The Red Shoulders

2013-03-26T00:50:00.003-05:00

SECRETS & EXTRAS

Macross 30 features a small number of special, extra content beyond the requisite trophies. You can apply custom music to support skills, unlock an Ultimate Difficulty setting, and start the game over with a New Game Plus function.

NEW GAME PLUS

After clearing the game, you will be prompted to save your cleared game data. Loading the cleared data will allow you to start a New Game Plus! New Game Plus lets you re-select the game's difficulty level (it will also unlock Ultimate difficulty), and lets you carry over all aircraft, pilots, pilot levels and stats, and aircraft parts. It will also unlock the option to replace Leon with any of the NPC pilots.

Keep in mind that quest-related items and tomes do NOT carry over to New Game Plus.

In New Game Plus, Town Shops carry many additional items—most notably new, high-rank aircraft blueprints. See the Shops & Items section for shop inventories.

RACES

There are a number of "races" you can complete to earn special items in the game. The first set of islands can be found in the Yuria field, in the town of Yue.

Yue Races

	Course Name	Gold Reward	Silver Reward	Bronze Reward
1	はぐれ島コース Island Course	三島産キノコ(体力) Mishima Mushroom (Strength)	ステーキ(150g) Steak (150g)	ハンドグレネードⅡ Hand Grenade II
2	メリーゴーランド Merry-Go-Round	三島産キノコ(魂) Mishima Mushroom (Spiritia)	パインサラダ Pineapple Salad	設置式大型爆弾Ⅱ Proximity Mine II
3	ブリタイアスレチック The Britai Stretch	三島産キノコ(集中) Mishima Mushroom (Concentration)	SV-51ツインブースター設計図 SV-51 Twin Booster Blueprints (I)	プラズマグレネードⅡ Plasma Grenade II
4	シューティング Shooting	三島産キノコ(速度) Mishima Mushroom (Speed)	アフターバーナーⅡ Afterburner II	レストレーションキットⅡ Restoration Kit II
5	ダオレンの凱旋門 The Daoren Arch	三島産キノコ(防御) Mishima Mushroom (Defense)	カバ牛アイスクリーム Hippo-Cow Ice Cream	リペアキットⅢ Repair Kit III
6	二重の極み The Twin Heights	三島産キノコ(格闘) Mishima Mushroom (Melee)	VF-1Aスカル小隊機設計図Ⅰ VF-1A Skull Blueprints (I)	高性能レーダー High-Performance Radar
7	柱の海 The Sea Pillars	三島産キノコ(射撃) Mishima Mushroom (Ranged)	アフターバーナーⅢ Afterburner III	ハンドグレネードⅢ Hand Grenade III
8	ブリタイシティ射撃場 Vrlitwhal City Shooting Range	三島産キノコ(体力) Mishima Mushroom (Strength)	VF-1ストライクパック設計図 VF-1 Strike Pack Blueprints	設置式大型爆弾Ⅲ Proximity Mine III
9	ユーリア群島観光ツアー Yuria Archipelago Sightseeing Tour	三島産キノコ(魂) Mishima Mushroom (Spiritia)	三島産キノコ(集中) Mishima Mushroom (Concentration)	プラズマグレネードⅢ Plasma Grenade III
10			VF-21 Fast Pack

Jurgen Races

	Course Name	Gold Reward	Silver Reward	Bronze Reward
1	スピード野郎Aコース Speed Course A	三島産キノコ(集中) Mishima Mushroom (Concentration)	パインケーキ(ハーフ) Pineapple Cake (Half)	ハンドグレネードⅣ Hand Grenade IV
2	リトル･リゾート Little Resort	三島産キノコ(速度) Mishima Mushroom (Speed)	パインサラダ(大盛) Pineapple Salad (Large)	設置式大型爆弾Ⅳ Proximity Mine IV
3	ドラッグレース Drag Race	三島産キノコ(防御) Mishima Mushroom (Defense)	ステーキ(170g) Steak (170g)	プラズマグレネードⅣ Plasma Grenade IV
4	恐竜岩 Dinosaur Rock	三島産キノコ(格闘) Mishima Mushroom (Melee)	究極カバ牛アイスクリーム Ultimate Hippo-Cow Ice Cream	レストレーションキットⅣ Restoration Kit IV
5	柱の覇者 Champion of the Pillars	三島産キノコ(射撃) Mishima Mushroom (Ranged)	アフターバーナーⅣ Afterburner IV	リペアキットⅤ Repair Kit V
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Urthr Races

	Course Name	Gold Reward	Silver Reward	Bronze Reward
1	ATTACK CUBE! Attack Cube!	獅子印三島産キノコ(格闘) Lion's Mark Mishima Mushroom (Melee)	至高カバ牛アイスクリーム Hippo-Cow Ice Cream	リペアキットⅤ Repair Kit V
2	ウルズの奇岩島 Urthr's Rocky Island	獅子印三島産キノコ(射撃) Lion's Mark Mishima Mushroom (Ranged)	VF-25スーパーパック設計図 VF-25 Super Pack Blueprints	レストレーションキットⅤ Restoration Kit V
3	VF機動演習 Valkyrie Maneuvers	獅子印三島産キノコ(体力) Lion's Mark Mishima Mushroom (Strength)	パインケーキ(ホール) Pineapple Cake (Whole)	高性能レーダー High-Performance Radar
4	ガウォーク･バイアスロン Gavokku Biathalon	獅子印三島産キノコ(魂) Lion's Mark Mishima Mushroom (Spiritia)	パインサラダ(ゼントラ盛) Pineapple Salad (Zentora)	ハンドグレネードⅤ Hand Grenade V
5	攻城戦 Siege	獅子印三島産キノコ(集中) Lion's Mark Mishima Mushroom (Concentration)	ステーキ(200g) Steak (200g)	簡易フォールドブースター Simple Fold Booster
6	HIDE and SEEK Hide and Seek	獅子印三島産キノコ(射撃) Lion's Mark Mishima Mushroom (Ranged)	VF-27スーパーパック設計図 VF-27 Super Pack Blueprints	プラズマグレネードⅤ Plasma Grenade V
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SLATE LOCATIONS LIST

Slate tablets serve as the "random pointless collectible" item of Macross 30. There is no point to collecting these items, save to unlock certain trophies. There are 100 total pieces of slate, and you earn one trophy for finding half the amount and one for finding all of them. They appear in the field the same as quest-related items—blue item markers.

No.	Location	No.	Location
1	Near the stone pillar by Leopold City.	51	Archipelago cocoon.
2	Near the stone pillar by Leopold City.	52	Archipelago cocoon.
3	Near the stone pillar by Leopold City.	53	Desert cocoon.
4	Near the stone pillar by Leopold City.	54	Archipelago cocoon, near Vafudr.
5	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	55	Archipelao cocoon.
6	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	56	Inside the Gangleri Ruins.
7	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	57	Archipelago cocoon, West of Yue after 4-2.
8	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	58	Archipelago cocoon, between Mimir and Ratatoskr after 4-1.
9	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	59	Desert cocoon.
10	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	60	Desert cocoon, Northwest of Alfathr.
11	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	61	Desert cocoon.
12	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	62	Inside the Alfathr Ruins.
13	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	63	Desert cocoon.
14	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	64	Base of stone column East of Ratatoskr.
15	Near the stone pillar by Vrlitwhal City.	65	Archipelago cocoon.
16	Near the stone pillar by Bowen.	66	Desert cocoon.
17	Near the stone pillar by Bowen.	67	Inside the Sanngetall Ruins.
18	Near the stone pillar by Bowen.	68	Archipelago cocoon, on island North of Vrlitwhal City.
19	Near the stone pillar by Bowen.	69	Archipelago cocoon, South of Gangleri Ruins.
20	Near the stone pillar by Bowen.	70	Archipelago cocoon.
21	Near the stone pillar by Bowen.	71	Archipelago cocoon, near Baleygr Ruins.
22	Near the stone pillar by Bowen.	72	Glacier cocoon.
23	Near the stone pillar by Bowen.	73	Desert cocoon.
24	Near the stone pillar by Bowen.	74	Inside the Verthandi Ruins.
25	Near the stone pillar by Bowen.	75	Archipelago cocoon, Southeast of Pharos Base/on same island as Bolverkr Ruins.
26	Near the stone pillar by the Bolverkr Ruins.	76	Desert cocoon.
27	Near the stone pillar by the Bolverkr Ruins.	77	Inside the Furoputo Ruins.
28	Near the stone pillar by the Bolverkr Ruins.	78	Archipelago cocoon, on the eastern side of the southern island split in two after 4-2.
29	Near the stone pillar by the Bolverkr Ruins.	79	Archipelago cocoon, East side of the same island as Gangleri Ruins after 4-2.
30	Near the stone pillar by the Bolverkr Ruins.	80	Inside the Gagunrazu Ruins.
31	Near the stone pillar by the Bolverkr Ruins.	81	Glacier cocoon.
32	Near the stone pillar by the Bolverkr Ruins.	82	Archipelago cocoon.
33	Near the stone pillar by the Bolverkr Ruins.	83	Archipelago cocoon.
34	Near the stone pillar by the Bolverkr Ruins.	84	Glacier cocoon.
35	Near the stone pillar by the Bolverkr Ruins.	85	Glacier cocoon.
36	On the floating island near Mimir.	86	Inside the Lalc Ruins.
37	Inside the Bolverkr Ruins.	87	Glacier cocoon, North-Northwest of Lalc Ruins.
38	Desert cocoon, East of Orukozu/South of Cleef Town.	88	Glacier cocoon.
39	Desert cocoon, North of Alfathr.	89	Glacier cocoon, in the sea East of Gefion.
40	Desert cocoon.	90	Glacier cocoon.
41	Desert cocoon.	91	Archipelago cocoon, on far side of island Northeast of Faros Base after 4-2.
42	Archipelago cocoon.	92	Desert Cocoon, Northwest of Alfathr Ruins.
43	Desert cocoon.	93	Glacier cocoon.
44	Base of stone pillar on island in Southwest of Yuria Archipelago.	94	Glacier cocoon.
45	Inside the Baleygr Ruins.	95	Glacier cocoon.
46	Archipelago cocoon.	96	Glacier cocoon.
47	Archipelago cocoon.	97	Glacier cocoon.
48	Desert cocoon.	98	Glacier cocoon, Southeast of Verthandi.
49	Base of the stone pillar near Yue.	99	Glacier cocoon.
50	Inside the Vafudr Ruins.	100	Inside Gurazuheimu Fortress.

Please note that some Slates will not appear until certain chapters.

TROPHY LIST

I've taken the liberty of dividing the trophy list between those trophies that show up automatically in the XMB list (normal trophies) and those that are hidden.

Normal Trophies

Trophy	Type	Requirements
超長時間遊戯船団 Endurance Player	Bronze	Play the game for 30 hours.
ウロボロスヒットチャート常連 Top of Ouroboros' Charts	Bronze	Obtain 500,000G.
VEGAブラックカード所持者 Vega Black Cardholder	Bronze	Spend 300,000G.
バルキリー博士 Professor Valkyrie	Bronze	Obtain 100 blueprints.
古代の謎に迫る者 Face the Ancients' Mystery	Bronze	Find 50 pieces of Slate (石板).
マクロスオールスターズ Macross All-Stars	Bronze	Unlock all characters.
アイシャも満足！ Aisha's Already Satisified!	Bronze	Develop additional equipment for all aircraft (other than DLC).
トレジャーハンター Treasure Hunter	Bronze	Visit all of the caves, ruins, bases and fields.
熱狂的歌姫ファン Devoted Songstress Fan	Bronze	Use all of the support-skill songs.
出撃ラブハート Shutsugeki Love Heart	Bronze	Sortie 100 times.
ミサイルの妖精 Missile Fairy	Bronze	Fire 20,000 missiles.
統合軍チタニウム勲章 Titanium Task-Force Medal	Bronze	Shoot down 1,500 enemy aircraft.
インファイト・アタッカー Infighting Attacker	Bronze	Destroy 100 enemies with melee attacks.
ミサイル・ブレイカー Missile Breaker	Bronze	Use AMS to shoot down 500 missiles.
ヴァリアブル・ファイター Variable Fighter	Bronze	Transform 2,000 times.
空を飛びたい病 The 'I Want To Fly!' Sickness	Bronze	Total travel distance exceeds 10,000km.
エースパイロット Ace Pilot	Bronze	Clear the game on Normal difficulty (or higher).
最強の獅子 The Strongest Leon	Silver	Attain maximum level with Leon Sakaki.
SSS級ハンター SSS-Rank Hunter	Silver	Clear all Hunter Guild quests.
アイシャも大満足！ Aisha's Already Happy!	Silver	Develop all aircraft to Rank 3.
ウロボロス最速レーサー Ouroboros' Fastest Racer	Silver	Achieve gold record time in all of the Bankisshu races.
銀河ヒットチャート常連 Top of the Galaxy's Charts	Silver	Obtain 100,000G.
古代の謎を解き明かした者 Solve the Ancients' Mystery	Silver	Find all 100 pieces of Slate (石板).
SORTIE EXPLOSION Sortie Explosion	Silver	Sortie 200 times.
ミサイルボンバ Missile Bomber	Silver	Fire 50,000 missiles.
ロイ・フォッカー勲章 Roy Focker's Medal	Silver	Shoot down 3,000 enemy aircraft.
ヘッドショット・マスター Headshot Master	Silver	Achieve 150 headshots.
S.M.Sウロボロス支社の精鋭 SMS Elite Ouroboros Branch	Gold	Attain maximum level with 10 characters.
フルチューン・マシーナリー Fully-Tuned Machines	Gold	Completely tune 10 aircraft.

Hidden Trophies

Trophy	Type	Requirements
物語の幕開け Beginning of the Story	Bronze	Clear Chapter 1.
時空を超えた出会い Encounter Beyond Time & Space	Bronze	Clear Chapter 2.
新天地 The New Heaven & Earth	Bronze	Clear Chapter 3.
リオンの過去、ミーナの記憶 Leon's Past, Memories of Mina	Bronze	Clear Chapter 4.
決別 Parting of Ways	Bronze	Clear Chapter 5.
新たな歌姫の誕生 Birth of a New Songstress	Bronze	Clear Chapter 6.
シャロンの誘惑 Sharon's Temptation	Bronze	Clear Chapter 7.
ユルヴァ・アーガへ！ Yuruva Agahe!	Bronze	Clear Chapter 8.
究極のエースパイロット Ultimate Ace Pilot	Gold	Clear the game on Ultimate difficulty.
君は誰とキスをする？ Who Will You Kiss?	Gold	View all of the ending.
銀河を繋ぐ歌声 Voices Across the Galaxy	Platinum	Earn all other trophies in Macross 30.

CUSTOM MUSIC

Macross 30 uses has a very limited custom-music feature. From the options menu, can can choose to replace certain game tracks with music saved on your PS3. Please note that you can only replace music that is used for support skills. (When you have a singer as your support and activate their support skill by pressing circle and cross).

Select which tracks you want to replace from the options menu accessed via the My Ship menu (see Menu Translations section for details). You are allowed to make 3 sets of combinations--playlist 1, playlist 2 and playlist 3. Use the shoulder buttons (R1 and L1) to cycle between playlist tabs.

On the left hand side of the screen are the songs currently assigned to the set. (By default, all three sets are the same, so you won't notice any change when you press R1/L1). Select the song you want to replace and press circle to see a list of the audio tracks you have stored on your Playstation 3's HDD. Simply choose which of your own music you want to replace the game music, and when you're done press Square and confirm by selecting "yes."

If, at any time, you want to remove all of the custom audio selections, simply press the select button to return everything to its default state.

Before exiting the menu, make sure you've got the playlist you want to use highlighted (remember to use the shoulder buttons to cycle between all three playlists). Press the start button, and you should be good to go. The next time you activate a support skill with a musician (Triangle + Circle), you should hear your custom music instead of the default song.

DLC AIRCRAFT

Macross 30 has a small number of DLC Aircraft, all of which (so far) are re-skins of aircraft that exist in-game. All DLC aircraft are available in the hangar upon completion of the tutorial missions (at the commencement of chapter 1-4).

Aircraft	Release Date	Cost
VF-25 Sheryl & Ranka Markings	Feb. 28, 2013	Free with all first-printings of the game.

DLC aircraft do not have different color sets to choose from; the special skins are typically “show” colors—vibrant, detailed illustrations of songstresses from the Macross franchise emblazoned across the Valkryies' fuselage.

2013-03-26T00:49:00.000-05:00

MISCELLANY

The Miscellany section is, well, a dumping ground for miscellaneous content that, while important enough to justify inclusion in the guide, is not important enough to necessitate its own unique section. Want to see the FAQ part of the FAQ/Guide? This is where you'll find it. Want to see what fine people have contributed to the construction of this guide? This is where you'll find them. Want to find my email address so you can forward me your questions/comments/concerns? Again: right here.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will this game ever be localized in English and released outside of Japan?	No. There is absolutely zero possibility of this or any other Macross game ever being localized.
Is this game import-friendly?	Yes and no. It's not a pure action game, like previous Artdink titles, so it does require greater familiarity with menus, text, etc. and a willingness to wade through vast amounts of dialog and exposition. The Hybrid Pack Macross titles (for PS3) are much more import-friendly, but it is my hope that, with this guide, anyone should be able to easily import and enjoy the game without any knowledge of Japanese.
Is this game similar to the PSP Macross games?	Yes and no. The basic mechanics are the same, but the controls are somewhat different--more refined. See the Controls section of this guide for details. It also incorporates many RPG elements, like side-questing, inventory management, and a leveling system.
Is Roy Focker in the game?	No.
How do I play as someone other than Leon?	You can only select different pilots after clearing the game, in New Game Plus.
Why can't I use the Fire Valkyrie/Nekki Basara?	Only Basara is allowed to pilot the Fire Valkyrie, and conversely, Basara is not allowed to pilot any aircraft other than the Fire Valkyrie.
Why aren't all of your translations 100% accurate?	Two reasons. First and foremost, don't expect perfection—I'm far from fluent. Second, in many cases I avoid direct translations in order to best convey information as directly and concisely as possible. For translation guides such as this, clarity is paramount.
How do I earn the "Who will you kiss?" trophy?	Currently, I'm not certain. As far as I know, no one has obtained this trophy yet.

UPDATE LOG

Version 0.50: basic guide created March 11, 2013.
Version 0.51: added lots of item information & guild quest information for the Yuria Archipelago region.
Version 0.65: added a ton of hunter quest information, item information, and shop information.
Version 0.70: added (complete!) Skills & Field Maps sections.
Version 0.75: added first half of Jurgen races & 71 guild quests.
Version 0.76: finished town inventory section; revised town inventory section & items section to take up less space (so many tables).
Version 0.77: some minor corrections & additions; added Slate Locations List.
Version 0.85: added 10 more guild quests (196/200); completed story quest information.
Version 0.95: completed guild quest information (200/200); added time-frame information for guild quests; added blueprint information; added chapter 1 summary; added location information for delivery quest items.
Version 0.96: completed blueprints information; removed aircraft parts translation.
Version 0.97: re-wrote menu translations section for enhanced clarity; posted web version on RedShoulders blog.

CREDITS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I'd like to thank the following wonderful people for helping me construct this guide. I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you very much!

Stephen Hampton	Game screenshots
Zach Zimmerman	Game screenshots
Chronocidal, of MacrossWorldForum	Guild quest information
Juton, of MacrossWorldForum	Map information
Dragon Knight Tonal, of GameFAQs	Typo correction & map information
Hayatekanzaki	Chapter 1 summary information
Leifang2000, of GameFAQs	Custom music information
2Chan M30 Wiki Summary (JPN Source)	Map information & skill information.
Macross 30 Wiki (JPN Source)	Guild quest infromation & item information.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns or contributions for me, please feel free to contact me at mwulf.0079@gmail.com

Macross 30: Voices Across the Galaxy (PS3) Preliminary Translation Guide

2013-03-06T08:11:00.002-06:00

EDIT: View the most up-to-date version of the (still in-progress) guide HERE.

I'm currently working on a translation for the recently-released PS3 Macross game celebrating the franchise's 30th anniversary, "Macross 30: Voices Across the Galaxy." While I toil away on the text document, I thought I'd share some of the Photo-Translations I've finished so far. (Thank you, Zach Zimmerman, for providing the screenshots!)

These images are in no particular order; I will update this post with additional images if an when I end up making them.

First up, the Hangar Menu. Some notes: Squad Settings will take you to the basic unit selection menu, where you pick out your Valkyrie, upgrade your Valkyrie, and do the same for your squadmates. The Mechanics Room is where you go to "upgrade" Valkyries. I'm not entirely competent with the process, but basically you've consume items in order to unlock the next tier of Valkyrie. Hopefully I'll be able to explain this better in the full guide. The "Bridge" is the "My Ship" menu, by the way; and the Item Box is your item storage (you have a limited inventory capacity).

I believe you have unlimited storage capacity in Item Box.

This is the Hunter Guild menu, accessed from the town menu. It's fairly self-explanatory. As for the quests you'll get here, there are a number of different types, most of which (annoyingly) don't have quest markers.

This is the My Ship screen. Exciting stuff, I know. The Gallery is fairly frivilous. You can listen to sound samples, view a Macross dictionary, or look at loading-screen walpaper. Boring. If you want to look at the sexy 3D models in the game, you'll have to do so from the customization menus (I think you have to hit triangle or select).

This is the mechanics room, where you go to obtain upgraded versions of your Valkyrie by consuming items. Each new Valkyrie has certain requirements--X number of Engine Parts, Y number of Frame parts--that you have to meet. Everything is color-coded and pretty self-explanatory.

The options menu! Very handy!

I recommend Control Type B or C. A is terrible.

Be warned that the lock-on mechanics differ for A versus B and C. For A, you tap the button and you lock on. For B and C, you have to hold on to the button to keep the lock--if you depress the button, you loose the lock. You can also move the reticule around while locked to "lead" your targets--gotta love the inclusion of third-person shooting mechanics.

Note that you can score extra damage (critical hits!) by hitting the main body of an enemy, and even more extra damage with headshots. So if you want to take advantage of that skill-based gameplay, you'll have to choose B or C.

(The actual guide will detail all three control schemes, but I won't have different images. Basically, A is PSP controls; B is third-person shooter controls; C is "camera aiming" controls).

This is the pilot stat menu. I assume growth type selection effects the which stats get what increases when you level up. The last two pilot stats are Concentration (which improves lock-on range) and Spirit (which increases the rate at which the SP gauge fills up).

Save/Load menu. Obvious. Keep in mind that circle/cross are confirm/cancel in game, but you use the XMB to save, which switches back to your region default (which is the reverse in EU and NA).

Shopping menu.

Aircraft upgrade menu. Speed determines how fast you move; boost determines how much you drain your boost gauge while boosting/dashing. Mobility translates better as "turning ability," and determines, generally speaking, how maneuverable your Valkyrie is. To my knowledge, Radar Range effects how far away you can establish a target-lock on enemies, but I might be wrong (haven't tested).

Town menu.

This is the item box menu. Very easy to work with. You'll have to wait a bit for translations of all the items. One thing you really NEED TO KNOW right away, however, is that the second item on the list--if you look closely, you'll see it's a box with a cross symbol on it--is a repair kit. Use these in battle to restore HP and never die.

This time, a view of the weapon customization menu. Most of this should be self-explanatory for you. Note that you can use money to buy tuning points (very helpful). Max Targets effects how many different targets you can lock missiles on to; projectile speed determines how fast your bullets/missiles/beams/lasers move.

Each different weapon uses the same kanji for stats, so everything should be easy. The sub-weapons are numbered in the same way as they appear in the UI (sub-weapon 1 is at the top; sub-weapon 3 is at the bottom). Sometimes you'll have multiple primary weapons, too, and will have to look at the actual item name to figure out which is which. You... should be able to figure that out easily enough. If you see "35mm," you're dealing with a solid-shell cannon (like a machinegun) and not a laser sniper rifle, for example.
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Some rough maps.

3D Model: Legend of Galactic Heroes Free Planets Alliance Destroyer

2013-03-06T07:35:00.001-06:00

When I first started playing with Google SketchUp, my basic feeling was, "I want to make models of my favorite starships to play with!"

I was fairly pleased with my model of a Free Planets Alliance Battleship, so I moved on to make another FPA warship--this time, a destroyer. And it was a colossal failure. This is the model that made me abandon my initial train of thought, and focus instead on making my own unique, original models. (Most of which have already been uploaded to the 3D Warehouse; feel free to take a look at them, but I'll be examining them in-depth in future blog posts--those models have a lot of little elements and details you may not notice on your own).

You can download the model for yourself HERE.

Once again, I built this model using only a very, very small .gif image of the lateral hull for reference. Unfortunately, I was not as familiar with the design of the FPA destroyer as I was with the battleship, which led to a number of mistakes. Most noticeably, many of the proportions and design elements are simply wrong.

The real shame of the model, though, was that it was boring. I spent a lot of time working on it, and the final result simply isn't that interesting to look at. I ended up adding quite a bit of detail to the engine "cowl," and that ended up being the only part of the ship that looked remotely interesting.

The main problem is, I think, that the hull is just too boxy, too smooth, and too simplistic. It was a chore to design, and that's why my second FPA model was also my very last one. After this, I began slowly establishing my own, unique fictional setting--mostly an amalgamation of other science-fiction settings I was fond of--and design rules and aesthetic principles, to aid in the creation of my own, original fleets. My early work on LoGH models influenced these later models a great deal--as evidenced by my continued use of LoGH-style "engine cowls." If you're at all interested in ship design, or terribly fond of LoGH-style vessel design specifically, consider checking out some of those original designs.

RPGs Old and New - Iwata Asks Atlus about Etrian Odyssey IV

2013-02-24T22:32:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Etrian Odyssey IV was released in North America on the Nintendo 3DS. Greatly anticipating the game the night prior to release, I began translating an old (Iwata Asks) interview between Nintendo CEO Iwata Satoru, and Etrian Odyssey series' directors Komori Shigeo and Kanada Daisuke, about Etrian Odyssey IV, the series in its entirety, and RPGs in general. There's a lot of very interesting stuff here, so I'd recommend giving it a read if you're at all interested in game design or roleplaying games in particular.

With regard to the Interview's translation itself... it's very rough. I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors, misspellings or inaccuracies that may be present. I went through the interview very quickly in a short two-day span, during which I was also writing a 10-page essay on the emergence of French nationalism (exciting, I know) and plowing through a very depressing Toni Morrison novel. Oh--and I also put a good eight hours into Etrian Odyssey IV, which is a fantastic game that I cannot possibly recommend enough. By the way.

Anyway, the interview here is long--very long. Twenty-sheets-of-paper long. It's most definitely worth reading, don't get me wrong, just make sure you've got the time to wade through it.

Iwata:

Today I'm speaking with Kanada-san and Komori-san, from Atlus, about the upcoming game Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan. Thank you both for coming to speak with me today.

Kanada & Komori:

Thank you for having us.

Nintendo president Iwata Satoru

Iwata:

Let's start off with your work on the Etrian Odyssey series as a whole. What can you tell us about it, Komori-san?

(Note: a dungeon-crawling RPG series, the first game, Etrian Odyssey, was released on the Nintendo DS in January, 2007. The latest game, Etrian Odyssey IV, will be released on the Nintendo 3DS on July 5th, 2012).

Komori:

Of course. I am the current series director for the Etrian Odyssey games. About six years ago I was shown a proposal for a game called Etrian Odyssey, and found it very interesting, so I immediately passed it on to the staff. “We have to make this!” I was also the director of both the second and third installments in the series. For the fourth game, even though I was supposed to the game director and producer, I was busy with other projects at the time. So I said, "Who will take over for me?" Kanada raised his hand and said, “I'll do it!” So I entrusted the Etrian Odyssey IV to Kanada's direction.

(Note: Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard was released on the Nintendo DS in February, 2008; Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City was released in April, 2006).

Iwata:

Well, then, Kanada-san?

Kanada:

Right. Etrian Odyssey IV will be a continuation of the series; overall story, but this time it is Kanada who will be in charge as director! This is my first time working on a game in the capacity of director. My goal is to reach a point where we can call the game "almost finished."

Iwata:

What can you tell us about your previous involvement in the series?

Kanada:

Right. I was an advisor for the battle system with the first game. At that time, I was also working on the Trauma Center series. Every time an Etrian Odyssey game was in development, I seemed in a similar situation working on other projects.

(Note: a medical-action game, Trauma Center was released on the Nintendo DS in June, 2005, but has since seen numerous sequels released on both the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii).

Iwata:

I see. Thank you very much. Now, before we discuss the fourth game here, I'd like to ask the two of about the “backbone” of your careers with gaming. First, Komori-san, how did first become involved in gaming?

Komori:

I think it's the same story for everyone from my generation: when I was in the lower grades of elementary school, I was mesmerized by the NES. Friends would bring their cartridges over to play with, and every time you loaded it up there was always a fresh, new experience.

Iwata:

Back then, the whole notion that "this happens inside the television," so to speak, was profoundly shocking.

Komori:

Yes. I was especially fond of Dragon Quest. It was a lot of fun go out on this big adventure, to become a character in the game--it was a very enjoyable experience.

Then, when I moved on to high school, I got addicted to tabletop RPGs.

(Note: the first Dragon Quest game was released in May, 1986, for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and became synonymous with the roleplaying game genre).

Iwata:

Oh, so that's what you were into.

Komori:

Yes. Back then I was in the art club at school, and we turned it into the “Tabletop RPG club.” (Laughs). In my student days I played a lot of tabletop RPGs, starting with Dungeons and Dragons.

Iwata:

Did that make your club neglect its art? (Laughs).

Komori:

Of course. (Laughs). I'd play tabletop RPGs at school, then I'd go home to play computer games. So, when it came time to decide what I wanted to do after graduation, all I could really think was that I really wanted to work with my favorite things....

At the time, it was very difficult to find a job in the gaming industry, so I had to settle for a much more normal job at a local company.

Iwata:

"I like games, but they can only be my hobby" is what you decided, then.

Komori:

Well, in the end, I thought “This isn't right,” and I ended up quitting the company after only three days. (Laughs). I eventually moved to Kyoto and started working at a game company there.

One day a memo was passed around detailing the previous game, and at the bottom it said, "now think about how to make the next game amazing by yourself."

I looked at it and thought, "Eh? how would I make an amazing game?" I started drafting out some concepts on my own, so as I remember it, I taught myself how to make games then and there.

Iwata:

When I think about how things used to be, I always start out going, "Oh, how awful that was!" But I also have to remind myself what a fortunate time it was.

Etrian Odyssey series director, Komori Shigeo

Komori:

Personally, I felt very blessed. Now, suddenly, they were allowing a rookie to stand up and say, "Let's try and make this into a game!" I kept thinking, "My boss is a really nice person." (Laughs).

Iwata:

Or too engrossed in Dragon Quest to care.

Do you think your affinity for pend-and-paper game and roleplaying games has had much influence on the games you've worked on?

Komori:

That's true. If you love the RPG genre, you go into things thinking, "I want to make an RPG I'd love!" It has a lot of impact on your process.

After a few years, I was working in Atlus' Kansai branch. I ended up working on Shin Megami Tensei simply because I really wanted to make an RPG.

(Note: a roleplaying game for the Nintendo SNES, Shin Megami Tensei was released in October, 1992).

Iwata:

Speaking of Atlus, shouldn't you be working on a very long-awaited RPG right now?

Komori:

That Atlus RPG... is made by the people in the Tokyo headquarters.

Everyone:

(Laughs).

Iwata:

Would you rather they made it in Kansai? (Laughs).

Komori:

Yes.... (Laughs).

For a while there, they had me working on a fighting game. Because it was so different from an RPG, even though it was fun to work on, I kept thinking, "I really want to make an RPG one day!" And I prayed for an opportunity.

Iwata:

Now then, Kanada-san, let's talk about how you were introduced to video games.

Kanada:

I'm of the same generation as Komori, so I also first got into gaming with the NES. The first game I played was Popeye. It was at a friend's house and it was my first time seeing a video game, so I was quite surprised. Even though were weren't really good friends up until then, after that I went over to his house to play every day. (Laughs).

(Note: Based on the American cartoon, "Popeye," the action game of the same name was released on the Nintendo NES, Arcades, and Nintendo Game & Watch in 1983, 1982 and 1981, respectively).

Iwata:

Back then I was in a similar position, too. I'd go home and before I decided whether or not to visit a friend, I'd ask them "Is there an NES?" And that's how I decided.

Kanada:

Exactly. (Laughs)

Maybe it's because I was a kid, but I'd look at the movement of an enemy thug in those days and think he moved a little differently, and think "This guy... he's getting stronger and stronger!?"

I would imagine all kinds of things. "Do you remember me from yesterday, you jerk!" Things like that.

Iwata:

Ahh, that's incredible. Why did you think things like that?

Kanada:

My imagination was quite swollen.

Iwata:

Did you find yourself drawn to any one genre?

Kanada:

The same as Komori: I, too, loved RPGs.

It was really refreshing to be able to enjoy the story from a character's perspective, and I'd get obsessed with the game's world. Someone would bring an instruction book to school, for example, and everyone would gather around the manual. We'd look at pictures of the weapons, like a sword or even a club, and say, "Wow! Cool!" (Laughs).

Iwata:

Is a picture of a club really that exciting? (Laughs)

Kanada:

"A spear!"

"A club!"

Anyway... it was just exciting. At the time, it was really just the beginning of the Dragon Quest explosion.

Iwata:

Dragon Quest III, in particular. There was a really long queue on the day it was released. I really got into the series from that tradition.

(Note: Dragon Quest III was a roleplaying game released on the Nintendo NES in February, 1988).

Kanada:

Yes, indeed. It was a social phenomena. Because I experienced it from the perspective of a player, I think it had an even greater impact. While the games got bigger and longer, I went to college to study film and visual art.

Iwata:

"A person who aspires to work in the video game industry," then? There were lots of people like that back then. Or was gaming simply another media for visual expression to you?

Kanada:

Yes. At the time, working with games wasn't something I'd really thought about doing. It seemed too much like having my head in the clouds. I had a senpai who got a job in the game industry, and I realized that it was something I really wanted to do, myself.

Iwata:

Ah, so you were able to get into the industry because you were close to other people who were in the inside.

Kanada:

Yes. I was very excited to work for a company that made games, and right away I helped develop the company's first fighting game.

Iwata:

Oh, so both of you were involved in fighting games.

Kanada:

But, after all, back then I was only working on the planning side of things. While I was at that company, I'd think, "I really want to make an RPG after all!" That feeling kept getting stronger, so left and joined Atlus.

Iwata:

Kanada-san, at Atlus, were you able to work on that RPG?

Kanada:

Yes, because I was fortunate enough to be working in Tokyo. (Laughs).

Iwata:

It's funny that the both wake up with this feeling of, "Today I want to make an RPG!" In your hearts. What is it about RPGs that the two of you found so irresistible?

Komori:

Hm... that's a difficult question, you know.

There's the raw RPG experience of Wizardry and Dragon Quest and Ultima, but with tabletop RPGs, the only thing that exists is the rule book. They allow you to go on adventure of your own, to play and think freely.

(Note: Wizardry is a roleplaying game series first released on the PC in the United States in 1981; in Japan, the PC version was released in 1985 and later ported to the NES in 1987. Since then, the series has been ported to many platforms. Ultima is a roleplaying game series first released on the PC in the United States in 1979; in Japan, the PC version was released in 1985 and later ported to the NES in 1986. Since then, the series has been ported to many platforms).

Iwata:

Because you have a Game Master (GM) controlling the game, you need a good GM, don't you? To help make the world more interesting.

Komori:

That's right, you need a good GM to make it enjoyable. I think I'm mostly attracted to the fact that RPGs can let you experience that same feeling of not playing by yourself, even though you're in a virtual world.

Iwata:

What do you think, Kanada-san?

Kanada:

RPGs are a "story where you are the hero," and that's a very appealing concept. When I was a child, that was really the feeling I wanted to experience. When everyone gathers together for an RPG, and a friend is put to sleep in combat, you'll get so immersed in the game that you'll shout out, "Wake up!" That happens all the time.

Iwata:

And even though one person is controlling everything as a GM, you all react as though you're in the fight together.

Kanada:

That's right.

I've also got a party on this side of the television. (Laughs).

Only now, you're playing the probabilities all the time, so when a character gets put to sleep, it makes it feel like you've got the same thing happening. That's what an RPG is--something that entertains you with your own imagination.

Iwata:

From the Etrian Odyssey games, it seems to me that both of you are enamored with the original experience of the great, old RPGs, and are saying "I will deliver this experience to a game console."

Etrian Odyssey IV director, Kanada Daisuke

Kanada:

Eh... that might be right.

Compared with the past, game consoles these days really have a lot of graphical capability. Because of that, there's a lot less of the game you're able to use your imagination to enjoy. The part of me that loved using my imagination in games hasn't diminished at all, though.

After all, I think imagination is the "air" of the story you're playing in, and you really need a sense of imagination in order to enjoy the game. Just like in the old days. You've always got to be conscious of that.

Iwata:

The RPG is a major genre all around the world, and as game consoles continue to develop rapidly, RPGs have developed in the direction of increasingly deep combat systems and visual detail.

However, the desire to make an RPG that requires an "inflated imagination" in order to fully enjoy seems to be a common point with both of you.

Kanada:

Even now, in the current generation, I think there's a feeling of "I want to feel the same 'air' I tasted in childhood."

Iwata:

While one person is holding the controller, everyone else is shouting with the mood of the party. It's a very unique experience. (Laughs).

Kanada:

It really is an incredibly fun thing! Even sitting behind, you can feel the magic that comes with each turn. "This guy! He's doing really good!" Like that. Even though there may be no basis at all for that kind of feeling in the music of image of the monsters, it just a human weakness--you have to imagine something like that.

Everyone:

(Laughs).

Iwata:

When you first saw the proposal for Etrian Odyssey, Komori-san, which aspect of the game most resonated with you?

Komori:

At the time, I thought, "I really want to create a game reminiscent of Wizardry," but I also wanted to capture the feeling of, "This is really close to a tabletop RPG."

I also felt I wanted to make a game that wouldn't have a complicated flow. I wanted to play something simple, something that contained the purest essence of an RPG.

Iwata:

How would you define the "essence of an RPG?"

Komori:

I think that, with Etrian Odyssey, the elements I focused most on the three elements that were most important in Wizardry. I think those three are the most important RPG elements: "growth," "battle," and "exploration."

Iwata:

And when you boil down the essence of those things, do you get something called Etrian Odyssey?

Komori:

Yes, I think so.

Iwata:

When you made the first game, did you meet much resistance with that core concept?

Komori:

Actually, there were only about six people on working the the team, including the development staff. So, yes, I did feel some resistance, but I think that's mostly because just making the game was hard. (Laughs).

Iwata:

But it was very daring at the time. To go out and make a new RPG must have been quite the hurdle; there must have been many difficulties you had to overcome before you could finish it.

Komori:

Yes. But, remember, "battle" is an essential essence of an RPG. That said, it was a good situation with the team we had, and I was able to pull lots of good ideas out of Kanada.

Iwata:

Kanada-san, you helped out a lot with Etrian Odyssey. What was your first impression of the game?

Kanada:

...Honestly, "Is something like this all right?" Is what I thought. (Laughs).

Iwata:

Because you were going against the grain of contemporary RPGs.

Kanada:

That's right.

To be brutally honest, you can spend a lot of time decorating an RPG to make it look more appealing, but you'll pay for that, because what matters more is the simplest combat mechanics, and without them your RPG won't really have much life in it.

Iwata:

"It's not complex, but it still has to be appealing," then? That's a very difficult proposition.

Kanada:

Yes. But there's a certain grace to turn-based RPGs, making games that switch in and out of combat so simply. When someone does it well, I feel envious.

Iwata:

That's something that reminds me a lot of the good old days of RPGs.

Kanada:

Yes. It's the root of a good game. If you do it well, the final product will "absolutely become fascinating."

Iwata:

Komori-san, you've also said that simplicity is as important in RPGs as it is in painting, or music, or writing. How would you evaluate yourself on overcoming the challenges involved with creating the first game??

Komori:I had to always remember to think in that direction. The clear aim was to engender nostalgia, and to stimulate the imagination. At the time, Game Books were really big. I had to keep in mind that I was catering to a specific taste. I would think to myself, "Don't you really want to make an RPG that stimulates the imagination?" I thought the best way to make a game like that was through text, so I moved on to the Nintendo DS. That's about the time I became a director.

(Note: Game Books were stories written for the purpose of allowing you to experience the same thrill of playing an RPG. The reader chooses certain options while reading, which change the storyline and ending. Also known as "choose your own adventure" books).

Iwata:

Was that a refreshing experience for you?

Komori:

Yes. When creating text, I always needed to be aware of the point of view for things such as talking to players and walking through a 3D dungeon to "create the atmosphere."

Iwata:

How did that influence the creation of visuals? How did you convey that atmosphere through the battle system?

Komori:

I just asked the director of the first game, and Hinata-san, who worked on Etrian Odyssey since the first game game. He gave it a very catchy atmosphere. He did all of the artwork for the game, and is responsible for the character of the series.

Iwata:

At the time, the combination of art and combat was very unique. What about the music?

Komori:

I asked Koshiro-san to compose the music. The midi music is a great sound for our generation, as it's kind of like a spice that "stimulates the imagination." But I also thought it would feel "fresh" to younger gamers.

(Note: Koshiro Yuzo is a composer who has composed music for many game series, including Ys and Professor Layton).

Iwata:

I get it.

"To combine fascinating new things with things that have been lost? I think it will be interesting." That is the challenge of making "Etrian Odyssey."

Komori:

The development staff had confidence in their ability to make an interesting game. However, there was some anxiety. "Will this thing really sell in today's market?"

To be honest, I felt some resistance even after release. It was a feeling of, "This is it..." That time had finally run out.

Iwata:

Were you able to anticipate how people would react to the game?

Komori:

We knew there were other people like ourselves who shared our nostalgia, but it was unexpected to see just how many of the younger generation were able to appreciate the same type of RPG.

Iwata:

You did say that midi sounds fresh for younger gamers earlier. That it wasn't something only older fans could appreciate. Kanada-san, what do you think?

Kanada:

Although I agree there is "freshness" there, certainly, I think the key point is "Atlus has challenged the essential qualities of a fun RPG." I'm in the same crowd saying, "I want to enjoy more of core RPGs," and I think it's a big crowd with a loud voice.

Iwata:

A voice that also came out from the younger generation, who were not motivated out of nostalgia. Why do you think younger gamers were able to appreciate the Etrian Odyssey's old school sensibilities?

Kanada:

Yes, it is because it was different and fresh. But really I'm just happy they're all able to enjoy something from my generation.

Iwata:

Why do you think it took so long for a game around those older aesthetics to get made? Why haven't old-style games been seen as viable until recently?

Kanada:

I suspect so.

When the Wii came out, I stood in line all night. (Laughs). We used to be younger gamers, too, and that's the real story of Etrian Odyssey. It may look like something new to the younger generation, like some mysterious presence that can be felt, not heard. It's the kind of game that makes gamers curious and say, "What kind of game might this be?"

Iwata:

I think Etrian Odyssey was a really good match for the DS, using the bottom screen to draw a map and the top screen for the "Etrian Odyssey." Did you decide to make the game like this from the first planning stages?

Komori:

Yes. From the very beginning, we designed Etrian Odyssey I with the assumption that it would be on the DS. "Remember back when we'd draw maps on graphing paper," was our general line of thought.

Iwata:

Oh, yes. Back in those days I'd always be drawing my own maps, but these days all that is done by the computer, isn't it? There's a refreshing, nostalgic quality to drawing your own map with your own hands.

Komori:

Absolutely. When I first learned I'd be able to draw my own maps on a game machine, it struck me as ingenious.

Iwata:

And so the first Etrian Odyssey game was born. Now, let's move on to the sequels. What were the chief themes of the second and third games?

Komori:

After the release of the first game, we saw that there was a large audience for the title, so we had to meet their expectations for Etrian Odyssey II. I looked back at what we did and thought, "How can I make that more interesting?" I did not want to change the core concept of the game in II, so instead I focused on making it easier to play--more accessible.

Iwata:

And you clearly met that goal. How was it with the third game?

Komori:

Well, it was something I really had to think about a lot.

Iwata:

It must have been exhausting to make II after the first game. "Is it okay to keep the game this simple?" That's a natural thought that could cause some conflict with development.

Komori:

Yes, but at the same time you have to worry about deviating too little from the original concept. "Will our audience bet bored with this is we don't change it?"

That's why I added a new thematic element to the game: "Surprising changes."

Iwata:

Were you able to implement that theme as you initially intended?

Komori:

Yes.

At an event prior to the game's release, several gamers tried Etrian Odyssey III. They were a bit puzzled by all of the changes. But they said, "Ah, it's still Etrian Odyssey, after all." I found that very reassuring.

Iwata:

You must have been very happy to hear that. It sounds quite invigorating.

Komori:

Yes. I'd hear things like, "That was so fun!" And, "I did it!"

Iwata:

Well then, let's finally get down to business and talk about Etrian Odyssey IV. How did you start out with the game?

Komori:

The feeling we had was, "Let's make the fourth game for the 3DS!" And we started talking about it right after wrapping up development for III. I used to say, "We'll make a 3D dungeon RPG on the 3DS," because no matter what language you speak, that's just a perfect combination.

Iwata:

It's almost too perfect to believe. "Did they make the 3DS just for Etrian Odyssey?" It's a perfect match.

Komori:

Exactly. (Laughs).

Unfortunately, I was the timing wasn't really good for me as I was busy with other things, and I couldn't really work on the game. Luckily, Kanada had plenty of free time to spare. Kanada had a very strong desire to make IV, and asked to be game director.

Iwata:

You were both involved in development of the series because you shared the same, strong design sensibilities. Did you find it difficult to leave?

Komori:

I did.

I really wanted to think it was possible for me to head up the game, but, of course, it was not possible. I thought the game would probably be fine if I left everything to Kanada. When I left, I told Kanada, "Now I'll be able to enjoy the game the same as everyone else." (Laughs)

Iwata:

So that brings us back to Kanada-san.

Kanada:

...Yes.

Iwata:

The fans must have very high expectations.

Kanada:

Ohh.... It felt like I had a lot of pressure piling up on both shoulders.... (Laughs). I think there were some concerns about the change of director, but there was a feeling that the fourth game would be a milestone for the series.

Iwata:

The fourth entry is certainly very important.

Kanada:

Yes.

Even so, I had been making Trauma Center games for a while. It had been a long time since I'd made an RPG, and my mind was filled with stuff about heart surgery.

Everyone:

(Laughs).

Iwata:

You certainly have to decide on which elements to change, and which elements you dare not change. If you change too much with the new game, you risk it being "Not Etrian Odyssey."

Kanada:

That's right.

Specifically, I couldn't "Squeeze the play out of the game." I had to "Give the audience a question, but not provide an answer." It's all about crafting an experience where thinking is fundamental, but still accessible.

That's why slightly altered the map-making mechanics.

Now, people who are familiar with drawing can still draw out the maps they want, but the auto-mapping functionality also makes it easier for gamers who cannot draw neatly.

Iwata:

A human being's personality is revealed through his or her drawing.

Kanada:

Yes. I went with the assumption that not everyone playing the game would have the same level of drawing ability. Because, to add on to what Komori said about the good old days of RPGs and the three core elements of "Growth," "Battle," and "Exploration," I think the key element of "Exploration" is that you search with the expectation of finding. That's the sentiment I most invested into IV, and I think it's one of the chief attractions of the Etrian Odyssey games.

Iwata:

I see.

Kanada:

Actually, after I decided to be director, I went to hang out with some of my senpai from university, and we drove all around Osaka delivering newspapers. (Laughs).

Iwata:

Ah, I see now. “You, yourself, went on a journey that reminded you of the RPGs you used to play”, is that it? On that journey, did you remember many things?

Kanada:

Yeah. I remembered the atmosphere of playing those games. Before I started work on IV, I thought about how I could “recreate the essence that made those old RPGs so fascinating for me,” I wanted to make the game remind me of those times. Even though it was a very rushed overnight trip, I'm really glad I went. (Laughs).

Iwata:

Which areas of Etrian Odyssey did you think would take the most advantage of the 3DS' features? For example, what kind of feeling do you get from using stereoscopic 3D?

Kanada:

It's a very strange feeling. I see enemies moving about the field, and see depth the background; I can almost feel the air of the labyrinth....

Iwata:

Does it improve the atmosphere of the game?

Kanada:

Well, it definitely makes it much stronger. Because of how compatible the game is with stereoscopic 3D, I decided to separate the enemies into ranks this time. “I think I can make this look better,” was my thinking.

Iwata:

What about the wireless communication features of the 3DS?

Kanada:

With the 3DS, we have the ability to use wireless communication. Following the example of III, I approved “Guild Cards” which serve as records of the player's guild and his or her favorite character. If you receive someone else's Guild Card, you can incorporate that character into your party.

(Note: Street-Pass communication is when you leave the 3DS turned on and carry it with you. The communication exchange occurs automatically, exchanging data with the people you walk by).

Iwata:

So if you use Street-Pass, you might end up getting a really nice character.

Kanada:

That's right. If you're up against a tough enemy that you can't beat, you can borrow the power of one of these characters.

I've added the the element of “sky” to the game, and in the “sky” there is a lot of hidden treasure you can find, but to do so you need to first receive a map from a Guild Card via wireless communication, such as Street-Pass. The Street-Pass functionality has become a very big function of the 3DS, so I wanted to incorporate it into the gameplay.

Iwata:

Did you try to make the game more approachable for newcomers to the Etrian Odyssey series?

Kanada:

I think the Etrian Odyssey series' “firm difficulty” appeals to people, but conversely, that firmness also makes the game seem impenetrable for others. That is why this time we've implemented a “casual mode” so that anyone will be able to play.

Actually, I'm a little concerned about how people will react to it.

Iwata:

Oh, Nintendo also did that with Fire Emblem, for example. If a character dies in combat, he or she is lost forever, but in alternate modes of play you can revive them. There was a lot of fuss over it. (Laughs).

Kanada:

That's right. After all, there's less value in being firm if not everyone will experiences it. But even so, I think normal mode's firm difficulty needed to be toned down for casual mode.

Iwata:

But this time there is a casual mode, now beginners can play the game on casual mode with confidence, and then move on to normal mode for a greater challenge.

Kanada:

Yes, there is that aspect. “There's a casual mode, but that's okay, because I can make the normal game more difficult.” I was able to divide it. Also, “I can't clear this game because it's too difficult” because I've heard people say that, I wanted players to be able to switch between normal and casual mode at any time.

Iwata:

So you carefully constructed the game so that it would be playable to a wider audience.

Kanada:

Yes. I think it's important to give our customers a choice.

Iwata:

I understand. Well, you're currently in the final stage of development. How are you finishing up?

Kanada:

I play the game normally while checking it over. Even though it's not much fun relatively speaking, I enjoy this time and am proud of all the work we've put into the game.

Iwata:

Are you sure you're not just playing the game instead of checking it? (Laughs)

Kanada:

Yes. (Laughs).

Iwata:

Ah, this is just like when I was young, and we'd all get together to talk about the playing RPGs.

Kanada:

Yeah. I'd listen while grinning, I'm experiencing that exact same feeling now.

Iwata:

RPGs generate a mysterious and wonderful phenomenon. Even though you're playing by yourself, there's a strong social element to the games—you want to talk to other people about it, and share the experience.

Kanada:

That does seem to be the case. (Laughs)

Iwata:

It's fun to talk about your experiences, and fun to hear other people talk about theirs. That's why Dragon Quest became a social phenomenon—the social nature of the game made it a part of what was going on at school, and in the workplace.

Kanada:

I think so, too.

Iwata:

Komori-san, how do you feel about this last leg of development on Etrian Odyssey IV?

Komori:

Actually, right now I'm leaving everything to Kanada and the staff, so for me right now I'm in a state where “I can't wait for it to come out.” (Laughs).

Iwata:

Ah, to tell the truth I'm also really looking forward to its release. This time, you are in the same state, looking forward to the game's release date, as all of your fans.

Komori:

Yes. If I can, “The way it is now, I can look forward to release!” Is what I like to think. (Laughs).

Iwata:

Finally, I'd like you both please say something for the fans eagerly awaiting the next entry in the Etrian Odyssey series. First, what would you say to those who have never played a game in the series before, Komori-san?

Komori:

Of course. If you have a 3DS and are thinking, “I really want to play an RPG,” then please, consider Etrian Odyssey IV. If you dismissed the series in the past for being too difficult, the addition of casual mode should enable to you fully enjoy the game this time around.

Iwata:

And to those who are already familiar with the Etrian Odyssey series, what would you say?

Komori:

That's right, just as I thought... “You create your own adventure in the game. In-game directions are reduced as much as possible, “Will I be able to overcome the challenge using only my own head?” Is how you're supposed to approach this game.

Iwata:

The game is built around the player carving out their own destiny.

Now then, Kanada-san.

Kanada:

I also think Etrian Odyssey IV can a “where you can create an adventure.” You can jump into an open, untamed wilderness on your 3DS, and reform it into a civilized garden by mapping out the land yourself. I think it is exactly what an “adventure” should be....

Iwata:

When you open up your 3DS, you fall into a world of adventure, and you only return to the real world when you shut your 3DS.

Kanada:

Exactly. If you have some time during a commute, you can enjoy “another world....”

With the flick of a switch, so to speak, you can change the world—with the power of stereoscopic 3D, the world becomes more and more immersible. If you wish to enjoy a real adventure, please enjoy Etrian Odyssey IV. Even though it is the fourth 4^th work, please do not worry and play the game.

(T/N Note: Four is an unlucky number in Japanese culture, associated with death).

Iwata:

Well then, what would you say to the fans of the series so far, Kanada-san?

Kanada:

With IV, I've added a new element to the key concepts, and, of course, the new casual mode. A lot of has changed, particularly with regard to the visuals and sound. But, on the other hand, the fundamental gameplay has not changed at all. If you play the game, I think that you will feel that it is unmistakably “Etrian Odyssey.” In fact, you may find it to be unexpectedly challenging.

Iwata:

Even with the new casual mode, fans will not find the game's difficulty lacking.

Kanada:

Yes. While play-testing, there is an enemy the staff cannot beat even after sixty tries. (Laughs). We're on the same side as the fans of the series, so please enjoy the game with peace of mind.

Iwata:

So, Komori-san.

Komori:

Right. Earlier I said that I left things to Kanada, but, in truth, many of the staff who helped develop III often spoke eagerly to me about IV, so I am really looking forward to the game's release. The new Etrian Odyssey will be out soon, so if you are at all interested in it, please buy it with me on launch day!

Everyone:

(Laughs).

Iwata:

That was a new kind of appeal, wasn't it. (Laughs).

Komori:

Yes, it certainly was. (Laughs).

By the way... one last thing, the series art director, Yokomichi entrusted me with a question. Would you like to answer it? (Laughs).

Iwata:

Yes, go ahead.

Komori:

Actually, for today, when did this place called “Labyrinth of the World Tree” become a title you were interested in talking about? Is what he asks.

(T/N Note: Labyrinth of the World Tree is the direct translation of the Japanese game series localized in the West as Etrian Odyssey).

Iwata:

“Why are we here?” Is that what you mean?

Komori:

Yes, please.

Iwata:

I think you meant to include, “Please ask the president this.” (Laughs).

Well... To me, Labyrinth of the World Tree is a title that conveys a lot of heat. That heat has always been a part of the series. In fact, in the recent Nintendo Direct there was quite a resounding reaction to it.

“I wonder how this got made?”

“What kind of person made this?”

“Why is it that the game's concept has not changed?”

I really wanted to find out the answers to those questions.

Komori:

Ah, so that's how it was.

Kanada:

I get it....

Iwata:

Now that I've spoken to both of you I understand very well why Etrian Odyssey was produced as a “Labyrinth of a World Tree.” First off, the games replicate the experience of older RPGs that defies conventional expectations, appealing to gamers who feel nostalgic for the good old days of the RPG. But at the same time, it introduces a new kind of gaming experience to a new generation of gamers. I think Etrian Odyssey is, undeniably, a series with a charm strong enough to appeal to gamers of all ages.

That charm is embodied in the newest incarnation of the series, Etrian Odyssey IV.

It will be a pleasure to see how gamers react to the game.

Thank you both very much for taking the time to speak with me today.

Everyone:

Thank you very much.

3D Model: Legend of Galactic Heroes Free Planets Alliance Battleship

2013-02-07T20:24:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure when or how I first became acquainted with the Google SketchUp 3D modelling program, but I do know that I immediately recognized it as a powerful tool I could use to fulfill a childhood dream: to build my own spaceships!

When I started out, well, I didn't know what I was doing. Some of my early work was... atrocious. Eventually I decided it would be best for me to try and sharpen my skills by adapting other designs into 3D models before focusing on my original work. My first such attempt is what you see before you: adapted from the Legend of Galactic Heroes anime epic, a 3D model of a Free Planets Alliance battleship, based on the design of the Patoroklos that appeared in the first episode of the OVA series.

You can download the model for yourself HERE.

Because this particularly model was created some time ago, I really don't have too awful much to say--and, well, the fact that it's not my own design gives me even less to say about it--but I would like to share some things about the design process.

Starting out, I really didn't have much to go with. My only real, accurate reference was a very small .gif image, measuring about 40 pixels wide by 8 pixels high. Fortunately, the FPA battleship really isn't a terribly complicated design--it's very easy to discern the overall form of the vessel solely a lateral view.

So, basically, once I had an oultine of the lateral shape, all I need to do was widen it up, and then fill in the necessary details on the ventral and dorsal hull. As you can see in the above image, my detailing wasn't exactly animation-accurate, but I felt it went well with the overall design of the ship. Some tanks and hatches never look out of place on a "primitive" starship, after all.

One thing you may notice is the "hull plating." When I made the model (and even today) I wasn't terribly keep on using textures. To give my model a more detailed look, I eventually found a simple but effective method: I'd simply draw a rectangular form on a flat plane and raise or lower it slightly. The ultimate effect is to make the hull look less uniform, without cluttering up the design too much.

Here you can see the first real indication of my personal bane: interior details. The bridge sucks, I freely admit. I'm happy with how most of the model turned out... but not the bridge. It's just ugly. It's based on how the Bridge is depicted in the OVA series, but lacks the necessary detail and cohesion to fit in with the rest of the model. I should also point out that because we never really see any good, exterior establishing shots of the bridge, I essentially had to guess at its size and location. Ultimately, I think I probably overestimated the bridge's size relative to the rest of the vessel. Oh well.

One change I did make versus the original design was to accentuate the "ducts" and to make the angles of the hull a bit sharper. I don't have the slightest clue what function the ducts serve, but they sure do look cool, huh? I also used red to color the "interior" bits of the hull here to make it stand out more.

And that's my FPA Battleship. As I said, I'm mostly pleased with the model. I was mostly true to the original design, but did deviate in several instances. Can you spot them all? I've tried to share some decent images of the model, to show it off from what I think are some cool, if not impressive angles (I really love some of the shapes at play here). But, still, I would recommend downloading the model to view it for yourself, from any angle or dimension.

Classic RPGs (and their Definitive Versions)

2013-02-06T01:45:00.002-06:00

(Note: I am compiling this list for my own benefit. It is currently derived partly from my own opinions, partly from the opinions of my friends, partly from the opinions of the online community. I am not an expert here, nor have I played all--or even most--of these titles. This is a perpetual work-in-progress designed to point myself, and others, toward fantastic, classic games that we may not have had the pleasure of experiencing. This is not a "word of God," definitive list--it's a never-ending attempt at creating such a list. As such, all input is not just welcome, but invited! )

*ahem*

What does it mean to be a Classic?

Anything "classic," be it a game, literature, music, film, aesthetic, language, etc., is something timeless. Something that, despite barriers of time and language and culture remains powerful. Something that has, if you'll excuse the cliche, withstood the test of time. As a gamer and an RPG aficionado, I would like to compile a list of the classic RPGs of all time--and, where necessary (in the case of multiple editions of a single game, in the form of ports, remakes and/or re-imaginings) determine which version of a classic game is the best version.

My own experience with the RPGs of yore is, sadly, limited. So I request collaboration: help me fill out this list, to make it as full and complete and accurate as possible. The criteria for this list are simple enough: to be a classic, a game must possess that timeless quality, that potent, unforgettable, indescribable appeal--but it must also be old. Whether a game leans a bit outside of the "genre" matters not; whether a game is of American or Japanese origin matters not; whether a game follows the Western or Eastern aesthetic matters not. For the purposes of this list, I am limiting the titles to RPGs no later than 10 years ago--circa 2002 or 2003. I think it may be prudent, however, to also include a list of newer games that meet the same subjective criteria, but list them separately as "presumptive classics" because we can only presume them to remain in our collective consciousness in the ensuing years and decades.

(Note: games that are NOT playable in English are NOT eligible for this list)

Classic RPGs (and their Definitive Versions)

Arc the Lad ... (Arc the Lad; Sony PS1, original)
Arc the Lad II ... (Arc the Lad II; Sony PS1, original)
Arc the Lad III ... (Arc the Lad III; Sony PS1, original)
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Arcanum
Baldur's Gate ... (Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition; PC, updated port)
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Breath of Fire ... (Breath of Fire; Nintendo SNES, original)
Breath of Fire II ... (Breath of Fire II; Nintendo GBA, updated port)
Breath of Fire III ... (Breath of Fire III; Sony PS1, original)
Breath of Fire IV ... (Breath of Fire IV; Sony PS1, original)
Chrono Trigger ... (Chrono Trigger; Nintendo DS, remake)
Chrono Cross
Diablo
Diablo II
Dragon Quest ... (Dragon Quest I & II; Nintendo SNES, port)
Dragon Quest II ... (Dragon Quest I & II; Nintendo SNES, port)
Dragon Quest III ... (Dragon Quest III; Nintendo SNES, original)
Dragon Quest IV ... (Dragon Quest IV; Nintendo SNES, original)
Dragon Quest V ... (Dragon Quest V; Nintendo DS, remake)
Dragon Quest VI ... (Dragon Quest VI; Nintendo DS, remake)
Dragon Quest VII*
Dragon Quest VIII
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind ... (The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind; PC, original)
Emerald Dragon
E.V.O. Search for Eden
Fallout
Fallout 2
Final Fantasy ... (Final Fantasy Origins; Sony PS1, remake)
Final Fantasy II ... (Final Fantasy Origins; Sony PS1, remake)
Final Fantasy III ... (Final Fantasy III; Nintendo DS / Sony PSP, remake)
Final Fantasy IV ... (Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection; Sony PSP, remake)
Final Fantasy V ... (Final Fantasy V Advance; Nintendo GBA, updated port)
Final Fantasy VI ... (Final Fantasy VI Advance; Nintendo GBA, updated port)
Final Fantasy VII ... (Final Fantasy VII; Sony PS1, original)
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy X*
Final Fantasy Tactics ... (Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions; Sony PSP, remake)
Grandia ... (Grandia; Sony PS1, port)
Grandia II ... (Grandia II; Sega DC, original)
Grandia III
Lufia and the Fortress of Doom
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
Lunar: The Silver Star ... (Lunar: Silver Star Harmondy; Sony PSP, remake)
Paper Mario
Super Mario RPG
Mother
Mother 2 (Earthbound)
Mother 3
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Phantasy Star ... (Phantasy Star; Nintendo GBA, port)
Phantasy Star II ... (Phantasy Star II; PC, port)
Phantasy Star III ... (Phantasy Star III; PC, port)
Phantasy Star IV ... (Phantasy Star IV; PC, port)
Planescape Torment
Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana II (Seiken Densetsu III)
Shadowrun ... (Shadowrun; Nintendo SNES, original)**
Shining Force ... (Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon; Nintendo GBA, remake)
Skies of Arcadia ... (Skies of Arcadia: Legends; Nintendo GC, updated port)
Star Control 2 ... (The Ur-Quan Masters; PC, remake)
Star Ocean ... (Star Ocean: First Departure; Sony PSP, remake)
Star Ocean 2 ... (Star Ocean; Second Evolution; Sony PSP, remake)
Suikoden
Suikoden II
Tales of Phantasia ... (Tales of Phantasia; Sony PSP, remake)
Tales of Destiny
Tales of Destiny 2 ... (Tales of Eternia; Sony PSP, remake)
Terranigma
Vagrant Story
Wild Arms ... (Wild Arms: Alter Code F; Sony PS2, remake)
Wild Arms 2
Wizardry
Xenogears
Ys I ... (Ys I & II Chronicles; PC, updated port)
Ys II ... (Ys I & II Chronicles; PC, updated port)
Ys III ... (Ys: The Oath in Felghana; Sony PSP / PC, remake)
Ys IV ... (Ys: Memories of Celceta; Sony PSV)
Legend of Zelda ... (Legend of Zelda; Nintendo NES, original)
Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ... (Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D; Nintendo 3DS, updated port)
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker*

Presumptive Classic RPGs (and their Definitive Versions)

Dark Souls ... (Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition; PC, port)
Diablo III
Dragon Age: Origins ... (Dragon Age: Origins; PC, original)
Dragon Quest IX
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion ... (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion; PC, original)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ... (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim; PC, original)
Fallout 3 ... (Fallout 3; PC, original)
Fallout: New Vegas ... (Fallout: New Vegas; PC, original)
Final Fantasy XII
Lost Odyssey
Paper Mario 2
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Persona 3 ... (Persona 3 FES; Sony PS2, updated port)
Persona 4 ... (Persona 4 The Golden; Sony PSV, remake)
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Suikoden V
Valkyria Chronicles
Wild Arms 5
The Witcher
The Witcher 2 ... (The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition; PC, original)
Xenoblade Chronicles
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess ... (Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess; Nintendo GC, original)
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Key Terms

An asterisk (*) denotes a game for which there is a new version (a port, updated port or remake) currently in development, but not yet released.
A double asterisk (**) denotes a game for which there are no remakes or ports, but for which there are other games bearing the same title, necessitating a declaration of platform.
Original means the original, first-released version of the game--which further indicates that any existing ports, updated ports or remakes are inferior to the original game.
Updated Port means a re-release of the game that is basically a port of the original, but with small changes and/or tweaks to improve the experience... including adjustments to the script, rules set, game content, translation, and/or user interface.
A remake means a complete rebuilding of the the original game on a new platform. This label includes re-imaginings--remakes that dramatically alter the core narrative and mechanical elements of the game while staying true to the general themes/outline of the original.
In the case of very old games where the multitude of ports are of roughly equal quality, I've determined the "definitive version" based on which version of the game is easiest to obtain. For example, Phantasy Star III was developed for the Sega Genesis, but was since ported to the Sega Saturn, Gameboy Advance, PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and PC. Since the PC version is the easiest to obtain, being available on Steam, it becomes the "definitive version."

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Status Update

2012-12-18T09:03:00.002-06:00

I meant to do this a while ago, but, well--you know how things get.

I ventured into the... rather unpleasant world of scanlating about a year ago, with the intention of picking up where Eikou Scanlations left off. As a huge fan of Gundam, and of the mecha genre it gave birth to, I felt privileged to help bring Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's phenomenal re-imagining to the Western community.

This is a 1920x1080 wallpaper, by the way

I recently learned of Vertical Press--a publication company I had not, until that point, even heard of--acquired the licensing rights to Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. They will begin producing luxurious hardcover editions of the manga, with two volumes in each book, in March, 2013. You may (and, if it's not to presumptuous for me to say so, should) follow my example and pre-order the first two books right here:

Gundam: The Origin Book 1 (contains volumes 1 and 2) - 12. March 2013
Gundam: The Origin Book 2 (contains volumes 3 and 4) - 18. June 2013

Assuming Vertical managed to keep up that initial pace of 1 book every three months, we can expect The Origin to be fully published in English by the end of 2015. (For a grand total of 11 or 12 hardcover editions). This is very exciting! The books will also have various "special features" -- read the Amazon listing for details. I, for one, cannot wait.

I think I've mentioned this before, but in terms of my own translation efforts, I have always felt it best to emulate the "old school" approach. I translate to practice and develop my language schools, as well as to provide some small benefit to a niche community of which I am a part. Nothing more, nothing less. I am, therefore, suspending my translation of The Origin and removing all download links. I highly encourage every one to purchase Vertical's version as soon as possible! I can't comment on the accuracy of their translation (though you can expect me to review their books when they come out) but I can't imagine it could be any worse than my own! I don't know what I'm doing half the time--particularly when Char or Gihren start waxing political. Yikes. There was some nasty, nasty kanji in some of those scenes.

I will, for the time being, focus exclusively on Macross: The First. A manga that, I am quite certain, well never see an official publication in English. I'm still just one person, doing this in whatever small amount of free time I can find, so don't expect terribly fast releases. I should have something ready for New Years, however.

Anyway, I've been into anime and manga for a long time. I've seen so many projects, tragically, go bust. Need I even mention the sad fate of Shoji Gotoh's Full Metal Panic series in the West? I wish Vertical Press all the best. But, should they abandon The Origin, I'll resume my efforts. But I really don't want that to happen, and I'm certain YOU don't want to happen, and it would be quite strange if they wanted that to happen... so why don't I wrap things up by re-posting those Amazon links, eh?

Gundam: The Origin Book 1 (contains volumes 1 and 2) - 12. March 2013
Gundam: The Origin Book 2 (contains volumes 3 and 4) - 18. June 2013

Now for a Word: Backwards Compatibility

2012-11-21T09:20:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that the current generation of gaming consoles will soon come to a close. This generation has witnessed more changes to our precious medium than any other, and not all of them have been for the better. Among the more heated changes, like achievements and digital-rights management, is the idea of backwards compatibility. It certainly receives less attention than those other, noisier issues, so some may be forgiven for assuming it is, perhaps, not quite so important--but that is not the case. Very often when seeing other gamers discuss the idea of backwards compatibility, I see the same thing happen. Someone will criticize how backwards compatibility is implemented (or not implemented at all). The response to this is always either tacit agreement, or simple derision. After all, they say, backwards compatibility is not really an issue. If you want to play older games, simply buy the older console they were made for--or use an emulator on a PC. And every once in a while someone will express the most shameful sentiment of all: it's not an issue because old games are not worth playing, they're all terrible and outdated and anyone who thinks otherwise is blinded by nostalgia.

And we seem to respond to these retorts either with violent bursts of profanity and ridicule... or not all.

But backwards compatibility is an important issue, now more than ever with rumors circulating regarding the next iteration of the Playstation console series, code-named ORBIS, stirring up tales of locking-out used games, forcing constant online connectivity, and not being backwards-compatible with prior Playstation consoles. The backwards compatibility naysayers seem to be growing more common and vocal with each passing day, and all there arguments stem from inattention and ignorance. As gamers, it is our duty to discuss our hobby with civility and respect, and as human beings we have a duty to speak the truth in the face of ignorance. It may accomplish nothing in the end, but at least the truth will be there. So let's get down to brass tacks, shall we: just why is it that backwards compatibility matters? And what is it about the arguments against backwards compatibility that isn't valid?

The most infuriating argument against backwards compatibility is that it doesn't matter, because older games don't matter, and our affection stems solely from nostalgia-fueled delusion. Beyond the fact that the "nostalgia-goggles" argument is inherently meaningless and exists only as a method to insult another human being's opinion without making any valid points or leaving one open to any real response, this argument fails because it relies on an incorrect assumption. Basically, it assumes that games are perishable--like fruit, or that milk you've kept in the back of the fridge for so long because your afraid of what it might smell like when you dump it out. Silly, right? Games don't go bad: that's nonsense. The root of this sentiment, were one to articulate it (and honestly I've never really seen anyone even try) is that the quality of a game is dependent on numerous outside factors, from the cultural environment of the era to the technological limitations of the time. Because these older games come from a time and technology removed from our own, we can no longer enjoy them. Furthermore, our understanding of game design has improved immensely over the past many years, so beyond the visual and narrative elements that have aged poorly, we also must deal with outdated mechanics that render those older titles near-unplayable.

Dragon Quest (1986)

Well, as many of the more vocal critics of Final Fantasy XIII will tell you, game mechanics are not dependent on anything beyond the skill and ability of the development staff, irrespective of time. The basic mechanics of Dragon Quest have remained virtually unchanged since the original title launched in May of 1986--nearly twenty-seven years--and today Dragon Quest is one of the most popular game series on the planet. Final Fantasy VI was released eighteen years ago--in 1994--and is still widely regarded as one of the greatest stories ever told in a game. And twelve years ago Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn was released, a western role-playing game that to this day remains the quintessential example of RPG storytelling, gameplay and visuals.

Starry Night (1889)

No, we can still appreciate Starry Night one-hundred-and-twenty-four years after it was painted, in complete ignorance of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, absent the understanding of Van Goghs internment in a sanitarium. We can still appreciate Citizen Kane without knowing who William Randolph Hearst was, or how ruinous the film was to Orson Welles' career. Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto no. 2 is just as likely to move us to tears with the knowledge of his relationship to Tchaikovsky as not. So, too, are we able appreciate the quality of a game regardless when it was made, or where it was made, or who made it. Such circumstances are superfluous--they have no bearing on the quality or worth of a game.

I know I've been talking for a long time now, and I apologize. You're at the half way point, so lets have an intermission. Take a break. Stretch your legs, use the bathroom, drink some juice (I'm gonna go fetch a glass of pineapple-orange myself). I think the issue of backwards compatibility matters (which is why I'm here, after all) so I'd really appreciate it if you could come back after that brief repose and read all the way to the end, if you don't mind.

Let's end with the most common argument against backwards compatibility: it's unnecessary because those older games we love so much can still be played, all we have to do is purchase the proper console. Sure, the Wii U can't play Gamecube games like the Wii, but that's okay--just buy a Gamecube! Sure, the Playstation 3 can't play PS2 games, but that's okay--just buy a PS2! The problem with this argument is that it's based around an assumption that, frankly, is wrong. Here, once again, we are relying on an invalid assumption. In this case that it's possible to purchase older iterations of console hardware. But is it? The Gamecube and Playstation 2 are no longer in production, and they have not been in production for several years. As a consequence, they are no longer sold in retail stores and no longer available -anywhere- new. If you want one, you have to go out of your way to a gaming specialty store or the Internet to purchase one used.

In our immediate world, this is not much of an issue. But the Gamecube and Playstation 2 are only a single generation removed from our present. What if we go back one generation? Or two? Or Three? What happens when we want to play Nintendo 64 games? Or Super Nintendo games? Or Nintendo games? Do we go out and buy an N64, a SNES or a NES? Of course not. They stopped making those things years and years and years ago. So long ago that many of them have been tossed aside into a rubbish pile, been broken or fallen into disrepair. Scarcity being what it is, we are forced to find alternatives, either playing those games legitimately through emulator services like Nintendo's infrequently-updated Virtual Console, or resorting to pirating those games (which is, you know, illegal) to play on PC emulators. That the same fate will soon fall upon the games of our current generation is not a question, it is an inevitability. One made worse by one simple truism: the more complex an electronic device becomes, the more likely it will suffer catastrophic failure. The reason you can still, conceivably purchase a used SNES on Ebay is because the SNES was a very simple electronic device. Is the PS3 simple? Of course not. Ask yourself this: of all the Playstation 3s and Xbox 360s manufactured in 2006, how many of them are still fully functional today? What percentage do you think that number amounts to? And what will happen to those figures tomorrow, or next year?

And, almost by accident, we've stumbled upon what may be the single greatest problem effecting the gaming industry: preservation. Think about it. Look at the worlds of art, music, cinema, literature. What do they all have in common? A shared, cherished history. We still know the names of Michelangelo, Vang Gogh and Da Vinci; of Mozart, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff; of Hitchcock, Scorsese and Spielberg; of Shakespeare, Hemingway and Dickens. We know these people, we know their work. Even after decades and centuries we can picture their faces, see their art, hear their music, experience their unique vision and witness the literal expression of their souls. The great artistic classics of humanity have been preserved for posterity, and we are all the richer for it.

But not all those classics have been saved. Perhaps you've heard of the Library of Alexandria? In the ancient world, it was a beacon of knowledge. Countless scrolls were preserved in the library--and all of them are now lost to us. Burned in Caesar's fire and gone now, forever. So much literature has perished from the world because for so long, for years and decades and centuries, no one grasped the importance of preservation. Western civilization fell into the Dark Ages, a period ruled by superstition, ignorance and fear because the people were unable to preserve the knowledge and wisdom of the past. The great rebirths of humanity, the renaissances were only possible through the rediscovery of those ancient works, carefully preserved through the ages by small communities of dedicated monks. But they could only preserve so much, and most of what once was written has vanished from the earth like so much dust in the wind. Every other artistic medium has suffered the same fate. Early Christians defaced art in a misguided attempt to conceal elements deemed incorrect, utterly destroying works deemed heretical. We have no music (not at all) from before the 15th century, because there was no unified system for musical notation, and what notation did exist we no longer know how to read. Paintings and books have been ripped and burned by the billion. With so much artistic achievement lost forever, surely humans would have learned the importance of preservation?

But we didn't. We never do, because we don't respect new artistic mediums. Just as a debate exists (it actually exists!) today over whether or not games are art, a century or so ago when cinema was the new artistic media, it, too, was scorned for its perceived lack of artistic integrity. Countless early films were either destroyed when their use was over, or stashed away in storage, forgotten. So much of cinematic history is gone because a century ago no one thought it was worth preserving. A half-century ago, television grew big and quickly suffered the same. Countless television shows are gone now. Doctor Who is currently one of the most popular science-fiction franchises in the world, second only to Star Wars and Star Trek. It has been on the air since 1963, and is currently (50 years later) enjoying the height of its popularity.

But it is not complete. Whole episodes from those early years are gone. Missing. Lost. They no longer exist. This is a tragedy and a travesty and a fate that has already claimed countless games. Our hobby is a new one. It has only existed for a few decades. With the Internet, we like to think that anything that exists, will exist forever. That uploading is somehow analogous to carving a thing in stone on the side of a mountain. But it's not. Many of the earliest games are gone, forever. I grew up with gaming, almost literally. The earliest games I played were simple affairs stored on enormous floppy disks. Most gamers don't know what those are these days (they were so big you could flop them up and down, which was often as fun or more fun than the actual games they contained). I had to learn tedious boot commands to load the games in MS-DOS. They were simple games, consisting of crude pictures drawn with garish green pixels on a black screen. They taught me simple math. They taught me how to read. Those games no longer exist. Countless titles more recent, too, have perished. And gaming suffers from another, more unique problem: of those few games who have been preserved, are they all the same? Many classic games have been ported to other consoles in an effort to preserve them, but in that process much has been changed. Is Silent Hill 2 the same experience on the PS3 that it was on the PS2? Does the iOS version of Final Fantasy III produce the same experience as the NES version? Be wary, for we are rapidly approaching a future where the great classics of our medium--the Final Fantasies, the Dragon Quests, the Baldur's Gates, the Fallouts, the Chrono Triggers, the Zeldas--are either lost forever to time, or only partially preserved in a new format that doesn't quite manage to convey the original experience.

And make no mistake, as has been the case with every artistic medium of the past, with sculpture and painting and music, with literature and cinema and television, those precious few items which are preserved will represent the vast, vast minority. So the issue here, really, is a broad one that stretches far beyond the concept of gaming alone, or even art in general. It's a question of culture. Does culture matter? Does history matter? Does human civilization--does humanity itself--possess any real merit? Would we, as a species, be better off--would our souls be any richer--without Final Fantasy VI? Without Dragon Quest VIII? Without Shadows of Amn, or Planescape Torment, or Grim Fandango, or Monkey Island, or the Ocarina of Time, or Mario?

These are questions I don't need to answer.

So do me a favor, would you? The next time you wander into a conversation about next Playstation, or whatever, and the issue of backwards compatibility comes up--the next time you see a rumor that the next Playstation might not be able to play PS1, PS2 or PS3 games, or hear someone say, "that's okay--just buy a PS1, a PS2 and a PS3," stop for a bit and and think and remember and respond not with vitriol or passivity, but with patience, intellect and the desire to elucidate. If we stop demanding the ability to play those older games, we will eventually lose that ability and in time those older games will disappear. Backwards compatibility matters, it matters a lot. We are gamers and it is quite literally our shared cultural heritage. We owe it to ourselves--and to our children--to do all that we can to ensure the preservation this new, fantastic art form, so that the greatest master works of the medium may never be forgotten.

Review: Robot Damashii Leo

2012-11-15T15:24:00.000-06:00

The Leo: arguably the best thing to come out of Gundam Wing. Arguably the quintessential mobile suit design. Arguably... well, maybe I should hold back for now: there's a lot to talk about when it comes to the Leo, and I fully intend to examine the subject thoroughly--but another time. For now, let's limit ourselves to the recently-released Robot Damashii figure. The final verdict: it's awesome. Buy one. Buy two. Buy three.

...But it's also somewhat emblematic of the worst aspects of the Robot Damashii figure line. So... let's jump right in.

Owing to the efficient simplicity of the Leo's utalitarian design, the Robot Damashii figure is incredibly flexible. Double-joints and carefully-sculped indentations in the legs are arms allow the elbow and knee joints an impressive range of motion approaching 180 degrees. The shoulder joints offer the full 180 degree range of movement, making this Leo the single most posable Gundam figure ever made (in my experience). It's also solidly built. Unlike prior, disappointing Robot Damashii offerings like the Aile Strike Gundam and venerable RX-78-2, the Leo is solid: no hollow plastic piece here. The added weight makes the Leo solid enough to play around with, and the nominally tight joints also allow it to assume--and stay in--nearly any pose you can imagine. The joints are so tight, in fact, that I often had difficulty bending the knee "naturally." The double-joint in the knee is attached to the "kneecap" armor, and the upper joint is often so tight that when bending the knee, only the lower joint will bend, which screws up the proportions somewhat.

Considering several Robot Damashii figures have joints so loose that they'll bend and sway without anything touching them, I'm inclined to be very, very happy to see the Leo's joints so tight.

The figure also has a lot of really nice details. Notice the panel-lines in the armor--I'd strongly suggest inking those in if and when you buy a Leo for your own. Just likely detailing a HGUC, you can really make the figure look quite a bit better by investing a few minutes of time and effort into filling in the details.

The Leo also boasts an impressive number of hardpoints for accessorizing... two on either side of the back, two cleverly hidden in indentations on the sights of each thigh, and two completely hidden under the armored shoulder plates. It's nice having options, but I was a bit disappointed to realize that, once again, the hardpoints are non-standard. Want to slap some Zaku or RX-78-2 weapons onto the Leo's frame? You're out of luck--the hardpoints don't match up. Standardization wouldn't have been hard, and would have made several of the more recent figures a lot more fun to mess around with. Oh well.

The first thing you'll realize with the six hardpoints is, well, there's really nothing to do with them. At all. Out of the box, the Leo figure only comes with some spare hands and the machine gun. That's it. Even the head is just a cheap, single-piece of plastic meshed with the rim around the "neck." The "seam" between the head and torso of the Leo out-of-the-box is painfully noticeable (and looks hideous).

It's particularly bad from a top-down view, where the sides of the head just sort of melt into the rest of the torso. Absolutely awful. To remedy the awful head situation (and to find something to use those hardpoints with!) it's necessary to buy the extra "Option Set" for almost the same cost as the Leo figure itself.

Want to angle the head ever-so-slightly to the left? Buy the expansion pack!

The Options set is really more of a necessity than an "option" for the collector-who-gives-a-damn. It comes with the Tallgeese-esque dobergun & shield, a bazooka, an optional set of shoulder armor with rotating beam cannons, a lovely round shield and a pair of beam sabers.

Oh: and a new head. One that can angle up-or-down very, very slightly and rotate.

Looks pretty badass, right? You can use the hardpoint-fixtures in any of the hardpoints, which adds greatly to the amount of poses you can do. I was able to get a pretty cool faux-guncannon look going using the hardpoint-fixtures to affix two machine-guns to the shoulders of one of my Leo's (with the armor plating angled vertically). Mounting weapons on the back or thighs is a bit more difficult. As you can see in the above images, all of the weapons have angled handles, which means that they tend to slide out (thanks to gravity) of the hard-point fixture if you set everything to a natural angle. It's a bit disappointing, but considering how incredible a Leo looks with a dobergun slung on its shoulder, or sipping around with a beam saber in either hand, it's a fault I'm more than willing to forgive.

And did I mention that if you buy two option sets you can equip a dobergun on each shoulder at the same time? You can. The joints for the gun-mount are actually on the bottom of the gun (not the side, as would be anime-accurate) and the eye-sensor can be moved from the front to the back of the mount. Perfect! It's a small detail, and to be honest I found myself preferring the classic dobergun + shield look, but I'm really glad it's there. There's nothing like options!

I could rave about the perfection of the Leo's design for hours. In fact, it's one of those little rants I've been planning on scribbling out for a really long time now. But, hell, if you're here in the first place, you must have some appreciation for the quality of the Leo's design, so I'll spare the lecture. The Leo, sadly, has not seen much love. Aside from a single, horrendously overpriced resin kit, Gundam fans have never had the opportunity to own a Leo figure until now. Thank god for the Robot Damashii line! And thank god the Robot Damashii Leo is a good one!

I said before that the Leo was awesome, but I also said that, in many ways, it represented the worst aspects of the Robot Damashii line, which has more ups and downs than your typical roller-coaster. This idea of selling basic, fundamental accessories separately is a bit offensive, don't you think? Why couldn't everything be packaged in, well, a single package? And as if that weren't bad enough, the other classic Leo design--the purple space Leo--is available -only- as a Tamashii Web Shop exclusive. So if you want a purple leo, with different feet (space Leos have vernier thrusters in the feet that older-type Leos do not) you have to A) live in Japan and B) shell out extra money for the special "exclusivity."

And that's not even the worst of it.

Even the Web-shop exclusive space Leo is not immune to being sold piece-meal. Want the space-mobility backpack with your Space Leo? And, since you went out of your way to buy the thrice-damned space Leo in the first place, you almost certainly do, you have to buy the Options Set 2 (also a Web Shop exclusive). Want a head that can move? The space Leo's beam machine gun or beam pistol? Buy the option set.

Tamashii Web Shop exclusives have always been ridiculous, but the crap they're pulling with the Leo is just plain asinine. If you can get over the fact that Bandai sees us consumers as lemmings, and treats us with even less respect with their ever-increasing nonsense... by all means, buy a Leo. Buy ten. If you can't get over that, well, what choice do we have? This is the only Leo out there to buy, and it's a damned good figure, nonsense notwithstanding. Even with the (necessary) option set, it's very affordable, and its quality places it squarely on the better end of the Robot Damashii spectrum.

(Images from Hacchaka's photo-review)

Macross 30: Pricing & Special Edition Details

2012-11-15T14:00:00.002-06:00

UPDATE: pre-orders are up at AmiAmi (the CE is already sold out) with a nice 15% discount.

Along with some more information, courtesy of Famitsu.com. As previously reported, the upcoming PS3 game, Macross 30: Ginga o Tsunagu Utagoe, will be released in February 2013. We now have an exact date for that release: 28. February 2013. There will be two separate editions of the game sold, the regular edition will cost 8380 JPY, and a "30th Anniversary Super Galaxy Box" edition (30周年超銀河箱). As is usually the case, the special edition will be produced in limited quantities, so pre-order while you can.

The special edition will include:

1 copy of Macross 30: Ginga o Tsunagu Utagoe with special skins taken from the Macross Triangle Frontier and Macross Ultimate Frontier PSP games
A limited-edition box with artwork drawn by Tenjin Hidetaka
CG Animated special "Get in on-Flying Rock" and "BurningFire" (yes, those are "Engrish")
A 90-minute documentary featuring interviews with multiple voice actors from the Macross franchise who appear in the Macross 30 PS3 game, as well as series-creator Shoji Kawamori
Conceptual sketches for the animation used in the Macross 30 PS3 game
Limited edition animation cels of characters and/or mecha from the Macross franchise
Selection of posters created to celebrate Macross' 30th anniversary in various campaigns and events
A 30th Anniversary Booklet detailing Macross' 30 year history in television film and games, which will include DLC codes for special (unique) skins for the VF-1S and VF-25.

The "Super Galaxy Box" will (naturally) cost quite a bit more, at 11800 JYP (approximately 40% more).

The first print fun of both editions of the game will include an early-unlock code and special skin for the YF-29 Durandel.

*Please note that this is the result of a very hasty translation made in about a 40-second window (busy day) so some items may be in error. Please correct me where (if) I'm wrong.

Macross 30: Famitsu Preview Translation

2012-10-26T00:46:00.002-05:00

UPDATE: 4Gamer has written up their own preview for Macross 30. Check it out. I won't be translating it as most of it was covered in the earlier Famitsu preview, but there are a handful of new screenshots and some new information about the game.

The original storyline for the game is being written by Ukyo Kodachi, whom some of you may recognize as the man responsible for writing "Macross: The Ride" (Also known as "Macross R"), a light novel duology serving as a prologue for the Macross Frontier series. Ukyo also penned the novelization of the Macross anime itself, so he's certainly familiar with the franchise. Will he be able to muster up a decent Macross story that doesn't rely on the works of others? Well, that remains to be seen--but with Shoji Kawamori himself supervising his work with Macross 30, I think it's safe to say that the game is in very good hands. With luck, it will be as good or better than Gundam's own 30th anniversary game, Record U.C. 0081.

--Original Post--

Famitsu.com has released an early preview of the upcoming Playstation 3 Macross game, Macross 30: Ginga o Tsunagu Utagoe, or Macross 30: The Song that Crosses the Galaxy. The preview includes around 50 screenshots of the game, which I've included with my translation.

Macross 30 will feature an all-original storyline, which consists of the usual crossover fare: a mysterious force pulls characters from across space and time to a single location where, for some reason, they must fight. Whether or not this original game narrative will exist at the exclusion of anime-based missions remains to be seen. It's possible that this original storyline will serve as Macross 30's version of Macross Triangle Frontier's Academy Mode, as material on the game indicates that it will have "RPG elements." The full translation of Famitsu.com's preview follows:

"The action game celebrating the 30th anniversary of Macross is here!"
November 8's Weekly Famitsu (Released 25. October 2012) details the latest information about Macross 30: The Song that Crosses the Galaxy, to be released in February 2013. In the following article, we will detail the latest information gleaned from the contents of that article.

The Macross anime managed to incorporate the three disparate elements of variable fighters [mech combat], music and a love triangle, and turn them into an enormous hit. This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of Super Dimensional Macross' first televised airing, and marks the announcement of the memorial PS3 game, Macross 30. Although this title was initially revealed at the Tokyo Game Show 2012, held in Chiba back in September, this is the first time we've seen details of the game. The game is richly crafted, featuring beautifully drawn animated cut-scenes, fast-paced combat, dense battlefields, and RPG elements. It improves greatly on [Artdink's] previous Macross titles, and brings true innovation to the [game] series.

Macross Frontier
The Macross Frontier television anime series first aired in 2008. Set in 2059 A.D., Macross Frontier tells the tale of the 25th New Macross-class Colonial Fleet. The story focuses on Saotome Alto, a rookie pilot, and as well as pop singer Sheryl Nome and Ranka, a young girl hoping to follow in the former's footsteps.

Saotome Alto. Pilot in the SMS Skull Squadron. On the planet Ouroboros, he strives to protect Sheryl Nome from the Vajra that appeared in the vicinity of the archipelago.

VF-25F Messiah (Alto Custom) equipped with Super Pack. The Macross Frontier's new escort fighter, the VF-25 was designed specifically to defend the fleet. It can equip the Super Pack to greatly enhance both its firepower and mobility.

Macross Seven
The Macross Seven television anime first aired in 1994. Set in 2045 A.D., Macross Seven tells the tale Basara, lead singer for the Fire Bomber band, as he sings his heart out on the battlefield during attacks from a mysterious force. By singing his heart out, Basara performance changes the galaxy!

Nekki Basara. Lead vocalist of the the rock band "Fire Bomber," he has many fans in this age. He starts singing in the archipelago region, but has someone noticed his performance?

VF-19 Custom Fire Valkyrie. A machine converted from the state-of-the-art VF-19 in the slums of the Macross 7 Fleet. It weaponizes speakers to deliver song to the ears of its enemies.

Macross Plus
The Macross Plus television anime was produced in 1994, at the same time as Macross 7. Set in 2040 A.D. in the skies of the planet Eden, ten light years away from Earth, fly two Valkryies--the YF-21 and YF-19. In the cockpit of one machine is Guld Goa Bowman; in the cockpit of the other is Isamu Alva Dyson as they compete against each other to decide which will become the next mainstay Variable Fighter....

Isamu Dyson. Test pilot of the YF-19. What does he seek more than freedom!?

YF-19 Isamu Custom, equipped with FAST Pack. A prototype for the Macross 7 Fleet, it boasts extremely high performance but is difficult to pilot.

Macross Zero
The Macross Zero Original Video Animation [OVA] first aired in 2002. This milestone work was made to commemorate Macross' 20th anniversary. Set on the Mayan Island in 2008 A.D., Macross Zero chronicles events prior the original Super Dimensional Fortress Macross anime series. The unfolding story tells the tale of the pilot of the VF-0, and the two sisters he meets on the island, Sara and Mao.

Shin Kudo. In this story, are the Anti-U.N. forces ace pilots, Ivanov and Nora, still his enemy!?

Shin's VF-0A equipped with a Ghost Booster. A prototype of the VF-1 Valkyrie. It can attach a QF-2200A Ghost--an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft--to act as a booster, greatly increasing its output.

Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
The television anime that originally premiered in 1982, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross was the first work in the series. In the year 2009 A.D., it fires its main cannon suddenly and without warning, igniting an all-out war with the alien Zentraedi... who are a race of giants. The Zentraedi and humans fight over the fate of the Earth as Lynn Minmay's song shapes history!

Ichijo Hikaru. In this story, he is surrounded by celebrity and drama. He seems to be searching for Minmay and Misa.

VF-1S Unit 1, equipped with a Strike Pack. A Variable Fighter produced using technology reverse-engineered from the enormous alien starship [the SDF-1 Macross], it can equip Strike Packs on its back to increase its firepower, mobility and speed.

The setting of the game: Planet Ouroboros
The Planet Ourobors [named after mythical symbol of all-consuming greed: a serpent devouring itself] serves as the stage for Macross 30's original narrative. Fold space around the planet is extremely unstable, and the resulting Fold Fault completely isolates Ouroboros from the rest of the galaxy. The instabilities in Fold Space have warped the planet's natural terrain, creating extreme environments including "glaciers," "deserts," and "floating islands." How was it that so many people crossed space and time to arrive at this strange place?

What is the Hunter Guild?
Development of the planet Ouroboros is not yet complete, and it has little in the way of security. Outlaws calling themselves the "Banded" use their Valkyries to terrorize the planet. "Hunters" seek to protect the peace on behalf of the military. The player assumes the role of a Hunter and joins in the battle.

*For more information, check out the November 8th, 2012 issue of Weekly Famitsu.

Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
Release Date: February 2013
Price: TBA
Genre: RPG/Anime Robot
Developer: Studio Artdink

Macross 30: The Song that Ties the Galaxy Announced for PS3.

2012-10-24T20:36:00.000-05:00

Finally, the new PS3 Macross game teased last month has been officially announced. It is titled Macross 30: The Song that Ties the Galaxy (Ginga o Tsunagu Utagoe, 銀河を繋ぐ歌声). As I predicted, the game is being developed by ArtDink, who have been responsible for numerous Macross titles on the Playstation Portable, several bit-size Macross mini-games packaged in Hybrid Packs on the Playstation 3, as well as the popular Gundam Battle series on the PSP and Playstation Vita.

Information on the game is still somewhat sparse (and, as you can see, I'm not exactly working with the easiest to read images here) but there are a number of things we can see about the new game. Other than, you know, "D-D-DECULTURE!!!!"

Much like the PSP games, Macross 30 will include pilots, mechs and missions spanning the entirety of the Macross franchise, including Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, Macross 7, Macross Plus, Macross Zero and Macross Frontier. Playable Valkyries depicted in the VF-25, VF-19 (and the YF-19 prototype), the VF-0A, and the VF-1S. Considering past games, it's a fair to decent bet we'll see all of the animated mechs playable, from the delicious VF-171EX all the way to the Zentraedi battlepods and Vajra berserkers.

Honestly, this game is shaping up to be everything I want. Dare I call it early as the ultimate, perfect Macross game? I think I will. Artdink has a very, very solid track record. Their most recent game, Gundam Seed Battle Destiny for the Playstation Vita, played very well and was absolutely gorgeous. This is one title you can damned well bet I'll be pre-ordering as soon as I am physically able. Which reminds me, I ought to go check Play-Asia right now....

It is worth pointing out that none of Artdinks previous titles have incorporated online multiplayer, and there's no indication of multiplayer for Macross 30. That doesn't rule it out, but at this point I would not -expect- an online component.

The Origin Volume 05 Chapter 04 Notes

2012-10-07T01:50:00.000-05:00

Translation notes for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, volume 05 chapter 05.

Page 151
I was a bit hesitant with the line I ended up translating to, "I'd like to see a camel caravan." The Japanese is ラクダのキャラバンみたいですね. Maybe it's some kind of saying? Katakana often throws me for a loop. I'm assuming 'Rakuda" is camel; caravan is written out in katakana, though I suppose it could be some other, similar-sounding foreign word. From the context, he appears to be referring to the Medea Supply Corps, but as to the meaning of this line... I don't have the slightest clue.

Page 158
"Last drink of sake," --This is the Japanese word sake (rice wine), not the English word. This line is either A) a Japanese saying referring to ones last drink before death, or B) maybe some personal pre-battle quirk of Ramba Ral's. Either way, it's a difficult concept to convey in English with so few words in so little space.

Later on that page is the line, "Even if I end up earning a two-rank promotion." Here, he's talking about earning a posthumous two-rank promotion after being killed in battle. Basically, he's saying that he'll successfully complete the mission even at the cost of his own life.

Page 163
"It's that man..." I found myself befuddled by much of M'Quve's dialog. What he's saying here is "ano otokko koto da," the "ano" bit is one of the "this" terms in Japanese used to refer to something that's far away, so he's speaking of a person who is not present. Who? I dunno. My first thought was Char, but it could be anyone. The language he's using in inherently vague.

Page 196
Daniel Shoenberg. Know who he is? Yeah--be neither. He's one of those Origin-specific background characters, and he's in one of the White Base' Guntanks during Ramba Ral's attack.

Page 197
"Come out with your hands up! And don't try anything funny!" Wow, was that a cliched line. I almost cracked up reading it because that's -exactly- what the Japanese translates to. You don't usually see such simple, 1:1 translations. I almost translated the last bit to, "And no funny business!" but I thought that would have been just slightly too silly.

...

And a reminder for anyone who missed what I said on the subject last week, From now on I will no longer be making blog posts for every scanlation release, and I will no longer place download links in these posts. I made that nifty navigation bar at the top of the screen, so use it! Translations (and the current status of my scanlation efforts) and download links will be on the Translations tab.

New Macross game coming in 2013

2012-09-22T22:18:00.002-05:00

A nice spot of Macross news that's actually new and, well, good for a change! We're getting a new game. Maybe. Fingers crossed.

Namco-Bandai has opened up a teaser site for a new Macross game, tentatively titled "Macross 30" (and see, now you can -totally- read the katakana Macross logo! Who says I never taught no one nuffin'). Platform? No clue. Release date? Some time next year. Apparently a brief "trailer" for the game made an appearance at the Tokyo Game Show. And by "trailer," I--of course--mean an montage of animated scenes from the various anime series set to new music, with zero footage of the actual game.

I know, right: Namco-Bandai really plays fast and loose with our expectations.

So: what can we expect? Well, that's a tough one. Earlier, I alluded to the fact that recent Macross news has been, well, underwhelming at best. And by recent, I mean ever since 2010. So far, there have been three, count them, three Macross games on current-generation platforms. Namely, the PS3. Sadly, each game has only amounted to half a game--at best. Sold in "hybrid packs" along side blu-ray copies of various Macross movies, each game has been very short, very sparse on content, and very disappointing. Hell, the first game barely amounted to a demo!

Many of us, myself included, kept hoping that next time, next time, they'd release a full game. And each time, all we saw was a new hybrid pack. So, now that we've got a -real- Macross game incoming, what form might it take? Well, I'd say it's all-but certain to be developed by Dimps. These guys have made a half-dozen Macross games in the last decade (which amount to -all- of the Macross games in the last decade) and have proven themselves to be very good at what they do. If they're the ones behind the wheel, I say pre-order this fuzzy puppy as soon as you can--I know I will.

And what platform should we expect to see it on? Well, that's a bit of a toss-up. The PS3 has the larger install base, and with 3 hybrid-pak games under their belt, Dimps has demonstrated a certain level of competence with the hardware. They've got their Battle engine working on the PS3, and between the three prior "games" already have many of the necessary assets in place and ready to go.

On the other hand, they also recently released Gundam Seed Battle Destiny on the Playstation Vita, a Vita release is equally likely. Bearing in mind that Dimps has traditionally developed portable games, and that the game is releasing next year, a Vita game seems to be the safest bet. After all, since they already have all those PS3 assets ready to go, surely they would have released a full PS3 game already--and they certainly would have had more to show at TGS than a generic anime teaser.

That said, all of this speculation hinges on a handful of assumptions, first and foremost being that Dimps is, in fact, the developer behind the game. So take it all with a grain of salt and please, please, please don't get mad at me if I end up being completely and utterly wrong.

And yeah, I know that was redundant. It was for effect.

...

....

ASIDE:

You may or may not have noticed that this is my first blog post in a while. I feel the need to explain this, but NOT the need to explain this in an independent post. So this is an aside. Here for Macross goodness? Great. Stop reading. Everything else I have to say here is boring bullcrap and malarkey anyway.

*ahem*

So why the long spread of nothing?

Well, I wish I had a good reason. I don't. Last year, or rather a few months ago, I began translating manga. It's a slow and tedious process, not at all helped when my hard drive died in August killing all of the work I'd intended on "putting out there" in one big batch. But I'm managing, fighting that nagging feeling that what I'm doing is lies in a nasty ethical gray-area. I said at the beginning, and many times in the middle, that though I was scanlating manga, that this would NOT be a scanlation blog.

But, you see, despite my protests... that's kind of what it became. And I don't want that. You see, I've been wanting to update more regularly here, to steadily add content to this blog... make it into something at least passably worthwhile. But each time I tried, I'd always think: no, I can't do this. I need to put out a new chapter before I write this review. I need to put out a new chapter before I articulate this barely tenable opinion.

And these chapters, you may remember, are long. 50 to 120 pages each, filled with text, and my solitary efforts are not, shall we say, performed with alacrity.

And that's how months and months pass with so much inactivity.

This blog cannot function like this. Therefore, I to fix things, I cannot simply /say/ that it is not a scanlation blog; the essence of this place must be reflected in my tediously verbose actions.

To that end: I will no longer make new posts when I am done translating a chapter. Do you want to be kept appraised of my efforts? Do you want to read the fruits of that effort? Ignore the blog; hit the "Translations" tab. Or MangaTraders. I will keep in up-to-date with my current scanlation status.

Any future news-posts regarding translated manga will not contain any download links, and will instead focus on translation notes--and believe me, I've got plenty of those--and perhaps brief analyses and opinions re: the content.

By doing so I hope to alleviate my ever-growing neuroses, while at the same time more succinctly segregating the two sides of this blog.

So, yeah. That's that. I'm still alive, and I plan on being, um, more alive in the future.

Apologies for the aside.

Gundam Seed Battle Destiny (Vita) Preliminary Translation Guide

2012-06-09T00:37:00.001-05:00

UPDATE: You can view the completed translation guide HERE.

The semester is over and I have officially passed all of my classes. Without dying. It was touch-and-go for a bit, there. So now it's time for summer and robots. I'll be tossing out some additional Origin eventually, but first it's time to focus on Gundam Seed Battle Destiny.

Here's a quick (preliminary) translation guide for the various menus. My copy of the game is actually still en route, so much thanks to IceCold1993, of GameFAQs, for providing some menu screenshots so I could get working. I hope to have a basic guide written up by Monday or Tuesday so I can move on to other things... God knows I've got a backlog.

So, anyway, let's get this stock train going.

*Note: open the image in a new tap/window to see it at the proper size

First up, the main menu. Didn't see that one coming, did you? I can handle low-res kanji just fine. It takes some time, but I can deal. Mostly. You know what's hard as ****ing stone when it comes to translating? English words written out in katakana. That menu looks pretty simple, right? Well, it doesn't really say, "Versus," it says, "Multiplay."

Took me about six minutes to figure out what that (and, "My Room") meant. Yikes

Next is the VS Mission menu. I'm not sure if this is accessed straight from the "Free Play" or "Multiplay" or what, nor do I know what Item Battle is. Free Battle is probably whatever--you pick who you're fighting and where--point battle is a competition to rack up points, kills competition kills, etc., etc.

And this is the basic mission launch screen. The player controls the top pilot, the bottom pilot is your AI ally. Naturally, I'll elaborate on skills and SP attacks later.

The pilot upgrade menu. Should look pretty familiar to anyone who''s played any of Artdink's six-thousand other mech combat games. The stats are in a slightly different order, however.

Mobile Suit upgrade menu. I'm assuming thruster speed = thruster recharge rate. Balancer, Turning Ability and Mobility have been stats in Artdink games forever... but I must admit that I have no greater understanding of what, exactly, they do now than I did when I first starting playing.

And a rush to a quick finish with the Weapon upgrade menu.

So, yeah, some simple (sometimes obvious) stuff. Here's hoping it's halfway useful to someone out there.

EDIT: some of you may or may not have noticed a distinct lack of posts lately. Thanks for the emails of support! Though, unfortunately, it seems that long periods of inactivity aren't exactly unheard of when it comes to my little blog here.

A quick update on where everything is--or isn't. I'll go into some of the details re: scanlation later, but I'll be changing things around a bit whenever I finish that next chapter of the Origin. Again. I say again because my old hard drive died, and I lost all of my work on The First and The Origin. So now, like a good little automaton, I'm starting over. I still plan on releasing volumes 2 and 3 of The First in a single release, so that may be a while yet, but the next chapter of the Origin I'm hoping to finish before September starts up.

Gundam Battle Operation announced for PS3

2012-03-14T02:49:00.000-05:00

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this, but it certainly sounds promising. Today, Namco Bandai anounced a new Gundam game: Gundam Battle Operation. Gundam Battle Operation is a online action-combat game for the Playstation 3 focusing on online multiplayer.

All well and good--but here's the kicker: Gundam Battle Operation will be a FREE download from the PSN store, and despite being an online-focused game, it will not follow the old subscription-based model. That's right: this is free to play. (It should be noted, however, that like many free-to-play MMOs, there will be various in-game items that players can purchase). Combat will involve up to 12 players at once (in teams of six). Apparently, some missions will even involve hopping out of the mobile suits and fighting on foot. Yikes. That didn't work out too well in the 360-exclusive Operation Troy, but it's an interesting idea. It'd be nice if it could be implemented well.

The beta will begin sometime this Spring.

Gundam Battle Operation is being developed by B.B. Studio, who previously developed several Super Robot Wars games and a Gihren's Greed title. You can check out their wiki page here.

I wouldn't hold my breath for this game being any good... at all. But it's going to be free, which is... very surprising. Personally, I'd have rather seen a new game on the Senki/Crossfire engine

The Origin Volume 05 Chapter 03 Notes

2012-03-12T16:51:00.002-05:00

It's a quick read, but good God was it a pain in the ass to translate. Half the dialog is stuffy as hell, the other half is crude as hell. Couple that with the typical business of a full semester and... well, there you have it. Hell, I think it took about a month just to get around to those last four pages.

...Seems trustworthy enough

Anyway, I hope you like it. I worry sometimes that perhaps too much of my own voice leaks into the dialog when I try to make the language more approachable for my fellow English-speakers. But I think I've managed to find a good balance; most of the translation is literal (as literal as any Japanese can be) but sometimes I add... flourish to the language. For example, when the Zeon officer at the end is shouting at his men, he just says "you." It's a very rude form of the word in Japanese, but us English-speakers only have one "you" and it's a pretty damn neutral term. (Unless you count "y'all"). So I translated it to "Sons of bitches." It's not a literal translation, but it conveys the attitude and tone of the dialog better than a literal translation of the Japanese ever could.

Anyway, grab it from the Translations page:

And if anyone out there knows how to change Photoshop's default compression, I'd love to hear it. Image quality for these scans defaults to 8 or so, and if I could change it to 10 or so there'd be a lot fewer compression artifacts. (Yes, I could do it manually, but it's a pain in the ass I never remember to do).

And if you're not playing Mass Effect 3 already, hop to it! Fantastic game. I've heard the ending is absolutely awful (which, honestly, doesn't surprise me for a Bioware game) but everything else is damn near perfect. Well, if you can ignore how the plot contrives to have this massive, galactic war revolve entirely around squad-based infantry tactics. But still. I haven't gotten to the end yet, but it's definitely a game worth playing. Possibly THE game worth playing this year.

You know, outside of all the other awesome titles 2012 is bringing us.

Scanlation Idiocy

2012-03-05T08:33:00.000-06:00

So I thought I'd come back and work on some of the back-logged stuff I intended to host on this blog... only to find a few jackass-comments regarding my Macross: The First translation. I had not intended to speak of the matter, as I found the whole ordeal rather unsavory and embarassing (moreso for the other party than myself). But since he(?) chose to be an immature asshole, I'm forced to explain the matter. Here is the full story, exactly as it happened:

If you're not fond of stories of wankery, stupidity and douchebags, go ahead and ignore this. I'm only going to address this issue once--right here, right now--and then never again. I'm an adult. I don't have the time or patience for this shit.

Last December, I happened across a full volume scan for the first volume of Macross: The First. The quality was ~atrocious," but I could make out about 70% of the kanji, and guess at most of the katakana readings for the kanji I couldn't read. So I thought to myself: I'd like to translate this into English for myself.

So I did.

Some time later, when I was maybe 1/4th of the way through the first chapter, I found that another group was translating the manga. My first though: oh, crap--guess I wasted all that time for nothing. They were translating it into Spanish, however, and had much nicer scans than the ones I was working with--of good enough quality for me to use to make an English scanlation, using my own translation. So I took the scans, without asking for permission. My reasoning in this was that THEY were, in effect, stealing the scans, had no ownership to them, and therefore in the ethically dubious realm of scanlating I was not acting wrongly.

Apparently the group took great offense at this, despite the fact that as soon as I started my scanlation efforts I attempted to contact them, asking if they would be so kind as to share their raws with me, as a clearing image of the Japanese text would make my efforts a LOT easier. I was very polite, and in the first few emails we exchanged things were civil, if a bit terse. At this point, I was willing to attribute any apparent rudeness to the language barrier--I do not speak Spanish at any level (beyond, you know, ordering Burritos and Chipotle) so we conversed (briefly) in English.

This Spanish-language scanlation group told me that they could not share the raws with me because they were paying a third party to translate the manga into English, which they then translated into Spanish. I said "okay, that's cool, good luck" in as many words and parted ways, expecting never to hear from them again. This was their first email.

A week or so later they contacted me again. They informed me that the individual they had contracted to translate The First did not have the time or the inclination to scanlate it, and offered to let me use their raws... IF I also used their script. I (very politely) declined, stating as best I could that a large part of my motivation for scanlating lies with the need for practice--my Japanese is not good (if you know Japanese, compare some of the more complicated dialog to my translations: I'm certain you'll fine a fair bit of inaccuracies). To simply regurgitate someone else's translation would, in effect, be meaningless for me.

So, once again, I wished them luck with their efforts and parted ways, expecting never to hear from them again.

A bit of time passed after that, and I recieved some new emails. Crudely written and filled with profanity, this group accused me of insulting them, stealing their scans, and stealing their script. I replied, apologizing for any perceived offense, stated my case once more, pointed out that our scripts would (obviously) be very similar as we were both translating the same material, and blocked the sender. As I said earlier, I'm an adult: I don't have time for bullshit.

I was perfectly content at this point to forget about the foolish, worthless "fansub DRAMA" and move on. I ran out of raws, purchased some books on my own (which just arrived, actually; though it will take me some time to scan), and moved on.

I got busy with life, came back here today to make fill-in some gaps, so to speak, and what do I find in the comment threads of several posts? That group--that one asshole, blithering his vitriol here. Very immature. And so here we are: my hand is forced. I have acted with courtesy to the best of my ability. In the past 3 months as I have entered the "scanlating community," I have spoken with many scanlators and many fans, all of whom have been very kind and supportive, to my unending appreciation. This experience has been quite unpleasant. I intend to put it behind me.

This kind of bullshit is stupid and pointless, and distracts from the necessity of the scanlation effort: this material needs to be translated. Who does the translating or who gets the credit... is immaterial. The COMMUNITY matters, not the twits with scanners.

Review: Mass Effect 2

2012-03-05T08:05:00.000-06:00

Sequels can be tricky business. If a game is too similar or too different than its predecessor, no one will want anything to do with it. Keeping what needs to stay and changing what needs to go is a tough balancing act that, in my experience, tends to lay most developers sprawled helplessly out on the floor. Game sequels may be a dime a dozen, but good sequels—those are as precious as ivory.

For a sequel to be good, it needs to accomplish three things: first, it needs to correct the flaws of the original title without introducing many new flaws of its own; second, it needs to introduce new and/or innovative elements that feel both fresh and familiar; lastly, a good sequel needs to expand upon the quality of its predecessor, taking everything—writing, presentation, gameplay—to another level. Naturally, this is a standard to which most sequels invariably fall short.

Mass Effect 2 does not.

Savor that, for a moment. Mass Effect 2 does not disappoint, in any way. From from nearly every angle, Mass Effect 2 meets and exceeds the both our expectations as gamers as well as the standards of the genre. Do I err here on the side of hyperbole? Perhaps a little--but only a little. Hard to believe, I know. A game is good as Mass Effect 2 is impossible to believe in without playing firsthand. I, certainly, never thought any game would ever reach this height, and my mind still insists on believing this—yet every time I load up a game of Mass Effect 2 I am forcibly reminded otherwise. Mass Effect 2 is one of the greatest games—ever. Mass Effect 2 is a brilliant game, and if you consider yourself a gamer you cannot afford to miss it.

Mass Effect 2 is, of course, a roleplaying game utilizing third-person shooting combat mechanics. Essentially, you spend your time looking over the shoulder of your player character, Shepherd, while he or she interacts with the world. Mass Effect 2 begins a little over two years after the finale of the first Mass Effect. You are a Spectre (essentially a space detective) tasked with hunting down the elusive "Reapers" and their sinister agents, who are waging a secret war against humanity. Don't worry about those narrative details just yet—I'll delve deeper a little later on. For now, let's talk about how the game is played. There are essentially two sides to gameplay in Mass Effect 2. First, there's the interactive portion, which involves typical activities: exploration, dialog, story advancement, and so on. Then, there's combat.

Combat in Mass Effect 2 is brilliantly executed. Each class, or profession, in the game can equip different weapons (shotguns, pistols, assault rifles, etc.) and has access to different special abilities. You fire your weapon with the left mouse button, cycle weapons with the mouse wheel, and can zoom in for better accuracy with the right mouse button. Holding down the shift key pauses the game and opens up a very simple menu allowing you to activate your own special abilities, or order your allies to use their own abilities. Abilities that target enemies will always be linked to the enemy in your cross-hairs when you close the game, and ally-effect abilities (healing/reviving comrades) are targeted to the applicable character automatically. Essentially, this means that you'll be in and out of the ability menu in a fraction of a second, ensuring that the flow of combat is never interrupted.

Compared to the first Mass Effect, or any other game on the market for that matter, the controls are exceptionally streamlined. The cover system is especially well-implemented, as you can decide when to enter or exit cover simply by pressing the space bar—which is also used for a variety of other tasks depending on context. Taking cover helps shield you from damage and can grant a nice reprieve in some of the more hectic firefights. Your shields will recover damage, after a time, as will those of your allies and enemies. Some enemies can even regenerate their health, which can be quite a hassle if your running low on ammunition. Different weapons will deal different damage to different types of enemies. Some weapons work better than others against shields or armor, and so on. You'll want to be able to switch weapons on the fly depending on the type of foes your up against. The various abilities also add a nice layer to combat, and can quickly turn even the most disadvantageous of fights to your favor, if your smart. Say you're being rushed by an enormous mechanized robot, spewing lead and fire out of each arms. It towers at twice your height. It's thick armor soaks up your bullets easily, and it's stomping straight towards your position. What do you do? You can use your biotic powers to levitate the robot high into the air, and then, while it spins helplessly above your head, fire a rocket-propelled grenade at it and the beast explodes. You can then watch it rain fiery chunks of burnt armor down all across the battlefield. Oh—and that poor Quarian caught near the blast (the one with the assault rifle)? Looks like he caught on fire and is burning to death. Honestly, I can't think of any way combat in Mass Effect 2 could be any better. The controls are simple and intuitive, the pacing if fast and frenetic, and it's addictive as hell. If there's one detrimental aspect to combat, it's that the larger battlefields are typically easy to spot—any wide area with lots of small walls or chunks or rubble scattered about is guaranteed to be the site of a firefight. It makes things a bit predictable, but never detracts from the fun.

The most obvious mechanical change in gameplay between ME1 and ME2 is the new experience and level-up system, which ditches the first game's standard fare (earning a little experience for each monster killed) and instead rewards players with experience based solely on mission completion, encouraging the player to engage in the optional elements of the narrative if he or she wishes to fully 'level up.' Each level subtly increase Sheperd's stats, and gives him or her points which can be spent gaining and upgrading abilities. Basic stat upgrades are handled not through the level-up system, but rather purchased via in-game currency and resources (found in-game and obtained via the somewhat tedious planet-scanning mini-game).

But the truly revolutionary--evolutionary--aspect of Mass Effect 2 lies not in the combat mechanics, oh no. For the roleplaying genre to ever evolve, fundamental innovations must be made in the area of narrative delivery--and it is here where Mass Effect 2 excels beyond all expectation and hope.

The Dialog Wheel from the first Mass Effect is back, with a few very crucial improvements. The basic gist of the mechanic is that when you're speaking an NPC, you select your responses from those indicated along a wheel. Responses to the right side of the wheel tend to rush through conversations quickly, while responses on the left allow you to explore the conversations in a more in-depth manner. Response at the top are typically "Paragon" responses (meaning "good," or—just as frequently--"polite") while those at the bottom are "Renegade" (evil/rude) responses. This is all as it was in the first Mass Effect—a decent enough system, but nothing truly great.

The interrupt system is a godsend. It makes the dialog scenes far more engaging, and opens up an whole new cinematic layer to encounters that the typical, stand-still-and-talk-calmly conversations from the first game could never have. While watching a scene, you'll see an icon appear in either the left or right side of the screen, indicating an "interrupt" (either on the Paragon or Renegade side). Interrupting dialog means doing something. From slapping a talkative Turian to bashing some poor sod over the back of the head with a wrench. It's decisive, dramatic action, and it's ridiculously fun to watch. The ability to effect drastic shifts in the narrative with the interrupt system make dialog far, far more engaging. It immerses the player in the world and the actions in a way that nothing else can. You feel like your really there, really reacting to what the people around you are doing and saying. If someone says or does something that really gets on your nerves, you don't have to wait for a requisite dialog response to appear—you can let your actions speak for you, spontaneously. Interruption makes the world of Mass Effect 2 feel alive and is, in my opinion, the single greatest element to the game. To be quite honest, the dialog system makes the entire game stand out so far ahead of the competition. Mass Effect 2 isn't about shooting people, it's not even about making "decisions,"--rather, it's all about talking to people in the game, freely, as though you were a denizen of their world.

Beyond that, there are a few things in Mass Effect 2 that may strike gamers as a bit odd. First, there's no inventory system—something of a glaring omission for any RPG—but Mass Effect 2 makes it work. Various weapons are stored on your space ship (the swan-like SR-2 Normandy) and can be changed when you set out on a mission. Rather than collect dozens of different types of armor, you can find or purchase (or research) new armor elements, and then mix-and-match everything you find to something that pleases you, personally. There are hundreds of thousands of different armor variations, including types of material, colors and patterns. You're able to, very easily, design increasingly effective armor that looks just the way you want it. You're Spectre will always, always look just as badass as you can imagine. There could be a bit more variety with the armor models, but I get the feeling Bioware purposely held back in this respect in order to have some easy, simple downloadable content. Even so, the selection out-of-the-box is still impressive.

The only aspect of Mass Effect 2 where things aren't quite as strong as they could be are the various mini-games sprinkled throughout. Most are fairly clever and fun. There's a "Memory" type game that involve connecting various portions of an electronic circuit to open up a door, and pattern-recognition game to recover important documents from corrupted data files. Both of these are a lot of fun and very rewarding. The other two mini-games, however, are not so-well implemented. When you visit new planets, you can scan them to discover various resources (which are used to research various new pieces of equipment and technology). Scanning planets can be a very slow, tedious endeavor that gets very old, very fast. And the real killer? You'll be playing around with the planetary scanner more than any other mini-game.

The galaxy map has also been altered substantially. The best alteration is the application of status-bars by each star-system, indicating how much of the stellar area you've explored. If you've only visited three out of nine planets in a system, you'll see a nice, clear 33% under that star system's name in the galaxy map. This small, simple thing makes exploration far, far less irritating than it was in the first Mass Effect. Inadvertent backtracking simply isn't an issue. Unfortunately, the Galaxy map is now hindered with the inclusion of the fourth and final mini-game: starship flight. That's right, you have to fly the Normandy manually from star to star, keeping an eye out to make sure you don't run out of fuel or probes. It's ridiculous in the context of the game—you're a Spectre aboard a state of the art warship, with advanced AI and one of the most skilled pilots in the galaxy. You have people that should handle the mundanities of interstellar navigation for you. The exploration mini-game is really jarring in this respect, and slightly diminishes an otherwise ridiculously-immersive game.

Mass Effect 2 is a tour de force. The structure of the story has its flaws, to be sure, but details are everything, are they not? And in Mass Effect 2, the details are gold. The overall arc of the story is fairly simple: you are a Spectre (remember: space detective) tasked to seek out and destroy an evil alien species bent on the destruction of mankind, and every other sentient species in the galaxy. Heady--if cliche--stuff, but nothing new. You have been missing in action for two years and everyone believes you are dead, which effectively isolates you. When you return to the galactic stage, your old friends have all moved on, and your allies in the government no longer want anything to do with you. This sets a darker tone for the story as you're forced to seek out aid from various untrustworthy (and sometimes undesired) individuals and organizations. It drapes the entire spectrum of the story in shades of moral gray. While this is fantastic for setting the mood of the story, it also feels too-obviously of a narrative device to keep major players from the previous game from making an appearance. While a few characters from the first Mass Effect do return, most are left forgotten, appearing in Mass Effect 2 only in brief allusions, sideways comments, or play minor roles in the storyline.

The easiest criticism to level against the writing in Mass Effect 2 is that the structure of the story is too simple—a valid complaint, to be sure. While the narrative structure is not so pitiably shallow as in Bioware's prior offering (Dragon Age: Origins) it's still very simple, with not much in the way of twists. Fortunately, the narrative focus shifts away from the primary storyline (which, let's face it, was never that great to begin with. The Reapers have all the narrative appeal of a bag of sand) and instead focuses on smaller, more personal storylines dealing with the people you encounter. It is here where Mass Effect 2 truly shines.

Mass Effect 2 is all about immersion. I mentioned earlier how the interrupt system in dialog scenes makes the player really feel like he or she is part of the world. You're able to act immediately and spontaneously and then witness those actions effect the world—and, more importantly, the people around you. But your actions don't just have immediate, visceral effects—they have long-term effects, too. Your choices actually have real-world consequences! So many games, particularly fellow Bioware games, have been hyped for giving the player choices, but never have these promises been even remotely fulfilled. In the first Mass Effect, you were given choice after choice to make, yet never did a real, solid consequence appear until the very end of the game. In Mass Effect 2, you can make a single choice and see an immediate consequence. But then, hours of gameplay later, you can bear witness to yet another consequence of that same action. Most other games would quit here—but not Mass Effect 2. A single action can have many different consequences that ripple out in time. By the time you get to the end of the game, the narrative will have evolved into a very complex, personal thing based upon the many different consequences to your every action. You feel as though you are genuinely effecting the world around you, and this is a very special thing that no other game has fully managed to capture.

I'm the kind of gamer that, when given the choice, always tends to go the "goody-two-shoes" route. Being evil too-often means being an ass, and that's not a lot of fun for me. (Though to be fair, if I could I'd pick the "asshole good guy" archetype Toshiro Mifune so perfectly embodied every time). Most other gamers, I imagine, feel the same. In the Mass Effect universe, this translates to me playing, always, as a Paragon. I want to do the right things, for the right reasons, always. Most games that offer the player choices, don't really have much depth when it comes to consequences. Other games, like Dragon Age: Origins, will give you big consequences for your choices, but will go out of its way to indicate what those consequences might be before you make a choice. Mass Effect 2 is truer to life in that you seldom know what the consequences of your actions might be. If you show mercy to a repentant foe today, he may come back and slaughter your friends tomorrow—while you do nothing but look on helplessly, thinking "I should have killed that guy when I had the chance." In Mass Effect 2, consequence ripple outward. You'll learn to think in the long term—an evil deed now might do a lot of good later on, and a good deed right now may end up being a very, very bad thing. In no other game have I looked back on a choice I've made and regretted it. Mass Effect 2 manages to coax that regret from me, and I love it for doing so. The world feels real, and you—your character—also feels real.

The world of Mass Effect 2 is rich and vibrant. You'll be able to speak in depth with all of your party members and become as friendly with or weary of one another as you so choose. You can romance, flirt, and argue. You can help people, you can hurt people. There are dozens of detailed side-quests that detail the worlds of Mass Effect 2 with a depth than few other games can compare to. The galaxy feels like a living breathing thing that you are a part of—this is a level of immersion that most gamers would count themselves lucky to experience, even just once. This immersion is broken somewhat, howevver, by the lack of party banter: when you explore strange and alien worlds, you will do so mostly in silence: your parties will have a ton to say to you... but only at very specific, pre-determined moments.

Various recent Bethesda games have left a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to celebrity voice talent, but Mass Effect 2 makes it work. Martin Sheen's performance as the Illusive Man is as subtle as it is menacing; Seth Green's Joker is even more fun this time around; and Carrie-Anne Moss manages to blend seduction and danger perfectly. Michael Dorn, Yvonne Strahovski, Tricia Helfer, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Adam Baldwin, Simon Templeman, Michael hogan, Keith David and D.C. Douglass all offer top-tier performances. Mass Effect 2 has nearly one-hundred different voice actors, more than five-hundred different characters, and more than thirty-thousand lines of dialog. The quantity and quality of the dialog you'll be hearing is almost always of the very highest quality. Unfortunately, the voice actors playing the player character, Shepherd, are the same in Mass Effect 2 as they were the first time around. Jennifer Hale's female Shepherd is masterfully voiced, filled with emotion and humor and dignity, but Mark Meer's male Shepherd is just as flat and uninspiring as it ever was. Fortunately, players are given the option between playing a male or female Shepherd. Unfortunately, female characters do not have access to the same content as male characters, and Meer's performance is so utterly unremarkable and lackluster in comparison to the rest of the cast that the male-only content may as well have been omitted from the game entirely.

The various sound effects are all well-done, if not especially memorable. The various science-fiction sounds are all clear and recognizable and I can find no fault with them. The music, however, is above-and-beyond what was called for. Composer Jack Wall's score is vivid and inspiring. The music is varied to fit every mood and filled with passion. High dramatic scores instill the player with feelings of hope and virtue, while darker scores conjure up feelings of fear and terror—or worse, panicked uncertainty. The score is epic in every sense of the word. It hearkens back to the grand orchestral scores of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Babylon 5. If everything else made you feel as though you were part of a genuine world, the music makes your every action feel important—as though the fate of entire worlds rests in your hands, as so often it does. The score fits in seamlessly with the action making for one very compelling, very complete journey.

Look outside the window. Isn't this world of ours a beautiful place? How often can we see similar beauty reflected in a game? Not often enough, I think. Mass Effect 2 is a stunning game. The lighting effects are brilliant, the textures—particularly skin textures—are impressive, and the animations are all top-of-the-line. There are a few problems. Hair textures are noticeably bad (hair shouldn't look like plastic) and when you get close enough, fire looks pretty awful—though, to be fair, shoddy fire animations are only ever obtrusively noticeable in the very first scene of the game—and often the game will use low-res textures instead of high-res textures when rendering close-ups of clothing during dialog.

In terms of animation, Mass Effect 2 is top-tier. From the graceful swaying of the Normandy SR-2 as it cuts through space, to the spring in your step as you jaunt through dingy back allies, everything moves perfectly. It's easy to make a game look great when it's static, but once things start moving, it gets a good deal harder. How many times have you seen an animation so jarring that it tore you out of the gaming experience? I can't even begin to count the number of times that's happened to me. But, in Mass Effect 2, all of the animations are fluid and natural. It's really quite impressive. Early on in the game, you are moving through the corridors of a ship that is under attack. A section of the hull is blasted off as you walk past—and you see it floating up and away. You're eyes follow the blasted wreckage as it spins slowly away across the void of space—and toward a giant gas giant, eclipsing your view. When I came to that point, just a few minutes into the game, everything came together for me. The sound effects—the depressurization of the hull, my character's own, tortured breathing; animation—the stilted steps of magnetized boots as I trod across metal deck-plates in zero G; the visual effects—a enormous gas giant so close I could almost touch it, looking just as crisp and clear and detailed as anything Hubble has ever given us.

Never before have I simply stood, motionless, and marveled and the beauty of the game. I could not speak, I could not breathe: I could only watch, mesmerized.

A lot of PC gamers like to bring up things like anti-aliasing, bloom, and frames-per-second. I'll not bore you (or myself) with such details. To me, the most important thing about a game's graphics is the presentation—the art design. The artistic styling of the world. The design of ships and planets and aliens and armor and weapons and buildings and landscapes. Everything you see in Mass Effect 2, no matter how small or how large, is beautiful. The alien worlds are stunning. I could write for hours and days and spin vast spools of text describing the artistry present in Mass Effect 2, but I needn't bother. Look at a few screenshots—or better yet, high-resolution videos—yourself and then judge for yourself. The people who crafted this game were artisans. Masters of their crafts. So many settings look like paintings. Often I would have to stop everything I was doing and just rotate the camera around, watching. Many of the scenes and vistas in Mass Effect 2 are simply breathtaking. It's rare these days to see a development spend so much time and attention on the aesthetics of a game, particularly after they've spent so much more time crafting the nuts-and-bolts of the game itself. The hard work of the Bioware artists, and the programmers who brought the dreams of those artists to life, really paid off. The results of that toil are dramatic, and when merged with the every other aspect of the game, create a singular experience that, as yet, has no equal.

I hate to admit it, but I have become a rather bitter gamer of late. No matter how excited I become about an upcoming release, I'm almost always disappointed. Games today, so often, seem to be so much less than the games of yesterday. For a very long time I wondered if there would ever again be a game that excelled so evenly across the board as Shadows of Amn, Suikoden, or Freespace. I even began to doubt myself. Maybe, I thought, I wasn't really a gamer any more. After all, how can one love a thing that so continually and reliably falls short?

Mass Effect 2 has utterly restored my faith. It is a game that excels in every respect, and fully earns its place besides all of the other giants of gaming. It has inspired me in a way I no longer thought possible; filled me with a hope I'd long since thought myself incapable of holding on to. Mass Effect 2 has single-handedly restored my faith in western gaming, after years of disappointment Dragon Age: Origins was released just a few short months ago, developed (like Mass Effect 2) by RPG-giant Bioware—it was billed as a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and it fell pitifully short. And now, today, with Mass Effect 2 I see a game more than fit to join Baldur's Gate in that hallowed hall where all great games go. I can say, with the utmost certainly, that Mass Effect 2 is already a classic: a game that people will remember fondly and continue to play for a very, very long time. I cannot say whether or not Mass Effect 2 represents the future of gaming, or even the roleplaying genre alone—but I sincerely hope it does. Here lies a game well-written, well-executed, and phenomenally fun to play. It would be a great shame if no other game were to follow in its footsteps. Mass Effect 2 sets a shining new standard for the entire gaming community—and will remain a beacon of astonishing quality for the years and decades to come.

Origin/First Update

2012-02-14T03:49:00.000-06:00

Much as I anticipated, life has gotten very busy. I have so much crap to do I have a hard time even looking at the pile directly--lest I be blinded by it.

One such item is The Origin. The next chapter is one of those manga-only ones, and is very important in establishing Char's character... so I'm trying to do the best job I can. There's a lot of dialog with a lot of kanji and that's slowing me down, and the grammar ain't simiple, either. I've decided to run several bits of it by a friend of mine who knows Japanese far better than I to make sure I've got the everything down right, so it'll probably be another week before I can release it.

Macross The First still hasn't shipped.

And other than scanlation news and being stressed and overworked and suffering general insomnia I also had the brilliant idea to re-install Shadows of Amn. And one thing led to another, and another, and before I knew it two icewinds and a planescape wound up on my PC, too... and one could find no greater timesinks.

Two new Gundam Unicorn PVs

2012-02-03T01:58:00.004-06:00

With the latest Playstation 3 Gundam title edging closer and closer to release, we're starting to see a lot more media related to the game. This week, two new promotional videos for the game have been released. Titled "Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn," this game will follow the events of the first three Gundam Unicorn OVA episodes, as well as special supplemental narrative content created specifically for the game. Learn more by checking out the preview and get a closer look at the game by ogling those sexy, sexy high-definition screenshots.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (PS3) will be released in just over one month on March 8th, 2012. It features a large roster of playable mobile suits, game modes, and planned DLC units and scenarios.

Macross: The First Volume 01 Chapter 02 Notes

2012-01-28T14:25:00.000-06:00

Another week, another chapter of Mikimoto's Macross Manga! And even better, it wraps up the entire first volume of the manga.

Yeah, I marathoned through that translation like a pro. Seriously, though: my eyes. They burn.

Scanlation of The First shall be temporarily suspended. Why? I HAVE NO RAWS. I've already ordered books 2 and 3, but I've no idea when they'll get here--it could be anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks from now. And once they arrive, I have to scan them--and then clean up the images. So, sadly, I most likely won't be able to release any more The First manga for until late February.

That said, once I get the books scanned and stuff I hope to (again) translate at blinding speed. By this spring, I hope to catch up with the manga's release in Japan--and stay there until it's over.

...

And to touch on a third and final point:

Some of you may have noticed I've been alternating which manga projects I release: that's because working on the same thing straight bores me to tears. This means I'll be picking up another series to alternate with The Origin for a bit. Currently I've got my eyes on a couple of Gundam projects and a short Macross Frontier series. If there are any oft-overlooked (short) series you'd like to see scanlated, now's the time to suggest.

Gundam: The Origin Volume 05 Chapter 02 Notes

2012-01-28T14:22:00.002-06:00

Another week, another chapter of The Origin. Can I keep this up? --I don't know.

On the off-chance that anyone is interested, here is the Origin's version of Gihren's speech, minus the bits we didn't get to hear, obviously. (How often do you get to see elipses actually used correctly...? Opportunities like this don't happen every day!)

The military might of Zeon is less than one-thirteenth that of the Earth Federation! But in spite of this fact we have, why is it that we have been able to fight so valiantly up until now? Citizens! It is because our goals in this war are noble!

...

It is something everyone who lives in the colonies knows well! We will drive them from Earth. Our noble cause must never be abandoned!

...

For more than a half century the Earth has been ruled by a small, elite group of aging plutocrats. Time and time again this Earth elite has denied the most basic of rights and liberties to those of us who dwell in space! The tyranny of the Earth cannot be allowed to continue!

...

Once Zeon Deikun said that humankind's evolution would begin in the stars! And his words ring true! We who live in the cold of space, why is it that we have endured for so long? Or principality embraces the ideals of Zeon Deikun! That is why we have survived and that is why we will prevail! Our fight is a fight for the freedom of all humanity! We can never give up! My brother--my brother who was beloved by all of Zeon--is dead! Why!?

...

Our nation has been chosen to usher in a new era! Our victory has already been written! From Garma's death we must find new strength! We must rise up! We must conquer our sorrow! For the sake of all our futures!

...

However, our superiority to the Earth Federation is proven with every battle! Many of our fathers and brothers have already perished in this senseless war! We must never forget any of our grief and fury! With Garma's death we will strengthen our resolve! The time is now! We will turn our rage upon the Federation! Only then will we obtain true victory! The brave soldiers who fight for this victory embody all our highest ideals!

Citizens!

Take your sorrow and mold it into anger! Rise up!

Citizens!

We are citizens of the Principality of Zeon! Never forget that we are the people chosen by destiny! Zeon thirsts for the strength of her people! Togther we shall grant salvation to all of mankind!

What is it with politicians using twenty words where five would do? Brevity, folks: it's not just a good thing, it's one of the best things.

Gundam Unicorn PS3 New (HD) Screens & Gameplay Information

2012-01-24T02:45:00.001-06:00

I've already previewed the upcoming Gundam Unicorn PS3 game, and we've already seen some gameplay video, but today Namco Bandai released a few full-resolution in game screenshots, and we're able to decipher a bit more about the game. Which, naturally, warrants a post!

One thing to take particular note of here is that the HUD is 100% in English--something I'm particularly thankful, as I have a hard time reading the katakana names when they're zipping about the screen, and I like to know what I'm killing.

At first glance, the game doesn't look too impressive. I mean, what is it with games these days and half-assed starfields? *ahem*, anyway, the HUD is fairly simple and tells a few things, some of which we already know, some of which are new. The new information to look at here is the "radar" icon in the lower left: There are two gauges, one for the shield and one for fuel. I believe it's likely that the fuel gauge is simply a boost meter, and that it regenerates gradually (at a slower rate if it dips into the red "critical" end). The Shield meter is likely finite, and depleting it will result in some of the battle-damage we see in other screens. (Yes, BATTLE DAMAGE. To an even better effect than we've ever seen before in a mecha game).

Yes, that's an Irish-class. Yes, it's sexy as hell. I mean: goddamn. I'm sorry about that. Let me start over. If you're careful, you'll notice that this Geara Zulu is carrying a unique weapon--it looks like a beam bazooka? This is not one of its default arms--it's a "custom" weapon from another unit. Cool: just like Gundam Senki. Look a bit more carefully, and you may notice something interesting at the radar screen: some enemy icons have vertical red lines about 1px wide extending from them. This proves that battles will occur in fully three-dimensional areas instead of 2D planes. Not exactly a ground-breaking revelation, but it is a positive indicator.

Behold the controls. A quick breakdown:

Circle: lock-on to nearest hostile target
Cross: dodge/evade
Square: ranged attack
Triangle: melee attack
Left Stick: movement
Right Stick: camera
R1: ascend
R2: descend
L1: shift mode
L2: gappo (?)
D-Pad Up: replacement attack (up)*
D-Pad Down: replacement attack (down)*
D-Pad Left: support (left)*
D-Pad Right: support (right)*

*I may be mis-reading the kanji, but I think the left/right buttons give orders for your ally units to cover you (drawn enemy fire) and the up/down gives allies attack orders, probably on whichever enemy unit you have targeted.

Left Stick (flick/snap): step
L1 + L3 (flick/snap): quick step / emergency approach
R1 (double tap): boost up
R2 (double tap): boost down
X (double tap): turn (180 degree turn maybe?)
L1 + Square: sub weapon 1
L1 + Triangle: sub weapon 2
L1 + Circle: sub weapon 3
L1 + Cross: sub weapon 4
Triangle (hold): melee attack (strong)
R1 + Triangle: melee attack (upper)
R2 + Triangle: melee attack (lower)
Left Stick Up + Triangle: melee attack (thrust)
Triangle (emergency approach inside): melee attack (emergency approach)
L2 + Triangle: guard counter
L3: transform
L1 + L3: sub-flight mode

Naturally, we won't know what certain terms mean (like "step") until the game is released, but from this we can ascertain that the game will play very much like Encounters in Space, but with a more complex battle system. So far, so good!

Here we can see both the pilot and mobile suit customization menus. Most of it is fairly self-explanatory, but I do wonder what the "efficiency" stat might effect. Anyway, the combat mechanics seem to have a fair amount of depth, as does the mission mode I detailed a while ago, and so does the level-up system, so to speak. Even at its budget price, this Unicorn game is shaping up to be very nice.

Of course, a big part of the reaon I'm so interested in this game is for the capital ships. Check out that Clop! And an Irish class in the distance. You'll notice the Delta-Plus is equipped with the Unicorn Gundam's beam magnum here.

Notice that both the Kshatriya and Unicorn gundam have special guages. The Kshatriya's is an I-Field, and I would assume the Unicorn's is for the NT-Destroy system.

I'm assuming these two images (above) are from a tutorial mission. They both look fairly bland, though the missile effects look quite nice: in motion, this game should be absolutely stunning to behold.

The Delta Gundam in what appears to be the throes of a special attack. If you look at the radar, we can see that the white arrow in the center is pointed in the same direction as the camera (which has an additional indicator in the radar circle) instead of the direction the mobile suit is facing. This seems superfluous and confusing. Perhaps it's a bug/mistake from an earlier build of the game....

LOOK CLOSELY at the above Sinanju. Notice anything odd about it? It's completely undamaged... save for some (very well-made) damage textures on the head. Notice that the HP appears to be at its max, as does the shield value. What does this mean? Perhaps this is the default texture, or perhaps as the shield meter decreases, your mobile suit slowly shows more damage? Hm....

Just look at those thruster trails. Beautiful.

Take note how, unlike the earlier Sinanju, this one has more damage to the shield meter, less armor overall, and lacks the damaged head texture. The mystery deepens!

I'm continually impressed by how beautiful this game looks. The backgrounds aren't too spectacular (that starfield is downright ugly) but the mobile suits and ships... absolutely gorgeous. Incredibly detailed, great effects... I really can't wait for this game--hell, I've already pre-ordered it from AmiAmi. With the gameplay video we saw earlier and the control information we have today, it seems a very safe bet that this will be a solid game similar to an "evolved" Encounters in Space. The biggest concern at this point is one of content--it would seem that there is no multiplayer mode, and covering only the first 3.1 episodes of the OVA makes it seem like it might be light on single player content--a sentiment that is only reinforced with the knowledge the DLC scenarios are already planned, the first of which will be available at release.

Still, this game is very inexpensive for a Japanese release, so I don't have any qualms about buying it when it comes out early this March.