Hi All!

Sorry I haven't been able to post lately, I've been consumed trying to keep up with school, moving, and maintaining a blog about my life as a game designer (Adventures in Game Design, the link is over on the right as well).

I hope you are all doing well, playing many more games than I have been lately. I think I've played the games I got for my birthday for roughly 6 hours (my birthday was well over a week ago, FYI). I'll try to post whenever I get the chance to play a game or read something cool about industry goings on. Later!

Blue Dragon? Meh.

Well, E3 Lite is underway, and we are beginning to be bombarded with trailers and (somewhat surprisingly) demos. Blue Dragon so happens to be one of these aforementioned demos. Blue Dragon also happens to be high on the watch list of yours truly, so I was eager to give the demo a go. Would the demo pump me up and get me all riled up over the impending release next month?

Actually, not so much. Honestly, I was a little under-whelmed by the demo. Maybe it's because you are over-level in the demo to give you a glimpse of more skills, but I was literally plowing through the run of the mill enemies. The mini-bosses were a little bit more challenging, but only because they get to attack so often (generally every other action was the boss's action). This disparity in difficulty was somewhat frustrating, since it made to area bosses seem almost impossible by comparison. I suppose this could be the desired effect, but I'm uncertain.

The thing that really drove me nuts was the "slowdown." I put that in quotes because I don't think it has anything to do with the framerate; I think they may have just gone nuts with the slo-mo effect. They've gone so crazy with it, it was a detrimental effect on the game: the battles feel like they lag. Believe me, it's not a pleasant effect.

To be honest, before I played the demo, this game was number two on my 360 wish list: behind Lost Odyssey and Mass Effect. However, with the mediocre nature of the Blue Dragon demo, and factoring in how much I enjoyed the Eternal Sonata demo, I am now officially more excited about Eternal Sonata, since I'm sure you are interested.

And since I brought up Mass Effect and Lost Odyssey, if you haven't taken a gander at the E3 trailers released today, I'd recommend it. I had a major nerdgasm hearing Keith David in Mass Effect. Is there anything that he does not make awesome with his presence? I think not. Also, I could probably make an entire post solely on the Lost Odyssey trailer, but I'll leave it at this: wow. How awesome is this storyline: an immortal soldier with no memory of any of his past exploits must search for clues of his past to stop the planet from being poisoned. Genius!

The Uberpost

I was debating whether or not to break this up into two normal-sized posts, or to throw it all together as one massive uberpost. I've chosen to go with the latter. Lucky you!

GrimGrimoire...
is very good. The story is strongly (repeat, very strongly) influenced by Harry Potter. For example, the headmaster's name is Gammel Dore. Yeah, they're really subtle. The premise is that you area new student in a magical academy, and in your first five days all hell breaks loose. At the end of the 5th day you're zapped back through time to your first night. Fortunately, when you restart, you'll still have all your grimoires and you'll remember how to use them.

I'm a big fan of the sorcery tree. I tend to get pretty excited about the ability to control massive dragons who will obey my every command. Well, they'll obey every command as long as all my commands are "attack." That works though, since that's the only command I can give 'em. I'm also a big fan of Grimalkin, and not just because they're cats who walk around and cast magic. Actually, no. That is why I'm a big fan. Mana burn is my favorite spell in the game, by a very wide margin. When a spell can evoke a one-shot kill on half of the units in the game, and can be cast three times in a row without recharging, it's worth researching.

On the other hand, Glamour sucks. It's not really surprising, since it's called Glamour for God's sake! Fairy's are a waste on mana in pretty much any level past the tutorials, and Unicorns are definitely the weakest of the 150-cost units. Their strongest unit can't even attack without building bullets!

I could go on and on about this, and that's because I'm enjoying the game so much. It seems to be pretty short, so I'm trying to savor it. I limit myself to a couple of battles per day at most. If you feel an itch to play a PS2 RTS sometime, give GrimGrimoire a look-see.


Guitar Hero II
Man, was I late to this party or what? I like to think that I'm "fashionably late." I finally decided to pick up Guitar Hero II for the 360 last weekend, and I'm not as terrible as I thought I'd be. In fact, I managed to finish Career mode on Medium. Go me! However, looking at the song lists for the first two games and Rocks the 80's, and looking ahead at the announced lists for Part III, and Rock Band, I see some glaring omissions from the track lists. I am so adamant about his, in fact, that I've decided to make an impromptu Top Ten List.

Actually, it's not a "Top Ten List," since this isn't ranked. We'll just call it:

Ten Artists/Songs that Should be in Guitar Hero III/Rock Band:

1. Van Halen "Hot for Teacher" - Come on guys! You've had three attempts to put this in a game, and you've failed. Don't disappoint me again.

2. Mudvayne "Dig" - I'd settle for almost any Mudvayne song, but could you imagine "Dig" in Rock Band? I've got dibs on not doing the vocals.

3. Metallica "Call of Ktulu" - I know that Activision is trying to get Metallica tracks on GH III, and I know that they love throwing in the all-instrumental tracks. Here's hoping this ends up in there.

4. Megadeth "Killing is My Business..." - We know there's not a problem with getting license to use Megadeth's songs in these games, so why not use one of the songs that put them on the map?

5. Killswitch Engage "Daylight Dies" - I will pray for any KSE song in Rock Band. Pretty please!?

6. Chuck Berry "Johnny B. Goode" - This song seriously isn't in either of the first two GH games? Really? Wow.

7. Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Can you say "Rock Band?" Yes? Good.

8. The Doobie Brothers "China Grove" - I'm running out of things to say about these songs.

9. Pantera "Walk" - Is there a more memorable riff in the history of heavy metal?

10. CKY "Sniped" - I just listed "Sniped" to put something there. Any CKY song would be great.

11. BONUS - Hawthorne Heights "Ohio is For Lovers" - Just so we can see if emo kids can play Guitar Hero and cut themselves simultaneously.

The Red Ring

Oh, Microsoft, responsibility is important and you've stepped up. I won't even begin to argue that makes everything okay, but it certainly is an improvement. What they really need to do is set up an exchange policy with a retailer. It isn't ideal, but if for a month they had a presence at a number of stores around the country, letting people get a new or refurbished replacement for free, then they'd get some real good press. It'll never happen, but that'd please all the people annoyed right now and send a nice message to the gaming press that they actually want to please gamers, not just beat Sony.

GBA Swan Songs?

Maybe Sidious is right and maybe I just ignored the GBA in favor of my PSP or consoles, but last year Atlus released a bunch of extremely good games for the little handheld. A card based strategy RPG? Check. (Yggdra Union) A strategy RPG space opera with giant fighting anime robots? Check. (Super Robot Taisen 2) A quirky, fun, action RPG? Check. (Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2) I mean come on!

I have had the good fortune to play Yggdra Union for about 10 hours now (having only picked it up about 3 days ago) and it is just a fantastic take on the strategy RPG genre, with an interesting story (so far) to boot. I also picked up Super Robot Taisen 2 and have ordered its predecessor as I have been informed it is basically necessary to understand the storyline, but, as always: Anime robots? Count me in.

At $20 a pop these are great values, and I would even go so far to say just outright better than some of the newer console releases. If you've still got a GBA sitting around or have moved on to the unholy, demon-forged DS, definitely take a look at these titles, they are well worth it.

From the "Dog Bites Man" Files

If there was any doubt that this generation of the console wars is going a bit differently then those of the past, check this out:

Nintendo briefly zipped past Sony in market capitalisation on Monday to become one of Japan's ten most valuable companies as it elbows the PlayStation maker out of its decade-long dominance of the game industry.

Now, lest all of the Playstation 3 haters jump on and declare victory for their motion-sensing miracle, it appears that the market decided that something just wasn't quite right with that picture.

Nintendo joined global household names such as Toyota, Honda and Canon on the top-ten list before its shares erased earlier gains and ended the day lower. (Emphasis Added)

Me: Obviously I still think its too early to declare a winner for this generation, but there is no doubt that Sony is reeling. I mean, for god's sake, the company makes TV's and computers in addition to their "toys" and yet is getting it handed to them by the home of the plumber and the green-clad elf. Still, lets hold on for a bit before we declare mighty Sony down for the count.

Oh, snap!

I was perusing Next-gen's preview of Haze, when I happened upon this quote:

And Yescombe sees it as a responsibility for the gaming industry to deal with more mature, and even realistic, subject matter: “It’s about what’s happening in the world today – it’s ludicrous, and how can you make something that doesn’t reflect that? Well, you could bury your head in the sand and make Halo 3, but the fact of the matter is there are more important things at stake.” As well as this bigger picture, your own mortality, obedience and control are explored, and to Yescombe it’s clear that the demands made by games are necessarily changing, “because while Halo is brilliant, you’re a teenager – the next gen is about becoming more mature: in Haze you become an adult.”

Damn! I mean...damn! In your face Bungie! Free Radical just served your ass!

What has Society come to?

The game Society looks like it could be a winner. Of course it won't be a winner for at least one more year, but I can accept that. Some of the screens really have an ambiance to them, the way Resident Evil 4 did, but without the creepy factor.

The news on the game is short, but after the weird turn the new SimCity is taking, going more arcardey on us, Society may be a truly welcome addition. Not that it is trying to be SimCity in any way, maybe more Civilization, but with that whole MMO thing added on. The idea of a game taking a full year to play sounds both impressive, daunting, and wholly addicting. I Nicorrette can come out with a patch for that, cause I'm still going to have bill to pay after this game comes out. (and hopefully a job to lose...)

Things Unexpected

Within the past 24 hours, three things have happened that I never expected. In reverse order of shock value:

3. Yes, some people will pimp out anything.
This morning, I saw a minivan with rims. Spinners, no less. I realize that lots of people take pride in a "pimped-out ride," but seriously. Should you really be pimping your wheels when your wheels are attached to a Caravan? I didn't get a look at the driver, but I can only imagine who would be driving a burgundy minivan with spinning rims.

2. More proof that fried food is delicious.
I like cheeseburgers. I like cheeseburgers with all manner of unique toppings, like fried onion straws or blue cheese crumbles. One thing I haven't seen offered on a burger is a fried egg. Or, I hadn't seen it until I took a closer look at the menu at Red Robin. As it turns out, they offer a bacon cheeseburger topped off with a fried egg. Well, that I had to try. As it turns out, it's quite tasty. Put one on the board for the Royal Red Robin Burger.

1. Strategy on the 360? ZOMG!!!
I never thought I'd see this. Not in a million years. A system that seemed destined to be rife with shooters and racers actually has generated some more cerebral fare. My incredulity aside, there actually is an impressive strategy game available on the 360. And on XBLA of all places! Band of Bugs is a surprisingly good strategy title for only 10 bucks. I started the trial version last night, intending to try it out for 10 minutes or so. 45 minutes later, I was paying up for the full version. I haven't sampled the map editor yet, but Band of Bugs has strong prospects as a game that I can keep coming back to for a long time.

Re: AO....(Huh!)...What is it Good For?

There are a number of responses that went through my head in response to your points, and I think I've limited them to 3:

1. Unless you've played the game, and we haven't, we don't know what kind of game it is. Violence is not inherently cutting edge. It's from Rockstar so we'll assume its going to be at least a good game, but being on the "cutting edge" in this case, and in all other AO cases, would just mean that they allow severe sex and violence. While there is a certain amount of draw to that, its not that overwhelming. "Cutting egde" for video games is seen as something different, which explains why anyone has purchased a PS3 over a 360.

2. Publishing the game = lawsuits = negative perception by parents. There is a 100% chance that they would be sued, and not just by Jack Thompson. Parents buy many of the systems for their kids. This would be big press if the system were the only one publishing such a game and that would be how it was branded in parents' minds.

3. AO ratings have their place just as NC-17 has its place. No one wants to make an NC-17 movie because most theaters won't carry it. Some artists choose to go that way and that's their choice, but they have to distribute the movie so people can see it - it ends up in art houses and in DVD sales, which in this case are analogous to the PC. If you want to keep someone from breathing down your neck, you put it somewhere without someone to sue. And the super-violent movies that the game has been likened too (Hostel, Saw, etc) have sometimes had to be recut inorder to make it into theaters. That's why their "unrated" DVD versions are so important. They know they'd hit NC-17, so they make the commercial sacrifice.

So what does that mean? First of all, Rockstar should have seen it coming. And the solution isn't that appetizing - publish the full game on PC and then publish a watered down version on the Wii and the PS3. Sure, Gamespot says it would lose some of the story, but I doubt that it would take a full overhaul to get it under. Dark violence is okay, Manhunt proved that, but apparently there is a limit. Oh, and if they do that, they better make sure that the cut pieces are lying there on the disc like some Hot Coffee.

Playstation 3 to have (gasp) Games!?!

This from the powers that be at Sony:

Sony's game division posted an operating loss of 232 billion yen ($1.88 billion) in the past business year because of hefty start-up costs of the PS3, prompting investors to see the console business as Sony's biggest risk factor.

Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s Wii game console has been outselling the PS3 by three to one in Japan and more than two to one in the United States so far this year, according to game magazine publisher Enterbrain and research firm NPD.

A lack of attractive games has been widely cited as a reason for the PS3's relatively weak performance in addition to the fact that it is twice as expensive as the Wii.

More than 200 packaged software titles will likely be released for the PS3 in the year to March 2008, and more than 180 titles are expected to be launched over the Internet, Stringer said.

Not much to add here, save this: YEAH RIGHT.

AO....(Huh!)...What is it Good For?

As many of you are no doubt aware, Rockstar's Manhunt 2 recently received an AO rating from the ESRB. If released, this would mark the first console game intentionally released at the AO level (GTA: San Andreas is technically the first, since the ESRB retroactively rated it with an AO when it discovered poorly rendered humping action in the game...oh the horror). Nevertheless, AO is a legitimate ranking. Pity that the console makers don't think so.

From Gamespot:

GameSpot has confirmed with Nintendo and Sony that one of those options, which would be to accept the ESRB's judgment and release the game with the AO rating, isn't an option at all. Both companies forbid licensed third-party publishers from releasing games rated AO for Adults Only on their various hardware platforms. Though Manhunt 2 isn't slated for any of Microsoft's systems, the company has also confirmed that it does not allow AO-rated titles on the Xbox or Xbox 360.

Now, I understand Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo want to protect their brand, I do. But save for Nintendo (which really is marketed at the kiddies almost exclusively), I would think that there is a branding advantage to be gained from being the only console with "cutting edge" fair.

Manhunt 2 is really this generation's Mortal Kombat. If you were into video games at the time, you will remember that the release of Mortal Kombat sparked senate committee hearings, the formation of outraged parent groups, and the birth of the rating system itself. The whole "controversy" went so far as to cause Midway to release two separate versions of the material: One with all of the content of the arcade game on the Sega Genesis (which admittedly still required the use of a "blood code"), and one watered down to the point of being irrelevant on the SNES. Certainly the Genesis gained a great deal of street cred with the release of the real version.

And yet here we are. I could talk until I'm blue in the face about the fact that in order for the high end of the rating system to work we cannot eliminate the use of the highest rating, or that the most recent torture porn masterpiece from Eli Roth is likely more violent and disturbing then Manhunt 2 will be (Full Disclosure: Obviously I haven't played Rockstar's latest), but what do you all think? Is there market share to be gained by allowing AO games on one's system? Or are the console makers right to believe that adults need to be coddled as much as the kids do?

And Blu-Ray takes the lead...

I've been accused of backing the Blu-Ray high definition video format over its brethren, the HD-DVD. This is not the case. The reason I have Blu-Ray discs is quite simply because I bought a new Playstation 2 that happens to play Blu-Rays (why the console has a number '3' on it I can't say...I certainly don't play any Playstation '3' games on the console).

That being said, I believe that the battle is one step closer to completion with this announcement from Blockbuster. The relevant portion:

In a move that could tip the scales in the format war, Blockbuster Inc. said Monday that it will begin offering only Blu-ray Disc titles among its high-definition rental selections at 1,700 company-owned stores.

***

Through June 10, Blu-ray held a 66% market share compared with HD DVD (34%), according to Nielsen VideoScan. The format held a 67% market share since the beginning of the year and 59% share since launches of both formats.

I think we may have a winner.

You Know What...I DO Love Bees!

ilovebees is back baby... check out this article from gamespot.

The crux of the article:

Three-and-a-half months before Halo 2 lit up Xbox Live, ilovebees made its debut tagged onto the end of a Halo 2 trailer released in theaters. The viral marketing campaign and alternate-reality game piqued gamers' interests by sending them on a scavenger hunt for clues to unravel the mysterious quasi-real-world happenings that were steeped in Halo lore. Last week, again three-and-a-half months before the launch of its upcoming Halo game, Microsoft set in to motion its latest metagame, beginning this time with a mysterious message board "hacker."

As Avenger is well aware, I was one of the crazies plotting out pay phone call times during the original summer of (i)love(bees). I can't wait to do that again this year. Thank you Bungie!

Its the Story, Stupid!

So I was speaking with my brother over this Father's Day weekend when the topic of the greatness of Bioware came up (for those who are interested, this was brought about by my admission that I had ordered "Raw Danger" from ebgames due to the frequent mention of the plotline in this gamespot review). Specifically, he stated that Bioware had never made a bad game and that the plotline to KOTOR was one of the best in the last 10 years (seeing that plot-based games are only about 17 or 18 years old, he was this close to saying "all-time"). This evaluation was based in large part on the (light spoiler warning) Revan reveal, which he felt was handled perfectly.

As a gut reaction type point, I stated that MGS 3: Snake Eater had a better plotline than either KOTOR or KOTOR 2, in that it changed the way we looked at a venerated series. This is specifically the case with the introduction of the concept that (light spoiler warning) Big Boss may have been justified in creating Outer Heaven, and that it was Snake along who was unenlightened. He disagreed fairly vehemently with this notion, while admitting that the MGS3 storyline was still quite good.

I relate this to you all because I am curious. I basically purchased a game (Raw Danger) due entirely to my belief in that game's story. I have no illusion that the gameplay of said game is likely terrible. Similarly, I have enjoyed a number of games in the past with "great" stories and negligible game play (Shadow of Destiny springs to mind). So I'm curious, what are your favorite stories in games (completely independent of how they play as games), and have you ever purchased a game for its story even though you knew that the gameplay likely wouldn't be enjoyable?

Delicious Incentives

Ah, the inevitable ending of a trip to GameStop: "would like to pre-order any upcoming titles today?" This is, of course, followed by the inevitable "no." You could set your watch by it. Why on earth would I pre-order a game in-store, when I could just have them deliver it to my door instead. Yes, on-line pre-orders are more expensive: shipping ain't free, and since they starting charging tax on online orders (this wasn't the case back in ought-two), on-line pre-orders have become less of a deal.

However, I'm a busy guy. I don't have a long enough lunch break to run out to the store mid-day, and I don't want to get caught in a log-jam of traffic headed to the store after work. Therefore, I'm willing to pay for the convenience of having the game waiting for me on my step when I get home.

Also, when you order in the store, what do you get? Nothing. What do you get when you order online? Awesome goodies. From the awesome Soul Calibur and Xenosaga art books on my coffee table to the sweet-ass Baten Kaitos wall scroll hanging in my bedroom, online offers are often sweetened with swag. Case in point: Eternal Sonata. Custom faceplates? Yes, please! This game just jumped from the Christmas List, to the "must pre-order list."

I just hope I get the faceplate with the guy with the top hat. I'm a big fan of tall head-wear. Big fan.

Re: The Wii is what they make of it

The Wii will get support purely because every developer wants to make money. If there are lots of Wii's there will be lots of games. Will there be lots of gamer/non-casual games? I think there will be because the Wii is being bought by traditional gamers. Even more so than the last gen, buyers will purchase either a PS3 or and 360, their second system is the Wii. It has more unique titles, if only because of the significant first-party support, but "exclusives" are becoming harder to find outside of first-party, almost invisible. The Wii is getting some third party exclusives though, on pace with the 360 overall in less the half as much time since its release (including first party I imagine). A real adventure game, special modes in top selling games, a "duh it will be popular" Naruto game, a mysterious game by the guy who did Killer7 (so you know it'll be innoovative), so I'm not too worried.

The issue I see, is that the companies scrambling to support the Wii won't be able to put out their truly good games for two more years. PS3 will start getting them in a year or so, and the 360 will start seeing more of them to go with Gears of War, Forza, and Halo 3 over the next year. The Wii needs the lead it is building because it may take longer to see great games than either of the other systems. Plus, Sega is whining about where it will be in a few years, even while it supports with a number of games.

And to address Zelda, I've spoken with far more people who have enjoyed the game than those that think it was bad, and none that would say "irreversibly damaged". Zelda has a bigger problem in that the Twighlight Princess and Majora's Mask were just the Ocarina of Time 2 and 3. They add a few things here and there, but for a game that's supposed to be on the leading edge, it doesn't seem to be trying hard enough.

Grim Grimoire

I'm super excited for this game, just check out the trailer!

Re: The Wii is what they make of it

Oh, don't get me wrong, I think the Wii is great and I think that third parties who make games specifically for it ("novelty games" per your description) will do extraordinarily well. After all, the system is huge in strange new places like cruise ships and retirement homes...places were video games have never truly been before. With the gigantic base that Nintendo has created, the system simply can't fail. And that's a good thing.

But what I was trying to get at, Incognito, is that "normal" games don't feel right on the Wii. The Zelda experience, to me at least, is irreversibly damaged by using the wand and the ninja weapon rather than a traditional controller. And the plain fact of the matter is that most third parties (including Seeds) will be creating "normal" games. Knowing this, I believe that it is a perfectly rational choice for such third parties to eschew the Wii experience completely, and thus leave the Wii to Nintendo and the so-called "novelty" games.

Re: The Wii is what they make of it

While I believe there is some truth to what you say, I worry that the power gap may prove to be to difficult for the Wii to overcome. I'm not trying to sound like a complete graphics whore, but there are certain expectations that come with the "next generation" that I just think the Wii will fall short of. I mean, at the end of the day the technology improvements may allow for improved AI or more units on screen, but the most noticeable effect is on the visuals and audio, the Wii is behind the curve, and it's just going to get worse.

Don't take that to mean that I think the Wii will "fail" in any way, Nintendo first-party development alone can ensure that won't happen, but I think it will be a party game machine as opposed to the next evolution of gaming. The Wii-mote has yet to prove it can handle anything better than a conventional controller, and it has shown itself to be substantially worse in some cases. Still, I enjoy having friends over to play a bunch of Wii Sports or Wario Ware. I just imagine the experiences I truly remember from this generation will come from the 360 and PS3, but I'd happily be proven wrong.