Ice Hockey

Oh Nintendo, you sure do love yourself some sports.

Ice Hockey on the Nintendo Entertainment System is as simplistic as it is incredibly fun; the gameplay is fast paced and the controls are smooth. Nintendo Power rated Ice Hockey at the 142nd spot for best game on a Nintendo system and it was also featured on IGN top 100 list sitting at the 100 mark. Ice hockey stands as one of the best sports games ever released on the NES with its incredibly addictive gameplay and multiplayer options. The game isn't totally faithful to regular hockey standards as each team only consists of five players (including the goalie), and instead of the players involved in fights both being penalized, whichever player loses the fight is sent by himself to the box for a three minute penalty. Icing can occur but is rare, and that is the only other call aside from fights that the game has.

Amazingly a lot of Hockey Players were born this year, coincidence? I think not.

As mentioned earlier the game’s modes come in two flavors: single player and multiplayer. The only major difference between a “2 Player Game” and a “1 Player Game” is that your opponent is either controlled by an actually person (i.e. a friend or the like,) or a computer. Each mode consists of one match which is broken up into three periods. Each of which are set to seven minutes as a standard but can be changed along with the speed of which the players move and how fast time passes. If there is a tie by the end of the last period, a shootout occurs between the two teams where they shoot to win, however if both teams still have the same scores by the end of the shootout an overtime match will occur where the teams will face off once more. If there is a tie by the end of overtime another face off occurs and this cycle repeats indefinitely until a team wins.

Once you’ve selected a mode, you are treated to the settings selection screen where you pick what team you wish to play as. Team-wise you get to pick between the United States, Sweden, Poland, Canada, Russia, and Czechoslovakia. There are no benefits to choosing one team over another as they are merely aesthetic in function and are just palette swaps. Though I’m sure everyone has ideas for dream matches so it does add some form of competitiveness for those who root for teams from other countries. You can also change the speed of the match, it basically increases the speed of the players and the speed at which the clock times down. The time setting is fairly self-explanatory, it controls how long the periods are.

A rivalry that has existed since the dawn of time, a tale of hockey sticks and pucks eternally retold. . .

Once you are done with the selections screen you advance to the line up screen where you select your four players. You get the option of three different types of players, Large, Small, and Medium players. The Large players are strong and can knock most players aside, and they are great at shooting the puck, however they are slow and aren’t very good at face-offs. Small players are fast and great at face-offs, however they have weak shots and can get knocked aside easily. Medium players are average in all areas, they are generally the vanilla players who specialize in no particular area but aren’t terrible in any particular area. After choosing your line up the game starts.

Most people would make jokes about gym class, but I’m way to classy for that.

Just like with actual hockey the puck is served by the referee and then it’s a fight over which team gets it first, from there you make mad dashes and passes to get the puck to the goal. Everything is straightforward from here. You have the ability to pass the puck and shoot it in whatever direction you press on the D-pad, and when you don’t have the puck you are able to flail your stick around to initiate face-offs or to get the puck away from the other team.

Show them the might of Poland!

In between periods the teams change sides as per usual but in between the second and third periods you are treated to a somewhat silly Zamboni ice fixing show where several people wearing goalie masks patch the ice with Zamboni machines.

Or maybe they are all Jason Voorhees? D:

After third period a team either wins or you go into a shootout (as mentioned earlier), shootouts can be difficult sometimes as the game forces you to move forward constantly only allowing you to move up, down, or shoot.

No pressure dawg, no pressure, NO PRESSURE MAN!

As mentioned earlier the controls for the game are very simplistic, INCREDIBLY SIMPLISTIC, so simple in fact that your entire team is controlled by your d-pad. Whatever direction you push on it is the direction your entire team will travel in. At first this may seem frustrating but after you get the hang of it you never look back from it. The movement is stiff, you can move in eight different directions and you can use your stick flailing and shooting controls flawlessly. The only part where controls suffer is during shootouts where you are constantly being thrust forward and you have to make a quick decision on where to go and where to shoot (like in real hockey :o).

Oh god I can’t stop moving! D:

Graphics-wise it’s nothing pretty, but it by no means is an eyesore. The graphics work well with the gameplay, they are just as simple as the game itself and lend to it an incredibly endearing air. The music for the game is just as simple with it only having a few songs and sound effects.

If there is anything I can really say about this game, its that the game is deliberate in every field. The game has no extraneous extras, it has what it needs and what it has is down right awesome. The game has plenty of pick up and play capacity and requires no real dedication so it can easily be played casually or hardcore. This game is great for both retro sports fans and collectors. I highly recommend it, as it has practically no faults and is an incredibly fun game.

Medium player has always been a party pooper.

Fun Facts: The Team Lineup is different in different regions, in the American release the roster lacks Japan which was replaced with Czechoslovakia, the PAL version also suffers from this.The Japanese version lacks Czechoslovakia but has the rest of the roster in tow.

Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires

Choose your destiny!

Dyansty Warriors 5 Empires is the second empires offshoot produced by Koei. The Empires series is essentially an attempt at adding a strategy element to Dynasty Warrior’s typical “hack and slash” formula. This attempt succeeds quite well as it allows more control over events unfolding in the battlefield and along with the ability to make your own characters with which you can essentially invent your own story, or just change the historical events to suit your own needs; as such the game has an almost “RPG” feel to it. The game contains two modes of play, “Free Mode” where you can play any stage from Dynasty Warriors 5, and “Empire mode” where you attempt to unify China. There is also a “Create a Warrior” function (called Edit Mode) similar to that of the Xtreme Legends games where you design a character by setting their appearance and their weapon, though unlike in Xtreme Legends instead of being limited to generic weapons and one or two actual character weapons you are allowed to use the weapon of every character in the game. Finally there is the typical Archive function where you can read up on some of the history of the characters and view events and ending videos you’ve unlocked.

Cater to your inner Ghengis Khan!

The core gameplay is similar to that of Dynasty Warriors 5 though with a larger emphasis on capturing basis and preventing your own from falling (this formula would later be used extensively in DW6). Unlike in previous games where you were forced to defeat the enemy commander to win a battle you now have the option of just capturing the enemy’s main camp. In defense you now have the option of merely defending your main camp for fifteen minutes. You also during battle are able to give orders to your Generals and Lieutenants from the Unit Info option when you pause the game; you are able to tell them to defend, assist another unit, attack another unit, or to attack a base, though this isn’t mandatory, as your units will generally advance without being told. The D-pad on the controller has orders assigned to it and you can give all your units quick orders by pressing a certain direction.

Alright old man, go and attack all the enemy units while we sit back and enjoy a nice lunch!

Graphics-wise the game is nothing to shake a stick at, but they are anything but terrible, regardless as to whether you get the Xbox 360 version or the PS2 one both are nearly identical Graphics-wise. In all honesty though if you are looking for a Dynasty Warriors game you probably don’t care much for the graphical aspect and care more for how many onscreen enemies you can slaughter. The 360 version is capable of fielding a few more soldiers than the PS2 version and the PS2 version tends to lag a bit when playing in multiplayer and K.O.ing massive amounts of troops. Regardless of that both versions are fairly identical.

That is, if you’re a graphical Purist.

If you’ve ever been completely baffled over how to unlock a certain item or mount in the Dynasty Warriors games you aren’t alone as its generally quite difficult to unlock anything without luck or a lot of time. However in this game you unlock items and mounts in Empire Mode not by completing certain objectives, but instead by developing your territories. From there its only a matter of producing the items of your choice. Though for some items you have to do more then develop, you have to actively participate with trade with the native tribes to get the super rare items. Once you’ve done this you gain access to these items in free mode.

Gaining weapons is different this time as well as instead of merely defeating enemies and picking randomized items and weapons up from their corpses you instead have to develop your weapons through Policies in the same vein as developing your territories to gain items. Basically the weapons are broken into three categories, Spears, Swords, and Weapons(other). By electing to advance one of them they/it will go up by 20 points and each weapon technology has 5 levels it can attain and advances a level every 100 points. As you level up each one you unlock a new weapon for whatever character uses that weapon type. This isn’t the case for the fourth weapon as you are required to defeat a certain number of enemies to obtain it.

Policies, sometimes they involve burninating the countryside.

As per the Dynasty Warriors formula you gain rank as you defeat enemies and accrue points. As you advance in rank the amount of troops you are able to command increases, this is the same for all officers in the game including those generic officers who typically you are never able to use. Well in this game you can level them up and increase their troop count, upgrade their weapon get them to defeat a few officers and mix it up, and BAM! You have somewhat competent and useful officers! Also by ranking up character you also unlock alternate costumes from the previous game (DW4) and for those characters who are new to the game they each receive two new alternative costumes.

…and that kids is why Pirates are better then Ninjas.

Now as this is an Empires game that means that there is no overreaching story mode like “Musou Mode” instead it is replaced with “Empire Mode” where you can play as any ruler and even as your own Created Character. As such there aren’t many character specific Story Events, the three main rulers Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei all have story events you can see but only if certain criteria are met. Despite this there are many many more generic events which also require certain events to unlock that you can see as any Ruler. Empire Mode is basically your standard Unify the Country thing were actions as split between two phases, a Policy phase where you develop your territories, heal troops, engage in diplomacy, ectc, and the action phase where you attack other territories or defend your own.

Enemy Rulers will attack you.

Surrounded on all sides by enemies, being attacked by giant flame spitting robot tigers, no reinforcements. . . Challenge Accepted.

Free Mode is the same thoroughfare as in the other games, you select a stage and choose a side to play as. However! You can change the officers to whomever you want, and if you are feeling particularly sadistic you can reduce the enemy officers to one guy likewise with your own troops. The strength and level of the enemy officers is determined by however powerful they were in Empire Mode, though you can level up your sides officers at the end of the battle by winning, though it is nowhere near as efficient.

It makes it no less fun or satisfying though.

This game isn’t for everyone though as Empire mode can become tedious when you have Rulers nearby who never let up on attacks, and you are beset by natural disasters. The game requires patience and a need to destroy entire armies mostly by yourself. I would recommend this game mostly to strategy gamers, and would recommend that fans who love it purely for the hack and slash stick to free mode and multiplayer mode (or just get the regular version). This game is another brilliant entry into the Dynasty Warriors Franchise and succeeds quite well with few short comings aside from occasional tedium. All in all get this game if you’re a fan of the series, and if you like a little strategy with your slaughter.

Crystalis Review

Not to be mistaken for the single-crystal aluminum nitride (AlN) Manufacturer of the same name.

Crystalis is an Action RPG that was released in 1990 by SNK. The game featured a brilliant plot and innovative game mechanics. Upon its release it garnered immediate cult popularity and ten years later it saw a rerelease on the game boy color. Since creation the the game has been featured on Nintendo Powers top 200 list placed at #115 and is considered one of the best games ever featured on any Nintendo system. One of its most praised aspects is its plot, which told the tale of a post-apocalyptic world and a man who had been cryogenically frozen and wished to save it.

D:

As mentioned earlier the game takes place in a Post-Apocalyptic world which had 100 years prior to the characters awakening been beset by a nuclear war which ravaged and mutated everything, The unnamed(But you get to name him) main character you play as awakens from a deep cryogenic sleep and begins a quest to save the world from a giant floating Tower and the evil Emperor Draygon who seeks to gain the power of it to rule the world. This tower was originally designed as a weapon to prevent wars and as the game puts it. . .

Irony is awesome.

Throughout the game you will quest the power of the four elemental Swords and their Respective Orbs and the wisdom of the four wise men to aid you in your quest to stop Draygon from achieving his ambitions. You will also meet a girl who was cryogenically frozen as well, who aids you in finding and achieving your ultimate objective of stopping the evil emperor and the tower with the power of the ultimate sword Crystalis. Throughout the game you will travel across a large world exploring caves, dungeons, and swamps and encountering a plethora of monstrous enemies. Scattered throughout these hazardous areas are small villages which allow you a brief respite from the monsters and give you a place to learn things, purchase items, and heal.

And it will see a rerelease in 10 years

Gameplay-wise Crystalis is an action RPG, you can move in eight directions and attack in four. The style is reminiscent of Legend of Zelda, but with less focus on puzzle solving and more on killing monsters to advance. The game also has a level system in which you gain strength, health, and magic as you gain levels. The experience you gain from killing monsters in the game is set and doesn’t decrease as you level so level grinding is fairly easy to do. The maximum level you can attain is 16 but there’s no pressure to do so, as you can advance through the game only being hindered but slightly less health than you would have if you maxed out. 

Most excellent.

Another interesting aspect is the elemental attributes of each sword, wind, fire, ice, and lightning. Each sword has strengths and weaknesses, and each sword can perform specifics tasks; an example would be that the ice sword can create ice bridges. Throughout the game you will encounter enemies who are weak to specific swords so at certain points you will have to alternate between them to dispatch your foes. Periodically you will encounter blockades each of a different color and they can only be destroyed by a certain elemental sword. An example would be the Fire Sword destroying the ice blockade.

Or wind blowing up stone?

The game also allows for item equipment in a final fantasy fashion where the equipped items grant bonus’s to defense or can perform function when used. The items range from armor to fruit which grants a boost to your attack power. Most of the time you purchase these items from the shops located in each town with the money you attain from killing enemies. The shops come in two flavors, the armor shop, and the item shop both of which are identical in look but carry a different selection of goods.

Good now bulletproof it!

Each town’s item prices are determined by distance from the starting town. The farther you are from the starting town the more expensive things become in traditional RPG fashion.

Items have a direct correlation with how strong your character can be.

One flaw the game perpetuates is poor hit recognition, at times when you are near an enemy but not touching them you will be damaged, and this is a common occurrence. Another thing is a incredibly short invulnerability time between hits, its only about half a second and if you get caught between enemies you’ll take a decent chunk of damage before getting out of the way. These flaws aren’t major as over time you gain finesse with the controls and you can juke around enemies and mash the attack button quick enough to dispatch them before they can hurt you. These few flaws in no way make the game worse for wear as the good easily outweighs the bad. Some may not notice it at first but your characters sprite changes based on what he has equipped, which is a nifty little thing that most games of the time didn’t have.

Beard, no beard, beard beard, no beard.

The games graphics are amazing especially for a later NES title as you can definitely see that SNK went all out with the game. A great example of this is the Cryogenic Freezing chamber you come out of when you first start the game, this thing glimmers to life as it releases your character and then softly fades as it powers down.

I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!

The game also has quirky writing which quite often can be silly(depending on who you are talking to). The game is written well as the wise men, and chiefs intricately tell the stories of what has happened and what you need to do.

And there are some silly lines. . .

That’s a girl by the way.

Overall this is a great game and obviously a classic which deserves recognition. The game delivers a solid plot and story that doesn’t deviate from what it was intend to with nonsensical side quests or nonlinear events. The game also has a unique system to how you use items and their effects on the character. Despite a few shortcomings the game ultimately delivers a satisfying package that is worth playing through at least once. All in all this is a game I highly recommend for fans of RPG’s, or the NES Zelda and Final Fantasy games.

Congrats to the winner of our product review contest!

Congrats to Michael Tremblay for winning our Product Review contest and the $50 Lukie Games gift certificate! Michael's review of Final Fantasy 3 was randomly selected as the winner. Thanks to everyone who participated and shared their knowledge and opinions of video games with their fellow gamers!

Write a review - win $50!

Share your gaming knowledge with your fellow gamers and have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate from www.lukiegames.com!

This week every product review written at Lukie Games will be automatically entered to win a free $50 gift certificate. If you've played a game (or tried out an accessory we carry, or a system) then head over and write a review of it. It doesn't matter if the review is positive or negative as long as it's honest. Share your opinion and you'll be entered to win. You get 1 entry for every review you add so if you have played every Final Fantasy out there, or are a huge classic platformer fan then feel free to review as many games as you like - you get an extra entry for every one! The winner will be announced Monday the 25th on our blog and our Facebook page.

April Fools!

Today may be April Fools but this is no joke - get 15% off your entire order with discount code APRILFOOLS

Good today only at www.lukiegames.com!

$10 off! 24 hours only!

Next 24 hours only - save $10 on any order of $50 or more with coupon code LUKIESAVE10 at www.lukiegames.com

Act fast! This discount expires 3/24 at 7:00pm Eastern!