And the Next Dreamcast HD Title Is...

...Sonic Adventure 2.  Obviously.  On the one hand, I am completely surprised, because there had been several hints and leaks and such in the past that painted the game following Jet Grind Radio HD to be Shenmue (which was from a reliable source, even!) which I honestly would have really liked.  On the other hand, I am completely -not- surprised, since in all honesty this is a little late as-is, considering Sonic Adventure 1's port was released last year and it's not like it took an entire year to port it.  It also likely would have been a much stronger start to the string of four Dreamcast releases Sega is more or less expected to come out with.  Yes, Jet Set Radio HD is certainly nicer to have, and ultimately something to be more excited about than SA2, but everybody knows what Sonic Adventure 2 is.  I will never understand the methods with which companies and such decide to do this sort of thing, and as I will likely always be on the consumer side of dealings, it's not like it matters since it seems like a matter of eventuality rather than anything else.  Which is a good thing, all said.

This is a little bit more interesting than what it is on the surface, however, since it highlights a few things that I can't decide if they're worrying or just strange.  At the end of the video embedded in the Joystiq link above, the logos denoted as the platforms it's coming out on are simply ones that suggest Playstation Network (PS3) and XBox Live Arcade (360) with nothing suggesting the PC at all.  So if you'll just play along with me for a moment, let's look at the last three ports that Sega has announced, along with the platforms suggested for them.  Jet Set Radio is set to release on PS3, 360, Vita and PC through Steam.  Nights Into Dreams (from the Saturn) is set for release on PS3, 360 and PC through Steam.  And now Sonic Adventure 2, as already stated, is simply set to release on PS3 and 360.  So it seems like with each successive announcement, they lose a system.  This sort of gives me the mental image that Sega is simply using what little manpower remains to pump out all of these ports at the exact same time, meaning that every new thing gets less and less of the attention that it deserves.  Which could very well just translate over the entirety of all three remasters.

Of course, the fact that all three games are set to release in the "Fall" does sort of help tip one off of the fact that maybe they're stretching themselves too thin.  Just....potentially.  I imagine the thought process is that, if they release everything so close together, they'll make a steady stream of money through the season and be able to go into the new year flirting with what lies above the red line.  Regardless, I wouldn't be surprised if a PC version of SA2 was simply overlooked, as Sonic Adventure 1 was released through Steam, and it would be rather odd if the sequel skipped that avenue, especially considering how vocal the Steam community seems to be about Sega in general.  I'm not too optimistic, however, on the games announced to reach to systems they're not otherwise announced on which does sort of crush my dreams of continued Sega support through their Dreamcast re-release library this go around.  At this rate, 'Volume 2' as it were, will be Jet Set Radio, Sonic Adventure 2, ??? (theoretically Shenmue, but I'm not holding my breath on it currently) and possibly Seaman to round us up around the Holidays.  Not bad, of course, especially if the third game -does- end up being Shenmue, which would elevate it from "Not Bad" to "Yaaaaaay!".  With any luck, a Disc-based Collection won't be exclusive to Non-PS3 this time around.

I can't say that I have especially fond memories of Sonic Adventure 2 as I barely remember the lot of it, if we're being simply honest.  I don't even own it, having only been exposed to playing the game by borrowing a friend's copy of it.  I think.  I might've rented it.  Regardless, the point is that I don't remember.  Except I do remember that while I was playing it, I also had to do a Science Fair experiment which I did in between sessions of playing as Rouge since playing as the bad guys was so new and awesome even though, looking back, they were....fairly sub-par.  Character-wise, that is.  Again, the memory, she is not so great.  I do remember the Chao Garden, of course, which I will likely enjoy the hell out of whenever I get around to playing the game.  Because I will, you see.  Regardless of what systems it is and isn't released on, this is Sega, and I've given in to the fact that I will simply play all of the Sega games.  Sometime.  Eventually.  On something.

I can only hope that Sega at least releases one or two of these games before the next announcement comes around.  Even if it's Shenmue, because I would hate to think and worry that the Shenmue HD port might be 'tainted' by lack of focus.  I doubt there'll be a problem with the way any of these turn out; I don't recall there being any issues commonly stated for the last year's versions, but at the same time, one could assume that Sega was doing at least a little better last year.  With any luck, however, these remasters, fired off in quick succession as well as a hopefully present Yakuza Collection (that will come out in the states on-disc, I'm still holding out hope considering it'll cost me a lot of cash if it does) will bring in some serious cash for Sega, alongside Phantasy Star Online 2.  More money for them means more greatness for us, after all, so long as you're not buying a new Sonic game.  Though, after Generations....well, still maybe hold out for reviews, if such a thing were to happen.

Jet Set Radio Set to Groove on the Vita

Ever since its announcement, Jet Set Radio [HD] (I guess they're not saying HD anymore, despite being HD) for PSN, XBLA and PC has been quite the thing to anticipate as it was one of those dreadfully missing gems from the previous batch of Dreamcast games that were ported to the above systems.  And I, in my deepest hopes, timidly imagined a day where I might experience Dreamcast games on my Vita beyond PSP ports of games (If I wanted to buy Crazy Taxi that way, for instance), though didn't expect it to materialize for a while yet.  But, to my great surprise, that day is going to come sooner than expected, specifically sometime this Summer, when Jet Set Radio releases for the Vita alongside the other versions of the game.  Despite my hopes, I can honestly say that this is something that surprised me completely, and when I saw it in my LiveTweet updates, I didn't know what to think.  Of course, that got straightened out really quickly, as what I need to think about is simple:  How to fit this game into my schedule and how awesome it's going to be that I'll get to play it.

I don't recall much of my time spent with Jet Set Radio back in the day when I played it on my Dreamcast (which I still own both the game and console), but I chalk that up to not being very good at it, meaning that I didn't play it quite so much.  I attribute that mostly to me just being not that great back then, or at least not willing to exert a little bit more in an attempt to really crack into a game to find the creamy goodness that is fun within.  Especially during that era as, and I shit you not on this, I almost passed on Skies of Arcadia because the first boss kicked my ass because I wasn't even really trying.  I bought it, played to that minimal point, lost and promptly threw in something else.  When talking about it with a friend of mine later, I told him about that, to which he lost his shit.  "Go play that game right now, goddamnit." he said and reluctantly, I complied and went on to enjoy the experience of one of my favorite RPGs to date.  (Make no mistake, I don't mean to throw that title around, even though it might seem it what with the Trails in the Sky review last night and now this.)

There's not a whole lot of information about the game that's available at the moment beyond the already announced fact that the soundtracks won't be completely untouched from their original releases (licensing issues, unfortunately, meaning some tracks will be cut), and that the Vita version will include some features for the cameras and touch screen.  The latter of which will most likely, if not assuredly, be implemented into the Tagging, whether it's for the actual -doing-, the customization (if you'll be able to do that) or both, making it just a touch (ha!) different from its console counterparts, but not terribly so.  I imagine that it might also see something similar to Sly Cooper:  Thieves in Time, framerate-wise; as in if the Console versions run at 60 fps, we can likely expect the Vita version to run at 30, though I hope this isn't the case.  Still, I don't think I notice the jump from 30 to 60 and so long as it's locked, I can't say I'll care too much.  It's when framerate starts to dip and fluctuate that it bothers me, as I imagine is the case among many.

With the official announcement and reveal of the title for the Vita, as well as an affirmation of my hopes, I can't help but let that flourish and now expect more.  Why should/would it stop with just Jet Set Radio?  Should we expect that the rest of this next batch of Dreamcast games will see Vita versions in the line-up alongside the console ones?  What of the games that are already out like Sonic Adventure (one would expect Sonic Adventure 2 is part of this second batch, so to get the second before the first would be....strange) and Crazy Taxi?  Maybe after this batch fills/pushes out, we can expect some late-to-the-party releases of the four games already out, though I certainly wouldn't be too fussed if we just saw Sonic Adventure on the portable from the first batch.  Now, with this second batch rumored to include Shenmue 1 and 2 and Skies of Arcadia.....yeah.  I'm waiting for it.  I'm expecting it.  Don't disappoint me, Sega, even though you're oh so good at it.

Is Shenmue HD the Next Dreamcast Remake?

That's what a place called Gamerzines would like you to think and, while I would usually just toss off this rumor as just that, but a fellow over at the Penny Arcade forums who goes by (and this is an affectionate title, I assure you) "TheSonicRetard" has thrown this out as truth.  If there is one thing that TSR does not mess around with, it's anything to do with Sega, so for him to say "I know who this is, too. It is indeed real" makes me almost completely believe it as gospel because TSR has some connections.  It also makes complete sense since Sega has been tossing out a lot of their old Dreamcast hits in HD, seems to want to continue doing so and, well, people do indeed like Shenmue.  They like it a lot, so much so that rumors of Shenmue III existing seem to hold up part of the internet on their own.  So it's not crazy to think that Shenmue is on the list of games to get HD-ified.

Now, there is one of the finer details of the post that I'm not too sure about, and since TSR has not said that the entirety of the story is 100% truth, I am going to go ahead and poke at it a bit.  They claim that their insider says Shenmue HD has been done for over a year, as has Shenmue II HD (I assume not for over a year, but done nonetheless), but both have been held off in favor of getting a 'clearer picture of the future for the Shenmue franchise, namely, whether or not Shenmue III will see the light of day".  Of course, if Shenmue HD is announced after Jet Set Radio HD comes out, that either means we'll have some Shenmue III news around that time or, the entirely likely scenario here, we'll never hear anything of any importance from Sega about Shenmue III again as we haven't for years now.  So really, I'm just a little iffy on whether or not the games have really been finished for that amount of time.

Don't get me wrong - I, like the rest of everyone who had even a cursory interest in the Dreamcast and Sega while they were both still around in their former capacities, would love to see a Shenmue III.  And let's face it, we exist in a world where Duke Nukem Forever was actually released, so miracles -can- happen.  (Not simultaneously, however, which would be why DNF -was- released, but was sub-par)  Similarly, Penny Arcade Adventures:  On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 3 is being released despite being 'canceled' directly from the creators and then 'finished' in a novella.  So we really, truly cannot say 'Never' again because history has made us all the fool for doing so.  However, on the list of things that I believe could possibly happen, Shenmue HD and Shenmue 2 HD are pretty high up whereas Shenmue III being a thing ranks just under "Sega rejoins the Console Market" which itself is under "Microsoft releases a handheld to compete against the 3DS and Vita".  They're all possible, technically, but not exactly plausible.

Regardless, my first instinct when I saw "Shenmue HD" was the pull money out of my wallet and start throwing it at the computer monitor and my PS3, but neither had the effect of, well, getting me the game.  This might be because it's not out yet, or maybe, just maybe, because this is not how you purchase things digitally.  The fact that it hasn't been officially announced, much less had a price-tag attached to it or a release date further complicates matters but, no doubt, whenever it's announced it'll be like the others.  Fair price-tag, probably release in a few months or so from now, and it'll be pretty righteous.  Then, hopefully after it's released, the next two Dreamcast titles will be released and another collection Disk will come out, but for -all- the systems and not just 360 and PC.  I will literally double-dip on Shenmue HD and I don't even care.  I will also double-dip for Shenmue 2 HD and Skies of Arcadia, should these things ever come to pass and would even triple-dip if even just a single one were available for the Vita.  Can you imagine Skies of Arcadia as a portable game?  I can.  It's amazing.

We'll see what all comes of this in the coming months.  At the very least, we can reasonably expect to come away with two more amazing up-ports of games that are fan favorites and for good reason.   The games weren't afraid to do things that you weren't really accustomed to, and we really enjoyed it because of that and because it just had a really neat combat system in what was actually not a very combat-focused game.  It was at least a 50/50 split, where the story was just as important as the mechanics and it's a very precarious line that few games and developers can really walk with any certainty.  Perhaps with it back in the forefront when/if Shenmue and II are re-released, it'll have a good impact on the way we look at or enjoy games again.  Because certainly, at the time, it did that for me and is quite possibly one of the reasons as to why I loved the Dreamcast (and consequently, more Japan-focused things) and continue to do so.

I Have to Do News

Even though I could go on and on and on about my Vita and how I got Dynasty Warriors Next today and played it and spent entirely too much money also buying the starter kit from GameStop that includes a cleaning cloth, card case for eight games and two memory sticks, a slip-case for the Vita, ear buds that I will never use and screen protectors, I shouldn't.  To cement that fact, I want to do one of these mish-mashy 'here's a few news stories' posts because 1.) Not only is there not a whole lot of news (imagine that!) but, 2.) I need to catch up on posting things that aren't, roughly translated OHMYGODTHEVITAEEEEEEEEE!".  Roughly.  Very roughly.  So throwing down a few things to contemplate will likely help, even if they're just little bits of news.

The above image is a picture tweeted by Hideo Kojima himself to confirm to everyone that, much like with the MGS HD Collection that had Metal Gear Solid 3:  Subsistence, the version of Zone of the Enders 2 included in the ZoE HD Collection will be the "Special Edition" that never saw release in the states.  The Special Edition apparently saw the addition of extra difficulty options (I imagine one is the "European Extreme" equivalent), some more cutscenes and story, and some more missions to play.  The only downside to this that I can foresee is the possibility of having to -play- Zone of the Enders on a really really hard difficulty to appease the trophy gods which I really wouldn't look forward to.  At the same time, there is no other occasion where I would -not- look forward to playing Zone of the Enders 1 and/or 2 (Especially on my Vita, sorry, had to do that one) so more game is much more appreciated.

Some more information on this all would be nice, like when we can expect to buy and play the game for instance, but any news is good news.  Some stylish giant robot action will be exceptional but I don't know when I'll be able to fit it in, as this is officially the year of too many games.  I have two Vita games that I've barely played, three more to buy during the summer, and three PS3 games in the near-immediate future that I have to buy.  You know that I average about 12 games a year, at least games -from- that year, and already I have eight on my plate, technically speaking, before I've even started the year proper!  But there is always time for Zone of the Enders and that's why I'm excited for the Vita version since, as a basic fact, I just have more time with the hand-held.  It is, in fact, sitting right in front of me as I type, eagerly awaiting a push of the PS button so I can rip away the lock screen to play again.  Which reminds me - Note to self:  Look for Zone of the Enders Wallpapers.

Speaking of this being the year of too many games, Sega of America has teased the next Dreamcast game to receive the PSN/XBLA port treatment.  With no title.  No characters.  No Release date.  Really no information at all.  So why are people excited for it?  Because it is very obviously motherfucking Jet Set Grind Radio for the Dreamcast.  It doesn't need to be said in anything beyond what was offered in the video.  Funky beats, stylistic approach of visuals and, the tell-tale of all tell-tales, the character boombox at the end from Jet Grind Radio, these are all of the things that point to this thing of beauty becoming an actuality, an answer to so many dreams and hopes.

At least....a possible one.  I don't mean to harsh any buzzes, especially my own, but we did have another game, fairly famous for its soundtrack, having that stripped out when it was re-released because of licensing issues.  I imagine that's the main reason a lot of people have held off on Crazy Taxi, and I should certainly hope that the issue with it is not one with JGR as well, since that will most likely kill a -lot- of desire surrounding it.  About 26 songs (version dependent) is a lot, and while I don't remember if Crazy Taxi saw the majority of the songs taken out or, in fact, all of them, you can bet that if even a one is missing, you will not hear the end of it from the internet.

Still, starting the next group of Dreamcast titles to be released with JGR, music or no, is a hell of a move and makes one wonder just what could possibly be next.  Will the try and top it with the game that will never be finished in Shenmue?  Or the game we never wanted to end in Skies of Arcadia?  Or will they pretend Sonic Adventure 2 was important beyond a few of the stages with fantastic music and pretend it's a bigger deal?  Smart money is probably on the latter of the options, but it's more than possible that all three games will see a release on at least one of these fancy digital platforms before all is said and done.  And let's just hope that if they re-release them all combined on a disk, they don't lock it to 360 and PC only because, damnit, I would've bought it, I don't even care.  Sonic Adventure and the (gimped) Crazy Taxi are more than worth it.

Some of you might remember the year of Amnesia:  The Dark Descent as "When did that come out?", but I'm guessing the vast majority of the internet remembers Frictional Games' horrific first-person romp with some perverse combination of wistful adoration and sheer terror.  So the news that a sequel is being made is likely good and awful news for all since it means another Amnesia game.  This is one of those cases where you can say the exact same thing like "Oh god, Amnesia Sequel!" and the inflection is what makes the case for the joke, but this is the internet and text, so just imagine your own internal dialogue for that.  Because there are certainly things there.

You might wonder about the video I linked above and it's purely for convenience and a point of reference.  I've talked about Helloween4545 several times for the pure simple fact that he is really really entertaining.  That he has a Let's Play of Amnesia:  The Dark Descent is not only expected (given that he's a horror-LPer) but welcome for the obvious facts of topical-ness as well as that it's just absolutely wonderful.  Despite it being hilarious, it allows for moments where you actually can genuinely be frightened by the game.  And that's precisely what The Dark Descent tries to pull from you, that fear and terror you have - it yearns to drag it to the surface and revel as you don't know what to do with it.  It is, actually, a lofty goal that A Machine of Pigs seeks to surpass by not only hitting that bar again (with new tricks, since gamers are likely immune to the ones The Dark Descent employed) but by evoking more feelings than just fear.  I have faith that they'll be able to do just that, though what feelings they're going for, I can't be sure.

While the game is a sequel, it will not be a direct one and the only connection will be that it takes place in the same universe as the first game, though several decades later, bringing it up to 1899.  The Victorian Age will be in full swing in the game, and, if the title is anything to go by, there will likely be heavy usage of machinery and industrialization.  Not only in the puzzle elements of the game, but the driving force behind it - this apparent machine that is 'fit only for pigs. Fit for the slaughtering of pigs.'  I'm not sure just what that means, but I think I'm already getting the chills at the considerations.  With any luck, the game will be out right before Halloween to be perfectly timed for everyone involved.

Music! Sonic Edition

I've been watching a lot of stuff for Sonic Generations lately (which looks like a surprisingly good game, by the by) and I have to say that it reminded me of something that I've known for a while but, well, I guess I'd forgotten in past years:  Sonic games have friggin' fantastic music.  Now, while there's plenty of the classic songs I could throw up here and justify as to why they're there, I going to stick with Sonic Adventures 1&2 this time around as, while I haven't come right out and said it before, I loved the Dreamcast and I loved Sega as a whole way back in the day, so those two games probably had more of a lasting impression on me than any of the others.

First up, I've got the first of two songs from Sonic Adventure 2 (Which, amusingly enough, I don't think I ever beat.  At least, I don't remember doing so) which really needs no introduction.  Primarily because it was the introduction, basically, provided you decided to be Sonic at first by picking the Hero path.  Whosoever doesn't have fond memories of Sonic Adventure 2 while this song played is someone I don't care to meet, personally, because back in the day, if just for what it did, the first level of Sonic Adventure 2 (Hero Path) was fantastic and something everyone should've experienced.  So without going on about it anymore, here's City Escape from Sonic Adventure 2.

Next up is a song that, if the video is right on, is apparently the main theme of Sonic Adventure 1.  If it is, it's news to me, as I only remember the song from hearing it during the very last boss battle of Sonic Adventure 1, which I'm not going to name of course.  There's no real way this song can be embedded into my head any other way than with that fight, so to suggest to you that there's any possibility otherwise would just be lying to you.  Which I'm not known for doing, I would say.  Aside from being in the Final Boss fight, it's just a fun song to listen to by all means.  I haven't really heard it in Generations, but I have heard that there's some remixes in the game and the one of this was not stellar.  Can't confirm or deny myself, but considering that's what got me to talk about the songs, I figured it was mention worthy.  So here's Open Your Heart from Sonic Adventure 1.

The last song is the second of the two I picked from Sonic Adventure 2 and once again this appears to be the main theme of that game if I'm being told right.  Again, I couldn't tell you if that's true or not, since I don't remember a whole -lot- about the games other than some of the songs and some of the moments the games held.  Not really my overall experience or anything like that which is unfortunate and likely something that will get remedied at some point.  With any luck Sonic Adventure 2 will get an up-port treatment like it's predecessor and come out on PSN/XBLA where I could then snag both and overkill on the Sonic playing.  We'll just have to see, but in the meantime here's Live and Learn from Sonic Adventure 2.

It's always fun to look back at the songs from earlier years and realize that, yes, Video game music has -always- been awesome, general, and it's not some new trend that started with this or last generation, but far before that.  Music might be a little more loud, a little more booming, a little more involving or a little more 'epic' now, but if it's good, it's as good as it's always been.  I imagine if I do another look at Sonic music, I'll include some real classics to make that point a little more obvious.

Late Post with Music

So, you will notice that I posted late today.  Well....I didn't post yesterday, so in fact I missed a day.  That is because it was storming!  And I know you're like, "But Mogs, the Twitter Sidebar didn't say so!" and to that I say, "I know."  Because, you see, I post on twitter from my PSP when I'm going to be late, and my PSP was otherwise occupied by a game of Phantasy Star Portable 2 with Kaseius in which we I got so many rares.  I didn't even notice the time (not that there was much I could do since it was still storming) til the tail end of the session when I realized "Oh, I.....I didn't post, did I?"  And no, no I did not.  But I'm rectifying that!

Because I like music, I'm doing a music post for today (will likely do another post tonight) and in theme with what I just said, why don't we just go ahead and start this off with the main theme for Phantasy Star Portable 2, since I really really enjoy it.



You don't actually hear the whole of that in the main game which made it all the better when I listened to it prior to getting the embed code for here.  One of the comments suggests it's actually the Japanese version of the song, and, y'know what, whatever, it's close enough.  And pretty righteous.  I can't really pinpoint what it is about the song that I like, but it's one of those songs that I just can't stop listening to.  It's precisely why I haven't set it as the theme for my MC's (or any of my other characters for that matter) Room, because I would never leave if I did so.

Moving on fairly starkly, this is actually the first song that popped into my head when I decided to do a music post tonight.  Buying a game and having it include the soundtrack was, by all means, a completely foreign concept to me when I first picked this game up and at first, I was like "Well...that's cool, I guess."  I hadn't really paid attention to a lot of video game music besides the songs from Chrono Trigger, because I was fairly convinced that game music just didn't get any better than that and that no other game was worthy of a try or something.  Basically, I just tuned a lot of it out, is my point.  Now, while Chrono Trigger still has a fantastic soundtrack, I do open myself up to other games, and this was one of the first that made me do so, and mostly because of this song.

Grandia 2, when I got it on the Dreamcast, was pretty wonderful.  I believe I was just getting back into RPGs (the last one before that being either Skies of Arcadia, as I don't remember when that came out, or Ogre Battle 64) and it provided a nice pace that I found easy to move into.  I don't remember much of the story now, but at the time it was enjoyable enough, and the characters were fairly developed enough for me to really enjoy.  From what I remember, this played a lot when a certain character, Millenia, was around, whom I thought was pretty awesome as well, so it really worked out.  So without further ado, this is "Dangerous Zone" from Grandia 2.



No mistaking why I like this song, that's for sure.  The guitar is awesome, there's friggin' righteous keyboard parts, and it's just so high energy that it makes me want to punch things.  Manly like.  (Like that's hard to do with me, right?  Yakuza up ins.)

Speaking of Yakuza, I must say that I've become infatuated with the main theme for Yakuza 4, titled "For Faith".  It's....actually kind of a pretty song.  I'm using pretty loosely here since I can't think of a better way to describe it.  It's just nice sounding and powerful, if you're at all attached to the source material, as we know I am.



If you, the reader, could do me a favor, I have a standing argument with a friend who argues that the song is depressing to listen to.  While I accept there's a tinge of sadness in it (rather, that's what I attribute to the 'power' of it), I don't think it's depressing whatsoever and just think that it's a wonderful sounding song.  So if you could weigh in on that, that'd be just lovely.  I don't ask for a lot, y'know?  Just do this one thing for me.  (You don't have to.)

So, with that, I head off to bed as I have a rather long day ahead of me that starts in.....six hours.  Heh.  Happy Listening!