GadgetJax Reviews: Cave Story (PC, Wii, 3DS)

   After two months of doing shortened reviews, I think I would like to go back to a more explorative review. This time, we won't be covering a book OR a movie. Rather, we're going back into the wonderful world of video games, and the game of today is Cave Story.

What is Cave Story? Well, of course it's a story, and it's probably about a cave, right? Or, maybe it's a story about Cave Johnson from Portal 2. Nah, I take that back: It's probably just about a cave.
      Before getting to the actual game, though, I would like to cover a bit of Cave Story's history: This game was independently created by just one man, Daisuke 'Pixel' Amaya, and released completely free of charge in 2004 (In Japan, the game is subtitled as 'Dokutsu Monogatari'). The game slowly garnered attention from the western gaming community when it was given an English translation. Within the following years, Cave Story amassed a huge fanbase, as did 'Pixel'. This fad continued to grow as 'Pixel' teamed up with Nicalis Inc to develop updated versions of the game for WiiWare, DSi, 3DS, and Steam. In some respects, Cave Story could be considered one of the first and most influential Indie games ever created!
      To avoid spoiling any of the game's story (haha, get it?), I'll just be covering the first bits of monologue during the game. You wake up in a large cavern with no idea who you are (you won't learn your name until later) and where you came from: after searching around, you meet a village full of rabbit-like denizens known as 'The Mimiga'. These creatures tell you that an evil Doctor has been kidnapping their kind, and you head out to rescue them. Of course there's much more story than that to find in the game, but I recommend living that story yourself: This is NOT the game you would want to spoil. Really, don't spoil it for yourself or anyone else.
     
      Now, onto gameplay: Cave Story is known by many as a 'Metroidvania' title. Unlike traditional platformers, a Metroidvania platformer does not have segmented levels. Rather, the entire game is linked together as a singular world that can be independently explored at any time - as long as you can access that area in the story, anyway. Your main character can run, jump, and shoot in any horizontal or vertical direction.
      Upon booting up, you'll start with just a single weapon, the Polar Star, but you'll slowly collect more and more. Your arsenal expands to include a missile launcher, a fireball blaster, and more. What makes Cave Story's weapons different is the unique Experience System: Every time you bust an enemy, they drop EXP for you to collect. If you pick up enough EXP, your weapon will eventually level up. Each weapon maxes out its power when it reaches Level 3. The catch? If you receive any damage, your weapon will lose some of the EXP you collected for it. You'll want to play carefully to get through the caves with your weapons still at max power. Here's a diagram to see how the EXP system works for your first weapon:

      Cave Story's weapon system is more dynamic than just its experience system, though: some weapons can only be unlocked by trading certain weapons away, and some needed to be crafted by fusing together one or more weapons. There are a total of 10 weapons to be found: 5 of them are found naturally, and the other 5 are optional through trades or combinations. The extra weapons are fun to find because they add lots of replay value to each Cave Story experience.
     
      Advice to new players: this game is incredibly challenging. There are no difficulty options in the freeware version; only the versions of the game on Steam and Nintendo include Easy Mode. Cave Story will infuriate you to no end if you aren't up for a fight. Cave Story also features a secondary ending, but accessing it without knowing where it is in advance is nearly impossible. Even if you do manage to find it, you'll have to fight your way through an extra dungeon. Oh, that last dungeon is a heartache and a half.

Final Thoughts:

Cave Story is awesome. Why use words to describe this great game when you can just play it right now? You can download the original freeware version at this link: http://www.cavestory.org/download/cave-story.php - The updated versions of this game on Nintendo and Steam will cost a bit more, but are worth it for players who want the definitive Cave Story experience.

Recommendation Level: Maximum (Worth every penny - or, try the original version: you won't regret it either way.)

GadgetJax's Definitive Guide to Dance Dance Revolution!

Man, has it really been a month since the Lock-in party at the Highland branch? That thing was amazing! The cake was cool (even though I haven't read Harry Potter), the activities were fun, but what topped off the event for me was Dance Dance Revolution!

Dance Dance Revolution started out as a simple Arcade game released in 1998 by Konami. The premise of the game is simple: step on arrows that match the beat of a song played on the machine. Hitting notes correctly would give you points and raise your groove bar, while missing notes would decrease. While practically anyone can pick it up and play it because of the simplicity of it, DDR is by no means a casual game. The franchise is infamous for being one of the hardest video games you'll ever play, as the hard songs can force you to step at over 400 beats-per-minute, not to mention just how much of a workout the game is when played at a hard difficulty. 

    Because of how unique and fun the game was when it released, DDR became one of Konami's biggest franchises at the time, causing their income to increase by 270 percent upon the release of DDR Extreme!! ...but since then, DDR has sort-of declined in popularity. The most recent DDR game was DDR 2013, which is a Japanese exclusive, and the latest DDR game in English was DDRII, which was a 2011 release!! So, if you want to play DDR nowadays, what can you do? 

    That was a rhetorical question, goofball. You're reading this article, so you clearly know that I'm gonna give you the best DDR prep tips, right?

STEP 1: CHOOSING YOUR CONSOLE

While DDR has been released on several consoles over the past 15+ years it's been around, the 3 consoles with the biggest DDR libraries would be the PlayStation 2, the Nintendo Wii, and the XBOX 360. If you're already a passionate gamer, you'll probably just choose the console that you already own, but if you don't have any of these 3, then I'll show you which one to get.
    Here's a list of all the DDR titles you can find on these 3 consoles...

PlayStation 2:
Dance Dance Revolution DDRMAX 1 & 2
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 1 & 2
Dance Dance Revolution Supernova 1 & 2
Dance Dance Revolution X & X2

XBOX360:
Dance Dance Revolution Universe 1, 2, and 3
Dance Dance Revolution (2010)

Wii:
Dance Dance Revolution // Hottest Party 1, 2, and 3
Dance Dance Revolution (2010)
Dance Dance Revolution II

It should be obvious from here that the PlayStation 2 has the most game to choose from. The PlayStation 2 has the best Konami Original selection & is generally balanced for each music style out there. As for the XBOX360, I would not personally recommend this console because the first 2 Universe games are riddled with bugs and Universe 3 has a generally poor song selection. The Wii is also pretty good, but be warned: Dance Pads for the Wii connect through the GameCube cable slots on the console. Some Wii models released within the recent years do not have GameCube cable ports, meaning you can't play with a Dance Pad on there.
   
This article will be assuming that the PlayStation 2 will be the console chosen.

STEP 2: CHOOSING THE GAME

There are a ton of DDR games, but it'll obviously be hard to get 'em all, right? Well, now is the perfect opportunity to go over which game is the best to get. Most of the games listed on PS2 can be found around $5 at your local GameStop, which is nice because the average DDR game has around 60 songs to play.

Song Description Key
-
Konami Remix (A liscensed song that has been remixed by one of Konami's artists)
Konami Original (A DDR-exclusive song that has been written by one of Konami's artists)
Game Music (A song from a Konami-developed video game)
Boss Song (A song in the game that is exceptionally difficult to complete. Final Boss Songs are the hardest songs in the game, Primary Boss Songs are songs that are labeled as Boss songs but not the final one, and Secondary Boss Songs are other songs that are notably hard to finish, but not labeled as a Boss Song.)

Notable DDRMAX songs: (click here to see full songlist)

I Like To Move It
Darude Sandstorm
Rhythm & Police K.O.G. G3 MIX (Konami Remix)
AM-3P (Konami Original)
Jam & Marmalade (Konami Original)
Matsuri Japan (Konami Original)
Gradiusic Cyber AMD G5 MIX (Konami Original; Gradius Game Music)
Trip Machine Climax (Konami Original; Secondary Boss Song)
Candy Star (Konami Original; Primary Boss Song)
Max 300 (Konami Original; Final Boss Song)

Misc: DDRMAX doesn't contain too many liscensed tracks, and the game is pretty difficult as well. There's no Beginner mode, either. I would only recommend this to someone who wants a classic DDR Experience at an insane difficulty.

Notable DDRMAX2 songs:

Conga Feeling
Dream A Dream
Let's Groove
Long Train Runnin' (Konami Remix)
D2R (Konami Original)
TSUGARU (Konami Original)
End of the Century (Konami Original; Secondary Boss Song; Beethoven Remix)
Paranoia KCET (Konami Original)
Kakumei (Konami Original; Chopin Remix)
MAXX UNLIMITED (Konami Original; Final Boss Song)

Misc: While DDRMAX2 contains a few more liscensed tracks, I would say that DDRMAX 1 is the better choice. Sure, you don't get as many popular songs, but I would take quality over quantity any day.

Notable DDR Extreme songs:

Believe (Konami Remix)
Kick The Can (Konami Original; Can-can Remix)
Kids In America
Ladies' Night
Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
The Reflex
YMCA
V [For Extreme] (Konami Original; Vivaldi Remix)
Drop Out (Konami Original; Secondary Boss Song)
Trip Machine (Konami Original)
Absolute (Konami Original)
Maximizer (Konami Original; Primary Boss Song)
The Legend of MAXX (Konami Original; Final Boss Song)

Misc: DDR Extreme excels in a good blend between Konami Originals and Liscensed music. The game is generally easier than the average DDR game, but the secondary and final boss songs make up for it. Trust me, they feel impossible.

Notable DDR Extreme 2 songs:

Captain Jack // Grandale Remix (Konami Remix)
Cartoon Heroes // Speedy Mix (Konami Remix)
I will Survive (Konami Remix)
La Copa De La Vida
Oops! ...I Did It Again (Konami Remix) ((Ugh, this song is awful. It's popular, but awful.))
Play That Funky Music
Speed Over Beethoven (Beethoven Remix)
1998 (Konami Original)
Candy Heart (Konami Original; Remix of Candy Star)
Heaven is a '57 metallic gray (Konami Original)
La Bamba (Konami Remix)
SAKURA (Konami Original; Secondary Boss Song)
TwinBee Generation X (Konami Original; Twinbee Game Music)
Burnin' The Floor (Konami Original)
Dynamite Rave (Konami Original)
Afronova from Nonstop Megamix (Konami Original)
Paranoia Survivor MAX (Konami Original; Final Boss Song)

Misc: If Extreme had a great balance between Konami music and liscensed music, then Extreme 2 is absolutely perfect. Bring this game to a party and you're sure to please everyone. The Konami Original selection is also some of the best in the entire console series, only second to DDR Konamix on the original PS1.

Notable DDR Supernova songs:

Battle without Honor or Humanity
Centerfold (Konami Remix)
Funkytown
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Jerk it out
Let's Dance
Since U Been Gone
Flow // True Style (Konami Original)
True Love (Konami Original)
Curus (Konami Original)
No. 13 (Konami Original; Beethoven Remix)
RED ZONE (Konami Original)
Xepher (Konami Original; Secondary Boss Song)
Blue Impulse [For EXTREME] (Konami Original)
Matsuri // J Summer Mix (Konami Original)
Healing-D-Vision (Konami Original; Primary Boss Song)
Fascination MAXX (Konami Original; Final Boss Song)
CHAOS (Konami Original; Primary Boss Song)

Misc: Supernova is a great mix, mostly because of the time-based selection of music. Most of the liscenses are from the '60s and '70s, while most of the Konami Originals first debuted right around the time of this game's release. Also, the Boss songs in this game are disgusting. Fascination MAXX in particular features 800BPM streams!!

Notable DDR Supernova 2 songs: 

Eternus
Le Freak (aka Freak Out)
Take On Me
Arrabbiata (Konami Original)
Freeway Shuffle (Konami Original)
Bag (Konami Original; Imposter Boss Song)
Calico Cat Rock (Konami Original)
La Bamba (Konami Remix; Not the same version as the one in Extreme 2)
Trim (Konami Original; Secondary Boss Song)
Fascination // Eternal Mix (Konami Original; Final Boss Song)
NGO (Konami Original; Primary Boss Song)
Trip Machine Pheonix (Konami Original; Primary Boss Song)

Misc: I do not recommend Supernova 2. There aren't too many good liscenses, and the Konami Original selection is pretty average. It's not the worst DDR mix, but there just isn't enough substance to make you want to jam to it.

Notable DDRX songs: 

30 Lives // Up-Up-Down-Dance Mix (Konami Remix; Contra Code Parody)
Dub-i-dub // 2008 X-edit
U can't touch this
Blind Justice // Torn Souls, Hurt Faiths (Konami Original; piece from 'The Epic of Zektbach')
Bloody Tears IIDX (Konami Original; Castlevania Game Music)
Poseidon (Konami Original)
Saber Wing (Konami Original; Secondary Boss Song)
Trust // DDR Mix (Konami Remix; Gurren Lagann Main Theme)
Trigger (Konami Original; Primary Boss Song)
Pluto (Konami Original; Seconadry Boss Song)
Pluto Relinquish (Konami Original; Final Boss Song)

Misc: DDRX could be described as a gold mine, but not in a good way. There are a few really good songs like Blind Justice and U Can't Touch This, but there is so much mediocrity in the rest of the soundtrack that I would just say to pass this one. On a side note, you should know that DDRX uses a 1-20 scale for song difficulty instead of 1-10. Most songs have been adjusted specifically for this rating chart. For example, U Can't Touch This is normally a 7 chart, but X re-rates it as a 10.

Notable DDRX2 songs:

Daft Punk is Playing at my House
Ice Ice Baby
Let's Get It Started
Viva La Vida
A Brighter Day (Konami Original)
G.R. Special Challenge charts for AM-3P, B4U, BRILLIANT2U, Dynamite Rave, and D2R.
Freeze (Konami Original)
Keep on Movin' (Konami Original)
La Bamba (Konami Remix; This is the version from Supernova, not Extreme 2)
La Senorita Virtual (Konami Original)
MARS WAR 3 (Konami Original)
Nadeshiko (Konami Original)
Ubertreffen (Konami Original)
Dance Dance Revolution Main Theme (Konami Original; Secondary Boss Song; Main Theme from DDR First Mix)
Pluto: The First (Konami Original; Final Boss Song)
Kimono Princess (Konami Original; Infamous for internet parodies)
Roppongi Evolved (Konami Original; Secondary Boss Song)

Misc: Despite the fact that this is a sequel to DDRX, this is a surprisingly good mix. There are some pretty good liscensed songs, and the Konami Original selection is also nice. This is a solid pick if you want some variety, and you're sure to pull out your hair while trying to beat Pluto: The First.

Out of all the DDR games to choose from, I would say that Extreme 2 and Supernova are the best to get, followed by Extreme 1. Max is the best game to pick if you want a dedicated challenge, and DDRX2 is also pretty fun. Remember: The PlayStation 2 can play PS1 discs, so you can use DDR 1st Mix and DDR Konamix on the PS2!

Now that you know exactly what DDR game you'll be playing, it's time to find the thing that makes DDR so special in the first place: The Dance Pad!

STEP 3: CHOOSING YOUR DANCE PAD

The whole reason this game is called Dance Dance Revolution is so you can dance, so you'll obviously need a dance pad to get maximum enjoyment from the game. Yes, you could play just using the basic PS2 Controller, but what's the fun in that? Playing like that makes the game too easy, not to mention that it involves no dancing.
    There are 3 main Types of Dance Pads to select from: Soft Dance Pads, Foam-Filled Dance Pads, and Metal Dance Pads. This picture below lists their appearance.

Soft pads are the most common pads you can find, as they are usually packaged into the console games. The pads are made of a pretty basic material, almost like a rug. These dance pads aren't too bad, but they move around very easily while playing and they're not very good for constant step streams. These pads can usually be purchased online for about $20, so they're the cheapest pad variety out there, but the quality may not be up to par with what a serious DDR player would need. I recommend this pad variety for players that will play on easier difficulties, mostly because easy mode doesn't cause the pad to move around as much.
   Foam-Filled pads contain pieces of foam inserted inside the pad itself, which keeps the pad straight and prevents it from moving as much. This pad variety is the most affordable kind if you want a serious challenge from DDR, and it's the kind of pad I use at home. These pads are a bit more expensive, usually between $35 and $45, but the price is honestly worth it. Besides, the average video game controller is $50, so this dance pad isn't THAT bad of a deal. I recommend this pad kind to anyone that wants to enjoy DDR at brutal difficulty levels.
   Metal pads are exactly what they sound like. Most of them are designed around the official dance pads you'll find in arcades, and as such, they're the best kind of pad you can find. Some metal pads also come with built-in barrier bars, simulating the appearance of the arcade pads. Of course, since the pad is made of metal, it's price is pretty high. A typical metal pad will be about $100, and probably even more if you get one that has bonuses like multible console cable connectors and handlebars. I don't recommend getting a metal pad unless you want to play DDR like a king.

Okay, I think we've covered everything now. So, once you start playing, what'll a serious game look like? Well, here's a video of my current DDR setup at home. I play on the PS2, I use a Foam-Filled pad, and the games I own are DDRMAX, Extreme 1, and Extreme 2.

(Shameless plug.)

Pretty good, huh? It's takes lots of practice to get good at Dance Dance Revolution, but it's worth it. Dance Dance Revolution is one of the very few video games out there that makes you feel good about yourself - not to mention that it's a great workout when playing at a high difficulty level! 

GadgetJax Reviews: Sonic Generations (PS3/XBOX360)

In my more recent of years of gaming, I really haven't played a 'new' game that really blew me away. Sure there were a lot of titles that I loved, like 'Super Mario Galaxy', 'Portal 2', and even 'Super Smash Brothers 4'. However, I ended up receiving Sonic Generations for Christmas of 2014, and it was defenitely one of the grandest experiences of my gaming life.

Let me momentarily say this: Sonic Generations is not a perfect game. There is no such thing as a perfect game. That said, however, Sonic Generations does such a good job of combining old school Sonic conventions with the new that it ends up feeling so close to perfect without actually reaching it.

I would touch up on the plot of this game, but it's defenitely the weakest point of the experience. It's every crossover plot ever written: A portal appears out of nowhere, sucks Modern Sonic and his friends up, and then they get Time Travel'd all the way to 1991- or more specific, Green Hill Zone from the first Sonic The Hedgehog game. Modern Sonic teams up with Classic Sonic to defeat Modern Dr. Robotnik, who has allied himself with Classic Dr. Robotnik. Yeah, it's predictable on every corner, but a Video Game honestly doesn't need to have a story to be good.

Sonic Generations is split up into 2 gameplay styles. Act 1 levels are played as Classic Sonic and feature 2D Side-scrolling gameplay. These levels focus on tight platforming and run at a fairly smooth pace, providing a solid experience that is just as good as the original Genesis titles. Act 2 levels are played as Modern Sonic and focus on a combination of 2D AND 3D platforming. The Modern levels also focus primarily on speed rather than tight platforming, making the game feel like one long marathon.

The beauty of Sonic Generations and it's gameplay is in replay value. While the main game is rather small, featuring only 18 Acts and a few Boss battles, the game makes up for this in the level design itself. Every level features multiple routes that encourage playing through certain levels over and over to find the route that is the quickest and/or most enjoyable to play through.

Speaking of beauty, Sonic Generations features a really well done graphical display. Everything is colorful and feels distinct within each level. Even levels with similar appearances have enough color variation to feel like fresh each time. The character animations do end up feeling a bit out of place in certain cutscenes because of how they incorrectly contrast the level they are in, but because of how the story means nothing to the actual gameplay, this is easily ignored.

The sheer amount of fanservice this game features (I don't mean in the filthy kind of way) is absolutely crazy. There are tons of unlockeable music remixes, some of which from the more obscure titles in the franchise. Remixes are featured from games varying from Sonic Advance 3 to as far as Knuckles Chaotix, and there's even a remix from Sonic Mega Collection, which was just a compilation title!

Oh, but Sonic Generations is not perfect, like I mentioned. In fact, because of how much good there is in the game, it makes the bad portions feel even worse!

First off, all the levels in the game are inspired by levels from previous Sonic games. For the most part, that's fine, because the level selection is fairly strong. Chemical Plant, City Escape, Planet Wisp, and more are all good choices, but WHY IS CRISIS CITY IN THIS GAM-

Sorry, lost my train of thought. Now, Crisis City from Sonic '06. This level is beyond broken. It is just way too flip-flopped and there is little consistency. This is especially true to the Act 2 version of the level, because of how the level keeps switching between speed-based platforming and precise platforming. A good analogy for it would be riding your bike at 20 mph down a straight path, but out of nowhere there are a bunch of precise turns you have to make, meaning you need to slow down and lose that incredible experience of speed.

Also, this game introduces a very unenjoyable mechanic called 'Skills'. They act as sort-of power ups that you can equip that give you bonuses. The problem? Most of Sonic's trademark moves from previous games can only be accessed by using these 'Skills' the one that angers me most is the one skill that prevents you from having to take time to get up after taking damage. Sonic is the fasting thing alive, why would HE need to take his sweet time just to recover?!? He doesn't do that in any other Sonic game in existance, not even Sonic '06 or Sonic Shuffle, so why does he have to here?!?

Challenge Mode is also a thing here. Every individual Act has 5 Challenges that are 'optional' to play through, meaning that there are a total of 90 of them in the game. They keep the game lasting long enough so it doesn't feel like an unsatisfactory purchase, but some of them are really bad to play through.
Ones that come to mind are the Doppleganger races.
I normally like rival races in games, but in these races, it's just to see who gets to the end. Since your doppleganger isn't affected by anything you do, and you aren't affected by it, it turns the missions into average Time Trials with a shadow running alongside you to show if you're doing good or bad. That's boring.
Also, I say 'optional' to play through with very loose air quotations because the game requires you, once every few levels, to beat a few of these Challenges in order to reach the next leg of the game. It throws off the pacing so much that I just end up completing all the Challenges for that Act at once, just because I don't like to have to leave missions un-finished. My Completionist side is ruining my Sonic experience :(

And finally, the boss battles. There are a few cool rival battles within the game that act as a sort-of 'Sub Boss', which are really enjoyable, but the rest are just average. Many of them often involve waiting, and more waiting, and MORE waiting. As Arin Hanson once said: "Waiting isn't hard, but it gives off the illusion of difficulty because it causes the battle to become an ordeal."

Still, don't let any of the above issues derail you from getting this game. It's otherwise perfect, and on the same level of quality as Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which is my favorite game ever! I wouldn't say that you NEED to get a PS3 or XBOX360 just to have this game, but anyone who ever gets either of those consoles needs to make sure that they get this title to go with their bundle.

Sonic Generations earns my seal of approval any day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfUoXJzff2I