Monday, December 8, 2008
Living on the edge
I know I'm a little behind regarding new games (probably due to me not owning a "no-longer-next-but-now-current-gen" console), and I should have spotted it earlier, but yesterday was the first time I played Mirror's Edge. Not even the full, game, only the demo, but still...
And boy, was I blown away. Even on a smallish SD television, it was completely awesome. Not only did it look great, it's fun as hell to play. After only a couple of minutes, you find yourself jumping around everywhere almost without a pause, and it feels pretty kickass. It's somewhat like the feeling I got when trying Assassin's Creed for the first time.
I could go on and on about how much I like the environment the game takes place in, or pretty much every other aspect I could taste during the demo, but I think I'll save that for a future post about the game when I'm done with the full thing. So I'll rather go back to listening to "Still Alive" (NO, not the Portal one, the one sung by Lisa Miskovsky for my new addiction :D ).
Oh and I can't wait for one of my friend to come around with his PS3 to play the demo again, but on my 40" HDTV. THAT will be a treat!
And boy, was I blown away. Even on a smallish SD television, it was completely awesome. Not only did it look great, it's fun as hell to play. After only a couple of minutes, you find yourself jumping around everywhere almost without a pause, and it feels pretty kickass. It's somewhat like the feeling I got when trying Assassin's Creed for the first time.
I could go on and on about how much I like the environment the game takes place in, or pretty much every other aspect I could taste during the demo, but I think I'll save that for a future post about the game when I'm done with the full thing. So I'll rather go back to listening to "Still Alive" (NO, not the Portal one, the one sung by Lisa Miskovsky for my new addiction :D ).
Oh and I can't wait for one of my friend to come around with his PS3 to play the demo again, but on my 40" HDTV. THAT will be a treat!
Labels: first-person, game
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The World Ends With You
I have some kind of a bad habit. Once in a while, I'll go into a store selling books, video games or CDs, and there I'll look through the available items to finally end up buying something I know nothing about. That is, a good cover art and an unusual title can be enough to make me buy something. In this day and age, many would consider that a little dumb. Surely enough would it be better to write down the title of the interesting discovery, then check on the internet to see if it's really good or if it's just a cool package with a boring content.
But I only rarely do that, and when I do that doesn't mean I make the right choice: I researched before buying Electroplankton, and that was a quite expensive mistake. On the other hand, random buying introduced me to After Forever, Ayreon, the "His Dark Material" trilogy from Philip Pullman, and countless other great stuff.
So, not long ago, I walked into one of the video game stores I regularly go to, and browsed through the DS games they had for sale. I was almost done when one of them caught my eyes. Its title was rather unusual, and the art on the box looked classy enough. Only after I was out of the store did I take the time to read what was written on the back of the box, and find out that what I got myself was a new game by the RPG giant Square Enix : The World Ends With You.
I skimmed through the instruction booklet on my way home, and the more I read, the more it intrigued me. Square Enix, a company best known for their classic fantasy-styled RPGs, seemed to have come up with something really fresh, set in an urban setting.
The World Ends With You is about Neku Sakuraba, a teenager which is your typical angsty protagonist, unwilling to get to know those who are around him, in a fashion somewhat reminiscent of FFVII's Cloud or FFVIII's Squall at the start of their respective games. But at the beginning of his story, Neku wakes up lying in the middle of one of the world's most famous crossroads in the middle of Tokyo's Shibuya. Quickly, Neku gets attacked by strange frogs, and runs into Shiki Misaki, a girl with who he has to make a "pact" in order to be able to defeat those weird frogs. As the battle dust settles, things get explained a little : he's part of a game run by people called the "Reapers", and must complete a mission each day. And if he fails, he'll be "erased".
That's the basic plot of this modern tale, and believe me when I say there is a lot more : the story will twist and turn in many ways, some of them you can see coming, some not quite. But the plot, great as it is, isn't the first thing that'll grab your attention.
First is the overall "look and feel" of the game. Everything, from the characters' designs to the environment, including the in-game menus, are made to make the game feel "urban", or "in". And that works extremely well. Even if you didn't like Tetsuya Nomura's work for Final Fantasy X or Kingdom Hearts, here it really fits well, giving the various protagonists a trendy look fitting for the game. As for the places you'll visit, they're pretty close transposition of the real Shibuya landmarks (you could find some of the places on a real map after playing the game), albeit with slightly changed names - the 109 building is 104 in the game, HMV becomes AMX, etc.
Your ears won't be left alone either. The game's soundtrack really compliments the visuals, with a great variety of style represented. Takeharu Ishimoto, a really talented up-and-coming Square Enix composer that worked on FFVII Crisis Core for example, put together a score composed of rock, electronica, pop and hip-hop, with around half of the songs having vocals performed by various artists. And that choice was really a good one, as it help you get immersed in the lively Shibuya.
And lively the game's Shibuya certainly is: dozens of sprites walk around the screen, making you feel like you're really making your way around a busy retail district.
As you progress through the game, the overall design continue to be spot-on, and fun, but what'll keep you playing are the countless great ideas that Square Enix put into their title. It is so full of neat gameplay elements that it's difficult to know where to start...
For one, the game's designers have succeeded in using two modern crazes to add to the experience : mobile phones and pins, or badges. The former is used as your menu, and is integrated nicely into the plot, so that you constantly use it, as would any other japanese teenager. The latter are one of the core aspects of the gameplay. Because to find the monsters (called the "Noise"), you'll need to use psychic powers contained in collectible pins. There are more than 300, so you'll have quite a bit of choice, from bullet-firing badges to healing pins.
And those pins are activated by doing various moves on the DS touchscreen. Drawing lines, slashing across enemies, tapping a spot repeatedly, shouting or blowing into the microphone, you'll have to do all that, and more. And even if that alone would make for a fun battle system, you'll also have to control your partner, who'll be fighting on the top screen.
I could go on and on about the myriad of things that make The World Ends With You an atypical yet awesome game. Like how brands and trends are important (you'll have to dress with the right attire if you want to be at the top of your abilities), how you can eat to raise your stat, but with a real-life time limit, how you gain experience by not playing the game (I'm serious ^^), how you can make the game as hard or easy as you like, or the huge replay value.
So if you want to test something fresh, with great concepts and with the careful attention to details that Square Enix can put into their games, do yourself a favor and buy The World Ends With You, you won't be disappointed. Even if you don't own a DS, I think this game alone would be a good enough reason to get one.
But I only rarely do that, and when I do that doesn't mean I make the right choice: I researched before buying Electroplankton, and that was a quite expensive mistake. On the other hand, random buying introduced me to After Forever, Ayreon, the "His Dark Material" trilogy from Philip Pullman, and countless other great stuff.
So, not long ago, I walked into one of the video game stores I regularly go to, and browsed through the DS games they had for sale. I was almost done when one of them caught my eyes. Its title was rather unusual, and the art on the box looked classy enough. Only after I was out of the store did I take the time to read what was written on the back of the box, and find out that what I got myself was a new game by the RPG giant Square Enix : The World Ends With You.
I skimmed through the instruction booklet on my way home, and the more I read, the more it intrigued me. Square Enix, a company best known for their classic fantasy-styled RPGs, seemed to have come up with something really fresh, set in an urban setting.
The World Ends With You is about Neku Sakuraba, a teenager which is your typical angsty protagonist, unwilling to get to know those who are around him, in a fashion somewhat reminiscent of FFVII's Cloud or FFVIII's Squall at the start of their respective games. But at the beginning of his story, Neku wakes up lying in the middle of one of the world's most famous crossroads in the middle of Tokyo's Shibuya. Quickly, Neku gets attacked by strange frogs, and runs into Shiki Misaki, a girl with who he has to make a "pact" in order to be able to defeat those weird frogs. As the battle dust settles, things get explained a little : he's part of a game run by people called the "Reapers", and must complete a mission each day. And if he fails, he'll be "erased".
That's the basic plot of this modern tale, and believe me when I say there is a lot more : the story will twist and turn in many ways, some of them you can see coming, some not quite. But the plot, great as it is, isn't the first thing that'll grab your attention.
First is the overall "look and feel" of the game. Everything, from the characters' designs to the environment, including the in-game menus, are made to make the game feel "urban", or "in". And that works extremely well. Even if you didn't like Tetsuya Nomura's work for Final Fantasy X or Kingdom Hearts, here it really fits well, giving the various protagonists a trendy look fitting for the game. As for the places you'll visit, they're pretty close transposition of the real Shibuya landmarks (you could find some of the places on a real map after playing the game), albeit with slightly changed names - the 109 building is 104 in the game, HMV becomes AMX, etc.
Your ears won't be left alone either. The game's soundtrack really compliments the visuals, with a great variety of style represented. Takeharu Ishimoto, a really talented up-and-coming Square Enix composer that worked on FFVII Crisis Core for example, put together a score composed of rock, electronica, pop and hip-hop, with around half of the songs having vocals performed by various artists. And that choice was really a good one, as it help you get immersed in the lively Shibuya.
And lively the game's Shibuya certainly is: dozens of sprites walk around the screen, making you feel like you're really making your way around a busy retail district.
As you progress through the game, the overall design continue to be spot-on, and fun, but what'll keep you playing are the countless great ideas that Square Enix put into their title. It is so full of neat gameplay elements that it's difficult to know where to start...
For one, the game's designers have succeeded in using two modern crazes to add to the experience : mobile phones and pins, or badges. The former is used as your menu, and is integrated nicely into the plot, so that you constantly use it, as would any other japanese teenager. The latter are one of the core aspects of the gameplay. Because to find the monsters (called the "Noise"), you'll need to use psychic powers contained in collectible pins. There are more than 300, so you'll have quite a bit of choice, from bullet-firing badges to healing pins.
And those pins are activated by doing various moves on the DS touchscreen. Drawing lines, slashing across enemies, tapping a spot repeatedly, shouting or blowing into the microphone, you'll have to do all that, and more. And even if that alone would make for a fun battle system, you'll also have to control your partner, who'll be fighting on the top screen.
I could go on and on about the myriad of things that make The World Ends With You an atypical yet awesome game. Like how brands and trends are important (you'll have to dress with the right attire if you want to be at the top of your abilities), how you can eat to raise your stat, but with a real-life time limit, how you gain experience by not playing the game (I'm serious ^^), how you can make the game as hard or easy as you like, or the huge replay value.
So if you want to test something fresh, with great concepts and with the careful attention to details that Square Enix can put into their games, do yourself a favor and buy The World Ends With You, you won't be disappointed. Even if you don't own a DS, I think this game alone would be a good enough reason to get one.
Monday, April 21, 2008
.hack//MISS
Lately, I've been in ".hack" mode, as I played through the first game (.hack//INFECTION), bought the first .hack//Roots DVD and am downloading again .hack//SIGN (can't find the DVDs anywhere :( ). I plan on playing the second game soon, and get the novels and so forth. So you see, I don't even know why, but I'm now, years after the launch of the whole project, enjoying it a lot.
And thinking about it. Because there's a lot of things going on. For those who don't know, the .hack project is a way for Bandai to sell many things at once : Anime series, video games, mangas, novels, OVAs, ... A lot of things. What's special about it is that all those medias are linked to each other, each part revealing new aspects of the .hack universe, which is centered around "The World", a fictionnal MMORPG. And, of course, strange things happen in and around the game.
And it was a good idea, as there are many great things about it :
- The overall idea is pretty neat. Playing a game set in "The World", and watching an OVA depicting some of the same events, but seen from the "real world" gives you the feeling that something bigger is happening.
- "The World" is a good MMORPG. From what you can see in the anime series, at least. The landscapes are vast, the concept is simple but it works, and the idea of using separate areas generated by keywords is pretty cool. Watching .hack//SIGN (first anime in the project's timeline) really makes you want to play it.
- Who wouldn't like the idea of playing a game and then suddenly coming across something really strange, before trying to solve the mystery ? Doesn't happen in real life, but would still be cool ^^
So with that, you'd figure that making something awesome would be easy enough. Unfortunately, I think that Bandai missed a really really big opportunity. And what's to blame for this is the overall story. Even if the various medias interact pretty well, the whole plot is too slow to develop. Granted, I've yet to see and play everything, but I've read numerous reviews, and the vast majority of them agrees with what I'm already feeling. If the second game is like the first, it will consist of around 15-20 hours of dungeon crawling with little progress in the scenario. Granted, it'll be some good dungeon crawling, but not much than that.
It's really a pity though, what Bandai should have done is maybe not making that many games or anime series, but focus on like two games, with OVA's and one anime, and then get the whole thing online. Yes, I'm aware there was a semi-online game called .hack//Fragment, but there could have been so much more...
Imagine a game where there is not one monolithic server (like in most MMORPGs), but a myriad of servers, with anyone able to run one. What would be on each server is a Root Town, that could be created by the server's admin, maybe by building it from basic blocs so that it is easier. Then, from those, players can either teleport to combat fields (as it is done in the games, in fact) or to another server's Root Town. Now, add the possibility to have some kind of "Game Masters", who have the possibility to modify things in the world, or control NPCs at will. Then, include big incentives for people to roleplay properly (like a moderation system that can get one banned or something). With that basic concept, you could have a game where "strange things" COULD happen. People could set up servers maybe organize special quests for their friends or something, with maybe others caught in the middle because they were there and happened to see something fishy was going on. As an added bonus, this kind of gameplay would enable users to introduce new content to the game, keeping it fresh.
Well, enough daydreaming, something like this didn't happen. But I still think it would have been awesome...
Now if you'll excuse me, I still have plenty of .hack material to go through. And who knows, maybe I'll change my mind about the whole project afterwards!
And thinking about it. Because there's a lot of things going on. For those who don't know, the .hack project is a way for Bandai to sell many things at once : Anime series, video games, mangas, novels, OVAs, ... A lot of things. What's special about it is that all those medias are linked to each other, each part revealing new aspects of the .hack universe, which is centered around "The World", a fictionnal MMORPG. And, of course, strange things happen in and around the game.
And it was a good idea, as there are many great things about it :
- The overall idea is pretty neat. Playing a game set in "The World", and watching an OVA depicting some of the same events, but seen from the "real world" gives you the feeling that something bigger is happening.
- "The World" is a good MMORPG. From what you can see in the anime series, at least. The landscapes are vast, the concept is simple but it works, and the idea of using separate areas generated by keywords is pretty cool. Watching .hack//SIGN (first anime in the project's timeline) really makes you want to play it.
- Who wouldn't like the idea of playing a game and then suddenly coming across something really strange, before trying to solve the mystery ? Doesn't happen in real life, but would still be cool ^^
So with that, you'd figure that making something awesome would be easy enough. Unfortunately, I think that Bandai missed a really really big opportunity. And what's to blame for this is the overall story. Even if the various medias interact pretty well, the whole plot is too slow to develop. Granted, I've yet to see and play everything, but I've read numerous reviews, and the vast majority of them agrees with what I'm already feeling. If the second game is like the first, it will consist of around 15-20 hours of dungeon crawling with little progress in the scenario. Granted, it'll be some good dungeon crawling, but not much than that.
It's really a pity though, what Bandai should have done is maybe not making that many games or anime series, but focus on like two games, with OVA's and one anime, and then get the whole thing online. Yes, I'm aware there was a semi-online game called .hack//Fragment, but there could have been so much more...
Imagine a game where there is not one monolithic server (like in most MMORPGs), but a myriad of servers, with anyone able to run one. What would be on each server is a Root Town, that could be created by the server's admin, maybe by building it from basic blocs so that it is easier. Then, from those, players can either teleport to combat fields (as it is done in the games, in fact) or to another server's Root Town. Now, add the possibility to have some kind of "Game Masters", who have the possibility to modify things in the world, or control NPCs at will. Then, include big incentives for people to roleplay properly (like a moderation system that can get one banned or something). With that basic concept, you could have a game where "strange things" COULD happen. People could set up servers maybe organize special quests for their friends or something, with maybe others caught in the middle because they were there and happened to see something fishy was going on. As an added bonus, this kind of gameplay would enable users to introduce new content to the game, keeping it fresh.
Well, enough daydreaming, something like this didn't happen. But I still think it would have been awesome...
Now if you'll excuse me, I still have plenty of .hack material to go through. And who knows, maybe I'll change my mind about the whole project afterwards!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
A little bit of this...
...and a little bit of that. This post will be a quick rundown of what games I'm currently playing and what I like or don't like about them. Sounds boring enough ? Well then, let's go !
Look, it's happening one year after, and they look younger! Awesome!or Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. I'll have this one finished in a week or so, but I can't bring myself to pick it up these days. But don't get me wrong : the game itself is really enjoyable, the story is not too bad, and the graphics are gorgeous. Also, it's my first strategy game on the DS, and I must say I find the controls very well done... All in all, the game gets a 7/10 from me so far, maybe even 8 for the graphics (except the fact that I don't like the way all the characters look like 12 years old) and the music.
Ridley! Give back that larva, will you?! or, more commonly, Super Metroid. I'm literally digging this one. I loved playing Metroid 2 when I was little, and I'm finding a similar experience with Super Metroid. The game looks good, plays well, has a great atmosphere... The only thing from the second installment in the series I'm missing is the fear of stumbling upon a metroid at every corner. But apart from that, excellent game : 8.5/10.
When you drive trucks, you don't have to act rationally a.k.a. Silent Hill Origins (on PS2). This one I've just started, and I really hope my first impressions will be proven wrong. Because for what I saw, even if you overlook the graphics (it's still a port from the PSP, I was not expecting miracles), the game feels somewhat like a real step back, almost as if it was another Silent Hill 1. My main gripe is with the protagonist's way of reacting. Nothing seems that abnormal to him, and honestly, when you played a character like Heather in Silent Hill 3, you can't help but to notice that the difference is huge... But well, it's Silent Hill, so hopefully the game will still be good. I really hope so. 7/10 so far...
And that's it, I'm sure I forgot a game or two that I started in the last months, but well, they must not have been that great if I can't even remember starting them... So see you next time with something maybe a little more interesting ^^
Look, it's happening one year after, and they look younger! Awesome!or Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. I'll have this one finished in a week or so, but I can't bring myself to pick it up these days. But don't get me wrong : the game itself is really enjoyable, the story is not too bad, and the graphics are gorgeous. Also, it's my first strategy game on the DS, and I must say I find the controls very well done... All in all, the game gets a 7/10 from me so far, maybe even 8 for the graphics (except the fact that I don't like the way all the characters look like 12 years old) and the music.
Ridley! Give back that larva, will you?! or, more commonly, Super Metroid. I'm literally digging this one. I loved playing Metroid 2 when I was little, and I'm finding a similar experience with Super Metroid. The game looks good, plays well, has a great atmosphere... The only thing from the second installment in the series I'm missing is the fear of stumbling upon a metroid at every corner. But apart from that, excellent game : 8.5/10.
When you drive trucks, you don't have to act rationally a.k.a. Silent Hill Origins (on PS2). This one I've just started, and I really hope my first impressions will be proven wrong. Because for what I saw, even if you overlook the graphics (it's still a port from the PSP, I was not expecting miracles), the game feels somewhat like a real step back, almost as if it was another Silent Hill 1. My main gripe is with the protagonist's way of reacting. Nothing seems that abnormal to him, and honestly, when you played a character like Heather in Silent Hill 3, you can't help but to notice that the difference is huge... But well, it's Silent Hill, so hopefully the game will still be good. I really hope so. 7/10 so far...
And that's it, I'm sure I forgot a game or two that I started in the last months, but well, they must not have been that great if I can't even remember starting them... So see you next time with something maybe a little more interesting ^^
Labels: game
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Slayer01's 3 Up 3 Down Video Review
Episode 001: Assassin's Creed
Just a few words about some things I like (and don't) about Assassin's Creed.
Just a few words about some things I like (and don't) about Assassin's Creed.
Labels: 2007, action, adventure, assassin's creed, game, stab in the neck, video review
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