Fable II: Afterthoughts

Note: Spoiler warning is minimal, in discussing the Fable II storyline here I worked very hard to avoid any and all spoilers.


Just finished Fable II last night, and although I can definitely say I can understand the appeal of these kinds of sandbox games to gamers nowadays, I can't help but feel that the narratives of these games often suffer. Fable II had so much potential, particularly at the beginning and especially the twist in the middle - but it was all squandered at the end by the most anticlimactic ending in recent history as far as I'm concerned. This wasted potential has nothing to do with the choices you make as a character (although I think some problems in the story were watered down to compensate for that), but more that it felt like the development team was "tired" and that they wanted to just stop working and ship the game.

The parts that WERE emotionally charged towards the end of the game were casually glossed over - both concerning what the villain claimed he had done and also what your friends do in the "final battle" (note: "final battle" in the loosest of terms, since there really isn't one - it's more of an interactive cutscene). The point remains, too much freedom makes the story fail. But even moreso than sandbox elements forcing compromises in storyline - rushed development makes them even more pronounced.

Final Fantasy VIII had this problem too. One second you have an awesome plot twist with Sorceress Adel and the Lunar Cry, and the next you're crashing into a floating fortress-thingy and ending the game without really explaining what happened in the first place. IX had a similar problem following its twist; whereas FFX did it right. XII didn't really have a plot to begin with, so criticizing that game's storyline would take an entire entry of itself. Of course, even that's better than taking the Xenogears way out and just display paragraphs of events on the screen and time-jumping. Those events described in Xenogears were a huge tease, as they sounded like they would have been a ton of fun to play through. Anyways, my point is, when making an RPG, even one with as much freedom as Fable II, make sure your story doesn't suck, in particular the beginning and end. Fable II's beginning was great, but the ending completely ruined the entire experience for me.


Funny final note on Fable II: Alex unexpectedly appeared back in Bowerstone after the Rookridge ghost quest (where I did decide to hand over the rejection letter, so in theory she should be dead). Not letting an opportunity go to waste, I married her :-P. Unfortunately, the glitch soon pronounced itself, as she doesn't respond to any expressions, including "Follow" and "Come back to my place"...thus, I couldn't have kids with her. Marrying a ghost-brought-back-to-life means you get no action, apparently. :D

R.I.P. EGM

This week, a bombshell hit the gaming industry. It's a sad, sad day for gamers in the States as Electronic Gaming Monthly, one of the last three gaming magazines in circulation, has bitten the dust. Many of the writers who have been with the magazine for years, authors of stories I grew up reading, are now out of work. And it's a shame.

I guess it goes to show that the industry isn't nearly as "recession proof" as it seems. And gaming magazines, once the only source of industry news, previews, reviews, and hints available, now take a very large backseat to the information colossus known to all as "Teh Intarwebz".

I'm not saying the Internet killed EGM. I'm saying that the new reason to read a gaming magazine is for the articles about the games we love - not for news or previews. Reviews are becoming more important, I feel, as the price of games continues to rise. $60 is too much to be conned out of for an overmarketed movie-licensed turd-on-a-disc in my opinion, and EGM's reviews were some of the most honest around.

Rest in peace, EGM. おやすみなさい。。。

Tatsunoko Vs Capcom REVIEW!

It's been a long time coming.

The combo-friendly crossover craziness of the Capcom Versus series is finally making a comeback - though not in the form or on the platform anyone expected. Due to the Marvel license being owned by another publisher, Capcom instead chose to clash their iconic characters against the classic Japan-centric Tatsunoko Productions. For hardware, they chose a Wii-based arcade board, which allowed for an easy port to the Wii for home release. This combination of odd character choices with an unusual hardware choice appears strange at first glance but manages to progress the series into modern relevance while feeling both classic and new.

Classic Elements

The old saying goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". And while TvC doesn't completely take this saying to heart, it does manage to retain most of what made the Versus series distinct. Gameplay is still tag-based and centered on easy-to-do chain combos and flashy supers that are more over-the-top than ever before. Never (outside of games created by Nintendo itself) has the Wii shown itself so capable in terms of quality particle effects and smooth visuals. Despite the craziness happening on the screen, the game rarely slows down. This game is, without question, one of the most beautiful third party efforts on Wii, and shows that the Wii is far more capable than "last gen" consoles in the graphics department.


Changes and New Elements

Although the character count has been vastly reduced (to 22 from MvC2's 56) - mainly to compensate for the new (admittedly beautiful) cell-shaded 3D graphics, there are very few characters recycled on the Capcom side - which is actually a welcome change - as fighting styles for the new characters are extremely unique, and will make for the discovery of interesting tournament strategies over time. Unfortunately, the character count on a team has been reduced from 3 back down to 2, and the button count has been similarly shrunk from 2 punches, 2 kicks, and 2 assists to weak, medium, strong, and assist. Due to this, some moves for iconic Capcom characters have new joystick motions or gameplay effects (some examples include Ryu's tatsumakisenpuukyaku and the range on Chun Li's kikouken). Combos are generally easier to do because of the control simplification, although pressing the joystick in different directions in combination with the buttons will produce attack variations in punches and kicks.

Although the controls are a bit more user-friendly, there are many new gameplay elements that seem inspired more by Guilty Gear than old Versus games. Two blatant examples are the Baroque mode (which works like a Roman Cancel combined with a damage boost that is determined by how much recoverable vitality is in your lifebar) and the Mega Crush (which sacrifices two super meters and some life in exchange for a combo break (a la Guilty Gear's Burst). Other new developments include the variable air raid (which allows you to tag a partner in during an aerial rave) and the removal of snapbacks for most characters (though a few still have these moves). Another interesting shift is invulnerability during tag-outs. It is now exceptionally hard to hit a tagging opponent (in comparison to MvC2), which makes tagging out a bit safer (though the character tagged in is still easily punished if the tag attack is blocked). The final boss of the game is Yami from Okami, and the difficulty of this boss will vary wildly depending on the characters on your team. While those with beam/projectile supers will do well against him, and Yatterman's Yatterwan super does about a 1/4 health bar of damage to any form (by far the easiest way to kill the boss), grappling characters and especially Gold Lightan have a difficult time against the third form. The third form's unblockable grab-beam attack makes the new Mega Crush a necessity.

Though the game is fairly balanced in comparison to MvC2, infinite combos have already been found for Viewtiful Joe and Chun Li. Also, the new "big" characters (Lost Planet Mech on the Capcom side and Gold Lightan on the Tatasunoko side) play unusually and probably won't see much tournament use.

Oh, yeah...and they added a bunch of minigames too, most of which aren't all that fun - but a few of which (including the hadoken simulator and the shooting gallery style games) can be a fun diversion and an easy way to earn a few extra points for unlocking content (four extra characters not in the arcade version, along with a bunch of gallery art and sound effects are unlockable in the Wii release).

Controls

Wavebird: Though playing TvC on a Wavebird isn't ideal, it's playable. The d-pad more than gets the job done, though the button configuration will obviously take some getting used to.

Classic Controller: Pretty much feels how you'd expect. The default button configuration isn't something I would have chosen, so I did end up making some changes. Probably the casual gamer's best choice.

Hori Wii Fighting Stick: The Hardcore gamer's choice. Since the stick is Hori, it's solid. My beef with TvC is mainly due to the Hori stick's design. I have large hands, and the first two buttons on the Hori stick are too close to the stick to be comfortable. In most games, this would be solved by mapping other buttons and leaving those first two unmappable...but TvC's menu does not allow the zL and zR triggers to be mapped, basically forcing me to use those first two buttons that cause my hands to cramp.

Importability

Aside from the unlocks and the main menu, everything is pretty straightforward and there's a lot of English (option menu is all English). Below is a translation for the main menu and attack types (for easy controller configuration).

* アーケード　＝ Arcade Mode
* バーサス　＝ Vs. Mode
* サバイバル　=　Survival
* タイムアタック　=　Time Attack
* トレーニング　＝ Training
* プレイデータ　＝ Play Data
* オプション　=　Option
* ショップ　=　Shop
* ギャラリー　＝ Gallery
* オリジナルゲーム　＝ Original (Mini) Games

* 弱　=　Weak attack
* 中　＝ Medium attack
* 強　＝ Strong attack

All that was promised and more

I've had some time with TvC and I have to say, color me impressed. It is hands down the BEST third party effort on the Wii so far, and it's a real shame we'll never see it on these shores...

I'll have a full review soon.

Coming up...

Review incoming, barring any Freeloader FAIL... Stay tuned.

Kingdom Hearts Re: Tired

Originally part of the Japanese-only release Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix +, the game was considered an "extra". Yes, Square-Enix is charging us full price for what was a bonus disc in a Japanese "Director's Cut" release of KHII containing new weapons, cutscenes, areas, and boss battles. Though disappointing, it is fortunate that SE decided to release re:CoM in the States at all, especially given the fact that we are definitely in the PS2's twilight years. I purchased the game solely to support SE's efforts to bring over "special edition" releases, even if we don't get the whole package...

All that said, if you liked the GBA release, or never played it, this game is for you. Just don't expect it to be a proper sequel to Kingdom Hearts II (a far superior title). The engine used to render the areas and characters is based on KH1, and therefore the areas are a little more barren than you would be used to from KHII. Also, they didn't bother to re-sync the lips with the English voice acting, which can be exceptionally distracting if you have studied Japanese at all and can actually see what the characters are saying (although for most of you that probably won't be an issue). The storyline bridges the gap between KH1 and KH2, and explains what happened to Sora prior to the start of KH2. Most of the voice actors from KH2 reprise their roles, although some notable ones are missing (though I doubt any Square fan was REALLY expecting Hayden Penettiere to reprise her role as Kairi due to her newfound fame courtesy of HEROES, so her absence isn't surprising).

To those expecting normal KH gameplay, I've got bad news for you there, too. It's a card game. Don't wince too much - it's an action-based card game. In a sense, all your actions (including items, attacks, and spells) are represented as cards, and you form a deck of commands you can use in battles. The higher the number on the card, the more effective the card is, and a card of a higher number can cancel an enemy card of a lower number. The system works surprisingly well (especially when strategy comes into play later on in the game, stacking certain combinations of cards and using them all at once in "sleight" attacks), but the fact remains that the entire system doesn't work quite as well in 3D as in 2D. As I play the game, I keep wishing for the KH2 battle system.

As I said, this was not intended to be a stand-alone game, and it shows. What you get is a 3D remake of CoM on the GBA, script largely untouched, with a few new cards and a couple new boss fights (which are welcomed). The quest is long, especially when you consider the two playable characters (I won't spoil). In order to get the full story, you'll have a lot of difficult card battling ahead of you - which may be a good thing or a bad thing. The difficulty is also ratcheted way up - especially in the second quest. You WILL die a few times, and it'll take some strategy to figure out decks to best certain bosses.

One final note: PS3 compatibility FAILS.

If you have a PS3 with SOFTWARE EMULATION (either the old 80gb model, or the MGS4 40gb special edition model), you will experience glitching in the first area of the game and won't be able to pass the tutorial. Some people bought the game concerned their game was broken or glitchy, but this turned out to be the fault of the software emulation of the console. In my opinion this is unforgivable, SE will lose a few sales to this. People with launch units (60gb or 20gb) will be able to play the game completely error-free, courtesy of hardware emulation.

Other than that, it's Kingdom Hearts...but not the triple-A Kingdom Hearts you're used to. This is more of a snack to tide us over until Birth By Sleep and 358/2 Days (yes, they REALLY are keeping those names for the American releases) hit the PSP and DS next year.

Dear SEGA:

Having played many of your games, and just about all of your Sonic titles, I have a question for you (and it's an easy one)...

What is so hard about making a quality Sonic game?! It seems with every yearly release you get an inch or so closer than the year before to regaining some kind of playability and enjoyment in the games. But for some reason you INSIST on shipping in Q4 to maximize holiday sales (rather than finishing your games).

I think Yuji Naka would be disappointed in you.

You've gone as far as to go on the record to state that Sonic 2006 was "unpolished". Yeah, "unpolished". Falling through solid ground more times than I can count, obnoxious loading times, furry-on-princess make-out session... I'd have a few more choice words for that mess besides "unpolished", but I'm sure you don't want to hear them. That game could have been good. It even showed promise, at least graphically. But the levels were untested, the load times were unforgivable, and the story was absolute garbage. I quote myself:

"I wanted to like [Sonic 2006], I REALLY did, because it's one of the few Japanese games on the [360] with a recognized brand. However, abysmal collision detection and boundary issues caused me plummeting to my death from what appeared to be solid ground...not to mention the glitchy camera, incessant load times, and poor level design issues (pressing a button to run over poorly placed pits of sand without sinking, mere milliseconds after hitting a speed booster? No thanks.) that caused me to utter many an expletive in distaste at Sonic Team's disgustingly bad QA in an attempt to release the game for the holiday season last year. The worst offender of the collision detection and bad level designs are the "mach speed" sections of the game, which play like poorly laid out racing levels. Sonic races along (all too fast) and if you hit an obstacle or enemy, you die. Simple as that. The problem is, Sonic moves too quickly, and the "wide, expansive" environments make it somewhat difficult to figure out where you're supposed to go next. Furthermore, the design of these sections feels almost random. I found myself continuously fighting the game trying to figure out what the developers WOULDN'T PLAN on a player doing, so I wouldn't fall victim to unnecessary death-by-bug. Sadly, I still ran into bugs over and over again while keeping this in mind, and never wanted to press through to obtain even one single achievement award."

Though it pains me to say it, Sonic: Unleashed isn't much better. It provides some 2.5D segments that push the series in the right direction, but other parts of the game are ripped directly from those nasty Mach Speed sections (fortunately you don't die if you hit an obstacle this time) and others are pilfered from God of War (the corny WereHog levels). Please, MAKE IT STOP. Just make a sequel to the original Sonic games, put it in HD, and stick it on the PSN and XBL. At this point, that's about all any of us former fans could ask for...and it wouldn't even cost you as much as these big-budget diarrhea discs you're farting out every year. Enough. Please. Enough...