Arthur Is After The Princess
- Date: 2006-09-19 - Word Count: 846
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Ultimate Ghosts'N Goblins makes its debut on the PSP; 21 years after the original version hit the arcades and became an instant smash.
That's right; the retro band wagon just keeps on rolling, but with a twist. The original Ghosts 'n Goblins, released back in 1985, has had 2 official sequels previously released and the PS2's Maximo games are generally thought of as unofficial sequels. It has been ported onto numerous platforms from the ZX Spectrum to the GameBoy Advance and even the WonderSwan (brownie points to those who remember the WonderSwan). Back to the present day and this version has been completely re-written specifically for the PSP. All the levels on this game have been designed pure and simply for our beloved machine. Just when you thought that was it, the good news just keeps rolling on… not only does this game contain the new levels, but it also includes new weapons, magic powers and armour. Faithful fans of the original game don't worry though; it hasn't been changed beyond all recognition, as the screenshots will show. So, what's it all about then?
Well, the story goes that evil from the Demon Realm has come and kidnapped your heroes princess, with the intention of mixing their blood with the princesses royal blood. You play the role of Arthur, a knight whose job it is to get the princess back, before the Demon Realm gets its way. What options does it have for us, I hear you cry… come hither and I will reveal all. You've got 3 difficulty levels (Novice, Standard and Ultimate) as well as the ability to set your buttons to a configuration more suitable to your style of play and that's about it. You have to remember though, as side-scrolling platform games go, you'll not get (nor need), many more options than that. What else is new then, I can sense you're wondering. Well, you can now 'Dash' which will come in handy from running away from, oops, charging at enemies. You can 'Grab' onto ledges and elevator like platforms (though watch out for the spikes under them) and pull yourself up onto said platforms. You have a nice little defensive manoeuvre 'Guard with shield'; assuming you have a shield that is and you can 'Hover', which will help you, get that little bit further across ravines.
There are some quirky bits in the game as well, not all as bad as they may first appear and I'll explain this a bit further. There are pots of bubbling green liquid littered across the playing area, which if entered, will remove your armour (if you have any), kill you (if you don't have armour) or mutate you. So far I have, for example, been mutated into a Grasshopper and a Chicken, only for a short amount of time, but long enough to be aided and hampered (not at the same time I hasten to add). As a chicken, I have not found any benefit yet, I just end up losing a life when I transform back. The Grasshopper however, does come in handy when trying to reach seemingly impossibly high goodies, due to the increased jumping ability. Which leads me nicely onto the game itself, as jumping is the most frustrating part of the game.
It's one of those games, that don't have the ability to position your character in an exact spot. This is where my frustration kicked in, when trying to jump up to get some goodies, as if you go too far back, while trying to stop in a sweet spot, the enemies you just killed appear again! Anyway, that's where my gripe stops with this game. The array of weapons is always a plus in this type of platform game and there's no shortage when it comes to them. As you would expect, there is plenty of opportunity to change your current weapon as you go along, by shooting pots, opening chests and destroying 'stones' in the ground. Amongst the weapons available are your trusty lance and daggers (both good for rapid fire and decent range); a boomerang (slow, but good against arms in the ground); a whip (again slow and limited range, but good against arms); bombs and fiery challis' (both slow with very limited range) and my favourite a "homing axe" (which goes directly at the enemy in the direction you're facing).
Overall then what do I reckon? Well, it's definitely a challenging game, no matter what level you're playing at. The graphics are good, without trying to be realistic and an improvement over the arcade version, but they're probably not best appreciated on a small screen. The save function after each level is a definite plus, as there's nothing more frustrating than starting back at the beginning after being killed off. The overall package is well done, very playable and one for the shopping list of retro gamers and platform fans alike… give it a go, you never know, you may enjoy it!
If you enjoyed this review, please visit http://www.pspparadise.co.uk for more great PSP reviews.
That's right; the retro band wagon just keeps on rolling, but with a twist. The original Ghosts 'n Goblins, released back in 1985, has had 2 official sequels previously released and the PS2's Maximo games are generally thought of as unofficial sequels. It has been ported onto numerous platforms from the ZX Spectrum to the GameBoy Advance and even the WonderSwan (brownie points to those who remember the WonderSwan). Back to the present day and this version has been completely re-written specifically for the PSP. All the levels on this game have been designed pure and simply for our beloved machine. Just when you thought that was it, the good news just keeps rolling on… not only does this game contain the new levels, but it also includes new weapons, magic powers and armour. Faithful fans of the original game don't worry though; it hasn't been changed beyond all recognition, as the screenshots will show. So, what's it all about then?
Well, the story goes that evil from the Demon Realm has come and kidnapped your heroes princess, with the intention of mixing their blood with the princesses royal blood. You play the role of Arthur, a knight whose job it is to get the princess back, before the Demon Realm gets its way. What options does it have for us, I hear you cry… come hither and I will reveal all. You've got 3 difficulty levels (Novice, Standard and Ultimate) as well as the ability to set your buttons to a configuration more suitable to your style of play and that's about it. You have to remember though, as side-scrolling platform games go, you'll not get (nor need), many more options than that. What else is new then, I can sense you're wondering. Well, you can now 'Dash' which will come in handy from running away from, oops, charging at enemies. You can 'Grab' onto ledges and elevator like platforms (though watch out for the spikes under them) and pull yourself up onto said platforms. You have a nice little defensive manoeuvre 'Guard with shield'; assuming you have a shield that is and you can 'Hover', which will help you, get that little bit further across ravines.
There are some quirky bits in the game as well, not all as bad as they may first appear and I'll explain this a bit further. There are pots of bubbling green liquid littered across the playing area, which if entered, will remove your armour (if you have any), kill you (if you don't have armour) or mutate you. So far I have, for example, been mutated into a Grasshopper and a Chicken, only for a short amount of time, but long enough to be aided and hampered (not at the same time I hasten to add). As a chicken, I have not found any benefit yet, I just end up losing a life when I transform back. The Grasshopper however, does come in handy when trying to reach seemingly impossibly high goodies, due to the increased jumping ability. Which leads me nicely onto the game itself, as jumping is the most frustrating part of the game.
It's one of those games, that don't have the ability to position your character in an exact spot. This is where my frustration kicked in, when trying to jump up to get some goodies, as if you go too far back, while trying to stop in a sweet spot, the enemies you just killed appear again! Anyway, that's where my gripe stops with this game. The array of weapons is always a plus in this type of platform game and there's no shortage when it comes to them. As you would expect, there is plenty of opportunity to change your current weapon as you go along, by shooting pots, opening chests and destroying 'stones' in the ground. Amongst the weapons available are your trusty lance and daggers (both good for rapid fire and decent range); a boomerang (slow, but good against arms in the ground); a whip (again slow and limited range, but good against arms); bombs and fiery challis' (both slow with very limited range) and my favourite a "homing axe" (which goes directly at the enemy in the direction you're facing).
Overall then what do I reckon? Well, it's definitely a challenging game, no matter what level you're playing at. The graphics are good, without trying to be realistic and an improvement over the arcade version, but they're probably not best appreciated on a small screen. The save function after each level is a definite plus, as there's nothing more frustrating than starting back at the beginning after being killed off. The overall package is well done, very playable and one for the shopping list of retro gamers and platform fans alike… give it a go, you never know, you may enjoy it!
If you enjoyed this review, please visit http://www.pspparadise.co.uk for more great PSP reviews.
Related Tags: psp, review, game, video game, ultimate ghostsn goblins
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