoke, manic superheroes and sword wielding magicians are just some of the characters you’ll face off in Travis’ quest to become number one. Before you can face off against any of the assassins, however, you must earn enough money to pay your entry fee. Cue earning money through part time jobs which ranges from mowing lawns, picking up trash and rescuing lost cats. These mini games tend to range from fun to tedious but thankfully only tend to last for three minutes. They are the key to unlocking the real meat of the game, the assassination missions and No More Heroes’ greatest strength, the combat system.

Essentially, the controls can be simplified down to two buttons, A to swing your beam katana and B to punch or kick. It was a wise move not to make the controls similar to Twilight Princess where you simply swing the Wiimote to attack. Instead the Wiimote is used to determine whether Travis’ attack stance is high or low depending on what direction the Wiimote is tilted. Swinging the Wiimote only comes into play when either executing death blows or wrestling moves (which is also done with the Nunchuck). It’s a system that ultimately works better far better than you can imagine.

Completing a death blow with a flick of the Wiimote normally results in a graphically spectacular kill such as this

While on the subject of the Wiimote, all motion controls are simplified and never feels like it’s tacked on for the sake of it, a sin unashamedly committed by many Wii games. A special mention has to go to the “gesture” needed to charge your beam katana (since it runs on battery power) as it, alongside with Travis’ charging animation, is bound to induce a snigger solely for its juvenile nature.

Despite these positives, the game isn’t without its flaws. Santa Destroy, while not overly large, can still feel barren in most places, the collision detections for your vehicle is quite poor and having to always backtrack to Travis’ motel room to save the game (which is done by going to the toilet) tends to be inconvenient at the best of times but since the meat of the game is on the assassinations themselves, they very rarely detract from the overall experience.

Saving the game comes in the format of going to the bathroom although it is annoying that you have to constantly backtrack to Travis' place just to save.

Also, the game’s pacing begins to tire near the halfway point due to the game entering a routine of upgrade status or equipment, earn money, assassinate, ranked match. Once you reach the halfway point however, the game catches its second wind and all of a sudden the slow pace previously experienced suddenly manifests itself into a sprint towards the finishing line.  The plot undergoes the same treatment where a barrage of movie and gaming clichés, red herrings and numerous plot twists being introduced simply because, let’s face it, with the standard it sets itself at the start, you’d be disappointed if it didn’t. By then you’d be enjoying yourself too much to care as you zoom through the game just to discover the next surprise the game throws at you.

Simply put, No More Heroes is definitely up there as one of the best Wii games on the market and with it currently in the shops for a pittance, there’s no excuse for not owning it.