Recently I was searching Winter on Wikipedia. Under some of the options of what you may have wanted was a game called Winter for the Wii. Out of curiosity I clicked on it and saw that it was developed a few years back but has yet to find a publisher. After following some links and searching on a few websites such as IGN and Destructoid, I found video footage showing how it looked in game and played. It was like taking the horror of Silent Hill as well as the lighting effects of SH: Shattered Memories and suspense all kinds of horror movies available on the market today and wrapped them up into a promising fear-fest on the Wii. I sat there wondering and searching why the developers couldn't find any publishers to put the game out there on the market. The reason that n-Space, inc. gave was that nobody seemed willing to put a new IP (Intellectual Property) in the survival-horror genre on the Wii; which was perceived as a console geared more towards children then the adults that a horror game would target.
The game looked pretty good, something I would enjoy for sure, but why isn't it available? The sad and true answer to that is because of what it is... new. Developers look at games that can be produced and gear more towards sequels, prequels, spinn-offs and remakes because of a familiar name, place or cast because it guarantees the minimum of the dedicated fans of said games will buy it. For something like Winter the game is completely new, yet looks a lot like Silent Hill, so why is it still in "development limbo"? Companies are not willing to take a risk on games that are new, no matter how familiar they may be on the inside of them. The reason for that is because of the cost is to high, a video game in development by the big brand studios is in the millions of dollars. The easiest way I think I can sum this up is the card shop example.
Young man walks into the local card shop with a baseball card worth $500. He walks to the counter and the man says he can buy it for $300. The young man is crushed and asks, "Sir, no disrespect, but why so low?" The man replies "Son, look out that window at all those closed businesses and people out of work. I'm not trying to cheat you son, but I have to make money too and with the way things are, it'll take time for the card to sell, which in the meantime, I have to pay my overhead fees and operate my business. If I pay you $500 for a card worth $500, I'll not make money, at $300 I might make about $50 if it sells at $500 after I figure in my costs and until then what I pay you is wrapped up in the card and can't be used."
So you see, even if a game like Winter would be the hit I think it could be, the game developers right now are having to play it safer, because even with guaranteed things like the sequels, those millions budgeted are wrapped up in the game until it starts selling. What's worse is when a game comes out and may be perfectly good, but marketing or bugs or something else could come up and land it in the budget bins quickly. So next time you get frustrated due to great games like Winter being in limbo right now, look at it from the publishers' perspective and ask if you too would want to risk that kind of money with no guarantee half of it can come back due to lack of sales. In the meantime, all of us that wanted to play Winter will just have to wait and hope it'll make it on the market eventually. Good Luck n-Space, Inc. hopefully your game will reach the homes of gamers around the world and start your own Silent Hill Franchise.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Wishful thinking...
If only I was behind some of the ideas for great games. Take Fallout for example, if I had my way, I'd take at least one game and explore other countries effected by The Great War like: China, the UK, Japan, France, etc.; Instead of the near same America setting each game. Final Fantasy, I'd remake and make a sequel for Final Fantasy: Tactics in HD on home consoles. A new Silent Hill similar to Shattered Memories, but following another character or continuing on Cheryl's life after, her have her own demons to deal with rather than the "Super" Harry Fantasy she was having. Maybe bring Lego in on things, let them make a Lego Final Fantasy or Bioshock. I would bring back a lot of the old games for the NES like Double Dragon II, Ninja Gaiden (in the old style, but newer graphics). Maybe even a Lego WWE game, or WWE game similar to the old Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game for the Sega Genesis, but with modern stars and graphics. Actually make a game based on a movie that is fun and don't skip plot points to force you to watch the movie. Take the Half-Life series away from Valve and keep making it instead of just saying they want to and release another Left 4 Dead. Make games based off The Mortal Instruments books series by Cassandra Claire. Become a mean version of Nintendo and when developers leave us because they are nervous about a console failure, give them the ultimatum of building the game or never working with us again, so our next hit like the Wii they lose out on. I would quit advertising Bioshock Infinite two years to soon so it won't have hype the size of The Great Wall of China to live up to. I'd like to make a peripheral for consoles that would work like a camera and build photo games similar to Pokemon Snap, but put some in worlds like Elder Scrolls and make you look for stuff. Build an add-on for XBL and PSN that when you show offensively bad sportsmanship online it would rip out a tooth, or forcefully pick your nose. I'd also put my self on the Retro Game Master web show on Kotaku and work on retro game challenges in Japan or do them here and be on the show as my own branch of Game Center CX.
Anyhow this was just me thinking aloud about a few things in the game would that bothers me right now that if I had my way would be fixed.
Anyhow this was just me thinking aloud about a few things in the game would that bothers me right now that if I had my way would be fixed.
Review: Catherine
With every other game site doing a review of Catherine, it was a matter of time that I too would do one. About 5 days ago I finally picked up this game at the GameStop in the Mall after falling in love with the demo for PS3; strangely enough I bought it on 360 though. Getting the "Professional" aspect of this review out of the way early. Is Catherine a good game? Yes, by no means is it bad, its one of those rare gems that has something for everyone, whether its puzzles, an ethics system, multiple endings, replay value or the awkward experiences of the ever increasingly popular dating sims, this game has something for you. Can you compare it to another game? Not really. See, Catherine isn't like any other games on the market, its a mishmash of variety, but to compare it to another mishmash, take the puzzles of Portal, art style of Valkyria Chronicles, a story that would feel quaintly at home in the world of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, and place it all in a cutscene driven story such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, throw in some awkward love story and you get Catherine.
Not everything about the game is perfect though how lots of reviews speak. The controls can sometimes cause you to die, either not by moving when needed or becoming reversed at a crucial moment, some levels have three-times to many checkpoints while other levels have so many it feels like every time you move a step you hit another. I mentioned earlier that the game has numerous endings and can have nearly endless replay value, but just like with other heavily cutscene driven games like Metal Gear Solid 4, the cutscenes become tedious even on the first play-through, sure they can be skipped,but dialogue can change based on choices and the drama is the focus of the game as well as the choice system, so by skipping the constant cutscenes; you're skipping the whole reason you replayed the game to begin with.
Now, for a bit of my experience playing through the game. Catherine grabbed me by the nerve-endings and held me there for the entire trip, honestly, it was probably the best new release in recent memory. Even though there were enough moments that made me want to throw my Xbox controller in disgust out the nearest window it kept me coming back, not because the puzzles challenged me in a way even Portal was unable to fully fulfill, but because of the story and wondering what was going to happen next and how it was going to end. One thing I noticed during the demo was that Vincent didn't seem like a character I would enjoy playing as, but that changed, before I knew it I was feeling an actual link to the character wanting his pain to stop, very few games have given you this kind of link to a character to name some Alice Liddell from Alice: Madness Returns (that one was a big one for me, they did it perfectly), Zack from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, the lone wanderer's death in Fallout 3, and the dog from Duck Hunt, who didn't feel like they loved the dog when he picked up the duck, and wanted to strangle it when he laughed as you missed? By the end with my ending, Vincent and Katherine are married and I was generally happy about it, but am curious what will happen if I lean all the way over towards chaos next time more towards Catherine (Confusing, I know but play it and you'll get why they are named alike) and what the ending will be like then. Anyhow, Catherine has received great publicity and for good reason, it has something for everyone and is definitely a rollar coaster ride from start to finish and well worth the purchase.
Not everything about the game is perfect though how lots of reviews speak. The controls can sometimes cause you to die, either not by moving when needed or becoming reversed at a crucial moment, some levels have three-times to many checkpoints while other levels have so many it feels like every time you move a step you hit another. I mentioned earlier that the game has numerous endings and can have nearly endless replay value, but just like with other heavily cutscene driven games like Metal Gear Solid 4, the cutscenes become tedious even on the first play-through, sure they can be skipped,but dialogue can change based on choices and the drama is the focus of the game as well as the choice system, so by skipping the constant cutscenes; you're skipping the whole reason you replayed the game to begin with.
Now, for a bit of my experience playing through the game. Catherine grabbed me by the nerve-endings and held me there for the entire trip, honestly, it was probably the best new release in recent memory. Even though there were enough moments that made me want to throw my Xbox controller in disgust out the nearest window it kept me coming back, not because the puzzles challenged me in a way even Portal was unable to fully fulfill, but because of the story and wondering what was going to happen next and how it was going to end. One thing I noticed during the demo was that Vincent didn't seem like a character I would enjoy playing as, but that changed, before I knew it I was feeling an actual link to the character wanting his pain to stop, very few games have given you this kind of link to a character to name some Alice Liddell from Alice: Madness Returns (that one was a big one for me, they did it perfectly), Zack from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, the lone wanderer's death in Fallout 3, and the dog from Duck Hunt, who didn't feel like they loved the dog when he picked up the duck, and wanted to strangle it when he laughed as you missed? By the end with my ending, Vincent and Katherine are married and I was generally happy about it, but am curious what will happen if I lean all the way over towards chaos next time more towards Catherine (Confusing, I know but play it and you'll get why they are named alike) and what the ending will be like then. Anyhow, Catherine has received great publicity and for good reason, it has something for everyone and is definitely a rollar coaster ride from start to finish and well worth the purchase.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Halo Retrospective: First impressions on Halo Anniversary
After Bungie announced the ending of the Halo franchise, I like many others rejoiced that a game so close to my heart as the first Xbox title I not only played, but enjoyed countless hours at, was finally to rest in peace. This previous E3 in June, Microsoft announced, not only another Halo title, but also a remake of the original from the Xbox. Halo Anniversary is an HD "remake" of the original Halo: Combat Evolved that not only was a hit but garnered a cult-like following among some. I have not weighed in my opinion on Halo on this site, but just from my first sentence it should have been clear, that the series has had a decent sequel but after 2 it went downhill and fast. Repetition in every aspect, enemies, levels, story, nothing new was introduced that could be described as a game changer. From continuous clones that seems to go unnoticed to the public to a RTS (Real-time strategy), the franchise has not been known for innovation or change. Is this a bad thing? One can describe it as a bad thing, but like Half Life 2 and all of its episodes, why change what worked. But yet nothing seems to have changed, I played Halo 1-3 and noticed almost identical levels and story, no new enemies besides some annoying bugs, even The Flood looks to be HD copies from H:CE. The aforementioned Half Life example, each episode had slightly improved graphics, changes in the story and locations. They each felt like new games, not expansions. I'm not retracting what I said before but look at it this way, it had the same mechanics and characters, enemies, weapons; not much changed but yet each version from Half Life 2 to each of the two episodes felt like new games, keeping it fresh and enjoyable. Halo on the other hand, acts like each subsequent sequel just walks in the pond the first one dug, that pond is stagnant.
Am I looking forward to these new Halos? Yes and no, yes to Anniversary (but won't pay $60 for it) but not to the Halo 4, because I know it is going to be another germ to throw into the now stagnant pond of Halo that was once full of life and a decent fishing spot to relax at if you follow my analogy. Halo Anniversary looks like a whole new take on the original, not just better clarity like with American McGee's Alice, HD version that came free with new copies of Alice: Madness Returns; or for another example like Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D I reviewed not long ago, not enough newness to keep me coming back for more, I got stuck at the Forest Temple and there Link remains for the past month. Halo Anniversary looks to have been nearly rebuilt from the ground up with so much new detail and design that it looks like the classic Halo we all know and love, but the true sequel we've wanted for years. I really want it, but will wait until it comes down if its released at the usual $60 of a new game.
So, to reiterate my point, Halo:Combat Evolved was great, Halo 2 felt like milking a franchise, and Halo 3 was an HD attempt at seeing how much could be copied and pasted from 1 and 2 combined to make a "new" entry in the series. With all the talk of Sony's PS3 and Vita, Nintendo's Wii U and 3DS, two more Halo titles to me sounds like an attempt at Xbox saying they don't need a new console to keep appealing, true, there is no need for another Xbox, but a new game would have been great instead of digging up Halo, not just for Anniversary, but also for another sequel. It may say 4 on the cover, but given, H:CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo Wars, Halo 3:ODST, and the newest Halo Reach; this is actually Halo 7, I know that may be nitpicking, but given that gaming is a multi-million dollar a year industry, you'd think the people in charge could count.
Am I looking forward to these new Halos? Yes and no, yes to Anniversary (but won't pay $60 for it) but not to the Halo 4, because I know it is going to be another germ to throw into the now stagnant pond of Halo that was once full of life and a decent fishing spot to relax at if you follow my analogy. Halo Anniversary looks like a whole new take on the original, not just better clarity like with American McGee's Alice, HD version that came free with new copies of Alice: Madness Returns; or for another example like Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D I reviewed not long ago, not enough newness to keep me coming back for more, I got stuck at the Forest Temple and there Link remains for the past month. Halo Anniversary looks to have been nearly rebuilt from the ground up with so much new detail and design that it looks like the classic Halo we all know and love, but the true sequel we've wanted for years. I really want it, but will wait until it comes down if its released at the usual $60 of a new game.
So, to reiterate my point, Halo:Combat Evolved was great, Halo 2 felt like milking a franchise, and Halo 3 was an HD attempt at seeing how much could be copied and pasted from 1 and 2 combined to make a "new" entry in the series. With all the talk of Sony's PS3 and Vita, Nintendo's Wii U and 3DS, two more Halo titles to me sounds like an attempt at Xbox saying they don't need a new console to keep appealing, true, there is no need for another Xbox, but a new game would have been great instead of digging up Halo, not just for Anniversary, but also for another sequel. It may say 4 on the cover, but given, H:CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo Wars, Halo 3:ODST, and the newest Halo Reach; this is actually Halo 7, I know that may be nitpicking, but given that gaming is a multi-million dollar a year industry, you'd think the people in charge could count.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Rant on Retro Gaming
A pretty big kick I have been on lately is retro gaming. Inspired by great episodes of Retro Game Masters dubbed and subtitled for english speaking audiences airing on Kotaku every Thursday night, I have been playing on my Wii Virtual Console as well as my 3D Classics ExciteBike for 3DS. If you don't know much about the show its an english version of Game Center CX from Japan, the premise is Arino must complete retro games to earn "promotions" in the Game Center company. The games he plays are sometimes multi-ending as well as straight through such as Bonanza Bros. for the Sega Mega Drive, over here known as the Sega Genesis. I loved that game growing up and still do, but sadly am unable to find the hookups for my old Genesis. The best two episodes were, one of a game I want to play so bad it hurts and have wanted to for years, Clock Tower: The First Fear for the Super Nintendo Entertainment Center; the other being Septentrion, over here released for the SNES as S.O.S. that video I have probably watched about 3 or more times laughing so hard.
As I said about Retro gaming lately, I have been absorbed in Xenogears for the Playstation, and played for about five hours straight on Luigi's Mansion for the Gamecube, not necessarily "Retro" but almost 10 years old so it counts to me. I'll definitely be getting some more retro gaming on with my 3DS in the near future with the 3DS Ambassador Program Nintendo set up for people like me that purchased the 3DS in its earlier months as I got mine a month ago. If you don't know about the Ambassador program, it gives 10 free NES games on the 3DS virtual console for free starting September 1st, then by the end of the year another 10 free GameBoy Advance games to go with it. Right now with my kick on Retro gaming, I'm loving the ambassador program enough that it don't bother me the $80 price cut.
As I said about Retro gaming lately, I have been absorbed in Xenogears for the Playstation, and played for about five hours straight on Luigi's Mansion for the Gamecube, not necessarily "Retro" but almost 10 years old so it counts to me. I'll definitely be getting some more retro gaming on with my 3DS in the near future with the 3DS Ambassador Program Nintendo set up for people like me that purchased the 3DS in its earlier months as I got mine a month ago. If you don't know about the Ambassador program, it gives 10 free NES games on the 3DS virtual console for free starting September 1st, then by the end of the year another 10 free GameBoy Advance games to go with it. Right now with my kick on Retro gaming, I'm loving the ambassador program enough that it don't bother me the $80 price cut.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Retro Review: Azure Dreams
For those reading this and are unsure just what Azure Dreams is, it was a wonderfully built RPG for the Playstation, with a downgraded version for the Game Boy Color. Released in 1998 by Konami, the game was quickly swept into my heart as a favorite Playstation game ever made that like Xenogears and Final Fantasy 7 and 8, still hold up today in terms of fun, story, sense of accomplishment, and customization.
In Azure Dreams, you play as Koh, the son of a monster tamer, named Guy. At the start you can change the default name to anything you would like and begins the story, told as a few flashbacks of you growing up with Nico, a tomboyish green haired neighbor. Before you get control of Koh, in the final flashback your father is hinted to have being killed in the monster tower. Now an "adult" in terms of the village, Koh enters the tower to become a tamer himself, because it worked out smashingly for his father, and help his mother raise their young daughter, whose name I have forgotten, but we'll go with twerp as that is what she is. The gameplay is something almost as chess, making a move turn-based style to make your way across a room or hallway in the tower and battle wild monsters searching for eggs. As time goes on options to fix up your town, house, monster den and "friendships" with the girls of the town comes up as an expanded story, instead of just reaching the top floor. Some areas can give side quests just to give new characters usually, or open the pool, that is completely useless. If you like Anime, this may be the type of game for you as it really feels as if you are watching anime, just with no voice acting and a blue bat-thing following you that only you apparently notice.
Azure Dreams is, was and always will be a favorite game of mine and I highly recommend it to anyone ages 8 and up. Besides the quirky cast of characters that you will most definitely find someone to relate to, a wide cast of options for monsters, weapons, and building placement, can make every play trough a fresh one, as the dungeon is also randomly built, from about 3 different versions of the first floor, the rest seem different always. The game tells a story of growing up and accepting the death of the characters father and to build up the town of Monsobiya (Probably misspelled, but weird I remember that and not his stupid sisters name though) and help others. Along the way you'll encounter an almost Pokemon like feel to the game, as instead of catching, you hunt the eggs and hatch as their tamer and instead of fighting other tamers, you fight the wild monsters of the tower, most of which look as though hours were spent on each one. Finding the game now is hard, as it is PS1 and not on the PSN store, but if you come across a copy, its a really good game and you probably won't be disappointed.
In Azure Dreams, you play as Koh, the son of a monster tamer, named Guy. At the start you can change the default name to anything you would like and begins the story, told as a few flashbacks of you growing up with Nico, a tomboyish green haired neighbor. Before you get control of Koh, in the final flashback your father is hinted to have being killed in the monster tower. Now an "adult" in terms of the village, Koh enters the tower to become a tamer himself, because it worked out smashingly for his father, and help his mother raise their young daughter, whose name I have forgotten, but we'll go with twerp as that is what she is. The gameplay is something almost as chess, making a move turn-based style to make your way across a room or hallway in the tower and battle wild monsters searching for eggs. As time goes on options to fix up your town, house, monster den and "friendships" with the girls of the town comes up as an expanded story, instead of just reaching the top floor. Some areas can give side quests just to give new characters usually, or open the pool, that is completely useless. If you like Anime, this may be the type of game for you as it really feels as if you are watching anime, just with no voice acting and a blue bat-thing following you that only you apparently notice.
Azure Dreams is, was and always will be a favorite game of mine and I highly recommend it to anyone ages 8 and up. Besides the quirky cast of characters that you will most definitely find someone to relate to, a wide cast of options for monsters, weapons, and building placement, can make every play trough a fresh one, as the dungeon is also randomly built, from about 3 different versions of the first floor, the rest seem different always. The game tells a story of growing up and accepting the death of the characters father and to build up the town of Monsobiya (Probably misspelled, but weird I remember that and not his stupid sisters name though) and help others. Along the way you'll encounter an almost Pokemon like feel to the game, as instead of catching, you hunt the eggs and hatch as their tamer and instead of fighting other tamers, you fight the wild monsters of the tower, most of which look as though hours were spent on each one. Finding the game now is hard, as it is PS1 and not on the PSN store, but if you come across a copy, its a really good game and you probably won't be disappointed.
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