Thursday, September 10, 2009

Games I Liked, Others Didn't

We all have them-- games that we like that the majority of the gaming public doesn't. You try to hide them. You feel guilty about liking them, but you enjoy them nonetheless. I thought I'd take an opportunity to bring up some of these types of games. Feel free to share your own in the comments section!

Sonic Heroes (PS2, GCN, XBX)

Sonic Heroes had some of my favorite level design in the franchise's 3D history. I especially liked how the game followed the traditional 2D pattern of two acts followed by a boss. The glitches didn't bother me as I didn't experience a vast amount. The ones I did experience were vexing as they were usually ones that ruined a good run and were freak accidents. Playing as three characters as opposed to one was a fun gimmick, but playing through the game four times with the game's four teams became very tedious. Despite this, Sonic Heroes was an enjoyable, if not flawed, speedy experience.



Star Fox Assault (GCN)

Star Fox takes to the skies... and the ground in Star Fox Assault. The game featured impressive graphics for the time, a masterful soundtrack of old and new themes, hectic space dogfighting, and the ability for Fox to leave his ship and run on-foot. This is where some people disliked the game. I had no problem blasting baddies away, running around, and completing missions. There were only ten missions in all meaning that the campaign had much less longevity than what you'd see in Star Fox 64 which easily trumps this game. Multi-player, however, Assault has 64 beat with cleverly-designed, open battlefields and tons of modes and replay-ability.


Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast (Wii)

Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast was barrel-blasted for its controls. You drummed both the Wii remote and nunchuk to speed up in this racing game. You raced along a rail, so the turns were automatic, but you could move left or right by drumming the Wii remote or nunchuk separately. The game featured a myriad of modes from the standard grand prix to a special challenge mode that put you in a race and you had to meet the conditions of it. Combined with the racing was a cast of colorful Kongs and Kremlings from DK, Diddy, Lanky (DK 64), Funky, and King K. Rool.


Dewy's Adventure (Wii)

I remember pre-ordering this game so I could get the bonus, a Dewy plushie. I don't regret it one bit as I vastly enjoyed Dewy's Adventure for Wii. The game's visuals are still some of the best a third party has had to offer on the console, and the fun was immeasurable. You tilted the Wii remote to slide Dewy around the game's massive themed levels, rescuing fellow dewdrops and using the power of weather to shock or freeze enemies into submission. If an option to use the Wii remote and nunchuk were offered or the ability to tighten the controls of the tilting, Dewy's Adventure would most likely have been a higher rated game instead of the cult classic it is today.


Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (PS2, GCN, XBX)

After seeing Tony Hawk Ride, I'm sure more people are thinking more fondly of Tony Hawk's past games. Downhill Jam is more intriguing than Ride, for Bucky Lasek's sake! While Underground 2 followed a more Jackass feel with that giant moron Bam Margera, the game featured some of my favorite levels in the history of the series. The game was just fun to play, and it still had that enjoyable arcade feel that later games dropped altogether. The ability to create your own goals and make your own skate parks raised my love for this game. Along with Pro Skater 3, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 is probably my favorite in the series.


That does it for now. Again, let me know some of your games that you like that the rest of the world doesn't. Perhaps they will show up in a future installment!

1 comment:

SpinachPuffs said...

The only game in this list I've played is Sonic Heroes, but I'd have to agree with you: it's a fairly enjoyable game despite it's glitches. I never managed to get all that far through it but I had some good fun =)