June 29th of 2013 was a bit of a mundane day looking back. It was five days after the whole Game Grumps fiasco with Jontron leaving, and about 2 days after the announcement of Atlus' parent company Index Corporation was bankrupt and up for grabs. That day I went to a trade center looking for games and on the hunt for Silent Hill 3. I failed. Refusing to leave empty handed, I weighed my options between Fable 1 and the Metal Gear Saga Vol.2. The Metal Gear Saga won out. I went home, watched it, and was horribly disappointed. The plan to start reviewing stuff in the vein of Zero Punctuation and SomecallmeJonhhy had been on my mind for some time before that, but all it took was those three things to give me the push to go on my computer, head to this crazy place called Blogger, and start ranting on like a whiny 10 year old on the internet on something I called MS-GRS.
And so here we are one year later. Those who were okay with Danny on Game Grumps stuck around and things quickly returned to normal, Index Corporation was bought by Sega, which is probably what led to Persona 4 Dancing All Night, I still haven't touched the Metal Gear Saga besides moving it around to make room for other games and movies, and MS-GRS is still going on. It's kind of a strange feeling, reviewing games for a year now and barely making a dent in my collection. At least I know I won't be short on games to review, and every delay will be due to procrastination.
On a serious note, thank you to all of you who have actually taken time to read any of the stuff I put on here. I know that's probably not a lot of people, but it still means a lot to me that some people actually care about the dumb opinions I have on video games. Speaking of that, I defiantly plan on taking full advantage of the summer time this year, and am hoping to write a lot of stuff. I also plan on trying my hand off-screen to practice some other kinds of writing for stuff later in the year, so that will be interesting to say the least. And I also look forward to life getting in the way for multiple weeks at a time, but how about we try to keep that from happening again.
Thanks for one year of following me on MS-GRS, and here's to another year of reviews and delays!
So whenever summertime rolls around, I try to make it a note to clear up some of my massive backlogs. And I say backlogs plural. Movie backlog, game backlog, anime backlog, book backlog. I have a lot on my plate, so summers a good time to clear that up. I started clearing up the anime backlog my marathoning two series basically back to back. Those two series were Angel Beats and Anohana in that order. Turns out, watching two of what are considered the saddest anime series of all time back to back is a bad idea, and has left an emotional void that has yet to be filled. So I look through what I have and notice a game I bought almost a year ago: Indigo Prophecy. It stuck out amongst my other games at the moment because of it's story-driven gameplay, and the fact that it was developed by Quantic Dream, famous for creating the sunshine and lollipops that is Heavy Rain. So how about we kill two birds and see if Indigo Prophecy can fill the void left by Anohana.
Indigo Prophecy literally starts with you seeing someone get murdered. And after watching it in the most dramatic way possible, BAM you're in control of the killer. This man is Lucas Kane, who on this cold January night in the toilet of an East End restaurant, is possessed by something and kills a complete stranger. Knowing that story won't fly with the cop that just so happens to be in the restaurant, Lucas tries to hide the evidence and inconspicuously leave the restaurant. Or you can just run out without even paying. That's an option. Immediately, two detectives, that is Carla and Tyler, show up on the scene to investigate the murder that you just witnessed and helped hide. From there on out, the story splits between characters, with Carla and Tyler trying to find the murderer and occasionally messing about, and Lucas just trying to figure out what happened to him on that cold January night in the toilet of an East End restaurant. Of course, it doesn't take long for Indigo Prophecy to take a nose-dive into the weird stuff, which could be a plus or a negative.
Okay now the strange part: the gameplay. You'll be doing various things in Indigo Prophecy, so let's start small. For most of the game, you'll be moving with the left analog stick and performing actions shown at the top of the screen with the right analog stick, because David Cage is crazy like that. See the image above? That's a conversation, with the stuff on the top being what you're able to ask about by pressing the analog stick in that direction. You're under a time limit by the way. Indigo Prophecy also likes to see how you work under pressure, because most of what happens in Indigo Prophecy is time based, which leads to one of it's many game overs in the event of failure.
The mention of game overs allows me to segway into the "Mental Health" meter. Everything you say or do in this story will impact this meter positively or negatively. This representing a characters mental state, it's best to keep this as high as you can, though due to the theme of this game, that can be hard to do at times as most events in this game will lower the meter. There are optional events that can raise the meter, but there are also optional events that can lower it, so you have to watch what will do what to your sanity. Failure to keep the meter at comfortable levels and letting it go empty will result in a game over, so it's important to manage it at all times, as the number will remain the same between scenarios.
But that's not the bulk of the gameplay. That would be these bloody things. You can talk your way out of problems and you can run, but sometimes, you...have to run in style. Doing that would be done in action sequences, where Lucas taps into his inner matrix and the game goes full cinematic, while you're stuck playing Simon without the memorization. The left and right diagrams are controlled with the left and right analog sticks respectively, and you have to press in whatever direction is blinks in order to stay alive. And you'd better get good at these things because when Indigo Prophecy gets weird, it gets littered with these things. And some of these get really REALLY long. If you fail to play Simon, you'll lose a life, and I'll assume you know what happens when you lose them all. And when you restart, you only have one life to lose. It is possible to gain lives by snooping around, but those are AFTER the action, so you'll have to get good at these sequences unless you want to be stuck on these for a really long time.
Other action sequences are done with these meters, which either require you to press the left and right trigger to keep a bar even, or filling up the meter by pressing the triggers. I bring brief mention to this, because I seem to be the only one who has problems with these ones. I can't be the only one right? i myself have to problem with the Simon buttons, but these ones always give me a hard time. I think it might be because I'm playing on the Xbox, but it's always uncomfortable playing these sequences, and though there aren't as many as the Simon buttons, there's enough for me to bring mention.
Presentation wise...eh. Though the use of multiple views at once is cool and very cinematic, it sometimes makes it hard to keep track of what's going on. The action sequences are animated very well, but some of these models just don't look very good, even for 2005. The soundtrack doesn't really do a whole lot for me outside of the game. Using songs from groups like Theory of a Deadman and various others is good while playing the game, but nothing really sticks, which I guess shouldn't be what this game goes for, but still kind of bothers me. Plus most of the music is copyright, so watch out if you make a YouTube video of this game (though given how the ID system on that site is, you'll get flagged anyway). The voice acting is actually pretty good though. David Gasman does a great job as Lucas Kane, and the others all fit their rolls quite well, which for a story driven game, should be the case.
Indigo Prophecy is a strange case. A cinematic story that's strange with meh graphics and good sound, that tells itself with gameplay that keeps you on your toes in multiple ways that's stringed together with action sequences that have you be good at them or die trying again and again and again. I'll be honest. Indigo Prophecy is a game that considers itself to be a movie, and I feel like it would be better off if it was. It tells a good story and has very interesting ideas for it's gameplay, but Indigo Prophecy stumbles at the execution. Of course, should you be brave enough to face Indigo Prophecy, it's very cheap and available on Xbox Live, PS2 and PC, so you should be able to get your hands on it if you wish to solve the mystery of the prophecy.
The Silent Protagonist will never find out what happened to him that cold January night in the toilet of an East End restaurant...
All images are the properties of their original owners. Look at those models man.
E3 is always a magical time of year. It's no secret. Seeing all the big game companies come together and make their big announcements is always exciting, and watching the internet's reactions to said announcements is a great time, even when the conferences turn out to be complete flops. E3 2014 had some pretty big shoes to fill after last years magical show, but I feel like this year didn't fail to disappoint. For the most part. As such, here's my top 5 games that were shown this year, as well as a few honorable mentions.
5. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Spoiler Alert: I'm a big fan of Professor Layton and Ace Attorney. Both are two different types of puzzle games sporting fantastic stories and fun gameplay. So it should come as no surprise that I've been following this game since its announcement back in 2010. And yes, it is currently the year 2014. Why it took so long to localize this game after its 2012 release in Japan is beyond me, but it's coming out now so I guess that's all that really matters. The story looks interesting, the gameplay takes the best parts of the Layton and Ace Attorney, and the soundtrack sounds fantastic. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney comes out on August 29, 2014 on the Nintendo 3DS, and should be yet another addition to your 3DS library assuming you're a fan of Layton and Phoenix.
4. PlayStation TV
Not a game, but rather a new microconsole from Sony. The PlayStation TV is actually a non-portable version of the PlayStation Vita, meaning that some games that run on the Vita won't play on the TV, due to the lack of features in the DualShock controller (for example, games like Final Fantasy X-X2 HD will work, while games like Tearaway will not.). Besides being able to play Vita games, the PlayStation TV will allow users to stream music, TV, and film content. It also has access to the PlayStation Network, allowing for the download of PS1 and PSP titles, as well as future streaming of PS3 titles. And the best part is that it only costs $99, making it a great substitute to the Vita if you've been looking to get one. No concrete release date has been announced, but a release for North America, Europe, and Australia is planned for Q3 of 2014.
3. Splatoon
Plot twist, the most creative shooter and in my opinion the best shooter shown this year was the colorful kiddy one created by Nintendo. Crazy I know. In Splatoon, you take control of Inklings as you try to cover the stage in ink, while defeating the opposing team. Your goal is to have the most territory covered in your color by the end of the three minute match. Inklings are able to change between humans and squids, with humans being able to shoot ink, and squids being able to speed across the stage in ink of their own color. Shooting ink on walls and through grates will allow those in squid form to travel to different areas, and players can instantly launch to any of the players on their team by using the Gamepad. It makes for an interesting team-based shooter that definitely stands out among the military brown shooters that seem to be a dime a dozen nowadays. Splatoon comes out in the first quarter of 2015 on the Nintendo Wii U.
2. No Man's Sky
One of the biggest surprises of Sony's conference, No Man's Sky, developed by Hello Games. No Man's Sky promises a massive universe to explore, with various planets to traverse, each with their own wildlife and dangers. The pacing of the game is up to the player, where you can either take time to see every corner of this universe, charting every single solar system, planet, and each planets wildlife, or set your course for the center of the universe. The game looks gorgeous and amazing to play, making it the best thing shown at Sony's press conference, and one of the best things shown at E3. No Man's Sky has no current release date, and will be available for the PlayStation 4, though availability for other systems is still open.
1. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
Big surprise here. A new Smash Bros game will always be a big deal, E3 or not. But this year, Super Smash Brothers absolutely won as being one of the biggest games shown at Nintendo's event, as well as being one of the most hyped games of E3, October 3rd release date or not. Part of this was just the coverage of it. On top of the invitational tournament that provided our first extensive look of gameplay for the Wii U version, there was the Smash Fest at Best Buys all over the country that let nerds who waited in line for hours to try out the Wii U version with their own two hands. Which I did. Maybe I'm a bit biased, and maybe me being able to try the game for myself influenced this, but there's no doubt in my mind that these two games are what I'm looking forward to most this year. The 3DS version will be out on October 3rd, with the Wii U following up this holiday season.
Honorable Mentions:
Corpse Party (PC)
I'm a really big fan of Corpse Party. It's one of the three things that I won't stop pestering people to experience. So hey! XSEED Games is localizing the PC version of the first game and releasing it in the west. Now my friends have no excuse not to play it! Thanks XSEED! In all seriousness, Corpse Party is a fantastic horror game that not enough people played due to the system it was on. But now you have a chance to experience it. And hey, even if you've already played the PSP version, this version contains new endings and even another chapter, making it worth another buy. And look at it this way. If this sells well, and thanks to the signal boost from "You Know Who", this might spark enough interest for a localization for Blood Drive. Think about it.
Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment + Infinity Moment (Vita)
Sword Art Online was a great anime. Or rather, the first 14 episodes were great, until everything went downhill with the second half, but that's for another time. So what better way to recover from that second half then to completely ignore it and do something new! As an action RPG, it's your goal to explore Floor 76 and above of the floating castle Aincrad and escape from the death game SAO. You will need prior knowledge of Sword Art Online in order to enjoy the story of Hollow Fragment, but the game looks fun enough to play. Plus it comes with the PSP game Infinity Moment, so that's nice. Now if we can just get something like this for the Madoka Magica games...
Sonic Boom (Wii U)
BLUE ARMS AHHHHHH. All joking aside, the more I see of Sonic Boom, the more I like it. The writing especially is good, which will work well both for the game and cartoon, and though I'm still on the fence with the gameplay, I'm leaning more towards liking it other than hating it. I will say I'm looking forward to the Wii U version more, but I'll still play the 3DS version when it comes out. I'm a big Sonic fan, and I can say that I like the look of Sonic Boom. Now can we stop debating over whether or not this game will break the "Sonic Cycle"? Because I'm pretty sure my copies of Colors and Generations exist and weren't just a crazy dream.
The Silent Protagonist had a great E3, and has high hopes for next year!
All images are the properties of their original owners. The various channels should be a hint to that.
Whew. So that was a good...oh man over one month break. The plans for what I was doing during May kind of fell apart at the hinges, and real life kept me away from writing. BUT I've had plenty of time to play a large number of games, so I have a lot of material to work with here. Now I COULD provide a review of one of the many strange finds I've found over the past month, but I'm a bit rusty with this whole "writing" thing. So you know what? Lets just do something we can all agree on. So load up your shotguns, come over here to this barrel and lets shoot some freaking fish and talk about Bomberman Act Zero.
I'd usually start with the story here, but its basically nonexistent. You create a Bomberman or Bomberwoman, and you have to conquer 99 floors of other Bombermen in order to make it to Earths surface and escape. If it sounds like I'm giving a very brief and boring synopsis of the story, then your right, because that's all there is to the plot. There's no cut-scenes, no characters introduced, not much of anything really. Unless there's some big evil plot introduced at some point, in which case it showed up way too late and sometime after I slogged my way through over 50 floors of this rubbish, but more on that later.
As for the gameplay on its own...it's actually good. To quickly explain the gameplay of the typical Bomberman game, you're placed in an arena with other players and your goal is to use bombs to clear away rubble, pick up powerups to make yourself better, and kill your opponents. And in Act Zero, you do just that. Granted, there's a big problem with it, but we're getting there. The biggest change this time is the inclusion of First Person Battle, which doesn't give you a first person view, but rather allows to to freely move the camera, and also gives you a life bar, allowing you to be a bit more reckless. In terms of the gameplay, it's actually structurally sound and might actually be fun in short bursts. The same however can't be said for the games structure.
Here's how it goes down. I mentioned before that you have to conquer 99 floors to beat the game. In order to clear a floor, you have to be the last man standing, either by killing your opponents or surviving until the timer runs out. This is what you do for ALL 99 FLOORS. Powerups carry over from floor to floor, keeping you consistently powerful, but because of that winning each floor becomes increasingly easier and more boring as time goes on, especially when you get the line infinite bomb combo. And if you didn't get that then guess what. The game turns into an even more boring game of "Find the Exploit", because the AI knows exactly where to go and is able to immediately change their route to the nearest safe zone at the slightest sign of danger. Keep in mind that this is the same thing for 99 FLOORS. And god forbid you bite the dust halfway through, because if you die, you have to start all the way from Floor 1. That's right there's no continues in this game. There's also no saving either, so you'd better be planing a marathon for this one because there won't be any breaks.
In terms of the presentation, its passable. The game graphically fits what it's trying to go for, which is a very not-Bomberman dystopian future setting that only changes colors every twenty some odd floors. The soundtrack is completely forgettable however, with no track sticking out and very little variety. I know Bomberman isn't really known for earth-shattering graphics and earworm soundtracks, but this just bores me with how it both looks and sounds.
Of course, it's agreed on that the best aspect in just about every Bomberman game is it's multiplayer, and that remains true here. Well, kind of. There is no local multiplayer to speak of in Act Zero. All multiplayer action is taking place online here, meaning if you don't want to shell out the money for an Xbox Live Gold membership (plus a wireless adapter if on an older 360)? Then guess what, all you get is this boring as sin single player game with nothing else. I have heard and seen firsthand why the multiplayer is the best part, but I shouldn't have to pay more real life money to access the best part of a game.
There is not much to like in Bomberman Act Zero. The game itself is structurally sound, but the whole thing is just boring as sin, with very little variety that overstays its welcome far too quickly. Multiplayer is the only saving grace for this game, but you have to pay extra to access it, and its assuming you're able to find a match to join at all (Psst, Proton Jon stream nights.). Bomberman Act Zero is dirt cheap, but even still, its really only a game you'll play once by normal means. Maybe if you think it'll make for a good joke, but don't bother otherwise.
The Silent Protagonist wishes to remind you that it's still anyone's game.
All images are the properties of their original owners. After what the original owners did with this game, maybe what happened to them was for the best...
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