Journal sbszine's Journal: Old PSX Games: Part 2
As promised, some discussion of crusty old Playstation games that can be found cheaply in
the hock shop or bargain bin...
Ape Escape
There was a time in the Playstation's life when its controller was looking distinctly dated. The N64 not only had a nifty analogue joystick, but also an optional rumble device. Rather than waiting for the release of the PS2 to update their controller, Sony released the Dual Shock as a bundle with Ape Escape, a game specifically put together to show off the new controller's twin analogue sticks and rumble feature. The game was heavily promoted in the hope of convincing third party developers to support the updated controller.
At the time, Ape Escape was novel and exciting, sold well, and garnered good reviews. In retrospect I think that it was getting a lot of reflected glory from the Dual Shock, and that some major game design and performance shortcomings were overlooked. First up, was plagued by some really bad clipping and general 3D issues. I know the PSX wasn't the most powerful beast, but for a first party game with smallish levels the 3D was terrible (compare it with the 3rd party titles of the same vintage and it looks very shaky). The game design also had its share of problems. Like Symphony of the Night, old levels could be revisted to previously inaccesible items (apes); Unlike Symphony, the levels were thinly populated the first time around. To summarise: it hasn't aged well and just isn't fun any more.
Kurushi / Kurushi Final
The Kurushi series (a.k.a. Intelligent Qube) gave an interesting twist to the Tetris-style puzzle game genre: the player solved the puzzle from within, while dodging the moving blocks that comprised each level. Unusually for a puzzler, the game was played from an isometric perspective, with blocks crumbling from the bottom edge in a nod to Atari's Klax.
What's the difference between the original and Final versions? Nothing, gameplay-wise, except that Kurushi Final includes a proper two player mode. Otherwise, the differences are omake style special features: unlockable characters, a puzzle editor that is mostly a novelty (as you can only have a single wave of blocks in your puzzle), and a training mode that takes much of the fun out of the game by walking you through high scoring solutions to common block patterns. If multiplayer doesn't matter to you, you're missing little by going with the original.
On the whole, a fun game worth getting. Makes a good change from Tetris.
Ape Escape
There was a time in the Playstation's life when its controller was looking distinctly dated. The N64 not only had a nifty analogue joystick, but also an optional rumble device. Rather than waiting for the release of the PS2 to update their controller, Sony released the Dual Shock as a bundle with Ape Escape, a game specifically put together to show off the new controller's twin analogue sticks and rumble feature. The game was heavily promoted in the hope of convincing third party developers to support the updated controller.
At the time, Ape Escape was novel and exciting, sold well, and garnered good reviews. In retrospect I think that it was getting a lot of reflected glory from the Dual Shock, and that some major game design and performance shortcomings were overlooked. First up, was plagued by some really bad clipping and general 3D issues. I know the PSX wasn't the most powerful beast, but for a first party game with smallish levels the 3D was terrible (compare it with the 3rd party titles of the same vintage and it looks very shaky). The game design also had its share of problems. Like Symphony of the Night, old levels could be revisted to previously inaccesible items (apes); Unlike Symphony, the levels were thinly populated the first time around. To summarise: it hasn't aged well and just isn't fun any more.
Kurushi / Kurushi Final
The Kurushi series (a.k.a. Intelligent Qube) gave an interesting twist to the Tetris-style puzzle game genre: the player solved the puzzle from within, while dodging the moving blocks that comprised each level. Unusually for a puzzler, the game was played from an isometric perspective, with blocks crumbling from the bottom edge in a nod to Atari's Klax.
What's the difference between the original and Final versions? Nothing, gameplay-wise, except that Kurushi Final includes a proper two player mode. Otherwise, the differences are omake style special features: unlockable characters, a puzzle editor that is mostly a novelty (as you can only have a single wave of blocks in your puzzle), and a training mode that takes much of the fun out of the game by walking you through high scoring solutions to common block patterns. If multiplayer doesn't matter to you, you're missing little by going with the original.
On the whole, a fun game worth getting. Makes a good change from Tetris.
Old PSX Games: Part 2 More Login
Old PSX Games: Part 2
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