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Deja Review: Tales of Symphonia Chronicles
This is a Deja Review: A quick, unscored look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. Two classic RPGs have finally arrived on the PlayStation 3 as Tales of Symphonia Chronicles, allowing many players to experience two of the previous decade's most satisfying adventures, Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, for the first time. Originally released on the GameCube, Tales of Symphonia tells the story of a young daydreamer named Lloyd Irving. He becomes a hero over the course of a globe-trotting quest with his friends. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, released on Wii in 2008, explores events that took place in the years after its predecessor's conclusion. The lead protagonist is a young lad named Emil who despises village hero Lloyd for seemingly justifiable reasons, though he's too timid to act on his hatred. Before long, a run-in with some unusual strangers forces him to embark on an adventure of his own. The two games are similar, sharing key mechanics like active battles and a lack of random encounters (enemies are visible and can be avoided). Dawn of the New World, however, allows players to ask monsters to join the team once they have been thoroughly trounced, a unique twist for the series. Neither game was particularly innovative upon release, but that works out for the best. Fantasy tropes are supported by enjoyable Japanese role-playing game elements, borrowed by previous Tales games and from genre staples like Star Ocean, Dragon Quest and Shin Megami Tensei. There's plenty of content without needlessly complicated systems that might prevent newcomers from joining in on the fun.
Deja Review: Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD
This is a Deja Review: A quick, unscored look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. When Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation first debuted on the Vita in 2012, it promised a wholly original viewpoint on the eternal war between Assassins and Templars. The game's protagonist, Aveline de Grandpré, remains the only woman to lead an Assassin's Creed game, and beyond that she's of French and African descent. Given the 18th century setting, the game's protagonist alone should have offered the developers at Ubisoft Sofia myriad plot threads to explore, but Liberation seemed more concerned with debuting gimmicky new gameplay options and was quickly overshadowed by Assassin's Creed 3. Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD attempts to mate the experimental gameplay ideas of the formerly Vita-exclusive adventure with aesthetics more suitable for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, while also streamlining the game's missions and improving its controls. This attempt is mostly successful, but if you're paying attention it's pretty clear that Ubisoft's efforts were less "total overhaul" and more "clever spit shine."
Deja Review: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
This is a Deja Review: A quick, unscored look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. A decade ago, cynics wrote off The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker by joking that the game's "kiddy" cel-shaded art style perfectly matched the Gamecube's purple lunchbox appearance. It certainly looked strange, but as I scrounged the Great Sea looking for treasure charts and pirate ships to sink, I explored a 3D Zelda game that was comfortable with letting me off my tutorial-laden leash to just explore. Instead of a grating fairy or wordy owl, I was given a baton, a sail and a spattering of islands to discover. Wind Waker was a bold artistic venture with a central love for the original Zelda's emphasis on finding things on your own. But as enjoyable as it was to piece things together across pages of notebook paper, the oceanic quest was always a bit sluggish. Juggling three items from the game's menu, two of which were required for any successful venture across the sea, made sailing tedious. Thankfully, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD corrects almost every flaw the original had, simplifying the task of besting evil and finding treasure without ruining what made it so satisfying in the first place.
Deja Review: Diablo 3 (Xbox 360, PS3)
This is a Deja Review: A quick, unscored look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. It was the middle of last year that I hugged my family and friends goodbye. With my hatred for the evils invading Sanctuary renewed by the impending release of Diablo 3, I assumed my free time would be consumed by Blizzard's latest adventure. When Diablo 3 arrived I was hooked and, initially, the hours melted into days and weeks. I played on multiple difficulties, completed epic runs with friends and then ... nothing. My desire to play the game that I expected to take over my life faded away faster than I imagined possible. Though I enjoyed the experience, too many issues – many of which have been addressed with frequent updates – turned me off from continuing the adventure again and again. More than a year later, and much to my surprise, it's the console port that has brought me back into the world of Diablo 3. Although my first reaction to its new controller-friendly systems was, "Oh boy, this is clunky," Diablo 3 on console keeps dragging me back into its wonderful circle of Hell.
Deja Review: Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
This is a Deja Review: A quick, unscored look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is the latest revision in the long-running Capcom series, the last of which was seen on Western home consoles in 2010's Monster Hunter Tri. When the developer adds an "Alpha," "Turbo," or in this case "Ultimate," to a game's title, it typically signifies that the core parts of the game are unchanged. With Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, players get the familiarity of Tri with the excitement of more quests, monsters and areas in which to hunt. Ultimate spans two systems this time around, the Wii U and 3DS. Both versions kick off in Moga Village, putting you through the same tired paces as seen in the previous slow-burn introductions to the universe. Collect some mushrooms, defeat a Great Jaggi, catch three goldenfish, deliver some eggs and so on. Veteran hunters will have plenty of material to re-tread before the game resembles anything different than what they're used to. %Gallery-178778%
Deja Review: Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD
This is a Deja Review: A quick, unscored look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath has seen two re-releases since its original 2005 Xbox debut. Developer Just Add Water took on the mantle of Oddworld Inhabitant's most celebrated title, bringing out a base-level update for PC in 2010 and a fully touched up HD version on PS3 (and, again, PC) in 2011. Now Stranger's Wrath HD has been converted to PlayStation Vita and released via PSN, again with a few changes and additions to the formula – this time to suit the portable, touch-enabled console it's being housed on. Stranger's Wrath itself was one of the most-loved of Lorne Lanning and co's creations, though the sales figures behind the original left the game residing firmly in 'cult classic' status. It told the story of the eponymous Stranger – a nameless enigma making his way around an old west-styled world, trying to save enough 'moolah' to buy a life-saving operation – and with a twist that nearly made the forums of 2005 explode. In other words, perfect fodder for an inexpensive re-release and hopefully enough to guarantee greater sales thanks to the power of seven years' word-of-mouth. %Gallery-157582%
Deja Review: Baldur's Gate - Enhanced Edition
This is a Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition isn't the first Overhaul Games re-release to grace this column. That accolade belongs to MDK2 HD. As the name suggests, the 2000 BioWare game underwent a visual facelift in the care of the appropriately named Overhaul.Despite Baldur's Gate being even older than MDK2, and Overhaul likely doing even more work underneath its hood, the developer's name doesn't sit as right with Enhanced Edition. An overhaul implies, at least to me, the taking apart of something, messing around with its innards until it looks and feels like something very new. That's not what this is.BG:EE's tune-ups, additions, and even its graphical tweaks aren't there to dazzle, but simply to enhance. If Baldur's Gate is the seminal face of BioWare's RPG beginnings, then Enhanced Edition is its graceful make-up, and Overhaul the doting stylist straining to make sure it all blends in. This delicate approach is admirable, but en vogue it definitely ain't.%Gallery-173110%
Deja Review: Marvel vs. Capcom Origins
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. It's a good time to be an old fogey as far as fighting games are concerned. Between HD remixes, XBLA/PSN re-releases and PSOne classics on PSN, it's almost impossible not to be able to download whatever fighter wasted most of your youth.Marvel vs. Capcom Origins reduces the number of unavailable oldies even further, containing enhanced ports of the original arcade versions of Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom. While said enhancements are fairly pedestrian and expected (HD filters, online play, etc), Origins' faithful recreation of the original subject matter alone makes the price of admission worth it. In fact, this is the first arcade-perfect console port of Marvel Super Heroes that's ever existed.%Gallery-159784%
Deja Review: Nights into Dreams
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. Back in 1996, a war was raging between Sega and Sony. Whilst Sony told consumers that they were not "e" for its fantastic PlayStation, Sega tried to find a killer app for its Saturn, which simply didn't have the 3D chops to compete (2D ... well, that's an entirely different article). One of the volleys Sega aimed directly at the PlayStation was Sonic Team's Nights into Dreams, a 3D game that allowed players to fly with complete freedom.Okay, so it was actually confined to a predefined, mostly two-dimensional plane, but that didn't keep Nights from being a hallmark experience for anyone who happened to have a Saturn.%Gallery-159788%
Deja Review: Jet Set Radio
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. Jet Set Radio was more than one of the Dreamcast's best games. Jet Set Radio was emblematic of the system, exhibiting a joyful atmosphere, bright color scheme and arcade-style gameplay that all seemed unique to the last Sega hardware. The game will forever be associated with its Dreamcast home.Uncoupling the game from the Dreamcast, however, does nothing to diminish the unforgettable atmosphere that developer Smilebit created. In fact, the association is strong enough that in playing the new HD version, I forget that I'm playing a new version on new hardware. It's just Jet Set Radio, looking how I always remembered it looking anyway.It's still the most upbeat game about teenagers being shot at by tanks in response to minor acts of vandalism.
Deja Review: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure HD
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. Let's put my history with fighting games into "weird relationship" terms. If Guilty Gear XX: #Reload was my first girlfriend, and Soul Calibur 2 my first true love, then JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was my first kiss. I was 12 when the game was originally ported to the PlayStation in 1999, and while I'd flirted with various Mortal Kombats and Street Fighters, never had I been so enthralled by a fighting game.Its oddball cast, absurdly supernatural narrative and artistic, surreal presentation made it different from not just the rest of Capcom's catalogue, but also every other 2D fighter on the market. It was unique, for better or for worse, with overflowing coffers of goofy, brilliant single-player content that made it so much more than a simple arcade port.Unfortunately, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure HD for PSN and XBLA is so much less.%Gallery-160443%
Deja Review: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. If you played the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, you probably remember exactly when you got your first million points on Warehouse. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD allows us all to relive that memory while simultaneously bringing the games that started it all to a new audience. Thanks to developer Robomodo's careful recreation of seven select levels from the first two Pro Skater games, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD evokes a strong sense of nostalgia.It plays just like you remember; that secret spot where you pushed your score (and your board) skyward is there, waiting for you to discover it all over again. %Gallery-160221%
Deja Review: Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. The last time we saw Virtua Fighter 5 was five years ago on the 360, boldly advertising online play on the cover (which wasn't guaranteed in the fighting genre at the time). Over the years, the Japanese arcade version of VF5 has still been in development: it's been tweaked, rebalanced and of course, granted many wonderful new costumes, hats and so on.The console version, meanwhile, has remained abandoned for those five years. This long-awaited digital release, appropriately titled Virtua Figher 5 Final Showdown, gives console owners Sega AM2's years of hard work on their flagship title all at once for a pittance of $15 on the XBLA and PSN. (PSN+ members get it for free this month.)%Gallery-157513%
Deja Review: Minecraft (XBLA)
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. Minecraft on Xbox Live Arcade is surreal. It's like eating jelly on eggs while watching a baby play in a lion cage: It doesn't belong where it is, but now that it's there you can't look away and, for some reason, there's a surprisingly delicious taste in your mouth.Minecraft's shock value as an XBLA breakout isn't a result of it not making sense on the platform – in fact, it plays almost like a native title. It's surprising because Minecraft was never supposed to be big enough for a high-profile XBLA port. It's a voxel-based PC-only sandbox game with choppy graphics and no defined goal, which some argue makes it the opposite of a "game." Minecraft was never supposed to be a hit. It wasn't supposed to sell more than 5 million copies, generate $80 million or be played by more than 25 million people. It wasn't supposed to turn Markus Persson's developer persona, Notch, into a millionaire, a fashion icon, or a common name among Swedes and gamers alike,But Minecraft has done all of these things, and now it's made its way XBLA. And just as it has everywhere else, Minecraft surprisingly succeeds.
Deja Review: Mortal Kombat (Vita)
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. When I said that Mortal Kombat was the best fighting game of 2011, it wasn't a statement I took lightly, nor was it a decision I arrived at easily. I've always loved Mortal Kombat as a franchise, for its hokeyness and that special part of American gaming history that it represents, but I had never thought any of its games were ever particularly good – especially from tournament-level fighting game standards. Mortal Kombat changed all that, not only by staying true to the series' ridiculous goofball roots, but also by being a solid, well-balanced, mechanically rich piece of game design. I know, I couldn't believe it either.Fast forward just a little over one year to the day, and it's time for Mortal Kombat's encore performance on the Vita. Thankfully, the portable version of Raiden and friends' adventure through Outworld is just as fun, gruesome and reliable as its console counterparts, though perhaps a little rougher around the edges.%Gallery-146183%
Deja Review: Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. Disgaea is a series that just seems to work better in portable form. The series' approach to character building – in which you can basically raise levels to stratospheric proportions with time, effort, and the best power-leveling locales – is more suited to on-the-go play. It's a lot easier to make your way through the randomly generated Item Worlds to level up your gear in thirty-minute commute blocks, putting your system to sleep as needed, than it is to devote hours to a single grind session squatting in front of a TV.It's for this reason that I tend to invest far more time in the portable versions of Disgaea than their console counterparts. I'll generally put down the console editions once I've cleared the main story, but I'll invest an absurd amount of time in the portable editions to scout out many of their extras, simply because the format makes them more easily digestible. The number of hours played on my Disgaea 2 PSP save have long since passed the triple digits.Now, we've got Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention on the Vita. I've always felt that D3 was the weakest of the series in terms of both gameplay and its story and characters. That doesn't mean it's bad, just not as good as some of the other installments. I had hoped that playing it in my preferred format would change my mind, but, unfortunately, it didn't. It's still my least favorite Disgaea game. However, it's still a very good portable strategy game with several noteworthy new additions.
Deja Review: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition (Xbox 360)
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings has always been a console game in disguise. The PC version remains superior, capable of more clarity and sophisticated effects, but plug in a controller and the Riveting Polish Game transforms into something you'd rather play ensconced in a couch. The "Enhanced Edition" feels authentic and comfortable on the Xbox 360. That isn't to say it's been streamlined to a fault. The Witcher 2 is a gorgeous, thoughtful and brassy adventure with a surprising number of sharp edges. The original game had a deadly gauntlet for a tutorial, a misstep which got it lambasted while a dragon roasted players again and again. It was frustrating, yes, but it worked as a charming wake-up call of sorts, and as a crucial component of the game's mature personality. To succeed, you must think and do as Geralt of Rivia does, and that's precisely what you want in a role-playing game.%Gallery-145685%
Deja Review: Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. After a really shaky E3 demo, I was worried about how Konami's 3DS remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 was going to turn out. I'm entirely willing to replay this game -- one of my favorite games ever -- on every platform Konami will sell it to me on, so I was hoping to at least have a good experience when dutifully playing it on the handheld.To my relief, Metal Gear Solid 3D is a real, playable, enjoyable version of the game, and it's on a handheld. Even without the crutch of a Circle Pad Pro attachment, the controls work fine! There are some compromises thanks to the small format -- but there are also a few things that the 3DS version does better.%Gallery-133976%
Deja Review: Tales of the Abyss (3DS)
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. When Tales of the Abyss arrived on the PlayStation 2 near the end of 2006, it was the second Tales title to hit North American stores in the same year. The RPG genre was flying high and compelling new JRPGs seemed to arrive on a monthly basis. Even in that environment, the game managed to stand apart from the crowd.Though it featured a somewhat formulaic story that bowed to genre tropes (even going so far as to include a mostly amnesiac lead protagonist), Tales of the Abyss wowed consumers and critics alike with interesting characters, detailed and beautiful environments, an efficient combat system and an epic adventure. The game's greatest strength was its ability to take so many familiar genre elements and tie them together to create an experience that almost felt too big for the PlayStation 2 hardware. More than five years later, that experience has returned in handheld form with all of the magic still in place.%Gallery-130926%
Deja Review: Alan Wake (PC)
We're of the firm opinion that your time is too precious, too valuable to be spent reading a full review for a game that was already reviewed many, many years ago. What's the point of applying a score to a game that's old enough to be enrolled in the sixth grade? That's why we invented Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of remade, revived and re-released games. Alan Wake's development tale was almost as troubled as the ordeal faced by the game's titular character. After a long creation process, which included ditching a PC version that was always planned, Remedy's first original title since 2003 failed to light up sales charts (despite critical praise).For fans of Wake's story, its inability to reach 'best-seller' status raised fears of an end to his fiction. Developer Remedy Entertainment defied that notion, announcing Alan Wake's American Nightmare, which is set to hit Xbox Live Arcade later this month. Retaining rights from Microsoft -- its original partner in Wake's release -- Remedy finally made good on its promise to bring Wake to the PC, and Alan Wake's second-printing does little to disappoint.%Gallery-147824%
