The Save Spot

Can’t we all just get along?

 

 

 

Finally, some common sense from one of the console manufacturers- Sony this time.  As reported by the International Business Times, Sony has required that “everybody’s instruments must work with everybody’s games”.  Hooray for gamers everywhere, who no longer have to worry about where they will store their Guitar Hero World Tour drum set and their Rock Revolution drums along with their new Rock Band compatible MIDI drum set and their original Rock Band four-banger.  

 

One more for the backlist

 

 

 

The RPG, a favorite gaming genre, is stacking up recently as the bane of this busy gamer.  I haven’t had time to play through Oblivion, GTA IV, or Final Fantasy XII but I can’t stop myself from picking up each latest and greatest offering to the role playing gods.  These great games sit on my shelf and mock me with their dozens of hours of gameplay, sidequests, unlockable characters and gaming escape. 

The most recent game to insult me so is Final Fantasy IV DS, the latest in a long series of remakes of the game first released in the US as Final Fantasy II for the SNES.  I spent some time with the game yesterday, to get a feel for the remake and torture myself with guilt and frustration that I won’t be able to give this little gem the hours it deserves.  Here are some initial observations:

1)  The opening cinematics are excellent and well-matched with the Uematsu soundtrack.  Characters retain the look of the cinematics in the Playstation releases, and Cecil and Kain both look imposing in their armor.

2)  There are in-game cutscenes which do a nicer job of presenting the story than just dialog boxes did.  I really like an early scene where Cecil in a contemplative mood is shown with the moon framed through his tower window. 

3)  The 3D models look pretty good, almost PS1 quality, but obviously don’t compare favorably to non-portable final fantasy titles released in the last five years.  The effort at the armor for Cecil and Kain ends up looking cartoon-y, in contrast to the cutscenes where it looks intimidating.  Still, the game pulls a lot of horsepower out of the DS and it’s fun to see familiar sprite-based locations, characters, and enemies get the 3D treatment.

4)   It would be nice if battles moved more quickly.  You’ll want to go into the menus and turn up the battle speed dial as far as it will go.  They should have made it go to 11. 

I haven’t played far enough to get a feel for the difficulty or the amount of grinding that will be necessary to experience this re-telling of a great story.   I’d give even odds that I never will (or at least will have to push off the time when I can get to it until something like “retirement”) but if you’re a lucky gamer with more time than I, I’d certainly recommend giving this game a try.

 

 

 

 

 

HellGate: interview with Bill Roper

 

 

 

1up has a fantastic interview with Bill Roper and what happened with HellGate. It’s easy to blame faceless executives for failures and bad games. It’s a lot harder to remember that they’re just as human and mistake prone as you or I. Reading this interview you can see a lot of the pain and disappointment Roper feels in the whole process. How many of us would be willing to liquidate our 401(k) to save the companies we work at?

 

 

Best gaming podcasts

 

 

 

For the last three years, I’ve been a regular listener of several video game podcasts.  As I began commuting regularly 30-60 minutes to and from work, I was able to spend some of this time indulging my interests in my favorite hobby.  It only seems fair, after all, that the job that is keeping me too busy to enjoy all of the great games that have been coming out can repay me with some time to spend hearing about what I’m missing!  Over the years, I’ve come to follow two podcasts most closely - enjoying something like a weekly one-way conversation with others who share my interest in games.  Today, I immodestly proclaim my favorite two video game podcasts as the best gaming podcasts - here they are!

In second place:  The Giant Bombcast, from Giantbomb.  Ok, this podcast isn’t nearly three years old, but it is the spiritual successor to the Hotspot podcast at Gamespot.  Jeff, Ryan, Brad, and Vinny put together a boisterous, funny show infused with a California counterculture vibe.  Jeff and crew not only have the pulse of the industry, they seem like they’d be a fun group to go out drinking with.  Occasionally.

In first place:  The CAGcast, from CheapAssGamer.  Hosts CheapyD and Wombat pull together an entertaining show and manage to do it with high production value while coordinating from across the globe.  CheapyD is an American living in Japan, and listeners can vicariously enjoy his lifestyle that involves working from home, running a gaming website, an occasional trip to Akihabara, and amusing encounters with locals and other gaijin.  Wombat anchors the show in New York, and brings a quick wit and friendly presence to the show, in addition to some serious nerd credentials of his own.  As a long-time listener it’s easy to come to think of them as friends who join you for your commute once a week, and BS with you about life and games.  In the end, that’s what puts the CAGcast in first place - listening to Cheapy and Wombat is like hanging out with friends, and that’s quite an accomplishment.

What are your favorite gaming podcasts?

  

 

Comfort food

 

 

 

Sometimes I’m in an adventurous mood, eager to zip out to an unproven restauraunt or willing to (gasp) try a new dish at a favorite spot.  Other times, I just want to sit at home with a beer and some salty snackage.  I was in the latter frame of mind on a recent family vacation (yes, I know I’m too old for a National Lampoons-style family vacation.  No, that didn’t stop me!)  Naturally, there was much beer and salty snacking involved but I also indulged in a different kind of comfort food, video game comfort food for my PSP in the form of Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

MUA is a fantastic game, a great example of a dungeon crawl that gets almost everything right and also leverages a genre-appropriate license quite well.  It is a lengthy game (30ish hours), a replayable game (there are many hero combinations you could play again with), a richly deep and customizable game (stats, powers, equipment, and hero teams can all be customized), and a game filled with interesting optional sidequests and colletion goals.  So, when I say this game is comfort food I certainly don’t mean to suggest that it isn’t deep or is not enrossing.  It’s a pleasant romp, a nice way to kill some time, a game that doesn’t require too much thinking, and a well-balanced game that is neither too easy nor too difficult or frustrating. 

For me, it’s a game that I’ve now played through substantial portions three times (the first three acts are well-traveled territory for me, most enjoyably as a core event of GAUGE VII).  It walks a fine line between button-mashing gameplay and a need to sometimes play with more strategy and on my recent trip it provided a pleasant escape that didn’t require too much mental overhead or engagement.  I even let Marvel make an important decision for me, and played as the Fantastic Four. 

MUA is one of those games that came out on almost every game system - you can purchase a copy for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, or PSP.  If you enjoy Diablo-style gameplay and have even a passing interest in Marvel superheros, go get yourself a greatest-hits copy right away.  I recommend the 360 version since you’ll get access to exclusive playable characters including the Hulk and Dr. Doom, and because nerd points are fun.  Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 has also been announced, and I’m expecting good things!

What’s your video game comfort food?

 

 

I hate better graphics

 

 

 

Have you ever heard the argument that goes something like this, “I’m tired of better graphics, I want new game play. I don’t care about processing power, I want innovation.” But what happens when innovative game play requires processing power that simply isn’t there?

That’s the case with Dead Rising, a game originally released on the Xbox 360. The Wii simply lacks the ability to put the endless waves of zombies on the screen which makes an interesting game rather mundane. Part of the intensity of the game comes from the claustrophobia of being surrounded by masses of zombies.

This is completely lost in the Wii version, where it feels more like you’re surrounded by 10 annoying friends.

There’s no doubt that “better” graphics are a poor substitute for quality game play. But lets not fool ourselves into thinking that better graphics are somehow inferior to game play. Clearly the Wii, since it’s a weaker system, loses something with a port like Dead Rising.

Everything has it’s own place. Including graphics.