As much as it pains me to admit this, since I'm sure some circles would call for my head and/or my nerd card, I'm just not really a fan of Lord of the Rings. I've tried several times over with the movies and the games and perhaps that's the problem, in that I've never tried the books, but it has just never worked out. I tried watching Fellowship three times and fell asleep all three times, twice for Two Towers and I saw Return of the King in the theater, so I didn't fall asleep then. The film, however, did stop about 2/3rds of the way through for about 10-15 minutes, though, so maybe it's a sign. Perhaps it's just not for me, as they say. It's a thing that happens sometimes. So when I heard tell of a new Lord of the Rings game coming out, I didn't pay it much mind, even when there was a bit of controversy over some of the animations used in the alpha footage.
All that said, however, it wasn't until I saw a post by Chance on the subject that I decided to give it a look-see and boy am I glad I did. While I can definitely see where the concerns lay insofar as the Assassin's Creed comparisons, I don't care. That is because what I see looks astoundingly good, especially for a franchise that I have no particular affection towards. Of course, it's hard to -not- look good when it cribs from the Darksiders school of thought, by being a Locke's Socks amalgamation of Lord of the Rings and these fantastic games. Intentional or not, you can pick out the Assassin's Creed, the Arkham Asylum/City, the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and the Hitman bits and inspect them on their own merits, and you can possibly try to determine whether or not it's cool that they are so clearly those bits placed into the stew that is Shadows of Mordor, but it's an easy decision.
When it looks like that? Yes. Yes it's cool.
Of course, Shadows of Mordor does bring something incredibly interesting and new to the table in the Nemesis system, which I for one am wary to believe is as fantastic as it's made out to be. Simply because I cannot comprehend a world in which is does work as flawlessly as indicated just yet. The Nemesis system claims to be able to randomly create a Nemesis for you that will serve as a major figure in your world that you ultimately want to kill as well as henchmen for that figure. Not only that, but the Nemesis system promises, much like so many other games do, that all your actions and decisions matter and change the course of your story, causing your Nemesis (Nemeses?) to act accordingly. The example used is that the player encountered two of the figures in the game early on, left the major figure to burn to death in a fire, but he survived, leaving him with a rather nasty burn, and a mean grudge. It promises a wealth of opportunities and scenarios unique to every player and it sounds, in a word, amazing.
The cynic in me just cannot believe this is possible. The cynic in me understands that, if you're using voiced lines, there can only really be so many instances of situations possible, since the lines have to be recorded for them all. And the cynic in me believes that it's something that will offer less 'endless possibilities' and more 'scenarios created by creative gating' which is merely a series of binary yes/no options that are little more than littered along a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style path. On the path in the trailer, there was a choice where the player apparently did -something- that left his Nemesis with a massive burn on his face. That choice is a gate that takes you to a certain path in which X and Y happens. While it gets a bit more impressive when X and Y are influenced by A, B and C or what have you, it's all something that you can see the workings of. Depending on how many 'paths' and 'gates' they actually include in the game...it's quite possible that this 'unique experience' will not be that at all for most, which would be unfortunate and the exact thing I -don't- hope for.
I don't really like the cynic in me. While I can see all that logic and such, I don't want to, because 'player choice affecting world-building' is something that I'm always a fan of, though few games pull it off as well as some shining examples which is an absolute shame. It's a hard thing to pull off, I'm aware, because it's stacking variable upon variable, but it's so worth it if it actually works. It's for that reason alone (well, the genre-blending helps) that I'm looking forward to Shadows of Mordor now, and I eagerly await some more trailers that show off the Nemesis system more - hopefully showing different ways entire scenarios can carry out or something along those lines. Mostly just because I want to believe they can pull this off.
really, I'm just drooling at the potential to do a fictionalization of my playthrough of the game because it would be so good
Last week when I took a look at the UI video for the XBone, I was explicitly impressed by it, but mentioned a lament for the lack of the Snap feature that has been touted so highly. I took it as a worrisome sign that it was not show-cased and it seems as if I were a bit premature with that. (No jokes, please) Of course, I didn't quite expect them to release a nearly two-minute trailer exclusively for that feature since...well, the UI video was meant to be comprehensive. It was, too, aside from the whole "they completely left Snap out of it" thing. Unfortunately, while the UI video was comprehensive and informative, I cannot say exactly the same thing for the Snap video as you've already no doubt learned.
It's...functional as a video showing off a feature, but it's nowhere near as good as the previous one. It doesn't go in-depth, it doesn't -really- demonstrate the feature, but it shows that it's a thing that is possible and that happens, so I guess that's good enough in their eyes. Or...perhaps as I feared, it's not exactly working all that great just yet, so the exposure was minimal. Maybe not, maybe I'm just being cynical and/or pessimistic, but these are the types of things you're trying to stamp out with demonstrations, not further fueling them. Still, that has been Microsoft's MO lately.
I'm more or less tepid to Snap as a result for now. Some of the uses seem superfluous at best (The TV Snap is pretty much -only- good for Sports channels, since what else can you enjoy with a tiny screen and no volume?) whereas some are absolute game-changers in theory. The internet explorer bit is something that a lot of people scoffed at because "Hurr, hurr, I look up that stuff on my computer/laptop/tablet/phone" and -yes- you can, but it's simply more convenient to bring it up on the same exact screen like that. However, I'm worried about the versatility of it - the screen real-estate allotted is minimal, meaning the websites will be squished and I'm not sure how you would navigate text-heavy sites like GameFAQs and the like. If the XBone pauses your game every time you Snap something, does it pause when you want to interact with it too? Or can you do -something- to scroll the screen up a bit without breaking your game flow? I personally doubt it, and I assume that would get ridiculously annoying eventually, but perhaps it won't actually be so bad. This is, of course, something they could have shown off, but failed to do.
I would have liked some more examples of things you can do with Snap. Can you, for instance, snap Skype on and do a video call with a friend or family member while playing Forza? Can you snap on the Marketplace and buy a game to start downloading while you're running through Ryse? Are you able to snap on any of the video services and switch audio to them, like Youtube? That would be helpful for advanced tutorial needs, but that's one that I highly doubt, personally. Still, any and all of this were things that they could have taken time to actually explore and explain, or even just touch on a little more than it was done, but none of them were, and I highly doubt a follow-up "Here's a second video about Snap because oops", so I suppose this time I -can- be disappointed and/or wary about the feature and its completeness. I suppose we'll all know for sure next Friday, however! With any luck, if all the annoying things are true, they can be addressed.
oh sure, let me just pause the game five times in a single minute so I can scroll up this site on the side so I can read the full paragraph, ob boy
There's almost very little to actually say about this Unboxing video. It gets right to it and doesn't pad time with explanations, it doesn't leave you wondering "Oh, but what about this little thing", it just shows off what's in the box with a nice, slick presentation. A nice, slick presentation that may seem rather familiar, but good nonetheless.
Not too much longer before the front-lines of PS4 buyers will have their console in hand. I won't be among you, but know that I salute you brave folks who are prepared to weather the craziness of a console launch. My only launch was the Vita and it was worth it because handheld launches are...you know, lighter than consoles. And I didn't even really get it -at- launch so much as I got it on launch day or the day after. The point remains that I simply would not be able to manage, and that's why I'll be letting the chaos die down in the coming months before a PS4 is mine. It will be all the sweeter from the time of anticipation...or at least that's what I'm telling myself.
anything using Daft Punk as inspiration scores some major points at base, really
It was hard doing other things with my night tonight. It was hard to write something other than this. It's just that after I saw this trailer, I knew there was absolutely nothing I could want more than to talk about this game other than actually playing this game. Hopefully I will be able to make up cognizant instead of the mindless blathering of approval that I could just type up here. Because you all know, I could just type a whole bunch of worthless, filler words of praise just to make this exorbitantly long in an attempt to make up with quantity what I can't concisely say with quality. You know this.
First off, let's go with the obvious in this trailer, yes? Fetch is Laura Bailey. I....pretty much just need to say that. It's awesome, and needs no further explanation.
Secondly, I really do enjoy the way that they show off what appears to be Delsin's main "Default" power, Typhokinesis, the power over Smoke. (Yes, that is apparently a thing, no, I don't know, yes, I googled it, no, I still don't know) Delsin's power, obviously, is his Chameleon ability which allows him to absorb other powers and use them, but he's been shown primarily utilizing his smoke powers not only to blast things, but to explore so that kind of sets the theme for it. It feels fairly similar to Cole's Electric Powers which is a good thing, but there's a clear difference to them as well that I'm sure will become more and more obvious as we see it all in action more and more. Certainly the shadow jump or whatever you want to call it is a big deal right off, and will likely set the schism for them to expand from that.
And obviously, I really do enjoy them showing off the Chameleon ability in an interesting way. The power that Delsin receives from Fetch is apparently Photokinesis, which is the ability to control and manipulate light. Which...makes sense, what with the Neon signs and such. It stands to wonder just -how many- sets of powers we're going to be looking at in the game proper. Conduits in the first two inFamous games were common, even if they were more or less grouped by power (with the important people also being different in the power category) but to be able to have shifted to their powers at any point in the game would have been huge, which is....on Second Son's platter, I assume. The DUP don't seem to be inclined to power, but the game isn't going to be -full- of power-less enemies I would hope, so being able to leech someone in battle is...hopefully a thing. Something that I hadn't even considered.
Goddamnit, now I want this game even more.
is it wrong to hope that there will be an electricity conduit towards the end of the game that you get to leech and pay homage to Cole with
So, last month, I pointed out that seeing a Gameplay Trailer for Grand Theft Auto V made me really excited for the game, to the point where I didn't quite know how it could get better. If you would have told me that it would get better with the Multi-Player Portion of it, I would have called you silly, but damned if it didn't happen. I'm not sure if it would be better for you to watch the above video first to see what I mean, or if you should read the Overview from the official site first to give context to the video before you see it, so I'm just going to give you both and let you decide. Either way, both need to be consumed by your brain in some fashion, I urge this at least, so keep that in mind.
Grand Theft Auto Online is a dynamic and persistent online world for
16 players that begins by sharing gameplay features, geography and
mechanics with Grand Theft Auto V, but will continue to expand and
evolve after its launch with new content created by Rockstar Games and
the Grand Theft Auto community. Grand Theft Auto Online takes the
fundamental Grand Theft Auto concepts of freedom, ambient activity and
mission-based gameplay and makes them available to multiple players in
an incredibly detailed and responsive online world.
In Grand
Theft Auto Online, players have the freedom to explore alone or with
friends, work cooperatively to complete missions, band together to
participate in activities and ambient events, or compete in traditional
game modes with the entire community, all with the personality and
refined mechanics of Grand Theft Auto V.
Players can invest in
their character through customizing their appearance, improving their
stats, owning customized vehicles, purchasing personal property, and
taking part in missions, jobs and activities to earn reputation and cash
to open up new opportunities to rise through the criminal ranks. The
world of Grand Theft Auto Online will constantly grow and change as new
content is added, creating the first ever persistent and dynamic Grand
Theft Auto game world.
Access to Grand Theft Auto Online is free with every retail copy of Grand Theft Auto V and launches on October 1st.
The keywords here are "dynamic" and "persistent online world" which are things that have been thrown around here lately for other such things like Destiny and possibly TitanFall, which are meant solely to imply something of an MMO-experience without stating it's going to be an MMO. But let's face it - Destiny is an MMO, so is TitanFall kind of and GTAO is going to basically be a Grand Theft MMO, and you know what? That's fine. Excellent, even. It's sort of one of those things that you never knew you wanted until it was thrust into your face and then all you wanted was to feast upon its wonder and splendor. Or, you know, something that sounds a little less weird.
Grand Theft Auto IV's online portion was entertaining in its own right - giving you the ability to free roam the entirety of Liberty City with your buddies doing whatever the hell you pleased, but its short-coming was that there was....not that much to -do-. There were multi-player modes you could join, sure, things that were specifically there to foster a multi-player mentality, but if you wanted to just faff about, then that's all you -could- do. Have little impromptu drag races that aren't scored except with your collective imaginations. See who can launch themselves the furthest from a motorcycle thanks to the wonderful physics engine. Things that, while entertaining, were things that you had to figure on yourself. That is where Grand Theft Auto Online's MP sounds as if it's going to shine, and where the MMO portion of it comes into play in practice.
Quests Missions that you can take with a crew of others, possibly -against- other crews, dynamic mini-missions like being able to properly knock over small stores (which I think I only did in Vice City, but I imagine you could do it in San Andreas and -maybe- IV as well? Probably not) and take on other such activities has a wealth of potential. It lends some legitimacy and depth to the experience overall when there's something to work towards (getting money and property) and having easy and fun avenues towards that (mini-jobs like robbery and proper missions), and that would be fine on its own. Add to that the 'experience' of GTA with the little vignettes of characters (actual fleshed-out ones) telling you where to go and why, giving you back-story on the situation, and it's truly going to be something to look out for. Hell, it might even be something fun to much around with on your -own- if it's as involved and dynamic as it seems (which might be how I deal with it regardless, what with the crap internet and all)
The only 'hitch' involved with GTAO is the fact that it's not actually going to launch alongside Grand Theft Auto V, despite being something that you can technically access from the disk, presumably. Which I'm hoping does not mean (yet thinking that it does mean) that the game will be available as a download after-the-fact that's not even included in the game's hefty mandatory installation (8 gigs!) for both PS3 and 360. I'm hoping that that installation is, of course, putting aside a lot of room -for- GTAO, in which you'll only have to download the 'access key' once it goes live on October 1st and updates/patches thereafter, but I'm wary and I'll reserve the right to wonder until we get a little clarification on that. Regardless, so long as GTAV and GTAO combined don't take up an absurd amount of Hard Drive space, it shouldn't be too much of an issue, and from what I've seen here, it'll be worth it and any hassle that it might bring.
oh man, I just want to be the wheelman for a bunch of thefts, that would be so awesome
It's quite an interesting little game. I'd talk about it but a 25 minute time investment seems like enough of your time for one night. Though perhaps another night I'll edit in my thoughts and point you back here so we can hash out some of my minor complaints about it thus far, as well as the numerous little cool things the trailer has to offer. There are quite a few instances of both things, of course.
It's no mystery that I have been anticipating the newest Animal Crossing game because it is an Animal Crossing game which I am fond of. It's also no surprise that I have also been dreading the newest Animal Crossing game because it looks like the Animal Crossing games that we already have that, while I am fond of, I have played the hell out of and found that there are no more worlds to conquer in it, so to speak. The Animal Crossing games of the DS and Wii, the ones that New Leaf itself looks like almost to a T, are games that have no sustainability beyond a front-loaded glut of hardship. The various loans that you're saddled with, the need to make all your tools better and get established all hits right at the same time at the start and stands as a brick wall for you to chip away at very slowly.
The issue is that, once you have tunneled through the wall, made a hole through it, there is nothing new on the other end. You look behind you and see a blue sky, green grass and tall trees. You look in front of you and see a blue sky, green grass and tall trees. It is functionally a brick wall that surrounds nothing, protects nothing and only stands as something to be destroyed, circumvented, undermined. The wall exists not as an obstacle, but as an optional and that's really what a lot of Animal Crossing's problem is. The 'wall', so to speak, is more or less the narrative, the main 'quest' as it would be in other games, and other games manage just fine to have this thing, this main thing that can be ignored safely for time immemorial. Of course, those games traditionally have other things to do.
New Leaf, from what I can tell, seems to be heavily leaning on the whole "You are the Mayor" aspect which, I mean, is good. It really is. If nothing else, it allows you the ability to make all the shops open at night or whenever is convenient for you. Plus you get to move stuff around and mold the city in whatever image you desire. Presumably, there are other things involved with this that make it more than a very, very light town sim, because that....is really what it sounds like. I don't know if there's any way to upgrade things, to make new 'types' of buildings or anything of that sort, meaning it ends up a bit shallow. I hope at the very least that the residents have their own requests as to where they live, ala Dark Cloud, since at least you can meta-game that part of it. Still, I can't see how a lot of game -time- could actually be spent with the sim portion.
So, minus that, you basically have....Wild World/City Folk. The above video literally shows everything from both games (being that they were almost one in the same) to a T with only slight alterations. Seasons are very welcome, and I wonder if they'll be actually in tune with real-world seasons, or if it's sort of a variety thing so you can see snow in the game when it comes out this summer. I'd bet on the former, unfortunately. Beyond that, being able to swim is....not a big deal. A night club where you presumably don't do a lot more than you do on the nights KK Slider would play in the coffee house from WW/CF is hardly something to celebrate. Really, it all seems like token additions so far, and nothing really yells out that "Here! Here is the actual sequel with actual improvements and a bunch of stuff!", but instead that it's the same game, except with a few different things.
Either way, I'm pretty much stuck in -actually- buying the game when it comes out. It's one of the handful of titles that galvanized my purchase of a 3DS XL (well, I haven't bought it -yet-, still holding out for a better color) and even if it's not much different than Wild World, I'll have a whole timesink to start putting into it to break down that wall standing in the middle of a field. That is there for no reason. Which isn't necessarily as bad of a thing as I make it out to be, really. I just wish that there would have been something done with this game other than a very light sim element. But hey, maybe it will surprise me and be super deep and awesome. I would like that kind of shock. But I'm certainly not counting on it.
There's a lot I could say to that. A lot. But I don't want to, not right now. I think it would cheapen what's there unless properly given time to fully digest what is shown as viable in that trailer.
So, I will probably edit in some real-talk tomorrow, but for tonight? Just watch it.
Watch it and be afraid. Or at least slightly unnerved.
So, there was that whole PS4 thing tonight, which was -actually- the announcement of the PS4 as we all thought it would be, but I'm not going to talk about it tonight. I need time to reflect on it, to digest it, before I actually figure out what I think about it, now that some of the things are more or less set in stone for it. In the meantime, however, instead of gushing on and on about REVENGEANCE some more (which I could totally do), I am instead going to talk about this one thing that I've picked out from the entire PS4 thing. The reason for this one is pretty obvious, as I am a man who loves some inFamous, so a new game announced in the series is cause for celebration. This is the point where I would usually, you know, go "But" or "Except" because I have built it up and then you know, blam, gotta break it down a little.
I'm not going to do that however. Because I am legitimately happy that another inFamous game is going to come out and, while I might have some reservations about the trailer, it is definitively another inFamous game nonetheless. Sucker Punch's forays into the genre have been fruitful in the past and with the evolution the series took between inFamous and inFamous 2, I can't -not- let my hopes get up, even if just a little bit. I -know- there's quality here already, since their hands are the ones molding whatever this ends up being, and they've not disappointed in the past, even when, by all means they could have. So for that, I have my hopes, I have my excitement, and I can grin and enjoy myself knowing that inFamous as a series is going to be something that continues.
My reservations come into play with a few things, however. First up is with the new character, Delsin Rowe. The name, of course, means absolutely nothing, not being something of import from the previous games, and there's very little about him to tell beyond what's in the trailer and the little excerpt from the description, which I will share.
Surrounded by a society that fears them, superhumans are ruthlessly
hunted down and caged by the Department of Unified Protection. When
Delsin Rowe discovers his powers he's forced to run, searching for other
superhumans in order to save those he loves from the oppressive D.U.P.
now hot on his tail. The choices he makes along the way change the
future of everyone around him.
The one thing that is known about him is that he seems to be a Fire-themed Conduit. Whether that's just one facet of his powers (could be), I have always associated inFamous as a concept with electricity. Even before I picked up the first game and loved it, let that ingrain into my mind, it was electricity. Hell, that's part of the reason I was drawn to it - I just like the concept of that as a super-power to be honest, and the myriad of ways inFamous and its sequel used that did nothing but astound me and grow on the affinity that was already there. While I know on several levels that Fire can be utilized in similarly wonderful ways (as inFamous 2 showed us) it's...well, it's not Electricity. It's not a deal-breaker for me, but it's something I'm not super-duper excited for either.
The other thing, obviously, is that Delsin is not Cole who was a pretty badass character all-told. Ever since inFamous 2, it's been weird to consider a third in the series considering the way 2 ended (both endings, no I'm not spoiling anything) because both gave a sort of completeness to Cole's story, even if both also left ways to further expand it. There was also the wondering of just which ending would be the 'canon' ending, since they were...quite different as opposed to the original. Even still, with a new character and a new suite of powers, we still have to wonder which ending they'll pick for this continuation...if it's a continuation at all.
I'm not saying the word 'reboot' or 'reimaging', but it's possible that this is just a different world, a different set of circumstances and that Cole MacGrath is a character that never existed in this one. I...wouldn't actually mind that, actually, if this is just a new tale told on much the same roots, as it were. Besides, it -does- lend itself to some other shenanigans as well, using a different storyline entirely if they wanted to ramp things up into -real- comic book super-hero territory. I don't want to say what's going on in my head at the moment, but it's definitely got me going 'hmmmmm' and in a good way. Still, same universe or new, it's a new inFamous game, one with Sucker Punch at the helm and I have no doubt that it's going to be pretty damn amazing. I'm curious and excited, if nothing else, which is hard to do these days, despite how it may seem.
Okay, we are all aware that I am completely and totally hyped for Metal Gear Rising: REVENGEANCE, yes? Yes? Of course. You are probably like "Mogs, I do indeed know of your hype level for Metal Gear Rising: REVENGEANCE because you have spoken of it several times and, in fact, I do not know how you could be -more- hyped for it."
TO THAT I SAY WATCH THE EMBEDDED TRAILER.
I'm not sure I can really put into words, coherent ones at least, what it is about that trailer that gets my blood pumping in the best way, but good goddamn if that's not the game I'm anticipating the absolute most at this moment. I mean, yes, we still have The Last of Us coming this year but The Last of Us won't let me cut five guys into chunks in the span of three minutes and then also cut two giant robots into slightly larger chunks, but still chunks nonetheless, in the following two. The Last of Us won't feature a goddamn cyborg ninja driving a car for unknown reasons. It also probably won't feature gravelly Raiden voice acting that I can't help but like despite the inherent cheese to it, mostly because of the dialogue. The Last of Us will have plenty of good things, wonderful things, but it won't have these things and these things are what I want right stat now.
The thing I like about that trailer, aside from everything, is that it showed story -and- gameplay right after one another, letting you see how the transition goes which is rather smooth. The story is going to be all levels of silly, even moreso than a normal Metal Gear game, and that is just fine by me. I am expecting high action with some intrigue and a few twists thrown in here and there, but beyond that? Not a whole lot more. I don't see how I'll be disappointed on that front. The more batshit crazy it's all presented, the happier I'll be, I suspect as even though it's canon with Metal Gear Solid as a series, this is obviously going to be a wild ride, being a Platinum/Kojima project.
The gameplay though. Oh man, the gameplay. I have gotten over my whinging about the classic "I cut stuff and it doesn't come apart" Action game gripe, which is the whole of the combo system, mostly because it seems like your foes will all be non-organic, or at least mostly non-organic. This? This I can handle. And Zan-datsu is obviously a more focused cut, so it will obviously be way more effective than a regular slice and I am justifying this yes, but for good reason. Because the game looks awesome and fun as all holy hell. I'm not quite sure, but it seems like Zan-datsu is something you can enter and leave freely (with the express purpose of spine-hunting, of course, but also for cutting ALL OF THE THINGS) which is astounding to me. Mostly because it serves some utilitarian purposes as well - at one point, if you were watching carefully enough, you'll notice that Raiden sliced a missile in half as it was flying towards him, effectively disarming it. And you really don't have to cut right for the spine - you can just lop off an arm or leg(s) if you feel like it, and the combinations of all that will be really, really fun to explore.
Metal Gear Rising: REVENGEANCE is going to be one hell of a ride and I honestly am counting the very minutes until it's released on February 19th. If at all possible, I know now that I'll be shelling out the near-ridiculous price for the badass Collector's Edition, simply because yes, I want it that much. I want all of it that much. If not for the super awesome lamp, then for the badass soundtrack that will be full of tasty guitar riffs and high intensity. But still, mostly for the super awesome lamp that I may or may not ever plug in because it is -too- good. But one way or another, the game will be mine as soon as it is earthly possible and that day will be a glorious one indeed. It will really make me wonder what the rest of 2013 can hope to offer in terms of something that will top this. Because this is pushing all of my buttons in the best way possible.
So, this is a thing that technically happened yesterday, but, well, so did something else, so I talked about that instead. Since THQ filing for bankruptcy is kind of a bigger deal than a leaked Squeenix trailer or a trailer that Squeenix released early because it doesn't make any sense and thus makes perfect Squeenix sense. If you were not aware or have forgot forced it from your memory, the next game in the Final Fantasy XIII series is called Lightning Returns™: Final Fantasy® XIII and it is....well, it is a thing. A thing that probably shouldn't exist because it only exists to finish XIII-2 which was a tacked-on mess which I assure you that I am still working on reviewing it to let you know the extent of that. Lightning Returns is also something that is completely not what I expected going off the trailer versus what we were told in the 'announcement' of it.
As a refresher, Lightning Returns was sort of introduced as a more Action-RPG hybrid game in which Lightning is out to single-handedly save the world because she is so special for reasons that are inherently unapparent. Don't get me wrong, I -like- Lightning, I'm just saying there needs to be more to a whole "Savior" angle than "Well, she got picked to be a Guardian for something", and I don't care if that -something- was important, it's still kind of dumb that there wasn't really a lot of backstory about it. Presumably that will be -in- Lightning Returns, or maybe they'll just run with it still and we'll just figure the reason is "The creators of the games really liked Lightning", since that's as good an explanation as any. The main theme to Lightning Returns is that, basically, 'Time is of the essence' in the most literal way possible because it is a malleable thing for Lightning at least, which, as I said, sort of gives it a Majora's Mask feel to it.
The similarities end there, however, especially since this trailer has come out and shed a little more light on the battle system. Now, you see the way it was described gives you an inkling of something a little more....well, like I said, Action-y than RPG which we're all pretty much used to by now. The pessimistic part of me looked at Dirge of Cerberus which was meant to be an action game and despaired and then looked at Crisis Core and only felt the barest bit more comfortable with the idea. Still, there was a chance that that sort of thing could've been cool - I don't know how it would've worked magic and paradigm switches but I would've left that up to Squeenix. You'll notice that is all in past tense and that is for a pretty obvious reason if you looked at the video (provided it's still up, I'll try to replace it with a new one if it gets taken down) and this is the point where I urge you to test the video and, if it works, move on to the next paragraph. Of course, if it doesn't, move on to the next paragraph anyway.
So yeah, that is definitely still a turn-based battle system. It does look like, indeed, there is more direct control over Lightning with it, but it is still Turn-based and that is positively worrying. Even though I liked Final Fantasy XIII, the battle system was -only- good when you had three characters in the party, which is to say nothing of XIII-2 which spent most of the game having three characters in the party and -still- ended up being terrible. To say that I can imagine a single-player version of either system being fun is a stretch that I'm not willing to make and while I'm sure it will be more tailored to the single-character experience, I cannot move away from being skeptical at best. I mean, unless they throw a good portion of the battle system and encounter design out the window, it's going to be a rather large annoyance and I don't think Squeenix is actually -capable- of balancing the game properly to keep the experience fun but challenging. Hell, I don't think they can manage just making it -fun-.
Honestly, there's not a whole lot in that entire trailer that instills me with anything resembling confidence. Lightning's new outfit is stupid - it's backless with all sorts of poofy things that flap in the wind as she walks and jumps around, generally just being superfluous and adding a lot of area to her character which is unnecessary. The game itself as it's shown in the trailer has to be alpha footage because it's...well, it doesn't look very good. And the animation is a bit choppy looking. Which begs the question "Why did they release a trailer that looked like that" and the answer is 'Nobody knows!' Hopefully some follow-up trailers paint the game in a more positive light, but, well, the whole 'skeptical at best' thing. If there's one positive that came from this whole thing, however, it's that this gif came from it. I mean, just look at that gif. How can you -not- love that?
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.
So, while not quite being a hidden gem of E3, it is, nonetheless, something from around E3-time that you might not have heard of, which is unfortunate, since the news of this seemed to make a lot of folks happy. I'm happy because people are happy, as I don't have any experience with the Earth Defense Force series whatsoever, but that happiness signifies a reason for it, and upon watching the video, I think I can sort of glean just what that is. It is, also, quite possibly the only thing I can think of to write about right now since I am still fighting off some sort of cold or bad allergies or something. So if this is not as involved or wordy or informative a post as you might be used to, I apologize, but it's about all I can put out at the moment. But I -want- to write something at least, and pointing out a game that might've been overlooked seems a good a cause as any.
Now, the first thing you might notice about the trailer is that it is in Japanese. This is mostly because it is, at this moment, just a Japanese game. That is worth mentioning since it didn't even get the "will it, won't it" treatment at E3 like the Hatsune Miku Vita game as far as I know, so the chances of it getting localized are completely up in the air. From what I can tell, only two installments of the series have been released in North America, so perhaps have a little bit of caution until we hear some official word. Still, that attempt at buzz-killing aside, localization could probably be done pretty cheaply I would imagine, and despite all the doom-saying of the Vita despite it not even being out for half a year which is a thing I have brought up about two dozen times, it's still early enough where something like this is definitely worth the investment since there are still people out there with a Vita that is shiny-new and looking for more and more things to play on it, which means they might connect to an audience outside of the niche they've carved. I, for one, am interested despite having never playing (and barely hearing of) the series, and I imagine my case would not be an unheard of one.
Immediately apparent is that they game is certainly not one you're going to turn to for a deep, involved storyline with plenty of twists, turns and surprises. Even in Japanese, the gist of "It's 2017, we're being invaded" is clear, and that is where the titular organization comes into play. The Earth Defense Force, the nameless, faceless men and women in a giant army are the people you take control of to try and drive off the alien and/or giant bug and/or giant robot menace. I say nameless, faceless men and women (maybe even just men? I dunno) because that's kind of part of the 'thing' of the game, after I've looked into it. The point is that you play as part of the 'fodder', so you're not a super soldier, nor are you technically 'supposed' to win, or are even expected to, and certainly not by yourself. While I don't know quite how that mechanic works, it's reflected in the fact that the game's other draw is the Online Co-Op between up to four people which is touted in the trailer. Along those same lines, but possibly not mentioned, is that the game will be sold in single and double-packs, with the latter meaning, quite literally, buying two copies of the game so that you can 'enlist' a friend into playing it with you. Which I think is neat.
Something else that's neat about it is the nice little touch part-way through the video. Take a good look at the...well, it's not a 'logo', but it's a name or whatever for the news station. If you read it and don't get it right off, when I guess you haven't followed the Vita very long and/or simply forgot. Or perhaps my ignorance of the series is shining through, but I think "NGP News" is a little bit too much of a coincidence. NGP obviously coming from the 'codename' for the Vita as it was shorthand for Next Generation Portable is a pretty nice call-back/touch, so I sure hope it was intentional. If not, then I suppose it's simply a little bit of 'fate' that the series finally made its way to the handheld if it has commonly featured "NGP News" in the cutscenes and/or as a plot point. Regardless, that's sort of a little thing to go on about for a paragraph and I feel sort of silly about that.
What I should be talking about is the gameplay itself and how it looks in the trailer provided since it is literally my only resource here without looking elsewhere which I don't plan on doing. The whole 'sick' thing and all. Basically the game looks like a free-roam Third Person Shooter affair which is plenty nice, especially with the twin sticks of the Vita. Of course, it's not your standard TPS game, considering there are all varieties of big and, by that metric, gigantic enemies to be found and destroyed while running for your life, so it does set itself apart in that. The sheer scale of that alone is pretty impressive, moreso when you consider that four different Vitas can run such a scenario concurrently, and when you add in vehicles (or at least Helicopters as shown in the trailer), the game expands that much more in quite a pleasant way. Of course, even with all that, I'm sure it's not just a matter of run around and shoot, and will require some actual tactics considering it's dependent on you playing as a redshirt essentially.
That's about all I know and can tell about the game, of course, what with the whole 'not speaking japanese' thing, which is something I should look into at some point apparently. (Goddamnit, Sega) The trailer puts a release somewhere within the remainder of 2012 but again, that's simply for the Japan release of the game since there could only -be- a Japan release of the game. I'm somewhat hoping and betting against it, but it's a very real possibility considering the series seems to have 'low-budget' written all over it. (Though, impressively, it's not -incredibly- apparent in the visuals) Hopefully we'll get a yay or a nay soon, rather than have to think/worry/wonder about it for a while, but there are all sorts of hopefuls out there regardless. We'll just have to see.
Now, you had to know I was going to bring this up eventually, as I have a little bit of history with the Assassin's Creed series, and I really enjoy me some Vita. So the former on the latter is -naturally- going to draw my attention, and especially when there's such a wealth of information about it already out there. Which, frankly in this week of "Here's a trailer, now guess about everything else" is fan-freaking-tastic. Sure, I can sit here and go on and on about what I think might be in the game from two seconds of a trailer for it, but it's always much nicer to just be able to say "You know what, this is what we know about the game so far" and have that list of things be something approaching substantial. The hardest thing about this game actually won't be waiting for information about it, but rather what it should be: simply waiting for it to get released so we can friggin' play it. Because I am quite looking forward to that day.
First off, the basics. The game is exclusive to the Vita and isn't some pithy little sidestory or hand-me-down, but rather a full, fresh installment of the series made from the ground-up on the Vita. It tells the story of Aveline, a French and African assassin during the tail end of the French and Indian War (about the 1765-1780 year range) who is, get this, not connected to Desmond. Finally, we get to play a game where we're not tethered to him (I mean, technically the offshoots with Altair didn't feature Desmond, but you know what I mean), even though I really like him as a character. It's just that I have to wonder just how many games he can be the focus of without running around and being a super ninja badass assassin who is going to ruin some fucking days. Because currently, the answer is four, with AC3 coming up in a way that suggests there will be a full 'game' for Connor, which leaves us to wonder if Desmond will have a proper conclusion in AC3, or if it will be another span of games. I believe they've said they're not going to do that, but...well, I'll believe it when I see it. AC3 simply has to cover too much, I think, and I can't see it working out pleasantly in a single game if it's literally not all about him.
As Liberation will not connect to Desmond (or, by extension, Connor), it's safe to assume that the game will be fairly self-contained in that aspect, telling the full story of Aveline as she comes into her own under her mentor Agate who leads the New Orleans Assassin's Guild. Oh, did I not mention that the game would be set in New Orleans? Because it's going to be set in New Orleans, which is absolutely wonderful if the last game set in (fictional) New Orleans is anything to go by. With that being the first thing mentioned in some of the bits of news, I personally had to wonder if we could expect to swim, which seems to be answered with a "Probably not", as the swamps about the city will be infested with Alligators. I could see this as being the "This is why you can't swim in our game" reasoning, but we'll see for sure when more info about the game comes out. Regardless, not that big of a loss if it's true, even though swimming around offers a lot of opportunity for sneaking around and getting to your target.
Regardless of being a (possibly) self-contained one-off game (Which, who are we kidding, this game isn't going to be that and if it doesn't directly have something to do with AC3, I'll eat a hat made out of something delicious), Liberation promises to be a complete Assassin's Creed game. Taking no shortcuts, this means that the City of New Orleans and the surrounding area will be one big map that you do not have to load whilst traveling about, simply existing in means with which you can explore it at your leisure. While I imagine that it will not be that way from the start and, in classic AC fashion, will partition off sections of the map until you advance the story, that simply adds to the genuine feel of playing an actual installment of the series. As for the other facets of the gameplay, it will feature Multi-player that will apparently be "tailored to the Vita experience" whatever that means (My guess would mean playing something at your leisure and sending it off rather than playing necessarily at the same time as someone else), but no word of that beyond the cryptic message and that it exists. Which, hey, I've never bought an AC game for Multi-player, so whatever, no worries on my end.
As for the proper gameplay of it, I've heard some strange rumbles here and there of some drastic shifts in the way it actually controls. If the rumors are true, then Liberation ditches the Profile requisite for making leaps and in fact, simply maps "X" as the "Jump button". I don't know if R still actually controls Profile, but such a drastic change will definitely impact the platforming aspect of the game. I'm imagining that it's for the better, as my grumblings of platforming in the AC series are known, so something that potentially adds a little more control in that is certainly a good thing. Beyond that, the touch controls will be implemented in such a way that allows...basically what I can tell is the "Mark and Execute" function from Splinter Cell: Conviction, in so much that if you touch an enemy, Aveline will make him die. Apparently this has been added because, get this, the actual meat of the swordplay and combat system has been made more difficult somehow, so they wanted to allow an option for a player to stay out of it, should it be a little too hard on them. Granted, I doubt it'll prevent you from -ever- having to swordfight, but it will certainly lessen the instances. Definitely a curious statement, and I can only hope we get a little more light shed on that.
Liberation is definitely a tantalizing prospect, if just for the way it incorporates the old and the new and melds them rather pleasantly. A New Main character (who is a first for the series in being a female protagonist) and an entirely new landscape, combined with the core elements that we expect from an Assassin's Creed game. Interestingly enough is that the game even is rumored to follow more of the Templar side of the whole Assassins/Templars conflict, though how they'll do that, I haven't the foggiest. With new twists on the gameplay here and there, there's a good chance that it'll be one of the better games in the series, if said twists don't prove to be cumbersome or, at least, just as 'bad' as they started. And, of course, I don't think jumping off a building to stab a guy with a hidden blade is ever going to become boring, so being able to do that on the go is just....just wonderful as a thought.
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.
I have to find it a little funny that this seems to be the year (or season, at least) of the Dog. First off, Sleeping Dogs is announced and shown off and looks fan-friggin-tastic, then you have The Last Of Us from Naughty Dog which has been kicking around for a while and was just shown off wonderfully yesterday, and yesterday also brought us something that....as far as I can tell, went completely un-leaked. Somehow. The game is Watch Dogs, a new IP by Ubisoft that is just....well, you have to see it in motion, I think. This is the point in the post where I implore you to watch the above video (Yes, even you Haplo, I know you've been ducking out on doing so, but you know you wanna) because it really just adds a whole other layer of understanding to what I'm going to say about it since, otherwise, it's kind of like me talking about magical things and you being like "Pshyeah, right" even though it's pretty much clearly there in the video.
So, I'm guessing that you'll have only read to this point if you watched the trailer, have it loading so you -can- watch it, or don't care, so with that said, let's just get right into it. The first impression that the game makes is that it is a very, very nice looking game by most standards and in fact looks like Grand Theft Auto IV in presentation when it starts with our protagonist very casually walking down the sidewalk. I will have to mention, of course, that the video shows the game running on PC, which means that this is the very best we could hope for it to look like. Which is very, very good....for PC people, and it leaves us planning to play it on consoles to wonder just how it'll look for us. I imagine the answer is "Very good, but not PC great" which is sufficient, but it is one of the small few factors that has me anticipating this game less than The Last of Us.
That's not really the point, however, as what likely counts a little more than the actual graphics and presentation of the game is the style behind it, and the game has that in spades. It's definitely not completely modern day, but it's not -too- far in the future, either, stopping well short of something like a Blade Runner or Deus Ex setting. Granted, when you're just watching the guy walk down the sidewalk, it's hard to see why I would say it deviates quite a bit from Modern Day, but it becomes pretty obvious soon enough when the Smartphone-like device that the main character has sends out what amounts to digital tentacles to tap into nearby electronics wirelessly. And then even moreso when he walks to the outside of the club, ruins shit and walks into it to show you a guy wearing a four-screen TV over his head that shows literal QR Codes. I'm not convinced this is stuff I would look into seeing in the span of five-ten years and if you did, it would be fairly cutting edge. Which I imagine it is in the game but shut up, I'm tired and this is awesome.
Now, despite the obvious comparisons a lot of people have made (though this might also be an obvious one), I get a really strong Hitman vibe from the way our MC enters the club after distracting the bouncer by bringing down Cell Service in the general area. It's a very Hitman-esque thing to do, to cause some sort of disturbance that allows you to slip in casually so as to not raise suspicion. It's stealthy, but a very -controlled- type of stealth, not one that relies on wall-hugging, vent-crawling and shadow-hopping. It's that whole mindset of being rather subdued, yet incredibly dangerous and deliberate that attaches the thread for me, so to speak, and what draws me to that thinking. Regardless of if it's just me or not (I doubt it's just me), it's a very, very good thing. Really, the whole gameplay is full of very very good things.
When it gets to the cutscene at the bar, it really starts to shine even more, because the dialogue between these two characters and the acting is quite fantastic. The familiarity between the two is clear from just a couple lines between them, and that does a whole lot of good for the interaction between them. The friendly yet derisive back and forth is entertaining just to watch, and some of the lines are really, genuinely enjoyable. My personal favorite is, "Ah...you're using yourself as bait! Oh my God, I love it, because it's such a horrible idea!", though part of that is also in the delivery as well. Later on, when there's another....er....dialogue between our main character and someone else, it's similarly nice despite the entirely different mood. Basically I'm saying that it's nice that Voicework and, well, acting in general has sort of stabilized on a really high level across AAA games, and yet it's still worth pointing out because it is good.
What follows that is something I really really like not only for the technical aspect of it, but because of the friggin' detail work that it requires and I can only hope that it carries over into the Open-World portions of the game rather than just being dependent on missions that require you to scan. Basically what happens is that the MC is prompted to hack into a nearby person's cell phone via a prompt and upon doing so, he hacks into the general vicinity, and is allowed to take a little peek at everyone through the information stored on their smartphone and, I'm assuming, the general 'network' of information out there. This person is a Foster Parent, this person has been Charged with Plagiarism, this person is HIV Positive. They all have names, they all have (likely only semi-unique) portraits/pictures/headshots, and they all have a few bits of other information that is, in most situations, completely superfluous, I would imagine.
It's through this hacking situation that he can zero in on the person who has been watching him since he entered, someone who works for his target, and listen in on her phone conversation with the target. He tells her to keep him there, that he's driving over, and she responds that she's sending the bouncers after him. Dutifully warned, our Main character scans the approaching bouncer, learns that he teaches Krav Maga, and promptly decides to exit fucking stage left. Turning around, he heads for a rear exit and scans another bouncer in the area who, despite being a military man, is dispatched rather swiftly through the use of a Riot Baton out of friggin' nowhere. Or, you know, from the giant coat the MC is wearing, one of the two. Probably the latter.
Upon escaping the club, he approaches the side of the road when he sees an indicator that points out his target's car. In most games this would be breaking the fourth wall, but not really so much here; it fits pretty decently with the whole theme of network information and all. Deciding now that subtlety and directed attacks are for wusses, he pulls out his gun, pulls up part of his shirt as a mask of sorts, and initiates a hack on the traffic lights, turning them all green. This works exactly as you think it might and in an event that is possibly heavily scripted and not-unique unfortunately, a rather large traffic accident occurs, trapping the target in his car which is trapped among several other cars. Some of which seem to have had bodyguards in them, as a few men show up, spot our MC and notice him for the threat that he is.
What follows next is your normal third-person shooter affair - take cover, regenerate health, shoot mans, you're use to it by now. There are a few subtle intricacies here and there - for instance, upon moving up next to a car that still had occupants, only one of which was still living or conscious, the MC is prompted to 'rescue' the man, which amounts to opening the door, tugging him out and telling him to get the hell away for his sake. Another little thing is a jump-from-cover move used on one of the bodyguards who finds himself on the opposite side of a taxi cab from our MC. He jumps and slides across the hood, shooting the goon in the process and taking him down before an explosion rocks the area from the side (of a car from the accident blowing up), bringing to note that explosions cause that familiar ringing of the ears or game sound for 'immersive' purposes.
The last use of the really impressive multi-tool that you have at your disposal, more or less, is pretty much the very last thing shown off in the trailer proper. Having taken out his target, our MC runs down a road only to see a Police Helicopter flying overhead with cars approaching. Taking a left, he runs to a car that had been prepared for him by his 'buddy', hops in, and drives off, likely shaking off some of the pursuit forces, but deciding to add in a whole other layer of 'getaway'. He approaches a drawbridge and, as he drives onto it, sets it to raise up so that, as he crosses it, there's really no way anyone could follow him over as the angle would be too much. I'm.....not really sure how that's supposed to stop the helicopter that was literally just there, but details. It made for a rather impressive ending for sure. Of an equally impressive concept and, well, proof-of-concept in the IP itself.
This game is firmly on my radar now if only because of this video, and I look forward to any and all information that will come out for it in the following months. S'far as I can tell, the only bit that we know is that it's coming out for PC, PS3 and XBox 360, though the when, the how and such is still up in the air. As is....well, pretty much everything about the game aside from what's in the video. You can extrapolate from it, as I am wont to do, and I think I have done somewhat, but it's about all that you'll find out there, I believe. Which is good enough for now, I must say. I'm just going to think about being the jerkiest of jerks that ever jerked for a little while in the open-world portion of the game. Disrupting cell service while dicking around with traffic lights could have hilarious results if you are a real sadistic bastard.
*Ahem.* So, Sony decided to close their E3-Presser with The Last Of Us, as seen above, which I think was probably the smartest thing for anyone to do ever, because goddamn, how do you top that? You don't. I don't care if you announce God of Star Wars after that in which Kratos goes and kills everyone in the Star Wars Empire brutally and single-handedly, or Grand Theft Auto: Mushroom Kingdom, in which you drive Karts around a fully realized Mushroom Kingdom styled after the piecemeal bits of actual 'city' and 'buildings' that we've seen in games (mostly the RPGs) doing whatever the hell you want. Those just won't top that friggin' video, though I very strongly urge the game industry as a whole to make me eat those words. No really, I would love to see you try because goddamn, that is a slick friggin' video for what amounts to seven minutes of gameplay.
That is the key point here, as well, that this is gameplay, and whereas most companies, you would go "Pshyeah, right", this is Naughty Dog we're talking about and I have complete and utter faith that the game will look exactly like that if not better by the time it releases. Which is currently unknown, unfortunately, but at the same time -awesome-, I don't have to really worry about that right now. That's not the point, though, so let's just move on from that quickly and quietly. The point is that "Holy shit" cannot be said enough times about that friggin' video, not only from exactly what's shown, but the implications of what's shown. As you know, I am particularly good at taking trailers and such and picking them apart piece by piece to say just what it means on its own right. And boy, is there a lot of that to be done with this game, what with the AI and the environment and this and that.
To this end, let's just skip how gorgeous the game is which is shown off in the first couple minutes of the video (as well as showing Ellie take interest in a movie poster which is awesome, and kind of makes me want a Naughty Dog Werewolf game) and get right to the 3:16 point in the video where we see the HUD pop up or rather, materialize. Now, I'm not going to harp on it, nor am I going to say "Boo" to it, but I will say that it seems kind of strange for a blatant HUD like that (with a life bar no less) in a game that looks -this- realistic, where a more minimalistic approach seems the better way to go about it. I imagine there'll be an option to turn it off, however, so it's a non-issue and it -is- rather important for a demo. That said, I will also say that I like that the game has a lifebar, meaning medical supplies will be necessary rather than relying on mysteriously regenerating health which has unfortunately permeated entirely too much of the industry with about half the games that feature it even bothering to give an explanation.
The HUD features everything you would want it to - health, your current gun and the amount of ammo in said gun, so that said, it's capable at what it does and doesn't intrude all that much. Even if it does prove to be a permanent fixture, I daresay it won't be that intrusive, and I think I only bring it up because of the minimalist approach Uncharted has taken, if you take away the menus and weapon icons and such. We see it again later on after Joel chokes out (in a not-so-stealthy way, a nod to the fact that he's not a trained friggin' assassin) one of the "Hunters" and drops his Revolver. Specifically, it shows the revolver ammo as a pop-up and has a note that tells you what to push to pick it up. Because of what I'm assuming is the fact that Joel just kind of stands there for a moment after his kill/knock-out, he is then spotted in a realistic manner (especially after the noise that was made) by one of the other Hunters, sending everything into a shootout of sorts.
I would like to point out something very very vital here - the encounter that follows features only four men, but the way it plays out makes it seem that much more. And that's purely because it's more visceral, it's more brutal, and it's more personalized, so to speak. The first guy is taken out in the shoot-out, where the second waits behind cover for backup. The third guy moves off into an adjoining room to set an ambush that Joel walks right into, yet comes out on the winning end of by taking him as a human shield. He walks him out into the main room for the second guy, who briefly tries reasoning with Joel before he's gunned down and Joel loses the shield by knocking him out cold with a pistol whip of sorts. And finally the last guy shows up as Joel takes cover and simply waits. As the click of Joel's revolver sounds out, indicating that he is out of ammo, the final man feels a sense of confidence that brings him out into the open. As in, he is literally lured out because he knows Joel has no ammo. That alone is brilliant, to say nothing of the rest of what I just said.
Equally amazing is how the whole scenario plays out from there. Earlier in the conflict, Ellie had, completely on her own, picked up a brick to defend herself with, as that is honestly a viable weapon considering the circumstances. The guy that laid an ambush for Joel went with a lead pipe, even, which both of those -might- just suggest that you can use improvised weapons, which I am certainly hoping for. Having moved into the room while Joel cleared out the other three men, Ellie hid herself to the side of the room and only after the last man cockily walked out, stalking over to Joel's position did she make herself known. "Hey Asshole!" rings out from our wonderful heroine who then lobs said brick right into the face of this guy, leaving him wide open to be taken out by Joel who does so by making use of the environment in ways that make me get all weak in the knees. Choking him against the wall, followed by slamming his head against a nearby desk is more than enough to take this last guy out and after a bit of small-talk between Joel and Ellie, they continue. Again, this is just the game, it's not a cutscene, I doubt it's heavily scripted out to happen like this, it's just how this played out.
When they move along and hear reinforcements coming (which isn't all that far-fetched considering there -was- gunfire), Joel decides to..er....heat things up a little bit (I'm so sorry) by crafting a molotov cocktail. I use the word Crafting purposefully, as taking off the backpack brings up a little menu that shows off ammo and just what items Joel has on him. Selecting the bottle of alcohol he is possession of shows a few recipes to the side of it, showing what items are also necessary and, with said bottle and some medical binding, he has said Molotov Cocktail after a few seconds of putting it together. It is then used for the exact purpose you imagine and sets one of the three people serving as reinforcements ablaze, much to the chagrin of Ellie who I imagine is a little horrified at the over-the-top solution to the problem. At least the "Holy Shit, Joel!" that followed said reinforcement becoming the Human Torch would allude to that.
The second man serving as a reinforcement struggles with Joel as Joel tries to disarm him of his shotgun, spending a round in the process, before Joel wrestles it away and smashes him in the head with the butt of it. He then loads in a new round (a nice touch) before being caught off guard by the last reinforcement who wails on Joel with a length of wood (once again alluding to an improvised weapon system) and trying to strangle him. Joel struggles out vainly and it's only when Ellie stabs the assailant in the back with her switchblade that he is distracted enough for Joel to muscle out and gain the upper hand. Picking up the shotgun and smacking him across the face with it, the man pleads with Joel, knowing the end is near. He cries out "No!" as Joel finishes him off. And that is when the video ends with a black screen showing the "Last of Us" logo.
I have to point out once more that this is all gameplay. I don't quite know how it's all controlled, but I would assume that it's Uncharted-esque, so all these instances of melee, smacking with a shotgun, a revolver, struggling for the disarm and the like are tied to Square and react to the context of the situation. The aiming is very obvious as, in doing so, the standard reticule comes up as the camera is full over-the-shoulder, likely controlled by L1 for aiming and R1 for firing. I'm going to suggest that you don't control Ellie whatsoever, so I don't think there's a "Call for help" button, but I could see ordering her to stay or follow (which is done a few times in the video, albeit without a prompt meaning it can just be based on, again, the context) with some button, perhaps L2 or R2. Everything else is fairly obvious in what it's likely tied to button-wise, so I won't mention it.
Yet all of that gaming is done with such a simplistic approach and it's mind-boggling. Ellie's AI seems rather amazing and useful; I doubt she'll be a burden at any point in the game which is certainly saying something. If anything, she has all the markers to be a real helpful boon as, in all reality, she saved Joel twice in just that seven minutes of gameplay by using herself as a distraction. If you can really pick up just about anything to use as a weapon (or, hopefully, a distraction, like tossing a brick through a window would draw rather than alert to your presence), that's a whole other layer of complexity that can truly be amazing if implemented as it seems. And you know how much I enjoy me some Environmental interaction, which the game seems like it will capitalize on in both finishers and context sensitive ideas (Ellie's brick, again), as well as, again, improvised weapons, should that be included. Regardless, you basically just have to say "Naughty Dog" for me to partition Sixty of my dollars aside, but this video more than vindicates that by a wide margin. Between this and REVENGEANCE, I'm honestly more excited for gaming than I've been in quite some time.
....But I can't help but watch this Metal Gear Rising: REVENGEANCE trailer. Again and again and again and again. Honestly, though, can you blame me? Just watch it yourself and tell me that either A) That is not something you would watch over and over again or B) You at least understand why it's something that I am compulsively watching and re-watching. Because at least one of those two responses has to be true for you unless you're just a new reader who just so happens to dislike the direction in which REVENGEANCE (all caps every time) is going with all the freedom of being a side-story that doesn't feature Snake as a main character can offer. In which case, Hi! Thanks for reading. Now tolerate my incoherent ramblings of how much I love everything about the game, or read any of my other non-Metal Gear Rising related posts, of which there are probably hundreds at this point.
If it's not obvious by this point, I have pretty much grown to love everything about REVENGEANCE since the last time I talked about it which was basically when it was revealed. Since that point, I've grown more and more giddy for the game by the day, and with this new trailer for the game, it almost seems like sweet sweet vindication for being so excited about it. Granted, I doubt a whole lot has -really- changed, aside from it seeming a lot faster paced (certainly the hitting things who don't instantly fall apart is there - see the part of the video where Raiden wails on that guy with....a naginata?) but it does do a good job of being high-intensity. So much so that I feel like I have to calm down from watching it (be it my enthusiasm or because I'm drawn into it that much) to be able to actually write anything about it as I am now. And even now, it's still running....just in the background. So I'm just listening to the narration of it alongside Depeche Mode's "Wrong" out of friggin' nowhere.
I will applaud the trailer's usage of the 'zan-datsu' mode that has managed to stay in the game and be utilized properly despite the drastic overhaul of the core gameplay. Even though I -know- that I won't be able to do that to -every- enemy (at least, not before wailing on them ala "Every other Action Game"), knowing that I -can- do that eventually is quite the payoff - especially since they've shown it used in some stealthy ways. On top of that, the speedy parkour, the aerial juggles, the spinning a Gecko by an unbreakable chain, it's all wonderful and was used rather masterfully if I do say so. This is pretty much the perfect "Get Hype" trailer, though I admit that I am incredibly biased in saying that considering, well, I just love this game already, despite not even really being well-versed in Platinum Games.....games. I have yet to grab Vanquish, my copy of Bayonetta sits un-played considering it's the PS3 version, my backlog and the fact that I'm not playing my PS3 until we get some cool days, and my time with MadWorld has and continues to be short, but rather sweet.
Maybe it's that level of unfamiliarity that makes this perfect for me, however. I can go into this unspoiled by their previous works to just take what's here at face value because I can have that faith. I'm told Platinum Games are rather masterful with action games, as the constant praise for Bayonetta being 'the best action game to date' will attest to, and they certainly know how to make a trailer. The game mechanics are solid in that you -cut- and things -die-, wherein the challenge and the gameplay comes in to describe the how, the difficulty to do that, and to etch out just how satisfying it will be. Going into this with nothing, I can just take it as it is and imagine it's very satisfying considering that, unless something changes from now and release, you can at least cut a few things in the environment to whichever angle you desire, making anything a tool of destruction in your capable hands. Again, I point you to the trailer at the point where Raiden cuts through a pillar to cut a guy in half, as well as the part where the leg of a radio tower or something gets cut up and then it moves to something big (presumably the thing that just had its leg cut) falling onto a car. Presumably because it was cut. By Raiden.
I think it's indicative that, out of -everything- that's been leaked, announced and said as a possibility, this is the -only thing- that I can talk about tonight. I can't form cohesive thoughts about anything else because I'm just stuck on this trailer, so I'm not going to try. I can't even say anything about Resistance: Burning Skies, despite beating it today, because it's like "Psh, whatever, REVENGEANCE TRAILER". So, yeah, I hate to say it, but that's all for me tonight. I'll be playing Burning Skies again ala the New Game+ and will likely get through it again so I'll be well prepared to talk about it tomorrow. Or...at least, that's the plan. I'm not sure if it'll be a review or just a straight-talk about the game because it doesn't really....invoke a whole lot. I'm sure if I were assigned to review it, it would be a challenge, far beyond simply finding the words, which makes me hesitant to attempt it. We'll see what formulates, however. For now, I'm just going to watch this a few more times and imagine all the ways I will cut fools with this game.
Update!: It's worth mentioning (which is funny considering I've meant to mention it for two nights in a row and forgot to edit it in) that anyone who purchases Zone of the Enders HD Collection gets Early Rising Demo Access, but whether that's in the form of the disk containing the demo, or merely coming with a download code is unknown at this point. I'm hoping for the former, of course, since the demo is likely going to be a couple gigs, but it will likely be the latter. As such, it won't have any impact whatsoever on my intention to get the Zone of the Enders HD Collection (Though it might push me to double-dip as I was starting to think I might just wait for the Vita version, and barring some terrible porting I am -definitely- getting the Vita version), but if the stars align and I get to play the demo just by putting in the disk, then that would be a great bonus. Definitely something to keep an ear to the ground about.
I do so hate that I don't have a whole lot to talk about tonight, but I can't really make news out of pretty much nothing at all. On top of that, I'm having a particularly bad night in terms of allergies and stress, so there's not a bunch I can even come up with since my mind is in quite the fog. Thankfully, however, we have Youtube for nights like these, and with Youtube comes videos of things that are enjoyable. Like new trailers for awesome looking games that you can't wait for unless it's going to come out in 2012 in which case woah now, slow down alright? Which, The Last of Us will -probably- come out 'Holiday' 2012 or just before it as per Uncharted, so that puts me at a probable eleven games that I want between now and the start of 2013. Sigh. I'd hate it if it wasn't so glorious at the same time.
It has been quite a while since we had any information about The Last Of Us, which is a little unfortunate, but this bit of a tasty morsel in trailer form is more than welcome for reasons other than that. Were the bits about the game a deluge, each bit would be fantastic on its own merits as this little bit is, I'm sure. I mean, just look at that friggin' trailer alright? Maybe about a minute, tops, cutting out all the ESRB and Sony stuff, with just the game it's only that much. But it's friggin' -fantastic- and not even just because of the graphics, but of the complete understanding of human exhibition on the part of emotional and thoughtful response. Just look at Joel as he's contemplating just what to do -should he take the off-ramp or turn around? - and, well, just look at him. You can pretty much -see- the thoughts going through his head and that, to me, is friggin' amazing.
Something else to the credit of the trailer is that it reminds all the naysayers that the game actually isn't just about 'zombies', which was pretty evident from the first trailer, though there was a creature in it so, hey, screw logic. With nary a lost soul to be found other than the meaning of 'vagrant', this trailer reinforces that Ellie and Joel will contend with dangers of all types, wherein a good portion of them will be classified as 'living' and 'sentient' in spades. Though, I do have to wonder how they've lasted in the conditions they have - is it just strength in numbers, or is the 'infection' pretty much a rarity? Or some other reasoning to it, perhaps? There's a lot of The Last Of Us' universe that's still a mystery to us, but for the type of game that it is, I think that's for the best, really.
I can't help but find it pretty amazing at how realized the world in The Last of Us seems from what little bit of it we've seen. It -looks- like a city, has all the same architecture that you might expect, which is brilliantly shown off as they drive through a neighborhood just before they come across the 'wounded' man. Things are where they are for a -purpose- and they look wonderful where they are, thanks to the wizardry that only Naughty Dog can work. There's not a whole lot else to say about the trailer, unfortunately, so I do think that's about it. I imagine I'll watch it about a half a dozen more times and then head off to bed for a nice, relaxing slumber. Hopefully.
