BioWare Sonic RPG? Good God.

Less than 24 hours after lamenting that I might have to forego purchasing an XBox 360 even though I desperately want to play through BioWare’sMass Effect, along arrives the news that BioWare and Sega are teaming up to make a Sonic RPG for the Nintendo DS. What?!?

I was late to the BioWare bandwagon, but Baldur’s Gate 2 is perhaps the most perfect RPG I’ve ever played. I’ve also heard nothing but good things about Knights of the Old Republic, KOTOR 2, and Jade Empire. It stands to reason, then, that I would anxiously anticipate Mass Effect. I never dreamed, however, that I might get a chance to play a BioWare game on my Nintendo DS using colorful characters. I can’t help but think that it’s going to be really good. Maybe Super Mario RPG good.

Well, I guess I had better finish Etrian Odyssey before then. Time to stop running from those second stratum FOEs!  

The Big Bleszinski

It really should have been a no-brainer for me to have posted a response to the Tyler Bleszinski public expression of fear of a casual game takeover due to Nintendo’s and other’s attempts to expand the video gaming market. In fact, it would have been so easy to attack his reasoning that I thought it wouldn’t be worth my time. The only reasons he’s even being paid attention are 1) that his brother is Mr. Gears of War and 2) that he’s very nearly attacking the most profitable video gaming company on the planet.I could also just wait until someone posted a response that I could stand behind and just save myself the trouble.

It looks like someone has done just that. 

Etrian Odyssey: First Impressions

I don’t know how many of you plan to play Etrian Odyssey for the Nintendo DS, but I think I’ve logged enough hours to talk about it a little.

I’ll preface this by saying that a couple of major outlets appeared to give this game a fair shake, and their reviews are linked below:

IGN: 7.4 / 10
1UP: 8 / 10

The consensus seems to be that if you think you will like this game, you will probably love this game. I will add to that that I thought I would like this game, and I’m having a lot of fun with it so far.

Etrian Odyssey is a fight-by-numbers exercise that takes place in a gridded 3D dungeon navigated in first person. The story is threadbare — explore this labyrinth and return alive! — and the game consists primarily of of two activities: crawling and cartography.

Dungeon crawling by itself is no special affair; first person dungeon crawlers have been around for years (Double Dungeons, for example, was re-released on the Virtual Console a few weeks ago). However, this game’s difficulty is nearly always mentioned in the first breath of describing it. Gamers used to RPGs that allow you to go several battles before healing and save anywhere will be in for the rudest shock of all. Upon entering a new level of the labyrinth — even the first one — you face the very real threat of death with each random encounter, the likelihood of which is given using a colored orb at the bottom-right of the top screen. When even a garden variety battle can result in the death of one or more characters in your party, you tend to take strategizing very seriously rather than dropping all your attacks on the default monster and seeing how long it takes them all to die. And the F.O.E.s (foedus obrepit errabundus, “wandering vile beasts”) are a different story altogether; I’ve had my heart stop from rounding a corner only to see an orange fireball that denotes the location of an F.O.E. only one step in front of me. F.O.E.s are the game’s hard-hitting minibosses, and they make random encounters seem easy by comparison.

The second major element to the game is cartography. While crawling is a buttons-only affair, cartography requires you to unsheathe your stylus to draw walls, paint in floors, and mark locations of interest. At first the concept of drawing walls seemed rather silly to me, but as I started to reach areas where I didn’t want to walk but could see, it became very useful to draw passageways and mark the general locations of F.O.E.s with which I almost scrapped — especially ones fond of chasing you around the dungeon. It is also nice to note the presence of anything you don’t understand or with which you are afraid to interact due to unknown consequences so that you can return later with ease. For example, I have marked several fruits on my map that I am afraid to eat as well as the location of a chase-happy F.O.E. that would easily wipe out my party who seems to be guarding a dead-end.

One final thing I should mention is that each character in your party is created, named, and given its class by you. It is easily possible to assemble a group of adventurers that do not fight well together that may make certain challenges in the game insurmountable. Moreover, even with the right group, it is possible to distribute skill points unwisely to reach the same conclusion. For example, I wiped within the first 15 minutes of the first level because I hadn’t distributed my skill points for my alchemists (the game’s “wizards”) in such a way that they could actually use damage-dealing techniques from the beginning. Since they are woefully ineffectual melee fighters, I couldn’t muster the damage necessary to handle even simple battles.

After you realize that nothing in the game comes gift-wrapped, you begin to play much smarter and appreciate the challenge afforded by the game’s design. It may be tough, but the numbers are fair. I have yet to reach any situation that better strategy or more leveling doesn’t make possible.

I’ll close by saying that if this sounds like fun to you, it will be. If not, stay clear. But I, for one, can’t wait to see what the hell that thing is on level 3 that scared my ass right back to level 2 …

Etrian Odyssey Questions Answered

As the penultimate entry in the Etrian Odyssey developer blog, readers were asked to submit their questions to be answered by the development team. I’ve only read a few developer blogs before, but I’ve found theirs to be remarkably informative and entertaining; more than anything else, it is the vision of Niinou-san and the rest of the Etrian Odyssey team that has convinced me to pick up the game.

I was pleased to see that my questions were answered in the latest blog entry. These were mine:

Were there any common features/characteristics of turn-based RPGs that the team specfically decided to omit in Etrian Odyssey? Why were they removed?

In most turn-based RPGs, so long as your party is alive, you have as many turns as you want to win a battle. However, if you look at screenshots of Etrian Odyssey, you can see a turn counter. In some battles, you’ll have to keep an eye on this, since completing a quest or obtaining an item depends on defeating the enemy in a certain number of turns.

That in itself isn’t so innovative, but each turn also corresponds to 1 space of movement on the map. When there are mobile FOEs in an area, you’ll have to finish the battle before the FOE arrives to join the fight, making your situation that much worse. Battles in Etrian Odyssey aren’t meant to be just survived–the turn counter is there to add tension and encourage you to finish them as quickly as possible.

How would you describe the role of music in the game? Was it added mostly as an afterthought, or was it being composed as the dungeons and gameplay were being designed? Is the sound in the game ultimately disposable, or is it an integral part of the experience?

The music composition was an ongoing process, involving several drafts and versions, some of the earliest of which were made available on a preorder bonus CD in Japan.

Given that the general purpose of the game is to try to reinvigorate a foundering genre of game, the sound is thematically integrated in that it, too, is a style of music that fell out of fashion. Yuzo Koshiro’s PC-88-based compositions are largely bypassed these days in favor of more symphonic music–but the game is striking a blow for the simplicity and “smallness” of games past, and in that respect Koshiro’s music couldn’t be more appropriate.

Is there anything the team wanted to do in Etrian Odyssey that they simply did not have the time or resources to accomplish? Can we expect these things in a sequel?

The game was originally scheduled for release in its home country of Japan several months earlier, but the project was shaping up so well that the developers were given extra time to complete their vision. So virtually everything Niinou and his team wanted to put in the game is in there, but I’m sure the remaining staffers at R&D1 have their own ideas that’ll come out someday in a sequel.

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I can’t wait to get my hands on this tomorrow.

Nyko Charge Station

Yesterday while at Fry’s to pick up Super Paper Mario, I also snagged the Nyko Charge Station. I’ve had my eye on this for a while, but I had never actually seen it in a store until yesterday. Or, to be more specific, I had never actually looked at Wii accessories since launch until yesterday. Here are my observations.

• The rechargeable batteries have small contacts that are exposed through the back of the Wii remote to interface with the charging station. For this reason, it is necessary to use the included rubberized battery cover, which exposes the contacts via a hole.
• The rubberized grip on the battery door feels comfortable.
• There is a small groove through which the the wrist strap can be dangled while charging.
• The charger is very particular about the placement of the Wii remotes when charging, but there are helpful feedback LEDs at the bottom which show that the controller is charging (blue), fully charged (green), or not docked properly in the cradle (no light). It may take a little finesse to put the Wii remote in the cradle “just right,” but I haven’t found it to be annoying. The controller stays put once it’s in position.
• The battery charge is *REALLY* fast (under four hours if I’m not mistaken). However, the batteries may have been partially charged from the factory.
• The construction is solid, and it looks nice standing on your entertainment center.

At $29.99, the Nyko Charge Station is a good value. It gives you an attractive place to store your controllers when not in use, and it eliminates the need to buy huge packs of AA batteries to ensure uninterrupted gaming.

More Ranting Against Zelda

I was excited about yesterday because A Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was posted to the virtual console. This game served as the prototype to the modern Zelda game, and though it has been re-released in several iterations since its original North American release in 1992, I’ve never played through it in its entirety. I used to own this game when I was much younger, but I am ashamed to admit that my progress was very limited at the time. However, as a gainfully employed adult, I now have the opportunity to right this wrong in the comfort of my own home on the console that gets the most playtime. And I get to hear that swanky shop music before I do it.

Another reason I was excited about getting another Zelda game is because frankly Twilight Princess didn’t quite do it for me. Despite being lengthy and fun with astoundingly well-crafted puzzles, I felt shortchanged because the plot was a throwaway and I had zero emotional investment in any of the characters other than Midna. “Who plays games for the plot and character development?” you may be asking. I do, dammit! If I don’t care about what happens to the characters, what is my motivation for finishing the game? The fact that I spent money on it? Pshah. That’s like staying in a movie that you know sucks just because you’ve paid.

If a game has a story, it should have a good one. That’s part of the fun for me. Caring.

Matt Cassamassina @ IGN had this to say in the January 17th mailbag regarding IGN’s choice of Okami for the PS2 as game of the year:

The Okami win surprised me and, the more I thought about it, pissed me off. Clearly the editors chose a game that felt new, but the truth of the matter is that Okami’s stylized presentation is its only pioneering attribute. It does not deliver a new gameplay experience. Twilight Princess, by comparison, is deeper, more intuitive, better balanced, and ultimately much more entertaining by just about any measure.

Generally speaking, I don’t think Matt is full of shit. His heart is in the right place, and his allegiances are clear. But when I read that, it pissed me off. What he says about Zelda is true (except for possibly the last bit), but what he says about Okami is a hideous oversimplification. It is highly stylized, true, but the main point of the game is that the story is so steeped in Japanese mythology and ancient culture that most Japanese people don’t even understand it fully. I had a deep emotional investment in many of the characters in the game (which was sometimes annoyance or hate, but those are emotions too!), and the writing towards the end of the game is good enough to rival most movies. The game was striking, culturally significant, and incredibly well-written in addition to just being fun. I even got choked up toward the end, and I won’t spoil why. Okami is the first game that has done that for me since Shadow of the Colossus.

Twilight Princess in particular is a flying leap backwards from the plot and character development in The Windwaker. People knocked that game for its cutesy art style and excessive sailing, and the dungeons in Twilight Princess put most of the ones in The Windwaker to shame. But in the end, I cared about what happened to the hero. I was concerned about his little sister. I cared about what happened to Tetra (the pirate ship captain), Prince Komali, and Medli. Hell, I had more of an emotional investment in my damn talking boat in that game than I did for Zelda in Twilight Princess! It may sound utterly ridiculous, but it’s true.

But otherwise Twilight Princess is a fantastic game, right? If you’re able to separate out the writing, sure. But I tend to judge critically on story because despite the fact that good writing and character development have been around basically forever, few game designers bother to get it right. People tend to rate games based on graphics, sound, game play, replayability and things like that. A game will get docked for muddy graphics or odd control scheme choices, but an uninteresting — sometimes laughably so — story line can apparently be forgiven. Even if it’s an adventure game.

Well, I say no. I demand uniform excellence. If you’re going to have a story, make it good. Draw me in. Don’t just wow me with new controls, great graphics and music and well thought-out puzzles. Make me care.

That’s all.

Wal*Mart Stock in Corinth

I was awakened early by my mother yesterday so that we could do the last of shopping for Christmas dinner at Wal*Mart. In purchasing my brother’s Christmas gift from the electronics department, I happened to notice a few accessories that I haven’t seen in stock since Wii launch: two nunchucks and one classic controller. I grabbed one of each.

I then turned around to take a look behind the glass. As expected there were no Wiis. However, there were four 60GB “premium” PlayStation 3s. I asked a sales attendant, “Excuse me, but do you have any Wiis in stock?”

“No, sorry. Everybody wants a Wii this year; that’s the hot item. We don’t know when we’ll get our next shipment either.” I looked back at the pile of PS3s.

“Thank you,” I replied.

Elebits Impressions

I bought Elebits the day that it became available in stores. As some may know, this is one of the titles from E3 about which I was most excited because the early build showed a lot of promise about how the Wii remote could be used for greater interactivity. Turning on faucets, opening doors, and pulling open drawers were among the many actions possible in the demo, and despite the game’s playful nature, the general mechanic was in line with first person shooters only devoid of headshots and teabags.

Half a year later, Elebits hit the shelves and became the second Wii game I’ve purchased. Initial impressions by IGN were remarkably good, and a video that I posted earlier to WiiDS had me all but salivating to get my hands on the game. I was prepared to buy it review score unseen, which is rare. Well, how does it measure up?

I’ve heard Elebits described as Pikmin meets Katamari Damacy with the gravity gun from Half Life 2. Aside from the gravity gun part, that’s a terrible description. Though the most prevalent type of elebit — the electrical creatures that populate the gaming environments — bears a passing resemblance to a pikmin because of the stalk growing out of its head, there is no realtime strategy element here, nor are the elebits your friends or servants. And Katamari Damacy this game is not; there is no remarkable original soundtrack, wild sense of Japanese style, or memorable character roster (actually, quite the opposite for the characters given the laughable English-as-a-second-language voiceover work). However, I can’t neglect to mention that the stage setup is very similar to K.D. in that you are often forced to reach some goal by some time in an environment that necessitates exploring new areas and returning to old areas as your power increases.

The game mechanics of Elebits are simple. Using the “capture gun,” search out elebits and zap them in a variety of environments. This increases your wattage, and a typical stage requires reaching a certain wattage within a specified time limit. As your wattage increases, various electrical appliances will become usable. Switching on these appliances (usually by zapping the bright yellow power button or performing a simple action) releases a different kind of elebit that powers up the capture gun so that it can lift heavier objects. This, in turn, allows you to find more elebits by displacing objects you couldn’t move before.

Though the act of finding and capturing elebits is simple in premise, the game really shines when it comes to environment interactivity. With a little bit of controller finesse, doors and drawers can be opened. Faucets can be turned on. Toilets can be flushed. Coffee pots can be placed in the coffee maker. And just about everything can be lifted and tossed if the capture gun is powerful enough. In earlier stages, it is tempting to just start tossing objects because you can, but in later stages you are sometimes punished for this because of special requirements to break fewer than X objects, keep the noise down, or avoid summoning those dreaded black elebits that can’t be captured. The game physics are decent if on the “floaty” side, and the game can certainly have problems with slowdown if too many objects are flying. Neither of these are deal breakers, though.

Despite the minor problems in execution, Elebits has been a very enjoyable title so far. The first several levels seem like the same exercise repeated with different parameters, but the diversity really starts to kick in around the first boss fight (!) and starts to find its wings from there. Also, since every level will have you zapping elebits (which can become tiring really quickly), it is suited to short play sessions where you only have, say, thirty minutes or so to play games before doing something else. It’s nice to break up those marathon sessions of Zelda or relax after working on that pro rank in Wii Sports.

If this game sounds interesting to you, you won’t be disappointed with it. This title is a great accomplishment for a first generation game, but even outside of that context it’s a worthwhile investment.

Bozon on Elebits

Not a full review in sight yet, but Mark Bozon from IGN is also raving about Elebits. Next week can’t seem to come soon enough.