A Conglomeration of XBLA Reviews

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness is not only the greatest name of a video game series ever, it is also a four-part episodic series that mixes adventure and RPG elements.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two
Developer: Hothead Games
Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed)

XBLA: October 22nd 2008
XBLA: October 22nd 2008

However, the humour of the series is far and away the best selling point of the series. The second episode is really no different than the first in this sense as it is still rather light on the adventure and RPG elements, yet there is an inordinate amount of jokes scattered around that almost do enough to keep the player happy for the duration of the game.

The gameplay is exactly the same as the first instalment but that was to be expected due to the very nature of an episodic series. You take control of a custom character (or you can import your own character from the first game and modify them) and team up with Tycho and Gabe (who destroy your partly rebuilt home) to track down the giant robot who was responsible for you having to re-build your home in the first place. The story is once again set in the fictional New Arcadia in 1922 with six maps to explore (four brand new, two returning) as you complete tasks for various people in order to track down parts needed to take on the giant fruit-fornicator robot. You are not really told as to why certain parts are needed or even what they are going towards building until the very end of the game, but this helps inject a lot of jokes into the game so it’s not too detrimental to the individual story, or the overall story arc that will encompass all four games.

The story is told in 2D comic strip format when speaking with other character and it really captures the essence of the web comic; and your character is able to choose different things to say in the speech bubbles but the story remains the same regardless. These 2D scenes are broken up by Flash movies that highlight the most important happenings in the game and there are nearly triple the amount of these scenes than the previous episode.

The gameplay has remained exactly the same with each of the three playable having the ability to use an item, use a regular attack or use a special attack (which initiate some timing-based minigames that lead to the amount of damage done) but the more powerful the attack, the longer it will take you to charge it, so you cannot just mash the special attacks. The difficulty of these battles is somewhat questionable. Despite there being three difficulty levels (plus a bonus insane mode once the game has been completed) the battles get insanely easy when you can flee at any time and recover all of your health by doing so before trying again.

The game is focused mainly on the humour, which is readily available everywhere you turn. The adventure elements, such as examining items and collecting evidence are substituted for jokes. This is very much in the Penny Arcade style yet it ends up detracting from the game and makes it seem like an animated comic more than an adventure game. That said though, there is something quite spectacular about getting an achievement for examining a binoceroses’ withered pair of testicles with ‘genuine interest’.

The Final Word
Penny Arcade’s On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode Two does a good job of expanding on the first episode in areas like cut scenes and being more open-ended but it still falls short of being a true adventure game as it often substitutes these instances for humour which, while funny, is detrimental to an otherwise great game.

– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good

Banjo Kazooie
Developer: RARE
Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed)

XBLA: December 3rd 2008
XBLA: December 3rd 2008

Banjo – Kazooie tells the heart-warming story of a bear named Banjo and a bird named Kazooie in a collectathon battle against the evil witch Gruntilda (or Grunty) in order to save Banjo’s little sister, Tooty, from her clutches. Throughout the game you collect Jiggy’s to unlock new levels, in these levels you collect more Jiggy’s to unlock other levels and there are musical notes in the levels that unlock new areas and eventually get to fight Grunty.

The game has received hardly any changes since it’s original release over a decade ago which is great in nostalgic terms especially since anything new added would most likely have been slated. The colours are still vibrant and contrasting enough to make your retinas’ bleed and the sound effects are still goofy enough that everytime Banjo does his ‘I just got a Jiggy’ dance you will join in with his Goofy-esq laugh. The game proves itself to be just as charming and as fascinating as it ever was.

Due to the lack of major changes, the game still suffers from the occasional camera problems that occur when in tight corners and underwater which can be very frustrating when running low on air and trying to get to the surface even though you have no idea where the surface is.

The main difference between the N64 release and the XBLA release is the replayability. The addition of achievements and leader boards increase the longevity of the game substantially as people will want to see how quickly they can complete the game compared to friends and randoms over Xbox Live. This feature is sure to get players going for multiple playthroughs to perfect their times and to look for shortcuts in order to get the best score.

The Final Word
Overall, the re-release of one of the classic platformers of all time shows that the game has held up extremely well given the considerable amount of time that has passed since it was first released. The only problem that some people may have is the 1200MS Space Dollars, but this game is recommendable to both new and old players.

– MonsterVine Rating: 5 out of 5 – Excellent

Mega Man 9
Developer: Capcom
Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed)

PSN: 25th September, XBLA: October 1st 2008, Wii Shop: 22nd September 2008
PSN: 25th September, XBLA: October 1st 2008, Wii Shop: 22nd September 2008
PSN: 25th September, Wii Shop: 29th September 2008

The Megaman franchise is one of the longest running franchises in the history of video games and has seen a number of spin-offs based on the original series simply entitled Megaman. The last game in the original series, the aptly-named Megaman 8 was released on the Playstation in 1996, so it may seem strange that the next game in the series is released nearly twelve years afterwards. Despite the incredulous amount of detail that is now implemented into most video game releases, Capcom decided to go back to the glory days of the Blue Bomber and use the original 8-bit style of gameplay that veteran gamers know and love today.

Megaman 9 in many ways is just another Megaman game. Dr Wily has loosed evil robots against the world, only this time he is blaming it on Dr Light, which prompts Megaman into action in order to rid the world of the robots and prove Dr Lights’ innocence.

The game is split into eight levels each culminating in a boss battle which, when victorious, grants the player with the boss’ weapon to use in any other level they wish. As is the Megaman tradition, each boss has a certain weapon that they are weak against but it is up to the player’s own trial and error gameplay to figure which of the bosses are weak against which weapons. Once these 8 bosses are defeated, the player travels to Wily’s castle to do battle with the nefarious Doctor once again.

The action in Megaman 9 is almost identical to that of the very first Megaman games. It is a very simple platforming shooter in which the player must destroy enemies whilst avoiding dangerous traps such as spikes and bottomless pits, both of which are of course instant kills.

The Final Word
Megaman 9 is a game that fans of the series will love, with it’s irresistibly catchy yet infuriatingly annoyingly 8-bit music, it’s seemingly impossible challenges and the brand spanking new implementation of leader boards and time attacks, Megaman 9 is definitely a game that Megaman lovers simply can not turn away. Having said this, newcomers to the series will most likely feel overwhelmed by the difficulty of certain parts and may not be suited to the classic trial and error gameplay.

– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good

A Kingdom for Keflings
Developer: Ninja Bee
Platform: Xbox 360 (reviewed)

XBLA: 19th November 2008
XBLA: 19th November 2008

One of the main features of the NXE (New Xbox Experience) came avatars. These Mii imposters have found their way onto our dashboards and our Gamer Cards and have now seemingly found their way onto XBLA titles. The first new release to have avatar support is A Kingdom for Keflings, a bizarre city building game created by Ninja-Bee.

In A Kingdom for Keflings you control your avatar (or one of a set few stock avatars if you are having internet connectivity problems) and assist the few Keflings (really small people) that have gathered around your humble village and attempt to turn it into a thriving city, as thriving as a medieval city can be of course. You will be collecting resources, depositing them into various construction related buildings before building the individual parts required for a building, and then literally taking those parts and form them in a manner specified by blueprints before the building is complete. Gathering enough resources will take a while, so you will have to utilize the help of your Keflings and attract more of them to your soon-to-be mega-city by completing small favours for the mayor in order to receive ‘love’ which is the main attraction for Keflings apparently.

The main addiction of AKFK is that you can take everything is taken at your own pace. You could spend three hours collecting wood if you so wished and you would not so much as get a complaint from your fellow workers. This could however, have a damaging effect on the game as some players may feel that such tasks are pointless as the player is often rewarded with nothing more than some new blueprints and some cheering Keflings. It is very dependant on the player however, and personally I found the game very relaxing but I rarely played it for more than an hour at a time.

The artistic style of AKFK is as you would expect from such a player-friendly game with bright visuals and the ability to paint the rooftops of your buildings different colours adds to the sense that the city is entirely yours and there are no restrictions as to what you build or where you want to build it. The avatars also look great doing something other than standing on your dashboard looking bored.

The game is a perfect game to show to family members due to the complete lack of punishment or time-constraints that the player has put on them, and it’s easy to pick up and play mentality will no doubt bring delight and joy to many a player. With this said, be warned before you buy this as anyone who feels the need to try and burn through and build all of the buildings as quickly as possible will not get the same delightful experience that one could get from making the city their own.

The Final Word
With online co-op supporting up to four players in one city and online leaderboards that tally up all of your scores and just your score for the week, A Kingdom For Keflings is most certainly a game that you should buy IF you are in the market for a calm, relaxing game that you can enjoy without the pressures of a zombie outbreak or another alien invasion.

– MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good