2009 Year in Review: Anime

2009 has come and gone. This past year was a big reintroduction to anime for me. I watched quite a few series in full, as well as some that I have yet to finish. I am a little behind with the times, so bear with me as much of the anime I watched this year is older material. While I do plan on writing more in-depth reviews for many of these anime, below is a short list of the anime I watched in 2009, as well as my ratings for each (out of 10).

- Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket: This is an odd Gundam series, as it tries to weave an innocent kid’s view of the Zeon vs. Federation war in and out of the more realistic and gruesome experience of the mobile suit pilots. As awkward as the plot feels at times, it does a nice job of conveying various emotions and gives an alternate perspective on the war from the Zeon side. Rating: 7.0
Full review: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/retrograde-review-mobile-suit-gundam_17.html


- Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory: Perhaps the most important segway between the original Mobile Suit Gundam and Zeta Gundam, Stardust Memory is a tense series that portrays a last-ditch effort by the Zeon remnants to carry out an attack against the Earth Federation. The plot is slightly confusing towards the end, and the second half of the series falls victim to rather slow pacing. Still, there is plenty of space-bound action to be found and the differing personalities of the characters play off each other nicely. Rating: 8.0
Full review: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/retrograde-review-mobile-suit-gundam.html

- Gundam SEED Stargazer: A dark miniseries that occurs as a sidestory during SEED Destiny and chronicles a desperate battle between the coordinators and the naturals. The characters are nicely developed but don’t overstay their welcome. As brilliant as the series is for such a short time frame, my only complaint is that the series wasn’t longer. Rating: 8.75
Full review: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-just-wanted-to-look-up-for-time-being.html

- Gundam 00 (seasons 1 and 2): Perhaps the best alternate universe Gundam series, Gundam 00 takes place in the near future where three super-nations fight for resources and global control. The Gundam meisters intervene and uncover a plot more elaborate than they could have imagined. Both seasons are great, but the character development is stronger during the first season. The transition to season two is fluid and the conclusion is of epic proportions. Rating: 8.9
Full review of season one: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/retrograde-review-gundam-00-season-one.html
Full review of season two: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/retrograde-review-gundam-00-season-two.html


- Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (seasons 1 and 2): Though the first season is considerably stronger than the second, Sunrise has created a fantastic mecha series set in a dystopian world. There are some obvious inspirations from Gundam, but this series does an excellent job in separating itself from the crowd, giving the lead role to someone who is far from the stereotypical ‘good guy'. Rating: 8.75
Full review of season one: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/06/retrograde-review-code-geass-lelouch-of.html
Full review of season two: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/06/retrograde-review-code-geass-lelouch-of_23.html

- Princess Mononoke: Though certainly one of Miyazaki’s more mature-themed films, it still carries a heavy emphasis on the concept of imagination and childlike wonder. This fantasy epic pits man against beast, though the latter could have been elaborated on better. Though the main characters are rounded out well, some of the supporting cast is a little shaky. Still, the soundtrack is exquisite and the animation flawless. Rating: 7.25


- FLCL: A brilliant satire on Evangelion, Lupin III, and even non-anime material such as South Park, FLCL is fluid and dishes out a gigantic helping of action and comedy until its climactic end. Though it is only six episodes long, this comedy is a strong series all its own and delivers some fantastic stylized sequences. Rating: 9.5
Full review: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/flcl-review.html

- Dokuro-Chan: A short series that is certain to coax a few good laughs out of viewers. Its plot is thrown off track multiple times and the ending fails to give any sort of resolution. The humor therein is a bit sick and twisted, and the comedic sequences do seemed forced from time to time. But for a series that doesn’t try to take itself too seriously, there are plenty of gags and parodies to be found. Rating: 6.0

- Suzuka: A high school drama intended for the younger teen group. It’s a modern day Romeo and Juliet, but the manga is far more elaborate and creative. Still, for what it’s worth this series does a decent job of creating some colorful characters and the plot closes up decent enough at the conclusion of the anime. Rating: 7.75


- Welcome to the N-H-K: A dark comedy that is definitely not for the younger audience. The story follows Sato, who has dropped out of college and has no job. He stays in his apartment all day, convinced of a conspiracy by the Nihon Hikikomori Kyoukai, until the arrival of Misaki, who promises Sato that she can cure him of his reclusive ways. The series pokes fun at depression, suicide, sex, and drug addiction in ways that seem neither forced nor over-the-top. The series shows how susceptible everyone is to these issues, and the ending throws viewers a surprise twist. Though technically appropriate for ages 17 and older, this anime will likely be most appreciated by those in the college group on up. Rating: 9.5
Full review: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/welcome-to-nhk-review.html

- Neon Genesis Evangelion: Possibly the most controversial anime of all time (both for its ending and its subject matter), Evangelion is a series that changed the giant robot genre forever. That said, Evangelion is truly a breed of its own and delivers many plot twists that will really force viewers to think. It is a psychological analysis of every character in the series, though I often found myself probing my own psyche while watching it. Simply put, this is one of the greatest anime of all time, despite its rather clumsy ending. Rating: 10
Full review: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/retrograde-review-neon-genesis.html

- Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death and Rebirth: A film version of the original series, I would only recommend this as a refresher course for those who have already seen Neon Genesis Evangelion, but have yet to see End of Evangelion. Major points of the series are covered, but minor things that make the series enjoyable are left out entirely. Death and Rebirth’s portrayal of the characters is bland and the intended setup to End of Evangelion is rather pointless and almost insulting to the series. Rating: 5.0
Full review: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/05/retrograde-review-neon-genesis.html

- End of Evangelion: The ending that should have been, the story feels appropriate in almost every way. However, that fact that it took Anno and his team so long to release it may leave fans with a bit of a sour taste in their mouth. The story is dark and moody, picking up exactly where episodes 23 and 24 left off in the tv series, and leads up to an incredibly thought-provoking climax. However, the psychological aspect of the film seems rather forced in comparison to its tv series predecessor, and as such the overall product just doesn’t quite meet the caliber of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion. Rating: 8.5
Full review: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/retrograde-review-end-of-evangelion.html


- Rebuild of Evangelion 1.0: You Are [Not] Alone: Anno’s groundbreaking series brought back to life in a theatrical reimagining, this first in a line of four films is essentially a rehash of the first six episodes of the original 1995 anime. The new style of animation is beautiful and the soundtrack is epic. The character development is given second string in order for the action to shine through, but the plot twist at the end is sure to confuse even the most die-hard fans and leave them wanting more. Rating: 7.75
Full review: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/retrograde-review-rebuild-of-evangelion.html

- Rebuild of Evangelion 2.0: You Can [Not] Advance: Picking up exactly where Rebuild 1.0 left off, Rebuild 2.0 does a much better job with pacing and character development, an impressive feat to handle, considering the number of characters in this film. In contrast to traditional Evangelion style, this film is primarily about Asuka during the first half, focusing almost entirely on Shinji in the second half. While this feels like the Evangelion fans have come to know and love, there are plenty of differences that set it aside from the original, including a massive cliffhanger ending that seems only appropriate for the new story. Rating: 9.75
Full review: http://kuragawa.blogspot.com/2009/09/earlier-this-year-i-watched-first-of.html

25 Days of Christmas - #1: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Although every single one of the games on this list is great in its own right, there is one that stands above the rest as my favorite video game of all time. It was released in 1998, a year that revolutionized the gaming industry. 3D graphics were still fresh and developers were experimenting with all sorts of new mechanics and modes of play. Amidst some of the best titles of the day, including Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Banjo-Kazooie, and StarCraft, there was a sequel released by Nintendo that redefined the series, as well as adventure gaming, forever. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a far cry from previous entries in the acclaimed series, but ended up selling over 800,000 copies in its first year.

I have been an avid fan of the Zelda series for years (it is the only series to have three entries that made this top 25 list), but Ocarina of Time is easily the best. The story is superb and takes a much darker look into the traditional Zelda story. Players are once again pitted against Ganon in his attempt to conquer Hyrule, but this time around he is disguised as a young Gerudo warrior named Ganondorf. He manages to convince the King of Hyrule into trusting him, a move which proves fatal for the entire country.

Link is initially introduced to players as a young Kokiri who is sent by the Deku Tree to meet with Princess Zelda in order to try and foil Ganondorf’s evil intent. Zelda sends Link out on a quest to retrieve the three spiritual stones, which will in turn unlock the door of time. Link, already granted one of the spiritual stones by the Deku Tree, heads of to seek the aid of the Goron and Zora people in collecting the remaining two. While the dungeons are the main focus of this entire section of the game, the characters Link encounters and the events he takes part in become crucial to the plot later on.


Upon returning to Hyrule with the spiritual stones, Link finds that Ganondorf has run Princess Zelda and her aide Impa out of Castle Town. Link then completes Zelda’s wish in opening the door of time to attempt to undo Ganondorf’s evil, but things go awry as Ganondorf uses the door of time to create his own monster-ridden version of Hyrule. Link awakens seven years later and is approached by the sages of Hyrule who present Link with a way to stop Ganondorf once and for all.

During Link’s time as a child, players will travel to three major dungeons: the Deku Tree interior, Dodongo’s Cavern, and Jabu-Jabu’s belly. These serve as a lengthy introduction to the game mechanics and story, but present a good level of challenge in their own right. Jabu-Jabu’s belly is primarily centered around solving puzzles, but the enemies Link encounters therein are incredibly unforgiving and do an excellent job of bridging the gap to the adult dungeons, preparing players for what lies ahead.

The major temples during the adult storyline are associated with a different element and tribe of people in Hyrule. Each of the sages Link encounters are characters from his past, and will reward him with a medallion of each element upon defeat of each temple boss. The Forest Temple is a bit of a mind trip upon first entry, and will force players to look at puzzles in a few different lights. The Fire Temple is heavily focused on fine-tuning Link’s combat skills and is one of the larger temples in the game. The Water Temple and Shadow Temple make excellent use of Link’s secondary weapons, while the Spirit Temple forces players to navigate its massive interior twice over – once as a child, and again as an adult.


Aside from the main dungeons, there are sub-missions critical to the story that Link must complete in order to progress the story further. Players can also collect more items, ammo, and weapons by competing in minigames like Bombchu bowling, and completing sidequests for characters such as the Happy Mask salesman and Malon of Lon Lon Ranch. Players can rescue the wild horse Epona from greedy Ingo. While riding horseback from place to place is not a core part of the gameplay, it does flow smoothly and saves players a lot of travel time.

Each secondary weapon is brilliantly designed, and despite the fact that there are so many, each is unique and has its own purpose. As a child, Link will rely heavily on his slingshot for distanced attacks, Deku Nuts for stunning nearby enemies, and the boomerang for both stunning faraway enemies and retrieving items from a distance. Adult Link, on the other hand, is much more equipped for combat with the Megaton Hammer and bow, but can also access different areas and solve puzzles with bombs and the Hookshot. His tunic can be changed to accommodate for extremely hot temperatures and breathing underwater. Likewise, Link has hover boots which allow him to temporarily hover over gaps and iron boots which weigh him down in order to scour lakebeds and portions of the Water Temple.


But the most significant tool used in the game is, of course, the Ocarina of Time itself. As Link progresses through the game, he learns various new songs that can grant him access to select areas, alter time from night to day and vice-versa, cause rain to fall, and allow him to warp to different temple entrances. To play these songs, players must hit different combinations of the C-buttons and A-button.

The boss fights in Ocarina of Time are nothing shy of epic. Morpha will lash out with tentacle-like appendages and trash Link about the room before flinging him into a wall and draining nearly half his health. Ghoma will crawl about the walls and pillars deep within the dark interior of the Deku Tree, and players must use the slingshot in order to bring the spider-like beast down to the ground level to deal any damage to the monster. The battle against Twinrova will force players to constantly watch their backs, as Kotake and Koume circle Link, throwing blasts of Fire and Ice at him. The final battle against Ganondorf/Ganon will take the most challenging elements of all these previous battles and pool them together, creating a truly fantastic finale.


The soundtrack, while comprised of MIDI files, is memorable and fits the game like a glove. From the Song of Storms to the theme of the Lost Woods, the soundtrack completes the experience, immersing players in the world of Hyrule. The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time has been heralded by many gamers as not only the best Nintendo title released, but the greatest video game of all time. And while I do believe that every game on this list is brilliant in more than one way, Ocarina of Time reigns as my single favorite video game of all time.

25 Days of Christmas - #2: Shadow of the Colossus

Ico was released in 2001 for the Playstation 2, and was a cult classic of sorts. The game focused heavily on scaling buildings and solving puzzles as the horned boy Ico attempted to rescue the mysterious Yorda from an evil queen and her shadow creatures. The game, though not very widespread, was received with much praise from those who did play it, and many hailed it as the Playstation 2’s equivalent of The Legend of Zelda.

In 2005, Sony released the prequel titled Shadow of the Colossus. Early footage showed the game to be focused around teamwork with other horned people as they attempted to climb aboard and slay a large moving creature. This beast appeared to be made of some sort of stone-like material, with long fur covering the majority of its body. The final product, though similar in design, put players in control of a lone character known as the Wanderer.

Shadow of the Colossus has an absolutely breathtaking opening sequence as the Wanderer’s journey to the forbidden land is chronicled. The sequence is completely devoid of dialogue, but is layered over by a beautiful and dark tune orchestrated by Koh Otani. As the Wanderer approaches the temple, players are given their first glimpse of the massive and open world that is the forbidden land. What they are unaware of, however, is just how empty the land truly is.


The story sets up rather simple. The Wanderer was in love with a girl who met an early death. He comes to the temple in the forbidden land in hopes of bringing her back to life by appealing to the deity of the forbidden land Dormin. Dormin agrees to help the Wanderer if he is able to slay the sixteen colossi that exist within the confines of the forbidden land. Not asking for any further instructions or elaboration, the Wanderer mounts his steed Aggro and rides off to slay his first foe.

As large as the first colossi is, he is in fact one of the smaller Colossi in the game. His build is humanoid and players will be required to perform the relatively easy task of climbing up his back in order to locate his glowing weak spot, which upon injury will profusely bleed a black liquid substance. The Wanderer, having slain the giant, is rewarded by the bizarre effect of having the black material from inside the colossus turn into rope-like appendages, and then throw themselves into his gut. If this seems incredibly odd or somewhat disturbing to anyone, I can’t help but agree. The game’s mysterious aspects are what make the overall story so impactful, as much of said story is reserved almost exclusively for the latter half of the game.

The colossi are incredibly varied in design, and although players will be using the same basic controls to defeat the behemoths, each battle requires a distinctly different strategy. The fifth colossus, Avion, is a huge bird that flies around a partially submerged set of buildings. Players must attract the colossi’s attention via arrows and leap onto the front of its wing as Avion attempts to swoop down and knock the Wanderer into the water. From there, Avion will do rolls in the air, attempting to fling the Wanderer off his wings. In contrast, reptilian colossi Kuromori is trapped within a colosseum-like structure, and scampers around the walls as he fires energy beams at the Wanderer. In order to take this colossus down, the Wanderer must shoot arrows into its feet, then jump onto its belly after it has rolled over to find the glowing weak spot. The colossi come in many different shapes and sizes, and each has its own attack to use against the Wanderer.


The control scheme is fairly simple. Players will use the square button to swing their sword and stab the colossi, while using the triangle button to jump. The R1 button is used to grab hold of the colossi’s fur or outcroppings on a building. Cycling between weapons is left up to the left and right D-pad buttons, the X button lets the Wanderer call to his horse Aggro, and the Circle button reflects light off the Wanderer’s sword to point him in the direction of the next colossi. The six main controls for the game make things fluid and intuitive, as players can memorize these rather quickly.

Some gamers may be turned off by the fact that there are only sixteen enemies in the entire game. I admit that I was somewhat skeptical at first, figuring the game would be easy to complete. Not so, as many of the colossi, regardless of what difficulty setting you are playing on – really pack a wallop. But instead of getting frustrated each time I died, I actually found it helpful, as it teaches you which approach works and which do not. As challenging as the game may be, it is also incredibly fair, dealing out fights that are intense but not impossible.

When not fighting the colossi, the Wanderer will spend a large amount of time travelling to reach them. Along the way, players can save the game at any one of the small prayer buildings. Also, players can sort of ‘level-up’ the Wanderer by collecting rare glowing lizard tails and grabbing fruit off trees. These will then improve the Wanderer’s maximum grip ability and health bar respectively.

In regards to the landscape, there is such variety in this huge land, it’s almost surprising that Sony managed to pack it all onto one disc. The massive ruins at the edge of the desert make an epic setting for the battle against the fifteenth colossi Argus. The graveyard-esque environment in which player fight the fourth colossi Phaedra, is almost completely devoid of architecture, and shows off the beauty of the natural environment. Players will travel to all sorts of areas, and from the empty city nestled deep within the jungle, to the geyser field where players must coax out ninth colossi Basaran, no two environments will ever look the same.


While the main game is a decent length, it still leaves something to be desired. Thus, Sony added a second playthrough in conjunction with a time trial mode. In this second time through the game, players can unlock new weapons and armor as they complete each time trial challenge. These can prove invaluable against the colossi, and loosen up the player’s dependency on fruit and lizard tails.

The art style of the game is some of the most hauntingly beautiful I’ve ever seen in a video game. Everything feels believable, yet still has an aura of fantasy about it. The lighting effects are quite possibly the best in any game from this past generation. While much of the game is constrained to a dark setting, it lets the mood of the game express itself freely to the player. Koh Otani has outdone himself again with a superb soundtracks. While the story does not pick up pace until the second half, it is masterfully written and tosses an amazing plot twist at players. Simply put, Shadow of the Colossus is Sony at their best, offering some of the most challenging and creative adventure gaming in years.

25 Days of Christmas - #3: Metroid Prime

Reinventing a game is never an easy task to accomplish. This can be especially difficult if a game series hasn’t had a release in nearly ten years. Despite the huge challenge that lay before them, Nintendo and Retro Studios took up the task to revive the Metroid series in 3D. The road was paved with many bumps, but ultimately led to the one of the greatest adventure games on the Gamecube, and for that matter, one of the greatest games of the last generation of consoles.

As vast as the ocean was in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and as creative and diverse as all of the levels in Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles proved to be, neither of them quite measured up to the experience that Metroid Prime delivered. Samus Aran is back in action, dealing a whole lot of pain to the space pirates while exploring more of the history behind her adoptive mentors, the Chozo. The game is set between the original Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus. The space pirates have divided their forces since their defeat at Samus’ hands, sending three major forces out across the galaxy. One such group is performing experiments on the wildlife of Tallon IV, attempting to mutate them with a substance known as Phazon. Samus infiltrates their frigate, but shortly after all hell breaks loose as the subjects of experiment begin wreaking havoc on the frigate. As Samus fights her way back to her gunship, she runs across Ridley, whom she presumed dead on Zebes. As the frigate falls out of orbit and begins a collision course with Tallon IV, Samus follows in her gunship, determined to figure out what exactly is going on.

The first area on the surface of Tallon IV that players will find themselves in is the Tallon overworld. It is a lush jungle setting, with green plants growing out of the rock walls and a constant rainfall that will stream droplets down Samus’ visor. This first step onto the planet’s surface is so surreal and captivating, and gives players a taste of what is to come from later areas. The different areas of Metroid Prime are beautifully detailed and throw various environmental challenges at players, as well as unique wildlife. The narrow lava-filled Magmoor Caverns will be incredibly unforgiving to players who fall off the rocky platforms, and is infested with Triclops beetles and Magmoor Dragons. As serene as the snow-laden temples might be, Phendrana Drifts pits Samus up against packs of hungry baby Sheegoth, and is host to one of the games most challenging boss fights. The Phazon Mines, which are accessible much later in the game, delve deeper into the history of the space pirates and their exploitation of the planet.


The scan visor serves two purposes to the player. The first is to learn more about the different creatures in order to understand how to counterattack and defend oneself. The secondary focus is to unlock bonus material in the art gallery upon completion of the game. The more scans a player makes, the more bonus material is unlocked for them. Later visors include the thermal visor and x-ray visor, practical for detecting enemies in dark areas and locating cloaked platforms respectively.

As with any Metroid title, the weapon variety is impressive. The four major beam types – Energy, Wave, Ice, and Plasma - make good use of their individual uses for both combat and puzzle solving. These can be used in conjunction with missiles, though players will be required to seek out these upgrades of their own accord, as only one is central to the gameplay. The morph ball has small bombs that can be used to break through barriers, larger bombs to take down thicker material and debris, a boost ability for launching Samus up half-pipes to greater heights, and a spider-ball ability that magnetizes the morph ball to tracks in order to traverse difficult terrain.


The game is deep and fairly long, but players will be required to perform a significant amount of backtracking during the second half. This is nowhere near as tedious and annoying as in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes as most of the time spent revisiting areas in Metroid Prime opens new rooms and grants players weapon and suit upgrades. Such is the case with the Gravity suit, which once acquired allows Samus to move freely through the water without any constraints due to the weight of her suit.

While the space pirates are Samus’s main foes in the game, they do improve their skills as the game improves. While the beginning of the game has Samus up against mostly grunt soldiers with little armor or weapons, she will encounter airborne Jet troopers who send a barrage of missiles at her, as well as underwater forces that launch torpedoes and evade Samus’ beams. Much later in the game, Samus will encounter pirates who have reversed the Chozo technology and created energy-specific armors, as well as massive space pirates who were victims of Phazon experimentation.

The bosses in Metroid Prime never dish out the same fight. Battling Flagraah requires players to be swift as they attempt to cut off the plant’s energy source with the use of both Samus’ beam weaponry and morph ball attacks. Thardus’ battle forces players to constantly refer to their various visors, but never feels like it is moving along at a sluggish rate. Fighting Meta-Ridley challenges players to dodge his bombardment of the Chozo temple while firing everything they’ve got at the space pirate leader.

While Retro Studios and Nintendo didn't have to add any more to the game, they went ahead and did it anyways. Included on the disc is the complete game of the original Metroid, exactly as it was in its 1987 release, Justin Bailey codes and all. Players can also connect to Metroid Fusion via the GBA-Gamecube cable to unlock the Metroid Fusion suit for play in Metroid Prime.


The game has beautiful graphics that really push the limits of the Gamecube. Even when compared with many of the system’s later releases, Metroid Prime looks as great as ever. There are no load-ins for areas or textures. Everything flows seamlessly from one area to the next. However, as great as the art style and graphics are, the aspect of the game’s design that I found to be the most captivating was the soundtrack. The sounds of the original three Metroid titles are present, but improved on tenfold. From the drum-heavy sounds of Magmoor Caverns to the calming piano that plays over Samus’ exploration of Phendrana Drifts, the music conveys the mood of the game perfectly. Though many thought the series impossible to revive, Retro Studios executed Samus' return perfectly. The story is deep and sets up wonderfully for the other Prime titles. Metroid Prime is easily the best game available on the Gamecube, and one of Nintendo’s most impressive releases ever.

25 Days of Christmas - #4: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid has always been the pinnacle of great storytelling. The first two titles in the series, as well as the original Metal Gear games, had focused around a near-future setting where control of Metal Gear mechs meant strategic dominance. It seemed rather odd when Kojima showed the first footage of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, as Snake was completely removed from the dystopian world realized in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Instead, Snake was running around the jungles of Russia. But this was in fact not the same Snake, nor was the game occurring in the same era. This Metal Gear Solid title actually took place in 1964, long before the events of the original Metal Gear.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater put players in control of Naked Snake, a veteran soldier on a mission to retrieve scientist Sokolov from the Soviets. Sokolov has been used to help the Russians build the Shagohod, a tank capable of traversing any terrain. Equipped with rocket engines on either side of the vehicle, the Shagohod can propel itself fast enough to launch a missile off its catapult and into the U.S. But as Snake quickly finds out, the forces he’s up against are much tougher than anticipated. The rescue mission is botched as Snake discovers that his former mentor – The Boss – has defected to the Russians. It is also revealed that the Russian forces are divided between Nikita Khrushchev’s current regime and Colonel Volgin’s intent to overthrow him.

After witnessing Volgin nuke his own countrymen, Snake is retrieved and sent to a U.S. hospital to recover from his wounds at the hands of The Boss. Major Zero then instructs Snake that – in order for both of them to correct their mistake – Snake must be deployed on a second mission in Russia to stop the completion of the Shagohod, placing Sokolov’s rescue as secondary importance. Thus begins Naked Snake’s grueling journey that is Operation: Snake Eater.


The rescue mission at the start of the game serves mainly as an introduction to the controls and story. Players are given a refresher course on the same basic control system from Sons of Liberty, as well as given a glimpse at their later foes. But this portion of the game also gives players hands-on training with the camouflage and medical menus. The different camo combinations hide players from enemy soldiers more or less depending on their surroundings, and include Snake’s uniform and face paint. As the Metal Gear Solid titles tend to encourage players to choose stealth over direct combat, the camo system becomes an invaluable asset over the course of the game. The medical menu allows players to heal Snake as he is injured throughout the game. But just as in real life, a few bandages simply won’t do the trick. Players will have to apply ointment to cuts before bandaging them up, use Snake’s cigar to burn leeches off his skin, and remove bullets from his body. Healing his wounds will cause Snake to heal faster, as well as calm his hunger.


The characters in the game are so deep and believable, from Snake’s sultry sidekick EVA, to sadistic military leader Volgin, to young and reckless Ocelot. While the relationship between Snake and The Boss breaks Metal Gear Solid tradition a bit, there is much more thought put into Snake’s actions as he constantly dwells on the fact that he will inevitably have to fight his former mentor. Before doing so, however, Snake must engage in battle with each member of The Boss’ Cobra Unit. The Pain will send hordes of bees at Snake, both to distract and attack him. The Fear will use poison dart arrows and the height of the trees to his advantage. The End will spend time moving around one of the largest boss battle maps ever seen in a video game, sniping Snake as he goes. The Fury uses his skills as a former cosmonaut to fly around and attack Snake with his flamethrower. Though not a member of the Cobra Unit, Volgin will battle Snake twice, once man-to-man, and a second time inside the Shagohod. Every one of these battles plays out differently, and tosses an interesting and well thought-out challenge at the player. It all leads up to the most challenging boss battle in the game, as Snake must fight The Boss to the death.

In the same style as Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater was later released with an expanded version known as Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. This included a Snake vs. Monkey minigame, which brought back Solid Snake as he tracks down monkeys from Ape Escape with direction from Colonel Campbell. A comedy theater was added to the original cutscene theater, showing blooper scenes, and two parody films where Raiden and Sigint both attempt to steal the spotlight from Snake. Players can also access new camouflage, including a tuxedo and Santa suit, as well as face paint of the flags of various countries.


Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater captures the essence of the time period brilliantly. The architecture looks exactly as it should for Soviet-era Russia. The political tension can be felt throughout the game, looming ominously over the story. Each time Snake saves the game, Para-Medic will talk about movies or events from the period, making the experience all that much more involved. The story is brilliantly executed, and despite the fact that many of the cutscenes clock in around a half hour, the game flows in a perfectly fluid motion. The pacing is fantastic, slowing down and speeding up where appropriate. Kojima is a genius storyteller, and some of his best material shines through in Snake Eater. You actually care a great deal for Snake and EVA, and the dark ending that Snake has to face put me at the verge of tears. This game conveys emotion on a level that most other developers could never dream to achieve. The game sets up perfectly for the transition to the other games in the series, and players can finally see for themselves the man that would eventually become Big Boss.

25 Days of Christmas - #5: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

When Nintendo takes to creating a sequel in one of their flagship franchises, they – as well as Microsoft and Sony - generally concern themselves first and foremost with the platform systems over the handheld systems. After the release of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask on the N64, there was a rather lengthy hiatus until The Wind Waker came out for the Gamecube. To help bridge this three-year gap, as well as try and keep fans who were turned-off by Majora’s Mask interested, Nintendo partnered with Capcom to create three intertwining games for the Gameboy Color. When three games working in conjunction with one another proved to be too great a challenge, the companies decided to scale down the ambitious project to two titles. Their stories still interwoven, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons were both released on May 14, 2001.

As far as I’m concerned, the two titles are two chapters to one gigantic story. However, they were released as separate games, and as such only one of the two titles will be making my top 25 list. While Oracle of Seasons arguably had more variation in the overworld design and was more visually captivating with its lush colors, I personally found Oracle of Ages to be more enjoyable overall.


The story begins with Link travelling to Labrynna to meet with the Oracle of Ages, Nayru. He encounters Impa, Zelda’s aide along the way. As soon as the two meet Nayru, things go awry as it is revealed that Impa’s body was host to the evil sorceress Veran. Veran then uses Nayru’s body as a medium to travel through time and create her own twisted version of Labrynna.

Link is forced to travel to the past in order to track down the now-possessed Nayru. After meeting with Queen Ambi in the past, Link learns that she has been fooled into Veran’s plot to build a massive tower reaching to the heavens, which she will use to complete her transformation of the world. Link, devoid of much assistance from anyone but Impa and Nayru’s friend Ralph, begins his trek through each dungeon to retrieve items necessary to enter the Black Tower.

Oracle of Ages requires players to use the Harp of Ages to travel back and forth between the present and the past in order to access dungeons, complete quests, and travel around the world of Labrynna. The world is fairly sizeable, though players will only be able to access certain areas early on, with more of the world to be explored as they progress through the game. There is a great deal of variety in the environment types (though this doesn’t particularly affect gameplay), from the underwater kingdom of the Zoras, to the high cliffs where the Gorons live, to the volcanic area upon which Symmetry Village is founded.


Each weapons/tool in the game has multiple uses. Roc’s Feather can be used to avoid projectiles as well as traverse gaps. The Switch-hook allows players to bypass enemies or travel across large gaps within a dungeon. The Seed Shooter is applicable as both a ranged weapon as well as a solution to some switch-based puzzles. In contrast to some titles in the Zelda series, no single weapon in Oracle of Ages is outdated or rendered useless after its initial use. The Many weapons/tools, including the Harp of Ages, can be upgraded as the game progresses. Those weapons that are not upgraded will have consistent practical throughout the game.

As an added inclusion, players can collect rings and have them appraised by Vasu. Some rings affect the player’s offensive and defensive capabilities. Others make Link immune to certain attacks. There are also incredibly rare rings in the game that allow Link to transform in Like-Likes, Moblins, and other creatures.

The side quests in the Oracle titles are unusual when compared to other titles in the Zelda series. There are some side quests that take place only within the confines of the separate games. These are generally meant to reward the player with rings, Gashu seeds, potions, or any other nonessential items applicable for later use. The most important side quests, however, stem from the games’ interconnectivity. When interacting with characters in one game, you will occasionally receive a code from them or instructions to meet someone accessible only in the other game. Players must then complete that side quest as they journey through the second game. Both games are filled with these lengthy side quests, and the titles can be played in either order to acquire the items and upgrades from them.


Most Zelda titles have their small snags that they hit here and there; little issues that could have been avoided in an otherwise fantastic game. But with the Oracle titles, I am unable to find any flaws. The story is by far the most creative of any Zelda title. The soundtrack – though comprised entirely of MIDI files – is classic Zelda with a slightly new spin. The graphics are 2-D, but the colors of each area are bright and lively. The enemy AI is fantastic, with grunt soldiers putting up a decent challenge and bosses dealing out some major pain. The final battle against Veran is much more difficult than the battle against General Onox in Oracle of Seasons, and twice as long. The story is very involved and is fairly moody for a Zelda title (though nowhere near as dark as Majora’s Mask). It’s rare that a handheld game would surpass many of its console counterparts, but The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages goes the extra mile and is one of Nintendo’s best handheld titles ever released.

25 Days of Christmas - #6: Rome: Total War

Few strategy games can hold a candle to the Total War franchise. Shogun: Total War started the acclaimed series, bringing plenty of new ideas to the table. Medieval: Total War solidified the game mechanics and expanded the world and units available to the player. And while both of these games are great in their own right, Rome: Total War towers over the other two as the greatest game in the series.

Rome: Total War puts players in control of various nations during the height of the Roman empire. Initially, players will be constrained to the three Roman houses of Brutii, Julii, and Scipii. There are two campaign modes available, each with different objectives. The shorter campaign is a good way to unlock more nations quickly, but puts a greater constraint on resources for the entire campaign. The longer campaign requires players to take hold of fifty provinces and capture the city of Rome. While these objectives are far more challenging, the time allowed and long-term resources available help ease stress on players.

Each city requires its own specific attention, and players will be required to attend to these in order to prevent revolts from occurring. In conjunction with this, players must also balance their troops in the field with those left behind to defend cities. Building types range from religious temples to gathering halls to military barracks and stables. Early on, cities will require the most basic construction, laying out roads and setting up defensive walls. Thankfully, all of the construction management requires the player to merely select what they want to be completed and the buildings will be erected over a predetermined number of turns.


Military units vary from one nation to the next. The houses of Rome, for instance, use the Vilites as their range spearmen, the Equites as cavalry, and the Principes as their elite swordsmen. The Egyptians on the other hand, rely on axmen as their grunt footsoldiers and horse-drawn chariots as their cavalry. Some nations, such as Carthage, will have exclusive units such as the war elephant. Apart from the traditionally trained units, mercenaries can be hired while travelling in territories outside of the player’s home nation. These units are expensive, but do not require time to be trained. Recruiting mercenaries improves a general’s reputation as a commanding officer.

Other specialist units can be trained, including diplomats, spies, and assassins. Diplomats can bribe the troops of other factions to disband or sometimes convince military leaders to defect to your army. Diplomats can also develop friendly relations with other nations, setting up trade routes and alliances. Spies are useful for scoping out the number of troops in a unit or confirming the defenses of an enemy city. Spies will level up with each successful infiltration. Assassins are the most limited unit reserved mainly for an easy kill on an enemy general or royal family member.

The overworld map of Rome: Total War is set up as turned-based strategy. Each group of soldiers is limited more or less in their range of motion depending on whether their army is comprised primarily of footsoldiers, cavalry, or a combination of the two. The combat system switches to real-time, and players can pause the game at any point during the battle to issue new orders to their units without being distracted by the chaos of the ensuing battle.


Outside of the main campaign, players can set up their own custom battles in a large number of battlefields. They can include up to four nations on two sides of the conflict, and can alter the rank of each individual unit. Even tiny details, such as the weather and time of day can be tinkered with, and have a major impact on the outcome of the battle. Players can also engage in historical battles, which are some of the most challenging in the game. An online mode of play is also available, further expanding the extra material available outside of the main game.

Rome: Total War is a unique PC gaming experience that few other strategy games can even come close to rivaling. The controls are fluid and the menus are easy to navigate. While the main mechanics remain consistent through the entire game, each nation has its own strengths and weaknesses, as well as unique units. Rome: Total War forces players to think twice before making diplomatic decisions, as declaring either war or an alliance has its consequences.