Rather than write an extremely long entry as soon as I finish all the games on my list, I’d like to tackle three before addressing the next several. These won’t be in order.
Nights: Journey of Dreams (Wii): Nights fans had to wait ten years for a sequel. After playing it, I’m a bit torn. Graphically, the game is pretty but isn’t spectacular in the way Nights was on the Saturn. The wand controls realize the whole dream like feel of the game, but because of technical limitations of the Wii, they aren’t quite practicable if you want to be the harder sections of the game. Some of the platforming bits fell flat, and some were excruciatingly tedious.
I don’t quite know how to feel about the game. From the perspective of a first time Nights player, there are some insane boss battles and amazing gaming experiences. But was ten years too insurmountable for this franchise? And Nights now has a voice?…
I really, really enjoyed the game. I think the nostalgia factor is high on this one. The original Nights had me hooked when I first found that lonely kiosk in a kmart over a decade ago. It convinced me that I had to buy a Sega Saturn right then and there. This game? I enjoyed it, and will definitely play it again, but try as it might, it didn’t capture the original’s… “je ne sais quoi.”
Klonoa (GBA): It could’ve been the best platformer on the GBA, hands down, but for the stupid final boss. The next to the last boss was the perfect boss, the last one… it’s like playing an RPG for 60 hours, getting used to the story, the feel, and then bam! to beat the game, you have to play a beat ‘em up. The last boss had no thematic connection with the story whatsoever.
I guess this distaste truly soured me on an otherwise fantastic game. It’s still a gem of a platformer. Enjoy the platforming stages and don’t worry about beating the final boss, the story is of straight to dollar store DVD bin quality.
Sword of Mana (GBA): This is a remake of Final Fantasy Adventure for the GB/GBC. Those who have played both say that this is inferior; I can only say that I’m an action RPG fan, and this game won my heart from the outset. It took me about twenty five hours to complete, and every minute was worth it. The story is incredibly melancholy, moreso than any game I’ve ever played. The game periodically breaks the fourth wall philosophically, by questioning the core of the gameplay – repeatedly. The dungeons weren’t particularly exciting (ala Castlevania’s SOTN) but they weren’t boring either – and the boss battles were quite excellent. The NPCs better serve being dead (and frequently, I let them take the brunt of the attack so I didn’t have to worry about them mucking about). Otherwise, excellent title. Very rarely do you get attached to characters in action RPGs – in this one, I did.
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