Wii Sports Resort

Well, I've played my first 30 minutes of Wii Sports Resort (not counting the "Setting up a MotionPlus!" video). So far, it's REALLY fun. The game starts by sending you to skydive onto the game's world, Wuhu Island. You tilt the Wiimote to control your descent. On the way down, you can grab the hands of other Miis in the sky. After a certain point, you hit the A button to open your chute. After that, it's the usual Wii Sports setup. My first events were:

1) Wakeboarding

2) Ping Pong

3) Golf

4) Swordfighting

5) Bowling

6) Basketball

7) Air Sports - Island Tour

Ping Pong, Golf, and Bowling are pretty much identical to their Wii Sports counterparts, only with a few (much welcomed) improvements. So, I'll pass on commenting.

Wakeboarding, is tricky. You have to hold your Wiimote horizontally, like a handlebar. You tilt left and right to move left and right, and thrust up to do tricks in the air. The goal is to bank off the wake of the boat that's towing you, to get height and perform tricks. You have to land with the board flat, or you don't get any points. It's fun, but I'll have to play more to get used to things.

Swordfighting is very cool Your Wiimote becomes the sword, natch. The goal is to knock your opponent off the platform you spar on... kinda like the American Gladiators Joust competition (the one where the muscly guys beat each other with the giant Q-Tip things). Swing the Wiimote to swing the sword, hold B for a defensive pose. Everything controls well, and it's just a ton of fun to play.

Basketball is HARD!! It's a 3-point competition, which is pretty self explanatory. B button grabs a ball, then you make a shooting motion like you would with a real basketball. My first time, I sunk... um... TWO out of 30.

The Island Tour was probably my favorite event so far. It's basically a more game-y version of Pilotwings 64's birdman levels. They give you a plane, five minutes, and the entire stretch of Wuhu Island to explore. Along the way, there are little "i" logos which signify tourist spots. Hitting them gives you an info bite about that particular spot. To play this, you hold the Wiimote like a paper airplane, and tilt it to guide the plane.

Color me impressed. This really is a great expansion on Wii Sports. There's still tons left to try, so I can't wait to see what else the game has in store.

Rune Factory Frontier

Rune Factory's the latest franchise form the creator of Harvest Moon (OK... second latest. Little King's Story is the latest). The series began on DS, where it spawned two titles. It came as a bit of a shock when the Wii version was announced. However, there was a bit of worry as to how it would turn out - most third parties were pretty happy with farting out a half-assed product, and calling it a day (Activision, I'm lookin' at you). Anyway, it's out and it's quite lovely. :3

Graphics:

In a single sentence, this game is gorgeous. The world is so colorful and full of life, with gorgeous classical architecture dotting the green carpet of the forested realm. There are a ton of little things that really bring the world to life, like woodland sprites flitting about, and the distinct "lived-in" feel of the local homes.

The character models are arguably the weakest element of the visuals. With chunky polygons, and a lower level of detail than the environments, the characters themselves seem a little lacking.

Animated cutscenes punctuate key events through the game. These scenes are particularly lovely, even though most of them (so far) are under 40 seconds long. Still,.I can't wait to see more!

Sound:

The game's biggest asset is its voice acting. There isn't much, but the voices XSeed chose are very close to the voices Natsume used in the first two titles.

Music so far has a distinctly lazy, relaxed sound to it. Lots of strings and lower-range instruments really help to set the mood. In a move that makes me (personally) happy, XSeed kept the original JPop intro, which is out of character for the rest of the game, but definitely fun to listen to.

The sound effects are what one would expect - clanks, clashes, and thuds sound as they should.

Controls:

The game offers a choice between motion controls, or a far more practical classic controller setup. Personally, I'm using the latter. The game plays similar to HM in that regard -> A = talk/use, B = pick up/store, Y = map, - = item menu, + = general menu.

It's simple, and it works.

Gameplay:

Much like the other games in the series, Frontier alternates between a Harvest Moon-styled life sim, and half Zelda-inspired adventure. I haven't had much experience with the latter half, but I have to admit that the former plays pretty well. It's much closer to the old Harvest Moon games in format (seeds cover 9 squares, time stops indoors), so I've gotta admit that I like it.

Plot:

Set shortly after the first Rune Factory, the intrepid hero Raguna (or whatever you name him) sets out after the girl who helped him begin life anew after he was stricken with amnesia. She left suddenly in the night, and he could only follow. He meets up with the girl in Trampoli village, a small town miles from their former home. It is here that their new life, and their new journey begins for Rune Factory Frontier.

SO far, I'm enjoying Rune Factory. Since writing this piece, I've gone on to put in a number of additional hours, as I sink into the simple worries: "Will this person like me?" "Oh crud! I have to get my crops out before 5!" and so on. I Highly recommend this one for people looking for something out of the ordinary and fans of Harvest Moon alike.

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings has been on my radar for a while now - it's a real, honest-to-goodness Indy game. the first in almost Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb in 2003. I've put in about 45 minutes, to get through the first level of the main game, as well as the opening to Fate of Atlantis.

Graphics:

The game actually looks pretty good. Some very nice landscapes and scenery really stand out to sell the game. The character models are OK... but it would've been nice to see a little more detail overall. The animations are well-done, outside of the occasional hiccup in transition to certain sequences. On the whole, it looks like a late-generation PS2 game... emphasis on late generation. That's definitely not a bad thing, considering how much people complain about the visuals.

Sound:

LucasArts went above and beyond on this end. The game sports a John Williams soundtrack ripped straight from the movies, and an actor for indy that sounds eerily like Harrison Ford. The rest of the acting and sound effects are spot on.

Gameplay:

The biggest point of contention so far... and they're not bad. This is the first game I've seen that uses the LiveMove technology, and it works pretty well. The game doesn't really punish you for inaccurate motions, most of the time. The worst I've experienced so far is an uppercut coming out as a jab, or vice versa. Nothing to cry over, since you're stil getting the freakin' punch... unlike some games (Escape From Bug Island, I'm looking at you!). Whip play is simple and it really feels intuitive.

The first level involves flying a biplane at the end of the stage and, really... it's almost perfect. You hold the Wiimote straight up in the palm of your hand and use it like a flight stick. It takes some getting used to (there is no resistance so it's easy to oversteer), but it's definitely workable and well-implemented.

Fate of Atlantis controls exactly as one would expect - point, click, boom. Nothing to really mention there, otherwise.

Plot:

To be short and simple - this is more of an Indiana Jones story than the last movie. Set shortly after Last Crusade, it puts Indy in 1939, just before the start of WWII. I haven't seen MUCH of the plot yet, but it looks like a rival of Dr. Jones is out to do him in this time. Oh, yes... there's also Nazis.

Anyway, I'm definitely happy with this right now. LucasArts made a quality game that got crapped on due to the platform. It's a shame, really. At the now-universal price of $19.99, there seems to be no reason to pass the game up... Fate of Atlantis alone is worth that much.

Welcome!

To all who are here, welcome to The First 45. Through the site, I hope to give my impressions on the various games I happen to stumble across. Impressions will be based on the first 45 minutes of gameplay, give or take. I chose 45 because the rule of thumb with a number of games is that a decent opinion can be formed after an hour of play. Also, 45 minutes is the average chunk of time I tend to dedicate towards gaming in an average sitting.

Before we begin, I'd like to clear the air, and give the "riot act" that seems to precede all of these blogs:

1. I do not take requests. Sorry, but I am doing this as a hobby. I'd rather play what I want and write about what I want, in that regard.
2. The style and quality of writing will vary greatly, since I'm playing with the format, and just having fun with my work.
3. These are not reviews - they are merely impressions. Short, bite-sized views at a small part of the game. I'm not going to grade something that I've only played for a short time.
4. Constructive comments, please! I appreciate a degree of civility, even in the online world. Trolls and flames will get the same treatment online that they do in reality - they'll be ignored, or mocked...
5. Intelligent conversation is definitely welcome! I'm not afraid of people, and don't mind discussions of ideas.
6. Updates will be fairly irregular, since I work two jobs on top of this. I apologize in advance, since the lack of time bothers you as much as it does myself.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy what comes of this. Feel free to settle in, leave a few comments, and enjoy the ride.