A Video Game Odyssey: Recent Episodes
A Video Game Odyssey
A Video Game Odyssey is a podcast that is light on spoilers, bias and nostalgia but heavy on being concise, clear and professional.
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AVGOdyssey
Every other Wednesday, A Video Game Odyssey broadcasts short 7 to 10 minute retro reviews that scrutinise famed, forgotten or forgettable works of video games' past. Game length, genre, difficulty and critical reception are all handled in the first 30 seconds so that the rest of the time can be spent dissecting what each game tries to do differently, assessing a game's successes or shortcomings therein.
Additionally, Coherent Rants, in which matters of the video game industry are considered within the framework of popular media as a whole, will be uploaded around once per month.
Reviews adhere to one of two scoring systems. Reviews #1 to #16 are based on a 10-point scoring system, while reviews #17 and onwards use a named scoring system. Please listen to the "Quick Look at the Rating System" episode for more info and to hear the new scores for the original 16 reviews. The named score can either be a single or split score between:
Abysmal - would not recommend to anyone
Poor - would only lightly recommend to hardcore fans of the genre/series
Average - would only recommend to hardcore fans of the genre/series
Good - would recommend to general fans of the genre/series
Great - would highly recommend to fans of the genre/series
Excellent - would recommend to anyone interested in the game, genre or series
Masterful - not perfect, but a game that consistently demonstrates such a high level of quality that I would urge anyone to at least give the game a chance regardless of genre/series.
Inspirations for this podcast includes: Super Bunnyhop, Satchbag's Goods, Game Maker's Toolkit, Easy Allies and Edge Magazine UK.
Logo by Grace Sandford (http://www.gracesandford.com)
In this episode I take a brief look at how and why I have chosen to do away with the 10-point review score in favour of a label-based review score. Enjoy!
Below is a list of my review history thus far, in chronological order, complete with their original score out of 10 and their newly updated score.
-- Tomba, was a 7/10, now a good quality game -- Resident Evil 4, was a 9/10, now an excellent/masterful quality game -- Comix Zone, was a 5/10, now an average quality game -- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, was 4/10, now a poor/average quality game -- Alien Soldier, was an 8/10, now a great quality game -- Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, was a 6/10, now an average/good quality game -- Klonoa, was a 7/10, now a good quality game -- Grim Fandango, was an 8/10, now a great quality game -- Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, was an 8/10, now a great/excellent quality game -- Ufouria: The Saga, was an 8/10, now a good/great quality game -- New Super Mario Bros. 2, was a 6/10, now an average/good quality game -- Half-Life 2, was a 10/10, now a masterful quality game -- Metroid Prime, was a 9/10, now an excellent quality game -- Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, was a 7/10, now a good/great quality game -- Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, was a 6/10, now an average/good quality game -- Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow Versions, was a 7/10, now a good/great quality game
Thank you very much for listening! Please let me know what you think of the new review system!
Developer: Game Freak // Publisher: Nintendo // Status: Very Well-Known // Genre: Turn-Based RPG / Shooter // Players: 1 // Difficulty: Above Average // Length: 27 - 32 hours.
Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow mark the beginning of the phenomenon known as Pokemon. Known by fans simply as Generation 1, or Gen 1, these games introduce the first 150 Pokemon and establish the progression system of the mainline series games: wherein the player must choose one of three starter Pokemon, acquire 8 gym badges, challenge the Elite Four, become a Pokemon Master and, in the postgame, catch optional Legendary Pokemon.
Music was sourced by: "Perspective" and 'Odyssey" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additionally, in-game music was used during interludes. “Pokemon - Title Screen”, “The Road to Viridian City”, “Cerulean City Theme”, “Lavender Town Theme”, “Viridian Forest”, “Rival Appears”, “Pokemon Gym”, “Battle vs. Gym Leader” and “Oak’s Laboratory” were sourced from the Pokemon Series OST.
I do not own the rights to any of this music.
If you are or know the copyright owner please do contact me via Twitter, SoundCloud or YouTube.
Metroid Prime 3 is a first-person action-adventure game that rewards precise observations, combing the environment and revisiting old areas with new abilities.
The game follows a simple repeating formula of (a) enter a new area, (b) come across out of access areas, (c) find a way forward, (d) be confronted by a boss encounter, (e) unlock a new weapon or ability, (f) use new ability to enter either a new area or allow access to new regions of existing areas.
The Metroid franchise influenced many games including many of the post-1997 Castlevania games, Guacamelee, Tomba as well as others.
Music was sourced by: “Odyssey” and “Blipstream” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additionally, in-game music was used during interludes. “ Metroid Prime 3 - Title Screen”, “Bryyo Cliffside”, “Samus vs Rundas”, “Skytown”, “Gandrayda” and “Underwater Frigate Reactor Core” were sourced from the Metroid Prime 3 OST.
I am not the rights holder for the OST music. If either you or someone you know is the rights holder and would like to contact me regarding my choice of music then please do get in touch.
A Video Game Odyssey is also available on SoundCloud, Twitter and YouTube.
This is a review of the single-player game. The multiplayer aspect is completely separate to the main game, is offline-only and of a generally poor quality. Those wanting a multiplayer first-person shooter should look elsewhere.
Metroid Prime 2 is a first-person action-adventure game that rewards precise observations, combing the environment and revisiting old areas with new abilities. The game follows a simple repeating formula of (a) enter a new area, (b) come across out of access areas, (c) find a way forward, (d) be confronted by a boss encounter, (e) unlock a new weapon or ability, (f) use new ability to enter either a new area or allow access to new regions of existing areas.
The Metroid franchise influenced many games including many of the post-1997 Castlevania games, Guacamelee, Tomba as well as others.
Music was sourced by: “Odyssey” and “Blipstream” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additionally, in-game music was used during interludes. “ VS. Emperor ing 2”, “Submerged Temple”, “Light Temple”, “The Ing”, “Luminoth Sotyr Amos Account” and “Underwater Frigate Reactor Core” were sourced from the Metroid Prime 2 OST.
I am not the rights holder for the OST music. If either you or someone you know is the rights holder and would like to contact me regarding my choice of music then please do get in touch.
A Video Game Odyssey is also available on SoundCloud, Twitter and YouTube.
Developer: Retro Studios // Publisher: Nintendo // Status: Very Well-Known // Genre: First-Person Adventure // Players: 1 // Difficulty: Average - adjustable // Length: 12 - 16 hours.
Metroid Prime is a first-person action-adventure game that rewards precise observations, combing the environment and revisiting old areas with new abilities.
The game follows a simple repeating formula of (a) enter a new area, (b) come across out of access areas, (c) find a way forward, (d) be confronted by a boss encounter, (e) unlock a new weapon or ability, (f) use new ability to enter either a new area or allow access to new regions of existing areas.
The Metroid franchise influenced many games including many of the post-1997 Castlevania games, Guacamelee, Tomba as well as others.
Music was sourced by: “Odyssey” and “Blipstream” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additionally, in-game music was used during interludes. “Metroid Prime - Main Menu”, “Tallon Overworld”, “Magmoor Caverns”, “Ridley’s Battle” and “Underwater Frigate Reactor Core” were sourced from the Metroid Prime OST.
I am not the rights holder for the OST music. If either you or someone you know is the rights holder and would like to contact me regarding my choice of music then please do get in touch.
Review #12: Half-Life 2 (2004 / PC, et al.)
Developer / Publisher: Valve // Status: Very Well-Known // Genre: First-Person Shooter // Players: 1 (also includes mutliplayer mode - not reviewed) // Difficulty: Adjustable at any point in-game // Length: 14 - 18 hours.
Half-Life 2 is the culmination of immersive story-telling, an innovative use of physics and technical achievement in terms of texture detail and facial animation. It is also an enjoyable, serious, sometimes solemn, occasionally humorous adventure through a dystopian land. Half-Life 2 is a first-person shooter that is not about shooting: think Deus Ex or Metroid Prime rather than Halo or Call of Duty.
Music was sourced by: “Odyssey” and “Blipstream” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additionally, in-game music was used during interludes. “Hazardous Environments”, “CP Violation”, “Apprehension and Evasion”,“LG Orbifold” were sourced from the Half-Life 2 OST, available on Steam.
I am not the rights holder for the OST music. If either you or someone you know is the rights holder and would like to contact me regarding my choice of music then please do get in touch.
A Video Game Odyssey is also available on SoundCloud, Twitter and YouTube.
Developer / Publisher: Nintendo // Status: Very Well-Known // Genre: Platformer // Players: 1 // Difficulty: Average // Length: 6 - 10 hours.
it is very easy to be cynical about New Super Mario Bros. 2. Not only does t borrow heavily from the Mario Bros. archive in terms of music, art assets, levels, themes and map layout but the new gimmick of turning everything into gold, and subsequently asking the player to feverishly collect coins, feels more than a little telling of a developer wanting to chain in with their biggest franchise.
This scepticism stems further as just one year prior Mario made his debut on new hardware in Super Mario £D Land, a game that takes far more chances with the Mario formula all while perfectly integrating the unique features of the 3DS. With that in mind, what does this game have to offer?
Music was sourced by: “Odyssey” and “Blipstream” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additionally, in-game music was used during interludes. “Title Screen”, “Underwater”, “Desert Overworld” and “Athletic” were sourced from the New Super Mario Bros. 2 OST.
I am not the rights holder for the OST music. If either you or someone you know is the rights holder and would like to contact me regarding my choice of music then please do get in touch.
A Video Game Odyssey is also available on SoundCloud, Twitter and YouTube.
Ufouria: The Saga is an adventure-platformer developed and published by Sunsoft and released late in the NES’s life cycle. The game takes heavy inspiration from Metroid, Super Mario Bros. 2 and early Mega Man games.
What separates Ufouria from other NES platformers is the emphasis on exploration and the utilisation of four characters, wherein certain regions cannot be fully investigated until the player has acquired either the correct character or power-up. This means that, like many of the adventures games of the time, (now often referred to as “Metroidvania” games) a large amount of back-tracking is required.
However, like the best adventure games, Ufouria curbs repetition through intelligent map design, whereby shortcuts occur naturally and a steady stream of rewards are available for those curious enough to wander off the beaten path.
Music was sourced by: “Odyssey” and “Blipstream” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additionally, in-game music was used during interludes. “Hehe’s Adventure”, “Hebe in the Sky”, “Hebe Underground”, “Hebe in the Cold Area”, “Decisive Battle”, and “Continue” were sourced from the Ufouria OST.
I am not the rights holder for the OST music. If either you or someone you know is the rights holder and would like to contact me regarding my choice of music then please do get in touch.
A Video Game Odyssey is also available on SoundCloud, Twitter and YouTube.
Developer: Level 5 // Publisher: Square Enix // Status: Somewhat Cult // Genre: Japanese Role Playing Game // Players: 1 // Difficulty: Above Average // Length: 75 - 85 hours.
Dragon Quest VIII is a turn-based traditional Japanese role playing game developed by Level 5 (makers of Ni No Kuni, Yo-Kai Watch and the Professor Layton series) and published by Square Enix. The game does not seek to “reinvent the wheel” as it where, instead setting it’s sights at elegantly blending RPGs of yore in a way that accentuates the genre’s more earnest and addictive qualities and getting rid of the everything else. The game’s narrative is very loose and not particularly intrusive, with emphasis instead being places on battle mechanics, grinding, exploration and the thrill of entering a new town or village. As a final word, I would like to mention that both the orchestral soundtrack and all-British voice cast are by far some of the best either this or any other genre has seen.
Music was sourced by: “Odyssey” and “Blipstream” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additionally, in-game music was used during interludes. “Overture”, “Strange World Marching in the Fields”, “War Cry” and “Sky, Ocean and Earth” were sourced from the Dragon Quest VIII OST.
I am not the rights holder for the OST music. If either you or someone you know is the rights holder and would like to contact me regarding my choice of music then please do get in touch.
Developer / Publisher: LucasArts (Remastered by Double Fine Productions) // Status: Cult // Genre: Point-and-Click Adventure // Players: 1 // Difficulty: Above Average // Length: 10 - 14 hours.
Music was sourced by: "Odyssey" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Other music includes "Manny and Meche", "Gambling Glottis", "Mr. Frustration Man", "Bone Wagon" and "Blue Basket Bop" found on the Grim Fandango OST. I do not own the rights for the OST, if you are the rights owner or know the rights owner please get in touch.
In this very special episode of A Video Game Odyssey I take a long look at the history of the Legend of Zelda series, ranking my personal favourite games.
Get in touch via Twitter, YouTube or SoundCloud to let me know what your favourite Zelda game(s) is/are, what your favourite Zelda moment is and what you think would be the best Zelda game to recommend a Zelda newcomer.
Music was sourced by: "Perspective" and 'Odyssey" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Music from several Legend of Zelda games were used throughout this episode.
They are: “Clock Town - Day 2” and “Astral Observatory” from Majora’s Mask; “Forest” from A Link to the Past”; “Sheik’s Theme” from Ocarina of Time”; “Ocean” and “Title Theme” from Wind Waker; “Maiamia Cave” from A Link Between Worlds”; “Din’s Dance” from Oracle of Season; “The Tokays Island Home” from Oracle of Ages; “Elzo Appears” from Minish Cap; “Song of Awakening” from Link’s Awakening; and “Midna’s Desperation.”
I do not own the rights to any of this music.
If you are or know the copyright owner please do contact me via Twitter, SoundCloud or YouTube.
Developer: Namco // Publisher: Namco/SCEE // Status: Cult // Genre: 2.5D Platformer // Players: 1 // Difficulty: Below Average // Length: 5 - 7 hours.
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a side-scrolling platformer developed by Namco in 1997 for the Playstation. The game’s difficulty cap is kept fairly low and the game can be played through in around 5 hours. The game uses a 2.5D aesthetic, whereby protagonist Klonoa can move left or right across a 3D rendered stage, interacting with elements in the foreground and background.
Music was sourced by: "Blip Stream", “Wish Background", “Dreamy Flashback", "Mellowtron" and 'Odyssey" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo // Status: Very Well-Known // Genre: Third-Person Action Adventure // Players: 1 // Difficulty: Average // Length: 35 - 45 hours.
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is an adventure game available on the Wii. The game takes around 40 hours to complete and has a moderate fixed difficulty level based on testing a player’s combat skills, puzzle solving ability, logic and manipulation of elaborate 3D environments.
The game shares themes, lore, mechanics and iconography with other games in the series, though the narrative remains self-contained and welcoming to newcomers. This game is noted for it’s heavy emphasis on Wii Motion Plus.
Music was sourced by: "Blip Stream", “Moonlight Hall", "Reformat", “Enchanted Valley”, “The Snow Queen” and 'Odyssey" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Developer: Treasure // Publisher: SEGA // Status: Cult // Genre: Side-Scrolling Run and Gun // Players: 1 // Difficulty: Advanced // Length: 2 - 8 hours
Alien Soldier is a side-scrolling platformer-cum-shoot-'em-up released on the Mega Drive/Genesis and developed by Treasure. Treasure are the same company behind similar hidden gems such as Gunstar Heroes, Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun.
Depending on skill level, the game can take anywhere between half an hour to upwards of ten hours to complete. Regardless of which of the game's two difficulty modes are chosen, the challenge level in Alien Soldier is always set very high and so those wanting a less demanding gaming experience should look elsewhere.
Music was sourced by: "Blip Stream", "Rhinoceros", "Reformat", "Blipotron" and 'Odyssey" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Developer: Kojima Productions // Publisher: Konami // Status: Very Well-Known // Genre: 3rd-Person Stealth // Players: 1 // Difficulty: Average (adjustable) // Length: 15 - 18 hours.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a single-player, stealth-based, narrative-driven action game that takes around 15 hours to complete and can be played on various difficulty settings. In the game the player controls Solid Snake, a rapidly ageing spy mercenary living in a not-so-distant future. Similar to previous games in the series, Snake is coerced out of retirement once more to fight a group of science fiction terrorists led by his twin brother.
The Metal Gear Solid series is known for it's ambitious plot and lore that is told through long, fully voiced cut scenes, and MGS4 is no different, housing 8 hours of non-playable cut scenes. The Metal Gear saga is also noted having all it's main entries be directories by the same man: Hideo Kojima. Due to the fact that MGS4 was created as a final instalment in a long running story, this game may not be suited for non-series fans.
Music was sourced by: "Blip Stream", “The Escalation", “Volatile Reaction", "Hitman" and 'Odyssey" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
The video game industry, as a burgeoning artistic and technologically pioneering medium, has modelled itself closely on cinema. Despite being an active, interactive medium that sees the audience have their own agency, many of the highest grossing video games have pursed what journalists like to call "cinematic storytelling". Wherein acting, lighting, scenery, framing, dialogue and action lend themselves a level of immersion and realism seen in mainstream narrative cinema.
With it's desire to be adopted into popular culture and compared to cinema, a common question has naturally occurred, asking what is the video game answer to Citizen Kane. Well, before we delve into such a matter we must first ask what importance does Citizen Kane hold for cinema. How and why did Citizen Kane get put on a pedestal? And, most importantly, does the video game industry even need it's own Citizen Kane?
Maybe we, as video game users, should not be asking where our Citizen Kane is, but instead feel proud that we are a part of a diverging, multifaceted medium that could never birth a Citizen Kane. We are moving and expanding at such an unprecedented rate that no one game could ever attempt to typify what makes our medium so special. We have our answers to Orson Welles and we have the community cinephiles and film academics were striving for in the 50s and 60s. We have legitimised our medium ourselves without the need for a Citizen Kane. Maybe, then, it is about time we stopped comparing video games to cinema and, instead, time we started embracing what makes video games special.
Music was sourced by: "Blip Stream" and 'Odyssey" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/