In the News - June 9th, 2010

I am sad to state that this is my last 'official' blog. I might not update as regularly after today. Well anyways, enjoy more interesting gaming articles.

The Most Pirated Nintendo DS Games Are... (Kotaku, June 9th, 2010)

Oh Piracy, one of the most heated debates in Gaming. "Why should I pay for a game if it's there for the taking online as a free download?" In other words, Illegal downloading of games.

Nintendo is cracking down on this pirating, even starting with lawsuits. I could see why, they're losing hundreds of millions of dollars.

[Link]


I'll Take Achievement Trivia for $500, Thanks (Kotaku, June 9th, 2010)

A game for the iPhone, called Achievement Point Trivia, shows how desperate people are to get moolah in today's market.

This game gathers trivia about all of the achievements you can get in Xbox 360 games, and makes a multiple-choice styled trivia game.

"Sounds stupid, but then, picture the kind of person that cares about achievements and gamerscore. They're competitive. And if Xbox 360 games can't settle a test of manhood between friends, then splitting hairs via an iPhone app might have to do."

[Link]

Death In Video Games.

Death is a strange thing in Video Games. With Phoenix Downs and Life Bottles and Respawn Points, death isn't usually thought out. It is mainly used as a device to move the plot foreward, set up a twist, or many other things.

One example would be the famous scene in Final Fantasy VII in which Sephiroth takes his sword and stabs Aeris, one of the main characters, killing her. Considering the fact that she probably died multiple times beforehand by the player's fault, she is easally revived by a Phoenix Down. However, the main characters completely ignore this item and just carry on like there's no way to revive her.

Death can also be a mechanic to make gameplay interesting. In the Fire Emblem series, if a character dies in combat, they cannot be revived. The story will continue on if the character died, having the character not appear in cutscenes. This is a great premise, and means you have to be careful in how you strategize.

All in all, death in video games will always be confusing, especially in RPGs.

Pre-E3 Thoughts.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), the gaming event of the year, is almost upon us, and things are starting to heat up.

The new Legend of Zelda game is going to be detailed there, but there have been a couple of possible leaks. According to posts from 2chan, a popular Japanese board, the game may possibly be out of the development phase. Here are some details.

Game is all but finished. Putting on final touches.
There will be a playable demo at E3.
Time travel does occur and it happens through the use of a new blade. (not the master sword)
Link’s hometown is much bigger than in previous titles.
There will be several “Majora’s Mask” esque sidequests.
Character interaction will be more involving than in any previous title.
The dungeon field dungeon method is changed, and one of the changes confirms a straight dungeon to dungeon portion of the game.
The current name of the girl in the picture is Adelle.
Combat is extremely fluent and innovative. No previous Wii title can give you a good example of it’s unique style.
The game relies heavily on sword combat versus other items.
There will be less items, but they will be used more frequently.
There will be another main weapon added for an alternative combat style.
The game will feature significant portions of flight.

Interesting details. This may serve to be one of the biggest mysteries and biggest games of E3.
(link)


Activision/Blizzard are gearing up for E3. They are prepared to show more content for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, and StarCraft II. Although they may save the jucy details for BlizzCon (Blizzard's own convention).

Along with these two major events, hundreds of games will be announced and further detailed. Sonic Colors, for example, was just announced late May, and Sega will surely give more details.

E3 is shaping up to be an interesting and worthwhile event to watch.

Games in the Movies, Volume 2

IN THE WRONG: The Resident Evil series (2002-2010?)

It pains me so much to write about this movie series. I wanted to like it, I really did. The first movie, titled just Resident Evil (2002) was alright, taking a few liberties but following a Resident Evil-eske plot, but it lost a lot of what made it Resident Evil. The sequel, Resident Evil Apocalypse (2004), further expanded on the plot of the first movie, losing almost everything that was Resident Evil sans names. The third movie, Resident Evil Extinction (2007), lost everything that had to do with Resident Evil. Not even the names could take it apart from any other generic zombie movie nowadays.

The first thing I would like to adress is the character development. The games had a sense of creating characters that are both lucky and not afraid to show their flaws. For example, the heroine of the first movie, Jill Valentine, was a special forces officer, but was very nervous when it came to the attacks of the zombies. The movie version of this character was more of a gun-toting badass than anything else. In the movie, they introduced a new character named Alice, which served nothing but a superhuman that could do more action movie retardation. The characters themselves completely tore the movie apart.

Another thing I would like to mention are the settings. The first movie was going in the right for having it take place in a mansion, a la the games. After that, they tried to bring it into the city itself, a homage to the second and third games. This was still understandable, but Racoon City is suppossed to be a smaller town, not a bustling metropolis. The third movie turned it into a wasteland. You heard me right, a wasteland. This was a wild turn, and helped it break from the games and have barely anything to do with them. Great job writer and/or director.

Fun fact: The writer and director didn't play the games, and only followed plot summaries. Huh, maybe THAT'S why these were trainwrecks. And the funny thing is that these are actually doing well in the theatres, well enough to get a 4th movie, Resident Evil Afterlife (2010). I'm going to go see that movie JUST to see how bad it is.

Games in the Movies, Volume 1

There have been quite a few video game adaptation films in the past couple of decades. Some of them are pretty good, and some are well.... Not so good. Let's take a look into what you can do right, and how you can miserably fail in this new segment.

IN THE RIGHT: Silent Hill (2006)

Now THIS is a shining example of a video game movie done right. Sure, it doesn't follow the plot of the game, but it doesn't have to! The Silent Hill games were all about drawing you into its atmosphere, and scaring you without cheesy jump scenes. The main thing is that the movie retains this same creepy and unsettling atmosphere that made the games great in the first place. The director took some liberties, but at least he sat down and played through the games (I'm looking at you, director of the Resident Evil movies).

The characters felt as if they were in the games. Their reactions to their surroundings were perfect, and every character has interesting personalities. Whether it be the mother who is desperately searching for her daughter in Silent Hill, or the cop who gets dragged into silent hill with her, they all clashed and meshed together perfectly.

I would reccomend this movie to even people who don't play video games. It has alot going for it, and even if you don't catch all of the references, you'll be in for a treat.

Next week, I'll take a look at the abyssmal Resident Evil movie series.

In the News - May 24th, 2010

Recent gaming news can be a little... Interesting. Take this one from Kotaku.

Stuff Your Wii Remote Inside A Baby (Kotaku, May 24th)

"It turns out Majesco is completely serious about Babysitting Mama, the latest profession being taken up by our favorite cooking, gardening, and crafting superstar. Due out this holiday season for the Nintendo Wii, Babysitting Mama features more than 40 different activities, all revolving around a plush baby with a Wii remote stuffed inside of it."

I wish this wasn't serious, I wish it wasn't.

"Players will rock the baby, bounce the baby, feed the baby, and change the baby, all the while trying not to stare in horror at the nunchuck cord snaking out from the depths of the baby's innards."

This... Has to be the worst idea I've heard in a long time for a video game. Enough with the shovelware!

[Link]

Super Mario Galaxy 2's Sountrack Uploaded To Youtube (Kotaku, May 21st)

"Someone's uploading tracks from the Super Mario Galaxy 2 soundtrack to YouTube, under the name of Mahito Yokota, the game's composer. Whether or not it is actually him doing this, the music's there, and it's beautiful listening."

Very nice! Even if this is close to the illegal side, the score in this game is amazing.

[Link]

Now Playing - May 17th, 2010

Another volume of Now Playing.

NOW PLAYING: 無双OROCHI Z (Warriors Orochi Z, PC)

Another entry into the popular Warriors series, Warriors Orochi Z sticks with the same old formula, but still somehow feels fresh and interesting.

The Warriors series has always been about being the lone hero, hacking and slashing through hundreds of enemies and then clashing blades with the commander. Z takes things to a new level, merging the worlds of the two main games (Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors).

The combat is same-old, same-old, but it adds a new 3 character combat system, in which you select 3 characters at the start and can switch them out at will. This keeps the gameplay fresh, and helps alot when facing tough enemies that need to be tanked.

There are a few gripes though. For one, they don't seem to add much content through each version of the game. Z only adds 4 new playable characters and one new costume per character. That being said though, the game is essentially 2 games in one, and is a great bargain for Warriors fans.