Electroplankton is a fairly old (by video game standards) music game for the NDS, and more importantly it was one of the first “art” over “game” kind of games that would be released for the system.  Which is why it is so surprising and strange that back in 2005 it was Nintendo, the evil corporate

The lack of the above linearity and feeling of progression is probably one of the reasons why Electroplankton could be grouped into the casual market.  A reason we may have never seen a sequel is because the game is annoyingly short, and you can probably see everything there is to see within the first thirty minutes of play.  However, if you are the type that loves to create all kinds of interesting sounds and music than you are probably the person that this was made for.  There are a variety of levels in the game (each one open from the beginning) for you to experiment with different kinds of sounds and create your own music with.  There’s no way to collect and save the music to show off or listen to later, but that could be a slight boon for the game.  It’s not a CD player; it’s not there for you to listen to.  You’re the conductor and and each time you play you’re creating something new.

That’s not to say that the game gives the player complete freedom.  You’re limited to the certain type of translucent sea creatures that are in each level.  Some of them aren’t very diverse, and some of the levels are hard or frustrating to figure out just what you should be doing.  But for every one of those there are two levels of original, experimental play, like the fish that repeat musical patterns to how far and how quickly you move the stylus across the screen, and the Mario theme music level that takes a basic song from the older games and allows you to insert classic gameplay sounds into it to make a unique Mario beat – similar to Mario Paint’s music player, but maybe not as sophisticated (which is probably not a compliment).

Like I said, the game is incredibly short, and you might not get as much out of it as a game with linearity and goals.  But it is original and by far the only game truly like itself.  The gameplay doesn’t stack up to anything worth the big bucks, so if you can find it than try to find it cheap (if possible).  It’s a great addition to a gamer’s library, though it may have functioned better as a cheap iPhone app.  It’s not the easiest game to find so it might not come cheap, but it’s a worthwhile experience, though not the always the deepest.

I wrote a review for The World Ends With You a while back, and as you know, I loved it. One of my favorite parts about this game is how the music quickly goes from grating, offensive, and against the norm, to catchy, fun, and empowering. Here’s Shibuya, one of the most common tracks in the game. Enjoy! This particular track has an almost Jet Set Radio feel to it. Very scratchy, very awesome.

Square-Enix – The World Ends With You – Shibuya

I know it is weird to see me doing a game review on this site, but get use to it people. As many of my fellow 72pc crew members know, I am an avid DS gamer, and I would like to present you with a fantastic find of mind I have been meaning to share for a while. Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is a Sonic the Hedgehog RPG made by Bioware (most famous for Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic). Its a classic plat-former turned RPG game with a twist. Take the fun and humor of Mario RPG, along with a similar set up of characters, introduce a new villain, and BOOM….its gold, but it doesn’t stop there. The battle system for this game is amazing! People complain that the battle system is “too involved” and I must sit back and laugh at those people. In truth it is the first RPG to take advantage to the fullest of the touch screen, while still keeping Sonic’s fast pace nature. If you are a fan of puzzle solving rpg, or just a fan of the Sonic universe, I highly recommend picking this one up!

This week we take a break from classic gaming to discuss everything from Dead Space to Little Big Planet. Up on the list we’ve got Gears of War 2, Wii Music, Chrono Trigger, and many more. Check this one out!

72 Pin Connector Podcast: Episode 019 – Upcoming Games

Well… I just got done playing some Geometry Wars on my computer and while I love its simple, retro charm, sometimes I’m just in the mood for a portable RPG with an incredible amount of style. With one of the best explanations for the title, a memorable quote that will stick with you through the very end of the game, The World Ends With You is not your typical run-of-the-mill RPG.
As stylish as you can get without being a trendy Abercrombie shirt or something.. this game has got a very Japanese/Graffiti-driven art design. An amazing blend of hard spray paint and anime goodness. Character models are well defined, the environments scream of unique traits, the unconventional menu’s make you long for the days when game systems weren’t plagued with the ever-present shovelware epidemic. True… shovelware has always been on game systems, dating back to even the Atari 2600, but today finding an original title is amazingly difficult, if not impossible.

The battle system is very unique, boasting both top and bottom screen battles at the same time. You control the top screen battles with the D-Pad, and the bottom screen battles with gesture-based stylus attacks. This can be overwhelming at the start of the game, but luckily this is a game you can play any way you want, but we’ll get into that later. When you get into a zen of attacking with the top screen while dodging with the bottom, then switching offense and defense, then back again, you become completely involved in the experience. Its like finding that sweet spot in Gradius or Geometry Wars, you just feel it. The game becomes an experience, a feeling, a fleeting moment of being one with the game. Unfortunately, you have to play quite a bit to experience that feeling. One thing that really helps connect you is the music.

With a song library that rivals Jet Grind Radio in terms of catchy-ness, song quality, and number of tracks. Its hip-hop, rock, classical, and very Japanese. Almost pretentious in the way the music of the game starts out, you’ll be off put by the tunes when you first turn on the game. I really didn’t care much for the soundtrack until about 15 minutes into the game. Then… just like any good video game soundtrack, it’ll be rocking in your head for the rest of the day. This game takes the music very seriously. You can even walk into stores to buy certain songs that can be played by touching them in your inventory screen. One song in particular: Hybrid, is particularly catchy. I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for a good soundtrack, I don’t believe a game can do a good job of involving you in an experience without one, but this is my favorite portable soundtrack thus far.

But what’s an RPG without story? While I won’t delve into spoilers, the story starts out as one of the most bland, generic pieces of shit I’ve ever experience. Besides the graphical quality, I hated this game for the first 15 minutes I played. Neku is emo, “Doesn’t get people…”, refuses to cooperate on any human level, and is completely down on the world. Fuck. How lame can you get? Luckily, the character grows on you and he doesn’t stay in this awkward middle-school phase for long. Insert uber-cutesy Japanese love interest. Again, stereotypical, squeaky voice. Blah, blah, blah. OH FUCK AMNESIA STORY INSERT! Yea.. that old card again. The story start off terribly, an epic fail in the world of RPG’s. But! If you stick with it, through this awkward, semi-retarded stage, it starts to open up and show you one of the most unique worlds I’ve ever experienced in an RPG. Trust me, it’s worth your time.
While we usually stick to classics at this site, we can’t just ignore the world around us either. Try this one out, I’m sure you’ll like it.

By the way: Thanks IGN for the screenies, kinda hard to take DS screenies with a college budget.

Amazon.com – The World Ends With You (No Rom here, just a link to go buy it)

Tonight! 9PM EST, we’re hitting up the Talkshoe once again. We whip out our Get Smart style shoe-phones and bring you the greatest news from the world of classic gaming. Tonight we’re talking about portable gaming, from the Lynx to the N-Gage, we’ll be taking on every aspect of tonight’s topic. Also! More random chatter, stay tuned, it happens tonight!

Hit up the Talkshoe!

Later this week: The Defaming of Outstanding Gaming: Episode 2 – Super Mario 64