Living the High Life

Video Game Diary:

Along with the classics, I have been playing a lot of PS2 over the past month. This system is unrivalled in adventure gaming. Over the last month I have completed ICO, Shadow of the Colossus Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. These are the second and third times through for these games-they are sooo much fun! Before that I met up with the gang (Matt, Evan and Tillman) to complete Haunting Ground for the second time.

Haunting Ground is a fantastic adventure game which started as part 4 in the Clock Tower series. It has excellent graphics, unique gameplay (running and hiding for survival), a horror film vibe and lots of extra touches and bonuses that shows the developer really cared about the project. The game mags blew if off but it is a great game-highly recommended to Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Clock Tower fans.

The gang and I then promptly played through the english translated rom of Clock Tower for the SNES (excellent!) and we just completed one ending on Clock Tower for playstation. Next on the agenda for us is Clock Tower 2, also for playstation and perhaps, the weakest in the series, Clock Tower 3. One major difference in these games and their PS2 counterparts is the control. Everything before the PS2 versions were point and click, these newer versions have the traditional third person analog stick control. The point and click interface of the early Clock Towers works well for exploring and the perspective follows in the footsteps of Alone in the Dark and Resident Evil 1 except for the SNES Clock Tower, which was a 2D side-scroller.

Back home with my PS2 I started a game back up that I purchased years ago based solely on the premise: Survival during disaster. Disaster Report, the first time I played it, displayed some really impressive ideas in game design. Collect water from reliable water sources in containers and drink to survive. Limited space in your back-pack makes the management aspect a factor. Items can be combined and taken apart and part of the experience is a world collapsing all around you in real time. This second time through, I couldn't stop playing and it seemed to get better as the game progressed, there were even jaw-dropping moments like floors beneath you falling into the sea and building a raft from surrounding debris to traverse a violent river through the city streets. The faults, which I overlooked for the most part includes "charming" dialog and voice acting and abysmal, almost defective sound. If you like the idea of crubling buildings, rushing water,an ever-changing landscape, making due with everyday items to survive, and especially-if you love adventure games, go find this game. Also, Raw Danger, the spiritual sequel just came out and I can't wait to play it!

Kris and I also got down under the sea with the NES recently. She loves the Disney classics so we finally tried out a game I picked up at a local flea market last month, The Little Mermaid! The gameplay has you control Ariel, traversing the ocean, fighting bosses and throwing shells at enemies. The game was fair and not too difficult. Highlights included pushing barrels down steps to smash treasure chests and flopping around on the surface like a fish. Then for more Disney fun, we played Duck Tales 1 and 2 which are excellent and live up to their reputation as some of the best gameplay and level design on the NES. You may have to pay over $20 for Duck Tales 2, but even at that price it's a better value than many games out on current consoles.

- Blake Leftwich, gamebot