Handheld Review : Pokemon Trading Card Game (Game Boy Color)

Handheld Review
Pokemon Trading Card Game
Game Boy Color

Recently a PC version of this concept saw the light of day... then promptly fell off the radar of gamers and nobody I know of ever talked of it again. I dont know if it is still active or not, but if by some circumstance it has shut down I wont be surprised. The game seemed unoriginal to me, even for an online PC so called free to play game that, like many games of this type, lives and dies on micro transactions of real cash. In this case micro transactions of real money bought you starter decks and booster packs... yeah, I cant imagine this game still being alive.

Continuing the lack of originality theme we have Pokemon Trading Card Game for the Game Boy Color, also playable on the GBA SP.

You might think a game like Pokemon Trading Card Game might be original, especially if you played the trading card version of Monster Rancher, also for the Game Boy Color, but then you would be wrong. Right to the most basic story premise the game is a shallow clone of Pokemon Red and Blue. You are this fan of the Pokemon TCG, and thanks to your friend the Professor you are set on the road to earn the Legendary Pokemon cards by beating this game's version of the Elite Four (after earning eight gym badges).

But, you might think, isnt that a good thing? Considering how much gameplay you can squeeze out of even first gen Red and Blue this should be a long and involved game... right? Actually no. The explorable domain is very very small. Dr Mason's lab, the eight Pokemon gyms, a Challenge dome, the home of a high level Pokemon TCG trader and the Pokemon Dome (home of the four grandmasters). And if your wondering? All the gyms and the challenge dome are the same basic design. An entrance room, a waiting room (where you can link with other GBAs for linked battles or where you can find NPC to trade with) and the main gym room. You wont always find all the gym members in this room. In the case of the Fighting Club the members are hanging out in other gyms.

Otherwise that is about it. It is maybe 20 or so hours of gameplay. Not the longest Pokemon you played, and not the shortest but... it is a fair decent slice of gaming. Something for your traveling kit if you have a Pokemon obsession, and you can find probably find it if you look about places like GameTZ or Amazon. A decent middle of the road 3 out of 5. Try it, if you can overlook the game's shortcomings, and enjoy.

Pocket Reviews : Castlevania Circle of the Moon GBA

Pocket Reviews
Castlevania Circle of the Moon for the Game Boy Advance
Published by Konami
Side scrolling action RPG

Ever since I played Symphony of the Night on the PSP I have been seeing more and more of these so called "Metroidvania" games, a Castlevania game with a gigantic explorable area ala Metroid. Add an element of RPG into the game (equipable armor, weapon and level grinding) and you have a usually good mix... and while this game has these elements it is also missing something. Mainly the story.

Now mind you the story element of Symphony of the Night, or Portrait of Ruin on the DS, they are not Final Fantasy level storytelling but its there at least. There is practically no story here. After the intro,  where you and two others who I barely remember confront a newly resurrected Dracula only to end up seperated, you plow through a few hours of gameplay before you finally locate a piece of story. A small piece. By now several story moments would have occurred already in Symphony or Portrait, by comparison.

The game runs like Symphony lite. Same Metroidvania massive game environment as Symphony but seemingly none of the bells and whistles. There are sections you cant explore until you uncover the means to pass, done through eight "magic spells" enhancing your character. There is also this thing called DSS Cards. 10 Action and 10 Attributes... I have no idea if theyre doing anything, maybe because I only found 1 card each but still...

As GBA games go it is a rather nice pick up. A pretty nice change of pace, and while it is a tad light on story and content it is overall a nice slice of side scrolling Castlevania to dig your fangs into.

Definitely a recommend for your emergency travel kit, as well as the casual retro Game Boy or DS Lite gamer. 4 stakes through the gaming heart out of 5. Find it, try it, enjoy it.

Need to get back on track review wise... next time lets wander back to the classic Game Boy and try out some old school Harvest Moon. That is our next review. That is next time... bouncing back and forth between the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, DS and 3DS... and maybe the PSVita as it is on my shopping list for yearly tech upgrades this year... but that is coming up so stay tuned next time.

Pocket Gamer Episode 5 now available

I really need to get back on track with game content!

This episode we look at the first walkthrough of Dragon Quest IX Sentinels of the Starry Skies. Future episodes we'll do walkthroughs of games like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (both the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance versions) and review all the walkthroughs and do additional reviews like Castlevania : Circle of the Moon GBA and more.

Next up? Another Pocket Gamer and a new Antisocial Gamer. Stay tuned.

The Antisocial Gamer is now available

Facebook, a domain filled with games considered "social" games... so why am I, an antisocial kind of reviewer, reviewing social games?... I don't know, listen in all the same and find out! This cast I talk about Coasterville, Treasure Legend and ramble on about topics near and far from what I am actually reviewing. Hear me rant!

Presently working on Pocket Gamer Episode 5, and hope to have it out soon. Stay tuned!

Wii U for hardcore gamers?

http://rkyvrevue.blogspot.com

Will the Wii U be the welcome back gift bringing core gamers back to the Nintendo brand? Every month in Wii U Life we'll try to answer those questions, even as we count down to the launch of the Wii U.

Wii U Life July 2011 is coming July 31st 2011, stay tuned for more info as we draw closer to the cast's premiere release!

Crystal Defenders (Sony PSP)

The first thing I have to scold Square Enix about is the mislabeling of this game. It says it has 300+ levels, but in reality it has 300+ waves spread out amongst a dozen maps (4 per world). But I guess I should have realized that given this game is a port of a mobile phone game so go figure... an overly ported game. Here, the Wii, I think even XBox360... and each has its own quirks... for instance you have to buy the Wii worlds seperately while this version is all the worlds and has more characters I think (they're from the DS Final Fantasy Tactics A2 release if your wondering).

Each world has a set of character types you use to defend the path to the crystals. Besides the core units similar to each world, fighters and mages and archers and thieves, there are unique classes each world loke time mages, dragoons, tinkers, and so on. Each have their abilities to fight ground, air, or both with special abilities at times to boot.

And having a balanced field of defense is key since monsters come with special restrictions. Aerials are immune to ground attack types, some monsters have resistance to physical or magic attack, while some steal multiple crystals or move fast or can only be attacked by magic casters.

Tower defense games are pretty addictive, if you understand their limitations. They are good, but kinda limited at the same time. This game features only a dozen maps, so in terms of tower defense games it is abit limited in scope. Still, even with that limitation it has the gimmick of the worlds. W1 maps are for beginners to get you started. W2 worlds add crystals that enhance your characters which can make a big difference in passing the four maps. Finally W3 is for experienced players looking for a challenge to chew on.

So the game is abit limited, but it does give you abit to challenge you too. So overall, if you embrace the limits and enjoy the quirks it is a rarher good game. Overall a solid 4 out of 5.

Wednesday - Dragon Warrior III for the Game Boy Color

Legend of Zelda : Link's Awakening DX

The first, and one of the greatest Zelda games ever, Link's Awakening is now available from the Virtual Console of the 3DS Shop, most timely given the fact we are now celebrating the Legend of Zelda's 25th Anniversaet... the first yet hopefully not the last we see in terms of Zelda games from the Virtual Console, but more on that shortly.

Link, which kinda reminds me of the Link from the odd rare non Nintendo released Zelda CD games, is shipwrecked on a seemingly time lost little island seperate from the rest of the world. Saved by a girl named Marin, who looks strangely like Zelda, Link is told by a talking owl that the only way to leave the island is to gather eight magical instruments from eight dungeons, and awaken from it's egg the sleeping Wind Fish.

Thus begins one of the greatest Zelda games ever told. Journeying across a nicd sized island domain in classic top down Zelda gaming style you quest to wake the Wind Fish, gathering gear both traditional and premiering for the first time in this game. You have a myriad of people to meet, monsters to slay, dungeons to dive into, many many gear to play with, fantastical bosses to slay (each getting stronger and stronger with each victory), side quests and your first mini game aka the crane game. Lots and lots to do... yes, the game is only 20 to 30 hours depending on your skills, but considering we've fallen in love with games half to 1/3rd shorter than this, aka God of War, 20-30 hours is a ton of gaming.

New to this Game Boy Color version as opposed to what you had in the original Game Boy version is a ninth dungeon, and a camera man to take advantage of the old Game Boy Color gimmick of the printer... wow, show of hands if you remember the old Game Boy Color Printer!

Otherwise it's all here, it's all cool... and it even sports cameos by Yoshi, Princess Peach and Kirby (as an enemy) so where can you go wrong reliving your Game Boy past picking this game off the 3DS Shop! You can't go wrong, you can't! A lovely 5 master swords out of 5!

Now to say that we're happy with just this classic, however, woild be just wrong. Hopefully within a matter if weeks the eshop releases Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages/Seasons from the Game Boy Color era. An oft overlooked rare gem of a Zelda game great for any collection... once Nintendo puts it out on the Virtual Console... but I guess this is a "To Be Continued" topic isn't it... so stay tuned.

Next Review : Crystal Defenders from the Sony PSP
See you Monday!