Living Myth

Shnabubula's Incredible Discography is All Available on Bandcamp

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Fri, 16 May 2014 19:03:00 +0000

Shnabubula (Samuel Ascher-Weiss) of NYC is hands-down one of my favourite artists ever. Seriously, I think the guy is incapable of producing music I won't immediately love. I first discovered his work through the game music remix scene, as well as his chiptune work using video game "sound fonts" as instruments in the SNESology project. But, he writes and performs a lot of creative, original work too! I thought I had a handle on what was out there so far, but this month he surprised me by uploading a ton of previous work to his Bandcamp site.

Want to snag 13 albums worth of some of the greatest chiptune / piano / electronic / experimental / progressive / funk / jazz you'll ever hear, for free? Read on!

The Essentials
Here are a few key recommendations I'd make, for someone unfamiliar with Shnabubula's music. I've tried to strike a balance between his best work, and what's most relatable to gamers.

NES Jams
A truly stellar piano-centric collection, and one of my all-time favourite albums, period. Like the name implies, these are pieces from classic NES games, reinterpreted and expanded upon for piano with electronic chiptune accompaniment. I have talked about this album before, but honestly, it's just so good that it can't go unmentioned here.

Stand-out tracks: Alien Lair (Contra), Night Sea (Little Nemo the Dream Master), Title (Double Dragon), Gemini Man (Mega Man 3), Stage 1 (TMNT 2)... but seriously, it is all amazing!

Starbound
The big, theatrical concept album. As Shnabubula says: "This album comes from pure emotion. I poured everything into it." It shows. There may not be lyrics or a concrete plot to tease out of this epic, but there are complex moods and themes at play that contribute to a strong sense of narrative. In some ways, Starbound really feels like the soundtrack to a thrilling action-adventure movie or a classic RPG. It's not just a collection of disparate tracks, it is a singular 42-minute journey. Like NES Jams, this quickly became one of my absolute favourite albums. There may not be any direct ties to video game subject matter or their traditional sounds, but I think the energy, melody, and cinematic quality of this album will have a lot of appeal for fans of game soundtracks.

SNESology
SNESology is a community where composers, performers and programmers share music created using sound sets derived from Super Nintendo games. To put it simply, it is essentially like ripping the virtual "instruments" from SNES game soundtracks and creating original music with them. You can check out an earlier article I wrote about the project here (sorry, most of the samples I linked to have since gone down, but the music is of course available on the Bandcamp page). At the time, Shnabubula was the driving force behind it and proved very prolific in experimenting with various sound sets, combining the instruments of multiple games, etc. This is a collection of all the work he's done for SNESology, and I think it's a very interesting listen.

Stand-out tracks: Across the Plains, Daring Escape, The Story Begins, Infiltration, Hands of Fate, SNESology

Game Genie
Despite the title, the music in this album doesn't necessarily have anything to do with video games directly, though there are definite "gamey"-sounding chiptunes involved and I'm fairly certain some of the SNESology samples made their way in here as well. Numerous sections of Moonlight Passage sound like they could be straight out of Secret of Mana.

Stand-out tracks: Sho Nuff, Moonlight Passage, Spring Showers, Game Genie

Cybersoccer 2099
A shortie, but a goodie. Cybersoccer 2099 is essentially the soundtrack to a video game that never existed, with very 16-bit sounding chiptune and electronic instrumentation. It may be a little too dynamic to fit the convenient looping format that older games required, but it's fun and punchy in a similar way.

Stand-out tracks: Intro - Title Screen, Mars, Saturn Orbital Platform

Something a Little Different
Here are a few highlights for listeners interested in Shnabubula's style of music, but looking for more variety of styles and moods:

Fading Light is pure piano, and generally softer and less frantic than some of Shnabubula's other albums tend to be.
Free Play is a gorgeous, experimental album, in which improvised piano sessions were recorded and then layered with additional accompaniment afterward.
Americana Dawn: Civilized Folk is a selection of tracks from an upcoming Colonial-era RPG, though it doesn't really sound like anything you'd expect from a retro-inspired 2D game. Shnabubula plays piano, accompanied by violinist Gabriel Terracciano (a name that may sound familiar).
Ender's Game is a phenomenal musical interpretation of Orson Scott Card's eponymous sci-fi novel. Not having read the novel myself, I'm not sure how it relates to the plot specifically, but the album definitely has a striking, cinematic, almost "visual" -- feel to it. Much less traditionally melodic, it seems suitable as a soundtrack for a film or experimental ballet

The Goods

That was just a quick overview of the music of Samuel Ascher-Weiss. The full selection of albums are available on his Bandcamp site, and they can all be listened to online or downloaded in a variety of file formats, totally free of charge. Technically, downloading them free means "purchasing" them for zero dollars, as Bandcamp gives you the option to name any price you feel is fair. Hard-working artists do appreciate donations, though, so if you can spare a few bucks for Shnabubula, please consider it! Hopefully it will help support more fantastic music like this in the future!

Cave Story Creator Releases New Game, Kero Blaster

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Sun, 11 May 2014 16:48:00 +0000

Studio Pixel's adorable, retro-style 2D platformer Cave Story is one of my favourite indie games ever. So, I'm very excited by the news that Pixel's latest game, Kero Blaster, has released today!

I'm already loving the music in the trailer:

The characters look to possess that familiar cute, quirky design Cave Story had, too.

Although there is technically no demo available at this time, there is a free "prologue" game called Pink Hour, which leads into Kero Blaster.

If you've already wished your mom a happy Mother's Day today, then you should head on over to distributor Playism's site and check out the game!

Kero Blaster
Pink Hour

Wildstar Open Beta Starts Today

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Thu, 08 May 2014 18:56:00 +0000

Saddle up your rockets! Wildstar -- a part sci-fi, part wild-west, part What-if-World-of-Warcraft-was-in-space MMORPG -- has launched its open beta period. Thankfully, this isn't one of those hectic, ultra-brief beta weekends. The beta will be available to play until May 18th, and anyone can join in!

The cartoony visual style and characterization may appeal more to younger audiences, but at least as far as surface-level presentation is concerned it looks very well-produced and polished. I don't know that it does anything particularly cutting-edge or trailblazing for the genre, but if the action-based combat and exploration elements are engaging enough that's all that matters. I'm definitely going to be trying this game out and giving my two cents on how the beta performs.

For more info on Wildstar, check out the game's website or head straight on over to the beta sign-up page.

Oh Good, I Finished My Dailies!

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Wed, 07 May 2014 17:13:00 +0000

Being the Guild Wars 2 nut that I am, I just had to share this cute little animation put out by YouTuber MattVisual. There's a bit of blood (nothing major), so if you're not in the mood for the red stuff or are at work, consider yourself warned.

Though it technically pertains to Guild Wars 2 specifically, I'm sure players of any MMORPG will identify.

The Epic Final Fantasy Medleys of Marc Papeghin

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 19:46:00 +0000

I tend to get pretty enthusiastic about new covers of classic game music, but there's no overstating the brilliant work of France's Marc Papeghin.

Though he traditionally focused on french horn in his earlier videos, Marc has grown to incorporate a wider variety of instruments like trumpet, trombone, drums, guitar, and keyboards -- and that's just him alone! His last couple of arrangements bring in several other collaborators, and the result is just jaw-dropping.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Final Fantasy VI

This is the first of his videos I ever stumbled upon, but it wasn't til several months later that I remembered to check back to see if there were more videos like this on his channel. Let that be a lesson: always check!
Here we have Marc on his own, playing every part himself. No techno remixes or chiptune reinterpretations here -- just some really good, straight-forward performances on live instruments.

Final Fantasy V

Wow! Final Fantasy V has never been one of my favourite games, and in my opinion it has one of the overall weakest soundtracks in the series. In this arrangement, Papeghin brings in nine guest performers who contribute to a more varied and full sound than the game ever received in the past. Not only do they bring out the best of each piece and allow this game's music to surpass the clumsy instrumentation of the original SNES game, but they actually do so without touching the overplayed fan favourite Battle on the Big Bridge. I have a new appreciation for this soundtrack, now!

Final Fantasy VIII

Thirteen additional musicians join Marc Papeghin to dedicate their talents to nearly 20 minutes of gorgeous music from one of my favourite games of all time -- and this is only billed as "Part 1." The video was uploaded a little over a month ago, so hopefully Part 2 is on its way soon!

Aside from these great collections, Marc also has a really well done medley of Final Fantasy IX, and an older, french horn-only rendition of Final Fantasy VII.

If you enjoyed these Final Fantasy medleys (and why the heck shouldn't you!?), please hop over to Marc Papeghin's YouTube channel or his website Marc Papeghin's French Horn Extravaganza.

Castlevania's "Iron Blue Intention" Covered by David Cuartas

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 18:01:00 +0000

I can't believe I actually got a video link in my YouTube inbox today that wasn't random spam! And not only that, it's a very cool electric guitar cover of a classic track from Castlevania: Bloodlines! Oh, Internet, sometimes you do care. :-)

A big thanks to David Cuartas for sending me the link to his performance video. He's added some nice flourishes and solos to this Sega Genesis original.

Check out his channel for a handful of other nice covers, like the energetic Armored Armadillo theme from Mega Man X, fan favourite Theme of Laura from Silent Hill 2, and a creative new take on Zelda's Lullaby from Ocarina of Time.

New Dragon Age Trailer Warrants Further... Inquisition! rimshot

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 18:35:00 +0000

BioWare just released this spiffy new trailer for the upcoming Dragon Age: Inquisition.

It's looking pretty good so far! Not sure I would have labeled this as a "Gameplay Trailer" specifically, but it does offer some scenes of in-game action and environments sprinkled among the usual quick cuts of cinematics and dialogue.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is aiming to release on October 7th, 2014. Here's hoping they nail the freedom of exploration and depth that the first game nailed!

PROTODOME Releases New EP: CHIPFUNK

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 22:20:00 +0000

We've got two bits of cool news regarding U.K.-based chiptune artist Blake "PROTODOME" Troise, today! The first: he's released a nifty little EP, CHIPFUNK. The second: his previous album, BLUESHIFT, is now available to download for free!

PROTODOME's music is a cheery and easygoing blend of jazz, funk, and pop, created with various electronic synth instruments and usually having a "videogamey" quality. I keep it around for whenever I need some cute, perky tunes with a happy vibe.

Both CHIPFUNK and BLUESHIFT can be listened to online, or downloaded, completely free -- or you may name your price and throw PROTODOME any amount you think is fair.

Also, if you missed previous releases BLUENOISE and BLUESCREEN, feel free to check them out as well! They're also free.

Let's Get Down to Business!

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 20:47:00 +0000

The "I'll Make a Man Out of You" training montage song has a strange way of popping up all over the internet. It can strike anywhere, at any time. All it takes is a random commenter to say "Let's get down to business" and the thread is instantly derailed -- for good reason, of course! While I can't say I exactly understand why this particular song from 1998's Mulan is such a hit right now, neither would I do anything to change that.

I am as amused as anyone that this song has become something of a pseudo-meme lately, and thought I'd pay tribute by putting a gaming spin on it. For whatever reason, I felt compelled to write new lyrics that parody a certain subset of the "hardcore" Guild Wars 2 community.

First, for reference, here's the original song from Mulan :

And now, I humbly submit my Guild Wars 2 re-write, dedicated to DPS-crazed, dungeon-farming "meta" gamers:

Lets get down to business
and exploit the bugs!
When I wipe the party,
shift the blame on PUGs.

You're the lamest n00bs in LFG

I can see before we're done
I'll ragequit CoF Path 1

Power and Precision

and Ferocity!
Practice your rotation,
stack your boons on me!

You're a bunch of filthy casuals.
Who says games were meant for fun?
I'll ragequit CoF Path 1

I never win in PvP,
only cuz that mode is broken!
Highest deeps you've ever seen, even wearing greens!
Just stand around in Queensdale zergs
wearing my Commander token.
YouTube: Personal Story Ending Scenes

D P S
You gotta roll a berzerker warrior
D P S
or don't complain if you get harassed
D P S
As fun to group with as forum trollers,
As practical as a cannon made of glass!

DOTs are ticking on us
It's a damage race
Nuking all the bosses
while my dubstep plays

Though I miss my gear with Magic Find

I don't mind more farming runs:
"Only zerks, CoF Path 1"

D P S
You gotta roll a berzerker warrior
D P S
or don't complain if you get harassed
D P S
As fun to group with as forum trollers,
As practical as a cannon made of glass!

Guild Wars 2 is Getting a Massive Feature Update in Five Days

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Thu, 10 Apr 2014 21:15:00 +0000

Guild Wars 2 has always pushed the envelope in terms of revolutionizing and rethinking the foundations of the MMORPG genre, from day one. Even so, the developers at ArenaNet have never been content to rest on their laurels. Since the game's launch about a year and a half ago, there has been a constant flow of tweaks to skill and stat mechanics, new play modes in PvE and PvP alike, episodic "living story" chapters, comprehensive reward systems for achievements in every area of the game, and myriad enhancements to convenience and "quality of life." Even by its own high standards, though, GW2's April Feature Pack is promising to really shake things up.

Come April 15th, there will be a vast array of improvements and new features to fool around with. Here are a few of the highlights:

Forty new Grandmaster-level traits are coming, across all professions.
New characters created after the patch will earn specific traits by hunting them down in the world, rather than simply getting points at level-ups.
Traits can be reset at any time, for free, as long as you're out of combat. In my opinion, this will be a fantastic chance to experiment with new builds and combinations on a whim, leading to a broader understanding of the full potential of one's profession and skills.
Runes and sigils are being reworked, with bonuses like chance-on-hit mechanics being vastly improved across the board. All those hidden conflicts between different sigil procs and cooldowns will be gone, with many overlooked strategies becoming far more viable.
Two-handed weapons will be allowed two sigils.
Critical damage will now be augmented by a "Ferocity" stat, and the maximum attainable Critical Damage will be reduced somewhat. On its own, this may not sound like much, but in combination with all the other changes it could go a long way toward dethroning a maximum-DPS "berserker" build as the current over-used, cookie-cutter status quo.
The jack-of-all-trades "Celestial" gear will be getting a boost, for players who like a balanced approach.

Through the new Wardrobe system, any piece of equipment you've attained will have its skin saved to your account, and available to apply to your gear as easily as you would a dye. The looks can be applied to PvP mode as well. Collecting all the different skins and experimenting with new looks is going to eat up so much of my time, it's not even funny...
Speaking of dyes, they will now be account-bound rather than character-based. So, a colour you've acquired on one character will now be usable on your other characters. And crazily enough, any pre-existing redundancies in dyes across your alt characters will be refunded to you in the form of unidentified dyes!
WXP earned for participating in World vs World will be account-wide, rather than per character.
Legendary and Ascended tier equipment will also become account-bound.
Equipment repairs will be free.
PvP will become more rewarding, with themed, cycling "Reward Tracks" offering gear, crafting materials, skill points, and tons of other prizes.
A "megaserver" system will automatically unify players across different servers in cases where certain maps are underpopulated -- making it far easier to find allies to participate in some of the less-popular areas, or at non-peak times of day.
The previously spotty "world boss" encounters (such as Tequatl or the Shadow Behemoth) will be set on a much more reliable timer, occurring at specific times across all servers. In addition, guilds can earn Guild World Event upgrades to trigger these encounters at their leisure (provided it won't interfere with an event in progress).

Even that much is merely scratching the surface. For the details, head over to the Guild Wars 2 site, where there are detailed articles about each topic. All in all, it sounds like there will be a lot to do and play around with, both in terms of "meta" theory-crafting and preferential niceties, but also in exploring all kinds of game content in new ways and getting the most out of events, dungeons, PvP and WvW. The new ability to earn traits by tackling certain objectives is clearly a framework to set up future additions -- and with the first "season" of the episodic living story capping off with the impending awakening of a new Elder Dragon, the main plot is primed to ramp up in intensity soon. I'm stoked, not only for the chance to play around in the April 15th update, but also that it's clearly in preparation for some great things to come.

The New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game Remix Album is Radically Bodacious

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 21:50:00 +0000

The OverClocked ReMix community has done it again. Shell Shocked is a new, collaborative album based around remixes of the 16-bit era's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games Turtles in Time (SNES) and The Hyperstone Heist (Sega Genesis).

The project's director, Kyle Crouse, describes his vision for the 33-artist, 22-track collection: "When conceptualizing Shell Shocked, I wanted to capture what I had imagined as a hard rock sound in the music of the original game. The Turtles themselves have always been steeped in the culture of the 80's and early 90's and have a bit of that era's playful cheesiness, so I wanted to reflect that in an album that had a hard edge but didn't take itself too seriously."

"Despite having a heavy rock and metal influence, the album is packed with variety, with arrangement styles ranging from power metal, punk, progressive synth, glam metal, jazz fusion, blues rock, funk, and even some Vanilla Ice-inspired rap rock."

It's fun hearing these tracks again, and even if it's been a long time since you got your hands on these old 16-bit beat-em-ups, you might be surprised to find more familiarity here than you expect. In any case, this would be a fun collection of music to rock out to, with or without an infusion of turtle power. And of course, in the usual OC ReMix tradition, the album is totally free to download! Think of this as the last nice memory of the Ninja Turtles you'll be allowed to have before the awful Michael Bay movie comes out.

Guild Wars 2 is 50% Off, So Get It Already!

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 21:32:00 +0000

Until April 13th, ArenaNet is discounting their trailblazing MMORPG Guild Wars 2. The standard digital edition of the game is now a very reasonable $25. For a cutting-edge MMO of this quality and scope, especially one with no monthly subscription fee of any kind, that is unheard of. If there is anyone left who still hasn't picked up this game, there has never been a better time to try it out.

If you love MMORPGs, you will really appreciate the new twists GW2 brings to the genre. If you hate MMORPGs, you will breathe a sigh of relief that virtually all the typical grinding, griefing, and time-wasting "down time" is virtually non-existent here. And if you never played an MMO in your life, this is a great place to start, as it's super easy to get into and have fun from minute one.

Draugen Trailer Surfaces From the Depths

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 20:17:00 +0000

Norway-based Red Thread Games, founded by the creator of The Secret World and The Longest Journey, recently announced development of an intriguing new project, Draugen.

The game is billed as "a first-person survival horror adventure set amidst Norway's dark fjords and snowcapped mountains in the early 1920s." Story and gameplay details are scant, but the plot will involve uncovering "the deepest, darkest secrets of a remote fishing community where every single soul has mysteriously vanished."

The term Draugen references an undead creature in Norse mythology, though it is unclear at this point whether the game will focus on supernatural elements or if this name is metaphorical in nature. No doubt, the answer to this will remain a mystery for some time.

The new teaser trailer isn't giving up any hints, though it sure does look like a creepy game!

That author's narration is certainly ominous, though I caught myself raising an eyebrow at some of the wording. "Tonight, the ocean comes for me"? Since when does an ocean come for anyone? I think they're more or less stuck where they are... Oh well.

Review: Log Horizon

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 02:14:00 +0000

Back in January, I gave my mid-season preview of this MMORPG-themed anime (check that out first, if you're unacquainted with this series). Now that all 25 episodes of the first season are out, it's time to see if the show has lived up to its potential!

First, the good news: Log Horizon remains just as enjoyable throughout the full run of the season, without getting tired or resorting to wet-blanket cop-outs and forced clichés. There are some good action sequences, the visuals are always colourful and attractive, and the "game mechanics" element remains important without getting lazy or sloppy. Those who were bracing to have the rug pulled out from under them in the second half, a la Sword Art Online, can breathe a sigh of relief. All throughout, this is an anime that celebrates every aspect of the MMO genre with fervor.

"More dots! More dots!!"

The third quarter focuses on an escalating problem having to do with an impending goblin invasion. Tensions rise between the "adventurers" (real-world players who used to interact with the world of Elder Tale as a virtual game environment) and the "people of the land" (non-player characters, but seemingly just as real now as any other person). Each side has their opinions about who bears the most responsibility in fighting off the encroaching threat, but complicating matters is the fact that NPCs do not "respawn" at some cathedral when they die -- they just die. Adventurers always come back, seemingly immortal, but it becomes apparent after a while that they too have something to lose in the process.

Mrglmrglmgrlmgrl!

One of my favourite moments occurs when some of the younger characters are grouped together for a dungeon training mission, to learn how to act as a team in combat. While discussing their classes and unique abilities, they work out what their roles will be and how to best engage a group of monsters. Of course, the mage initially has a problem with delaying high-damage spells until after the tank gains aggro from the enemy. It simultaneously served as a small character-building scene and a cute wink at anyone who's had to suffer through similar coordination problems in these types of games.

It's rude to acknowledge the presence of a stealthed character.

Unfortunately, as viewers approach the final quarter of the season, they may start to wonder where this is all going. By this point, a few arcs that have begun and concluded, but not much of an overarching story connecting it all. Indeed, the last 5 or so episodes involve a lot of parties, festivals, and fluff. Some of this could be dismissed as "filler," although to be honest it's not that it's bad or without substance -- it just doesn't feel very "high stakes," like something big is about to happen to cap off the season. And at the risk of revealing some "un-spoilers" -- nothing "high stakes" actually happens by episode 25. No double-crosses, no earth-shattering reveals, no last-minute plot twists. One new character swoops in to spout some ominous words that may inform the complications of the season to come, but it's by no means a cliffhanger ending. At this point, you're either hooked by the show's charms or you're not.

So, the second half wasn't quite what I was hoping for in terms of plot -- but I can't really say I was disappointed, either. Maybe the ending was flat, but it's only an "ending" in the sense that there won't be a new episode until the fall when Season 2 starts. Honestly, it's not a plot-heavy kind of show anyhow. It's a cute fantasy with generous doses of goofy humour and a loving focus on genuine MMORPG situations. And it's been consistently fun throughout its first 25 episodes, which is a compliment that even the best anime sometimes struggle to earn!

Five Fantastic Tracks by Game Music Performer Lara de Wit

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 18:37:00 +0000

Talented pianist and violinist Lara de Wit has been treating the world to her creative performances of video game music for years. Boasting over 21 million views and 130,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, a cooperative album with violinist Taylor Davis, and live performances at E3, Lara's success is well-earned.

With tons of quality game music videos under her belt, it was truly difficult to pick only five favourites to share today. If you like what you hear, do by all means head to her YouTube channel and do some exploring! Be warned, it'll keep you occupied for a while.

STREET FIGHTER II - Ryu's Theme

ACTRAISER - Medley

FINAL FANTASY VI - Aria di Mezzo Carattere

SUPER METROID - Maridia

SUPER MARIO BROS. 3 - Medley

A Legend in the Making

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Tue, 18 Mar 2014 20:49:00 +0000

"I'm sorry, but this must be done... for the greater good!"

Castlevania Producer Koji Igarashi Leaves Konami

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 20:09:00 +0000

The future of Castlevania has never looked more uncertain.

Arguably the most essential force driving the series since Symphony of the Night debuted on the original Playstation, developer and producer Koji Igarashi (a.k.a. "Iga") has left publisher Konami. His last official day was March 15th.

It's unclear, at this point, whether this represents good or bad news. Konami still owns the Castlevania franchise, and it's anyone's guess how (or if) future installments will be handled. The series has been outsourced to Mercury Steam since 2010 for the Lords of Shadow reboot, with Iga completely shut out -- a divisive move which left many longtime fans holding their breath for the next "true" Castlevania. While the first LoS game performed well, the following two sequels were not exactly earth-shattering and received mixed reviews. It remains to be seen whether Konami will think it worthwhile to continue investing a large budget in this line. Then again, with Iga no longer to be taken for granted, the publisher may feel more pressure to sleep in the bed they made.

On the other hand, even while Iga was at Konami and at the helm of the series for so long, I have suspected that Iga was heavily restricted, unappreciated, and given an ever-shrinking development budget. The fate of the Castlevania name was already in question, even with his presence. While it was undoubtedly hard to step away from the series, it's probably for the best.

"I've decided to break out on my own to have the freedom to make the kinds of games I really want to make," Iga commented in a recent press statement, "the same kind I think fans of my past games want as well."

At least there's a silver lining. I'm more than eager to see what a more independent Koji Igarashi will be able to come up with. Fans are already predicting the impending announcement of a "spiritual successor" to Castlevania, similar to Keiji Inafune's answer to Mega Man in Mighty No. 9. I say bring it on!

The Elder Scrolls Online Beta Impressions: Combat & Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 19:40:00 +0000

One of the things that impresses me most about the new breed of MMORPGs is action-based, real-time combat that feels intuitive. This hasn't always been the norm, with most MMOs before Guild Wars 2 or Tera feeling less like legit video games and more like button sequence memorization exercises. As such, there was some doubt about whether combat and skills in The Elder Scrolls Online would capture the smooth spontaneity of Skyrim, or recoil back into the MMO status quo. Happily, I can report that ESO gives Skyrim fans nothing to worry about.

We'll start with the basic controls:

WASD: Movement. Double-tap to perform a dodge roll.
LEFT CLICK: Standard weapon attack.
RIGHT CLICK: Hold to block attacks, at the cost of Stamina. If an enemy is winding up a special move, usually telegraphed by a particular animation or visible area-of-effect marker, Left click while blocking to interrupt and stagger them.
SPACE: Jump.
SHIFT: Hold to sprint (consumes Stamina).
CTRL: Toggles stealth (movement slowly drains Stamina), useful for performing powerful opening attacks.

There is also the numerical hotbar (1-5) for slotting in a handful of custom skills, swappable at any time, out of combat.

ESO only has four basic classes to begin with -- Templar, Dragon Knight, Sorcerer, and Nightblade --with three skill lines to develop within each. This might sound like a sparse selection in the beginning, but keep in mind that while your class is the most important factor determining your character's potential, it's not the only one. You can also invest in skill lines for various weapon types, each with their own trees of signature abilities, and these transcend class. For example, a Dragon Knight could invest in sword & shield skills for a defensive build, or wield a two-hander and go full offensive. My Nightblade was all about archery and keeping a distance, but someone else could just as well wield daggers and play as a traditional, close-quarters "rogue."

In addition, you can opt to spend skill points in armor training, passive racial buffs, and crafting skills.

Like in previous Elder Scrolls games, you develop skills through repeated use, which will in turn boost your experience bar and allow you to level up. Leveling up grants you skill points, used to purchase more skills or enchance existing skills to a new tier which tacks on added bonuses. One of my favourite skills as a Dragon Knight was Spiked Armor, which would decrease incoming damage as well as reflect some of the pain back at enemies. After leveling it sufficiently, it branched off into two optional paths and I chose the perk of sending out an AoE shower of spikes upon activation. Most class and weapon skills have these kinds of branches within them, adding a lot of customization to the game while simulating the idea of "talent trees" that most MMOs make you pick in a linear fashion.

Skill points can also be earned by tagging "sky shards" littered throughout the landscape, adding a tangible benefit to exploring the map. Combined with the skill points you get through leveling, ESO gives new players a good amount of choice in skill development right from the beginning of the game, and it feels very rewarding.

Gear and crafting resources seemed to be doled out really miserly, at least in the beta. Weapons and armour barely drop from enemies at all, and quest rewards give you exactly one item, with no choice at all as to what you'll get. So, if you didn't end up liking the initial weapon type you picked up in the tutorial, or if you were a sorcerer and all the quests gave you heavy armour, you were basically out of luck. And unless you really make a point of wasting your limited beta time running around collecting resources, odds are you'll not be crafting more than one or two items to supplement your equipment. Thankfully, the early game is geared to be pretty easy, so this wasn't a huge issue.

The ground work for a great MMO has certainly been laid, but it remains to be seen if The Elder Scrolls Online will break any new ground for the genre and hold players' attention for long. In a lot of ways, it has the charm and attention to detail that people expect from the Elder Scrolls universe, with some deep mechanics that can take time to settle into. And as an MMORPG, it does what it does well. But, I'm not sure this game is doing anything earth-shattering, or which can't be found elsewhere.

In the end, I think it will be interesting to see how this game develops, but the $60 price tag for the standard digital edition is a lot to ask, considering this is also a subscription-based game. You've likely already played a superior Elder Scrolls, and probably superior MMOs as well. Based on the beta, I can only recommend this if you really, really need to play an Elder Scrolls game online, even if it's basically more of the same.

Happy Mario Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 03:39:00 +0000

It has come to my attention that March 10th is unofficially "Mario Day."

Because MAR10. Get it?

You're welcome.

The Elder Scrolls Online Beta Impressions: Story & Quests

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 19:38:00 +0000

While not everyone will agree that story is of primary concern in an online game, a convincing setting and a sense of purpose is often necessary to draw players in. We all want to get out there and fight, gain levels, and win epic loot, but these things need context in order to feel relevant.

The Elder Scrolls Online's opening puts the player in isolation, a prisoner in the daedric realm of Coldharbour. Naturally, it's not long until a mysterious character breaks you out of your cell, and you learn the basics of movement, item acquisition and equipment, and basic combat. It's not exactly the tense escape sequence the game makes it out to be, though -- a lot of the time you're talking to some rather chatty NPCs. An impressive voice cast including Michael Gambon, John Cleese, and Jennifer Hale excuses this somewhat, though their characters essentially disappear after the tutorial is over and you enter the open world.

Beginning the game proper can be a bit disorienting, as you're just sort of dumped somewhere you don't belong -- one of three different starting zones, depending on your race's alliance. The main storyline objective involves finding and meeting up with Gambon's character, "the prophet," who helped you escape from Coldharbour. Pursuing this isn't possible for quite some time, however, so in the mean time you're stuck helping out strangers with their troubles until an opportunity to travel further becomes available. A real sense of direction is difficult to grasp, with the player mainly advancing the quests they are given out of sheer habit more than anything.

Thankfully, completing quests, talking to NPCs, and exploring are plenty interesting enough in their own right. Dialogue is well written, with characters exhibiting the dialects, accents, and vocabulary one would expect from the cultures of an Elder Scrolls setting. For example, choosing to side with the Aldmeri dominion starts you in an area covered in khajit-run moon-sugar plantations, and NPC chit-chat is peppered with references to its abuse in the production of skooma (an addictive narcotic), and the black market surrounding it.

Quests themselves are more like traditional Elder Scrolls story chains than the typical "kill 15 boars" MMO fare. They are fewer and farther between, but as a result they are also more interesting and sometimes involve the player making decisions about how to mete out justice in morally-grey situations. Sometimes, this is even a matter of life or death.

The questing structure can sometimes be its own downfall, however, as there is literally no way to progress further into the next zone unless you have completed all the quests first and are at the step where you gain access to a ship or some other gateway to a new area. This caused a major issue for a number of players during the beta, when a bug prevented necessary enemies from spawning, thus completely closing off all progress from that point onward. Logging out and logging back in sometimes granted another chance at making the enemy appear, but this didn't seem to work for all instances and I was forced to start the game over in another faction just for something to do. Hopefully these sorts of errors will be smoothed over well before the game releases, but it underlines how guided an experience ESO is, and how crucial it will be for ZeniMax to work out all the kinks for their game to even function.

Setbacks aside, when the quests work they work great, and feel a lot like advancing an engrossing chain of events in Skyrim. In my time with the beta, I infiltrated a bandit hideaway in disguise, explored an undead-ridden temple, solved a murder and exposed its connection to a conspiracy involving an invasion of territorial sea elves. With each event, the world shifts and changes to suit current circumstances unique to your own progress. This is no doubt going to cause some conflicts between what one player and another each see in the game world, and what "version" of a given area you're inhabiting. This became a little confusing when I joined a friend who had already completed the quest I was working on, and I was seemingly reacting to things that weren't apparent to her. In this regard, most of the quests seem to be geared as single-player experiences, with little reason to need (or even want) other party members joining you.

In the end, The Elder Scrolls Online is essentially The Elder Scrolls, online. At least as far as the story is concerned, it feels very much like a traditional single-player RPG, but with other players running around as you explore -- which I think is basically what Skyrim fans all wanted from this game in the first place. As long as ESO can smooth out the bugs and keep up the plot pacing, it's certainly going to at least have a main story campaign that's worth enjoying.

The Elder Scrolls Online Beta Impressions: Character Creation

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 22:39:00 +0000

The Elder Scrolls Online is an ambitious MMORPG that seeks to duplicate the epic atmosphere and depth of its offline counterparts like Oblivion and Skyrim. While it's still too early to say how closely ZeniMax and Bethesda have come to their target, my impressions from the most recent beta test period lead me to believe the game has a lot of potential.

Over the next few posts, I'll be giving a brief run-down on some of the most stand-out aspects of this hotly-anticipated game -- beginning, of course, with the process of generating a new character.

First, you choose from a whopping selection of nine different playable races, grouped according to three alliances, as follows:

The Aldmeri Dominion: Altmer (high elves), Bosmer (wood elves), Khajit (cat-like people)

The Daggerfall Covenant: Orcs, Bretons (human), Redguards (also human)

The Ebonheart Pact: Dunmer (dark elves), Nords (human), Argonians (reptile-like people)

Your alliance will determine your character's starting zone and initial story quests, as well as your team in competitive PvP territory.

When it comes to tweaking character appearance, modern MMORPG players have become accustomed to a wealth of customization options, and Elder Scrolls Online will not disappoint in this respect. There are sliders to adjust height, body proportions, facial structure, hair style and colour, skin tone, eye colour, markings like scars and tattoos, and decorative accessories. There's sure to be a wide variety of characters running around out there, though sizes and proportions are limited to a reasonable range so as to eliminate anything too freaky.

Each race has distinct features and colour ranges, so even though there are technically multiple kinds of "humans" or "elves," they'll tend not to look exactly like each other. In fact, if I had a complaint, it would be about ESO's strict adherence to a natural, "realistic" palette (for lack of a better word) that was designed to suit the rules of the established Elder Scrolls lore. I understand the compulsion to work within tasteful stylistic restrictions, but I feel it's generally better for a game to err on the side of choice, at least for player avatars. It always seems a bit arbitrary, when yellow or red eyes are considered perfectly reasonable yet blue or green hair is rejected as heretical madness.

Like in previous Elder Scrolls titles, one's choice of race isn't merely an aesthetic matter. Each has natural talents that can heavily suggest an optimal class or skill set. For example, high elves gain experience faster with a destruction staff, have higher maximum Magicka points, and recover Magicka faster in battle. The khajit gain levels in medium armour quickly, benefit from an improved stealth radius, do more damage while stealthed, and have increased critical hit rating with melee attacks.

Personally, I'm turned off by these kinds of racial affinities, especially in a series that prides itself on being so free and open. Why push the player in a certain direction, rather than let people play how they want? A level of distinction between races certainly adds diversity, but surely it's possible to give each race a unique, non-situational perk without pushing it strongly toward a specific role, class, or weapon type. Perhaps these initial racial affinities gradually play a fading role as players train new skills and attain better equipment over the course of the game. Still, the principle that thinking outside the box should come with a disincentive seems a questionable design decision.

One neat thing I noticed is that naming your character is relatively hassle-free. Thankfully, there are no old-fashioned rules about having one-word names only, and names can be up to 20 characters long (including up to four hyphens, apostrophes, or spaces).

Despite a few gripes, ESO's character creation engine is quite impressive. Although the system might block some of the more irreverent players from getting too creative, and the hair styles are a bit wanting for variety, there are certainly more than sufficient options to keep worries about looking like everyone else at bay.

Review: Princess Jellyfish

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 23:02:00 +0000

Princess Jellyfish is a delightfully refreshing series -- one of those stories with a cast of utter goofs that you just can't take too seriously, but also wind up inexplicably rooting for.

It's the story of five female shut-ins, each socially awkward and obsessive about their own geeky hobby, who reside in a women-only shared home. Their shells are cracked and comfort zones uprooted, however, when newcomer and protagonist Tsukimi unexpectedly brings home a "stylish" one day (these otaku cannot tolerate the presence of a cool, stylish person, turning to stone on sight). And what's more, this particular stylish who has invaded their exclusively feminine space is secretly a cross-dressing man.

I have to admit, this isn't a show I would have thought to watch for myself. It showed up on my housemate's Netflix recommendations, and she mainly threw it on out of sheer curiosity. Her husband and I joined her just to have something to watch over dinner, and by the end of the night we had powered through all 11 episodes in a row. I'm not normally that into comedy anime, let alone female-targeted josei titles, but Princess Jellyfish won me over by being unusual and genuinely hilarious.

This show surprised me in a number of ways. For one, this was an anime that didn't really feel like an anime, and didn't resort to the same tropes I've become cynically used to. No panty shots, no obligatory violence, no blue or pink hair, and no magical elements. None of the central women are traditionally cute, sexy, or particularly marketable (I'm pretty sure the main character spends most of her time in a baggy shirt and sweatpants). The characters are zany, but only as zany as a human being can actually be. No one is superhuman, no one is invincible, no one is a "too cool for school" badass. This is the story of a bunch of vulnerable, weak people who become stronger by banding together in the real world. Sure, there is conflict and complications, with homes and ways of life threatened, but the plot is always grounded in reality and never comes off as heavy-handed or larger than life. Even the blackmailing, de facto "villain" is, in the end, someone with feelings who can be personally affected.

Even the cross-dressing catalyst, Kuranosuke (a.k.a. "Kurako"), is a pretty normal guy. He's actually the most down-to-earth character of all, always questioning the psychological hang-ups the gals and his up-tight brother have resigned themselves to wrestle with. The usual, snap assumption would be that he's gay -- and since this is a Japanese anime, a flamboyant caricature -- but I honestly don't recall that even coming up in the story. Dressing as the opposite gender is just a thing he does for kicks, and aside from the necessity of hiding his true identity from Tsukimi's housemates, it doesn't pose any significant obstacles or complications.

Another thing that surprised me is the quality of the writing. I have been a hard sell on English dubs, though I find some anime lately are doing them rather well. Princess Jellyfish, though, takes it to another level entirely. The English dub in this series is excellent. The voice acting is competent and expressive, the writing is witty, and the localization is masterful. You can tell that the script has been heavily altered from the original Japanese, since it's jam-packed with phrases and idioms suitable for a western audience, but it never feels artificial, contrived, or censored. There's nothing I hate more than an English adaptation that completely white-washes every cultural tidbit out of the dialogue, but it's equally awkward when a translator is overzealous about preserving literal meaning. Jellyfish lovingly retains the pacing and essence of the original, simply putting it in terms that will feel natural to an English speaker. For a comedy that's interested in having its audience laugh with it rather than at it, that's integral -- and this series earns that privilege through impressive virtuosity.

It may be unassuming, but Princess Jellyfish manages to make you care about its characters -- they're just so damned likable and non-intimidating! I think if I went into detail about why this show is so funny and disarming, it might ruin the experience. I'll just say: this is a show about the "uncool" crowd, about their struggles with fitting into society, about finding friends to share experiences with, and about personal growth. Do yourself a favour: get on over to Netflix and keep an open mind, and you'll have a great time with this heart-warming series.

Believing My Justice

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 01:02:00 +0000

I think Re:Birth II / Romancing SaGa Battle Arrange has found a permanent home in my portable music player. Long bus commutes are easily made shorter when Mr. Kenji Ito is on board, bringing his hard rock arrangements of battle themes from the SNES's Romancing SaGa series.

Although the original games never saw an English release in the west, I've been a fan of SaGa music for a long time. I remember scouring the internet for game music many years ago, encountering unlabeled Romancing SaGa SPC files (digital music data ripped directly from the games, requiring a dedicated program to play) and naming the tracks myself according to what I imagined was going on in the game while each piece played. It's kind of strange, to know a game on a music-only basis, but it fires up a sense of wonder as well.

I was planning to pick just one track from this album to highlight, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to snub any of these three. Let's rock!

Track: Magical Tank Battle
Album: Re:Birth II / Romancing SaGa Battle Arrange
Game: Romancing SaGa 3
Composer: Kenji Ito

How dorky/cool is this spacey keyboard!? 0:46 to 1:24 is what music is all about, if you ask me.

Track: Four Demon Nobles Battle Medley
Album: Re:Birth II / Romancing SaGa Battle Arrange
Game: Romancing SaGa 3
Composer: Kenji Ito

This is a merging of two pieces which were used for particularly special boss battles -- probably not unlike the four fiends of the elements in Final Fantasy IV. I used to know it as "Four Noble Devils."
My favourite part is the second half, particularly what happens in the bit between 3:55 and 4:17. It just tickles my music bone.

I suppose if I really had to bite the bullet and only share one piece for today's post, it would have been this final track, Believing My Justice. It is unique in that it was composed especially for a Playstation 2 remake of the first Romancing SaGa, and never appeared in the original game.

I just love, love, love the melody that bounces between the keyboard and electric guitar. It goes on for so long, teasing the listener with the promise of resolution, without rest until that ominous cadence at 1:30. Still, nothing about it feels final or complete. It's ever forward-facing, tirelessly planning its next step.

This is a bittersweet melody, as much cruel as it is beautiful. Perhaps these track names have been confused, and we've encountered the true "noble devil" right here.

Track: Believing My Justice
Album: Re:Birth II / Romancing SaGa Battle Arrange
Game: Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song
Composer: Kenji Ito

What is a Gamer?

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 20:07:00 +0000

PBS Game/Show's latest episode explores a topic that might seem trivial, but reflects a poignant undercurrent in the gaming world's online subculture.

It seems that the topic of who is and isn't a "real" gamer, and what that means, is of the utmost concern to certain people. While I personally see it as a rather juvenile accusation to snidely dismiss someone as "not a real gamer," this exclusionary attitude can affect people's willingness to consider certain outsider opinions on topics related to gaming, which is never a good sign. It never hurts to consider the definitions of the words we throw about in everyday conversation, and reexamine just what it is we are talking about when we use them.

I have to take issue with one of the ideas put forward in this video: that a "gamer" could refer to someone who has knowledge and experience with a wide (or total) range of genres. This definition is likened to how we might regard a "cinephile" or movie buff as someone who possesses an especially broad awareness of films, directors, movie history, etc. Do we really need to have strict qualifications for a word like that, though? Isn't someone's expertise in an area something that would become naturally evident, as it becomes relevant to the situation? It's not like anyone can take a test and register as a "cinephile" or a "gamer." These aren't protected titles -- they're just what you self-identify as, and describe an interest or hobby. Furthermore, demanding qualifications to these words is pretty elitist. So, if someone plays games on a fairly regular basis, but doesn't enjoy every genre or own more than one game console, are you going to call them out as not being a "real" gamer? What is the point of that? There need not be "credentials" for such a thing.

The way I see it, being a "gamer" is like being a "foodie." It's a self-ascribed label that describes a hobby you take an active interest in. It's not anyone else's place to judge your degree of aptitude at your hobby. That said, I can see raising an eyebrow at a self-described "gamer" who just has a copy of Call of Duty sitting on their coffee table, but otherwise can't be bothered with video games. A "gamer" who plays nothing but Candy Crush or Farmville is like a "foodie" who only eats at McDonalds. Similarly, someone who has a sheet of postage stamps in their desk drawer isn't a "stamp collector." Maybe it's not my place to tell someone they aren't one if they really feel that strongly about it, but surely such a blurry and meaningless qualification is going to lead to some bewildering dialogue.

The quality of "gamerness," like so many things in life, is a broad spectrum. There is no point at which you become a gamer. You don't get to be one bu purchasing the right software. You don't get to be one by beating Street Fighter on Hard. You don't get to be one by owning every game console. It's just a hat you choose to wear or not wear. If the hat fits, people will be able to tell. And if not -- well, no one else can make you take it off, but you might look like bit of a goof.

Ninja Run Through Super Mario Bros. Results in Lowest Possible Score

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan Lyle) — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 21:21:00 +0000

YouTuber NotEntirelySure recently uploaded video of a run through Nintendo's classic Super Mario Bros., attaining the game's lowest possible score.

A measly 500 points is the absolute minimum a player can achieve, awarded simply for clearing the flag at the end of each stage with zero seconds left on the clock. No blocks were broken, no coins collected, and no koopas were harmed in the making of this video.

I like some of the showboating NotEntirelySure integrates into the run, such as bumping some invisible 1-up blocks just for the heck of it, and riskily leaping over piranha plants at their highest point for no practical reason other than to speed things along. While this isn't a tool-assisted run, there is some light use of game glitches. In 4-2, Mario's facing and positioning is used to access a warp zone without having to bump the coin blocks that would normally be required to reach a vine. Also, in 8-1, there's a jump where Mario actually bounces off the side of a chasm, which I would have been tempted to label as shenanigans. But, as is well documented, this game is full of weird little tricks and imperfections, so as long as everything here it theoretically repeatable I see no need for disqualification. It's all the product of skill, timing, and experience.

Congrats on the run, NotEntirelySure! Mario left hardly a footprint in the dust...