A couple of weeks away from the onslaught of the Fall gaming season and I have to say that there was never that much downtime for game releases this summer. Marketing may have some of you fooled when it comes to that, but I’d like to think my weekend gaming feature points to otherwise.
Mark of the Ninja – XBLA
Klei Entertainment’s art style with it’s previous titles, Shank and Shank 2, lends itself well to the world of the invisible assassins. Mark of the Ninja‘s stealth system is interesting in that the game makes you feel like the most powerful predator man has ever seen, as long as you stay to the shadows. Once you are spotted, you are brought back down from your pedestal of absolute power and must use all of your abilities, from grappling hooks to smoke bombs, in order to escape.
The button prompt mini-game you have to endure when going in for the kill keeps the button mashers at bay. You can still get the kill, just be prepared to have the victim scream loud enough for someone nearby to hear. As you can tell, sound is also an issue you have to worry about, but you can use it to your advantage to distract guards to get around them. Good option for the pacifist ninja’s out there.
Some will call this an action platformer with stealth. I see Mark of the Ninja as a platform puzzler. With so many choices and tools at your disposal, there are a multitude of ways through the levels. Smoke bombs to obscure laser traps and enemies’ vision, flesh-eating beetles that leave no traces behind and a cardboard box to use as a portable hiding spot. Wonder where the ninjas learned that trick?
Klei Entertainment really did an amazing job with Mark of the Ninja and everyone should play it, then play it again in New Game + mode.
Zen Pinball 2 – PS3, PS Vita
I am loving the cross-buy stuff on the PS3 lately. The latest being one of my favorite development studios for that Zen Studios always puts out a quality pinball game. With Zen Pinball 2, it’s no surprise that the game is great. For the PS3 owners of Zen Pinball and Marvel Pinball, importing those tables are a simple download away before they appear on the easy to use menu on the PS Vita. Zen Pinball 2 is free, but there are no included tables with the game so really it’s not free in the traditional sense. The tables are set a decent price with a demo for each table so you can see if your money will be spent well.
I haven’t tried the PS3 version since playing Zen Pinball 2 on the PS Vita looks so damn gorgeous. Popcap decided to help with the celebrations over at Zen Studios and release a Plants vs. Zombies table. The table seems simple enough but there are enough little mini-games to keep you plenty busy getting the high score. I think on my first play through on the Plants vs. Zombies table, I played for a good 30 minutes. It seems like that table never stops! Only until I have to charge the PS Vita, do I put Zen Pinball 2 down.