The Red Snifit: 05.06.08 - HIDDEN GEMS episode 2
Posted by Chris Scott on 05.06.2008
This week, 411's Chris Scott takes a look at Hotel Dusk: Room 215 for the Nintendo DS. It's a peach of a room! Also, as always, takes a look at this week's VC offerings inside The Virtual Console Corral!
Welcome to yet another edition of The Red Snifit. I'm your host, and surprisingly not yet released and wished good luck upon my future endeavors, Chris Scott. Last night, I assisted in my sister's adventure in furthering her education at Ohio State by attending a My Chemical Romance concert with her. The things you do for education! Luckly, I didn't have to maul over any screaming pre-teen emo kids and fun was had by all! With that unimportant nugget of insight behind us, let's get this mother started!
OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION: HIDDEN GEMS episode 2
Today, out hidden gem is a game that is more recent then most games that people think of when they think of overlooked classics. Found in a K-Mart bargin bin for $12.99 when I bought it, today I present to you Hotel Dusk: Room 215.
In Hotel Dusk Room 215, you play as Kyle Hyde, a former NY detective that turned in the badge after being forced to shoot his partner, Bradley. 3 years later, finding work as a door-to-door salesman/undercover detective for a family friend, he's sent to Hotel Dusk to pick up a few items for a client. All the while, Hyde believes that Bradley is still alive somewhere and is consumed with finding him. Could Hotel Dusk lead him to the answer to his 3 year question?
The story is what drives the game. Everybody in the hotel has a story to tell, which in the end, all tie in to the whereabouts of Bradley. The dialog is extremely well written, making it feel more like an interactive book (especially since you hood the DS sideways like a notebook). The cast of characters are great. From Dunning Smith, the gritty hotel owner, to Louis DeNonno, the thief you used to bust all the time in NY turned hotel bussboy, to Mila, the mysterious girl who hitches a ride to Hotel Dusk trying to solve he own mystery, each character has an interesting story to tell and is pivotal to moving the game along.
The graphics are taken straight from Ah-Ha's "Take On Me" music video from the 80s. It gives the game a unique look and helps cover up the chunky 3D graphics (the bowling scene is just plain UGLY!). To get a good idea of what to expect, here's a link to an awesome Youtube video I found of the game's gameplay set to Ah-Ha's only US hit: http://youtube.com/watch?v=iYpldGELMI4
As you progress, you use the stylus to collect clues to discover the hotel's hidden secrets (suck as lock combinations and secret rooms). It uses the point-and-click method when you're searching items. As for navigating, you used the stylus to move around in an overhead view as the other screen shows you 3D environments in a 1st person view.
The music fits the environment well enough. It's nothing mind-blowing or epic, but it accompanies the visuals very well. You get elevator music when you're wondering throughout the hotel, lounge music when hangin' with Louie in the bar, and so on and so forth.
Unfortunately, replay value is where the game really lacks. Once you've solved all the puzzles and finished the game, there isn't much reason to go back and play through it again. No second quest, no difficulty selection, what you see the 1st go around is pretty much all you get. There are a few additional items to collect after you beat it once and there is an alternate ending if you progress through the game without making any mistakes (and I won't spoil it for you), but other then that it's all the same.
I feel that the biggest reason why this game didn't sell very well is the lack of publicity by Nintendo. Unless you look around on the internet on sites such as ours, you had no way of knowing this game ever existed. Perhaps the minor swearing and the references to alcohol wasn't something that Nintendo wanted their squeaky clean image to be associated with. Even in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which is almost encyclopedic in Nintendo history, the only trace of this game i have yet to find is the Dunning Smith sticker.
For those who did happen to pick this game up, it was a quality purchase with a story that was easy to be caught up into. It's a game that you finish, leave sit for a few months or so, then pick up again to rediscover it's greatness. Cing did hint that we would be seeing a sequel, but it seems very unlikely due to the poor sales. Hopefully I'm wrong.
Saddle up, kids! It's that time again! To see what classic treasures Nintendo has prepared for us this week, we venture off into ..
THE VIRTUAL CONSOLE CORRAL!
Pokemon Puzzle League (N64 1000 points)
What Nintendo says:
Get ready for a new kind of Pokemon battle where the power and speed of your brain are just as important as the strength of your Pokemon. Join Ash, Brock, Misty and many more characters from the Pok?mon animated series as they gather in Puzzle Village to compete for the title of Pokemon Puzzle Master. Just match three or more blocks of the same color in any direction. Sounds simple, right? But the actual game play is surprisingly addictive and deep (chains and combos anyone?), especially when you're facing off against a human opponent. Choose from six different modes offering a wide range of action, from story or puzzle modes to continuous play or timed play. If that's not enough, take on the challenge in 3-D and get ready for more blocks than ever before. Featuring animated cut scenes combined with bright, fun graphics, there's enough to satisfy any fan of Pokemon or puzzle games.
What Nintendo MEANS to say:
In this we game we show how we can take a game that didn't sell vary well (Tetris Attack), throw in some cute little monsters, and re-release it and make it a success! Buy it or Pikachu will cry!
Hit or Miss: Hit. It's an awesome puzzler, but you may already have this game on your GBA or DS. If you don't already have another version of it, pick it up. If you do, ignore.
Renegade (NES 500 points)
Renegade follows the story of a vigilante who fights his way through countless gangs in order to bring peace back to his city. Battle your way through subways, parks, alleyways and parking lots. For added fun, there's a wild motorcycle ride to challenge you. Use your arsenal of kicks, punches (including the infamous sit-on punch) and jump kicks, as well as a variety of throws to knock your opponents into submission. Along the way, pick up items like a hamburger that restores your life, a heart that increases your lives by one, a power-up to increase your attack strength, and a speed item that gives you a speed burst while on your motorcycle. You'll need all the help you can get to take out your aggression on street punks, thugs, outlaw bikers, killer kung-fu females and an array of bosses standing in your way. Take the law into your own hands to defeat countless scumbags and take your city back like the renegade you are.
What Nintendo MEANS to say:
It's the grand daddy that started them all what it comes to beat em ups. 2 weeks ago we brought you River City Ransom, last week we offered Double Dragon, and now we offer the game that both of our previous offerings spun off of!
Hit or Miss: Miss. Although it was the first, I really see no reason to pick it up. It doesn't bring the nostalgia that Double Dragon does and River City Ransom is far superior to it.
Maybe next week we'll finally get Earthbound!
A boy can dream!
That will do it for this episode of The Red Snifit. I'm Chris Scott, and teenagers scare the living shit out of me!
