I was hesitant at first, because from the box and disc art LKS looks like another cutesy Wii game, and such games have a tendency to be terrible or great. My fears, however, were quickly put to rest as the game opened with beautiful hand-painted cinematic and a wonderful rendition of Ravel’s “Bolero.” Vangie, unfortunately for her, happened to be in the room with me at the time, and thus received the full force of my geekgasm as I proceeded to bounce up and down with glee at hearing one of my favorite pieces in a videogame. The game only got better from there, as I found all the cinematics to be done in the same rich style, with the normal gameplay graphics being lush and bright. This went well with the game’s child-like atmosphere, as the visuals perfectly capture the brightness and vivid colors of a child’s drawing.

AND THE MUSIC! If you’ll excuse me, I believe I will be a bit over-the-top here. Ravel’s “Bolero” was only the beginning, as the entire game is filled with updated versions of classical pieces. Even if you are not a fan of classical music, many of the pieces will at least sound familiar to you and are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Whether it’s battling your way through the Ripe Kingdom (lots of food there) to the tune of “La Donna é Mobile” or the fast and frantic battle with King Jumbo Champloon with a remixed can-can playing in the background, the music accentuates the whimsical and bright nature of the game wonderfully. Even if you don’t play the game, go check out the soundtrack; it’s worth it.

All right, Michael…take a deep breath…aaaaaaaaaaaand good. Sorry, just had to get all that stuff about LKS’s music out. Moving on, the game plays well, although the first couple of hours are a little dry. At first the game seems like a pretty cut-and-dry Pikmin clone: you have a few different types of citizens with different abilities, and you lead them around collecting stuff and beating up monsters. After this, however, the game expands greatly, opening up new areas and allowing you to grow your kingdom, level-up your character, and complete sidequests. There’s a lot of stuff to explore; however, I should mention that many of the sidequests are nearly identical monster hunts. Still, LKS offers a more expansive world and opportunities for customizing yourself and your kingdom than many similar games (Overlord 2, I’m looking at you).

Some of the game mechanics can prove to be a little frustrating, though. Sometimes your army, especially when it grows above 15 people or so, has trouble following you, forcing you to go back and collect people who accidentally fall off ledges and cannot reach you. Also, selecting the proper unit involves cycling through every available class, a major pain if you’re trying to command your soldiers to attack a boss for the few seconds it is vulnerable. Overall, however, the game plays pretty smoothly, with combat and exploration being fairly easy to master, even if there are a few flaws.

Oh, and did I mention this game is totally on crack? Because it’s totally on crack. Take the weirdness of Katamari Damacy, crank it up a notch, and you’ll have a good idea what you’re in for in LKS. It’s a wonderful weirdness, though: half child’s imagination and half crazy fever dream. If you don’t believe me, just check this boss intro out. Yes, the guy with the TV head is the boss, and to beat him you must dig up the appropriate spot on a map of the world (the REAL world, not the in-game one) based on hints he gives you. It’s actually one of the more innovative boss battles I’ve encountered recently.

So to sum up, Little King’s Story is a game with a few technical flaws, but these flaws are more than made up for by the game’s breathtaking art, music, fun gameplay, and general quirkiness. In an era of big-name blockbuster games, it was really refreshing to see something new and unexpected come out and be so wonderful. As I mentioned before, it’s clear that the people behind LKS loved this game, and that’s something that will make you love it all the more.

Kyle Ogilvie’s Top 10 Favorite Videogames

10.  Paper Mario (N64):  Quite possibly the best RPG for N64.  Quite possibly the ONLY RPG for N64.  I know all you diehard Zelda fans out there will be yelling and screaming Ocarina of Time was the best RPG.  Oh contraire, my Zelda crazed fanatics; Zelda was not a true RPG.  Anywho, Paper Mario was a nice relief from the adventure games Mario calls home.

9.  Banjo-Kazooie (N64):  This awesome game was produced by, in my humble opinion, the best designing company for N64.  Unfortunately, that company dropped out of existence when GameCube was released.  This company is, of course, Rare.  And this was one of their masterpieces.  The sheer genius of a bear and a bird in a backpack won me over, and the AMAZING quality of the game makes it number 9 on my list, even after the release of GameCube.

8.  Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance (GCN):  A very good fighting game.  I liked the graphics a lot, along with the new innovative additions, including weapons, Kurrency, and Lei Mei.  However, the crippling blow was that of the finishing moves.  One fatality per person, with no stage fatalities?!  What is this world coming to?

7.  Mortal Kombat Trilogy (N64):  Can’t beat the classics.  Especially when the classics involve numerous Fatalities, TOASTY, and Sheeva.

6.  Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow/Gold/Silver, etc. (GBO/C/A):  This game, while not the best, ranks number 5 for a number of unusual reasons.  For one thing, you can play this game over and over again and not fully explore the whole thing.  Another reason is the decent plot and gameplay.  While not the best, I have played many that were worse.  The final is the portability.  You can take it ANYWHERE you want! (On the crapper for example (not that I have ever done that) or on long car rides.)

5.  Pikmin (GCN):  This game is not only one of the must fun I have ever played, but one of the most innovative.  Who would ever think of little people with flowers coming out of their heads that can attack weird enemies with terrible ferocity?  It is PURE genius.  Who wouldn’t like to have a personal army of little symbiotes to do your bidding?

4.  Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN):  Ever heard about how sequels rarely surpass their predecessors?  This one definitely DOES, by a long shot.  In addition to the almost infinite things you can unlock and collect, this game gets its place from the awesome multiplayer and single player action.  Just play the game.  You’ll see what I mean.

3.  Animal Crossing (GCN): This game rocks, hands down.  Though at first glance it looks very cartoonish/childish, it is an extremely complex game that provides hours upon hours of fun.  The game is constantly changing, providing new challenges, characters, and items to keep the game interesting.  The, most probably, best feature in the game is the ability to interact with other players.  Up to four can live in a town, and you can visit other players’ towns!  But, the true beauty of this game is that you can’t win it, much like The Sims.  And, due to the ever changing gameplay, you can come back every day (this game uses real time!) and find something new.

2.  ToeJam and Earl (SG):  Need I even say anything?  IT IS THE MOST AMAZING SEGA GAME EVER.  End of story.  Awesome two player action, the random mode (always different), presents, the ranking system… I can’t name everything good or else I would fill up all of GameCola.  PLAY THIS GAME.  NOW.

1.  TIE:  Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time (N64) & Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN):  I don’t think I even need to say anything about Ocarina of Time.  (I will anyway.)  It’s an AMAZING game, with an amazing storyline, characters, gameplay, the list goes on and on.  Wind Waker is also amazing, with certain minor let downs.  But, it ties with Ocarina of Time, because of the graphics, and COMPLETELY new storyline, characters, enemies, places, and items.

The player takes control of my dear friend, Captain Olimar, who has crash-landed on planet Earth.  With your ship in shambles, a thirty day reserve of supplies, and an intense will to survive, you must set out on your journey to repair your ship to the point that it can return home.  Unfortunately for you, each of the thirty pieces you must obtain are too big for you to carry alone, not to mention in hard to reach places.   Fortunately for you, quickly upon exploring your surrounding you stumble upon an odd red plant saucer flowery looking thing.  How is that fortunate?  It turns out the “onion” is where the curious race of Pikmin live.  Coming in three varieties, the Pikmin are the key to your survival, hence the name of the game.  You lead the Pikmin around, using them to perform a variety of tasks, but most importantly having them carry your missing parts back to your ship.

Each of the Pikmin colors are suited to certain tasks.  Having a rough time with napalm, a breathing bug, or a field of fiery geysers?  Command an army of red Pikmin, and you will prevail as they dauntingly brave the flames.  Occasionally, your progress will be impeded by a wall of stone or a tall cliff.  In these cases you might want to break out the yellow Pikmin, whose ability to handle “bomb rocks” make them invaluable.  Their large ears also help them to catch the wind, making them easier to throw up to higher elevations.  The Pikmin of the blue variety thrive in aquatic environments.  As the only Pikmin who can travel through water without drowning, they are the elite navy SEALS of your army.  Any mission that requires traversing a pond will require the aid of the great blue army.

The graphical aspect of Pikmin isn’t anything that will cause your chin to hit the floor, but it fits the character of the game.  It’s presented in a cute, colorful, and comical style that matches the audience to which the game is marketed.  As far as sound goes, there still isn’t anything to go crazy over.  Sounds remain true to the character of the game, but you won’t be cranking up the volume just so you can hear the music.  The controls, both for the camera and Olimar, are simple to learn, but leave you with an abundance of skills to achieve your mission.

Young children are able to appreciate the game’s relative ease, but more experienced gamers will have some interesting challenges to await them.  A game that is easy to learn, but difficult to master, Pikmin is a very good choice if you are looking for a game to tickle your fancy.  It’s cheap now too, so it won’t empty your wallet if you decide to purchase it.  Pikmin 2 will be coming out soon, though…