Nathan Blades looks at the polarising RPG for PS3 & 360.
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Nathan Blades covers some console and industry-defining titles for the Sony PlayStation
Nathan Blades burns rubber in Mario kart 7.
Marvel of Game Design - Wario Land 3
Death in a video game is no big deal. Stockpiles of extra lives and the availability of checkpoints make player mortality not much of a deal; but it's something special when the character's inability to perish is a main factor. Long preceding this year's Kirby's Epic Yarn, Wario Land 3 is all about Wario's insatiable thirst for treasure, and how burning, electrocution and vampire bats won't impede his progress.
Indeed, being attacked by an enemy will often have Wario change shape (usually in some self-depreciating manner), and give him new abilities to solve puzzles. Need to smash through a floor to obtain riches? Find a doughnut-throwing chef, turn into Fat Wario, and smash your way through to success. Every level has four treasure chests, each with a unique solution - making a quest for all the riches a tricky and non-linear task.
Honorable Mentions
Media Phenomenon - Pokémon Red/Blue
They're not the best (or, technically the first - Red and Green versions were released in Japan two years before Red and Blue reached the West) Pokémon games available on the Game Boy, but they're the original ones, and the ones which set out the formula - ie, eight gyms, evil team, version-exclusive Pokémon etc - by which all Pokémon games, right up to the current crop of Pokémon Black and White versions, play.
Technically the "best" Pokémon game available on the Game Boy Color was Pokémon Crystal, whose use of advanced colour, moving sprites and more fleshed out story set it above Gold and Silver, but Red and Blue were the ones which started it all. Even 12 years after the craze kicked off you'd be hard-pressed to find a student who doesn't have a strong opinion on which starter you should pick. Incidentally, while the favourite Charizard was useful in Red and Blue, developments since Diamond and Pearl have made the dual Fire/Flying typing a real hazard.
Honorable Mentions
Pushes the Hardware - Shantae
Released close enough to the Game Boy Advance's release that it had bonus content if run on a GBA, Shantae is a complex side-scrolling adventure that Zelda II for the NES wishes it could have been mechanically. Stylistically, it pulls out all the stops. Shantae, protagonist and demi-genie, uses a variety of dances to activate transformation abilities, and each dance move is lovingly animated.
Shantae's neatest trick is the way it almost entirely ignores the colour limits. Functionally, the GBC is only slightly better at graphics processing than the NES, but in its opening levels the colours effortlessly change hues as Shantae runs through a burning town. It's incredibly impressive, and you know that a lot of love was put into the game.
Obscure Gem - Survival Kids
You're a kid thrown from a capsizing ship in a storm - all alone, and separated from your father. You awake on the sandy shore of a desert island with only one goal - to survive. For a GB title that had graphics resembling early Final Fantasy games (that is to say, everything from trees to lakes being confined to a grid), Survival Kids had a lot of atmosphere. While getting from day to day wasn't necessarily difficult, the pride gained in discovering new ground, building shelter, and finding more about the nature of the island was deeply satisfying. This title sparked spiritual sequels in the Lost in Blue series for the DS.
Honorable Mentions
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