Something Old, Something New

So two weeks ago I talked about the importance of popular game series' needing to shake things up a bit and stop making the same old games with a different setting, or in the case of Mario games, something more than moving world 1-1 block #246 a few spaces to the right, in today's post I'll be taking a quick look at a couple of games that pulled this off well.

The Typing of the Dead
You'd think that in combining a fast paced zombie game with typing practice you'd be digging your own grave (no pun intended), but the reality is that this game (released on the Dreamcast in America, etc) is even more entertaining than the original shooter. A peculiar port of House of the Dead 2, following the same path, this version sees you wield keyboards with a Dreamcast on your back (seriously!) and blast hoards of zombies away by typing words attached to them. The words start of easy, with things like 'OK' or 'IQ', before the latter levels where the game quickly asks you to type 'Verbal diarrhea' and 'Chrysanthemum'. The game is unique (because it's typing) and addictive and if you can find a way to play it then you're really in for a treat.

You can expect an M-Rated Zombie typing game to incorporate a form of humor not found in other typing platforms

It's interesting to think of how many games like this you wouldn't expect to come about actually exist, most commonly it happens with puzzle games (Like Dr. Mario and Yoshi's Cookie, not that I ever understood that one) or crossover races, but the real gems are the obscure ones and they're still going on, like with the new Metal Gear Rising: Revengance game, which brings an out in the open hack-and-slash style to a series known for being stealth orientated.

Try and catch me now Snake, not a shadow nor a cardboard box in sight

Sonic Chronicles

Whoa slow down a minute? You want to make the WORLD'S FASTEST HEDGEHOG into a TURN-BASED FINAL FANTASY STYLE RPG? They already have? On the DS? Well it must be shit. It's not? Actually it's brilliant, maybe a little clunky in places, and es the graphics need a lot to be desired and the controls could have been so much better, but with the core aspect being the game it has come out well. It's easy, but that's part of the charm as it fits in with the demographic of Sonic being aimed at all ages rather than just hardcore speedrunners and it's probably for the best since Sonic isn't known for RPGs. The combat system is particularly enjoyable to me, but that's clearly a play on my tastes, as you can land your abilities much harder and more effective by tapping and sliding to a rhythm sequence (no tunes, but hey). So the conclusion is, it's something quirky, fun, and not such ridiculously stupid idea that it's bad, quite the opposite.

Not one for the hardcore RPG fan or top-end graphics fanboys, it was only aimed at Sonic fans so steer clear unless you know you'll enjoy it, especially given the ties with Sonic history.