When somebody even mentions "sidescrolling platformer" during a conversation, our minds immediately picture the original Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros and Sonic the Hedgehog. These three games are the pillars and pioneers of the platformer genre with each game adding it's own spin to it. I still remember, in the old days of the NES, I spent hours and days trying to beat the last level of World 4 of Super Mario Bros and the level kept on repeating itself. I was very young so I was confused as to why this level never seemed to end. My elder brother taught me the puzzle that the level had to be traversed in a certain way in order to reach the final boss, King Koopa. Sonic the Hedgehog added exploration and speed to the otherwise slowly paced platformers with the gimmick of the player being able to run so fast that Sonic can run around a loop like a rollercoaster. The game also offered the player the chance to gain a higher score by beating the level as early as possible and offering a grade for it. This scoring system wasn't implemented before since scores/grades weren't the real point of playing a platforming game. The game also had a crazy level design with the designers being able to get away with it since Sonic was able to access most places thanks to either Tails, springs or his high speed making every nook and cranny of the level accessible to him. Look at the crazy level below from Sonic Advance! One of the most famous arcade games of the 80s and probably of all time is Donkey Kong. This game featured characters from two of Nintendo's most famous franchises of all time. The objective of the game was to jump over barrels and climb platforms vertically as we try to save Paulene from Donkey Kong who is the antagonist in the game. This game was a major hit among the youth and really brought the video game industry back on track after the crash of 1983. According to me, in terms of difficulty and puzzle solving, two games which are side scrolling but involve puzzle solving are Mega Man and Super Metroid. Super Metroid featured probably the most atmospheric music and environment and very elaborate maze like levels which kept the user engaged as he/she tried to figure out where the upgraded weapons and items to be collected are and where the level boss is. While Metroid used puzzle solving on an exploration level with the user eliminating each route which led to a dead-end, Mega Man used puzzle solving through the items available in the inventory which helped the player traverse through the 8 gruelling levels. The game also offered the player the freedom of choosing any order of playing the levels. The game had weapons like the Air Man's lift which enabled the player to reach high platforms which are inaccessible. To summarize, for me, platforming action games are my favourite type of games. I am definitely missing out on many games like the Donkey Kong Country games which feature the best looking and interactive environments I have ever seen, Legend of Zelda 2 which added sidescrolling levels to the traditional overhead view of Zelda games, the NES Castlevania games which are the finest RPG/sidescrolling/action mix ever.
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Animal Crossing is a real time simulation game with the games being released for the Nintendo Gamecube, DS, Wii and most recently the 3DS. The most recent title, Animal Crossing: New Leaf received critical acclaim from everyone due to it's simple yet addictive mechanism and interactions with the charming NPCs in the world. The game also has different layers to it's design with each day having different tasks, items to collect, conversations with the NPCs to be had and challenges like keeping the town rating constant or getting it higher as well as making sure the town budget increases so that the player can start new town projects like bridges, police station and aesthetic projects. Another major aspect of the replay-ability and addictive nature of this game is that it is catered for perfectionists since there are so many items to collect and badges(basically trophies) for various achievements like collecting all the types of bugs, furniture and fish. The game also has funny and witty writing which are evident through the hilarious conversations the player has with the villagers daily, depending on the villager's personality(Each villager has a distinct personality like Jock, Sloth, Bossy etc), their mood at the moment and external factors like the weather, state of the town or the events happening in the town during that time. Personally, I spent over 500 hours on my 3DS playing this game and I had a drive to collect all the collectibles and get all the trophies as well as make my town beautiful and villagers content. I ended the game with my town being Lannister themed with a golden house, golden rose hybrids everywhere, Rains of Castamere as my village tune and lions as my villagers. The fact that the game offers the player the freedom to do whatever in the world while keeping him grounded through daily tasks and mission is really what makes this game completely addictive and replayable. Another layer of the game which really makes it fun are the hints and indirect control for the player to look to the future for upgrades to come for their house, shops which sell items and even projects which can be built in the village. This allows the player to understand what new developments are going to happen in his town without his authorization. For example, Gracie the stylish Giraffe notifies the player when she is upgrading the Nook's Home Center to the Department Store within the next few days so the store would be shut. However, players who are not careful with the approval and beauty rating of the town, could find disgusting Rafflesia growing in their town as a signal that their town is in rough shape. Another sign of realism which induces immersion of the player into this world is the change in the town overnight. For example, new items are available in the Home Center as well as in the Nook's store. The player can decide on times when he can meet villagers when they fancy wanting to meet you. This feature really destroyed my social life personally. If I had set a meeting with Kabuki at 8pm and was out of the house with friends without my 3DS at 7:55pm, I would run back home just to finish the meeting in my virtual town. This game really had that much of an impact on me. Lastly, those who wish to check out my village, below is my Animal Crossing Dream Address as well as my 3DS Friend code. Do visit it, in your free time. Below are also my badges record. Pretty decent in all the categories except for Streetpass collection since there aren't many Animal Crossing players in India.
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Milind NilekaniLove Nintendo games and game design. This blog is to detail my love for both. Archives
April 2016
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