Though my game intake has been woefully lacking this year due to real world commitments, the winner of 2013 clearly shines through for me in the delightful reboot that is Pokemon 6th Gen, my version of choice being Pokemon Y. I’ve been a pokemon trainer ever since the game’s glorious debut on Gameboy, but sadly lost interest after 3rd Gen thoroughly disappointed me with it’s lack of evolution, and proceeded to skip the next two generations on account of Game Freak trying to palm me off with god-awful fire starters, amongst other things. (Yes, I am that picky. Ain’t no way in hell I’m heading my team with a flaming pig! To me a flaming pig is bacon.) In comparison, Pokemon X/Y is a breath of fresh air, and not just because Fennekin is adorable. (Though it does help…)
The 3D make-over finally grants every poke-fan’s life-long wish, making us weep copious tears of gratitude the likes of which haven’t been seen since the days of Pokemon Stadium. At the risk of sounding trite, the new visuals really do bring the world of pokemon to life in a way never before seen previously, not only the ‘mons themselves, but the tiny little environmental details like wind blowing through the grass textures, the sparkles on the water, and dynamic camera angles to show them off. Towns no longer feel like a bunch of static copy-paste pixels serving no more purpose than to flesh out your adventure, you can believe people live in Lumoise city and its many smaller surrounding habitats. The unashamedly French setting is also a nice change from the usual Japanese inspiration; bits of French (or at least fashionable French) culture permeate the game at every turn leading to a surprisingly fun amount of character customisation. Mega Evolutions add an exciting spice to the standard tried and tested battle formula, and for those people like myself who genuinely grow attached to their team (hence the importance of a decently designed starter!), Pokemon Amie is a joy to behold and offers unexpected rewards in battle for those willing to forge strong bonds with their partners through bribery and balls of yarn.
Oh Paper Mario… My dear, sweet, papery friend… What have they done to you? How far have you fallen? When did they tear out your intricately folded origami heart and sell it for stickers?
Paper Mario: Sticker Star, the long awaited fourth entry to the Paper Mario franchise and its maiden voyage on a handheld console, had the honour of being my very first game of 2013. Having loved the series since its N64 debut, I cannot convey the anticipation, the excitement, the pure childlike glee I felt upon finally unwrapping my newest papery adventure! Likewise, mere words cannot possibly express the disappointment once the initial novelty of the (admittedly beautiful) shiny new papery animations crumbled to dust. As pretty as it is (And this game is VERY pretty. No really, if I could judge it on visual creativity alone, it would be the best in the series), its outer beauty cannot hide the fact that this game is a hollow, ultimately pointless experience.
And I feel awful being so harsh, I really do. Because Sticker Star tries SO HARD. It’s the Tin Man of video games. It wants to have a heart so badly, remembers the days when it did, but cannot fathom how it came to lose it. So it clings, desperately and mournfully, with a false cheeriness that’s almost haunting, to the memories of when papery love surged through its core. It laughs and mocks itself, pointing and winking at standard Mario tropes in its well known fourth-wall breakingly witty way. But there’s nothing to laugh about. There are no characters to mock here. No life, no purpose other than to provide you with stickers and the occasional nudge in the right direction.
There are toads, yes, but they’re all identical. They have no names. They don’t seem overly fussed that Peach has been kidnapped for the fourteenth million time. Enemies have no more personality than the stickers you collect, which in themselves are pointless. Battling is meaningless. No experience is given, no bonuses earned, no level ups. Fighting earns you stickers. You collect stickers to enable you to fight. You fight to use up your abundance of stickers to make room in your scrapbook for more. It’s an endless cycle with little gained but coins. …which you use to buy stickers.
Stripped of all the RPG elements and characterisation which formed the series’ identity, to me Sticker Star is sadly little more than a ghost of what could have been. Granted it may have improved in later levels, but I lost interest long before I got that far.
