all games are not created equal

    Banjo-Kazooie brings back nostalgic memories, of a time when I didn't care about multiplayer or achievements, and just played games for pure fun. I played Wind Waker a few years after Banjo-Kazooie and I was enthralled by it also, loving the gameplay, items and the graphics.

    This is actually a really hard comparison to make as I love both games almost equally, but it is on my comparison list so it shall be done!

    The reasons, in my opinion, why Banjo-Kazooie was better than Wind Waker are the reward and the grind.

    Nothing beats the feeling when you receive that jiggy that you've been working hard to achieve, the happiness and joy often made my mum ask me what I was smiling about. Also these jiggies weren't there just for show, they opened up new levels for more fun to be had and exploring to do.

    On the other side, Wind Waker rewarded you after a long gruelling task or dungeon with a piece or two of equipment. At first I was happy to have the cool new item and try it out in different situations, but this soon died out as I realised it was "just another item" which I would have to use over and over again to overcome simple (or not so simple) tasks.

    Some of the other objects you receive may of been useful in the dungeon which you found them in, but absolutely useless later on while in Banjo-Kazooie all those jiggies added up and kept a purpose.

    The second reason why I think that Banjo-Kazooie is better than Wind Waker is the grinding in the games.

    In Banjo-Kazooie, there may of been some grinding and repetition of tasks to win the jiggies, but the tasks weren't usually that long and could be dealt with without too much boredom.

    However, in Wind Waker, it usually forced you to do long sailing trips with absolutely nothing happening (they shortened it later with with a wind-direction changing song and a transportation song).

    But the thing I completely hated about Wind Waker was when you had to collect the triforce pieces. While collecting them, not only did you have to find the pieces, you had to find the maps to show you where they are (there is a different map for each of the eight triforce pieces). And to find the maps to show you where they, you needed to buy a map to locate them.

    But then, once you found the triforce maps, you had to get them deciphered from Tingle at 398 rupees each. Did I mention that each of the things you needed to collect had to be sailed to and then a short puzzle completed to receive them?

    I dreaded the triforce collection part of Wind Waker everytime I played it, and for this main reason I think that Banjo-Kazooie was a more enjoyable game.

    A while back I purchased both of these games in a clearance sale for about AU$30 each, so I wasn't expecting too much.

    I played N3 first and to no surprise, it was a mediocre beat 'em up style game (which has been been overused). It did have some points where it shined, such as the amazing combos and the sheer amount of enemies on screen. But this was held back by clunky controls, a useless squad system and highly unbalanced foes (the average boss was able to two or three shot you, while taking up to 4 minutes of constant combo spam to kill).

    When I started up KUF: Circle of Doom, it was my first time with a Kingdom Under Fire game so I had no idea what to expect, except for the obvious RPG elements as shown on its cover. After picking a fearsome looking warrior as my character, I headed into the game and slashed my way through hundreds of creatures, and a boss which led me into the next area.

    The combat was extremely fun and I found numerous items to customise my character, such as crossbows and two handed hammers. The boss fight was pretty simple, a masked, four-headed beast where you had to break off each mask and then fire arrows as it climbed high above you. (Boss fights may become more strategy oriented later, I have not played far enough to know). There is also online co-op for up to 4 players. This allows you to boost your character easily by joining a higher level characters game and sharing the exp or to get help if you are stuck on a tough boss fight.

    The only problem I have found with KUF: Circle of Doom is that I was unable to find a single NPC which continues the main quest, and had to refer online to find out.

    In all, KUF: Circle of Doom had an edge over N3 for the simple reason of enjoyment. I found myself frustrated at N3 countless times from being cheaply 2 shot by a boss' stun or AE (and then having to restart the WHOLE level over again). But in KUF: Circle of Doom, it is always fun to grab a friend or three and hack your way through the unique foes.

   Fable and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess are both fantasy action-adventure games with RPG elements, with Fable being more on the RPG side.

   Fable is highly customizable and is praised for it. It has been a big name in the genre since the time of release because of its great gameplay and all the effort the team put into the choices in the game.

   Twilight Princess is part of the famous Zelda series and put many changes into the Zelda universe. Such changes include the removal of the magic bar and the addition of a 'Twilight Realm' which the game revolves around.

   The reasons I think Twilight Princess is better than Fable are as follows:

•    Fable has a weak story, while Twilight Princess' is very strong and immersive.

•    Fable's combat is limited to a few buttons, with melee, ranged and magic being the main forms of combat. While Twilight Princess has the same forms of combat, there are many different items you can use and strategies required to defeat the opponents than just hitting them repeatedly, such as transforming into a wolf to be able to see an enemy or having to fly on bombs on top of your boomerang into a boss. You are also able to learn new combat moves such as the helmsplitter and spin.

•    There are dungeons and puzzles in Twilight Princess, which I absolutely love to do.

•    Difficulties. Fable is much too easy while Twilight Princess was just right for me.

•    The length of the gameplay in Twilight Princess is much longer.

•    And lastly, the bonus content. The things you can do after you complete the game. In Fable, the only things you could collect usually ended up combat related, which you didn't need as you had finished the game, and while a few of the games played in the pub were fun, they got boring terribly quickly. Twilight Princess, however, has many exciting things to catch, such as golden bugs and heart pieces, and games to play, such as Cuccoo gliding.

   Those points sum up my comparison of the games and why The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a more enjoyable experience.

To any who have played these two games and enjoyed them, I applaud you. I find them to be the the greatest games I have ever played. But, there is a need for justification in my selection of Shadow of the Colossus over Morrowind.

I still play these games whenever I need to escape to my own little world, as they both have very large and engrossing environments. I spent hours hunting down those little lizards with the white tails, but not as much as I spent exploring the wilderness and nearby dungeons looting all I saw.

"But wait?" you think, "If you spent more time playing Morrowind than Shadow of the Colossus surely you must think Morrwind is the better game?"

Well that is only because Morrowind had a lot more content to sift through than Shadow of the Colossus did, but the main point here is that my enjoyment of the content of one game was higher.

The satisfaction of seeing the large beast fall to the ground, after using every plan conceivable to try and bring it down was immense. I don't think any other game could beat it. Even the small things in Shadow of the Colossus were very enjoyable, such as the horse riding and archery. Everything was thought of thoroughly and came together to be one epic game.

Shadow of the Colossus was a once in a lifetime experience for me. Some of you probably will not enjoy it as I did, but I do implore you to go give it a try. It may be a very rare game to see in shops these days, but  if you do get lucky enough to come across it, give not a second thought and try it.