Video Games & Technology

Disney’s “Motorcity” -inspired game, “Drive,” sets online gamers hearts racing

Published

13 years ago

April 23, 2012

Visitors
to the Disney websites have probably noticed that the “Games” button is
listed prominently next to “Stars and Characters.” No longer considered
a passing trend online gaming is a billion dollar industry that has
caught the eye of Disney. The company has done well targeting younger
gamers and families through the Club Penguin online community but has
found it a little harder to find a game that caters to the larger gaming
public. Previous efforts to tie in characters and games online have
fallen a little flat among visitors. The Tron
Legacy Lightcycle game was good visually if a little limited
in the control arena. Fans of the arcade original could always try the Classic
Tron game online as well. The introduction of Marvel
characters has helped slightly (see Spider-Man in the Iron Spider for proof). However Disney’s finally hit their stride with a new game titled Drive. The game is actually available for both online and mobile (iPad / iPhone) devices.

Drive is based on the new Disney XD series titled Motorcity.
The series follows the adventures of a motor gang named the Burners
fighting against an evil industrialist named Abraham Kane. Lead by Mike
Chillton and his friends, Julie, Dutch, Texas and Chuck the Burners
drive all over a futuristic version of Detroit in high-powered hot rods.
The character and vehicle designs are reminiscent of Genndy “Samurai
Jack” Tartakovsky with a sprinkling of Duncan Roleau, Joe Casey, Joe
Kelly and Steven T. Seagle’s “Ben 10” series. I would even venture to
say that I see some influences from Jaimie Hewlett (Tank Girl /
Gorillaz) as well. The animation featured in Motorcity is a mix of 2D
and 3D. The game has some 2D cut scenes but the gameplay is entirely 3D
based. The world of Motorcity appears part futuristic and part modern
urban, with beams of light outlining the edges of the buildings and
graffiti filling in the cracks. Players might be surprised as to how
great the game looks and plays for a browser title.

Players
are introduced into the world of Motorcity when starting the game. In
particular they meet Mike and his car, a highly stylized
muscle-car-meets-import monstrosity appropriately titled “the Mutt.” The
Mutt is reminiscent of the Barracuda / Challenger clone featured in Ben
10, aka Kevin’s car. There is even a cartoonish Ed “Big Daddy”
Roth-styled dog driving a hot rod painted on the car door. The show and
game are clearly made for and by gearheads. Boys who might be fans of
the Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 series will be paying particular attention
to this title. Battle Force 5 ran on Cartoon Network and featured a
bunch of high tech cars and multi-ethnic teens. That series had a
moderately successful toy and videogame line.

Motorcity
was undoubtedly Disney’s answer to the Hot Wheels show but not a direct
copy. Car-based cartoon shows were nothing new to television but seem
to skip a generation. Speed Racer captured the imagination of boys in
Japan and North America in the late 1960’s. The Mach 5 was a dream
machine for many young men but there really wasn’t another show
featuring a high tech car in the spotlight until the 80’s. Car-based
animated shows really took off in 1984 when the Transformers hit the
airwaves. The heroic robots were known as Autobots and transformed into
all sorts of vehicles. Since then there were many variations on the
theme. Turbo Teen (1984), Pole Position (1984), M.A.S.K (1985), Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines (1985), Jayce
and the Wheeled Warriors (1989) were some of the shows that
had toy tie-ins as well as decently written episodes. Some of the Jayce
shows were written by award winning author J. Michael Straczynski.

The
first episodes of Motorcity have yet to hit the airwaves so audiences
playing the game have a preview to the world. Hopefully the other
vehicles featured in Motorcity are as mind numbingly awesome as the
Mutt. I can almost see the toys on the shelves right next to the Pixar
Cars, both sets putting the squeeze on Mattel. I’m not too proud to
admit that I might be picking some Motorcity cars myself when and if
they do come out. Of course some adults are too proud to admit that this
show seems genuinely interesting. Those viewers might want to check out
the Japanese animé titled Redline which shows that cars and stylized
animation can be cutting edge and entertaining. But again I digress …

The
game itself is an interesting combination of driving and shooting. The
play mechanics featured in Motorcity Drive have a classic arcade feel. Night
Stocker and Night Striker introduced the mechanics of driving
and shooting to arcade goers over 25 years ago. In Drive gamers can use
the mouse to steer and shoot at robot targets using the keyboard. The
setup is a little harder on mobile devices but the experience is the
same. Players do not have to worry about running off the track as they
are automatically guided around and over the futuristic world. Players
do have to actively steer out of the way of giant electronic pylons and
laser blasts from flying robots. The shooting mechanic is fairly
straightforward, simply move the crosshairs over an opponent and shoot.
Players can earn upgrades to their weapons and switch between different
types of lasers. The gameplay is reminiscent of the classic on-rails
shooter Panzer Dragoon by Sega.

Gamers
don’t have unlimited energy. If the Mutt takes too much damage then
it’s game over. To help players out the car has a couple of limited use
weapons that can clear all opponents off the screen. Saving this weapon
until it is absolutely necessary can make all the difference between
reaching the next level and having to start all over. Drive is possibly
the best free game on the Disney site and far superior to Cars 2 World
Rally. Players can post high scores on the online leaderboard and even
unlock Achievements for each level similar to an Xbox 360 title.
Hopefully we’ll be seeing more online games from Disney that has this
level of polish and presentation, at the very least expect to see this
game available for download on Xbox Live or Playstation’s Network with
some more cars and features to round out the experience if Disney
Interactive does not develop a fully-realized console experience.

Video Games & Technology

“Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion” game coming this summer

Published

6 years ago

June 6, 2018

Alice Hill

Adventure Time Pirates of the Enchiridion

“C’mon on, grab your friends … ” A new Adventure Time game is coming out across multiple platforms.

In this open world game, Finn and Jake will be sailing on a raft (Named Jeff) through the flooded land of Ooo to solve the mystery of why water engulfed their home and to help others & get in hijinks along the way. With a ragtag gang of friends (From a vampire, to an Ice King, to a little robot) Finn and Jake will travel from the melting Ice Kingdom to the Fire Kingdom and fight in turn-based combat like an RPG.

The trailer shows off some absolutely gorgeous character models and environments. I’m particularly enchanted by the gorgeous Candy Kingdom that’s briefly shown in this footage. The art design sticks close to the show, but brings with it a soft, sweet design rarely seen in adventure games. Which is a refreshing thing to bring to the table. Likewise, it’s a joy to see the characters translate to 3D so well. Outright Games has done some fantastic work here with their art design.

Likewise, the voice cast for the show will be reprising their roles as characters in the land of Ooo. And they’ll have a lot of lines to record. Not only can you control Finn and Jake, but you’ll be able to play as BMO and Marceline as well. You can upgrade these characters to unlock unique abilities for combat and the map holds plenty of fun mysteries too. With side stories and secret locations, this seems like a game that’ll have hours & hours of fun.

What strikes me particularly about this game is how much it resembles Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. This is no coincidence. Adventure Time have a history of being direct corollaries to Legend of Zelda games. “Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?!” ‘s gameplay references “Zelda II: The Adventure of Link” and “Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom” has the same top down look & combat stylings as “Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.” With this in mind, it’s absolutely delightful to see a Wind Waker homage with a series like this. Wind Waker was a gamechanger for the Legend of Zelda series, and it feels like “Pirates of the Enchiridion” will be a gamechanger for the Adventure Time games.

‘Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion’ will be out July 17th for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.

Video Games & Technology

Do you like treasure hunting and/or cooking soup? Then Pokemon Quest is the game for you

Published

6 years ago

June 4, 2018

Alice Hill

Immediately after the Pokemon press conference on May 29th, the mobile-switch cross platform game Pokemon Quest was available to download on the Nintendo eShop (with the mobile device version debuting later this month). Curious about the ‘Free-to-Start’ game, I snagged a download and started playing.

Pokemon Quest is a game that feels best letting itself auto-run. You check in several times a day to see what Pokemon have appeared at your camp (The conceit behind this game is that you’re a treasure hunter & Pokemon flock to you to fight their brethren in your honor. They also sometimes just come by because you make really good soup. What can I say?). With the Pokemon at your disposal, you build a small exploration team much in the same style as the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game series. And you then set them out to fight other Pokemon in open levels. From these battles, you win power stones (which allow you to upgrade your Pokemon’s health & attack power), and ingredients to lure other Pokemon to your camp.

You may’ve taken notice use of the term ‘Free-to-Start’ earlier in this article. That’s because — like many mobile services — this game offers add-ons for purchase. I don’t see any age limit on the Nintendo Switch version to take away ads for purchases (which many mobile games have chosen to add. See Disney’s own ‘Disney Crossy Road’) but the Pokemon Company may be expecting parents to set their own controls over the switch with the parental controls available on the system.

Still, the game is typical in mobile game fare for trying to wring money out of players. Energy to play the game costs P tickets, which you can earn 50 a day … or you can just buy. The game gives you an amount to start with, shows you how to use them to speed up your game, and then takes you to the shop where you can see an advertisement to buy it — along with Pokemon furniture to help your team.

These packages can go up to $30 and include Pokemon in-game items & exclusive furniture. And while Pokemon Go offered items in bundles like this, it’s still odd to see in a Pokemon game — let alone a Pokemon game on the Nintendo Switch (albeit, this is a cross-platform game). The game itself doesn’t seem to have any sort of hard-pay line for gameplay, though. I’m up to the fifth world in my game without making any purchases. And while the game difficulty has dramatically ramped up, likely to encourage purchases, it’s still completely manageable to play without paying.

In that sense, for a free game, it’s really cute & enjoyable. The graphics are pleasing and colorful. And if you return to camp, you’ll find all the Pokemon you’ve befriended hopping around adorable decorations. Sometimes stacking on top of each other, other times following each other around in what seems like games of tag.

The ‘cooking’ mechanic to encounter a random Pokemon makes encountering them feel less like gambling and more like strategy. By cooking certain recipes from materials you find on missions, you can draw certain types of Pokemon to your camp. Cooking in certain pots (unlocked by playing through the game) can draw higher powered Pokemon at the cost of more materials. And waiting while your energy fills up means running out of ingredients (At the point of the game I’m at, about half-way through) doesn’t seem to be a problem.

All in all, I’d say, if you have access to this game, check it out and see if it’s for you. There doesn’t seem to be cross platform support for other Pokemon games. But as a standalone, it’s a cute, fun blip of a game. The hard ‘end’ of the levels within surprises me, especially since it seems to end with 150 Pokemon (out of the over eight hundred available). So I’m not sure what there is to get out of it when you get to the end level outside of getting every Pokemon. But it’s still a fun, very casual strategy game. Just keep an eye on purchases if your children decide to play.

Video Games & Technology

“Pokemon — Let’s Go, Pikachu !” & “Pokemon — Let’s Go, Eevee !” to come to the Nintendo Switch this year

Published

6 years ago

May 31, 2018

Alice Hill

Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee - Pokemon Nintendo Game

During a conference in Japan earlier this week, the Pokemon Company revealed three new games : A mobile and Nintendo Switch cross platform game, “Pokemon Quest,” with graphics similar to Crossy Road and some absolutely adorable furniture in a “free to start” format; and for the Nintendo Switch, “Pokemon — Let’s Go, Pikachu !” and “Pokemon — Let’s Go, Eevee !”

Taking inspiration from gameplay styles from the popular “Pokemon Go” for mobile devices, “Pokemon — Let’s Go, Pikachu !” and “Pokemon — Let’s Go, Eevee !’ adopts the thrown Pokeball system. By using one controller with the Switch system, you can make a tossing motion to throw a Pokeball and capture a cute critter for your team.

***Copyright the Pokemon Company. All rights reserved***

Additionally, you can buy the “Pokeball Plus” accessory to act as an additional “Joy-con” controller for your Switch to capture Pokemon. Then load a Pokemon into your pokeball, and take it out on the go.

From there, with the accessory, you’ll be able to interact with the Pokemon you have inside. Although current information doesn’t offer whether we’ll have more options than putting Eevee or Pikachu in the Pokeball Plus, the footage seen in the linked trailer is absolutely adorable.

The game itself seems to be a remake of Pokemon Yellow, a game released twenty years ago for the Game Boy Color. You explore the Kanto Pokemon region, and seem to be limited to the 150 Pokemon available when that game was out (Well, 151, if you were lucky, or good at exploiting glitches). But these games ditch the random encounters of mainline Pokemon games and adopt the overworld encounters of Pokemon Go. What Pokemon you see on the overworld is what you get.

Additionally, Pokemon can follow you around and you can ride some of them. In footage, we see a trainer riding a giant Onyx (i.e., a giant snake made out of rocks. Who wouldn’t be comfortable riding on that?) and followed by a starting Pokemon, Bulbasaur. Although in these two games, you start instead with the series mascot Pikachu, and the evolution Pokemon Eevee, which can evolve into several different pokemon. You can also put little outfits on them. Which is – frankly — incredible.

Likewise, this seems to have local multiplayer. Hand the left Joy-con to a friend and let them enter your game. Or if you’re feeling really lonely, put the left Joy-con in your hand and pretend you have a friend while controlling the new trainer that arrives. What a fun time!

You and your friend can then team up to capture Pokemon together, or go exploring together- And you can have Pokemon you capture in Pokemon Go (of the original 151 Pokemon) arrive in your game. You can also send “Presents” back to your Pokemon Go game, including a possible new form of Pokemon as the trailer discusses.

“Pokemon — Let’s Go, Pikachu !” and “Pokemon — Let’s Go, Eevee !” will be arriving on the Nintendo Switch this November. Likewise, a new Pokemon game will be released in the second Half of 2019. With a Mario movie in development and theme park additions on the way, it’s sure to be a busy year for Nintendo.