Retrogaming Review of The Year 2020

Retrogaming Review of The Year 2020

In the Year of The Virus you'd think I would have had much more time for game-playing than ever before, but it was not so for me as I carried on working as normal and never had the chance to be furloughed as many did, which would have been an ideal time to get through more games. I did play more active games through the first lockdown period, but it wasn't the year off from work it was for so many. Still, I got back in touch with my gaming roots over the summer, played some new games and got through a few old - I was clear I didn't want to get entangled in any games that were of lesser enjoyment, which is why I abandoned one game and chose old games that I knew I'd enjoy, not to mention new games that I most wanted to try.

Awards:
Surprise of The Year: Star Trek Conquest
Disappointment of The Year: Freedom Fighters

[Ratings reflect total, historical experience, not just the enjoyment level I got out of them this time.]


January - March: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000, N64) - Finishing up a great game in the series begun over Christmas, and cementing my tradition of recent years of playing a 'Zelda' over the Christmas period. I don't know why because it's just the sort of thing that gets you down if you get stuck and requires patience and effort to get through, but I have a few of them I wanted to play, so why not. It began with 'The Wind Waker' in 2019 and I'd long wanted to replay 'Majora's Mask,' plus 'Four Swords' had never been completed and 'Twilight Princess' was ripe for a return after more than a decade since I first played it, as well as the 'newest' instalment I came to own on the Wii ('Skyward Sword'), which I've never played before, and I like to have a series to play once a year, just as I did with the 'Cube 'Need For Speed' games. ****

January - November: UFO: Enemy Unknown (1993, Amiga 1200) - Not quite as assiduous in my consistency with this one as I have been in the past (for eighteen years now!), but I still enjoy it and play it a little most weeks, continuing a file begun in 2005. Next year (2022), in October marks twenty years of regular playing (the first file was lost in '05), so I'll definitely be playing this at least until that time, then perhaps I'll complete it… *****

January - December: Wii Sports (2006, Wii) -
Although I occasionally play a bit of Tennis or Golf, the main draw is the Boxing as good exercise. But no matter what I did, every time I played, after coming in fresh and winning a couple of matches I'd get worse and worse, either winning by decision and still losing points, down to failing to win at all and not being able to make an impact. It was insulting how I'd drop down the points ranking and have to face inferior opposition I'd already beaten, and then lose to them, too! I don't know whether coming to it fresh was why I did well to begin with, but there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how the remote and nunchuk responded, either not throwing punches or throwing punches when I wanted to defend, I don't know if it was me or the equipment (third party controllers). The worst thing was the lack of guidance - maybe it's supposed to be so simple you don't need any instruction, but although there is 'training' there's no actual mode where you learn how to do each punch, how to get in an uppercut or any of that and it was so disheartening, I always started in a good mood, full of energy, ready for some fun exercise, but left annoyed and frustrated - it should be the other way round and it was just angering. Until I worked out the 'formula': dodging CPU attacks until they made a big one and the slow-motion kicks in, then battering them in response, which was less fun, but boosted my score stratospherically, though I could still lose points even when winning matches if I let through too many punches or took too long to win. My crowning achievement came in December when I finally scored a Platinum on the punchbag training! ***

January - October: WSC Real 08 (2008, Wii) - Being into my snooker (and there's a lot of it on Freeview these days), I really wanted a 'modern' game to play, and since the length of a player's career (especially now), is so long, the majority of players in this game are still going today! But it is a game that requires consistent practice and dedication, almost as if you were taking up the real sport itself. I haven't yet committed myself to playing it properly as it can be rather disheartening, but playing two-player helped bring some enjoyment into it so that when I did go back to the single player career I was in a better frame of mind. But it will definitely mean long hours of practice and learning before I ever get to the point where I can master shots and do well, so one to work on. The pool's a bit easier and it was good to have the option for other ball games in there. ***

February - ?: Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum (2009, Wii) - The weakest game I've played on Wii: Even the boxing, so good in 'Wii Sports,' is reduced to a joyless Simon Says! Presentation is ugly. The controls aren't consistent - sometimes pressing left or right will choose an option, but moving the remote has no effect (as in at the end of a training session to pick the next activity), other times you have to use the little glove icon with the remote (as in flicking between lists of activities), you don't have a choice! And pressing B to go back doesn't work, so it's poorly designed. Most of the time you have to run, and it doesn't seem to make any difference how hard you run, you always go at the same speed, so there's no incentive to try harder. And the awful music at first seemed to have no 'off' option or to adjust the volume separately to Jillian's encouraging comments, though I worked it out in the end! The tips are often insultingly basic (although some aren't bad), common sense rather than any deep thought or experience being passed on. The graphics aren't very nice and the explanations on how to perform actions could be better, like if Jillian herself showed you what to do. Instead she's reserved for the occasional tip or message. Sometimes (such as during the pump handle rail car), the signal from the controller gets lost so you can't even finish the event! Doesn't inspire confidence in the product or make you want to come back for regular exercise, which is the whole point. I'd much rather play 'Wii Sports' for exercise and fun. It gets an extra star for being unique, but that's because I haven't played 'Wii Fitness' yet. **

March - April: Top Gear Rally (1997, N64) - Another good oldie that I had still to complete, left over from Christmas when I had it as backup in case of being stuck in 'Zelda.' I do like a car game, and especially the kind where you throw your vehicle around mud tracks. Made me almost break out 'Dakar 2,' except I vaguely remembered I didn't like that one so much. Took a while to complete, too, and was a reasonable challenge. ***

April - May: Star Trek Conquest (2007, Wii) - Surprise hit, more than functional, addictive turn-based strategy set in the Dominion War era of Trek, which happens to be my favourite. Build starships, take planets and fight aliens, its simple approach belies its strategically engaging nature and it just feels right, especially in the age of current Trek which just feels so wrong all the time. Downsides are no multiplayer to speak of (other than the simplistic arcade ship combat), and only one map, though the different difficulty levels and six alien races to play as kept me going for a good while. It's a game I'd definitely go back to because it's one of those rare things: a great game, and a great Trek feel. ****

May - August: The Settlers (1993, Amiga 1200) - I'd never written a proper review of what I've long considered the best game ever made. What made me want to get back into it all of a sudden (I certainly hadn't planned to), was playing 'Star Trek Conquest' and wanting an even more strategic experience than that game, so I found myself back on the Amiga, which I hadn't played it on in years, having previously used DOSBox for its capability of the maximum world size of eight (though inferior, washed out visuals and lesser sound), where my particular Amiga could only manage five. But that's just one of the many great things about this genuine all-time classic: it was designed to push any machine as far as it could go. It may sound quaint when you think it was all pixels and bright colours, but it really harnessed whatever machine it was on and showed intense levels of attention to detail, right down to the individual pixel. The beauty of that kind of art style was another of its many attributes, as was its simple, but evocative sound set - hearing the tweet of the birds, the lapping waves of lakes, the wind whistling over the mountains, the tap-tap of a construction worker building, the clank of the blacksmith's forge as he handmade the swords and shields required for a soldier. The difference between the chopping board of the butcher's abattoir compared to the hammering of the toolmaker or boatbuilder. The boiling of the iron smelter's pot, bubbling away, then the clang and conflict of knights in individual duel. That's another thing: everything was so politely done, knights patiently waiting their turn to prove themselves in battle against a foe, the carriers standing by until they could deposit their load at the flag marking the end of the path they travelled. Everything neat and tidy, yet also with that natural world feel of haphazardness. Trees scattered here, stone outcrops there, dead cattle in the desert, terrain sweeping up or sinking down. And amidst it all the ability to tame this landscape to your whim, but not too far. There was no industrial revolution here to concrete the grassy hills and you were encouraged just as much to plant trees sustainably to support wood production as to cut them down. On top of setting out the perfect village with the fastest, smoothest roads deeming the need to be aware of the contours of the land to ensure most efficient transport, the most important creation of a bond was the danger of losing it. At the same time, as I said in my review at the time, it did have a deadly glitch that after a time stopped you from storing any materials and making the game much harder to win. And occasionally failing during a save and losing my file… But into every game some rain must fall. *****

July: Freedom Fighters (2003, GameCube) - Oh dear, it's not often I give up on a game, but that was the case here after just one session. I didn't like the controls, it seemed very linear and dull and I didn't need something that was such an effort to get into. That's often the way starting a new game and perseverance usually pays off, that's why I often feel tired at the thought of starting something new. But this year I didn't have the patience, I needed games that were accessible. Another time I'll happily tackle a dull game, the fortitude to break through its outer shell ripened, and I'll probably go back to it at some future date. Then again, the older I get the more prudent it seems to only concentrate on the best games. *

September: Turok Evolution (2002, GameCube) - This was my big hope of the year, a game I had the fondest memories of playing and had been eager to return to sometime, having first played it in 2009 and greatly enjoyed it. Expectations may have been a little over-inflated as I wasn't quite as impressed this time, though it was still a favourable one, and varied. Well worth my while. ***

October - December: Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Wii) - The big one. What could be bigger than a Mario game on a Nintendo console? Few. Not quite the truly great experience I'd expected, but still good, it taught me that although I love a specific kind of 3D platform game, 2D A-B progression isn't in the same league. It was most certainly a challenge, though not always for the right reasons: frustrating controls, frustrating changing situations, some platforms you can walk under, others drop you into a black hole of death. Not the beautiful, involved 'Banjo-Kazooie' worlds, more about fiddly platforming. Camera problems - sometimes it forces you to play in a 2D manner which seems counterintuitive in the most 3D game ever made. I want immediate control to switch the camera behind me or circle it manually at any moment, but that control is severely lacking. At the same time it is very clever and innovative - perhaps the first truly '3D' game with full gravity shifting and 'worlds,' but I could have done with larger ones. In the end I came away knowing I'd like to play the sequel, but that I'm not in a particular hurry. It showed up the limitations of Wii controls, with them and the game conforming to the hardware rather than the hardware being designed for the game, and I feel the whole game could have been played with a standard Controller except for the occasional mini-games. ***

December: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (2005, GameCube) - It was a 'Zelda' game I'd never played and I hadn't missed much. True, it was really meant for multiplayer mayhem, one of the very few titles to allow multiple Game Boy Advances (remember that powerhouse of portable gaming?), to connect, and it was somewhat fun to see connections to other games in the series (Malon and Talon of Lon Lon Ranch; Kakariko Village; Dampé), but I'd have preferred to see 2D versions of those locations instead of environments that didn't correspond, except in name. Because it was designed as a game to dive into for a set level, you can't carry anything over so everything is very self-contained and each level is like a part of a 'Zelda' experience: the dungeon; the village; the linking world section. It doesn't give you that complete game and as such has a lot less sense of progression and achievement. It looks and sounds nice and it's fun to have a 2D 'Zelda' free from the confines of the Game Boy screen, but it's not really a one-player experience that works all that well. **

Honourable mentions: 'Caesar II' (just one go in May, and it obviously didn't stick, a DOSBox game, which might explain why I never approached any others); 'Mario Kart: Double Dash'/'WSC Real 08' multiplayer in July; and more multiplayer 'Wii Sports'/'Burnout 2' in August; and in December: 'Spin Crisis' (a demo of only eight levels on MacBook that was simple, only two buttons to control, but full of ideas and with good music - just like those old Commodore or Amiga games of yore: ***), and another demo, 'Hotel' (also on MacBook, atmospheric point-and-click that looked promising with nice graphical design and sound and the usual sort of puzzles, except for the occult addition to the story, so I wouldn't have played on anyway, even had it not been a demo: ***).


Next Year - I aimed to move on from N64 after celebrating it quite a lot in 2019 as that marked twenty years of owning it, but it still played a big part in 2020. But I did get more involved in Wii gaming, both long and short form, though I failed to bring the Amiga 1500 back into the light, or play a single DOSBox title, sticking to known quantities in a year of unknown ones, so in 2021 I'd like to:

- Put 'Metroid Prime 3' at the top of my Wii play list.

- And the next Christmas 'Zelda' for 'Cube ('Twilight Princess').

- My last N64 game I've not yet played ('Top Gear Overdrive').

- More Amiga games, or at least 'Soccer Kid.'

- One DOSBox entry, surely!

- I'm just finishing the last NGamer issue I own after years of reading Nintendo magazines from the past.

Happy New Year!