Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (PS2, GCN, XBX) Retro Review

The retro reviews keep pouring in thanks to El Nino! Okay, maybe it's not because of that, but it sure is raining cats and dogs here where I am in the Midwest. Christmas 2015 may be a memory, but I'm still in the mood to deliver some goodness to you good boys and girls. Heck, I'll even deliver some goodness to you evil boys and girls, too. 

This next retro review is for a 3D platformer that I missed out on when it originally released. It's Ty the Tasmanian Tiger for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. 

That's a mad ripper, mate!

My favorite genre in gaming is the platformer. Whether 2D or 3D, if done right, they feed my need for colorful worlds, tricky jump and run challenges, precision jumping, and collecting. What was once a type of game that you couldn't avoid unless you were stranded on a desert island, the platformer is pretty much only served by independent developers now. However, back in the early 2000's and many years prior to that, the 3D platformer scene was bustling, hopping, and bopping along. Many platforming franchises grew from that era of gaming, and one of these was Krome Studios' Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. With a wonderful personality, fun to explore worlds, and precision platforming, Ty's freshman outing is as good as a delicious bratwurst on the barbie.

As a game, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger follows the foundation that Super Mario 64 and games released thereafter inspired from same have laid out. In its most distilled essence, Ty feels closer to Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy more than it does Super Mario 64. For one, there is a very good sense of humor that permeates throughout the game that stretches from the computer-generated cutscenes to the banter between characters in levels. Another way Ty the Tasmanian Tiger reminds me of Jak and Daxter is that there are many smaller collectibles to gather known as opals, much like Jak had precursor orbs to nab. Finally, hitting the select button brings up a list of objectives to find and collect the Power Cell equivalent in Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. Like Jak and Daxter, this list is just a bunch of names that feature nebulous hints on what you need to do to get the main collectible, such as "Drive Me Batty" and "Quicksand Coconuts", for instance.

A little rain is nothing for this Tasmanian tiger.

Being a 3D collect-a-thon like its inspirations, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger has plenty to venture around levels for. In the hub area of the game, Rainbow Cliffs, there are 25 rainbow scales to collect. While this is purely optional, collecting all of them doubles Ty's health gauge. In levels themselves, or at least the ones where you can explore and collect stuff, of which there are nine, the main prize (or the Jak and Daxter Power Cell or Super Mario 64 Power Star equivalent, if you will) is that of Thunder Eggs. 

Keep your eye on the prize, Ty-- a Thunder Egg.

There are eight Thunder Eggs in the nine levels, and you get through a myriad of means. Some are as simply as coming upon them in plain sight or after a platforming challenge of some type. Others revolve around assisting NPCs with certain problems, such as emptying a cave out from the bats that inhabit it, to shooting snowballs from a stationary cannon at enemies that want nothing more than to set fire to trees. Four of the Thunder Eggs are earned through the same types of tasks in each level: collecting 300 opals, rescuing five Bilbies (think of them like the Jinjos that needed to be saved in Banjo-Kazooie), beating a race, and satisfying the requirements of the level's main quest. 

Ty might be a month late to Thanksgiving, but he's
still aiming to catch this turkey regardless.

Of those tasks, the one that really slows the game down to a crawl is searching for 300 opals. While it's completely unnecessary to gather 300 opals in every level, or even any level, for that matter, you'll want to do so for 100% completion. Opals are everywhere in levels, usually strewn about, but sometimes they'll also appear in bundles of five within boxes that can be broken. Still, it's a very tedious task to run around levels that for the most part are too large for their own good and some of which are laid out as a point A to point B affair instead of an expansive area. Having to run from one end of a level all the way to another in a point A to point B fashion gets grating after doing so for the third or fourth time.

Eek! The tables have turned!

With nine main levels of exploration, it's a shame that the last three of those feature borrowed assets from previous levels, a rain forest level also with its own water slide portion, a winter wonderland, and a tropical paradise. Despite this, the levels do possess their own personalities and end up being rather engaging exploring experiences. 

What aren't as engaging are the boss battles. Many times you'll slam your head against a wall wondering what you need to do to take down the boss in question. On many occasions you'll spend time just dodging attacks, pondering things like how do you attack the boss, when is there an opening, and the meaning of life. Okay, that last one might be just me. In any case, aimlessly trying anything to do damage to the bosses is not an enjoyable activity by any stretch of the imagination, and it's a black eye on what is an otherwise well designed game.

There's no time to stop and look at the scenery
when there's a rampaging boar behind you, Ty.

Ty himself does not have a huge series of moves in his repertoire. He can run, he can jump, he can throw his trusty pair of boomerangs, and he can bite foes. Early in the game he learns the ability to use his boomerangs to float, giving him more hang time and making him capable of performing longer jumps. 

Speaking of boomerangs, Ty comes across various different boomerangs that each have their own uses and potentials. Of the dozen different boomerangs to acquire, only a handful of them are story-related, meaning you can go the whole game without getting any of the bonus ones, like boomerangs that explode on contact, boomerangs that hone in on enemies, and boomerangs that can pick off foes from far away like a sniper. These boomerangs are acquired through trading golden cogs to a koala in the hub world of the game. Ten golden cogs are placed in all nine regular levels, making it so Ty can go beast mode, making him have the destructive power of a Tasmanian devil instead of a Tasmanian tiger. 

One of about a dozen different boomerangs Ty can use.
These babies are known as Flamerangs. 

Ty controls well enough for the types of platforming challenges required of him. The controls err more towards the side of imperfection, and by no means holds a candle to genre greats like Mario, Rayman, Banjo-Kazooie, etc. There will also be many times where the camera fusses about like a child who has eaten too much sugar. It will spin when you don't want it to, and you'll find yourself actively fighting the camera to make it turn the way you wish it to turn. While death isn't usually the result of the sometimes mediocre camera, it did result in many missed jumps, especially vexing when I'd have to redo an entire platforming sequence because of the camera's attitude problem. Fortunately, even when death does arrive, a checkpoint (in this case, an outhouse) is never too far away.

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger looks good for a game released in 2002. Worlds are colorful, impressive in size and scope (but as I said, sometimes worlds are too big for their own good), and feature plenty of detail to them, such as smaller bugs wrapping around the walls and surfaces of levels. Character models animate well, and the voice actors that breathe even more life into these characters do their jobs just fine. The music is a high point also, offering catchy and never grating themes that you can't help but to bop your head in rhythm to the music. 

The main thing that I'm most disappointed with Ty the Tasmanian Tiger is myself, as I slept on this enjoyable and entertaining 3D platformer for over 13 years. Now, I can't wait to try the other games in the series-- just after I hunt them down, of course. Although Ty's first outing is far from a masterful debut, it's one that makes me glad I gave the series a chance when I did. Now I ask that you, too, give Ty the Tasmanian Tiger a chance.

[SPC Says: B-]

Mirror's Edge 2 (XONE, PS4, PC) E3 2013 Debut Trailer

Were you one of the people who doubted Mirror's Edge 2 would happen? Oh, ye of little Faith! See what we did there? Alright. No more joking around. The long-wanted game has finally been announced, and it's coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Check out the first trailer for the game right below.

James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (PS2, GCN, XBX) Retro Review

We end the work week with a brand-new retro review. The 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise, Skyfall, infiltrated the retail space this past week, and now you can bring the action and fun of the film to your home. To commemorate the occasion, SuperPhillip Central is taking a look at one of the better James Bond video games out there, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing.

After "Eons" of Waiting, A Truly 

Great Original Bond Game.

I was born in 1986, so my first introduction to the James Bond character was Pierce Brosnan's interpretation in GoldenEye. It's no coincidence that I share a great amount of admiration for both that movie and that iteration of Bond, even with all of that version's puns and double entendres. Heck, I even enjoyed (but to a much lesser extent) Die Another Day. Regardless, when Electronic Arts set out to make a James Bond game, they contacted a collection of Hollywood talent, such as Mr. Brosnan, Willem Dafoe, Shannon Elizabeth, and Heidi Klum, to create their vision. The end result is James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, and it is one of the few original Bond games worth making note of.

The plot of Everything or Nothing centers around Max Zorin apprentice Nikolai Diavolo's desire for world domination through the use of stolen nano-bot technology. Yeah, it's a little hard to imagine and take seriously, especially with some of the hammy and dull performances, but it's still an enjoyable plot, However, if you're expecting anything more than a tad above average, then you will be more than disappointed.

Everything or Nothing is comprised of 27 unique missions, split up between various gameplay styles, such as stealth, run-and-gun shooting, gadgetry, and driving. There is a fantastic variety that keeps players going from one style to the next. The pacing is near pefect.

Most missions play out in a third-person shooter fashion. Bond can take it slow and methodical, or go in guns blazing. Of course, on later difficulties, being meticulous in a mission like James Bond really would act is usually better than going in guns blazing a la Rambo. Different difficulties task Bond with more or less objectives to complete. Levels generally have plenty of places for cover, as well as plenty of spots for small cases of exploration and discovery.

Use the environment to your advantage.

00 agents are known well for their smooth entrances and accurate shots. Bond is no different, but if a player wants to make 007 look like James Bond 007 and not Agent 99 from Get Smart, then they will need to have a grasp of the controls. Thankfully, Everything or Nothing features rather tight controls for precision aiming and up close and personal fisticuffs. Auto-aim allows players to lock onto targets, but it won't do all the work. It will just aim in the general direction of a foe. Bond needs to manually aim to pick off targets that hide behind cover, and occasionally peek out to fire at him.

Even when taking a trip to the ruins,

007 dresses for success.

When guns simply won't do (i.e. an enemy is too close for comfort), hand-to-hand combat is the appropriate solution. 007 can punch, throw, and even counter foes. After all, even a proper servant for Her Majesty's government needs to get his hands dirty once in a while.

Sometimes you have to let your

foot do the talking.

Stealth is key for a 00 agent as well, and Bond has the moves to make for silent but deadly assaults. He can hug walls and slowly pick off foes around corners. He is able to crouch behind cover in the form of crates, couches, chairs, and so on. Superb stealth is rewarded by making missions that would otherwise be quite challenging less so.

Another big type of gameplay in Everything or Nothing has 007 and the player entering the driver's seat in James's Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, which is the same car he drove in Die Another Day, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and for motorcycle enthusiasts, the Triumph Daytona 600. Seeing as the driving engine for Everything or Nothing was an evolved form of the one from the Need for Speed series, it is probably not necessary to say the physics and controls are incredibly well done. One really feels in control of each vehicle.

There are two types of vehicle missions. One has Bond moving through a quasi-linear path, avoiding or destroying enemy vehicles, jumping off ramps, and evading hazards. The other is less stressful (but the stress is fun in the aforementioned mission type). It puts Bond in a miniature open world where he needs to move from destination to destination to satisfy the conditions of his objectives and his overall mission.

Vehicle missions break things up quite a bit.

Regardless, Bond doesn't have to rely on his own expertise for each mission. Q, played by John Cleese, always has the electronic goods to give 007, a mass array of clever gadgetry to aid Bond throughout his mission. From grenades under the guise of innocent-looking coins to special glasses that allow James to see enemies in the dark, to a small spiderbot that is remote controlled and can crawl through narrow spaces and be detonated, 007 has plenty of help via Q's gadgets. Just like with weapons, when the player is cycling through gadgets, James enters Bond Sense mode where everything slows down for him to select an appropriate choice from out of his inventory.

Each level has its own set of optional Bond moments that can be completed. These are cool little things the player can perform during a given level-- actions that Bond would probably perform himself in his various films. These moments can be as simple as going through parts of a level undetected or finding a secret area; or they can be more exciting activities such as blowing up a fireworks factory with a controlled RC car explosion, killing an enemy during free-fall, destroying a gate with the aid of a tank, and so forth. Completing Bond moments helps to aid the player's overall score for the current level they are in.

Rappel down the building in style.

After a mission is beaten, the player's score is tabulated. The points awarded have to do with how many Bond moments were performed, number of foes defeated, weapon accuracy, weapon efficiency, and how fast you completed the mission. Depending on what difficulty is selected, there will be a score multiplier. Earning the target amount of points earns a gold medal that unlocks new content, like multiplayer characters and production stills.

Furthermore, once a gold medal has been acquired, one can take Bond into the mission all over again and try to beat it under the target time, earning them a platinum medal, then. Platinum medals go towards unlocking cheats such as having all weapons available to Bond at once, double the amount of ammo, and double damage.

Time for a dramatic escape.

As alluded to by the unlockable multiplayer characters, there are modes for more than one person to play the game. One is a cooperative set of missions, totally apart from the main game, as well as an arena mode for up to four players. Unfortunately, the latter mode needs to be unlocked.

Everything or Nothing boasts big blockbuster production values on the cast alone, and EA did a sensational job of capturing that Bond feeling with this game. The main cast is hit or miss in the performance department with some feeling like they just did the game to collect a paycheck, but that Bond feeling is still present. During the occasional cutscene, things look particularly grainy, giving the EON a cheap look at time. Regardless, on most moments, Everything or Nothing is impressive. When speaking of the gameplay, the framerate is generally smooth.

Typically, EON still looks good.

James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing may not be the best Bond game ever, but it was a significant step forward for the franchise as a game series. It's a shame that EA lost the rights to make 007 games to Activision, as it would have been nice to see more original stories. (I'm meaning more like Everything or Nothing and less like GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.) If you are a Bond fan, then Everything or Nothing is an obvious must-have. It feels like Bond, it plays like Bond, and like the golden gun, it's quite the prize.

[SPC Says: 8.5/10]