Monday, March 01, 2004
Weekly Releases
RELEASES FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 31, 2004
ESPN NHL 2K5
Dev. Visual Concepts Pub. Sega of America MSRP: $19.99 Systems: PS2, XBX
If you're a hockey fan, this game will surely sate your appetite like no other. If not, you could find worse ways to spend $20 (yes, the entire ESPN line is on the cheap this year). With more game options and online play than you could ever possibly explore (table hockey or skybox design, anyone?), this game doesn't just need your support, it deserves it.
Pikmin 2
Dev. Nintendo Pub. Nintendo of America MSRP: $49.99 Systems: GC
Despite getting a lot of critical lovin', the first Pikmin game was somewhat overlooked during the Gamecube launch (apparently people prefer vacuuming ghosts as a plumber). However, it's not that surprising when you learn that Shigeru Miyamoto came up with the critter-commanding game while gardening. The sequel packs a number of upgrades, such as a couple new colors of Pikmin (a purple one and a creepy white one) and an always-welcome co-operative mode. Pickings are slim for Nintendo fans at the moment, but you can't go wrong with managing tiny gardening spacemen.
Phantom Brave
Dev. Nippon Ichi Pub. Atlus MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2
If you've got the time and a thing for strategy RPGs, they don't get much better than this. Following in the footsteps of it's spiritual prequels Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and La Pucelle: Tactics, you can certainly expect gratuitously deep battle tactics, seriously lengthy fights, and a legitimately funny script. Nippon Ichi also spruced up the game's look quite a bite more than their other two previously mentioned titles, which makes it as easy to watch as it is complicated to play. If this is your thing, by all means dive right in, but if you're new to the genre, you'll most likely drown in the details.
Spy Fiction
Dev. Access Games Pub. Sammy Studios MSRP: $39.99 Systems: PS2
If Metal Gear Solid, Mission Impossible, and an anime haircut spent the night together, this would no doubt be the illegitimate result. I applaud Sammy Studios for bringing it over from Japan and fixing it up, but the result seems to steal every possible MGS game mechanic, short of sneaking around in a box. Features like optical camouflage look interesting, but when a game is so unflinchingly derivative, it's tough to appreciate any semi-original ideas.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Dev. tri-Ace Pub. Square-Enix MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2
Determined to live up to it's title (and eons-long development period), you apparently scour the very expanses of time and the universe by the end of this epic, if not inspired, game. The actual fighting and exploring doesn't look to stray too far from it's roots (and fellow Square-Enix stalwart Final Fantasy's, for that matter), but I'm sure any RPG fan will find plenty to geek out over. Between quantity and quality, you'll almost definitely have gotten your money's worth when it's all over. If you want something a little different (and own an X-Box), wait a couple of weeks for Fable, but if you've got some time to kill now, I'm sure Star Ocean will fill it nicely.
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Dev. Capcom Pub. Capcom MSRP: $29.99 Systems: PS2 (XBX soon)
Exactly what you'd imagine, with one very nice addition. SF:AC is basically every Street Fighter II game mashed into one, with a bevy of characters, backgrounds and moves from every era, as well as multiple eras for many of the characters. While this may throw off the balance that some of the original games executed so carefully, it's certainly a wonderful treat for any fighting game enthusiast. Also in the box is a pixel-perfect port of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, a tragically underappreciated brawler. While the combat is more or less Street Fighter II, the stunningly fluid animation makes playing the game a whole different experience. You can wait for the X-Box version if you want online play, assuming that you can deal with the shadier controls; either way, at $30, there are few reasons I can think of not to buy this.
The Guy Game
Dev. Top Heavy Studios Pub. Gathering MSRP: $39.99 Systems: PS2, XBX
Notable in that it's the first game this generation (that I know of) to push the ratings envelope with actual Girls Gone Wild-style nudity, incorporated into a quiz show and some mini-games. The game basically awards right answers with video boobs. I'm sure there will be lots of controversy after it's release, which is pretty ridiculous when you think of how many ultra-violent games go unnoticed. I'm not saying either are bad, but the standards in this country are all askew. Anyhow, if you're a male ages 18-35, there's almost no way you won't enjoy this game, especially with some pals and libations (if you're over 21, of course).
ESPN NHL 2K5
Dev. Visual Concepts Pub. Sega of America MSRP: $19.99 Systems: PS2, XBX
If you're a hockey fan, this game will surely sate your appetite like no other. If not, you could find worse ways to spend $20 (yes, the entire ESPN line is on the cheap this year). With more game options and online play than you could ever possibly explore (table hockey or skybox design, anyone?), this game doesn't just need your support, it deserves it.
Pikmin 2
Dev. Nintendo Pub. Nintendo of America MSRP: $49.99 Systems: GC
Despite getting a lot of critical lovin', the first Pikmin game was somewhat overlooked during the Gamecube launch (apparently people prefer vacuuming ghosts as a plumber). However, it's not that surprising when you learn that Shigeru Miyamoto came up with the critter-commanding game while gardening. The sequel packs a number of upgrades, such as a couple new colors of Pikmin (a purple one and a creepy white one) and an always-welcome co-operative mode. Pickings are slim for Nintendo fans at the moment, but you can't go wrong with managing tiny gardening spacemen.
Phantom Brave
Dev. Nippon Ichi Pub. Atlus MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2
If you've got the time and a thing for strategy RPGs, they don't get much better than this. Following in the footsteps of it's spiritual prequels Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and La Pucelle: Tactics, you can certainly expect gratuitously deep battle tactics, seriously lengthy fights, and a legitimately funny script. Nippon Ichi also spruced up the game's look quite a bite more than their other two previously mentioned titles, which makes it as easy to watch as it is complicated to play. If this is your thing, by all means dive right in, but if you're new to the genre, you'll most likely drown in the details.
Spy Fiction
Dev. Access Games Pub. Sammy Studios MSRP: $39.99 Systems: PS2
If Metal Gear Solid, Mission Impossible, and an anime haircut spent the night together, this would no doubt be the illegitimate result. I applaud Sammy Studios for bringing it over from Japan and fixing it up, but the result seems to steal every possible MGS game mechanic, short of sneaking around in a box. Features like optical camouflage look interesting, but when a game is so unflinchingly derivative, it's tough to appreciate any semi-original ideas.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Dev. tri-Ace Pub. Square-Enix MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2
Determined to live up to it's title (and eons-long development period), you apparently scour the very expanses of time and the universe by the end of this epic, if not inspired, game. The actual fighting and exploring doesn't look to stray too far from it's roots (and fellow Square-Enix stalwart Final Fantasy's, for that matter), but I'm sure any RPG fan will find plenty to geek out over. Between quantity and quality, you'll almost definitely have gotten your money's worth when it's all over. If you want something a little different (and own an X-Box), wait a couple of weeks for Fable, but if you've got some time to kill now, I'm sure Star Ocean will fill it nicely.
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Dev. Capcom Pub. Capcom MSRP: $29.99 Systems: PS2 (XBX soon)
Exactly what you'd imagine, with one very nice addition. SF:AC is basically every Street Fighter II game mashed into one, with a bevy of characters, backgrounds and moves from every era, as well as multiple eras for many of the characters. While this may throw off the balance that some of the original games executed so carefully, it's certainly a wonderful treat for any fighting game enthusiast. Also in the box is a pixel-perfect port of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, a tragically underappreciated brawler. While the combat is more or less Street Fighter II, the stunningly fluid animation makes playing the game a whole different experience. You can wait for the X-Box version if you want online play, assuming that you can deal with the shadier controls; either way, at $30, there are few reasons I can think of not to buy this.
The Guy Game
Dev. Top Heavy Studios Pub. Gathering MSRP: $39.99 Systems: PS2, XBX
Notable in that it's the first game this generation (that I know of) to push the ratings envelope with actual Girls Gone Wild-style nudity, incorporated into a quiz show and some mini-games. The game basically awards right answers with video boobs. I'm sure there will be lots of controversy after it's release, which is pretty ridiculous when you think of how many ultra-violent games go unnoticed. I'm not saying either are bad, but the standards in this country are all askew. Anyhow, if you're a male ages 18-35, there's almost no way you won't enjoy this game, especially with some pals and libations (if you're over 21, of course).
Weekly Releases
RELEASES FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 31, 2004
ESPN NHL 2K5
Dev. Visual Concepts Pub. Sega of America MSRP: $19.99 Systems: PS2, XBX
If you're a hockey fan, this game will surely sate your appetite like no other. If not, you could find worse ways to spend $20 (yes, the entire ESPN line is on the cheap this year). With more game options and online play than you could ever possibly explore (table hockey or skybox design, anyone?), this game doesn't just need your support, it deserves it.
Pikmin 2
Dev. Nintendo Pub. Nintendo of America MSRP: $49.99 Systems: GC
Despite getting a lot of critical lovin', the first Pikmin game was somewhat overlooked during the Gamecube launch (apparently people prefer vacuuming ghosts as a plumber). However, it's not that surprising when you learn that Shigeru Miyamoto came up with the critter-commanding game while gardening. The sequel packs a number of upgrades, such as a couple new colors of Pikmin (a purple one and a creepy white one) and an always-welcome co-operative mode. Pickings are slim for Nintendo fans at the moment, but you can't go wrong with managing tiny gardening spacemen.
Phantom Brave
Dev. Nippon Ichi Pub. Atlus MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2
If you've got the time and a thing for strategy RPGs, they don't get much better than this. Following in the footsteps of it's spiritual prequels Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and La Pucelle: Tactics, you can certainly expect gratuitously deep battle tactics, seriously lengthy fights, and a legitimately funny script. Nippon Ichi also spruced up the game's look quite a bite more than their other two previously mentioned titles, which makes it as easy to watch as it is complicated to play. If this is your thing, by all means dive right in, but if you're new to the genre, you'll most likely drown in the details.
Spy Fiction
Dev. Access Games Pub. Sammy Studios MSRP: $39.99 Systems: PS2
If Metal Gear Solid, Mission Impossible, and an anime haircut spent the night together, this would no doubt be the illegitimate result. I applaud Sammy Studios for bringing it over from Japan and fixing it up, but the result seems to steal every possible MGS game mechanic, short of sneaking around in a box. Features like optical camouflage look interesting, but when a game is so unflinchingly derivative, it's tough to appreciate any semi-original ideas.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Dev. tri-Ace Pub. Square-Enix MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2
Determined to live up to it's title (and eons-long development period), you apparently scour the very expanses of time and the universe by the end of this epic, if not inspired, game. The actual fighting and exploring doesn't look to stray too far from it's roots (and fellow Square-Enix stalwart Final Fantasy's, for that matter), but I'm sure any RPG fan will find plenty to geek out over. Between quantity and quality, you'll almost definitely have gotten your money's worth when it's all over. If you want something a little different (and own an X-Box), wait a couple of weeks for Fable, but if you've got some time to kill now, I'm sure Star Ocean will fill it nicely.
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Dev. Capcom Pub. Capcom MSRP: $29.99 Systems: PS2 (XBX soon)
Exactly what you'd imagine, with one very nice addition. SF:AC is basically every Street Fighter II game mashed into one, with a bevy of characters, backgrounds and moves from every era, as well as multiple eras for many of the characters. While this may throw off the balance that some of the original games executed so carefully, it's certainly a wonderful treat for any fighting game enthusiast. Also in the box is a pixel-perfect port of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, a tragically underappreciated brawler. While the combat is more or less Street Fighter II, the stunningly fluid animation makes playing the game a whole different experience. You can wait for the X-Box version if you want online play, assuming that you can deal with the shadier controls; either way, at $30, there are few reasons I can think of not to buy this.
The Guy Game
Dev. Top Heavy Studios Pub. Gathering MSRP: $39.99 Systems: PS2, XBX
Notable in that it's the first game this generation (that I know of) to push the ratings envelope with actual Girls Gone Wild-style nudity, incorporated into a quiz show and some mini-games. The game basically awards right answers with video boobs. I'm sure there will be lots of controversy after it's release, which is pretty ridiculous when you think of how many ultra-violent games go unnoticed. I'm not saying either are bad, but the standards in this country are all askew. Anyhow, if you're a male ages 18-35, there's almost no way you won't enjoy this game, especially with some pals and libations (if you're over 21, of course).
ESPN NHL 2K5
Dev. Visual Concepts Pub. Sega of America MSRP: $19.99 Systems: PS2, XBX
If you're a hockey fan, this game will surely sate your appetite like no other. If not, you could find worse ways to spend $20 (yes, the entire ESPN line is on the cheap this year). With more game options and online play than you could ever possibly explore (table hockey or skybox design, anyone?), this game doesn't just need your support, it deserves it.
Pikmin 2
Dev. Nintendo Pub. Nintendo of America MSRP: $49.99 Systems: GC
Despite getting a lot of critical lovin', the first Pikmin game was somewhat overlooked during the Gamecube launch (apparently people prefer vacuuming ghosts as a plumber). However, it's not that surprising when you learn that Shigeru Miyamoto came up with the critter-commanding game while gardening. The sequel packs a number of upgrades, such as a couple new colors of Pikmin (a purple one and a creepy white one) and an always-welcome co-operative mode. Pickings are slim for Nintendo fans at the moment, but you can't go wrong with managing tiny gardening spacemen.
Phantom Brave
Dev. Nippon Ichi Pub. Atlus MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2
If you've got the time and a thing for strategy RPGs, they don't get much better than this. Following in the footsteps of it's spiritual prequels Disgaea: Hour of Darkness and La Pucelle: Tactics, you can certainly expect gratuitously deep battle tactics, seriously lengthy fights, and a legitimately funny script. Nippon Ichi also spruced up the game's look quite a bite more than their other two previously mentioned titles, which makes it as easy to watch as it is complicated to play. If this is your thing, by all means dive right in, but if you're new to the genre, you'll most likely drown in the details.
Spy Fiction
Dev. Access Games Pub. Sammy Studios MSRP: $39.99 Systems: PS2
If Metal Gear Solid, Mission Impossible, and an anime haircut spent the night together, this would no doubt be the illegitimate result. I applaud Sammy Studios for bringing it over from Japan and fixing it up, but the result seems to steal every possible MGS game mechanic, short of sneaking around in a box. Features like optical camouflage look interesting, but when a game is so unflinchingly derivative, it's tough to appreciate any semi-original ideas.
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Dev. tri-Ace Pub. Square-Enix MSRP: $49.99 Systems: PS2
Determined to live up to it's title (and eons-long development period), you apparently scour the very expanses of time and the universe by the end of this epic, if not inspired, game. The actual fighting and exploring doesn't look to stray too far from it's roots (and fellow Square-Enix stalwart Final Fantasy's, for that matter), but I'm sure any RPG fan will find plenty to geek out over. Between quantity and quality, you'll almost definitely have gotten your money's worth when it's all over. If you want something a little different (and own an X-Box), wait a couple of weeks for Fable, but if you've got some time to kill now, I'm sure Star Ocean will fill it nicely.
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Dev. Capcom Pub. Capcom MSRP: $29.99 Systems: PS2 (XBX soon)
Exactly what you'd imagine, with one very nice addition. SF:AC is basically every Street Fighter II game mashed into one, with a bevy of characters, backgrounds and moves from every era, as well as multiple eras for many of the characters. While this may throw off the balance that some of the original games executed so carefully, it's certainly a wonderful treat for any fighting game enthusiast. Also in the box is a pixel-perfect port of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, a tragically underappreciated brawler. While the combat is more or less Street Fighter II, the stunningly fluid animation makes playing the game a whole different experience. You can wait for the X-Box version if you want online play, assuming that you can deal with the shadier controls; either way, at $30, there are few reasons I can think of not to buy this.
The Guy Game
Dev. Top Heavy Studios Pub. Gathering MSRP: $39.99 Systems: PS2, XBX
Notable in that it's the first game this generation (that I know of) to push the ratings envelope with actual Girls Gone Wild-style nudity, incorporated into a quiz show and some mini-games. The game basically awards right answers with video boobs. I'm sure there will be lots of controversy after it's release, which is pretty ridiculous when you think of how many ultra-violent games go unnoticed. I'm not saying either are bad, but the standards in this country are all askew. Anyhow, if you're a male ages 18-35, there's almost no way you won't enjoy this game, especially with some pals and libations (if you're over 21, of course).
Grand Theft Autumn
The new Grand Theft Auto game was finally announced today. They went with the subtitle San Andreas, and it's coming out October 19th for PS2. I'm assuming that San Andreas = San Francisco, which should make for some interesting architecture. I think that the architecture in GTA3 was about the only thing better than Vice City, so I'm hoping this'll be the best of both worlds. And although I doubt there's going to be any vast innovation over Vice City (they're saving that for GTA4, a rumored PS3 launch title), I'll be more than happy with a new city to explore, a few new vehicles to romp around in and some new weapons to play around with. If they wanted to make me really happy, the developers would add some of these requests of mine:
Destructable environments - This is a bit much to ask, but if I could drive through a building, get out of the car, and turn around just to level the rest of it with a rocket launcher, I would be in miscreant's heaven. Construction crews could show up with scaffolding and repair the place as time passed, so if you killed a couple hours (or killed for a couple of hours) and came back to that area, everything would be fixed.
Deeper property owning - I liked being able to buy property in GTA:VC, but the scope of it was fairly limited (saving and sometimes a garage). I would like to see buildings whose architecture and paint job you can customize and expand. I want to be able to run a brothel out of my hotel if I so choose. I want to be able to own almost every building in town, and go inside them all as I buy them for the hell of it (many of the insides could be randomly generated to save in development time). I'd like to be able to rent out my property to tenants and businesses, and come collect rent and kill them if it's not paid on time.
I want to feel like a big shot - When I make it to the top of the crime chain, I want lesser criminals to come to me with requests. And if I grant their wishes, I want to see the results as I drive around (such as their gang having gained power over a particular neighborhood). I want to be able to pay off the police for limited time periods, especially during some missions, I want women to flock to me as I walk the streets (without game-ruining codes), and I want gang turf immunity/assistance depending on whom I side with (optional NPCs for any mission).
Taller buildings, crazier means of transportation - I want to hanglide off of a skyscraper only to land in the living room of my enemy in his summer house across the lake. I want to scubadive up into the aquarium and ride a dolphin off into the sunset (when I said crazy, I meant crazy). I want an experimental army mech to romp around the streets with, taking out tanks like flies.
Seasons and weather - I want to be able to run over kids playing in their yards in the summer (suck it, Lieberman), and drive over the frozen lake in the winter. I want ramps of snow to drive on, and earthquakes to terraform the whole city.
I want to be able to scan in my face to map to the main character, T.H.U.G.-style.
I want customizable, upgradable weapons.
I want money to mean something, and for there to always be something you can just barely not afford.
I want optional side-missions in every car I jack.
I want a lot, but I know that I'll be thrilled with whatever they give me. They're not going to screw up the biggest videogame franchise in the world, and I have faith that San Andreas will be every bit of an improvement over VC that VC was over GTA3. I'm hoping that the new PSM will have a huge gallery of exclusive screenshots like they did for VC two years ago, because I'm dying to see what Rockstar has created. Damn, this makes me want to go to E3 more than ever. We'll see what happens...
Destructable environments - This is a bit much to ask, but if I could drive through a building, get out of the car, and turn around just to level the rest of it with a rocket launcher, I would be in miscreant's heaven. Construction crews could show up with scaffolding and repair the place as time passed, so if you killed a couple hours (or killed for a couple of hours) and came back to that area, everything would be fixed.
Deeper property owning - I liked being able to buy property in GTA:VC, but the scope of it was fairly limited (saving and sometimes a garage). I would like to see buildings whose architecture and paint job you can customize and expand. I want to be able to run a brothel out of my hotel if I so choose. I want to be able to own almost every building in town, and go inside them all as I buy them for the hell of it (many of the insides could be randomly generated to save in development time). I'd like to be able to rent out my property to tenants and businesses, and come collect rent and kill them if it's not paid on time.
I want to feel like a big shot - When I make it to the top of the crime chain, I want lesser criminals to come to me with requests. And if I grant their wishes, I want to see the results as I drive around (such as their gang having gained power over a particular neighborhood). I want to be able to pay off the police for limited time periods, especially during some missions, I want women to flock to me as I walk the streets (without game-ruining codes), and I want gang turf immunity/assistance depending on whom I side with (optional NPCs for any mission).
Taller buildings, crazier means of transportation - I want to hanglide off of a skyscraper only to land in the living room of my enemy in his summer house across the lake. I want to scubadive up into the aquarium and ride a dolphin off into the sunset (when I said crazy, I meant crazy). I want an experimental army mech to romp around the streets with, taking out tanks like flies.
Seasons and weather - I want to be able to run over kids playing in their yards in the summer (suck it, Lieberman), and drive over the frozen lake in the winter. I want ramps of snow to drive on, and earthquakes to terraform the whole city.
I want to be able to scan in my face to map to the main character, T.H.U.G.-style.
I want customizable, upgradable weapons.
I want money to mean something, and for there to always be something you can just barely not afford.
I want optional side-missions in every car I jack.
I want a lot, but I know that I'll be thrilled with whatever they give me. They're not going to screw up the biggest videogame franchise in the world, and I have faith that San Andreas will be every bit of an improvement over VC that VC was over GTA3. I'm hoping that the new PSM will have a huge gallery of exclusive screenshots like they did for VC two years ago, because I'm dying to see what Rockstar has created. Damn, this makes me want to go to E3 more than ever. We'll see what happens...
Sunday, February 29, 2004
The worst thing in the world!
You know, I am constantly spouting these crazy opinions and it seems as though something always happens that comes back to bite me in the ass.
Lately, I've been getting pissed about licensed games. I think too many developers rely on a big name to sell their product instead of innovation or deep gameplay. It seems like it's almost impossible to be successful in the market place without A)Having a recognizable name and B)Looking very pretty. Because of this, smaller developers that don't have EA or Activision publishing games for them could be lost forever. It's very sad to me.
When I found out they were making a video game version of one of my favorite movies, Fight Club, I got quite pissed. The movie came out October 1999 and, God damnit, isn't anything sacred anymore?
Then I read a rumor in the new EGM that EA (GRRRR) might be developing a new Mafia based shooter using The Godfather licensed. Yes, this pissed me off more than you can imagine. Maybe the greatest movies ever now being made into a lame (yes, it will be lame) game almost 30 years later. Can't you just buy a soul EA? Please, for the sake of the children.
But then, after all that bitching about how horrible licensed games and how EA and Activision and other big publishers are ruining the industry... there just happens to be some great licensed games. Well, one great one. But it happens to be my second favorite game of all time - Goldeneye.
But, Goldeneye is such an old game. Surely I didn't write a new post just to mention that, did I? Of course not. The latest rumor I just read has a brand new game based off of the greatest non comedic show of all time coming out in the future. No, not an America's Funniest Home Video game. Better than that. A game based on 24! Weeeeee!
I guess my excitement for this let's me see how maybe, just maybe, I can forgive the travesties of these money grubbing companies. I know the game can't be as good as the show. It's not possible. But it would be so much fun to control Jack Bauer. Maybe I can finally kill Kim or something. Man, I can't wait. Anyway, I guess the point of this is that everything evil has a good side as well. Except Nick.
Lately, I've been getting pissed about licensed games. I think too many developers rely on a big name to sell their product instead of innovation or deep gameplay. It seems like it's almost impossible to be successful in the market place without A)Having a recognizable name and B)Looking very pretty. Because of this, smaller developers that don't have EA or Activision publishing games for them could be lost forever. It's very sad to me.
When I found out they were making a video game version of one of my favorite movies, Fight Club, I got quite pissed. The movie came out October 1999 and, God damnit, isn't anything sacred anymore?
Then I read a rumor in the new EGM that EA (GRRRR) might be developing a new Mafia based shooter using The Godfather licensed. Yes, this pissed me off more than you can imagine. Maybe the greatest movies ever now being made into a lame (yes, it will be lame) game almost 30 years later. Can't you just buy a soul EA? Please, for the sake of the children.
But then, after all that bitching about how horrible licensed games and how EA and Activision and other big publishers are ruining the industry... there just happens to be some great licensed games. Well, one great one. But it happens to be my second favorite game of all time - Goldeneye.
But, Goldeneye is such an old game. Surely I didn't write a new post just to mention that, did I? Of course not. The latest rumor I just read has a brand new game based off of the greatest non comedic show of all time coming out in the future. No, not an America's Funniest Home Video game. Better than that. A game based on 24! Weeeeee!
I guess my excitement for this let's me see how maybe, just maybe, I can forgive the travesties of these money grubbing companies. I know the game can't be as good as the show. It's not possible. But it would be so much fun to control Jack Bauer. Maybe I can finally kill Kim or something. Man, I can't wait. Anyway, I guess the point of this is that everything evil has a good side as well. Except Nick.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Paid Vacation Time
I spent quite a while yesterday repairing an old board game I played in my youth called Hero Quest. It's a game with a board that looks like a dungeon, and a bunch of little plastic figures, goblins and furniture. I won't go into the details of the game right now, because it's not the point of this post (maybe Dan will explain it in the comments if i'm lucky), but suffice to say, it kicks a lot of ass. And it was released in 1989. The four main characters you can choose from are a Barbarian (a "tank" of sorts), an Elf (decent at melee, but can still use magic), a Dwarf (good at fighting, can do some other shit too), and a Wizard (who has a weak defense and physical offense, but has plenty of magic attacks, all of which are based on various elements). I can only assume D&D has similar character classes, and about a million more, and it's been around for a fuck of a long time. I'm sure you can appreciate where i'm going with this. The character archetypes in these "nerd's games of choice" have been around for-fucking-ever, and to say that C.O.Norrath is ripping of off Diablo is ignoring decades of hard-earned nerdness. And just plain silly, you silly silly goose.
So I finally watched The Ring tonight; great stuff. I'm now having trouble walking to the bathroom, I fully expect scary TV water to be pooling everywhere. The difference in cinematic quality between this film and nearly every other horror/suspense i've ever seen is shocking. And this is from the same guy (him, not me) who directed Pirates of the Caribbean, which was fairly straightforwardly made (even though it too was great but for very different reasons). So, check that shit out if you haven't seen it. Although I suspect I was like the last person in the country to see it, kind of like Sixth Sense (which 50 First Dates gives away the ending to, for whatever fucking stupid reason).
Metal!
So I finally watched The Ring tonight; great stuff. I'm now having trouble walking to the bathroom, I fully expect scary TV water to be pooling everywhere. The difference in cinematic quality between this film and nearly every other horror/suspense i've ever seen is shocking. And this is from the same guy (him, not me) who directed Pirates of the Caribbean, which was fairly straightforwardly made (even though it too was great but for very different reasons). So, check that shit out if you haven't seen it. Although I suspect I was like the last person in the country to see it, kind of like Sixth Sense (which 50 First Dates gives away the ending to, for whatever fucking stupid reason).
Metal!
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Last week on G-Pinions...
Ok, it's been awhile since my last post. I know all of our dedicated readers have been wondering "Where is Lanyon?" You see, I can explain... I came down with leprosy. I got it from Tom.
Ok. Now that we have that cleared up, I would like to spend a moment or two to talk about Champions of Norrath. It's not a bad game considering Blizzard released the same game about 4 years ago. The game plays almost exactly like Diablo 2. Now to be fair, I have not yet had the chance to play this game multi-player since:
A) My roommate is inept and video games frighten him.
B) Tom and Nick and whoever else I could conceivably play this game with live too far from me since I live in BuFu nowhere.
C) Why play this when you can play Diablo 2? Same game, but better.
Every class in Norrath seems to mirror a Diablo 2 class. Observe!
---
CoN: Barbarian
D2: Barbarian
This one is the most obvious. In both games this character is the straight "tank". Almost all of its skills are hand to hand combat based. In both games this character can wield dual weapons.
---
CoN: Wood Elf Ranger
D2: Amazon
This is the "Ranged" character. Both of them specialize in ranged weapons, and a number of their skills, including "multi shot (strafe in D2)" and the "Cold/Poison Arrow" skills are exactly the same in both games.
---
CoN: High Elf Cleric
D2 : Paladin
These are the "holy warrior" classes. These classes also share a number of skills. CoN's "Holy Strike" is identical to D2's "Holy Bolt". Both classes also have "Shield Bash" and "Holy Armor", which are pretty much the same in both games.
---
CoN: Erudite wizard
D2: Sorceress
Yep, once again almost exactly the same. The Erudite wizard has "Frost Bolt", "Bolt of Shock", "Frost Storm", "Fire Weapons", "Cone of Frost", and more, all of which are the same as the D2 versions (some with different names, but the same skill).
---
The only other class in CoN is the Shadowknight. Although it is the most original class in the game, over half of its skills seem strangely like the Necromancer from D2 (Skeleton pets and Debuffs anyone?).
I'm not trying to say the whole game rips off D2. For example, D2 had a great story and great cutscenes (It is a Blizzard game after all). Also, D2 could support 8 players.
Perhaps playing this multiplayer could change my views on it, but... Meh.
Well, all in all, CoN is not a bad game. It's just if you have the option, I would go for D2 any day of the week. Like today for example.
Peace.
Ok. Now that we have that cleared up, I would like to spend a moment or two to talk about Champions of Norrath. It's not a bad game considering Blizzard released the same game about 4 years ago. The game plays almost exactly like Diablo 2. Now to be fair, I have not yet had the chance to play this game multi-player since:
A) My roommate is inept and video games frighten him.
B) Tom and Nick and whoever else I could conceivably play this game with live too far from me since I live in BuFu nowhere.
C) Why play this when you can play Diablo 2? Same game, but better.
Every class in Norrath seems to mirror a Diablo 2 class. Observe!
---
CoN: Barbarian
D2: Barbarian
This one is the most obvious. In both games this character is the straight "tank". Almost all of its skills are hand to hand combat based. In both games this character can wield dual weapons.
---
CoN: Wood Elf Ranger
D2: Amazon
This is the "Ranged" character. Both of them specialize in ranged weapons, and a number of their skills, including "multi shot (strafe in D2)" and the "Cold/Poison Arrow" skills are exactly the same in both games.
---
CoN: High Elf Cleric
D2 : Paladin
These are the "holy warrior" classes. These classes also share a number of skills. CoN's "Holy Strike" is identical to D2's "Holy Bolt". Both classes also have "Shield Bash" and "Holy Armor", which are pretty much the same in both games.
---
CoN: Erudite wizard
D2: Sorceress
Yep, once again almost exactly the same. The Erudite wizard has "Frost Bolt", "Bolt of Shock", "Frost Storm", "Fire Weapons", "Cone of Frost", and more, all of which are the same as the D2 versions (some with different names, but the same skill).
---
The only other class in CoN is the Shadowknight. Although it is the most original class in the game, over half of its skills seem strangely like the Necromancer from D2 (Skeleton pets and Debuffs anyone?).
I'm not trying to say the whole game rips off D2. For example, D2 had a great story and great cutscenes (It is a Blizzard game after all). Also, D2 could support 8 players.
Perhaps playing this multiplayer could change my views on it, but... Meh.
Well, all in all, CoN is not a bad game. It's just if you have the option, I would go for D2 any day of the week. Like today for example.
Peace.
Enter the Matrix vs Prince of Persia
Per Danny's request, I scoured the net to find sales figures of Enter the Matrix and Prince of Persia. IGN, in a mailbag from early February, states that PoP has sold a combined 550,000 across all 3 major platforms. This is not a horrible amount, but considering how many total systems there are in existence, not to mention the fact that PoP is one of the most beautiful and inspired games this generation, sales were very disappointing.
IGN says the figure of 550,000 is accurate through December 2003. However, in January, Ubi Soft, the publisher of PoP, opted to pack in another hit title, Splinter Cell, free with any purchase. As of now, there are an uncofirmed 2 million Prince of Persia sales. That Ubi Soft had to pack in another game for free to sell the almost perfect PoP is very sad indeed.
Read the article here.
Enter the Matrix was not a beautiful or terribly innovated game. However, it has the Matrix license attached to it with the promise of never before seen tape of the Matrix universe. According to an article printed June 19, 2003, EtM has sold over 2.5 Million Copies.
Read the article here
This further illustrates my point that quality is no longer the main concern for consumers. Marketing and licensing have become far more important.
IGN says the figure of 550,000 is accurate through December 2003. However, in January, Ubi Soft, the publisher of PoP, opted to pack in another hit title, Splinter Cell, free with any purchase. As of now, there are an uncofirmed 2 million Prince of Persia sales. That Ubi Soft had to pack in another game for free to sell the almost perfect PoP is very sad indeed.
Read the article here.
Enter the Matrix was not a beautiful or terribly innovated game. However, it has the Matrix license attached to it with the promise of never before seen tape of the Matrix universe. According to an article printed June 19, 2003, EtM has sold over 2.5 Million Copies.
Read the article here
This further illustrates my point that quality is no longer the main concern for consumers. Marketing and licensing have become far more important.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
More like Electronic Farts
Let me get this straight: you are a big fan of Sony and are now defending EA? Just making sure...
If EA isn't the most evil video game company around, who would you say is? Who else has done less to move the industry forward while still reaping in a ton of money and creating popular opinion?
I'll make this quick since this is such a non-argument I don't need to waste my time defending my opinion.
First of all, since I only own two of Sega's 7 or so systems, I hardly think I am biased towards Sega in any way. Also, I am hardly anti Sony. Remember, I own both a PlayStation and PlayStation 2 and will fight to the death that the best and most important game released this generation is Grand Theft Auto 3, which was a PS2 exclusive until last Christmas.
In regards to the DC and its lack of developers, EA is the only major multi system developer that refused to make even one game for the system. I have my problems with Square but they were exclusive to Sony at that point. All the other major publishers, including Konami, Capcom and Namco, all made games for the DC.
You mention Sega doesn't have any great franchises, but somehow define great as games that are blockbuster sellers. Crazy Taxi, Jet Grind Radio, Virtua Fighter, Shenmu etc are all great franchises made by Sega available exclusively on the DC that sold well. Not Madden well, mind you, but really well. And, they are all really good and innovated. Are there any other games like the ones I mentioned? Are there any other games like Madden or Medal of Honor?
The DC had three major system sellers at launch: Soul Calibur, NFL2K and Sonic Adventures. This is in addition to great games that may not sell systems like Powerstone and House of the Dead. All exclusive to the DC. It had the games and people bought it, for the most part. It was never a mainstream success, however, because it lacked Mario, Final Fantasy and Madden. Two of those franchises are system exclusive. One isn't. Do you see my point yet?
Even though NFL2K was better than any Madden game, it did not sell as well because of name recognition. I already established in my post that, with the advent of the PSX, video games have become mainstream. Because of that, quality no longer sells games (see Prince of Persia sales vs Matrix). It is marketing and licenses that sell now. Without name recognition games don't sell no matter how great they are. Ever wonder why Goldeneye sold way more copies than Perfect Dark?
I will not argue the online point since I haven't regularly gone online since NFL2K1 on the Dreamcast. However, why would EA need to partner with anyone? Why can't they make Madden online on Xbox as well as PS2? Could it be because they are in Sony's back pocket?
Rereading your post now, it shocks me how you continually miss my point about name recognition. No matter how good NFL2K is EA will always outsell it. The casual gamer does not care that NFL2K is better. They'll never even know it. They don't buy them in the first place to see if they are better.
Remember Madden 97 for the PSX? Neither do I. EA never released it because they saw 989 Studios make a 3D football game and decided to not even release their 2D game. It didn't hurt their sales at all the following year, however, because they still had almost a decade of name recognition behind them. So, while other companies do actually make better games than EA they don’t' have the, say it with me now, name recognition or marketing budget to even hope to compete.
If EA made great games this wouldn't be an issue. But they continue to churn out what is expected. They don't take risks. They don't strive for greatness. They are holding the industry back.
If EA isn't the most evil video game company around, who would you say is? Who else has done less to move the industry forward while still reaping in a ton of money and creating popular opinion?
I'll make this quick since this is such a non-argument I don't need to waste my time defending my opinion.
First of all, since I only own two of Sega's 7 or so systems, I hardly think I am biased towards Sega in any way. Also, I am hardly anti Sony. Remember, I own both a PlayStation and PlayStation 2 and will fight to the death that the best and most important game released this generation is Grand Theft Auto 3, which was a PS2 exclusive until last Christmas.
In regards to the DC and its lack of developers, EA is the only major multi system developer that refused to make even one game for the system. I have my problems with Square but they were exclusive to Sony at that point. All the other major publishers, including Konami, Capcom and Namco, all made games for the DC.
You mention Sega doesn't have any great franchises, but somehow define great as games that are blockbuster sellers. Crazy Taxi, Jet Grind Radio, Virtua Fighter, Shenmu etc are all great franchises made by Sega available exclusively on the DC that sold well. Not Madden well, mind you, but really well. And, they are all really good and innovated. Are there any other games like the ones I mentioned? Are there any other games like Madden or Medal of Honor?
The DC had three major system sellers at launch: Soul Calibur, NFL2K and Sonic Adventures. This is in addition to great games that may not sell systems like Powerstone and House of the Dead. All exclusive to the DC. It had the games and people bought it, for the most part. It was never a mainstream success, however, because it lacked Mario, Final Fantasy and Madden. Two of those franchises are system exclusive. One isn't. Do you see my point yet?
Even though NFL2K was better than any Madden game, it did not sell as well because of name recognition. I already established in my post that, with the advent of the PSX, video games have become mainstream. Because of that, quality no longer sells games (see Prince of Persia sales vs Matrix). It is marketing and licenses that sell now. Without name recognition games don't sell no matter how great they are. Ever wonder why Goldeneye sold way more copies than Perfect Dark?
I will not argue the online point since I haven't regularly gone online since NFL2K1 on the Dreamcast. However, why would EA need to partner with anyone? Why can't they make Madden online on Xbox as well as PS2? Could it be because they are in Sony's back pocket?
Rereading your post now, it shocks me how you continually miss my point about name recognition. No matter how good NFL2K is EA will always outsell it. The casual gamer does not care that NFL2K is better. They'll never even know it. They don't buy them in the first place to see if they are better.
Remember Madden 97 for the PSX? Neither do I. EA never released it because they saw 989 Studios make a 3D football game and decided to not even release their 2D game. It didn't hurt their sales at all the following year, however, because they still had almost a decade of name recognition behind them. So, while other companies do actually make better games than EA they don’t' have the, say it with me now, name recognition or marketing budget to even hope to compete.
If EA made great games this wouldn't be an issue. But they continue to churn out what is expected. They don't take risks. They don't strive for greatness. They are holding the industry back.
Why I don't hate Electronic Arts
Calling EA the most evil company in the industry is just silly. If you don't like their games, fine. But evil? Bah. What are the "many, many reasons"? The only two I can glean from your anti-EA pro-Sega anti-Sony rant are that they killed the Dreamcast and that they don't support Microsoft's online service. First off, no matter how good of a system the DC was, it was doomed from the beginning. It had a fairly successful launch, but tapered off from there fairly quickly. The release of the PS2 was just the nail in the coffin. And it wasn't just because of the lack of support from EA. There was no Square. There was little Konami. And there was obviously no Sony or Nintendo. The whole problem that you mentioned with EA (that they have no great franchises - which for the sake of argument I'll agree with) was the same problem that Sega had. Besides Sonic (meh), Sega didn't have any system sellers. Most of their best exclusives were all ported, as you well know, and while there was plenty of innovation on the DC, most of it didn't sell. And if the system and games were as amazing and superior to everything else as you make it seem, it shouldn't have needed support from EA.
And as far as EA supporting X-Box Live, why wouldn't they want to team up with the leader in the marketplace? Besides, I'm sure that before years end you'll see EA games online on the X-box. About those "inferior online games"...what makes them inferior? EA Games are some of the best online games on any system, and most support 56k (not that I need it, but it's nice for everyone) and all of them are always free. And dammit Tom, you don't play any games online, so how can you judge their games and services?
And if competition spurns creativity, wouldn't it be better if EA was exclusive to Sony? Then the XSN sports titles would have to pick up the pace and up their quality too. If EA was on every system, online, what would be the motivation for other companies to make new, more innovative sports franchises? There would be none. That potential monopoly is the only bad thing I can fathom for the future.
And saying that EA games "aren't bad" is doing them a gross injustice. The quality and polish and fun factor in the SSX, NBA Street, LOTR and Sports franchises is astounding, nevermind their countless other titles. If they made bad software, Sega's 2K series would have been able to hold it's own and take over the market, as would the XSN games.
Overall, it just sounds like you hate them for being as good as they are.
P.S. The Bouncer was not 2D, and gamers did not "flock" to it, by any means.
And as far as EA supporting X-Box Live, why wouldn't they want to team up with the leader in the marketplace? Besides, I'm sure that before years end you'll see EA games online on the X-box. About those "inferior online games"...what makes them inferior? EA Games are some of the best online games on any system, and most support 56k (not that I need it, but it's nice for everyone) and all of them are always free. And dammit Tom, you don't play any games online, so how can you judge their games and services?
And if competition spurns creativity, wouldn't it be better if EA was exclusive to Sony? Then the XSN sports titles would have to pick up the pace and up their quality too. If EA was on every system, online, what would be the motivation for other companies to make new, more innovative sports franchises? There would be none. That potential monopoly is the only bad thing I can fathom for the future.
And saying that EA games "aren't bad" is doing them a gross injustice. The quality and polish and fun factor in the SSX, NBA Street, LOTR and Sports franchises is astounding, nevermind their countless other titles. If they made bad software, Sega's 2K series would have been able to hold it's own and take over the market, as would the XSN games.
Overall, it just sounds like you hate them for being as good as they are.
P.S. The Bouncer was not 2D, and gamers did not "flock" to it, by any means.
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