ShareThis"Little King's Story"
Platform: Wii
Genre: Strategy
Publisher: Xseed
ESRB Rating: T, for Teen
Grade: 4 stars (out of 5)
At first, "Little King's Story" struck me as a well-crafted introductory course to real-time strategy (RTS) games. That's welcome; too often, games require a higher level of knowledge than players have. Yet after diving deeper into the game, I found it much more complex -- rewardingly so.
You play as a diminutive king, with greatness thrust upon you by a village. The goal is to gain dominion over the entire land. I could wax on about how this game may teach youths some unhealthy lessons about totalitarianism.
The game play can be learned quickly. It's all about building on your modest parcel of farmland, using farmers for cultivation and soldiers for expansion. The level of difficulty ramps up and down throughout the early stages, giving you plenty of chances to learn your minions' skills. The story quality is not outstanding, but the dialogue and pace are appropriate for RTS newcomers.
RTS games have always been more for adults because of the minutiae that can overwhelm younger gamers. "Little King's Story" welcomes newcomers to the genre, showing them why their older siblings and parents have so much fun.
"G-Force"
Platforms: Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, PS2, PSP, DS
Genre: Action
Publisher: Disney
ESRB Rating: E, for Everyone
Grade: 3 stars
My aunt Honora and her daughter Heather have always had guinea pigs. Why, I have no idea. I thought hamsters were cool, but I was 7 at the time. I can't say whether my relatives have seen the "G-Force" movie, but I am sure they are thrilled that guinea pigs are getting their deserved place in the limelight.
Playing "G-Force" is actually quite a treat, which is saying something in the normally bland and disappointing world of movie-to-game ports. I haven't seen the movie, but I'm guessing the game doesn't follow its plot or it would be one disjointed movie.
While the game's missions and level design are rather bland, its diversity and fun factor score high. The action is constantly broken up into little segments: a puzzle to solve here, battles against kitchen appliances there, a flying sequence over there. Sometimes this makes the game go by too quickly.
Honora and Heather may not hang "G-Force" posters on their walls, but they can at least cuddle with their real guinea pigs and know they are represented in style.
"The King of Fighters XII"
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre: Fighting
Publisher: SNK Playmore
ESRB Rating: T, for Teen
Grade: 2 stars
In high school, I had friends who swore by the "King of Fighters" franchise while others among us defended "Street Fighter" as the holy grail of fighting games. I always thought "KOF" was a "Street Fighter" wannabe, so perhaps in reviewing "KOF XII" some old prejudices came back to the surface.
Or, maybe it's just that this new release is not that great. For one thing, there are not a lot of playable characters. While the franchise boasts nearly 40, only about half are here to play with. Yes, some of them have had their abilities upgraded from what I remember in the arcades, but they are still a tad lifeless here. Plus, battles are less interesting when the characters are stripped of all their power and it just makes all the fights run the same.
Perhaps worst of all, the game has the dullest offline content in recent memory. Enjoy playing against a friend? You'd better, because that is about all you can do. There's no story mode -- and no challenge or survivor mode, either. You've got to really love "KOF," or you may feel disappointed.
(E-mail Chris Campbell at game_on_games(at)mac.com.)
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