Category Archives: rhythm heaven fever
[GOTY] Who Won on Day Five? — Game of the Year Breakdown
The GameSparked Team
GOTY 2012
BEWARE! POTENTIAL SPOILERS!
Winner: Corvo Attano (Dishonored)
Corvo is the classic tale of revenge — he was set up for the death of the Queen, and now he must switch roles from bodyguard to assassin. But that’s not all; he’s getting a little help. “The Outsider” is a mysterious figure that grants Corvo with supernatural powers that allow him to teleport, slow time, possess living beings, and even summon an army of rats. He is at the top of his game when it comes to infiltration, hand-to-hand combat, sneaking, hiding bodies, and almost anything else you can think of. This is why he is GameSparked’s Best Assassin of 2012.
Runner-Ups: Ninja (Mark of the Ninja), Jacket (Hotline Miami)
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Winner: Lee’s Bite (The Walking Dead)
Runner-Ups: White Phosphorus (Spec Ops: The Line), The Final Moments (Hotline Miami)
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Winner: XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Runner-Ups: Borderlands 2, Syndicate
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Runner-Ups: Bride to Be (Sleeping Dogs), Temple Ship Assault (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)
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Runner-Ups: Hotline Miami, Tokyo Jungle
Day Five of The GameSparked Game of the Year Debates 2012
The GameSparked Team
GOTY 2012
Download Link (Right Click, Save As)
[GOTY] Best Level/Mission/Quest Nominees
The GameSparked Team
GOTY 2012
A lot of times the meat and potatoes of what makes up a game is treated as filler. Tasks the game has you perform as a vehicle to deliver story or get the player from point A to point B without it being a jarring experience. However, for every escort mission, chase scene, and prolonged driving segment filled with characterless dialogue, there are some fantastic experiences. This is a tribute to those great quests, missions, and levels that had us thinking, or laughing, or pumping our fists excitedly.
The Name Game (Borderlands 2)
Sometimes we like to fool ourselves into thinking we’re adults with grown-up senses of humour, but honestly? Sometimes we laugh at farts and boners, and, yes, we like to laugh at Bonerfarts. It’s as simple as that.
Ever wanted to burn pot fields with a flammenwerfer (aka flamethrower)? How about to REGGAE DUBSTEP?! This mission had us laughing at Jason Brody’s reaction to the situation. Not only that, but it has the right balance of silliness and action that makes Far Cry 3 so much fun to play.
Retro City Rampage is a pretty damn funny game, and this mission is one of the funnier moments in the whole package. Taking a short break from driving and shooting was welcome on it’s own, but when you package it together with a one-off adventure game mission practically crammed full of jokes and references, you’ve got a recipe for success.
This should be self-explanatory (watch the video above).
Bride to Be (Sleeping Dogs)
The conclusion to the entire game. You move through each room, facing every enemy you came across before at least once. Upon encountering them, you receive a little backstory on each species from a mysterious voice. This backstory starts to explain the invasion piece by piece, making each room that more exciting to reach. When you finally reach the last section, the payoff is huge and gives us one of the best endings of the year.
[GOTY] Best Music Nominees
Dear Esther takes you on a journey through a desolate island and tells you a ghost story that forsakes the horror element. Instead, it’s soundtrack instils a sense of bewilderment and inner peace as you traverse the gorgeous landscape whilst uncovering the truth behind the personal memoirs of the narrator. Truly, the music is nothing short of hauntingly beautiful.
Track 1 – “Hydrogen” (M.O.O.N) Track 2 – “Miami Disco” (Perturbator)
Track 3 – “Crystals” (M.O.O.N)
The sounds and music of Journey can tell the story of the game almost entirely without the accompanying visuals. They’re powerful, moving pieces that are equal parts sorrowful and hopeful, and the stylistic range is tremendous. In the span of 2 or 3 hours you’ll hear a tale that goes from moody reflection, to an excited fevered pitch, to a tragic, hushed death, and back to energetic, soaring heights.
Rhythm Heaven Fever‘s music is excellent both in and out of the game, but it’s in the game where it really shines. The sounds the player has to make to hit the rhythm properly, and the actual music work together really well. Almost as if hitting the golf balls that the monkey is throwing at you is part of a drum line. It’s incredibly easy to lose yourself in the dance-inducing music, yet still play with complete fidelity to the actual button-pushing.
Sound Shapes’ music is its foundation. Everything you do is directly correlated with how the music is going to play in each level. And the combination of the four different artists make the music feel unique, varied, and fresh. With the fantastic composing of Beck, Jim Guthrie, deadmau5, and I Am Robot And Proud, the soundtrack is a treat for the ears whether you’re playing it or not.
Track 3 – “Syndicate” (Nero)
Syndicate’s soundtrack fits the game’s world perfectly. The dubstep and electronic music sounds as sinister as some of the corporations really are — we could definitely see some evil CEO laughing over top of some of the tracks, all the while looking over a brightly-lit, Utopian city. Also, it makes everything about 100% more badass.
Track 1 – “Our Last Hope” (Roland Rizzo) Track 2 – “Combat Music 7” (Roland Rizzo)
Track 3 – “Deployment” (Roland Rizzo)
If the soundtrack of this game could be summed up as concisely as possible, it’s “triumphant.” Every song in this game practically screams “underdog snatching victory from the jaws of defeat,” and it seriously sets a mood to blast some alien tail. From the strings to the crashing drums, it all works perfectly and will seriously strengthen your resolve in the face of impossible odds as well as make you pump your fist in excitement when you beat those odds like the total badasses you and the XCOM soldiers are.
[GOTY] Best Looking Game Nominees
The GameSparked Team
GOTY 2012
Videogames are a very visual medium. While gameplay should, and does come first for us here at GameSparked, aesthetic and art-style are still incredibly important when it comes to games, and we feel like we’ve gathered up the best. Whether the animation is fluid and pleasing to look at, the art design interesting and engaging, or the game is simply a graphical powerhouse, these are all the best looking games of 2012.
The Darkness 2
Watch&Learn: Rhythm Heaven Fever
The GameSparked Team
[REVIEW] Rhythm Heaven Fever
Mat Paget
(Nintendo Wii [REVIEWED])
The point that some developers seem to miss when creating a video game is so simple it kills me sometimes. Some games attempt to create great visuals, great sound, and a great story, but they miss the biggest component of all — Fun. Why even play a video game if you’re not having fun? Nintendo, for the most part, makes incredibly fun games despite the fact that they may not be the most visually, or technically, impressive. And if you’re playing Rhythm Heaven Fever, you won’t have to worry about not having any fun.
The game consists of pushing one, or two, buttons to play. Rhythm Heaven on Nintendo’s DS utilized nothing, but the touch screen. This time around, the developers didn’t utilize Nintendo’s niche, console mechanic — the motion controls. This is for the best, as waggling the Wii remote isn’t exactly the best when it comes to precision. And even though pressing two buttons may not sound like the most engaging experience, when it is partnered with the music, and visuals, it is almost hypnotizing.
And there’s something really great about the game’s art style. It’s almost amazing it looks this sharp when only in 480p. The cartoon graphics are done in such a way that feels really unique to video games, and the gameplay meshes with it so well that it feels like you’re actually a part of it. And not in the way where you’re controlling a character, but more in the way that you’re helping put together a great production. Although its visuals are simplistic, it is one of the best looking Wii titles to date.
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| It is a little-known fact that monkeys are excellent at golf. |
Sure, it looks fantastic. But what is a rhythm game without music? Probably not a very good one. Thankfully, Rhythm Heaven Fever has some astounding music. The sounds the player has to make to hit the rhythm properly, and the actual music, work together really well. Almost as if hitting the golf balls that the monkey is throwing at you is part of a drum line. It’s so easy to lose yourself in the dance-inducing music, yet still play with complete fidelity to the actual button-pushing.
Now, this might be sounding like a mini-game compilation by now, but I assure you that it is more than that. Let me explain how the game works. There are ladders, somewhat like a fighting game, that contain four rhythm games that lead up to a “Remix.” These remixes are basically a mash-up of every rhythm game in that specific ladder. These force the player to stay on their toes, and can be quite challenging later on.
While progressing through the game’s many ladders, players will unlock medals if they produce “Superb” performances. These medals unlock bonuses such as Rhythm Toys, and Endless Mini-games. These are cool bonuses that are done really well, but I didn’t spend as much time with them, as I did with the main games. There’s also a Café where players will be able to read, listen to music, receive hints, and test their rhythm to see exactly how in tune they are.
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| Ah, what a lovely eveni… OH, MY GOD! WATCH OUT FOR THAT SOCCER BALL! |
Other occurrences during the game include opportunities to obtain music, and reading material, by scoring a perfect on a selected game. This opportunity is only going to stick around for the next three games, so it’s wise to go for it right away. In fact, the reading material you receive from scoring a “Perfect” is actually really interesting. It’s kind of silly to think that these games have back-story, but it’s fun to hear how exactly a monkey became a man’s golf instructor.
Rhythm Heaven Fever is a non-stop source of fun; there is never a dull moment in this game. And best of all, it’s easy for anyone to pick up and have a good time. But although it may be easy to pick up, it will take some determination and practice to master. The only issue this game has is not having a “Try Again” option when pausing, or failing a game. Despite that minor, yet sometimes annoying problem, everything in this title just works together so flawlessly. The charm that exudes from this game is absolutely fantastic and, at the price of thirty dollars, it is more than worth the purchase.
[NEWS] The Last Story and More Coming to North America
Mat Paget
GameSparked 