Read my impressions of The Last of Us and Lost Planet 3...

THE WONDERFUL 101

This is one of the last games I expected to make me yearn for a WiiU. The Wonderful 101 looked like one of those concepts that was interesting, but I couldn’t imagine paying a full $60 for it.

It must be said that the shape of the WiiU Gamepad was a bit to adjust to at first. Not that the pad was uncomfortable, just that I wasn’t so used to my hands being so far apart on a device. That Microsoft has long since placed their buttons in a different order than Nintendo also adds to the confusion, as you may inadvertently press the Y button when reaching for X.

These are not faults of the device, nor are they of the game. In fact, Platinum provided two alternatives for its drawing mechanic for improved usability. In order to determine what sort of attack your collection of heroes will use, a player can either draw the shape directly onto the game pad’s touch screen or use the right thumb stick. For straight lines and angles I found a quick motion of my left thumb on the touch pad to be most efficient, while circles or more precise movements to be easier with the right thumb stick. Implementing both made swapping attack modes to be quick and efficient. Instead of feeling like a gimmick, it felt like a proper alternative to filling up the button layout.

Each mode of attack is intended for a different situation. There is a sort of energy sword attack that is best used against mobs of enemies, while an energy fist is best used against a single target. There is also a sort of giant energy gun for long-distance, but I found it to be the least useful attack of all. A possible last-ditch-effort in order to create some distance between yourself and the foe.

The rest of the buttons are based on different actions. Jumping, basic attack, or what is called the “team attack” which makes use of the energy sword, fist, or gun. The team attacks use energy, which you have in limited supply. Fortunately, there are batteries scattered about the level that will increase how much energy is available for attacks.

The game seems to be made up of a series of combat encounters against a variety of robotic foes with pattern attacks. Knowing when to dodge, when to move away, when to attack and what kind of attack to use are the key to the game. It feels very much like a game made by Nintendo, as they keep the mechanics simple while digging into their depths to provide a more rich experience. Not one encounter was boring.

Most importantly, it seems like the game will also be implementing puzzles and obstacles that will require the player to use the touch pad or thumb stick to manipulate their group of super heroes into a form that can overcome the trial. This keeps the focus from being completely on combat and assists the exploration elements greatly, meaning there will be more to do and see than just one fight to the next.

The Wonderful 101 is that classic, addictive sort of fun. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back and replay it. As I reflect, I may have to confess that The Wonderful 101 was my favorite game to play at PAX East.

DEAD TRIGGER and the MOGA GAMEPAD

If you had an android device on your person at PAX East then you were eligible to pick up a free gamepad by a company called MOGA. It’s a bluetooth device that requires the Android OS 2.3 or higher, allowing you to hook up and play compatible games with your gamepad. The one you got for free was the smaller one that I got to test out, and was meant to promote the larger controller they have releasing soon.

For the most part, it felt like you’d expect a gamepad to feel in your hands. It’s a bit small and it makes the L and R triggers a little strange to use. I imagine those with larger hands, particularly any fans of the original Xbox controller, won’t be too fond of it. Anyone else will likely be able to make do.

The real issue is the analog sticks. They are functional, but trying to make minor adjustments seems impossible. It’s very a much an “all-on” or “all-off” functionality.

Fortunately this didn’t matter for the game on display, Dead Trigger. Like a simplified Killing Floor, the game focuses on waves of increasingly difficult foes and earning money that can be used to open up more of the map, gain upgrades, refill ammunition and so on.

Most of the zombies are simple enough, and you get a good collection of weapon types. The assault rifle in particular feels like the most powerful and makes headshots easy. Precision was also not required, which made the analog sticks less of a problem.

That’s really all there is to the game, but it was addictive enough that fifteen minutes on the game passed by without my thinking about it. I didn’t have time to figure out the formula, but if, for whatever reason, you are avoiding a dedicated handheld gaming console like the 3DS or Vita, one of these MOGA gamepads and a copy of Dead Trigger is likely to kill a few minutes on your morning commute.

GOD FACTORY

Space flight sims have traditionally been a rather under-served genre for a while now, especially in recent years. The last game of this sort I recall playing was Project Sylpheed much earlier in this console cycle, a game that might have actually gotten more acknowledgement if it was released on PC as well.

Developer NineDots is looking to dabble in the genre themselves, however, with the four-versus-four multiplayer game God Factory. Until they can gauge an interest, they are currently not planning on a single player campaign and are making an exclusively multiplayer title.

It has all the bells and whistles you’d expect. An in-game currency that you can use to purchase upgrades, a hangar bay where you can customize your ships, and even a “quarters” where you can view all of your online game and match statistics. There’s no specific economy yet aside from “just play the game” in order to earn more cash.

A typical match consists of four players trying to destroy the opposing team’s mother ship in a limited amount of time. The mother ship is essential as the hangar bay can store a player’s spare ship, refill their ammunition and conduct repairs. It’s similar to how a player may swap characters in a Capcom Versus game to restore some health.

Destroying certain parts of the enemy’s mother ship will interfere with these advantages. Blowing up an ammunition cache will reduce the rate at which ammo refills, for example. This means you’ll not only want to deal damage, but you’ll want to destroy strategic points to handicap the other team.

The game has some potential and is targeting a release on Steam. They’re also developing it with joystick and gamepad support in addition to keyboard and mouse.