Let’s get right to it. Time to talk about video games, starting with…
E3 Follow-Up (Yes, There Was Some Decent Stuff, I Guess)
So the jury is in: E3 2008 sucked the big one! I definitely don’t feel bad at all for about not going. MS by default was the heavy hitter winner of the show, who at least had a bunch of stuff to talk about, and some of it was actually quite neat! Again, please refer to my E3 in NYC report for my take on Galaga Legions (XBLA game of the year? probably) and some other good stuff.
Sony had an okay showing I guess, at least according to their faithful; I personally couldn’t care less about God of War 3, but that’s just me, whereas I was looking forward to some word on the next title from Team Ico… but alas, nothing. And I’m still just as confused as everyone else with the never-ending stream of brand new hardware configurations. This just in: there’s apparently a brand new version of the PSP on the way? Among other things, this one might have cell phone support! So this would make it the long-rumored PSPhone I guess.
Then you had Nintendo, who…. had very little to talk about, and what they did have to say rubbed everyone off the wrong way. To the point that Nintendo’s prez, Iwata, has basically apologized for the clusterfuck. They were so light on stuff that I almost have to wonder if they were planning on showing more, but decided to hold back at the last minute. Remember, pretty much EVERYONE was expecting the unveiling of a DS “Slim”, a thinner unit sans the GBA slot. I wonder if the surprise success of Guitar Hero DS, which utilizes the second slot, has changed plans?
Anyhow, nothing truly mind-blowing from anyone else either. Just a few wacky surprises, like Final Fantasy for the 360, GTA for the DS, and Dead Rising for the Wii. BTW, some details have been revealed: it’s going to be easier overall, with real-time missions being axed in favor for an easier to digest sub-missions that don’t get in the way of things, as well as RE4-like over the shoulder camera, which sounds hot, though taking pictures had to be cut to make it all work for whatever reason. Plus as expected, the graphics do take a hit, with less zombies on-screen at a time.
Yet there’s still a few odds and ends that’s worth going over. Such as…
- One title that I’m dismayed with over the lack of coverage is the Korg DS-10, which is based on the Korg MS-10, an analogue synthesizer from Japan. The DS version isn’t actually a game at all, but a full-blown music creation software suite, one that’s far and away more advanced than M-06/Jam Sessions. In fact, I would easily put it on par with something like Little Sound DJ or Nanoloop in terms of complexity and versatility. I actually got a sneak peak at it a few weeks ago and was completely blown away by by what I saw (well, heard).
It’s more or less emulates a real-deal synth, offering all the options a real-deal electronic musician could ever want to play around with. The demo person that walked me through it thankfully knew a thing or two about music (the guy claimed to have a masters in music theory and it showed) and in no time at all had laid out a fairly intricate beat by recording several loops, then manipulating them via the virtual dials, and messing around with the virtual patch interface, by actually drawing the wires themselves, plus using the kaoss pad (which the DS touch screen mimics flawlessly, not surprisingly) for further enhancement. I immediately thought about the possibilities if someone from the chiptunes community were to get their hands on one of these…
Again, it’s not a game, so the plan I was told is to forgo traditional retail outlets like Target or Best Buy and offer the title at places like Guitar Center or Sam Ash. Plus, given how much it’s packing, it might be a tad bit more than a traditional DS game… perhaps doubly so, though I personally think it’s a steal, even at $100. I’m so eager to get my hands on it, even though I probably won’t be able to do anything really substantial with it, I had thought about importing the title, but given that it’s supposed to come with quite the level of documentation, it might be best to just sit tight and wait.
- Speaking of music, yet another title that got zero attention was We Cheer, at least positive attention. Most that have seen the trailer have immediately called it a piece of crap, but I also got to check this one out a whiles back, and all I can say is, it’s surprisingly awesome!
As one might imagine from seeing the video, you move two Wii-motes around, following the stars on screen, to perform motions similar to what a cheerleader would do. And aside from the visuals and the track-list, which are certainly not my cup of tea, as well as most folks reading this I’m pretty sure (though it does have a track from the Go Team), I actually found the gameplay itself hella fun. Seriously! Can’t wait to get my hands on this one. Again, I shit you not.
Though at the time, I has to wonder how it would compare to the new Rodney Greenblat/Masaya Matsuura title Major Minor’s Majestic March, but after seeing the E3 trailer, there seems to be very few similarities. Can’t wait for that one too btw!
- Another notable no-show from the Sony side of thing was Wipeout HD, though word is, it needs to be worked on cuz it causes seizures?
- There was also zero word on the mysterious ghost hunting RPG for the Wii, Fragile…
- Then you had Spore, or the lack thereof. I was really expecting one last big push from EA, since this so called alpha and omega of video gaming is finally just around the corner, but I guess they had other things on their plate, such as their recent partnership with id Software. Though when EA came to town a few weeks back, I was also rather shocked how somewhat low-key they were about it, where Spore was actually kinda lost in the shuffle with the 700 other games on-hand.
As already mentioned in the podcast, that?s where I got my first hand look at the full game, and… I just don’t get it. The hype I mean. It’s just a bunch of sim games, all rolled up into one. Which is neat I guess, but hardly groundbreaking. Granted, it’s neat that you get to create some goofy looking creature and guide it from its humble, pre-civilized beginnings, where you just run around the woods, looking for stuff to eat and mates to bang, to some galaxy conquering force to be reckoned with, with each stage of development getting its own simulator, but I personally found the flow between each less than elegant. You just move from one phase to another, then another. I was actually once again shocked and rather dismayed to find out that there?s no grand circle; one you hit the apex of evolution and civilization, that?s it. There?s nothing that brings you back to square one, no huge circle of life.
And to be completely honest, the recently released Spore Creature Creator is easily the best part of the whole thing, and it?s available right this second and for just ten bucks (actually for free if one chooses to just stick with the stripped down version found on the web). I know the full game will offer more (when it comes to just making stuff, there?s supposed to be eight other editors found throughout, and you?ll not only be crafting creatures but vehicles also), and it?ll be a pretty neat package, with lots of interesting things to see and do when all is said and done. But again, I simply do not see this as some grand re-invention of gaming that it?s been touted to be by EA and the faithful. Maybe that’s precisely why no one is saying anything, since the hype train had gotten so ridiculously out of control. Yet, the damage might be already done; most people I?ve spoken to are actually sick and tired of hearing about it, and ready to pounce on the final product if its anything less than perfection. And they might find themselves validated come this September… though I should perhaps not say anything more, otherwise I?ll be on their shit list once again! So anyway!
- That neat looking PSN game that I mentioned last week, called Fat Princess? It’s already ruffling feathers. All I can say is… heh, women.
- Via NeoGAF: word is, the highlight of the indie games booth at the show was Dark Room Sex Game. From the developer’s homepage:
Dark Room Sex Game is a multiplayer, erotic rhythm game without any visuals, played only by audio and haptic cues. The game can be played with Nintendo Wiimote controllers or a keyboard.
Dark Room Sex Game began its sordid life as a project for the 2008 Nordic Game Jam.
The Nordic Game Jam is an annual event held at the IT University of Copenhagen that brings students and professionals together to prototype experimental games over the course of only one weekend. This year, the theme was ?Taboo?.
In Dark Room Sex Game, the player works with his or her partner to find a mutual rhythm, then speeds up gradually until climax. In four-player ?orgy? mode, players swap partners randomly and compete to reach orgasm the fastest.
When we realized the phallic and rumbling possibilities of the Wiimote controller, we felt oddly compelled to finish the game.
Our idea was that a sex game would in fact be even more erotic if one stripped away all visuals and forced players to use their imaginations. Our hope was to use a combination of humor and embarrassment to make players uncomfortable, yet strangely satisfied. One could view the game as a commentary on the dull fixation on visuals in the spheres of sex and also videogames. Or, you can just view it as a cool party game.
Be sure to check out the trailer (NSFW language btw).
- Back to Capcom, they were on-hand at the show with, among various other things, Mega Man 9, which again I’m really looking forward to. Though Konami surprised everyone with Gradius ReBirth, which is apparently a re-done version of Gradius 1!
On a side note, some homebrewers in Japan recently took the 16-bit Mega Man 7 and made it all 8-bit! Which is fantastic news for me, since I was never a fan of the SNES Mega Man aesthetic. INHO, I think Mega Man looks far better in 16-bit on the Genesis.
… Guess that’s a wrap? Can’t wait for E3 09. Or not. Actually, can’t wait for the Tokyo Game Show later this year. Now that’s a fucking video game show. Anyway, elsewhere in news…
- Jeff Minter, the guy that brought you Tempest 2000, which everyone loves, and Space Giraffe, which everyone hates, but I dig it, as does Katie and Dave Mauro, comes some screenshots of his latest game, Gridrunner+++, which is a XBLA port of Gridrunner++ (which I was actually messing around with last night, with my newly XP enabled iMac)…
- Gamasutra recently published an interview with one of creative geniuses over at Q Entertainment (someone other than Tetsuya Mizuguchi); his name is Reo Yonaga, and it’s worth a read, if only to hear that Miz once tried making a game with… John Woo?
- Been a long time coming, and it’s at last official: the New York State video game bill has officially been signed by the governor. Oh boy.’
- For the two people out there who might be possibly interested, and that don’t know yet… an old Sega CD game is being resurrected, for the iPhone?
- And finally, I got word from Mike McWhertor a while back that his super cool outfit Beat Bun had a new shirt in the works that would coincide with the release of the new 1942 XBLA title, but I had no idea that Street Fighter’s Cammy would also be featured!
Well it’s finally on sale, so grab yours today!
… Was gonna next direct everyone towards the forums to take a gander at the notable threads from the past couple of months, since it’s been a while, but it’s already really late, and I have to get up early tomorrow morning for a freelance job that’s on-site. So instead, I will simply pass along one, that’s buried in the Chamber of Secrets, which commemorates the recent passing of a friend to us all. And I can’t think of a better tribute to honor a Golden Girl than some good old fashioned erotic fan-fiction. Till next time!
