Saturday, April 03, 2004
It's good, but not better than Tetris
So the other night I went to a focus group on 'extreme sports videogames.' It turned out to be about a specific game, an ATV/Biking game based around a team of extreme sports douches called the Crusty Demons, developed by Climax. Most of the two hours I spent there involved sitting a table with a bunch of slack-jawed troglodytes giving feedback on various terrible game ideas about where they should take the direction of the game (despite it being at least two thirds done). This idea of "let's make a decent biking game engine and slap the marketing and sassitude on it later" annoys me in game design, because something should be developed based on a specific game idea from the beginning, that way the source material and ideas will shine through a lot stronger in the final product. But that's obvious. Anyhow, they started by showing us some live footage of the Demons doing various stunts and goofing off with hard rock playing in the background (quite the shocker). We were then given several sheets of paper, each with a two paragraph description of what the final game could be. They were all either based on the idea of being a nobody who has to earn their way onto the Demons team, or based more around GTA-style recklessness, including traversing the globe and "slapping disrespectful foreign hos". I shit you know. Verbatim. So after an hour and a half of giving feedback on these increasingly awful ideas, we were finally shown some gameplay footage. It actually didn't look as bad it as sounded; it was pretty much a straight Tony Hawk rip-off, only with ATVs and Bikes instead (and some strictly racing levels). The graphics were pleasant and the levels seemed well-designed, but the fact that the game didn't have an original bone in it's body dooms it to mediocrity. It's unfortunate that a company can spend money on focus-testing their games conceptually, all the while not realizing that their game is actually on the road to nowhere. Bah. I got 75 clams though, so I guess it wasn't a total waste ;-)
Games industry, games industry.....oh! So Digital Extremes decided to show a bit of footage from their upcoming PS3/X-Box2 game, Dark Sector. The footage is all in-game, and looks quite spectacular. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of how actual games would look (this one is made using assumed specs for the next-gen consoles, not an actual development kit, I don't think), but I'm more than satisfied. The lighting looks particularly sexy. I guess a good gauge for the next generation is that it should look nearly as good as the CG from previous generations, in-game. Remember when they first showed the PS2, and ran the dancing scene from FFVIII in real-time? Same idea.
Other notes:
Tom and I finished our second playthrough of Norrath a couple of nights ago, and began our third. And it's still as awesome as ever.
In BG&E, I'm going to the moon. Yay!
I ordered Super Mario World and Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES the other day (turns out my copies I used to have were borrowed - who knew?) at the 'buy 1 get 1 free' classic game sale at EBgames, and guess what arrived today? Super Mario World, and the rare version of All-Stars that includes Super Mario World, on the same cartridge. How's that for asinine irony?
Lastly, the new site is coming along great, I finally got a look at it last night. Any requests for layout or content, let us know. Peace!
Games industry, games industry.....oh! So Digital Extremes decided to show a bit of footage from their upcoming PS3/X-Box2 game, Dark Sector. The footage is all in-game, and looks quite spectacular. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of how actual games would look (this one is made using assumed specs for the next-gen consoles, not an actual development kit, I don't think), but I'm more than satisfied. The lighting looks particularly sexy. I guess a good gauge for the next generation is that it should look nearly as good as the CG from previous generations, in-game. Remember when they first showed the PS2, and ran the dancing scene from FFVIII in real-time? Same idea.
Other notes:
Tom and I finished our second playthrough of Norrath a couple of nights ago, and began our third. And it's still as awesome as ever.
In BG&E, I'm going to the moon. Yay!
I ordered Super Mario World and Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES the other day (turns out my copies I used to have were borrowed - who knew?) at the 'buy 1 get 1 free' classic game sale at EBgames, and guess what arrived today? Super Mario World, and the rare version of All-Stars that includes Super Mario World, on the same cartridge. How's that for asinine irony?
Lastly, the new site is coming along great, I finally got a look at it last night. Any requests for layout or content, let us know. Peace!
Friday, April 02, 2004
Better than Tetris? You're damn right it is
After months of pleading, bargaining and whining, I have finally been reunited with my long lost copy of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. I had my first good night of sleep in a long, long time knowing that my precious CD was snug in my PlayStation 2. It's been so long since I was last able to enjoy the gem busting goodness, that the last time I was able to play in on a system I owned, it was my original PSX – which I haven’t had since the summer of ’99.
Which brings me to a story of how Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo came into my possession in the first place.
It was during the summer of '99, probably my favorite summer ever. I was still working in the movie theater back then. In fact, some would say it was the peak of my theater existence. This was before all the great people decided to go away to school or move away, and even the immortal John Piper made his first appearance.
Anyway, I spent almost every day hanging out with a group of my friends from the theater. We would usually go back to my place and just hang out after work. I really don't remember what that entailed... probably cards or something.
Eventually, we moved on to the future: video games. I'm sure we dabbled in games like Perfect Dark and Blitz, as they are super awesome multiplayer. But then my conscience got the best of me. See, there were girls involved in this get together and few girls really love sports games or murder simulators. So, they were kind of left out. I had to do something to change this - to make everyone happy.
So, I went to Funcoland and scoured the shelves for something that girls might like to play. I contemplated Mary Kate and Ashley’s Naked Rasslin' but that's a little bit too girly. But then my eyes spotted the glorious box: Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. I had heard of this game. Mostly that it was fun. And, the legends said, girls love puzzle games. And! It was only $20. So, even if no one really liked it, it didn't hurt me.
We spent the next few months playing that game for hours on end, almost every day. We would play until 3 or 4 in the morning. We played every different mode imaginable. We were kind of obsessed.
But then, I gave my PlayStation to my friend Mark in September. It made sense at the time, I didn't play it much other than Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, plus I was getting a brand fancy new Dreamcast. But, that was my only means of playing Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. So, I went without one of my favorite games ever for quite some time.
Since September of ’99 I have been able to play it from time to time. I would take it to some friend’s houses, the ones who owned a PlayStation game system, and we would enjoy it for a few hours and then move on to something else. This nomadic lifestyle happened for quite some time. The game was still fun, but it was getting kind of cranky moving around from place to place. Without a system to call its own, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo became sullen. So, after a few years of this life, I left it with a friend of mine. He loved the game; he would give it a good home. Plus, I was able to visit it whenever I wanted. All parties involved were happy.
As time passed, people moved away again and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo was once again left behind. Try as I might, I was not able to actually get my hands on the game. It alluded me for a few years actually, before last weekend, when my friend stopped by my apartment, bearing the nutritious fruits of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and Fighting Force.
Now, I have it back.
Anyway, the game is really simple and that's why it's so good. There are four different colors of blocks: red, blue, green and yellow. The goal is to form big blocks of the same color then smash it. Weeeee! And it's so addicting.
And the best part of the game is the hidden character Dan. You know Dan, everyone’s favorite fighter from Capcom's many fighting games. He's the guy in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 who shoots a fireball that goes less than an inch. The most useless attack there is. Unless you're talking about his other super move, which is him signing an autograph and throwing it at you. You can imagine the pain that would cause.
In Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo he has been given another handicap.
The main difference between the main characters in the game is the way they drop pieces on the other player. Whenever you blow up crystals on your screen, you drop pieces on your opponents as punishment. Everyone has a certain drop pattern, usually kind of random. If you drop random colored pieces on your opponent’s side it can do nothing but hurt them. If you're Dan, though, you'll drop all red pieces, only red pieces, which means they can destroy their whole side in one blow. Man, that's the way to play the game.
Other stuff that makes the game one of my all time top 10 favorite games is the complete lack of effort on the part of Capcom. The game is not translated at all. All of the speech is in Japanese, which makes the game infinitely more enjoyable. Because it kind of sounds like real, American words. So you can make jokes about what they're saying! I love stuff like that. Oh, and Felicia, from Darkstalkers fame, meows almost constantly through a match. If that doesn't get your motor running I don't know what will.
Which brings me to a story of how Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo came into my possession in the first place.
It was during the summer of '99, probably my favorite summer ever. I was still working in the movie theater back then. In fact, some would say it was the peak of my theater existence. This was before all the great people decided to go away to school or move away, and even the immortal John Piper made his first appearance.
Anyway, I spent almost every day hanging out with a group of my friends from the theater. We would usually go back to my place and just hang out after work. I really don't remember what that entailed... probably cards or something.
Eventually, we moved on to the future: video games. I'm sure we dabbled in games like Perfect Dark and Blitz, as they are super awesome multiplayer. But then my conscience got the best of me. See, there were girls involved in this get together and few girls really love sports games or murder simulators. So, they were kind of left out. I had to do something to change this - to make everyone happy.
So, I went to Funcoland and scoured the shelves for something that girls might like to play. I contemplated Mary Kate and Ashley’s Naked Rasslin' but that's a little bit too girly. But then my eyes spotted the glorious box: Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. I had heard of this game. Mostly that it was fun. And, the legends said, girls love puzzle games. And! It was only $20. So, even if no one really liked it, it didn't hurt me.
We spent the next few months playing that game for hours on end, almost every day. We would play until 3 or 4 in the morning. We played every different mode imaginable. We were kind of obsessed.
But then, I gave my PlayStation to my friend Mark in September. It made sense at the time, I didn't play it much other than Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, plus I was getting a brand fancy new Dreamcast. But, that was my only means of playing Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. So, I went without one of my favorite games ever for quite some time.
Since September of ’99 I have been able to play it from time to time. I would take it to some friend’s houses, the ones who owned a PlayStation game system, and we would enjoy it for a few hours and then move on to something else. This nomadic lifestyle happened for quite some time. The game was still fun, but it was getting kind of cranky moving around from place to place. Without a system to call its own, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo became sullen. So, after a few years of this life, I left it with a friend of mine. He loved the game; he would give it a good home. Plus, I was able to visit it whenever I wanted. All parties involved were happy.
As time passed, people moved away again and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo was once again left behind. Try as I might, I was not able to actually get my hands on the game. It alluded me for a few years actually, before last weekend, when my friend stopped by my apartment, bearing the nutritious fruits of Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and Fighting Force.
Now, I have it back.
Anyway, the game is really simple and that's why it's so good. There are four different colors of blocks: red, blue, green and yellow. The goal is to form big blocks of the same color then smash it. Weeeee! And it's so addicting.
And the best part of the game is the hidden character Dan. You know Dan, everyone’s favorite fighter from Capcom's many fighting games. He's the guy in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 who shoots a fireball that goes less than an inch. The most useless attack there is. Unless you're talking about his other super move, which is him signing an autograph and throwing it at you. You can imagine the pain that would cause.
In Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo he has been given another handicap.
The main difference between the main characters in the game is the way they drop pieces on the other player. Whenever you blow up crystals on your screen, you drop pieces on your opponents as punishment. Everyone has a certain drop pattern, usually kind of random. If you drop random colored pieces on your opponent’s side it can do nothing but hurt them. If you're Dan, though, you'll drop all red pieces, only red pieces, which means they can destroy their whole side in one blow. Man, that's the way to play the game.
Other stuff that makes the game one of my all time top 10 favorite games is the complete lack of effort on the part of Capcom. The game is not translated at all. All of the speech is in Japanese, which makes the game infinitely more enjoyable. Because it kind of sounds like real, American words. So you can make jokes about what they're saying! I love stuff like that. Oh, and Felicia, from Darkstalkers fame, meows almost constantly through a match. If that doesn't get your motor running I don't know what will.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
No surgeon can save you...
I finally got to check out the new Resident Evil 4 video. This video. And I should say the NEW new Resident Evil 4, since they trashed everything they had so far and started over. At first when I heard that I was a little disappointed, because I really liked the whole sci-fi-ish, ghostly vibe I got from the old trailer. Oh, and I should also say that while I've never played through an entire Resident Evil game, I'm definitely a fan of the series. Why haven't I played through an entire game? Because I'm a big, hulking pussy. I have such a love/hate relationship with creepy game series' (especially Silent Hill, which is even better and even creepier). I love being scared as much as anyone else, but it always gets to a point that I just feel nervous turning on the game. Playing through such games with a pal is infinitely better, but it still deteriorates into even more total fear between two people. But yeah, the RE games have always been great (outside of the archaic controls), even if they're a little too spine-tingling to complete for some (me). With that said, Resident Evil 4 is the most amazing-looking game I've seen in ages. This trailer was almost a Half Life 2 level of awe for me. The completely convincing fire, the way the environment looks when lightning strikes, the sound and visual of a chainsaw being driving into your chest - insane. And being chased by that giant swimming thing while you haul ass back to your boat? Goddamn that looks frightening. And in broad daylight, too. This game seems like a must-buy just based on it being the tops of technology. This is the kind of game you show your parents, who proceed to shit their pants in shock of how far videogame technology, nay, entertainment technology as a whole, has come. I mean, if the next-gen systems can produce better-looking zombies, god help us all.
Sunday, March 28, 2004
Back for the Attack
So I haven't posted in a while. I had a personal tragedy last week and I haven't really been in the mood. I had some closure the other day though, so I guess I'm back on the G-Pinions radar. Anyhow, outside of a little cheap game scheme (more on that later, maybe), I've been doing minimal gaming for the last week or so. I did pick back up Beyond Good & Evil with the intention of finally finishing it. It really is a fascinating, fantastically original game, and I have every intention of making good on my...intention. And then loan it to Tom so I can start on Ratchet & Clank 2, Disgaea, and Metal Arms. And about ten other games. Anyhow, pretty much every action in BG&E is context-sensitive, so it ends up feeling as though you always have the power to easily do whatever you want to do, even if it's seemingly complex. And the story is actually really involving. I give a damn about the fates of all the characters, which usually doesn't happen outside of Final Fantasy. Stupid UbiSoft for releasing BG&E and PoP on the same day. Way to curse your two best games ever to the realm of mediocre sales.
Despite my non-gaming of late, I have been reading a lot about games, especially all the coverage from GDC 2004. It seems like the biggest news from it was all the PSP info and the various speeches by Sony and Microsoft outlining their future plans and ideas. I hate to say it, but besides the confirmation of Wind Waker 2 I didn't read a single interesting thing from the Nintendo camp. Oh, besides this sexy little tidbit. Hopefully they'll be dropping some bigger bombs at E3.
Microsoft seems to have some strong software coming out this year, especially with all the new Fable info, a new Oddworld game, and the usuals (Halo 2, Half Life 2, etc.). Their hardware and business plans sound interesting, but I'm still undecided if it's a good interesting. It seems to focus a lot on their new "XNA" plans, which, from what I gather, has a lot to do with X-Box/PC integration, which goes hand-in-hand with a standardization of development. Oh, and they showed some really nice tech demos for, apparently, future dev kits. While I applaud the whole standardization theory, I'm not sure what will come out of it. It's noble to want to help out developers and all that, but the potential for muddying up the market is definitely there, as is the leaving behind of smaller developers. In an IGN interview (linked above), J. Allard of Microsoft mentions how the first PS2 programmers had to kind of restart their learning having gone from 95% hardware utilization of the PS1 at that point, and that they're trying to avoid that with the "XNA" outlook. It's a point that's well-taken, but sometimes it's good to have to learn on new hardware, even if the initial output is only 40% utilization. If the same basic dev kits end up being used for X-Box2 that were used for X-Box at that point, the games are going to have the same basic framework to start out the next generation, even with all the extra tools and bells and whistles and power. And I don't want that. Sometimes forcing experimental thinking can produce great results, as has been demonstrated before many times in the industry. I just think that with XNA, the potential for that is lessened. And as far as the PC integration? Meh. We console gamers play console games for a wide variety of reasons, and I think things should stay that way. I hate the idea of everything being linked up like Microsoft is envisioning it. If you want to release every X-Box game on PC as well, fine. Just keep your computer away from my damn console (yes, I've been considering buying an X-Box). I have to admit though, one brilliantly cool idea did come out of this concept - "One thing people have talked to us about, and I think it's great, is the notion of having the Xbox and PC play together and play to their strengths. Imagine the RTS game on the PC where you're the general and you're deploying troops and managing resources. The guys on the console are the troops, playing a real-time action/adventure game. They're going out and beating each other with clubs or storming the castle." - J. Allard, interviewed by IGN.com
On the Sony side of things, the focus all seemed to be on the PSP. And apparently rightly so. This little beast kicks ass. The first title was officially announced and shown, and it looks stunning, as do the tech demos that were shown. It actually will end up surpassing the PS2 in many cases in terms of power, which is really exciting. I was expecting to see something closer to PS1, but it's far, far better than that. They also confirmed that, despite many recent reports to the contrary, it will have a wireless connection. I just hope the price isn't rediculous.
Psi-Ops is getting a good amount of attention too, which pleases me. Oh, and Sudeki looks lame. I can't stand mediocre art design. That's like, half of a game for me. If I don't like how my character looks, my interest won't be held much beyond the first hour, guaranteed. That's my only problem with how Ninja Gaiden looks. He just looks like a very typical...ninja. Maybe if Hotsuma from Shinobi was in Gaiden, then you'd have the perfect-looking game.
So, nothing mindblowing from the conference I suppose, but plenty of interesting articles and talks and even more games to look forward to.
Oh, and as I mentioned earlier, I've been doing a little game scheming recently. I originally read the deal on CheapAssGamer, the source of all my schemes and scams. Well, mostly schemes (I think the difference is that a scam is illegal). So, here's how it works. I go to Blockbuster, where they're having a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale on used games. I buy three copies of Max Payne 2, for about $43 after tax. I then drive over to Gamecrazy (Hollywood Video's game sector), and trade them in for $25 a piece. Actually, $27.50 since I'm an MVP member. So, it turns into $82.50 in credit. I've now done this with 15 copies of the game (there are still plenty more left at BB), for a little under $400 in credit. I'm strongly considering taking the path of evil and buying a used X-Box, mostly because there are several games coming out for it that I would like to be able to play. I'm also considering a GBA SP, but I figure I should wait for the PSP or the DS. At the very least, I'm definitely preordering GTA:San Andreas. Oh, and if I buy and X-Box I'll probably buy Pelican's godly switch box, what with all the ethernet swtiching. Good scheme though, eh?
Lastly, I played a 13-inning game of RBI Baseball today with my pal Jacob. It was quite the thriller. Definitely in the top 25 gaming experiences of my life.
Despite my non-gaming of late, I have been reading a lot about games, especially all the coverage from GDC 2004. It seems like the biggest news from it was all the PSP info and the various speeches by Sony and Microsoft outlining their future plans and ideas. I hate to say it, but besides the confirmation of Wind Waker 2 I didn't read a single interesting thing from the Nintendo camp. Oh, besides this sexy little tidbit. Hopefully they'll be dropping some bigger bombs at E3.
Microsoft seems to have some strong software coming out this year, especially with all the new Fable info, a new Oddworld game, and the usuals (Halo 2, Half Life 2, etc.). Their hardware and business plans sound interesting, but I'm still undecided if it's a good interesting. It seems to focus a lot on their new "XNA" plans, which, from what I gather, has a lot to do with X-Box/PC integration, which goes hand-in-hand with a standardization of development. Oh, and they showed some really nice tech demos for, apparently, future dev kits. While I applaud the whole standardization theory, I'm not sure what will come out of it. It's noble to want to help out developers and all that, but the potential for muddying up the market is definitely there, as is the leaving behind of smaller developers. In an IGN interview (linked above), J. Allard of Microsoft mentions how the first PS2 programmers had to kind of restart their learning having gone from 95% hardware utilization of the PS1 at that point, and that they're trying to avoid that with the "XNA" outlook. It's a point that's well-taken, but sometimes it's good to have to learn on new hardware, even if the initial output is only 40% utilization. If the same basic dev kits end up being used for X-Box2 that were used for X-Box at that point, the games are going to have the same basic framework to start out the next generation, even with all the extra tools and bells and whistles and power. And I don't want that. Sometimes forcing experimental thinking can produce great results, as has been demonstrated before many times in the industry. I just think that with XNA, the potential for that is lessened. And as far as the PC integration? Meh. We console gamers play console games for a wide variety of reasons, and I think things should stay that way. I hate the idea of everything being linked up like Microsoft is envisioning it. If you want to release every X-Box game on PC as well, fine. Just keep your computer away from my damn console (yes, I've been considering buying an X-Box). I have to admit though, one brilliantly cool idea did come out of this concept - "One thing people have talked to us about, and I think it's great, is the notion of having the Xbox and PC play together and play to their strengths. Imagine the RTS game on the PC where you're the general and you're deploying troops and managing resources. The guys on the console are the troops, playing a real-time action/adventure game. They're going out and beating each other with clubs or storming the castle." - J. Allard, interviewed by IGN.com
On the Sony side of things, the focus all seemed to be on the PSP. And apparently rightly so. This little beast kicks ass. The first title was officially announced and shown, and it looks stunning, as do the tech demos that were shown. It actually will end up surpassing the PS2 in many cases in terms of power, which is really exciting. I was expecting to see something closer to PS1, but it's far, far better than that. They also confirmed that, despite many recent reports to the contrary, it will have a wireless connection. I just hope the price isn't rediculous.
Psi-Ops is getting a good amount of attention too, which pleases me. Oh, and Sudeki looks lame. I can't stand mediocre art design. That's like, half of a game for me. If I don't like how my character looks, my interest won't be held much beyond the first hour, guaranteed. That's my only problem with how Ninja Gaiden looks. He just looks like a very typical...ninja. Maybe if Hotsuma from Shinobi was in Gaiden, then you'd have the perfect-looking game.
So, nothing mindblowing from the conference I suppose, but plenty of interesting articles and talks and even more games to look forward to.
Oh, and as I mentioned earlier, I've been doing a little game scheming recently. I originally read the deal on CheapAssGamer, the source of all my schemes and scams. Well, mostly schemes (I think the difference is that a scam is illegal). So, here's how it works. I go to Blockbuster, where they're having a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale on used games. I buy three copies of Max Payne 2, for about $43 after tax. I then drive over to Gamecrazy (Hollywood Video's game sector), and trade them in for $25 a piece. Actually, $27.50 since I'm an MVP member. So, it turns into $82.50 in credit. I've now done this with 15 copies of the game (there are still plenty more left at BB), for a little under $400 in credit. I'm strongly considering taking the path of evil and buying a used X-Box, mostly because there are several games coming out for it that I would like to be able to play. I'm also considering a GBA SP, but I figure I should wait for the PSP or the DS. At the very least, I'm definitely preordering GTA:San Andreas. Oh, and if I buy and X-Box I'll probably buy Pelican's godly switch box, what with all the ethernet swtiching. Good scheme though, eh?
Lastly, I played a 13-inning game of RBI Baseball today with my pal Jacob. It was quite the thriller. Definitely in the top 25 gaming experiences of my life.
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