To be perfectly honest I wasn’t sure that I’d even like Solatorobo at first. Don’t get me wrong I love me some Japanese style gaming strangeness, but I’ve never been too fond of the whole animals as people deal (my apologies to the furry crowd, it’s just not my thing). Red the Hunter really won me over though. It turns out that it’s a really fun, and sometimes funny title that’s not without its faults, but has just the right pacing for a handheld RPG, non-3D DS enthusiasts take note (unfortunately us regular DS owners are probably not going to see too much after this).

Red the Hunter is broken up into chapters that are then broken up even further into various bite-size missions or jobs that have Red doing everything from your standard fetch-quests to clean up and organization, and even some fishing and racing. The jobs are varied and enjoyable, but often a tad too easy. I found myself being grateful that I could finish up a quest and save my game in just a few minutes, but I would have liked a smidge more challenge. Let’s put it this way, I have never died, in fact I’m not even sure if you can die or get a game over screen. The lack of difficulty is not really a deal breaker, but could be a turn off to the more challenge oriented gamers.

There was one group of segments in the game that really did give me a problem though, the flight based jobs. In the interest of full disclosure I should say that I’m not really big on flying games, especially behind-the-plane style flyers which is what the flying sections in Solatorobo are. My biggest issue with the flying was the perspective and the difficulty that it gives you when you’re trying to judge height and distance, that coupled with strange controls made flying a pain. Some of the blame probably lies in the small screen of the DS, but the awkward controls don’t really help much. I’m embarrassed to say that I actually had to re-read the flight tutorial… twice! That is never a good sign.

Despite my problems with the flying I had fun with the other jobs, and I thought that it was interesting that many of the collection side-quests in Solatorobo tied into the plot of the game. From the ripped photos that you have to piece together to library entries that you get by doing certain tasks over and over, the collectibles help to flesh out the story and the game world. It’s refreshing to have these items directly tie-in to the game, and makes them something to look forward to more than just being able to say, “I got everything.”

Of course no matter what type of job or quest you’re doing there is one thing that most have in common and that is combat. The battle system in Solatorobo is surprisingly fun. Most of the battles require you to pick up and toss your opponents into the ground or into each other. There are even times when you can catch the enemy’s projectiles and throw the bullets back at them, giving them a taste of their own medicine. There are several strategies that are learned throughout the game that help to keep things fresh and combat is easy and intuitive. Again the only complaint that I have about the battles is that they are often slightly too easy. Though they do get somewhat more challenging as you progress they’re still never tough.

Not only are the battles fun, but they net you experience as well. Of course experience isn’t the only way to improve. I mean come on, what game with a mecha would be complete without an upgrade system. In Solatorobo you can upgrade your mecha via an unlockable customization grid. The beginning of the game starts you off with just five free squares that you can fill with parts that will upgrade stats such as Attack, Defense, Mobility, Revive, and Hydraulics. Collect items called P Crystals that are scattered around the world and you will be able to unlock more grid sections to fill the bigger power ups that can be bought in every town. Upgrading is very important to just about every task in the game, for example powering up Hydraulics is necessary so that you can lift enemies to fling them about.

The story of Red the Hunter is fairly interesting and often funny; unfortunately it can also be overt and is often clichéd which is a trap that traditional Japanese RPGs often fall into. It’s not bad by any means just predictable. Fortunately the story is told with some top notch writing as well as brilliant visuals and excellent musical accompaniment. The in game graphics are a mix of 2D and 3D, and are some of the best I’ve seen on the DS. There are 3D cut scenes that often show epic battles and are very nice, but the real treat are the Studio Madhouse produced 2D anime style opening cut scenes. The music fits the atmosphere of the game and ranges from adventurous to serene, and the opening intro music even has lyrics for which they used the original Japanese vocals (thankfully).

All in all I had a surprisingly good time with Solatorobo. There were a few bumps in the road that kept it from being the perfect play experience, but the game held my attention and always kept me coming back for more, which can be a challenge in these hectic days. Excellent production values and fun battles are really the key here. So, if you’re looking for a handheld adventure title that can be consumed in small bits, or if you’re a DS owner that wants something a little different then don’t hesitate to give this one a shot.

*2 additional notes to the reader—1. The game does include a flying/racing mini-game that can be played with up to 3 other players via local wireless, but because I had no one to play with I don’t feel that I could adequately review that part of the game.  2. The first printing of the game comes with the wonderful Solatorobo: Red the Hunter Musical Selections, a 24 track CD in a standard jewel case with some cool original art. It’s probably pretty limited, so if you’re interested in this you might want to act now before they get difficult to find.

Xseed’s Solatorobo Official Site

Honestly, no one ever goes into a movie tie-in game thinking it will be good. Most of the times, the developers of said games are restricted to the material they are given so their hands are tied. I am sure the developers have such a short period of time to make such a game so within the time constraints, they do the best they can. I am sure we are missing the magical ingredient that would just make this equation work. Until we find it, we are stuck with poorly developed titles such as Captain America: Super Soldier.

I can almost see what Griptonite Games was going for in their DS version. I loved the platforming in Captain America: Super Soldier. The controls were a little touchy but that was mostly due to the 3DS and the crappy d-pad. Combat was fluid and felt like Griptonite could have fleshed it out more. I was able to pull of some pretty sweet combos with melee attacks combined with throwing Cap’s shield. Then they had to throw in the stealth missions.

The best way to slow down and action game to the point of boredom and frustration is stealth. Getting spotted by a light or an enemy requires you to start over from the beginning unless you make it to a poorly instituted checkpoint. Puzzles that are lazily done hamper the experience in an action game as well. I don’t mind them at all, except when the only to things you throw at a player is a ‘rub up on the touch screen’ or ‘tap the stars in time with the circles’ à la Elite Beat Agents. Then it just gets repetitively mind-numbing.

Maybe instead of focusing on adding different elements to this movie tie-in game, Griptonite Games should have stuck with an action brawler with some platforming. I would have like it a lot more if that were the case. So this is my warning to you, steer clear of Captain America: Super Soldier on the DS.

So far from what I played, Moon is a great FPS with loads of action and game play to keep you entertained for hours. The controls are great and sound is pretty good.

The one thing that takes me out of this possibly wonderful FPS is that the graphics are too pixelated for my tastes. It sucks to say that the graphics are the only thing holding me back from play this game more than the 3 hours I have played so far. If the game play is fun and the controls are good, then graphics shouldn’t matter right? For me, a FPS should have decent graphics so I can see a little more detail of what I am shooting at or exploring. It takes the fun out of an FPS for me.

I am not telling you not to try this game out on the DS, I want you to. It has potential to be a great FPS for a handheld. I would recommend at least renting it to see if the graphics bother you in Moon.