The Problem with Nintendo
I really want to like Nintendo. I really do. However, lately they’ve been making questionable decision after questionable decision which concerns as to whether or not they’re going to be heading the way of Sega within the next couple of years. With the upcoming NX ousting the Wii U in less time than most Nintendo Consoles and their arcane censorship practices from the era of the NES making a comeback,
I already established my thoughts on Nintendo releasing the successor the Wii U this soon, but to reiterate my thoughts ever briefly, the Wii U as whole is a failure. While it does have a few stand-out titles such as Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Wonderful 101, and Bayonetta 2, the number of retail titles comes it at under 20. This is not counting ports of last-gen PS3 and Xbox 360 titles or Indie games. Another concern is the fact that Nintendo chose to focus all of their development energy on the 3DS and while I don’t hate the little handheld, it ultimately resulted in the Wii U having almost no first-party titles. Couple that with the fact that Nintendo has chosen to focus on a select group of first party titles and it’s clear to see that the poor little console never stood a chance. It didn’t help either that third-party developers were hesitant to provide support for the console. While I’m still hopeful for the NX proving to be a successful successor for the Wii U, I hope that Nintendo learns from their mistakes with the Wii U and applies them here. I’m less hopeful, however, for the company’s sudden censorship policies.
In this regard, Nintendo has proven to be more of a problem than many other video game companies. The issue seems to have arisen all of a sudden with the releases of the Fire Emblem Fates, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and the upcoming release of TMS #FE. Most notably, Fire Emblem Fates had several of the characters aged-up, the removal of the face touching mini-game, and some other risqué content. While I don’t mind the aging up of the characters or the removal of the one scene where the character was given a drug to make her like men, which has really creepy implications, what does concern me is the removal of the face-touching mini-game which actually had an effect on the gameplay. It had a similar function to the Pokemon-Amie in Pokemon X and Y which, as a result, affects the gameplay and also encourages you to develop a relationship with the characters on your team. The most damning form censorship, however, comes in the form of TMS #FE. While most of it comes in the form of content, my concern is the fact that it was done without understanding the source material. The game was created as a crossover of Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem and while I can understand Nintendo wanting to censor the content for the sake of appealing to younger audiences, this game already had a very niche audience, that Nintendo is alienating by choosing to censor it. Not only that, but the Shin Megami Tensei games were well-known for utilizing sexuality both for fan service and to challenge gamers’ comfort zones as they would frequently give disturbing features to things that were originally intended to be sexy. By eliminating that, the game loses the Shin Megami Tensei element and becomes more in-line with games in the Atelier and Hyperdimension Neptunia series that seek to use bright colors to attract players without having any substance to them. Furthermore, Nintendo choosing to censor many of their game’s more risqué or challenging themes harkens back to an era when video games were seen merely as toys as opposed to a brave new medium that was pushing the boundaries of storytelling and entertainment. Not only that, but if Nintendo continues with these practices, they will continue to push their audience away. So while they may hold on to the younger demographic, my question is, is it really worth it to lose the older demographic that has been so loyal to Nintendo for so long?
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Pokemon X review
Pokemon X Review
For the last twenty years, Pokemon has been an unstoppable multi-media juggernaut that shows no signs of slowing down. If there is one video game franchise everyone is familiar with, it’s Pokemon. From TV to movies to comics to stuffed animals to the card game, it’s everywhere. With the recent reveal of the seventh generation and its starters, I’ve decided to go ahead and take a brief look back at the most recent release, Pokemon X. Why Pokemon X? Because it’s the only version I played at the time.
Story-wise, there really isn’t much different from previous entries in the franchise. You play as a kid on a journey across the Kalos region (based on real-world France) in order to capture Pokemon, battle them with other trainers, collect the 8 gym badges, battle the elite 4 and become the champion. The game does try to spice it up by adding in more characters to function as rivals of sorts, but aside from the default rival who will always be the opposite of your starting gender, these new characters never feel as developed as Blue from Gen I or Silver from Gen II. The new antagonists this time around are the flamboyant Team Flare. While they make grand statements about beauty and talk about how they wish to destroy the world and leave only the beautiful things around, they come off as fairly one note. On the other hand, their leader, Lysandre, receives a bit more character development, but he’s still nowhere near as memorable as Giovanni from Gen I, Archie and Maxie from Gen III, or most notably, N and Ghetsis from Gen V.
The core gameplay hasn’t changed much since the original generation; however, little tweaks have been made in order to improve the overall experience. For starters, HM’s now have a diminished role as it is actually possible to complete the game using only minimum number of them, but if you really want to get some of the more useful TM’s, you’ll have to go out of your way in order to discover them. Other exploratory aspects that have seen a shift include the addition of roller-skates. However, this has the unfortunate side-effect of making the bike borderline useless, as while the bike is faster, you slip on the skates just by moving the control stub. There also moments where you can ride a Pokemon in the overworld. However, these moments are brief and they come across as more gimmicky than unique.
Battling is where the real changes have occurred. Horde battles are a major addition to the series, in which of groups of 5 of the same species of Pokemon, often lower-leveled than your Pokemon, will attack you at the same time. Also new to the franchise are sky battles. In these, trainers send out only flying types or Pokemon that have levitate. Ground-type moves are rendered useless and your move pool is limited. Unless you’ve been training at least one or more flying types, don’t expect to run into these very often. The biggest game-changers are mega-evolutions and Fairy-types. As the eighteenth typing and a sweeper for dragons, fairy types completely change how the game is played as you’ll find yourself having to evaluate the new strengths and weaknesses in order to succeed against these types. Furthermore, several older Pokemon have been given a type change so you’ll often find yourself coming up with new strategies just to deal with these new typings. Mega evolution is the other game changer. By equipping certain Pokemon with a certain hold item, they’ll be able to Mega evolve into a temporary new form. These new forms can completely alter the flow of battle as they don’t just offer a simple stat boost. More commonly, you’ll find yourself with a new ability and a new typing which gives a new layer of strategy to battling. Another new element is the fact that TM’s are now multi-use items instead single-use as before. While some may argue that this makes the game too easy, it allows you to more easily create your Pokemon dream team. Speaking of dream team, Pokemon from all six generations can be captured in this game, providing the largest variety of Pokemon to build a team with. To further this, you’re even given a choice of one of the Gen 1 starters early in the game so the possibilities for your dream Pokemon team expand that much more. The last two major additions are the Pokemon-Amie and the Super Trainer. The Pokemon-Amie is a small mini-game that allows you to better build your relationship with your Pokemon team. While it may seem like just a silly touch-mini game, it actually allows you to better improve your relationship with your Pokemon and as result it can allow certain Pokemon to evolve faster and it also grants an experience boost the more your Pokemon like you. The Super Trainer on the other hand, is a series of mini-games dedicated to boosting your Pokemon’s base stats. Playing these mini-games can actually over power you Pokemon and, along with the Pokemon-Amie and the Exp. Share you get early in the game, you can find yourself easily sweeping through most of the other trainers in the game, especially since just about every trainer in the game only has 3 Pokemon in their team.
Graphics-wise, this is easily the most impressive looking game in the series’ 20-years so far. While there have been 3D games in the past such as Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness, and the Pokemon Stadium games, Pokemon X triumphs through clever art direction and an art style that knows how to combine the art of previous games with some elements of the games. Furthermore, every single Pokemon is brimming with personality. The animations are vibrant and while they could use more variety, they do make the battles more interesting to watch. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the overworld. Several of the towns feel largely interchangeable and only have a few buildings and features to differentiate them. The individual trails leading to each town also feel bland with a few exceptions such as one that has Pokemon popping out of the ground in the desert and another one that is constantly covered in rain.
Sound is another area that has received a major overhaul. The music is detailed and fits every situation with a particular favorite of mine being music that plays against the gym leaders. Attacks also have a satisfying crunch whenever they hit and it makes it clear when you get that super effective hit. Finally, several Pokemon sounds have been updated from their previous incarnations in the series which really serves to give a sense of newness to the older generations.
While the story and the characters are the weakest in the series and the overall exploration aspect feels toned in comparison to the rest of the series, this game comes recommended on the strength and improvements of the overall battle system alone. Along with Pokemon Y, this is the definitive Pokemon experience.
For the last twenty years, Pokemon has been an unstoppable multi-media juggernaut that shows no signs of slowing down. If there is one video game franchise everyone is familiar with, it’s Pokemon. From TV to movies to comics to stuffed animals to the card game, it’s everywhere. With the recent reveal of the seventh generation and its starters, I’ve decided to go ahead and take a brief look back at the most recent release, Pokemon X. Why Pokemon X? Because it’s the only version I played at the time.
Story-wise, there really isn’t much different from previous entries in the franchise. You play as a kid on a journey across the Kalos region (based on real-world France) in order to capture Pokemon, battle them with other trainers, collect the 8 gym badges, battle the elite 4 and become the champion. The game does try to spice it up by adding in more characters to function as rivals of sorts, but aside from the default rival who will always be the opposite of your starting gender, these new characters never feel as developed as Blue from Gen I or Silver from Gen II. The new antagonists this time around are the flamboyant Team Flare. While they make grand statements about beauty and talk about how they wish to destroy the world and leave only the beautiful things around, they come off as fairly one note. On the other hand, their leader, Lysandre, receives a bit more character development, but he’s still nowhere near as memorable as Giovanni from Gen I, Archie and Maxie from Gen III, or most notably, N and Ghetsis from Gen V.
The core gameplay hasn’t changed much since the original generation; however, little tweaks have been made in order to improve the overall experience. For starters, HM’s now have a diminished role as it is actually possible to complete the game using only minimum number of them, but if you really want to get some of the more useful TM’s, you’ll have to go out of your way in order to discover them. Other exploratory aspects that have seen a shift include the addition of roller-skates. However, this has the unfortunate side-effect of making the bike borderline useless, as while the bike is faster, you slip on the skates just by moving the control stub. There also moments where you can ride a Pokemon in the overworld. However, these moments are brief and they come across as more gimmicky than unique.
Battling is where the real changes have occurred. Horde battles are a major addition to the series, in which of groups of 5 of the same species of Pokemon, often lower-leveled than your Pokemon, will attack you at the same time. Also new to the franchise are sky battles. In these, trainers send out only flying types or Pokemon that have levitate. Ground-type moves are rendered useless and your move pool is limited. Unless you’ve been training at least one or more flying types, don’t expect to run into these very often. The biggest game-changers are mega-evolutions and Fairy-types. As the eighteenth typing and a sweeper for dragons, fairy types completely change how the game is played as you’ll find yourself having to evaluate the new strengths and weaknesses in order to succeed against these types. Furthermore, several older Pokemon have been given a type change so you’ll often find yourself coming up with new strategies just to deal with these new typings. Mega evolution is the other game changer. By equipping certain Pokemon with a certain hold item, they’ll be able to Mega evolve into a temporary new form. These new forms can completely alter the flow of battle as they don’t just offer a simple stat boost. More commonly, you’ll find yourself with a new ability and a new typing which gives a new layer of strategy to battling. Another new element is the fact that TM’s are now multi-use items instead single-use as before. While some may argue that this makes the game too easy, it allows you to more easily create your Pokemon dream team. Speaking of dream team, Pokemon from all six generations can be captured in this game, providing the largest variety of Pokemon to build a team with. To further this, you’re even given a choice of one of the Gen 1 starters early in the game so the possibilities for your dream Pokemon team expand that much more. The last two major additions are the Pokemon-Amie and the Super Trainer. The Pokemon-Amie is a small mini-game that allows you to better build your relationship with your Pokemon team. While it may seem like just a silly touch-mini game, it actually allows you to better improve your relationship with your Pokemon and as result it can allow certain Pokemon to evolve faster and it also grants an experience boost the more your Pokemon like you. The Super Trainer on the other hand, is a series of mini-games dedicated to boosting your Pokemon’s base stats. Playing these mini-games can actually over power you Pokemon and, along with the Pokemon-Amie and the Exp. Share you get early in the game, you can find yourself easily sweeping through most of the other trainers in the game, especially since just about every trainer in the game only has 3 Pokemon in their team.
Graphics-wise, this is easily the most impressive looking game in the series’ 20-years so far. While there have been 3D games in the past such as Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness, and the Pokemon Stadium games, Pokemon X triumphs through clever art direction and an art style that knows how to combine the art of previous games with some elements of the games. Furthermore, every single Pokemon is brimming with personality. The animations are vibrant and while they could use more variety, they do make the battles more interesting to watch. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the overworld. Several of the towns feel largely interchangeable and only have a few buildings and features to differentiate them. The individual trails leading to each town also feel bland with a few exceptions such as one that has Pokemon popping out of the ground in the desert and another one that is constantly covered in rain.
Sound is another area that has received a major overhaul. The music is detailed and fits every situation with a particular favorite of mine being music that plays against the gym leaders. Attacks also have a satisfying crunch whenever they hit and it makes it clear when you get that super effective hit. Finally, several Pokemon sounds have been updated from their previous incarnations in the series which really serves to give a sense of newness to the older generations.
While the story and the characters are the weakest in the series and the overall exploration aspect feels toned in comparison to the rest of the series, this game comes recommended on the strength and improvements of the overall battle system alone. Along with Pokemon Y, this is the definitive Pokemon experience.
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