Perfect 10s - Rayman Origins

Perfect 10s

Rayman Origins

There have been many character comebacks and re-inventions throughout the history of gaming, some successful and some not. Metroid on Gamecube was brilliant, repeated attempts by Sonic have been somewhat less brilliant. Some are demanded but never arrive; F-Zero Wii U anyone? And then there are others…

No one demanded that Ubisoft (Montpellier), the curious French studio, make a new Rayman. When it was released no one expected it to be very good and when it turned out to be exceptional no one expected it to sell. Sadly the latter prediction was true and Rayman Origins remains an under played and under valued game by the wider gaming community. For shame! If you are new to Rayman Origins then prepare yourself to be overwhelmed with delight.

Upon first entering the game you are presented with an opening cut scene that serves a number of purposes. Firstly, it vaguely introduces the vague story that precedes the adventure - this sounds like a potential negative but so firmly is tongue in cheek that the game is, in fact, better for this vague-ness; there is a beautiful comedic value to it. Secondly the cut scene introduces the downright gorgeous art style of the game, which needs to be seen to be believed. Thirdly, as the cut scene progresses, it introduces the jazzy, funky and imaginative soundtrack that will literally have you dancing in your seat as you work your way through the 10 hours main game offered.

The game plays as beautifully as it looks and sounds with each level presenting new twists on old standards. Yes there is platforming; yes there is swimming underwater and yes you still primarily progress from left to right in traditional platform style but everything feels fresh and new. The game occasionally takes a step into left field for an explosive flying shoot ‘em up level and each world is punctuated with wild chases where you need to catch a hilarious looking treasure chest.  The pace is high and frenetic and the platforming action difficult but never unfair. One particular chase took me 20 attempts to complete but I was never angry; challenged? Yes. Cheated? No.

Add to this an outstanding co-op and the game takes on another dimension – party mode. Completing levels together is rewarding and the collection aspect of the game instantly becomes competitive. Also, giving another player a slap in the face feels solid and satisfying, which is important. Get some beers and friends around and play, dance and shout together. Just like the old days…

This is a game that is once played, never forgotten. It’s beautiful; the music will remain with you, tucked at the back of your mind until one day POW! You wake up humming like a musical fish (play the game and this will make sense to you)! It’s hilarious in parts, challenging but not impossible in others and has a great multiplayer. I can’t ask for anymore than that!

Rayman Origins: 10

Keep come backs awesome! Keep it OMG!

Perfect 10s - Tekken 3

Perfect 10s

Tekken 3

There was a time when the Tekken brand was inseparable from the PlayStation brand. Sega had Virtua Fighter and Sony had Tekken; this was just a fact. The first Tekken sold PlayStations with its ‘arcade perfect’ visuals while the first Virtua Fighter helped create the myth that the Saturn couldn’t do 3D. The second Tekken sold PlayStations by refining the gameplay and refining the FMV videos to create the appearance of the perfect fighting game package while Virtua Fighter 2 looked incredible, played incredible but felt like a somewhat empty experience.

By 1998 the PlayStation was rolling, the Saturn was dead in the water and Tekken had played a major part in Sony’s victory.

Enter Tekken 3.

Tekken 3 picked up where Tekken 2 left off, opening with a wonderful FMV sequence to carry the Tekken story on a generation. Returning characters had aged and new characters added fresh blood and fresh balance to the mix. No character felt overpowered and each was distinctive with large pools of moves, designed around their individual fighting styles, that included combos, juggles and counters, all performed smoothly and speedily. Slick.

On release the game looked incredible. Any concerns over Namco’s ability to convert the game from the System 12 arcade board to the PS1 were immediately laid to rest as the fighters lunged in and connected with big hits that resonated out of the screen. Yes, on closer inspection some textures were a little blockier than the arcade version but never had a port been so very close to arcade perfection.

The game is packed with features including two new game modes that ensure that Dualshocks groan at the thought of playing through this game again. Tekken Ball and Tekken Force – beach volleyball and Double Dragon respectively – are both, oddly, brilliant in their own right. Rewards come thick and fast: hidden characters and awesome FMV endings (including Gon’s never-ending ending) are just two that should be mentioned.

In all, Namco made a game that (still) feels complete and that is a rare thing. Tekken 3 took what had gone before and ran off far into the distance, laying down a challenge to all other fighting games. 

Has it been bettered since? It’s difficult to say. Soul Caliber 2 and Street Fighter 4 have come very close. Subsequent Tekkens have not.

But on a generation of hardware notable for fantastic fighting games, Tekken 3 was the finest example and you can’t say fairer than that really.

Tekken 3: 10

Keep it FMV. Keep it OMG.

Perfect 10s - Super Mario Galaxy

Perfect 10s. 

Super Mario Galaxy.

It seems fitting to begin a series on Perfect 10 games with the definitive game from the recently discontinued Nintendo Wii; the game that Eurogamer has this week listed as the number 1 game of the last generation and the game that launched Mario into another universe of platform gaming excellence.

“Another decade needs to go by before we'll know whether it will come to be as revered as 64 did,” said Eurogamer in 2007.

I think it’s fair to say that 6 years on we can say this with confidence.

Mario Galaxy hit the Wii in time for Christmas 2007 and was another tick in the ‘revolution’ box for Nintendo. Where Super Mario Sunshine had struggled to convince that it was a step forward from Mario 64, Mario Galaxy wasted no time in proving that it was a leap forward.

A pivotal moment in the game comes early as Mario is stood on the edge of a platform; to progress Mario must reach the underneath of the platform. Let’s check that again: Mario is on the top of the platform and the means to progress sit on the platform but underneath. Can you jump to it? No. Can you perform a slide down an adjacent wall and wall jump to it? No. Have you missed something? No.

Mario Galaxy is laughing in the face of everything that has gone before; it is tearing up the platform game rulebook with glee.

The solution? Walk off the edge.

It seems so simple now. Just walk off the edge and let the Galaxy gravity take care of you. In 2007 this was mind blowing new ground.

For this moment (and the clever use of physics) alone Mario Galaxy would score highly but when it is mixed with in-genius, fragmented, planetoid level design and the familiar, easy to pick up controls this game becomes a Perfect 10. Add the bumblebee suit, a subtle yet effective multiplayer solution and gorgeous visuals and you could keep adding numbers to that. But a 10 is enough.

Mario Galaxy: 10

Keep it revolutionary. Keep it OMG.

Perfect 10s

Perfect 10s

What makes a perfect game? Graphical wizardry? Engaging story? Tight controls? Explosions? Characters you can relate to? A memorable place in history? Mind blowing set pieces? Explosions? Breaking new ground? Sweeping musical score? Art direction to die for? Explosions?

I’m not a big reviewer of games. Although I am very opinionated and have very strong views on what I consider to be good or great games, I find that the process of attaching scores to games makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable. 

It's the permanence, you see? This is particularly true of reviewing new games where a score is based on perhaps a few days of play. It is difficult to attach such a permanent figure to something so new when it is possible that opinion may change or that a game may carve out a solid place in gaming history. Goldeneye (N64) is a good example of this. It received strong contemporary reviews upon its release in 1997 but not perfect scores, something which at least one respected magazine has corrected in recent months.

And so it is with the benefit of hindsight that I approach this series of articles on games that I consider Perfect 10s. Over the coming Wednesdays I will publish an article on each game to which I believe I would award a Perfect 10.

Those expecting controversy can look away now; this is not a list designed to encourage disgusting arguments on the comments thread. There may be very few surprises but I would hope that some choices will leave you saying ‘Oh yeah, I’d forgot about that.’

Excited? Me too. What better way to look to the future than to remind ourselves of the past?

Keep it perfect. Keep it OMG.

Memories of the Wii...

Memories of the Wii…

Although it comes as no surprise, the news that Nintendo is ceasing production of the Wii this week leaves me a little sad. To be honest, I often get a bit melancholic when a console is discontinued but this time I find myself feeling almost guilty as I read through the ‘obituaries’ appearing on the various gaming websites. (My favourite is by Edge, found here: http://www.edge-online.com/features/a-temporary-revolution-our-tribute-to-nintendos-wii/)

Without wanting to sound too dramatic, it is a bit like reading about the passing of an old school friend in the local paper; one that you have had zero contact with for a number of years, but one that you were close to for a while.

Yes, my Wii has been back in its box for around 10 months and before that it suffered 2 years of neglect; its only use being that of my 7 year old nephew playing Ben 10 on his Sunday visits. For shame!

But with the discontinuation comes a flood of memories: laughing at the ridiculous name when it was first announced at e3 2006. Ridiculing the ridiculous control system as something that would never work. Guffawing at the re-hashed GameCube architecture; how ridiculous was that? Ridiculous.

I also remember the first time I played a Wii in December 2006 at a friend’s house and realised that I had been wrong. Realising that it did work. Realising that whenever a software house got it right, the Wii could be fantastic.

I wasn’t alone as the Wii sold out that Christmas and remained in short supply for months after. I purchased my own Wii in April 2007 after seeing an advertising board outside Electronics Boutique kindly informing me that the Wii was in stock that day. I didn’t even check my bank account for funds I just bought one.

For the next 6 months I played on Mario Strikers Charged endlessly. Tense online co-op sessions with my housemate saw us ranked in the top 10 of the world on more than one occasion.

For Christmas 2007 I received what may be the greatest ever Mario game: Mario Galaxy. Through January 2008 I drank wine and worked to complete Galaxy night and day. The addition of the co-op mode meant that both my housemate and I could share in the experience.

In Summer 2008 Smash Bros came out and replaced Strikers Charged as the multi-player game of choice and this was followed by Mario Kart. Multi-player hadn’t been this good since the N64.

But, in August 2008 I moved into a shared house occupied by staunch non-gamers and this is when the Wii stalled for me. MadWorld and Super Mario Galaxy 2 would drag me back for a short time but it was obvious: the Wii was the life of the party; it wasn’t your best mate.

At this point I drifted to the PS3 where deep one-player experiences were the norm not the exception and again I know, I am not alone. The PS3 slim became a go to place for many disillusioned Wii owners.

So the news this week is a reminder that for a time, the Wii was my number one console. In fact, in its 2 years of real use it probably experienced the equivalent of 4 years worth of gaming. It also reminds me that there are still some exceptional titles I have not played: Xenoblade Chronicles is just one.

Finally, it is a reminder that, although it lost its momentum, the Wii remains Nintendo’s greatest expression of creativity and that against all the odds, whisper it, it won the last generation; 100 million sales ain’t half bad for a ridiculous little white box.

The waiting game.

The waiting game.

Let me set the scene; I am sat in my apartment in Naples (Italy), it’s five-past midnight and my girlfriend is sat next to me, earphones in listening / watching something on her laptop; there is a lot of noise drifting in through the window from the streets and tightly knit apartment blocks that make up the Materdei district of Naples; the light in our living room is on and as I look at this Word document my eyes are burning up. It might be the newly installed anti-mosquito chemical dispersing plug that is glowing red somewhere in the bedroom, it might be the insanely strong onion that I chopped a few hours ago for lunch, it could be the oddly dim energy saving light-bulb. My eyes are burning up and I could probably say that one of these reasons is true. But I would be lying.

My eyes are burning up because today, like most days these days, I have read every single new word published on the Internet about the next generation of consoles: in particular the PS4.

That’s right. My eyes are melting because I can’t stop reading about the PS4. It’s like an addiction. Today, over early afternoon coffee, I realized that I was still sat where I had sat to drink my early morning coffee. I hadn’t moved other than to clean out the coffee maker and make said new early afternoon coffee. I am a next gen zombie. I may as well be an alcoholic for all the use I am at the moment. I stay up late reading, I wake up early and read and stare into space and read and stare and read and stare until my eyes bleed tired, caffeine infused blood.

And why?

The last generation passed me by. Completely. Sometimes I enjoy reading the comment threads on next gen articles (IGN is best) and read the bilge and vitriol hurled between fan groups whose brand loyalty got a little out of hand in the PS3 XB360 era but I don’t really understand. With the exception of a handful of games (Red Dead and Rayman Origins to name two) I genuinely thought the last generation was pretty bad.

From the very beginning the last generation distanced itself from my traditional gaming ideals. SKU’s? No thanks - the Super NES didn’t need SKU’s. Multi-player games that couldn’t be played with friends in the same room? Fuck that – mid-nineties multi-tap parties ruled. Cooling fans borrowed from government issued, Fujitsu made, shit spec PC’s?  Nope. I already live with quite enough background noise thank you.

These things are perhaps from the sillier end of the spectrum but I do have some serious issues with the last gen.

One issue particularly stands out for me – a perceived lack of direction. To be fair, this can be leveled at Sony more than anyone. Nintendo had their direction sorted; Microsoft had their PC in a box with added achievements but Sony? Well, who knows?  The team that gave us the PS1 and the PS2, two machines that knew what they wanted to be and kicked-ass doing it, gave us the PS3. Sony built an expensive powerhouse that was prepared for any direction future tech might take but with no clear idea of what that might be. In 2006 Facebook picked up where MySpace left off and social networking boomed – people wanted connectivity and personalization; records of achievement to show to their friends in an online community. Cue hardware revisions to remove functionality and reduce costs. Cue endless firmware updates. Cue mandatory trophies for developers. Sony was prepared for everything except this; Microsoft and LIVE had got it right but they missed the boat on Blu-ray, HD, and basic console reliability.

This era also saw a massive change in the economics of, and thus end product of, game development. Costs spiraled, development teams grew exponentially and a risk-averse culture reared its ugly head. Cue FPS shovel ware. That’s right – shovel ware. I see no difference between the endless list of shit Wii titles and the endless list of shit PS3 and 360 titles. Shit is shit. That Syndicate Wars, a brilliant game, was ‘brought up to date’ and released as an FPS sickens me. Still.

So why am I excited about PS4? Why?

Because Sony have got it sussed. Social networking? Tick. Ever improving PSN? Tick. Enlisting indie developers to liven up the games scene? Tick. Name dropping the PS1? Tick.

Big mistakes were made in the last era and it seems that Sony have learned from them. What Sony went through with the PS3 is what Microsoft seems to be going through with XBO now.

Before the PS4 reveal, I had never heard of Mark Cerny but may I take a moment to say well played that man. The PS4 is shaping up to be a huge success à la PS2. The reason? Direction.

So yes. I spend all my time lapping up the articles about the PS4 because I am excited. I am massively impatient to stop reading about it and start playing it.

But right now I should really just go to bed – rest my eyes up for another reading marathon tomorrow; so goodnight everyone.

Keep it focused, keep it OMG.