Dcubed Posted Tuesday at 06:13 AM Posted Tuesday at 06:13 AM Interesting! Had no idea that the US got a different version of ISS2. BTW, it really strikes me just how many more sports games the GCN got over the N64. Even at this early stage in the GCN’s life, the difference is night and day!
Cube Posted Tuesday at 07:25 AM Author Posted Tuesday at 07:25 AM 3 hours ago, Dcubed said: Interesting! Had no idea that the US got a different version of ISS2. BTW, it really strikes me just how many more sports games the GCN got over the N64. Even at this early stage in the GCN’s life, the difference is night and day! Early days is crazy. Although after a couple of years, they fizzle out due to EA pricing out the competition and other companies ditching the GameCube. So it goes from a ton of sports games to pretty much just EA's ones. 1
Cube Posted Wednesday at 08:25 AM Author Posted Wednesday at 08:25 AM Donald Duck: Quack Attack Donal Duck is Going Quackers to Save Daisy! NA release: 27th March 2002 EU release: 3rd March 2002 JP release: N/A Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Publisher: Ubisoft NGC Magazine Score: 32% Mods Used: Widescreen Hack Someone high up at Ubisoft really wanted the Donald Duck: Going Quackers/Quack Attack concept to work. Three different developers had already made completely different versions of the game for PlayStation, Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64 (with the N64 version getting PC and Dreamcast ports), but now it was Ubisoft Montreal’s turn to make a new version for the PS2 and GameCube. At this stage they mainly worked on licensed games and Tonic Trouble, but they would later create Splinter Cell, the Prince of Persia 3D trilogy and a little game called Assassin’s Creed. While the story and level themes are exactly the same as the previous versions, the levels themselves are completely different. They’re still mostly Crash Bandicoot-style levels with a few 2D levels, but they’re designed around the specific mechanics of this version. Throughout each level are sets of five cogs, collect these in quick succession and you’ll get a letter to spell out “SPECIAL”. Once you’ve completed a level with this, you’ll earn a special move. To activate a special move, you need to jump on three enemies without touching the ground, press R, then enter the combination for the various special moves – although all they do is activate a different animation then all give you the same power: invincibility and a bonus to your score for a little bit. While the actual reward for the special moves are fairly rubbish, they still benefit the game a lot: enemies and presents (which hold gears, health and power-ups) are placed within reach of each other, and bouncing across all these is extremely satisfying. I rarely actually activated the special move, but bouncing through the levels made them flow extremely well. Donald is also lovingly animated, looking like he just escaped from the cartoons. He’ll distort as he moves, grab his hat, dance around and is extremely expressive, which helps make the game feel alive. The main campaign is quite short (with fewer levels than previous versions), but there are two bonus ways to play. One is a time trial, and the other has you perform at least two special moves per level, both of which are fairly easy. Still, the mechanics of the game make it quite good fun. Fun Quote Goin’ Quackers is total rubbish, and not just because it’s one of the most boringly uninspired games we’ve played this year. Fact is, this looks and plays exactly the same as the N64 version, right down to the level structure and bumbling boss encounters. NGC Magazine #68 Remake or remaster? The various versions of this are worth including in a Disney platformer collection Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Donal Duck: Quack Attack. 4
Dcubed Posted Wednesday at 12:02 PM Posted Wednesday at 12:02 PM Oh that’s interesting. Had no idea that the GCN/PS2 version was a totally different game from the others! Ubisoft was a very strange company up until the PS360 came out and consolidated all of their game development output. 1 1
Ashley Posted Wednesday at 05:42 PM Posted Wednesday at 05:42 PM 9 hours ago, Cube said: EU release: 3rd March 2002 EU release: N/A Just flagging this 1
Cube Posted Thursday at 08:45 AM Author Posted Thursday at 08:45 AM Driven Inspired by Sylvester Stallone’s hit movie DRIVEN. NA release: 27th March 2002 EU release: 3rd May 2002 JP release: N/A Developer: Crawfish Interactive Publisher: BAM! Entertainment NGC Magazine Score: 60% Mods Used: Widescreen Hack The first direct movie tie-in for GameCube, and it’s about a film I’ve never heard of. Driven was a personal project for Sylvester Stallone, who produced, wrote and starred in it. It was about an up and coming racing driver that started losing focus, so a champion is brought out of retirement (to help him out). It was supposed to be about Formula 1, but due to behind-the-scenes secrets, Stallone had to settle on “Championship Auto Racing Teams”. The game is, naturally, a racing game, but there are a few modes inspired by scenes in the film, and a story mode that follows the plot of the film, using the various modes throughout. The most unique mode is blocking, where you have to get behind a teammate and prevent an opponent from overtaking. You have to stay close to your teammate, so you just can’t crash into your opponent (despite having a special crash camera, the crashes are extremely underwhelming). A few scenes in the film are car chases in cities, and you get to play out these as well, dodging traffic, which is decent fun. There’s also a mechanic where if you don’t hit anything, you’ll enter “focus” mode and improve your top speed, acceleration and steering. I really don’t like how it handles, though, cornering is very stiff and the opponents are near-perfect, making each mission extremely difficult. While some of the modes are interesting, it’s not very nice to play. Fine Quote While Story and Blocking modes add a little variety to the mix, it never manages to really get going – there’s just enough speed, and it’s infinitely better than the PS2 version, but it still fails to grab you by the throat. More like a tap on the forearm. Shame, because there’s the nucleus of a good idea here. NGC Magazine #68 Remake or remaster? The blocking mode could be implemented into F1 games (if not already done). Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Driven. 1
BowserBasher Posted Thursday at 10:51 AM Posted Thursday at 10:51 AM 2 hours ago, Cube said: It was supposed to be about Formula 1, but due to behind-the-scenes secrets, Stallone had to settle on “Championship Auto Racing Teams”. Look how far things have come. Now we have the F1 film due out soon that was filmed a lot on race weekends in the pits and on track with a lot of input from people in the sport. I know Hamilton had a major role in helping make it Never heard of this game. thanks. 1 1
Ashley Posted Thursday at 07:20 PM Posted Thursday at 07:20 PM 10 hours ago, Cube said: It was supposed to be about Formula 1, but due to behind-the-scenes secrets, Stallone had to settle on “Championship Auto Racing Teams”. This sounds like the subtitle a studio would use to make a Mario Kart rip off 1
Cube Posted Friday at 08:19 AM Author Posted Friday at 08:19 AM Bloody Roar: Primal Fury Fast and fluid hyper-beast fighting action. NA release: 28th March 2002 JP release: 25th April 2002 EU release: 3rd May 2002 Developer: Eighting Publisher: Activision (NA, EU), Hudson Soft (JP) NGC Magazine Score: 74% Mods Used: Widescreen Code The first traditional fighting game on GameCube, and this one is good fun. It’s the fourth game in the Bloody Roar series, and the first one to not be released in arcades. The series revolves around Zoanthropes, a human-like species with the ability to transform into animals such as tigers, elephants and rabbits – although they all walk on two feet like humans. A core concept of the game is swapping between your human mode and your beast form to access different abilities, as well as using your hyper-beast mode, which is powerful but only lasts a short time. In terms of controls, Primal Fury is fairly simple, with just one button for punches and one button for kicks (unlike the usual three for each), which is probably why I can perform reasonably well at the game. There aren’t a huge amount of modes, and still features the odd (to me) issue that you can’t select a specific fighter to be your opponent, but it’s still decent fun, and a good option for fighting games early in the GameCube’s life. Fun Quote As far as platforms for beat-’em-ups are concerned, the N64 was a real stinker. Okay, so Fighter’s Destiny wasn’t too bad, and it did have a number of redeeming features, but it was still a far cry from the Soul Caliburs of this world. To add insult to injury it took over a year to make it to these shores, a sorry state of affairs that, thanks to Bloody Road, can never befall our beloved GameCube. What’s more, as luck would have it, it’s currently sitting on a shop shelf as we speak, and being the solitary fighter on launch day, it’s a good job that it isn’t half bad. Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #68 Remake or remaster? A Bloody Roar collection would be good. Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Bloody Road: Primal Fury. 12 hours ago, Ashley said: This sounds like the subtitle a studio would use to make a Mario Kart rip off Moustached And Rotund Italian Originals Championship Auto Racing Teams 2
Cube Posted yesterday at 08:08 AM Author Posted yesterday at 08:08 AM Mystic Heroes Wield an incredible arsenal of mystic attacks in this epic fantasy action! JP release: 29th March 2002 NA release: 30th September 2002 EU release: 13th December 2002 Developer: Koei Publisher: Koei NGC Magazine Score: 71% Mods Used: Widescreen Code NGC Magazine compared this game to Gauntlet, but it’s actually something that borrows heavily from a Koei series that didn’t make its way to Nintendo platforms until much later: Dynasty Warriors. You control a powerful soldier on a battlefield, fighting your way through a massive amount of enemies. There is one massive difference, though. Dynasty Warriors is all about controlling the battlefield, helping your large army overcome the opponent’s army. Mystic Heroes is much simpler, you just kill everything or make it to the end of a stage, and you only have a small amount of troops available. On its own, the game isn’t much fun, as you only have a few attacks and the game is little more than just slashing your opponents, as it lacks the strategy element of Warriors games. Initially I thought that the game was specifically designed around 4-player co-op, especially after encountering a boss that spends ages running around in a large circle, so you can only slowly whittle away its health. However, according to NGC Magazine, the original Japanese release was singleplayer only, the game’s most redeeming feature of 4-player co-op was added for the western versions. What doesn’t help matters are the graphics, which are dull and lifeless. Mystic Heroes also features an immense amount of fog, which doesn’t even do its job of covering up the pop-in, with mountains appearing out of nothing. It really could have done with being as colourful as the box art. Mystic Heroes is simple enough to be enjoyable with four others, but is slow and tedious on your own. Fine Quote Okay, so Mystic Heroes might be something of a no-brainer, but at least it’s an entertaining – if a little repetitive and short-lived – no-brainer. Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #75 Remake or remaster? This would be a good inclusion in a collection of Warriors spin-offs. Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Mystic Heroes. 1
Cube Posted 9 hours ago Author Posted 9 hours ago Spider-man With great power comes great responsibility. NA release: 16th April 2002 EU release: 7th June 2002 JP release: 13th February 2003 Developer: Treyarch Publisher: Activision (NA/EU), Capcom (JP) NGC Magazine Score: 72% Mods Used: None When Treyarch was given the task of making a Spider-man game based on the first Sam Raimi film, they very clearly looked at Neversoft’s Spider-man game for the PS1 and N64, as this feels a lot like a sequel to that game in terms of how it controls and plays, even offering a “classic” control move based on that, and a similar web power structure. While the city levels still only let you move around a small square segments and you can’t walk on the ground, it certainly looks far more impressive, with no fog covering the ground and layers of lower detailed buildings to successfully sell the look that you’re in part of a colossal city. Webbing into the sky still looks ridiculous, though, and the few chases in the game come across as a bit silly as Vulture and Green Goblin just fly around in circles, which is sometimes handy as they’ll head straight back to Spider-man so you can close the gap. The levels inside buildings are much more focused on wall climbing and hand-to-hand combat, with a simple but satisfying system and unlocking more combos as you find them hidden in levels. This is where the controls and camera do trip up a lot, though. The camera is quite bizarre, as this one doesn’t affect Spider-man’s movement until you stop moving. So if you hold forward while moving the camera, Spider-man will still run in the same direction, and you can only “fix” this by stopping for a moment to reset the controls to now be based on where the camera is facing. This issue is made far worse in the horrible stealth levels, as you can never tell which direction you’re going to be moving when you push the stick. You also can’t tilt the camera up or down, restraining your view and making it difficult to track enemy movements. You’ll end up failing a ton of times just because of the controls and camera. One nice thing that works well is that, while this is based on the film, it mostly does its own thing, with the film scenes mainly being at the start and end of the game. They managed to get Tobey Maguire fairly late in development and, frankly, his voice acting is pretty bad, especially with the awkward and respective quips given to the character (games should not repeat the same line of dialogue after only five seconds). The end scene is also rather awkward, with Tobey’s Spider-man and MJ (who doesn’t look or sound like Kirsten Dunst) snogging right next to the Green Goblin’s dead body. Complete the game on hard and you’ll unlock Green Goblin mode. Here you can play through all the main levels as the Green Goblin, using his glider instead of webbing around. It’s a great way to play through the levels again, and the dialogue is reworked to change the story to be Harry Osborn investigating his father’s death and dealing with an imposter Green Goblin. Indicantally, he’s played by the original Spider-man choice for the game, Josh Keaton, who would still get to play Spider-man in later games and shows. While fiddly, Spider-man is still a fun and engaging game. It was massively overshadowed by its sequel game, but it’s still a really good film tie-in. Fun Quote The most important aspect of any licensed superhero game has to be the extent to which the developers can capture the essence of the character and the universe in inhabits, and in all fairness, Treyarch have done a remarkable job. The Spidey model itself is spot-on, boasting a healthy amount of texture detail on his sui (he even has shiny eyes) and they’ve also managed to get his stance and the way he moves pretty much perfect. Geraint Evans, NGC Magazine #69 Remake or remaster? A collection of Spider-man games would be nice. Official Ways to get the game There is no official way to get Spider-man (2002). 1
Dcubed Posted 8 hours ago Posted 8 hours ago (edited) Hold the phone… this American-made game, based on a Hollywood movie, based on an American comic book… came out in Japan first!? That can’t be right, surely!? Edited 8 hours ago by Dcubed 1
Ashley Posted 7 hours ago Posted 7 hours ago 1 hour ago, Cube said: The end scene is also rather awkward, with Tobey’s Spider-man and MJ (who doesn’t look or sound like Kirsten Dunst) snogging right next to the Green Goblin’s dead body. Don't kink shame. 1 1
Cube Posted 7 hours ago Author Posted 7 hours ago 43 minutes ago, Dcubed said: That can’t be right, surely!? It's not right, that's supposed to be 2003 for Japan. 1
Dcubed Posted 5 hours ago Posted 5 hours ago 2 hours ago, Cube said: It's not right, that's supposed to be 2003 for Japan. Aww… I was hoping for a weird situation like that Italian exclusive Sailor Moon game for the DS… phooey
Ashley Posted 3 hours ago Posted 3 hours ago 1 hour ago, Dcubed said: I was hoping for a weird situation like that Italian exclusive Sailor Moon game for the DS Tried to look at a reason for this. The series (and anime in general) is big in Italy, but at the expense of Japan is weird. Can't find the developer as I thought maybe it was an Italian one that pitched it but it doesn't help the name is Open Sesame. I can find a game developer, but it's French and don't mention it so seems unlikely (more the French than not mentioning a 14 year old game). But I did find a site that announced it and it was amusing reading though the comments. A lot of excited Italians. 1
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