Tag: Game

Epic Mickey Nintendo Wii

Sign of the Times

Being a ‘poor & starving artist’ a lot of…ALL of my video gaming is done ‘retro’ (I hate using that term on a machine that came out in the 2000s, but apparently that’s where we’re at) I don’t have a problem with gaming on a budget (hunting down seventh gen games in charity shops is one of my most favourite things to do) but just because it won ‘Game of the Year’ or scored high on Metacritic doesn’t mean I will personally enjoy it…

Motion Control Catastrophy

When the Wii first came out, the motion control was seen as (& probably ACTUALLY) groundbreaking. It was revolutionary…and a gimmick. The latter being the problem. I don’t mind a mini-game that requires a bit of tilting and shaking and ‘wand pointing’, but a full game? Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it just hasn’t aged well. Most probably, it’s both, because playing this game sucked.

The Pros

Before I get all negative Nancy, there are some things I enjoyed about it. The art is phenomenal (using many different styles) and the story has a real Disney/Mickey feel to it; it’s a magical adventure that slightly (and I mean slightly) takes me back to Castle of Illusion (legitimately one of the greatest games ever made) there are lots of things to collect and places to explore too. It’s a shame it handles so poorly…

The Cons

Simply put, it’s the gosh darn controls! If I’m not fiddling about with the lord awful camera (trying to get a decent angle while moving was near impossible, I literally had to stop, adjust the camera and THEN move) I was faffing about trying to get close enough to the items I needed to paint or thin (even trying to remember which was which was a tricky task at first, but that’s probably being more down to me)

I like my games to be, not necessarily fast action, but definitely smooth flowing. This was neither. As mentioned above, I would have to stop and position myself all too often before jumping or painting. It was a chore to play that literally left me with achy hands! (But again, that could just be me)

The Verdict

Was it good back in 2010 (NINE whole years ago!) We’ll according to IGN, yes (it was a ‘best of E3 2010 winner) but does it hold up now? For me…not at all. I would have loved to have played it back in the day to see how it felt back then, but we’ve come so far in the last 9 years or just simply doesn’t hold up in today’s market.

But what do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts (good or bad)

Jo

Detective Pikachu Trailer 2, Thoughts

One of the joys of being an ‘old man’ (I’m 36, but the ‘yoof’ of today make me feel MUCH older) is being able to say ‘I’ve been a fan since day one’ (it’s a weird bragging right, but I’m having it) and being a fan of Pokemon since day one is one such claim. This film is beyond how I can explain…but ill give it a go.

If you are of a similar age then you probably grew up watching some TERRIBLE ‘game to film’ adaptations. Mario, Street Fighter, all the way up to Resident Evil. Video games have just never been able to make it in film format. Which just baffles me because games these days (more ‘old man’ talk there) are full of movie moments. As much as I enjoyed the always brilliant Duncan Jones foray into The World of Warcraft it just didn’t hit the mark for me. That was the last video game film I saw, and I never thought it would be beaten…until now.

This film (Detective Pikachu) has THE most realistic (and in proportion) looking Pokemon we ever could have wished for. It’s so earnest. They look terrifying and cute and even better than I ever could have imagined! I just…honestly, words fail me. I thought I was passed the age of ‘the magic of the movies’ and the ‘cinema experience’ but this trailer makes me feel like a kid all over again. I’m excited, I’m full of anticipation… I seriously just cannot wait.

What’s even better than all this is the fact that I get to witness it all with my daughter. We don’t go to the cinema that often as there aren’t many films that capture her imagination, but she’s super excited about this one. I get to see, first hand, her face light up when she gazes at the screen in awe of these ultra-realistic creatures, that have, until now, been nothing more than pixels on a DS or cute and loveable looking characters in cartoon format. I will not only get to relive my youth but also share this magical moment with my daughter. THAT, for me, is why this trailer (& film) is going to be one to watch over, and over again.

Jo