Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 175

Phoenix Wright Trilogy Release Date Revealed

If you're from my class looking for my post on Ghost Story, it's right here.
All right! We don't have to wonder anymore just when this winter we'll get to re-live the first three Ace Attorney games by downloading the Phoenix Wright trilogy from the eShop. Capcom held a New York Comic Con panel today in which they revealed the release date: December 9. (December 11 for Europe.)

On December 9, you'll be able to buy the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy for just $29.99, which is a much better deal than buying the originals, although some fans prefer the original sprites to the new HD graphics.

If you're unfamiliar with the Phoenix Wright Trilogy, check out the official trailer and the handy gameplay guide provided by Capcom.



It's too bad there isn't a physical retail version, but I love the Ace Attorney series so much, I'm definitely going to buy this and play through the games again.

December 9th! I can't wait.

And thank you, GameInformer, for tipping me off.

Now, let's just hope the next Ace Attorney announcement is about a certain game in dire need of localization...

Alien: Isolation - First Impressions

If you're from my class looking for my post on Ghost Story, it's right here.
I'm so excited about Alien: Isolation, I'm not going to hold my thoughts for a full review. That will come in time, but for now, here are my first impressions of this new survival horror game.


Impressive Attention to Detail
It hasn't been a full year yet since I watched Alien for the first time. (I liked it.) I re-watched it to put myself in the proper mood for Isolation.
The devs weren't kidding when they said they wanted Isolation to feel like the first movie. The details and overall design match the aesthetic so well, it's staggering. This goes double for the DLC Crew Expendable, which I took a brief look at before I watched the movie. Crew Expendable is set on the Nostromo... and it is completely the Nostromo.


Apocalyptic Logs

A common staple of survival horror games, pieces of the story revealed through scattered notes, or in this case, archive logs. There are plenty of these. How many? Well, there's an achievement for getting 100 of them. So yes, lots of logs in Alien: Isolation.

Apocalyptic logs are even better when they provide you with some sort of clue or hint.


For example, a passcode to open a door.

Speaking of opening doors...


Recursive Unlocking

If you've followed my survival horror rantings for some time now, you probably expected this. When I play a survival horror game, I like unlocking things! I even like backtracking to unlock things.

Well...


So far, I've seen three different types of doors that require an item I don't have yet. They've been relatively far apart, even just in the short amount of time I've played. That looks like an excellent sign to me!


Tension

I'm still so near the beginning, nothing has tried to kill me yet. Nevertheless, the atmosphere is pretty great. Part might be because I know this is a horror game and things are going to start trying to kill me soon, but most of it is the brooding tension of Sevastopol Station. It's falling to pieces, the few people I've seen have been running, and I'm trapped inside--a good combination to put me on edge.


Don't worry, I'll have a full review ready once I finish the game. In the meantime, I'll be giving updates on my thoughts through Twitter, so if you haven't followed me already... Follow @SamLienhard


Have you tried Alien: Isolation yet? Let me know what you think of it!

What Did You Think of Revelations? - Poll Results

If you're from my class looking for my post on Ghost Story, it's right here.
I've already discussed my own feelings toward Resident Evil: Revelations, not to mention my lack of enthusiasm for its upcoming sequel, but what do visitors to Words of a Mad Author think of it?

Not much, apparently.

The results of our Revelations poll were rather dismal. Out of a total of 5 votes, 1 person liked it and considered it survival horror, two people liked it but didn't consider it survival horror, and 2 people hadn't played it.

If you're the one who considers it survival horror, chime in with your reasons. I'd love to debate it with you!

That's all for now, but stay tuned! One of my most anticipated survival horror games is now available, so I'll be back soon with my initial thoughts on Alien: Isolation.

Top 5 Upcoming Survival Horror Games

If you're from my class looking for my post on Ghost Story, it's right here.
Okay, I've had enough of talking about pseudo survival horror games that are just action games with some shallow shout-outs or a grim setting and a lot of blood. Let's talk about the real survival horror games we have to look forward to! In particular, the 5 I'm looking forward to the most!

The obvious title missing from this list is The Evil Within... I want to believe in it, but I've seen too many Resident Evil 4 comparisons to trust it. We'll know soon enough if it's the true return to survival horror it's billed as or not.

Onward!

5. Resident Evil
It may not be new, but for Resident Evil fans disappointed in the action-focused direction of the series, don't forget that REmake is being remastered for a 2015 release on PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, and Xbox One. Once again, you can return to the world of survival horror in the eerie mansion where Resident Evil's journey began.

We know this one will be survival horror, because it's a game we've already played. With enhancements and beautiful graphics, this will be the ultimate version of a game already considered by many to be the best survival horror game of all time.

The only downside is that it won't have a presence on the Wii U. Nintendo fans will have to settle for the Wii re-release from 2009.

Although Resident Evil promises to be great, it's a known quantity. Let's move on to some brand new survival horror games...


4. Routine
I haven't talked about this one often. I mentioned it in my discussion of Alien, because of its attempt to mimic the 80s science fiction aesthetic.

The main reason I haven't brought it up much is that I forgot about it for a while. It's been Greenlit on Steam and its alpha test was a success. Routine is planned for the PC. Consoles are a possibility, but not in the developer's current plans.



Set on the moon (because the isolation of space is terrifying), Routine puts you in an abandoned lunar base and challenges you to explore multiple paths in your attempt to survive. While it hasn't specifically mentioned recursive unlocking, it should fit right in with the survival horror atmosphere Routine hopes to achieve.

You'll also be armed, though using your unique scanner/weapon carries risk as well as reward--just what I like to hear!

It also includes permadeath, a trait shared by that game I will overcome someday...


3. Alien: Isolation
I've discussed my excitement for this game before, so it should come as no surprise to see it on this list. Alien: Isolation seeks to recreate the atmosphere of the original film in a true survival horror experience. It is set 15 years after the movie and stars Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley--who will make her own special appearance, as the cast of the film has also reunited for a couple of short DLC episodes, which is really cool.

Everything I've heard about this game has made me even more excited. Exploration is a key component, it balances out fight-or-flight by making combat dangerous (and it's really not going to help you against the Alien), and it promises sheer terror as you're stalked through the space station Sevastopol by an almost unstoppable foe. It even has fixed save points!

I'm really looking forward to the game, and even more because I know it's almost here. Alien: Isolation releases for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, and Xbox One TOMORROW! My copy is pre-ordered. Is yours?


2. Fatal Frame V
Although it's been already released in Japan, I'm including Fatal Frame V on this list because of my hope that it will be localized in the future. I talked about this Wii U exclusive when it was first announced, and I haven't given up on it. (Note, I originally called it The Black Haired Shrine Maiden, but the official live stream translated its title as Oracle of the Sodden Raven.)

On one hand, its chances look pretty good. On the other hand, I found myself involved in some confusion (or maybe irony) when my article appeared online.

Post by Operation Zero.

Fan support for this title is pretty strong. Some people oppose its exclusivity, but come on. Fatal Frame and the Wii U belong together, and it could use great exclusive like this.

Join our efforts with a quick Tweet and help get this spooky title brought to the West! Tweet #WeWantFatalFrame


Finally, my #1 most-anticipated upcoming survival horror game is...


1. Silent Hills
The biggest surprise to come out of Gamescom this year was the revelation that the supposed indie horror game shown, P.T., was actually a playable teaser for the next Silent Hill game.

Silent Hills will be directed by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, and people who have played P.T. say it's terrifying (as I don't have a PS4 yet, I haven't gotten to try it myself).

I almost feel as though I shouldn't have it on this list, much less in the top spot, because we know next to nothing about what Silent Hills will be like. Some fans have high hopes for it, while others are afraid Kojima will miss the point and create something that's Silent Hill in name only.

But it's Silent Hill! This is the franchise that got me into the entire survival horror genre! I want to believe in this game, and I can't wait to learn more about it.


There you have it, my Top 5 Upcoming Survival Horror games. There are others that didn't make it here, like Frictional Games' Soma, and some upcoming horror games that just aren't survival horror, like Asylum and H. P. Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (great genre + great developer + great story = I can't wait!).

And of course, I'll be working on my own horror game, which you can check out and offer suggestions if you like.

What do you think? Did I miss any of your personal picks for the top upcoming survival horror games? Do you have any thoughts on the games I've listed here? Let's talk about survival horror.

"Celebrating All Things Spooky" Returns!

If you're from my class looking for my post on Ghost Story, it's right here.

Last year, I ran an October special called "Celebrating All Things Spooky," in which I... did exactly what the title says, in honor of Halloween. I wrote reviews of the survival horror game Anna, the horror adventure game Scratches, the excellent movie Arsenic and Old Lace, and the animated movie Grinch Night.

Another October is upon us, so it's time for another round of spookiness! I kicked it off a year ago with an overview of my own horror writing, and I'm pleased to say that list has grown.

If you haven't already, take some time this month for The Book at Dernier, my Lovecraftian serial published by The Red Penny Papers. You can read it online for free!

A young scholar eager to make a name for himself travels to the strange town of Dernier, where he uncovers a secret that should have forever remained hidden.

Of all my published stories, The Book at Dernier is probably my favorite. It has Lovecraftian influences, a cult, possibly a little inspiration from Silent Hill... I distanced myself from Lovecraft's style later on, because it had too great an effect on my writing. Now that I've learned and grown as a writer, I should really go back to it.

Flash fiction became another big thing for me over the past year. My four cold and twisted romance stories published at Loveme.eu are basically horror, and several of my Specklit drabbles tell a horror story in only 100 words.

Those are all the new stories, but don't forget to check out my older ones!
My short, not-really-horror ghost story, "White Lady" (based on a campus legend)My flash fiction horror story, "The Shape in the Sky"My serial starring a zombie detective, Sacreya's LegacyAnd my zombie comedy, The Accidental ZombieNow, let's look forward to a good, spooky month of October!

Is "Ghost Story" a Ghost Story?

I'd never read anything by Peter Straub before, and I was curious about what type of story this novel would be to actually be called Ghost Story. My copy began with excerpts from reviews describing it as a terrifying novel that would give me nightmares no matter how many ghost stories I've read before.

As I read Ghost Story, I began to wonder if those reviewers were talking about a different book.

Warning: this review will include spoilers. If you haven't read Peter Straub's Ghost Story and don't want to know about key revelations and plot events, turn back now.

My main issue with the novel is that it wasn't scary. In fact, it wasn't particularly interesting. The prologue was good, and made me want to know more about this man and the mysterious girl he kidnapped for reasons unknown. But once we hit the main story, I lost interest in it until around the 300-page mark, when things started happening in the story's present. If it takes 300 pages for me to become interested... well, I probably wouldn't have stuck with this one if it wasn't for class.

The pacing issues didn't end there, either. After a while, it felt like it was dragging on--like we should have hit the climax and ending already, but instead we had to plod through more scenes to get there. Once the antagonist really started picking off characters, I expected more action, less huge paragraphs of exposition. Throughout the books, the ones I dreaded the most were what I thought of as the "and" chapters, where there would be paragraph after paragraph summarizing events, each starting with "and" while jumping to a new character.

Speaking of the characters, I hated them. For example, when they didn't seem to comprehend that Milly Sheehan would be upset about Jaffrey--come on, I know they didn't realize she was in a relationship with him, but they couldn't even believe his housekeeper would be concerned about more than the "disproportionate amount of money" (169) he left her?--or when Don explained that as soon as he met Alma, she was "already more important" (213) than his then-girlfriend, I found myself wondering how I was supposed to care about the fates of these idiots.

To be fair to Don, Alma probably had him under her spell by then, but there's no excuse for the rest of the cast to be a bunch of jerks.

Peter wasn't a jerk, but he wasn't very interesting, either.

One last thing about the characters--there were too many names. A large cast of characters, along with antagonists who use multiple identities, were introduced too close together. Some of the minor characters I lost track of several times, and I'm not sure if the revelation that Eva Galli was another incarnation of the antagonist was supposed to be a twist or not. I backtracked through the pages to try to find out if they'd already said who she was, gave up, and just assumed she was that same woman.

I liked the general idea of Eva/Anna/Alma/etc. There was great horror potential in the spooky woman connected to each of them, responsible for the death's of people in their pasts, always there in every story, under a different name.

Then it complicated matters by becoming Alan Wake.


There were enough similarities I wondered if Alan Wake was inspired in part by this element of Ghost Story. I couldn't find anything to confirm it, but they have many things in common: the plot being influenced by "occurrences from an unwritten book" (316), the antagonist's ability to warp reality, the attempt to trick the protagonists into believing they imagined it all, and the main antagonist being an evil force in a dead woman's body with the ability to resurrect and control the dead.
But even if the stuff from Don's book entering reality seemed to serve no purpose except to make the plot more complicated, it was the last revelation that made the antagonist stop working for me.
In class, we talked about subtle horror versus blatant horror. One idea that came up was how some things lose what makes them frightening when you understand them. This book proves the concept for me. I would have been so much happier if we never really knew what the villain was. As soon as Don revealed she was a shape-shifter, it lost me. Eva/Alma/Anna was much scarier before I knew she could turn into a lynx.
Not only that, but she and her kind are the origin of all ghost, vampire, werewolf, zombie, whatever stories? No, no, no no no.
Maybe it's because the title made me expect a ghost story. Maybe it's because, in a story where not a lot of interesting things happened, the creepy ghost lady held my interest. Whatever it is, the truth about her made me cringe, and it was just one more reason to hope for the end of a story that had already gone on far too long.
When I finally did reach the end, it wasn't satisfying. I realized early on that Don would survive, because the novel had to circle around to reach the prologue. I expected a dark ending from there, a hint that the cycle would continue forever.
And once we reached that ending, it still wasn't over. It continued on to finish things forever, but after numerous false climaxes where our protagonists fought these deadly foes, Don cutting a wasp to pieces just wasn't enough payoff to make the ending worthwhile... especially for something called "Ghost Story."

5 Lessons Learned From PL vs. PW's Ending

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney has been out for a whole month. Many more people have finished it now, and I've had time to think about it.... and its ending.

When I finished it, I praised it as "an almost perfect game" and named its ending as the major problem. Since then, my view of the ending has softened.

Oh, don't get me wrong. The ending is still bad. Do a search for "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright plot holes," and you'll see I'm not alone. It has so many problems, it's actually funny, but it can also teach us some important lessons about writing stories.

(If you want to avoid Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright spoilers, you should leave now. Everything from this point on will include major spoilers.)


1. Don't Introduce Plot Points with No Purpose

aka the Storyteller's incurable illnessWe're jumping ahead of ourselves here, but once all the ridiculous plot holes and "explanations" have been revealed, Arthur Cantabella ("the Storyteller") reveals that one of the reasons he chose then to end the Story is because he's sick.

Very sick.

In fact, he has an incurable disease, much to Espella's horror.

Contrary to what some fans say, this actually was foreshadowed. There's a scene earlier in the game in which the Storyteller appeared to be in pain. When I first saw it, I wondered if he was dying.

The problem is that as soon as he's revealed this tragedy to his daughter, he announces that a cure has just been discovered, and he's going to have surgery soon!

Really? What was the point of that? It gives him a reason to end the Story, yes, but something else could have been used. (Like, I don't know, realizing that the witch trials were actually causing psychological harm to everyone in the city, including Espella?) If they wanted to take this path, why not actually have the Storyteller die? It would have been more meaningful, and made it seem less like he got away with everything without any consequences.

At the very least, he could have said he thought he was dying and just recently found out about the cure. The way he breaks the news to Espella makes him even more of the jerk.

Bringing it up like this makes it feel like it was just there for shock value. It could have added an extra layer of depth to the ending, but instead it was just a pointless plot element.


2. Complete Your Character Development Arcs


Everyone wanted to punch Barnham by this pointYou know what I love in stories? Redemption.

Few things are more satisfying to me than to watch an antihero or outright villain question his/her actions and switch sides.

I also like knights and swordsman, so I was interested in this guy back when I didn't know much about him except that he looked like he'd wandered in from Fire Emblem. (No, I haven't played any Fire Emblem games yet, but that's still what I thought when I got my first good look at our new prosecutor.)

Less than a week to go! (This guy looks awesome.) #AceAttorney #ProfessorLayton pic.twitter.com/iufxTa3qUK
— Samantha Lienhard (@SamLienhard) August 24, 2014

When I actually got into the game and met Inquisitor Zacharias Barnham and watched him condemn screaming witches to be burned alive, I thought, "Oh, this guy is a redemption story waiting to happen."

And he was. Uh, sort of.

As the story goes on, Barnham slowly progresses down the path of character development. When his actions inadvertently lead to the apparent death of one of our heroes, he helps the others escape. He starts searching for the truth. He insists Espella be treated with respect and announces that she's innocent until proven guilty, which is a wild way of thinking for an Ace Attorney prosecutor.

Then he's accused of treason, thrown into the dungeon, and doesn't appear again until the final cutscene. Oops. So much for the rest of that character development.

I almost wonder if some of the lines about him being fair and just were added to make it seem like he was a wonderful guy all along, y'know, instead of someone who sent people to their horrible fiery deaths.

It's as if they didn't know how to include him in the final act of the game, so they just decided not to. They wrote him out of the plot and left his character development arc unfinished.


3. Actions Have Consequences


Why are you all smiling??
I like happy endings, but Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright's ending was so happy, it annoyed me. All of the villains are sympathetic, everyone reconciles their differences, the Storyteller's incurable disease is curable, no one died, and everyone's going to live happily ever after.

I'm sure Kira won't have nightmares about being burned as a witch now that her memories are restored!

The Judge, Barnham, and the other Inquisitors won't suffer knowing they condemned so many innocent people to death!

Jean Greyerl won't become suicidal.... again!

Neither will Espella!

Eve won't have trouble coming to grips with the fact that she accidentally killed hundreds of people!

And isn't it so wonderful that the Storyteller can live a happy, guilt-free life now that everyone is free of his brainwashing and he can just shut down the mind control experiment he and Umbrella--excuse me, Labrelum--did for the government?

Speaking of which, for those of you who have played Professor Layton and the Unwound Future...
» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « Are you shocked the government supported such a project? Don't be. Due to this game's placement in the Professor Layton timeline, Bill Hawks was involved in politics when Project Labyrinthia started, and prime minister for a good portion of its duration.
These people have gone through so much psychological trauma, and no one's even going to mention it. I know Layton stories like their sympathetic, redeemable villains, but even those villains usually go to jail. No one in this game retained their villain status by the end, and there isn't even a hint that the Storyteller is going to pay for his morally questionable (and by "questionable," I mean "wrong") actions.

Let's not forget that the people who originally joined the experiment were willing to have their memories wiped. Some of them may have to deal with the memories of a horrible life before all the witch-burning trauma.

And did they make it clear that Shades who "return" get their old lives back? Or is there a chance that we've got some women out there who were both Inquisitors and witches across the course of the ten years?

The Storyteller's plan is absolutely horrible. Instead of getting actual therapy for Espella after she believed she wiped out the town, he decided to mind-wipe her, brainwash her, cut her off from the real world, and create a fake world around her where young women are regularly burned alive. Sure, I mean, what better way to recover from serious trauma than to live your life afraid you might be accused of being a witch and burned alive? That's horrible!

Yet at the end of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright, everyone smiled and hugged, and all the trauma was neatly pushed aside.


4. Be Careful With Science


Even if I couldn't see it, I couldn't see THROUGH it.I can suspend my disbelief a lot when it comes to science in fiction, especially video games... and especially something like Professor Layton, which is probably going to toss around some vague science to work with its absurd plot twists.

So, I have no problem with PL vs. PW saying something in the water makes everyone fall unconscious if silver strikes silver. I'm fine with the area having amazing plants that create mind-control drugs that erase memories, give people new memories, and brainwash them. I was willing to accept science-driven invisibility cloaks, and I applaud them for incorporating "pure black," because even if we can't make stuff that's pure black yet, scientists are getting closer.

Using pure black for invisibility, though... doesn't work. If you're hypnotized so you can't see a specific color, that doesn't mean you can see through objects of that color. When Labyrinthians looked at invisible cranes or Shades, they wouldn't have been able to see what was on the other side.

(I'd have been fine if Layton's pseudo-science said the cloaks bent light.)

But now we're getting a little too close to the moment you've all been waiting for...


5. Watch Out for Plot Holes!


...because it makes no sense at all.Plot holes aren't unusual for a Professor Layton game. They're almost a tradition. Ace Attorney has a few here and there, too. Just about everything does. But this game took the plot holes to whole new levels.

Let's ignore science and accept that if you're hypnotized not to see pure black, a pure black object is invisible to you. That raises some questions.
Why don't the invisible people and objects cast shadows?Why can't anyone hear the Shades' footsteps or breathing?Why doesn't anyone run into all the invisible CRANES AND MACHINERY around town?And what about magic? All right, the invisible Shades run around after witches. When the witch casts a spell, they fake the spell, ringing a silver bell to knock everyone out for the more complicated ones. Now we have more questions:Ignaize: how do they know what the witch was aiming at? For example, how did they know Kira was targeting Robbs and Muggs, and not Espella?Goldor: how long do they have to keep them unconscious to make an entire statue? If Layton's was made in advance (implied since the Storyteller called him in to meet with him), how did they know the exact position he would be in at the time?Godoor: do they knock the witch (and anyone else around) out, cut out part of the wall, revive her, and then when she's finished, knock everyone out and keep them unconscious until they can fill in the hole?Granwyrm: possibly the most problematic of the bunch, how did the Shades create the illusion of a giant fire dragon eating the Storyteller?A lot of these are usually answered by "hypnosis/brainwashing." They were hypnotized not to walk into pure black objects. They were brainwashed so they imagined the fire dragon. All this does is hand wave the plot holes in a pseudo-scientific form of A Wizard Did It.

The greatest irony, of course, is that this is the logical explanation... as opposed to the structured, rule-based magic system with its own encyclopedia. We just can't accept that magic is real, says the spirit medium! There must be a logical explanation, says the boy who can talk to animals!
Really?
And let's go back to the Shades knocking people out by ringing their silver bells. Why does that work as a time skip for these people? Labyrinthians are knocked unconscious, and when they regain consciousness, it seems to them as if no time has passed at all. Why don't they ever remember lying on the floor and getting up? Why do they all wake up at the same time so no one sees someone else unconscious?
A common argument is that they're just put into some sort of a daze or trance. That doesn't work. Ten years before the game takes place, Espella and Eve rang the Bell of Ruin and were knocked unconscious. Espella was on the ground, opened her eyes, and looked through the grating to see the fire dragon.
Some people claim it's just because it was such a huge bell, and the little ones the Shades carry put people into a daze, except...

When Barnham followed the "Great Witch" through the forest, she knocked him out. He remembers falling unconscious.
More importantly, he was facing her at the time, about to draw his sword, so she couldn't have used a drug the way she later knocked out Kira. She rang the bell, he fell unconscious... and remembers it. So why doesn't anyone ever realize they were unconscious the rest of the time?
Enough of that plot hole. We've got more to cover.
Here's a little oddity to consider--because this completely-logical-magic-free world includes a character who can talk to animals, the hypnosis, brainwashing, and silver-unconsciousness-trick must work on them as well as humans. When animals talk to Luke, they're usually shown to have human-level comprehension and communication skills. Therefore, Constantine, Eve (the cat), Hoot, or Cracker could have revealed the truth if they weren't under the same hypnosis.
That's just a minor point. Why not try to figure out how Darklaw kidnapped Phoenix and Maya from the middle of a courthouse. Or better yet...
How is the entire first prologue possible? They explain in the ending that those invisible pure black cranes are what allow witches to "fly." But Darklaw flies through the streets of London! A bird flies through Layton's window and turns into her! She does all kinds of crazy stuff that would be questionable enough if it was in Labyrinthia, but it's in LONDON!
"Robots" is the explanation for the statue that smacked Carmine's car into a tree, and even the game acknowledges the absurdity, but the rest?
HOW???It just doesn't work...
There's probably more, so please chime in with any Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright plot holes I missed.

Despite all of this ranting and raving, I really loved this game. The Special Episodes, while they can't fix the plot holes, have expanded on some of the loose ends, while also providing additional humor and puzzles (and the occasional bit of tragedy). If you haven't played it... you really shouldn't be reading this article... but anyway, if you haven't played it, don't let this deter you.

It really is a fantastic game, and I encourage everyone to play it.

I can't wait to start on an alternate ending fanfic... and I hope to keep these important lessons in mind for all my writing!

Do you agree with me? Disagree? Just want to talk about the ending and twists in general? Let this be your haven for Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright spoiler-filled discussion! I look forward to seeing your thoughts in the comments.

RE Revelations 2 Won't Be Survival Horror

If you're from my class looking for my post on Hell House, it's right here.
It won't be.

Capcom promises Resident Evil will return to its roots with each new installment. Revelations got my hopes up, only to disappoint me with its lackluster effort. And when Revelations 2 was announced, I felt a brief burst of excitement, thinking that surely Capcom would fix the flaws of its predecessor and bring us a true survival horror experience.

No.



Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is raising red flags left and right.

First, it's going to be episodic. Remember my complaints about how Revelations was a disjointed experience (complaints I also level at Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, by the way) that didn't let me explore at my own pace or really get to know the Queen Zenobia setting? With episodes spaced out, Revelations 2 has the potential to be even more disjointed, and if that's what it's designed for, I can't imagine playing the episodes all at once will be much better.

Second, it stars Claire Redfield and Moira Burton (Barry Burton's daughter). These two characters will be together most of the time, kind of like how Revelations often forced you to take on an AI partner for no good reason.

Moira takes a support role, operating the flashlight and using a crowbar to help with obstacles and take out downed enemies, while Claire is the duo's shooter. Players can switch between the two, and a second person can also join for co-op gameplay.

This is not inherently bad. Resident Evil Zero had two characters (no co-op), and it worked for survival horror. You could split the characters up and switch between them, or set one to be controlled by the AI. Swapping between Rebecca and Billy was essential for certain puzzles, and it added a unique element to that game.

On the other hand, Resident Evil 5 had a co-op partner that just made the game even more action-oriented.

How will it work in Revelations 2? So far, it looks kind of strange. Claire is your combat character, but you need to control Moira in order to find items. On one hand, that's good. If a character is designed around the idea of finding items and hidden stuff, there should be a lot of stuff to find--in other words, key items for classic puzzles. Recursive unlocking! Woohoo!

...Right?

On the other hand, if handled improperly, it could become really tedious to switch characters whenever you want to look around a room.

And let's not forget that Revelations was a successful 3DS game. It was later ported to consoles, where it did quite well on the Wii U. So of course, Revelations 2 is being released for the PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Yep, just ignore where it started, Capcom...

Enough speculation. Let's take a look at some gameplay, which I originally watched during a TGS livestream (though I was mainly interested in a much better game).



Gameplay looks very fast. Again, this isn't inherently bad, but I associate survival horror with a slower pace (except for chases, of course). It's also very bloody. Blood fits with the genre just fine, but Revelations 2 runs the risk of splashing blood and gore in the hopes of making the game scary. Grossing the player out isn't the same thing as scaring them, which is why visceral horror is often the weakest type.

Combat looks like it could very easily be the action style seen from RE4 onward, but the player did have some ammo difficulties, which could point toward less of an emphasis on fighting. At this point, it's hard to say.

As for recursive unlocking.... well, there was a key. It still seemed pretty linear, though. And overall, it was just unimpressive and uninteresting.

So far, I've seen nothing that suggests Resident Evil: Revelations 2 will be survival horror. Do you agree? Disagree? Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. Let me know in the comments.

In the meantime, I'll be looking forward to Resident Evil's REAL return to survival horror...

Localize Ace Attorney Investigations 2!

So far, it looks like our July 1 attempt to convince Capcom to localize Gyakuten Kenji 2/Ace Attorney Investigations 2 has been a failure. No localization news has been revealed, despite the number of people who still want an official release of this game and the success of the fan translation. At this point, Capcom should just make a deal with the creators of the fan translation to officially release it on the eShop.

But we aren't giving up! We've created a new Facebook page devoted to the cause, from which you can find all the contact information for Capcom and news of any organized write-ins/call-ins we plan. Join us, and convince Capcom to localize this great game!

While you're at it, take every opportunity to remind Capcom that we want it. With enough attention, Capcom will realize it's profitable... right?

Which Ace Attorney Games Have You Played? - Poll Results

If you're from my class looking for my post on Hell House, it's right here.
About two weeks ago, I added our first-ever site poll, "Which Ace Attorney games have you played?" It's had a nice run, and now it's time to shut it down and take a look at the results.


The results were close to what I expected, but not exact. I assumed most people either started the series from the beginning, or entered it just recently. Therefore, I expected the highest number of votes to go to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies (play the 3DS version if you can!), or Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright.

Dual Destinies did come out in the lead, but it was tied with the second game, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All. Of the people who visited this site and took the poll, 17 of them have played those two games.

16 people played the first game and the third, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials & Tribulations. While the vote was anonymous and there's no guarantee that the same 16 people voted for the first three games, it's likely... so if you played Justice for All without played the game before or after it, let us know in the comments how that came to be!

The next most popular was Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, which received 15 votes, followed by Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney with 14. Odd though it may seem that a spin-off is more popular than a main series entry, "Can I skip Apollo Justice" seems to be a common question.

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright, since it's so new, only received 11 votes. In last place, to no one's surprise, is Gyakuten Kenji 2, which Capcom has yet to localize. If you're one of the 7 people who nevertheless said you played it, did you play through the game in Japanese or did you use the fan translation?

No one said they haven't played any.

Of course, this would be a lot more interesting with a larger sample size... but it's a start!

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