|
Review In Altered States: Arkanoid DS By: PoisonRamune, the Apathetic Lizardman At first I almost didn’t want to do a review on this game. I’m not going to lie here, the game is basically the same Arkanoid we’ve come to know and love all these years. You use a bar like “paddle” to strike a ball into a formation of bricks, thus “clearing” the screen brick by brick. However, there’s something about this version that’s really fun, almost trumping its other versions in every way; though it really is the same 22 year old game of Arkanoid. How can such duality occur? Let’s journey back to a month before this article was written.
I’ve always wanted the paddle controller for the DS. After reading stellar reviews on how it ramps up the fun factor of Space Invaders Extreme, I simply had to own it. Doing further research on how to obtain the paddle controller, I found 2 problems with my desires.
1) You had to import the paddle controller from Japan As I said in the beginning of this article, I knew that Arkanoid DS was pretty much the exact same game as Arkanoid (arcade), Doh’s Revenge, Arkanoid Returns with maybe some “story mode” and a $20 price tag. This at all didn’t seem appealing to me, as I didn’t wish to spend extra money on a game I could play on Flash just to get my paddle controller. However, at a recent gaming convention I did see the bundle at an import game booth going up for sale. Perhaps, it was the fact that I knew I could have the paddle controller at that second or the fact that I drank about 4 hefeweizens at the convention center bar, but I went for it. Walking away from the booth $55 poorer, but with the paddle controller gave me a saddened excitement. I was the proud owner of a Taito DS paddle controller, but at what cost? I began to study the box and put my limited Japanese skills to work. Apparently, it had single cart DS play, so at least I could try to coax someone to a couple rounds. I ended up playing the couple I was staying with (staffer Vivian and husband) and to my surprise, the game didn’t suck. The versus modes are brilliant, you’re given the choice of either the standard “clear screen” or “color buster” where you’re to take out all of a specific color. Each match lasts only a couple minutes, so nothing gets too arduous or boring. Another good point to the multiplayer is the fact that there’s no clear, game breaking advantage using either of the control styles (d-pad, stylus, or paddle extension). Not even with the paddle controller, it just makes it more fun to play. The game’s graphics are pretty much the same as the 1986 Arkanoid. However, the dual screen presentation makes it a little hard to keep track of where a ball is when it’s in the “dead space” (the area between the 2 screens). Though, the eye eventually learns to deal with this after a few minutes of play. The only difference is there’s now a “skinning” option allowing you block, background, and paddle customization. The music is amazing for a game of this type. However, being in the same series as Space Invaders Extreme music of this quality is almost a given. And just like the graphics, the sound effects are pretty much ripped from the 80’s as well. It’s somewhat of a sad point to an otherwise very well designed game.
The single player mode is pretty fun; you have your choice between clear game and quest game. Clear game plays like the arcade version, you work your way through 35 of the 130 or so levels broken up into 5 level “waves.” In quest game you’re given a new objective on a previously beaten map (ie: clear the map within X amount of time, only destroy a certain color, etc). The play modes are both entertaining and can both equally satisfy whatever arcade game jones you may feel.
Playing the game while faded adds a whole new dimension of fun to the game. While it may seem counter-intuitive to be drunk or high while playing a game that’s based on twitch reactions; there’s something almost Zen like that awakens in you when playing the game mentally messed up. It’s almost as if you fall into an “Avatar state” where your faded 3rd eye awakens and keeps an eye on the top screen for you, giving you full control over what to do with the paddle on the bottom screen. The game is one of those fun little social games, where it’s simple enough for you to carry on a conversation while playing. I can even see this becoming a fun DS based drinking game, where the winner of a round has to drink. Thus, adding a sort of handicapping curve and also catalyst for more humorous conversation Final verdict:
|
