It's been a while since we've heard anything about Team ICO's latest creation the Last Guardian. As a big fan of their last two games I was delighted to find some new screen shots on the Japanese website. Anticipation is high for the mysterious sequel. Hopefully thes screens while tide you over till we get some new video.
When you think Mickey Mouse, what comes to mind? More importantly, what makes Mickey cool?
These are questions that legendary game director Warren Spector presented in a recent London press conference for his upcoming Wii title Epic Mickey (working title).
The classic Mickey design, Oswald The Lucky Rabbit (Walt's lost character) and in-game "squash and stretch" animation all look to add up what could possible be a Disney buff's dream come true.
As an avid Disney geek an gamer, I personally cant help but be a tad disappointed that they decided against developing an "HD" version of this game for the PS3 or XBOX 360. I'd really like to experience playing Epic Mickey on a console that doesn't look like complete garbage on my HDTV.
Epic Mickey isnt coming out anytime soon, so maybe the rumored "Wii HD" will be out by the time the games ships. I'll keep my puffy, white-gloved fingers crossed.
*As before, I'll be logging diaries after every session of game-play. Expect Spoilers.
This week I decided to have a go at Naughty Dog's sure-to-be classic Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I would have begun sooner but as with Drake's adventures there was a snag. My PS3 died. But I'm back at it and eager to get going.
Admittedly, I wasn't the biggest Uncharted: Drake's Fortune fan. I respected its merits, but the game wasn't for me. It was floaty, and rubbery, two qualities not often praised by American gamers, except Japanophiles. I like, dare I say at the risk of persecution, beefy games. I like games that feel solid. I know, this is all really ambiguous, but hopefully this new installment will be a departure from the first.
My expectations for this game were high, I expected it to improve on the high quality of production seen in the first one. A couple of specifics that I hoped for were better aiming, less repetitive or more realistic combat confrontations and better character animation.
Half tuck is at it again.
Right from the get go I was impressed, the game starts off on a high note, in which we are made well aware of how high every aspect of production is. I've Just started the third or fourth chapter and the game is still quasi-tutorial, but it still feels really organic which is a huge accomplishment.
The story thus far has been extremely compelling and though some of the initial plot points were fairly predictable, they were nonetheless enjoyable. I hope I'm wrong on a few of these. I'm fairly certain I am. I expect to have the rugged pulled from beneath me a few more times and I can't wait.
The thing I remembered about Uncharted as soon as I began playing was how amazing everything looks from afar, and how mediocre a lot of things look on closer inspection. For instance, at first glance Nate looks absolutely fantastic with his slick jeans and bed hair(which is probably the best looking thing in the game), but the more you follow him around you start to notice a few awkward animations, his hunch back and dog legs. I also noticed a little pop-in which I thought was strange since the game proves it has a massive draw distance. But these are minor gripes, because the story more than makes up for any graphical complaints I have. Oh yeah, the action this time around is way better! The stealth is super satisfying and the gun play, although a little floaty for me, feels good enough. Though I wish there were and auto aim option. And I must say that on the whole the graphics look fabulous.
Vivid and lush and notice simple polys.
I'm not quite sure about Chloe yet. So far she's playing both sides. I'm anxious to see what happens. At least she changes shirts.
I've just started this game so expect plenty more updates.
SSIV Rumors are all but confirmed. Destructoid recently pointed out that there was an odd website which looked very Street Fighteresque. The website has "the New Warrior" in its title I wonder what that could mean. We'll have more info soon, as it is to be expected that more details will come in around 4am.
Is that T. Hawk on the screen?
More to come...
Edit: Adam pointed me to these on the Neogaf forum.
More to still to come...
Here are he un-confirmed glorious details!* The previously leaked characters are all said to be in the game. Dee Jay, T. Hawk, Dudley, Ibuki, Makoto, Adon, Cody and Guy. The new characters are rumored to be: o Hakan - An Arabic grappler obsessed with oil. o Juri - Evil Asian girl fighter working for Seth. * All characters will have two Ultras. They will both be available at one time, not selectable like with Third Strike's Super Arts. The commands to execute your Ultras do not overlap.
o It sounds like the characters from Third Strike are set up with their prior Super Arts. They had three in that game, so one will be their Super and the other two their Ultras.
o Gen has four Ultras because of his two fighting styles. One of these is said to be an Air Ultra.
o All characters still have one Super, except Sakura who apparently has a Shinkuu Hadoken (Super Fireball) as well.
* Some characters will have Air Ultras.
* The Bonus Stages will be returning.
* This will be an exclusive arcade release at least for a few months.
* An official announcement is said to be coming at the Tokyo Game Show and on the Japanese Street Fighter 4 blog soon.
* Expect the return of the many familiar Supers, and a few new ones like Metsu Shoryuken. You'll see the return of Chun-Li's Kikosho (Super Fireball), Gouken's Denjin, Sagat's Tiger Cannon (Super Fireball).
* Ibuki has a run command.
* Guile has his Sonic Hurricane move from Marvel vs. Capcom 2.
* Dudley has his Chain combos from Third Strike, plus one additional Chain combo.
* Cody is the only character with an Alpha Counter and he still has his knife. He supposedly needs his knife to perform one of his Ultras.
* Rufus can cancel-break the last hit of his Spectacle Romance, or the launch kick of Space Opera Symphony.
* Guy has his Chain combos.
* Makoto has her Tanden Renki Super from Third Strike.
* Zangief is said to have a 720 degree motion Air Ultra called the Siberian Blizzard.
* The game takes place one year after Street Fighter 4.
* Dudley was searching for his car in Third Strike, in this game he's searching for a rose.
* T. Hawk's storyline involves him protecting Juni or Juli.
* Dhalsim's new Ultra is called the Yoga Shangri'la.
* There's a new gameplay system called Tadan Saving, the phrase implies a multi-hitting or multiple-level Focus Attack.
* The console characters are all said to be added to the upcoming arcade release, with the possible exceptions of Seth and Gouken.
Anyone worried about Team Ninja loosing their penchant for sleaze with the departure of Tomonobu Itagaki can lay their qualms to rest after watching this recent Japan-only TV spot for Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.
This commercial is depressing on a number of levels. Is this really the most creative implementation of the Sixaxis motion controls that the pervs at Tecmo could come up with?
So much for games growing up.
The people at Lucasarts responsible for the Hi-Def Monkey Island remake have been very busy.
Take a gander at their new game Lucidity for XBLA that is scheduled for release within a months time.
Not sure how well the Lemmings-style play mechanics will work out on a controller but the graphics, music and tone are enough to pique interests.
The Playstation 3 is billed as the most powerful gaming system ever created. Sure game developers could harness the power of the Cell to craft graphics that look marginally better than the competition, but if the Wii has taught us anything it's that people don't want amazingly slick 3D visuals anymore. That dream died in 2000 when Sega pulled the plug on the Dreamcast. The future of gaming is not about polygons, normal-mapping, and procedural animations. No. We're going back to basics.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the future of video games.
A localized version of 3D Dot Game Heroes for the Playstation 3 has yet to be announced but I'm sure that Atlus and Ignition are currently slogging it out in a bidding war to bring this title stateside.
Since I had nothing to do today, I decided to follow Apple's "It's only rock and Roll" event. First off, it was good seeing Steve Jobs back and in seemingly good health thanks to the liver of a mid 20s car accident victim. It seemed to me that the focus this year was price cutting. The entry price on an Ipod Touch is now 200 bucks. Roughly 30 dollars cheaper than yesterday. Out of all the Ipods the Nano got the biggest upgrade which included a camera and a speaker. The new OS was also released today which includes much more integration with Itunes and the ability to change application via a computer.
But the real shocker was the fact that Apple is so aggressively pursuing the video game market.
With graphs like these Jobs is certainly trying to make a statement about the other handhelds.
They showed of a couple of their games like an fps called Nova which looks a lot like Halo and a rhythm game called Riddim Ribbon.
They also showed off Assassin's Creed which looks more like a side-scroller than the open world we're used to with this game. Points off Apple, for going for the console audience, you have a unique device play to its strengths like the Nintendo does with the Wii.
So, Apple wants a piece of the pie? They already have the install base, now they just need the games. More to come.
Pics Via Engadget
I'll make this quick, because I've written about it before. Recently, I was listening to a favorite movie podcast of mine, which I won't name because I think they do awesome work and I'm not really trying to start a net beef. Anyway, during this podcast they decide to semi re-kindle that Games-as-Art debate. They were, and I hope this is not giving too much away, talking about, and I'm paraphrasing here, how Bioshock is the one of the only games that comes close to becoming an art form, or for that matter proving that games can be art at all. They've talked about this before and I sense no condescension at all. For the most part they're fairly respectful. That being said, i realized something as they were discussing the merits of the game and its artistic qualifications. Underneath all their layers of argument stood what formed the very foundation of their whole thesis.
A game is art so long as it resembles artistic cinema.
Though they didn't say it, it was fairly apparent that their criteria for art games consisted of the same criteria they judged art cinema with. Which is total BULLSHIT. I get the feeling from listening to these guys every week that they probably don't visit art museums on a regular basis. I also think that maybe a little perspective on art history might be important when debating a whole mediums place within that history. After all I do believe it was Duchamp who placed a urinal in a gallery and called it art, a move which I'm wholeheartedly behind. All philistinism aside, my thesis is this: If someone declares something art then it becomes so. Of course this doesn't account for taste; we can argue all day subjective terms like good or bad. We can't, however, be dismissive of the fact that art is simply a declaration.
Now if these chaps had been to a museum recently, then they probably would've noticed that the goal of many contemporary artists has been to be completely interactive. We don't just go to museums and look at stuff on the wall anymore. Now we step into spaces, walk around them and interact with the artist by way of the art. Which, in reality, is what we've always done, but now the interaction is more tactile. Art is meant do give experience one way or another. And if you ask me, which I should remind everyone that no one has, this is exactly what videogames are all about. Maybe more apparently now than in the days of Tetris or Pong which actually did provide an experience, albeit one that we're quick to discredit. And, in fact, there is increasing mingling across the divide of game design, computer graphics, and art. Just look at John Gerrard's work. So yeah, maybe pong does belong in a gallery, and I'm sure in one context or another it has been in one already. And I'm fine with that.
Apparently Avant-Dude rocker Andrew W.K. is big in Japan. So big that for the 30th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam, he is releasing an album of nothing but English-language covers of popular Gundam songs.
This album cover is truly epic. Kinda makes me want to jump into a mech suit and PAR-TAY!
Gundam Rock will be available for sale in Japan on 9/9/09, so look for it on a torrent tracker near you(just kiddin').
What's a blog without a weekly links post? Nothing, that's what!
Inglorious Basterds Poster:
Posterwire Has a pretty cool little article in which they talk to James Goodrige about is unused Inglorious Basterds poster.
Avatar Reluctance:
The awesome trailer for what Elisabeth Rappe refers to as "Cameron's technological opus" (Avatar)is a hype machine worthy of Billy Mays' approval. It has stimulating visuals, intriguing plot lines and lots of shouting. But is it really worthy, or rather, should we believe the hype? Elisabeth Rappe at Cinematical isn't so sure. In her article she discusses here experiences with Avatar Day, and the coming expectations for the Q4 film.
PS3 Slim Review:
The PS3 slim comes out in a few days and Engadget has the skinny on the skinny new console. Check it out if you're interested in getting your hands on one. I would personally much rather have an older back-compatible model.
Gamezplay.org have the scoop on Hudson Soft's striking new puzzle-platformer for the Wii titled The Tower Of Shadow.
This gorgeous trailer was shown at Gamescom 2009.
The ethereal premise and setting will surely interest fans of Sony's Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.
Chair and Epic Games Shadow Complex is based in the fictional world of popular author Orson Scott Card's Empire. I had never heard of him before this game was announced and was surprised to discover that he is a controversial figure.
Card is a vocal opponent of gay-rights, something that doesn't exactly sit well with a website called gaygamer.net.
While some gamers are proposing a boycott of Shadow Complex (guilty by association?) gaygamer.net suggests that "if you want to play the game, play it. Enjoy it, but offset the hate: if you buy Shadow Complex, donate $5, $10, $15 if you can spare it to a gay charity"
It's astounding that a downloadable "Metroidvania" game has so much ethical baggaged attached to it.
So what's next for Epic Games? Maybe a Sarah Palin FPS?
The arcade maestros at Housemarque are ditching the glitzy space lasers of Super Stardust HD for gooey entrails with their newest title for the Playstation Network, Dead Nation.
So how does this splatter-fest differ from the undead hordes of other arcade-centric zombie shooters like Zombie Apocalypse and Burn Zombie! Burn!? The developers promise a meta-game within Dead Nation that tracks player stats by world region, allowing players to reduce the viral outbreak within their own country.
This could be really exciting if implemented properly, especially if the game somehow rewards players with extra goodies like maps, weapons, etc...
Did I mention how gorgeous this game looks? Judging from the Gamescom trailer, Dead Nation has the competition licked in terms of atmosphere. The swirling fog, dramatic lighting and phenomenal explosions and fire really set this game apart from the run-of-the-mill zombie-blaster.
Housemarque's Super Stardust HD is one of the finest titles on the Playstation Network. Can they blast through the shuffling mob of other zombie games with Dead Nation? Judging by pedigree alone, I'd say there is a good chance it can.
As most major media outlets predicted, Sony unveiled their new Playstation 3 at this years Gamescom in Germany.
Thankfully the PS3 has dropped it's trashy Spider Man font and shed about 33% of it's weight. The new Playstation 3 Slim is much more attractive than it's Haagen-Daz slurping predecessor in more ways than those strictly cosmetic. It sports a 120g hard-drive, runs quieter, and is more reasonably priced at $300 (only about $50 more than the new PSP!), the same price as the similarly spec'ed XBOX Elite.
I'm totally loving the new design and branding of the PS3. The unit itself actually looks like a game console, as opposed to a living-room "multimedia entertainment suite".
The Playstation Slim models have always been some of the most handsome consoles to grace the market and the PS3 entry is no expection.
Remember these?
Playstation 3 Slim comes out in Early September. Will the droves of gamers on the fence about getting a PS3 finally bite, or will they save their money to buy two COD: Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Editions? You really have to ask yourself--What is cooler? Blu Rays or Night Vision goggles?
It was only a matter of time before someone made a game that looked like this...
From Software brings "dot art" to the Third Dimension in 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3) and the results are quite stunning.
I sense a developing trend here...This is what happens when Nintendo rests on their laurels. Other game developers are capitalizing on Nintendo's unwillingness to make retro-remakes of their most beloved titles. Just recently Epic games released Shadow Complex for the XBOX 360 that is a spiritual tribute to the classic 2D Metroid series. Judging from the art direction and rousing soundtrack, I'm guessing 3D Dot Game Heroes is going to be the retro Zelda game that Nintendo freaks have been begging for.
Will this title make its way to the States, or is it too quirky for our red-blooded, Dew swillin' sensibilities?
Addicted to Media 2008,2009,2010
