And Capcom could produce it in an instant. They’d just have to:

- use all the content from the GameCube version
- add all the extra content from the PS2 version, updated to have GC-like graphics and lighting (otherwise, the extras would look visibly worse than the rest of the game)
- add widescreen mode (I think the PS2 version already includes it)
- add wiimote + nunchuk support.

Advantages:

- it would look better than most current Wii games (including Zelda: TP and Red Steel)
- most of it is already done, so development time and costs would be low
- the game really begs for wiimote control.

Me, I’d buy it in a second, even though I already have the GC version.

Possibly related posts:

1. Resident Evil 4 for PS2 is out
2. Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, 2004)
3. RE4 for Wii: dreams come true?

Since I created this blog, U7 was always supposed to be one of the “Games of my Life”; however, I haven’t played the game since I finished it, which was more than 10 years ago. The fact that I still remember a lot of the game speaks volumes about how good it is; on the other hand, I’d still like to have a “fresher” memory about it, before writing its real entry here.

I’ll tell you this, though: even though Planescape: Torment is still my no. 1 RPG of all time, Ultima VII is probably my second favorite… and in its particular genre, there’s nothing like it. Torment’s strength is its characters, story and atmosphere; U7, on the other hand, gives you a world to explore and live in, like probably no other game. And the story is brilliant, too.

Too bad they ruined it in Ultimas VIII and IX…

Meanwhile, as I said, I’ve finally finished Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. I think I’ll tackle Beyond Good and Evil next.

Possibly related posts:

1. Now playing: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Beyond Good and Evil
2. Second impressions: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
3. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance: continuing impressions

First, let me say that this is my first Sonic game since the original ones for the Megadrive (I have the 2 Sonic Adventures ordered, but one of them is back-ordered and so they haven’t arrived yet). This means that it’s also my first Sonic in 3D.

From what I’ve played so far: the graphics are good. Not great, but good. Voice acting is… OK. The levels themselves look very, very nice, and the sense of speed is absolutely amazing. The camera, however, is quite poor – quite often you have to use your memory about what you’ve seen earlier, because you’re not seeing where you’re going – the camera takes too long to turn.

Even though the game is fully 3D, it plays (at least, so far – I’ve just got past the first boss) much like the old 2D games, in the sense that it’s quite linear – it’s always obvious where you have to go, and there’s not really any exploration, except to look for hidden areas and items. In other words, instead of free exploration like, say, Mario 64 or the 3D Zeldas, Sonic Heroes plays more like an “obstacle course”. A beautiful and varied one, though.

As you’ll know if you’ve read any (p)review or seen any ad for the game, you don’t just play one character, but a team of 3. There are 4 different teams, with slightly different storylines, goals, game styles and difficulty levels. Basically, however, each team has one “Speed” character, one “Power” character and one “Flight” character (for instance, in Team Sonic, they’re Sonic, Knuckles and Tails, respectively). In many parts of the game, you have to use a specific kind of character, though many challenges can be overcome with different characters, and sometimes you even get to choose paths, such as one which requires Power and one which requires Flight.

So far, I’m enjoying it, and thanks to its being a Player’s Choice game, it was quite cheap, too.

Possibly related posts:

1. Sonic games ordered
2. Now playing: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Beyond Good and Evil
3. Tennis Critters (PC, 2003)

The story is really good, and actually quite mature, even though the game doesn’t have a drop of blood.

2 of my characters have died so far, which isn’t bad. I really prefer to play “realistically”, instead of attempting a “perfect game” – though I have reset and reloaded a couple of times, due to really stupid deaths.

Possibly related posts:

1. Second impressions: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
2. Now playing: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Beyond Good and Evil
3. Finished Path of Radiance; now playing…

• Sonic Heroes (yup, another one)
• Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
• TimeSplitters 2 (never played one of them, and this was the cheapest. )

I don’t know if I’ll get them before Christmas… I hope so.

I’m also struggling heavily with the tempation to buy Nintendo’s new DS/Mario Kart DS pack. Maybe I’ll do it in about two weeks, if money allows it.

Possibly related posts:

1. New games ordered
2. Sonic games ordered
3. Some games I want

Also, yesterday I “unburied” a game I’ve had for a few months, but had never played after trying out when I got it: Star Wars: Rogue Leader. Very nice, and more “Wing Commanderish” than I remembered it.

Possibly related posts:

1. More games ordered
2. Sonic Heroes: first impressions
3. Some games I want

In no particular order:

• Sonic Adventure / Sonic Adventure 2: Battle / Sonic Heroes / Shadow the Hedgehog (GameCube): I haven’t played a Sonic game since the first 2D ones on the Megadrive, and I miss the blue guy. I think I’ll start with the first two, which are already Player’s Choice games, and can be bought cheaply.
• Doom 3 (PC): I’ve only tried the demo, some months ago, and my PC is too slow to play it properly. But I’d like to play it in full when I get new hardware, a couple of months from now. I know a lot of people were disappointed with the game, as they were expecting a rocket-fest such as multi-player Quake, and Doom 3 is more of a horror game – but I’m curious about it.
• X-Men Legends 2 (GameCube): loved the first one – the 4-player mode was great! I want more of it.
• Mario Superstar Baseball (GameCube): one more for the post-lunch gaming sessions at home.
• more tactical RPGs (several systems): after “discovering” Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, I want more. Most of them are for the GBA, it seems…
• an RTS (PC): probably Age of Empires III, but, again, I need to upgrade my puny PC first…

Looking at that list, I realize an interesting fact: that after being a computer (8-bit, 16-bit, PC) gamer for most of my life, my tastes have slowly been turning to consoles more and more. I still play and enjoy PC games, but most of them are older ones – and, except for Civ 4 and the R:TW expansion, I haven’t bought any recently. I guess that would change if I had a more powerful PC, but… I don’t know. Not only do console games not have compatibility problems or hardware requirements that cost an arm and a leg to fulfill, but they’re… different. And they still feel “fresh” to me, while PC games increasing feel like what I’ve been playing all my life. Maybe I simply needed a change.

But it’s a fact that, for the past few months, I’ve been spending much more time on the GameCube than on the PC.

Possibly related posts:

1. Sonic games ordered
2. Sonic Heroes: first impressions
3. More games ordered

The first of them is Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, on the GameCube, which I’ve already mentioned a couple of times here. It keeps getting better and better – good story, interesting characters, more decisions to make, and, best of all, the need for different strategies in every level – not simply “advance and kill everyone in your path”. It’s really a joy to play.

The second one is a bit older: Beyond Good and Evil, also on the Cube (this isn’t an exclusive, though, it’s also available for PC, PS2 and Xbox). I’ve had this game for about a year, but for some reason had never got around to play it… until now. And it’s brilliant.

IGN’s review, quoted on the back of the box, describes it as “Zelda for grown-ups”. While I don’t think that it’s a perfect description – among other reasons, because the Zelda games aren’t really for kids – it’s certainly a quick way to explain to people what the game looks and plays like. It’s an action/adventure game, with a great story (involving control of the media by the government – guess that’s where the “for grown-ups” bit comes from), and absolutely endearing characters. For instance, one of your “party members” is Pey’j, a pig-like humanoid – whose personality, voice acting and mannerisms make him more “human” and lovable than more than 95% of video game characters. Jade herself, the character you control, is one of the few female characters that is feminine without looking as if she’s just there for making male teens drool.

BG&E has been called “the best game nobody played”, as, while every review out there described it as brilliant, it almost didn’t sell. But you can probably still buy it, and cheaply, too. If you like the 3D Zeldas (Ocarina, Majora, Wind Waker), go buy it immediately; if not, or if you don’t know them, at least take a look at it; rent it, or something. It’s a work of art – so much that Peter Jackson recently contacted the main author, Michael Ancel, to create the game version of his next movie, King Kong.

Possibly related posts:

1. Second impressions: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
2. Finished Path of Radiance; now playing…
3. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance: continuing impressions

Let’s see. The game is, as everyone probably knows, a turn-based tactical RPG, where your characters fight several kinds of missions against several kinds of enemies, becoming more powerful, and can be customized (up to a point) however you want. There’s also a story, and the characters have some personality, which is good.

The music is great; however, the graphics are not. They aren’t “bad” in any way, but the Cube is capable of much, much more. Still, the graphics aren’t really the point.

Although the game itself seems fairly linear, there are many ways to influence what happens. For instance, if a character dies, he or she really dies – no Phoenix Downs or anything like that. Although you can, of course, reset the console and try again, later battles are long and hard, so you will probably have to make some sacrifices by then. Besides, it’s fun to see variations of the story without playing a “perfect” game where everyone survives.

Many characters are optional, and not that easy to recruit. For instance, in one of the first missions, where you’re attacking a pirate ship, a girl riding a pegasus is already there fighting them, and after the first turn you can easily see that she won’t last long. But… if you can quickly move through the rest of the pirates, reach her and talk to her, she’ll leave that battle, and come back a few missions later to join you. If you don’t get there in time, you can still complete the mission, but that girl is lost to you for good. Choices like this are common in the game.

Mission objectives are varied: they include killing every enemy, killing a particular boss, reaching a particular place on the map, or, some of my favorites, defending a position for X turns. In those, the enemies never stop coming, you simply have to endure, move wounded fighters to the back and replace them with other characters (assuming you have them, of course), heal the wounded, protect your mages and healers, and so on. Sometimes you can even use a couple of characters to run towards a boss and kill him – it’s risky, it won’t win you the mission, and you’ll have to run back to your battle lines, but bosses tend to have some good weapons…

So far, a very good game.

Possibly related posts:

1. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance: continuing impressions
2. Now playing: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Beyond Good and Evil
3. Now Playing: Fire Emblem

Civilization IV

I love the new interface, presentation and music. And the new technologies narration by Leonard Nimoy is fantastic. However, I haven’t had much time to dwell into the game itself. Most of what I know about it is from reviews.

Civics come from Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, though it was called “Social Engineering” there.

Religion is a new concept in the Civ series, and it basically works these way: the first civilization to get to each of 7 particular technologies (e.g. Meditation for Buddhism, Polytheism for Hinduism, and so on) has one of its cities become a “holy site” for that religion (think Mecca or Jerusalem). The religion then spreads through trade routes, including to other civilizations. Cities can have citizens of several faiths, and you can build temples. You can also build missionaries to influence other cities (especially those of other players) more directly.

Both civics and religion are used in diplomacy – civs tend to like other civs with the same state religion, or using the same civics, more – and the other way around. They may even suggest changes to yours – such as Mao asking you to change to State Property. And you can also suggest changes to them.

Religions are, in game terms, the same. Political correctness and all that. Not like Europa Universalis 2, where each religion had particular bonuses and penalties…

Rome: Total War – Barbarian Invasion

Looks extremely promising, but my puny PC can’t really handle R:TW decently. Although load times are better than Medieval’s, the battles are much less smooth. And I have to lower the detail a lot for it to be playable – which, oddly enough, makes it look worse than M:TW (with maximum detail).

One to “devour” when I get a newer PC. Must… get… rich…

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Only played through the first 2 missions (including the training one), so I have seen virtually nothing of the game. It’s like Final Fantasy Tactics / Shining Force – either a tactical RPG, or a tactical strategy game with heavy RPG elements. Lots and lots of classes, weapons and so on, with a nice story, and turn-based. Looks great, but I’ll only have anything to “report” after I spend some more time with it. Work, work, work…

Possibly related posts:

1. Second impressions: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
2. First impressions: Lost in Blue
3. Some games I want

• Civilization IV (PC)
• Rome: Total War – Barbarian Invasion (expansion for R:TW) (PC)
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GameCube)

Yes, I’m in a strategy mood.
They should be here next week or so…

Possibly related posts:

1. New games: first impressions
2. Now Playing: Fire Emblem
3. Finished Path of Radiance; now playing…

According to reviews, it looks worse than the GC version, and has more slowdowns. Textures are simplified, and lighting is worse. On the other hand, it includes a lot of extras, including new missions and game modes, and it’s still one of the most impressive looking PS2 games.

If you have a PS2 but not a GC, I highly recommend this game – it’s fantastic. If you have a GC, on the other hand, you already have the best version of RE4 (I’m assuming that anyone with a GC but without RE4 is, well… intellectually challenged – or simply doesn’t like games at all, and bought the console “for the kids” – and RE4 certainly isn’t appropriate for them), though the PS2 version may still be worth a rent for the extras.

Possibly related posts:

1. Dream game: Resident Evil 4 for the Wii
2. Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, 2004)
3. Now playing: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Beyond Good and Evil

First, unlike previous Resident Evils, this one has a great control scheme, and a great point of view, which makes me wonder why it’s not used more often. The story is good, the game is creepy (almost scary, sometimes) from beginning to end. Great voice acting (again, unlike some previous REs… “master of unlocking”, anyone?). Some parts of the game are unforgettable: the big fight in the first part of the village… the first El Gigante… the “big fish” under the lake… the first time you fight a… oops, don’t want to spoil it for you. This time, there are no zombies… your enemies are human. Or at least, appear to be… They communicate among themselves, work as teams, go after you in several ways at the same time.

In RE4, you play Leon Kennedy, from RE2, who is sent to a mysterious rural area in Spain (it’s so rural that they still use pesetas instead of euros! ) to investigate a clue about the kidnapping of the U.S. President’s daughter. Of course, things aren’t as they seem… (are they ever?)

I haven’t seen a GameCube or PS2 game that looks nearly as good as this one. And believe me, it’s not just a graphics fest. Let’s put it this way: I can still remember how I played through several parts, even though it was months ago. It’s simply an experience you won’t soon forget.

Really, buy this game.

Possibly related posts:

1. Resident Evil 4 for PS2 is out
2. Dream game: Resident Evil 4 for the Wii
3. A portable GameCube?