Movie Review:
King of Kong – A Fistful of Quarters

As a fan of modern-day competitive video gaming, I was pretty anxious to see this movie. With it’s limited showings in cities around the country, I had feared that I would either have to wait for it to come to DVD, or just read about it and miss out on it altogether. On many gaming websites there has already been lots of hype and hoopla over the film, ranging from wild and exaggerated praises to irate gaming fans that feel that the film’s antagonist was portrayed in an unfair way. Well, whatever. I had to see it for myself to form an opinion, and lucky for Jacksonville, we can now see King of Kong in theatres starting this Friday.

King of Kong is a documentary film that follows the casual but dedicated gamer Steve Wiebe (pronounced “Wee-Bee”) on his mission to get the top score in the age-old classic known as Donkey Kong. Steve, who judging by the movie seems to be a pretty regular guy aside from the fact that he plays so much Donkey Kong, really goes the distance to show his worth. As the film starts, you find that Wiebe had recently achieved the accomplishment of getting the world record high score in not only Donkey Kong, but also the sequel to the game, Donkey Kong Jr. In doing so, he knocked out video game legend and hot sauce mogul Billy Mitchell, who eventually becomes the antagonist of the film. Billy Mitchell plays a good bad guy in the film, and he is probably the most quotable guy in the history of all champions, with the exception of Muhammad Ali. Take this little gem, for example: “No matter what I say, it draws controversy. It's sort of like the abortion issue. If you're for it, you're a son of a gun. If you're against it, you're a son of a gun.” (Note: Mitchell never ever uses swear words, and never curses)

Wiebe, on the other hand, seems to be the polar opposite. Calm and friendly, all he wants to do is play some Donkey Kong in a head-to-head fashion with Billy Mitchell in a friendly match. He comes across as the nicest guy ever, and doesn’t seem boastful or rude to anyone in any way during the film, and though he strives for the high score, his family seems to keep him grounded. When discussing the Guinness Book of World Records and the importance of gaming scores, a little girl who I’m sure was Wiebe’s daughter made a good point. While Wiebe noted that some people take them very seriously, she responded back: “Yeah, but some people ruin their lives with that stuff.”

The ups and downs of Steve Wiebe’s adventures are well documented and edited in a dramatic way that stays interesting throughout the movie. Along the way you meet plenty of colorful, real-life people who really show some personality, such as the Twin Galaxies arcade referee who also happens to be a musician and something of a hippie, if you go by his appearance in the film. And I can’t leave out a mention of mustachioed men who wear specialty gaming gloves molded from weightlifting gear, or the greasy hair and awkward clothing that seems to have come from an 80s movie. Yes, there are nerds aplenty, but not only are they real and authentic, they also wear the clothing that nerds from the era of their favorite game would have worn back in the day. I’m talking golden Phil Donahue eyeglasses, greasy hair, and fanny packs, a look only upgraded with cell phone holsters on the hip. Terrific!

Overall, I feel that the movie in itself is worth the ticket price, if not more. Like most documentaries, much of the subject matter has been edited for dramatic effect and certain nuances are left out that may give some insight to the relationship between Steve Wiebe and his rival Billy Mitchell, but as it is it’s a great watch. If you want to read up on the current high scores and see opinions from fans of the players and from some top players themselves, you can read all about that and more at the official movie site. But even if you aren’t THAT interested in the subject matter of this film, it’s a great watch nonetheless, and definitely not just geared toward videoheads from the 80s.

We all know about the heavy hitters...

The month of September is well underway, which means video game release season is upon us. There are a number of high-profile games to be released this month, including Sony’s often Ill-reviewed Lair, Nintendo’s Metroid Prime 3, Sony’s Warhawk, and Bungie’s highly anticipated Halo 3. To most people familiar with gaming, these titles are well known, so I won’t spend too much time with you telling you how Lair is impossible to play and frustrating, that Metroid Prime 3 is surprisingly great, or that you are probably going to have to buy Halo 3, no matter what. Instead, I’d rather talk about great games that you may not know about that you may enjoy.



Skate.
For PS3 and Xbox 360
I’ll have a full-sized review of this next week, as it got delayed till Friday. (The PS3 version comes later this month or possibly early next month) The demo, however, is currently available on Xbox live and is wildly addictive, and has garnered nothing but respect from skateboard enthusiasts. If you can, download the demo on Xbox Live to see for yourself. If you love skateboarding, I’d say head down to the game shop and buy it right away.



Dynasty Wars Gundam
PS3, Xbox 360
If you are not familiar with the Dynasty Warriors series, basically the games center around former military leaders from China and Japan, who will hack and slash their way through armies of millions of soldiers on their way to greatness. Basically, playing a Dynasty Warriors game is like watching one of those Greek/Roman war movies where you have a few guys going against an army of thousands. So what is new with this Gundam version of Dynasty Warriors? Well, take out the Asian military guys, and replace them with Giant Robots of Japanese origin. Replace the bad guy armies with Gundam bad guys, and there you have it. Dynasty Warriors Gundam is a great way to kill time, and though at times the action can be repetitive, the game does wonders for relieving stress. And fighting robots are always awesome. Fans of the Gundam series will be especially impressed, especially after playing the last Next Gen Gundam game.



John Woo’s Stranglehold
For PS3, Xbox 360

Well, maybe you do already know about this game. It isn’t exactly underground, but I think it is a fun game nonetheless. If you are familiar with the movie Hard Boiled, you should recognize the characters in this story, which functions as a sequel to that movie. Using gameplay mechanics much like those found in games like Max Payne, you will duck, shoot, slide across tables, and dive through the air in slow motion while shooting bad guys. With fully destructible environments and a high dosage of action, Stranglehold is a great example of Hong Kong action translated into video game form. As far as movie games are concerned, this one is one of the best, up there with Chronicles of Riddick. (Although I thought the movie that was based on was kinda whatever.)

Review: Odin Sphere

Odin Sphere
for Playstation 2

Sometimes, when a new game console comes around, the last line of releases for its predecessor tends to be overlooked. It’s an unfortunate thing, too, because that is usually when some of the best games are released. Now that the PS3 has come to replace the PS2, games like Odin Sphere don’t tend to make the limelight. It really should though, because this is probably one of the most beautifully illustrated RPG-action-adventure games to be released for the console. With absolutely huge storylines and an innovative way of reviewing events that have happened along your adventure, this game has the potential to keep you entertained for weeks. Odin Sphere plays a bit like your average beat-‘em-up game, only pumped with steroids for awesome gameplay and oil paints for the visual polish. I’d highly recommend this game to any PS2 owning RPG fan.

flOw for Playstation 3

flOw has been labeled under many categories, but I don’t think any of those labels really fits. The basic idea of flOw has you controlling a sub-microscopic looking creature, collecting items and growing longer flagellum in the process. Along the way, you will come across other creatures that you will absorb, get distracted by, or interacted with in some way. To control your creature, you simply tilt the Sixaxis controller in various directions. Gameplay wise, you could compare it to Pac-Man, Geometry Wars, or maybe even some kind of interactive screen saver, but you would only be partially right.

In flOw, the visuals feature simple colors and soothing yet fulfilling music that seems to suit the game perfectly. While most on-screen characters seem simplistic in design, when in motion they move more gracefully than anything you have ever seen in a game, and as you progress the colors will draw you in just as much as the characters you are controlling. There is no real way to describe flow, as you have no scoring system, now heads-up-display, and no real way to end the game-it really is something you have to play and experience yourself to form an opinion about. Some may hate it, as it may seem pointless, and some may love it for the same reason, but for the $7.99 you pay to download it from the Playstation network, it certainly won’t kill you to try it, so please do.

Who uses Joysticks to play games?

Really, who these days wants to control a video game using a joystick? I guess that depends on who you ask. I've been working on building my own for quite a while now, and so far interest has been high- I usually sell these for around $150-225 to people in the fighting game community. Here are some of my latest sticks, customized for people who ordered them:




(Yep, thats a Manowar album cover)





Here is a link to the whole set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63539949@N00/sets/72157594166543763/


Stay tuned for more info on upcoming game tournaments!

If you have ever wanted to read a novel that played like a video game, or wanted to play a video game that read like a novel, Hotel Dusk is the game for you. Sure, it doesn’t sound interesting when I preface it like that, but Hotel Dusk is special. The game places your character in the middle of a detective noir-style storyline, taking place near New Year’s Eve in 1979. Your character, along with others in the storyline, has been brought to a strange hotel by a dark secret, which you are enticed to uncover through interesting interactive dialogue. In Hotel Dusk, you hold your DS sideways much like a book, using the touch screen to interact with in-game tasks. Although most of the game is based around the dialogue via on-screen text, you are also presented with the task of finding things by ‘pointing’ on the touch screen, and sometimes handy little techniques come into play such as closing and then opening your DS in order to check the flip side of an object you are holding.

The Graphics in Hotel Dusk are great. All done in a noir-style setting with stylish old-school colors, all the characters in the game are presented as black and white, stationary drawings that look great in terms of gameplay and in atmosphere. Though the graphics are very stylish, the storyline is really what brings the game together, so if you can’t decide between reading a good book and playing a video game, do yourself a favor and pick up Hotel Dusk: Room 215.

Victorious Boxers 2: Fighting Spirit
For Playstation 2


Who doesn’t love Ippo? I know I sure do. Victorious Boxers is based on a great Japanese manga franchise featuring the dedicated character that most all of Japanese boxing fans love. The gameplay in Victorious boxers 2 is the same as its predecessor, which if you haven’t played it, think of a control scheme much like EA’s Fight Night- Round 2 with an anime theme, and over 70 characters to choose from. (I’m pretty sure Victorious Boxers was the inspiration to Fight Night’s controls, actually. They work amazingly well.) Duke it out with your opponent using your dual shock analog sticks, ducking, weaving, and beasting your way to the top. If you love boxing but have played Fight night to death, be sure to give this one a try. It isn’t exactly getting the media buzz it deserves.


Cars
For Nintendo Wii

So lets face it, most licensed movie games tend to be lacking in the quality department. Did you ever play the Pirates of the Caribbean game? How about the Jaws game? If so, you’ll know what I mean. Well, prepare to be surprised with Cars, a game that is geared toward the smaller family members, but really holds its own even with the big kids. Granted, it’s no Gran Turismo HD, but Cars has a certain special charm with its fun gameplay and controls and its full cast of voice actors including Paul Newman and Owen Wilson. In Cars, you are able to drive about, racing in various locales including Radiator Springs and plenty of NASCAR inspired racetracks. There is plenty to do, and Cars doesn’t get old as fast as most kid’s games.
Cars image from IGN:

Import Game Review:

King of Fighters XI
For Playstation 2

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have both a Japanese and an American Playstation 2, but after I made a trip out to Game Force in Mandarin, I was set to play games meant for both regions on my soon to be modified PS2. See, I really had to get my hands on this Japan-only fighting game my friends have been pushing me to get. I didn’t have a Japanese PS2, and hell if I was going to pay for one. Luckily, Game Force sells mod kits so you can play these imports on your favorite console. I was told they could even do the mod service for you, for a small fee, which is awesome. So, now that I am set up for multi-regional gaming and ready to share my somewhat cultural gaming experience with you.
King of Fighters XI is the newest edition of the KOF series, (with the exception of the Maximum Impact/20006 games) which retains many of the coolest innovations in the series, and adds a few new ones. When you start out a game in Arcade or versus mode, you first select the person who is to be your team leader. Then, you select 2 team members to support you. During gameplay, you can snap in (or tag in) your team members by tapping both punch or both kick buttons. Easy peasy. The pause menus provide you with all the special moves and combos, and most text in the game that involves navigation is written in English. You can also participate in single player, one-on-one matches, and if you live in Japan, you can even play online via networked matches. Why doesn’t the US market have more PS2 games like this? I don’t know the answer to that, but if you are a die-hard fighter fan or even if you like KOF just a little, consider importing King of Fighters XI. I’m glad I did.

King of Fighters XI: