Pock's Friend - PC

Japanese indie game website Playism launched their English language site last Friday and along with a bunch of titles which can already be found on Steam, Gamersgate and Desura, there are several games which make their debut on the site.

Free-to-play adventure Pock's Friend was released back in 2008 but it's taken until now for me to discover it. It immediately grabbed my attention thanks to its beautiful hand-drawn visuals by artist and programmer Akira Noyama and although it only takes around 30 minutes to complete, it is packed with more than enough charm to melt even the iciest of hearts.

Pock is a lonely lad who lives in the middle of a forest. He has no friends and can't experience emotions as he doesn't have a heart. But while moping around the forest one day, Pock has an Alice in Wonderland moment and finds himself in another world. Here, he meets Tam, a horned demon and the pair tramp off together on a journey in which Pock finds the true meaning of friendship.

Pock's Friend is a point and click adventure, but the format has been stripped back so there's no inventory system. Instead, clicking on objects and the environment moves the adventure forward. Sometimes a click will have a purely cosmetic effect and part of the fun is poking around and seeing what will happen.

There are even a few puzzles thrown in for good measure, including spot the difference teasers and rotating jigsaw conundrums.

The art style is beautiful and reminds me slightly of Lovedelic's off-the-wall PS1 game Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, while the short soundtrack gives the game a lovely atmosphere.

Pock's Friend may be short, but it's a genuinely touching experience and as it's browser-based, the journey is the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon coffee break.

You can play the game here

Road Rash - PS1/3DO

Since finding an old shoe box full of PS1 games in the back of a cupboard a few weeks ago, much of my recent gaming time has been spent revisiting forgotten classics.

While games such as Lemmings 3D, Tomb Raider, Jumping Flash, Croc 2, Crash Bandicoot and Kula World have been dusted off, I've spent most of my time with Road Rash.

This mid-Nineties port of the wonderful 3DO version has always been one of my favourite games and it's still entertaining 17 years after it was released.

The madcap dashes through The City, Pacific Coast, Napa Valley, Peninsula and Sierra Nevada might be a bit blockier than you remember but the presentation and racing action still holds up.

Sure, the menus are clunky and unresponsive but what makes Road Rash great is the fact that no two races are ever the same.

Other bikers crash into traffic and pedestrians, a swift truncheon to an opponent's head changes the nature of the race, bumps and corners on the road send the player skidding into the unknown, while the appearance of police at unpredictable times leads to tense moments, as one small mistake will see your hapless biker busted by the boys in blue.

The racing action is wonderfully entertaining, but it's the inclusion of acts such as Monster Magnet, Swervedriver and Paw on the soundtrack which adds a huge amount to the experience. Even now, when I hear Rusty Cage by Soundgarden, I immediately think of the game's opening scene - something I doubt will ever go away.

Road Rash also features a hefty chunk of FMV which, although a little cheesy, still raises a smile, while the art style which punctuates the racing action is quite brilliant with an off-beat sense of humour used in every slide.

Since this release, other Road Rash games have taken to the streets but none have come close to matching the brilliance of this great version, with the sloppy Road Rash: Jail Break being a particular low point in the series.

So while I patiently wait for Skyrim to arrive on Friday, I'll be causing chaos on the roads with my fellow bikers on my battered old PlayStation.

Mizzurna Falls - PS1

During my 40+ hours in the company of Deadly Premonition's Agent York and the deliciously eccentric residents of Greenvale, I kept thinking of obscure Japanese PS1 title Mizzurna Falls.

I have never played the game, but I do remember seeing the title in my friend's game store back in the day. Unfortunately, I never picked it up - something I now deeply regret.

The full title is Country of the Wood and Repose Mizzurna Falls and its setting and subject matter will be familiar territory for those who loved David Lynch's masterpiece Twin Peaks.

Set in a small rural American town in Colorado, a girl has been found covered in blood - seemingly attacked by a bear. On the same day she is discovered, another girl is reported missing.

Taking control of the missing girl's friend, the player sets out to investigate the disappearance and help solve the case.

After playing through Deadly Premonition, it's clear that creator SWERY was inspired by Mizzurna Falls in a big way - cars can run out of fuel, there is a bar which bears a striking resemblance to the Galaxy of Terror, while the off-kilter music appears to permeate the whole game.

I think it looks fantastic and I'm desperate to play it. Unfortunately I've tried looking everywhere online to buy a second-hand copy without any luck. Anybody out there know where I could pick up a copy, or perhaps you have this 13 year old Japanese game gathering dust in your attic? If so please let me know.

Here's a clip of the game in action. Looks a little rough, but it still looks great.

Klonoa - Wii

Despite the fact the Klonoa series offers colourful, solid and brilliant platform fun, our long-eared cat-like chum has been criminally overlooked by large sections of the gaming public in the past.

Now, 12 years after Klonoa made his debut on PS1, Namco have resurrected his original adventure and brought it to Wii.

Despite being more than a decade old, Klonoa puts the majority of recent platform games to shame, with games such as the recent Sonic titles failing to come close to matching Klonoa's brilliance.

The game is played across pseudo 3D levels, which twist and turn, giving the game a real sense of depth. Although Klonoa can travel 'into' the screen from time to time, most of the action plays out like a familiar left to right platformer.

The one thing which sets the series apart from games such as Mario and Sonic, is Klonoa's ability to grab enemies to either use as projectiles, or to launch himself high into the air.

Although the game is a strict platform romp, the ability to use enemies to aid Klonoa adds a strategic element to the game. Nothing is ever too taxing, but sometimes you'll have to engage the old grey matter when tackling some sections.

Visually, the game is beautiful. Namco have lavished a lot of love on Klonoa and by incorporating progressive scan and widescreen features, the game looks simply gorgeous running on a HD TV.

Sweeping pastoral levels, giant clockwork treehouses, spooky ruins, ice caverns and rusting temples are all gloriously rendered, with a depth of field filter used to make foreground objects look even sharper. Special mention goes to the lovely water effects, especially in level 2-2, Over the Rising Waterfall.

Aside from Klonoa's traditional run and jump gameplay, other elements creep in occasionally, and riding a wooden mine cart and being swept down a river make a nice change of pace.

The one downside to the plethora of platform fun is the length of the game. Klonoa isn't the longest or the most challenging game on the Wii, although it does have its moments - the last few levels are tricky - but with optional collectables peppered throughout every level, there's plenty of reason to go back and explore.

Namco have also included the option to just use the Wiimote to control Klonoa, although adding the nunchuk is advisable for the tricky leaps towards the end of the game, while Gamecube pad support is also included.

All in all, Klonoa is a top notch game. It's packed with charm, good looks, a memorable soundtrack and is a title that all platform fans should check out. It might not be quite as good as Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil on PlayStation 2, but with a price point around £20, there's enough here to keep platform fans more than happy.

Aquanaut's Holiday - PS1

No sooner had I blogged about the return of Aquanaut's Holiday on PS3, when, to my amazement, I discover the original PS1 game was released this morning via the Japanese PS3 store for 600 yen.

My original copy has been misplaced somewhere down the line, and it's a game I've been looking out for over the last few years...to no avail. But tonight I downloaded it again and have put an hour or so into it.

OK, so it's nowhere near as polished as Endless Ocean on Wii, and the draw distance is pretty poor, but it's still got that old magic. Due to the game's minimalist sound effects and eerie music, Aquanaut's Holiday has a sombre atmosphere. But just travelling through the sizeable ocean, peering out into the gloom in search of some landmark or sign of life is as compelling as it was back in 1996.



Each of the pad's shoulder buttons emits a sound. The sealife you encounter all have their favourite sound and when played, they will dance. Squids rotate 360 degrees, while starfish twirl around on the sea bed. You can also set probes anywhere in the ocean which you can then hop between to cut down on journey times. This is especially useful for returning to a point of interest.

As for the points of interest, there are many - from huge stone faces on the sea bed, to mysterious footprints in the sand.

It's been a while, so I'll need to play around with it a bit more to jog my memory about creating a coral reef to attract different species, as right now, I'm puzzled. Still, the game is pretty self-explanatory and although the game is from the Japanese store, menus are in English, with only a smattering of Japanese throughout. Plus, there's the bonus of being able to play it on my PSP. Fantastic!