Wiiviews and reviews
What follows is a review of Tomb Raider: Anniversary for the Wii. Also included is my review of Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. Cut for those who...Frankly my dear, don't give a damn
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (WII)
Anyone who hasn't been under a rock for the last decade probably knows the name Lara Croft. If you were one of the millions who owned a Playstation way back when, you likely played Tomb Raider for the system. It was one of the first killer apps for the system. Flash forward a decade and someone realized that they could make even more money if they took that first game and with a little spit and polish, release it for the Wii.
Gameplay
This is basically the first Tomb Raider (TR) game. I seem to remember some of the boss battles being very different, and I believe the last level of the game has been redesigned. Anyone who played the first game will find some very familiar things here, with just of enough twist to be different.
I was very concerned upon picking up the title as to how they had translated TR's famously difficult controls to the button sparse Wiimote. The answer is excellently. I was shocked at just how good a job they did. Lara moves smoothly and combat is a cinch. Dodging attacks however (accomplished with the nunchuck) can be a bit problematic at times, especially in boss fights.
Despite the excellent controls the game does have a glaring problem. The number of glitches is wholly unacceptable for a game like this. In several places in the game you will find yourself either rising up forever stuck in the jump animation, or will find yourself frustrated by trying to make a jump that seems like it should be easy, but due to a terrain glitch, isn't.
Graphics
Anyone who played the original TR knows that anything from that game would look laughable on the Wii. The developers stepped up and did a massive update to the entire game space. While nothing is groundbreaking, everything looks like it belongs on the Wii.
Summary
Despite a few gripes along the way this is basically the original TR we all remember and love. Yes it does have a few bumps in the road, but that doesn't mean it isn't an enjoyable trip down memory lane.
Final score
4 shakes of the Wiimote (a solid rental, if you're a fan of the original and you want it on the Wii you might consider buying it)
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Cryptonomicon
By Neal Stephenson
Anyone who enjoys the cyberpunk is probably familiar with Stephenson. He wrote “Snow Crash” which is one of the definitive titles in the genre. If you like cyberpunk and haven't read it yet I recommend giving it a read.
Cryptonomicon is about as far as you can get from Snow Crash. It loosely tells the story of a priceless horde of gold hidden by the Japanese near the end of the second world war. I say loosely because the plot is built in such a way that it takes many side trips.
The book is set in two time periods. The first is centered around the events of WWII. The second is set 60 years later when most of the descendants of those who buried the gold are trying to figure out where it is and dig it up. If this sounds like it doesn't make for a smooth narrative, you are correct.
The book jumps jarringly from place and time to place and time. Often main characters drift out of the story for 30 or 40 pages. When you do eventually wind back to them there is no guarantee they will be in a remotely recognizable situation. Stephenson just jumps in where he feels is a good point and then backfills you on whatever crucial points you may be missing because of this.
This approach may be fun if it weren't for the book's dense subject matter. As the title suggests the story revolves completely around codes and code breaking. I like to think I have some head for math but at points I found myself scratching my head and wondering what the hell Stephenson was talking about.
The other problem for me was the length. I am not afraid to dip into a good long book, but at 908 pages for the hardback addition this can sometimes feel like a prizefight more than a good read.
The book does have a few bright spots in it's humor. I know that seems odd when discussing math and WWII but at some points in the book (secondary, tertiary, and quaternary honking devices) I found myself laughing till I couldn't see the page.
Summary
Meh. It's a decent tale of fiction, but a pale second to his earlier work. If you love math, codes, or WWII based fiction, you may want to give it a read...otherwise pass.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (WII)
Anyone who hasn't been under a rock for the last decade probably knows the name Lara Croft. If you were one of the millions who owned a Playstation way back when, you likely played Tomb Raider for the system. It was one of the first killer apps for the system. Flash forward a decade and someone realized that they could make even more money if they took that first game and with a little spit and polish, release it for the Wii.
Gameplay
This is basically the first Tomb Raider (TR) game. I seem to remember some of the boss battles being very different, and I believe the last level of the game has been redesigned. Anyone who played the first game will find some very familiar things here, with just of enough twist to be different.
I was very concerned upon picking up the title as to how they had translated TR's famously difficult controls to the button sparse Wiimote. The answer is excellently. I was shocked at just how good a job they did. Lara moves smoothly and combat is a cinch. Dodging attacks however (accomplished with the nunchuck) can be a bit problematic at times, especially in boss fights.
Despite the excellent controls the game does have a glaring problem. The number of glitches is wholly unacceptable for a game like this. In several places in the game you will find yourself either rising up forever stuck in the jump animation, or will find yourself frustrated by trying to make a jump that seems like it should be easy, but due to a terrain glitch, isn't.
Graphics
Anyone who played the original TR knows that anything from that game would look laughable on the Wii. The developers stepped up and did a massive update to the entire game space. While nothing is groundbreaking, everything looks like it belongs on the Wii.
Summary
Despite a few gripes along the way this is basically the original TR we all remember and love. Yes it does have a few bumps in the road, but that doesn't mean it isn't an enjoyable trip down memory lane.
Final score
4 shakes of the Wiimote (a solid rental, if you're a fan of the original and you want it on the Wii you might consider buying it)
*********************************************************
Cryptonomicon
By Neal Stephenson
Anyone who enjoys the cyberpunk is probably familiar with Stephenson. He wrote “Snow Crash” which is one of the definitive titles in the genre. If you like cyberpunk and haven't read it yet I recommend giving it a read.
Cryptonomicon is about as far as you can get from Snow Crash. It loosely tells the story of a priceless horde of gold hidden by the Japanese near the end of the second world war. I say loosely because the plot is built in such a way that it takes many side trips.
The book is set in two time periods. The first is centered around the events of WWII. The second is set 60 years later when most of the descendants of those who buried the gold are trying to figure out where it is and dig it up. If this sounds like it doesn't make for a smooth narrative, you are correct.
The book jumps jarringly from place and time to place and time. Often main characters drift out of the story for 30 or 40 pages. When you do eventually wind back to them there is no guarantee they will be in a remotely recognizable situation. Stephenson just jumps in where he feels is a good point and then backfills you on whatever crucial points you may be missing because of this.
This approach may be fun if it weren't for the book's dense subject matter. As the title suggests the story revolves completely around codes and code breaking. I like to think I have some head for math but at points I found myself scratching my head and wondering what the hell Stephenson was talking about.
The other problem for me was the length. I am not afraid to dip into a good long book, but at 908 pages for the hardback addition this can sometimes feel like a prizefight more than a good read.
The book does have a few bright spots in it's humor. I know that seems odd when discussing math and WWII but at some points in the book (secondary, tertiary, and quaternary honking devices) I found myself laughing till I couldn't see the page.
Summary
Meh. It's a decent tale of fiction, but a pale second to his earlier work. If you love math, codes, or WWII based fiction, you may want to give it a read...otherwise pass.