Review: May's Mystery: Forbidden Memories

by Alex St-Amour on 30 October 2011, 1,225 views

The puzzle / adventure genre has certainly found itself a comfortable home on the Nintendo DS. Between the touch screen, microphone, dual screens and traditional buttons it’s no wonder that so many puzzle series have been born and flourished on Nintendo’s little system that could. Well dust off that thinking cap and study up on that logic and math because May's Mystery: Forbidden Memories has arrived for the double screened head scratcher. Does this latest brain teasing adventure stand on its own or is it forever in the shadow of a very tall top hat?

The game opens with May (who bears a striking resemblance to Olive Oil from the Popeye cartoons), her little brother and their pilot taking a trip in a hot air balloon. Soon they are caught in a storm and the balloon crashes. When May awakens, both the pilot and her brother are missing; all that is left behind is a letter explaining how her brother went to the nearby village of Dragonville to look for help.

Now if you are at all familiar with the Professor Layton (and the puzzle games you’ve played before) games, then you will not only know what to expect from May’s Mystery but also probably have a very serious case of déja vu because the game copies the good professor in almost every way. Not that that’s a bad thing. May’s game features the same kind of puzzle and adventure elements that Layton made his name on. The problem here is that, on a whole, the game isn’t nearly as well rounded or fine tuned as Professor Layton (and the games he stars in).

For starters, just simply navigating around town is made much more of a hassle by the fact that you cant just tap where you want to go, you have to press the compass, which makes arrows appear on the screen that point to where you can go. Not a major problem but an annoyance none the less. I should also note that unlike a certain top hat wearing professor (who shall remain nameless) you can’t explore your surroundings, in every screen you can only go where the arrows say you can meaning no exploration or secrets here. Also, every time you fail a puzzle you have to go through ALL the dialogue for that puzzle again. Now this can, and will, get very tiresome very fast, especially since the hint system for this game is largely useless. Not only are the hints as convoluted as the puzzles themselves but the game doesn’t even tell you why you were right/wrong when you complete a puzzle, which takes a lot of the ‘learning’ out of the experience.

Just like the Layton games (and yes I will be saying that a lot during this review) you go through the village, speaking to townsfolk, asking them for clues to help solve the mystery. However they will only help you if you solve a puzzle for them, whether it is organizing matches in a specific way or figuring out how to place differently shaped objects into one larger object. Unique to May’s Mystery however are all new rhythm puzzles, in these games you have to match the song being played by tapping in rhythm with the stylus. These rhythm games provide some of the best moments in May’s Mystery; it’s just a shame that out of the game’s hundreds of puzzles just over a dozen are actually these rhythm games.

The game’s presentation also mimics Professor Layton (and copied the art style) in almost every way. From the European inspired setting, to the hand-drawn visuals and even the soundtrack, everything here is very Layton-esque. And again, it’s not a bad thing for this game to borrow from the best around, because the some parts of May’s Mystery are exceptionally well done. The voice acting during the cut-scenes and the soundtrack are particular stand-outs also the drawing of the main characters like May and her brother are well done. But like the gameplay the presentation here just doesn’t feel as sharp as what you will find in… that other puzzle game series on the DS. For example, the secondary characters are often horribly drawn, looking like random ideas thrown together to make a person. Also the game features a numerous amount of typos which as my editors would say, is a major pain in the (edited for language).

On a technical note, the game both impresses and depresses at the same time. For one the cutscenes are surprisingly well made, in many cases standing toe to toe with what we’ve seen in the Professor Layton games. On the other hand the game features surprisingly long and frequent load times, which baffles the mind seeing as how it is on a Nintendo DS cartridge. Now I may not be the most tech-savvy person in the room but shouldn’t it be near-impossible for a DS cart to have need for so many load times, especially of you’re only going to be loading puzzles, text and static images?

May’s Mystery features over 270 puzzles which is definitely a solid number for the puzzle aficionado. But what it gains it quantity it loses in quality as the vast majority of the brain teasers are simply re-hashes of things we already solved in any of the four Professor Layton games that came before. The game does have some secret puzzles to find and unlock that will truly test your skills at math, logic and more. Speaking of difficulty, it’s easy to see that May’s Mystery is aimed at a younger audience, and the puzzles are definitely a tad easier than the one’s found in Professor Layton (and the impossible puzzles) but sometimes the difficulty spikes randomly between levels to near un-solvable levels. 

Over the course of this review I have made numerous comparisons (and lame puns) between May’s Mystery: Forbidden Memories and the Professor Layton (and the nearly identical games) titles. Both these games share nearly everything in common and May’s game does have a lot of positives going for it, but it just seems to do it all a bit more… sloppily. The puzzles aren’t up to par, the navigation is cumbersome, the presentation is a mixed bag and the difficulty is all over the place, all things that Mr. Layton has long since ironed out of his games. So maybe May’s Mystery isn’t the game to unseat the puzzle master from his throne of mind benders, but it puts up a valiant effort none the less. 

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Review: Saints Row: The Third (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)

Posted by Martin Watts on Saturday, November 19, 2011 · 1 Comment 

Videogames are the ultimate form of escapism. They allow us to forget about our mundane lives and go off into the digital realm and either do something we never could, or rather, never would in the real world. It’s perhaps the defining aspect of games – the level of interactivty that they offer and, more importantly, what these games actually allow us to do, albeit in pretend form, is what sets them apart from any form of media.

It’s this particular notion that Saints Row: The Third captures so perfectly. In brief, this game is best defined as being absolutely nuts. The amount of crazy ideas pumped into it, whether it’s driving a car with a tiger as a passenger or four gangsters taking out a military-grade aircraft carrier, is simply insane. It’s easy to see that the developers, Volition, Inc., went all out to wow its audience with a game that focuses on providing one of the best modern gameplay experiences that money can buy. From a technical point of view, Saints Row: The Third isn’t perfect, namely because it’s a story-driven game with a story that acts as a bit of a hindrance at times. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for an over-the-top, insane action-sandbox game this holiday season, then Saints Row: The Third is a must-buy title.

The level of customisation is astonishing.

Saints Row: The Third’s storyline is quite a departure from Saints Row 2, which itself was pretty crazy. After defeating the Ultor Corporation last time round, the Saints grew into a worldwide phenonemon, becoming pop culture icons for their criminal antics. The end result of this is a gang that’s more focused on advertising and media deals than the devious acts that helped it garner such notoriety. However, a spanner is quickly thrown in the works when the gang are targeted by a wealthy businessman and his organisation, The Syndicate, a collaborative effort between three other major gangs. With things going terribly pear-shaped, the Saints end up in Steelport, rather than their usual stomping ground of Stilwater. With the gang deprived of some – but not all – of its luxuries and scattered all over the place, it’s up to you to reclaim your status and take Steelport for your own.

Unfortunately, the story is a tad confusing at times and it never really gets the chance to build up momentum. One minute you’re in the middle of World War III, the next you’re doing something less exciting and the story takes the backseat. While this doesn’t detract enough from the game to ruin it, it just isn’t as strong as the previous game. Some characters, such as Shaundi, have undergone drastic changes (for the worse), whereas the main emphasis of the story has moved away perhaps a bit too much from gang warfare, and more into actual warfare against a new military opponent known as STAG (the Special Tactical Anti-Gang Unit) that lacks personality. Thankfully, the developers were keen to shy away from making you build your way back up to the top from the very bottom, which means that there’s a lot more action early on in this game than its predecessor.

You are also asked to make key choices throughout the story about to what to do next. These are, in fact, a lot less important than they’re initially made out to be and, unfortunately, have no real effect on the story, except for the final one. It’s essentially a case of choosing which perks you want.  The game is still incredibly humorous and this new storyline direction does allow for some jaw-dropping moments (meeting Steelport’s mayor, for example, is one of greatest moments you’ll ever experience in a videogame). However, it just isn’t executed particularly well from start to finish, with the ending(s) leaving a bit of a sour taste.

While Saints Row: The Third may falter somewhat with its storyline, the actual gameplay is both fun and fleshed out. This is, without doubt, one of the most enjoyable games of the year. The action is full-on almost the entire way through, with the pacing only being a bit off near the beginning. This is mainly because you have to complete a series of the game’s side missions and jobs before you can progress with the actual story, and these don’t carry the same level of excitement that story missions do. However, about halfway through, things really pick up, with Steelport practically turning into a warzone. The amount of units, vehicles and firepower you’ll see on the screen at any one time is breathtaking. Volition, Inc. were looking to deliver a high-octane experience and, in this regard, they most certainly succeeded.

The Luchadores are, unfortunately, not as memorable as other Saints Row gangs

What really sets Saints Row: The Third apart from its competitors, such as Grand Theft Auto, is just how utterly absurd it is. This game is not intended for the easily offended. It’s plain stupid, but you’ll absolutely love it. Whether it’s skydiving out of a plane naked, deliberately jumping in front of cars for insurance money or fighting off zombie hordes, it’s all such ridiculously good and varied fun that you won’t want to stop playing. There’re also some great homages to other media too, such as Tron. It’s near impossible to play through this game and not laugh at something. And the best part is that you can do all of this with a friend in the online cooperative mode.

There’s also Saints Row’s own take on Horde Mode included in the game, suitably known as “Whored Mode”. Here, you have three maps, and up to thirty waves of enemies to fight your way through. Much like the campaign mode, this is fully playable in coop. Saints Row: The Third does a great job of taking this game type to a whole new level. No longer are you a generic space marine or military man fighting off tons of aliens; here, you’re delivering pain to sex slaves (do they enjoy that sort of thing?) with traditional weaponry, such as the infamous giant purple dildo bat. Yes, I’m being deadly serious.

Saints Row: The Third offers an impressive amount of customisation. Its character creation, like previous entries in the series, is especially thorough. Moreover, Steelport is an incredibly detailed place, with lots of hidden areas and points of interest for you to explore. Here, you’ll find strongholds to take over and turn into bases of operations (with a surprisingly detailed amount of customisation available), as well as properties to purchase that increase your hourly income. Occasionally, you’ll be driving around, only to come across a gang operation that needs breaking up or a side activity, such as the awesome reality TV show event, Professor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Climax (think bizarre Japanese game show meets The Running Man). These can earn you extra cash to buy guns and upgrades or to earn you respect (which essentially allows you to unlock these). Thankfully, respect levels don’t get in the way of story missions as they did in previous Saints Row titles, although you may want to upgrade your character as much as possible before undertaking the later missions in the game; it can get very tough near the end.

As stated above, the Third Street Saints have a new enemy, STAG. This military organisation is unlike any enemy seen before, using high-tech weaponry and vehicles to bring order to Steelport. Fighting against these guys really mixes things up; they’re incredibly hard to take down and it really does give you a sense of being outgunned and outmanned. It isn’t as mindless as some of the inter-gang battles can be, although new types of gang enemies also keep things fresh. One minor criticism would be that it seems all too easy to get your notoriety rating up very quickly, which doesn’t make missions harder per se; rather, it can just take a lot longer to simply get from A to B, as you have to fight your way through hordes of enemies.

The Professor Genki side game is just nuts.

The amount of guns and vehicles you can use is staggering. Weapons are now upgradeable, and you’ll need to make use of these. Everything from larger gun magazines to exploding bullets is available and you can really choose an upgrade path that suits your gameplay style. If you like to get up close and personal, you can opt for dual submachine guns, whereas those that like to take on their enemies at range can invest in a souped-up sniper rifle.

With regards to the game’s controls, they will largely be familiar to those that have either played a previous Saints Row game or, at least, something along the lines of Grand Theft Auto. Driving vehicles has never been simpler, and you’ll easily zip in between and around cars with the amount of intricate fine-tuning that Volition, Inc. has put in. Newer vehicles, such as the VTOL, incorporate two flight modes, hover and…well, fly. This makes it easy to engage in both combat and travel as you simply hover and focus on destroying your enemies. It’s a fairly intuitive upgrade that adds another level to vehicular warfare.

Graphically, Saints Row: The Third is a nice step up from its prequel. It isn’t the prettiest game in the world, yet the balance between visuals and on-screen intensity more than makes up for this. Everything looks a lot sharper and a lot more polished. Interior environments sport much more detail, not to mention a plethora of destructibles that catch plenty of fire throughout.

The game evokes a great cinematic feel that elevates the action. There’re plenty of new moves at your disposal, which can be performed with a single button press. These range from hilarious to downright silly, such as leapfrogging someone only to then slap them. The game’s camera typically turns this into an action shot of sorts, making it all the more entertaining.

Using the VTOL is simple thanks to intuitive controls

Better yet is the incredible level of attention to detail. Steelport feels more like a living, breathing world in comparison to its sister city. As the game progresses, numerous (and often, hilarious) news stories will play over the radio discussing your most recent antics, while the city itself goes through various stages of protest, military lockdown and even war.

There are fake radio stations for you to listen to as you drive and the music selection is pretty impressive. Otherwise, the sound is what you would expect, whizzing buttons, loud explosions and a heck of a lot of funny dialogue. The fact that your character can have the London accent that was present in the second is more or less a good enough reason on its own for Brits to buy this. Superbly voiced, taking native colloquialisms into account, you’ll really enjoy some of the cutscenes in this game.

Whereas Saints Row: The Third’s story takes something of a step back, its gameplay takes two nice big strides forward. The amount of fun activites at your disposal is staggering, while some of the story missions are huge in scale, making them all the more intense. When you combine this with the sharp controls, funny dialogue and the perfect balance of pretty visuals and on-screen action, it’s a bit of a no-brainer: Saints Row: The Third is hilariously good fun.

Unfortunately, the game is designed with a story-driven experience in mind and this is what prevents the cherry from being placed on top of the proverbial cake. The story is often confusing and your enemies are less interesting than the Brotherhood or the Ronin ever were. Moreover, the pace slows unnecessarily shortly after the first explosive part of the game, creating something of a real disconnect with what is actually going on.

Nevertheless, if you’re after a game that provides bucketloads of insane, ridiculous and hilariously offensive content, Saints Row: The Third is worth your time and money. Volition, Inc. has focused on the most important aspect, the gameplay, and, as a result, has delivered one of the best gaming experiences of the year.

Go buy Saints Row: The Third now, it’d be criminal not to.

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Review: Persona 2 Innocent Sin

by Stephen Kelley on 04 November 2011, 2,397 views

We all had to deal with schoolyard rumors and gossip as adolescents; whether directed at us or friends, it was usually never a good thing. Imagine, if you will, a world where these hurtful rumors are coming true, from the mundane to the utterly ridiculous. This is the world of Shin Megami Tensei Persona 2: Innocent Sin. Originally released way back in 1999, this particular entry of the Persona franchise actually never left Japan back then, while the second part of this two part series, Eternal Punishment, did. Many reasons have been cited for why this exclusion originally occurred, most notably a homosexual relationship within the game and the inclusion of Adolf Hitler as a major villain. Thankfully for all “Megaten” fans with a PSP, there is now finally a legal way to play this game.

Fans of Revelations: Persona, and its later PSP port, will find that the game is vaguely similar in many ways, except for a huge facelift. First and foremost, gone are the first person dungeons, replaced by a familiar isometric over-the-head view made standard by many a Japanese RPG. This sounds like a minor change, but it makes the dungeons slightly less monotonous and confusing, especially in areas like a school building where all walls look the same. Other improvements include the ability to select between three difficulty levels, the ability to save almost anywhere, and a far more streamlined battle system.

The battle system is of the tried and true “random encounter” variety from yesteryear. Everything is turn-based, except the player is given almost complete control over character positioning, turn order, and other commands, including auto-battle. This comes in handy in two major ways. Firstly, when one is trying to obtain new “fusion attacks”, one needs to be able to re-order various spells as they need to be performed in a very specific order. The second example is when you see that the turn order is going to lead to a character dying (e.g. they are poisoned), all you have to do is open a menu and switch them around. I really enjoyed this, as the completely random nature of newer Persona games drives me up the wall even though I love the series.

All of the main characters are equipped with an initial Persona, a sort of multi-dimensional being that gives its user the ability to use magic. Aside from leveling up the actual characters in the game, one can also level up these Personae (Personas?) to learn new spells and abilities. If you tire of the “factory” models, you can always hunt for more. Of course, the legendary “contact system” is here in full force for franchise veterans. For those new to the series, this system allows for players to communicate with the demons they are fighting. When on the “contact” screen a player has to negotiate with the target demon. One can ask for money, healing, items, or even a “pact” that allows for the player to summon that demon as their new Persona. Think of something similar to Pokémon (SMT did this first though), except on more of an intellectual field. The player has to figure out which character would be the best to speak to the demon, and what they need to say; say the wrong thing and you can provoke an extra attack from the monster rather than a shower of goodies.

The story of Shin Megami Tensei Persona 2: Innocent Sin is initially fairly confusing, but rewards people for “hanging in there”. The game opens with the silent protagonist, Tatsuya, getting into trouble at Seven Sisters High School with the new principal. One can see that something is definitely wrong immediately as the comically evil-looking principal (complete with a scar over his eye) has apparently mysteriously won over the student body to the point where he gets cheered by passers-by and has had a statue built in his own honor. This coupled with a sudden rash of disfigured students has led to rumors of curses, demons, possessions and other occult happenings. Tatsuya and his rag-tag group of friends (including his female companion Lisa, and visual-kei musician and overall comic relief character, Michael) assume that the urban legend of a person called “The Joker” who grants wishes must be true. It is said that if one calls their own number on their cellphone, they can summon him and get their greatest wish.

Without spoiling too much, it is revealed that these rumors are in fact coming true, and this plays a very significant role in the actual game. In most games, talking with non-player characters (NPCs) doesn't get you very far. In this game, one can actually come across rumors in dialog, which, with the help of a certain detective agency and a nominal fee, can ultimately come true. Early on in the game one such rumor pops up in which a local Ramen shop is said to be a front for a black-market munitions shop. This is obviously nonsense... until you pay off the detectives to help spread the rumor. Once it hits critical mass you have access to your very first weapons shop. Players that explore every nook and cranny for rumor-mongers, gossip-peddlers, and other nosey people could end up with optional quests, optional weapons, and altered maps.

When looking at the graphics and audio in this game it is important to realize that it's over a decade old, and originally ran on a console far less powerful than the PSP itself. Because of this, it’s hard to see this as much more than a nostalgia title – a “lost game” in a widely popular series. That doesn’t ruin this game at all, but when comparing the presentation to other PSP RPGs, like Valkyria Chronicles 2, for example, you can really see the age. There are cleaned-up “modernized” menus and an option to use the remixed music. Fans that like to keep things retro can toggle the music option off - a huge bonus for those that hated the musical revisions in Persona PSP. Keeping the above in mind, Persona 2 does have good graphics for its time, and with a few pre-rendered cut scenes here and there, it never feels too antiquated.

I mentioned earlier that one of the major stumbling blocks of this game's release in the West was some of the content held within. There is good news and bad news, as almost all of the game is intact, including an implied homosexual relationship (assuming the player chooses that path), and the inclusion of Hitler as a boss character. The bad news is that Hitler is simply referred to as “Fuhrer” and is seen wearing a hilarious pair of sunglasses - just as he was in the Japanese version. This has caused many to jokingly call the character “cool Hitler”.

Assigning a value to this game can be hard as it will be loved by one generation of RPG fans, and possibly hated by the other. On one hand, the sheer length and content held within is staggering, especially compared to Persona PSP. While you could breeze through that game in no time at all, Innocent Sin could easily take 40-50 hours if you are a “completionist.” It took me a total of around 55, but bear in mind that I power leveled, talked to all NPCs and tried to do as many side quests as I could. People with less time on their hands might be able to finish it in around 25 or so, just breezing through the storyline. This is great for a handheld RPG, and makes it feel more like the real deal than other, sparser handheld RPGs out there. 

All in all, Persona 2: Innocent Sin is a strong choice for any PSP RPG fan, and with PSP entering its twilight moments, this could very well be one of the system's last hurrahs. The game shows its age with dated conventions such as mindless grinding, random encounters, and muddy graphics, but makes up for it in spades in both the storyline and gameplay departments. Fans of the newer Persona games will want to play it, as it is definitely the “missing link” between the old school mentality of Perosna PSP and the newer Personas (3 and 4). So was the long wait worth it? Yes, and I loved every minute of it.

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