Steeeeaaaaam.....Machiiiiiiiiineee...

Practically required listening for this post

Last week was a rather fun one with all sorts of Valve announcements rocking the internet and driving all sorts of hype through ceilings.  It was, in fact, a week-long event with three announcements scheduled for Monday, Wednesday and Friday to allow for proper amounts of speculation and wonder in between conferences.  Speculation that all revolved around Half-Life 3, of course, due in no small part to the whole three announcements thing, and I'm sure that Valve is acutely aware of that fact.  Those rascals.  As someone who doesn't do the whole PC Gaming thing, all of this was a mere curiosity to me even if I do plan on getting into the scene at some point in the future when I have money to throw into a fairly decent rig (or even a -super- decent one) if only to check out a few odd exclusives here like Recettear and such that have no chance of jumping ship anywhere else.  Still, I can't help but take a look at the announcements and work through them as an outsider, but I'm going to tackle them in a way that...makes a little more sense than the order they picked.

Wednesday's announcement was that The Steam Box is now the Steam Machine and it is real.  Not only that, but they will come in all sorts of shapes and sizes because there are several different hardware manufacturer's that will make their own box, basically, even if they all have the exact same innards to start.  Or...maybe they will.  It's all very vague, if you haven't noticed.  I was originally thinking that there was going to be two different 'builds' or 'tiers' of it - one that acted mostly as a stream-between Box to get your games in Big Picture (and probably optimized a little better) versus a box that just -plays your Steam games-, but it seems like it's more or less going to be an amalgamation of the two.  It's hard to really pin down, however.  The only thing that's confirmed is the former bit about the streaming, but I can't imagine that Valve is going through all this trouble to release a dinky little bridge for people who want to use Big Picture, but can't be assed to...set it up properly through their PC.

How will it do this, you ask?  By using what was announced on Monday - SteamOS.  That's right, a Linux-based Operating System specifically for Steam to help you get all your digital content attached to your Steam account (and things on your normal PC) to your fingertips in one way or another.  Obviously, Steam Machines will run SteamOS natively, but you'll also be able to download it elsewhere if you feel like it; hell, you can probably just make your -own- Steam Machine based off of how open this thing seems to be.  What it's going to do, however, is try its best to optimize the parts for Game performance where a PC generally cannot do that, even a specialized one, because of the overhead from other programs and such.  Being Linux-based, it'll be able to natively run games that support Linux, but as we know that's not -every- game.  Or a good majority of them.  For the games that won't run natively, you can hook it up to your PC and stream the game through your house, but just how much of it all runs on one thing and the other is something that I just can't fathom.  It would be nice if it could just use the Machine's components and Windows' process so that I could actually play the scant few games in my library (assuming they're not Linux-compatible), but that sounds too wonderful to be true.

Finally, there's the question of -how- you will play all of this, which is where Friday's announcement of a Steam Controller comes into play.  This baby (viewable at the top of the page) is built specifically for PC gaming and will be compatible with pretty much every game in the Steam catalog, even (hopefully) games that don't have controller support cooked into them.  Of course, even knowing and seeing the controller, the issue remains of -how- you're going to play it....because the controller looks very, very unwieldy to me.  The trackpads stand out first thing, of course, but there are apparently people who've played with them already and said they work quite well, much to my disbelief.  What bothers me, however, is the placement of the face buttons, because they just seem so...weird.  Even the beta models of the controller have them taking up the touch-screen area as large keys, and that seems just as bad.  Hopefully it plays a little more intuitively than it looks, however.

The long and short of it, however, is that with those three announcements, Valve has more or less officially thrown their hat into the ring.  It's not a complete thing, as their investment is basically just as much at it's been aside from getting hardware makers to make hardware for them and if they have to discontinue them then, well, it's no big loss since a PC basically -is- a Steam Machine already with SteamOS being a thing and the controller being compatible with whatever.  Big Picture mode still exists, so what the Steam Machine/OS seems to be is an attempt to create something cohesive to mold it all together in one package which is a smart move, but you have to wonder if it'll be able to go off as seamlessly as it's arranged to do.  Depending on how many games end up running Linux natively (since I don't plan on hooking one up to this junk heap one way or another) I might just find myself owning one of these things to get my PC gaming fix....which I haven't even really dipped into yet.  But the Zeboyd catalog, Recettear and a few other things are all very tempting and ensure that I'll get into PC stuff, one way or another.

Update!:  So, now we have specs for Steam Machine prototypes.

The 300 prototype units will ship with the following components:
GPU: some units with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660
CPU: some boxes with Intel : i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3
RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB DDR5 (GPU)
Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD
Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold
Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high

As we all know, that is a bunch of gibberish to me, but consensus from conversations about it that others have had seems to suggest that this....this is all very bad.  By virtue of being disgustingly good.  Because it will cost a lot of money, you see.  Like a lot.

really though, who -isn't- going to get the clip of the lyric and make their machine boot with that

Trails in the Sky Second Chapter is Coming, GET FUCKING HYPE

Friends, this is the fucking year to be a gamer.  Well, this year and next year, it seems, but this year for the announcements if nothing else.  I have been constantly surprised (in a good way) by announcements for things this year, and that....that's not stopping, it seems.  Another one of the things that I had mostly given up on long ago has been announced today and I could not be happier unless there were more overwhelmingly positive things that happened today, but this is good too.  Another one of those things that I have said probably isn't ever happening has decided to happen to prove me wrong and that's fine.  That's amazing, even.  I will take that any day of the week.

The long and short of it is that The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter is coming to PSP and PC.  As in the sequel to the game on the PSP that I absolutely adored last year when I played it.  As in the game that continued the wonderful story from First Chapter that got so amazingly good at the end and made me froth at the mouth for a chance to get to play and experience it.  Basically the sequel to one of the RPGs that has nestled in my heart in that little spot reserved for "Favorite" games.  So I'm sure you can see that I am absurdly fucking happy for this.  Like, deliriously "if-things-were-better-I-would-proclaim-that-everything-is-amazing-and-life-is-wonderful" happy.  It's not quite there because of stuff and things going on elsewhere, but this is still pretty damn uplifting.

I suppose I should make a little notation here:  what I wasn't expecting was that the game would actually end up on PSP.  The way everything was going on and being talked about, it felt more like if -anything-, the series would be hitting PC through Steam only, meaning my clear data from First Chapter would be completely and utterly useless.  Meaning I would have to get a gaming computer (which I -intend- to), buy First Chapter on Steam (Which I will do -when- I get said gaming computer anyway, because FC is going up on Steam in Winter) so that I can beat it and buy and play Second Chapter (which, again, I will be doing -anyway- eventually) instead of just...you know, buying Second Chapter on my Vita so I could play it there with the data I already have.  So basically just prolonging that which has already taken a hell of a lot longer than I would've preferred, and more or less invalidating my PSP purchase of the game.  That's what I was worried about.  That's what most of us were worried about, and justifiably so, I should think.  Even though at least one or two of the XSEED folks just bought Sweet Fuse last week and were going on about that, proving that PSP games aren't dead yet, even if it's not going to sell ten million copies or some other absurd number.

It's happening, though.  Second Chapter is going to be published by XSEED sometime in 2014 featuring a translation done by Carpe Fulgur, who you probably know from Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale.  I don't know if they're starting over from scratch, or if they're going to supplement the XSEED translation that was already underway, but regardless, 2014 is a large enough window to cover either case I should think.  As you might expect, it's only going to release digitally, which as stated in posts previous, I have made a stink about before, but not for this.  In fact, I will go so far as to say that if you don't buy The Legend of Heroes:  Trails in the Sky Second Chapter -purely- because it's Digital-Only (No Physical, No Buy is the mantra there), then you are literally a shit and I hate you.  If I'm willing to throw $30-40 at my Vita until I can start the download for Second Chapter that will likely take somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-10 hours because I have the shittiest internet known to God and Man, then you can suck it up.  It's going to be worth it, if that's a more compelling argument.

Since this is happening, I very strongly recommend that you pick up Trails in the Sky (Store Link) at some point between now and when it's set to release so you'll be caught up and have some Clear Data to carry over into Second Chapter.  It's $20 which is not at all unreasonable for one of the best RPG releases in recent years.  Which is not something I say lightly.  And while I'm not going to compare TitS to something like, say, Persona 4 Golden, since they're both JRPGs, I am pointing out that I did bring up P4G in the same mention of calling Trails in the Sky one of the best RPG releases in recent years and let you come to terms with something on your own.  Since to directly compare them would be like comparing one delicious, decadent food item with another - they're both wonderful, they're both to be savored, and they're both to be appraised for what they are.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I have no doubts that Second Chapter will be equally delicious.

yes, I know, terrible metaphor but goddamnit, I am just so happy I don't even care

I Haven't Talked About BLOOD DRAGON Yet

After you watch the above video, you'll know why this is a Bad Thing™ that I haven't yet.

So I'll give you some time to do that.

...
...

It's a bad thing because BLOOD DRAGON is every shade of fucking awesome.

I need only remind of my love for absurdity and I think it all becomes crystal clear since Far Cry 3:  Blood Dragon is quite possibly one of the most absurd things to happen to video games in a long time and that is a very good thing.  I mean, if someone does a Live-Action trailer for the game where the main character gets into a cyber katana duel with a robot while a shockwave from a nuclear explosion barrels towards them, you have to give it up for that shit.  Because that's not the craziest bit about the game by a long shot and it's still so fucking awesome that I cannot emphasize the point enough and I think you realize that by now.

If you don't know what Far Cry 3:  Blood Dragon is beyond the sparse ramblings of "it's fucking awesome" that I've put forth, it's....well, rather unique to explain.  Basically Dinosaurs got busy with the 80s and injected pure Neon into the baby.  If you think I'm joking then perhaps have a look at some of the more official things attached to the project, eh?

The Logo, plus some....endorsements.

The official reveal trailer for the game

A screenshot literally steeped in Neon Lights

I guess I can throw down some actual technical aspects of this thing since that's about the only coherent thing you'll get from me about it.  Blood Dragon is a stand-alone expansion to Far Cry 3 coming out for PSN, XBLA and Steam which means you do not have to own Far Cry 3 to buy and play Blood Dragon.  It's simply built off of the same engine which is fairly evident.  Of course, you -should- own Far Cry 3 because it was fantastic as well, even if Blood Dragon will literally be better than it in every conceivable way.  It's set for release on May 1st which means there is no reason it shouldn't be the very first game you buy in May, especially since it'll only be $15.  (I believe)  Being that it's built on the Far Cry 3 engine, it's carrying over a lot of tenets from that game, even if it paints them all with neon and badassness - people might've noticed a neon bow and arrow in the trailer, plus the knife which looked like a futuristic dragon dagger (like you eventually get in FC3), so those remain, as will at least some of the wildlife.  The free-roaming island won't be anywhere near as large as FC3's, but it'll still be expansive to be sure and similarly filled with things to do, like larger outposts to infiltrate and conquer.

I...really don't know what else I can say.  I really don't think there's anything else I have to say.

You want Blood Dragon.

Buy it.

fuck yeah Blood Dragon fuck yeah

Fez Getting Ported to Things

Obviously, Fez is about the experience, man, and not the money.  No sir.  And when the timed exclusivity expires, I'm sure we won't see the game hit Steam because who cares if "the game would have been fixed two weeks after release, at no cost to us.", because money doesn't matter!  No amount of money, no tens of thousands of dollars, matters!  Because it's about the -game-, goddamnit, because this is Indie Gaming.  It's about the principle of it all, which means standing up for the little guy who gets ignored when it's not profitable to help them!  So, seriously that settles it.  You won't be seeing Fez on any other platform even after the exclusivity runs out, because it's purely about making sure everybody gets the full experience of the game and not like....most of the experience.  Minus the ending.  The whole experience.

 -Me from this post. (July 19, 2012)

oh no, that wasn't sarcasm and I've been proven wrong whatever shall I d-of course it was fucking sarcasm

Alright, while I'd love to just sort of post that and be smug and get off of here, I can't exactly do that.  At least, that's not what I want to do, except I kind of do and it's confusing so don't worry about it.  It would be fun and funny to me to do that, I guess, but it's not helping anything.  Not that sitting here and actually talking about it is actually helping anything, but, well....alright, let's try again.

Fez is hitting Steam on May 1st which is completely and totally a sealed deal barring last-minute delays or what have you.  It is, for the moment the only port that is scheduled.  It is not the only port that's in some sort of process of being a reality however.  In reality, Fez will likely be seeing a port to just everything without a Nintendo logo on it (though that can't be discounted either) in the window of 'eventually'.  Mentioned specifically are Mac and Ouya versions as 'definite', a Linux port as "part of vague plans, but plans nonetheless", ports to Sony's consoles hinge on him 'working something out' with Sony, and an iOS version is "highly probable".  None of which is surprising in the least.  Mac and Linux versions, specifically, are practically expected at this point, what with the whole Mac thing being a Mac and Steam going more towards Linux, where PS3/Vita versions (PS3 at least) should be highly considered because of the previous exclusivity to 360.  And iOS being what it is is certainly something that I doubt anyone can really resist as a possibility since that market promises so much profitability.  It....rarely delivers, but it is so tantalizing.

Something that's interesting is the already mentioned lack of Nintendo support.  Obviously, it's likely a bit late/difficult to throw this up on the WiiWare shop or whatever the Wii has, but the Wii U and the 3DS are things and both of them likely should be powerful enough for Fez if an iOS/Ouya version are seriously in consideration as well.  With the Wii U specifically, it's been said that Nintendo are doing their best at being Indie Friendly, yet we have barely seen anyone taking advantage of that.  Specifically with Fez, there could be a lot of neat things done with the Wii U Tablet (Not calling it the Gamepad, sorry, it is a tablet) should they choose to go that route (of course, they wouldn't put any effort beyond the porting, just saying they -could-) and, in general, they kind of seem to want to put the game everywhere.  While the Wii U's audience is currently fledgling, it is also a Nintendo console which means that it's just a matter of time before it gets somewhere between 'solid' and 'oh my god are you kidding me', so getting in now just seems like a smart play for the long-term.

What's reassuring is that the build of the game that'll go around should very likely be the build that includes the patch that cuts out that nasty game-ending bug that plagued the 360 version and was not patched out because 'money'.  So if, for some reason, you have any faith in them fixing this version should a problem arise, or you don't care about gaming politics or whatever, you can probably buy this free of worry.  Clearly I am not very enthused at the prospect of buying the game, but first and foremost, it's because I'm just not interested in Fez.  Obviously, being that I ranted about it and such, I think it's a shitty thing what Polytron did if moreso in the handling than the reasoning, but I've gone out there and stated times before that I don't really -get- boycotts or anything like that.  If you -want- something, just buy it and leave the bullshit at the door.  -Not- buying Fez has a more direct impact on Polytron than not buying the next Call of Duty from Activision, but in the end it's very likely that you're not going to send a message either way, especially with the shotgun strategy for Fez here.

That's not to say that I cannot enjoy my small victory here in pointing out how full of shit Fish is.  Since I very obviously am.  It's not even a personal thing, I just find it amusing.  If anything, it's just another reminder that there's not really as big of a gap between Indie and 'the man' when it comes to these types of attitudes that we don't like and attach to 'the man' to further demonize it.

Regardless of anything, that's pretty much all there is here - Fez hitting Steam on May 1st, everything else but Nintendo things at some point(s) thereafter.  So if you're looking for a (hopefully) bug-free version of the game, ready your purchasing methods at your buying point of choice!

Xi3 Piston is a Steambox, Also Ridiculous

The 'Steambox' has been a thing that we've heard about time and time again, but always in sort of vague terms and ideas, never really anything concrete.  Despite -a- Steambox (not 'the', which is an important distinction) being more or less firmly announced and priced and such, that....has not changed much surprisingly.  It's kind of astounding, really, the nebulous nature with which this whole idea has been approached, and it sort of makes sense on the Valve side of things, since they always kind of play things close to the vest, but for anyone else?  They really just don't have the clout or the weight behind them to just toss out a few things, slap a pricetag on it and expect the masses to roll in.  To do so is, honestly, kind of arrogant and foolish.

I say all that because, of course, it is pretty much what Xi3 has more or less done here.  The "Piston" modular computer that has been leveraged as a Steambox through a partnership with Valve has been sort of semi-announced for a little while now, but was put up for pre-order yesterday...for $999.  I would do the whole "US DOLLARS" thing, but let's face it, you already did that in your head when you read it and this is just making you do it again.  Possibly a third time since the first two times were just you making sure you read correctly.  You did.  For $1,000, you can have a tiny little computer meant specifically to interface with Steam and Big Picture Mode so you can run your Steam library through your TV in a way that is, presumably, comfortable.  It should look glorious too.  Well....maybe.

The thing I was saying before, about not really having many details to work off of, well, this is where that comes in.  We know how much the thing -costs-, but we don't know what's inside of it which is kind of the important thing, especially with a computer.  Especially if you're looking to pre-order a computer for some reason.  (The reason right now would be to knock $100 off the still-ridiculous price)  Yet, all that we readily know is that the standard model comes with a 128 Gig Solid State Drive (versus a traditional Hard Drive), 8 Gigs of RAM (that I assume is standard RAM, and not the flashy, awesome kind in the PS4) and a 3.2 Ghz Quad Core processor which -sounds- impressive if nothing else (since it probably isn't).  I don't really know what those things -mean-, per se, but I am told that it's not very impressive.  Combine that with the complete lack of Video Card disclosure, which I know -is- important for gaming, and the fact that if you want more storage space, 256 Gig and 512 Gig models are available for $1,339 and $1,749 respectively, and 'wary' is an understatement for what we should be feeling here.

Those are really all the specs we know about, or at least, the specs -I- could find.  The partnership link above had a little blurb about the specs, but it's a little suspect.

As we envision our new X7A Modular Computer, we see it powered by a new Quad-Core 64-bit, x86-based processor running at up to 3.2GHz, integrated with up to 384 graphics shader cores, and 8GB of DDR3 RAM, and able to handle graphics-rich computer games like Crysis 2 with ease. The X7A Modular Computer will also run 3 high-definition monitors simultaneously, has four USB 3.0/2.0 ports, four eSATAp ports, four USB 2.0 ports, a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port, and up to 1TB of super fast solid-state storage inside the chassis, making it perfect for gamers and power users alike. And yet the X7A Modular Computer will be housed in a chassis about the size of a softball (4.27x3.65x3.65-inches) and run on a mere 40Watts of electricity or less. We expect the X7A Modular Computer to begin shipping in early 2013 with a price starting at under $1,000. All within a chassis you can hold in the palm of your hand!

For one, that blurb is for the X7A Computer which is, apparently, a separate product.  I think.  The official Xi3 website is just a mess of rhetoric that doesn't really go into a whole lot of details about anything.  But the products area still lists an X7A where the pre-order page is for, specifically, the Piston PISTON Console.  As we have established, actually no model that they're selling offers 'up to' 1TB of SSD space (Not even like a super-premium $2,499 model) and the rest of that is things that they don't bother to tell anyone anywhere else.  I mean, perhaps I'm just calling dirty pool because of that, but without a spec-sheet anywhere I can't help -but- to do that.  Besides, as I said, my 'people who know computers' don't seem very impressed with what -is- definite, so I'm not quite sure what else could be inside of the PISTON to make it a 'powerhouse' that warrants that $999 pricetag.

The unfortunate thing about all this is that, as stated, this is -a- Steambox which I'm sure is already being depicted as the Steambox in some media outlets out there.  That's surely going to cause quite a bit of confusion since the official Valve Steambox is not even in a "public prototype" phase.  A lot of the draw of the concept is that it's something that will be easy to get into and be an alternative for folks that don't necessarily have computer know-how (like myself), but if there's going to be this kind of premium associated with it, then I (and others) will just continue to steer clear.  It puts Valve on an even more precarious position now since this $999 figure is out there for a device -like- the one they're making and even if Valve comes out with something that's decidedly more reasonable, cost-wise, this will still exist and thus be compared to it.  "Why is this so much more expensive if it does the same thing?" and the like.  From the proliferation of Apple products compared to cheaper, more sensible things that do the same thing, people don't really understand the whole concept of "cost versus value".

At the same time, it's hard to tell when the 'official' Steambox will even be out, and who knows what the market and climate will look like then.  It won't accommodate another $999 Steambox, assuredly, but I would think that something from Valve wouldn't come at that much of a premium.  But in terms of confidence and attitude, what with Xi3's efforts already out there, it could be a rough sell for those who don't voraciously serve the Newell.  I hope to have -something- in the form of a laptop that will play games by the time this will come out, at any rate, so either Steambox probably won't appeal to me, but it's always something to take a look out for, certainly.

Nightmare in North Point DLC Looks Wonderful

One of the first bits of Story-related (or at least has -a- story in it) DLC has been announced finally and it is a doozy already.  Scheduled for a Halloween release, Nightmare in North Point brings the undead to Sleeping Dogs' version of Hong Kong, but not quite in the way you're picturing, nor anyone is saying.  As a base stance, however, that they promised six months of DLC and choose to head it up with this is pretty damn ballsy (not counting the piddly packs released last week), and it does set the bar high so I hope they're willing to reach it again or perhaps even top it.  Provided the DLC they come out with isn't too big a file size, I'll be more than willing to part with some cash to pick it up, and I'm really, really looking forward to Nightmare in North Point specifically, though I suspect they could release a DLC where Wei Shen runs around in a Tutu kicking girl scouts and I would look forward to that as well simply because it means more Sleeping Dogs which is a thing to celebrate in my opinion.

The misconception with Nightmare in North Point, however, is that people look at it, see undead and go 'whelp, ZOMBIES' and either stop caring or get really angry about it on the internet.  The problem with that is that they're only partially right - and one Youtube comment actually brings that to light more than any other.  I'm not going to give credit or anything, since you shouldn't care about Youtube comments, but someone said "Oh great, Sleeping Dogs was such a nice, atmospheric game that was mostly down to Earth and now they're throwing in zombies." and most people probably think this.  But to United Front Games' credit, which seems ever lasting because the -things- these guys do, they -are- still keeping it setting-specific, in that what's going on is rooted in Chinese mythos.  The guys running (well, likely hopping) around Hong Kong are Jiang Shi which are basically the middle point between Zombie and Vampire for Chinese lore.  As reanimated corpses, they do not gain complete control over the body they inhabit (sometimes, they're the product of possession) forcing them to hop about, unlike the slow shambling (or swift running, depending) of 'traditional' zombies.  They hunt only at night, stealing life force from whatever they happen to catch before returning to a cave or a coffin to sleep the day through for the next night's hunt.

The being that has brought the Jiang Shi is most likely a Yaoguai, or a Chinese demon basically, by the 'name' of Big Scar Wu who is presumably a former Red Pole.  I say 'former' because he was made an example of by the boss at the time who had him stabbed 42 times before thrown into the grinders at the Smiley Cat Food processing plant where he was presumably made into cat food.  In actually keeping theme with the Yaoguai bit, Big Scar Wu has returned in something of the form of an animal spirit, specifically the "Smiley Cat" itself as he wreaks havoc for having been wronged.  So really, the DLC, as far-fetched as it is, still -does- manage to capture, to encapsulate the things that Sleeping Dogs did in its own story and presentation which I think is absolutely brilliant.  And that requires some dedication to pull off - dedication that I can certainly admire even more than I already admire United Front Games for what they've managed to do against the odds already.

What's got me really excited for the DLC, however, is just the new things that it seems to offer from just that minute-long teaser video.  First off there's a new outfit that I -know- I recognize from somewhere and then the video goes on to feature not only a new weapon in a Jian or Chinese Straight Sword (at least, it looked like that) but a new move where Shen knocks a Jiang Shi off its feet and then kicks it with an impressive amount of force, perhaps superhuman amounts, sending it flying off.  That states that there will likely be DLC-specific abilities and items, both in wearable and wieldable fashion beyond what was shown, and this excites me greatly.  The prospect of having something 'new' in Sleeping Dogs is tantalizing, forcing me to prevent myself from drooling a bit  It would be embarrassing if it was a lesser game, but that's certainly not the case here.  Hopefully it'll be under a gig and I'll be able to buy it and enjoy it!

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.

Nights Into Dreams HD Is a Thing That Is Happening

In their continued effort of reminding everyone why they were liked in the first place, Sega has chosen another of their classic games to get the HD treatment for the current systems out there.  Nights Into Dreams, a Saturn Title (which would likely be the explanation for why a lot of people haven't played it) is getting all gussied up for the Fall when it will release on the Playstation Network, XBLA and Steam for PS3, 360 and PC players respectively.  Though, to say that it's from the Saturn title -might- just be stretching it as apparently the game was remade for the PS2 which would likely be the version of the game we'll be getting ported from, as I can only imagine it would simply be easier to work with, code-wise.  Or, at least that's what a commenter on the story over at Siliconera seems to think, and it does make a lot of sense, so hell, I'm running with it.  The PS2 version was Japan-only, but featured much the same as what we could expect from this HD version, since the PS2 version also had a "Saturn version" which was simply the same game with Saturn graphics, versus the remastered ones for the remake.

On top of the Saturn mode and the obvious widescreen support, Nights Into Dreams HD will feature the usual trophies/achievements as well as Leaderboard support so you can prove to your friends just who is the best flying Jester thing.  Which wasn't meant to sound flippant, but it did, but this explanation should sort of absolve that since I just cannot think of a different way to say it, considering I don't usually factor Leaderboards into much of anything.  But it was listed, and there's not a whole lot else that was mentioned in regards to being added to the game.  It's fairly unclear if, as stated, the game is being based on the PS2 remake or not, but if it was, then it would suggest that the Christmas Nights 'demo' that came out will be bundled in with the game.  Of course, being that Sega -needs the money-, it's just as logical to think that the Christmas thing might be held off for a few extra bucks (I'd figure a $2.99 pricetag on it) for a DLC add-on which, let's face it, everyone (including me) will likely be more than happy to buy, despite it just being a couple levels.  Because they will be Christmas levels.  This is important.

If it isn't painfully obvious by now, I have not played Nights Into Dreams and it's only due to my in-recent-years championing of Sega that I'm concerned with the game at all.  Or, rather, I like to think that even if I wasn't a super Sega supporter currently, the lovely look that the game carries, as well as the fairly magical charm it seems to have would sway me, but I'm not so sure it would.  Being that I had no idea it was considered a platformer, despite knowing of the game previously in a cursory manner, speaks volumes for my hesitation in admitting I'd buy the game otherwise, but hey, we don't really have to worry about that.  That is kind of the point I'm trying to make.  Knowledge that there is a Christmas -thing- involved whatsoever with the game might have swayed me otherwise now that I think of it, but until I know just what capacity it will come in (Originally included or as DLC, which, come on, we know which it'll be) I'll just default to the Sega thing.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the only thing I'm not too happy with, in regards to this all, is the lack of a Playstation Vita version being announced alongside the others.  I know I bring the Vita up like every day, but it's because I like it, which is pretty obvious, I should think.  And I like Sega.  So it makes sense that I would like to play Sega games on it, as I am being slightly lead to believe is a thing Sega wants as well, what with Jet Set Radio HD and Phantasy Star Online 2 both being playable on it and all.  Being that there's a good chance this up-port is being ported from the PS2 version, it's a good bet to say that it would be simple to port the port of the PS3 version to the Vita, since that is apparently an exceptionally easy process and profit.  Because people will buy it several times!  I'm sure I have made this much obvious with my previous statements of such with regards to other games being ported to the Vita.  Once again, simply because I really like the thing and it's....well, a great gaming device.  For gaming.  Which is why I want a lot of games on it.

Maybe they're just waiting for the sales of Jet Set Radio HD on the Vita to see if it will be a profitable platform for their games, but logic would dictate that it's....probably better to just give it a couple shots before getting skittish about it.  I mean, it's not like it's going to make Sega super-duper financially screwed porting the game over, but maybe I'm wrong.  And maybe it's just as simple as saying Sega might not be thinking that far ahead with the Remaster, considering Christmas Nights is just completely up in the air at the moment.  They do have a bit of time to play around with setting things firmly in place, of course, considering "Fall 2012" is a rather loose schedule, so I'm sure we'll be getting a bit more news about the game in the coming months featuring some more concrete details.  But the moral of the story, of course, is buy the shit out of Jet Set Radio HD on Vita if you're even the least bit hopeful of getting Nights Into Dreams on the platform as well.  Since at the very worst, you'll just get friggin' Jet Set Radio HD on your Vita to enjoy the magical soundtrack and entertaining gameplay of tagging neighborhoods and pulling off mad tricks and the like.  Not a bad deal.

Final Fantasy VII Getting a Re-Release Kind Of

So, hey remember when Final Fantasy VII was released for PC?  N....no?  You don't?  Well.....uh....it happened.  It was a thing that existed.  I should know, because I own it....somewhere.  And never got it to work past a certain boss or random encounter that I don't remember because, as we all know, Final Fantasy VII wasn't really, uh, good on PC.  It's a common complaint from that era and continues even now because nobody has realized that you actually have to work on a port to make sure it works on the systems that you obviously didn't really want it to be on, but yet still wanted the money from it.  I'm not grouchy or bitter at all at that whole thing, what are you talking about?  Regardless, Final Fantasy VII, by all accounts (that I've heard of, as well as experienced) was a pretty egregious case on the PC even for the time and the standard.

Obviously, the best idea is to re-release that version with a few tweaks on PC.  Wait, what?  When I say tweaks, I mean added Cloud Saving functionality (hurr hurr), Achievements (Nobody cares about them on PC games!) and a Thing where you can just kind of click to get free HP, MP and money called the "Character Booster".  No, I am not exaggerating.  Yes, it is kind of defeating the purpose of an RPG.  No, I don't expect it to be criticized.  No, it doesn't make any goddamn sense.  Considering all we have to go on is a cached webpage, I'm not saying that's -all- the information we have about it in regards to the tweaks, nor do I expect "Hey, we made it so you can actually play the game now" would be a bullet point, but I -am- saying that I expect it as much as I don't expect it.  Because I anticipate Squeenix doing dumb things, you realize, because they do that a lot.  I mean, I think re-releasing Final Fantasy VII on PC for '£7.99 / €9.99' (no $ listed, but it translates to about $12.50, so expect $9.99-14.99) with -even less work necessary- than most re-releases nowadays is as brilliant as it is terrible, so you kind of see where I'm coming from.

Well, one thing that the site doesn't clear up is just how they plan on distributing the game, which I imagine is likely because it's not really fully in the works yet, what with the no $ thing.  Regardless, if this is even real (which, let's face it, it's like 98% possible) the likely thing would be to suggest integrating the game into Steam for the copy-protection, actually using the Achievements, and having a realistic expectation of the game to actually sell to people who play PC games.  There are other avenues, of course, but considering Squeenix's PC ventures are already on Steam (At least FFXI and XIV which, despite whatever flak you might give them, are legitimate installments for Squeenix and Steam's partnership), I'm not going to suggest them, nor am I going to suggest that Squeenix is dumb enough to attempt their own service, ala Origin.  I mean, they are, but it's not going to happen, thankfully, because I think they're starting to realize that they kind of need to start -making- money soon.  (Which would be a lot easier if you would localize fucking games like Final Fantasy Type-0 you fucks.  I don't even care on what, re-format it for the Vita and localize it for $40, I'll fucking buy it.)

As an idea, this is all pretty inoffensive aside from the Character Booster which I will have to see in action before I acknowledge it as anything but dumb and I would probably buy it if I was into PC gaming and such.  Since Steam Money cards are officially a thing, I could even buy it as more than a theoretical.  It's totally possible now.  But I already have a digital PSOne version of the game bought, and I'm just waiting for the day that it's playable on the Vita (Or I happen across a really cheap PSPGo) to give it another good once through.  It won't have trophies because why would this quick cash-grab extend to anywhere but PC, but it'll be fine enough.  Really, I think this all just came around because, during a meeting, some higher-ups were talking about some quick cash ideas.  Since the next port up is Final Fantasy VI, they were talking about that and the different versions of it out there to see if there was anything else.  And then someone says "Hey, did you guys know we released FFVII on PC?" and everyone looks at each other in wonderment as he says "It was 1998, though.  Also barely playable.  I guess we should just ign-" and then he was promptly assaulted by someone else who said "GET SOME PEOPLE ON IT RIGHT NOW.  FIX IT, ADD A COUPLE THINGS AND CHARGE CHARGE CHARGE!".  It was likely very entertaining and oh god, I really shouldn't be doing things when I'm sick like this.

Still, it's pretty neat that other people will be able to play the game in a way that they likely have not done so before.  At least not legally.  And likely not the PC version because seriously, who else knew it existed?  If you're holding your hand up, first off, stop that because I can't see you and second off, you're lying.  Who knows, if it goes well, maybe we'll see something similar with Final Fantasy VIII because it -also- had a PC release that you didn't know about either.  And it is likely just as ripe for re-jiggering with achievements and other silly things as VII was which was, uh, not all that ripe at all.  I mean, come on, VIII was released on PC 12 years ago likely as an after-thought of gigantic proportions.  At least VIII has Triple Triad, though.  Mmm....maybe they'll add online multi-player with Triple Triad.  They won't, but it's fun to dream.

Pretty Bleh

I hate to do this, really, because it just feels like I'm not trying, but it's been a long, long day, I have a headache and I just don't feel good because the temperature and conditions have changed rapidly over and over again in the past few days.  So yeah, not really a whole lot to post about tonight, I'm just going to throw down a couple of trailers for Retro City Rampage which was announced last month as heading to Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita both which made it fall squarely onto my radar.  Quite clearly, once you take a look at the game, you'll see that it appears to be a take on an 8-Bit style Grand Theft Auto with all sorts of other NES-related shennanigans.  In other words, it looks awesome.  Previously exclusive to WiiWare and XBLA, everyone seems to get a chance at it now since, as I said, it will be available for those, PS3, PS Vita and PC, either supported by Steam or exclusively through it.  So, with that said, let's take a look.

Looks pretty wild, really.  I went with an older trailer after the teaser because of the clear Batman parody to show off some of the other things they try to do, and then the final trailer is the "Big News" one, wherein I assume it was first announced (in video form) that it was coming to more platforms than previously thought.  I'm sure you can have a nice rousing game of "Spot the Parody" with the last trailer, definitely.  Personally, I can't wait for this; it'll have quite the nice home on my Vita.  And with that, I say good night.

PSN Exclusives Loses Two Titles

So, I've been sitting on this one for a bit and with nothing else really striking out to me as something to write about news-wise (and my only gaming being Uncharted 3 which reduces me to a Near-Vita-Level inability to articulate my enjoyment), but I think it bears being brought up.  "Exclusives" get tossed around a lot and it's usually a pretty big deal when whoever 'loses' that exclusivity unless it was announced as such to begin with (Think Summer of Arcade stuff), but these two went without too much fanfare.  I don't know if it's because they're (former) PSN exclusives which apparently only get a resounding 'meh' from the internet at large, or what, but in pretty rapid succession two exclusive games ended up being announced for other platforms, one of which being a real surprise.

The above pictured Joe Danger is likely the bigger one, as it was promoted quite heavily and even partook in the Sony Pub Fund to be made (I -believe-) so it was sort of like how some of the more prominent XBLA titles have been brought about and made/kept exclusive.  When Joe Danger's sequel, Joe Danger: The Movie, was announced for both PSN and XBLA, it wasn't that much of a surprise, honestly, but given how difficult MS Publishing Standards have seemed in the past, the last thing I would have expected was a re-release of Joe Danger on XBLA.  But that's exactly what's happening with Joe Danger:  Special Edition.  As per the previously mentioned standards, the game will be an enhanced edition, featuring things exclusive to the XBLA version (much like a PSN version when the shoe is, as it often has been in the past, on the other foot) in exchange for appearing on the platform, er.....late.

I'm not too fussed myself; I never really cared for Joe Danger after playing the demo for quite a bit to make sure I had an opinion established on playing, rather than impression, but this is kind of a big thing, really.  I'm pretty certain that this is a first, but if we can't take anything else from this, at least we can take away the idea that, yes, PSN does have quality offerings; quality enough that other platforms feel the need to poach them, as it were.  (That's not how it is at all.)  Since my main platform is PS3/PSN, I'm obviously against the theory of having PSN exclusives heading off to XBLA with content I'll never have access to without buying it again, but, well, I suppose this is what 360-centric players have been feeling for quite a while.  Though, in all fairness, I think the last big 'exclusive lost' was Braid, which, well.....we'll not get into that.  I just can't think of anything else besides that and Castle Crashers.

Also on the first bus out of PSN-town is Rochard, which I'm going to Chance a guess that everyone who reads this would've known this by now.  On November 15th, it'll hit PC through Steam (at least, not sure if it'll see a release through the developers, Recoil Games, themselves as well) and offer just that many more people the chance to play around with Gravity Guns in a third person/sidescroller perspective.  The latter is for emphasis as, well, whenever I see Gravity Gun I think of another game that I shan't mention here until it's finished which could be a while.

I've not seen, heard, or played a lot of Rochard beyond seeing it a few times when the playstation blog brought it up, but it seems like a neat game if on concept alone.  Not enough games deal with gravity in such a direct way (that I can think of anyhow) and while physics puzzles are commonplace now, I don't think they've really overstayed their welcome, personally.  Of course, personally, I don't think the Puzzle game genre gets enough representation nowadays; at least proper puzzle games, not "figure out how to do something in two seconds, take thirty minutes trying to do it because it's so goddamn precise" types.  Or "have only the vaguest of tiny clues given to you to know how to achieve this outlandish resolution to a bullshit puzzle" types of puzzle games.  It is a delicate balance, is my point, and a lot of developers don't really get that middle-ground.  Hopefully Recoil Games has done just that, though.

I guess we'll just see what this all will mean for PSN as a whole, but I honestly doubt we're going to lose out on a lot of exclusivity here.  I think we can identify the 'core' games that were developed for PS3/PSN and have no intent of shifting anywhere else.  Not that moving around is a bad thing, of course, just that some companies want to have the most focused product they can offer which is, pretty much, too difficult or bordering on impossible to do over two different platforms, since every platform has its ups, downs, strengths and weaknesses that can't be quantified in simple terms with others.  Still, I just have to wonder why a bigger to-do hasn't been made by the internet as a whole.

So Many Indie Games

I hadn't really thought about it much before today, but there are a lot of Indie games out there at the moment.  That are getting publicity, I mean; since I imagine at any given point of history since video games became 'a thing', there have been a number of indie games pushing the total towards the definite area of 'a lot'.  But you didn't really hear much about them unless it was sort of a "this guy, who went on to make this big game, got his start by making this game" and such like that.  All after-the-fact stuff, definitely not the inside looks we get nowadays, if not actually being able to -play- the games before they're done.

Indeed, exposure seems to be the key here, and that's what it's getting thanks in no small part to the rather large success stories out there.  Minecraft for example, a game I've talked about at length here before, started out as the quintessential Indie Game story:  One man, one game, one dream.  It gets to hold the title of the game that sold more copies than any other game before releasing officially, I imagine.  I'm calling it like that, at least, since it's been downloaded over 3 million times and all.  I'm pretty sure that's just, y'know, paid versions since the free version I think is just an in-browser game.

And they're not the only ones, as the above-pictured Cthulhu Saves the World proved last month when it, bundled with Zeboyd Games first game Breathof Death VII, released on Steam and outperformed an entire year and a half of revenue in one week.  Less than a week, even!  And they were even selling the games cheaper than on XBox Live Indie Games, the former exclusive home to both, as the two are bundled together for $3, which even had a discount on that.  Because Steam likes them some sales, you know.  (And we do too.)  The first game, Breath of Death VII debuted on XBLIG for $1, XBLIG's lowest price, where as Cthulhu Saves the World came out at the next lowest price of $3.  You see, games on the XBLIG (I'm getting sick of typing that already) service can only be sold for $1, $3, or $5, which also limits how big the download can be on the developer's side - The lowest price obviously affording the lowest space cap, so the developer really has to think about the content wisely, as you don't just want to bump up to $3 because you were a few MBs over $1's cap.



They're not the only studio looking to jump from...the Indie Game service (phew) to something else either.  The above video (for as.....different as the guy pitching is) shows off three games that are only exclusive to XBLIG (sigh) for a short time longer.  They'll be hitting PSN in the ever-helpful time frame that is 'Soon' for $2.50 a piece, once again priced lower than they have been.  It's pretty easy to say they're going to be PSP PSN Minis, given the price and where they came from, not to mention the publisher, Sanuk Games already has experience putting out Minis, but we'll see.  I guess it could be one of those "Release the same game on PS3 and PSP as separate things and see if anyone notices" deals, though.

I've even sort of touched on indie games before and hadn't noticed the trend until today, which I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.  I certainly don't think I'll stop noticing these up-and-coming games from now on, since games worth noticing, regardless of Indie or Studio developed, tend -to- get noticed, some obvious examples notwithstanding, but the obvious fear is that I'll just eventually go "Oh another indie game" with some 'bleh' attitude about it, but I don't think that'll happen with me.  Still, I did think it was interesting enough to point out as a trend after thinking about it for a bit.