Marvel Ultimate Alliance is just crap Gauntlet as far as I can tell. I predict that Scribblenauts will just be a novelty without much replay value, but it's certainly better than MUA.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance is just crap Gauntlet as far as I can tell. I predict that Scribblenauts will just be a novelty without much replay value, but it's certainly better than MUA.
The first Marvel Ultimate Alliance was actually good, and unlike Gauntlet, it has a fairly good story and the game actually ends. The second game looks like they changed a lot of things and it looks a lot better than the first. I'm going to get it either way (as it would be fun to get four people together to play it), but not until I get my hard drive at school (and when I have money, which also means I won't be able to get Scribblenauts).
The first Marvel Ultimate Alliance was actually good, and unlike Gauntlet, it has a fairly good story and the game actually ends. The second game looks like they changed a lot of things and it looks a lot better than the first. I'm going to get it either way (as it would be fun to get four people together to play it), but not until I get my hard drive at school (and when I have money, which also means I won't be able to get Scribblenauts).
Having a story and ending don't make a game unlike Gauntlet. All you do is walk around and hit things. It's Gauntlet. Everything else is just theme and polish, the fundamentals are nearly identical.
I predict that Scribblenauts will just be a novelty without much replay value, but it's certainly better than MUA.
I disagree about the novelty aspect. Not only are the puzzles interesting, challenging and fun, there's also the challenge mode(where one has to complete the puzzles again, three times, using items that you haven't used in your previous attempts), and the Action mode levels on top of that. It also has an online multiplayer component, however, I've not had a chance to try it out yet - I will tomorrow, however, when Omnutia and I are Walkin' Around, Lookin' Around, and report back.
Also, the puzzles are abstract enough that it's always interesting to go back and see if there are any other ways you could have completed the puzzle, for example, in one puzzle, the entire clue was trick or treat. Once, I gave the kids candy, another, I called Cthulhu to scare them off, and possibly, devour them.
I'd go with Scribblenauts. I mean really, the list of words that can be used is huge. I think the replay value will be extremely high.
That being said, I just put the rom on my flashcart and tested it out and dicked around on the start screen. Starting the actual game either tonight or tomorrow.
I believe the only "multiplayer" component within the game is Level Sharing. You can create your own puzzles/stages/levels and then share them with your friends. That's awesome in its own way, though.
Just picked up the game for myself and Jeremy along with a new pink DSi. I'll play it later on tonight. Currently, I'm sporting the chicken hat that came with the pre-order.
Well it's not like games don't get good pre-order bonuses. Atlus has been putting out some really good shit like the Knights in the Nightmare art book (which I ended up having to buy on ebay since the Gamestop fucked me over and didn't get me the book because the store didn't get enough or a manager stole one). The new Soul Calibur artbook and soundtrack is another cool bonus. I got one for free cause my friend got me one cause the Gamestop he works at got no preorders for it.
Scribblenauts is disappointing, but not for the reasons I thought it would be.
Likewise. I think the problem is that its not limiting enough. They had originally said that you would have to play each puzzle three times and come up with different solutions each time, and the more obscure the solutions the more points you got. I think that would have worked a lot better (aside from some levels where its a pain to solve once, let alone three times.) This is probably an instance I think of them trying to do too much with it, when they should have really focused on doing a couple things really well.
Likewise. I think the problem is that its not limiting enough. They had originally said that you would have to play each puzzle three times and come up with different solutions each time, and the more obscure the solutions the more points you got. I think that would have worked a lot better (aside from some levels where its a pain to solve once, let alone three times.) This is probably an instance I think of them trying to do too much with it, when they should have really focused on doing a couple things really well.
I'll discuss it more later, but let me say just this.
I originally thought the game would suck because the problems would all be trivial to solve, and the whole game would just be about the novelty of discovering new words. I thought the novelty would wear off as soon as you discovered enough fun stuff that the novelty would be lost.In reality, the puzzles are actually not a pushover. Some of them are quite tricky, and there is definitely a game there.
The real problems with this game are twofold. One is that many puzzles require precision controls, yet the controls suck ass. Should I be able to solve the puzzle by flying my jetpack between the spikes? Yes. Can I? No, because the controls are ass.
The second problem is that even though the game has a humongous dictionary of items, that all look different, there really aren't actually that many different items. A basketball, a baseball, and a rock are all effectively the same thing in terms of solving puzzles. Because the objects do not have any advanced or subtle properties, clever solutions to problems simply do not work.
I'll leave it with one example. There's a level where you have to get past a tornado. First I tried to use some wind to diffuse the tornado, no good. Then I tried a hurricane to battle the tornado, nothing. Then I made the sun come up. The sun came up, but the storm did not dissipate. I tried to drive a gigantic tank (that was bigger than the tornado) through the tornado. No dice. The tank was knocked back. I tried to carry an anvil, it didn't let me pick the anvil up. I ended up cheating on the solution by asking the Internet. The solution was to ride a cow. The cow was tossed around by the tornado, but it just so happened that its weight was such that it was able to go over the top of the tornado.
The fact that you can't actually solve problems in a way that makes sense makes this game a huge disappointment.
I'll leave it with one example. There's a level where you have to get past a tornado. First I tried to use some wind to diffuse the tornado, no good. Then I tried a hurricane to battle the tornado, nothing. Then I made the sun come up. The sun came up, but the storm did not dissipate. I tried to drive a gigantic tank (that was bigger than the tornado) through the tornado. No dice. The tank was knocked back. I tried to carry an anvil, it didn't let me pick the anvil up. I ended up cheating on the solution by asking the Internet. The solution was to ride a cow. The cow was tossed around by the tornado, but it just so happened that its weight was such that it was able to go over the top of the tornado.
The fact that you can't actually solve problems in a way that makes sense makes this game a huge disappointment.
Hmm... that is a bit weird, maybe I shouldn't have bought this game for my Mum without having played it myself. Was riding the cow definitely the only way?
I'll leave it with one example. There's a level where you have to get past a tornado. First I tried to use some wind to diffuse the tornado, no good. Then I tried a hurricane to battle the tornado, nothing. Then I made the sun come up. The sun came up, but the storm did not dissipate. I tried to drive a gigantic tank (that was bigger than the tornado) through the tornado. No dice. The tank was knocked back. I tried to carry an anvil, it didn't let me pick the anvil up. I ended up cheating on the solution by asking the Internet. The solution was to ride a cow. The cow was tossed around by the tornado, but it just so happened that its weight was such that it was able to go over the top of the tornado.
The fact that you can't actually solve problems in a way that makes sense makes this game a huge disappointment.
My solution there was to summon a shelter about midway through the tornado area, enter the shelter with the tornado on one side, then leave when the tornado had passed over. (Point of interest: a shelter will not save you from a nuke. )
EDIT: I'll agree with you about the limited object differences and functionality; I probably could have done the same effective solution with a farmhouse, and my mainstay tools are the rope, chain, road (a flat rigid object), and flight devices. Still, it's a fun game, and the beauty there is that the puzzles allow for multiple solutions.
Hmm... that is a bit weird, maybe I shouldn't have bought this game for my Mum without having played it myself. Was riding the cow definitely the only way?
I'm sure there was probably some other way I didn't htink of, but riding the cow was the first answer I found on the Internet that worked.
Hmm... that is a bit weird, maybe I shouldn't have bought this game for my Mum without having played it myself. Was riding the cow definitely the only way?
I'm sure there was probably some other way I didn't htink of, but riding the cow was the first answer I found on the Internet that worked.
I used a shrink-ray on the tornado and just jumped over it. And no, I didn't look it up on the internet.
The fact that you can't actually solve problems in a way that makes sense makes this game a huge disappointment.
Is that one aspect the deciding factor on the game as a whole? Sure it might not be the way you expected it be, but is that all you take into account when making the final decision of your opinion?
The fact that you can't actually solve problems in a way that makes sense makes this game a huge disappointment.
Is that one aspect the deciding factor on the game as a whole? Sure it might not be the way you expected it be, but is that all you take into account when making the final decision of your opinion?
This isn't a situation of me expecting it to be good, and it was crap. I expected crap, and in reality it is a different kind of crap than what I expected.
in reality it is a different kind of crap than what I expected.
. Same here. The jetpack runs out of fuel when trying to go through the spikes. The tornado level is retarded. I haven't even gotten to the 2nd world.
Basically all I've been using are certain weapons, helicopter, jetpack, and a few others. I agree, for having 10,000-20,000 useable words, a lot of the items end up being the same, and most items are useless.
Comments
Also, the puzzles are abstract enough that it's always interesting to go back and see if there are any other ways you could have completed the puzzle, for example, in one puzzle, the entire clue was trick or treat. Once, I gave the kids candy, another, I called Cthulhu to scare them off, and possibly, devour them.
That being said, I just put the rom on my flashcart and tested it out and dicked around on the start screen. Starting the actual game either tonight or tomorrow.
As for this game:
Kraken vs. Trex = awesome.
Makes me want to make some sort of Scribblenaut cross-stitch of Maxwell..
I originally thought the game would suck because the problems would all be trivial to solve, and the whole game would just be about the novelty of discovering new words. I thought the novelty would wear off as soon as you discovered enough fun stuff that the novelty would be lost.In reality, the puzzles are actually not a pushover. Some of them are quite tricky, and there is definitely a game there.
The real problems with this game are twofold. One is that many puzzles require precision controls, yet the controls suck ass. Should I be able to solve the puzzle by flying my jetpack between the spikes? Yes. Can I? No, because the controls are ass.
The second problem is that even though the game has a humongous dictionary of items, that all look different, there really aren't actually that many different items. A basketball, a baseball, and a rock are all effectively the same thing in terms of solving puzzles. Because the objects do not have any advanced or subtle properties, clever solutions to problems simply do not work.
I'll leave it with one example. There's a level where you have to get past a tornado. First I tried to use some wind to diffuse the tornado, no good. Then I tried a hurricane to battle the tornado, nothing. Then I made the sun come up. The sun came up, but the storm did not dissipate. I tried to drive a gigantic tank (that was bigger than the tornado) through the tornado. No dice. The tank was knocked back. I tried to carry an anvil, it didn't let me pick the anvil up. I ended up cheating on the solution by asking the Internet. The solution was to ride a cow. The cow was tossed around by the tornado, but it just so happened that its weight was such that it was able to go over the top of the tornado.
The fact that you can't actually solve problems in a way that makes sense makes this game a huge disappointment.
Was riding the cow definitely the only way?
EDIT: I'll agree with you about the limited object differences and functionality; I probably could have done the same effective solution with a farmhouse, and my mainstay tools are the rope, chain, road (a flat rigid object), and flight devices. Still, it's a fun game, and the beauty there is that the puzzles allow for multiple solutions.
Basically all I've been using are certain weapons, helicopter, jetpack, and a few others. I agree, for having 10,000-20,000 useable words, a lot of the items end up being the same, and most items are useless.