| Games - Console Gaming |
There is a surprise in this Starstruck, look carefully for it!
After a rousing week with Starstruck003 and my trek through Resident Evil 4, I found myself at the crossroads of the TwinGalaxies. A childhood favorite, and an unattainable record stood at either side. Would this game remain in the cabinet a golden oldie, or would it become much, much more? That, my friends, is the question..
With any good story, life finds a way to interject. While the quest for the LifeForce World Record is definitely on my radar, I have not found the length of free time necessary to take an actual stab at it. I originally wanted to rip through it early last week, but that got bumped back..and bumped back..and now I’ll be lucky if I can scratch two minutes together. Unfortunately, the LifeForce record will have to wait..for now.
I did have some promising runs over the past few weeks though. I already know the game like the back of my hand, so thats good. I spent a lot of time in the later “Quests” and got used to the speed and viciousness of the computer. I had numerous near flawless runs at full capacity, and I’ve been able to earn a great deal of points and extra men at the expense of many alien lives. They had it comin’. Don’t mess with Vic Viper!
SPEAKING of Vic Viper, has anyone picked up Gradius ReBirth? I read about it yesterday, and bought it last night! Its a throwback to awesome arcade shooter fun, and its in the same vein as LifeForce! Again, LifeForceis a pseudo-sequel to Gradius, and pretty darn similar to Gradius 2. I’ve seen some video of Gradius 2, and it looks pretty darn similar to Gradius ReBirth! Having not played Gradius 2 though, ReBirth is new and awesome. It actually feels like it plays a little slower than LifeForce, but there might be more things on the screen flying around.
One difference I noticed was the ability to select your “weapon set.” LifeForce (my baby) has a concrete arsenal that can’t be changed: Speed-Missle-Ripple-Laser-Option-Force. ReBirth, however, allows you to select an A, B, or C set. “A” (my favorite) is multi-faceted and is pretty close to the standard LifeForce pairings: Speed-Missle-Double-Laser-Option-Shield. B and C are “Defensive”- and “Offensive”-minded respectively. Or swapped.. I haven’t played them yet. Go Type-A!
Upon playing you’ll notice that the run of boards seem endless. With most games, after you beat a stage, a new stage begins. With ReBirth, you beat a boss (if you’re good enough!), and a new wave of enemies comes as you all over again; its almost like one long journey..like outer space. –Think about space for a minute, and prepare to blow your own mind. Space NEVER ends. It just goes and goes. There is NOTHING in this world that is infinite, but as soon as you get OUT of this world, the horizon goes forever in every direction. Is that crazy or WHAT?! Back to ReBirth..
In addition to the standard gameplay, theres also a “Score Attack” mode. In this feature, you have a set number of lives (I believe its 5..), and you don’t get the option to continue. You play the game as normal, but when you die, its over. At that point, you put your name/initials in (8 characters; and I don’t think you do with standard gameplay), and it shows up on a Top 10 list. There is a scoreboard for Local play, or you can send your top honors via Wi-Fi and see how you stack up against other players who own the game. Last night (without much effort, and on “Very Easy”), I was ranked #6. Tonight my score had dropped to #15. I think I’ll make a solid run at this on Friday or Saturday.
You might be saying to yourself, “Rob, why not tomorrow? Why not Thursday?” Well, I’m going to be busy those days. As you’re reading this, quite possibly, I’m going to be flying out to San Francisco for a Wii Community Event with EA Sports. It feels like a pretty big deal; I’ll be testing/playing some unreleased games hands-on, and I’ll get to speak with EA Sports President Peter Moore. Just like Festivus in the Seinfeld universe, I’ve got a lot of things that I’ve got to get off my chest! Haha, not really. But I do plan on asking a bunch of questions, and I’ll more than likely have some answers for you next time.
It should be a good time. And I plan on hitting up some In-N-Out Burger while I’m there as well…
“In-N-Out.. In-N-Out.. Thats what a hamburgers all about!”
Have you ever had In-N-Out Burger?
I guess that’ll do it for THIS edition of Starstruck. Like the Fireside Chats of yesteryear, I’m talking to you while wearing my/your favorite fuzzy sweater. Just you and I, two pals. Lets be friends forever..
Until next time, Schulz Fans!
