42 - Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (PS2)

Genre: Platformer
Rating: E
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 2001

Klonoa is a series of games I've always told myself I'd play but hadn't until today. While even in high school I had prided myself on being a pretty well-rounded gamer, a bunch of stuff was still new to me. Klonoa in particular was a title I had no knowledge of until I made friends with a much younger student. He was so much younger in fact (13 or so) he wasn't quite skilled in the act of more mature conversation, but we could talk about games. I'd let him play with my GBA SP at lunch and we could talk about stuff. He spoke highly of Klonoa and suggested I play it someday. He also bought me Shadow the Hedgehog which isn't a stellar game, but it sure was such a sweet gesture.

Enough reminiscing for now. This really is a pretty great platformer. Unfortunately I don't have all too much experience with platformer games aside from the big names but I almost wish I had more. If they're anything like this one then there is so much being missed out on.

Anyway, the game is really childlike in story, graphics, and gameplay. It almost feels like when I first played Super Mario 64 which is pretty damn wonderful. With all these modern and mature games that everyone plays these days the likes of Klonoa really should have a resurgence. It's just so damn fun to play and perfectly tuned.

After playing this game for a while I really would like to go through and beat it as well as grab the Wii remake.  There's some other games but it seems it might be a bit harder to obtain those. The Wii version is also relatively cheap from what I recall, which is always a good thing.

Would I play again? Yes!

38 - Scooby Doo! Night of 100 Frights (PS2)

Genre: 3D platformer
Rating: E
Developer: Heavy Iron Studios
Publisher: THQ
Platform: PS2 (Also: GC, Xbox)
Release date: 2002

I've never really liked the show Scooby Doo. I can't put my finger on why but it just seemed too silly. I've been  a fan of horror for a long time but somehow the comedy horror route of the show wouldn't appeal to me. Anyway, the game seems to be a pretty good recreation of the feel of the show. The intro for the game is the same for the show and there is even an in-game laugh track. The laugh track annoyed me for a while before I figured this was just part of making the experience as authentic to the show as possible.

The game itself isn't as bad as you might think. It feels a lot like Jersey Devil on PS1 simply for the fact that a lot of the time the environment is so empty and dark. There's some mystery guy who talks to you occasionally in areas and gives you information, but he's nearly as creepy as the nothingness around you. There's monsters too, but they mostly seem silly (as per usual) so they in fact hinder the scariness of the environment.

As far as the gameplay goes, it's surprisingly solid. I must admit it was also pretty funny to see Scooby do his signature scardeycat run as well as see him carry Shaggy around on two legs. Speaking of which, before playing the game I never realized how much of a stoner Shaggy seems like.

So yeah, the game was actually pretty fun. I never even died! What happened to make me stop was just as I was feeling good about the game I sent Scooby bouncing around the level with his newfound double jump ability. Unfortunately, somehow I managed to make Scooby jump into a tree. Once inside the tree's geometry there was no way back out. It seems I always manage to luck into game-breaking glitches.

Would I play again? Sure (to beat it).

8 - Carmen Sandiego: The Secret of the Stolen Drums

Genre: Action, platformer
Rating:  E for Everyone
Developer: Artificial Mind
Publisher: Bam Entertainment
System: PS2 (Also: GC, Xbox)
Release Date: 2004

Carmen Sandiego has always been a weird enigma in my gaming life. I always wanted to love the series but found myself completely unable to play it. When it was in vogue I was but a young child who had no real knowledge of the world I inhabited. It was nearly impossible to play but damn if I weren't captivated by the title character of Carmen.

So this game for PS2 is surprisingly far from the roots. While your characters provide you with lots of information about the level you traverse, the actual gameplay involves little to no detective work. It's just a platformer game at heart for kids. I really wish the game had maintained the old style of playing, but that probably wouldn't capture the attention of today's children.

There's a hint of stealth gameplay but it's a tiny hint. The enemies are robots who will shoot at you if you get in their sights. However, if you hide behind anything they will not give chase or remain in an alert state. They'll simply turn back around and do what they had been prior to your arrival. As such, this is a terribly forgiving stealth system, if it is even counted as one.

I don't think I actually died in this game. The only reason I pulled it out was because it was boring. Chasing a notorious thief is supposed to be exciting but it all felt like a chore. The graphics and movement of characters was very nicely done. Despite that though, there was no good reason to continue playing and in fact it seemed I would have to force myself to die for it to actually happen.

Would I play again? Perhaps (it's an easy game to beat).