The Fading Genres

Project Aella © http://igg.me/at/projectaella/x/3773244

2013-06-28T08:39:00.001-07:00

What is Project Aella © ?

Project Aella tells the story of a young female protagonist who has to deal with the pain and loneliness of loss at an early age. Her experiences through life drive her to seek the truth, the reality of the cold world she lives in.

Throughout the game, the protagonist will come across various interesting, distinct and memorable characters who will contribute to the story in one way or another. Some of these characters will be usable at certain parts of the game due to their different abilities (e.g. some characters are better at CQC than others. CQC = Close Quarter Combat).

The game is penciled to be predominantly a Crime Scene Investigation game. However what we intend to achieve is an amalgamation of different genres into one unique experience (varied gameplay styles from adventure, driving, fact finding, exploration, stealth, undercover work, fighting, high speed chases e.t.c). Different missions will dictate what skills take precedent over the others. Some missions might require a combination of your different "skills" that you hone throughout the progression of the game. Skills are upgraded via a "skill point system". Think of it as a sort of currency.

While the game has an underlying theme running beneath it, each mission you successfully complete will be considered a piece of a much bigger puzzle. You will also have a "competence score" that grades how well you solve missions or accomplish tasks within the game.

In the end, we intend to achieve an immersive interactive entertainment experience, which can be enjoyed across multiple gaming devices.

Please visit here for more info and your support: http://igg.me/at/projectaella/x/3773244

DOA 5 TGS 2011 Announcement: Trailer Analysis

2011-10-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

Seeing as I recently wrote a piece titled " The De-evolution of the 3D Fighting Genre ", I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Dead or Alive 5, (developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo Koei) was announced at TGS 2011 for the PS3 and XBOX 360 (currently pinned down for a 2012 release). For those of you who read the aforementioned piece, I expressed a few worries in relation to the state of the 3-D fighting genre and even briefly spoke about the Dead or Alive series. The exact quote from the piece is as follows:

"And as for the Dead or Alive series ? I reserve my Judgement till I hear an announcement with regards to the rumored 5th installment. But I personally went far away from the Dead or alive series due to the lack of distinctive move sets, and over reliance on a counter system (that got boring quickly). The most accurate description of the Dead or Alive series is a " highly advanced poke-fest ". I hope the fighting system gets a complete overhaul when and if the 5th installment finally gets released on consoles ".

That might sound a bit harsh, but I can confidently back up that statement considering I'm a huge 3-D fighting game fan and have followed and played just about every 3-D fighting game there is on home consoles and in the arcades. At one point, I was a huge DOA fan too . . .

Fans of the DOA series will agree that ever since the release of DOA2 and DOA2: Hardcore on the PS2 in 2000, this is the first time a DOA game will grace a home console apart from the XBOX and XBOX 360 (this excludes handheld consoles ofcourse). Part of this is down to Tomonobu Itagaki's departure from team Ninja, and the fact that Yosuke Hayashi is not a secret undercover agent working for Microsoft. Tomonobu Itagaki consistently gave the PS2 and PS3 the cold shoulder, and it seems Hayashi doesn't share the same view.

After watching the TGS 2011 trailer, I came away with mixed feelings. I'll divide these opinions under good and bad headings. Although it is unfair to judge the whole game based on this short pre-alpha trailer, you can at least have a sense of direction and extrapolate where the game is headed.

Here's the trailer:

Very impressive indeed, but here are my thoughts:

The Good

1) The attention to character detail is rather impressive. With such visuals, DOA5 will comfortably compete with and even surpass Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Soul Calibur 5 and Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown graphically. Please take into account this is the pre-alpha version. Just imagine how the finished product will look . . . Exactly. With such visuals, DOA5 is poised to be a graphically monstrous game.

2) I really like how Team Ninja have made modifications to Hayate's default appearance. Seeing as he is my favourite character from the series, I can safely say Hayate looks even " sicker " and battle ready than ever before. I look forward to seeing the modifications that have been made to the other characters (if any).

3) From the looks of things, Team Ninja are placing emphasis on destructible environments and highly interactive environments with movable and deform-able environmental objects. This is something which if done well, could set DOA5 apart from the competition. If the environment Interaction was completely random in nature (not scripted physics), it would certainly make fights unpredictable. And yes, that particular arena in the trailer looked beautiful.

4) I have always loved the side-stepping/evasion in the Virtua Fighter series. Although it seems as though you can sidestep in DOA5, no 3-D game (so far) has successfully implemented evasion and side stepping as effectively as the Virtua Fighter series. It will be extremely interesting to see how Team Ninja can make side stepping/side walking/evasion effective in DOA5.

5) The arena demonstrated in the pre-alpha trailer seemed rather huge. I really like this. Huge arena's are always welcome and can always provide some breathing space for less experienced players. Im not saying all arena's should be of that size, but huge arena's are always welcome.

The Bad

1) One thing I noticed in the trailer was the presence of something that put me off the DOA series: lack of distinctive move sets and how things eventually boil down to a counter and advanced poking and button mashing fest. It was nice seeing the Izuna drop, but Team Ninja need to realize the fact that players need to be able to define their characters past moves that look lackluster. Put players in control of the moves, and truly amazing fights will surface. Aside from the Izuna drop, all I saw was two characters hitting each other in a rather boring manner. The moves didn't seem definite and recognizable. If DOA5 is serious about competing in the 3-D fighting game arena, Team Ninja need to completely overhaul every single characters move sets. Make them meaningful! This will add an incredible amount of depth to a game that has the potential to rival Tekken and Virtua Fighter. Boring moves and mechanics lead to boring fights.

I am certainly keen on DOA5, but I seriously hope Team Ninja consider the problems the DOA series have always had and make the necessary changes to ensure DOA5 is a meaningful, deep and interesting 3-D fighting game. It has the potential to be Grade A material, and I sincerely hope we don't see a 'DeJaVu' with DOA5.

With all that's been said, I wish Team Ninja the best of Luck!

What are your thoughts ?

Many thanks

Shadow Master

Video Game Music: An important Piece of the Puzzle.

2011-09-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

Video games are an interactive audio visual experience. You see, you hear, you feel and you react. Very few games today are silent . . . And by silent, I refer to the lack of sound effects, Background music e.t.c.. Audio plays an incredibly vital role in any game irrespective of genre, and its vitality is often overlooked because it's a part of that experience that mostly registers subconsciously. What the eyes absorb and the player feeds back into the system usually take precedence. Admittedly, there are titles designed to deliver solely musical experiences, and the game mechanics are focused on musical cues (for example Rock Band, Guitar Hero e.t.c.). But games under that genre will be left out of this piece seeing as the musical aspect is obvious.

I fully believe that for any game to excel as a whole and deliver as a complete package, it needs to pay careful attention to the audio, background music, sound effects e.t.c and use them as a vehicle to transport the player throughout the experience. A perfect synergy between gameplay and B.G.M. must exist to achieve this. I have found that games I've played more than once and thoroughly enjoyed have all had good soundtracks backing them up. Some of these games were not necessarily perfect by design, neither were they genre defining titles. But the soundtracks/B.G.M were good enough to keep me going . . . Some sort of sub-conscious motivation. The B.G.M. added substance to it all. What is most important is that I was able to vividly remember these experiences even whilst being detached from the T.V. and game console. These subconscious audio registers came into play and began to revive images and scenes from the game. I even have a folder on my hard drive titled ' Video Game Music ' seeing as music is a very big part of the experience for me. And as you already expect, I blast these tunes on my MP3 player while travelling on the bus, going to work, train journeys, taking the dogs for a walk, and even have them blasting through the speakers while in the shower (is that odd ?).

With that being said, I have compiled a quick list of titles that I personally feel have achieved this synergy between gameplay and the B.G.M (Some admittedly do achieve this more than others). This is just my personal opinion. Seeing as I am yet to play every game on this planet, I am undoubtedly missing some out. Your contributions are more than welcome . . . What games do you think achieve this synergy ? What games are able to suck you in with memorable soundtracks ?

Here's my list:
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1) Streets of Rage 2 (SEGA Genesis): Come hailstone, wind and fire, Streets of Rage 2 will always be my number one example of a game that achieves this perfect synergy between gameplay and background music. Out of all the tracks on my MP3 player, Streets of Rage 2's B.G.M. gets the highest play counts. I simply can't get over it, and I doubt any game can topple the efforts here. Yuzo Koshiro (composer) must be a supernatural or extraterrestrial entity who some how got the job to bless this game with such an unforgettable and sublime soundtrack. I am convinced he isn't human. EVERY single B.G.M. for each stage or act is not only a perfect fit for the action and events in the game, but they actually sound like tracks you could dance to in a club (even the boss battle music was straight up brawling). I could spend pages talking about how amazing the B.G.M. is, but for the sake of being concise, I can only ask you to play the game and listen for yourself (or head over to YouTube and listen for yourself). Even the title screen track gets you pumped up for the beef. And when I wasn't playing Streets of Rage 2, the music alone brought back those memorable experiences. I cannot imagine having enjoyed this game without such a beautiful soundtrack. Just to give you an idea, here's the B.G.M. from the first stage:

And here's the boss battle B.G.M. (Imagine getting combo'ed by R.Bear or Abadede):

Genius isn't it ? I urge you to head over to YouTube and listen to the whole soundtrack from each stage in the game. . Pure Gold. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of throwing a Streets of Rage 2 party at my house very soon . . . . Should be fun! :-)

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2) Ridge Racer PSP (Namco): I'm not a huge fan of racing games. You can call me a racing noob if you like, and I certainly won't argue. Not only do I fail hard at racing games, I am more likely to fail harder in real life driving. I'm sure you get the picture. So the question I ask myself is why I enjoyed Ridge Racer on the PSP so much ? The music was beautiful and complemented the driving. Simple as. This game literally sucked my attention in. I enjoyed both the Red and Blue discs (these refer to music CD's you can listen to whilst driving) and what I especially liked is the fact that you can select what track to listen to just before the race starts. Considering how bad I am at racing games in general, I was pleasantly surprised to come 1st in most of my races (easy to medium race tracks). Part of that motivation came from the tracks I listened to whilst racing. Adding the music to the Nitro boost in this arcade racer saw me hitting a climax on many occasions (erm . . not the type you're thinking about, dirty minds). It is a huge disgrace to admit that Ridge Racer PSP is the ONLY racing game I was able to play very well, and all attempts to recreate that experience on other racers have failed. In any case, here are my top two tracks from the game:

And Bass Rider:

Hiroshi Okubo (Composer) did a great job with the soundtrack for the game. Well done.

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3) Ninja Gaiden Xbox (Tecmo/Team Ninja): I can safely say Ninja Gaiden is my favourite action adventure/hack and slash game of all time (more on that topic later). Part of what made Ninja Gaiden such an enjoyable and unforgettable experience for me was the fact that the B.G.M. and the gameplay went hand in hand. It was always easy to tell when you were in trouble, when it was time to be smart and when things were a bit mellow (the platforming and exploration aspects of the game). Without saying much more, here are my two favourite tracks from the game:

The Ninja Gaiden theme:

And the ' Alma Awakened ' track. If you snooze, you loose. Seriously, Alma is like a nightmarish ex girlfriend or wife out to destroy you. Merciless:

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4) Killer Instinct (Rare/Nintendo): I think with Killer Instinct on the SNES, the Killer Cuts CD did a brilliant Job of providing a higher quality version of the in-game tracks. While the game tracks (during gameplay) were not terrible by any means, listening to the Killer cuts CD is definitely the way to go. You'll end up appreciating the B.G.M. a bit more. Some times I do feel the B.G.M. rose above the actual game, and I could definitely see a soundtrack like this being a perfect fit for the Tekken series. Two of my favourite tracks from the Killer Cuts CD were:

The way you move (definite club banger):

And ' The Instinct ' . . . I can Just Imagine Mishimas fighting to this:

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5) Street Fighter 2 (Capcom/SNES): SF2 . . . This game brings back memories. Very painful ones I must add. Out of all my friends from back in our early years of video gaming. I was the worst at SF2. I was always looking for the easy way out. I loved Blanka so much, until my friend beat me senseless with Ryu after my pathetic attempt to spam the electric shock and rolling attack (the only two moves I knew). Nevertheless I will always love and remember SF2 (especially those beautiful tracks . . . The Nostalgia). Even after so many years, the soundtracks still echo in my mind. My favourite tracks include Guile's stage theme, Blanka's Stage theme, Balrog's stage theme, Sagat's stage theme . . . . ah I better stop, they were all beautiful. SF2 will always be a classic, and a good part of it being a classic is the fantastic B.G.M. Here are three of my best tracks:

Ryu's theme:

Guile's theme:

Balrog's theme:

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6) Virtua Fighter Series (SEGA): Being a huge fan of the Virtua Fighter series, it's no surprise it makes the list. Seeing as all the Virtua Fighter games have notable stage B.G.M.'s (to be honest, they're a mixed bag) I have decided to pick my favourite so far. It's the kind of music that drives you destroy your opponent.

Lion Rafale's " The Fort " from VF4. You simply cannot give up while fighting to this:

Akira Yuki " Statues " from VF5 . . This track ministers to the soul of any warrior:

Akira Yuki " Ride the Tiger " from VF2 . . Enough said:

Jean Kujo " Training Room " from VF5:Final Showdown. This makes the list seeing as the game has just be officially announced for consoles :-). This track was composed for BEEF!!!:

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7) Tekken 5 DR (Namco/PS3/PS2): There is only one stage in this game that moved my heart to tears. In this stage I claimed countless victories and painful unforgettable losses. In this stage, I smote my opponents to the bare floor and watched them attempt to challenge me once more. This stage brought out the best in my Heihachi, Kazuya, King and Raven . . . This stage was the ONLY stage I chose to fight in . . . This stage (in my opinion) single handedly defined Tekken 5 DR . . . It was not only Epic, it became a fighting requirement . . . Ladies and Gentlemen . . . I bring you the: . . . .

Moonlit Wilderness:

I hope Tekken Tag 2 can revive this stage ? from the looks of it they have, but it seems you fight inside the uncompleted building . . . :-(

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8) Donkey Kong Land (Rare/Game Boy): The closer I get to completing this list, the more I realize just how much the 90's era of video games brought us some true gems. I remember having to do very well at school to earn a Game Boy. To make things even better, my Dad got me a yellow Game Boy. And the biggest surprise was when I received this game (yellow as well) with the yellow Game Boy. My friends at school were hurt real bad. Donkey Kong Land on the loudest volume was my way of paying them back for making me watch as they tapped their Game Gears ruthlessly. In any case, out of all the games I had on the Game Boy, I enjoyed this the most, and guess why ? The music really sucked me in. I never enjoyed swinging around on trees so much. :-) Oh and yes, there was a handheld called the ' Game Child ' . . . I refuse to discuss how the Game Child ruined a good few years of my life.

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9) Revenge of Shinobi (SEGA Genesis): It comes as no surprise, that the extraterrestrial being behind the Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack was single handedly responsible for composing the music behind revenge of Shinobi. At this point, I am convinced this man isn't human. Yuzo Koshiro, what's your secret ? Do you receive intelligence from the GODS ?

The Shinobi:

And one of my best " Sunrise BLVD ":

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10) Bloody Roar 3 (Hudson/Virgin Interactive/PS2): While not the deepest fighting game out there, Bloody Roar 3 was highly enjoyable. Part of that was down to the B.G.M.'s not being bad at all. One of the most notable is the final Boss fight with Xion . . . He really hurt me bad. Very ruthless he was. Head over to You Tube and Listen to the B.G.M. I personally think it was the best in the series.

Beast Legacy:

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So what do you guys think ? What video games do you think hit the nail on the head in the music department ? Your comments and contributions will be much appreciated.

Many Thanks

Shadow Master

The De-evolution of the 3D Fighting genre

2011-08-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

It came as a huge shock whilst writing this piece that SEGA AM2 have finally decided to make that announcement we (Virtua Fighter Fans) have all been waiting for (for about 3 years). After a 500 page petition, countless emails, fan pages, and forum posts, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown will be released as a stand alone downloadable title over XBLA and PSN in the summer of 2012. This announcement was made on the 24th of August 2011 and stunned Virtua Fighter fans worldwide (many who had lost hope in ever seeing this game on home consoles stateside and in Europe). For those of you who are not familiar with Virtua Fighter 5, Final Showdown is the latest revision to the Virtua Fighter 5 titles released on the PS3 and XBOX 360 respectively, and was only available in the Japanese arcades. This particular revision brings a multitude of changes to the game, which include: character balancing, new moves for each character, redesigned stages, new stage soundtracks and even two new playable characters (Taka-Arashi and Jean Kujo) . . . .Ok, Taka is a returning character from VF3, but we might as well consider him brand new. I have spent years watching YouTube videos of highly skilled Japanese players beat themselves silly, displaying skills and techniques I could only pull off after months of dedicated training. To know I can finally have the opportunity to show off my dusty techniques is a thing of joy :) . I'm still speechless and yet ecstatic.

The reason reference was made to Virtua Fighter is because I was gearing up to deliver a stinking essay expressing my utmost discontent for SEGA and AM2's decision to ignore their Virtua Fighter fan-base outside Japan (this outburst fitted nicely in the piece). The announcement however came right on time, and has seemingly changed the outlook of things. The core of the piece still remains unchanged.

Now back to the subject at hand: Why the noticeable decline in variety of 3D fighting franchises over the last decade ? It seems as though the number of competing 3D fighting franchises fall under the respective umbrellas of Virtua Fighter, Tekken, and Soul Calibur. Other 3D fighting game franchises have now become fossils, and have not been fortunate enough to see our present generation of consoles. And there has been no effort what so ever to revive them. The same cannot be said for the 2D fighting franchises that are currently enjoying critical and commercial success. These include Street Fighter 4 (and all its permutations), Blaz Blue series, Guilty gear series, King of fighters series, Marvel vs Capcom 3 (and all its permutations), Skullgirls, Arcana Hearts 3, and even the Mortal Kombat (2011) Reboot (which I class as a 2D fighter seeing as the character models and stages are modeled in 3D, however the fighting takes place on the X & Y axes).

Now don't get me wrong. I appreciate & like 2D fighters, but my heart belongs to the 3D fighting genre . . . . I can't seem to shake of the Z axis and the potential depth it offers with regards to gameplay. Ok, I know perfect execution of super attacks, forward rolls, counters, jumps and back dashes (to name a few) all exist in 2D fighters, and I fully acknowledge mastering such tactical maneuvers are essential to winning a match. However the Z axis takes this idea to a whole new level. An excellent example is in the Virtua fighter series, where pressing the up or down on the directional pad just when your opponent launches an attack causes you to evade to the corresponding direction. Till date, the Virtua Fighter series is the only 3D fighting game series to successfully implement such an excellent fighting maneuver. You have to see it in action to really appreciate it because it truly takes the fighting to a level beyond mere blocking and countering. Check out this Virtua Fighter 5: R Video (Lau Chan vs Pai Chan) . . . . Tell me if you can spot what has just been discussed. Observe very closely.

We also have the bound mechanic implemented in Tekken 6 as well, which exists to extend character combos and has also radically altered the ideology of air only juggles. It has really changed the way Tekken players approach the game, and adds more depth to the fighting system. It forces players to think outside the box, with highly skilled players choosing to implement the bound close to the walls for maximum damage. With all that has been said, I am confident there is room for innovation in the 3D fighting arena. The DE-evolution of 3D fighting games could possibly be due to the fact that the major 3D fighting franchises have pretty much solidified themselves in a seemingly shrinking market, therefore developers considering introducing new 3D fighting franchises find it too risky to go up against the well established heavy weights. The fear of being labelled copycats maybe ?

Virtua Fighter 5 sold poorly on the home consoles (I blame this on SEGA for releasing radically different versions of the game on both the PS3 and XBOX 360). Many even doubted the future of the series till the recent announcement. Tekken is a long running 3D fighting series from Namco that allows highly skilled players and beginners access the game for different levels of play (buttons are mapped to each limb, which is very logical and intuitive). That alone makes Tekken more accessible to a wider audience, which as a result makes it more popular. Virtua Fighter on the other hand cannot boast the same accessibility. Although the character commands in Virtua Fighter revolve around P,K, and G (Punch, Kick and Guard), progressing down the move list will make you break more than a sweat. It can be quite unforgiving. Virtua Fighter requires a certain level of discipline and dedication (especially with the command inputs), and sadly, not every one has the time & will power to dedicate to such a strict, yet rewarding system. This alone has hampered the reception and popularity of the series over time. Hopefully Final Showdown can attract more players to what I believe is the deepest 3D fighting game till date.

And we have the character customisations. So it doesn't seem as though I am praising Virtua Fighter 5 a bit too much, head over to YouTube, watch a few Virtua Fighter 5: R and Final Showdown videos and marvel at the incredibly diverse character customisation options available for each character. It's pretty much insane. Till date, I am yet to see a 2D fighter that even comes anywhere close to offering the wealth of items and customisations a 3D fighting game like Virtua Fighter offers. Once again, I'm not attacking 2D fighters . . . Im just giving reasons why I love 3D fighting games, pointing out the noticeable decline in variety of 3D fighting franchises and also highlighting what makes 3D fighters unique.

Below is a table I have taken the time to construct and it shows 3D Fighting games releases & the release years in brackets. Upcoming releases are included (pretty much confirmed). Please click to view larger version. N.B.: The Table has been updated to reflect more accurate data since the original post was made.

Table 1

The data in the table only serves to back up my initial point: Virtua Fighter, Tekken, and Soul Calibur are the last of the 3D fighting game franchises to make it to the present generation of consoles (N.B.: The table contains abbreviations for installments of each franchise. If you research the main franchises, the abbreviations can be deciphered). Some 3D fighting games like Toa Feng: Fist of the lotus, and Kakuto Chojin never lived to enjoy a 2nd installment (especially Kakuto Chojin seeing as it was surrounded by controversy). Bloody Roar surprisingly tried to keep up, but ultimately died a quiet death (the game play never really evolved ?). And as for the Dead or Alive series ? I reserve my Judgement till I hear an announcement with regards to the rumored 5th installment. But I personally went far away from the Dead or alive series due to the lack of distinctive move sets, and over reliance on a counter system (that got boring quickly). The most accurate description of the Dead or Alive series is a " highly advanced poke-fest ". I hope the fighting system gets a complete overhaul when and if the 5th installment finally gets released on consoles.

Looking at popular fighting competitions like the Evolution Championship Series, GVN Summer Jam, and UFGT Resurrection, you instantly notice these competitions are dominated by 2D fighting games like: Arcana Heart 3, Blaz Blue Continuum Shift II, Guilty Gear XX, Accent Core, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Melty Blood Actress Again, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition e.t.c. Tekken 6 is an exceptional appearance that breaks the 2D trend seeing as Namco actually listen to their fans and support tournaments like these (SEGA, I hope you're reading this, market your game well or people will not know what exactly it is and what it's capable of, support competitions like these outside Japan. You have fans outside Japan !!!!!).

With all that has been said, I am really hoping to see developers give birth to new 3D fighting franchises that will in turn result in some variety. Its nice seeing the heavy weights give us new installments to the 3D fighting games we know and love, but I feel they need to be challenged by new franchises to help them evolve in a healthy manner. Competition breeds innovation . . . Will we see a new 3D fighting franchise soon ? Time will tell. But for now ? Lets enjoy what we have and look forward to what's coming over the years ahead :-) . . .

Your Thoughts ?

Many Thanks

Shadow Master

My Top 10 Game trailers, teasers and Intros

2011-08-24T00:28:00.000-07:00

A good game introduction or teaser (in a lot of cases) usually sets the tone for a game, or an upcoming title still in progress. I love intros and teasers. They tend to give you a good feel for what to expect story and gameplay wise. Although CG teasers are not an accurate representation of what to expect from the gameplay, they are still vital for the immersion and entertainment factor.

With that in mind, I present to you my Top 10 game trailers, teasers and intros (CG & Gameplay included). They are not ranked in order of preference, however the number 1 game intro on the list clearly deserves that spot. It is still my best game intro, and I'm yet to come across another than can topple it. I've watched it that many times, I know every sound effect and dialogue down to the Japanese Pronunciations (and each time I do watch it, it still has the same "wow" effect on me) I believe "EPIC" is the word . . . .

1) Onimusha 3: Demon Siege Intro (PS2): My undisputed number 1 game intro of all time. This was enough to make me purchase the game (even though Samanusoke Akechi was incapable of performing those moves in real time). An excellent intro by a CG team known as 'Robot'.

2) White Knight Chronicles (Cinematic Trailer) (PS3): I never paid attention WKC until I saw this particular cinematic trailer. There was a certain climax to the trailer and this was augmented by the fantastic soundtrack. Brilliant stuff.

3) Lost Odyssey TGS Trailer 2006 (XBOX 360): A few years back (when I was still undecided as to what console to purchase), I remember being so compelled by this trailer, I almost bought an XBOX 360 Just to play the game. Bear in mind I suck at RPG's.

4) Ninja Gaiden TGS 2003 trailer (XBOX): A trailer from my favourite action adventure game. Enough said :)

5) Rockstar Games Presents: Table Tennis (trailer) (XBOX 360): A short trailer of a game I usually wouldn't give much attention to. It was a well produced trailer with a catchy soundtrack to accompany it.

6) Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Trailer (PS3, XBOX 360): A brilliant trailer from Konami's action adventure game.

7) God of war 3 official teaser trailer (PS3): What can I say ? A fantastic mouth watering trailer composed entirely of in-game graphics and assets. The EPIC God Killing Son of a B*tch Kratos did it again.

8) Tekken 5 Intro (PS2): Another very good intro.

9) Virtua Fighter 4 intro (PS2): Watching this brings back sweet memories :) I shed a tear :(

10) Shenmue trailer (DreamCast): SEGA, please bring this game back, A remake of Shenmue 1&2 and Shenmue 3 will bring the gaming industry to its knees.

Bonus Trailers/intro's that didn't make the Top 10 but are still worth mentioning:

11) Killzone 2 intro (PS3): A well produced solid intro.

12) Fahrenheit intro (PS2, XBOX, PC):

13) Resident Evil 4 trailer (PS2, Game Cube):

14) Virtua Fighter 5 AOU Final Showdown (Arcade): SEGA, we still have faith in you :)

What are your thoughts ? I'd love to know what game trailers and intro's got your mouths watering. Feel free to comment/suggest.

Many Thanks
Shadow Master

Conan (2007): A retrospective . . .

2011-08-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Conan (2007: PS3, XBOX 360)

Whilst brainstorming a list of games to dissect for the sake of 'the fading genres', I stumbled upon a few titles that were seemingly worthy of making the list but ultimately fell short. My mind was set on digging out those forgotten & underrated titles that inevitably ended up being engulfed in the ever changing world of video games. Now don't get me wrong, I will eventually investigate titles that had the potential to be great/good, but ended up being consumed by various mitigating circumstances. But I will also give credit where it is due (regardless of what the critics have to say). So I sat and pondered at my top 20 action adventure games of all time (these include hack and slash games), and my eyes met with a particular name . . . . that name was none other than 'Conan' . . .Now for those of you who never granted this game the time of day (or night), please be patient and hear me out (I'm not crazy yet). What I will do is give reasons why Conan was a very good action adventure game (and why it is on my personal top 20 action adventure games list), why it was underrated and sold poorly, and where exactly Conan went wrong. For the record, I am deeply rooted in my action adventure titles (Ninja Gaiden review will be coming sooner or later), so I know a good one when I play one. And as you have already gathered, I love a good engaging story. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Metal Gear Solid-Esque plot. Something comprehensive that gives the player sense of purpose will usually suffice. Without further ado, let us now dive into the world of Conan (2007: PS3, XBOX 360).

Conan is a single player third person action adventure game developed by Nihilistic Studios and was published by THQ for the PS3 and XBOX 360 in 2007. Conan in the video game was obviously based on the popular 'Conan the Barbarian' character created by Robert E. Howard. According to Vgchartz sales data, Conan sold a total of 303,070 worldwide for both the PS3 and XBOX 360. That figure is disappointing to say the least when put up against other action adventure games that have sold more, but which I feel were not even up to Conan's standards (that argument is for another post). The Vgchartz figure is by no means concrete or an accurate depiction of the real game sales data. It is however valid for estimation. Nihilistic studios evidently set out to create a daring and gory action adventure game (based on a known character) with nudity and a cohesive story to wrap up the package. And I can confidently say they achieved their goal to a certain degree.

The story of Conan tells the tale of a brute and fearless barbarian on a quest to defeat an evil wizard and recover his lost Armour while at it. While embarking on his quest around locations set in mythical world of Hyboria, Conan will encounter a variety of enemies from colossal beasts to annoying human bosses that are very good at blocking your attacks. The final boss fight might give you a cardiac arrest . . . Imagine a spinning tree with branches all the way down the stem . . . Get the picture ? There are other plot elements interwoven within Conan's main reason for going berserk, but as usual, I choose not to reveal them for the sake of those yet to play the game (because I'm so thoughtful). The story in summary is decent and avoids being convoluted. I still vividly remember dropping my control pad, smiling and applauding the game as I watched it end. The obvious comparisons to God of War were inevitable. And quite frankly Conan is a game that evidently drew some sort of inspiration from the God of War series. But I think thats where the problem lay. It seemed people were too quick to Judge the game and call it a " God of War Rip-off " without giving it a chance what so ever. And it is a big shame, because Conan was a truly satisfying action adventure game in its own right. And if you have judged it too quickly, you should reconsider your judgement for you have overlooked one of the best action adventure games this generation. Conan certainly didn't set out to beat God of War, neither did it intend to be the turning point of action adventure games. It simply set out to do what it said on the tin, and more . . .

Now let us discuss the combat and gameplay mechanics. Those of you familiar with action adventure games know that an engaging story isn't always good enough to cover up a poor combat system. Luckily Conan is able to deliver enjoyable, satisfying and rewarding combat. Included in the gameplay are the familiar context sensitive button sequences, interactive button sequences, QTE's, platforming, puzzles, counter attacks, decapitations, disembowelment e.t.c. I particularly liked the " Song of Death " which is earned after successively racking up combos against your enemies which resulted in higher damage attacks for a short duration of time. Conan can evade and block enemy attacks, and if an enemy's attack is blocked just before it hits, you can execute a brutal counter attack or an instant kill (please note that these instant kills are ineffective against bosses). Another aspect of the gameplay I truly liked is the fact that Conan can pick up enemy weapons, shields, and can even dual wield basic lighter weapons. Stronger and much heavier weapons cannot be dual wielded seeing as they deal far more damage per hit (and are slower). Conan can ofcourse summon fire, raven, and Medusa-Esque magic, which are gained by collecting magic points. Experience points can also be collected to upgrade your weapons and gain new skills for each weapon. You can also restore Conan's health by collecting green runes. Nihilistic studios did a notable job of actually properly implementing all the aforementioned gameplay elements without the feeling of things being shoved in. This is the respect I will always have for this game. The combat and gameplay excel on many levels.

A note of warning: please do not expect to button bash your way through this game. You definitely will not progress past first two stages. The game rewards you for using your weapons wisely and constructing your combos with some intelligence. Your defense is vital and can be as rewarding and gratifying as knowing your offensive attacks.

So where exactly did Conan go wrong ? For starters, the visuals are unpleasant to the eye, and do the overall game no justice. Presentation is a very huge part of selling a game. Bad presentation could really hamper the sales potential and acceptance of any title. The textures for the most part are plain, the blood effects are exaggerated to a nauseating degree, the environments also needed some attention, seeing as they were as plain as the character textures themselves. In Conan's defense, I do realize the project was pushed forward a year (THQ's decision) for financial reasons, and this could explain why the graphics were seemingly ' half baked '. It is sad to think such a good game was let down by average - below average visuals. The screen shots below provide examples:

Conan 2007 (PS3, XBOX 360) Screen 1

Conan 2007 (PS3, XBOX 360) Screen 2

Conan 2007 (PS3, XBOX 360) Screen 3

Do you get the picture ? More time could have been allocated to the overall graphical presentation of Conan. It seems Nihilistic studios needed the extra time, and it is a shame the project was brought forward for financial reasons (ironically the game suffered sales wise). I remember telling a friend of mine (who also owns a PS3) just how much I enjoyed playing Conan, and even before I finished speaking, he swiftly cut in and said " There is no way I would put that game in my PS3, the graphics almost made me cry ". First impressions count, and no matter how much "hardcore gamers" scream and shout " its all about the gameplay !!!! ", I have to say the visuals add significantly to the overall immersion. The visuals are the first thing your eyes absorb and judge instantaneously. Even if you train your mind not to judge a game merely by it's visuals, the subconscious certainly does pick up on it. But as I have said before, Conan is an exception. Please do not let the such deter you away from such a rewarding experience. Many judged it by that, hence the poor sales.

As mentioned before, Conan is a game I feel shouldn't be judged by God of War standards. God of War had the time and resources to truly reach its full potential. A direct comparison would be unfair. You need to play it to see why.

With all the downsides that have been mentioned so far, I look back at Conan and see a game that was let down by the poor decision to release a half baked product a year early. I see a game that was judged by it's visuals. I see a game that was not given a fighting chance at all. I see a game that was branded a God of War copycat. And it is a huge shame because Conan easily made my top 20 favourite action adventure games list. With lazy graphics, a good story, a rewarding deep (ish) combat system and other well implemented game elements, I think Conan does deserve a second chance. As a matter of fact, I think I'll be playing it again this weekend, I'm feeling quite Barbaric :) . . . . (Sorry I couldn't help myself).

Here is the official trailer:

Your Thoughts ?

Shadow Master

Fahrenheit: A Quick retrospective . . .

2011-08-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

Fahrenheit (2005: PS2, XBOX, PC)

Many of you might remember Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in North America). On the other hand, a lot of you might have never come across it at all (or even heard of it). I count myself lucky enough to have experienced this truly cinematic and immersive game. In my most humble opinion, it is definitely one of those games that deserved a sequel (or even prequel). Saying that, Fahrenheit wasn't without it's faults. But those faults can be forgiven to a certain degree seeing as majority of the game was spectacular, the dialogue was well thought out and the action as well as suspense had me at the edge of my seat. Funnily enough, I actually purchased the PS2 version of Fahrenheit and played it on my " Phat " backward compatible 60 gb PS3 (now sadly deceased due to a drive failure).

Fahrenheit was developed by Quantic Dream (makers of the excellent 'Heavy Rain') and was released in September 2005 (PC, XBOX, and PS2). It was manufactured and marketed by Atari Europe and has sold 700,000 copies worldwide till date. I vividly remember walking into various game stores, stopping and staring at the box art and not really not having the will to make any further inquiries about the game. I think the blood soaked dagger and open palms intrigued me initially. In fact I remember on one occasion, I picked the DVD case up and read the game synopsis at the back cover and thought " Most likely another boring game trying too hard . . a definite time waster " . . . . Don't worry, I ate those words eventually.

Fahrenheit revolves around Lucas Kane, and the predicament he finds himself in, when he strangely falls into a trance and murders a man in the restroom of an East Side diner in New York. The unexplained event puts Lucas in a cat and mouse game with the police, and he constantly has to stay ahead and think on his feet to stay alive. Other unexplained events and murders occur, and Lucas plagued with these strange visions is determined to find out what exactly is going on. Two other integral characters to the story are Inspector Carla Valenti and agent Tyler Miles (both of which you control at some point in the game).

What made Fahrenheit such an unforgettable experience is the overall atmosphere the game was able to maintain, while allowing the player create a connection with the main characters with such ease. You don't ask to be sucked in, but it's almost guaranteed you will be. Not only is your attention on a constant lock down, you are kept guessing and wondering what could happen next. The story and character development were also noteworthy. It was and still is a true interactive cinematic experience. There was an overall gloom to the atmosphere, rather cold, chilling and somewhat downbeat and even the soundtracks reflected that. I enjoyed the game soundtrack that much, I had to download (via amazon MP3 I might add) Martina Topley Birds " Sandpaper Kisses " and Patrice Rushens " Hang it up ". Ok . . . the track " Hang it up " is an upbeat departure from the rest of the games soundtracks, but that is an exception, which I might add was suitable for the portion of the game it accompanied. I choose not to delve any further into the games plot (I'm assuming some of you might have no played it yet), but I must mention that it was a joy controlling Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles. I was pleasantly surprised that their portions of the game weren't just shoved in for good measure. They actually contributed significantly to the games progression. Each of these differing perspectives converge at one point. Even when the main character (Lucas) was unavailable, I found that the game just as enjoyable and intriguing. There was still a sense of purpose. A bit of role play there as well (not the bedroom type). Each of these main characters had their varying personalities that made them distinguishable, and I think that is what made things rather interesting. Even the dialogue between characters in the game wasn't there for filler purposes. Every single sentence uttered by any of the characters in the game was significant. You couldn't possibly miss it. There are other characters in the game I have chosen not to mention. I will leave that to your curiosity.

Notable gameplay mechanics include the use of a mood meter, QTE's (Quick Timer Events), basic decision making options (wrong decisions could land you a quick game over), basic decision making options via conversations e.t.c. These are but a few. The decision making options in the game could have been an attempt to avoid an overly linear experience. Furthermore, these basic decisions had to be implemented because they complemented the overall structure and progression of the game. Giving far too many options could have potentially diluted the story and immersion the developers were aiming for. On the other hand, it could have also made for a much deeper and accomplished game if implemented properly. The rooftop fight, basketball scene, police chase, Lucas's flat (a particular incident comes to mind), sparring scene e.t.c. are only few of the memorable experiences . . .

Even with all the praise bestowed upon this game, it isn't without its faults. I think the main problem I had with Fahrenheit was the rather nonsensical and disappointing ending. It was weak and definitely left a sour taste in my mouth. I guess the disappointment came from having to accept such a poorly thought out ending after such an exhilarating roller coaster ride. It was obviously rushed (budget or time ?) and quite frankly, it is the only bad thing I can say about this game. Those of you who have played it might be able to relate to this, but for those of you who haven't, dont give up just yet. I was left wanting, but there is forgiveness in me.

I would like to use this as an opportunity to congratulate Quantic Dream. They almost gave birth to a masterpiece, and the negative points mentioned should not put any one off the game. Anyone remotely interested in story driven experiences NEEDS to play Fahrenheit. It is something I am confident you wont regret. If you don't have your last generation consoles any longer, you can always pick it up quite cheap on PC. Fahrenheit is an example of a game we don't experience too often in the present generation of consoles, and it is definitely among the forgotten genres/games. I hope maybe one day Quantic Dream could make a sequel ? or even do a remake with a much better ending ? Or, Just what if Fahrenheit was treated to a HD remake with PlayStation Move support, and was bundled on a Blu-ray disk with heavy rain ? That would be a dream come true . . . But a part of me thinks all this merely wishful thinking . . . .

Your thoughts ?
Many thanks
Shadow Master

Lucas Kane

Tyler Miles

Carla Valenti

Before I forget, the Fahrenheit Trailer :) Enjoy . . . .

The " Ice Breaker "

2011-08-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, and welcome to the shadows verdict. I am your host, and my name is the Shadow Master. This blog will be focusing on the " The Fading Genres " in the video game industry and will be looking at games under those genres that seem to have problems finding popularity and/or a huge fan base in the midst of the ever growing popularity of First Person Shooters, casual games, and new gaming trends e.t.c. Unique story driven action adventure games are becoming extinct (except the likes of Heavy Rain and L.A. Noire that received critical acclaim and performed quite well commercially). Even fighting games (except the few popular franchises), struggle to create the same impact in today's video game console market.

The present generation of home consoles consist of the PlayStation 3 (PS3), XBOX 360, and Nintendo Wii. In my most honest opinion, this generation pales in comparison to the PS2, XBOX and Nintendo GameCube days software wise. Yes, the technology of the present generation of home consoles is far more advanced than the previous and it does allow developers to exercise more creative freedom, and yes the advancements in technology have opened new gateways that were almost technically impossible in the previous generation. However something is missing . . . And the missing element to all this is the ' substance ' and unique immersive experiences video games were and are capable of offering. Only few titles this generation can boast of such.

What could possibly be wrong ? Why are the story driven immersive experiences from the previous generation of consoles fading into obscurity ? And What could this mean in the long term for fans and followers of the 'Forgotten genres' ? . . . .

Stay tuned to find out.

In the meantime, feel free to drop your comments and opinions.

Many thanks

Shadow Master