Another one! As usual, you should check out our Google+ page, simply because I’m going to keep pestering you.

Releases:

There were a ridiculously large number of surprisingly good games that came out just in this first month of the year.  Some beckoned us to be nostalgic with them: “Darksiders” and “Bayonetta” come to mind.  Some of them were critically praised sequels: “No More Heroes 2″ and “Mass Effect 2.”  Some of them were innovative in scope: “MAG.”  And some were nostalgically experimental: “VVVVVV,” I’m looking at you.

The greatest part about the releases this month was that there really was something for everybody.  A hardcore/indie game, an arthouse slash-em-up, a space opera epic, “Devil May Cry” with tits, “The Legend of Zelda” with portal guns, and a MASSIVE online shooter.

This better be a good omen for the rest of the year, or else twelve months from now, we’re going to be talking about “that one good January.”
“Yeah, those were the days…”  Then we’ll sip our beers as we watch the sunset off of our rickety, old porch swings.

So what were we doing?:

This month, Senior Skizz was playing Zuma and Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, going crazy with Arkham Asylum, and watching his girlfriend play Wii Fit.

Chad was up to his usual indie game snobbery with the People’s Games, playing Sunshine and Trundle, as well as indie titles, Guru Meditation and VVVVVV.  He was also playing Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes and Sonic Adventure.

Rob gives his thoughts on Wings of Prey.

And the always lovely Tom (King of the Site) was playing Half-Life 2 mods: Dear Esther, The Radiator, Goldeneye Source, and Missing Information.

We also discussed (in two parts) our Games of the Year, and there was a list of great freeware games that came out in 2009.

A little back story on my gaming style: I don’t really care about graphics if they are not the focus of the game.  I believe that the potential of video games exceeds graphics.  And I don’t really care that much about tight controls, though if the controls are tight it tends to help with the overall experience.  What I do expect is a coherence.  I want to know what I’m doing, and be able to figure things out on my own.  Essentially, I want a game that is unintentionally confusing and doesn’t force me to wander aimlessly trying to guess the right direction to go.  This is one of the major reasons as a child I had a much higher tolerance for *pardon the language* bullshit: I didn’t mind wandering aimlessly because I didn’t have better things to do.

“Sonic Adventure” doesn’t have tight controls, but still managed to be fun… at first.  The railed experience allowed me to make forgivable mistakes and constantly bump into walls, and eventually I got pretty confident in my ability to navigate the tracks with ease.  The graphics in “Sonic Adventure” are really pretty.  I say this thinking primarily of the first stage in the game which takes place along the beach side where I was chased by a killer whale and saw dolphins leaping around me.  The problem is with the “Sonic Adventure” overworld which tries to mask the ridiculously short length of each campaign.

For a quick compliment, the form of “Sonic Adventure” is quite nice.  It goes through multiple stories that happen at all the same time just with other characters – which sometimes shows (probably unintentional) similarities to “Rashomon.”  Then there is a story that is being told in tiny pieces throughout each characters path.  To fully grasp the entire story one must play as the characters, which is a really interesting idea.  But the story is garbage, even the little hidden one, and it’s as forgettable as a cereal breakfast.

As I stated above the problem with the game is almost solely found in the overworld.  It’s confusing, dull, and filled with busy work.  I spent a too much time trying to figure out what to do before each mission before I caved and ran to GameFAQs.  By the fourth character I had devoted the entirety of my gaming experience to reading step-by-step instructions, even occasionally watching videos of playthroughs to help me out.  Upon finishing the Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles levels I wondered why I was even playing – it would be a better waste of time just to watch the videos and not bother frustrating myself in between levels.  I quit.

Sonic doesn’t really need an overworld in his games.  I’m not sure why the developer thought this was an important addition.  The series worked best as a purely linear one, and the less story it has the better it is.  All I wanted out of my Sonic game was to run fast and have fun, and that’s hidden in this game.  I had to dig through layers of poor design just to get to the good part, then it was over in about ten minutes and I was back to the crap.  Then the choice to consistently recycle stages added nothing to what I liked about the game; it just made them feel old and boring.  The truth is that “Sonic Adventure” was a shoddy job.  There’s too much unneeded padding in the game and it ruins everything that could possibly be good.

Thanks to games like “Canabalt” and “RunMan: Race Around the World” we really don’t need Sonic anymore.  He’s a jem from the past, that has lost all its glisten, and it’s not really a shame.  Let’s enjoy the old games for what makes them great, and look to something new to replace it.

Here it is! We’ve got a special guest this time around, Jesse (sorry.. no links here..)! Another thing you should know, the live stream and chat for this episode worked perfectly! Hop onto our Ustream Channel! We’re working on downloadable episodes, but if you want a video podcast in addition to the audio and live stream, let us know at fanmail”AT”seventytwopinconnector.com. Also just to let you know, you can access the main site through our ‘mini-link’ 72PC.com, so throw that around next time you have a chance. Other than that, enjoy the cast!

Seventy Two Pin Connector Podcast: Episode 022 – I see you in my Dreamcast

This song from Sonic Adventure is actually a remixed version of a particular song found on the Genesis version of Sonic 3D Blast. A little strange, but classic none the less.

Sega – Sonic Adventure – Twinkle Cart