Game Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time

Game: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time
Console: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Developer: Konami
Release Date: 19th November 1992

The first TMNT game on the SNES, Turtles in Time followed 3 NES titles in the series (one of which wasn't released in Europe). Nonetheless Konami still chose to add a IV to the game's title, which probably confused a player or two back in the day. I previously reviewed the first TMNT game on NES as well as this game's Mega Drive counterpart; Hyperstone Heist. The former is a pretty terrible game, with a horrifying difficulty curve, and frustrating controls, the latter came out after Turtles In Time, but is in a very similar style.

As a beat 'em up, the game allows up to 2 players to take on hordes of Foot Soldiers from the foot clan, who have a variety of moves and attacks, as well as bosses such as Slash, Rat King, Krang and Shredder. After making their way through to the Technodrome, the turtles are sent back in time, and make their way from 25 billion BC to 2100 AD, with several stops along with way to fight baddies, before finally returning to the Technodrome to defeat Super Shredder. In total there are 10 levels in the game, though the final level is simply a boss fight, and 2 of the levels are bonus stages which are shorter than regular stages.

All 4 turtles are selectable from the beginning, and have different stats and attacks, thanks to their different weapon choices. Controlwise, players have the option of using regular attacks, special attacks, and jumping attacks, as well as some combination moves such as throwing enemies at the screen (a necessary technique to beat Shredder in the first half of the game). Gameplay feels natural and fun for a beat 'em up, one of the best I've ever experienced in fact; the game is a lot of fun with a friend especially.

While there's not a great amount of variety in the enemies featured throughout the game, each level and time period has new features which keep things fresh. For example, on the pirate ship level in the 1500s there are planks which must be avoided by players, as when stepped on they spring up and cause damage. The prehistoric level features pterodactyls which drop egg bombs, and the futuristic levels feature killer robots. Despite this, the main enemies in each level are members of the Foot Clan who have inexplicably also been sent back in time.

In addition to the regular moves discussed earlier, players can also pick up power ups which allow them to damage enemies with a spin move, as well as pizzas which restore full health. Extra lives are available when certain score milestones are reached, and can be helpful for players wanting to complete the game in one sitting. While it's not particularly difficult, many of the bosses take a little figuring out, but luckily players are allowed to select how many lives they wish to start with (up to 7), as well as a difficulty level which affects the amount of continues given (Easy gives 3, Medium 4, and Hard 5).

The options menu also offers 12 different control schemes for the game, swapping the jump, attack and special attack buttons around in almost every imaginable combination, which is a major plus. One of the most impressive features of the game is the attention to detail; fire hydrants can be hit in order to blast water at opponents, enemy bombs can be used strategically to damage opponents and there's no friendly fire, meaning 2 players can go crazy without worrying about damaging each other. My only complaint is that the special attack takes health to complete, I'd much rather a limited number of uses.

Graphically the game looks great and comes with the option to colour the turtles as they are in the cartoon, or the comics. Everything is bright and vibrant and the levels vary nicely; there's a bonus level that looks as if it might have come straight out of F-Zero, which is interesting. Musically too the game excels with plenty of memorable and motivational tunes to kick some Foot Clan butt.

Overall Turtles In Time is fairly close to the perfect Beat 'Em Up in my book; a fairly large variety of levels which can be completed in a single intense sitting, with or without a friend, plenty of adjustable options, great visuals and a kickass soundtrack. The game also manages to capture the humour and mood of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with various soundclips and cartoon-like touches.

Rating: 88/100
Grade: A

3DS eShop Sega Double Header: 3D Altered Beast and 3D Space Harrier

Game: 3D Altered Beast
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: M2
Release Date: 5th December 2013

While I haven't reviewed the original Altered Beast on Mega Drive, this review might be the perfect opportunity to discuss its faults and why 3D Altered Beast isn't much better. As one of the earliest Mega Drive games, Altered Beast is often included in Mega Drive collections and cited by fans as one of the classics. It's true that the graphics are fairly impressive for the time and the soundtrack is admittedly awesome, but it's the core gameplay that really lets this title down.

Players take on the role of a resurrected Roman centurion who has "risen from his grave" in order to save Athena. He must make his way through 5 demon infested levels to finally fight Neff and ensure her safe return. Throughout the levels, players can collect power ups, two of which will enhance their attack strength, while the third transforms their centurion into a half man, half beast monstrosity with special attacks.

The fighting featured in the game is lacklustre, with poor hit detection and many frustrating moments of being hit in impossible situations. The levels are short and the bosses a strange combination of easy, yet frustrating in their attack pattern. With just three lives and no continues to make it through the entire game, turns tend to be rather short with no real incentive to make another attempt at completing the game; Athena can save herself.

The only real difference between the original Mega Drive version and this 3D remake is that players can choose a random form for each level instead of the preset power-ups, however this can make progression difficult as some levels are tailored to specific form. M2 could have improved the game and revamped its fighting system for a much better experience, but instead we're left with a direct port of a boring and wholly average game. The rating below will count for the Mega Drive version only in my all time ranking as these are essentially the same game.

Rating: 46/100
Grade: D

Game: 3D Space Harrier
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: M2
Release date: 28th November 2013

Space Harrier is a forgotten Sega classic that came to arcades and home console in the 80s. With a
3-D version on the Master System as part of an early 3D series, it's surprising that M2 didn't choose to port the Master System version of the game in some ways, however the arcade version is far superior. Players make their way through 16 levels, avoiding obstacles flying through the air at them, and attempting to shoot down all manner of surreal creatures, objects and bosses.

The game's progressive difficulty level is just right and allows players to get a feel for the game and build their skills before throwing incredibly cluttered sequences of obstacles in their way. The gameplay is simple but intuitive and works well with the overall pace of the game. The visuals are bright and almost psychadelic in many places. Though not much has been altered in terms of core gameplay, there wasn't much that needed changing from the arcade original.

Players are also allowed to customise the game options to raise or lower the difficulty level and number of continues available. Some of the optional features, such as cabinet tilt and the range of movement for players depend on the individual playing, but it's nice that they're there to fiddle with. The 3D effect is good and adds depth and clarity to moving around with so many objects on screen to dodge at once.

The fact that this game came out just a week before 3D Altered Beast shows that M2 have the capacity to release awesome ports of Sega's arcade titles, with a range of options to help players get through the harder stages. It makes almost no sense that the two titles should be given such different sets of options for gameplay customisation. The overall experience is an enjoyable one, especially for those who haven't had the chance to play the arcade version of Space Harrier. Hopefully M2 will be able to bring the Mega Drive sequel, Space Harrier II to the 3DS before too long.

Rating: 73/100
Grade: C

3DS eShop Sega Double Header: 3D Streets of Rage and 3D Outrun

Game: 3D Streets Of Rage
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: M2
Release Date: 19th December 2013

This is the first in a series of reviews exploring M2's series of 3DS ports, of classic Mega Drive games. Some games have simply been ported over to the handheld console with few changes, but there are others which have received important improvements and upgrades on the original games. 3D Streets of Rage hasn't had much added to it from the original game, save for a "Fists of Death" mode, allowing players to defeat enemies in a single punch.

My thoughts on the original Streets Of Rage can be found here, and are still applicable to this game as a whole. The addition of 3D is nice, and compliments the game's style and overall aesthetic. While the 3DS's 4 button scheme doesn't allow for a perfect translation of the Mega Drive's 3 button layout, the Y, B, and A buttons make do. The fact that gameplay is as enjoyable as ever is mostly thanks to the timelessness of the concept, but this port allows those who weren't previously able to enjoy Streets of Rage to discover the first game in the trilogy.

Since the game isn't markedly different to its Mega Drive counterpart, I won't be adding a rating into my all time rankings, or grading it any differently to the original Streets of Rage review, but I'd definitely recommend giving it a go whether you have or haven't played a game from the series!

Rating: 92/100
Grade: A

Game: 3D Outrun
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: M2
Release Date: 12th March 2015

A far newer game in M2's series of ports to the 3DS, 3D Outrun features far more changes from its original game than 3D Streets of Rage. In special mode, players can choose to upgrade their vehicle through reaching each goal stage in any run. There are four vehicle upgrades available which make a noticeable difference to the vehicle's speed, handling, recovery time and off road ability. Reaching all 5 goal stages unlocks arcade mode which runs the game at 30fps (instead of its regular 60fps) with minimal pop-in to emulate the original arcade cabinets of the game.

Players can set their time and difficulty options according to their skill, and choose between new and old course modes for a total of 30 differing stages across the entire game. There's also two brand new tracks alongside the three classic tunes offered by the original Outrun, and all 5 choices are excellent and fit wonderfully with the gameplay. While 3D Streets of Rage was merely ported to the 3DS in all its glory, 3D Outrun keeps the excellence of its original game, but piles new features on top, to keep experienced players interested. If only all ports of classic games were this good!

Rating: 87/100
Grade: B

Game Review: Game & Wario

Game: Game & Wario
Console: Nintendo WiiU
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Release Date: 23rd June 2013

I am a huge fan of the Warioware Series, its microgames and general humour. Having played a short demo of this game at MCM London Expo, I was fairly confident that it would be pretty fun upon release. Unfortunately, as much as I would like it to be a great game, it isn't. Whether or not it's under the Warioware banner is debatable; certainly it's not in name, and only features microgames in one of it's 16 minigame segments, but even without the expectation associated with the Warioware series, the game feels like little more than a misguided tech demo.

Many gamers will recall Nintendoland, released alongside the WiiU as its pack-in game, featuring a selection of Nintendo based minigames, each showing off a different function of the WiiU gamepad. In many ways the overall impression given by Game and Wario is similar to this; its 12 single player stages and 4 multiplayer stages feature an array of ways to hold and interact with the gamepad; some clever, others not so much. The problem is that unlike Warioware: Smooth Moves on the Wii, there's less of a fun, party game atmosphere.

I don't want to simply list each stage and compare flaws between them, since most problems are common to the game as a whole, however I will provide a few examples of stages featured in the game. In Mona's game 'Shutter', players must search for specific targets to photograph on their tv screen before taking a picture of the target with the gamepad. As with most stages in the game, there are 5 different levels for players to try, progressing in difficulty as players continue. Patchwork features Kat and Ana, challenging players to piece together knitted puzzle pieces to make shapes. This is a contender for worst minigame, but there's no shortage of options.

The better minigames include Pirates, Wario's minigame which is rhythm based and fairly fun once the gameplay has been mastered, Kung-fu, which sees Young Cricket jumping across platforms towards Master Mantis, using the tv and gamepad for different viewpoints, and bowling. Which is literally bowling, but it's in my top 5 minigames simply for not having too many faults.

The game I take most issue with, however is Gamer, featuring 9-Volt and 18-Volt. The premise is simple, stay up late and complete your videogame, whilst pretending to be asleep when 9-volt's mum enters the room. This game features microgames from the Warioware series as the videogame 9-volt is playing (much like previous Warioware games have done), and was the minigame which I played during the demo at MCM. Having advertised the game in its demo as featuring microgames, I was fairly surprised to find that this was the only one actually sporting them, and reused ones at that.

It seems to me that either this is a game, entirely unrelated to the Warioware series which was meant to serve as a tech demo for the WiiU gamepad, released too late to do so and thus Warioware themed so as to avoid having to release it as Nintendoland 2. Or worse it's meant to be part of the Warioware series (I mean it does feature all the same characters, and a similar concept) but has taken the series in a new direction of minigames, rather than microgames. If this is the case, the then latter is far worse but the former isn't exactly good for my opinion of Nintendo.

With every newly completed stage, players earn coins which can be exchanged for minigame/collectible prizes, but it's also clear that this gimmick is an attempt at infusing some replayability into the game. Without collectibles and an incentive to continue it'd be fairly easy to stop playing after unlocking and trying each minigame. Having said that, most of the minigame and collectible prizes are pretty rubbish anyway so there's little point unlocking them all.

Graphically it's unclear what overall style the game is going for with cartoon and 3D elements mixing together in a far less coherant way than Smooth Moves. Musically the game is alright, but doesn't seem to feature as much of the instantly memorable tunes that other games in the Warioware series have done. Overall Game & Wario is a fairly poor mish-mash of games, in the same vein as Nintendoland with Wario's face slapped on the front to increase sales. Perhaps young gamers who aren't expecting the Warioware legacy to be continued in the game might find a little enjoyment, but I'll stick to the classics.

Rating: 65/100
Grade: C

Game Review: Adventure Bar Story

Game: Adventure Bar Story
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: Ride On
Release Date: 19th February 2015

I've been playing Adventure Bar Story on the 3DS for quite a while now, on and off, but only recently have I begun to feel as if I'm ready to review the game. It's the sort of thing that can quite easily been picked up and put down as needed, with a simple overarching storyline and a general list of activities which need to be done each day in game in order to progress.

The story focuses on two sisters who are running a bar serving hot and cold food, snacks and various drinks. Siela, the younger of the two has a knack for cooking and making the various things served at the bar, as well as adventuring to find new types of ingredient to cook with. Gameplay takes place in two stages; the first is prior to the bar opening for the day, in which players can leave town and travel to one of the other areas of the map in order to collect ingredients and battle enemies.

Unlike most RPGs, levelling up occurs via eating the dishes Siela prepares for sale in the bar. This means that players must decide which dishes will be sold and which to keep back for levelling. The most complex and expensive dishes also yield the most exp. points, and as such players must consider their financial state also; health potions and other useful items can be expensive. Due to the eating/levelling mechanic in the game, training characters can be a slow and obtuse process, requiring battle, collection of ingredients and recipes, and allocation of cooked food rather than simply battling.

Players encounter new friends and party members as they progress through the story, and are able to choose 2 of these to accompany them in any travels outside of the main city. A variety of magic spells can be learned by each party member as they take part in more battles, and there are different types of weapons which suit different party members skills accordingly.

Battles take place in much the same way as many other RPGs; there's a choice of a regular or skilled (magic) attack, items with which to heal or help your party and the option to run away if things get too much. The difficulty curve is such that new areas can be challenging at first, leading to careful exploration, with more discoveries of each area occurring over time. Unlike other RPGs though it's possible to just eat a ton of high exp. foods and come back far stronger, which can be useful.

The storyline progresses as Siela takes part in various cookery contests at the Royal Palace in an attempt to beat her rival chef from the Cassel Garden restaurant, who is looking to buy her bar. In my 6 or 7 contests at the palace (there's one every in game month), I've never placed anything but first, so I can only assume that they're not particularly difficult to win with a little preparation. The reward for winning is more custom at your bar, and some rare-ish ingredients.

Graphically the game is presented in a retro-esque style, emulating the look of 16-bit games with its sprites, with anime influenced character avatars appearing when characters speak. The locations and areas featured in the game are varied and interesting for the most part, although once most of them are unlocked it can be somewhat of a drag to be limited to visiting just one a day. Musically the game's soundtrack has some enjoyable moments, but nothing that'll stick with players for long.

Overall Adventure Bar Story is cute, enjoyable break from the gameplay of standard RPGs. Running a bar alongside fighting monsters and exploring makes for an interesting dynamic and working out the various recipes can be fun, but after a while the whole gimmick gets in the way somewhat and can actually make the game less enjoyable.

Rating: 73/100
Grade: C

Game Review: Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars

Game: Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
Console: Sony Playstation Portable
Developer: Sega
Release Date: 7th August 2007

Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars takes the Dreamcast classics Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2 and bundles them into a handheld collection of sorts. It should be known that I'm a huge fan of all 3 original Crazy Taxi games and so I won't be discussing the games themselves at length so much as the changes that have been made to them for this version, and the differences between this and the Dreamcast versions.

In terms of gameplay, both games have kept their fast paced feel and picking up/dropping off passengers is as fun as ever. There appears to be a little slowdown in frame rate every now and then, but it's not constant enough to be an issue. The controls are much the same as in the Dreamcast version though the layout of the buttons on the PSP means there are obvious differences. Tapping circle and the R button to boost is a little harder to do than B and the right trigger on the original.

With all the challenges and modes intact from both games, Fare Wars is probably the most complete and playable version of Crazy Taxi, succeeding where the Playstation 2 and Gamecube versions failed. There's a new multiplayer mode for both games, but without two PSPs I wasn't able to check it out. It's a shame that Crazy Taxi 3 wasn't able to make its way onto this compilation as well, but perhaps there just wasn't enough space on the UMD.

One of the more noticeable changes to the games is the removal of licensed destination names. No longer are we told to "Take me to Pizza Hut!", now it's simply named 'The Pizza Place'. While this isn't a huge change, it can be more of an issue when you've got used to all of the destinations in the original games. It's still pretty easy to tell which stores the game is attempting to display, however as the visuals are only slightly edited to remove the brand names.

The most glaring omission in the game is the removal of The Offspring and Bad Religion's songs from the soundtrack. Instead we're given songs which would sound more at home behind a race on Gran Turismo 4 (and that's not a compliment). It is possible to give the games a custom soundtrack by loading music onto your PSP's MemoryStickDuo, but it's a lot of effort to go to just to hear the games as they were meant to be. The in game voice clips have also been completely re-recorded, though they're mostly similar to what was there before.

Visually the game hasn't changed too much from the original releases, although there's an annoying blur effect which is unlockable, and should be kept off at all times in the option menu. Overall the two games are a good representation of the originals, and provide much of the excitement that went with them. There's not much more you could ask of a PSP re-release of these classics.

Rating: 77/100
Grade: B

Game Review: Simcity DS

Game: Simcity DS
Console: Nintendo DS
Developer: Aki Corp.
Release Date: 19th June 2007

While there are many games in the SimCity series, for the most part they can easily be divided into 2D and 3D games where the 3D instalments take a far more complex approach to city building compared to the fairly simple setup and zoning featured in the 2D games. SimCity DS is somewhere between these categories however, with a 2D graphical approach and fairly simple building options mixing with a few of the more complex features from later games such as water distribution and requests from individual citizens on behalf of particular demographics.

As a city building game, the goal of the main mode is to increase your population to the point where no more people can physically live in your city, whilst keeping the general happiness level high through a variety of factors. Information can be accessed regarding the quality of life, crime rate, amount of waste, power, fire risk, pollution and transport options in each area of the map.While there's no data for overall happiness, I can only assume it's an aggregation of the factors on each datasheet which is represented by the amount of people moving or away from the city.

In the main mode, a civic advisor offers insight into what needs to be done in order to expand the city, though this is only basic tips rather than a detailed plan of action. There's a choice of advisors, but for the most part they'll compliment whatever decisions are made. The build mode is accessed by tapping a small icon on the main game screen, and pauses the flow of time until exited. Within the build mode it's possible to place new zones, buildings, roads and other features with a fairly intuitive system of control.

Once build mode has been closed there's very little players can do, save for watching their city expand and waiting for citizens to petition them for new buildings and services. As such, much of the game is spent waiting for enough expansion to take place to warrant new zones and building. Often players will also need to wait for their bank balance to go up sufficiently to be able to afford to build.
While this is a problem with SimCity games in general, very few of the other instalments insist on the game being paused for building to take place.

Unfortunately the game doesn't feature enough depth to give an organic feel to the growth of the player's city. There's a constant cycle in place of building residential zones for people to move into, a little more industrial to give them jobs, some commercial for them to relax and spend their money and maybe a few parks and libraries for their free time before starting over again. It's only once a city reaches 50,000 or so in population that things become a little less simple. I found myself giving up on my city after reaching a population of 70,000, as a fire devastated one area, accidentally severing power to much of my city causing 40,000 people to leave. Despite my every attempt, I couldn't get the population back up to the level it had been at, so I decided to call it a day.

In addition to the main Build-A-City mode which is freeform for the most part, there's also a Save The City mode in which players take on cities in crisis and attempt to fix whatever problems exist. Usually these problems focus on a singular aspect such as traffic jams, the economy or the crime rate. This mode is a refreshing break from building your own city, and can be more of a challenge as much of the time, players will be directly in control of the traffic/crime rate etc. in their own cities.

Graphically the game isn't particularly bad for being on a handheld, and I'm definitely glad that the developers didn't take the cartoonish route, but when zoomed in the map details are pretty fuzzy and low quality. The musical accompaniment to the game can get fairly annoying as there aren't that many tracks and one of them has a repeating note which sounds like a warning alarm.

Overall Simcity DS isn't the worst it could have been on the console; it plays quite a bit like the original SimCity for SNES, with a couple of upgrades in detail and the use of the bottom screen comes in handy much of the time. In terms of being able to compete with more modern PC and console versions of SimCity however, there's really no contest as this version of the game lacks complexity. Once you've built one city, you've pretty much experienced all the game has to offer, save for the scenario modes.

Rating: 71/100
Grade: C

Game Review: Midtown Madness 3

Game: Midtown Madness 3
Console: Microsoft Xbox
Developer: Digital Illusions CE
Release Date: 17th June 2003

With the first two instalments on PC, Midtown Madness was a series that largely flew under my radar at the time of its release. The third and final release in the series, Midtown Madness 3 challenges players to go undercover in 2 cities; Paris and Washington D.C. in order to solve 2 cases through working in a variety of jobs such as Delivery Worker, Limo Driver, Ambulance Driver and finally breaking their cover to solve each case.

Each job has 4 missions, 3 of which are available once the job has been unlocked and a fourth which unlocks after every other mission has been completed. Beating the final mission on a job will unlock the next job and allow players to continue progressing through the game. Most missions are under 5 minutes in length though their difficulty increases as the game progresses, and some of the harder ones take a few tries to beat.

While the handling is arcade like for the most part, it's pretty easy to get used to and despite crashes being difficult to avoid sometimes, driving is still a fun experience. The overall sense of speed isn't anything special, and often 120mph on the speedometer will feel more like 60-70mph. The range of cars featured in the game is good, although there's a large amount of service vehicles such as taxis, ambulances, and delivery cars rather than licensed vehicles. Alternative paint jobs for each car are hidden around the two cities, though they're not really worth collecting unless you're a completionist.

The two cities featured in the game are fairly large in size, especially for the era though they're certainly not as large as their real life counterparts. Paris feels as if it has more character and point of interest than Washington D.C. but this may be true in real life as well as in game. Aside from the main undercover mode, there's some race modes and a free roam available, but these are only supplementary and don't entertain for long.

Undercover mode has some interesting moments and is well worth playing, but can be inconsistent in terms of overall difficulty. Both campaigns are fairly similar, with the same mission types and even some of the same professions appearing across both cities. Gameplay is reminiscent of such games as Super Runabout and even Crazy Taxi at times, with a floating arrow that sometimes sends players the wrong way.

While the overall story might not be all that enjoyable, the mission based concept and humourous presentation give the game an element of fun and light heartedness that is perhaps missing from many games of the present day. Sometimes it's fun just to see how much mayhem can be caused, though without much of a damage engine, it's difficult to measure quite how much chaos has occurred.

Graphically the game features some impressive visuals for having been released in 2003. The cars, buildings, and scenery are all fairly detailed, especially for the map size, and the only real letdowns are the slightly wonky physics engine and lack of damage to cars. Musically the game has a fairly bland electronic accompaniment which is drowned out by engine noise, and most other sound effects.

Overall Midtown Madness 3 is a decent driving game which allows players to work undercover in a variety of jobs, following a humourous storyline with a few standout missions. There's nothing to keep players coming back though, and one playthrough of the undercover mode should be more than sufficient to experience all the game has to offer.

Rating: 64/100
Grade: C

Game Review: Pimp My Ride

Game: Pimp My Ride
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Eutechnyx
Release Date: 21st November 2006

Once MTV were done with advertising Juiced and L.A. Rush in the advert breaks of Pimp My Ride, a game was made featuring the concept of the television show itself. Players are given a choice of customers whose rides need to be improved and more are unlocked as players prove their skills at tricking out the cars. I had been expecting some racing to feature in the game's main mode, but instead there are only two phases to gameplay.

Firstly, after choosing which customer's car to pimp, players earn money by crashing into other vehicles, cruising past strangers, ghost-riding the whip (more details to follow), and collecting items. Once the desired total has been reached, players must race back to the customer in order to watch a cutscene based on the TV show where Xzibit visits the customer's house and discovers their likes and dislikes. Once this has happened players race around the city, visiting all of the upgrade shops they're able to within the time limit to upgrade the car's rims, bodykit, in-car entertainment, paint and custom upgrades. When time runs out, the customer judges whether the player has done a better job than a computer opponent at improving the car, and chooses the best car of the two.

Driving around in game isn't particularly enjoyable; the car handling has a heavy arcade feel to it, and collisions are particularly uneventful without any vehicular damage modelling. There's a decent sense of speed, but without opponents to race there's no real need to rush, save for the final rush around upgrade shops. The challenges required to earn money aren't particularly fun, and usually consist of pressing buttons in a displayed sequence.

'Ghostriding the whip' is a major feature of the game; a street trend of dancing alongside a slow moving car whilst it makes its way down the street. The minigame for this consists of pressing 12 sets of 3 or 4 button sequences within a certain time limit. Depending on how much of the sequence is done correctly, players earn a monetary bonus. It doesn't take long to earn the funds necessary to pimp a car, but the process of doing so is monotonous, even with 3 different minigames.

The pimping stage of the game lacks much choice for players, as they're given a set of 5 or less options at each upgrade store to choose from, each with different costs and star ratings which must be considered against the customer's interests. There's a short minigame at each store which can reduce the price of the current upgrade, but isn't always relevant or fun. Often it's difficult to assess what each specific customer will like, and the best policy is to buy the most expensive items available.

Being constrained by the time limit, this stage of the game is often more of a chaotic rush around the small town featured in the game than an enjoyable customisation experience. Once all is done, the cutscene featuring the customer and Xzibit is particularly cringeworthy with awkward pauses and half sentences before showing off the rival's effort. In the early stages of the game it's almost impossible to lose to the rival garage, but I'd assume it picks up later on.

Graphically the game features rather scary looking representations of people, especially Xzibit and the customers. The cars and other details aren't rendered too badly, but there's nothing particularly impressive visually in the game as a whole. Musically there's nothing of note besides a few songs that featured in many games of the time, and the original Pimp My Ride theme tune.

Overall a game based on Pimp My Ride could have been much better; with many customisation options and less of a focus on earning money via minigames, in favour of more racing and perhaps even a look inside West Coast Customs, fans of the series could have found more enjoyment. As it is, customers only take 10-20 minutes to get through from start to finish, and there's no real appeal anywhere in the main gameplay. Having watched MTV as a 14 year old, I wouldn't have been satisfied with this then, and I'm still not.

Rating: 40/100
Grade: E

Game Review: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Game: Professor Layton and The Curious Village
Console: Nintendo DS
Developer: Level-5
Release Date: 7th November 2008

Professor Layton games in general seem older to me than having started only 7 years ago, but I suppose the puzzle concept is a fairly simple one that all of the games tend to have in common, though they feature different stories and other extras. Professor Layton and the Curious Village is the first game in the series, and one which I have been playing for a very long time, albeit never to completion, until just before the time of writing this review.

Previously I had considered it a glorified set of puzzles, having only got a little way into the storyline but upon completion of the game this seems like an unfair judgement. While many puzzle games exist, especially for the handheld market, very few of them feature the depth of story and characters as well as the extra features and finishing touches of Professor Layton games.

Gameplay is fairly simple as players watch cutscenes explaining story details, and read various conversations between Professor Layton and the inhabitants of the village of St. Mystere. Inbetween these cutscenes and conversations, players must explore the village and solve puzzles to gain information and progress. Players are allowed not to solve puzzles, should they prove too hard, and puzzles which have been skipped can be attempted again from a location within the village. The only time that puzzle solving will have been necessary as far as I can see is to gain access to the tower, at the very end of the game (players must have completed a certain number of puzzles throughout the course of the game to enter).

The story of the game is told well and adds a lot of interest to the puzzling. The characters are generally well rounded and likeable, and the voiced cutscenes which play during major moments give a sense of continuity and bring the world of the game to life. Obviously those who don't enjoy puzzles or the storytelling aspect of games won't be well suited to the Professor Layton series, but that's pretty obvious already.

In terms of the overall puzzle difficulty in the game, it depends on which puzzles players are already skilled at tackling and have come across before, though there is a distinct difficulty curve towards the end of the game. Unless you're a puzzling master though, there's bound to be at least one puzzle that is new to you, if not quite a few.

When solving puzzles, players are able to draw and do working out on the touchscreen in most cases, and can have several attempts at getting a correct answer. It's a slight shame that more use isn't made of the touchscreen in this instalment as there are plenty of puzzles which could make use of a little rotation or exploration via the bottom screen.

Graphically the game has a consistent and enjoyable visual style which helps to add character to the experience as a whole. As well versed creators of video games and anime, Level-5 are able to depict the characters in a quaint and simple way that embodies who Professor Layton is, at least for me. Musically too there are some enjoyable tunes which characterise the village of St. Mystere and build tension in the final parts of the game and its cutscenes.

Overall Professor Layton and the Curious Village isn't a game that everyone will enjoy; it's slow pace and story based gameplay may well put some gamers off, but those who are able to settle into the mystery and story of the game will find that it offers more than simple puzzles for solving. It may well be that the other games in the series are somewhat summarized by this review. If that's the case, then I'll add their information and scores below this instead of writing a new review, but for now that's all!

Rating: 73/100
Grade: C