Week 12: Actraiser and NHL '95

Actraiser

For Frodo!

The first game of the week, Actraiser, was not particularly interesting for me.  Actraiser follows a character known only as “The Master”, which appears to be a thinly veiled analogy to God.  The Master controls two different entities within the confines of the game.  The first is an angel; the angel is involved with the actions involving the map view of the world.  The second entity is a life-stricken statue; the statue follows the basic platform gaming format in order to traverse the levels, defeat the enemies, and finally, to conquer the various bosses.

While I did enjoy controlling the statue in order to defeat the various monsters, I found the angel sequences to be monotonous after a short while.  I was intrigued at first with the concept of using Godly powers in order to change the terrain of the land, but the excitement was quickly replaced by negative feelings.  The process of gaining the reverence of the people seemed drawn out and rather dull.  However, I will add that I am grateful for games like this one for being innovative.  Even though I did not particularly enjoy the primary concepts that were used in this game, the video gaming industry would die if all games were the same.

NHL ‘95

Unfortunately, this was not a very good week of gaming for my particular tastes.  I recognize that I am normally prejudiced against sports games, so I will do my best to approach this analysis in an unbiased fashion. 

Do any of the players look different?

The most frustrating part about NHL ’95 was my lack of knowledge concerning the controls and maneuvering the various menus.  On my first time of playing the game, I found myself stuck on a mini-game that forced me to remain as the goalie as the other team took penalty shots.  I was so frustrated with my inability to escape from the unbeatable game mode that I nearly quit the game for good.  Thankfully, my second experience with the game was exceedingly better than the first.  I actually played a real game of hockey, and I was impressed with how advanced the mechanics of the game were for 1994.  All the same, I was unhappy with my inability to learn the controls.  I was winning in the first half of the game, but the other team fouled me so terribly in the second half that I ultimately lost the game.  As a side note, the only thing that happened when the other team committed a foul was the crowd booing.  Had referees not been invented by that point, or was the NHL overrun by only blind ones?

I am aware that, despite my dislike for NHL ’95, the game was revolutionary in the sporting genre.  Some of the defining qualities of the game are trading or creating characters, playing an entire season, and the ability to earn end-of-the-year awards.  Games like NHL ’95 have been the milestones that have shaped the great sport games of today, and for that, I am grateful.