It was inevitable; Pokémon remakes are the kind of things you can just expect now, except that they've kind of ran on it a little fast because unless they release a 3DS successor in the next couple years (they better not) we'll see a Diamond/Pearl remake on 3DS or they'll just wait until the next handheld iteration. Which will probably be a while away still. Hopefully. And then they'll have to wait a couple years later for an Black/White redo, which is really weird to think about right now, with Black/White (and their sequels) so fresh in the mind.
My point on this is more or less exactly where it was: This is not a bad thing, but Ruby/Sapphire was a bad Gen.
Instead of retreating that, I suppose I should talk about -other stuff- involved in it. Everything is speculation, since Nintendo only saw fit to announce it with nothing accompanying it because that's great. The idea is obvious that it'll be done in X/Y's visual style which will be nice, especially if they really trick out the perspectives again. It'd definitely help give Hoenn a bit of a new feel and edge which it could do well with. Not that the Hoenn region was bad, but a visual overhaul could -only- end well for it, is what I'm saying. Which I guess is a backhanded compliment in a sense but oh well.
What's unfortunate about the speculation is that Nintendo unintentionally (I would imagine) added a lot of fuel to the fire with the scant couple sentences they decided to add to the reveal. If there's anything I think of when a remake is announced, the phrases "An Epic New Adventure is Coming!" and "Explore a Dramatic New World!" are, you know, not....among them. It seems unnecessary, but there are three potential reasons for it.
Mistranslation. This one seems the least likely. Nintendo is pretty good about localizing things, so imagining that the phrases should've been something that excludes "New" and instead goes for "Reimagined" and "Dramatically Altered World" or something of that nature seems like something that wouldn't have happened.
Misdirection. "Well, it's a new adventure to someone! And with the new camera angles, it's like a whole new world!" Yeah, no.
New Content. This one is probably it, honestly. Fire Red and Leaf Green offered quite a lot of new content for the post-game, and they might be going that route with Ruby/Sapphire. If they offer a new arc post-game of that sort (which would then alter the Elite Four as it did in FR/LG) then that would definitely be an Epic 'New' Adventure in a "Dramatic New" World.
Seeing some new post-game content to Ruby/Sapphire's remakes would be very nice, as Pokémon games in general have been lacking in Post-game for some time now. Why that is, it's hard to tell, since that seems like the easiest thing to think about, but offering three or four towns of absolutely no consequence with nothing to do in them but serve as stopping points between catching new pokémon that are only held back for 'reasons' (as was the case with Black/White) does not a post-game make. Of course, that's all poison in the well thanks to Gold/Silver which had the most robust area of post-game content by far, which has been the exception and not the standard. That said, the wording means that it still won't be as rich as a full return to a former region, as the former regions are not 'New' for the same reasons that an improved Hoenn is not 'New'. Hoping for something of bulk and substance, however, is about all I have.
I don't like myself for it, but I will be getting one of these games. I -generally- get the first one of the pair, thus Omega Ruby, but....well, I just really like blue, so I might be grabbing Alpha Sapphire. Either way, I'll be getting my Pokémon on again this November provided I don't have any other gaming to do. Because I just might. Okay, I definitely will and it'll be on my Vita. But I can make Pokémon time.
hopefully the extra content entails tracking down Team Magma and Team Aqua and murdering them...in a Pokémon battle
Now, I'm not going to claim to be some sort of clairvoyant for seeing this one coming, but it needs to be said that, at every grumble about "oh no, Sony isn't committing enough First-Party to the Vita, blah blah blah", I said, without hesitation "you have no idea what you're actually talking about". Or some variation of that, really. And it all basically ended with "There's God of War coming in some fashion (likely beyond the HD Collection), Uncharted: Golden Abyss 2, hopefully an inFamous game and of course Gravity Rush 2. Which will probably be announced at TGS, what with it being very Japan-focused and shit. And Gravity Rush being a Japan-centric kind of game." So, yes, I called it and I am going to gloat about that, because I don't even care whether or not I should gloat about it.
Anyone could see this coming, really - Gravity Rush was the title that was trotted out whenever the Vita was talked about, either because it looked amazing before it came out, or because it was amazing after it came out. It did good numbers - it was never going to set the world on fire, given the hesitance to embrace the Vita by the community at large which is gradually shifting - but for what could have been expected of it, it did great, and being packed in for the Vita's first year of Plus made it accessible to everyone, thus ensuring it's a Vita game that's synonymous with the system. So, a sequel was always expected, not just hoped for, and it was always going to happen.
The thing to wonder about now is just what's going to happen with it. Absolutely nothing -about- the game was announced, just that teaser, so details could range from anything to everything. The one thing that I almost worry about is whether or not the game is solely going to come out on the Vita. One of the major whinging factors about Gravity Rush was that it was -only- on the Vita (because people don't understand the concept of exclusives) and were constantly clamoring for a PS3 version. With nobody really wanting to commit anything to -one- system anymore, it seems, I worry that Gravity Rush 2 might be PS4/Vita which isn't bad per se, but it's missing the point. Gravity Rush 1 -or- 2 doesn't need to be on a TV and I think that it might actually suffer from it, if not in the controls (the gyroscope, mainly, the touch controls I can take or leave) but for the sheer....feel of it, I guess. It just fit perfectly on the Vita, and I worry that I might feel a sort of disconnect simply playing it on a DualShock 4 and staring at my TV.
It would also take the wind out of the sails of the announcement completely, since it would almost be confirming what everyone's griping about, with Sony "not committing" enough to the Vita. A PS4 version would almost completely negate the Vita version in the ways that people....not 'care' about, but complain and speak smugly about, which just leads to a lot of annoyances and is completely not the point of the game or anything entirely. It'll just mar something that could otherwise just be great personified and that irks me more than a little bit. It all hinges on whether or not Sony wants to show a little loyalty to the Vita, versus scatter-shot release habits to 'ensure' that it's so much profit that nobody even knows what the fuck. Which...seems like an unfortunately easy decision. But we'll just have to see. Not directly announcing it for the Vita with the teaser is making me just a...tad bit wary, I should say.
I still called that shit, and I want that on record, bitches
I would just leave the text of this post as that, because it is just as appropriate as anything else I could hope to follow it up with, but that is not, as you know, the way I roll. 'Yaiba', which I'm not sure if it's the working title or what the game will actually be called when it releases, is a game that doesn't have a whole lot of information out about it beyond what's in that teaser above. Which, and this is a stance I've taken before unashamedly and I'll take it again here, that's really all I need right now. And there's a very, very obvious reason for that and it has to do with the whole way this was announced and just how busy of a bee Keiji has been lately. With his involvement in Soul Sacrifice and no less than three other games already announced, I'm very, very curious to see if this will be anywhere near ready to release by the middle of 2013 at the very earliest. I'm doubting that it will, and that is just fine by me because I am still so loaded with games to play that I can't even think about next year. Because I will still probably be playing games from -last year- -next year-.
Regardless, what we can tell from the teaser for Yaiba is that it's going to be a zombie game, which some people shrug their shoulders to, or even worse, scoff at, but it's apparently a liked genre because it keeps getting sales. However, Yaiba is not going to be your typical zombie game by any stretch of the imagination, so slow your roll on that right quick. As one of the guys behind the whole idea of Dead Rising which, to be honest, is kind of a game all its own, even a game type all on its own, Inafune knows his zombie games and promises to make this one stand out just as much. Now, how does one do that, you might ask? I ask, certainly, or rather I did ask and got....pretty much the best answer ever. Apparently Yaiba is going to include, on top of the zombies, Ninjas and Mechs which is just one of the best combinations I've heard of and literally made me bring my arms before me as I wiggled them with what I can only describe as 'glee' while a very un-manly "Eeeeeeeee~!" was sounded. It was quite a scene, I assure you, and it very nearly repeated itself as I took a look at the teaser.
Specifically, what tickled my fancies about the teaser itself was the rather lovely art style that we could see throughout, sprinkled between the instances of the games tag-line which is almost as beautiful as the term REVENGEANCE. "The Dead Will Die Again" It's simple in the best, most wonderful way, and is quite appropriate for a game that, and this is conjecture here, will feature you playing a Ninja who jumps into a Mech to stomp on zombies. Because come on when you hear those three things are all involved, that is -exactly- where your mind goes and don't tell me that it doesn't. Unfortunately the Art Style doesn't really belie a whole lot beyond that it's pretty - as stylized as it is, I could honestly expect it on just about anything that isn't the 3DS. Of course, I'm not going to go on and on about the consoles it could release on because I'm sure we all know what I want it on, and with Inafune's work on Soul Sacrifice, well, it could definitely be a possibility. A possibility that threatens to make me drool, even.
Still, as I said, as this is the fourth game Inafune's announced that he's also attached to in some fashion, I assume he and his company Comcept will likely be very very busy. Soul Sacrifice will likely be the first game beyond J.J. Rockets (since that's already out in Japan, apparently) that will be released and last I heard, it's a very vague end of the year/early next year sort of window. So after that's done, this game and the other announced Inafune game, KAIO - King of Pirates, will likely get their own work done and release windows announced for them sometime thereafter. Really, I don't think there's any other way you'd want to start things off with a new company than by throwing down four new IPs that have a strong chance of 'making it', or being the next series that people look forward to. And I have no delusions that the dude is anywhere near done making his own shots at things and I'm actually looking forward to what could be next. I guess we'll see what the approach has done for things when Soul Sacrifice comes out, since I know I plan on grabbing that up.
Okay, probably not with that title, but I really couldn't resist it after the latest piece of news I got off of Siliconera. Apparently there is a new teaser site up with the URL of 'subaseka' and as of this writing, it seems to have a countdown of...uhh, really soon. Like as soon as I post this, I'll have to edit it with news of just what the hell it ended up being. If my internet is willing to cooperate, of course, since it's taking forever to load this damn page. Nothing important or anything, of course. Just kind of want to know what the hell I'm supposed to be seeing as opposed to what I am seeing. It is....somewhat important, after all, being that this is something I want to write about. Anyways, what you are -supposed- to see on the page is an image that looks quite suspiciously like things seen in The World Ends With You and is, after all, apparently the teaser page for a project that involves both Gen Kobayashi and Tetsuya Nomura, or at least characters created by them. Which keeps the umbrella for TWEWY open, of course.
I don't think there's really any doubt that this -is- going to be a TWEWY project and with what's being thrown down here, I would highly doubt that it's something as banal as like an iOS port of the game, but I wouldn't quite put that past Squeenix. Regardless, more TWEWY is something that I have heard the outer edges of the internet clamoring for for a few years, and I really....don't understand the why around it. I've played The World Ends With You after proudly grabbing it up for my collection, as it is, apparently a really rare and great game, and I put it into my DS as soon as I was done with Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (which I picked up at the same time) and...well, I tried playing. That's as charitable as I can be with talking about the game since it is...unique in that aspect. Not only is there a big amount of cutscenes and exposition at the start, none of it seems to really mean a whole lot, and the actual gameplay is really out there.
I assume that it is one of those games that is a slow-starter, but once you really get it, you get it and I was hoping for that, but there was just no way I could manage it. With the fighting system for the game relying entirely too much on the stylus in ways that are entirely too similar to one another, it's hard to make the game specifically do this or that when you want it. A swipe is taken as a poke so your flame strike translates as a lightning bolt and when you start getting into enemies with affinities and the like, well, it -kind of poses a problem-. Beyond that, the story wasn't nearly as gripping enough from the start to make me want to dip more into it, coming off more as seeming urgent for the sake of it than meaning -anything-, but again, perhaps I was just frustrated with it. Regardless, if this pans out to a sequel, it could be a good time to throw the game in again and try to run it once more.
Just to get this out of the way before the page updates, I would really suspect this to end up being the long-awaited sequel announcement. There really isn't anything else I think it could be beyond a port announcement and that would cause a rather tepid reaction for an entire teaser thing and the like. Of course it'll be a 3DS game, since the game admittedly was pretty tailor-made for the DS (which isn't exactly high-praise considering how it was done) and by those virtues, I pretty much won't care unless when I play TWEWY again, it amazes me. I highly doubt that happens. But we must be open to any possibility and such, I suppose, since everything has the chance to surprise you if you really don't expect it to. Or....something like that.
I do wonder as to the name, however, as "The World Ends With You Too" seems a little too....expected, I guess? It's a play on both the title and the expectation of a sequel carrying 2 since 2 is two is too, but I'm going to be surprised if that's what they go with. Maybe they'll change 'World' with something else, something more personal or grander as a scale. But beyond all that, I can't really give a rough estimate of anything about the game since my own experience with the first one was limited and not particularly enjoyed nor remembered. Again, maybe I shouldn't bring it up in that case, but hey, not like there's much else to talk about here, news-wise or otherwise. So, not much else to say then, as it simply becomes a waiting game for the site to update and show off whatever the game is. And then..maybe wait for some other site to translate it unless it's pretty goddamn blatant.
Update!: Oh sure, after I post this, the site friggin' fixes itself. Look for the announcement next week, kiddos. And enjoy that music, since it is pretty neat. I do believe it is reminiscent of TWEWY, but I'm probably not the most reliable person on that. I should note that the site seems to be Time Zone sensitive, so this is EST I'm working from. Might be a couple hours yet for you West Coasters.
As I said a few days ago I was eagerly anticipating some information on 'Project Happiness', as it was being shown off during E3 and, welp, nothing like a reveal/teaser trailer to do just that! If you would, give the trailer a minute and a half of your time if just for your old friend Mogs before we get into the nitty-gritty of it, since while there's not a lot to talk about for it, I think we all know how I can stretch. And besides, it's a really charming trailer, one mistake notwithstanding that shows off what will obviously be a rather lovely little game. And I'm going to 'blah blah' about it no matter what, so if you want your nightly Mogs post, this is what I got, take it or leave it. Since, like I said, this is something that truly interests me if just because Yasuhiro Wada is behind it.
Now, first off, for a first impression, the video literally smacks you over the head with whimsy and something really beautiful, showing off different locales - a beach, a forest, a village, etc. - and getting this real almost fairy tale sort of vibe planted in your head. And you can definitely tell by the way it is handled, just the way it looks, that it's going to be something more along the lines of Rune Factory in terms of world make-up at least. It's got that real layer of fantasy covering it that sort of breathes a little bit of 'magic' into everything. Of course, there's a bit of confirmation on that a bit into the video, but worry about that in a little bit. Honestly, what the trailer's presentation gives me, is a sense of something resembling scale which I believe is a bit counter to what's shown in actual gameplay, but there's likely a reason for that.
Now, speaking of the gameplay, about forty-five seconds into the video or so, we finally see something a bit more concrete in terms of the actual game design, as it shows off our main character, or rather, our choices for one; both a Boy and a Girl are shown, looking absolutely like they were steeped in classic Harvest Moon design before they were unveiled. It also shows off a little....monster...thing that I believe it calls a "Sprite" that will likely be some sort of a companion creature for our main character, whomever it may be. It also shows off what -appears- to be a, or even 'the', gameplay element of the game: A Storefront to be manned. As in, running your own store with things that you stock yourself. That looks like it can definitely expand as you work at it, sort of reflecting the work you put into it.
Now, this wouldn't be the first game about owning and running a store to be released, but it would certainly be one to come out on a platform I can play it on (which I won't gripe about too much, considering Recettear was only made available to the West thanks to a two-man group who work themselves ragged, I'm sure) which I say with all knowledge that the game has not been announced to be on any platforms just yet. Nor does it have a release date (other than '2013') or a proper title, which is all stuff to think about surely, but I think we can look at the game itself and just -guess- what it's going to come out on. I mean come on, just guess. Now, I'm going to work it out a little bit here. There's a 2013 release window, which...I'm just suggesting that it means that it's not going to be for Phones and such devices. I don't think you actually really need eight months or more to put out a game for an iPhone. Maybe I'm just wrong on that, or whatever, but I'm just saying.
It certainly looks like a handheld game, however, which has me jump to 3DS. I would love to say 3DS -and- Vita, and I hope it is just that (I doubt it would be Vita Exclusive, considering Natsume has always swung more towards Nintendo - even though they're just the publisher blah blah), but I can see this being yet another game that push me into finally buying a 3DS. Of which there is now four, if this is one of those games. And they're -all- games like this: Animal Crossing, Rune Factory 4, and Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, so needless to say, the 3DS will be my simulation fix device. Anyways, I could also see this being a DD-only title up on XBLA/PSN/PC for about $10-20, but I still figure it more on sating that handheld hunger, especially being wholly Japanese in creation and design.
Of course, do I think the game is solely going to be about operating a storefront? I have reason to doubt it, personally. At the very least, the game is going to delve more into Recettear ideals and involve you scrounging and/or making items to be sold, but the dialogue of the teaser itself gives me a little room to wonder. It asks, very bluntly, "What would you like to do?" after describing this lush, vibrant world, full of things to do. So what I'm suggesting/envisioning is that maybe the storefront is just that: A choice of something to do. Imagine if the game had entirely different ways to go about it, to let you find what makes you happy, to find what you will 'choose at the end'. I may just be grasping at straws here, but the narrator doesn't ever mention that you will be working in a store and the footage is only shown after asking what would you do, indicating that it may, just in fact, be only one option.
I could be wrong, of course, and that's not to say that if the game is just about managing and stocking a shop, I'll be disappointed, because I certainly won't. I've yearned to play such a game, and that I'll get the chance to do so is a wonderful boon. But I'm envisioning something a little more ambitious from the little bits of info the trailer offered and, considering that it's definitely early in development yet, I'm banking on the idea that further showings will either show other things you can dedicate your character to doing (the more ambitious route) or showing off the different facets of running and managing your shop, ala getting stock and such (what is probably the expected route). Either way, I'll certainly be satisfied. All I know is that I can't get my hands on the game fast enough.
Update!: Well....I was -kind of- right. It was sorta kinda leaked that Project Happiness will be a 3DS and Mobile title (So Android, iOS, etc) in an E3 hand-out magazine. Then Natsume put that on their Facebook page confirming it outright. So basically what this means is that they'll be making the 3DS version and then doing a quick port job for Mobile platforms. Like I said, I'm certainly not surprised that it's a 3DS title, but I hope the intention of it being a Mobile title won't limit the scope of the game at all. But....who am I kidding, I'm buying the game. Also worth of note is that Wada went through the trouble of bringing together something of a "Dream Team" for this project in enlisting Atsuko Nishida (who you might know from being the illustrator of a little thing called Pokemon) for the art, and some guy named Nobuo Uematsu (I'm sure I don't have to enlighten you of his work) to score the game. You know, just some random dudes.
Despite previous claims of the remake of Jet Set Radio having just over half of the total tracks the comprised the different releases of the game, Sega has used the above video to assure us that the list isn't quite that short. Featured is the remix of Dragula by Rob Zombie that was featured in the North American release of the game. It's one of the more divisive tracks on the overall OST, but more importantly, it's one of the songs that wasn't listed in the original release of what songs would grace your speakers (or headphones) for the remake. This means that, if there was a song you were absolutely hoping for that seemed like it didn't make the cut, have faith, for Sega might just be able to pull this one out. Now, if only they could go back in time and expend this much effort for the Crazy Taxi remakes.
Side-note: After watching a Let's Play of Jet Set Radio to get me in the mood for the game, I have to say that I am really grateful for the locked frame rate that the game seems to have from the trailers. Also, I'm pretty sure it was said that it would be locked, but that's kind of the norm for the releases. I don't know if it's just because the guy is playing on an emulator (while owning a copy of the game) or if the original version was so choppy, but it gets near -painful- to watch sometimes with how low the FPS dips. No matter what the issue is, I'm assuming that it -won't- be an issue when I'm rockin' the game on my Vita. Best not disappoint on that, Sega.
Update!: So, for once, "Stay Tuned" meant "For just a little while" instead of a month or so, and it's since been revealed that Jet Set Radio will have "99.9%" of the original soundtrack of 30 tracks. Only two are confirmed cut (Which means it's 93.3% but details) so that means most of the groovy memories will come back to you while playing the game on whatever console you desire. I am going to post the full tracklist now, which I admit that I am stealing wholesale from Chance because, hey, he pointed it out to me. (Also go to this page if just to see the trailer there because I'm not embedding it too.)
By Hideki Naganuma (SEGA)
“Grace and Glory”
“Humming the Bassline”
“Let Mom Sleep”
“Moody’s Shuffle”
“Rock It On”
“Sneakman”
“Sweet Soul Brother”
“That’s Enough”
By Guitar Vader
“Super Brothers”
“Magical Girl”
By Deavid Soul
“Dunny Boy Williamson Show”
“Miller Ball Breakers”
“On the Bowl (A.Fargus Remix)”
“Up-Set Attack”
Also including such popular tracks as …
“Electric Tooth Brush” by Toronto
“Everybody Jump Around” by Richard Jacques
“OK House” by Idol Taxi
“Bout the City” by Reps
“Funky Radio” by B.B. Rights
“Mischievous Boy” by Castle Logical
“Yellow Bream” by F-Fields
“Just Got Wicked” by Cold
“Dragula” by Rob Zombie
“Slow” by Professional Murder Music
“Improvise” by Jurassic 5
“Patrol Knob” by Mixmaster Mike
“Recipe for the Perfect Afro” by Feature Cast
“Funky Plucker” by Semi Detached
Joystiq informs me that Deavid Soul's "Yappie Feet" and O.B. One's "Many Styles" are the two missing tracks from the soundtrack which is a shame. I've heard "Deavid Soul" being tossed around a lot as one of the soundtrack highlights, so that one of his songs is off will likely be a little bit of a blow to the overall product. Still, provided you have ways to get that song (legal ones, I'm watching you), you can likely play it while playing the game if you have the Vita version. Or..the 360 version. Maybe the PC version. Not the PS3 version. Sadface.
Look at the screenshot above. Now look at your Vita. The above screenshot is concept art for the oft-teased (at least, in the last week or so) "Soul Sacrifice", a game which has just now started spilling out delicious delicious information. A game that will be on the Playstation Vita, and a game that looks wonderfully screwed up. A game that has literally planted itself on my radar simply by being insanity given form in a budding thing. And a game that I will no doubt be following fairly intensely in its development process.
You've probably been thinking to yourself "Why is he eating his hand?" or something similar while looking at the above picture and I assure you, I will get to that in all due time. First, I should probably explain the premise of the game, or at least what little bit of it has been shared. You play a wizard that is the slave of a more powerful mage and, at some point, a demon comes by with a magical book that seems to serve as the 'hub' by the way it sounds, since it apparently lets you 'experience' the different events inside, indicating that it would ideally be the actual storyline and the way it progresses. The wizard that you play is meant to be -your- wizard and as such, you'll be able to change their appearance to your liking, and I imagine the style in which the wizard specializes in will be up to your whims as well.
Speaking style, I of course mean fighting style, which hasn't been detailed too much, but the little bits that have been pointed out are....quite a thing. They're the focus of the game for a very obvious reason when you get into it, and will likely be the main thing you either love or hate about the game. You see, the magic used in Soul Sacrifice all works off of, well, "Sacrifices". Whether it be an item, likely health or, for the big, bad spells, parts of your body itself. Literally. You see, the picture at the top of the post here depicts a wizard using the "Excalibur" spell, for which the required sacrifice is, uh....your spine. So he literally rips his spine out through his mouth and the body part is used as an instrument of death, likely for a short period of time only. After which, one could assume it just sort of...uh....goes back in. Maybe. Similarly, other spells discussed so far are "Greipnir" which sacrifices....the bones in your fingers, s'far as I can tell, to turn your hand into an extending instrument of torture, and "Gorgon" which requires an eye, thus summoning other eyeballs that fire lasers. Seriously.
Some will likely take well to the rather over-the-top insanity that the game clearly has at its core where others will simply say that it's 'trying too hard'. I'm sure with my history and the praise I've had for it so far makes it fairly clear which camp I'm in. And still others won't know what to think beyond "How is he walking around if he ripped his own spine out" to which the obvious answer is "Shut up, that's how". One does not question the merit of using your own spine as a weapon, but rather must simply applaud the ingenuity involved in even -thinking- about that, much less the backbone guts to actually do it. Of course, with only these three spells being the ones I've seen so far, that's only the tip of the ice berg and I can't wait to see just what else they can think of along those lines.
Of course, there is a downside to ripping apart your own body in various ways to destroy your enemies. Who would've thought, right? Apparently, from a few pieces of information pulled together, the baddies of the world may just be other wizards who wielded the same sorts of spells in the same situations (fighting the wizards before them) until they twisted and mutated them into that which they sought to destroy. It's a vicious cycle thematically, and might just come into play in the gameplay itself, especially with the Multiplayer aspect of the game that plays up on the slight "Monster Hunter" vibe the game carries. Which is to say that there will be lots of rather large monsters that will be much more fun to take out with a friend or friends, and the Vita's capabilities will allow just such a thing to occur.
Despite the rumors and comments about the art style of Soul Sacrifice, From Software, the makers of Demon's and Dark Souls, has nothing to do with the game. In fact, it's one of those (I'm assuming) rare games that actually have three different developers behind it working cooperatively. Soul Sacrifice's trifecta come in the form of Sony's Japan Studio, Marvelous AQL and Keiji Inafune (or rather, Inafune and his development studio Comcept I would assume). If you had managed to hear word of Inafune accidentally admitting to working on a Vita game, well, this would be the one and it's...certainly not what anybody expected, I'm quite sure. Still, it looks quite out there and as I've said, I'm already looking forward to it just based on the little information we have. There should be a trailer here soon for the game, so when it comes out, I'll link it here for your viewing pleasure!
Update!: As I said, a trailer went up today, so let's take a gander, yes?
Still no real gameplay, but it does show what "Excalibur" looks like in motion and it's just as brutal as you might expect. Also, at the tail end of the video, it gives a little glimpse at just what you might expect after using such a high-end spell: Death. Of course, with a game like this, that might not be quite as much of a barrier as you might expect; after all, the creatures of the world are only creatures because they were so badly disfigured after using so many strong spells. Death in battle seems to be able to serve as a primary tactic as this siliconera post goes on to say.
This group of players decided on sacrifice and a wounded sorcerer set
himself on fire to cast the spell Salamander. The other three players
decided to sacrifice Cerberus and claim the reward.
One player sacrifices himself so that the others can finally finish off the creature, or even offer it salvation, after the end of the battle. They will then be rewarded accordingly. I've seen elsewhere that such a sacrifice from a player can result in a large buff for the remaining party as well, though I imagine there are other advantages. And of course, it won't always be completely necessary for three players to reap the benefits of a victory; I'm sure part of the challenge comes in at finding out just what these times are. With such a system in place, though, I'm curious as to hearing just how the lasting effects work. After all, after playing your character online with others for so long, you'll likely use enough magic for disfigurement, but it seems a little odd to reward your players for success by rendering their characters to being awful abominations. Regardless, it's something curious and great to look forward to, since even though localization is just 'an option' at this point, this is almost assuredly coming this way.
So yesterday, in the wee hours of the Eastern Time Zone morning, God of War: Ascension was leaked with a mock-up box art and a teaser trailer. And quite shortly after, it was officially announced by Sony who I'm sure didn't plan on announcing the game at 1 AM PST. That alone seems pretty much enough to state, coupled with the above trailer but, as we know, I try not to just plop down a trailer and walk off (Not that there's anything wrong with that) because I like to pretend you guys enjoy my breakdowns of them. And I kind of like to do them since forcing myself to pick away at a trailer lets me pick out pieces I might not see if I just watched it a couple times and was done with it. It also just makes me feel like I -did- something instead of just found a trailer for a post. This is a writing blog, after all, so I like to be writing in it.
Anyways, before I really get into the trailer, there are a few interesting little tidbits to share before we get into the meat of it all. The first, and likely most important bit is that Todd Papy, former Design Director for God of War 3, has jumped up into the big leagues, apparently, as he seems to be the Director of God of War: Ascension. I mean, he said it and everything. This does mean, of course, that God of War is still in the hands of Sony Santa Monica, despite the trailer lacking said branding. If you don't want to check the blog post linked above, the direct quote is, "For those of you who haven’t had a chance to check out what the team at Sony Santa Monica Studios has been working on", which is pretty indicative there. And more news about the game is incoming, as soon as April 30th where a live-stream event will take place, showing off the game and answering select questions from Twitter that are submitted between now and....tomorrow.
Now, the fun bit. For the trailer itself, it's quite lovely to look at, using the same sort of art style that 3 used a lot of at least (I don't remember currently if the other games had it as prominently) which was quite neat. Of course, we don't really get a lot from the visuals and thus must then pay attention to what the trailer is saying to get the idea of the next game. And the idea, in keeping with the name "Ascension" seems to revolve around the time before Kratos became a servant of Ares to begin with, and was but a regular Spartan Soldier (General?) fighting against the armies of Mortals. Or, at least, part of the game will likely be that, as the Ares part might happen towards the middle rather than towards the end. Maybe. This is all kind of conjecture at this point, but really, it seems to hammer in the point of "Before Ares", which means a Human Kratos without the Blades of Chaos.
This presents a sort of schism in the schools of thought going into the game. Some people think that, since in this, Kratos would be essentially a 'normal' human (overlooking that even as a Human, he was pretty much King Badass) which might lead to a different kind of gameplay overarching the game. Really shaking up the formula instead of having it be another foray into the semi-cinematic Action scene. Others think that it will retain the God of War spirit, but embody that with a different weapon to start, perhaps a normal Xiphos blade, or the classic Spear/Shield combo that we've come to envision as standard fare for Spartans. Myself, I'm firmly in the latter camp, but I can understand why there is the hope embodied in the first camp, since some people, crazy people, can't allow themselves to get excited for the type of combat that has been prevalent in the God of War series from its inception. Or, they say they don't want it, but when it comes down to it, they buy it anyway because it's friggin' God of War.
Now, as this has all been purely conjecture more or less, it leaves one wondering just how much of a prequel the game will -actually- be. Will it contain itself into a single tale that sits before Chains of Olympus? Or will it have a connection with God of War 3 in a sense that it will eventually place down a hook for the 'eventual' God of War IV that has made the internet rounds so extensively? With whispers of a Spring 2013 release, as well as the idea that some First Party devs have already gotten their hands on theoretical PS4 dev tools, it could make a lot of sense to throw Ascension down as a piece to keep the God of War brand in peoples minds so that, perhaps in next year's E3, they show off a God of War IV made for the PS4. With just so many fours, it looks so tantalizing. Before I get too conspiracy theorist, however, I believe I should stop, since it is a bit off-topic anyways.
The big bullet points here to encapsulate one last time, I suppose, would be: God of War: Ascension is the next God of War game. It will be for the PS3, made by Sony Santa Monica with Todd Papy at the director's helm. Tomorrow at some point, we'll likely have a little more info thanks to the Live Stream event, but for now, we don't have a whole lot to go on. It -seems- to be a prequel from the teaser trailer, but anything beyond that, even trying to state something as a supposition or 'fact', is purely conjecture. Personally, I just can't wait to play another God of War game as, unlike the majority of people who see fit to comment on Gaming News Sites, I still have deep deep wells of excitement that I tap in for the franchise exclusively. So long as the game is as brutal as the last, if not more, I'll be happy!
The short answer is: I don't have a damn clue. The long answer is: It's a new IP being announced tomorrow at the Spike VGAs alongside a lot of other stuff that is similarly interesting as well as confounding. There's not a whole lot of information about, so much as a smattering of things here and there, all of them leading to roughly the same conclusion. It's a good bet that the new IP in question here is going to hop in with the trend set by games such as I Am Alive and possibly even Dead Island, depending on how it all works out, by putting out a facade of the apocalypse at first. Art pieces and the trailer that's been out for a few days suggest a virus outbreak has caused pandemonium on a grand scale, where other sources indicate it's a sort of fungus that could possibly lead to something far worse. This is evidenced by the video on the the Official Site that is opposite the trailer that features an ant doing what can only, tastefully be called 'losing its shit'. The footage is apparently from a documentary about a fungus that takes over a body and kills it to grow out of its corpse, which is just lovely sounding.
Now, if the above hasn't gotten your interest, there are a few other pieces of information out about it, mostly in the form of lack of information, that can get your attention, likely. Firstly being the fact that the information we have so far is precisely all there is. To my knowledge, there's no inside info, no leaks, no information being gleamed from the official site using all sorts of technical wizardry or anything of the sort. For once, a game is going to be announced and people likely won't know about it beforehand. Unless it's somehow 'Title Fight' which I have to say is very unlikely, barring some real metaphorical shit going down. There's a chance for a last minute leak, ala 360 slim, but even in that case, it's at least impressive that something that is apparently this big has gone this far without being known to the internet at large.
The above information leads to the obvious conclusion that no developer has been really announced as attached to the project. Obviously somebody's been working on it, but we don't know who, clearly, though there are a few guesses. Here's where it really gets interesting however, as the above screenshot, seemingly directly connected to The Last of Us, was taken from Uncharted 3. That's right. Go into Uncharted 3 at the bar in the beginning and look around for that newspaper; you will find it most likely. I haven't confirmed for myself, but it's been documented already if you similarly don't want to go looking for it. It's hard to tell if that was there in the beginning or if it was added in the aiming patch (if such a thing is even possible), but it's highly suspect that it's completely unrelated. Of course that doesn't mean Naughty Dog is working on this, whatever it is, nor does it mean any other number of other things, but I would certainly suggest that it's at least likely that this game is being made by a First (or Second) party studio which implies its own set of things on its own.
I know I'm just buying into it exactly as intended but I can't help but be pretty excited for this, if just for the mystique surrounding it. It could be any number of things and even if it ends up looking like something else out there already, the idea that it could be a First or Second Party effort for Sony leads me to think the level of quality and polish will be enough to make it stand out. Of course, I could be completely wrong about this, but I'm already impressed as I stated, so I'll have to stay tuned to whatever it ends up being. Hopefully tomorrow we'll have the information we need and the information we want so we might begin to hype properly, but we won't know til the VGAs have come and gone. Why is there always a reason to watch that abomination every year?
I posted about this strange, new game for Playstation Move earlier this month, mentioning that it was a rather neat looking title from Plastic and Sony Santa Monica and that I am utterly and completely fascinated with it, on that one video alone. Sure, I sort of made it out to be something it likely won't be, but this is something that's so new, so different that it sends my mind into overdrive just trying to process what I'm seeing, let alone what could come from it. I bring it up now, of course, because there's new news about it, directly from Eurogamer who has a brand new teaser video for it.
Well....two videos. Kind of. It's a little hard to explain, so you'll just have to see the videos for yourself here and here. I assure you, despite what you might think, it is imperative that you watch both if you watch one; it's apparently a very vital clue to the overall idea or theme of the game. I'll let you do that before continuing...
...
Alright, watched them? Good. So you see the slight difference there with the whole pig thing. Well, the whole mystery of just what to call this game might've already been cracked. The folks over at iWaggle3D think there's a very strong possibility the game might be called "Datura" and their reasoning is, well....fairly sound, I have to admit. First off, we have the cryptic clue from Plastic about the two videos, "Comparing them will give you all the answers about our upcoming title," which can be taken two ways: First the obvious one in that the part with the pig shows deviations that might just be important. Secondly, and this is the more difficult one, you have to take a look once again at those two videos. The first one was published by "aautdr", while the second was published by "trdaua" which, well, are basically gibberish words that you could sit down and try and make something out of for hours.
I'll make it easy for you: iWaggle3D surmises the word of import here is "Datura", specifically Datura Stramonium which is a flower that creates a rather familiar outline.
Yeah? Yeah? I'm pretty convinced. The fact that Datura plants have hallucinogenic properties is yet another fact that lends itself to the game. Whatever it's going to be called, I cannot wait for more information on it.
Update!: After checking my post that I linked to here, that embedded the first video of this game, I noticed the title has been changed to "Datura - First Teaser". I guess this theory is spreading rather quickly.
