Gamebits

TRON Legacy's Video Game Counterpart

Ken Gagne — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:00:56 +0000

Everyone is excited to see the new movie trailer for TRON Legacy, the sequel to the 1982 cult classic about a game programmer who is transported to the digital realm he created. As with the original film, look for a simultaneous video game tie-in for Windows, Sony PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Xbox 360. In fact, the game may come out even sooner: the film has a release date of Dec 17, 2010, but GameTrailers puts TRON Evolution at Nov 1. Here's their preview:

In the meantime, Rock, Paper, Shotgun has a retrospective on TRON 2.0, the franchise's previous video game iteration. And to further explore the concept of life inside your computer, check out the television series ReBoot.

PAX East: An Event Schedule for Everyone

Ken Gagne — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:45:12 +0000

Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East, a gaming convention traditionally held in Seattle and making its East Coast debut this month in Boston, recently posted their event schedule. As a former attendee of the industry-only E3, I'm surprised and nearly overwhelmed at how comprehensive and diverse the PAX offerings are. Whether you're a gamer, developer, musician, or journalist, there are more sessions than you can possibly attend.

I counted no less than 27 that piqued my interest, starting with the keynote speech by geek extraordinaire Wil Wheaton. After that, as someone whose professional interests are in social and print media and with a personal interest in non-profit organization, I'll find my way to "The Death of Print", "Traversing the Twitterverse", and "Organizing a Child's Play Fundraiser". As a fan of both machinima and chiptune, there's "A Sophisticated Evening with Rooster Teeth Productions" as well as numerous concerts and panels. Jason Scott will be on-hand to debut GET LAMP, a documentary of text adventures and interactive fiction, and both Major Nelson (pictured above) and Radio Free Nintendo will be recording and discussing podcasts.

Not only do several of these sessions conflict with each other (how to choose?!), but I'll be challenged to find opportunities to escape the structured schedule and roam the show floor. There will also be plenty of games to be played, from pending releases to old-school classics, the latter courtesy the American Classic Arcade Museum. And, as my PAX partner-in-crime put it, "we need to fill our swag bags."

If these delectable delights have enticed you to attend PAX but you didn't register at my recommendation a half-year ago, your dreams may go only half-filled. Three-day passes have been sold out for a month, but if there's a particular day of sessions that interest you, you might still be able to get individual day passes.

With over 60,000 fans in attendance, PAX East is ramping up to be even bigger and better than PAX Prime. If you are any sort of gamer within driving or flying distance of Boston, be sure to be a part of this inaugural event.

New Mario & Metroid Games This Spring

Ken Gagne — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:19:21 +0000

At this week's media summit, Nintendo unveiled many screenshots, trailers, and — most important — release dates for upcoming games. The two titles that overshadow all others on their schedule are Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M, coming May 23 and June 27, respectively. As thrilled as I am with these dates (my copies were reserved shortly after the announcement), I also find them surprising for several reasons.

First, Nintendo tends to hold back its most recognizable franchises until later in the year, when they are more likely to capitalize on holiday sales: Metroid Prime 3 was released on August 27, 2007, with Super Mario Galaxy a few months later, on November 12. With their sequels, Nintendo seems to want to instead give their audience a summer of fun. These two titles being released almost within a month of each other leaves Nintendo with what this Christmas? A new Zelda game, perhaps?

Second, New Super Mario Bros. Wii was released just this past November and sold gangbusters. Although technically a different series from Super Mario Galaxy, it's still unlike Nintendo to release games starring the same character in rapid succession. Is it too much too soon, or are they capturing the NSMBW market before the frenzy dies off?

Finally, both releases are on Sundays, which cruelly relegates the rest of the weekend to "the days when there's nothing to do but wait for Nintendo's new game, which I'll be able to play for only a day before going back to work/school on Monday." So a Sunday release didn't diminish sales of the Wii, but I'd dedicated that day to Nintendo months in advance, whereas the new Mario and Metroid games conflict with my girlfriend's and mother's birthdays. What's a guy to do?

Regardless, I'm excited that these games are coming out sooner rather than later. Super Mario Galaxy was fun, if overrated, and Metroid: Other M looks to be a welcome innovation from the Metroid Prime series (itself a successful deviation from the franchise's roots). Having never played a modern Ninja Gaiden game, though, I dread that Team Ninja's take on Samus Aran may strain my battle skills. We'll know soon enough! In the meantime, here are some trailers.

Neo-Retro Games Find Fun in Challenge

Ken Gagne — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:47:26 +0000

For years, the console wars raged on the front of technical superiority, each platform one-upping the other in technical specs such as bits and polygons. But graphics can evolve only so far; faced with diminishing returns, software developers have hit an elastic barrier that has them shifting their focus from presentation to gameplay in a variety of new classics.

Though A-list publishers have capitalized on this trend — Konami's "Rebirth" line has seen new iterations in the Contra, Castlevania, and Gradius series, while Capcom's Mega Man 9 (soon to be followed by Mega Man 10) was considered one of the best platform games of the year — the "neo-retro" genre also represents an opportunity for independent developers who do not have the resources to produce a big-budget game.

One such title is VVVVVV, a Mac and PC game that features only a single action button, one that reverses the main character's gravity. Though this device has been seen in unique stages of other games, it is VVVVVV's distinguishing characteristic. With some wickedly challenging stages crafted around this mechanic, the game offers plenty of fun and replay value for only $15.

VVVVVV's nfinite lives and frequent save points help alleviate frustration that could otherwise result from the inevitable and multiple deaths players will encounter. It's a refreshing change from modern, beautiful games that are a cakewalk.

Another new release promises a similar challenge, though the first may be in acquiring the rare product. Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril, like Mega Man 9, looks and plays like an old-school NES game — except instead of being a downloadable WiiWare game, Battle Kid is an NES game. A limited quantity of NES cartridges, compatible with authentic and clone Nintendo Entertainment System consoles, were released this week for $30. It's a tempting purchase, not only for the gameplay but for the experience of buying a new NES game in 2010, fifteen years after the last such release (and who knows how many until the next one?).

It's not unprecedented for a "dead" console to continue seeing new software: despite the Dreamcast console being officially cancelled by Sega in 2001, independent releases continued as recently as 2009 and are still available. But Battle Kid sets a new standard for pairing classic challenge with its original environment.

(Hat tips to Joystiq and Slashdot)

The Worst of the Super Bowl's Gaming Commercials

Ken Gagne — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:45:01 +0000

The Super Bowl is about to begin, which once upon a time would not have shown as so much of a blip on gamers' radars. But as webcomic Penny Arcade once observed, the jocks who used to stuff geeks into lockers now have their own testosterone-ridden electronic entertainment, from which they'll be diverting to attend this evening's 11 minutes of actual gameplay.

I don't know if this evening's lineup has any gaming-related content to attract true geeks, but there is historical precedent. Computerworld is running a gallery of favorite IT commercials from Super Bowls past. Ten of them are particularly good, but the gallery also includes two terrible ones. One from 1982 is courtesy Atari:

As far back as thirty years ago, games were seen as an immature pastime, so I can understand Atari's desire to broaden their customer base to adults — but was lowering the maturity of adults really a better choice than raising the appeal of the games?

Of course, Atari wasn't the only company with infamously cringe-worthy commercials. Though it didn't air during the Super Bowl, the advertisement for the debut of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda franchise doubtless has historians scratching their heads:

What are some of your most memorable video game commercials, whether or not they be from Super Bowls past or present?

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories first impressions

Ken Gagne — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:43:45 +0000

When I was a kid, my older brothers, cousins, and I would play a game called "Wolfman". It may've been our own invention, or it may've been part of every American's childhood. We had rather expansive front- and backyards, with plenty of nooks, shrubs, and other hiding places. At night, one person would be the "wolfman" and would find a hiding place, while the others would walk around outside. In the dark, it was almost impossible to tell where the wolfman was — until he suddenly jumped out at you and gave chase! His victim had to either make it to a predesignated safe point or else fall prey to the wolfman. It sounds like a silly game, but for a little kid, having someone (or something) leap from the shadows, snarling, screaming, and running after you was both exciting and terrifying.

It's that love of terror that drove me to recently start playing Silent Hill: Shattered Memories for the Wii. I've been a huge fan of Konami's survival horror series, at least until recently. The first three games were disturbing, but as the fear began to be replaced with fighting, I lost interest. News that the franchise's progenitor would be remade as a Wii exclusive piqued my interest — though would the series' latest direction be overcompensated for by the remake's gameplay?

Shattered Memories changes the game with the elimination of any and all combat and inventory. Harry Mason, still our accidental hero, no longer forages for bullets, health tonics, maps, melee weapons, artifacts, or any other items. All the supplies he's afforded are a flashlight and a smartphone, the latter which provides him with voice mail, text messages, a GPS, a camera, and more. It's a clever way to incorporate all the game's metadata into an organic game mechanic that draws the player into, not out of, the experience.

As a result, gameplay is bifurcated into two very different styles. The first is exploration, where Harry investigates the town of Silent Hill for clues to his missing daughter's whereabouts. Although there are few, if any, threats to Harry's wellbeing during these stages, and the puzzles are not particularly difficult, it is a unique opportunity to become familiar with the people and history of the accursed town.

At key points in the plot, the town freezes over — this game's equivalent to the "shadow world" seen in other Silent Hill games. As almost any average Joe would do in such a scenario, Harry doesn't fight the nameless, faceless beasts that emerge from the dark. A safe point is marked on his map, and he must run like hell to get there while evading these demonic souls. When Harry encounters a creature, all he can do is run or light a flare to ward them off. Hiding places simply postpone the inevitable, as the monsters can smell fear and will quickly out Harry. Should he find himself overwhelmed by the devils, a thrust of the Wii controllers in right direction may temporarily shake them.

Harry jumps chasms, climbs walls, and opens doors without assistance, so all players need to do is point and run. With enemies hot on Harry's heels, there's no time to check the map, resulting in the terrifying possibility of Harry finding himself right back where he started. And with no loading times between areas, making it from one room or building to another does not provide the haven it once did, a console generation ago.

I learned all this from terrifying, hands-on experience. As I frantically searched for an escape, the savages continuously hounded me, shrieking with delight and frustration as they bounded across the frozen landscape. At one point, over Harry's increasingly ragged gasps, I could hear my tormentors behind me. Stumbling, I passed a statue of some sort, and without slowing down, I waggled the nunchuk, sending the figure crashing down behind me. I hoped it would delay my pursuers long enough for me to make it through the next door and find myself somewhere new and possibly closer to home, but I couldn't be sure.

Up until then, I hadn't encountered anything about the game that scared me the way the first Silent Hill did a decade ago. But as I toppled that statue, not knowing if it would help me but knowing I couldn't stop to find out, I felt a familiar chill down my spine. It was terror, hopeless, helpless, and desperation. I was alone in the dark, and no one could help me.

It wasn't Harry who was being chased. It was me — by the wolfman.

A Very Pac-Man Christmas

Ken Gagne — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:45:22 +0000

Here we are, a month since Christmas, and I still haven't shared with you my favorite gift. Although the first two seasons of Big Bang Theory comes a close second, tops still goes to this handmade present:

A handmande Pac-Man scarf, from one geek to another.

The lovely lady seen here stayed up until 4 AM on Christmas Eve, crocheting this gift just for me. I'm not sure which of the two I love more! Apparently the ghost was originally going to be a cherry, but a lack of red yarn led to this superior alternative. Not only does the scarf perfectly fit my interests and personality, but it's stylish in all settings, especially the ones I frequent, such as the Funspot arcade in Laconia, NH:

Pac-Man is coming at me from all sides!

I guess there's hope for us geeks, after all!

(Photos courtesy Steven Kahm and Andy Molloy)

Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment first impressions

Ken Gagne — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:59:02 +0000

Vandal Hearts II is one of my all-time favorite RPGs. I'm not usually a fan of tactical games and have earned much vilification for being the one gamer on Earth to have disliked Final Fantasy Tactics. But Vandal Hearts II earned sixty hours of my time, something I'm rarely able to devote to any single title but which this game warranted. The first Vandal Hearts, along with Wild Arms, were the games that convinced me that the leap from the Nintendo 64's cartridges to the PlayStation's CD-ROMs was warranted, and I was playing Vandal Hearts II well after the PlayStation 2 was launched. The series thus bookended my experience with the 32-bit gaming era, but I was eager for more.

So I was excited to learn in the past few years that Konami was considering reviving this decades-old franchise, and when news came last year that the form would be an Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network game, I considered it my good fortune, as I'd just gotten an Xbox 360 a few months earlier. Yet no gaming site I followed seemed as interested in the title as I was. I checked them regularly but found updates rarely. Finally, Konami emailed me this week: Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment had been released on January 20th.

As I'm currently in the middle of three other games, including one RPG, I did not rush to purchase this title, but it was easy enough to move the demo to the top of my queue. The trial version of Flames of Judgment, supposedly a prequel of the game's predecessors, consists of two battles with some storyline in between. Having played only that much, I can offer only first impressions.

The most significant, or most immediately apparent, departure from Vandal Hearts II's battle system is the ability to change weapons in mid-battle. Heroes can attack from a distance with missile weapons, then switch to melee gear when the enemy draws close. Although many gamers will appreciate this versatility and realism, I don't prefer it. It's not that the system is inherently bad; few people complained that Final Fantasy VI's espers allowed every character to learn the same magic spells, for example, as doing so did not diminish the party members' unique attributes, such as Sabin's blitzes or Setzer's slots. But I did not expect to see such adaptability in Vandal Hearts. One of my favorite attributes of Vandal Hearts II was that each character was essentially a blank template, to be crafted into any sort of warrior needed: fighter, archer, mage, and more. Whatever the person's equipment was defined their purpose, which was fixed for the battle. What I've seen of Vandal Hearts: FoJ is that characters can more easily fill each other's voids should one fall, which for me eliminates some of the tension of battle.

Beyond gameplay and into mechanics, the animation style has taken a turn for the cartoonish, which doesn't match the game's mature themes and Teen rating. It also seems harder than I remember to adjust the camera to get a good view of the 3D playing field. Cinematic interludes feature voice acting, but the game's main dialogue is presented via text — unusual for this generation of RPGs, but not for a 500-megabyte download.

It's been more than a decade since I first played Vandal Hearts II, so my memories and expectations may both have been distorted by time. Even if not, it's unfair to expect a franchise to remain unchanged over so long a period. Either way, I'm not sure Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment will draw me into the tactical RPG genre the way its predecessors did.

Fifty Worst Video Game Voice Acting Lines

Ken Gagne — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:15:09 +0000

Voice acting in video games has come a long way since the CD-ROM format first gave voice to our digital avatars. When a budget was set aside for such talent, it was usually B-grade actors; more often, the acting was provided by anyone in the office and their kids.

David Hayter set a new standard in Metal Gear Solid, a game said to have more spoken lines of dialogue than the entire Star Wars trilogy combined. Now we're fortunate to have recognizable celebrities like Patrick Stewart lending their talent to storied franchises such as Castlevania.

Perhaps now that we've evolved beyond those awkward adolescent years, we can look back at particularly painful moments in video gaming's audio evolution — some of which haunt us to this day:

One obvious candidate was overlooked — a glaring enough one to dedicate your life's work to. A friend of mine works in Japan, presumably as a translator for electronic entertainment, as on Facebook, he describes his professional responsibility as "Trying to ensure 'What is a man?' never happens again." I salute you, sir:

Not even Patrick Stewart could've made that Castlevania clip any less excruciating.

Hat tip to Paul Scheer!

One Week to Silent Hill's Wii Release

Ken Gagne — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:39:26 +0000

Today we are only a week away from the release of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, a remake of Konami's original survival horror game. As one last tease with which to whet our appetite, Konami today released this music video trailer:

Silent Hill has traditionally been a masterful manifestation of the Eastern interpretation of horror: an atmosphere of perversion founded not on sudden scares so much as an unshakeable feeling that something unnatural is afoot. When the first Silent Hill game came out in 1999, I saw it as too similar to Resident Evil; obviously I was not as discriminating a decade ago as I am now. I like to think that by Silent Hill 2, I'd come to appreciate the series. The continuation of the first game's plot into Silent Hill 3 appealed to me, but the series has strayed since then. Silent Hill 4 was not intended to be a Silent Hill game at all, and the next two releases, Origins and Homecoming, were American-made, as evident from the focus on combat instead of storytelling.

A remake of the original Silent Hill holds great potential, and whether or not the Wii is well-suited for such mature games, motion control may subject gamers to the horror of Silent Hill more directly than ever before. Here's to hoping next week's release proves to be something worth getting scared over.