When the Wii hit the market in 2006, I really, really wanted one. I tried to line up, but failed, used the Wiiseeker to try to find shipments – failed. I finally managed to get my hands on one, although I don’t totally remember how. Five years later, I have finally said goodbye to my Wii (gave it to my parents). Unfortunately, I have far less pleasant memories with the Wii than I would have hoped.

The Good Times
It’s hard to think that five years ago, the Wii presented such promise and hope for gaming. I had visions of a future where games would be completely changed. Although it was originally meant for the Gamecube, the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess seemed to hint at greater things to come. So too did Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. With the announcement of The Conduit, it seemed like hardcore gamers would get to play first person shooters in a whole new way on the Wii.

The casual games were also a lot of fun. I remember when people would gather to play Wii Sports – bowling, golf, tennis. Wii Sports Resort was also a lot of fun, and it was amusing to make fun of people playing Wii Fit as well. The Wii was also great as a family system; it represented the first and last time I ever played video games with my parents. The Wii was excellent in spurts, but unfortunately the lows left a bigger lasting impression than the highs.

The Bad Times
The innovative games on the Wii, like Zack and Wiki or other games that used the Wiimote in clever ways, had one problem. There weren’t enough of them. Every once in awhile, an amazing game would come along, but as the Wii got older and older, these titles became fewer and further between. Before I knew it, my Wii had become an incredibly expensive paperweight.

Worse, Nintendo completely missed the boat when it came to internet connectivity. I still remember what a pain it was to play Smash Brothers online with friends. Enough has been said about friend codes, but it really is incredibly ridiculous.

Worst of all, Nintendo forgot about what made it great – its fans. I don’t begrudge them making money, but they still could have thrown the hardcore fans a bone or two. Instead, it felt like games long time Nintendo fans wanted only came once a year or even once every two years. That just wasn’t right. In the last year, even when the Wii has had games I’ve been interested in, I haven’t bothered picking them up. Too little, too late.

Regrets?
My only tiny regret giving the Wii away is that the new Zelda comes out soon. Oh well. It’s not worth holding onto a system just to play one game or less a year. So, that’s it. I am no longer a Wii owner. I had all three systems for a short while, but I’m a two system guy once again. (Plus the PC!) I may regret it once a year, but unfortunately, the Wii has no place on my shelf anymore. So long, and thanks for keeping my papers from blowing away.

Any gamer who lives with a non-gamer (generally, the Mrs., but I don’t want to assume) knows the inherent tensions that can arise in the household. “Do the dishes!” (Five more minutes…) “It’s time for bed!” (Let me finish this level.) “We’re going to be late!” (I’m fighting a boss.) “I’m going into labor!” (Let me get to a save point!) These tensions exist in my marriage as much as they might in any other and are compounded by the fact that my wife dislikes glowing rectangles in general. Thus any game that Mrs. cmfl3x and I can find a common interest in is like pure gold.

In this two part feature, I’ll be looking for some of the general principles that a gamer can use to try to find a game that can be enjoyed with a non-gamer. Obviously, your mileage may vary, and each individual user knows their significant other the best, but since I have a particularly difficult to please spouse, I figure I’d share some of my experiences. In Part 1, I’ll be looking at some general guiding principles and some general types of games, while in Part 2 I’ll discuss some specific genres that might house these diamonds in the rough. With examples!

General Principles
There are a few general rules of thumb that I find work the majority of the time. There is a very strong correlation between Nintendo games and spousal approval, for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, most Nintendo characters are cute. Mario is iconic and speaks in a funny accent. Yoshi: cute. Polygonal Link (or Zelda, as he is known to many): adorable. Wario: His mustache is upside down, HILARIOUS. You get the point. Throw in the nostalgia factor, and you have a key to many non-gamers hearts.

The second reason why non-gamers tend to appreciate Nintendo games is because Nintendo has expanded the video game audience. Games like Wii Sports, Just Dance, Warioware, are all simple games that many people can enjoy, often together. Using a SAT analogy: Wii : Party Games :: Xbox 360 : FPSes. In general, non-gamers can get into party games, especially if it leads to quality time. If you’re going to spend quality time with your spouse, you might as well spend it in an area of strength, video games (albeit a poor version of it).

Another general rule of thumb is that portable games generally can garner more approval from an unhappy spouse, again for a couple of reasons. In this case, I find that portable games are less offensive to Mrs. cmfl3x because I generally am playing them when we have time to kill like on public transportation and stuff. Also, portable games don’t hijack the entire living room, which is a plus. Finally, portable games, especially on the DS, tend themselves more toward the “casual” side, plus there are a lot of puzzle games like Professor Layton that Mrs. cmfl3x can enjoy.

If there’s a game with one of these is involved, you can bet the house that Mrs. cmfl3x will hate it

The third and most important rule of thumb I can think of is a list of things that Mrs. cmfl3x HATES in video games. I’ve pared down the list and included it here:

Stuff Mrs. cmfl3x Hates in Video Games
- First person shooters, mainly due to copious amounts of gunfire
- Ugly or scary looking monsters
- Scary audio (whether it be creepy music or screaming or whatever)
- Any combination of the letters U, A, and V
- Swear words
- Scantily clad females OR males
- Headsets
- Sports games (they combine TWO things she hates, well, not sports itself, but my obsession with them)
- Repetitive music (mostly because of the 20+ hours of Doom 2 lately)
- Excessive screaming into headsets
- Excessive screaming into headsets coupled with excessive sweating
- Excessive screaming into headsets coupled with excessive sweating followed by controller throwing

Any game that contains any of the above features results in an immediate blacklist order from Mrs. cmfl3x. I’ll be allowed to play it, but she would never deign to try such a game. But there are some blanket things that Mrs. cmfl3x and other non-gamers DO generally appreciate in games, so I’ll spend the rest of Part 1 discussing two of them.

Story-Driven Games
Although this doesn’t draw in Mrs. cmfl3x too much, I’ve found that in general, non-gamers are drawn into epic, sweeping stories in games. Whether it be Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, or even something like Assassin’s Creed, sometimes non-gamers get wrapped up in video games as if they are a TV show. At worst, this results in less complaining when you are playing, at a medium level, that results in the non-gamer wanting to play the game themselves, and at best, it results in them telling you not to quit because they “want to see what happens”. Why is the non-gamer wanting to play the game themselves only a medium level? Because if they are playing you can’t! You knew that, of course.

Spiky hair and emo dialogue is often well received

The other nice thing about story based games is it gives you a common topic to discuss with your non-gaming spouse. “I still can’t believe Aerith died! That was so sad, I almost cried.” But like a great TV show, if a video game can give you something to talk about, that’s saying a lot. Sure, it’s trivial, but it can be a great positive for your relationship and can be a lot of fun. Not all story driven games will resonate with a non-gaming spouse, but when they do, it helps relieve the gamer/non-gamer tension. Here are some series that might be worth a shot:

Story Given Games that Might be Enjoyed by All
Final Fantasy Series
Metal Gear Solid Series
Assassin’s Creed Series
Mass Effect Series
Phoenix Wright Series
RPGs in General

“Pretty” Games
Ironically, I could care less about graphics. My wife, on the other hand, appreciates games with good aesthetics, and I think other non-gamers are the same way. That doesn’t mean that she likes cutting edge graphics, but she appreciates games that are pleasing to the eye. I think “pretty” games can be split up into a few different categories:

Cute Games
Throw anything made by Nintendo into this category. Games with cute graphics, fuzzy animals, etc. etc. have a large appeal for non-gamers. A lot of casual games have this cute aesthetic to them as well. Basically, any games that don’t have a hard edge to them or a lot of blood can be appealing. Back when we were dating, my wife borrowed my Gamecube and used to wake up at 7 AM to catch fish in Animal Crossing. I think half the reason she played that game was to buy funny hats and outfits for her character. True story.

Examples: Animal Crossing/Harvest Moon type games, anything made by Nintendo, Little Big Planet

Who doesn’t love Sackboy?

Games with a Strong Environment
If a game isn’t cute, it can still be appealing to a non-gamer, especially if the game’s environment is visually pleasing to the eye. These aren’t necessarily games that a non-gamer might want to try, but one that they won’t mind watching or seeing on the TV screen. Assassin’s Creed 2 is a perfect example of this, Italy is so faithfully recreated, it’s a pleasure to watch someone else play the game.

Examples: Anything with pretty backgrounds

Games with a Strong Art Style
Sometimes games have such a unique art style that they can’t help but catch the eye. Whether it’s Max Payne, No More Heroes, or even a game like Metroid Prime, games often rely on a unique art style that can appeal to non-gamers. The old-school Viewtiful Joe would qualify as well. This is the toughest type of game for me to make predictions on, since the art style that appeals to different people is so varied. But rest assured, if you find a game that your spouse likes the look of, you will get a lot more slack if you try to play that!

Final Thoughts
Next week I’ll be looking at some specific genres of games that generally appeal to non-gamers. In the meantime, hit up the comments with your answer to the following question: What games have your spouse/significant other/mom enjoyed watching you play, or wanted to try themselves? I’d love to get some fresh ideas!

I was able to check out the Monster Tale demo that was set up at E3 last week, and with the Majesco booth tucked away from the main show floor not many people got a chance to learn what DreamRift’s Monster Tale is about and more importantly, how it plays. That’s where I come in – while crowds were fawning over the newest Call of Duty, Gears of War, etc., I’m bringing you all impressions of a game that seriously has potential to be the sleeper hit of the year for both casual and hardcore gamers alike. Read on for some detailed impressions from this aging hardcore gamer.

Some Background on the Game
For those that have no idea what Monster Tale is about, it is the first game from the DreamRift development studio, formed by the lead developers behind Henry Hatsworth. These guys came up with a very innovative mash of two gaming genres: platformer and puzzle, and it worked quite well. They’ve decided to combine two gaming genre types as well with Monster Tale, combining Metroidvania-style gameplay on the top screen and monster “raising” on the bottom screen.

The game follows a young girl named Ellie, who suddenly finds herself in a different world. Not too long after arriving on this world, she finds a mysterious egg and it hatches right in front of her. Out pops an adorable monster, who decides to follow Ellie, thinking maybe she is its mother. She cares for the little guy and decides to name him Chomp. As they travel on, he continues to evolve based on how Ellie raises him. It may sound like a standard monster raising storyline, but it’s cute, effective, and simply works well.

What’s Metroidvania?
Monster Tale’s gameplay is very similar to “Metroidvania”, a gameplay style that is more of an adventure game than a platformer as you travel all over a huge 2D world and find new items that allow you to reach new areas. For example, in Metroid, you could find jump boots that would allow you to reach a new platform and unlock another area of a dungeon. The Castlevania series has evolved to this style as well starting with the beloved Symphony of the Night, and is now a franchise staple on the DS. From my time with the Monster Tale E3 demo, it appears that Monster Tale follows this gameplay style well and fans of both Metroid and Castlevania will be able to understand and enjoy Monster Tale very quickly.

The Monster
The most significant gameplay feature that Monster Tale introduces that I have probably never seen before is an actual pet companion with such depth. The game is almost more about the monster than Ellie, as the monster earns experience, levels up, learns new traits and abilities, and even evolves into various new forms. In contrast to that, it doesn’t seem like Ellie levels up at all, so it’s interesting to see that while you have direct control over Ellie, it’s the monster progression that will ultimately carry you through the game. I don’t know what else to say except that it plays wonderfully. The monster seemingly has its own unique AI where it will attack enemies when it can, but you can still call on it to perform specific special attacks. As it levels up, it learns new interesting attacks unique to its evolution type, such as forming a shield, performing a charge attack, etc.

At first I thought that the monster abilities would be pretty simple, but of the half dozen or so I got to experience in the demo, I was actually quite surprised. While the game looks family friendly, the gameplay is very much classic old-school gameplay goodness. Each of the 30 monster evolution types learns several different abilities, and you are able to map each ability to one of the face buttons of the DS. To activate an ability, you just have to hold the L button down and then hit one of the buttons. For example, I can have Ellie melee combo an enemy, send him flying, then hit L and tap the X button to send Chomp barreling towards the enemy for even more damage. Or when a monster is launching an attack at me, I can hit L and tap the Y button to have Chomp draw a shield. While it’s been probably something like 15 years or so since I’ve last played Duck Tales on the original Nintendo, playing this game did give me certain vibes of that old-school Capcom classic with  Scrooge McDuck using his cane as a pogo stick.

The two screens for the monster raising aspect of the game is also quite well done. While the top screen is all about the action, the bottom screen functions as Chomp’s “home”. Here, Chomp can rest and relax to rebuild his meter or interact with various items that Ellie comes across. Many of the items I came across had various interesting properties. The first item I found was a cookie, and when I dropped it into Chomp’s home, he studied it for a while before devouring it and gained experience points and stats. Then I found a soccer ball and let him check it out. After investigating it, Chomp kicked the ball and it started bouncing all over both screens, knocking out any enemies I came across on the top screen. Treasure chests were the most enjoyable to find, since Chomp would spend time unlocking the chests and all sorts of new goodies would pop out that he would further interact with.

The First Boss
At the end of the demo, I encountered the first boss: another child who had his own monster that was much bigger than Chomp. The child seems surprised that Ellie treats her monster with love while this kid seems to be enslaving his. You can’t help but feel bad for the kid’s mistreated monster, until the kid declares that he will take Ellie’s monster for himself as well. Then it’s on like Donkey Kong son!

The enemy monster started laying eggs and the eggs would hatch out little smaller monsters that started shooting projectiles my way. Fortunately, Chomp was able to fly up and knock them out while I focused on attacking the boss. The monster also started breathing fire, but Chomp started playing with a soccer ball on bottom screen and kicked it up to do some good damage to the boss.All in all, through a combination of melee attacks, Ellie’s trusty bracelet blaster, and Chomp watching out for her, we were able to take down the boss, and sadly, the demo ended at that point.

For Fans of Henry Hatsworth
Fans of Henry Hatsworth would expect these guys behind Monster Tale to have learned a thing or two from their initial game, and I have to say that so far, this is taking the good of Hatsworth and reducing the bad. Henry Hatsworth’s combo/juggle system returns, allowing Ellie to juggle enemies in the air with melee attacks for more drops. Interesting character design and amusing dialogue return. Having beaten Henry Hatsworth myself, I have to say that Hatsworth’s major issues were the locked rooms where you got stuck in an area and enemies just poured in from both sides, and the major jump in difficulty in the later worlds. In my extensive time with the demo, I didn’t come across any sort of locked rooms at all, at least, not any that forced you to be stuck in an area the size of the DS screen. That’s definitely a plus in my book! So far, the game has also been easy enough that it hasn’t been frustrating and it’s simply just enjoyable to play. I think that the change from puzzle to monster raising makes for a much smoother gameplay experience as well – the focus is now really on the top screen, and not having to worry about switching your focus to the bottom screen to prevent monster blocks from attacking you is quite a relief.

Parting Impressions
If the demo is a good indication of the full game, this is looking to be a day 1 purchase for me. As an old school gamer that isn’t so crazy about puzzle games, Henry Hatsworth’s unique combination of platformer and puzzler was good but not exactly what I was looking for. Yet with the core Hatsworth team’s sophomore effort of Metroidvania and monster raising, it’s fantastic. The combination of a charming story, memorable characters, and refined gameplay design position Monster Tale to not only be better than Henry Hatsworth, but quite possibly the best DS game release this year. Hopefully we learn more about this game in the months to come!

After 3 days of voting, the first round of Leveling Down’s Video Game March Madness 2010 is over! There were some close matchups, some blowouts, and of course, some surprises. As a reminder for those of you who may feel that some of these games were unfairly seeded, we seeded all the games based on Metacritic scores. It’s all their fault!

Anyway, thanks to everyone for voting! The first 32 have now been cut down to the Sweet 16. After the jump, check out who I voted for, my thoughts on the results, and a preliminary look at the Sweet 16 matchups.

Tiebreaker note: I decided that casting a tiebreaking vote was too arbitrary and I felt uncomfortable with the power! So for tie polls, I tallied up the registered commenters who voted as the tiebreaker. It seemed like the fairest thing to do, so make sure you’re logged in to make your vote count the most!

Hollywood Region – Round 1 Results

(1) Bioshock raptures (8) Prince of Persia: Sands of Time [81-19]
This was an easy one, and the only 1 seed that won in a blowout. I voted along with the general consensus, Bioshock has a very engaging story coupled with an even more amazing setting, the unforgettable underwater city of Rapture. The Sands of Time features an epic Middle Eastern adventure/romance story, one that’s good enough for the real Hollywood to make a movie about (Jake Gyllenhaal stars), but it just wasn’t enough.

(4) God of War assassinates (5) Portal [56-44]
This result made me sad. God of War is an excellent game, featuring a great revenge story pitting Kratos against the gods who wronged him. But Portal, PORTAL, has one of the slickest and best told narratives I’ve experienced in a video game. Perhaps part of it was the fact that I didn’t even think the game had a narrative when I started it. In the end, the subtleties of Portal weren’t enough to defeat the sheer strength of Kratos’ story. Too bad, but I have a feeling God of War isn’t finished yet.

(3) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic force chokes (6) Beyond Good and Evil [75-25]
Beyond Good and Evil is another small title whose narrative was surprisingly excellent. Unfortunately, it’s not a story that many gamers are acquainted with, because it’s old and also because very few people bought it. It made the field of 32 though on account of its powerful storyline. Who doesn’t like taking down evil empires? Of course, millions of people have fallen in love with Star Wars, and thus Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic took this matchup in a walk (I voted for it as well). Not only is the game based on the Star Wars license, but it features a great story with an awesome plot twist. The force is strong with this one.

(2) Metal Gear Solid sneaks past (7) Final Fantasy IV [50-50, tiebreak]
This was one of the toughest decisions for me, as it was for the readers as well. We had to end up going with a tiebreaker, registered commenters, and MGS prevailed. I ended up choosing MGS as well, but I could have gone either way – both these games have amazing storylines. Final Fantasy IV was the first game I remember having to face the deaths of characters I knew and loved, and I still consider it my favorite Final Fantasy ever. Metal Gear Solid introduced me to Solid Snake, one of my favorite video game protagonists ever. Hideo Kojima’s musings on the nature of war, friendship, and love made for a story that I never forgot. It’s a shame that one of these games’ tournament runs had to end so soon. Stupid Metacritic!

M16 Region – First Round Results

(8) Resident Evil 4 headshots Metroid Prime [63-37]
The M16 region features our first 8-1 upset, with Resident Evil 4 destroying Metroid Prime. I voted for Metroid Prime, just because I loved what Prime did to bring the franchise into a first person perspective. Unfortunately, Metroid Prime is a victim of Metacritic overseeding, but hey it makes things exciting! Resident Evil 4 is probably the best game from the last generation of consoles, so this is probably an upset in name only.

(4) Halo 3 energy swords (5) Modern Warfare 2 [52-48]
I expected this matchup to be close, and it did not disappoint. Even though I voted for Modern Warfare 2, Halo 3 is a worthy winner in this matchup. There is a lot of debate about which game takes more skill, but what’s not up for debate is the steel grip these two franchise have on the gaming community. This week, Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3 placed 1 and 2 on Xbox Live respectively. Think of that, Halo 3 was released almost 3 years ago! This was an amazing matchup, and it was fun to see it come down to the wire. Like MGS and FFIV, it’s sad to see one of these games go, but thems the breaks.

(3) Goldeneye exercises its license to kill on (6) Doom II [86-14]
This matchup of two classics was a tough choice for me, but I went with Doom II in the end. I spent many nights using my modem to dial up my friends and play deathmatch. Then again, I spent many nights playing Goldeneye with my friends using the Solitaire control scheme. Both these games paved the way for first person shooters – Doom II for the genre in general, and Goldeneye for consoles. How I long for the good ole days.

(2) Uncharted 2 crashes (7) Gears of War 2′s train [71-29]
Uncharted 2 is one of the most cinematic shooters out there, and its strong gunplay coupled with an amazing storyline literally blew Gears of War 2 away. Gears of War 2 is a great game in its own right, but it’s probably hurt by its machismo. At least Marcus and Dom will be able to keep each other warm at night.

Sun-Tzu Region – Round 1 Results

(1) Civilization IV wins a cultural victory over (8) Command and Conquer [53-47]
Sid Meier is so famous that he can put his name in front of his games, and Sid Meier’s Civilization IV was no exception. Civilization is the most famous turn-based global conquest game out there and that earned my vote. Command and Conquer was one of the best RTS games out there, until Starcraft came along. In the end, having your creator’s name in the title equals a win. Civ IV gets one more turn in the next round.

(4) Warcraft III hero assassinates (5) Dune II [82-18]
This was an interesting matchup, new vs. old, modern vs. classic. Dune II was the first RTS game I ever played, and probably the game that put the genre on the map. Warcraft III is the last RTS that Blizzard released (though Starcraft 2 is coming soon!), and it kind of reinvented the genre with its use of heroes. I don’t think many people even know what Dune II is, so this wasn’t really a fair fight, and I ended up picking Warcraft III in this matchup. But Dune II should just be proud for being here!

(3) Starcraft zerg rushes (6) Halo Wars [61-39]
Halo Wars is the best console RTS in the business, and is probably a model that all future console RTSes should follow. There is a loyal fanbase for Halo Wars, which probably resulted in this matchup being closer than expected. In the end, though, Starcraft is a classic and the benchmark by which all real time strategy games are measured. The game is criminally underseeded, and I still can’t believe Metacritic only has it at 88. I expect great things from Starcraft in the rest of this tournament!

(7) Final Fantasy Tactics defeats (2) Advance Wars: Dual Strike [72-28]
Not everyone knows this, but the Nintendo DS has tons of amazing turn based strategy games, and Advance Wars: Dual Strike is probably the best of the lot. I loved it, but the fact of the matter is that Final Fantasy Tactics is probably the most beloved tactical role playing game out there. That turned this one into a rout.

Hodj Podj Region – Round 1 Results

(8) Rock Band 2 rocks (1) Super Mario 64 [52-48]
Super Mario 64 is one of my favorite games of all time, and it is the game that really ushered in the 3-D gaming generation. Unfortunately, the broad appeal of Rock Band 2 proved too much for this classic. Really, this is my fault, because I meant to put Rock Band 2 (or some music game) in the field but forgot at the last minute. For the record, Rock Band 2 probably would have been the 2 seed in this bracket. But now I’ll never find out how much people liked Super Mario 64! (Not that much I guess).

(5) NHL 94′ one times (4) Warioware Inc.: Mega Microgame$ [68-32]
This one wasn’t even close, which is kind of indicative of the fact that not many people play portable games. Even I couldn’t bring myself to vote for the lone Game Boy Advance game in the field. NHL 94′s addictive gameplay and multiplayer factor make it the superior product. If you haven’t played a Warioware game before though, check it out – it puts the mini into minigames.

(3) World of Warcraft completes (6) The Secret of Monkey Island quest [68-32]
11+ million people can’t be wrong. World of Warcraft is the most addictive MMORPG out there – it offers great gameplay, the ability to play with your friends, and even an interesting storyline. The Secret of Monkey Island, one in a long line of great adventure games, just can’t stand up to that. Sure, Guybrush Threepwood is funny, but if that pirate ever ran into a death knight he’d be toast.

(2) Street Fighter IV KOs (7) Animal Crossing [91-9]
I thought this one was going to be unanimous. How did I put Animal Crossing in there over Rock Band? Mario Kart? Ugh. Anyway, Animal Crossing was there to represent for “sim” type games, and Street Fighter to represent fighting games, but really, this matchup should never have happened. How could I forget Kart!?! I’ll never forgive myself…until next year.

Sweet 16 Quick Look

Hollywood Region
(1) Bioshock vs. (4) God of War – an interesting matchup pitting two strong stories with incredibly different gameplay backing them

(2) Metal Gear Solid vs. (3) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Light sabers vs. Solid Snake.

M16 Region
(4) Halo 3 vs. (8) Resident Evil 4 – Can Resident Evil pull off another upset, or is the Bungie juggernaut just too strong?

(2) Uncharted 2 vs. (3) Goldeneye – PS3 vs. N64. It doesn’t seem fair, but will nostalgia play a strong factor?

Sun-Tzu Region
(1) Civilization IV vs. (4) Warcraft III – Turn based vs. real time strategy, should be interesting.

(3) Starcraft vs. (7) Final Fantasy Tactics – After surviving a first round scare, can Starcraft show its true power against Tactics?

Hodj Podj Region
(5) NHL 94′ vs. (8) Rock Band 2 – What has bigger appeal, sports games or music games?

(2) Street Fighter IV vs. (3) World of Warcraft – Can Capcom’s finest stand up against Blizzard’s juggernaut?

Polls open tomorrow – happy voting!

Leveling Down’s 2010 Videogame Tourney Has Officially Started! The rounds will take place over the next couple of weeks, and will be heavily decided by you, our Leveling Down readers.

Voting for Round 1, which consists of all 32 games in the tourney, will close on Wednesday March 24, 2010 at 6PM EST. On Thursday, cmfl3x will announce the 16 games that will move onto Round 2 and we will open Round 2 voting Friday morning and end it Monday at 6PM EST.  Hit the jump to read more about our first tourney and to cast your votes!

Thanks to all of you that participated in voting for that 8th seed in each bracket. Unfortunately, 3 of those 4 8 seed votes were all ties: Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and Assassin’s Creed II for the Hollywood bracket, Resident Evil 4 and Counter-Strike for the M16 bracket, and Rock Band 2 and Shadow of the Colossus for the Hodj Podj bracket.

This weekend, cmfl3x and I discussed what to do with ties (in both the 8th seed voting and in the actual tourney itself). We originally considered allowing both games that tied to move forward into the next round, so instead of two games for that next matchup, it would be three: the winner of one half of that matchup and both games that tied from the other matchup. Ultimately, we decided against it because to see three games in a matchup may skew the voting too much (anyone remember Ross Perot?).

Thus, for ties, cmfl3x and I will use some sort of criteria to decide who moves onto the next round. With this being our first videogame tourney and all, this may not be the best approach, but we’re learning as we go. I’ve decided to use the metacritic game averages to determine which game in a tie move forward. Unfortunately for Assassin’s Creed II and Shadow of the Colossus, their competitors ranked 1 point higher on the average review score. Heartbreaking – just like when I nearly cried as Michigan State sunk that three pointer at the buzzer to send the Maryland Terps home yesterday afternoon but we had to narrow it down to one winner each round.

Having said that, let’s get on to the voting for Round 1:

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Please feel free to share your thoughts!

For the next few weeks, my Xbox is going to take a backseat to my favorite sporting event of the year: March Madness. What little time I have left for video games will probably be spent playing Dragon Age: Origins, and since we’ve covered that on the site, I figured I’d try something new: a video game bracket!

I’ve chosen 28 of my favorite games across 4 different categories (“regions”), and as the NCAA tournament plays itself out, so too will you get to watch this video game bracket play itself out. Why am I doing this? Well, I love brackets, first of all. Secondly, it’s a chance for me to take a trip down memory lane and narrow down some of my favorite games of all time. I recognize that a lot of times comparing games is like comparing apples to oranges, which is why I separated the games by genres (loosely).

Anyway, I’ve left the 8 seed open in all four regions, so I need YOU, the Leveling Down reader, to suggest games to finish out the bracket. Hit the jump to see the selection committee’s (aka, cmfl3x’s) criteria and some other notes about this totally awesome tournament.

You can access the entire bracket here:

March Madness – Video Game Style

Now, a couple of notes on how the games were chosen:

1. Video Games were split up into 4 Regions: The Hollywood Region (games with good stories – mainly RPGs), The M16 Region (shooters – any perspective), The Sun-Tzu Region (strategy games), and The Hodj Podj Region (miscellaneous games).

2. Games must have been sold for retail; thus Warcraft III is an option, but Defense of the Ancients (a mod), is not.

3. Games were seeded mostly according to critical acclaim. For recent games, I used metacritic, and for older games I did my best to guesstimate where they would fall. Probably not the best metric, but the best I could come up with for now.

4. I didn’t choose multiple games from any series, so you won’t see both Halo 2 and 3 in the field.

That’s it! I’ll be pitting these games against each other over the next few weeks, but be warned, I’ll mostly be arbitrarily choosing my favorites (but comments on why you feel a game should beat another will definitely have potential to sway my opinion). If there is a large outcry, maybe we could set up a poll, but you’ll have to let us know if you want that to happen – or we could do that next year.

Anyway, onto this year’s field! And remember, be sure to suggest games you think I’ve left out – there are 4 more spots to fill!

The Hollywood Region – Great Storylines

Matchups:
(1) BioShock vs. (8) TBD
(4) God of War vs. (5) Portal
(3) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic vs. (6) Beyond Good and Evil
(2) Metal Gear Solid vs. (7) Final Fantasy IV

(1) BioShock [360/PS3], metacritic = 96 – Although the story fizzled out at the end, Bioshock definitely has a story that sticks with you, and a plot twist that really gets in your head.

(2) Metal Gear Solid [PS1/GC], metacritic = 94 – Hideo Kojima’s masterpiece, this game helped to change video game storytelling and really put the scene into the cut scene. Narrowly edged out Metal Gear Solid 3, which is personally my favorite story.

(3) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic [Xbox/PC], metacritic = 94 – Every Star Wars fanboy’s dream, this game also featured some excellent plot twists and introduced Bioware as a story-telling developer to be reckoned with.

(4) God of War [PS2], metacritic = 94 – Even though I’m not a huge fan of the gameplay, God of War has an amazing storyline. Kratos seeking his revenge on the Gods is one of the best premises for a videogame, and his backstory makes it even more rewarding.

(5) Portal [360/PS3/PC], metacritic = 90 – This “add-on” in the Orange Box has one of the most cleverly told narratives in a video game to date. It’s not a story, per se, but the way Valve sets the mood and brings the game to its amusing conclusion is worthy of…cake.

(6) Beyond Good and Evil [Xbox/PS2/GC], ,etacritic = 87 – This game was a huge hit with the gaming community, but never had good sales. The characters and innovative story are what make this game, but unfortunately, nobody ever played it.

(7) Final Fantasy IV [SNES, GBA, DS], metacritic = 85 – This game is underseeded since the metacritic score comes from the DS version. My favorite Final Fantasy story ever. Final Fantasy VI’s Kefka was memorable, but this was the first Final Fantasy game where I actually cared about the characters and what happened to them. STONE!

(8) TBD

The M16 Region – Shooters

Matchups:
(1) Metroid Prime vs. (8) TBD
(4) Halo 3 vs. (5) Modern Warfare 2
(3) Goldeneye vs. (6) Doom 2
(2) Uncharted 2 vs. (7) Gears of War 2

(1) Metroid Prime [GC/Wii], metacritic = 97 – That Metroid Prime is the #1 seed in this region seems like an upset in itself, but the numbers don’t lie. Metroid Prime kept the feel of the classic games while switching to a first person perspective and remains my favorite Gamecube game to this day.

(2) Uncharted 2 [PS3], metacritic = 96 – This game could probably have made it into the Hollywood Region as well, but here it is matched up with Gears of War 2, the other 3rd person shooter in this bracket. I think this one might be a walk.

(3) Goldeneye [N64] metacritic = 96 – There is a reason why people keep requesting that Goldeneye be re-released: it is one of the best games ever, period. Sure, FPS games have taken huge leaps since then, but Goldeneye helped pave the way, especially on consoles. Fitting that it be up against the other old school FPS game, Doom 2.

(4) Halo 3 [360], metacritic = 94 – Why is Halo 3 #4 and Modern Warfare 2 #5? Simply put, Halo 3 has probably had more traffic over the course of Xbox Live’s history. Of course, it had a pretty big head start, but the fact that a million kids are still playing it as I type this gives it the slight edge.

(5) Modern Warfare 2 [360/PS3/PC], metacritic = 94 – What is there to write? The most complete multiplayer FPS game to date. It will battle it out with Halo 3, just like it does on the servers.

(6) Doom 2 [PC], metacritic = N/A – Back when you needed to use a modem to connect with other players, Doom 2 set the bar for first person shooters. It had no story whatsoever, but nobody cared – the secret tricks and traps, the deathmatch games, and the co-op deathmatch games were never forgotten by old school gamers.

(7) Gears of War 2 [360], metacritic = 93 – Gears of War 2 is here so I don’t get flamed by Xbox fans. It’s a great game, and probably could make the bracket solely on account of the assault rifle chainsaw alone.

The Sun-Tzu Region – Strategy Games

Matchups:
(1) Civilization IV vs. (8) TBD
(4) Warcraft III vs. (5) Dune 2
(3) Starcraft vs. (6) Halo Wars
(2) Advance Wars: Dual Strike vs. (7) Final Fantasy Tactics A2

(1) Civilization IV [PC], metacritic = 94 – One more turn. Players have been saying that to themselves for over a decade now with the Civ games, which task you with conquering the world in multiple different ways. This game features addictive gameplay that strategy gamers can’t get enough of.

(2) Advance Wars: Dual Strike [DS], metacritic = 90 – I’m shocked that this game is the 2 seed in this region, but that’s metacritic for you. An excellent turn based strategy game, it introduced battles on both screens (air on top, ground on bottom), which made for some pretty unique gameplay.

(3) Starcraft [PC/Mac], metacritic = 88 – 88? Seriously? Maybe game reviewers were just tougher back then. Starcraft is THE real time strategy game. It was so big it spawned super competitive, televised tournament circuits in Korea. It introduced the term actions per second. The landscape of video gaming was never the same again.

(4) Warcraft III [PC/Mac], Metacritic = 88 – Warcraft III, another Blizzard masterpiece, introduced hero units and greater micromanagement into real time strategy games. It also spawned the immensely popular Defense of the Ancients mod.

(5) Dune 2 [PC], metacritic = N/A – Dune 2 was the game that put RTS games on the map, both for gamers at large and for me personally. It can’t stand up to these heavyweights, but I thought it at least deserved some recognition. Watch out for sandworms.

(6) Halo Wars [360], metacritic = 82 – This is mainly here so certain readers of the site don’t lambaste me. In its defense, it is the best console RTS out there, hands down. All units!

(7) Final Fantasy Tactics A2 [DS], metacritic = 80 – The Final Fantasy Tactics games are an excellent series with very deep, strategic gameplay. You could literally spend 100 hours playing this game and not run out of things to do. Almost infinite bang for your buck!

The Hodj Podj Region – Other Games

Note: This is probably the most random region, I just tried to represent other genres as best as possible.

Matchups:
(1) Super Mario 64 vs. (8) TBD
(4) Warioware Inc., Mega Microgame$ vs. (5) NHL 94
(3) World of Warcraft vs. (6) Secret of Monkey Island
(2) Street Fighter IV vs. (7) Animal Crossing

(1) Super Mario 64 [N64],mMetacritic = 94 – Like Metroid Prime, Super Mario 64 took a beloved game and put a whole new twist on it. Unlike Metroid Prime, SM64 launched the 3-D era. Plus you could unlock Yoshi, which was awesome…

(2) Street Fighter IV [360/PS3/PC], metacritic = 94 – Street Fighter IV completely reinvigorated the entire fighting game genre, no small feat considering people had considered fighting games all but dead.

(3) World of Warcraft [PC/Mac],mMetacritic = 93 – Just like Starcraft, WoW is the pinnacle of its genre, the MMORPG. I think more hours have been sunk into WoW than it took to build America.

(4) Warioware Inc., Mega Microgame$ [GBA], metacritic = N/A – This was the first minigame collection I can remember that only gave you 5 seconds per minigame. A ridiculous premise, ridiculous games including picking a nose, and a ridiculous amount of fun.

(5) NHL 94 [SNES, Genesis], metacritic = N/A – My favorite sports game ever, and one of the last games before sports games got super complicated. I’m sure people would rather see some Maddens here but…oh well.

(6) Secret of Monkey Island [PC/360], metacritic = 88 – The token representative of the adventure game genre, this game featured great humor and great puzzles, a killer combination. I’ll never forget what to do with a rubber chicken attached to a pulley.

(7) Animal Crossing [GC, DS, Wii], metacritic = 87 – There are a multitude of games that task you with the mundane parts of our daily lives, but Animal Crossing was one of the first I found really memorable. How fun is it to catch fish and leave them in your friends’ mailboxes!?

Parting Thoughts
And that’s the almost complete Video Game Bracket! Post in the comments games you think I missed out and that I should include as the 8 seeds, or tell me I’m power crazy for even doing this! I’ll be watching 12 hours straight of basketball…

The Wii and DS operate in a completely different stratosphere when compared to the 360 and PS3. Yes, the PS3 price drop has helped a lot, especially in Japan, but Nintendo’s consoles just appeal to such a wide variety of gamers (young and old, casual and hardcore, male and female) that it’s tough to break down what really sells systems. But hey, I’ll give it a shot.

Nintendo Wii

System Seller: Wii anything
I was tempted to put the Wii itself as its own system seller, because that’s pretty much true. The Wii moves so many units because of all they hype generated around it. People gravitate to all the “Wii” games, Wii Fit sells a lot of systems, but many people are just content getting the Wii for Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. Even Wii Play sells tons of units, although that isn’t really a system seller as much as it is something that people pick up when they get a Wii (for the extra controller or whatever). The Wii, unlike any other gaming system, sells to the average consumer with its accessibility, which is why it is destroying the competition.

Must Haves: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime: Trilogy, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Brothers: Brawl, Wii Sports: Resort (or equivalent)
The sad thing about this list is that two of the games came out around launch (Trilogy is all the Metroid Prime games with the new Wii controls though, so I guess it’s technically new) and Galaxy came out like 2 years ago. For serious gamers, there’s not a lot to offer on the Wii, especially 3rd party content. That being said, Zelda and Mario, like all Nintendo first party games, are excellent, and Metroid Prime is one of my favorite video game series ever. Metroid also uses the controller very effectively and is the best first person experience I’ve had on the Wii. I threw Wii Sports: Resort on there because if you own a Wii it’s almost mandatory that you own a good party game, but really there are a lot of choices out there: Boom Blox is pretty fun - you could even get away with a game like Warioware: Smooth Moves, and of course almost everyone owns Mario Kart (just check the NPDs). Thankfully, Nintendo is releasing a couple of new Mario games this year and next, so hopefully there will be a reason for me to dust off my Wii soon.

Upcoming: New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Galaxy 2, Wii Fit Plus

Nintendo DS

System Seller: Pokemon (kids), Brain Age (adults)
It’s no surprise that the average owner of a handheld console is much younger than the average owner of a home console. What better way to keep the kids occupied on long car trips than have them “catch them all”? I played Pokemon on the GBA, and it was a surprisingly deep game, and according to reviews the DS versions are still decent. Regardless, Pokemon probably sells the most DSes to kids, whereas older adults, including very old adults (like my parents) like the DS for games like Brain Age, simple brain exercises that people like to play to keep themselves young. If you’re old, you buy the DS, if you’re young, you buy the DS. No wonder it’s sold the most units in the current generation.

Must Haves: Square-Enix RPGs, Professor Layton series, Phoenix Wright series, Elite Beat Agents (Ouendan in Japan)
The crazy thing about the Nintendo DS is that there is something for everyone. For the most part, the “casual” stuff sells systems, and that’s what a lot of people focus on. But if you like old-school RPGs, there are the re-releases of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, for people who like puzzles, there is Professor Layton, Phoenix Wright tickles one’s adventure fancy, and Elite Beat Agents is for rhythm game fanatics. And if none of those genres floats your boat, there are legions of other game types out there (I’m sure I’ve forgotten a bunch of excellent games). As espion4ge has stated elsewhere, the DS really is one of the best values in gaming and a great investment for any gamer, especially if you’re on the go. If you spend time shopping with your wife (check), take public transportation (check), or like to play games before you drop off to sleep (now outlawed in my household), the DS is a great buy. Just do yourself a favor and go with the Lite over the DSi, so you’ll save yourself some money.

Upcoming: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Ace Attorney: Miles Edgeworth

So that’s my take on the best games out there for the current systems. Of course, most of it is based around my preferences, so I’d love to hear what games you all love to play on your systems! Especially if it’s the PSP…haha.