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This month the Game Boy Player Land blog will be heavily focusing on the macabre. As a huge horror movie fan, I've always had a soft spot for horror-themed games. And though I've wanted to write about them in spurts all month, I thought it would make for a really fun October if I just saved all the posts up for this 1st annual Spooktacular. All month long I'll be bombarding the blog with posts relating to ghosts, goblins, witches and the like. This month on the Game Boy Player Land blog, everyday is Halloween.
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Continue reading Unloved #18: Fire N Ice
Last July, I went to Brazil to discover the country, meet friends, and have a great time. It gave me a great opportunity to learn about a different culture, different people, etc. But, as a video game collector, I HAD to check what's special about the Brazilian market. I first searched online and I found out that the main video game company in Brazil is Tec Toy.
Continue reading What Brazil has that you don't and probably never will
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Recently the really great blog http://isitaboutmygamecube.blogspot.com put a post about the GameCube Shmup library. Fellow blogger lisalover did a great job outlining them, though what's odd is that even though he likes all five he seems to rank them completely different than I do. So as much as I encourage you to visit his blog and check out his thoughts, I'd also like to offer you some alternate thoughts on all five of these gems. Now it should be noted that although there are other Shooter games for the Cube, the library is really rather small if you're a fan of classic 2D Shmups like myself. However, I honestly think all five of these games is absolutely must-own if you are a fan of the genre. And of course I can't picture playing any of them without an arcade stick myself.
Now on to the games...
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Chaos Field tends to be one of those games that you either love or hate. There just doesn't seem to be a whole lot of in-between for some reason. Personally, I love the game. It has a fantastic techno soundtrack and features beautiful graphics that truly showcase the colorful bullet-hell patterns of the game. If you've never played Chaos Field then what you need to know about what makes the game so unique is that there are no levels to shoot your way through. Instead, Chaos Field is just a series of boss battles. Generally speaking this is what most non-fan gamers tend to hate about the game. But to me, this is what makes it so special. Shmups as a genre tend to be very zen-like in a strange way. Although they are often constantly high-tension games, the ability to control the situation by understanding bullet patterns is almost relaxing. In fact, fellow RFGen blogger Crabmaster2000 once wrote that Chaos Field was like Shadow Of The Colossus in space. With that in mind, I'm not sure any Shmup fan could not adore this one.
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What can I possibly say about Ikaruga that hasn't already been said a million times? Not much really. Of course everyone knows the gimmick about the white-vs-black polarities. Generally this is one of those games that everyone knows is a great game (regardless of the inevitable backlash that's starting to present itself). In fact most gamers will consider this one an essential title in any GameCube collection regardless of genre. So having admitted that I can't shed any new light on the game, I will surely just say that I do Ikaruga. I can't picture owning a Cube without this game myself. I still play it often, still find myself astounding by the graphics, and still think it's just as challenging as ever.
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Radirgy GeneriC has a huge cult following, as well as a bit of an interesting story. It was originally released in Japan and was actually brought over to the US as Radio Allergy toward the very end of the GameCube's lifespan. In fact, the game could have possibly been the last officially released GameCube game as the Wii was already in full swing. The US packaging was even set to have a "compatible with Wii" logo on the cover as a matter of fact. In spite of glowing reviews from gaming publications, the game ultimately never materialized in the US market. Indeed, I can't help but wonder how many promotional copies are out there, as obviously the reviewers had to have something to review. I also wonder if any copies were ever pressed. Certainly Milestone could have distributed them directly through their website. But perhaps they ended up in a landfill which has since been paved over. Oh well.
Radirgy is a great game, and it's certainly understandable why it would have such a dedicated following. It's definitely unique in its presentation with its cell-shaded appearance. As great as it is, I still don't rank it quite as good as Chaos Field, Ikaruga or Shikigami No Shiro II (I'll get to that one in a second). But that just comes down to personal taste. I just don't really enjoy the cell-shaded graphics as much for Shmup. I will say that the soundtrack is great, and I guess I should mention that if you don't want to spend the high premium for the GameCube import, the game was actually re-released (along with Chaos Field on the Wii's Ultimate Shooting Collection.
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Shikigami No Shiro II is by far my favorite GameCube Shmup. In fact, it's probably one of my favorite Shmups ever. The soundtrack is incredible, the graphics are stunning, and the variety is astounding. Indeed there are seven characters to choose from, each of which has their own shooting style and special weapons. What makes the game standout is that instead of spaceships, you control little flying people. The level of the detail put into these characters is insane. I personally use Fumiko the witch, and you can even see how her robe flows through the wind. I could go on and on about what a fantastic game this is, but ultimately I feel like you just won't get it unless you try it. There's certainly a small but dedicated following to the series. I myself plan to pick up the third installment that was recently released on the Wii myself based solely on the merits of this one.
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The GameCube version of the classic Star Soldier is actually an enhanced remake that was part of a series that Hudson released. Graphically, it's incredible. It certainly blows the original away, while retaining the classic gameplay style. But perhaps that's to its detriment. While I do think this is a game worth playing, it's also a lot less deep than some of the other Shmups I've mentioned above. However, the intention of these 2.5D Hudson remakes was that they were budget titles. At least in Japan they were. So while 3,000 yen was a small price to pay for what was essentially a prettier version of a simple Shooter, it's a bit pricier for the rest of us to import the game. Having said all that, the game is still certainly worth playing through and very enjoyable if you can track it down at a reasonable price.
Of course these are all just my personal opinions. As I mentioned earlier, lisalover had a completely different take on most of these. So what are all your thoughts on these titles? Oh! And one last thing -- if anybody wants to trade or sell me the Fumiko figurine at a reasonable price, please let me know!
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I've really enjoyed Halo Reach lately. Going through the campaign with friends is a lot of fun. Even better, the co-op Firefight mode is a perfect blend of do-or-die, cover-me-I'm-going-in tension, with our LAN crew covering each-others backs. Each of us tends to pick a specialty, like sniping, defending, or vehicles, and we enjoy combining our practiced strategies against the survival situations the AI aggressors constantly dish out. There is a great thrill that comes from a few friends teaming up to tackle such a challenge, especially when said challenge can be customized and tweaked to almost any preference.
I have yet to touch the traditional competitive multiplayer, the feature suite that many (if not most) in the gaming community consider the main, if only 'real,' reason to buy a Halo game. And I may not.
This can appear befuddling if you know my history. I was one of the original Halo CE LAN enthusiasts. A four television, 16 player Halo game party was a staple at my home for three summers straight. I could snipe, drop an opponent with an AR from mid-range in one clip, and splatter an entire opposing team if I got my hands on a Ghost. The skill level in our group of a dozen and a half friends ranged from 'Help! I can't stop staring at the wall!' to 'Look, I killed him from across the map by shooting the pistol at his toe.' We developed balanced teams, and had the gaming time of our lives.
Then Xbox Live happened. Now, I'm not knocking Live, and previous blog entries have gone into detail about what it brought to the industry, warts and all. But Live very nearly ruined Halo multiplayer for me.
Oh, I hung on for a few weeks in Halo 2. My victories, once placing me within the top four or five, slowly slipped into the mid range of the team, then lower. I wondered if I simply was not as good at the game as I thought, and that perhaps was part of it. But after awhile, and chatting with the 'l33ts' that pwned me, I realized a bit of the reason for the discrepancy:
Playing for a few hours (at most) a week simply would not allow me to compete with those who could play for twenty hours or more, weekly, sometimes in one sitting. Some of my LAN friends admitted to putting even more time into it. Before, we really only played when we could play together. Without the limitation of approximately equal game-time, the balance was forever shifting, and I would not, could not, catch up.
And would I want to? I mean, even if my Beloved, my kids, my household responsibilities, and my other social outlets somehow allowed me to have a full day's worth of game time a week, and I used it all to play games, would I want to play one game all the time? I have a backlog that hovers around a few hundred deep. I want to experience them, have fun with them, play them. Sure, I want to play Halo. And Alan Wake. And Demon Souls. And Super Mario Galaxy 2. And Contra III, Castlevania Bloodlines, Space Dungeon, Return Fire, Shining Force III, Raiden IV, Rondo of Blood, Tempest 2000, and Jenga. No, not video game Jenga. Real Jenga.
My point? I like to play a game, have fun, and move on when I want. Right now I love Firefight, in part because I know I can tweak the difficulty to an appropriate challenge with my friends, we can play out that beautiful survival tension, and be done. It's addictive, and I don't have to spend a part-time job's worth of hours just to maintain my ability to compete. The new 'Horde Mode' game-type, recently popularized (though not invented) by Gears of War 2, feels like it was catering to me. And with Left for Dead, Left for Dead 2, Borderlands, Lost Planet 2, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, Castle Crashers, ODST, and now Reach, our LAN party is once again just as fun for those of us who only get a few hours of real game time a week. Some of us may miss a headshot, forget to reload, or accidentally drop a grenade at the foot of a teammate. But we're all having so much fun, it doesn't matter. And as a bonus, we don't have to reach for the mute control to avoid ridiculous language, singing, or random noises from online players.
I'm all for online gaming, and of course not everyone can set up a home LAN. But if you and a few friends have a way to make it happen, you may discover my favorite way to play modern gaming.
And still have time left over to play Tetris. Hey, I love me some Tetris.
Well, this one is much longer than the first episode, we cover some recent and some retro, and the audio, well, it's clear! Thanks to den68 for the iTunes logo! Here's the breakdown:
Introduction
Topic List
Our Gaming Past
What's New On RF Generation?
Anniversary Spectacular
Brand Old Game - Gate of Thunder
Top 5
Outro
Catch it here: http://rfgeneration.podomatic.com or subscribe to us on iTunes!
As always, we're happy to hear from you guys about topics, questions, comments, suggestions, etc. either here in the blog comments or in the RF Generation Podcast thread found here: http://www.rfgeneration.c...m/index.php?topic=10730.0
It's that time of the year again. The RFGen server account has run day again and we're asking for donations from our community to help with the server costs. As always, 100% of proceeds go directly to the server costs to keep the site up and running. Any prizes for contests are donated by the staff. Donation money is strictly used for paying the $85/month server bill.
It's the donations of the RFGen community that keep the site running on a daily basis. We've discussed the idea of having ads throughout the site, but as long as we can keep the site supported by members of the community we will continue to do so. All databases, collection tools, and forums are provided free of charge and are supported by our volunteer staff and the donations of the community, and we want to keep it that way!
We appreciate all who have helped out in the past and we thank all of you who continue to support the RFGen community. Without you there is no RF Generation.
You can follow this link to make a donation.
Thanks in advance and keep it on channel 3!
PS: Don't forget to PM myself or one of the staff when you give and we'll change your status to donor, which gives you some additional forum privileges 
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September's Together Retro title for the game club over at http://www.racketboy.com was Urban Strike. Now I had always heard of the Strike series, but I had never actually played any of the games. Nor was I even familiar with them beyond their titles. I had no idea how they actually played at all. Because of this I decided to first spend a little time with the Genesis version first in order to get a proper feel for how the game should play so that I might compare it to the Game Boy port. And in truth, I'm glad I did. I feel like playing the 16-bit version really helped me pick up on the vast subtleties that made the Game Boy port so impressive.
If you haven't played Urban Strike or one of the other games in the series, it's a little hard to explain. Basically you control a helicopter, and the game utilizes a semi-3D sort-of isometric view. Genre-wise I guess I'd call the game strategic action. Each level contains multiple missions that can be completed in any order that you wish. And strategy such as armor, fuel, and ammo-consumption all plays a big part in the game. However all of the action is real-time. It's interesting, and unique if not a bit on the sharp-side when it comes to the learning curve. However, once you put an hour or two into figuring out what exactly it is that you're supposed to be doing, it becomes apparent that the game is actually really great.
Once I felt like I understood the game itself (it took me nearly two weeks to beat the first level), I popped in the Game Boy port. Now remember, this game almost looked too good for a 16-bit game. So condensing it down to a Game Boy title was certainly ambitious. And although certain aspects definitely suffered (there's no music, and only minimal sound effects during actual gameplay; and of course the controls had to be modified to utilize only two action buttons. However it should be noted that although much of the graphics had to be a bit downgraded, much of the layouts, animations and missions are left very close to intact. It's actually extremely impressive to see these pseudo-3D scrolling effects on the Game Boy.
Below I've taken the liberty of doing some Genesis vs. Game Boy screen shot comparisons.
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Recently I've noticed that Gamestop is beginning to really condense their Game Boy Advance and Gamecube sections. As you might assume, this is a sad time for the Game Boy Player Land blog. And a sad time to be a fan of either library. I've noticed message boards blowing up with suggestions for games that we all must go out and grab before it's "too late." And yet, there's just one that keeps popping into my mind that I want to tell you all about.
Invader is a GBA Shmup that I've mentioned before. But the thing is, it's apparently very rare. At least here in the US. Even after all of Gamestop's recent price-drops, it's still $10. That's a hefty-price for a GBA cart that isnt' a first party title, or a Final Fantasy game. Indeed even Gamestop knows somethings special about this one.
Most websites claim that Invader was released in the US. But I have no proof of that. Indeed, the only copies I've ever happened upon here in the states are the European version. Copies that apparently made their way over here somehow, some way. And are indeed rare.
I'll tell you this though, friends: Invader rules. I can't say that it's the best GBA Shmup (because of Iridion II), but it's at least tied. And lucky for you the Gamestop website allows you to insert your zip code and see if your local store is carrying a certain game. So if it has Invader, you need to go get it. Trust me on this one, okay?
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Ah, the late August of 1991! Bryan Adams' song from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves was burning up the charts, Terminator 2 was blowing up the box office , and eager Nintendo fans were getting a chance to finally buy the console that had gone on sale in Japan as the Super Famicom almost a full year earlier.
The North American launch of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was a bit surprising in several ways. For one, the unit was the last of the fourth generation of consoles to launch in the United States, launching more than two years after the release of both the Turbo Grafx-16 and the Sega Genesis. By contrast, the original and highly successful Nintendo Entertainment System had been the first major console to the market in both Japan and the United States. Many observers felt that interest in gaming was starting to dwindle, as it had towards the end of Ataris market dominance. Sales of NEC and Segas machines were modest compared to the sales the NES had seen during the height of its popularity, and clearance price NES carts and systems on store shelves suggested that Nintendos time, like Ataris before it, had perhaps passed.
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In an article from Time Magazine a few months before the August 23, 1991 release of the console, writer Philip Elmer-DeWitt penned that
Sometime in the next few months, an argument is going to break out in the 30 million families infected by the Nintendo video-game craze. The kids, primed by saturation advertising, are going to tell their parents they gotta have the awesome new 16-bit Nintendo system for Christmas. The parents, remembering the hundreds of dollars they have invested in the old 8-bit Nintendo, are going to say, "No way."... The machine will also be backed by a $95 million nonstop marketing blitz designed to convince every American preadolescent that life without 16 bits wouldn't be worth living. It's not going to be an easy sell.
It seemed that Nintendo was facing a tough road, and it is debatable whether a launch day full of some questionable decisions did much to brighten the initial outlook for the SNES. Though the unit would go on to be quite successful, there were several notable and, in retrospect, perhaps poor launch day decisions.
There were only three games available on launch day, and only two on shelves. Super Mario World was packed in with the SNES, and while the game remains one of the standouts of the SNES library, gamers looking for variety in other titles were left with little to choose from. Given the length of time that the console had been out in Japan and the depth of the library that had been built up by mid 1991, it seems that Nintendo should have had more options for the earliest adopters.
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2/3 of the launch day games weren't representative of popular genres or franchises. While both F-Zero and Pilotwings (the other two launch games) are strong titles in their own right and showcase some of the SNES hardware capabilities, neither flight sims nor futuristic racing games were especially popular in late 1991. It seems odd that the SNES didn't launch with any titles geared towards fans of action games, sports games, RPGs, puzzle games, or any number of other genres. In fact, given the popularity of the arcade and the success of arcade conversions (such as shmups and beat em ups) on the TG-16 and Genesis, Nintendo missed an opportunity to show how well their system could handle some of the most popular genres. Given the widespread popularity of many first and third party NES games, the lack of a launch day Metroid, Zelda, Contra, Tetris, or Mega Man is surprising.
There was a lack of hype. Today, a console launch is issued in by major announcements, extensive gaming and mainstream press coverage, midnight releases, and an overall media blitz. Though Nintendo did put aside almost $100 million to market the unit in the US, one need not look much further than its own Nintendo Power to see that the console was still playing second fiddle to Nintendo's earlier NES and Game Boy at the SNES launch. The issue of Nintendo Power that coincided with the SNES launch featured a cover story on Super Mario World, but only about 25% of the issue touched on titles for the new system. Most other major gaming publications dedicated even less space to the console's launch, perhaps because there just weren't many games to cover!
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The console was not backwards compatible. Many of the reviews and reports surrounding the SNES pointed to the fact that it would be unable to play NES or Game Boy games. Considering the rather large NES cart library that many families had built, this seemed like quite the oversight. By contrast, Sega's Genesis console was compatible with the earlier games for its system (via a converter) and the Atari 7800 had been compatible with 2600 games. So, Nintendo's decision not to include support seemed out of step with what consumers wanted. The Super Game Boy wouldn't see release until some three years later (1994), after the console had already become popular.
Despite these oversights, Nintendo did do a few things right on launch day.
The launch package was a good bundle deal. Though its $200 price tag (a little over $300 adjusted for inflation) put it at twice the cost of a NES and made it a bit more expensive than its contemporary competitors, Nintendo packaged in two controllers, two kinds of AV cables, Super Mario World, and a coupon for $50 off a future game purchase. Considering SNES games regularly cost $60-$70 or more, this was almost the equivalent of giving buyers a second game .
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The pack-in game was a killer app. Considered by many to be the best SNES game, Nintendo took a gamble that Super Mario World would be enough to bring NES owners into the SNES fold. And to some extent, they were correct. Nintendo didn't take many risks by including this title: they didn't reinvent the Mario franchise, they didn't hedge their bets on an unknown character or IP, and they didn't choose a game that would later look dated compared to the technology seen in future SNES titles.
They had it where it counted. Nintendo's machine was attractive not only to gamers looking for the next Mario fix, but also to those excited about hardware specs. The SNES outperformed either the TG-16 or Genesis in almost every technical category. In an era where graphics were central to much of the advertising surrounding games and systems alike, Nintendoc clearly had the upper hand by entering he fray late.
Overall, the SNES launch wasn't the brightest moment for a console that would eventually go on to win the 16-bit console wars. Nonetheless, all three of these launch games are still considered some of the top titles for the system, and Nintendo quickly rolled out more games in a variety of genres so that by the holiday season, they had begin to build an install base.
I have searched online to find out where to get blank tall CD cases (Sega Saturn, Sega CD style) to no avail. The only option appears to be buying old sports games and taking those jewel cases. Well if that's the case then that would mean that they are in fact not being manufactured anywhere in the world. I find this hard to believe, I mean you can buy brand new parts for a 1950's Cadillac, but nobody is making these large jewel cases? If anyone is aware of any company doing this please message me. I just can't imagine that this market is being ignored especially since they are always broken it seems.
I just finished up the Halo: Reach campaign for the first time.
If ODST's narrative theme was co-operative survival (further punctuated by the addition of the Firefight mode) then Reach attempts, and largely succeeds, to embody foreboding loss. Even the extensive marketing blurbs "Before the beginning, you know the end," and "Remember Reach" try to pull at the heartstrings of players who have invested nearly a decade into the franchise. We know with a Star Wars Episode III certainty that all but a sliver of hope is lost, and the big campaign hook is to see and play out those final hours.
So it came as quite the surprise to me, a person who normally appreciates this type of theme and approach, that Reach is my least favorite Halo narrative. I'm writing this coming fresh off completing the campaign on Heroic with two friends, and this blog is based off my thoughts directly afterward.
Sporting vivid earth tones after three majorly purple hued games, the graphics and texture work are greatly improved. The enemy intelligence is remarkably challenging. Martin O'Donnell's masterful score once again captures the appropriate mix of energy, awe, and somber emotion. The weapon, grenade, and melee balance make the combat feel pitch perfect (always debatable, but it felt right to me.) The multiplayer alone sells the game, and Reach is by far the most extensive offering in this department.
Yet as much as I enjoy large-scale Halo LAN parties, and absolutely fell in love with the Firefight mode, at heart I'm a fan of the series because I very much got into the Halo universe itself. I love a good sci-fi yarn, and while the fiction of Halo doesn't offer anything new (indeed, much of it easily comes across as generic space marine warfare) the passion behind the product shines through. There is a great amount of affection given to the universe of Halo, brought to light through comics, novels, short movies, pretty much any available media. Even non canon comedy spin-offs such as Red vs. Blue and Odd One Out (from the Halo Legends compilation) help weave a multi-part construct that is distinctly Halo. The series has long outgrown video games and become a cultural staple, defended by some as ardently as Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, even if it is not quite as ubiquitous.
I don't try to justify the faults in the game or explain away the flaws. I've just found myself enjoying each game in the series, and feel more invested with every game, book, comic, or radio controlled Warthog.
I've come to realize that a big part of my enjoyment is from the retelling of the classic superhero mythology. In the original trilogy, Master Chief spent long stretches of the game time 'lone gunning' it. Marines were dropped off or assisted in larger skirmishes or assaults, giving the game an appropriate feel of being part of a larger army, but just as often it came down to you and MC, with the sweet whisperings of lady Cortana in your helmet. You were the last hope, and the fate of not just humanity but all life in the galaxy repeatedly depended on your success. Whether or not Halo is our generation's Star Wars, Master Chief is certainly our Superman: a being created beyond Earth, invincible yet mortal, alien yet human, selfless yet fallible, intelligent yet gullible. It is by design that our beloved Spartan 117 has a voice, and a smooth, certain, calming one. Halo games buck the FPS trend of the silent protagonist because we don't want to just be Master Chief, we want to believe in Master Chief.
Microsoft's marketing wisely noted this:
Now it doesn't really matter if you don't buy into all that and just play countless hours of multiplayer, because Halo's success has moved beyond campaign stories, online deathmatches, and even gaming itself. There is so much franchise material developed that it is now entirely possible to be an extensive Halo fan and never pick up a 360 controller. Between books, comics, movies, and toys, one can know the entire universe fiction and never touch an Xbox 360.
That being said, the first three Halo games wrapped the narrative around Master Chief and Cortana (and to a lesser extent, the Arbiter), and it was their story. The universe is strong enough to survive in their shadow to some extent; despite the 'expansion pack' debacle coloring ODST, the side story it told helped humanize the universe's events in the wake of the larger-than-life heroes. The effect was less jarring than it might otherwise have been because even though the game told the player that we were no longer Superman, the game played out largely the same as if you were; hiding behind cover healed 'stamina' instead of shields, and perhaps the enemies looked a little taller, but often the effect came across as playing a different Master Chief in a sort of detective film noir side mission. The separate levels of the other ODSTs mapped out a sort of playable short story compilation that helped give the game its own identity, one that the game's silent 'Rookie' protagonist couldn't project. Personally I felt it worked, if only because it was still Halo even if it sometimes seemed just a little derivative, and because your character still felt powerful enough to continue selling a bit of the Superman saving the world feel.
In Reach, there is another level of separation: the protagonist is a Spartan III, which should ideally bridge the gap between what should have been a tough but outmatched marine and technology-enabled super warrior. For those less familiar with the fiction (mainly told in the novel "Ghosts of Onyx") Spartan IIIs represent a more quickly produced, cheaper, more expendable variant of the Spartan program through the use of less intensive modification methods. Not as superhuman as Spartan IIs, the third generation nonetheless represent the pinnacle of military technology. Yet in Reach, the player feels even more vulnerable than in ODST. On the Heroic setting (developer Bungie's recommended default) only one or two hits from many weapons will drop a player, or at the very least all of their shields. While the technology for Spartan IIIs are supposed to favor less armor and more stealth, the effect is that the player feels less like a Superman and more like an expendable soldier on the front line. This is perhaps consistent with the story fiction, but it had an interesting effect on me personally:
Often I didn't feel as though I was playing a Halo game, but something more akin to Call of Duty or Medal of Honor. Almost the entire game takes place on the planet of Reach, a brown, grey, and earthen landscape spotted by brown, grey, and earthen industrialized complexes. It lends a more relate-able gravitas to a series known for its purple and pink colors and bizarre geographical architecture, and helps sell the idea of a more human note of urgency and despair.
It also at times takes the game only a few shades away from the feel of a generic war game. With more focus on the fate of humanity and less on the awe, the mystery, the alien connection to the conflict, ironically I felt less drawn into the plight of Noble Six and any emotion I was supposed to feel for them. This was most noticeable in an oddly backwards realization about my favorite cinematic in the game. Without giving away too much of a spoiler, at one moment a character is running with your squad, a shot rings out, and the character's head snaps back, dead in an instant from a random sniper shot fired from a random enemy from a random location. There is no long dialogue, no epic speech, no cries out to an ultimate nemesis. Just the true, indiscriminate nature of war. I appreciated the bluntness, as realism used properly helps the investment in the narrative.
The problem is that the moment made me realize, until then, I hadn't really cared that much. I hadn't felt the grand, epic stage on the canvas of the Halo story. It was another war game. Fun combat, great action, well made, just very little investment. For most games that's not a big problem, but for a game designed around playing out a big piece of the Halo fiction? That didn't seem right.
The story does pick up at about the halfway mark, eventually ties into the original trilogy, and ends as it should. But the sudden death of that character signaled that I had played for several hours and I hadn't really invested anything, something that had never happened to me in a Halo game before. Normally the story, such as it is, catches my attention enough that even beyond the fun of playing, I want to see the adventure out. I want to get caught up in the atmosphere and let it become my impetus to 'finish the fight.' And by taking away my Superman status and letting me play as another cog in the war machine- albeit a shiny, tougher than normal cog- I felt more like fodder than savior. And at least for me, that reduced the grandstanding nature of the story into what the series' critics always claim Halo really is; an unoriginal space marine simulator.
But then, that's the nature of a franchise. Much ink real and digital has been spilled discussing the nature of sequels. Once a media product is given an addition to its series, inevitably they will all be compared and contrasted ad infinitum. No series will make everyone happy every time, and every change will have fans and critics. I'm thrilled that Reach's campaign is being so well received, even if I still prefer the story in Halo 3, ODST, or even Halo Wars.
Am I being way too hypersensitive? Well, despite my negative tone, I did have a really fun time with the game so far. The campaign was by no means bad; just about every review I've read claims it to be the best Halo has to offer. And to be fair, Bungie made clear that they are moving on from Master Chief and, one last time, exploring other corners of the vast place they created. Reach is consistent with what it sells itself as and makes no excuses by pretending to be something it isn't. (Proven in part by the smart and limited use of vehicle and space segments that, in less talented hands, could have overtaken the gameplay instead of complementing it.) I was just surprised that, despite having fun, I didn't personally delve into this darker corner at the edge of the Halo Universe as deep as expected. It's still a great video game, and for that, fun is more than enough.
Now, about the rehab I'll need to be pulled away from the new Firefight...
My Home Consoles:
Atari 2600
Sega Genesis Mark II
Sega Dreamcast
Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo 64
Nintendo Game Cube
Nintendo Wii
Mattel Hyperscan
Playstation 2
Xbox 360
Handhelds:
Nintendo DS
Nintendo GBA SP
Nintendo Gameboy Color
Nintendo Pocket
Playstation Portable
Sega Game Gear (not working)
[img width=412 height=572]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/JourneyCover.jpg[/img]
Continue reading Unloved #17: Journey to Silius
So I go to alot of conventions over the span of a year. Last year the final count was 23, this year Ive already gone to 22 and still have three left in the year at the minimum. At about half of the cons I run retrogaming panels, and at all of them I promote a handful of websites. Dragoncon is one of my favorite cons of all time. Not only is it in my hometown con, it has let me meet so many cool people and it is pretty much my college reunion.
So what does this have to do with gaming and/or the 7800, you say. Well last weekend at Dragoncon I ran/moderated seven panels for my friend who runs the animation track and had the idea that I should try to get everyone I do a panel withs autograph on something. Well I got all but two (since I forgot it one day).
The final count was seven autographs, out of the nine it should have been. They are as follows:
First row:
1. Johnathan Frakes - Xanatos from Gargoyles and Riker from Star Trek - Gargoyles panel
2. Marina Sirtis - Demona from Gargoyles and Deanna Troi from Star Trek - Gargoyles panel
3. C.Martin Croker - Brak and Zorak from Space Ghost Coast to Coast - Bizaroo Saturday Morning panel
Second row:
4. John Dimaggio - Bender from Futurama - Futurama panel
5. Billy West - Bugs FRIGGIN Bunny and Popeye - Futurama panel
6. Phil Lamar - Samurai Jack - Futurama Panel
Third row:
7. George Lowe - Space Ghost - Story Time with Uncle George
Missing:
8. Dana Snyder - Master Shake from Aqua Teen Hunger Force - VA panel
9. Tom Kenny - Spongebob Squarepants and one of the nicest guys on the earth - VA panel
[img width=700 height=466]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/fastbilly1/Videogame%20Related/P1010671.jpg[/img]
The reason for the Atari was because a it was something gaming related and unique that some of the guys signing would get a kick out of. This idea started with this:
[img width=700 height=466]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f394/fastbilly1/Videogame%20Related/P1010672.jpg[/img]
Signed by Bruce Campbell with a prop from the set of Burn Notice on it.
Suggestions on the console to get signed next year?
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