Game Review: Starfox Assault (GC)

Tags

Falco Lombardi, Fox McCloud, Gamecube, Krystal, Namco, Nintendo, Slippy Toad, Starfox, Starfox Assault

Replaying Starfox Adventures recently inspired me to give the other Gamecube Starfox title another go. The game, developed by Tekken creators Namco returns to a structure more like the series high point Lylat Wars, but was it better than Rare’s ground-bound adventure?

The game begins with a pretty spectacular sequence that sees the Starfox team, Fox, Falco, Slippy and Krystal backing up the Cornerian Army in their campaign against Andross’ remaining forces led by his nephew Andrew Oikonney. The team track the crazy ape to Fortuna but its not the anthropomorphic heroes that finish him. A biomechanical alien creature called an Aparoid turns up, kills Oikonney, and turns a crisis into a catastrophe. The life destroying Aparoids quickly start causing havoc in the Lylat System and the team desperately try to track down an Aparoid Core Memory which will help them defeat the invading army, a journey that takes them to many familiar locations. It’s definitely a better story than Starfox Adventures, the Aparoids are threatening enemies and there are some real surprises and twists along the way. Sadly its pretty short lived with only ten missions and no branching paths. The writing is nothing spectacular and the voice acting is a bit hit and miss but it’s clearly better than the voicework in Starfox Adventures.

There are three main types of level, the classic on-rails Arwing levels, the dogfighting Lylat Wars called all-range mode and ground-bound missions that are basically third-person shooter levels. There’s also a fourth mode that sees Fox balancing on the wing of an Arwing or Wolfen blasting everything he sees with a plasma canon, essentially another kind of on-rails level but it only happens a couple of times. It feels much more like a Starfox game and missions often see a combination of level types. One minute you might be running around an enemy base and the next you’ll be needed in the air so you’ll have to return to your Arwing to help out. It’s nice to see plenty of variety in the gameplay which makes it a bigger shame that the missions are so underwhelming.

We’ll start with the worst. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Fox should stay in the cockpit as the on-foot missions are rubbish. The controls are fiddly and unrefined even when you jump into a Lanmaster tank, it’s so bad that it more or less cripples the whole game given how many levels put you on the ground. You’re given an arsenal of weapons such including the basic blaster, machine-gun, grenades, homing missiles and sniper rifle. and invited to blast everything you see but the levels are of very mediocre design. The environments are bland and generic, as are the enemies and you’re never required to anything other than trash a number of targets, dull. Better are the missions that play like classic Starfox. The all-range levels are pretty good fun on the whole but nowhere near as engaging as those in Lylat Wars. As you’d expect it’s the on-rails levels that fare best with hundreds of enemies, scripted events and thrilling moments. The clear highlight then but annoyingly there are only three such levels. The Arwing controls pretty much like it did in Lylat Wars but for some reason Namco have tweaked the controls making strafing and barrel-rolls a bit awkward.

The graphics vary in quality. The on-rails Arwing missions look great, especially the Asteroid Belt mission which is genuinely stunning to look at. The ground-based bits on the other hand are weak. Overall it’s nowhere near as pretty as Starfox Adventures. The sound isn’t bad. Music is rousing and recalls some of the stirring themes of the series best moments but the sound effects are a bit tinny, so is some of the voicework.

Overall Starfox Assault is a disappointment. It certainly feels closer to a classic Starfox experience but the execution on some frints is poor. It definitely has its moments and fans will appreciate the good bits but it’s a forgetable experience. A short one too taking a handful of hours to complete although there are a few difficulty levels to try and medals to win as well as a multiplayer mode but none of these things really prolong the experience much. Replay value is extremely low too.

Presentation – 7

A more Starfox-like design and a good story don’t quite disguise the roughness of the menus and visual design.

Gameplay – 6

The familiarity of the Arwing levels saves the game from utter mediocrity but there’s no ignoring the terrible on-foot levels.

Graphics – 7

Varying inconsistently from gorgeous to downright ugly.

Sound – 7

Some nice, stirring tunes but everything else sounds a bit grainy.

Difficulty – 7

A challenge certainly but that’s partly down to poor controls.

Longevity – 5

It’s a short game to say the least. Beating it on harder difficulties might extend its life a bit though.

Verdict

It’s a real shame that one of Nintendo’s coolest franchises is getting such mediocre treatment from third parties. There are some bright moments that make it worth playing and it can be plenty of fun but don’t base your opinion of Starfox on this game.

7.2

out of 10

Film Review: Pirates of the Caribbean – On Stranger Tides

Tags

adventure, comedy, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides

I really value quality adventure storytelling. There’s nothing quite like following a bunch of rogues embarking on some daring quest always getting into scrapes. Better still if there are jokes. So, like many people, I was completely charmed by the first Pirates of the Caribbean film with its mix of breezy comedy, swashbuckling adventure and mild horror. Captain Jack Sparrow became a modern icon of cinema but the quality of the first film didn’t quite carry over to its sequals. Dead Man’s Chest had some decent set-pieces but the breeziness was nowhere to be found and At World’s End was a mildly entertaining mess. Perhaps the series should have thrown in the towel at that point but the continued commercial success the franchise was enjoying was all the studio bosses were interested in. So now it’s time for a fourth with a fifth in the pipeline and a sixth rumoured. Is it possible that a fresh start for the series without Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley can revitalise it? The trailers didn’t promise much but you never know. So after spending the day looking at dinosaurs in the Natural History Museum AntBuoy and I flashed our Cineworld Unlimited cards at West India Quay and gave it a chance.

Captain Jack Sparrow has come back to Blightey and is busy bailing out his first mate Gibb when he learns from several parties that someone impersonating him is searching for a crew. Surprise surprise, the imposter turns out to be Penelope Cruz and the rogue is soon pressganged into joining the crew of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, vessel of one Edward Teach, aka, Blackbeard (Ian McShane). This time the goal is the Fountain of Youth but its not just the one crew sailing in search of the legendary goal but three. Geoffrey Rush returns as Barbossa, now a privateer charged with the task of beating the Spanish to the prize. Cue clashes between the rival adventurers, encounters with mermaids and some spectacular tropical locations.

If you think that sounds like a return to form allow me to put you right, On Stranger Tides is a tired, plodding affair that confirms the studio is more interested in milking its cash cow than producing quality, engaging adventure fiction. Johnny Depp’s heart clearly isn’t in it any more and although he’s still fairly amusing his delivery of the slightly anaemic script feels like a pale imitation of his first performance in the role. Better is Geoffrey Rush who is still giving it some welly and is definitely the best reason to watch the film but he doesn’t get nearly enough screen time. None of the newbies really excite, Cruz offers some of the feisty Spanish zing you’d expect but not enough to captivate and Ian McShane is underwhelming although he certainly looks the part.

The story is downright dull, the motivations of its characters blurry and the pace painfully slow expecially given the exhausting length. The set pieces aren’t too bad on the whole, the well publicised carriage chase through London frenetic enough to raise some hope and a scene in an precariously balanced wreck lodged on a cliff is fun but they feel like flashes of quality in an otherwise mediocre show and are too brief to raise the standard.

The franchise is clearly getting tired and it’s doubtful how long Johnny Depp will want to remain involved but as long as people pack out the cinemas they’ll continue to be churned out. If you’re hopeful of a resurgence and are considering giving it a look save yourself the disappointment.

Verdict

Geoffrey Rush and some hot mermaids aside this is pretty dire slice of uninspired adventure storytelling. It has the odd moment of value but cannot hope to recapture past glories.

Game Review: The Legend of Zelda – Phantom Hourglass (DS)

Tags

adventure, DS, Linebeck, Link, Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda - Phantom Hourglass, Zelda

To measure the quality of a video game series you shouldn’t examine the quality of its best titles but its worst. This, the first of two games in The Legend of Zelda series to be released on Nintendo’s stratospherically succesful DS, is one of the weaker games in the series but it’s far from a bad game.

The Legend of Zelda – Phantom Hourglass is a direct sequel to the Gamecube’s The Wind Waker and picks up shortly after that game’s final scene. Link is sailing with Tetra and her crew in search of the new Hyrule when they encounter the Ghost Ship. Tetra boldly boards the ship in search of treasure and adventure and promptly runs into trouble. Link attempts to mount a rescue but ends up in the drink later waking on a beach where he meets Ciela, a fairy with a memory problem. The pair team up and set off in search of a way to track down the ghost ship and save Tetra. Before long they enlist the services of seafaring rogue Linebeck who lends them his ship. The trio must sail a new area of ocean in search of the clues that will lead them to the Ghost Ship. It’s not the most riveting story in the Zelda canon but it sets up the necessary backdrop for the swashbuckling.

The story isn’t what makes Phantom Hourglass stand out. This is the first handheld game in the series to feature 3D graphics while retaining the familiar top down perspective of the 2D entries. More significant than this however is the interface which abandons button inputs for complete touch screen control. It was a bold move for a series, one of the greatest strenghts of which was its reliably constant excellent controls. You really have to tip you hat to Nintendo for pulling it off. Absolutely everything from menu selections to movement to combat is handled on the touch screen. Moving Link is a matter of touching the screen in the direction you want to move in which allows full 360 degree movement rather than the eight directions of the 2D games. Swinging your sword requires you to tap the screen or perform a quick stroke, tapping enemies initiates a targeted attack. It’s all very intuitive and works fluidly, the only drawback is that your hand can get in the way of the screen a bit sometimes but that’s normal for the DS. Talking to NPCs and reading signs is also accomplished with a simple tap, as is selceting items to use. The weapons themselves have all been chosen and designed to make use of the touch screen’s strangths. Bombs are thrown and arrows aimed with a regular tap but the boomerang really benefits. The game invites you to draw a line, which can be as complicated as you want, and trace the route the boomerang will take. It allows you to perform quite complicated actions and is used brilliantly in puzzles. I won’t spoil what other items are included and how they’re used but suffice to say each one is cleverly implemented. The only failure in the touch screen controls is the rolling attack which is activated by drawing a little circle at the edge of the screen. It’s fiddly and getting it to work is hit and miss but at least it’s not an important manouvre.

Fans of The Wind Waker will be infamiliar territory with this title. Not only does the game borrow the same colourful cel-shaded art style but the overworld design is pretty similar. Link must explore a number of islands on a wode expanse of ocean which is crossed in Linebeck’s ship. Again the touch screen is your only tool for exploration as you have to chart the course the ship takes by drawing on your map. The ship then sails automatically leaving you free to look around and fire your canon, if you have one, at any enemies. The sailing in The Wind Waker drew criticism for being time-consuming and boring and the same could be said here. The game tries to introduce a little variety by having more to do than just cross from island to island with traveller’s ships to explore and various hazards and antagonists to avoid as well as a well balanced if somewhat repetitve and long-winded mini-game for salvaging treasure but there’s no denying that sailing isn’t as fun as controlling Link on land or perhaps more specifically in the game’s excellent dungeons.

The dungeons feature the same high quality of brain-bending puzzles the series is famous for, here designed to make the best use of the touch contolled items but the masterstroke lies in what you can do with the map. A fully detailed map of whatever area you are currently exploring is dispalyed on the top screen and is available immediately. You can pull the map down to the touch screen at any time to draw on it or make notes. The game frequently encourages you to do this in a number of imaginitive ways. For example you might have to activate a number of switches in the right order which is made easier by numbering them on the map or you might find a map showing the only safe route through an area up ahead which you can copy on your own map. You can also record the locations of important things like treasure chests in this way. It’s superlative use of the DS hardware and the good news is it’s not limited to dungeons, you can doodle on any of your sea or island maps to your heart’s content. Of course no Zelda game would be complete without a few memorable bosses and Phantom Hourglass doesn’t disappoint offering a series of challenging encounters that make excellent use of both screens. One fight features a giant crab-like monster that can turn invisible. The boss’ point of view is displayed on the top screen allowing you to work out where it is to attack. This is just one of many clever applications of the upper screen.

Phantom Hourglass also features a hub dungeon, a first for the series. You must visit the Temple of the Ocean King, located on Mercay Island, the first you explore, many times during the course of the game. This dungeon differs in many ways from the regular ones. For a start it contains a dark energy that saps Link’s health over time an effect he is protected against by the Phantom Hourglass. Its protective power runs out when the Sand of Hours finishes draining essentially giving you a time limit. There are certain safe areas where your remaining time will not deplete and where you’ll also be protected from the Phantoms, imposing armoured sentinels immune to all attacks who will rob you of a lot of time if you suffer a blow from them. This encourages you to explore stealthily. The temple’s design is perhaps not as strong as the stand alone dungeons but more importantly each time you revisit it you are forced to retread the same areas you have already beaten before you can delve deeper into it. The Zelda series is no stranger to back-tracking but having to repeat whole time-consuming areas of dungeon is a pain. True, you can make use of newly acquired items to make the transition quicker and leave yourself notes as to what to do each time if you want but it’s still a somewhat lazy way of extending the game’s length.

So what about the 3D graphics? There’s no denying the technical achievement here, the colours are clear and pretty and the character models detailed. Everything looks great while you’re playing, it’s in cut scenes when the camera zooms in that the textures look blurry and objects polygonal. The environments can look a bit bland at times and the dungeons don’t feature anywhere near as much detail or feel as authentically real as those in the GBA’s Minish Cap. The music features a number of familiar classics and new arrangements but isn’t as strong on the whole as most other games in the series.

At around fifteen to twenty hours its a good length but doesn’t offer the most robust challenge for veterans although newbies should find things tougher. As for side quests there isn’t a huge amount to keep you playing. Nintendo have done away with the usual routine of gathering four pieces of heart to extend yout life meter in favour of a handful of complete hearts available as reward for completing challenges. Otherwise you can locate Power, Wisdom and Courage Gems which can be used to gain new abilities. These and a few other diversions lend the game some extra depth but there’s very little real incentive to pursue them.

For me though the biggest complaint regarding The Legend of Zelda – Phantom Hourglass is that it seems to have spelled the end of traditional 2D Zelda adventures. Prior to this title the 2D series flourished on handhelds and this is the weakest handheld game in the series to date. A second similar game  Spirit Tracks was released in 2009 which was better but still not as good as any of the 2D games. Although Nintendo’s innovative approach to gameplay with Phantom Hourglass is a success I still wouldn’t consider it an improvement. The 2D games have more to offer and for all the DS game’s success its interface can be restrictive which is reflected in the rather scant extent of weapons available to you.

For a ll its faults The Legend of Zelda – Phantom Hourglass is still a fine game with many original ideas and deeply engaging gameplay and there is certainly no reason at all fans of the series should ignore it. It really is a testament to the quality of this magnificent franchise that a game this good can be considered one of the lesser titles in the series.

Presentation – 8

The usual Zelda quality shines through but there are a few rough edges.

Gameplay – 9

The classic formula is transferred in impressive style to the DS touch screen. A real triumph.

Graphics – 9

Some of the best 3D graphics on the system.

Sound – 8

Another strong audio package but not a high for the series nonetheless.

Difficulty – 7

A fair challenge but the series has seen much tougher entries.

Longevity – 7

About the length you’d expect but the tiresome Temple of the Ocean King limits replay value.

Verdict

Another success that makes some of the best and most varied use of the DS’ unique features and as such takes its place as one of the best titles available for the system.

9.1

out of 10

Film Review: Attack the Block

Tags

Attack the Block, comedy, horror, Jodie Whittaker, Joe Cornish, John Boyega, Luke Treadaway, Nick Frost

Shortly after I first moved to London a few weeks ago when AntBuoy and I were paying one of our frequent visits to the cinema we were amused to see a trailer for this film, directed by Joe Cornish of Adam and Joe fame. It was one of those where-the-heck-did-this-come-from moments that leaves you wondering if what what you’ve just seen was insultingly atrocious or unremittingly brilliant. More trips to see films meant we saw the trailer again and again and each time found ourselves wanting to see the film more and more not least because we are now fully paid up residents of south-east London where the film is set even if Ladywell isn’t quite as rough as the area in the film. With the film garnering some pretty positive critical reaction it was decided.

It was only a matter of time before I mentioned this film but it strikes me that Shaun of the Dead is proving itself more and more to be just about the most influential British comedy of the last decade. This film is produced by the same people and even borrows Nick Frost for good measure but, other than its London setting, the similarities end there. Shaun of the Dead was a comedy first and a horror second but it’s the other way round for Attack the Block. The film opens with a gang of hoodies mugging a nurse, a scene AntBuoy and I missed due to our being late to the screening and we were only just in time to see the gang finish dealing with a violent visitor from space that happens to crash land nearby. The boys, pumped by their kill, cart the intergalactic corpse around showing it off and later storing it in a drug dealer’s secure growing room. Before you know it a whole host of the meances come shooting down from the sky and so begins a council estate turf war with a difference.

As directorial debuts go it’s a very confident one and Cornish manages to nail both critical points. His extensive research into south London youth culture shows with a script loaded with gangsta speak that the young cast deliver with total authenticity that despite the early mugging encourages you to like and root for the lads. Secondly there is the question of the creatures, always a tricky one and the amount of time they spend on screen clearly visible could have been very dangerous but their design is superb, bear-like hairy beasts with no eyes and brilliantly glow-in-the-dark teeth, it’s the blackness that really succeeds though. As one boy observes ‘That’s the blackest black I’ve ever seen.’ No kidding, even in well lit environments it’s tough to see the shape of them properly which makes them all the scarier.

If you’re expecting a spoof you might be disappointed because Attack the Block is firmly routed in the action thriller genre with dynamic camerawork, lightning fast chase scenes, real scares, bangs and kills. Set to a pumping bass heavy soundtrack that couldn’t be more appropriate the action whizzes along with style and the inevitable gory bits are effective. It’s not up there with the upper echelons of the genre but it’s tense and far from predictable. If you think these characters are safe just because they’re kids, don’t.

But there’s comedy too of course and half of it is just in the dialogue that celebrates the gutsy teen spirit of hoody culture in a way that might give Daily Mail readers something to think about. The foil comes in the form of some of the supporting cast, including Luke Treadaway’s hilarious posh stoner and Jodie Whittaker’s victim. Nick Frost takes a perhaps sensible backseat role and feels like an old sage, veteran to this sort of thing giving the youngsters a chance to flex their acting muscles. And they all do a fine job, Alex Esmail’s Pest steals most scenes but John Boyega gets the most plaudits as gang leader Moses, playing the part quietly with restraint that shouts at you about hiddden character depth.

Verdict

It won’t supplant Shaun of the Dead as the king of horror comedy but Attack the Block comes as a really pleasant surprise nonethless. Not overlong or fussed with unnecessary side plots and with a few points to make about society and youth the film rattles along excellently offering mroe entertainment value than many of its big budget peers.

Book Review: Triss – Brian Jacques

Tags

adventure, Brian Jacques, Kurda, Redwall, Sagax, Scarum, Triss

This entry into the Redwall series, published in 2002 breaks a sequence for me. With the exception of Mattimeo every book I owned in the series before Triss was the compact Red Fox paperback edition which featured the same stone window design on the spine through which can be seen a character illustration. I looked for a similar edition of Triss but it looks like those printings were phased out which I found a little sad. It’s a strange thing to take note of I admit but the larger sized edition of Triss actually made for a slightly different reading experience. That’s what happens when you’re so used to something I suppose.

Triss is the next book in the series chronologically after The Taggerung but it seems like a lot of time has elapsed since the events of that book since none of the characters from that title return. Deyna, the Taggerung of the preceding story does get a mention but seems to have become a figure of history at Redwall. Brian Jacques doesn’t leave such a gap between the events of his books very often so it might be appropriate to treat Triss as something of a new age for the saga.

Triss is a young squirrelmaid who, like Martin the Warrior in the book of the same name, begins the story as a slave of a vermin fortress. The fort, Riftgard is ruled by Agarnu the true blood ferret, an old conqueror who is losing his lustre somewhat. For his daughter, the swashbuckling Princess Kurda to succeed she must first recover two royal artefacts that became lost in Mossflower country. To this end the enslaved creatures at Riftgard are busy building a boat to take her and her dim-witted brother Prince Bladd on a quest to recover said items. However, Triss and a couple of accomplices upset their plans by escaping in the very same boat to freedom. Kurda and Bladd, enlisting the aid of Captain Plugg Firetail and his crew of freebooters give chase in the effort of meeting the duel objectives of recovering both slaves and artefacts. Meanwhile at Redwall Abbey, learned Abbeydwellers Malbun and Cirkulus become extremely excited when the ancient entrance to Brockhall, the secret ancestral home of badgers last seen way back in Mossflower, is rediscovered but their efforts to explore the place are marred by an unknown menace stalking the forest. Further to this Sagax, a young male badger, sets off from Salamandastorn with sidekick Scarum, another gluttonous hare, seeking adventure.

It all starts extremely promisingly for Triss despite the sense of deja vu surrounding the early part of its basic plot. Riftgard and its rulers are vividly drawn, especially the thickly accented Princess Kurda, and the escape is handled deftly. The rediscovery of Brockhall is as exciting a proposition to long time fans as it is to Malbun and Cirkulus and there’s something very stirring about the way Sagax and Scarum set off in search of the unknown.

Sadly though this didn’t prove to be the sparkling return to form you’d really hope for. Jacques is guilty here of indulging in some bad habits letting the pace slacken for a good old singsong or feast when you want things to move on, introducing forgetable little societies who help out the heroes and are then left behind. These are all things that have been done before time and again of course but therein lies the problem. Since The Legend of Luke Jacques hasn’t been coming up with enough original plot ideas for his books and I’m desperate to see him take some risks instead of relying on the same slightly tired formula. Even the good ideas here don’t pan out terribly well, the Brockhall story strand at Redwall for instance is painfully slow to get anywhere. It’s a shame and a real missed opportunity because we have the best set of new characters for quite a while in this one.

The scholarly duo of Malbun and Cirkulus are consistently entertaining and an unusual choice for main Redwall-based characters (one example of a risk being taken and it working). The villains are more varied than they have been for a while. Kurda makes for a focused and dangerous female villain although she’s no Tsarmina while top honours in the villainy stakes go to the industrious Plugg and his freebooters. Each strand has a reliably resourceful otter to guide it along, Skipper at Redwall, Shogg with Triss and Kroova with Sagax and Scarum whose relentless bickering is always hilarious. Triss herself however isn’t the most electrifying heroine. She’s got some spirit and determination but you don’t feel it the way you do with Mariel and never really stands out even in her own storyline but isn’t overshadowed in the same way as Lord Brocktree. The real star of the show however is Scarum who might be the most garrulous hare of the series to date which is really saying something.

Inevitably stories collide and adventures are had and Jacques includes one of his most inventive and interactive riddles yet but as we progress the narrative lacks a sense of tension that it desperately needs towards the end. It’s never less than engaging and is probably the best since The Legend of Luke but you can’t help wondering if Jacques had employed some more originality what we might have ended up with.

Verdict

Triss represents a missed opportunity for the series. What started out as a refreshingly focused and multiple-stranded story ultimately strays into predictible territory. It’s still great value while it lasts though.

Game Review: Fire Emblem – Radiant Dawn (Wii)

Tags

Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem - Radiant Dawn, Ike, Intelligent Systems, Micaiah, Nintendo, Radiant Dawn, Strategy RPG, Wii

As a writer of fantasy fiction I draw inspiration for my writing from all kinds of sources but chief among these, strangely enough, isn’t novels but video games, something the literary snobs would no doubt snort at which makes me all the more happy about it. I’ve been given ideas for my long-running fantasy saga by all sorts of game publications down the years but three titles stand out over everything else as my biggest influences, Nintendo’s beautiful action adventure series The Legend of Zelda, Skies of Arcadia – Legends, a Dreamcast RPG ported to the Gamecube and the Intelligent Systems developed strategy RPG series Fire Emblem.

This is the third Fire Emblem game I’ve reviewed and the 2008 sequel to the Gamecube’s Path of Radiance. It was also my first ever foray into the series. I explained in my Shadow Dragon review how I ignored the series for years and regretted it after playing this game but my experience with the game during my first playthrough wasn’t one that saw me instantly hooked. Strategy RPGs were a relatively new thing for me at that time, the first two games in the Disciples series for the PC being my only prior entries into it. I had been keen on turn based JRPGs for years and before really examining the structure of the Fire Emblem series had imagined that it would work similarly to one of them. Like many western gamers my first taste of the series was with the appearence of Marth and Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee and then later Ike, this game’s star, in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and it was this that first piqued my curiosity. I already liked the colourful art style and in 2008 I finally decided to take the plunge and bought a copy of Radiant Dawn with birthday money. I knew a little about the map-based structure prior to purchase but not much about the game’s linearity or subtle complexity.

And it took a very long time to get into it. Radiant Dawn isn’t the best place to start with Fire Emblem as it doesn’t offer the same kind of gentle tutorials in its early moments as other games in the series and the fact that it’s a direct sequel to an already complex story doesn’t really help in narrative terms although the writers have done a good job of recapping the events of the previous game for newbies. Early on in the game I had real trouble working out how to play in a way that was satisfying. For the most part I was just about suceeding and making steady progress but it didn’t feel like I was doing it properly. I kept feeling like I was missing something, some major quirk of gameplay that, once mastered, will make it all make sense. The truth was it was lots of little things I hadn’t quite grapsed, like attacking with mages from two spaces away from an enemy to avoid counterattacks instead of from adjacent spaces. That’s what Fire Emblem is all about, a whole world of miniature strategic decisions many of which seem innocuous but make all the difference. Whenever I review a game I always have a rough score in mind based on how much I’m enjoying it. During the first few hours of Fire Emblem I thought it deserved no more than about 7.8 out of 10.

Soren the wind mage unleashes some magical justice in one of the game's great FMVs.

Which is funny because that’s pretty much exactly this game’s average percentage ratio on Gamerankings.com. I thought I’d picked up a game that punched below its weight and offered a diverting but frustrating experience. The relatively last gen presentation and middle-of-the-road production values assisted this view. To begin with I thought Radiant Dawn might be my first and last Fire Emblem game. For a while I stopped playing so I could concentrate on another big game I had that birthday, the Wii version of Okami, a much more obviously brilliant experience.

Thank goodness I went back to Radiant Dawn though. Upon reloading the game and trying again from the beginning I found myself correcting mistakes I’d already made. Where previously I had lost characters to the series’ trademark permanent death quirk I was managing to keep them all alive. One by one the the myriad little nuggets of gameplay clicked, battles started flowing more smoothly, I started to really quite enjoy it and that predicted score steadily rose. As I progressed through the lengthy quest and began to accept its linearity and storytelling methods which I had previously been underwhelemed by I found myself really getting into the story. As it rolled on I found real satisfaction in building up a strong team and kitting them out with exciting weapons. Eventually it reached the point where I was putting in all-nighters, I was that addicted. After no fewer than four of these in a row I completed the game and settled on a score of 9.1.

The rather cute swordmaster Mia served as direct inspiration for a character in my fantasy saga.

But the story of my experience with this game doesn’t end there. A few months later, not wanting to miss out on any more of the series I bought the DS title Shadow Dragon which inspired me to play Radiant Dawn again. It was the first time in quite a while that I’d found myself replaying a game that wasn’t Mario or Zelda within one year of purchase and I certainly hadn’t expected to replay this game before I did Okami but its lure was too strong to resist. Totally enthralled this time I promoted the game to the monster score of 9.4 putting it on a par with games like Lylat Wars, F-Zero GX and Metroid Fusion and soon endeavoured to track down the games I’d missed. Foremost among these was Radiant Dawn’s prequel, Path of Radiance for the Gamecube. With a foreknowledge of the series mechanics I was much better able to appreciate the earlier game’s brilliance but nonetheless didn’t enjoy it as much as Radiant Dawn and so awarded it a still-fantastic score of 9.3. My recent replay of that title opened my eyes more to how much I love the series and I was inspired to lift it to the lofty heights of 9.5. Radiant Dawn was automatically promoted to the same score as I still preferred the later title. Now that I’ve played through it a third time I feel so much better able to truly appreciate the greatness of this game and the whole incredibly immersive and relentlessly addictive experience it has to offer.

You can watch battle animations plaing out on the map to save time.

The story of Radiant Dawn picks up three years after the events of Path of Radiance by which time Crimea has passed control over the conquered Daein to the Begnion Empire whose Occupation Army, commanded by General Jarod under the supervision of Senator Numida, abuse their power and oppress the Daein citizens. But the Dawn Brigade, a small group of freedom fighters lead by Micaiah, a young woman with miraculous powers fights against the army’s brutality. It is with the Dawn Brigade that the story starts. This is the first place in which Radiant Dawn shakes things up a bit for the series. Whereas Path of Radiance was a fairly simple linear succession of maps with Ike as the commander in each, Radiant Dawn is split into four distinct parts. Part one deals with the Dawn Brigade’s campaign to overcome the Imperial Occupation Army, part two moves the narrative to Crimea where Queen Elincia and her Imperial Knights face a rebellion among the ruling classes. Ike and the Greil Mercenaries don’t turn up until part three where they are hired by the laguz alliance to assist their invasion of Begnion whose senate murdered their messenger upon delivery of an offer of diplomacy. It is in this part that the three story strands collide and build up to a heart-poundingly tense endgame. The arch-villains this time around are the senators of the Begnion Empire whose ambition and corruption sees them controlling Daein like puppeteers essentially forcing them to needlessly engage the advancing laguz alliance in seriously evil ways I won’t spoil. It’s a dramatic and layered way of presenting the much more complex story but it has interesting implications for the gameplay. Instead of just one army you spend the game building up several, which gives a far larger range of characters opportunity to train. Every playable character from the original game bar one returns at some point with a handful of likeable newbies thrown in with the Dawn Brigade. As the story progresses in part three there are even a few maps where the story throws the Greil Mercenaries and the Dawn Brigade against each other with you in command of one or the other. Fortunately any character units you defeat don’t suffer the permanent death problem but it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve essentially spent hours building up an army to oppose you. This is where Radiant Dawn’s story really excels. The line betweeen good and evil is blurred and not as black and white as the first game with people on both sides fighting for what they believe is right, a theme that continues right into the climactic fourth part. The writing is, again, absolutely superb, exploring the themes of prejudice and human nature first presented by Path of Radiance.

You'll have to be careful early on not to lose your low-level heroes.

It’s a shame then that certain aspects of the game’s presentation underwhelm. This is a Wii game but it looks almost identical to the Gamecube title and in some cases, such as charcter stat screens actually look a bit worse. There are a few subtle improvements in places, characters no longer move around the map in rigid right angles and battle animations are slightly better and everything is still very clear, colourful and crisp but it doesn’t feel like we’ve advanced much. The graphics likewise have improved only marginally and most of the sound effects have returned unaltered and sound a bit outdated now. The music however is absolutely superb as ever with stirring, bouncy tunes envigorating battle situations and a range of atmospheric melodies driving the drama in story sequences. None of it is orchestrated but the arrangements are of such quality that it doesn’t matter. There still isn’t full voice acting but with a script this massive that’s no surprise although the brilliantly animated FMV scenes feature some half decent voice work.

I described in a fair amount of detail how you play Fire Emblem games in my reviews of Shadow Dragon and Pasth of Radiance so I won’t do the same here except to say you order a handful of units with varying stats, weapons and abilities around a grid-based map to engage in turn based battles with opponents utilising tight strategy regarding positioning your units and selecting weapons. Micromanagement of units takes place in the base menu which you see between maps. It’s absurdly addictive, a process smothered in satisfaction. Lose a unit and they’re gone forever unless you reload your last save, which brings me to the biggest and most important improvement Radiant Dawn brings to the series. In easy and normal difficulties you are able to use the battle save feature at any time so eliminating the need to restart entire maps when you lose an important unit which will happen. The difficulty level is huge if you’re aiming to complete the game without losing anyone. This last playthrough was the first time I had attempted the game on normal and I had to reset and use the battle save feature on nearly every map. It really, really helps.

Selecting the right weapon is crucial.

Other things done differently here includes the class system which now has three tiers instead of two. In the case of swordsmen for example they go from myrmidon to swordmaster to trueblade giving plenty of scope for training and advancement. You are no longer restricted by how many weapons you can give a character against items. Each unit has seven slots in their inventory and you can give them seven weapons if you want. The support feature too has been tweaked. Instead of choosing a number of support relationships for each charcter you have to focus on pairs. Support converstaions now take place on the battlefield instead of the base menu but they’re sadly nowhere near as well written, interesting or long as they were in Path of Radiance. Converse enough and you can manually increase the level of support and the effect of support bonuses. The best part is that you are given a visual indication of when support bonuses are in effect this time round.

Of course one of the most important aspects of the design of a Fire Emblem game is its maps and Radiant Dawn represents the best the series has to offer. Early chapters have you moving the Dawn Brigade through the narrow streets of Nevassa, Daein’s capital taking on Occupation Army aggressors in 3D environments that are much more detailed and believable than the first few maps of Path of Radiance. Other standout scenarios include an escape through lava filled caves where frequent eruptions damage your party, a chapter featuring only flying units that engage in a kind of arial dogfight thousands of feet up in the sky and a number of brilliantly heart-pounding defense missions including part two’s excellent endgame. It’s a varied and consistently engaging selection of maps and there’s scarcely a dull chapter among the three dozen or so in the game.

Sothe is a much more important character this time.

Story and gameplay combine in Fire Emblem – Radiant Dawn to spectacular effect. If your reaction to the game is anything like mine you will be totally absorbed all the way through to the big finish which makes Path of Radiance’s endgame look like an anticlimax. That will take a long time too. This playthrough lasted over seventy hours and took a whole month although my other two playthroughs on easy both lasted forty-seven. If you turn off battle animations it will save time and the figure does include all the story and preparations but even so it’s one of the most uncommonly vast games I’ve ever played and I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of it.

So why that Gamerankings average of 78%? I think most of the reviews underrated it because of an overemphasis on fancy graphics and presentation in their considerations. This game does what it does better than any other I’ve played remotely like it. As a seasoned gamer there’s no way I can be this enthralled by an undeserving game and I’m heartened by the fact that among the disappointing reviews there is the odd source that reveres it. If you have any interest or previous experience in the Fire Emblem series I urge you to play this game but this very high recommendation comes with a word of caution, play Path of Radiance first if you can. It took me two and a half years and three playthroughs to fully appreciate how much I love this game which has risen in my esteem higher even than Okami, the game that so overshadowed it on that birthday in 2008. Fire Emblem – Radiant Dawn now takes its place as one of the finest video game experiences I have had in this, or any, console generation.

Presentation – 7

Disappointing from a visual point of view but the storytelling and creation of mood is absolutely superlative.

Gameplay – 10

Quite simply the most addictive game I have ever had the pleasure of playing. If you can get into it this game will completely absorb you.

Graphics – 7

Barely an improvement over the Path of Radiance from a technical standpoint but the use of colour and animations are once again very nice.

Sound – 8

A quite wonderful soundtrack full of memorable tunes. The sound effects aren’t bad but haven’t improved.

Difficulty – 10

A vast challenge on the harder difficulty levels. Strategy masochists will be in Nirvana.

Longevity – 10

One of the longest games I’ve ever played and absolutely loaded with replay value.

Verdict

The complete Fire Emblem experience with a deeply involving, multifaceted story and the best balance of gameplay and content in the series to date. This is the kind of game that could make you neglect your social life and family. Despite a couple of fairly minor quibbles it’s an utterly magical slice of interactive entertainment.

9.6

out of 10