Reviewed on Xbox 360. Developed by Rare. Published by Microsoft
Banjo Kazooie is one of Rare’s original megahits from the late 90′s when they could do no wrong. Now, not so much, but at the time, even a tech demo slapped onto a cart sold millions. Banjo Kazzoie and its sequel, Banjo Tooie where some of the finest 3D platformers of the 32/64 bit era. A decade later a sequel has been released to a wave of indifference and is a typical Rare product of this decade. Let’s have a squizz.
Nuts and Bolts is a game about vehicles as much of what you need to accomplish is done so with vehicles that you can build and modify at any time though the game. You collect new parts and blueprints as you progress. You might need a vehicle that is fast in one level, strong in another, one with a large carrying capacity at times, or one with passenger seats. There are races, timetrials, collection, demolition derby fetch quests etc. There’s a lot of breadth and range in what you can do in the game.
The graphics are very colourful and pretty though the framerate seems to occasionally have its mind on other things. There are lots of loading times that can be a little excessive, though installing the game to disc DRAMATICALLY cuts the length of theses down to ‘not an issue.’ Sound is typical Banjo, gibberish vocalisations rather than voices and overuse of the Hanna Barberra sound effects library. And it has fantastic music. New orchestrations of classic Banjo music abound, so good in fact that I’d love a soundtrack album.
But while its ambitious, technically impressive and has a lot of things to do, it has a problem. Its overly complex for what the target market is. Its the 360 equivalent of hooking up your PSP version of Resistance to your PS3 version of Resistance. It sounds impressive until you try and find a use for it. The visuals are overly busy to the point where its all a jumble of colour. The game is basically a mess and stops being fun very quickly, as in “this is shit,” is audible to anyone living nearby as you hurriedly eject the disc and put it back in its case while you scramble to recall where you left the receipt.
It should have been a lot of fun. Rare used to be able to make fun games but now they just make games for no audience. It looks like a game kids (or kids in their mid-30′s) would like but it plays like a game that no one can find any fun in.
Controller1.com rating 0/3 (I wanted to love this game so much. I am heartbroken)
Reviewed on PS3. Developed by Media Molecule. Published by SCEE.
We have to clear the air before we continue…
Firstly, despite the will of some people, Little Big Planet is not the game that makes people buy PS3′s in huge numbers. Secondly, although you can make levels, you can make really shitty levels. Thirdly its a good game.
Little Big Planet is a side scrolling platformer. You move from one end of a level to the other, using the world in various ways, using simple machines, sometimes with infuriating physics puzzles. But, it does play a lot lot the old 2D Mario games. You collect all manner of trinkets as you play, such as stickers (some of which are needed for puzzles- at least in the early part of the game, objects, textures and clothing for your playable character. A little cutie known as Sack Boy (or Sack Girl).
Sackboy only has a limited suite of moves. He can walk and run. He can grab (which combined with walking or running can operate switches and push/pull items) and he has his popit button. As so much o fthe game is based around a realistic physics model, you’ll find that it gets to be quite a hard and challenging platformer later on. Frustrating and infuriating beyond belief.
The popit button just brings up a menu with all of the items you have collected so that you can decorate your sack person at any stage. You can also deface the levels with stickers if you must. The levels are teeming with baubles containing some new element. Some of them in ridiculously difficult to get at spaces which seems to be why puzzles based on fitting the correct sticker seem to be less important as the game wears on. You basically see a cartboard cutout with what looks like a chip- similar to those you see on some credit cards. If you have the correct sticker in your inventory, you may be able to unlock a new area. I believe a lot of what you collect may be useful to you if you choose to make your own levels.
I found that as I progressed through the game, I became less concerned with collecting all o fthe baubles and more concerned just getting through to the end of the level. My main reason for this is the checkpoint system. You pass what looks and sounds like a gong and you get 4 attempts at getting to the next checkpoint before getting booted back to the start of the level. Hey guess what MM? The game stops being fun when you have to trawl through some of the longer levels over and over when you can’t get to the penultimate checkpoint of a level.
There are some sections that you can play as coop with a second sack person (or as we say these days, a Person of Sack) but really what a lot of people have gone gaga over is the level creation. You can make a level and put it on the web. And if it infringes on ANYONE’s copyright or might possibly infringe on someone’s copyright, it will be removed. The level creator requires you to sit through a rather long tutorial and its necessary since its actually quite a hard thing to acocomplish. I baulked at the price of entry so I downloaded some levels other people had made. One was supposedly Ghostbusters and the other was Metal Gear Sacklid. They were somewhat cruder than the MM levels but they got the job done. Just. But maybe the single player is all I needed to get out of the game.
The graphics are rather pretty and cute (if a little blurry) and the musical score is very hypnotic and memorable. And of course, since there are only four attempts per checkpoint before you have to restart the level- the music firstly becomes highly repetitive and then highly annoying.
LBP will spawn a PSP version and most likely a PS3 sequel. I like the game but I can’t call it a system seller but every PS3 owner should get it (especially since it seems to be discounted in some online retailers). If you like 2D platformers and own a PS3, get this. If you want to make your own levels and you already own a PS3, get this.
controller1.com RATING 2/3
