Nes: Welcome everyone once again to a new installment of the Nestlekwik Happy Hour. After a weekend of grilling and drinking, we return to bring everyone a fresh new installment, and it’s not too late to put a Fourth of July spin on video gaming. On deck for today, we have a brand new classic game review and yet another top list to serve up, so sit back and enjoy as we head straight into our review of a game based on a movie depicting another form of Independence Day – ID4 for the Sony Playstation.
Review: Independence Day (Playstation)One of 1997’s summer blockbusters (and pretty much the launch of Will Smith into the limelight) still holds some credibility to this day as it seemed to be played in marathon fashion as we approached this year’s Fourth of July. Independence Day went on to smash box offices across the country, but it seemed the game based on the movie failed to garner the attention of anyone. Even though the game followed the plot of the movie (well, the action sequences at least) and featured video sequences from the film, it seemed Radical Entertainment couldn’t translate that cinematic magic into video game form.
From the get go, players should be able to tell they aren’t in for a treat once they hit the gameplay portions of the title. While the movie segments were impressive in their grainy Playstation glory, once the player mans the aircraft, they will be subjected to some of the most hideous 3-D polygonal graphics that look even more archaic ten years later. While the aircrafts are moderately well-done, the environments look like polygonal vomit, which is a shame as players get to tour a number of the world’s locations such as France, Tokyo and the Grand Canyon. Aside from voice clips pulled from actors of the movie and the work done with the FMV scenes, nothing stands out in the audio department either, which is a real shame for the game’s presentation seeing as it had a blockbuster movie to pull inspiration from.
As revered as the movie is, there is really no huge span of action through the film, and it shows in the simplistic and repetitive game play. While scenes such as screaming through the Grand Canyon and manning the alien spacecraft are present in the game, there are a bunch of filler missions that have players destroying landmarked items such as shield generators and transmitters. While the controls are solid overall, there just isn’t much to do with them as players will spend the majority of the game following their radar and firing off heat-seeking missiles and there seems to be very little (if any) difference between the various aircraft. Throw in some horrid collision detection and physics and Independence Day is just a mess to play, even with a potentially fun two-player dogfighting mode that even took advantage of the system’s link feature.
Overall: Independence Day just doesn’t compare to the movie it is based off of. The game is ugly to look at, the gameplay is grossly repetitive and some of the clipping and physics are just frustrating to the player, with some causing the player to reset the game. Independence Day for the Playstation wasn’t a fun game to play back in 1997 and it sure isn’t any fun in 2009. You can be sure to skip this game even at bargain bin prices and it sure won’t please any gamers at your Fourth of July parties.
Final Review Score: 1 of 5Nes: With such a stinker on the chopping block, it seems we need to brighten up a little bit, and what better way to do that than with the July 4th staple of fireworks? While most people only get to feast their eyes on fireworks one day out of the year, video game players can experience them whenever they feel the need. Today’s top five list takes a look at video game fireworks!
The Nestlekwik Happy Hour Top 5 Video Game Fireworks#5 – Skygunner (Playstation 2)I’ve often billed this as one of the most overlooked video games on the Playstation 2, but until a couple of years ago, that was par for the course for nearly any game Atlus published in the United States. The title took players to the skies in a frantic anime-styled shooting game affair that rewarded players for chaining groups of enemies, much like most modern rail shooters. One of the most valuable tools for accomplishing this is the fireworks missile, which expands the reach of chains even more. Not only is the fireworks missile affective, but it sure looks pretty as well. Setting these missiles loose will fill the sky with color, but don’t get too distracted as your enemies sure won’t be staring at these explosions.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/R78RJ7Kq5YY&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/R78RJ7Kq5YY&rel=1</a>]]> #4 – Point Blank (Arcade/Playstation)Through the ‘90s, Namco’s Point Blank series made a splash on arcades, introducing mission-based light gun mini games for players to tackle for high scores. If players survived every stage, the game’s finale placed players in front of a castle full of targets, giving them just a few seconds to nail every one they possibly could. With each target hit, a bonus point firework ignites, potentially setting off a huge chain of fireworks for players to enjoy. Perhaps the best thing about Point Blank’s fireworks is they serve as an exclamation point on top of the players’ accomplishment of beating the game, which comes as a huge relief to gamers who can tackle the game’s insane difficulty.
#3 – Big Bang Mini (Nintendo DS)For the final three titles, we take a look at games that rely on the gimmick of fireworks – the first being this year’s Big Bang Mini. In the game, players control a ship which shoots fireworks to destroy enemies and, naturally, the results look great. The DS actually handles the lighting very well as enemies explode into vivid colors, which are further accented by the game’s trippy backgrounds and crazy characters.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/0VeZ_dHVWqM&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/0VeZ_dHVWqM&rel=1</a>]]> #2 – Boom Boom Rocket (Xbox 360)Bizarre created a simple, yet addictive rhythm game for the Xbox LIVE Arcade format and the results are spectacular as players ignite fireworks in time to music. The title shows off a number of different firework types of varying colors and effects on a city skyline and when players activated a bonus mode, the fireworks quadruple in explosion radius and effects, resulting in some crazy firework displays. Players can also unlock a number of other firework effects that expand what players can experience, making the title one of the finest games available as far as fireworks are concerned.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/MNcSgzKaaIo&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/MNcSgzKaaIo&rel=1</a>]]> #1 – Fantavision (Playstation 2) What started as a Playstation 2 tech demo eventually evolved into what is perhaps the finest firework video game ever crafted. Fantavision is a action puzzle game, tasking players with grouping fireworks of similar colors together in order to daisy chain combos of explosions for huge points. Since Fantavision is another game built solely around fireworks, Sony went to great lengths to give players a visual treat with flashing colors and various explosion types that accompany city skylines and even the depths of space. By collecting power-ups and spelling the word “STARMINE,” players enter a bonus stage where the explosions and daisy chains get really crazy. If you ever want to see some digital fireworks, Fantavision is a cheap and fun way to see some pretty explosions.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/9TWKqPiCq5I&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/9TWKqPiCq5I&rel=1</a>]]> Nes: We also give honorable mention to the Super Mario Bros. games, which brought us points for timely explosions and while we don’t do PC games, you have to give props to games such as Roller Coaster Tycoon 3’s custom firework setup and a variety of MMOs such as World of Warcraft that celebrate with a bang.
That’s all we have this week, but don’t miss out on next week’s entry where we’ll have yet another review and special feature on tap. See you next time!
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