Nostalgic Video Games

Title: Sonic Advance
Published By: SEGA (Japan)/THQ (America)/Infogrames (Europe)
Released: 2001 (Japan)/2002 (America/Europe)
Console: Game Boy Advance

Background: While it is not a very old game, it will be one of the newest games I'll review, it does have a nostalgic quality to it. Sonic Advance marked the beginning of a new era for Sonic, it was the first original game in the series not to be released on a SEGA console. Many people feel that the Sonic series is struggling to produce the goods anymore, almost as if they are trying to get more milk out of a dead cow. However, this game kept me entertained for years and I often class it as one of the last good Sonic games. Sonic Advance is a throwback to the early 90's Sonic, a platformer about getting from one side of the stage to the other, collecting rings etc. Sonic the Hedgehog got me into gaming when I was just two years old. While raking through my room I found this game and I decided to play it for the first time in four years. Will my opinion of "one of the last good Sonic games" change, or is it just how I remembered it to be?

Story: There isn't much to the story, Dr. Robotnik (or Dr. Eggman, if you wish to call him by that) is being evil and Sonic (or Tails, Knuckles or Amy) has to stop him. Again. At the end of each "Act II" you have to face Eggman and his latest inventions (with the exception of Angel Island Zone, where you have to face Metal Knuckles). You get special stages where you have a chance to gain a chaos emerald. There is also a mini-game called Tiny Chao Garden. This can be linked up to the Gamecube version of Sonic Adventure 2. You are basically raising your own Chao, using rings you've collected in the stages to buy stuff for it. I surprisingly got a lot of fun out of it back in the day, but haven't played with it much this time around. The only thing I have against the single player game is that it is too short, a good player could finish it in an hour.

Gameplay: For the one person who has never played a 2D Sonic game before...seriously, what the hell? Leave, now. Go ahead. Come back when you have played one. While we wait for that one person to return, the gameplay is classic 2D Sonic. The main aim is to get from one side of the level to the next, collecting as much rings as possible. There are a number of enemies and obstacles that will make you lose your rings if they successfully attack you. You will see a number of boxes in each level, each offering a different reward including more rings, a bubble shield that defends you from one hit, temporary invurnability to everything (except if you fall off the screen...nothing can protect you from that I'm afraid) and even an extra life if you are lucky. Your goal in Act I is to reach the post at the end of the level, while at the end of Act II you have to have Dr. Robotnik and one of his inventions. The boss fights range from the simple (the first is basically "jump on him, RUN AWAY!!!! repeat") to frustrating (there is one that takes place underwater. Robotnik will occasionally call down some icicles which you have to jump onto in order to hit Robotnik or get some air. It takes a little bit of practise to master the art of jumping on the icicles in time).

Graphics/Music: First of all, welcome back guy formally known as the one person who has never played a 2D Sonic game before. I hope you have learned your lesson. Now, the graphics are reminisicent of the old games on the Mega Drive (Genesis for you North Americans), but with improvements due to the Game Boy Advance having the advantage of better technology and software. The music is decent, not as good as the old Mega Drive Sonic soundtracks, but I've heard worse music in games.

Criticisms: I mentioned earlier how short it was, and that is main criticism of the game. However, the game has plenty of replayability, with four characters to play with and trying to find all the special stages can fill in some time. It's also not as fast placed as previous Sonic games, but that is not that important in the end.

Overall: Fan of old Sonic, but dislike the recent 3D games? This is the game for you. It belongs on the GBA, and while it maybe short, it most definitely is perfectly formed. You can probably find a cheap copy of it somewhere on eBay or in some game shops (alas, where I live lacks such a place, even GBA games are no longer sold), so if you like Sonic and have a Game Boy Advance or a DS, then you should buy it.

Final Score: 8/10

So, quick intro before I go into the review. This blog is my way of getting back into old games, which were released back when I was too young to properly understand them or (most likely) not have a chance to play. There are a lot of people who look back on the days before 3D gaming came along with happy memories. But, what about me, a mere 16 year-old? Well, let's see...shall we? If my interest in this carries on, I'll happily review other things that aren't video games, but for now let's just stick with good old video games. Now, to the good stuff...

Title: Chrono Trigger Published By: Squaresoft Console: SNES Year Released: 1995

Background: Chrono Trigger is considered to be one of the greatest games the SNES has to offer. Squaresoft had a golden period around this time, with Final Fantasy VI and Mario RPG completing the hat-trick. The game has been re-released on the PS1, which also hosted the sequel Chrono Cross, while a DS version is being released later this year (or in 2009 for us Europeans, the first time it's been released in Europe...about time too!). However...is it any good? Does the game live up to it's hype?

One word: Yes.

However, one word would make for a crap review, so let me try to extend this a little more.

Story: The story starts off in a fictional world in the year 1000 A.D., but by the end of the game you will have visited many other time eras, including the Prehistoric, Middle Ages and the Future. The main character is Crono, who remains silent throughout the game. Joining him are; Lucca, a very intelligent inventor, Marle, a princess who wants to escape her father and live freely, Robo, a robot from the future, Frog, a warrior who has been turned into a frog and Ayla, a wild girl from the prehistoric age. For the first half of the game your main enemy is Magus, a powerful Mage who threatens the world. However after you defeat him your main enemy becomes Lavos, a creature who fell from the skies in 65,000,000 B.C. After this Magus can become a member of your party if you wish. However, I won't go too far into the story (trying to keep spoilers to a minimum...'cept the whole Magus thing. I kind of ruined that for you all already...). There are around 12 endings, depending on where you finish the game (oh yes, there are many oppurtunities to finish the game, each one grants you a different ending). The story is strong, it doesn't get tangled up in it's complexity and each of the playable characters are well built up, especially if you take time to do the seven sidequests near the end of the game.

Gameplay: For anyone who has played a SNES-era Final Fantasy game, the controls for movement and battling will be very familiar, which is a good thing. It's nice and simple, anyone can get to grips with it without a problem. Battles are also very similar to Final Fantasy, with the time bars and the box of commands that pops up. The only real difference between the two is that Chrono Trigger doesn't have random encounters (OH, PRAISE THE LORD!) and the screen doesn't change for battles (so no more *shhhhhhooooooooowwwwwwwsshhh* and then you're taken to a generic battleground to fight a monster. No sir, none of that here). So overall, the gameplay is actually better than Final Fantasy (coming from me, this is blasphemy).

Music/Graphics: The music is very strong, many of the songs fit right in with the situation and/or the mood. If you enjoy the game I would suggest listening to the soundtrack, there are songs in the game I could listen to for ages (and have, in fact, just left the game running, motionless, just to listen to a song). For a game that is 13 years old now, the graphics were never going to hold up in comparision. However, the graphics are pretty good for a 2D game, the characters look like people (2D cartoony people... they look like they have arms instead of little spots which is good enough for me).

Criticisms: The game is very clichéd, you have your heroic main character and the allies feature a princess, the "smart one", the wise warrior (who is a frog...okay, maybe not so much...), a robot that learns to have feelings, a prehistoric woman who speaks like a stereotypical cavewoman and the dark mysterious one in a cape. Of course, you also have the main villian who will destroy the world. However, it's easy to look past the clichés while playing the game, as it doesn't seem to effect the enjoyment of the game at all. In further nitpicking, I've seen that the game was very easy and short, but that can be countered with the amount of replayablility that it offers. Other than that, there are no real bad parts to the game.

Final View: Chrono Trigger is extremely enjoyable to play. Final Fantasy fans will love it. People who hate Final Fantasy...will probably hate this game. However, with the good bits outweighing the bad bits the the point you don't take much notice to the bad parts in comparision, it is easily one of the best 2D RPGs I'll ever have the pleasure to play. Possibly THE best.

Rating: 99 dalmations out of 101.

So, that's the first review. Remember, I'm doing this for my enjoyment. However, if someone out there reading this does have something to say about this review, or maybe suggestions for other games (or subjects) to review, then don't hesitate to leave a nice comment*!

* Nasty comments will be punished by death...¬_¬.