grim_chook Awards Time ^_^
Ha I haven't done one of these in a while! Caution, plot spoilers are in part of the review.
Sooo, I haven't done one of these in a while, it isn't that I haven't found games to rant about, but I haven't found the time or inclination to type one up. Though the March award is more appropriate for this game (that's when I was playing to bits) it get's April Rant Game of the Month award because it is now April.
Without further ado the rant game of the month is Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow for GBA.
I had not played a Castlevania before this, the series probably borderline twenty titles by now, but if this is what I've been missing out on, then this could soon become a favourite. So lets get to the reasons why I rant about this game and why you should to!
Plot
Central dude, Soma somethingorother, goes up to a shrine to meet his girlfriend. Suddenly he gets sucked into a castle where he gets attacked by hordes upon hordes of monsters. He meets various people and eventually figures out that he is inside Dracula's castle. He decides he wants to escape with his girl and live a happy ending. He also gains the 'power to rule' having the ability to collect the souls of those he smites and turns out to be a major part of some big prophecy deal. Grahame is also part of said big prophecy deal, and like you seems to spend most of the game prancing about the castle convinced that he is Dracula. Sure, he is supposed to inherit the power of Dracula. However in a epic showdown (read = easiest boss in the game) it is revealed that SOMA is in fact supposed to inherit Dracula's powers (more suprising then it actually sounds on paper). He beats the crap out of chaos, or doesn't and becomes Dracula, or Graham just dies. It's all how you play out the end game.
Conclusion: Cheesy and fun with a few good plot twists and enough WTF. Multiple endings are cool.
Gameplay
Spot on. It wouldn't have been rant-worthy afterall. Controls are tight and well laid out, pretty much all stuff-ups are based on player skill, not on niggly jumping or poor collision detection. The wide range of weapons are fun to use, and even when you find a favourite (CLAIMH SOLAIS! *cough*) you will sill find yourself playing around with other weapons (like the crack excalibur, still in the stone, or the positron rifle) which means they got it right. Killing monsters is pretty much the entire game. But the monsters are always fun to kill (I never get tired of skeleton blazing zombies) and combat is varied enough. The thing that makes it stand out however, is the spell system. Earlier I mentioned that you can collect souls. Every monster has a unique soul that can be used in combat. From wonderful fireballs and lightning bolts to cat attack and curry, there is a soul for every single fun moment in this game.
Conclusion: It's one big game of the same thing, which is good, because the game is fun enough to not get boring. Game controls as tight as a Zelda title (and zelda controls ROCK!).
Experience
Pretty, for a GBA. Flowing animations, nice monsters, pretty backgrounds, enough contrast so you can actually tell whats going on. Everything you could ask for without being particularly eye-candyish. Music isn't especially good, especially in contrast to previous castlevania titles. A lot of the souls look cool. Sound effects are spot on with some satisfying war and death cries and weapony sounds, it's all good.
Conclusion: Gets the job done convincingly. Sounds great, shame about the musical let down.
Charm
Killing monsters in imaginitive ways is fun, I might never get tired of releasing a seemingly infinite army of cats after my target. Or lightning doll. This game also has the Grim Reaper, who always gets points in my book. Soma is an adorable emo (which is an oxymoron I know) and as a character just works. There are some great conversations in this game.
Grahame: Oh btw I sense in you great power, tell me what it is.
Soma: Aparently the power to rule!
Grahame: Oh noes! You not have that power! I deny it. *spazzy angry* OMGWTFHOR! YOU NO HAVE POWER TO RULE T_T *runs away in tears*
Soma: What a cock-head
And yeah, that might just be some slight paraphrasing on my behalf, but I do love this game to bits, it oozes oodles of charm and I love it very much! The Clock tower is the sort of gamers experience, there's been one in every game so I'm told.
Conclusion: Love it to bits.
Summary: Fun hack and slash em. CLAIMH SOLAIS KICKS YOUR BUTT WITH <3
Score 10/10
Though all rant games have already achieved this based on principal.
Sooo, I haven't done one of these in a while, it isn't that I haven't found games to rant about, but I haven't found the time or inclination to type one up. Though the March award is more appropriate for this game (that's when I was playing to bits) it get's April Rant Game of the Month award because it is now April.
Without further ado the rant game of the month is Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow for GBA.
I had not played a Castlevania before this, the series probably borderline twenty titles by now, but if this is what I've been missing out on, then this could soon become a favourite. So lets get to the reasons why I rant about this game and why you should to!
Plot
Central dude, Soma somethingorother, goes up to a shrine to meet his girlfriend. Suddenly he gets sucked into a castle where he gets attacked by hordes upon hordes of monsters. He meets various people and eventually figures out that he is inside Dracula's castle. He decides he wants to escape with his girl and live a happy ending. He also gains the 'power to rule' having the ability to collect the souls of those he smites and turns out to be a major part of some big prophecy deal. Grahame is also part of said big prophecy deal, and like you seems to spend most of the game prancing about the castle convinced that he is Dracula. Sure, he is supposed to inherit the power of Dracula. However in a epic showdown (read = easiest boss in the game) it is revealed that SOMA is in fact supposed to inherit Dracula's powers (more suprising then it actually sounds on paper). He beats the crap out of chaos, or doesn't and becomes Dracula, or Graham just dies. It's all how you play out the end game.
Conclusion: Cheesy and fun with a few good plot twists and enough WTF. Multiple endings are cool.
Gameplay
Spot on. It wouldn't have been rant-worthy afterall. Controls are tight and well laid out, pretty much all stuff-ups are based on player skill, not on niggly jumping or poor collision detection. The wide range of weapons are fun to use, and even when you find a favourite (CLAIMH SOLAIS! *cough*) you will sill find yourself playing around with other weapons (like the crack excalibur, still in the stone, or the positron rifle) which means they got it right. Killing monsters is pretty much the entire game. But the monsters are always fun to kill (I never get tired of skeleton blazing zombies) and combat is varied enough. The thing that makes it stand out however, is the spell system. Earlier I mentioned that you can collect souls. Every monster has a unique soul that can be used in combat. From wonderful fireballs and lightning bolts to cat attack and curry, there is a soul for every single fun moment in this game.
Conclusion: It's one big game of the same thing, which is good, because the game is fun enough to not get boring. Game controls as tight as a Zelda title (and zelda controls ROCK!).
Experience
Pretty, for a GBA. Flowing animations, nice monsters, pretty backgrounds, enough contrast so you can actually tell whats going on. Everything you could ask for without being particularly eye-candyish. Music isn't especially good, especially in contrast to previous castlevania titles. A lot of the souls look cool. Sound effects are spot on with some satisfying war and death cries and weapony sounds, it's all good.
Conclusion: Gets the job done convincingly. Sounds great, shame about the musical let down.
Charm
Killing monsters in imaginitive ways is fun, I might never get tired of releasing a seemingly infinite army of cats after my target. Or lightning doll. This game also has the Grim Reaper, who always gets points in my book. Soma is an adorable emo (which is an oxymoron I know) and as a character just works. There are some great conversations in this game.
Grahame: Oh btw I sense in you great power, tell me what it is.
Soma: Aparently the power to rule!
Grahame: Oh noes! You not have that power! I deny it. *spazzy angry* OMGWTFHOR! YOU NO HAVE POWER TO RULE T_T *runs away in tears*
Soma: What a cock-head
And yeah, that might just be some slight paraphrasing on my behalf, but I do love this game to bits, it oozes oodles of charm and I love it very much! The Clock tower is the sort of gamers experience, there's been one in every game so I'm told.
Conclusion: Love it to bits.
Summary: Fun hack and slash em. CLAIMH SOLAIS KICKS YOUR BUTT WITH <3
Score 10/10
Though all rant games have already achieved this based on principal.