wow, finally someone dealing with videogame themes intelligently and recognizing some of the artistic achievements of the medium...and of course, they use Shadow of the Colossus. =) Check this out: http://kotaku.com/gaming/top/feature-th The upcoming movie "Reign Over Me", with Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler, features the game rather heavily it seems, and manages to thematically reflect some of the ideas presented in the film. Brilliant stuff...and now I totally have to see this movie. Hopefully we'll see more use of video games like this: to present or amplify some thematic element in other mediums, respected rather than reviled. Of course, Shadow is an exception rather than the rule, but it's still exciting and a step in the right direction. |
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Shadow of the Colossus used in "Reign Over Me"...Intelligently!?
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
death of the 3rd party exclusive?
So the news yesterday that Devil May Cry 4 was going to move to 360 and PC along with PS3 shook some people up. It's the latest step in a new trend that the industry is seeing in this new generation of consoles: non-exclusivity of 3rd party games.
Let me explain what I mean by "3rd party". "1st party developers"...those are in-house studios owned by Nintendo or Sony of Microsoft who make games just for that one company. Microsoft Game Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment America, and, well, Nintendo are all examples. 2nd party developers are groups who only make games for one console, but aren't technically owned by the guys they make games for: Bungie (makers of Halo) is an example. Finally, 3rd party devs make games for whoever they want: most big names in the industry fall under this umbrella, including EA, Capcom, and Squaresoft.
Anyway, last generation we saw lots of 3rd party exclusive games which defined the consoles: Sony had Metal Gear Solid, GTAIII, Finaly Fantasy VII-X, the Katamari games, and yes, the Devil May Cry games, all made by 3rd parties, all exclusive to PS1 and PS2 (at least at launch). So why are we seeing people going away from this? The cost to make new games in this new generation is simply too high to risk releasing a game on just one platform unless the console company pays you a premium. Games like Assassin's Creed, GTAIV, and now Deviy May Cry were all expected to be PS3 exclusives at first...but that's not so anymore.
So what will happen in response in the 360 vs. PS3 war? With 3rd party games being less of a differentiating factor, other things will be the key differences: online support, technical superiority, and 1st party games. So far I would say 360 has better online support, Sony has (slightly) better 1st party support, and they're about even on technology.
Who doesn't need to worry about this so much? Nintendo. The Wii is a completely different experience than either of these consoles, and besides, it couldn't match the specs needed to run games like DMC4 or GTAIV anyway. Instead, it's focusing on innovation and low cost.
Let me explain what I mean by "3rd party". "1st party developers"...those are in-house studios owned by Nintendo or Sony of Microsoft who make games just for that one company. Microsoft Game Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment America, and, well, Nintendo are all examples. 2nd party developers are groups who only make games for one console, but aren't technically owned by the guys they make games for: Bungie (makers of Halo) is an example. Finally, 3rd party devs make games for whoever they want: most big names in the industry fall under this umbrella, including EA, Capcom, and Squaresoft.
Anyway, last generation we saw lots of 3rd party exclusive games which defined the consoles: Sony had Metal Gear Solid, GTAIII, Finaly Fantasy VII-X, the Katamari games, and yes, the Devil May Cry games, all made by 3rd parties, all exclusive to PS1 and PS2 (at least at launch). So why are we seeing people going away from this? The cost to make new games in this new generation is simply too high to risk releasing a game on just one platform unless the console company pays you a premium. Games like Assassin's Creed, GTAIV, and now Deviy May Cry were all expected to be PS3 exclusives at first...but that's not so anymore.
So what will happen in response in the 360 vs. PS3 war? With 3rd party games being less of a differentiating factor, other things will be the key differences: online support, technical superiority, and 1st party games. So far I would say 360 has better online support, Sony has (slightly) better 1st party support, and they're about even on technology.
Who doesn't need to worry about this so much? Nintendo. The Wii is a completely different experience than either of these consoles, and besides, it couldn't match the specs needed to run games like DMC4 or GTAIV anyway. Instead, it's focusing on innovation and low cost.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Putting "Dirge" to rest, GOWII rocks.
ugh, for being so "tech savvy" I couldn't find where I was supposed to update this thing. I'm stupid.
Anyway. Couple things:
Like I mentioned last time, I picked up Dirge of Cerberus and played through real fast, probably 10 or 12 hours tops. The reviews were pretty miserable, but it being from Square and related to one of my favorite FFVII characters, Vincent, I was hopeful. And hey, Advent Children was filled with beautiful, action-packed, fanservice delightfulness, so...it could be good, right?
Well, not so much. Besides the instant gratification of the simple aim-and-shoot gameplay (which gets old fast), the pretty FMV cutscenes, and ...um...can't think of anything else. Yeah. It's not all that good. Oh, I thought of one more thing: Fanservice! If you're a big FFVII lover (and btw, FFVII is today's featured article on Wikipedia.com!), you owe it to yourself to play this, simply to squeal when you see Cloud riding his motorcycle and slashing people with a sword bigger than he is, or delight in watching Cid light a cig and take a slow drag. But let's address the gameplay issues here:
--absolutely mind-numblingly stupid story. It was just an excuse to make up another game, and adds nothing to the FFVII mythos. Yeah, it's plausible in this world, but it's not good either.
--The new characters and character design. Tetsuya Nomura, you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself, especially after seeing Akihiko Yoshida's incredible work in Final Fantasy XII. All of them were bland anime character stereotypes with bad fake accents, uninteresting to embarassingly terrible dialog, and even worse "stories". Yawn.
--the gameplay is just bland. The enemies come in 3 or 4 different varieties the whole game and show a distinct lack of a brain, the level design is dull and uninspired, and the weapon and magic management is ok but not great...nothing compared to the materia system, that's for sure.
--graphically it was underwhelming as well. Yes, this game is about a year old now, but in the face of next-gen systems, FFXII, and the just released God of War II, it looks like shit.
--they gave my favorite FFVII character, Red XIII, about 4 seconds of face time. Screw you too, Square.
So yeah. If you like FFVII and have some free time on your hands, go for it...you should be able to find it in the bargin bin section of your local Gamestop, EB, or Software Etc. in a few months. You could beat it in a rental too, so that's another solid option. Otherwise, save your time and money.
After that, I meant to start up my FFXII game again, but God of War II beckoned. By now I'm sure you've seen the ads for the sequel to the legendary PS2 blockbuster and critical darling, God of War. Set in mythical ancient Greece, it follows the exploits of the tortured and malicious Kratos, the former pawn of Ares, the (again, former) god of war. In the first game (**SPOILERSZZ!!1), you end up fighting back against the deceitful Ares and ask the gods to erase the horrible memories of your past (Kratos kind of killed his wife and child in a bloodlust. Whoops) Instead of curing Kratos of his nightmares, they offer him the chance to replace the slain Ares as the God of War, and Kratos is happy to oblige. Well, GOWII picks up where the first left off. I don't want to spoil anything, but Kratos is (still) unhappy and (again) wants to fight some gods.
But it's not about story...the gameplay is sublime. The art design, enemy variety, combat mechanics, interesting puzzles, alternate weapons, platforming elements, voice acting...this game has it all in spades. It even tells a pretty engaging story.
So anyway, I'm only a few minutes into GOWII, but even that first bit gave me a couple of great "whoa" moments, more than I can say for the whole 12 hours of Dirge. I suppose it's not even fair to compare, but when you're fighting against one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (namely this one) instead of generic soldier #314, it's pretty nice.
So, for people with PS2s...do yourself and favor and pick it up. If you haven't played the first one, shame on you, go play it now.
Last thought: the upcoming Spring Break is a godsend for the average gamer. I'm probably going to be working on GOWII, FFXII, and trying to finish up FFIII on my DS. What are you playing over the break?
this one was too long again. I'll try to make it shorter next time. =|
Anyway. Couple things:
Like I mentioned last time, I picked up Dirge of Cerberus and played through real fast, probably 10 or 12 hours tops. The reviews were pretty miserable, but it being from Square and related to one of my favorite FFVII characters, Vincent, I was hopeful. And hey, Advent Children was filled with beautiful, action-packed, fanservice delightfulness, so...it could be good, right?
Well, not so much. Besides the instant gratification of the simple aim-and-shoot gameplay (which gets old fast), the pretty FMV cutscenes, and ...um...can't think of anything else. Yeah. It's not all that good. Oh, I thought of one more thing: Fanservice! If you're a big FFVII lover (and btw, FFVII is today's featured article on Wikipedia.com!), you owe it to yourself to play this, simply to squeal when you see Cloud riding his motorcycle and slashing people with a sword bigger than he is, or delight in watching Cid light a cig and take a slow drag. But let's address the gameplay issues here:
--absolutely mind-numblingly stupid story. It was just an excuse to make up another game, and adds nothing to the FFVII mythos. Yeah, it's plausible in this world, but it's not good either.
--The new characters and character design. Tetsuya Nomura, you should be absolutely ashamed of yourself, especially after seeing Akihiko Yoshida's incredible work in Final Fantasy XII. All of them were bland anime character stereotypes with bad fake accents, uninteresting to embarassingly terrible dialog, and even worse "stories". Yawn.
--the gameplay is just bland. The enemies come in 3 or 4 different varieties the whole game and show a distinct lack of a brain, the level design is dull and uninspired, and the weapon and magic management is ok but not great...nothing compared to the materia system, that's for sure.
--graphically it was underwhelming as well. Yes, this game is about a year old now, but in the face of next-gen systems, FFXII, and the just released God of War II, it looks like shit.
--they gave my favorite FFVII character, Red XIII, about 4 seconds of face time. Screw you too, Square.
So yeah. If you like FFVII and have some free time on your hands, go for it...you should be able to find it in the bargin bin section of your local Gamestop, EB, or Software Etc. in a few months. You could beat it in a rental too, so that's another solid option. Otherwise, save your time and money.
After that, I meant to start up my FFXII game again, but God of War II beckoned. By now I'm sure you've seen the ads for the sequel to the legendary PS2 blockbuster and critical darling, God of War. Set in mythical ancient Greece, it follows the exploits of the tortured and malicious Kratos, the former pawn of Ares, the (again, former) god of war. In the first game (**SPOILERSZZ!!1), you end up fighting back against the deceitful Ares and ask the gods to erase the horrible memories of your past (Kratos kind of killed his wife and child in a bloodlust. Whoops) Instead of curing Kratos of his nightmares, they offer him the chance to replace the slain Ares as the God of War, and Kratos is happy to oblige. Well, GOWII picks up where the first left off. I don't want to spoil anything, but Kratos is (still) unhappy and (again) wants to fight some gods.
But it's not about story...the gameplay is sublime. The art design, enemy variety, combat mechanics, interesting puzzles, alternate weapons, platforming elements, voice acting...this game has it all in spades. It even tells a pretty engaging story.
So anyway, I'm only a few minutes into GOWII, but even that first bit gave me a couple of great "whoa" moments, more than I can say for the whole 12 hours of Dirge. I suppose it's not even fair to compare, but when you're fighting against one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (namely this one) instead of generic soldier #314, it's pretty nice.
So, for people with PS2s...do yourself and favor and pick it up. If you haven't played the first one, shame on you, go play it now.
Last thought: the upcoming Spring Break is a godsend for the average gamer. I'm probably going to be working on GOWII, FFXII, and trying to finish up FFIII on my DS. What are you playing over the break?
this one was too long again. I'll try to make it shorter next time. =|
Friday, March 9, 2007
First post: GDC announcements abound!
Well this, this is my first post on here, so I might as well jump right in. I'm Matt, I really like games, and I decided I wanted to do a blog on Oleville to keep people current with what's been happening in the gaming industry. If you're wondering, just up front, I have biases towards adventure, rhythm, RPGs, and fighting games. I also tend to like Sony a little better than Microsoft (heretoforth referred to as M$), though I definitely respect the later.
Anyway, I'm sure few of you know that GDC was this week: the Game Developer's Conference, in which developers come together to discuss some of the big themes and topics around the industry, along with introducing new projects. Luminaries like Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Mario, Zelda, and most of what else people know and love about Nintendo), Cliffy B of Gears of War fame, and Sony PR head Phil Harrison gave talks, and sound fresh gameplay videos and announcements were made. Some of the headlines:
--Sony FINALLY unveiled it's online architechture for PS3. Pretty much ever since Sony announced that the PS3 was going to be $600 back at E3 '06 (Rest in Peace, E3), Sony has sort of lagged behind the competition, especially in terms of press reports. The PS3 launch was somewhat of a flop hardware-wise, with a shallow starting lineup, gripes about the lack of online functionality compared to the robust Xbox Live, and gimmicky motion tilt controller. Combine all those problems with Sony's continued arrogant and bull-headed marketing and press philosophy, and it seemed that Sony's fan support was starting to waver (mine included)...but in the last week or two, they've started to turn the corner. They hinted that they might bring rumble back into the PS3 controllers, which has been a common complaint among fans, and with the announcement of Home, their online set-up, Sony seems to be somewhat back on track towards gaining market share in the US in the next generation.
--Anyway, Home...imagine sort of like The Sims, Second Life, the Wii's "Mii" system of creating a personalized avatar, and Xbox Live's media content, and you can get a pretty good sense of what Home is. You create your own personalized avatar (the customization options looks pretty extensive) and apartment, and interact with thousands of other people through a headset, USB keyboard, or quick phrases brought up by the D-pad. Minigames like bowling and billiards are in the common areas, and you can shop for and watch movies, previews, and whatever else Sony has up their sleeves (music? downloadable game content? I think so). I gotta say, it looks pretty awesome.
--M$ has been in front with the 360 so far in this new generation (though don't get my wrong...the PS2 is still beating everybody by a long shot, thanks in part to God of War II, the PS2's last great hurrah, coming out next Tuesday), and they continue to show a strong plan leading up to this holiday season, which looks to be pretty awesome. Besides the apocalyptic madness that will be the Halo 3 launch, Gears of War was one of the best games of the year last holiday season, Mass Effect looks to be the RPG of this summer (made by Bioware, the guys who did the popular KOTOR games), and they managed to steal away Sony's exclusivity rights to the GTA franchise (GTA4, btw, comes out this October for both 360 and PS3). While they didn't have much new to say at GDC, they've been doing very well for themselves. New content on Xbox Live continues to come down the pipes (including the original TMNT arcade classic coming in time for the new movie...booyah!), and it seems nothing can defeat the juggernaut that is Halo 3.
--Nintendo, in the meantime, has sold more Wiis than many people expected, and it's recieved a lot of fan and press support. The fun, simple controls of the built-in Wii Sports has attracted everybody, including your enfeebled, half-dead grandparents, to pick up a game controller, which is exactly what Nintendo was planning to do. Starting with the DS's cultural wunderkind Brain Age, Nintendo has been aiming outside of its core constituency to bring in other gamers...older people especially. And it's working... even my mom, a long video game-basher (stop playing and do your homework! UGH!) got a DS for her birthday and has been enjoying Sudoku, Brain Age, and Clubhouse games ever since.
--Oh, did I mention that Nintendo has the portable games market by the balls? Um yeah, they sell at least 100,000 DSs every WEEK in Japan, and almost as many here. While the PSP has finally started to ship some cool games and looks to get better this year, it's still getting its ass kicked by the DS on both sides of the pond. I myself love my little DS Lite I got last summer, and already have almost a dozen games for it...and I'm excited for Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, FFXII: Revenant Wings, and FF Crystal Chronicles all coming out this year for DS.
For more GDC coverage, check out:
Phil Harrison's presentation on "Home"
a new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass for DS
the hot new trailer for Super Mario Galaxy for Wii
God of War II for PS2
and, for the sake of Halo fanboys everywhere...the Halo 3 commercial which debuted a few months ago
Lastly, here's what i've been playing lately, and what I think:
--I just finished up Oblivion, finally, after starting it in September. For those who don't know, Oblivion is the sequel to Morrowind, the very popular Xbox and PC game by Bethesda studios, and it basically adds on to everything you had in Morrowind: a huge world to explore, hundreds of NPCs to talk with, hundreds of quests to complete, 21 different skills to master, and absolutely gorgeous visuals. I played on the PC, and it's the first really "next gen" game I've played, at least visually. After taking a break in Nov/Dec/Jan after hitting the 60 hour mark, I picked it back up and finished it a couple days ago, clocking in at 110 hours (I play slow, ok?)...and I still haven't done the Nights of the Nine expansion, or the upcoming Shivering Isles, which looks to add tons of new content and areas to explore.
--So, having finished Oblivion, I'm taking an RPG break to play Dirge of Cerberus, despite the lukewarm reviews it received. Hey, it's FFVII, ok? I'm not a huge VII lover, and i think it's vastly overrated by the teeming hordes who have played it (message to posers who have only ever played VII: just because you've played ONE RPG doesn't mean you know anything. Period.), but it's good stuff and it looks pretty. =)
--I've also been working on FFIII for DS, a couple Japanese-only games for DS I picked up in Akihabara when I was there during interim (Osu! Tatakae! Oendan is a rhythm-based touch screen game with awful/awesome J-pop and J-rock selections, and Shonen Jump Ultimate Stars is a Smash Bros. type game with famous anime characters), and of course Elite Beat Agents.
lastly, in case anyone is interested and/or wants more: I implore you to check out these sites, as this is where I get most of my info:
www.1up.com with links to lots of video via www.gamevideos.com, the 1Up guys do a good job offering previews, features, and news in a somewhat even-headed way.
www.joystiq.com great gaming blog, with great features, links, polls, and more
www.kotaku.com another good gaming blog
Anyway, I'm sure few of you know that GDC was this week: the Game Developer's Conference, in which developers come together to discuss some of the big themes and topics around the industry, along with introducing new projects. Luminaries like Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Mario, Zelda, and most of what else people know and love about Nintendo), Cliffy B of Gears of War fame, and Sony PR head Phil Harrison gave talks, and sound fresh gameplay videos and announcements were made. Some of the headlines:
--Sony FINALLY unveiled it's online architechture for PS3. Pretty much ever since Sony announced that the PS3 was going to be $600 back at E3 '06 (Rest in Peace, E3), Sony has sort of lagged behind the competition, especially in terms of press reports. The PS3 launch was somewhat of a flop hardware-wise, with a shallow starting lineup, gripes about the lack of online functionality compared to the robust Xbox Live, and gimmicky motion tilt controller. Combine all those problems with Sony's continued arrogant and bull-headed marketing and press philosophy, and it seemed that Sony's fan support was starting to waver (mine included)...but in the last week or two, they've started to turn the corner. They hinted that they might bring rumble back into the PS3 controllers, which has been a common complaint among fans, and with the announcement of Home, their online set-up, Sony seems to be somewhat back on track towards gaining market share in the US in the next generation.
--Anyway, Home...imagine sort of like The Sims, Second Life, the Wii's "Mii" system of creating a personalized avatar, and Xbox Live's media content, and you can get a pretty good sense of what Home is. You create your own personalized avatar (the customization options looks pretty extensive) and apartment, and interact with thousands of other people through a headset, USB keyboard, or quick phrases brought up by the D-pad. Minigames like bowling and billiards are in the common areas, and you can shop for and watch movies, previews, and whatever else Sony has up their sleeves (music? downloadable game content? I think so). I gotta say, it looks pretty awesome.
--M$ has been in front with the 360 so far in this new generation (though don't get my wrong...the PS2 is still beating everybody by a long shot, thanks in part to God of War II, the PS2's last great hurrah, coming out next Tuesday), and they continue to show a strong plan leading up to this holiday season, which looks to be pretty awesome. Besides the apocalyptic madness that will be the Halo 3 launch, Gears of War was one of the best games of the year last holiday season, Mass Effect looks to be the RPG of this summer (made by Bioware, the guys who did the popular KOTOR games), and they managed to steal away Sony's exclusivity rights to the GTA franchise (GTA4, btw, comes out this October for both 360 and PS3). While they didn't have much new to say at GDC, they've been doing very well for themselves. New content on Xbox Live continues to come down the pipes (including the original TMNT arcade classic coming in time for the new movie...booyah!), and it seems nothing can defeat the juggernaut that is Halo 3.
--Nintendo, in the meantime, has sold more Wiis than many people expected, and it's recieved a lot of fan and press support. The fun, simple controls of the built-in Wii Sports has attracted everybody, including your enfeebled, half-dead grandparents, to pick up a game controller, which is exactly what Nintendo was planning to do. Starting with the DS's cultural wunderkind Brain Age, Nintendo has been aiming outside of its core constituency to bring in other gamers...older people especially. And it's working... even my mom, a long video game-basher (stop playing and do your homework! UGH!) got a DS for her birthday and has been enjoying Sudoku, Brain Age, and Clubhouse games ever since.
--Oh, did I mention that Nintendo has the portable games market by the balls? Um yeah, they sell at least 100,000 DSs every WEEK in Japan, and almost as many here. While the PSP has finally started to ship some cool games and looks to get better this year, it's still getting its ass kicked by the DS on both sides of the pond. I myself love my little DS Lite I got last summer, and already have almost a dozen games for it...and I'm excited for Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, FFXII: Revenant Wings, and FF Crystal Chronicles all coming out this year for DS.
For more GDC coverage, check out:
Phil Harrison's presentation on "Home"
a new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass for DS
the hot new trailer for Super Mario Galaxy for Wii
God of War II for PS2
and, for the sake of Halo fanboys everywhere...the Halo 3 commercial which debuted a few months ago
Lastly, here's what i've been playing lately, and what I think:
--I just finished up Oblivion, finally, after starting it in September. For those who don't know, Oblivion is the sequel to Morrowind, the very popular Xbox and PC game by Bethesda studios, and it basically adds on to everything you had in Morrowind: a huge world to explore, hundreds of NPCs to talk with, hundreds of quests to complete, 21 different skills to master, and absolutely gorgeous visuals. I played on the PC, and it's the first really "next gen" game I've played, at least visually. After taking a break in Nov/Dec/Jan after hitting the 60 hour mark, I picked it back up and finished it a couple days ago, clocking in at 110 hours (I play slow, ok?)...and I still haven't done the Nights of the Nine expansion, or the upcoming Shivering Isles, which looks to add tons of new content and areas to explore.
--So, having finished Oblivion, I'm taking an RPG break to play Dirge of Cerberus, despite the lukewarm reviews it received. Hey, it's FFVII, ok? I'm not a huge VII lover, and i think it's vastly overrated by the teeming hordes who have played it (message to posers who have only ever played VII: just because you've played ONE RPG doesn't mean you know anything. Period.), but it's good stuff and it looks pretty. =)
--I've also been working on FFIII for DS, a couple Japanese-only games for DS I picked up in Akihabara when I was there during interim (Osu! Tatakae! Oendan is a rhythm-based touch screen game with awful/awesome J-pop and J-rock selections, and Shonen Jump Ultimate Stars is a Smash Bros. type game with famous anime characters), and of course Elite Beat Agents.
lastly, in case anyone is interested and/or wants more: I implore you to check out these sites, as this is where I get most of my info:
www.1up.com with links to lots of video via www.gamevideos.com, the 1Up guys do a good job offering previews, features, and news in a somewhat even-headed way.
www.joystiq.com great gaming blog, with great features, links, polls, and more
www.kotaku.com another good gaming blog
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