Sumioni: The Dark Arts, a haiku

Since it is very difficult to wirte an entire post on an iPad, I've decided to try my hand at a more creative form of review...creative and short. Believe me, that this is really hard to type all hunt and peck~like.

Sumioni arts,
game of ink and platforms brushed,
leave it to Rayman.

PS Store or Xbox Live Marketplace?

In recent months I've been able to experience the PS Store.  Since my main console of choice at the moment is still the Xbox 360, I can't help but compare the two online stores to hopefully come to a decision on which is better.  It also has to be said that the version of the PSN that I'm using happens to be on the Vita, so the features of the network are limited by a mobile version so I won't be comparing the Xbox Live features to the PSN ones, that just won't work with the discrepancies in the versions.  Hence, we'll just talk about the shopping experience.

I think the biggest item on everyone's mind when it comes right down to it is the price of the games.  Full-fledged video games, those released in stores and as a downloadables, are priced the same as what they are in stores.  A brand-new 360 game hits the $60 price range while a PSVita game lands at about $40.  Since both networks seem to price their download games at the same rate, equal to that of a physical copy, neither have an advantage.  However, when we come down to the prices of other games, things change.  Advantage: Neither

On the Vita there's the option to download full PSP games, the prices on these range from $5-30 depending on how recent the release was.  The most common games hit the $10-15 amount.  When we look at how the 360 compares, we see that the original Xbox games that are out there don't get quite as low priced as the PSP games.  Though we're looking at the difference between a console game and a portable game, I still think that the PSN gets the advantage here.  I'd much rather get FFT for $10 than some crappy original Xbox game like Prince of Persia.  Advantage: PSN

PS Store on the Vita.

I want to talk about Apps even though the Xbox 360 is a console and the Vita is a new mobile device.  Essentially I'd just like to compare Netflix, since both systems have that as an option.  Neither really beats the other, Netflix is Netflix, and I'm sure we'd see the same when we compare the two Facebook apps to one another.  Advantage: Neither

Let's now talk about Safety and Security...  The PSN track record is awful, we all know that.  I've had my Xbox Live account hacked into though, while my PSN account is still perfectly fine.  Even though my Live experience has been worse than my PS Store one, I have to give the advantage to the Marketplace here.  Even when I had problems, my issues were resolved successfully with my money being returned within a two week time period.  On top of all of that I got a free month of Xbox Live for the issue.  The PSNs recurring issues and vulnerabilities are just too much.  Advantage: Xbox Live

How the Marketplace is organized is pretty aggravating.  You have to figure out what category the game you want is in; Indie, Arcade, full, etc; and then navigate there to find it.  The PS Store is essentially the same way, so there's really no deviation between the two.  I find that both frustrate me unless I know exactly where I'm going, and browsing is usually out of the question.  Advantage: Neither

Last, but not least, let's talk about content.  What do both of these network stores contain?  Obviously we're looking at games the whole time, but what kind of games?  The PS Store has cross-play, PSP, PSVita and Mini games.  The Marketplace has Arcade and Full.  Now, the PSN may have some more variety, but the Arcade for Xbox Live is a powerhouse for games like The Simpsons and X-Men.  However, both systems have a large amount of Indie games, and I hate Indie games...violently hate them.  So with the Indie games balancing out, I have to give the Marketplace kudos for content; bringing back awesome Arcade titles just can't be beat.  Advantage: Xbox Live


Okay, so I can't come up with a clear winner, but, hey, who cares?  I'll have fun getting demos and games from both of the networks and take advantage of the best of both worlds.  Did you really think there'd be a different outcome?

Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational

If you've read any of my earlier posts, you may have learned that I have little tolerance for the Sports genre.  There are few exceptions to this sweeping generality, and one of those is the Hot Shots Golf series.  I barely consider golf a sport, sorry golfers, and I usually don't even acknowledge that there are video games that replicate it.  The mere thought of wasting my time on a golf course, virtual or real, is just horrifying.  Why is Hot Shots different, you ask?  Because I said so.

My introduction to the series was on the PS2, and its cartoon characters and easy to use controls lured me in.  What made me stay was the unlockables and career mode.  A career mode makes everything better.  Rather than unlocking everything within the first couple games that I played, I needed to progress and get better than the AI.  It's maddening when you get to the point that you're really good, but the computer is still better.  That frustration makes you just irritated enough that you have to beat it no matter what; even if you hate the game itself.  To add to that frustration is that set of clubs or music track that awaits once you clear the game.  It doesn't add any replay ability, but just the feeling of satisfaction that you have once it's attained is enough to sate any achievement hunter.  All of the above is included in Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational and gets an added bonus with the DLC and online tourneys.

Actual cartridge size.

This game was hailed as one of the best launch titles, if not the best, for the PSVita.  I tend to agree.  The game isn't too deep in itself, but the online tournaments really add a whole other level.  The same could be said of the downloadables.  It's pretty generic in its goal: golf until you can't golf any more.  Be better than everyone else and get more points to spend on unlockables.  Pretty basic stuff, but it's well done.  Each course that you play on is broken down into 9 holes front and back, as well as 18 holes and mirrored, which makes for a lot of ways to play each course.  The good thing about the 9 holes is that, like we've seen with all the Vita games so far, you can play the game for short periods of time and move on to other activities.

The controls on the Vita are great, I've never had any problems with using the touch screen or the regular buttons.  It's a little tough getting the good shots to work when you have to shake the Vita just as you hit the ball, but after working on it for awhile you can get it down.  The only real issues that I have with the entire game is that some of the rules are just awful.  For instance, there's a rule that if you wait longer than 15 seconds to take a shot, you get a +1 on your hit.  What a bunch of crap!  What if I have to run to the bathroom or get the door?  I can't set the game down for 15 seconds or I get penalized?  I know the game is designed to play quickly, but we don't need to play speed golf and screw over people who happen to have to take a short break without pausing.

The game looks really sharp.

I don't really have any other complaints about Hot Shots Golf.  Like I said above, it's really basic, and since it's designed well, there's little that really grinds my gears.  The customizability with character clothing, clubs, and balls allows you to adjust to any style of play.  Whether you like to curve the ball or just hit it really hard, there's a set of items for you.  As far as the collectibles are concerned, there's a ton of them.  Songs, concept art, characters, clubs, and the list goes on with stuff to get with the points you earn after each course.  The weirdest thing in the game is this little freakish character on the main screen.

In the shop there's a slot machine where you enter some points and get back a random piece of the character.  In the design modes you can change this main screen character by selecting pieces to put together.  There are some really fucked up designs you can throw together, like an insane Mr. Potato Head.  I like to play with the random and see what abominations the game can come up with for me to stare at every time I have to go back to the main screen.

While I don't like sports games, Hot Shots Golf just has those few qualities about it that really make it a good game to play, no matter what genre.  For what it's worth, this game could be a starting point for any gamer that's never really been introduced to a sports game with content, instead they've just been blasted with Madden games all their life until they've been desensitized to how fun a sports game can actually be.  You don't need all that real-life crap, just throw in a crazy-ass Mr. Potato Head; some fun, easy-to-learn game play with an addictive career mode; and you're good to go.  My suggestion is to put down that baseball simulator and pick up Hot Shots Golf, you won't be disappointed.

He's out of control, but he can still go the distance, fairly.

Dynasty Warriors Next

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a fictional novelization of the story of the Three Kingdoms warring for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty.  Few people have read this wonderful tale, I highly recommend it if you are an avid reader and are looking for something different, but most gamers on the planet have heard of Dynasty Warriors; the seemingly never-ending game series spawned by the story.

There are so many Dynasty Warriors games it's mind-boggling.  Not only are there seven games from the main series, but there are countless spin offs:  Dynasty Warriors Xtreme, Dynasty Warriors Gundam, Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi, and the list goes on.  Today we're going to focus on one of the newer titles, and one of the few games of the series to be created specifically for a mobile device and it's also the game that I first purchased when I got my PSVita.

Dynasty Warriors Next doesn't really differ from the rest of the series too much.  The game pits you as one of the notable warriors from the Three Kingdoms, based upon whichever campaign mission you are currently playing, against the other kingdoms and their armies.  The moves are basic button-mashing combos, just simple things like square, square, triangle.  Each one hits a different range of enemies and has some specific uses like block breaking or status effects.  Once you've defeated enough soldiers your Musou gauge will fill up and you'll be able to press circle for your special attack.  This hits a large area of enemies and deals considerable damage, but the changes to it in Next versus the other games is that it can be adapted to a secondary type of attack.  If you tap the touch screen with two fingers when your Musou is full, you do a different type of special attack that involves touching one of the touch screens in some way or shaking the PSVita.  These touch attacks do a bit more damage and last longer than the normal Musou attack so using the latter is basically worthless.

Other changes to Next involve the Break gauge.  Once you fill the bar you can tap the map and instantly capture the base that you're currently in.  Bases are capture points that can affect the battle in a variety of ways such as giving items or calling reinforcements, so as you may think, they are vital to the success of any battle.  Normally the bases are captured by lowering the base's defense to zero, which can really take some time on the harder difficulties.  Noting that, you can tell how helpful the Break gauge can be.

The duels break up the monotonous combat.

Another of the PSVita's adaptations to this series is a series of touch mini-games.  Not only do these occur intermittently throughout the campaigns, but they are also available to be played whenever in the Gala mode.  These range from a duel with officers to a game where you trace calligraphy using both touch pads to uncover and then fill in the characters.  Honestly, these could have easily been left out of the game.  All they really do is break up the game and try to cater to the more gimmicky aspects of the Vita.

Edit mode has too few choices to be really great.

A few other notable aspects of the game are Conquest and Edit mode.  Conquest allows you to play a custom game with or without friends and using any characters that you've created in Edit mode.  I feel like both of these could have been more robust, there are limited options in Edit mode, and Conquest leaves a lot to be desired in it's risk-like, turn-based game play.

Dynasty Warriors is a wonderful series, and I can never get enough of it.  It's great to be a warrior in the Three Kingdoms era and stand against the ebb and flow of destiny while you cut down thousands of soldiers.  The odds are always against you as you struggle to end the conflict and bring peace back to the land.  The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, hence your epic legend, begins with the fall of the Han.

Touch My Katamari

If you aren't familiar with the Katamari series, than the title of this post is probably just dirty-sounding.  If you are familiar with the Katamari series, than the title of this post is dirty-sounding. 

This just looks insane.

What is there to say about this game series?  You control the Prince of All Cosmos and carry out the bidding of your father, the King of All Cosmos.  What does the King want you to do?  The main goal varies in every game, but the idea is that you need to make stars or planets.  How's that accomplished?  Of course, by rolling around a giant sticky ball, your Katamari, over everything and everyone on earth until your time runs out our the ball reaches a certain size.  I'm sure this sounds simple, and stupid, but it's really not.

As you roll around each stage and gather items, your ball grows larger in size.  As you get larger, you can pick up bigger items.  Eventually you get to the size where you can pick up buildings, giant monsters, and even entire islands.  Like I mentioned before you need to get your Katamari to a certain size within the time limit for each level, but you also need to gather specific types of items, like hot things.

Moving on to the specifics of Touch My Katamari, the King has become sort of a bum and the world is worried about him.  As Prince, you need to collect a bunch of items to restore the King's coolness, power, child-like qualities, royalty, etc.  The game play in this title doesn't change much from the rest of the series, but you do have a few new options.  You can use the touch screen to stretch out the Katamari to make it really skinny and tall or really wide and short.  This is used to get previously unreachable objects by making your way behind that pesky vending machine or under that food cart.  The only problem with this is that it can make it easy to get stuck and forces you to lose a lot of time becoming unstuck by hopping around a lot and just trying to force your Katamari through the opening.

There's really nothing else that makes this game stand out from the rest of the Katamari series, but it's just as fun as them.  Some of the criticisms that it's received are based on the fact that it's really short and lacks some of the flair of the previous games.  Also, many people claim that the games are just too childish with simple objectives.  To that I say, "Of course it's shorter and and isn't as robust, it's on a freaking handheld!"  I agree that the game can be pretty childish, but adults can find the game and humor both very fun; it just takes a certain type of person.



I've always wondered why Prince's head is shaped so oddly.

 Overall, I would have to say that the Katamari series transmitted to the PSVita very well.  The short levels allow you to pick up, play, and put down the system all in a matter of a few minutes.  Sure the touch screen isn't utilized often and the cameras are useless, but the game has adapted very well to the device's portability and sharp graphics.  Those aren't what make or break a game though. 

Even after I've found all of the collectibles, gotten all of the music tracks, and unlocked all of the clothing options for both Prince and King, what keeps me coming back for more is the addictive game play.  Nothing can really beat a well-designed game...and, hey, if after beating the entire game the title still sounds dirty, that's just a little something extra for everyone.



Go ahead and Touch My Katamari.