Retro Video Game Review: Deja Vu (Nes)Posted by admin on August 7th, 2010

Overall Rating: 3.75/5 Stars

Although the video game publisher Kemco released several games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, it may be most famous for its point-and-click adventures for that system, produced by developer ICOM and based on earlier Mac computer games. Although two of them, Uninvited and Shadowgate, revolved around fantasy plotlines that involved the supernatural, their third title would be based in a gritty 1940’s Chicago, thick with classic hardboiled P.I. flavor.

This was Deja Vu, put out onto the market in 1990 for the NES. Following the efforts of protagonist Ace in his efforts to clear his name from a murder for which he was framed (or was he?), it was a cartridge many saw as a step up from Kemco’s other two point-and-click quests; since it had no basis in supernaturalism, its problem-solving was of a much more linear form, requiring more lateral thinking and less mysticism. But was it fun?

Gameplay

Like other point-and-click adventures, Deja Vu takes place in a world expressed through a series of static images. The player directly interacts with these images using a cursor controlled by the directional pad: “Clicking” on a door may travel through it, or on a phone may use it, or on a drawer may open it. There is also the traditional menu below the graphical screen, representing options to decide what sort of action would be taken upon each click, such as Examine, Hit, Open, Take, Speak, etc.

Throughout the game, Ace will discover areas in Joe’s Bar and the surrounding neighborhood, while picking up an inventory and skillfully putting together clues to clear his name. Incorporated throughout are a series of unlockable flashbacks that offer valuable clues, and a thank-the-Lord save feature to load where a player left off, a necessary convention for a mystery adventure that was absorb many enjoyable hours.

Graphics

Although it lacks the fast-moving, sprite-based animations of most other NES titles, Deja Vu still holds its own in terms of its appearance. The still frames were obviously handled with care; and necessarily so, considering that gameplay takes place right atop them. Rarely is there a moment when a needed detail is indiscernible or insurmountable. The end result is a presentation that is impressive, if not in the flashy, blow-you-away sort of fashion.

Sound

Since the action is not exactly fast-paced, there is not a strong presence of typical sound effects. However, the background music plays a starring role, and very effectively sets an appropriate, time-period mood for every given situation.

Creativity and Innovation

One of the more enjoyable aspects of this game, and one that can make or break a point-and-click attempt, is the clever writing. Whether it is shown for different scenes, to express Ace’s thoughts, or as a result of the player trying silly combinations of actions (at one point the player must combine two elements then eat them in order to cure a malady, but the trial-and-error nature of the task will likely lead to many humorous failed attempts), Deja Vu is truly a well-written game and makes the entire experience more enjoyable.

This is a cart that was largely ignored, simply because point-and-click adventures represented a minority genre that few gamers truly, intentionally sought. That is, perhaps, an undeserved treatment, since Deja Vu is a fully fledged, fun-filled game in its own right, deservedly earning three and three-quarters stars out of five.

Other classic NES video game reviews can be found at NintendoLegend.com.

An Evolution of Diving gamesPosted by admin on August 5th, 2010

Diving is a popular pastime among those who can afford it, and fascinating to many of those that can’t. Giving its romance and mystique, the dangers of the dark underwater and the glamorous portrayl on film, such as the James Bond series, it is not surprising that there have been many attempts made to bring it to the console. As a result, there are quite a few games with diving sequences in, but very few that focus on it as the point of the game. Probably the best known diving game is Endless Ocean (Forever Blue) a launch title for Nintendo’s Wii. However, it was not the first scuba-diving game and the studio that developed it had turned out a number of previous well regarded diving games.

The earliest games were simply 2d scrollers where your diver moved across the screen collecting items and shooting enemies, in the manner of many space games of the time. I can remember one on the Acorn BBC, although versions appeared on other early home computers like the Commodore and Spectrum. In many ways these were glorified platformers, and very few gave any real sense that you were underwater.

With the advent of consoles, specifically the Playstation, a new generation of diving games could be created. Diver’s Dream (or Dolphin’s Dream or originally G-Shock) was one of these. Interestingly, it had many simularities not with the games that immediately succeded it, but with the generation that would come after that. The game was in 3D and allowed you to control a diver who appeared on the screen in third person. You made money by salvaging items from the sea floor, avoiding hazards such as dangerous fish and rockfalls along the way. Unfortunately they must not have felt a pure diving game would sell very well, so a plot involving a lost artefact was grafted on which some reviewers compared to Resident Evil in a sunken ship.

As an early game, released by Konami, the graphics are now sadly dated and above ground it has a very basic interface. However the underwater sequences are atmospheric, and the creatures well realised. Within the limitations of the console it showed what could be done with the idea, and was popular enough to get a re-release in Konami’s value series. Unfortunately no one picked up the theme and ran with it, and so the idea languished unused until the advent of the PS2.

With the PS2, a little known studio called Arika released their scuba diving game. Called Everblue it was released in Japan, and then Europe, but oddly never got an US release. Everblue was a step up from Diver’s Dream. While aboe ground sequences were a simple point and click interface, underwater had a stunningly rendered first person 3D world. The player controlled it in the manner of a standard first person shoot em up, which produced some confusion over whether Leo, the hero, was wearing flippers or weighted boots. (For those curious, the question is answered if you watch carefully: there is one section where he swims up a lift shaft with no ladder or other aid.)

The game was a hit, not least because of the care and atention paid to rendering each of the creatures. It had a strong plot, but this all revolved around salvage diving, which made Leo’s skills necessary. Use of sonar – mimicked by an actual ping-and-return sound – allowed you to find items of different types on the sea floor to make money which you could then use to complete quests or purchase equipment.

Everblue was such a success it was quickly followed by Everblue 2 which got a world wide release. Using the same interface, the above ground images had been improved and animated, and the underwater world had to be seen to be believed. The screen furniture changed slightly, but the principles remained the same. However the addition of mulitple subquests, a much more complex plot, ecological concerns to consider, and a strong cast of supporting characters (as well as enemies and dangerous sea creatures) made it a more complex game. Effectively with Everblue 2, diving games grew up. It proved a phenomenally popular game, but due to its lack of publicity and small launch it is now hard to find. Unsurprisingly given its replay value, many gamers have held on to their copies.

On the strength of the Everblue series, Arika were contracted by Nintendo to produce a launch title for their upcoming wii console. The result was released 9 Nov 2007.

Endless Ocean in some ways took a step back to Diver’s Dream, putting the diver on screen in a third person interface and removing sonar in favour of glints on the sea floor. However this was where the simularities ended. If you doubt the influence of Everblue on the new game, just remember that Endless Ocean’s original title was Forever Blue. The graphics were stunning, taking advantage of the Wii’s higher capacity, and the Wii-mote allowed for easy control of your diver on-screen. The plot was thin, but then that wasn’t the focus of the game. As the tagline said: Dive, Discover, Dream.

And a generation of gamers did. This was something different – so different that the original Endless Ocean is still a highly collectible game years after it came out.

In February 2010, its sequel was released. Just as Everblue 2 had, this brought somehing new to the series. There were dangerous animals, new regions to explore, and the return of the sonar, although in a vastly altered role. A more developed plot in some ways reduced the freedom that players had in the first game and in some places make it seem linear, but the addition of new diving environments, such as the sargasso, more than compensate.

At the time of writing Endless Ocean 2 is the latest release for diving games, but there have been other spin-offs. Sea Monsters on Wii and DS, a spin off from the TV series, sees the player take control of prehistoric fish instead of a diver and hunt fossils instead of relics.

It will be interesting to see whether either of the other main consoles, PS3 or XBOX 360, develop their own diving action games, or if any studio’s back catalog will be released for download with some of these titles in. With the Wii-mote making new methods of control available, the equivalent technology for the other consoles will open the door for similar games on those platforms.

Games mentioned

Dolphin’s Dream (PSone)
Everblue (PS2)
Everblue 2 (Ps2)
Endless Ocean (Wii)
Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep (Wii)
Sea Monsters (DS) and Sea Monsters (Wii)

How to Save Money by Renting Console Video GamesPosted by admin on August 1st, 2010

Console games for the XBOX 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and others are expensive to play and put away. Learn a few tips to save a little and play a lot.

REVIEWS: Game reviews provide more than just game information, they can save you money as well. Sites like http://www.gamespot.com give market information, trailer teaser, and review score. Microsoft put millions into (and having to put millions more) into Windows Vista but it did not do well. Same goes with game trailers. Do not buy into the game trailers. Listen to the reviews; they will save you a ton.

GAMER TYPE: What type of gamer are you? Are you an exclusively online player? Do you skip the story and go straight for the online play? If so, go buy it but how do you know if it is worth the money. Rent it!!

GAME TYPE: If the game is a shooter either first person or third, then it will typically have online multiply player. If so, then you want to know if it is a keeper. Go rent it. Losing six dollars to Blockbuster for renting the game is much better than for buying and finding out the game wasn’t all that it was hyped up to being.

STORY LINE VS ONLINE: I recently rented an Xbox 360 game that I really wanted to purchase. It had a great story line and cooperative play. Based on the reviews and the first version of the game, the online play was not that great and the story was relatively short (12-15 hours). I completed the game in four days. I was satisfied with the game and glad to have rented the game and saved myself money.

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