Konami...Just Konami...

Earlier today, Konami revealed a new trailer for their newest Metal Gear Solid game, a pachinko machine with backdrop of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater as the theme for it. My only response for this is: why? Why, Konami? The visuals look gorgeous. Each of the character models has been stunningly recreated using the FOX engine and it all opens up with the gorgeous view of the climactic battle between The Boss and the man who would later become Big Boss. But all of these wonderful visuals are wasted to what amounts to nothing more than a paltry gambling machine. And why, I ask again? So Konami can make a quick buck while ruining the legacies of all of their once great franchises? I've heard an argument state that the whole idea of westerners getting angry about Konami changing their focus from being about video games to being about pachinko is out of control and it shouldn't be something that we concern ourselves with. However, what these people fail to understand is, gaming history is being lost here. Several titles under the Konami name such as Metal Gear Solid, Snatcher, Zone of the Enders, Goemon, Boktai, Castlevania, Silent Hill, and Suikoden are at risk of being lost forever due to Konami's sudden and jarring shift over to the world of pachinko. And the problem here isn't the fact that Konami wants to produce pachinko machines, but rather that they want to produce pachinko machines while burying any and all traces of their past as game developers. Sure, they like to pretend that they're paying homage to titles of previous years, but with the way the pachinko machines are marketed, such as focusing on a sultry succubus' breasts for the Castlevania machine or the loud noises and bright colors produced by the Silent Hill machine, they end up appealing to the lowest common denominator.

But do you want to know what the wort part is? Konami is pretty much pushing themselves into a corner and is by all intensive purposes making their brands unrecognizable. The majority of these franchises have not had games released on a regular basis since the 6th generation and as such many of them have become unknown to younger generations. While Konami believes that they can keep their properties alive by releasing pachinko machines or free-to-play games with the same characters, they don't realize that by doing so, they are inadvertently devaluing their own properties. People will see the characters on the screen and think of them as someone doing something cool, but without context it's nothing more than flashing lights being projected onto the viewer. New generations won't understand the reason for the conflict between Alucard and Dracula. New generations won't understand the intricacies of the Metal Gear saga or even experiments such as Boktai. With a business setup as they have now, Konami is ensuring easy money for themselves in the short term, but in the long-run, with all the ill-will they've built up, I guarantee that they shouldn't expect to have much support should they fall into a pinch.

The problem with Nintendo

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?

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.

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze Review

Donkey Kong Country Returns was one of my favorite games on the Wii and it is easy to see why. The plat forming was fast-paced, the graphics were well-animated and vibrant, and the tough-as-nails difficulty served to remind people that not only could Retro Studios pick up the slack after original developer Rareware left, but they could also continue the series into the modern day. Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Retro Studios’ second shot at the franchise, not only serves to improve upon the game mechanics of the last entry, but it shows that lightning can strike twice and Retro Studios has more than what it takes to continue this venerable franchise.

The story begins the same as any other Donkey Kong game, Donkey Kong is enjoying some down time with his friends, when all of a sudden a group of bad guys show up to ruin his day. It’s the same standard formula that has been seen multiple times across the other games in the franchise. One difference is the new villains, the Snowmad tribe, which serve as this game’s replacement for the Kremling clan. While it doesn’t serve to replace the previous villains of the series, they do offer significantly more personality than the previous villains, the Tiki Tribe, who had little to no personality to speak of. There is little to no story to speak of, outside of the intro and ending cutscene and most boss fights begin and end with a brief interlude showcasing some kind of humorous interaction between the Kongs and the bosses. Overall, this minimal approach to story works and doesn’t intrude upon the gameplay.

Gameplay has been improved upon significantly since Donkey Kong Country Returns. Gone are the motion controlled rolls which could easily send you plummeting into a pit and have now been replaced by button presses. This allows for improved precision in the controls and tighter gameplay. The level design also continues the proud tradition of tricky jumps and varied environments. Also back are the underwater levels, absent from the previous game. Unfortunately, they don’t fair as well as the regular levels. While the underwater sections serve to aid in the pacing of the standard levels, the levels that are strictly underwater can often feel sluggish and it can be difficult to maneuver around in them. A returning feature from the previous game is the ability to have another Kong ride on your back while traversing a level. While Diddy Kong makes his return, Dixie Kong makes her playable return since Donkey Kong Country 3 on the SNES and Cranky Kong makes his playable debut. Each of the three Kongs comes with their own unique ability such as Diddy’s jetpack which allows for a steady descent, Dixie’s ponytail which allows for a steady hover, and Cranky’s cane can be used as a pogo stick to cross hazardous terrain. Because of this, each Kong acts as more than just two additional hits and adds a significant amount of depth to the way that each level can be tackled.

The game world consists of a total of six areas and a seventh secret area that can only be accessed once you’ve collected all of the KONG letters in each world, including the two secret levels, as well as completing the hidden temple level which unlocks after having collected all of the KONG letters. The secret levels are often difficult to find and can require one to replay the level multiple times. Also back are the puzzle pieces from DKCR, and once again they serve as a means to unlock extra content such as artwork. Unlockable figurines can now be purchased using in-game currency directly from Funky’s flights which feature both the allies and enemies from throughout the game. Also purchasable include extra lives, Squawks the parrot who can help you find missing puzzle pieces throughout the levels, extra health for vehicles, extra health for the Kongs, a potion that grants a form of pseudo-invincibility, and even barrels of the other Kongs themselves. However, this game does not feature anything like the super guide from the previous so if you want to complete a level, you’ll have to continue going through it until you can complete it.

Finally, the presentation of this game is top-notch. The textures themselves haven’t changed too much from DKCR but thanks to the graphical power of the Wii U, the environments look much more vibrant than before. Furthermore, almost no assets are re-used from the previous game making everything in this game stand out that much more. Each individual level is covered with detail and makes the world pop out that much more. Returning is composer David Wise who originally worked on the classic Donkey Kong Country games. As a result, the music does an excellent job of fitting each world’s theme and setting the atmosphere.

Overall, Doney Kong Country Tropical Freeze is one of the greatest platformers made in recent memory. By improving upon the foundation set by Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is definitely a game made for fans. Just don’t expect a super guide to save you this time.

Thoughts on NX and Zelda Wii U Delay

Recently, it was revealed in Nintendo's latest financial results that the Wii U's successor, code named the Nintendo NX, is currently scheduled to be released March 2017. Furthermore, it was stated that the previously much-hyped and much-anticipated Zelda Wii U which was scheduled to be Nintendo's killer app for the 2016 holiday season has been pushed back even further. While the official press-release states that it is being done for the purposes of quality, it is no doubt being done so that the title can launch simultaneously for the Wii U and the NX. Furthermore, there are also mentions of production for the Wii U ending in 2018 which ultimately bugs me. 

Nintendo has not done a good job of supporting the Wii U. While early on in the console's lifespan it saw alot of support from third-party developers, most of this was in the form of ports of PS3 and Xbox 360 games with tacked on features to take advantage of the gamepad. As time went on, however, third-party support eased off and now we're lucky if we get any kind of information on a new Wii U game that isn't published by Nintendo and isn't exclusive to the e-shop. First-party support has been just as barren, which is odd given the fact that Nintendo will frequently go to great lengths to differentiate themselves from the competition. Even worse is how few killer app titles are on the console. There is no equivalent to Super Mario Galaxy or Metroid Prime and even what looked to be the best reason for owning a Wii U is going to be ported to the NX. So few big name titles have even been developed for this console it makes me wonder why Nintendo even bothered to put it out on the market. But then when I looked closer, and the answer became simpler. 

Developing for a handheld is not only more cost-efficient, but it also allows for more experimentation with little risk. Hence why there are more original and creative titles on the Nintendo 3DS handheld. But as a result, I feel that many of these titles, while still excellently done, suffer from the lack of power that they could have otherwise benefited from where they on a powerful console. The titles that stand out in particular are Kid Icarus Uprising, which could have benefited from a more fluid control scheme, Fire Emblem Fates which could have featured all three story lines on one disc as opposed to having to spread them across one cartridge and finally Super Smash Bros., which not only could have utilized the development time towards more interesting features, additional characters, improved physics, but also could have added smash run to the console version.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my 2DS (I'm about 15 hours into Pokemon X and I plan to have review up eventually), bu I feel that one of Nintendo's biggest strengths in the past was knowing how to balance portable and console titles. While some may disagree with me, I feel like in past generations, if a year went by without any notable titles on consoles, there would usually be a title on handhelds to keep us occupied. However, it seems that ever since the 3DS and the Wii U have been released, the entire focus has been on making sure that the 3DS has the unique and varied titles with the third-party support, while the Wii U has been left to languish in the dust with barely a mention. 

Overall, this announcement has made me skeptical of Nintendo's plans for the future and I'm hesitant to say whether I'm excited for the new console. All I can say is that Nintendo needs to plan for the future better and they need to have a better outline as to what it is that they're going to be doing if they don't want a repeat of the Wii U or, worse yet, another Virtual Boy.

Berserk Anime Series Review

Having recently played through both Dark Souls and Bloodborne recently, I felt the need to explore the source material which is the Berserk series. Anyone who is familiar with both franchises will immediately spot references left and right coming from the weapons such as the Greatsword, to enemy designs suchas the wheel skeletons and the Capra Demon, to items such as the Behelit being similar in appearance to the ever-popular Red-Eye Orbs which are used for invasions. As such, I chose to jump straight into the series through the most popular method which was the original 1997 anime. 

For those who are unaware, Berserk tells the story of Guts and his journey with the Band of the Hawk as they fight in the 100 year war between the kingdoms of Midland and Tudor. Along the way, there are several twists and turns ultimately culminating in what can easily be described as the single most shocking ending in anime history. Overall though, what really sells the series is the writing and the overall development and relationships that these characters have with one another. As result these characters feel unique and like actual people with genuine flaws. Guts is an unstoppable badass who makes a habit of going through and mowing down any enemy that's in his path but he has trouble connecting with people. It's pointed out at one point that he has spent his whole life fighting that he has no idea how to do anything but fight. Casca is another good example of a deconstruction of a basic character type as while she is painted as the warrior woman, the show isn't afraid to paint her in a more vulnerable light. Finally, there is Griffith, the leader of the Band of the Hawk. While he is portrayed as being calm and collected and a brilliant strategist, he is also shown to be quite a sadist and he will frequently go out of his way to commit rather questionable actions.

The supporting cast is all incredibly likable and serves to further enhance the world and give more credibility to the world. The best characters are easily the other members of the Band of the Hawk, all of whom play off of the strengths of the main characters. The villains, meanwhile, are a bit of a weak spot of the series. The generals of the Tudor empire, while entertaining, are fairly one note and while one character in particular who I dare not spoil alludes to bigger things sadly doesn't get enough screentime to really do anything.

Music is another thing the series does incredibly well, especially in terms of setting the tone. The downside is there only about  songs total. The upside is that they are all used to the fullest extent possible. Susumu Hirasawa, the composer for the series, really did an outstanding job with the series as he did not hold back and whether it is the soothing melody of the song "Guts" or the ominous nature of the song, "Behelit", it all fits the mood perfectly. The only complaint I have in terms of music is the opening. While the song itself isn't terrible, it is incredibly ill-fitting Engrish along with images which consist of Guts posing for the camera as if he were on the cover of Vogue. Contrast this to the more somber ending which has images of the main characters going by slowly, as if to foreshadow the fate of the Hawks. 

If there is one downside, it's that the show's animation budget is pretty abysmal. The uses stills and reuses animation cycles as a means to save money and it's pretty obvious to see where the show cut corners wherever it could. In some scenes, however, it actually serves to add significantly to the atmosphere while in certain battle scenes it makes them awkward and disjointed. 

One final issue I have is with characters that were cut which pretty much ended up shooting this adaptation in the foot. In the first episode, Guts ends up saving a young woman from a couple of soldiers. However, in the manga, he ended up saving an elf named Puck who becomes instrumental to the plot of the series. While some might argue that this was purely for stylistic reasons, this also meant that the series could not grow beyond the first 26 episodes that aired. The second character who was cut was an even worse choice was an even worse choice to cut because by removing him it opens up multiple plotholes towards the end of the series.

Ultimately though, despite all of my nitpicks, this a fantastic series that no one should pass up. Currently, the best place to watch it is YouTube, though it's looking to be re-released later this year on Blu-ray in anticipation of the new series which is set to cover the Black Swordsman Arc. Tune in Next week for my next review when I'll hopefully have my review of Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze up.

Update for future posts and the state of the blog

Well, considering that this blog hasn’t really been active in the past three years I’ve finally decided to come around and provide an update as to what’s been going on with my life. Well for starters, I recently got another full-time and I am now living with my girlfriend. As such, I don’t have as much time to really do much of anything as I used to. However, I plan to update this blog more regularly whenever I get the time as well as to provide updates on games that I am playing and anime that I am watching (yes I do anime reviews now, how original). I’ll try to post something new at least once a week, if not at least every two weeks so I can have something going down the pipe on a regular basis. The next update should come out by the end of this Friday so please look forward to it.