Esteban- are there any variances in this version from the original or is it pretty much a carbon copy?
The iPhone/iPod Touch version is nice and on-par with the 360/PS3 upgrades... but to be honest, Neo Nectaris SuperCD is SUPERIOR to the updated efforts. Get that if it is within your means. IT ROCKS.
But, honestly, the iPhone/iPod Touch will satisfy 99.99% people.
Here are my thoughts. Please remember that my "critique" is coming from the mind of a person who dearly loves Nectaris and obsesses over details that most people might not even notice, or care about. The nuances are important to me, but most folks simply want the meat of the game (strategy+puzzles), and that remains essentially the same with all versions since 1989.
Important stuff:1) Once you get used to the touch interface, it is superior to all other input methods for strategy games like this. Scrolling the map, moving troops, checking stats on weapons, etc. are intuitive and easy with touch.
2) That said, I wonder if some folks will accidentally hit "end turn" (which is infuriating in turn-based games). The button is in the bottom-right-hand part of the screen, and I haven't had a problem yet, but I did hit it once by accident. I haven't played long enough to see if it is a problem yet.
3) The battle scenes (below) can be turned-off to speed up the flow of the game. This was introduced by Neo Nectaris and has been in all versions since.
4) The battle scenes are not as satisfying as the original Nectaris/Neo Nectaris. A little bit more love would have gone a long way to make these moments better (older games had better-looking sprites, landscapes and better use of sound effects--all of which created a more visceral experience).
5) I like the polished, sophisticated sound of the "updated" songs (taken from Nectaris, not Neo Nectaris, by the way), but all the songs on iPod/iPhone have an awkward sounding loop--it is REALLY ANNOYING to have the soung abruptly "stop" for a nanosecond when it loops. AND IT IS A SHORT LOOP! Would it have killed them to make the goddamn song longer? JESUS CHRIST THIS IS 2010! You know, on later maps, you spend a great deal of time devising a plan/moving troops... the awkwardly-looping soundtrack is just SLOPPY.
6) CUSTOM SOUNDTRACK!!! Neo Nectaris iPhone/iPod supports custom soundtrack, which is really wonderful because of the flaw in #5. You can select the songs you want, but, it seems that you cannot have them play on random during the game. "Random play" would be a welcome feature.
7) Honestly, I wish Hudson would have spent a few dollars culling ALL the music from Nectaris (catchy chiptunes) and Neo Nectaris (orchestral Red Book) and offering folks the option to switch between CUSTOM, Nectaris, and NEO on the fly.
8.) VISUAL ARTIFACTS. Seriously, this is sloppy, but it doesn't break the game. Once, a piece of the "hex grid" remained on the screen until I scrolled to the other side of the map:
Can you find the artifact in the image above?9) The new training mode/tutorial mode is interactive and allows you to actually play. This is nice. (The original Nectaris had a wonderful tutorial, but not interactivity. I still think the old tutorial has more aesthetic appeal than the new one. GO FIGURE!)
Superficial stuff:1) No "Game Over" music when you give up/lose. Oh well. At least the new title screen music is fun and catchy!
2) Cinemas (the old ones are great, full-screen, and gorgeous. SHORT, but wonderful. The iPhone version should have used "full screen", but instead confines the cinemas to 1/10th of the screen. The original soundscape (including narration) has been stripped.
3) The new UI design is UGLY, especially the "quit" / ">>" (above) and "end turn" / "pause" (below).
4) Sprite/icon design (the new designs for the weapons/troops--especially for the maps (above)--don't have as much character as Nectaris/Neo Nectaris. The new sprite designs look better during the battle scenes (where the sprites are larger).
5) The new background/map aesthetics are basic, but "nicer" than the old ones (less straining on the eyes).
6) The sound effects for troop movement should have been louder (I miss the bassy rumbling of the tanks from Nectaris!)
Topic: Neo Nectaris (Read 329 times)
