This seems to be the year where everything old is new again. Old favourites are being excavated from the video game graveyard, dusted off, given some new duds and sent out into the world to seek their fame and fortune. It worked well for that Italian plumber earlier this year and now the same can be said for that exhibitionist knight, Arthur.
Still prone to showing off his undies, Arthur has returned in the slickly produced 'Ultimate Ghosts n' Goblins' for the PSP. Yes, folks. 'Ultimate' does sound way cooler than 'New' and 'Super'. In your face, plumber boy.
Still, Mario and Arthur are kindred souls when it comes to affairs of the heart. The loves of their lives just keep disappearing again and again and again. What's with all these video game princesses any ways? You'd think by now they would have instituted some kind of multiuniverse Princess Security Department, an institution whose sole function is to protect and track all those pesky princesses who've vanished from sight in the past faster than that reality show 'The One'. Where is Jack Bauer when you need him, eh?
Arthur may not pistol-whip baddies indiscriminately but he has an arsenal of new weapons to slay those Demon Realm evil doers who seek to invade the human world. He got a scatter crossbow, a swallow blade which tracks enemies like a laser guided missile, a boomerang scythe, a vine whip, a better lance and a crumby fire bottle that flies in the air and explodes on the ground just like that lame weapon in the original Ghosts n' Goblins'. You know, the one that you avoided at all costs because it was as useless as throwing pebbles. Stupid fireball thingy. I swear they included that weapon just to piss people off.
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Arthur isn't limited to mortal weapons though. He can cast spells too if he is wearing the right type of armour. He can unleash devastating smart bomb explosions, conjure an impenetrable force field and slow down his foes. That ain't all. Special staves allow him to warp levels and there are other items to aid him in his quest. Two major notes, firstly, Arthur cannot double jump until you find the leap boots on the first level so don't panic and rail against the gaming gods when you see that Arthur can barely clear those tombstones at the start and secondly, collect the gold rings even though the game doesn't tell you at any point how important they really are. Trust me.
On a lighter note, one of the special items you can collect looks suspiciously like a cannabis leaf, although, there are no mystical bongs, sacred rolling papers or roach clips of the Vishanti, so, it just may be my warped mind playing tricks on me. It wouldn't be the first time.
Just to keep things even, magic can be used against Arthur too. The demonic hordes can briefly turn him into a chicken, a female version of himself who looks like a Swedish goat wrestler and he can be shrunk down to like four pixels tall. While height challenged, Arthur cannot collect any new weapons or items. Sucks to be him. He, however, can become a giant just like that improved plumber guy only he doesn't sweetly smash up the environments and the sudden growth is more of hindrance than a help when it comes to making those death-defying leaps.
'Ultimate Ghosts N' Goblins' is undeniably the best-looking PSP release since 'Siphon Filter: Dark Mirror'. The floating spectral faces, the tidal wave of blood, the massive beast masquerading as a temple are just some of the early "wow moments" that show off the technology that is packed into the PSP device. Knowing they would be saddled with the dreaded side-scroller label, Capcom also made some of the gameplay and environments three-dimensional here and there. For instance, when Arthur stomps into 'Death Castle', he walks towards the screen before turning back sideways to lumber down some stairs. It is just a little touch but it is a nice touch.
While 'Ultimate Ghosts N' Goblins' doesn't have the complexity of 'New Super Mario Brothers', the two share something else besides the fact that their princesses have their missing person's photos updated every month: they are flagship titles that show off what their respective handheld devices are truly capable of.
WHAM! Rating: |
8 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
E (Everyone) |
Official Web Site: |
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