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Let's review Half-Minute Hero! :D
16 years ago
General
I'm trying to hone my journalism skillz (nonexistent). So here's a review of a game I played recently. Any tips or critique on how to review/inform/flow better, let me know. :)
Half-Minute Hero (PSP) Review
What if I told you, you only had 30 seconds to beat an epic Role Playing Game (RPG)? For me, I began to imagine how one could speed through turn based battles, chat with the non-playable characters, and even traverse the up and down the map.
Fortunately the concept (along with the game) isn't as hard as it sounds.
Half-Minute Hero is pretty much if Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, and Wario Ware had a child. Its also a parody on most general RPGs, with an original story in and of itself. Like most RPGs, you start out as a random boy destined to be a hero (I named my guy "Hero"). An evil villain obtains a spell that can destroy the world in 30 seconds and its up to you to stop him! Unfortunately you don't have the power to stop him and the world is doomed!... or is it? This is where the game turns out to be easier than one would think, as the "Time Goddess" appears to lend you her powers, but at a price: rewinding time for a little gold. The phrase "Buying time" has never been any truer than when playing this game. Well maybe this and a parking meter.
The main gameplay itself is what you would expect from most RPGs: Walk the map, get into random battles to gain experience, go into town to replenish health and talk to the towns folk, complete a given quest and take down the boss. The fights themselves aren't turn based, but actually more action oriented: your character runs towards the bad guys and both bump each other until one goes down. The short and sweet battles end in a matter of seconds which is definitely a good thing for what little time you have to beat the stage.
You may also wonder how much fun a game like this would be if each stage was only 30 seconds. Fortunately every other stage has a different quest with a completely different map for each new stage, keeping things interesting. There are also other "games" within the game including a Side/Vert Scrolling Shooter starring a princess with a crossbow and a Real Time Strategy (RTS) game starring an incredibly narcissistic and conceited yet loyal and romantic Evil Lord. There's a few extra games to follow, but I'd recommend you playing the game to find out. Or just search the cheat sites, but where's the fun in that?
Since the game is partially a spoof/parody, it definitely has it's funny moments along unique characters. My personal favorite is the Evil Lord. He thinks his beauty will get him everywhere and anything, yet he cares for a human turned into a bat monster so much, he's willing to adventure around the world to get her back to normal.
And keeping the parody train rolling, the entire game has that 8-bit/16-bit sprite appearance. There are many given cut scenes that show still high quality drawn pictures which just adds to the amusement of the whole game. It also proves that the sprite created sections were done completely on purpose. Along with the epic story, it also has an epic sound track filed with enthusiastic rock tracks and your regular RPG music.
Half-Minute Hero also has its fill of bonus content along with unlocking the ability to listen to the sound track, concept art, and an extra hard mission that could very well make you cry. If you thought 30 seconds is hard, try only 3 seconds!
All in all, Half-Minute Hero is a fun game with an enticing storyline that's also a nudge towards your regular RPG. Unfortunately its a short enough game to complete in a good weekend. There's a hard mode and extra content to earn, but if you're the kind of person to stop playing a game after you technically beat it, I recommend renting it if you can.
8 out of 10
Check the trailer to get a better idea of it. Text can only do so much... YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaV16Zue6uQ
*Note: There is also multilayer functionality, but I didn't get a chance to check that out.
So how was that review? Did it flow well enough? Did it sound informative enough? Did it make you interested to give the game a shot? Did the review justify the score enough? Would you be interested in more reviews? And if so, what content would you like me to check out? How far did you get until you just skipped to the end of this journal?
Half-Minute Hero (PSP) Review
What if I told you, you only had 30 seconds to beat an epic Role Playing Game (RPG)? For me, I began to imagine how one could speed through turn based battles, chat with the non-playable characters, and even traverse the up and down the map.
Fortunately the concept (along with the game) isn't as hard as it sounds.
Half-Minute Hero is pretty much if Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, and Wario Ware had a child. Its also a parody on most general RPGs, with an original story in and of itself. Like most RPGs, you start out as a random boy destined to be a hero (I named my guy "Hero"). An evil villain obtains a spell that can destroy the world in 30 seconds and its up to you to stop him! Unfortunately you don't have the power to stop him and the world is doomed!... or is it? This is where the game turns out to be easier than one would think, as the "Time Goddess" appears to lend you her powers, but at a price: rewinding time for a little gold. The phrase "Buying time" has never been any truer than when playing this game. Well maybe this and a parking meter.
The main gameplay itself is what you would expect from most RPGs: Walk the map, get into random battles to gain experience, go into town to replenish health and talk to the towns folk, complete a given quest and take down the boss. The fights themselves aren't turn based, but actually more action oriented: your character runs towards the bad guys and both bump each other until one goes down. The short and sweet battles end in a matter of seconds which is definitely a good thing for what little time you have to beat the stage.
You may also wonder how much fun a game like this would be if each stage was only 30 seconds. Fortunately every other stage has a different quest with a completely different map for each new stage, keeping things interesting. There are also other "games" within the game including a Side/Vert Scrolling Shooter starring a princess with a crossbow and a Real Time Strategy (RTS) game starring an incredibly narcissistic and conceited yet loyal and romantic Evil Lord. There's a few extra games to follow, but I'd recommend you playing the game to find out. Or just search the cheat sites, but where's the fun in that?
Since the game is partially a spoof/parody, it definitely has it's funny moments along unique characters. My personal favorite is the Evil Lord. He thinks his beauty will get him everywhere and anything, yet he cares for a human turned into a bat monster so much, he's willing to adventure around the world to get her back to normal.
And keeping the parody train rolling, the entire game has that 8-bit/16-bit sprite appearance. There are many given cut scenes that show still high quality drawn pictures which just adds to the amusement of the whole game. It also proves that the sprite created sections were done completely on purpose. Along with the epic story, it also has an epic sound track filed with enthusiastic rock tracks and your regular RPG music.
Half-Minute Hero also has its fill of bonus content along with unlocking the ability to listen to the sound track, concept art, and an extra hard mission that could very well make you cry. If you thought 30 seconds is hard, try only 3 seconds!
All in all, Half-Minute Hero is a fun game with an enticing storyline that's also a nudge towards your regular RPG. Unfortunately its a short enough game to complete in a good weekend. There's a hard mode and extra content to earn, but if you're the kind of person to stop playing a game after you technically beat it, I recommend renting it if you can.
8 out of 10
Check the trailer to get a better idea of it. Text can only do so much... YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaV16Zue6uQ
*Note: There is also multilayer functionality, but I didn't get a chance to check that out.
So how was that review? Did it flow well enough? Did it sound informative enough? Did it make you interested to give the game a shot? Did the review justify the score enough? Would you be interested in more reviews? And if so, what content would you like me to check out? How far did you get until you just skipped to the end of this journal?
My bad, the legit one is what I meant... :b
That's besides the point, though. The internet at my college can't connect online with legit carts (THAT I SPEND MY HARD EARNED MONEY ON) either. D: