First things first... as part of its bankruptcy reorganization effort, Toys 'R Us is closing 180 stores. You'll find a complete list here, but it hurts the most for me to know that the Tucson and Lansing locations will be shuttered in a matter of months. The Tucson Toys 'R Us is where I got my copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga (and the last time I bought a game using the old ticket system), while the Lansing store holds so many happy memories for me as a gamer.
That store moved across town years ago, leaving a crappy Babies 'R Us in its wake, so I guess I shouldn't get too choked up over it. Nevertheless, watching a childhood staple like Toys 'R Us fade into history is heartbreaking. Those stores brought so much joy to me when I was a kid... somehow I doubt those buildings will hold that same thrill for future generations when they're turned into Halloween stores and Harbor Freights.
Now that you've been thoroughly depressed, let's look at the lighter side of the news... if a ten thousand pound pachyderm qualifies. I purchased Tembo the Bad-Ass Elephant in last weekend's PSN flash sale, and while the game was given a mixed reception by critics, I'm happy with what I've played so far. There's a sense of girth to this game that you don't often see in platformers... the lead character bursts through concrete walls, crashes through the floors of skyscrapers, and tramples over armies of soldiers with the screen-shaking impact you can't get from wimpy plumbers and spiny rodents*.
I also dig the juxtaposition of the military soundtrack, seemingly borrowed from a Rambo movie, and the silly artwork, plucked straight from the Cartoon Network prime-time line-up. Tembo the Bad-Ass Elephant was directed by Game Freak's James Turner, and while I was never impressed with his monster designs for Pokemon (an ice cream cone? Seriously?), this game seems like a more natural fit for his distinctly Western art style. I may lose interest in Tembo once the game gets tougher and more frustrating, but at least for the moment, I'm giving it two trunks up.
* actually, hedgehogs are more closely related to shrews
† shut the hell up, asterisk
Random observations on the classic gaming scene, courtesy of the former editor of The Gameroom Blitz.
Eh, sentient ice cream cones ain't so bad IMO. We had Pokémon that were literally just three of something back in Gen 1, and Voltorb and Electrode were literally "ball with angry eyes" and "ball with douchebag grin." James Turner did at least give us Golurk, a golem which wouldn't be too out of place in a Miyazaki film.
ReplyDeleteI should really remember to buy Tembo the Bad-Ass Elephant one of these days. It's no Pulseman 2, but between it and the also directed by Turner HarmoKnight (and that card jockey game I guess) I'm grateful that Game Freak's getting to do games besides Pokémon again.
Like, it was nothing but Pokémon for years, then Drill Dozer near the GBA's end, then back to Pokémon for years. Game Freak made some cool stuff! Not everything was a shit show like Yoshi* was!
* The NES puzzle game, not the Japanese name-having dino himself.
You're right, there have been worse Pokemon characters than Vanilluxe. Generally speaking, I get pretty annoyed when the artists at Game Freak decide to stick a face on a random object and call it a day. I get the feeling that such creations are the end result of a tight deadline and a quick rummage through an office drawer. "Ooh, I know! Let's do Stap-lor! He attacks with Collate!"
DeleteAnyway. I haven't gone back to Tembo in a while, but mostly because of general disinterest in video games, as opposed to anything against that game in particular. I don't even remember the last time I turned on my Xbox One... great use of $150, that.