Metroid Database.com

Dead or Alive: Dimensions

I got a chance to play Dead or Alive: Dimensions at GDC, and I have to say the game is looking really polished. The game is very easy to play and very fast with rapid-fire punches and kicks. The lower screen displays combos, though these do not correspond to the actual button presses, but mainly display words like 'punch, punch, kick'. The 3D graphics feel more like a window inside a little play box than having objects physically come out of the screen at you like in the 3D Wii tech demo by Johnny Lee. It's fun and adds a little eye candy, but I didn't see any games that were as awesome as seeing Virtual Boy Wario Land for the first time, especially since nothing really seems to jump out of the screen at you - again, it's as if you're looking inside a box. There were a total of 20 unlocked characters out of 25 (all of which have been announced, and none of whom is Samus, so the best we can hope for is a Zero Suit Samus costume for the girls). I chose Kasumi and the Geothermal Reactor stage (of course!).

This level pretty accurately replicates Metroid: Other M, though obviously with fewer polygons and a lightweight remix of the VS Ridley battle theme, but it looks gorgeous on the small screen. Ridley flies around in the background, looking awesome, and occasionally he will shoot a fireball at you. The fireballs seem aimed at the player with the most health to try and level the playing field, and the best way to dodge is by jumping back. The coolest thing you can do in this stage is knock the other player off the platform and into the lava pit: Ridley will swoop down, grab the unfortunate soul, and drag him or her along the wall before blasting them in the face with a massive fireball. This attack can take anywhere from 1/4 to 1/3 of your HP, but it doesn't seem to kill you straight out, usually reducing you to only one more hit. It's fun to watch as it breaks up the gameplay with a dramatic real-time sequence and is even a little fun if you're the one who's getting smashed! However, nobody on the floor seemed to know how to unlock the Samus Power Bomb, and I didn't have enough time to play around to find out.

I don't usually play fighting games, but I have to admit Dead or Alive Dimensions was pretty fun. It seems like it might be fairly easy to activate a lot of special moves, and it is definitely rewarding to apply a grapple move on your opponent. The game slows down to show off the animation, making it quite dramatic. I actually liked this more than Soul Calibur 2 on the Gamecube because of the speed, the hand-to-hand combat, and the real-time sequences. If I had to describe why in a word, I'd say it is because the combat flows. DOA: Dimensions is clearly a polished game that is all but ready for launch when the system comes out at the end of March. Looks like director Yosuke Hayashi has come out with another winner!

Kid Icarus: Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising on the other hand was clearly in need of some polishing. I mention Icarus because we've always thought of him as a sister series to Metroid (even though the game was directed by Satoru Okada rather than Yoshio Sakamoto, most of the Metroid team helped complete the game). The battle system is a little too simple, and while it feels a lot like Rez or Sin and Punishment, there seems to be a lack of combo systems or strategy. I didn't like the double-tap command for dashing, something I've always hated and found inefficient in Smash Brothers. The camera system also needed a little polish: I could run against the wall and get a look outside the play field. Pit's run animation also looks funny, but he's fine flying. They also use a lot of voice acting (easy for them to do because this is a rejuvenation of an older game), and most of it is during play rather than cutscenes. Pit seems cheery enough, so I hope he doesn't get annoying after awhile!

I'll also say the control system was rough as well. The game is played with one hand holding the 3DS and using the L-button to shoot and the analog stick to move. Aiming is done with the stylus, which you want to think of more as drawing than aiming. The game has the same problems as Metroid Prime Hunters in that because you have to hold it between thumb and forefinger, your hand cramps really easily - a process that was exacerbated by the giant security device clamped to the bottom of the system. This left me shaking the screen quite a bit (until I propped it on the table), which led to the 3D image leaving my range of focus and becoming blurry. I really hope this will not affect other stylus games. The team also hadn't implemented left-handed controls yet, so I was forced in this awkward position using an uncomfortable control scheme. However, the assistant was very helpful and answered a lot of my questions, admitting that it was still early on in development.

I really hope Project Sora can polish this game up quite a bit before it launches later in the year. The game certainly looks pretty, and there are some fun events like a giant Medusa popping up out of the clouds to attack you and the two-headed Cerberus from previous Kid Icarus titles, but the demo I saw had me convinced there was still a LOT of polishing to do before launch. Simply put, if the gameplay wasn't fun then, I have doubts it will be fun in six months - and that is NOT a good feeling to have for what is supposed to be one of the 3DS's flagship titles.

Until next time...
Captain Commando