Sakaguchi makes The Last Story for Nintendo Wii, Japan Exclusive and Localization: My Thoughts

Final Fantasy is a very well known series around the world and has a million of fans. It was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, who was with Square until 2004, when he moved onto a company named Mistwalker that he founded in 2001. Ever since then he has made quite a few other RPG games such as Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon. His latest work is The Last Story for the Nintendo Wii, an RPG game announced early last year and was just released in January of 2011 in Japan. There is no word yet on if it will be released outside of Japan, but a lot of people actually want it to. So, for my final blog in my game design class, I will give my thoughts on the game based off of what I have seen and heard online.

From what I have seen from the game play, it looks like a strategy action RPG. When you go into battle you control your own character, but you can also control the strategies of your teammates. The player can even use the environment during battle, from hiding behind objects to sneak up on enemies or to even do some specific attacks. When you are not in battle, you would normally be traveling around the town to buy weapons and armor, as well as going through the cut scenes from the story. I actually think this sounds pretty cool and it looks like it would be a game that people, especially RPG fans, would like to play. The battle system seems to require a lot of strategy, especially when there a ton of different enemies, and I think that it could actually get the player more involved in the battle.

In terms of graphics and presentation, it would be one of the best looking Wii games I have seen so far. I would put it alongside the likes of the Mario Galaxy series, Super Smash Bros Brawl, and the upcoming Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword. It actually looks like a lot of effort was put into the game, which a lot of 3rd party companies need to start doing when it comes to creating Wii games. The art style seems like the basic Final Fantasy style, a sort of anime design that is normally seen from Japan and from what I have noticed, the environments seem to have been really well done at well, with quite a bit of detail. I can’t really say much else on this subject since it would be more of me repeating myself, but I think it was pretty well done. Could it have been a little better, sure, but I think it is good.

I don’t have much knowledge on the sound of the game, because I have only barely heard any of the music from it and only have heard a couple lines of dialogue from the characters, which are also in Japanese, which leads me to not know what they are talking about. However, it does seem like you could switch on some English subtitles from what I have seen as well as some of the writing actually being in English. But beside the point, the music I have heard actually sounded quite good. It is your standard style of music you would hear in an RPG and was well put together. And even though I don’t know Japanese, the voice acting sounds pretty well done and from what I have heard online, a ton of it was packed into the game.

Just like the music, the story is another thing I really don’t know much about as well. After reading a little bit online, the game seems to take place at a place known as Ruli Island. The main character of the game is known as Elza and he has traveled there alongside his mercenary group looking for work. So, I would assume the basic gist of the game is going on missions to help out the people of the town and defeat this Gurg race, an enemy of mankind as what the Internet has said. I can’t really give my thoughts on this, since I haven’t actually played it to see for myself, but could possibly be a cool story. I am guessing you would have to experience it yourself to actually have an understanding of what your opinion could be.

Also included in this game is a multiplayer mode, where you can go online and battle other players, assuming that you will probably use your powered up characters from your main story file. From the videos I have seen on YouTube, the multiplayer part of the game seems to be pretty well done and looks just like the combat from the main game. I didn’t exactly see any slowdowns or lag either, so that looks good as well. The thing is that I don’t know how good the online is overall since I have not played it but other people online who have at least had the chance actually say it was pretty fun and well put together.

In the end, The Last Story looks to be a great RPG game for the Wii and shows just what a Wii game can be like when a ton of effort is put into it. It looks fun and that is why it is one game I would actually look forward to playing, so I would love for it to come out of Japan. And it also fills the need for RPG games on the Wii. Not saying that the Wii doesn’t have any RPGs or anything, because it does in the likes of Arc Rise Fantasia and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles the Crystal Bearers, but I actually think it needs more. And if The Last Story can be localized for America and Europe, alongside the likes of Earth Seeker and Xenoblade, as well as the future Dragon Quest X that is coming out, RPGs could make it big on the Wii and become popular, just like any other Nintendo console. So get on with it Nintendo, and you too 3rd parties, because Nintendo fans want their RPGs.

The Return of an Nintendo 64 Classic, an Goldeneye 007 Wii Review

Do as anyone else remember the classic Goldeneye game made by Rare that back in 1997 on the Nintendo 64? I am sure a lot of people actually do, and have a lot of fond memories of it as well. Well, to me, it is not all that nostalgic because I only barely played it back then, but I have to admit that it was a great game for its time. Now, years later, we have a reimagining of the game, this time created by Eurocom, for the Nintendo Wii and I am sure a lot of people are wondering how well that is. So here, in this blog review, I will give you my thoughts on the games and how well I think it stacks up to the original.

The game play of the game is what you would basically see in any other first person shooter, you just go around each level shooting at the enemies and making it to the end. As you go through each level, you must complete certain goals given to you in order to complete it. As you raise the difficulty, just like in the original, you are given more goals to complete for each level. It may be similar to other shooting games, but it does have its own style that has really only been seen in the likes of the original Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and the Timesplitters series.

There are multiple control styles that you can play the game with. You can stick with the standard Wii Remote and Nunchuck or even use the Classic Controller Pro that comes with the bundled edition. Or even if you want, you can go back and use a Gamecube controller as well. The only two styles I tried so far are the Wii Remote and Nunchuck and the Classic Controller Pro that came with it and if I had to pick one that felt better, it would definitely be the Wii Remote and Nunchuck since it just so much more better and accurate. The Classic Controller Pro is nice and all, but it is a little harder to use for this game especially when you are online against people using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, where you will pretty much die any time. So, I will just use my Classic Controller Pro on other Wii games such as NBA Jam, Samurai Warriors 3, Sengoku Basara, and WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2011. To me, the Wii Remote is perfect enough for such a game as Goldeneye. But it is all based off preference, and others are bound to think differently.

Game Play: 9.5/10

Based off what I have seen so far from the game, the graphics and presentation are also pretty well done. They get the characters to look pretty realistic and the style of the game fits the typical James Bond feel. Each level is pretty detailed enough and they fit into such a game. And outside of the actual game, the menus are pretty well put together and are quite detailed. It is not the best looking game on the Wii but for what it was, they did a pretty good job. But I have to say that I am impressed by how well the game looks for a first time effort and want to give credit to Eurocom.

Graphics/Presentation: 9/10

When it came to the original Goldeneye, the game was only loosely based off the story. This time around, the game deals with a lot more of the story from the movie but it is changed up and is made to be different. In other words, this is a reimagining of Goldeneye. Yes, the overall story is there but it has a different feel and is quite a different experience. One of the major changes to it is that majority of the characters are played by different actors. Unlike the original which had Pierce Brosnan, the current Bond at the time, as James Bond, this one has the current one in Daniel Craig. This is the most dramatic change to the game but it really is nothing major, no matter how much people seem to complain about it.

Story: 9/10

The sound in the new Goldeneye is pretty well done. They get the voice actors that are in the movies, such as Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, and it all seems to fit well together and sounds good. Outside of the actual voice acting, the background music fits the mood of the game as well and each level has something different to offer. It actually sounds like music you would normally hear from James Bond and that is why it is quite good.

Sound: 9/10

Last but not least, I come to the multi-player section. This section was the most played and praised part of the first game and a ton of people put thousands of hours playing the game with family and friends. The same thing applies to this game, it has a large focus on multiplayer as well. You can either play with up to three others in the split-screen section in a ton of different game modes ranging from team deathmatch to capture the flag. And besides just that, online multi-player has been added to this game where you can play with up to seven other players from around the world as well. And just like the original, there are classic characters to play as alongside the typical soldier or scientist from the game. Characters like Jaws and Oddjob return and we see the debut of the likes of Scaramanga and Dr. No. I haven’t got a chance to play the split-screen multi-player yet, but online has been a pretty good experience and is a lot of fun.

Multi-Player: 9.5/10

In the end, Eurocom did a great job with the new Goldeneye. It is a fun game and, in my opinion, it does rival the original and in some cases, it is better especially in the control section. I am sure a lot of people would not agree with me, but this is my opinion after all. I recommend anyone out there that have either played the original or just likes to play first person shooter games to at least try this game out to see if they like it. Between the many modes for the multi-player to the great single-player, it is bound to be something you will enjoy. I did and I liked the game, and I think that especially comes from the fact that I am a fan of the James Bond series. Yes, they could have had a few more classic Bond characters, and a few other things could be fixed, but for a first effort, Eurocom did do a good job.

And this now leaves us to one thing, if Goldeneye was brought back, could another 007 shooter come back or even a return to Nintendo for Perfect Dark. I think it is time Eurocom, to start working on a remake of 007 The World Is Not Enough and Perfect Dark. I would sure want them, and I would bet want them too.

Final Score: 9.2/10

Nintendo vs. Capcom: The Collision of Two All Star Companies, Could it Happen? I Think It Should

With the release of the highly anticipated Marvel vs. Capcom 3, gamers of the Vs series could only wonder where it could go from here. For years now, we have seen and played many Vs Capcom games from the vastly popular Marvel vs. Capcom all the way to the likes of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Capcom vs. SNK. However, one entity that Capcom has never faced yet but could very well turn out to be good would be a Nintendo vs. Capcom game. The idea of such a game pretty much originated back when Tatsunoko vs. Capcom was being localized to America and Europe back in 2010, although I am sure people have wanted the game for years. Yoshinori Ono, a Capcom producer, was asked if he would be interested in making the game and he said that it would be an interesting concept to work on. The idea even became so popular, that Ono had to get on an interview and say that the game was not even being made, as of yet, since everyone thought he said yes to making the game. However, in that same interview, he said he was still interested in making it and that it could still possibly happen. Some people out there may not want this game but I can assume that there would be just as many, if not more, that actually do. I will give my opinion on the matter and tell you why this is a game I think should happen. And in honor of this specific blog, I have asked multiple people from over the Internet as well as from class, and will be giving statistics based off what I have been hearing from people.

Why People Want It

I think there could be many reasons for why people want a Nintendo vs. Capcom. Besides just the fact that these people could just be fans of both companies, they probably know that since both Nintendo and Capcom have so many all star characters, that there could be a ton of great match ups. They know that most of the characters of both companies could easily fit into the Vs. Capcom fighting games and that it could be a game that could be enjoyed by a lot of people. That it would be popular enough to warrant the making of a game, and the possibility of it turning into a series.

Why People Don't Want It

On the other hand, there are people who don’t want such a game to be made. From what I have been hearing online, some think the idea doesn’t make sense and that the match ups would feel awkward. That someone like Mario would not be able to fight Ryu and have it make sense, seeing as it would be too “unrealistic”. People have even said that Nintendo would be too “family friendly” or “kiddy” for a game like this, and that they would not be able to fit in with the “mature” characters from Capcom that are used to being fighters.

Why It Makes Sense, Why It Should Happen

The thing is that I think the game would make so much sense, and it should happen. For one thing, both Nintendo and Capcom have so much history with each other. A ton of Capcom’s franchises have made their debut on a Nintendo system and there are even some that have only been on Nintendo systems since they were created. For many, Mega-Man would be considered a Nintendo character instead of Capcom because he made his debut on the NES and has had most of his games with Nintendo over the years. On top of that, Nintendo characters are used to fighting regardless of what many people would say, even outside of the Smash Bros franchise. For example, throughout the Mario games, Mario faces off against various enemies such as Goombas and even Bowser himself that tries to destroy Mario. Link and Samus both face off against monsters and aliens that are trying to kill them. The whole point of the Pokemon games is to have your Pokemon battle each other. When it comes to Fire Emblem and Advance Wars, both of them involve wars going on where characters die. And just like Pokemon, Golden Sun is an RPG where the main characters battle off against monsters. A few of Nintendo’s franchises don’t involve any fighting, but the vast majority does in some way. Maybe not in a fighting game sense, like Street Fighter and outside of Smash Bros, but it is not like they have no fighting experience at all. There are also many characters from both companies that would make sense in fighting each other like Marth vs. Zero and Pikachu vs. Amaterasu.

The whole idea of Nintendo being too “family friendly” for such a game is absurd as well. Not trying to pick on any specific people out there but when you think about it, this doesn’t make sense. Not all Nintendo franchises would fit into such a category, even though it is not a bad thing to be “family friendly” anyways. Series like Fire Emblem, Sin & Punishment, F-Zero, and Metroid certainly wouldn’t fit into such a category. But when people talk about the Capcom side of things, they go on about how “dark” their franchises are, but in fact, that only applies to three of their franchises. Those three being the Devil May Cry, Dead Rising, and Resident Evil franchises, but other games like Mega-Man, Street Fighter, and Ace Attorney are as “dark” as your typical Nintendo franchise. And regardless, how “dark” a company is should not be a reason not to do this game (it should not even be a factor at all). A game like this could be good regardless, as it would be as dark as any Marvel vs. Capcom game, and like I said before, the game makes sense.

Why I Want It

But there is a difference between why I think it should happen and why I would want it to happen. I would like this game to happen just because I am such a big fan of both companies and the games they make, like many other people probably are. The roster they make could turn out to have some very fun characters to play as and I mean, who seriously would not want to see the likes of Mario vs. Mega-Man and Link vs. Dante? You would have to be insane to turn it down, unless of course, you are just not a fan of either company, which I would assume some people are.


Style vs Style

One thing I have been seeing people talking about though, is what style would this game happen to have. There are some people out there that would want it to keep the Vs. Capcom fighting style, to fit in with tradition, but others would want it to take on the Smash Bros style of fighting. I have even heard that so people would want both games to happen, like what is happening with Tekken X Street Fighter and Street Fighter X Tekken. To have two different games, one made by each company, where both styles are used and players can play what they want. While both styles would be fun to play, I think it should stay with the Vs. Capcom style since the Smash Bros fighting style should stay exclusive to the series.

How Should The Game Happen? What Would I Do?

But the thing is, how should the game happen? How would the game work? What should be in the game? Well if it was up to me, like I said before, the game should just keep it with the typical style that is normally seen in the series. Have it be 2 vs. 2 (like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and the original Marvel vs. Capcom) or 3 vs. 3 (like Marvel vs. Capcom 2 & 3) but I wouldn’t want it to be exactly Vs. Capcom style. I don’t think it should be completely changed or anything, as that would make it a totally different game, but I do think a few things from Smash Bros could be included (to make it original). The game would include multiple different modes, ranging from the likes of Arcade and Survival to an online mode. I would have about a 40 character roster as well as some extra unlockables that you can get by beating parts of the game. In other words, it is your basic concepts and ideas that would be for your average fighting game.

Statistics & Quotes

While working on this blog, I have been asking various different people from different sites from off the Internet, as well as from my class, if they actually wanted to see a Nintendo vs Capcom game and if they thought it could possibly happen. I also asked them what would be their top choices for characters if such a game was made. Included next is a pie chart showing how the votes of how many people would actually like to see the game, as well as two Top 10 lists showing off the the top characters voted on from each company. There will also be some quotes I got from people as responses, showing you just how some of these people answered my question.

Top 10 Voted on Characters - Nintendo

1. Mario


2. Samus Aran


3. Link


4. Fox McCloud
   
   
5. Donkey Kong


6. Captain Falcon
   
   
7. Luigi
   
   
8. Kirby


9. Bowser


10. Princess Zelda
    
    

Top 10 Voted for Characters - Capcom

1. Mega-Man


2. Ryu
   
   
3. Arthur


4. Amaterasu


5. Viewtiful Joe


6. Chun-Li
   
   
7. Frank West


8. Strider Hiryu
   
   
9. Captain Commando


10. Zero
    

PolygonGlitch (YouTube) - “Why I want the game? Simple great characters on both sides that I could see them fit into a vs. scenario. I like smash brothers but I would like to see a more complicated control scheme for the great Nintendo characters.”

pizzadudemanguy (YouTube) - “I would LOVE to see a Nintendo x Capcom. I think it would be a great idea. They already have Capcom vs SNK, Tatsunoko, Marvel, Namco...so why not? You could have more Capcom characters that are specially attributed to Nintendo. For me, this is like putting two of my three best interests together. Out of anything I'm a fan of, it's Nintendo, Capcom fighting games, and anime. This is putting two of my favorite things together, so I absolutely dig the idea.”

gamereviewsss (YouTube) – “that would be awesome!!! i would definitely like to see it. and choices all the main super smash bros characters and all the main capcom members :P”

hvillin (YouTube) – “That would be pretty awesome.”

Jakob997 (IGN Marvel vs. Capcom Boards) – “This would be a horrible idea. Either Capcom's characters would have to be watered down and play second to Nintendo's characters, or Nintendo would have to allow they're characters to temporarily darken, sidestepping it's family friendly nature. Neither would happen.”

xxShumaGorathxx (IGN Marvel vs. Capcom Boards) – “I think a Nintendo vs Capcom would be a stupid idea. The day that I see Dante fighting Pikachu is the day I quit playing videogames.”

Wnx_LINK (IGN Marvel vs. Capcom Boards) – “I could totally see Link being played like Taskmaster. Also, anyone who says Nintendo makes no dark games is a fool. Majora's Mask is one of the most disturbing games I've ever played, lol”

leinappropriate (IGN Marvel vs. Capcom Boards) – “ITT: Proof people's images of Nintendo are ridiculously skewed.”

Dillo64 (IGN Marvel vs Capcom Boards) – “You're one biased and unimaginative individual, Gorath.

You also can't read. Its also been stated about a dozen times now that Capcom has just as many "family friendly" brands as Nintendo. Capcom guilty of being "family friend" in many many of their most well known titles, yet you don't complain. You think because they have DMC and RE that makes up for all their other non-M rated series? The compliment is also true: Nintendo has quite a few "non-kiddy" titles and series under their belt, in fact most of their recent games like Metroid, Sin & Punishment, Fire Emblem etc. have been pretty damn hardcore. No 7-year old could ever even hope to fully beat a game like Punchout, S&P, even DKCR or Galaxy 2. Even Pokemon has a surprisingly deep (and widely spread) competitive following.

Nintendo keeps their brand visually family friendly for sales purposes, and has cheap causal attractions on the side like Nintendogs and Wii Sports, but they're most consistent target is, has, and always will be the hardcore gamers. You're biased as well. As hard is this may be for you to believe, Nintendo isn't all about puppydogs and family fun. This demographic is only because those games(as shallow as they are IMO) happen to be the ones that sell the most, because they target the largest, richest audience. We're not talking about Family-friendly Nintendo vs. Capcom. We're talking about hardcore gamer Nintendo vs. Capcom.

Also you're a hypocrite. You have no problems with Tron Bonne and her servbots or super-deformed Arthur and Viewtiful Joe all facing off Dante, Wolverine, Magneto, Dormmamu, and ****ing GALACTUS on a daily basis... yet you draw the line at Pikachu because he apparently carries some strain of cancerous stigma that makes him "kiddier" than those equally unrealistic and goofy characters (goofier in Tron Bonne's case). Right...”

ulissesnascim (IGN Wii Lobby) – “Of course I would want it. What I really want though is that the roster is varied. I mean, Brawl was really cool, but some characters resembled others too much in their fighting styles and/or their designs, like Wolf and Fox and Marth and Ike. It would be really nice if they could have a big roster while keeping things fresh.”

Indalecio666 (IGN Wii Lobby) – “I'd like to see this done hell Nintendo vs anything would be nice. Though if it happens i'd like to see it done in the style of SSB.”

Vessel_Of_Light (IGN Wii Lobby) – “What kind of sick bastard would ever say no to that? Oh, and I'd choose Capcom's Vs. style. There's no risk of having to worry about tripping with that one.”

Twiilight_Prince (IGN 3DS Lobby) – “I could care less about a Capcom char in smash bros, NvC is a WAY better idea, nothing is impossible, I mean they handled Roll just fine, thats harder than adapting a majority of Nintendo chars.

BUT MvC3 seems to have adopted TvC combat inputs, thats ok but for me its dissapointing, If NvC ever occured, I would want MvC2 controls with certain TvC/MvC3 elements, on 3DS and Not Wii”

mr_chun (IGN 3DS Lobby) – “I wouldn't really care for NvC. I just want Mega Man in the next Smash.”

puffteam (IGN 3DS Lobby) – “"I could care less" facepalm. Guess people still don't understand the difference between "could" and "couldn't". And NvC would be a bad idea.”

Mike (Facebook) – “That would be a cool game. A good idea, only problem I forsee is that many capcom games are intertwined with nintendo and the broad amount of charecters for nintendo would far succeed the amount of capcom players. It would basically be supersmash brothers + megaman, streetfighters, etc. You know what I mean? “


Conclusion

In conclusion, that is why I think a Nintendo vs. Capcom game should be made. The thing is some people may want it, but other may not. How I see is it matters on the preference of the gamer. To me, and many others, I would find this game to be extremely fun since it would give me such a nostalgic experience. The thing is, what system would this game be on? Would it come out in the last few years of the Wii? Maybe the new 3DS coming out next month? Or even possibly the next Nintendo console? No matter what, this would be a great game and I am anticipating the chance of it being made.

And to end this blog I will be giving you my current roster for the game as of now. Over time I might change it up here and there, but so far, this one seems good.

Nintendo

• Mario (Super Mario Bros)


• Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros 2)


• Bowser (Super Mario Bros 3)


• Link (Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword)


• Princess Zelda (Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time)


• Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess)


• Wario (WarioWare)


• Pit (Kid Icarus Uprising)
  
  
• Captain Falcon (F-Zero)


• Isaac (Golden Sun)
  
  
• Saki (Sin & Punishment)


• Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong)


• Kirby (Kirby)


• Pikachu (Pokemon Yellow)


• Mewtwo (Pokemon Red/Blue)


• Fox (Star Fox)


• Samus (Metroid Other M)


• Little Mac (Punchout)


• Wolf (Star Fox 64)


• Marth (Fire Emblem)
  
  

Capcom

• Mega-Man (Mega-Man)


• Zero (Mega-Man Zero)


• Bass (Mega-Man Battle Network)


• Ryu (Street Fighter)


• Chun-Li (Street Fighter 2)


• Abel (Street Fighter 4)


• Arthur (Ghost & Goblins)


• Morrigan Aensland (Darkstalkers)


• Captain Commando (Captain Commando)


• Spencer (Bionic Commando)


• Dante (Devil May Cry 3)


• Mike Haggar (Final Fight)


• Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney)


• Amaterasu (Okami)


• Scorpion (Saturday Night Slammasters)


• Jill Valentine (Resident Evil 1)


• Strider Hiryu (Strider)


• Viewtiful Joe (Viewtiful Joe)


• Leon Kennedy (Resident Evil 4)


• Felicia (Darkstalkers)
  
  

Nintendo DLC

• Luigi (Super Mario Bros)


• Ness (Earthbound 2)
  
  
• Lyn (Fire Emblem 7)


• Krystal (Star Fox Command)


• Metaknight (Kirby Superstars)
  
  

Capcom DLC

• Edward Falcon (Power Stone)


• Albert Wesker (Resident Evil Code Veronica X)


• Cody (Final Fight)


• Ryu (Breath of Fire)


• Nina (Breath of Fire)

Disney Meets Square and Kingdom Hearts is Born: A View on the series from the First Game to RE: Coded

Anyone out there remember watching Disney movies back in the old days? How about playing the older Square games back on the likes of the NES and SNES? I am sure there are a lot of people out there that do. Now let me ask you all just one more question. Would you have ever thought that these two things would have ever come together? I am sure most have not. A company like Square, makers of such franchises as Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger and the such, together with the likes of Disney, creators of The Lion King and Aladdin. Well, in the end, the first Kingdom Hearts came out and turned out to be a good game which started a vastly loved series by gamers over the years.

The game play of the series is that it is an action RPG. You will run into enemies as you run through the levels, you won’t get transported into battles like in Final Fantasy. As you fight, there will be a little menu on the bottom left of the screen where the player would choose to use normal key blade attacks, magic, items, or special attacks. The only difference in the series from this would be Chain of Memories where you have to use cards to be able to do attacks and use magic. As you play through the game you will be collecting cards and will be able to build up your deck. My thoughts on this are that I think both concepts are pretty interesting and the style in Chain of Memories may not be up to par with the rest of the series, but it is different enough to still be fun and it does make the player have to use strategy more so than the other games. Most people probably didn’t like it but I thought it was ok. Both game play styles are different kinds of RPGs but they are both still fun.

Gameplay: 9/10

The graphics in the series is like a mix of the basic Square-Enix anime style that is normally seen in Final Fantasy with a style that would normally be seen in any Disney movie. For a series like this, I think it makes a whole lot of sense. The Kingdom Hearts series is not supposed to be a “serious” game, at least for the most part, so it does not need the art style seen from a game like Final Fantasy XIII. I like the style in Kingdom Hearts and I think it works well.

Graphics/Presentation: 8.5/10

The sound in the series borrows off from a ton of music you would hear from Disney movies as well as music that would make sense in a Final Fantasy game. Saying this, the background music is usually well done and in some ways, can be very nostalgic for the player depending on their history with Disney movies. Besides just the background music, the actual voice acting in the game is pretty well done. With the likes of Haley Joel Osment and David Gallagher, alongside some of the voices that were in actual Disney movies (one of the most notable missing is that Robin Williams is not voicing the Genie) brings in some quality voice actors. Some characters have better voice work than others but overall, it all works together pretty well.

Sound: 9.5/10

When it comes to the story, I will do an overview of where we are in the series so far. In the first game, Sora and his friends Riku and Kairi set off from their home island, Destiny Island, to visit other worlds. As they are about to leave, Sora and his friends get sucked into the darkness and get separated. Sora comes across getting the key blade and ends up in Traverse Town where he meets Donald and Goofy. They are on a search for their king and Sora joins up with them as he tries to searches for his friends as well.

After being considered the key blade master, Sora goes along with Donald and Goofy as travel through various Disney worlds with the use of their Gummi Ship. They face off against different Disney villains such as Captain Hook and Jafar along the way and find out that various Disney princesses were being captured so that Kingdom Hearts could be opened. They find out that Riku was working with the Heartless later on, but soon find out that he was being controlled by the main villain of the game, Ansem. Sora frees Kairi and then alongside Donald and Goofy, takes on and ends up defeating Ansem. They make it to Kingdom Hearts and find both Riku and King Mickey who end up closing it.

This is where Chain of Memories comes in, at the end of the first one when Sora and the group are lost on some plains. They meet up with a cloaked figure that leads them to Castle Oblivion, where the Organization XIII is in control. A few members of the group are in control of the castle and you find out that some of them are trying to overturn the rest of the group. Sora finds out that someone named Namine is captured by them and unbeknownst to him, is being used to destroy Sora’s memories as he ascends floor by floor. As he goes up, he meets up with Riku but finds out that this one was a fake created by the Organization. While at the same time, the real Riku was taking on the Organization as well elsewhere in the castle. At the end, Sora defeats the leader of the group, Marluxia, and frees Namine. He ends up going into a pod where stay until he gets all of his memories back.

This is where Kingdom Hearts 2 comes in, and the game starts off with the player playing as Roxas. Alongside his friends, you live out the rest of their summer vacation as they search for the secrets of Twilight Town. Everything seems to be going alright until Axel, one of the Organization members from Castle Oblivion shows up. He goes on about how Roxas was his friend and that he was in the Organization. Roxas doesn’t believe him at first, but after receiving two key blades and facing off against Axel, alongside seeing Sora is the pod, he knew it was all true and the town he knew was a fake. Sora wakes up with his memories back and alongside Donald and Goofy, set out on another journey to find out the secrets of Ansem the Wise and Organization XIII. They take out the remaining members and end up meeting Kairi, Riku, and King Mickey. Sora saves Namine again and defeats Xemnas, the leader of the Organization, alongside Riku and they all end up getting back to Destiny Island.





358/2 Days takes place at the end of the first game and goes up until the second game. It shows Roxas’s time inside the Organization and how his life was there. The game also reveals that there was a fourteenth member, Xion, and what happened to her. Birth By Sleep is a prequel to the first game; it is about Ven, Tetra, and Aqua in a time where the “key blade war” was going on. It showcases the origins of most the Organization members too.

RE: Coded used to be a mobile phone game but was remade for the Nintendo DS just this year. The game takes place after Kingdom Hearts 2 when Jiminy Cricket finds that the journal he wrote from the first game has gone blank, except for one line which was written by Namine. King Mickey uses the computers back at his castle and finds that a virus is in it. So they send in a digital version of Sora to find out what caused it. As he goes through the worlds from the first game, the diary keeps get more messages revealed in it and secrets are revealed.

Story: 9/10

Multi-Player in this series is very, very scarce though. Only one game so far has put it in and that was Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. You can play with up to three other players and go on missions based from ones you play in single player and I am sure there are multiplayer only missions as well. You will be able to player as any of the fourteen members of the Organization or even some secret characters you can unlock throughout the game, like Sora and Riku. I have not got a chance to actually play the multiplayer in the game but from what I heard, it seems to be quite fun and is an interesting addition that could be improved upon in the future of the series.

Multiplayer: 7.5/10

In the end, I really have to say that the Kingdom Hearts series is a pretty good series. It is not perfect by any means, but it is quite an enjoyable series and is just plain fun. The series started back in 2002 and even though people thought the series could never be or would fail, it has survived for nine years and has a total of six games now that span the PS2, GBA, DS, and PSP. It has had its ups and downs throughout the years but has still found its way to become a popular series among gamers. I would assume it is because of the mix of two great things like Square and Disney. It is a series that will be around for years to come and I am gladly anticipating Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance on the Nintendo 3DS.

Overall (for the entire series): 8.7/10

Remembering the Good Times, a Sunset Riders Review

Do you remember the time when you first started playing video games? Do you remember the games that you played? The systems these games were on? These were some pretty good times weren’t they? Well, I am going to take you back to one of the games that did just that for me back in the 90s with this review of the SNES game, Sunset Riders.

Sunset Riders was a game that was released on the Super Nintendo in 1993, which was originally an arcade game back in 1991. It was a game that was set in the old west where four cowboys set out to try and to stop Sir Richard Rose and his men. Their names were Steve, Billy, Bob, and Cormano. Steve and Billy start off the game with a single hand pistol while Bob and Cormano start off with a shotgun. Throughout the game you will be able to upgrade your weapons with various items set throughout the levels.

To start of this review, I will be talking about the game play. In Sunset Riders, the basic idea of the game is that it is basically an arcade shoot m’ up, just think along the lines of Contra. You will have to start off on one side of the map and make your way through various enemies to get to the end, where there is a boss you must fight. Throughout the level you must shoot down the enemies while dodging bullets, bombs, among other things. But not all levels will involve you on your feet; there are some on horseback as well. When it comes to the game play, I think it is pretty well down. It is just a basic game style with some interesting levels and characters, and when it comes down to it, it is just simply fun.

Gameplay: 9.5/10

The graphics of this game is basically just a cartoonish style of realism set in a 2D game. The backgrounds in the stages resemble places that would have probably made sense in an old west setting and are well done for a game done back then, compared to other games released on the SNES. The characters are pretty well done and, overall, this game is quite colorful and showcases the technology of the SNES.

Graphics / Presentation: 9/10

The sound inside the game, in my opinion, really fits the atmosphere and fits most of the levels. Looking back on it, the music is quite a bit nostalgic to me and I am sure many others would agree. For the type of music that was done on the SNES, I think it was one of the best I heard. Besides the background music, the characters did have a few line of dialog as well. It was not much but for what it was, it was decent.

Sound: 9/10

When it comes to the story, there is not much to say about it since there hardly is any. It is just a basic story of the hero trying to stop the villain where you must make it through eight levels facing off against the bosses until you make your way to Richard Rose. Outside of a few lines of dialog, the game is just basically you going through the levels. Some people may hate this but I think it is just fine, especially considering that this was a Super Nintendo game. Sometimes too much story can really hurt the game.

Story: 8.5/10

Sunset Riders also includes a multi-player mode where you and a partner can play through the game alongside each other. I don’t have too much to say about this part because I haven’t played the multi-player section in years. But from what I played in the past, I would have to say it was quite fun and could probably make the game easier for you as long as you had a good partner playing the game with you.

Multi-Player: 9/10

Overall, Sunset Riders was and still is a fun and awesome game. Looking back on it, the game was not perfect by any means but it was still a great game and was one of my childhood favorites. The game play is fun and addicting, the music was well done, the graphics were good for what they were, and the multi-player was a good inclusion. I would totally recommend this game to anyone that would actually like to give it a try, if they are even lucky enough to find a cartridge of it. This is why I wish a version would be coming out for the Wii Virtual Console someday, just so people would have an easier of getting it. So, in the end, I will give this game a 9/10 and say that it is a fun version of the game even if it doesn’t have the 4 player multi-player from the arcade version.

Final Score: 9/10