Second Hand Slumming Installment No. 2: LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (R1)

I traded off my copy of Lost Planet (R1) to a friend for his copy of LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (R1). It was a pretty good deal, considering that I never really liked the first LP (I AM eagerly awaiting the sequel though, as it looks more MMO-lite in nature). I distinctly remember taking LP home and proudly showing it to my brother. He read the back of the box, saw “highly realistic next-gen graphics” as one of the selling points, popped it in, waited for the 4.7GB install to finish, and (finally) started playing. He spent about a minute laughing at the crapulent visuals, then he quit and never touched it again.

Anyway, going back to the Star Wars game: I love the universe, and I’ve played the first version of the game way back when it was released on the PS2, so I know exactly what I was getting into. For better or for worse, this is a shiny HD version of the first two PS2 games on a single Blu-Ray, which means the graphics are pretty bad and the gameplay is simple fun. The high-fidelity John Williams score is present and accounted for, and there’s plenty of stuff to unlock for completists; beating the game with 100% completion is going to take a whole lot of time, probably more than I have to commit. It also has no trophy support, which is mildly disappointing, but the game is definitely fun enough that I was satisfied with the trade, and happy to have it in my library.

Unfortunately, it now sits at the very rear of my backlog of "To Play" games. With that list containing more than 10 titles, it’ll be quite some time before Lego Star Wars spins in the old disc drive again.

Someday, Luke, someday. A Jedi is patient.

Impressions: Dragon Age Origins (CE) and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Nerdgasm!

Today was a truly momentous day in the jnlxandr household, as I managed to come back from Rockwell bearing the dual blessings of Dragon Age: Origins (the collector's edition, 2,850 cash) and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (the standard edition, 2,495 cash), both of which just arrived at Datablitz earlier today. w00t! The store was packed with geeks trying to pick up either or both of the two games, as I expected.

I'm writing this impressions post at one in the morning, having spent the last 5 hours giving both games the business, and here's what I have to report.

Dragon Age: Origins - Collector's Edition (R3)

I was actually sort of forced into buying the CE - I didn't know that preordering DAO required you to buy the collectors edition. All in all, it's a pretty decent package: you get some extra DLC (which I haven't tried downloading yet, but the code's in the jewel case), a nice wooden box with the Dragon Age logo and insignia, a reaaaaally cheap looking cloth map that looks like it took all of 20 pesos to manufacture, and an extra Blu-Ray with making of featurettes and other extra crap. You also get the extra DAO branded mug from Datablitz.

Now, I don't think it's necessarily 750 bucks worth of content, but if you're a big Bioware fan it's still not a bad deal. Hmmm... but when you think about it, for that money you could pick up a brand new Greatest Hits title like Bad Company or (ugh) Devil May Cry 4 along with your super cheapo Php 2,100 version of Dragon Age. *devil's advocate* Hehehe.

Anyway, back to the game itself. It looks very promising - I've played through about 2 hours's worth (the Human Noble prologue and a bit of the Grey Warden camp that follows), and I've been very satisfied thus far. It looks like a high quality Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (which is to say, the world is very pretty and the characters are very robotic), with the same crappy framerate and the same gigantic install. What I like most about it is that the gameplay resembles a next generation Neverwinter Nights, except with a much better focus on story - the dialogue trees are well-written & fun to explore, and there's plenty of extra info lying around in books and chracter profiles if you want to learn more about the world of Ferelden. (Having previously read the prequel novel Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, a lot of the back story already resonates with me.) Still, people who are unfamiliar with Bioware RPG's (especially people who play mostly Japanese RPG's like Final Fantasy) should try before they buy, as this looks like the D&D system in all but name.

I'll have more on DAO soon, that is, as soon as I can tear myself away from...

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (R1)

This was very, very impressive indeed. The single player campaign is really, really freaking awesome so far (the action scenes will absolutely blow you away!), but what really took me off guard was the Spec Ops mode. As you've no doubt heard, this mode is composed of a bunch of little mini-missions that you can do in solo and co-op mode, and it's dangerously addictive. No story, no frills, just you pitting your skills against Infinity Ward's devious challenges.

Next question: How's the online multi? Well, I wouldn't know because for the life of me I couldn't manage fucking log on, even after waiting for ten minutes. I'll try it out again tommorrow and hopefully it works by then. Ahh, it's Infinity Ward, they'll figure out a way to fix it.

Time to get some sleep! :-)

EDIT: It turns out it's a server side thing, Infinity Ward grossly underestimated the demand for the PS3 version's multiplayer and are adding servers as I type this. Whew!

Nostalgia!

I encourage the NDS-owning RPG fans among you (who also own some sort of emulating flashcart, ahem ahem) to give the recently released Nostalgia a try. Developed by Thousand Arms (PS1) developer Red Entertainment, this aptly named adventure trots out every RPG cliche in the book in rapid, unrelenting succession -

Spunky, sword toting boy hero (CHECK!) who wants to spread his wings and become an adventurer (CHECK!)? Said plucky hero risking his life to save some chick he met, like, 5 FUCKING MINUTES AGO (CHECK)!Evil artifact capable of causing mass destruction (CHECK)! Active Time Battle clone combat system (CHECK)!

You may think I'm down on it, but I'm totally not! It's so traditional and "classic" feeling that it becomes endearing rather than annoying. Yeah, Nostalgia may have its flaws, but I know certain camps of JRPG nuts out there (I'm looking at you, Wild Arms fans) that will eat this up with a spoon. I mean, just look at that screen shot boys, sooooo OLD SCHOOL.

Plus, it's free. You're stealing it off the fucking Internet man, can't complain. :-)

On the Radar: Report # 1

This is a new series of columns I’m going to be writing – in each installment, I’m going to touch on a handful of games that I’m looking forward to, with a focus on covering titles that haven’t been given much attention. I’ll cover some mainstream titles as well, but only if they have something (a feature, something that caught my eye) that I think merits your attention. I’ll also add some links to existing previews from other game sites to get you up to speed on the game if you haven’t heard of it.

Let’s start off with some RPG goodness from our weird ass pals in Japan.

3D Dot Game Heroes

Level of Anticipation: 10/10 – OFF THE MOTHERFUCKING SCALE, MOTHERFUCKERS!

Preview Links (click to open):
Destructoid (article)
Destructoid (with Zelda homage video)

I’ve never really thought much of From Software before; the King’s Field series (PS1/PS2) never really did it for me, and the company’s non-RPG output ranges from decent (Armored Core series, PS1/PS2/PS3) to absolutely embarrassing (Ninja Blade, X360). All that changed, however, when I played Demon’s Souls. DS is one of the most remarkably hardcore games I have ever played, on any system: the game doesn’t teach you anything (making you learn everything through personal experience) and penalizes every mistake you make with painful, agonizing death. Despite this, Demon’s Souls amazingly finds a way to make failure FUN, and finally getting things right after your nth screw-up just makes the ride all the more exhilarating.

That said, Demon’s Souls quality makes the wait for their next release, 3D Dot Game Heroes, all the more difficult. It’s an action RPG in the vein of the Zelda series with seemingly limitless customizability – you can create your own in-game character with the game’s powerful dot matrix editor. Already enterprising Japanese nerds have made astounding 8-bit replicas of Cloud Strife and Old Snake.

If From Software can bring a reasonable facsimile of the traditional Zelda gameplay to this title (and it appears they will, as the game seems to be a parody of Miyamoto’s classic series), they just might have a shot at becoming my favorite RPG company. (For those that care, my current favorite RPG developer is the legendary Atlus R&D 1, responsible for the Persona series and many other classics) Chalk me up as a ready buyer for this, boys.

Darksiders: Wrath of War

Level of Anticipation: 5/10 – Could be good. Getting curious.

Preview Links (click to open):
IGN PS3
UGO

I've only recently begun tracking Darksiders; games with strong connections to famous comic book artists (in this case the venerable Joe Madureira) don't exactly have the best track record: Jim Lee's WildC.A.T.S and Todd McFarlane's Spawn and Evil Prophecy game tie-ins have all been uniformly terrible. In each of the cases, the result was generally style over substance.

However, after seeing extended previews of the game I'm beginning to think that Joe Mad's maiden effort might actually be worth watching out for - check it out for yourselves at the links above. I think some cautious optimism is in order - could this be some kick ass fusion of Devil May Cry and Soul Reaver? Damn, I miss Soul Reaver.

Bayonetta (JPN import)
Level of Anticipation: 9/10 – Do fucking want.

Preview Links (click to open):
Kotaku (Costume Gallery)
Kotaku (Famitsu Review)

I'm not going to write too much about Bayonetta as I'm quite sure that the hype machine fueling game sites accross the Internet has already rocked your face with plenty of info regarding this. However, one thing that caught my attention while reading about Hideki Kamiya's latest creation is the presence of a play mechanic that intrigues me greatly: the offensive tech roll, which has been given the moniker "Witch Time".

Basically, what this means is if you dodge an opponent's attack at the very last second before it connects, you get a few precious seconds of bullet time (you move at normal speed, everything else slows down) in which to lay waste to your foes. Needless to say, this is a very hardcore-oriented mechanic, and encourages you to always be on the attack. Man, that kind of risk-reward mechanic really makes my day (shades of Parrying in Street Fighter III), and my thumbs are twitching just thinking about it.

Does Bayonetta deserve the perfect/near-perfect scores it recieved from venerable Japanese game magazine Famitsu? Will it dethrone the first Ninja Gaiden Sigma as the premier hardcore action game on the PS3?

Hey, the Japanese import's out now (in full English) so if any of y'all have extra money to burn, pick it up and tell me!

Launch Trailer: Modern Warfare 2 / Black market release

For those of you who might not yet have seen it, here’s the final prelaunch tailer (link) for Infinity Ward’s latest and greatest, set to the sweet sounds of “ 'Till I Collapse” by Eminem feat. Nate Dogg.

That beat is still so classic, Eminem kicks ass!

Hype-O-Meter reaching critical levels…

BTW, some black market pre-release copies have already found their way into the wild (look to Greenhills if you want some of that) but officially copies of the game are arriving at Datablitz on Wednesday and I-Tech on Thursday. Price will probably be mga Php 2,950.00.

Cha-ching! Simot nanaman ang laman ng wallet. :-(

Modern Warfare 2 fans: This is a must-read article

If you've been paying attention to the pre-release buzz regarding Infinity Ward's much awaited Modern Warfare 2, you've no doubt heard about the controversial airport scene that was leaked. For those that haven't, here's a synopsis: In it, you play the part of American military personnel that storm an airport, presumably for counterterrorism purposes. However, the other members of your team start shooting the innocent civilians as well (in highly realistic fashion, with the innocents begging for mercy), and it is your choice as a player to either join in the senseless carnage or just watch from a distance. Powerful stuff, to be sure, but some people are so turned off by the nature of the violence that they are swearing off buying the game at all.

I just thought I would call some more attention to this great, great piece (link) by Destructoid's Jim Sterling. Yes, I know some of you PPS guys think he's a biased Xbox-favoring troll, and in some respects, yes he is. However, he's also a very talented, entertaining writer, and one of my favorite bloggers on any game site. His post is a great read, explaining why he chooses to support Modern Warfare 2.

(And for the counterpoint, here's Destructoid's Brad Rice on why he won't support MW2.)

So which side are you on?

Sweet revenge

Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata's recent comments (link) regarding Nintendo's staggering loss in net sales and profit for the year basically validated all the bad feelings myself and other ex-Nintendo faithful have expressed over the past few years. If you haven't been keeping up with the gaming business news, Wii sales basically stalled and Iwata admitted that it was because of their inability to come up with compelling software.

No shit buddy, that's what people have been trying to tell you for years! You and Shiggy Miyamoto bet the farm on this "Blue Ocean" strategy, betting that the casual market would keep you afloat. But in the end, your pandering to them forces you to focus company resources on developing idiotic tripe like Wii Fit, instead of a new Zelda etc. The high volume of casual users on the system also results in hardcore-marketed games selling like crap -- Dead Space Extraction sold 9,000 copies on launch. 9,000 COPIES! -- so you can forget about the third parties coming to save your ass.

And Nintendo has been so deficient with coming out with compelling software in recent years that I find my love for their once-classic franchises diminishing with every year that passes.

I mean, I finished Zelda: Twilight Princess all the way through, but it wasn't all that good, and ranks as one of the crappiest Zelda games I've ever played. Ditto for New Super Mario Bros. (it was old school, yes, but it got old as the game wore on and lacked the charm of Super Mario World for the SNES) and Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (the control left a little to be desired, and the one-large-timed dungeon idea fell flat).

What the hell is up, Miyamoto? I want to support you, but you're not giving me a good reason to at all. :-(