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[Hippo]

I put this in blog because there's no magazine section (why would there be?).

EPISODE 1



Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to issue 1 of HippoMag! In the first ever episode, we will be reviewing, ranting and just general things like that! As I will normally be doing, I will start off with the reviews.

Minecraft
Quite Simply – Diamonds, blocks, creepers
What else would HippoMag’s first review be? I’ve played it, and it’s quite likely that you have too! Everyone has raged because of a creeper, rejoiced because of a diamond, and lost most of your spare time because of a truly addictive game!

<Graphics>
People say the graphics are awful, and it’s quite true that the simple pixel graphics are no match for Skyrim or COD, but most of these people don’t realise that the graphics are meant to be like that. Minecraft’s graphics are retro, and although they are very simple, even for retro, it doesn’t necessarily make them bad. I think that each block could have more than just 16x16 pixels per face, even if it was just 32x32. I am aware that you can even get HD texture packs, but I feel that you shouldn’t have to download a fan made pack just to experience the full potential of Minecraft’s aesthetics.
In the options menu there are more than enough graphics options, with render (fog) distance, fancy or fast settings, and even the newly added options like brightness, Advanced GL and many other things. However, it is often unclear (especially to new players) which graphic features are for better quality graphics, and which are for lower. There is a mod for this, though.

<Gameplay>
The aim of Minecraft is to collect resources, with diamond armour and tools being the highest, make a home, find a stronghold and fix the portal. Once you’ve done that, you must go to The End, and defeat the Ender Dragon. I think that this was done lazily, because there is no real storyline, and there is no real reason for you to track down and defeat the Ender Dragon. In all honesty, I think the whole “End” feature is somewhat unnecessary.
Most people know the basics of starting off – collect wood, make a pick, find coal, make torches, make a home and gradually upgrade your tools, from wood to stone, then iron, and then diamond. I wouldn’t really call gold tools an upgrade, because although they are faster than diamond, they only have the durability of wood and cannot mine anything higher than coal (iron, redstone, gold etc.).
The enemies are quite basic when you are above ground, with some that teleport (endermen), some that just attack you (zombies), some that can climb (spiders), some that explode (creepers) and some that have a ranged attack (skeletons). When you start going underground, they get a bit more complicated, with poison spiders and slimes (which split into smaller one on death). The fighting system needs improving, because critical hits aren’t random, you just have to be falling to get one, and all mobs of the same type have the same amount of health, but I think it would be better if it was varied.

<Sound>
The music in Minecraft has a very classical vibe to it, and it is often the same with the CDs. Some CDs are actually quite awful tracks, and some of them I wouldn’t even classify as music (I know “11” isn’t meant to be music).
The sound is good most of the time, and I’m glad that endermen didn’t just have zombie sounds in the full release. The endermen sounds are still quite odd though, and I don’t think they’re really very fitting.

<Originality>
Minecraft is quite an original game, and although there are many sandbox games out there, Minecraft was one of the first where you have to mine, and build almost completely manually. There are so many more possibilities than games with prebuilt structures (like Stranded), and some of the enemies are very innovative.

<Summary>
Graphics – 6/10 – Could do with improving
Gameplay – 9/10 – Needs a storyline
Sound – 8/10 – Some sounds and music are annoying
Originality – 9/10 – Similar theme to other games, but quite unique
Overall – 86/100 - Great
 

Pokémon LeafGreen
Quite Simply – Gotta catch ‘em all! Again!
If you’re wondering why I’m reviewing this, I felt that I needed to review the first ever game I played. I remember having countless hours of fun using different starters, different Pokémon, and doing the post game.

<Graphics>
Bearing in mind that this is a GBA game, the graphics are actually quite good, with decent move animations and even the aesthetics outside of battle are OK. There are no graphics options, but I’ve never had a problem with them so I don’t really think it’s needed.
The characters outside of battle are a little under-detailed, though. When I was younger, I actually thought that the player’s cap was his face! Looking back on it, I can still see how I made that mistake, because his head (minus the cap) is only about 4 or 5 pixels high.

<Gameplay>
The turn-based battle style works well, and although some battles get tedious and you still can’t lose (level 3 Rattata against level 8 Metapod?) and about 80% of the NPCs are completely useless, providing tips you’ve automatically been given or just saying rubbish.
The trainers only seem to have 1 or 2 types of Pokémon, unless they’re Gary. This can be quite annoying, making the game too easy at some stages, and too hard at others. I can understand why the gyms are type based, but bug catchers, bird catchers, psychics, etc seem unneeded.
The evolution system is also something that annoys me sometimes. Some Pokémon just get bigger when they “evolve”, and other go through ridiculous changes and you wouldn’t even tell they’re related. Other than this, the gameplay is smooth and without bugs.

<Sound>
The Pokémon music is very nice, and a lot of the tunes are quite popular, and they make appearances in games like Smash Bros., too. A few tunes are repetitive, and it would be nice if it wasn’t the same music in every wild battle.
The chip tune effect works quite well, and gives a retro aura to the game. Then there is the infamous Lavender Town tune, which was updated for LeafGreen and I actually think is quite good. The 8-bit version in Red, Blue and Yellow was admittedly quite creepy.

<Originality>
Pokémon itself is very original, but it feels like they’re milking it a bit, even back in 2004. A second set of remakes wasn’t necessary, especially after there were already 3 almost identical games, but of different names, which could mislead you into buying about 3 of the 5 Kanto Pokémon games.

<Summary>
Graphics – 8/10 – Quite nice, but the map graphics could improve
Gameplay – 9/10 – Repetitive and tedious at times, but for the most part charismatic and fun
Sound – 7/10 – I think every gets a bit tired after hearing the wild battle tune a few hundred times
Originality – 6/10 – Basically Pokémon Red or Blue, but with a few tweaks
Overall – 91/100 – Excellent