LOTR:Return of the King(Xbox)

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on Xbox was on my hitlist for last night. This games takes you through the events of Tolkien's "Return of the King". The game is produced by EA, makers of the extremely popular EA Sports video game line and the stratospherically renowned Harry Potter video games. You are offered 3 branching paths, following the quests of Gandalf the Grey, Aragorn and Frodo/Samwise. Each level path is made up of relatively few levels - 5 or 6 for each path. The game compensates for this by making each game level spectacular and including some noteworthy extra features as "rewards" for finishing each level. The 1st two levels with Gandalf involve you to going to Isengard, smacking around orcs and goblins along the way. Level graphics are very crisp on the Xbox, with plenty of figures flitting about but no slowdown. Electronic Arts has done a spectacular job of integrating the movie very closely with the game content. In the Frodo/Samwise path the game starts with a near seamless segue from movie footage into the game. From here Samwise has to guide a dazed Frodo and cowering Gollum through the chaotic maze of warring Osilgiliath. I don't know how these guys did it, but there something very invigorating about the action sequences in this game. Moving your character around laying the smack down on the bad guys really does allow you to live out the fantasy of the game. Levels in this game tend to be on the long side. It's easy to die at first, with your character being quickly swarmed and put down. As you play through again, though, you notice that you survive a lot longer if you defend a bit. The game also provides fairly liberal health power ups for you to use. EA seems more concerned in having folks "play through" the movie than be seriously challenged with dying and retrying. I like this focus, since it allows me to immerse myself in the responsive battles in the game

Air Gallet, Banpresto(Arcade)

Seventeen

Total Cost to finish game $4.25


The premise for this game is that a pair of UN pilots try to stop the world from being destroyed by freakish mechanistic creatures on one tank of gas. This is a hard game to finish, especially when Banpresto fills the screen with firing, multihit enemies and your ship gets blown up with a single shot. Your weapon power-ups can make a difference. There are multiple opportunities on each level to build up your firepower. However, weapon efficacy can be spotty. Spread shot works great, but the laser sucks. Bombs are only moderately effective, as neither iteration of the bomb clears the screen for you. Enemy shot frequency is high, resulting in the Malachi crunch of smacking into enemy weapon fire. Levels are of moderate length, as are the boss encounters. There are 5 levels to the game, with a final Boss encounter that is 3 times the normal length of a level Boss fight. Boss fights chewed up quarters, as did cheap hits while progressing through each level. Power ups were easy to recover, though - which made things easier. This game was good but certainly not great, and probably not worth the dough spent to finish it. Your reward for spending $4.25 to finish this game? Hearing the hero say "I'm going to take a nice hot shower, Ha Ha Ha!". As the guy in the Mitsubishi ad says: "I'm all tingly".

19xx, Capcom(Arcade)

Fifteen

Total Cost to finish game $3.75

Officially the final game in the "194x" series by Capcom, this game featured sprite graphics with some cool special effects. Your uber-enemy throughout the game is this SR-71 style airplane that is the master of all the level bosses. Boss encounters range from planes, to trains, then automobiles, ships and tanks. Graphic detail is the height of spritedom on Earth, with clear rich colored objects and some very smoothly animated weapon effects and explosions. Power ups are useful enough in this game that you work hard to stay alive to continue using them. This is a one hit shooter. You get hit, you die. As a result, enemy shot frequency is greatly reduced (except in boss encounters). Still, getting nailed right before you finish a level still feels pretty cheap. This game was a final exam for 194x fans, so the levels were very long and the bosses were incredibly difficult. I spent most of my quarters on boss encounters. The wonderful thing about shooters is that you can always spend yourself out of trouble, unlike some side scrolling arcarde games or fighting games. This game was enjoyable enough that it left you wanting a sequel. Since "1944" came out 5 years later, I guess I played the sequel before the game that preceded it, so I got my wish early. :)

1944, Capcom(Arcade)

Eighteen


Total Cost to finish Game $4.50


Published 10 years after "1941", "1944: The Loop Master" displays a number of technological and gameplay advancements by Capcom in the shooter genre. This games is pushing large #'s of polygons as opposed to the sprites found in "1941". Screen progression is smooth, with high levels of animation and background detail. Enemies are well animated and tend to fire less than in other shooters. Enemies in "1944" tend to be much harder to kill, even with powered up weapons. Bosses also have a tough constitution and can take a few quarters to defeat each. Level progression consists of short levels with long boss fights. Bombs in this game are much more powerful in "1941" and are equally useful in clearing out pesky enemy concentrations, as well as taking out enemy bosses. Your ship has a life bar, so you can sustain multiple hits. Another feature of Loop master are side fighters. Your ship can pick up two additional escort fighters that nicely boos your firepower. Destroyed escort fighters are replaced if you have collected enough fighter tokens in the gameBoss encounters are grandiose, with enemy bosses that span 1 or 2 screens and fire a dizzying array of weapons. Boss encounters are also tough, one mid-game boss costing me 4 quarters to beat. This game is also fairly long, with 15 separate stages. You also have the choice of 3 aircraft so there is some replay value. Blowing stuff up in "1944" felt a little bit more satisfying than "1941" given the updated weapon effects and explosions. This game is a worthy successor to "1941".

1941, Capcom(Arcade)

Fifteen

Total Cost to finish game $3.75



This game was released at the beginning of Capcom's golden age run of superior video games. This game had well drawn sprite graphics and a lot of onscreen action. The game encouraged you to move around the screen by placing power ups, medals and secret bonuses at certain points in each stage. Visual effects were great for the time, with sharp colors; parallax backgrounds and good weapon and explosive effects. Normal enemies were fairly weak, and your powered up guns could do a good job of clearing the screen. 1941 upped the challenge by filling the screen with enemies firing at you simultaneously. The loops your fighter could perform were fairly ineffective and only moderately useful with the level bosses. Your fighter had a power bar so 1 hit would not destroy you. Capcom kept the quarters moving by having long levels with moderately difficult, multistage boss encounters. In sum, well worth the $3.75 it would have taken to see this game to the end.