Series Review: Ridge Racer

Ridge Racer is an arcade racing game which focuses on drifting around corners to win races. There are other elements introduced in other games in the series, but this is the main idea of the series. I don't own the original Ridge Racer for Playstation and there are a few other gaps in the chronology but I'll be exploring all the instalments that I own. While most of the early series was exclusive to Playstation there have been games for the Nintendo 64, Xbox 360, and 3DS.

Game: Ridge Racer Revolution
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Namco
Release Date: 3rd December 1995

While games in 1995 weren't as complex and replayable as they are today, Ridge Racer Revolution immediately presents an issue in terms of the amount there is to do. Players can choose from 3 tracks, in 3 modes, with a selection of 4 cars initially. While there are reversed versions of each track, and some more cars can be unlocked later, one race on each track in Race Mode is the entirety of the main gameplay. After winning a race, the Game Over screen appears and the game starts again, expecting players to clear each of the races and time trial mode, before it's literally 100% complete.

This is a shockingly small amount of content to offer players, and coming from later games like Ridge Racer Type 4 (which was still on the original Playstation), it's very disappointing. The racing action too is less enjoyable with horrible collision physics causing players to lose a lot of speed from hitting other cars or barriers even slightly. Drifting also seems to be less effective with very few points where it doesn't slow players down more than cornering normally.

Graphically the game could be a lot better though it's not bad for its time; cars and environments look very blocky and in faster sections there can be quite a lot of flicker. The sounds of the game are one of its worst points; while the music is reminiscent of the Prodigy's first album with a lot of dance style tunes, the voice over is far too present in giving feedback like "Ha ha, you're too slow" or "Come on, you've got to speed up!" when players are doing just fine in catching their opponents.

Even as a fan of the Ridge Racer series, Revolution is especially weak in terms of content, gameplay, sound and appearance. There's no area in which it excels and it can only really be excused in terms of being an early Playstation title. Other than this it offers literally minutes of fun for players, very little replayability and a yearning for the series to move on to a later format like that of Type 4.

Rating: 46/100
Grade: D

Game: Rage Racer
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Namco
Release Date: 30th April 1997

Rage Racer is perhaps the strangest instalment in the entire Ridge Racer series. For a start it's name is different to that of the rest of the series, and gave me the impression that it was some sort of parody/budget rip off for a while. Secondly the driving style is far more series and drifts are almost useless except for on the sharpest of turns, and lastly despite a complete change of handling, the game expected players to be as fast as ever on fairly difficult and technical tracks. While the cars in the game feel far more weighty and grip heavy than in Ridge Racer Revolution, the collision engine still hasn't been fixed, and hitboxes seem larger than ever, meaning that there are plenty of collisions with other cars, and the scenery which feel odd, and result in players losing a ton of speed. A consequence of this is that the races are near impossible to win, and even when passing a car from 2nd place, the counter doesn't hit 1st (it's possible it's just a lapped car, but it happened to me more than once).

The career mode finally features more than just an arcade run through a couple of races as players earn credits for finishing in the top 3 with which they can upgrade their cars and enter higher classes of race. While this is an exciting system, it does rather assume that the game isn't massively difficult to win at even in the easiest races. Between the heavier steering and the collision physics races are more than challenging and this can be frustrating enough to put players off entirely.

Graphically the game is the best in the series yet and features far more detail in its locations and cars than previous games. There's even night/day changes as players go around tracks which are more distracting than nice, but still a remarkable feature. Musically there's the same sort of music as in Ridge Racer Revolution, with dance and techno overtones but for some reason it's more bearable alongside the less abrasive female announcer.

Overall Rage Racer doesn't fix many of the glaring issues with the games but instead adds a heap of difficulty, and a more replayable Grand Prix mode. With better visuals and sound come more potential enjoyment, but anyone who's played the final instalment of the series on the Playstation knows that Ridge Racer Type 4 is even better.

Rating: 62/100
Grade: C

I've already reviewed Ridge Racer: Type 4, find my review here!

Game: Ridge Racer V
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Namco
Release Date: 24th November 2000

Ridge Racer V was a release game for the PS2 and from the outset seems like an updated and improved version of the Ridge Racer formula. There are 5 Grand Prix, featuring different variations of 7 tracks, and 21 vehicles to drive. the vehicles are separated into Drift and Grip categories which handle differently to eachother. Personally I find the Drift cars in this instalment far too easy to spin, so Grip is the obvious choice. In terms of the main mode (and that's all there really is to do, in game except for Time Trials and Free Runs, until players have unlocked everything), players compete in Grand Prix which consist of 4 races each. Players must place at least  4th in the 1st race, 3rd in the 2nd race and so on, until they have to win the final race to pass the Grand Prix. There are some interesting tracks and scenery, but nothing like the story featured in the main mode of Type 4.

The worst thing about the game seems to be the fact that the d-pad is the only method of controlling the car's direction. The analog sticks aren't supported, which forces players to drive a little differently than normal, making the game harder to beat. The collision physics also haven't been updated too much and still can ruin a good run with the slightest collision with a car or a wall. The AI are fairly competent and usually require a good run to beat, which means the racing action featured in the game is at least competitive and interesting.

Graphically the game is the best Ridge Racer so far; unsurprising given the leap in console technology for this game. There are far worse looking launch games for the Playstation 2, and there are impressive little details featured in the game like the shadows in the glass building in the picture above. The soundtrack is a strange mix of rock music and a departure from the music featured in the series so far. A DJ talks inbetween, and over tracks whilst players are racing, but this is less distracting that some of the voice overs featured in earlier games.

Overall Ridge Racer V is a fairly shallow game, with only 5 Grand Prix, though there are some fun special races which can be unlocked. The racing action is bearable, and though it's not perfect, players should be able to have at least some fun with the game. For the first "modern" Ridge Racer game, there's some good ideas, and if there'd been another main series instalment on the Playstation 2, I'm sure it'd have cemented these ideas into a much better experience.

Rating: 63/100
Grade: C

Game: R:Racing
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Namco
Release Date: 9th December 2003

Instead of releasing another main series instalment in the Ridge Racer series, Namco decided that a spin-off game, featuring  Rena Hayami, a new character, in a story based career mode was the best way forwards. In 14 chapters of racing action, players guide Rena through many different types of racing; apparently her skills as an ambulance driver impressed a race team owner enough to give her a spot in a professional race series. The game features licensed tracks and vehicles (which is new for the series), and spans rally racing, drag racing and the Japan Grand Touring Car Championship.

The game's handling can be described as simcade; a mix between the styles featured in arcade and simulation gaming. Unlike previous Ridge Racer games, braking is necessary before corners and drifting is ineffectual, but it's still very easy to lose control with late braking, especially in some cars. There's a huge difference between the handling of cars in the game, and besides a Fiat 500, Bentley Speed 8 and Audi LMP car, most of them are fairly frustrating to drive around tracks to some degree.

Graphically the game is reminiscent of Gran Turismo, albeit at a slightly lower quality level. There are a few circuits which feature in both games, so it's an easy comparison between the two. The cars themselves look a little too featureless and shiny for what they're supposed to be, There's an interesting selection of electronic music on the soundtrack and it's more fitting for the series than the music featured in Ridge Racer V.

Overall R:Racing doesn't really know what it wants to be; spanning the line between Toca and Gran Turismo in its concept, and yet providing very fiddly and frustrating handling. For fans of the Ridge Racer series, this game features too many elements of simulation games, and much less drift-based handling, yet fans of simulation games already had Gran Turismo 3 to keep them satisfied, so I'm not quite sure what Namco were going for.

Rating: 58/100
Grade: D

Game: Ridge Racer
Console: Sony Playstation Portable
Developer: Namco
Release Date: 1st September 2005

Ridge Racer for the PSP is an example of a handheld game done right; the game features 12 tracks, with forward and reverse variants, 2 of which are from each of the original Playstation Ridge Racer titles, with a further 2 from Rave Racer, an arcade title, and the final 2 loosely based on Rave Raver tracks. This means that fans of the series should at least be familiar with some of the tracks featured in game.

The World Tour mode has 40 tours, made up of different combinations of tracks with between 2 and 6 courses per tour. with a different car classes and requirements in each tour. There's a good selection of original cars to be found and unlocked, but the real draw of the game is that the handling and drifting finally works perfectly, just like in Ridge Racer Type 4, if not even better. Drifting around corners fills the 3 nitrous bars onscreen which can be used to great effect during races to gain first place.

Graphically the game looks good on the small screen on the PSP but perhaps a little worse when it's shown in a larger resolution. While the cars are a little blocky, the tracks and other details are generally good. The collision physics of the other games remain, if a little toned down, but the improved handling makes up for it. There's a large amount of music from previous Ridge Racer games as well as some new tracks, most of which are great for racing to.

Overall Ridge Racer for PSP was undoubtedly the best game in the series at its time of release. While it lacked the story mode interest of Ridge Racer Type 4, the improvements and upgrades as well as the retrospective mood put the game in a league of it's own. If anything there's a bit too much to do, with 40 tours to clear, but dedicated players will get their money's worth.

Rating: 81/100
Grade: B

Game: Ridge Racer 2
Console: Sony Playstation Portable
Developer: Namco
Release Date: 13th October 2006

Perhaps one of the laziest sequels ever released, Ridge Racer 2 on the PSP is almost identical to the game released the previous year. Sure, there are a few more cars, and a few more tracks, perhaps even a couple more modes to play, but the career mode progression, game engine and graphics engine are exactly the same as Ridge Racer. There's literally no point owning the first game if you don't already, just skip to this one.

The handling is predictably good, just like that of the first game; drifting is easily achieved and the nitrous bars are easy to fill. The AI gets fairly tough in later Grand Prix, and the more powerful cars are more difficult to handle and drive. There's very little in terms of differences from how career mode played out in the first game, if the cars and tracks could have been released as DLC, that'd have been a far better decision.

Graphically there's no difference from the first handheld instalment on the PSP, in fact many of the cars and tracks are the same, so it's easy to tell that little to no effort has been put into improving the look of the game. The soundtrack features a mix of songs from other instalments and new songs, and is probably the most changed aspect of the entire sequel.

Overall although Ridge Racer 2 as a standalone is a perfectly good game, and probably the better of the two PSP games, it's almost offensive to gamers how little was changed between releases. For those who bought both games on release, there must have been a moment of sheer disappointment upon realising they essentially already owned the content of Ridge Racer 2. For gamers who have yet to buy either game, this is the one to go for, though.

Rating: 81/100
Grade: B

Game: Ridge Racer 3D
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: Namco
Release Date: 22nd March 2011

Ridge Racer 3D was a launch title for the 3DS, mirroring the fact that Ridge Racer games had been launch titles for Playstation, Playstation 2, and 3. The only previous instalment of the series on a Nintendo console had been Ridge Racer 64. In terms of gameplay advancements, there's really not a lot of new features in the game, but the added 3D effect which the console makes use of is an interesting addition.

The handling of the game is much the same as the previous 3 instalments of the series, with good drifting and general handling featured. Grand Prix mode features a tree of possible race options, meaning that players don't have to complete every Grand Prix to get through a level. With 4 races per Grand Prix and a ton of choice though, things can get a little too repetitive with long play sessions. A new feature of this game is avatars for each racer, above their head, based on classic Namco characters.

Graphically the game isn't as sharp as the PS3 instalment, but does well with it's 3D mode as well as with the 3D turned off. The overall sense of speed is good, and the heads up display is somewhat clearer than in other games, though the avatars of other players can get in the way sometimes. Musically there's a huge selection of new and previous in-game music, which is good, though it's often overshadowed by the 'encouragement' of the in-game announcer who pipes up far too often.

Overall Ridge Racer 3D is a nice addition to the 3DS launch line up and not a bad game per se, though there's no real innovation in terms of the series gameplay. While different nitrous modes can be used, and there are advantages which can be bought before races to help players get a headstart, I'd have much preferred a different race type, tournaments or a storyline of some kind.

Rating: 76/100
Grade: B

Game: Ridge Racer 7
Console: Sony Playstation 3
Developer: Namco
Release Date: 23rd March 2007

As the seventh main series instalment in the series, Ridge Racer 7 almost had to change up its career mode a little from the frankly lacklustre Ridge Racer V on PS2. Since I don't own Ridge Racer 6 on the Xbox 360, it's hard to tell when the switch occurred, but career mode on Ridge Racer 7 is much different to anything reviewed thus far. As a launch title for the PS3, the graphics are a good showcase of what could be done with the system at launch, and the racing engine feels easy to control.

In career mode players have the choice of 3 event types; Grand Prix series which have been the mainstay of the Ridge Racer series for a long time, Manufacturer Races in order to earn cars and parts for use in races and UFRA races which have special conditions and types and earn players money and fame. Whilst the AI difficulty cranks up to almost cheating levels pretty quickly, the racing action is fun and there's a great deal more choice in terms of race types and things to do than many other games from the series.

Graphically the game looks very nice with impressive lighting and location effects combining with the HD graphics to provide a truly visually pleasing experience. Unfortunately the sense of speed given by the game lets it down a little, as 200mph can feel the equivalent of 50mph on some stretches of road. The nitrous boosts give a much faster feel, but don't last particularly long as they use the same system as the PSP games. Ridge Racer 7's soundtrack is a little disappointing; though there are some good tracks, they're outweighed by the mediocre and a couple of truly unbearable tracks.

Overall the game feels like a fresh HD kickstart for the series, building on previous instalments to provide a deeper career mode and visually exciting tracks and cars. The racing action is very much enjoyable though the AI rubberbanding can ruin races at times. It's definitely worth giving a go, even if you're not a racing fan, since the easy handling and fun of drifting are pretty much universally enjoyable, even if the formula still wears thin after lengthy playsessions.

Rating: 83/100
Grade: B

Game: Ridge Racer Unbounded
Console: Microsoft Xbox 360
Developer: Bugbear Entertainment
Release Date: 30th March 2012

The latest game in the Ridge Racer series, Unbounded's main theme seems to be that of indecisiveness. Firstly it can't decide whether it wants to be Need for Speed or Burnout more, featuring street racing with "fragging" which is basically a codeword for takedowns, secondly it can't decide whether to fully part ways with the old Ridge Racer formula, still leaving drifting in the game, but making it feel awful in terms of the handling model and not letting players corner without it. Lastly many of the Burnout-esque options such as the takedown cam can be switched off in the menu, as if they weren't sure whether players would like the new tone of the game.

With destructible environments, city based street racing and a star rating system for dominating events, you'd be forgiven for wondering what series this game came from if you didn't already know. Existing fans of the Ridge Racer series are presented with a game more foreign to them than an imported RPG. For the first main series game not developed by Namco themselves, this is a pretty huge departure from the happy and relaxed mood of the rest of the games.

Being the open minded gamer that I am however, I was willing to give the game a chance; the career mode is based around many city districts which unlock as events are dominated by finishing first. There are many different types of events in the game such as Dominator Races, Drift Races, Shindo races (more on these later), Time Trials and Frag Challenges. All events are based on a 3 star rating system where usually finishing 1st gains 3 stars and so on, until finishing 4th counts as failing the event.

The driving and racing itself feels pretty horrible, the car's handling is almost straight line based, and any preconceived ideas of cornering players may have had before playing the game are shattered as the cars will literally refuse to corner without a drift being initiated. This is Ridge Racer though, so players should be used to this. Except the drift system has changed massively and is far less arcade based now.

Winning events seems to be basically random; in any events which aren't Shindo or Drift racing, there are destructible parts of the environment like car dealerships, city halls and railway stations which can be used as shortcuts if the player's power meter is full. Additionally destroying girders and other parts of the track also add power to the player's meter. Not everything is destructible though, and this is a problem because crashing once can be the difference between winning a losing a race, like in Burnout. So it's up to the player to guess which parts of the track are meant to be destroyed and which are solid.

 
Shindo events completely ignore the destruction part of the game, and don't allow you to frag your opponents. This is partly useful as it stops the player from being fragged too, but shows yet more indecision from the developers; either make it a part of the game or don't, it's pretty weak to force players to race both ways and pretend it's a choice. These races usually feature many AI cars getting in your way as there's no fragging, the drifting is a much bigger feature of the shindo racing but still feels pretty awful.

I had a hard time caring about unlocking any of the cars, locations or star ratings in the game because it seemed like a real mash of playstyles and ideas from other games. There was hardly any Ridge Racer left in the game, and what was left was an indecisive grey mess. There's no real story as such, and so no compelling reason to continue with the races presented to the player, and there's not even a need to finish 1st, players could easily finish 3rd in all race events and still get pretty far into the game, which is a little ridiculous in a racing title.

Graphically the game looks pretty great; the destructible environment parts all crumble rather too easily into predictably sized pieces, but the rest of the game looks very sharp, and I particularly enjoyed the information displays along the sides of the track. The music featured behind gameplay is all licensed and as such not quite as interesting as an original soundtrack. There's a decent mix of electronic stuff, but the soul of the Ridge Racer series is definitely gone from the game.

Overall Ridge Racer Unbounded might as well be any other large budget racing title from the past few years; there's city street racing, there's licensed tunes, takedowns, and a star rating system for how well you've done in each race. Without anything to invest players in it's brand of racing, there's very little to keep them hooked, and I'd personally rather play literally any other instalment of the series thanks to the poor handling and soulless presentation.

Rating: 61/100
Grade: D

Boxing Games Roundup: Round 2

In the previous part of this review I looked at larger than life, cartoonish arcade style boxing games. This however, is only one type of boxing game, the other being more serious fighting sports experiences. I'll be looking at six games released between 1996 and 2005.

Game: Victory Boxing: Championship Edition
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: JVC Digital Studios
Release Date: 1996

JVC are best known for making consumer electronics, but also dipped their feet into the gaming market between 1990 and 2001. From the outset, the Japanese influence in this game is felt heavily with a jazzy muzak accompaniment to its menus and the circle button used to confirm rather than X. There's also the classic Japanese gaming trope of there being far too much text before anything actually happens; the gym and character creation, and the promoter's opening speech mean that it's at least 5 minutes before players even get to fight - in a boxing video game.

That said, as soon as players begin to fight they'll wish that there were more menus and speech of any kind. The controls are so unresponsive that I had to check whether my controller was properly plugged in. Firstly the boxer's movement is controlled with tank controls; the boxer will move in the direction they're facing when up is pressed, regardless of ring position. This isn't easy to get used to and my usual style of dodging back and forth to avoid blows in boxing games is impossible here.

In addition to this button presses take forever to take effect; punches and movement can take as much as 3-5 seconds to actually happen onscreen after a button press, dependant on a boxer's 'speed' rating. This is absolutely infuriating as AI opponents seem to have no such trouble and make light work of flooring your fighter repeatedly. There's 3 bars in the middle of the screen which represent damage, punching power and something beginning with O, but the controls render the game basically unplayable and so there's not much point taking any notice of them.

Graphically the boxers in the game look like drawing mannequins whose poses can be changed to illustrate different body positions. The animation is generally poor with the knockdown animation being one of the most ridiculous I've ever seen in any fighting game, as the injured boxer slumps onto their face almost instantly as they're hit. The music of the game is weird; with jazzy music accompanying the fight, featuring repeated voice clips like "Don't lose your power!".

Overall Victory Boxing: Championship Edition is as close as you'll ever get to a Japanese budget Playstation boxing game without D3 Publisher or Midas Interactive being involved. It's obvious that the game was made early on in the lifespan on the console by developers who had little idea of what makes a boxing game fun or even playable.

Rating: 11/100
Grade: F

Game: Prince Naseem Boxing
Console: Sony Playstation
Developer: Codemasters
Release Date: 23rd October 2000

At a time when the Playstation 2's release was barely a month away, Codemasters saw it fit to release Prince Naseem Boxing for the Playstation. The game was called Mike Tyson Boxing in America, but other than this everything seems to be the same. Players can compete as any of the 16 featured "champions", none of who seem to exist in real life besides Prince Naseem himself, as well as 12 other fictional fighters. On the back of the box, the game claims to have 106 fighters in total, though I have no clue where the remaining 78 are hiding.

One of the main modes is simply titled World; a career mode of sorts where players climb the ranks, set their training regimen and use the calendar to determine what actions to take. The other main mode is Showcase, a knockout tournament between the 16 world champions, without any weight classes to decide who is best (spoilers: it's the heavyweights because they land the hardest shots).

Fights are interesting in that the controls provide two buttons for punches on the right hand side, and two for the left. On the whole if players can hit on the correct side and move around a little, winning should be inevitable, especially if many punches are thrown without a chance for the opponent to respond. It doesn't feel particularly bad, but would probably become somewhat boring with repeated fights.

There's a choice of viewpoints, though none of them are exactly what I'd have chosen, given free reign over the camera. The fighters are fairly unremarkable in their graphical quality; nothing close to Playstation 2 standards, but not too bad for the Playstation. The crowd and backgrounds however are fairly clearly 2D images stretched to look a little 3D, which is a little disappointing.

Overall Prince Naseem Boxing is a fairly average boxing game with a lack of licensed fighters and so a fairly boring experience. Bouts are too easy once players work out the best strategy for the game, and Showcase mode is hardly worth playing at all. The World mode can provide some replayability but there's only basic slider interaction and negotiations besides fighting.

Rating: 59/100
Grade: D

Game: Rocky
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Rage Software
Release Date: 18th November 2002

Although licensed games don't usually live up to their hype, there was always a chance that a game based on the Rocky franchise would be better than most of the licensed games pushed out based on things that are more difficult to make a game out of. With a wide roster of fighters to unlock, a movie mode which follows the chronology of fights in the Rocky movies and exhibition and tournament modes to make your own matchups with Rocky movie characters.

The controls are fairly simple and easy to remember, with two buttons assigned to high punches, two to low punches and modifiers to pull off hooks and uppercuts. L1 is used to dodge out of harm's way, and movement is a little slow but not too frustrating. Fights require a degree of strategy to beat, but usually cornering the opponent before unloading a flurry of punches will help the chances of winning a round. It's not often that players will be able to score a KO in the first couple of rounds as time moves very quickly, but this is more realistic. The training minigames in movie mode provide a little variety, and prove to be a fairly easy way of levelling Rocky up without too much effort.

Graphically there's some resemblance to characters from the Rocky films; even those who aren't well versed in the franchise should recognise Apollo Creed, and Clubber Lang. The sound is a mixed bag with some good voice acting, and some that isn't so good. There's some music from the films but I didn't hear Eye of the Tiger anywhere which was somewhat disappointing. It's a shame the only real sense of achievement in the game comes from Movie mode.

Overall Rocky isn't a particularly good boxing game; there's a lot of getting caught up in a tangle with an opponent, or the opponent almost running away when you're winning, but with the addition of character from the Rocky series of films, it's not that bad for a licensed game, and certainly bearable if you're a casual fan of the films.

Rating: 60/100
Grade: D

Game: Boxing Champions
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Tamsoft
Release Date: 7th November 2003

Boxing Champions is part of the Simple Series; originally titled The Boxing: Real Fist Fight. It's a horrifically simple boxing game where players can compete in a tournament, head-to-head fight, or survival mode. All of which are essentially the same, save for what happens at the end of a fight; in survival and tournament mode, there's more fights to beat in order to clear the mode whereas head-to-head is simply a single 2 player fight. While the game doesn't look too bad when booted up, and the controls are fairly competent for a boxing game, it all falls apart when players begin to fight. There's no point in trying anything but the super punches, as they do huge amounts of damage and guarantee every fight to end in the first round. Boxers lock to their opponent, but there's a delay in turning to face them after the punching animation so it's possible to punch an opponent in the back of the head with enough button spamming.

The AI is super easy for the first few fights of any given mode, literally walking into your punches and going down in very few hits. After the third or fourth fight, something changes and it's suddenly almost impossible to win amidst a barrage of punches from the AI, and nearly all player shots are mysteriously blocked. The selection of boxers is pretty poor, and while not having licensed fighters is acceptable, they should at least be interesting if you're going to feature original characters. Movement around the ring is slow and every punch thrown has a long animation which means there's no quickfire element to the strategy of fights.

Graphically the game shows some promise with it's modelling of the boxer's bodies which look fairly competently made. Their faces however seem to be moulded from wax with very little expression or human features. Strangely the developers seem to have chosen rock music to accompany the otherwise silent bouts, save for grunts and hit sound effects. It's an odd atmosphere, and not one that I can say I like.

Overall Boxing Champions shows an overwhelming lack of effort in game design and programming with three main modes which are basically the same, a poor selection of fighters and an even less enjoyable fighting engine and AI coding. The fact that it's possible to completely circle your opponent and begin punching the back of their head before either boxer self rights is proof that no-one tested the game and it should definitely be avoided.

Rating: 30/100
Grade: E

Game: Rocky Legends
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Venom Games
Release Date: 28th September 2004

Rocky Legends is clearly based on the Rocky game a little further up this review, released in 2002. There are some changes, but the overall feel and gameplay issues remain. The main mode features a climb up the rankings with the next 2 or 3 fighters available to challenge (though why anyone wouldn't go for the highest available is beyond me), until Rocky Balboa himself is available to fight. There's the option to train inbetween fights to improve stats, which has some effect on the player's performance within them.

Both players have a health bar and a stamina bar which refill over time when they aren't being hit or throwing punches respectively. The health bar refills far too quickly, and the stamina bar too slowly, as without a constant barrage of punches there's almost no chance of knocking an opponent out, but stamina ends up drained halfway through an opponent's health bar. Any attempt at strategically counter-attacking is trumped by the refilling health bar and it's far easier to simply keep launching the same attack over and over until the opponent falls down. Using just the body blow punch and uppercut button I easily saw my way through to the final fight of career mode.

Besides the career mode there's very little to do in the game, unless you're into fantasy matchups from the Rocky films. Boxers and locations can be unlocked but it'd take completion of every career in the game at least once, though it's nice that there are different options like Apollo Creed or Clubber Lang, rather than just a simple Rocky storyline. Graphically the game is pretty standard; the characters look like who they're meant to represent and damage can be seen on their faces and bodies after a few rounds.

Overall Rocky Legends isn't different enough from the original Rocky release to justify being another game. There's some different things to do, but as many of the original gameplay complaints remain it's almost like an update patch, the likes of which we might see in the modern gaming age. If it's a choice between the first Rocky game and this though, there's cases for choosing eitherway. Personally I'd go for the first due to the woefully easy career mode featured in Rocky Legends.

Rating: 58/100
Grade: D

Game: EA Sports Fight Night Round 2
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: EA Sports
Release Date: 28th February 2005

The most realistic game featured so far in this series of boxing reviews; EA Sports Fight Night Round 2 features many real world boxers from the past and present as well as the option to create your own boxer and work your way up the ranks. There are a few other modes alongside this but there's a disappointing lack of thing to do when compared to some of the other boxing games I've reviewed recently.

The controls are completely different from any of the other games previously featured also. Punching is mostly achieved with the right analog stick with a variety of movements and flicks equating roughly to punches. Two signature punches are mapped to the X and R2 buttons, and it's possible to land illegal blows such as elbows and headbutts with circle and L2, though these will disqualify players if too many are used.

The bars on the bottom left and right represent each boxer's health and stamina. The health bar goes down slowly and most boxers can take a real beating before they're out for the count. Defence is important in the game, and most fights can't be won without at least blocking or avoiding some shots. The worst feature of the game is its knockdowns; when a boxer's health is depleted the game enters a focused mode where they must defend themselves from harsh attack for around 10 seconds, after which time they recover some health. The AI is very tricky with this and will do its best to run away from players and avoid being hit and knocked down.

Most matches in the game end up being a real slog; it took around 200 punches to down an early opponent, possibly due to my use of stamina and constant combinations, but there didn't seem to be much other way to win the fight. Knocking opponents down doesn't seem to dishearten them much and it's common to get 4 or 5 knockdowns in a fight before actually reaching a KO. Players can also choose to tend to their own wounds between rounds with a minigame, or allow the cutman to do it for them.

Graphically the game looks pretty good for the Playstation 2 era; boxers are generally recognisible and this is the only game I've looked at that features a good amount of real world boxers for players to take control of. There's some music in the form of EA Trax, but none really stood out as fitting the game or being particularly enjoyable. The commentary and sound of the game works well with the broadcast format of newer EA Sports games.

Overall EA Sports Fight Night Round 2 isn't the perfect boxing game for the casual player; there's no arcade style silliness and fights are often long and difficult slogs which require just as much defensive skill as offensive power. In terms of the most realistic boxing game though, it does pretty well in showing the nuances of the sport.

Rating: 73/100
Grade: C

Boxing Games Roundup: Round 1

With a large amount of boxing games to take a look at over the next two reviews, I've decided to split them up, with this first review concentrating on the larger than life, cartoon-ish boxing games in the Punchout and Ready 2 Rumble Series, and the second review looking at games which attempted to be more of a sports simulation.

Game: Punch-Out!!
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: 1990

Punch-Out!! is an NES classic which challenges players to rise through the ranks from minor circuit boxing to the big time, against a variety of racial stereotypes and humourous characters and finally face Mike Tyson himself in a wall-punchingly difficult final fight to beat the game and claim Little Mac's place in boxing history. For every win, the player progresses up the ranks towards a title fight, but for every loss, the last opponent must be faced again to prove your skill.

The controls are simple, with the d-pad used for left and right movement as well as directing punches towards the head or body. The A and B buttons are used for right and left hand punches respectively, and it's through these simple controls that the game justifies its fairly high level of difficulty in the later levels. Each opponent has a different set of moves which must be learned and avoided with the correct timing, in order to counter attack, as this is the only effective way of landing strikes. Once an opponent has been knocked down 3 times in a round, or for 10 seconds at a time, the player wins.

Graphically the game uses basic sprites for its boxers as well as Mario who guest stars as referee. The animations are good and give a clear indication of when to avoid the opponent's strikes in order to land a clean hit. The cardio system works well as Little Mac loses hearts for hits taken and his shots being blocked, and so focuses players on the counter attack. Musically there's a few enjoyable themes included and repeated throughout the game, and that's about all you can ask for in an NES cartridge.

Overall Punch-Out is almost the perfect arcade boxing game for the time; there's strategy in avoiding opponents and waiting for the right moment to connect with a punch, there's a good variety of opponents to beat on the way up through the ranks, a terrifying final boss in Mike Tyson and a guest appearance from Mario. While technology has advanced since the release of the game, the core gameplay and characters appearing the game remain entertaining and fun.

Rating: 84/100
Grade: B

Game: Super Punch-Out!!
Console: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: 1994

As a follow up to Punch-Out!! on the NES, Super Punch-Out!! succeeds in bringing arcade boxing action to the Super Nintendo. The premise of the game remains unchanged; progress to the title of champion through three ever more difficult circuits, learn your opponents moves and how to avoid them, then counter attack until your opponent is down for good. An added feature to this game is special combos; earned by landing punches and avoiding being hit by the opponent, these can rock opponents and provide an advantage to players if landed at the right time.

The controls remain largely the same with the addition of the special combo button, and the difficulty is much the same as the original Punch-Out!! with a tough curve and many hours of practice needed before the fights are truly easy, though the Minor Circuit isn't too hard to get through. The time limit has been brought down to 3 minutes per fight, forcing the action as players lose instantly if the timer reaches 3 minutes, no matter the number of knock downs or the health bars of both boxers.

Graphically the game is far superior to its NES predecessor and its cartoon-ish sprites and animation bring life to the fights as the fighters react far more obviously to each punch. The special meter at the bottom is easy to glance at and it's obvious when players can use their special combo, increasing their chance of successfully using the system. Musically the game features some remixes of songs from Punch-Out!! which are a nice reminder of the series short heritage.

Super Punch-Out!! is superior to the original in most aspects; its gameplay feels better, looks better and has a few more features to help players, but the time limit can be unwelcome at times, with close fights recorded as a loss thanks to there being only a single round. This does have the advantage of making the game feel more arcade-like, as does the scoring system, but it's equally frustrating. Any time put into learning opponent moves is rewarded and progress can be saved once a circuit has been beaten.

Rating: 87/100
Grade: B

Game: Punch-Out!!
Console: Nintendo Wii
Developer: Next Level Games
Release Date: 18th May 2009

Usually when classic franchises are shipped out to third party developers, fans can expect the results to be generally disappointing. While there are some problems with this instalment in the once dormant series, they're mainly with the motion control of the Wii rather than the game itself. Seasoned players will be delighted to find Glass Joe, Von Kaiser and King Hippo waiting for them in the minor circuit of the career mode (though Piston Honda is notably absent, replaced by Disco Kid). For the most part they fight much like their previous versions, though perhaps a little easier overall.

The attacking and defensive options too are very much like those given to players in the first two games; the stamina bar and special move stars make a comeback, and the view is much like that of Super Punch-Out!!. As the game is on the Wii however, two of the three control options involve motion controls; there's the Wiimote and Nunchuk option, a Wiimote, Nunchuk and Balance Board option if you're looking for the optimal amount of excercise, or simply the Wiimote held sideways for a traditional control scheme without motion control.

I opted for the Wiimote and Nunchuk control scheme which worked pretty well, though more than three fights is exhausting, as you're required to thrust the remote forwards for every punch. The difficulty is generally a little easier than the preceding games, while the strategies remain the same, but towards the end of the game things can be just as tough. Graphically the game looks good; nothing truly amazing but it's an update from Super Punch-Out!!'s graphics if nothing else. The music is once again remixes of classic Punch-Out!! tunes and fairly enjoyable.

Overall for a reboot of a classic series on the Wii, Punch-Out!! could have been a lot worse, there's the option not to use motion control which is always appreciated, many nods to the two classic games which came beforehand and a sense of an update on the nostalgia of the series. Although it can be an exhausting experience for those who want to use the motion control, it's a passable reworking of the classic formula.

Rating: 73/100
Grade: C

Game: Ready 2 Rumble Boxing
Console: Sega Dreamcast
Developer: Midway
Release Date: 8th September 1999

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing was released for multiple platforms in 1999; alongside the Dreamcast the game came out for Playstation, Nintendo 64 and the Game Boy Colour. What's interesting about this is that the game was a launch title in the USA and followed soon after in Europe, thus allowing gamers to compare the Playstation, N64 and Dreamcast versions side by side and see the next generation of video gaming for themselves. The Dreamcast version is by far the best, and I'd steer well clear of the Playstation version as it looks ugly and plays horrifically compared to the DC version.

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing features a cast of varied boxing characters with a variety of movesets, catchphrases and taunts, all of whom can be guided through championship and arcade mode to climb the ranks and become the best fighter. Arcade mode features a simple run of 10 fights, from 10th place in the rankings to facing the champion and unlocks fighters if beaten a certain amount of times. Championship mode allows players to take control of 10 of the game's fighters, raise their stats, manage their money and fights in order to make it through Bronze, Silver and Gold classes to claim the championship belt. Controlwise, players can choose from 2 types of high and low punches, assigned to the four buttons of the controller. Dodging is achieved with the L+R triggers, and when a punch lands cleanly enough, players are assigned letters of the word "RUMBLE", until it's spelt out and can be used within the round it's earned to do a near unblockable flurry of punches at their opponent.

Graphically the game looks great on Dreamcast, with some of the best looking modelling of human bodies that had been seen on consoles up until that time. Bruises appear on fighters as they're hit, which is a great bonus feature and there's a wealth of animations and moves for each fighter. The sound is a little average, with grunts and hits sounding somewhat lacklustre, but the taunts and personality of the fighter's dialogue makes up for a lot of this. In contrast to the Dreamcast version, the Playstation version looks less than half as good, with gameplay feeling slow and difficult to control, in contrast.

Overall Ready 2 Rumble Boxing has a great mix of arcade boxing action with huge characters, and actual boxing moves to pull off within the 3D space of the ring. The Championship mode is a nice touch, with control over the chosen boxer's stats and fights, but it's perhaps a little too similar to arcade mode in it's progression, as players will find themselves facing 30 fights to beat Championship mode with a single fighter. Remember to avoid the game on other platforms though, as the Dreamcast version is superior.

Rating: 75/100
Grade: B

Game: Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Round 2
Console: Sega Dreamcast
Developer: Midway
Release Date: 23rd October 2000

Just over a year after the first instalment of the series, Ready 2 Rumble returned with more fighters, celebrity fighters to unlock, an overhauled championship mode and a few other extras. While the core gameplay and concept remain much the same, one nice new addition is tiered RUMBLE attacks. Once the word has been earned once (the maximum in the last game), it can be earned again in red for a stronger flurry attack, or a third time for a silver punch which will knock the opponent out of the ring.

The championship mode is now time based; the next prize fight and title fight have a set date and gym training is free, but must be scheduled on the calendar. Players raise their fighter's stats as normal and attempt to fight for the championship belt from 13th position in the rankings. This is preferable to the bronze, silver and gold classes of the previous game. There are many fighters making their Dreamcast debut in the title, including the previously N64 exclusive J,R Flurry, and these add some imagination to the roster of 23 fighters.

Graphically the game looks great on the Dreamcast and is very similar on the Playstation 2. These two versions are by far the best, and are essentially interchangeable. Fighters have more distinguishing features than in the first game, and those who have been carried over have been given a nice update. The sound still leaves a little to be desired but there's some surprisingly good voice acting, especially considering that Michael Jackson features in the cast.

Overall whilst Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Round 2 brought few significant gameplay improvements to the table, the increased roster and selection of game modes provide more excitement, and the championship mode improvements give a greater sense of progression for those interested in 'completing' the game. As far as arcade boxing games go, you can't do much better for a roster or the amount of action provided by this game.

Rating: 79/100
Grade: B

Game: Ready 2 Rumble Revolution
Console: Nintendo Wii
Developer: 10tacle Studios
Release Date: 17th March 2009

Ready 2 Rumble Revolution was the inevitable Wii cash-in for the series as Midway, the original developers of the game were going bankrupt. Featuring very few characters from the original games, and far less amusing or even impressive replacements, the game almost instantly fails to connect with existing fans of the series. While the game modes remain much the same, there's the option to play the training minigames independently of the Career Mode.

The biggest problem however is that of control; with only the motion controls available to use, and a huge selection of punches and moves to pull off, the technology isn't advanced enough to distinguish between similar movements, leading to player frustration when the wrong move is executed. In addition to this, players are required to keep their hands up in order to defend themselves (which is very tiring), and the experience as a whole is draining, so play sessions tend to last only as long as players can stand.

Graphically the game is less impressive than anything in the series so far for its time of release. The cartoonish figures of the boxers look almost ridiculous, and there's nearly none of the amusing characterisation that was present on the Dreamcast instalments. It's easy to ignore the sounds of the game as the frustration of getting the correct punch to land on screen usually drowns out any in game audio.

Overall Ready 2 Rumble Revolution is an insult to the series, lacking the enjoyable arcade style gameplay of the first two games and replacing it with hit-and-miss controls which overcomplicate the formula. The Wii saw a lot of series revivals and cash-ins on famous games, but this goes down with the worst of those, due to the general lack of effort to make the game anything like its predecessors.

Rating: 42/100
Grade: E

Game Review: Undertale (Light Spoilers)

Game: Undertale
Console: PC
Developer: Toby Fox
Release Date: 15th September 2015

Undertale is a rare type of game which captures the imagination of the gaming community, reminiscent of Earthbound and similarly self aware RPGs, mixing in elements of other genres and presenting a story with two main endings depending on the player's actions throughout the game. It was voted as the Best Game Ever in a recent Gamefaqs poll, which admittedly doesn't say too much other than the fact that there are a lot of people obsessed with the game right now and it may have a place in gaming history as a huge indie hit.

Though I've covered games such as Off and Yume Nikki on here before, with similar art styles and to a degree a similar nature, from the outset Undertale appears to give players a choice in battle situations. Like many RPG's there's Fight and Item options, but there are also Act and Mercy options. These are used to calm or befriend monsters into a state where they no longer wish to fight, so that they can be spared from battle and players can move on.

There are both random encounter style fights in the game, and mandatory boss fights. Players can fight or attempt to spare all of the characters they encounter, but it's best to choose one option or the other, as the neutral ending stops before the final developments of either polar route. It's necessary to have at least one Neutral ending to get the true endings, but savvy players can use their first run as a Pacifist run and then reload their save from the Neutral final battle.

In terms of story, the game is set underground where monsters have been banished by humans. There's a border which can only be opened with 7 human souls, 6 of which have already been acquired by the monsters. Players face tough decisions as they make their way through the game, possibly denying monsters their freedom or having to die for them to gain it. There are some great plot twists and turns, and the true ending to the game is very satisfying to achieve.

Combat takes place in a fairly basic screen, with the player's soul represented by a heart. When enemies attack, they produce various white shapes which drop into the battle area and must be avoided, almost like a bullet hell game. As the game progresses there are different types of attacks, blue ones require players to be still to avoid damage, and orange ones require players to be moving. There are some difficult battles featured in the game, especially in the Genocide run and this can lead to looking the end of the game up on YouTube (congrats if you actually managed it yourself).

The enemies and NPCs featured in the game have an amazing amount of thought behind their design, great dialogue, inventive ways of being spared by players and contribute to a large emotional investment in the characters of the game on the player's part. As you learn of the motivations of each monster and they reveal some of their hopes and dreams it's almost impossible not to feel part of a larger game world, filled with interesting and sometimes very cute monsters.

Besides battles the game features many puzzle sections which are usually fairly basic, but nonetheless fun. The plot is advanced as puzzles are cleared and most of the new areas in the game are accessed via beating one form of puzzle or another. Some puzzles and fights are auto cleared in different runs of the game, and this can detract from expectations a little, but there's usually reasoning behind a one hit KO, or a pre-cleared puzzle.

There are four areas in the game in total, each with their own inhabitants, ambience and relevance to the story. The map is surprisingly large and it takes a good while to make it from the end of the game back to the beginning (which is semi-necessary at one point). Overall the game takes around 5 hours to complete each route, with a little more added on for difficult battles and exploration.

The locations featured in the game add a lot to the mood also; there's a definite whiff of Earthbound about many of the places, and when the humour of the game is added into the equation it's almost like playing Mother 4. There's a few Easter Eggs and hidden things to do besides the main storyline, but there's nothing huge that'll ruin the game if it isn't found. That said, in many ways it's possible to play Undertale 'wrong'; as mentioned before there are two main endings, and a third which is a foreshortened ending.

While killing different story-relevant NPCs can change the ending of the game slightly, any player who hasn't read up on Undertale strategy before beginning the game may well decide to play the game like any normal RPG, triggering the start of a genocide run, or ruining their chances at a good ending by ignoring a character's need for a cup of water in a tense moment. It's annoying to have to go back and start again in these situations, and while there are save files online, it's the sort of game which forces players to play in a certain way to see the best content.

Graphically Undertale has a fairly consistent art style (the above screenshot is one of the only examples of a deviation) which is charming and reminiscent of games of the past in all their 8 and 16 bit glory. The battles are clean and easy to process visually, which is a big help for those not used to bullet hell sections in their RPGs. Musically the game is outstanding with one of the best soundtracks to an indie game I've ever heard, and probably one of the better soundtracks in games in general, though there are a lot of great contenders.

Overall Undertale is an experience which requires a little prior knowledge of the game, but not too much to get the best out of. The emotional investment into the characters and the story is huge and there are some really charming and impactful moments featured in the game as a whole, on any of it's routes and endings. The mix of RPG, Bullet Hell and Puzzle genres as well as the storyline, ambience and music is perfect for creating a real sense of a cohesive and interesting world, worth saving.

Rating: 93/100
Grade: A

Game: Radio Hammer

Game: Radio Hammer
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: Arc System Works
Release Date: 10th December 2015

Radio Hammer is a 3DS eshop rhythm game featuring a group of cartoon DJs who each have to defeat a different type of threat running towards them onscreen. Players use either the touchscreen or buttons to tap in rhythm as the enemies appear, and are rated on their rhythmic accuracy. There are two lanes of enemy on each level, requiring players to keep an eye on whether the threat is appearing from the top or bottom lane.

Each of the four DJ's have 3 stages consisting of 5 levels each, for a total of 15 levels per DJ and 60 levels overall. The average length of a level is around 2-3 minutes, although there are a few which are far longer or shorter. The final level of each DJ's quest is a boss level which demands far greater accuracy and skill than has been needed to reach it. Before each level players are given three star objectives, one of which is to beat the level and the other two relate to point or combo targets, not missing a single enemy or collecting all power-ups. If you're a completionist then these can be frustrating later in the game, as gaining all the stars isn't easy.

Gameplay is simple and not a lot changes between DJ's; the background, enemies and songs of course are different, but there's no added gameplay mechanics relating to their assistant, or personal power-ups. Instead its the same old rhythmic reaction game, with intermittent power-up presents and traps to navigate and squeeze into your already fairly chaotic rhythmic tapping. It's a shame that all of the stages, save for the bosses are so similar as the game becomes a little monotonous after a while, especially if you're replaying levels to reach those star goals.

Besides the main story mode there's random mode, allowing players to face stages on random difficulty levels, track play which allows for any DJ to play tracks that have been unlocked, and a jukebox to listen to any unlocked music. There's trophies to unlock for gaining all the stars in a DJ story mode, gaining a high enough combo and other achievements, but no real reward for having unlocked them.

Graphically the game is very cute and features an enjoyable art style that mixes cartoon ideas with parts of japanese culture. The boss levels present a fun and exciting change up in scenery from the main story levels which lack in background variety for the number of stages which are played on them. Musically the game is good, the rhythmic element is spot on and easy to master, but the quality of the actual music varies from fun and enjoyable jazz funk to some unremarkable electronic tracks.

Overall Radio Hammer is well worth checking out; for it's small price tag there's a lot of levels to check out, and extra modes if you're really into the game, but there's a definite lack of variety after a while. The difficulty level spikes about halfway through the game, and this can be disheartening without enough practice at the game. As a big fan of rhythm games, this one's pretty middle of the road for the genre.

Rating: 72/100
Grade: C

Game Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (GBA)

Game: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Console: Nintendo Gameboy Advance
Developer: Griptonite Games
Release Date: 15th November 2001

In the unlikely event that you're thinking that I've reviewed this game before, you'd be partially correct, as I've taken a look at the Game Boy Colour and Playstation versions of the game. Excitingly enough though, there are five completely different versions of this game across as many platforms. I've still got to play the PC and Playstation 2 versions of the game, but this is the Game Boy Advance release. While it shares some similarities with the Game Boy Colour version, like the musical themes, sound effects and spell names, it's a very different experience.

The game can best be described as a puzzle platformer loosely based on the film version of the first Harry Potter book. As with the Playstation version of the game, the story skips straight to Hogwarts, giving a storyboard version of the first third of the book. The quests are a strange mix of events from the story, classes where spells are learnt, puzzle platforming dungeons, and fetching the ingredients for a potion for Snape, which seems to span at least half of the game.

Each class attended by players results in a new spell learned, each with a different effect. Flipendo knocks enemies back, and can stun and kill weaker enemies, Alohomora unlocks certain types of locked doors and chests, Avifors transfigures things into birds, and there are even more spells to learn in the later parts of the game. After each class is a dungeon of some kind which utilises the spell that's just been learned.

Inside all of the game's dungeons are enemies; gnomes, snails and pixies mainly each with different attack patterns. Gnomes wander randomly, and attack when within range; unfortunately though the timing is slightly off and it's incredibly frustrating to even get a hit on them. Snails and pixies are a little easier and more predictable, but the most annoying aspect of the game is lack of variety in the enemies that can be found.

The player's health is represented by the lightning bolts in the top left of the screen, and one is taken away for each time the player comes into contact with an enemy. Once all of the player's health has been depleted, they're sent back to the very beginning of the level, despite the fact that many levels are at least 10 to 15 minutes in length when being solved for the first time. Many of the dungeons are irritatingly laid out or disorientating, and being sent back to the start happens far too often.

While the dungeons can be tricky, there's nothing quite as difficult as the Quidditch parts of the game; while the matches don't necessarily need to be won, there are sections of the game which have to be completed on a broomstick that can prove to be difficult to control and to pass. Boss battles too can be frustratingly difficult, but conversely players seem to be overly rewarded for the simplest of tasks, with 50 house points given simply for attending class and learning a spell.

In all, the game lasts around 6 hours, as long as players don't get stuck in any of the dungeons for too long. The final quest in the game which is based around obtaining the Philosopher's Stone, and the chambers protecting it is particularly difficult in places, and seems to share a characteristic with most of the other dungeons in the game in that it's completely tedious and unnecessarily long. The platforming is awkward, the enemies are badly programmed, and there's little enjoyable gameplay to be had.

In terms of following the story of the book and movie, there are points where the game deviates; the importance of Snape's collecting quest is exaggerated and many memorable moments are left out in favour of classes and dungeons which have no relevance to the story. Players who've never seen the movies or read the book will find the game to be a boring and confusing experience, and those who are Harry Potter fans will miss their favourite parts of the story, and find the characters to be less than engaging.

Graphically the game has more detailed sprites than the Game Boy Colour version, though they're not particularly impressive for the console or the time of release. The animations are decent for the time, but any battles with enemies are too shortlived or frustrating to enjoy when compared to the RPG stylings of the Game Boy Colour release. Musically the game shares themes with the GBC too, though in this version there's a little more polyphony for better or worse.

Overall Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone for the Game Boy Advance is a less than enjoyable experience as its gameplay can be likened to a frustrating and almost broken puzzle platformer. With such a rich and interesting story to be made into game form, it's a surprise that more of the book wasn't used in planning the quests. Stay away from this game if you can, it suffers from the curse of licensed games.

Rating: 46/100
Grade: D

SNK Double Header: Samurai Shodown and Fatal Fury

Having recently taken a look at an SNK arcade collection, I decided that now would be the perfect time to compare the console versions of some of the games to their arcade counterparts. Originally I was going to review King of the Monsters on Mega Drive also, but for now the cart doesn't seem to be working, so it'll just be the two games featured below. 

Game: Samurai Shodown
Console: Sega Mega Drive
Developer: SNK
Release Date: 1994

Samurai Shodown is a fighting game featuring combatants all wielding swords of some variety, featuring light, medium and heavy attack options as well as special moves for a fairly standard, but enjoyable fighting game experience. What sets Samurai Shodown on the Mega Drive apart from its arcade version is the adjustable difficulty and settings provided in the menu. Since SNK games are known to be fairly difficult, it's nice to be able to play around with the settings and find a level of difficulty at which the game is both fun and challenging.

There's a good amount of variety between the game's 11 characters and their movesets, providing replayability and options if players get stuck. The fighting action featured certainly isn't the fastest ever, but it's at least similar to the speed of combat in the arcade version, if a little less smooth. The controls map well to the Mega Drive controller's 3 button layout, and combos can be pulled off without too much difficulty.

Graphically the game looks good, with colourful sprites and interesting destructible backgrounds. The animation is generally smooth although not as good as the arcade version. Special attacks seem to have the most exciting visuals in the game, with bright colours and large areas of damage. The soundtrack to the game is made up of various mostly Japanese sounding tracks, and sounds good on the Mega Drive for the most part

Overall Samurai Shodown is a fairly average, but interesting fighting game for the Mega Drive which has some good features but no real unique selling point. In nearly all aspects it can be described as 'good, but not amazing', leading to an generally positive feel without any real excitement. I'd recommend the game to players who like their fighting games, but it's not a must-have for the Mega Drive.

Rating: 62/100
Grade: C

Game: Fatal Fury
Console: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Developer: SNK
Release Date: 1993

Fatal Fury on the SNES looks and sounds much like its arcade counterpart, but looking a little deeper will reveal that there are subtle differences. The game features the stages and characters from the arcade version, though the introductory shots of each stage have been removed along with their impressive 3D effect. Another removal from the game is the double plane feature where players could dodge into the background or foreground. While the Mega Drive version of the game kept this, there's only one plane in this version.

The difficulty level can be selected, but makes little difference to the overall gameplay as even difficulty level 1 results in a spammy and cheap AI opponent, whilst cranking it up to level 9 brings the game to a near impossible level. The controls have been converted in such a way that special moves are difficult to pull off, and throwing moves too are harder, leaving players with simply punches and kicks as their move options.

Graphically, the game is an approximation of the arcade version with many of the environmental effects and backgrounds simplified. The fighters too aren't quite as well animated, with some clunky movement in certain cases. The game's sound is probably it's strongest feature with enjoyable and fitting music improving the experience very slightly.

Overall, without its innovative two-plane approach, beautiful establishing shots of its locations and smooth animation, there's not a lot left separating Fatal Fury from any other fighting game of its day. After the release of Street Fighter II, the genre was full to the brim with acceptable but unremarkable games, of which this is just another.

Rating: 56/100
Grade: D

Game Review: UFC Undisputed 2010

Game: UFC Undisputed 2010
Console: Xbox 360
Developer: Yuke's
Release Date: 28th May 2010

With the UFC and MMA as a whole becoming ever more popular thanks to greater promotion and well publicised characters coming to prominence in the mainstream, it's interesting to look back at the games made before this new wave of popularity. This isn't to say that the sport didn't have its fans 6 years ago but there's a lot more scrutiny of the newer games given both the renewed interest and new generation of games consoles.

The game features a large selection of fighters, many of who will be familiar to those who are current fans of the sport, and even more fighters recognisable for more seasoned fans. The game features Create a Fighter, Career, Title and Title Defence modes as well as Classic Fights and Exhibition modes. This is an impressive selection and pretty much everything you could want from the game in terms of things to do.

Fighting feels generally good; it's not so powerful that instant knockouts are commonplace, but it's also not realistic enough to model fighters with a good chin. While fights in the real world often go the distance of 3 or 5 rounds, most fights in UFC Undisputed 2010 end in the first round by TKO. The clinch and grappling system is a little complex with right analog stick waggling deciding who has the advantageous position, and submissions seeming essentially random to the uninitiated.

In this respect, it might as well be a kickboxing game for those not using grappling; I did try and master it a few times in the tutorial mode, but as soon as my fighter was taken to the ground, the fight was almost as good as over. I'll admit that it's difficult to accurately model MMA fights, with many different approaches to the standup and ground games, and many different types of fight occurring regularly, but all fights seem to play out similarly within the game.

Career Mode is interesting and offers players a chance to work their way up to fighting in the UFC from smaller promotions, and the balance of training for a fight and focussing on different aspects of their fighting style. Fights don't play any differently in this mode, although players get some choices of response for their post fight interview and things feel a little more like a WWE Career mode. There's little else to do outside of climbing the rankings and so there's little replayability here.

Other modes vary in their levels of interest, but the most frustrating mode is by far the Classic Fight mode where players must repeat past feats of other fighters. The issue here is that you'll be challenged to win in a specific manner; such as by decision or TKO in the 4th round, which given the ease of winning in the first round involves a lot of time wasting.

Graphically the game looks good; the fighters are recognisible and the octagon and general surrounds are aesthetically almost exactly as seen on tv. The animations and movement featured in fights is smooth and only grappling looks a little awkward. Commentary and sound effects too are realistic and contribute to the whole experience resembling a television broadcast as many sports games aspire to.

Overall UFC Undisputed 2010 isn't a perfect video game representation of MMA due to its complex and hard to understand grappling system and the temptation to resort to a hail of punches, ending most fights in the first round. Nonetheless there's fun to be had with its variety of modes and the ability to create an original character (or more modern MMA stars, of course). If you're a fan of the sport it's a good approximation of combat but not a perfect representation.

Rating: 63/100
Grade: C