A lot of interesting stuff has hit the PlayStation Network in the last few months, but two of the most interesting titles of all are Vagrant Story, a classic PlayStation title from Squaresoft, and Call of Duty Classic, a port of the original Call of Duty from Infinity Ward.
Vagrant Story
It happens occasionally, even to the best titles out there – sometimes a game is a victim of itself. Vagrant Story is a case in point. As one of the very last big titles for the PlayStation, it had the misfortune of being launched after the PS2 had already gone on sale, meaning that a lot of players probably missed out on it.
Well, if you happened to miss out on it the first time, don’t fret, because Vagrant Story has recently become available on the PlayStation Network for the incredibly reasonable price of R55. Now you can enjoy one of the PlayStation’s most in-depth and complex role playing experiences on your PS3 – or PSP if you’d prefer. Describing Vagrant Story is a tricky task. If you take Final Fantasy, throw in a generous helping of Diablo, and stir in a little bit of Fallout, you’ll have some idea of what to expect here. Players assume the role of a special class of warrior, called a Risk Breaker, named Ashley Riot. His mission seems simple enough: all he has to do is track down a group of knights who are using forbidden magical arts and stop them from executing their devious schemes – but the story is so complex and multi-layered that you’ll end up wondering whether Ashley is in fact the good guy or the bad guy.
Progression through the game is comprised of two main elements: combat and exploration. The combat system starts off fairly simple, but quickly becomes a complex amalgamation of weapon-switching, magic use, and timed button presses. It’s too complex to explain in the space we have here. Exploration is one of the biggest draw factors in the game – especially because there are areas in the game that players will not be able to access on their first play-through, enticing them back again to see what kind of cool weapons, items, armour, and magic spells may be hidden within on subsequent play-throughs.
Vagrant Story also happens to be one of the PlayStation’s most graphically impressive titles, with superbly animated in-game cinematics and brilliant cinematography. If only it had come out earlier. Ah well, at least it’s available again, and hopefully it will draw in a few curious newcomers in addition to its fans.
Call of Duty Classic
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PS3 | Xbox 360
Website: www.activision.com
It came a little late to add to the hype surrounding the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and, honestly, it would have been like taking coal to Pittsburgh anyway, given the game’s record-shattering sales; so I guess the release of Call of Duty Classic on the PlayStation Network was little more than a nice nostalgic gesture from its publishers.
Still, it’s reasonably priced at just R140, and should serve as a nice trip down memory lane for fans of the series. The game is exactly as it was in its PC release back in 2003, with no graphical enhancements or changes whatsoever – well, except for an adaptation to widescreen for PS3 owners with HDTVs. But when you consider the power of the PS3 compared to PCs back then, you’ll find that the PS3 can run Call of Duty Classic without breaking the tiniest sweat, meaning that it runs at a blazing frame rate at all times. Add to this the fact that the game is still as much fun to play today as when it was released, and you’ve got a pretty enticing package.
Players assume the role of a new recruit joining the Allied forces for an invasion on Germany to clear up the way for the Omaha Beach landing. Of course, things don’t go entirely according to plan, leading to lots of convincing scripted battles as you fight alongside your fellow soldiers while they try to get their bearings and salvage the operation. Call of Duty was lauded for its fast and frantic shooting action, which made it unique since most realistic shooters back then thought that slower-paced action was the key to realism. It has also always been a popular multiplayer shooter, and it’s nice to see that the multiplayer aspect has been preserved here. Unfortunately, there’s no LAN option, which would have been nice, but the online multiplayer seems to perform well enough.
This re-release of Infinity Ward’s first Call of Duty is just what it claims to be – a classic; and as such, almost anyone who is interested in great games could do a lot worse than check it out.
