In this post:
1. All the cool stuff I got from Japan!
2. Just another Saturday night filled with Pac-Man CE and kung fu.
3. My rundown of Capcom’s press visit.
4. My girlfriend’s horrible secret, and her awesome comic book.
5. Some of the other games I’ve gotten to check out.
6. Nothing like watching scary movies to celebrate Halloween, even if some are crappy.
7. And nothing like talking about scary video games and comics either!
Man, a LOT has been going on as of late. So, in no particular order…
Special Delivery
First off, guess what showed up in the mail this past Saturday?
… My second care package from that very fine reader of mine in Japan from last time! Dude knows how much I love game flyers from the East and got me pretty much everything he could get his hands on while at the Tokyo Game Show. With the crown jewel being this gorgeous (and oversized) Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker brochure….
… I haven’t even had a chance to check out either the Capcom or the Sega TGS DVDs, been so busy, but will do so hopefully by tonight! Oh, I also asked Grizzle to pick me up a copy of this…
… Yup, that’s Gundam Senki 0081. Again, haven’t had much time to spend on it, but thus far its fairly neat. The frame-rate is somewhat iffy, but it otherwise looks awesome. I just wish I knew what everyone was saying, but that just means I need to bone up on my 0079 and Zeta Gundam to hopefully fill in the blanks. Also, if anyone out there can help me figure out how to download the extra mobile suits from the Japanese PSN store, I’d super appreciate it.
It’s All About The Six Keys
Later that evening, Katie and I went over to Dave Mauro’s for shumps night. Though things kicked off with Dave giving Demon’s Soul’s, which Joe Salina had brought over, for a test drive. I don’t think Dave hated the game as much as I did, but didn’t fall in love with it either. In the end, Demon’s Souls has it’s fans and they can have it; I’ve never been a big fan of roguelikes, and while I appreciate the excellent job the game does when conveying it’s mood, it’s hardly one that I could enjoy, especially for long stretches. Also, if you’re going to let the player create female avatars, at least let them look either hot or even just cute. Though I guess if a woman was to engage in such activities, fighting off hordes of the undead, dragons, and fellow adventures ready to stab on in the back in heartbeat, plus lug around artillery for such reasons, she’s gonna look very man-ish in the end. But I wasn’t nearly as bored to tears as I thought I would be, watching another person play, simply because Dave came up with the brilliant idea to attack the first helpful soul in the game, which I didn’t even realize one could do during my own play through!
I also brought along my copy of Katamari Forever for Dave to check out, which he did for a grand total of four minutes. Which really made me miss the days in which one could simply bring over a game to a friend’s place and simply use your save file to show off the really cool parts later on. Though at least with the PSone/PS2, one could also bring along a memory card with save files on them.
Afterwards we all crowded around one of the Astro Cabs in Dave’s kitchen to play a few rounds of Smash Brows Brawl. Katie finally got the chance to check out Death Smiles, and I myself got to flex my Pac-Man Championship Edition skills to the rest of the gang, even passing along some helpful hints to Dave! Which I was more than happy to do since Pac-Man CE is one of two games that I’m legitimately good at. I’m actually number two ranked on my friends’ list, and it’s my goal to steal the top spot from Heather Campbell one day. No offense Faithless if you’re reading this!
Next we then decided to check out a movie, and much to our shock and dismay, Michael Bay’s Transformers 2 was not available at Dave’s local video store. So after searching high and low for a suitable replacement, which at one point included the Land of the Lost flick with Will Farrell (which always reminds me of my pal Rich, whose a movie theater manager, and how in his 15 years he had never encountered a 8 year old wanting a refund because the movie was so bad), eventually Ip Man was chosen. And it’s one of the best damn martial arts flicks I’ve seen in years.
Resident Evil: The Underwear Chronicles
Fast forward to last yesterday: Capcom was in town, with a slew of their upcoming release, most of which I got to check out!
RESIDENT EVIL: THE DARKSIDE CHRONICLES (Wii)
The follow-up to The Umbrella Chronicles is much like the game that came before it; something that draws upon previous RE entries, which in this instance part 2 and Code Veronica, and then distills the action and events into a light gun experience to great effect. Once again, the graphics are the real stand-outs; as Heather, the PR rep who walked me through this particular title, was keen to remind me, the producer of RE5 had initially scoffed at the idea of a Wii port till he saw this new title in action. And the first level, which features Leon and one of the bad guys in part 4, this time partners, combing an environment that’s very much reminiscent of the opening of part 5. Albeit at a lower resolution, but it reminded me of how Gran Turismo 1 looked on the PSone, and I just have a thing for systems and games performing beyond the call of duty, graphically speaking (not the change the subject, but it’s precisely that reason why I think PS3 ports of Ico and especially Shadow of the Colossus is utterly pointless). Though all that matters to me is how my all-time fave video game hottie, that being Claire Redfield, is once again in the spotlight, and looking quite good!
ACE ATTORNEY INVESTIGATIONS: MILES EDGEWORTH (DS)
The fifth entry in the Ace Attorney series finally stars Phoenix Wright’s rival in his own game. At first I was a bit afraid of the departure from formula, but now I can’t see myself ever going back and finishing up the rest of the series (I’ve played them all, but have yet to finish one). Directly controlling your character’s movement makes things fare more eventful and investigating a crime scene far less tedious. Though for the important things, you’ll still be tapping around the screen to uncover important clues like before. Also new to the game is the logic system, which has the player literally connect various observational statements or theories in order to come up with a motive or argument. Though if one comes up with a rather flimsy or simply illogical assessment, the logic bar goes down, similar to how objections work in court. Speaking of, there are no scenes on the stand this time around, which sorta sucks; I was hoping for another Phoenix vs Miles showdown once again, but with the tables turned. As for what familiar faces would be returning, I was only told that I’d have to play the game to find out. Though I’m mostly interested in seeing more of Mile’s personality. The few minutes I checked out yesterday showed a slightly less than stoic side as I’m used to, which as somewhat odd but still cool nonetheless.
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM (Wii)
… The upcoming American version that is. First off, Frank West (from Dead Rising 1) is pretty awesome. One of his specials involves summoning zombies that attack indiscriminately, meaning either Frank’s opponent or Frank himself if he’s in the wrong spot. His supers also varies depending on whose at the receiving end; the one in which he puts a Servbot’s head on an opponent before beating the crap out of him or her becomes Frank donning Mega Man gear to unleash a gigantic mega buster blast if it’s either Gold Lightan or the mecha from Lost Planet! As for Zero (from Mega Man X), he simply attacks with a sword as one might expect, which is fine I suppose. Didn’t pay too much attention to the new Tatsunoku faces I’m afraid; when I asked Seth Killian why Speed Racer wasn’t brought aboard, and if it was because the show wasn’t nearly as popular in Japan as it was America, it was pointed out that the video game rights to that property was tied up with somebody else. And that definitely sucks. I also asked Seth if the rest of the roster has been tweaked and re-balanced (though it’s honestly up to the player to be fast enough to prevent the other as Roll to constantly heal him or herself), and the answer was yes. Oh, and there’s online support of course; details were not given, but don’t worry about friend codes or anything like that.
SUPER STREET FIGHTER 4 (Xbox 360/PS3)
Unlike all the other games, this was strictly hands-off for all members of the press. So instead, all I could do was watch Seth and another Capcom PR guy play against each other as T. Hawk and Juri, one of the new characters, who is supposed to be Korean but hardly looks it, though at least her Taekwondo is identifiable. And she looks like hella fun to play as or against, with an assortment of moves (mostly leg based, of course) that’s the shot in the arm that SF4 could definitely use. Most exciting thing about her is how she can parry! I also asked a bunch of questions: it was claimed that there’s more content in Super Street Fighter 4 than all the upgrades between Street Fighter 2 and Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo combined. Which is a bold statement, but one Seth strongly stands by! Which helps to explain how this upgrade will warrant its own retail release and won’t be DLC like some believed (or hoped) it might be. In addition to the new characters, there will be new stages for each, and the existing ones will have minor tweaks. It was pointed to me that the girls in the drive-in stage have new tattoos and logos on their clothing. I’ll have to take his word for it. Though no remixed music for those existing levels. There’s also going to be new character portraits (I did love the reaction I got when mentioning Sakura’s elbow), new endings for existing characters, even new rivals. Unfortunately, the awesome J-pop opening from before is out. Though most importantly, everyone’s getting new moves and existing ones have been re-adjusted, primarily with online in mind, which is also being re-built from the ground up. I tried to address some of the complaints, especially against those who play as Zangief, and was told that… despite the fact that creators themselves do not believe there’s an imbalance issue… online players should be satisfied. Thought the only thing I was less than pleased to hear is how all the painterly flourishes that’s been added for the PC version of SF4 are not being brought over for whatever reason. Drat.
Later in the evening, both Dave and Joe were ask even more questions, stuff that some noob such as myself wouldn’t have thought of: lots of folks view SF4 as a defensive game, so Joe wondered if certain moves will have different priorities. To that Seth explained how the new characters and their arsenal might inspire more offensive play. But with that in mind, Seth also noted that a more defensive approach is something the powers at be originally envisioned for SF4 in the first place. It was noted how Marvel vs Capcom 2, which is almost pure offensive, tends to turn off new players since they lose in about ten seconds. He’s completely on the spot with that one. Joe also enquired about the new ultra bar, which now has two levels and is purple, but was declined a direct answer. Though Seth did make mentioned how it wasn’t anything mind-blowing. Joe’s best guess is that perhaps characters now have two ultras. Meanwhile, I know a potential increase in speed was something Dave was most interested in, so he asked about that. Seth explained that it’s not necessarily so, but it is at all, it’s rather negligible. It was noted that a few builds have been slightly faster, but it wasn’t intentional. Seth also noted that some new details, such as the aforementioned modified ultra meter, will be reveled this coming Thursday. Which I’ll explain a bit later!
DEAD RISING 2 (Xbox 360/PS3)
What else is there to say? It’s the same game as before, except with a new lead character, and it takes place in Vegas. So instead of a mall, I found myself in the middle of a casino floor, surrounded by the undead; though there appeared to be a more zombies on-screen at once than before… not a whole lot when compared to the first title, but still a good amount. I only had five minutes to run around and kill as many as possible and thankfully I found an upstairs area with about five or so machine guns, which I was able to all nab. The best part was when I ran out of bullets with one gun, the next one took over; it was noted that the inventory has been improved, and it showed. I wasn’t able to find the shotgun rake, but I did find a pole with chainsaws at each end that I was able to swing around like a Dynasty Warrior. Intensely satisfying. For surviving the five minutes I got the bonus round, which involved wheeling myself around in a wheelchair outfitted with a machine gun! When it came down to asking the most important of questions, the answer I received should make all those who wanted to enjoy the first game… but couldn’t… more than pleased; Capcom now knows that not everyone out there has an HD set, so there will no too tiny to read text or way too dark to make out environments this time around!
MONSTER HUNTER 3 (Wii)
Finally got the chance to taste what all the kids in Japan have been going ga-ga about. And… it is indeed a very approachable, console friendly version of Worlds of Warcraft. You create a guy or gal in shining armor, and then find some folks to help you slay the dragon! I found the controls to be a bit on the odd side, but anything that has a semi-PC lineage is going to be that way, even if it’s a console based experience from day one. And I’m sure one will get used to it after a while. The key question was how it’s going to perform online; I’m assuming that all the kinks that plagued the Japanese release will be ironed out for the American one, but will this prohibit Japanese gamers with interacting with us? Apparently the servers might be totally different, so it’ll be American gamers only? That’s odd… you’d think Capcom would want to capitalize on the massive fan-base the game exists across the seas, at least for the benefit of those getting their feet wet on our shore?
… So that was in the afternoon. After a lunch break with Hilary, which again I’ll get into a bit later on, I returned that evening with Dave and Joe for their Resident Evil trivia contest! Everyone played in teams, but there was a two person limit, which meant only myself and Joe as The Underwear Chronicles (Team Claire Redfield Is Bangin’ was deemed too crude and pathetic), with Dave plus some other dude as team I forget their name. All I can remember about this person, who appeared nice enough, was how he’s playing the new Kingdom Hearts for the DS and is actually enjoying it. Even the most brain-dead fans of the series, from what I understand, hate it with a passion. Anyhow, Seth predicted that I would finish dead last, but Joe and I managed to nab third place! Actually, it was fourth, but the team that won had a Capcom employee, looking up answers on his iPhone no less, so they hardly count.
A Better Place
I know Katie is gonna kill me for revealing this, but earlier this weekend, while checking out the Persona Music Live DVD (I’ll pass along a review with some screenshots a bit later), Katie revealed to me…
“Oh God, I love Persona SO much… It might be my favorite game of all time. I almost want to live in its world!”
… Something that she was no forthcoming when I asked her about it in front of Dave and Joe later that evening. But want to know the funny thing? I FEEL THE SAME EXACT WAY. Anyhow, check out this latest page from Katie’s comic, Nurse Nurse #5!
… I say this all the time, and maybe I’m biased because I’m her boyfriend, but holy sh*t this might be the best issue yet! And not just because Gemma is naked, covered with… “stuff.” I just love how I have absolutely no idea what the hell is going on, nor what’s coming up next. I remember around issue two, Katie asked for some suggestions, and her basic reaction was “Thanks… I’ll think about it.” And what she came up with next was about a billion times better than any of my ideas. Which somewhat proves that just because you know a lot about sci fi and fantasy and stuff like that doesn’t necessarily mean much when coming up with related ideas.
All I can say is… you ain’t seen nuthin’ till you see the next page. Can’t wait till Katie’s done finished inking that one! In the meantime, here’s a pic of Katie with a llama from when she visited friends at a farm a few weekends ago…
The Blocks Are Alright
Capcom wasn’t the only one showing off games here in the city as of late. Real quick like…
- On Monday, I got the chance to test drive both the new Abbey Road DLC for Beatles Rock Band and the Queen ten-pack for regular Rock Band a full day before it hit the Xbox 360. I believe PS3 folks can nab their digital copies tomorrow, where as Wii people… I honestly don’t know! And what can I say that really needs to be? Re: Abbey Road, it’s technically the Beatles’ last album, in its entirely and fully playable. When I asked about the size of the downloads, and if they might be bigger than that of regular Rock Band tracks, since each Beatles songs incorporates unique visual elements, whereas Rock Band songs simply utilize data that’s dependent on the player (like their own characters and the such) and picks from a pool of pre-established graphical routines, which after a while becomes identifiable, it was explained to me that while the Fab Four’s songs will contain a little bit of extra data, comparatively speaking, they’ll also be dipping into content on the disc itself that has yet to be seen. So much of the work was done well in advance it would seem? Interesting. But back to Abbey Road, the visuals continue to impress; I especially liked how Because is presented. The most noteworthy thing here is “the B-side medley” can indeed be performed all together, straight through. Otherwise, most of the songs are presented in pairs, like Golden Slumbers and Carry That Weight. It should be noted that the medley does incorporate The End, which was on the disc already. I’m assuming those who have yet to unlock that song via the story mode can still play it.
And the Queen ten-pack? You’ve got some killer tracks, like Under Pressure, Another One Bites The Dust, and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. No Bohemian Rhapsody, but that’s not such a shock for whatever reason… I bet it’s being saved for Rock Band 3. Same with We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions. But no Bicycle Race? Lame.
- I guess now might be a good time to mention that I also got the chance to check out Lego Rock Band a few weeks back as well…
… I’ll admit it; when I first heard the very concept of a Lego Rock Band, it made me cringe. In the same way that Guitar Hero Aerosmith, and Guitar Hero Metallica, and especially Guitar Hero Van Halen did. But in the end, it’s not a completely lazy, brain-dead tie-in but a full fledged game, with a killer track list (even though it’s been played to death, The Final Countdown is going to guarantee that this game sells an easy million… not to mention the theme to the Ghostbusters!) and all the other bells and whistles one has come to expect from a real-deal Rock Band release. Because it essentially is, when an extra coat of Lego paint for the kids, including a story mode and even some dramatic elements during key songs. Which I must say are cute and something Lego fanatics (which there are plenty of, I’m well aware) will go bonkers for. But if you don’t care about such stuff, it’s cool… the entire soundtrack will be exportable into your regular Rock Band game!
- Last Thursday, I got the chance to check out both the latest Diner Dash for the DS and the new Wedding Dash, also for the DS. I will admit that my primary reason for going was for the free sliders, tater tots, and milkshakes; the press event took place at a 50′s style diner on Park called Big Daddy’s. Believe it or not, I had never played a Diner Dash up till that point, and I was shocked by how difficult it was from the get-go. I can definitely see why it’s so popular though. And my favorite of the two was easily Wedding Dash; it’s the same exact formula, but instead of collecting the check, you have to pick up the wedding gift for the bride and groom, the latter of which must also be kept happy, plus the bride’s maids are constantly at each others necks! I’m actually really looking forward to the final version come early next year!
- And the day before was yet another New York-Tokyo gaming event… which has been on the rise as of late, which is good for gamers in the NYC area. This time they took over a corner of UNIQLO in SoHo for a Wii Ski and Snowboarding event, featuring with Olympic skier Emily Cook…
… That’s that one without the hat. Next week New York-Tokyo has a Tekken 6 tournament happening, which I was hoping to check out, till I realized that it conflicted with a previous engagement. Though for those wanting to check it out, and even participate, info can be found on the website, which unfortunately is down at the moment.
It’s Almost Time To Talk About The End
So it’s almost Halloween!
- Everyday, yet another new piece to Katie’s outfit shows up in the mail, whereas I’ve yet to begun to even working on mine. I’m just not good at this kind of stuff, so if anyone can suggest how I can make the shoulder pads that are vaguely close to what this guy is wearing, I’d greatly appreciate it!
- So this past Friday was a special Halloween themed edition of horror night with Joe Simko and the rest of the Sweet Rot crew! Featuring two crapolla scary flicks, the first of which, I can’t even remember the name of. Long story short, this kid’s dad turns out to be an axe murder, which his mom discovers accidentally while she’s driving down the road with her son, when she spots here husband’s car pulled over to the side for some reason… cuz he’s hacking some woman to pieces! So he kills his wife and then hangs himself I think. Fast forward a couple of years and the kid is all grown up and has a bunch of friends that he invites to spend their Halloween weekend at his grandparent’s place to party. Oh, and to help him confront his demons by being there will he transfers the soul of his dead dad into a wooden golem that his best bud, some Native American dude created. Or something like that. So the main bad guy here is a dude that’s supposed to be a life-sized wooded puppet. Which was clearly made out of rubber. My favorite scenes were any in which people are just hanging out with the dummy in their presence, which is supposed to be inanimate, but the dude inside can’t help but sway back and forth every so slightly, and also clearly is struggling not to blink. Not so great are the stupid one-liners he spouts, which were atrocious for even bad movie standards. Film also had a problem in which one wouldn’t tell any of the girls apart due to everyone having similar hair and looking alike in general. I’ll also never understand when not all of the friends die, just some of them for random reasons. I could go on, but I’m already bored with this topic, so moving on…
The next flick was a little something called Creepies, and is seriously one of the most no-budget movies I have ever seen. In the very beginning, we see toy tanks trying to destroy these spiders that are hopping from one miniature rooftop to the next, and you can clearly see the string. One immediately gets the impression that this is just some ultra fake monster flick that’s being watched or maybe created by the principles of the movie, just to serve as a set-up for the real events. Till it dawns on you that this IS the movie! It’s essentially the modern equivalent of Plan 9, and our theory is that the entire thing was built around a fire that happened in their neighborhood and they happened to have a camera handy to catch firemen rush to the scene. Did I also mention it was awesome? The plot here involves a bunch of deadly, mutant spiders that are government experiments, or something, that escape. The action unfolds on two ends; first we have some army dudes trying their best to prevent spiders, which are vast in number and large in size, both all of a sudden, from destroying the city. Which involved tons of hand-made models of buildings and toy cars blowing up, which in this CGI ridden age is sorely appreciated, despite the quality of the craftsmanship. But there’s plenty of crappy computer effects as well, and I’m talking about first year computer art school level. The other half centers around these guys and girls trapped in a recording studio (three girl rockers and the dorks that run the facilities), completely surrounded by the aforementioned thread, which in this instance are now small. Instead of crushing buildings, these if they bit you will cause a nasty, puss-filled infection that makes your head explode, with even more tiny spiders to spring forth. How does it look? Awful, simply awful. I really wish I had a copy of the DVD handy to properly illustrate all the goofy effects, especially the dumb faces that the spiders have. It’s just that awesome! Though here’s some good news: it’s available on Netflix! Be the first to rent the one and only copy!
- And just yesterday, Hilary and I caught another horror flick. This time my recommendation actually paid off, thankfully. But of course, one can never go wrong with Phantasm!
… Be sure to check out her illustration for Night of the Living Dead!
- Speaking of, I mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again: this upcoming weekend, I’ll be speaking at the Doomsday Film Festival! On Saturday I’ll be part of the Apocalyptic Inspiration: Doomsday In Video Games panel, as both moderator and participant. Plus, I’ll be doing the same for Sunday’s Apocalyptic Inspiration: Doomsday In Literature, Poetry & Comics panel, plus Hilary will be there as well, as the resident horror manga expert! Come check us out! For more info, simply hit the festival’s website.
… I guess that’s it for now? The rest of the week is gonna be a busy one, as I gear up for the festival, and attend to various other projects. Though I might try to file and quick and dirty report Friday afternoon, because tomorrow night is yet another Street Fighter Club… Super Street Fighter Club to be exact!
