Dawn of the Dead

Game: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
System: Nintendo DS
Release date: September 30, 2005
Developed by: Konami
Published by: Konami

The Castlevania franchise can be neatly divided into two phases: the platform/action titles which appeared on the NES and Game Boy; and the post-Symphony of the Night titles which fused adventure and RPG elements with classic Castlevania gameplay. Dawn of Sorrow, released for the Nintendo DS in 2005, belongs to the latter phase.

A sequel to the Game Boy Advance (GBA) game Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow continues the story of Soma Cruz, a young man who by all accounts has absorbed the powers of the dark lord Dracula after his ultimate demise. Keeping the darkness at bay is Soma's own resolve and the help of his loyal friends, including Julius Belmont, heir to the greatest vampire-slayer ever born, Simon Belmont.

Dawn of Sorrow belongs to the "Castletroid" or "Metroidvania" type Castlevania game, which mixes classic Castlevania gameplay with elements found in the Metroid series, including area maps, save rooms and the ability to retrace your steps throughout the game environment. The castle in Dawn of Sorrow is one of the largest yet created in Castlevania; backtracking is absolutely necessary.


Although Dawn of Sorrow is a fine game, it suffers from the greatness of its predecessor. Aria of Sorrow is one of the two best GBA games ever made and easily the best handheld Castlevania adventure. Dawn of Sorrow retains much of same gameplay, enhancing the experience with improved graphics and sound, but never quite matches up to the greatness of Aria of Sorrow.

Dawn of Sorrow features several endings, so be warned that the conclusion you see might not be the "good" one. Once the penultimate ending is achieved, "Julius Mode" is unlocked, which allows players to explore the castle as the latest member of the Belmont clan.

Score: 90/100

Gatekeeper

Game: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
System: Playstation 2
Release date: January 20, 2004
Developed by: Black Isle Studios
Published by: Vivendi Games

For a long time the Baldur's Gate games could only be enjoyed by PC owners. That changed in 2001 with the release of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, developed exclusively for the Xbox, Gamecube, Game Boy Advance and Playstation 2. A sequel, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II, was released three years later.

Dark Alliance II is set almost immediately after the events of the first Dark Alliance and introduces five new playable characters: a human barbarian, a Drow monk, a Moon Elf necromancer, a Dwarven rogue and a human cleric. Each has his or her own strengths and weaknesses; some have more magic energy; some have stronger melee attacks. The player's choice is largely dependent on his or her own playing style.

Like its predecessor, Dark Alliance II is a hack and slash RPG which eschews turn-based combat in favor of real-time action. Each character can be equipped with three types of weapons: a one-handed weapon, a two-handed weapon and a ranged weapon. Dark Alliance II introduces the novelty of weapon and item customization, in which players can bring swords, shields, amulets and rings to a workshop and enhance their attributes by adding runestones and gemstones.


Although Dark Alliance II is an extension of the first Dark Alliance, featuring some of the same characters, locations and mythology, it never lives up to the experience of the original; its dungeons, storylines and characters are less dynamic. That said, Dark Alliance II remains an excellent RPG experience, made even more appealing by its cooperative play mode, in which two friends can brave dungeons and fight monsters together.

Dark Alliance II was originally meant to be the second chapter of a trilogy, but Dark Alliance III was cancelled when its developer Interplay went out of business in 2004.

Score: 88/100

Ultimate Zelda?

There is nothing in video games I take more seriously than The Legend of Zelda franchise: a total of nine Zelda games are featured in my top 100 games list; my personal favorite is a Zelda game (A Link to the Past); the best game ever made is a Zelda game (Ocarina of Time).

In the December 2009 issue of Nintendo Power (NP), the NP staff collaborated on an article titled "Ultimate Zelda," in which they rank the thirteen Zelda games (excluding Ocarina of Time Master Quest and A Link to the Past/Four Swords) from worst to best and name a number of series' superlatives. This blog entry is a refutation of that article.

What follows are the NP rankings:

Best Zelda games:

13) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
12) The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
11) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
10/9) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons
8) The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
7) The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
6) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
5) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening/DX
4) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
3) The Legend of Zelda
2) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

This list is wrong. It's certainly not the worst Zelda list I've read, but it has some serious problems. Most notable is number 11.

Majora's Mask is one of the finest entries in the Zelda franchise, one which improves on the graphics and play control of its immediate predecessor on the Nintendo 64, Ocarina of Time. NP explains its low ranking of Majora's Mask by describing it as "a different kind of Zelda quest that polarizes fans." The editors at NP of course refer to its unique 72-hour storyline, where players must make as much progress as possible in 3 game days before using a magical ocarina to return to dawn of the first day and start the cycle again. Far from being a detriment, this 72-hour cycle makes Majora's Mask one of the most unique and enjoyable games in the franchise, as well as one which requires a good deal of time management and strategy.


Similarly low on the list is The Wind Waker, although its ranking isn't nearly as criminal as that of Majora's Mask. NP echoed the complaints of some fans by calling sailing in The Wind Waker "incredibly tedious." I, for one, love sailing in The Wind Waker. Zelda games have always been about immersing the player in the game world; sailing across a vast ocean, traveling from island to island, goes a long way in absorbing the player.

The previous two games are too low on the list; the next game is too high. The first handheld Zelda game, Link's Awakening is a legitimately great game. Its spot on the list, however, is all wrong. There's nothing particularly faulty in Link's Awakening, but it's shorter and less innovative than many other Zelda games, including another superior handheld title ranked below it, The Minish Cap.

What follows is my list:

13) The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
12) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
11/10) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons
9) The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
8) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening/DX
7) The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
6) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
5) The Legend of Zelda
4) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
3) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
2) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The NP article also lists several superlatives:

Best hook: Light World/Dark World (A Link to the Past)
Best weapon: Bow (all games)
Best item: Double Clawshots (Twilight Princess)
Best Princess Zelda: (The Wind Waker)
Best boss: Twilit Dragon Argorok (Twilight Princess)
Best overworld: (The Minish Cap)
Best story moment: Beneath the Waves (The Wind Waker)
Best tune: "Overworld Theme" (The Legend of Zelda)
Best secret: Second Quest (The Legend of Zelda)
Best dungeon: Goron Mines (Twilight Princess)
Best enemy: Octorok
Best supporting character: Midna (Twilight Princess)
Best Ganon: (Ocarina of Time)

I have problems with several of the abovementioned superlatives; I'm especially surprised with so many coming from Twilight Princess, the most recent console Zelda game. The worst entries are BEST BOSS and BEST DUNGEON. Like many climactic battles in Twilight Princess, the encounter with the dragon Argorok is a very creative boss fight, but it's surpassed by fights in The Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time and The Minish Cap. Worse yet is NP's choice for BEST DUNGEON: Goron Mines. This is just plain inexplicable. The final two dungeons in The Wind Waker are far better, as is Great Bay Temple (Majora's Mask) and half a dozen dungeons from Ocarina of Time. One superlative which I was surprised to agree with is BEST OVERWORLD; The Minish Cap has an overworld packed with secrets and side-quests, many of which are accessible only by shrinking down to microscopic size.


My superlatives (unchanged entries are in bold):

Best hook: 72-hour cycle (Majora's Mask)
Best weapon: Biggoron's Sword (Ocarina of Time)
Best item: Hookshot (A Link to the Past)
Best Princess Zelda: (Ocarina of Time)
Best boss: Twinrova (Ocarina of Time)
Best overworld: (The Minish Cap)
Best story moment: Beneath the Waves (The Wind Waker)
Best tune: "Overworld Theme" (The Legend of Zelda)
Best secret: Second Quest (The Legend of Zelda)
Best dungeon: Water Temple (Ocarina of Time)
Best enemy: Stalfos
Best supporting character: Ezlo (The Minish Cap)
Best Ganon: (Ocarina of Time)

The great thing about the Zelda franchise is that it touches players in very personalized ways. Everyone has their favorite game, perhaps corresponding to their first experience in the Zelda universe. Comments, as always, are welcome below. What would your list look like? What's your personal favorite?

Wingmen

Game: Aegis Wing
System: Xbox 360
Release date: May 16, 2007
Developed by: Carbonated Games
Published by: Microsoft Game Studios

In an economy where the newest console games cost between $59.99 and $79.99, a free game seems like something of a miracle. But that's exactly what Aegis Wing is -- free -- and always has been on Xbox Live Arcade.

Aegis Wing is a horizontal shooter, cosmetically similar to classics like Gradius and R-Type. In fact, Aegis Wing is very much a blast from the past, playing a lot like arcade and console shooters from the 80s and 90s.

One very important aspect of the game which separates it from the large flock of space shooters is its cooperative mode, which can be played both offline or online with friends from all over the world. Up to four players can fly together, three of whom can attach their ships to the leader's ship and become 360-degree gun turrets. This option adds elements of strategy and cooperation that make Aegis Wing much more than a forgettable Gradius clone.


Apart from exercising the option to join ships together, gameplay consists largely of avoiding gunfire and shooting down enemy ships. Players can also pick up one of four "super weapons" to augment their standard blasters. These include the Hades Beam (a concentrated blast of energy), the Gordan Burst (an electromagnetic pulse which disables nearby enemy ships), the Arcus Missile (heat-seeking missiles) and the Lambda Shield (a protective bubble which deflects enemy bullets).

Three Microsoft interns, Scott Brodie, Danny Dyer and Matt Monson, created Aegis Wing in the summer of 2006.

Score: 80/100

Note: Thanks to Jason C. for helping me stop the Araxian menace.

Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword

Game: Samurai Shodown
System: Neo Geo
Release Date: August 11, 1993
Developed by: SNK
Published by: SNK

Before the appearance of the great weapons-based fighters, The Last Blade and Soul Calibur, there was Samurai Shodown. Released in 1993, Samurai Shodown might not have been the very first weapons-based fighting game (several unremarkable titles were released in the years before 1993) but it was certainly the most important and the most popular.

Samurai Shodown takes place during the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan and therefore has a certain Japanese flavor. Many of the playable characters have Japanese origins, but there are other characters from the United States, China and France. As expected from a weapons-based fighter, all the characters wield a blade in battle, which can be used in a number of basic offensive moves and several special moves unique to each combatant. Two of the more dynamic characters are Nakoruru, an Ainu miko (female shaman), and Galford, an American sailor turned ninja. Both Nakoruru and Galford have animal companions who fight alongside them in battle.


One of the most interesting features of Samurai Shodown is its "rage gauge," which gradually fills up after a fighter absorbs several attacks and can then be used by the abused fighter to strike back with intense ferocity. It's the opposite of the super combo gauge in Street Fighter Alpha, which builds up upon successful hits of the opponent.

Another feature which inspires ambivalence is the Edo Express Delivery Man, who arrives during battles to lob items at the combatants, specifically bombs, meat and money. Bombs, you guessed it, explode and damage nearby fighters; meat heals damaged fighters; and money awards points to the character who picks it up.

Taken as a package, Samurai Shodown is a very good and influential fighting game with a healthy amount of playable characters (10), exemplary graphics and sound, and an understandable combat system. It doesn't quite measure up to the Capcom fighters of the early 1990s, but in a genre with so many duds, Samurai Shodown distinguishes itself.

Score: 87/100

Recall of Duty

Game: Call of Duty 3
System: Xbox 360
Release Date: November 7, 2006
Developed by: Treyarch/Pi Studios
Published by: Activision

World War II captures the American imagination like no other conflict in the history of the United States, eclipsing the Civil War and the Revolutionary War, both peculiarly American events. The drama and horror of WWII has been recapitulated in movies and in books and, increasingly in the last decade, in video games.

One of those games is Call of Duty 3 (CoD3). Released a year after Call of Duty 2 (CoD2), CoD3 features gameplay remarkably similar to its predecessor. In many ways, in fact, CoD3 plays like an expansion pack for CoD2. This is not necessarily a detriment: the mechanics and engine of the CoD franchise are so fine-tuned and engaging that a dozen CoD games would be welcome on any console, despite any redundancy.

Unlike its predecessor, CoD3 focuses solely on the infantry and tank battles in France during WWII; the North African and Russian theaters have been completely obscured. Diversity is instead found in the soldiers who fight the battles, who belong to the American, British, Polish and Canadian armies, as well as the French resistance. Players take on the role of either an American soldier, a British commando, a Polish tanker, etc. In many instances, the separate story lines converge, adding to the drama of the battle.


CoD3 features fourteen solo missions and an online multiplayer mode. The missions include assaults, sorties, sabotage, tank battles and rescue operations. Gameplay is nearly identical to CoD2: harrowing, 360 degree battles fought in forests, fields and deserted houses.

CoD3 is a welcome addition to the Xbox 360 library and a worthy companion piece to CoD2. The battles and bloodshed of WWII are faithfully recreated in both, along with the sounds, sights and heroism of the bloodiest conflict of the twentieth century.

Score: 90/100