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Game of the Month: February
Written by Modojo Staff on Friday, March 3, 2006
What do Modojo editors like to do most: hit homers, rub rabbits, drill holes, fight vampires, or escape disasters?
Portable gaming has been growing up for some time now. While the GBA played host to dozens of classics (Advance Wars being a personal favorite), the hardware was nearly a full decade behind what was being accomplished in the console space. The PSP and DS didn't just close (or in the PSP's case virtually eliminate) that 10-year gap, they legitimized portable gaming to an entirely new audience of gamers and game-makers alike.
As a result there are now more portable games released monthly than ever before, with four viable platforms being supported. That's why we're here to break down February's five greatest portable gaming experiences. Just one game is worthy of being called Game of the Month, however. Modojo doesn't believe in ties.
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It's a testament to all the old school game designers out there that their 20-year-old NES titles are finding new fans via new mediums, even with hardware like the Xbox 360 enabling games of incredible depth and richness. The quality of Castlevania's mobile port and of the gameplay itself is a testament to Konami's skill. This game is quite simply a must have. Its classic taste hasn't soured yet, and its gameplay and presentation will leave you hooked.
Review Excerpt:
"This is a captivating action/adventure series that never gets old and has hours of fun packed into it, with a Belmont (or another character) whipping enemies and using special items to move ahead."
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I'm not much of a baseball fan, but sometimes sports games drop that are so good they're able to transcend personal taste, allowing anyone to have a good time. MLB 06 for the PSP unfortunately lost the console version's franchise mode, but that's almost literally the only gripe we have. Everything else is golden. Sony's done a wonderful job making the sport accessible for hardcore fanatics as well as people like me who only follow the playoffs.
Review Excerpt:
"It is the best damn sports game that I have ever played on a hand held system, a title that begs to be purchased and loved into the wee hours of the morning. I'm not sure that anyone except Sony can top it."
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Sega's The Rub Rabbits! makes more creative use of the DS's many unique features than any other game yet released. That includes Nintendogs, Pac-Pix, Trauma Center, and all the rest of the system's unique offerings. Gamers will hold their DS sideways or even upside-down, for some challenges. They'll rub, slap, scratch, and stroke their touch screen. The microphone is put to use in genuinely innovative ways. With a lengthier quest than its predecessor Feel the Magic along with robust and varied multiplayer options, Rub Rabbits is a cart packed with pure fun.
Review Excerpt:
"It seems like Sonic Team's learned their mistakes from the first game, and made Rabbits well worth the rub. It's just as delightfully weird and soothing as it's ever been, and the numerous options will keep you hammering away on your virtual heart throughout the night."
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Modojo gets the feeling that Drill Dozer is in a lot of ways Nintendo's big first-party send-off for the GBA. The DS and GBA co-existed in harmony in 2005, but 2006 looks to be a different story. The quirky and cute adventure isn't revolutionary by any means, but it's a celebration of 2D gaming ideals that are all but extinct. Levels are packed with secrets to be uncovered via creative (or just persistent) drilling, and boss battles are extremely clever. We have the feeling this one will be turning up on GBA must-own lists once the system's post-mortem begins.
Review Excerpt:
"The enemies are numerous, secrets abound, and the bosses are well designed and the actual battles are clever affairs. Kudos to Game Freak for coming up with something fresh in the platform genre."
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Exit being February's Game of the Month is almost as big of a surprise to us as it probably is to you. We reviewed it (right here) and had a lot of positive things to say, but after the review was written the game grew on us even more. What kept us coming back was Exit's devilishly difficult puzzles that crop up in later scenarios. 70 of the game's 100 initial scenarios are available from the start, so even when Exit stumped us it didn't frustrate us, because you always have the option of skipping tough levels.
The fact that 100 more levels will eventually be available for download is what cemented it as February's best portable game. We've eagerly gobbled up the first 30, even if their intense difficulty (they're much tougher than the 100 that make up the main game) is sometimes a bit much for our feeble minds.
If you don't mind your videogames actually making you think, then Exit is a must-own. It's huge, stylish, and extremely rewarding.
