Samantha Lienhard's Blog, page 179
June 18, 2014
E3 2014 Part 4: And the Winner is...Nintendo!
At last, the moment you've all been waiting for...maybe. It's not like I kept you in suspense.
Microsoft
EA
Ubisoft
Sony
Nintendo
More Nintendo Stuff
Conclusion
I was looking forward to Nintendo's show the most out of all of them. Sure, it wasn't going to be a traditional press conference, but after the past few videos released by Nintendo, a "digital event" sounded like the perfect format for an entertaining show. I was hoping it would be crazy, and it was.
It started with Robot Chicken animation, as an animated Reggie Fils-Aime took the stage and joked about how we thought they weren't having a press conference. An animated audience member complained that it would just be another Mario game, to which Reggie said there would be no new Mario game. The scene cut to an irate Mario.
The audience member then asked for Mother 3, and Reggie blasted him with a fireball. Some fans took offense at this attitude, but I thought Nintendo meant it in good fun--and possibly a tease of a future Mother 3 announcement. To me, the entire animated opening showed that Nintendo is aware of what people say about it, and isn't afraid to poke fun at itself.
Then it got crazier.You can use Miis against your friends in Super Smash Bros. 4, but this is Nintendo. You didn't think they'd just announce that, did you? Of course not. Reggie and Satoru Iwata appeared in a black void, and proceeded to battle.
(At this point, some people declared Nintendo the winner of E3.)
Their battle then switched over to the game, so we could see their Miis in action. This gives me more incentive to get Smash Bros. 4. I want to fight as Miis of some of my favorite characters, especially with the customization options.
The battle also gave us our first look at an Amiibo, a figurine you can transfer into the game. Amiibos will store data from the game as well, and they become stronger the more often you use them. I'm not sure how I feel about this sort of toy model popularized by the Skylanders series, but I'll reserve judgment until I learn more about them.
They showed Super Smash Bros. for a while longer, and even though I'm not a big fan of the series, I plan to try this one, so I remained attentive.
From its hilarious start, the show's pace slowed slightly as they discussed the Amiibos, but then it was time for a game full of yarn. I wasn't interested in this game when it was first revealed as Yarn Yoshi in 2013, but now Yoshi's Woolly World looks adorable. Cuteness alone isn't enough to make me buy a game, but a cute Yoshi platformer with exploration and--best of all, perhaps--no time limit?? I'm not sold yet, but I want to see more.
Speaking of adorable games, the next thing Nintendo revealed made me glad I finally got a Wii U and started Super Mario 3D World, even if I haven't had the chance to play very much.
You mean the fun puzzle platformer mini-game level I discovered just a few days before E3 is being expanded into a full game? More Captain Toad? Count me in!
Another animated short featuring Bowser and Peach made me laugh, even if many people thought it wasn't funny.
Next up was one of Nintendo's most anticipated games, the new Legend of Zelda game for Wii U. I'll be honest--it makes me uneasy when I hear them talk about how the game will be open and not have the usual Zelda conventions. Open world isn't one of my favorite things, as you've probably gathered by now. And while change and innovation are great, some games are great because of their conventions. It's Zelda, though. I'm not saying it won't be good. I'll keep my eye on it for sure.
A short bit of gameplay was shown, and as the character galloped forward on his horse, bow and arrow ready to fire at the monster, I thought, Hey, that's not Link--that's Zelda, isn't it?
It was Link. Oops.
I wasn't just completely crazy, though. There was a lot of debate later on about whether that character was Link, and many fans thought it was a woman, until Aonuma finally just said it was Link.
Onward to Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and their 3D graphics! Ruby and Sapphire were my least favorite generation, and I'm not sure how they're working in Mega Evolution, but I'll probably play them. Pokemon is great.
Yet another animated short demonstrated Nintendo's growing insanity.
And then, hey, you know how people complain that Nintendo is a kiddie console and never gets anything adult gamers will enjoy, blah blah blah? Aside from the stupidity of claiming adults can't enjoy fun, lighthearted, and even *gasp* E-rated games.......
Not rated E for Everyone.There are still people who insist that Bayonetta 2's Wii U exclusivity is a death knell for the game (because only kids play Wii U, remember?), never mind that it's thanks to Nintendo that Bayonetta 2 can even exist. Anyway, Bayonetta 2 was shown off, with the surprise announcement that the original Bayonetta will be included as well. I never played Bayonetta, and I'm not sure I will, but it could be fun. Fighting monsters as a witch--it has its appeal.
Let's go back to Zelda, with Hyrule Warriors, the Dynasty Warriors take on Zelda. When it was first announced, it didn't look that good to me, but now it looks like it could be fun. I'm interested in seeing who besides Link, Zelda, Impa, and Midna will be playable, too. Keeping my eye on it...
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. Not a Kirby fan, not really interested.
And then, one of the many moments I was waiting for--X! Or, as it's now known, Xenoblade Chronicles X. It isn't a sequel, just a spiritual successor, which makes the name kind of confusing. It looks like it will have a great sci-fi JRPG story, though, and if it plays like Xenoblade, it should be fantastic. Xenoblade was great, after all, if a little too long for me.
Next up was Mario Maker! I've never been interested in level creators, so even though this was one of the fan-favorite announcements of E3, I don't really care.
Colored ink... swimming squids.... squid-people with guns? Splatoon is Nintendo's unique twist on multiplayer shooters, as each team tries to cover as much of the map with its color of ink as possible. It sounds weird, unusual, and like it could be a lot of fun--although I won't decide if I want to get it or not until I learn more about its local multiplayer, which might be quite different from the online multiplayer it's built for.
Super Smash Bros. 4 returned with the revelation of a new character--Lady Palutena, the Goddess of Light from the Kid Icarus games. Viridi and Dark Pit both had cameos in the announcement, but it's unclear as to what extent they'll be involved in the game.
That was it for the main digital event, and I knew Nintendo had won E3 for me. The humor, the wackiness, and the games--between Captain Toad, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and all the other fun games shown, I was excited. Best of all, it wasn't finished yet. (And neither is this blog series.)
Microsoft
EA
Ubisoft
Sony
Nintendo
More Nintendo Stuff
Conclusion
I was looking forward to Nintendo's show the most out of all of them. Sure, it wasn't going to be a traditional press conference, but after the past few videos released by Nintendo, a "digital event" sounded like the perfect format for an entertaining show. I was hoping it would be crazy, and it was.
It started with Robot Chicken animation, as an animated Reggie Fils-Aime took the stage and joked about how we thought they weren't having a press conference. An animated audience member complained that it would just be another Mario game, to which Reggie said there would be no new Mario game. The scene cut to an irate Mario.
The audience member then asked for Mother 3, and Reggie blasted him with a fireball. Some fans took offense at this attitude, but I thought Nintendo meant it in good fun--and possibly a tease of a future Mother 3 announcement. To me, the entire animated opening showed that Nintendo is aware of what people say about it, and isn't afraid to poke fun at itself.
Then it got crazier.You can use Miis against your friends in Super Smash Bros. 4, but this is Nintendo. You didn't think they'd just announce that, did you? Of course not. Reggie and Satoru Iwata appeared in a black void, and proceeded to battle.(At this point, some people declared Nintendo the winner of E3.)
Their battle then switched over to the game, so we could see their Miis in action. This gives me more incentive to get Smash Bros. 4. I want to fight as Miis of some of my favorite characters, especially with the customization options.
The battle also gave us our first look at an Amiibo, a figurine you can transfer into the game. Amiibos will store data from the game as well, and they become stronger the more often you use them. I'm not sure how I feel about this sort of toy model popularized by the Skylanders series, but I'll reserve judgment until I learn more about them.
They showed Super Smash Bros. for a while longer, and even though I'm not a big fan of the series, I plan to try this one, so I remained attentive.
From its hilarious start, the show's pace slowed slightly as they discussed the Amiibos, but then it was time for a game full of yarn. I wasn't interested in this game when it was first revealed as Yarn Yoshi in 2013, but now Yoshi's Woolly World looks adorable. Cuteness alone isn't enough to make me buy a game, but a cute Yoshi platformer with exploration and--best of all, perhaps--no time limit?? I'm not sold yet, but I want to see more.
Speaking of adorable games, the next thing Nintendo revealed made me glad I finally got a Wii U and started Super Mario 3D World, even if I haven't had the chance to play very much.
You mean the fun puzzle platformer mini-game level I discovered just a few days before E3 is being expanded into a full game? More Captain Toad? Count me in!
Another animated short featuring Bowser and Peach made me laugh, even if many people thought it wasn't funny.
Next up was one of Nintendo's most anticipated games, the new Legend of Zelda game for Wii U. I'll be honest--it makes me uneasy when I hear them talk about how the game will be open and not have the usual Zelda conventions. Open world isn't one of my favorite things, as you've probably gathered by now. And while change and innovation are great, some games are great because of their conventions. It's Zelda, though. I'm not saying it won't be good. I'll keep my eye on it for sure.
A short bit of gameplay was shown, and as the character galloped forward on his horse, bow and arrow ready to fire at the monster, I thought, Hey, that's not Link--that's Zelda, isn't it?
It was Link. Oops.
I wasn't just completely crazy, though. There was a lot of debate later on about whether that character was Link, and many fans thought it was a woman, until Aonuma finally just said it was Link.
Onward to Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and their 3D graphics! Ruby and Sapphire were my least favorite generation, and I'm not sure how they're working in Mega Evolution, but I'll probably play them. Pokemon is great.
Yet another animated short demonstrated Nintendo's growing insanity.
And then, hey, you know how people complain that Nintendo is a kiddie console and never gets anything adult gamers will enjoy, blah blah blah? Aside from the stupidity of claiming adults can't enjoy fun, lighthearted, and even *gasp* E-rated games.......
Not rated E for Everyone.There are still people who insist that Bayonetta 2's Wii U exclusivity is a death knell for the game (because only kids play Wii U, remember?), never mind that it's thanks to Nintendo that Bayonetta 2 can even exist. Anyway, Bayonetta 2 was shown off, with the surprise announcement that the original Bayonetta will be included as well. I never played Bayonetta, and I'm not sure I will, but it could be fun. Fighting monsters as a witch--it has its appeal.Let's go back to Zelda, with Hyrule Warriors, the Dynasty Warriors take on Zelda. When it was first announced, it didn't look that good to me, but now it looks like it could be fun. I'm interested in seeing who besides Link, Zelda, Impa, and Midna will be playable, too. Keeping my eye on it...
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. Not a Kirby fan, not really interested.
And then, one of the many moments I was waiting for--X! Or, as it's now known, Xenoblade Chronicles X. It isn't a sequel, just a spiritual successor, which makes the name kind of confusing. It looks like it will have a great sci-fi JRPG story, though, and if it plays like Xenoblade, it should be fantastic. Xenoblade was great, after all, if a little too long for me.
Next up was Mario Maker! I've never been interested in level creators, so even though this was one of the fan-favorite announcements of E3, I don't really care.
Colored ink... swimming squids.... squid-people with guns? Splatoon is Nintendo's unique twist on multiplayer shooters, as each team tries to cover as much of the map with its color of ink as possible. It sounds weird, unusual, and like it could be a lot of fun--although I won't decide if I want to get it or not until I learn more about its local multiplayer, which might be quite different from the online multiplayer it's built for.
Super Smash Bros. 4 returned with the revelation of a new character--Lady Palutena, the Goddess of Light from the Kid Icarus games. Viridi and Dark Pit both had cameos in the announcement, but it's unclear as to what extent they'll be involved in the game.
That was it for the main digital event, and I knew Nintendo had won E3 for me. The humor, the wackiness, and the games--between Captain Toad, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and all the other fun games shown, I was excited. Best of all, it wasn't finished yet. (And neither is this blog series.)
June 16, 2014
E3 2014 Part 3: Sony Steals the Show
Despite my less-than-fun experiences with EA and Ubisoft's press conferences, I was excited when Sony's came around. Last year, Sony won E3 for me. This year, I couldn't wait to see more about The Order: 1886, and with rumors that Sony might unveil some old favorites like Crash Bandicoot (which turned out to be just a rumor), I had confidence this would push Microsoft's press conference out of the top place.
Microsoft
EA
Ubisoft
Sony
Nintendo
More Nintendo Stuff
Conclusion
It began on Mars. Yes, it was time for Destiny, Bungie's upcoming shared-world shooter, which would interest me a lot more than it does if I could play it outline. As it is, it seems pretty cool, but I'm not sure I want it. In this trailer, we got to meet a little cube-AI thing that reminds me a lot of 343 Guilty Spark, from Halo. We also learned about the alpha and beta.
Then my video crashed, and when it came back, people said the dark, creepy thing on the screen was a new IP. I wondered what it could be until I saw the character's face. He looked a lot like the main protagonist from that game I was interested in seeing...
...because it was him! New IP, yes, unannounced game, no. We saw a dark gameplay demo for The Order: 1886 and got to meet one of the Lycan enemies. I'm still interested in it, but not as much as I was last year. Last year I almost ordered a PS4 the moment I saw The Order's trailer. Now, it still looks good and has a cool premise, but I'll wait for more previews, if not reviews, before I make any decisions.
The next game, Entwined, looked beautiful and mysterious. It claimed to be a story about love, but I'm not exactly sure what it is. It's on my list of games to consider...although it was released that night and hasn't met with the warmest reception.
Standalone DLC for Infamous: Second Son. I plan to try that series someday.
And then, out of nowhere.... LittleBigPlanet 3!
New characters, new features, new puzzles... I may have only played a little bit of the first LBP game, but I'll definitely keep this one in mind for the future. I wasn't expecting it at all, and it was a great surprise announcement.
So, what did they show after the cute, happy celebration of fun that is LittleBigPlanet? Bloodborne, of course, the newest dark adventure brought to us by From Software, who created the Demon's Souls and Dark Souls game. Rumors about Bloodborne, under its working title of "Project Beast," had been in the air for quite some time before E3, but most fans thought it would be a new Souls game. It looks very dark. I can't wait to see more.
Far Cry 4 gameplay. I was no more interested than I was when Ubisoft showed it.
Next, Sony went for a bit of a sillier approach, with the presentation of fan letters. Fans apparently want to see more zombies (the zombie craze is not over yet!), so Sony presented the upbeat, somewhat comedic trailer for Dead Island 2. I have nothing against zombie comedy, as you might have guessed, but I didn't think Dead Island was a cheery game. Well, I didn't play the first one, and I probably won't play the next one.
Enemies from The Last of Us are entering Diablo 3. I've played neither, though I may try TLoU sometime.
Battlefield Hardline. Still no interest.
Exclusive PlayStation content for Disney Infinity 2, which I haven't played.
More Destiny, and its PS-exclusive content! (And an out-of-place "Hulk smash!" leftover from the Disney announcement.)
I didn't know what the next trailer was for, but it was quite entertaining. It turned out to be for Magicka 2. I never played Magicka, but after that trailer, maybe I should look into it. (Kind of like how Tomodachi Life's trailer got me interested in a game outside of my standard genres...)
That added a dose of amusement, and the next game announcement--and the letter that preceded it--ratcheted it up even further.
1. Tim Schafer is hilarious.
2. YES!!! GRIM FANDANGO!!!
It's possible I've never mentioned Grim Fandango before, but it's one of those old games I've wanted to play for a long time. Wikipedia describes it as a "dark comedy neo-noir adventure game." I love dark comedy, as you might remember. Adventure games? I love them too. As for neo-noir, noir can be pretty cool. Add in an underworld setting and Tim Schafer, who created one of the greatest games ever (Psychonauts), and I would have already played Grim Fandango if it wasn't one of those games that's so old it's crazy-expensive.
So a remake? Yes, yes, YES! Right then, I knew Nintendo would have to work hard to come in at #1 for me this E3.
Indie game montage! Some looked interesting, especially The Talos Principle.
Suda 51 was up next, so I knew it would be something weird. However, Let It Die didn't really catch my interest.
ABZÛ, an atmospheric adventure compared to Journey, was up next. I'm not really sure what it'll be like, and I never played Journey, but nevertheless I'll keep my eyes open for news on this one.
No Man's Sky is another one of those games it seems like everyone is interested in except for me. I just don't like the idea of a procedurally-generated open universe...much as I'm not too thrilled with open world games in general.
It took a break from games, then. Project Morpheus and its demos available at E3, PS4 and activity statistics, Youtube/Twitch stuff, new "social gaming" features, and new content for the Playroom. Free-to-play montage! Information on the upcoming PlayStation Now open beta... PS Now interests me mainly because of its backwards compatibility potential. Still, this was part of the long lull in Sony's conference. It really lost its momentum after the initial rush of games. They talked about the Vita for a while, and then introduced something new: PlayStation TV. It allows you to remotely play PS4 stuff on a second TV. I don't have a second TV, so I don't think I'll be picking one up.
Back to games, with Mortal Kombat X! I'm not really interested in the Mortal Kombat series, but I know it's a big deal.
Back to non-game material... and we learned about an original series called Powers for far too long. Maybe it'll be interesting, I don't know. Most of what I know about comic books comes from Atop the Fourth Wall. Since I've never heard of the comic series Powers, it might be good. But I watch E3 to learn about games. I couldn't wait for the section on Powers to be over.
There's going to be a Ratchet & Clank movie. I've never played the games, but I want to.
The trailer was amusing.A look at the remastered PS4 version of The Last of Us was the next feature for the night, but it came with a spoiler warning, so I stopped watching. I came back for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Metal Gear Solid.... yes, I'm going to admit it.... it's another one of those series everyone loves except me. I did like the music in the Phantom Pain's trailer, though. It really fit the mood.
After that, Grand Theft Auto V was finally confirmed for the PS4/Xbox One/PC. Never played GTA, probably never will.
But are you ready for the best trailer of the night--perhaps the best trailer of E3?
Yes. Batman: Arkham Knight has had my attention for a while. I'm not done with Arkham City yet, but I loved Arkham Asylum. And that trailer... and my reaction of, "Wait, was that a glitch? Is it glitching? Or is it....him!"
Scarecrow was one of the best parts of Arkham Asylum. I can't wait.
They ended with a new trailer for Uncharted 4, which gained its subtitle "A Thief's End." Ah, Uncharted... I'll give the second game a try someday, despite hating the first Uncharted so much I didn't even finish it.
And that was that! Of course I wasn't interested in every game shown, but it was a strong press conference for Sony and put them in first place in my mind. The combination of LBP 3 and Grim Fandango was enough. All that remained was to see if Nintendo could top them...
Are you ready to find out?
Microsoft
EA
Ubisoft
Sony
Nintendo
More Nintendo Stuff
Conclusion
It began on Mars. Yes, it was time for Destiny, Bungie's upcoming shared-world shooter, which would interest me a lot more than it does if I could play it outline. As it is, it seems pretty cool, but I'm not sure I want it. In this trailer, we got to meet a little cube-AI thing that reminds me a lot of 343 Guilty Spark, from Halo. We also learned about the alpha and beta.
Then my video crashed, and when it came back, people said the dark, creepy thing on the screen was a new IP. I wondered what it could be until I saw the character's face. He looked a lot like the main protagonist from that game I was interested in seeing...
...because it was him! New IP, yes, unannounced game, no. We saw a dark gameplay demo for The Order: 1886 and got to meet one of the Lycan enemies. I'm still interested in it, but not as much as I was last year. Last year I almost ordered a PS4 the moment I saw The Order's trailer. Now, it still looks good and has a cool premise, but I'll wait for more previews, if not reviews, before I make any decisions.
The next game, Entwined, looked beautiful and mysterious. It claimed to be a story about love, but I'm not exactly sure what it is. It's on my list of games to consider...although it was released that night and hasn't met with the warmest reception.
Standalone DLC for Infamous: Second Son. I plan to try that series someday.
And then, out of nowhere.... LittleBigPlanet 3!
New characters, new features, new puzzles... I may have only played a little bit of the first LBP game, but I'll definitely keep this one in mind for the future. I wasn't expecting it at all, and it was a great surprise announcement.
So, what did they show after the cute, happy celebration of fun that is LittleBigPlanet? Bloodborne, of course, the newest dark adventure brought to us by From Software, who created the Demon's Souls and Dark Souls game. Rumors about Bloodborne, under its working title of "Project Beast," had been in the air for quite some time before E3, but most fans thought it would be a new Souls game. It looks very dark. I can't wait to see more.
Far Cry 4 gameplay. I was no more interested than I was when Ubisoft showed it.
Next, Sony went for a bit of a sillier approach, with the presentation of fan letters. Fans apparently want to see more zombies (the zombie craze is not over yet!), so Sony presented the upbeat, somewhat comedic trailer for Dead Island 2. I have nothing against zombie comedy, as you might have guessed, but I didn't think Dead Island was a cheery game. Well, I didn't play the first one, and I probably won't play the next one.
Enemies from The Last of Us are entering Diablo 3. I've played neither, though I may try TLoU sometime.
Battlefield Hardline. Still no interest.
Exclusive PlayStation content for Disney Infinity 2, which I haven't played.
More Destiny, and its PS-exclusive content! (And an out-of-place "Hulk smash!" leftover from the Disney announcement.)
I didn't know what the next trailer was for, but it was quite entertaining. It turned out to be for Magicka 2. I never played Magicka, but after that trailer, maybe I should look into it. (Kind of like how Tomodachi Life's trailer got me interested in a game outside of my standard genres...)
That added a dose of amusement, and the next game announcement--and the letter that preceded it--ratcheted it up even further.
1. Tim Schafer is hilarious.
2. YES!!! GRIM FANDANGO!!!
It's possible I've never mentioned Grim Fandango before, but it's one of those old games I've wanted to play for a long time. Wikipedia describes it as a "dark comedy neo-noir adventure game." I love dark comedy, as you might remember. Adventure games? I love them too. As for neo-noir, noir can be pretty cool. Add in an underworld setting and Tim Schafer, who created one of the greatest games ever (Psychonauts), and I would have already played Grim Fandango if it wasn't one of those games that's so old it's crazy-expensive.
So a remake? Yes, yes, YES! Right then, I knew Nintendo would have to work hard to come in at #1 for me this E3.
Indie game montage! Some looked interesting, especially The Talos Principle.
Suda 51 was up next, so I knew it would be something weird. However, Let It Die didn't really catch my interest.
ABZÛ, an atmospheric adventure compared to Journey, was up next. I'm not really sure what it'll be like, and I never played Journey, but nevertheless I'll keep my eyes open for news on this one.
No Man's Sky is another one of those games it seems like everyone is interested in except for me. I just don't like the idea of a procedurally-generated open universe...much as I'm not too thrilled with open world games in general.
It took a break from games, then. Project Morpheus and its demos available at E3, PS4 and activity statistics, Youtube/Twitch stuff, new "social gaming" features, and new content for the Playroom. Free-to-play montage! Information on the upcoming PlayStation Now open beta... PS Now interests me mainly because of its backwards compatibility potential. Still, this was part of the long lull in Sony's conference. It really lost its momentum after the initial rush of games. They talked about the Vita for a while, and then introduced something new: PlayStation TV. It allows you to remotely play PS4 stuff on a second TV. I don't have a second TV, so I don't think I'll be picking one up.
Back to games, with Mortal Kombat X! I'm not really interested in the Mortal Kombat series, but I know it's a big deal.
Back to non-game material... and we learned about an original series called Powers for far too long. Maybe it'll be interesting, I don't know. Most of what I know about comic books comes from Atop the Fourth Wall. Since I've never heard of the comic series Powers, it might be good. But I watch E3 to learn about games. I couldn't wait for the section on Powers to be over.
There's going to be a Ratchet & Clank movie. I've never played the games, but I want to.
The trailer was amusing.A look at the remastered PS4 version of The Last of Us was the next feature for the night, but it came with a spoiler warning, so I stopped watching. I came back for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Metal Gear Solid.... yes, I'm going to admit it.... it's another one of those series everyone loves except me. I did like the music in the Phantom Pain's trailer, though. It really fit the mood.After that, Grand Theft Auto V was finally confirmed for the PS4/Xbox One/PC. Never played GTA, probably never will.
But are you ready for the best trailer of the night--perhaps the best trailer of E3?
Yes. Batman: Arkham Knight has had my attention for a while. I'm not done with Arkham City yet, but I loved Arkham Asylum. And that trailer... and my reaction of, "Wait, was that a glitch? Is it glitching? Or is it....him!"
Scarecrow was one of the best parts of Arkham Asylum. I can't wait.
They ended with a new trailer for Uncharted 4, which gained its subtitle "A Thief's End." Ah, Uncharted... I'll give the second game a try someday, despite hating the first Uncharted so much I didn't even finish it.
And that was that! Of course I wasn't interested in every game shown, but it was a strong press conference for Sony and put them in first place in my mind. The combination of LBP 3 and Grim Fandango was enough. All that remained was to see if Nintendo could top them...
Are you ready to find out?
June 15, 2014
E3 2014 Part 2: EA and Ubisoft Fail to Impress
Well, Microsoft's press conference kicked off the day, but there were still three more to go. EA and Ubisoft fans, you might want to either brace yourselves or move on to another part, because this was the low point of E3 for me.
Microsoft
EA
Ubisoft
Sony
Nintendo
More Nintendo Stuff
Conclusion
I have nothing against EA. I know some people demonize it as the worst company in the world, but I haven't had a problem with them. Some of my favorite games were published by EA, like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. I've even had good experiences with Origin.
On the other hand, I'm not a big sports fan.
EA's press conference started out strong, with another look at Dragon Age: Inquisition. It looks great, even if it's open world (I'm not much of an open world fan), and I'm looking forward to being an Inquisitor. I was pleased to see a better look at the combat.
It was still BioWare's turn, and that meant it was time for Mass Effect 4.
...We saw some environments. The people from Bioware talked about how it's going to be a big, powerful game. They're also working on a new IP.
Well, that was underwhelming. And then it was time for the next generation of The Sims. I've never played it, and it doesn't interest me. The big thing this time is giving Sims personalities, which was demonstrated through a hotheaded Sim interacting with people around him. It all came together to make me wonder if they were trying to be Tomodachi Life...
At about this point, I started reading KoopaTV's reactions to Microsoft's press conference while the Sims presentation continued in the background. I continued to read through the sports segment: UFC, NHL 15, PGA Tour ("golf without limits"), and Madden 15. The article was much more entertaining to me than sports games are.
I don't care about MOBAs, so I didn't care about Dawngate. At least the sports section was over.
Then Mirror's Edge 2 was shown. I never played the original, but I might check it out sometime. Mirror's Edge 2 looked interesting.
The sports section wasn't over. FIFA 15 was up, and I'd run out of things to read.
Battlefield Hardline. No interest. And it went on for a long time...
Mercifully, it ended. Microsoft's show looked better and better all the time.
As I tuned in to watch Ubisoft's press later in the day, I wasn't hopeful. I asked myself if Ubiosoft had a single franchise I like, and none came to mind. (I do plan to play ZombiU someday, though.)
So, Ubisoft! They started with Far Cry 4, another one of those big names I don't really care about. The villain was featured, though, and that made it interesting to watch.
The presenters were more entertaining than those for EA's press conference, but I didn't quite trust the host's assurances that the show was going to be amazing. Sure enough, as soon as she finished hyping the show, we went to Just Dance 2015.
Some rhythm games are entertaining, but I'm not really into most of the dance/music games. Except for The Beatles Rock Band. Because it's the Beatles.
But this wasn't the Beatles. I started reading again.
Tom Clancy's The Division came back for a showing at Ubisoft's conference, with a much more depressing trailer than the one we saw before.
Next: The Crew. You might remember how I feel about driving games.
Heads will roll!Back to history (which I like) in the form of Assassin's Creed Unity (which still looks cool even if I don't want to play it). They showed more gameplay and more death.
But then it was time for Shape Up, some sort of fitness game. To me, fitness games are kinda a cross between sports and dance games, so this one didn't hold my attention either. I was starting to feel sleepy, although this may be less Ubisoft's fault and more the fault of the rogue garbage truck that kept me up the previous night after seeing Ringo Starr in concert (which was worth a thousand of these conferences, maybe more).
Things took a big shift with Valiant Hearts, which deals with World War I. Now here's one I might actually be interested in playing. It was a somber, yet endearing, trailer. This isn't going to be a shoot-em-all sort of war game, not by a long shot. The trailer had enough emotion in it to shake me out of my lethargy, so I'll be keeping my eye on this one.
The next game involved saving hostages. It turned out to be Rainbow 6: Siege. It doesn't look like my sort of game. And... that was it. The best thing I could say about them was that they kept Microsoft in the lead for me. EA:had Dragon Age: Inquisition, which I already knew quite a bit about, Mass Effect stuff that amounted to almost nothing, and Mirror's Edge 2, which may or may not interest me. Ubisoft had Valiant Hearts, but I'll give it more credit since it showed big-name games that I can see the appeal in, even if I don't particularly like them. Let's move on.
Microsoft
EA
Ubisoft
Sony
Nintendo
More Nintendo Stuff
Conclusion
I have nothing against EA. I know some people demonize it as the worst company in the world, but I haven't had a problem with them. Some of my favorite games were published by EA, like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. I've even had good experiences with Origin.
On the other hand, I'm not a big sports fan.
EA's press conference started out strong, with another look at Dragon Age: Inquisition. It looks great, even if it's open world (I'm not much of an open world fan), and I'm looking forward to being an Inquisitor. I was pleased to see a better look at the combat.
It was still BioWare's turn, and that meant it was time for Mass Effect 4.
...We saw some environments. The people from Bioware talked about how it's going to be a big, powerful game. They're also working on a new IP.
Well, that was underwhelming. And then it was time for the next generation of The Sims. I've never played it, and it doesn't interest me. The big thing this time is giving Sims personalities, which was demonstrated through a hotheaded Sim interacting with people around him. It all came together to make me wonder if they were trying to be Tomodachi Life...
At about this point, I started reading KoopaTV's reactions to Microsoft's press conference while the Sims presentation continued in the background. I continued to read through the sports segment: UFC, NHL 15, PGA Tour ("golf without limits"), and Madden 15. The article was much more entertaining to me than sports games are.
I don't care about MOBAs, so I didn't care about Dawngate. At least the sports section was over.
Then Mirror's Edge 2 was shown. I never played the original, but I might check it out sometime. Mirror's Edge 2 looked interesting.
The sports section wasn't over. FIFA 15 was up, and I'd run out of things to read.
Battlefield Hardline. No interest. And it went on for a long time...
Mercifully, it ended. Microsoft's show looked better and better all the time.
As I tuned in to watch Ubisoft's press later in the day, I wasn't hopeful. I asked myself if Ubiosoft had a single franchise I like, and none came to mind. (I do plan to play ZombiU someday, though.)
So, Ubisoft! They started with Far Cry 4, another one of those big names I don't really care about. The villain was featured, though, and that made it interesting to watch.
The presenters were more entertaining than those for EA's press conference, but I didn't quite trust the host's assurances that the show was going to be amazing. Sure enough, as soon as she finished hyping the show, we went to Just Dance 2015.
Some rhythm games are entertaining, but I'm not really into most of the dance/music games. Except for The Beatles Rock Band. Because it's the Beatles.
But this wasn't the Beatles. I started reading again.
Tom Clancy's The Division came back for a showing at Ubisoft's conference, with a much more depressing trailer than the one we saw before.
Next: The Crew. You might remember how I feel about driving games.
Heads will roll!Back to history (which I like) in the form of Assassin's Creed Unity (which still looks cool even if I don't want to play it). They showed more gameplay and more death.But then it was time for Shape Up, some sort of fitness game. To me, fitness games are kinda a cross between sports and dance games, so this one didn't hold my attention either. I was starting to feel sleepy, although this may be less Ubisoft's fault and more the fault of the rogue garbage truck that kept me up the previous night after seeing Ringo Starr in concert (which was worth a thousand of these conferences, maybe more).
Things took a big shift with Valiant Hearts, which deals with World War I. Now here's one I might actually be interested in playing. It was a somber, yet endearing, trailer. This isn't going to be a shoot-em-all sort of war game, not by a long shot. The trailer had enough emotion in it to shake me out of my lethargy, so I'll be keeping my eye on this one.
The next game involved saving hostages. It turned out to be Rainbow 6: Siege. It doesn't look like my sort of game. And... that was it. The best thing I could say about them was that they kept Microsoft in the lead for me. EA:had Dragon Age: Inquisition, which I already knew quite a bit about, Mass Effect stuff that amounted to almost nothing, and Mirror's Edge 2, which may or may not interest me. Ubisoft had Valiant Hearts, but I'll give it more credit since it showed big-name games that I can see the appeal in, even if I don't particularly like them. Let's move on.
June 14, 2014
E3 2014 Part 1: Microsoft's Redemption
E3 2014 is over, and it's time for me to compile my thoughts about everything I saw.
Spoiler: Nintendo won.
Okay, so no one really wins E3. It's not a competition, it's a way to show off new games and appeal to fans. Still, people always talk about who won E3, and for me, Nintendo beat the competition hands-down. I was still a little disappointed at the end, because Gyakuten Kenji 2/Ace Attorney Investigations 2 wasn't announced for localization, but we have plans to deal with that. There wasn't a Majora's Mask remake announcement, either, but that's a far lower priority on my list than Ace Attorney.
But I'm getting ahead of myself! I'm going to discuss all of E3, not just the games I wanted to see that weren't there. We've got a lot of stuff to cover, so here's a handy table of contents to help you out:
Microsoft
EA
Ubisoft
Sony
Nintendo
More Nintendo Stuff
Conclusion
Let's start with the first day of E3 and the first company to deliver its press conference.... Microsoft!
Any guesses on what caught my attention?Last year, Microsoft soundly lost E3 (at least in my opinion), but Phil Spencer started shaking things up the moment he was put in charge of Xbox. He got rid of the Xbox Live Gold paywall for apps like Netflix, introduced the Kinect-free Xbox One Microsoft previously swore would never exist, and maintained a focus on games, rather than other entertainment options.
He carried out his promises at the press conference, which only mentioned one thing that wasn't a game--Ridley Scott's live action Halo series. That was great news for me. I use my game consoles to play games, so the more games Microsoft showed, the better chance it had to convince me to get an Xbox One.
First up was Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. I've never cared about Call of Duty, but I'll admit that the original story trailer for Advanced Warfare caught my attention. The gameplay shown at E3 didn't do much for me, but it was worth it just to hear my friend--who mocked me ever since I admitted to being interested in the game--say, "Hey, this actually looks fun!"
Once they were done with Call of Duty, it was time for Forza 5. Racing games don't interest me unless they're along the lines of Mario Kart. Next!
Then they showed Evolve, the 4-versus-1 multiplayer game everyone is excited for. Everyone except me, that is. Next!
Assassin's Creed Unity is yet another game that everyone wants except me. I've never gotten into the Assassin's Creed series, although I plan to give it a try sometime since I got a couple of the games with my PS3. Anyway, Unity looked nice, but I'm not too interested. I am curious about how none of the NPCs noticed the super-conspicuous assassins.
No one will notice us dressed like this.After some good old fashioned decapitations, it was time for a game near and dear to my heart--Dragon Age: Inquisition. I still haven't played DA2, but Origins was fantastic. Even though the second game gets pretty mixed reviews, this new one looks like it will be amazing, and I can't wait. (Well, I can wait... long enough to catch up with DA2 and maybe finish some of the other games in my backlog...)
A trailer that opened with a scene worthy of any generic, grim shooter quickly exploded into the colorful chaos that marks Sunset Overdrive. Now this is one that makes me wish I had an Xbox One.
Sunset Overdrive is a zombie apocalypse (or the Awesomepocalypse as dubbed by Insomniac) game with the philosophy that fun is better than realism. The people of Sunset City have been turned into monsters by some sort of evil energy drink, and you need to save the city by fighting back with style and a variety of insane weapons, like explosive teddy bears.
It was probably the most colorful game at Microsoft's conference, and it looks like it'll be a blast to play. Once that was done, Capcom poked some fun at itself with the Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX Plus α. Just DLC, but it maintained the levity.
Fantasia: Music Evolved. Not interested. Dance Central Spotlight. Same.
Fable: Legends was up next. I've never played any of the Fable games, but I like RPGs. It could be interesting. You can play the villain, too. I believe this is another 4-versus-1 multiplayer setup.
Then they showed Project Spark, a game-creation thing that doesn't appeal to me personally, but I can understand why a lot of people would want to play it. It sounds like it has a lot of possibilities and could lead to some great things.
Then a squirrel cut the logo in two.
Conker is back... not getting a game of his own, but as a part of Project Spark. I guess fans are supposed to make their own Conker sequels? I'm not sure how that's going to work out, but okay, that's something. While I was still puzzling over that, the next game was shown. Ori and the Blind Forest was one of those that only got a trailer and no explanation, which is too bad, because the trailer was pretty neat.
When the Halo music started, I jumped up and down in delight, because I'm the kind of crazy Halo fan who reads the books and everything. A new trailer for Halo 5: Guardians was revealed. It shed a little more light on the story (yes, I play Halo for the story, not the multiplayer) and the new Spartan, and best of all, it showed one of the things I really wanted in Halo 5.
And while I was still delighting over Thel 'Vadam (the Arbiter) returning, 343 Industries went on and announced the Master Chief Collection, which will include games 1-4, and some other stuff, including the live action show I mentioned earlier. I'll admit, I'm tempted. If I had an Xbox One, I'd be getting this for sure. Considering I have all the original games, though, it's not a system-seller for me, not even with the remastered Halo 2.
Halo was the focus for a long time, but then it was time for a creepy game called Inside, by the same developers who created Limbo. Limbo was okay, not one of my favorites. This could be good.
Indie game montage. Nothing really grabbed me, but it could be too early to say.
The next trailer was intriguing, and it proved to be for Rise of the Tomb Raider, a sequel to the Tomb Raider reboot, which I have yet to play. If I play it and like it, I'm sure I'll be interested in this, so it's one for me to keep my eyes on.
CD Projekt RED took the stage next to show new gameplay from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The Witcher is another RPG series I still need to try. I'm excited for this game even without playing its predecessors, though, because it looks really cool. It's also one of the few games that got me to comment on graphics, because it looks beautiful.
When the next developer promised to be reviving an old, beloved franchise, a lot of possibilities ran through my mind, and none of them were Phantom Dust, which was what was shown. Sorry, Phantom Dust fans, but I didn't even realize the original existed. Wikipedia helped me out and taught me about the original Phantom Dust, a "pseudo-card-based action/strategy game" from 2005. Okay then.
Tom Clancy's The Division, another game I'm not interested in even though everyone else seems to be.
Platinum Games arrived to show Scalebound, which looked cool, but I'm not sure what it's about except action, dragons, and monsters.
Crackdown. Very explosive. The series never interested me.
Closing montage of games, and then it was over after 90 minutes. I was impressed, but not blown away. You might say I was mainly happy for Microsoft and the Xbox One, since they redeemed themselves from last year. There were several games that caught my eye, but keep in mind that exclusives are what will convince me one way or another about a console.
Sunset Overdrive, Ori and the Blind Forest, Halo 5: Guardians, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection. I'm interested, but not convinced enough to get an Xbox One yet. Well, that's about it for my thoughts on Microsoft's showing at E3. Ready for something else?
Spoiler: Nintendo won.
Okay, so no one really wins E3. It's not a competition, it's a way to show off new games and appeal to fans. Still, people always talk about who won E3, and for me, Nintendo beat the competition hands-down. I was still a little disappointed at the end, because Gyakuten Kenji 2/Ace Attorney Investigations 2 wasn't announced for localization, but we have plans to deal with that. There wasn't a Majora's Mask remake announcement, either, but that's a far lower priority on my list than Ace Attorney.
But I'm getting ahead of myself! I'm going to discuss all of E3, not just the games I wanted to see that weren't there. We've got a lot of stuff to cover, so here's a handy table of contents to help you out:
Microsoft
EA
Ubisoft
Sony
Nintendo
More Nintendo Stuff
Conclusion
Let's start with the first day of E3 and the first company to deliver its press conference.... Microsoft!
Any guesses on what caught my attention?Last year, Microsoft soundly lost E3 (at least in my opinion), but Phil Spencer started shaking things up the moment he was put in charge of Xbox. He got rid of the Xbox Live Gold paywall for apps like Netflix, introduced the Kinect-free Xbox One Microsoft previously swore would never exist, and maintained a focus on games, rather than other entertainment options.He carried out his promises at the press conference, which only mentioned one thing that wasn't a game--Ridley Scott's live action Halo series. That was great news for me. I use my game consoles to play games, so the more games Microsoft showed, the better chance it had to convince me to get an Xbox One.
First up was Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. I've never cared about Call of Duty, but I'll admit that the original story trailer for Advanced Warfare caught my attention. The gameplay shown at E3 didn't do much for me, but it was worth it just to hear my friend--who mocked me ever since I admitted to being interested in the game--say, "Hey, this actually looks fun!"
Once they were done with Call of Duty, it was time for Forza 5. Racing games don't interest me unless they're along the lines of Mario Kart. Next!
Then they showed Evolve, the 4-versus-1 multiplayer game everyone is excited for. Everyone except me, that is. Next!
Assassin's Creed Unity is yet another game that everyone wants except me. I've never gotten into the Assassin's Creed series, although I plan to give it a try sometime since I got a couple of the games with my PS3. Anyway, Unity looked nice, but I'm not too interested. I am curious about how none of the NPCs noticed the super-conspicuous assassins.
No one will notice us dressed like this.After some good old fashioned decapitations, it was time for a game near and dear to my heart--Dragon Age: Inquisition. I still haven't played DA2, but Origins was fantastic. Even though the second game gets pretty mixed reviews, this new one looks like it will be amazing, and I can't wait. (Well, I can wait... long enough to catch up with DA2 and maybe finish some of the other games in my backlog...)A trailer that opened with a scene worthy of any generic, grim shooter quickly exploded into the colorful chaos that marks Sunset Overdrive. Now this is one that makes me wish I had an Xbox One.
Sunset Overdrive is a zombie apocalypse (or the Awesomepocalypse as dubbed by Insomniac) game with the philosophy that fun is better than realism. The people of Sunset City have been turned into monsters by some sort of evil energy drink, and you need to save the city by fighting back with style and a variety of insane weapons, like explosive teddy bears.
It was probably the most colorful game at Microsoft's conference, and it looks like it'll be a blast to play. Once that was done, Capcom poked some fun at itself with the Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX Plus α. Just DLC, but it maintained the levity.
Fantasia: Music Evolved. Not interested. Dance Central Spotlight. Same.
Fable: Legends was up next. I've never played any of the Fable games, but I like RPGs. It could be interesting. You can play the villain, too. I believe this is another 4-versus-1 multiplayer setup.
Then they showed Project Spark, a game-creation thing that doesn't appeal to me personally, but I can understand why a lot of people would want to play it. It sounds like it has a lot of possibilities and could lead to some great things.
Then a squirrel cut the logo in two.
Conker is back... not getting a game of his own, but as a part of Project Spark. I guess fans are supposed to make their own Conker sequels? I'm not sure how that's going to work out, but okay, that's something. While I was still puzzling over that, the next game was shown. Ori and the Blind Forest was one of those that only got a trailer and no explanation, which is too bad, because the trailer was pretty neat.
When the Halo music started, I jumped up and down in delight, because I'm the kind of crazy Halo fan who reads the books and everything. A new trailer for Halo 5: Guardians was revealed. It shed a little more light on the story (yes, I play Halo for the story, not the multiplayer) and the new Spartan, and best of all, it showed one of the things I really wanted in Halo 5.
And while I was still delighting over Thel 'Vadam (the Arbiter) returning, 343 Industries went on and announced the Master Chief Collection, which will include games 1-4, and some other stuff, including the live action show I mentioned earlier. I'll admit, I'm tempted. If I had an Xbox One, I'd be getting this for sure. Considering I have all the original games, though, it's not a system-seller for me, not even with the remastered Halo 2.
Halo was the focus for a long time, but then it was time for a creepy game called Inside, by the same developers who created Limbo. Limbo was okay, not one of my favorites. This could be good.
Indie game montage. Nothing really grabbed me, but it could be too early to say.
The next trailer was intriguing, and it proved to be for Rise of the Tomb Raider, a sequel to the Tomb Raider reboot, which I have yet to play. If I play it and like it, I'm sure I'll be interested in this, so it's one for me to keep my eyes on.
CD Projekt RED took the stage next to show new gameplay from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The Witcher is another RPG series I still need to try. I'm excited for this game even without playing its predecessors, though, because it looks really cool. It's also one of the few games that got me to comment on graphics, because it looks beautiful.
When the next developer promised to be reviving an old, beloved franchise, a lot of possibilities ran through my mind, and none of them were Phantom Dust, which was what was shown. Sorry, Phantom Dust fans, but I didn't even realize the original existed. Wikipedia helped me out and taught me about the original Phantom Dust, a "pseudo-card-based action/strategy game" from 2005. Okay then.Tom Clancy's The Division, another game I'm not interested in even though everyone else seems to be.
Platinum Games arrived to show Scalebound, which looked cool, but I'm not sure what it's about except action, dragons, and monsters.
Crackdown. Very explosive. The series never interested me.
Closing montage of games, and then it was over after 90 minutes. I was impressed, but not blown away. You might say I was mainly happy for Microsoft and the Xbox One, since they redeemed themselves from last year. There were several games that caught my eye, but keep in mind that exclusives are what will convince me one way or another about a console.
Sunset Overdrive, Ori and the Blind Forest, Halo 5: Guardians, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection. I'm interested, but not convinced enough to get an Xbox One yet. Well, that's about it for my thoughts on Microsoft's showing at E3. Ready for something else?
June 4, 2014
E3: What Are They Planning?
It's almost time for E3 2014. We should get to see new game announcements along with footage from upcoming games. Some E3 shows are exciting and some are disappointing, but this time I just find myself wondering, "What are they planning?"
In more a "conspiracy theorist" way than a "general curiosity" way.
You probably know what needs to be announced for me to be fully satisfied. With no localization announcement for Gyakuten Kenji 2, I'll be a little disappointed with E3 no matter what else I see, so it really can't hurt me too much to build up ridiculous hopes. After all, I've already got one of those, and I refuse to let it go.
So, why do I think "they" are up to something? First of all, who are "they"?
I'm talking about the big 3, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. I'll be watching their press conferences/digital events (Nintendo isn't giving a traditional press conference) with a lot of interest, and their recent actions are what have led me to have such high hopes.
First, let's talk about Nintendo. On May 7, Game Freak announced Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Fans of the original Ruby and Sapphire have been asking for a remake for a long, long time, so I'm not surprised about the decision to make the games. What surprised me is that it was announced in May, not at E3.
New games announced at E3 usually include high-profile, heavy-hitting titles. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are exactly the sorts of games that would make a good E3 announcement for Nintendo. All they had to do was wait a little over a month, but they chose not to. And they aren't the only ones...
Just over a week later, on May 16, 343 Studios announced that the official title of the mysterious next Halo game is Halo 5: Guardians. Throw in a logo, a piece of concept art, and rumor-ready material, and the excitement was almost enough to overshadow the game's planned release in 2015.
Just an ordinary press conference...Now, we already knew Halo 5 existed, and there were some rumors hinting at some of the other information... but still, why not show a new trailer and reveal the title at E3? They just had to wait a few more weeks.Sony didn't reveal any big-name titles unexpectedly. It just decided its E3 press conference deserves to be seen in theaters.
Microsoft has been free with the fact that it has more content it could show at E3 than fits into the allotted time slot. Do all three companies have amazing game announcements in store for us?
We'll know soon enough.
E3 Events of Note (times in Eastern time)Microsoft's press conference - June 9 at 12:30 PMEA's press conference - June 9 at 3 PM Ubisoft's press conference - June 9 at 6 PM Sony's press conference - June 9 at 9 PM Nintendo's (digital) press conference - June 10 at 12 PMSuper Smash Bros. discussion - June 10th at 10 PMMystery 3DS game discussion - June 11th at 9 PM
And much more.
Yes, I'm sort of biased in Nintendo's favor. I'm the most excited for those announcements and revelations, and not just because I want to see a localized Gyakuten Kenji 2 on the 3DS (or the Wii U Virtual Console...or anything, really). My new Wii U has something to do with it, too. ;)
Other games I'm particularly excited to see at E3:The Order: 1886Dragon Age: InquisitionThe Witcher 3: Wild HuntHalo 5: GuardiansXZelda Wii UMajora's Mask 3D (please?)Surprise announcementsNEW IPs
May 29, 2014
The Ongoing Quest for Gyakuten Kenji 2 (July 1 Write-In/Call-in Campaign)
Let's talk about Ace Attorney.
If it wasn't obvious from my glowing review of Dual Destinies and my explosive excitement when the new game was revealed, I love Ace Attorney. It's one of my favorite series, and I just can't get enough of it.
Now, my favorite Ace Attorney character is Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. He even got his own spin-off game, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth. I played it, and enjoyed it. It wasn't as great as many of the games in the main series, but it was still a lot of fun.
So it irks me to no end that Gyakuten Kenji 2, also known as Ace Attorney Investigations 2, has yet to be released outside of Japan.
AAI2 was released in Japan on February 3, 2011, and Capcom has no plans to release it anywhere else. Fans eventually worked them down from "no" to "maybe," but other than vague statements about factors that could influence it (the sales of Dual Destinies, for example), there hasn't been any more progress.
Dual Destinies met its sales goals, but we haven't heard anything about AAI2's localization. In the meantime, a couple different fan translations are underway...but it sure would be nice to be able to play the game in a legitimate way.
Eternal optimist that I am, I hold out hope that localization will be announced at E3, which begins on June 9. In fact, I'll spend every minute, up to the very end, expecting a surprise "Investigations 2 is coming to the West" announcement. And who knows--maybe I'll be right this time.
But in case I'm not, on July 1 , we're going to have a write-in/call-in, where every interested fan contacts Capcom and asks them to localize Gyakuten Kenji 2/Ace Attorney Investigations 2. Take a look at the official Facebook event.
If you'd prefer to participate without joining the event, you can contact Capcom through a variety of channels:
Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
800 Concar Drive, Suite 300
San Mateo, CA 94402-2649
Phone Number: 650.350.6500
Capcom's American contact info:http://www.capcom.co....jp/ir/english/inquiry/
Capcom's European contact info:
http://www.capcom-europe.com/contact
Capcom's English language Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/capcomunity?ref=br_rs
Capcom Unity's Ace Attorney boards:
http://www.capcom-unity.com/ace_attorney/go/forum/viewboard
Capcom Twitter pages:
https://twitter.com/Capcom_Unity
https://twitter.com/Capcom_UK
https://twitter.com/capcom_france
https://twitter.com/Gyakuten_capcom
Original petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/AAI2US/petition.html
Come on--join the Facebook event, give me a shout in the comments below, and show Capcom how much we want to play this game!
Updated to reflect the new date for the write-in/call-in campaign.
If it wasn't obvious from my glowing review of Dual Destinies and my explosive excitement when the new game was revealed, I love Ace Attorney. It's one of my favorite series, and I just can't get enough of it.
Now, my favorite Ace Attorney character is Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. He even got his own spin-off game, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth. I played it, and enjoyed it. It wasn't as great as many of the games in the main series, but it was still a lot of fun.
So it irks me to no end that Gyakuten Kenji 2, also known as Ace Attorney Investigations 2, has yet to be released outside of Japan.
AAI2 was released in Japan on February 3, 2011, and Capcom has no plans to release it anywhere else. Fans eventually worked them down from "no" to "maybe," but other than vague statements about factors that could influence it (the sales of Dual Destinies, for example), there hasn't been any more progress.
Dual Destinies met its sales goals, but we haven't heard anything about AAI2's localization. In the meantime, a couple different fan translations are underway...but it sure would be nice to be able to play the game in a legitimate way.
Eternal optimist that I am, I hold out hope that localization will be announced at E3, which begins on June 9. In fact, I'll spend every minute, up to the very end, expecting a surprise "Investigations 2 is coming to the West" announcement. And who knows--maybe I'll be right this time.
But in case I'm not, on July 1 , we're going to have a write-in/call-in, where every interested fan contacts Capcom and asks them to localize Gyakuten Kenji 2/Ace Attorney Investigations 2. Take a look at the official Facebook event.
If you'd prefer to participate without joining the event, you can contact Capcom through a variety of channels:
Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
800 Concar Drive, Suite 300
San Mateo, CA 94402-2649
Phone Number: 650.350.6500
Capcom's American contact info:http://www.capcom.co....jp/ir/english/inquiry/
Capcom's European contact info:
http://www.capcom-europe.com/contact
Capcom's English language Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/capcomunity?ref=br_rs
Capcom Unity's Ace Attorney boards:
http://www.capcom-unity.com/ace_attorney/go/forum/viewboard
Capcom Twitter pages:
https://twitter.com/Capcom_Unity
https://twitter.com/Capcom_UK
https://twitter.com/capcom_france
https://twitter.com/Gyakuten_capcom
Original petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/AAI2US/petition.html
Come on--join the Facebook event, give me a shout in the comments below, and show Capcom how much we want to play this game!
Updated to reflect the new date for the write-in/call-in campaign.
The Ongoing Quest for Gyakuten Kenji 2 (June 16 Write-In/Call-in Campaign)
Let's talk about Ace Attorney.
If it wasn't obvious from my glowing review of Dual Destinies and my explosive excitement when the new game was revealed, I love Ace Attorney. It's one of my favorite series, and I just can't get enough of it.
Now, my favorite Ace Attorney character is Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. He even got his own spin-off game, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth. I played it, and enjoyed it. It wasn't as great as many of the games in the main series, but it was still a lot of fun.
So it irks me to no end that Gyakuten Kenji 2, also known as Ace Attorney Investigations 2, has yet to be released outside of Japan.
AAI2 was released in Japan on February 3, 2011, and Capcom has no plans to release it anywhere else. Fans eventually worked them down from "no" to "maybe," but other than vague statements about factors that could influence it (the sales of Dual Destinies, for example), there hasn't been any more progress.
Dual Destinies met its sales goals, but we haven't heard anything about AAI2's localization. In the meantime, a couple different fan translations are underway...but it sure would be nice to be able to play the game in a legitimate way.
Eternal optimist that I am, I hold out hope that localization will be announced at E3, which begins on June 9. In fact, I'll spend every minute, up to the very end, expecting a surprise "Investigations 2 is coming to the West" announcement. And who knows--maybe I'll be right this time.
But in case I'm not, on June 16 , we're going to have a write-in/call-in, where every interested fan contacts Capcom and asks them to localize Gyakuten Kenji 2/Ace Attorney Investigations 2. Take a look at the official Facebook event.
If you'd prefer to participate without joining the event, you can contact Capcom through a variety of channels:
Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
800 Concar Drive, Suite 300
San Mateo, CA 94402-2649
Phone Number: 650.350.6500
Capcom's American contact info:
http://www.capcom.co....jp/ir/english/inquiry/
Capcom's European contact info:
http://www.capcom-europe.com/contact
Capcom's English language Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/capcomunity?ref=br_rs
Capcom Unity's Ace Attorney boards:
http://www.capcom-unity.com/ace_attorney/go/forum/viewboard
Capcom Twitter pages:
https://twitter.com/Capcom_Unity
https://twitter.com/Capcom_UK
https://twitter.com/capcom_france
https://twitter.com/Gyakuten_capcom
Original petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/AAI2US/petition.html
Come on--join the Facebook event, give me a shout in the comments below, and show Capcom how much we want to play this game!
If it wasn't obvious from my glowing review of Dual Destinies and my explosive excitement when the new game was revealed, I love Ace Attorney. It's one of my favorite series, and I just can't get enough of it.
Now, my favorite Ace Attorney character is Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. He even got his own spin-off game, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth. I played it, and enjoyed it. It wasn't as great as many of the games in the main series, but it was still a lot of fun.
So it irks me to no end that Gyakuten Kenji 2, also known as Ace Attorney Investigations 2, has yet to be released outside of Japan.
AAI2 was released in Japan on February 3, 2011, and Capcom has no plans to release it anywhere else. Fans eventually worked them down from "no" to "maybe," but other than vague statements about factors that could influence it (the sales of Dual Destinies, for example), there hasn't been any more progress.
Dual Destinies met its sales goals, but we haven't heard anything about AAI2's localization. In the meantime, a couple different fan translations are underway...but it sure would be nice to be able to play the game in a legitimate way.
Eternal optimist that I am, I hold out hope that localization will be announced at E3, which begins on June 9. In fact, I'll spend every minute, up to the very end, expecting a surprise "Investigations 2 is coming to the West" announcement. And who knows--maybe I'll be right this time.
But in case I'm not, on June 16 , we're going to have a write-in/call-in, where every interested fan contacts Capcom and asks them to localize Gyakuten Kenji 2/Ace Attorney Investigations 2. Take a look at the official Facebook event.
If you'd prefer to participate without joining the event, you can contact Capcom through a variety of channels:
Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
800 Concar Drive, Suite 300
San Mateo, CA 94402-2649
Phone Number: 650.350.6500
Capcom's American contact info:
http://www.capcom.co....jp/ir/english/inquiry/
Capcom's European contact info:
http://www.capcom-europe.com/contact
Capcom's English language Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/capcomunity?ref=br_rs
Capcom Unity's Ace Attorney boards:
http://www.capcom-unity.com/ace_attorney/go/forum/viewboard
Capcom Twitter pages:
https://twitter.com/Capcom_Unity
https://twitter.com/Capcom_UK
https://twitter.com/capcom_france
https://twitter.com/Gyakuten_capcom
Original petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/AAI2US/petition.html
Come on--join the Facebook event, give me a shout in the comments below, and show Capcom how much we want to play this game!
May 21, 2014
"Cursed" and "Monsters" Join My List of Drabbles
Last week, the semester came to an end. That means I have more time to relax (and work on my writing, of course) now, but it also means that for the past couple of weeks, I was pretty busy. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was aware that my third SpeckLit drabble would be published on May 9, and I told myself I would write a little announcement about it.
Well, better late than never, "Cursed" is my attempt to place a curse on a character with only 100 words to work with. And it turns out I remembered to write my announcement on the perfect day, because today marks the release of my next drabble, "Monsters."
Maybe I should work on some more drabbles soon...
But in the meantime, I have freelance work and several stories to keep me occupied. See you around!
Well, better late than never, "Cursed" is my attempt to place a curse on a character with only 100 words to work with. And it turns out I remembered to write my announcement on the perfect day, because today marks the release of my next drabble, "Monsters."
Maybe I should work on some more drabbles soon...
But in the meantime, I have freelance work and several stories to keep me occupied. See you around!
May 7, 2014
The Great Gaias, Source, and The Eldritch Cases: Dagon - These Kickstarters Could Use Your Help
I've made no secret of the fact that I support Kickstarter projects--mainly video game projects. I've gushed at length about A Hat in Time, and I've referenced Asylum when discussing other games, such as Scratches. Well, I've backed three more games over the past few days, and since none of the three have met their goal yet--and time is running out--I thought I'd talk about them a little bit.
The Great GaiasFirst up is The Great Gaias, a roleplaying game inspired by old classics like Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, and Xenogears. With 60+ hours of gameplay, lots of sidequests, and a strong story, it sounds like it'll be a great game for fans looking for a return to the old JRPG style.
The Great Gaias will have a turn-based combat system with tactical elements. Boss battles are promised to be dynamic and unique. And if you miss Final Fantasy's Limit Break system, you'll enjoy the powerful Deathblows, each of which works uniquely depending on the character. The thirteen playable characters all have their own personal stories, skills, and abilities, and with thirteen classes (clerics, dragoons, rogues, etc.--you know what we're talking about), there should be a wide variety of parties to try.
I really love turn-based RPGs, and something about this one just caught my attention. Maybe it's the inspirations it cites or the level of detail given to its description. Whatever it is, I backed it, and I really hope to see it succeed. The problem is (at the time of my writing this) it has only 26 hours left and just over $1500 to go to make its goal.
So if you love those old JRPGs, take a look at The Great Gaias.
SourceI learned about Source when it was confirmed as one of the indie games coming to the PlayStation 4. Now, I don't have a PS4 (yet), but it's also coming to the PC (and the Xbox One, but I don't have one of those, either). As soon as I watched the video for Source, I knew I had to back it.
It's an exploration-based, metroidvania-style action adventure game, and while that isn't one of my insta-interested genres, Source looks awesome.
Beauty, mystery, a sense of what-exactly-am-I-looking-at... and that last reaction is entirely intentional, as part of Source's goal is to create a surreal world that you won't understand until you explore and experiment. Puzzles, combat, and metamorphosis through death... Source just isn't quite like anything else.
As I write this, its Kickstarter campaign has 3 days left to go, and it still needs to earn about $33,500. That's no small amount to get in just a handful of days, so check if its unique sense of wonder captures your attention like it did mine, consider backing it.
The Eldritch Cases: DagonThe Eldritch Cases: Dagon is described as "a Lovecraft horror adventure." Do I really need to explain why as a fan of H.P. Lovecraft and adventure games, I jumped on this one as soon as I heard about it?
The game takes place in Innsmouth, where the Esoteric Order of Dagon is secretly in control, along with Dr. Herbert West, the warden of the local asylum. (Yes, this game is a Lovecraft-fest.) Now we've got Insmouth, Herbert West, and asylums to add to my excitement. There are two playable characters: Detective Thomas Malone and nurse Rose Babcock. It has classic point-and-click adventure gameplay and promises you might meet "a very old one."
If there was any doubt left in my mind by the time I got that far down the page, it vanished entirely when I read the game's atmospheric inspirations, which include Scratches, Dark Corners of the Earth (I'll play it if I ever get my copy to work), and Silent Hill.
Best of all, Dagon is planned to be the first game in the Eldritch Cases series. A series of Lovecraftian adventure games. This needs to become a reality!
Right now, The Eldritch Cases: Dagon has 8 days left to earn its remaining £10,000. My fellow horror fans, I'm calling on you to help support this game!
So there you have it: The Great Gaias, Source, and The Eldritch Cases: Dagon. Three very different games, all of which appeal to something in me, and I hope to something in you as well. You can learn more about them at their Kickstarter pages, or press me for further comments. I may not be an expert, but I'd be happy to explain in more detail why I hope these games succeed.
April 25, 2014
This December, Join Algernon on a Sandy Expedition of Terror
When Dr. Algernon P. Lewis went on vacation to Death Valley, he expected it to be a boring trip. Certainly nothing that would help him with his research into the mysterious Anaian civilization. Now, Algernon's journal will help us piece together just what happened out there on the Eureka Dunes...
On December 8, the account of Algernon's experience will be posted at The Mad Scientist Journal, under the name of "Sand," and it will later be made a part of the Autumn 2014 collection.
See you on the dunes!
