Okami is a game you’ll either get to hate, or get to love. But for everyone, the first two or three hours of the game are spent in a neutral state of confusion. Questions like “What’s going on?” or “What the hell am I supposed to do in combat?” will pass through one’s head, as none of this is really clearly explained at the start of the game. But if you put a few hours into the game, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this amazing gem.

There’s so much to be done in this game – so many things you’ll never notice until your second or third or fourth playthrough of the game – that you’ll never feel bored. Quite the opposite, first-time players may feel  a bit overwhelmed. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there hasn’t been a game that really made me, at least, feel overwhelmed, since Ocarina of Time, and it’s a beautiful feeling when playing a video game. It seems like you can do everything and go everywhere. But for some people, this may seem a bit daunting. So much to do and no idea where to start? Some people may not want to muster up the effort to explore everything before them. (continue reading…)

Now something for you importers out there, I am reviewing Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidō (涼宮ハルヒの激動). To tell all readers out there right now, I have no background in Japanese whatsoever so I am simply basing this judgment on gameplay and presentation alone. Also to note, I do not watch the Suzumiya Haruhi series or do I intend to, I just wanted a Wii game where I can dance like a faggot, and well I sort of got what I wanted.

So jumping into the fray with no knowledge of the franchise or any understanding the Japanese language, I decided to give this game a try. Thinking to myself, all I really wanted to do is to dance with the Wii’s motion controls – after all, who wouldn’t? Let’s start off to say that the presentation is on par with Wii games, the animations are good and the music is fine. The music, which I believe, is straight out of the anime series and despite never actually watching the series, I have to admit, the music was pretty good. (continue reading…)

Part 1 – What Have Wii Become?

I had been aiming to write something like this but found some of the key points I’d touch on already addressed in Alex’s “A Second Video Game Crash?” I suppose I’ve got enough to say that makes it worthy of its own article so without further ado; here is my take on what’s happening in the game industry…TODAY.

While I may not be some sort of untouchable, game industry guru, I, like many of you, carry within me a passion for video games that burns so strongly we believe it can guide us through the stagnant and uncertain time our hobby faces.

The Wii is plagued with shovelware so abundant that some would try and use it to define the system. Microsoft and Sony have been practically offering the same thing they have been for the past few years and while this may not sound like a bad thing to some people, those that have developed the insight to think ahead will see the problem with this sort of planning.

I’m going to focus on matter of the Wii before I address the potential folly of Microsoft and Sony. The Wii has been a ridiculous success. With the least amount of graphical prowess it has become the best selling console, like the PS2 was last generation, and sold so well that Nintendo can even boast that Wii Sports has sold even more than the original Super Mario Bros. On this silver cloud of new exciting things is a dark lining of reluctant publishers and confused developers that are not only unsure how to approach the Wii but don’t seem to understand the audience that have carried it to victory.

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Have you ever fired a gun in real life? I have. I’ll make this perfectly clear to you.

You cannot, under any circumstance imaginable, run and fire at the same time and hope to be accurate.
It does not work. Period. You arms move, your legs move, your head moves, your body moves. It does not work.

HOWEVER, Resident Evil’s tank controls also do not work. Slowly turning 180 degrees around is not how one operates in real life. If you so desired, you could slightly turn your body, turn your head and reverse your arm. POOF, you can now fire behind you while standing still. The problem with RE’s tank controls is that they create tension due not to the game, but to the crappy controls. The fear comes from knowing the limitations of the controls and knowing that you are at a severe risk of getting cut in half with a chainsaw if you don’t turn fast enough. Hell, even if you do discover the 180 turn function, it’s still not good enough. This is not good gameplay design.

Solution? It’s simple really: Meet me half way.
If a guy is coming at me with a chainsaw, i’m not going to turn around, run, then turn back again, hoping he isn’t right behind me. What RE 5 needs is a limited mobility system. What is that? The ability to WALK and fire. You should be able to strafe (left to right) as well as backpeddle while firing. This gives you the ability to put a bit of distance between you and your enemies while still having a decent ability to fire. Keep in mind, I never said you can’t walk and fire, just run. Of course, this must come with a slight penalty in aiming, something I am sure most people would take the risk with, especially when being chased by a chainsaw zombie.

Unfortunately, the official word is that there is no movement whatsoever. There is strafing, but no firing while strafing. For me, this was a deal breaker. Perhaps Metal Gear Solid 4 spoiled me, or perhaps RE 5 just has terrible controls. I understand that Capcom has a need to appeal to the people who bought Resident Evil 4. Using the same bosses and enemy animations is a good start, but the clunky controls are simply unacceptable, even to someone receptive to new things such as myself. Either way, if you plan on getting it, I sure hope you enjoy it. Don’t expect to do any co-op with me anytime soon though.

Z-targeting was what helped the first 3D Zelda be a success

Innovation is a hard thing to come by. Are we really running out of ideas? Sure there are some original games out there, but how many Nazis do I have to kill, how many touchdowns do I have to score, and how many times do I have to rescue the princess? I’m not trying to say some of it isn’t not fun, I’ve just noticed it has become the same game each time. Whatever happened to good old innovation?

The transition from 2D to 3D on the Nintendo 64 in most cases was pure genius. You cannot deny how awesome it was to roam Princess Peach’s castle for the first time in all three dimensions, or Z-targetting your first enemy then striking him down with your sword. It was not just Nintendo who achieved this, Sony did it with their blockbuster Metal Gear Solid by breaking the fourth wall and laying the foundation for stealth games for years to come.

Newer attempts at innovation have been scarce (Portal), and some even failed (Lair, Wii Music). What happened? Are we really so money focused that developers have become lazy? This could possibly be to blame on the “casual” market, with games containing simple gameplay and user friendliness. A unique story can add to innovation, just look at Chrono Trigger. Unlike the million Final Fantasy spinoffs, the single Chrono Trigger game has been constantly praised for never aging, and that the story is what sets it apart.

I feel its time for developers to stop and think about what made gaming truly great: fun.

I mentioned in another article that World of Goo was my personal game of the year. Now I’m not the only one that has that point of view because World of Goo truley is an amazing experience. This physics-based building game was created by 2D-Boy, which is made up of two people, and as an indie game, it’s one of the best out there right now.

When I first bought World of Goo on the Wii Shop (after hearing about it from some friends), I thought it wouldn’t be that spectacular. I mean how much fun can you have if all you’re doing is building towers to get goo balls into pipes? The answer: a whole lot. The game progresses in such a way that even if you get frustrated with one of the levels, you’ll keep trying and trying out of sheer satisfaction. One of the great things about World of Goo that as you start the game doesn’t give you any instructions, it just starts you out and says “here are some balls, get to it” , and because you have only your intuition and brains to go on, victory is that much sweeter.
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I just can’t see it. Really.

I mean, I look at Rock Band, and I look at Guitar Hero, and I can’t help but feel that Rock Band beats the other in every way. And I’m not even talking about the music each one contains.

I look at the interface of the general gameplay, and it really boils down to lines versus circles. I can understand why the original Guitar Hero used circles back in 2005, too. With the power of the PS2 and the quality of the video being output, circles give the most accurate representation of the timing while still being able to be seen by the player. (Coincidentally, this is why I think Rock Band AND Guitar Hero look terrible on the PS2 now that it’s just a port.) But because of the newer generation of systems, the horizontal notes work so much better and give the BEST visual cue to the song’s timing (provided you calibrate your system). I can’t understand why people would prefer Guitar Hero’s circles.
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EA is going to release Dead Space for the Wii. Word of this has probably spread like wildfire and there might be very few who haven’t heard this news, but there is no news like good news!  Dead Space was released for PS3 and XBox 360 October of last year and the decision to put it on the Wii means that the developer and publisher feels Isaac Clarke and the Necromorphs aren’t done yet. Does this mean the sales for both consoles didn’t meet their expectations? Probably! Should we expect additional content? Who knows!

While details are slim and all that has been said from EA is that there will be a Dead Space for the Wii it’s a safe bet that Dead Space will use the Wii remote’s pointer and allow the player to get even more precision in dismembering the horrors above the USG Ishimura. Considering the nature of Dead Space and the core gameplay similarities, over the shoulder shooter, it shares with Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 (which was also released later on the Wii) it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assume it might play much like Resident Evil 4: Wii edition.

Last year EA demonstrated they were a little more than another uninspiring, sequel factory when they released two new intellectual properties, Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge. With some sort of awareness of quality within the company there’s hope that Dead Space for Wii won’t be a diluted port.

The magic of beat/rhythm/music games is strong. Nothing makes you feel good like playing your favorite song, rocking out and getting the highest score you can. Well, not everyone knows what good music games there are out there, so here’s something that might point you in the right direction. Get ready to boogie!

Elite Beat Agents/Ouendan

If you haven’t heard of EBA, you probably need to come out of your cave. This game is totally amazing. The song selection is a bit… Odd, yes, but solid. Every second of this game is hilarious. The EBA go around the world and cheer on people who are in tough situations. How this would help someone steal back plans for their business or help a cat save a baby from a construction zone is beyond me, but I won’t complain. The game gives you numbered circles, and you have to tap them in sequence and rhythm with the playing song. Easy, right? For a while, sure, but you’ll be crying when you fail at the last stretch of “Without a Fight”. This game is on the DS only, has an American version(EBA) and two Japanese versions with different characters, scenarios, music, but that same awesome gameplay. There’s even a custom song game with gameplay very much like it on the PC called “Osu!”, but unless you have a touch screen PC you’re gonna be mousin’ it.
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I was never really into the shooter scene until recently. I’ve taken notice to the fair number of them coming out of the last two or three years. Yeah, there are a lot of shooters before now, but it just feels like we’re overwhelmed with them, huh? No worries, I’ll give you the low-down on what to get from now and then.

Duke Nukem 3D

If you’ve ever played a Duke Nukem game, you’d know why I’m recommending it. The games are pretty damn good. You play as the lovable Duke, who returns from fighting aliens to find his lovable planet turned into a not so lovable wasteland. You gotta shoot the aliens up, saves the babes, watch the porn, drink the brews. The game has an amazing sense of humor, quoting movies like Dirty Harry and Duke’s phrases. If anything, pick this one up for the laughs. It’s originally on the PC where it has a ton of expansions, and it was on the PS1, N64 and a few other consoles under different names.
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