Game Forward

A host of all-new modes and features are packed into the first Tetris game to appear on Wii, including support for the Wii Balance Board.  Add to that a budget price, core gameplay refinements, smooth online play and leaderboards and Tetris Party becomes one of the best games to ever be released in the series.

Tetris has seen countless releases and iterations spread amongst just about every platform to exist since its inception in 1985. Hudson Soft. (Bomberman) has taken the best gameplay elements from all of those games and omitted the much maligned “infinite spin” with permission from The Tetris Company. What is left is one of the tightest feeling Tetris games to date.

The default control setup in Tetris Party see a player holding their Wii Remote sideways. The 1 and 2 buttons are used to rotate tetriminoes, the d-pad controls movement and drop speed and the A button toggles the hold queue. A Classic Controller can also be used, providing players with a larger d-pad and shifting the hold queue to the more convenient trigger buttons.

What helps Tetris Party stand out from other games in the series is its impressive list of modes and features. I’ll spend most of my review breaking these down, starting with the single player options.

Here we find the classic Marathon Mode leading the way. Players can choose to play either to 150 lines cleared or test their stamina in endless mode as the tetriminoes fall faster and faster every level.

Next up is CPU Battle Mode. This is a 1-on-1 battle between you and a computer controlled opponent. There are 15 difficulty levels to challenge here. Once you reach level 9 or so, you’ll be playing against AI that is on par with an average player you’d meet online. If you manage to beat level 15, you’re probably ready to take on some of the elite Japanese players that dominate the online leaderboards.

Field Climber is a new and innovative mode in which you are tasked with helping a small man climb the play field, known in Tetris as the matrix. The small man can climb one square in height at a time and will be crushed if more than one square lands on him after clearing a line. There are flags spread around the matrix on the way to the goal line that you must guide the man to as well. This 10 stage mode is scored based on your clear time and gets quite tricky around the halfway mark.

Shadow Mode asks you to cover shapes with tetriminoes to paint a picture. In this mode you are scored based on how much of the picture you are able to fill before a set timer expires. Any squares that land outside of the shadow are counted against your complete percentage. There are 30 stages to complete here. Shadow Mode makes use of new 1, 2 & 3 square tetriminoes to help players fill in pictures with minimal penalization.

Finally we have Stage Racer. In this mode players guide a single tetrimino through a scrolling stage littered with obstacles. Players will have to move and rotate through five beginner and five advanced courses, each 400 lines in length while attempting to avoid getting stuck on a wall.

Tetris Party allows local multi-player for up to 4 people. You can challenge your friends to competitive versions of Battle, Field Climber and Stage Racer Modes. Hot Lines Mode makes a return to the series, tasking players to clear certain lines of the matrix before their competition does. I was surprised that there was no single player version of Hot Lines.

For the first time ever, two players can play Tetris co-operatively. Co-op mode sees players working together to clear lines in a double-wide matrix in a new Marathon Mode. One player is given ”J”,”L” and “O” tetriminoes, while the other uses the “S”, “T” and “Z” tetriminoes. Both players get “I” pieces from time to time. Because of the distribution of the various shaped tetriminoes and the fact that both players share one hold queue, good communication and teamwork must be in place to clear 150 lines or try for a high score in endless mode.

Duel Spaces is another new and unique mode found in Tetris Party. Players take turns placing tetriminoes in an effort to block off the most space. Whoever has the most spaces under their control when the game ends wins the match. This mode is simple, fun and addictive, similar to playing something like Othello.

Beginner’s Tetris doubles the size of the tetriminoes and uses the new 2 & 3 square ones found in Shadow Mode as well, making it easier for newcomers to clear lines. Marathon is the only play mode found in Beginner’s Tetris, however you can still toggle endless mode on or off and there is also an option to include the regular 4 square tetriminoes to provide a nice step into the difficulty of normal Tetris.

Next up we have the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online mode. Here is where you can test your skill against people in your Wii friends list, or random players from all over the world. Once you enter World Battle mode, you will either end up playing a one-on-one battle if you choose to leave items turned off or a free-for-all for up to six players with battle items.

Battle items create effects like smoke screens, speeding up your opponent’s tetriminoes and wiping out all of the lines of your matrix. Though they add a fun and hectic dynamic, I did have one issue with battle items. When playing with a Classic Controller it was difficult to pick up my Wii Remote and shake it to dissolve a smoke screen or shoot blocks at an opponent’s screen without making several mistakes.

Online rankings are handled in the same way they were in Tetris DS. Everyone starts out with a score of 5000 and points are gained or lost based on wins and losses. In a typical two-player battle I received 25 points for every victory and 22 points were removed from my total when I lost. Players are paired during matchmaking based on their skill score.

A nice touch when playing online is that players are sent into a practise mode while waiting for other players to arrive. It’s a great way to warm up and pass the 15-90 seconds it generally takes to find a match.

I should note that though I was playing primarily on the day Tetris Party was released, the online population seemed sparse. In over 50 online matches I have yet to play one with a full six players. Finding a one-on-one match quickly was never an issue though and most players are willing to play at least 2-3 matches with you in a session.The only thing I found missing was the ability to add someone as a friend. Everything is entirely anonymous, to the point of your opponent being called “P2” instead of their chosen nickname.

Tetris Party includes a robust stat tracking system for both your offline records and worldwide online leaderboards. High scores are kept for every single and local multi-player mode and variation. Players can also view a skill graph that shows how you rate in categories like judgement and reflexes.

Online records appear not only World Battle but for many of the offline modes as well, including Shadow, Stage Racer and Co-op modes. Other records like consecutive or back-to-back Tetrises are also kept.  Accessing and updating the leaderboards is a quick and easy process.

The game also has a built in achievement system that has over 100 goals to complete across all of the modes and variations in Tetris Party. It’s a nice touch, but the game never tells you when you’ve completed a goal, nor does it hint at what any of them are.

Online tournaments promise to play a role in the future of Tetris Party. The first tournament is scheduled to start on December 1, 2008. These events will see players from all over the world competing for real prizes like Wii Points.

Last, but not least we find Balance Board Tetris. This unique mode requires you to lean and squat in order to control the falling tetriminoes. The mode is played using the larger sized tetriminoes found in Beginner’s Tetris. Control is simplified quite a bit here; there is no hold queue, hard drop or counter-clockwise rotation available.
Getting through Marathon mode on the Balance Board proved to be quite a workout for me. By the end of my 15 minute session I had worked up a sweat and a decent heart rate. There is also a 3 minute Ultra mode to play for those looking for a quick fix. Rounding out the variations is Computer Battle, which is essentially the same as the standard controlled version.

Tetris Party uses a simplified, clean look for its visual presentation. The blocks and tetriminoes are crisp, with no added effects or distractions like Tetris Splash or Tetris Evolution. Even the moving backgrounds are subdued, allowing a player to focus on the matrix. Mii integration is present as well, a welcome addition after loosing the heavily Nintendo-styled look and feel of Tetris DS.

The music is of the generic, elevator ride nature. Nothing really stands out, but nothing is grating either even though there are only 7 tracks to choose from during gameplay. Old-school fans need not fear, as the classic “Tetris tune” is among those available.

With the inclusion of 18 different modes, strong online play, leaderboards and even Balance Board support, one could argue that this is the best Tetris ever released. It’s missing some of the flair and online features of Tetris DS, but at a price of $12 Tetris Party is an unbelievable value. Any fan of the series, especially those with friends to play with should consider this title a must-have.

Positives:

+ Tons of modes, many of which are new
+ Robust stat tracking
+ Solid online play with leaderboards
+ No infinite spin

Negatives:

– Achievement system doesn’t tell you when you’ve completed a goal

In 2005, Namco Bandai brought Mario Superstar Baseball to the GameCube. Now a full three years later a sequel is available on Wii, though not much has changed at all since the last time the all-star plumber and his team took the field.

The bulk of the content in Mario Super Sluggers is found in its single-player Challenge Mode. This four to five hour adventure sees Mario traveling across the worlds of Baseball Kingdom recruiting players for his team in order to challenge Bowser Jr., who has invaded the peaceful kingdom built by Princess Peach.

Mario starts out by recruiting a few Nokis and Piantas, cute folks that inhabit Baseball Kingdom. These generic filler characters will help players through the first couple of challenges, but are soon replaced by familiar faces like Luigi and Baby Mario.

Baseball Island is broken down into five worlds in which to recruit players, one for each team captain in the game. Players will traverse Mario Stadium, Peach Ice Castle, Yoshi Park, Wario City and DK Jungle.

As you adventure through the worlds, you will have to solve light puzzles to either find or recruit some players. Each of the five captains has a special ability that they can use to get past certain obstacles. For example, DK can climb vines to get to otherwise inaccessible places and Wario can open treasure chests found along the way.

When attempting to recruit a player to your team, you will be faced with a challenge. The challenges vary somewhat, but boil down to a few key things. Players will be tasked to “Get a hit to score” or “Strikeout a batter”. The challenges rarely last more than 30-45 seconds and are quite easy using the game’s default Wii Remote control method.

Later in the adventure challenges involve playing a “full” three or five inning game, but for the most part they are all very simple. In order to complete the game and recruit all 71 players to my roster I only had to play three “full” games, two of which were against the same team. Upon completion of Challenge Mode, I found there was very little else to do with Mario Super Sluggers as a single player experience.

Completing Challenge Mode does however unlock a few extra stadiums and alternate night time stadiums for use in Exhibition Mode. This mode allows you to play multiplayer games using customizable parameters like game length and item use. There is also a series of minigames, after all this is a Wii title. The nine games, while baseball themed, feel very much like rejects from a Mario Party game and frankly aren’t very fun at all.

The core baseball gameplay varies quite a bit depending on which control method you choose.  The default Wii Remote only method is, in a word, simplistic. Using this method players have little control over fielding or base running. Players will only need to focus on the timing of their pitching and batting and have access to a couple of special fielding moves.

The default control method would be great for young children or those who get overwhelmed by standard sports game controls. A bit of a letdown though are the actual motions Mario Super Sluggers asks you to make. Instead of pitching overhand like a real fireballer, you are asked to simply make a down swing motion with your arm. Batting only requires a simple side to side motion. For me this led to a lack of immersion and I just ended up playing on the couch using slight wrist motions instead of really getting into it like I was hoping to.

For those looking for a more traditional or advanced baseball game experience, there are several control options available. By simply plugging in a nunchuck or Classic Controller, players will be able to add curve to their pitches with much more reliability than twisting the Wii Remote.

Using a controller attachment will also give players full control of their fielders and allow much more advanced base running techniques. There is also an option to play with the Wii Remote sideways like an old NES controller, perfect for 30-40 something parents that used to play games like Bases Loaded or Bad News Baseball.

The game’s presentation is mediocre at best. While the graphics are bright an colourful, many of the character models look like they were ripped directly from the first Mario Baseball game or a Mario Party iteration. Some of the stadiums look decent but are lacking any real detail and the crowds are downright ugly. The game does however run in 480p & 16:9 for those with HDTV sets.

Aside from a few recognizable themes from the Mario universe, the original music in Mario Super Sluggers is forgettable if not grating. Hearing the theme from Luigi’s Mansion was about the only highlight for me as far as audio goes.

Mario Super Sluggers can certainly be a fun experience. As with the other Mario sports titles the gameplay is fast and accessible, littered with power up items and over the top action and charming. The real problem with the title is a lack of content. There are no season or tournament modes to speak of, so beyond the Challenge Mode there is very little to do at all, especially for traditional sports game fans.

While Mario Super Sluggers is almost ideal for those in a family gaming atmosphere or someone looking for a game for small children, I have a difficult time recommending it to anyone looking for any sort of depth. Those players would be better off trying games in the MLB Power Pros or MLB: The Show series.

Positives:

+ Accessible play for just about anyone
+ Family friendly

Negatives:

– Sorely lacking content
– No online play
– Motion controls are overly simplistic

The latest title in Big Fish Games’ Mystery Case Files seek-and-solve series, MillionHeir for the Nintendo DS takes you on an absurd yet comical adventure.  Being the first game I played in the series I thought I was going to find an involved mystery-solving game, something like Phoenix Wright. Instead, I found a graphically appealing game with very little substance.

The plot takes you through the mysterious disappearance of Phil T. Rich, an eccentric millionaire. You are responsible for solving the case and to uncover the rightful heir to his fortune. Through a series of clue-hunting and puzzle-solving sequences you must determine who may have a motive to eliminate Phil, from a group of twelve of his acquaintances.

The game initially offers two difficulty levels in its single player story mode. The Rookie level is an untimed mode with hints while the Detective level is timed and offers fewer hints. One more level of difficulty is left to be unlocked after completing the game in Detective mode. MillionHeir also includes a multiplayer option, where you can play Scavenger Hunt and Hot Seat Multiplayer, though I have not been able to test these modes out.

Visually speaking, the game is of astonishing quality even though there are almost no animated graphics. Each scene is a bright and detailed painting. These graphically intricate locations hide hundreds of items in obvious and not so obvious ways.

The controls are simple, with almost everything being done with the DS touch-screen. To scroll around a given location you simply move the image by dragging it with the stylus. You can also use the face buttons or the D-pad to move in one of four directions. To pick up a found item, tap on it with the stylus. Some clues require more than simply being picked up and will have you interact with them by drawing on them while pressing one of the shoulder buttons. The controls are very basic and should make it easy for anyone to pick up the game and play.

Besides the object-seeking aspect of the game there is also a variety of puzzles to solve. These include regular jigsaw puzzles, scrambled images, riddles to be solved by triggering the proper sequence of events and “find the differences” games.

Later on, a DNA analysis mini-game is introduced to determine the rightful heir our millionaire’s fortune. Resembling the mechanics of the popular online game Zuma, you must pop balls of varying colours before they reach the top of the screen. You can do so only when a matching coloured bubble roams over them. This mini-game raises its difficulty and speed after each analysis.

These little puzzles add some much needed variety to the game considering that the main aspect of the game can get quite boring and repetitive after a while. In some cases, the item-seeking itself became literally repetitive. In having to search rooms more than once, some of the items to find were repeated and hidden in the same spots.

The writing in MillionHeir is clever and humorous and is largely based on silly puns. Even the character’s names are plays on words, notably Phil T. Rich, but others like Justine Time, a clock maker and Jim Ferno, a firefighter. The funny nature of the writing helps to create a light-hearted experience.

The game audio is also well designed and relates well to the game play. Mysterious orchestral themes are generally heard during game play; while background sounds specific to each scene help create a rich atmosphere.

Where the game left me most disappointed was its lack of coherence. Mainly, I felt that the game made little sense when it came to the clues to be found and the actual mystery I believed I was trying to solve. For example, you could be asked to find such random items as a fountain pen, a star, a helmet, a stuffed teddy-bear or a golf club. However, once these so-called clues have been located there is no further use for them. In essence, this search is pointless other than to advance the game. At no point are the clues actually used to solve the crime. In the end, I unraveled the mystery though I had very little to do with this outcome.

It is also important to note that while you are able to save during item-seeking chapters, the last few chapters of the game are purely story based and don’t allow you to pause and save. This became a problem for me, as it forced me to keep playing until the end credits rolled by. This was pretty annoying since I had to stop playing and was forced to leave my DS running to finish up later.

While Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir is an amusing and cutesy casual game it did leave much to be desired in terms of depth. It did compensate for this with an attractive visual and audio presentation but the repetitive level design did make the game feel like a chore. If you are already a fan of the game series or are looking for a simple time-killer this 4 to 6 hour game may be right for you. But if you are looking for an immersive crime-solving experience, you will probably want to look elsewhere.

Positives:

+ Easy to pick up and play
+ Attractive 2D art design
+ Nice audio

Negatives:

– Redundant and shallow gameplay
– Not much of a mystery-solving game

Peripheral maker eDimensional and modification expert Benjamin J Heckendorn (BenHeck) have teamed up to bring the Access Controller to mass-market. This modular, one-handed video game controller is compatible with PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 consoles as well as Windows-based PCs.

The first thing I noticed about the Access Controller is its unique form factor. The controller rests comfortably on a flat surface or on the user’s knee or lap area, providing a wide range of positioning options.

The unit is lightweight and just the right size for my 8 inch finger span. I was able to reach all six module areas of the controller without straining or adjusting the position of my hand. The built-in palm/wrist rest not only aided comfort, but helped me to keep my hand in the right position without slipping.

My only real complaint with the casing of the Access Controller is that the designers decided on a glossy finish for it, which meant that it was covered in visible fingerprints after only a few minutes of use. Another annoyance with the case is the battery compartment. The unit is powered by 3 AA batteries, but they are loose in the compartment and can be a pain to line up correctly. This could be an issue for someone suffering from tremors or spasms.

The Access Controller is wireless and functions using standard 2.4 GHz radio signals. A receiver is included and designed to plug directly into a PlayStation 2 console. A PS2 to USB adapter is included so that the controller functions on a PlayStation 3 console and is recognized by Windows as a standard PC game controller.

PlayStation 3 functionality was quite good in my tests and relatively lag-free. I was able to play fast-paced and precision titles like Mirror’s Edge and LittleBigPlanet without issue. I wasn’t able to thoroughly test the unit with PC games, but I can confirm basic functions using Windows XP. I will have a post with detailed testing up in the near future.

Perhaps the greatest appeal of the Access Controller is that the unit is modular. Each component of a regular controller can be moved to one of six positions to accommodate an individual’s needs. The unit includes two analog stick modules, a module containing the familiar PlayStation face buttons, one housing all four shoulder buttons and one containing a d-pad. One module is left open by default and comes with a cover to protect it.

The d-pad included with the Access Controller is quite literally the worst one I have ever laid a thumb on. If you are an avid fighting game player or are looking to speed up your RPG playing, this d-pad will leave you disappointed to say the least.

The d-pad itself is shaped very similarly to that of a standard Xbox 360 controller, but that’s not the issue. The d-pad feels like one solid button instead of a 4-way or 8-way switch. It was very difficult for me to distinguish the pad being pushed in a specific direction. The module did function, but I also had to press quite hard and distinctively to get it to register with any accuracy.

The rest of the modules fare quite a bit better. The two analog sticks feel a bit loose, but they are very responsive. The face buttons are smaller than a standard PlayStation controller and are raised a bit farther too. Whether or not this was intentional, it really helps to distinguish the buttons from each other.

The shoulder buttons are also raised a bit, though having all four on one module feels a bit cramped. It would have been nice to have the left and right buttons on separate modules, especially considering there is room for a sixth module.

The Access Controller also houses start and select buttons, as well as a button that can be used as the home button when playing on a PS3. The home button was hit or miss for me. Whenever I pressed it, it acted as if it were a long press and brought up the menu to turn off the controller or system. I was able to access the in-game XMB only a few times and I’m not sure how to get the unit to think I’m making a soft press every time.

My favourite feature of the Access Controller is that its modules are hot-swappable while playing a game. In order to do so, a player simply turns off the power using a switch on the bottom of the controller and swaps the modules to where they need them. Upon powering the unit back up, play can resume uninterrupted. This feature allows players to find a configuration that’s just right for the game being played.

There are a few core limitations I should point out. The Access Controller has no rumble feature or SIXAXIS functionality in it. Though not much of an issue during my tests, this does mean that some PS3 games will simply not be compatible with it. Also, a very minor point, but you cannot power on your console using the Access Controller.

Despite the glaring flaw of a substandard d-pad, I’d recommend the Access Controller to just about anyone that would benefit from it. There are other one-handed controllers out there, but they are usually quite a bit more expensive and lack the customization options of the Access Controller.

BenHeck has been great with after market support as well, offering a tutorial on his website to help users fix grinding or sticking buttons that were an issue with the first production run. Some of these fixes require precision use of an X-Acto knife though, so users with limited dexterity, spasms or tremors would be advised to have someone help them for safety purposes.

The fact that the Access Controller made it to market is a testament to the growing population of active gamers that live with disabilities. It carries a fairly hefty price, but for the cost of two retail games users otherwise unable to use traditional controllers can play with something made just for them without feeling frustrated or left out.