In this episode of the podcast, we discuss if another Videogame Crash is imminent and is it can help out the videogame industry. Then we talk about the games we’re playing at the moment.
Though it’s pretty obvious how Mario and Peach rock the casbah (I think), how do other characters in other videogame worlds squeak the bed? Luigi, sadly, is just enjoying watching his brother get nookie instead of doing the same thing to his boo. The Sims find a new toy to play with above their heads. And Chell from Portal somehow does not fall through the portal she’s sitting on. I mean sure there’s a guy there holding her on the other side, but her downward inertia should transfer to sideways inertia and make the guy holding her fa — Nevermind. But that Zelda. Link is one lucky, lucky hero.
Be sure to click the closed caption button for English subtitles.
Please please please let this rumor come true. Ever since the beginning of the Xbox 360’s lifecycle, owners had to deal with Microsoft’s choice of using a points system instead of prepaid cards or a digital wallet with real dollar amounts. At first, it wasn’t too bad, but Microsoft’s method of conversion from U.S. dollars to Microsoft Points became a pain in the ass. With MS Points, full dollars come in multiples of 80 (or if you want to simplify, turn 80 into an 8). So 80 MSP = $1, 160 MSP = $2. By that account, 800 MSP = $10, 1600 MSP = $20. Sadly, not everything in the Marketplace have easily convertible asking prices. This conversion was worse in other places like the UK, Japan, and Canada (though this made some things in the U.K. cheaper).
Yes! Booyah! Go baby go! Woooooo! USA! USA! USA!
Ahem… pardon my lack of professionalism (and constant fellating of Dragon’s Crown). So then, it’s confirmed that the artbook Japanese gamers get when they pre-order Dragon’s Crown will also be available for U.S. fans as well. Judging from the image above, it looks to be a soft cover if the the sort of “depth” of the spine is anything to go by.
Vanillaware games have been really deserving of an artbook, and and we’re finally getting one. Along with George Kamitani’s art and concepts, other popular artists have contributed to the book too with their interpretations of the Dragon’s Crown cast. They include Code of Princess artist Kinu Nishimura, Darkstalkers artist Akira Yasuda (aka Akiman), and Street Fighter/MvC veteran artist BENGUS.
Yes, you read that right. Balls. Let’s talk about Grant Kirkhope’s balls today. Sorry if this is really late for some, but I just saw this episode some days ago. So then, in a recent episode of Game Grumps — a collab between JonTron and Egoraptor — they had former Rare composer Grant Kirkhope on as a guest as they played a selection of N64 games he worked on. Along with composing music, Kirkhope also did the sound design for some of these games, including some voice work as well.
Many know Mumbo Jumbo from Banjo-Kazooie. With Mumbo Jumbo, much of his spoken lines were generated randomly on a syllable by syllable basis, picking from a pool of samples for him. “Ikambokem” was one such line that was formed from this randomization. Some were also full, used for specific actions performed by Mumbo. “Oominaka” is Continue reading
Let me start of by saying that that the game I chose is not a bad game. It’s actually a damn fine game. No knocks on quality here.
Anyway, around two weeks ago I decided to finally get a 3DS. My late arrival mirrored many who waited it out on getting a 3DS. The price for the system itself was simply too high for my liking, and I waited for a price drop. It happened, but I still wanted to see if something else was going to happen, namely a console redesign of some kind. I’ve been burned before by launch units and I didn’t want to get shafted again.
In this episode of the podcast, we stick to our word and talk about Story Modes in fighting games. Afterward, we talk about how relevant E3 is to the the community and industry in this day and age.
Now THIS is something I was afraid of. Once the vocal minority got super vocal after a stonking pair of humdingers graced the internet in early April, other companies would become afraid to localize anything Japan makes due to content (instead of sales like before).
For those who don’t know, Senran Kagura is a brawler with two entries on the 3DS (Senran Kagura and Senran Kagura: Burst) and one on the Vita (Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus). The 3DS and Vita games play a little differently on each platform. The 3DS games play like a regular brawler while Shinovi Versus on the Vita plays more like a mix of Dissidia meets Dynasty Warriors. One of the major defining features of this game is the copious amounts of… action on screen. I guess you call it a brawler with Japanese fighting game sensibilities (huge combos, juggles, and crazy ass attacks).
WayForward, via their blog, have reported that they have wrapped up development on Mighty Switch Force 2.
Mighty Switch Force! 2 is a wrap! It’s pencils down for the dev team. Next stop, testing, testing, and more testing. Poor Patty… not even cybernetic citizens of Planet Land can escape the wrath of final exams.
If you missed the original announcement (or forgot), MSF star Patricia Wagon is now a Fire Fighter and must save the now reformed Hooligan Sisters. Check out the previous article for info and screenshots.
In other Mighty Switch Force news, the HyperDrive Edition on Wii U is getting an update. This update will include fixed audio levels, a smaller file size, and a new Pixel Patty character. My guess is that this will be Patty as she appeared in the 3DS version. WayForward states that they’ll announce a release date “soon”.
Mighty Switch Force! 2 News, MSFHD Update Details! [WayForward Blog]
Secondary Headline: This Week in Censorship – Tharja Can’t Catch A Break Edition.
Nintendo had released Summer Scramble, a DLC for Fire Emblem Awakening that sees our heroes in a beach episode like an anime. Given that this was a beach, we were bound to see much skin from both the male and female cast of characters. This included the much loved Tharja, who unfortunately got her ass censored by Nintendo of America (and Europe by extension).
During the PS4 Press Conference, David Cage of Quantic Dream stepped on stage to show off his company’s new tech demo for the PS4. In the moments leading up to the infamous head of an Old Man popping up on screen, he referred back to previous games his company worked on, like Omikron and Indigo Prophecy, showing off how many polygons made up each character. He relates the mode of storytelling in videogames to how exaggerated storytelling in movies were back during the silent era. And it’s true, some things had to be exaggerated in movies since cameras back then had no sound capabilities. When sound was introduced, things only got better for the movie industry, bringing out classics like Frankenstein, Trouble in Paradise, and Citizen Kane.
But I can’t really say the same for videogames, at least not to the extent that Cage suggests.
I’ve been somewhat ignoring this game for a while now. Don’t know why. Probably because I didn’t quite get a good grasp on how this game was going to be played when the first trailers were shown. There’s also the fact that a lot of the KID stuff is in Japanese without English subtitles, so I did quite get a grasp of the story either. However my recent need to gravitate to the free spirits of the game industry has brought me here, and now I’m hyped as hell for the game!
In the midst of all the tasty hoopla surrounding Dragon’s Crown, I thought why don’t I go check out the website of the game I covered extensively since its UTV Ignition days. I already knew that the Japanese site was updated with new U.I. and enchanting music courtesy of Hitoshi Sakimoto. So I wondered if the North American site was still the same as we saw it when UTV was still publishing it. Lo and behold, they did give it the same facelift that the Japanese site had gotten, though it probably took long for them to change it. Last time I checked was around the release of the Sorceress trailer.
Pictured: Rayman and crew barely escaping GTA V
One of my biggest fears regarding the Rayman Legends delay was that it would be absolutely slaughtered and wasted by Grand Theft Auto V, which still has a release date of September 17th. Well those fears have subsided a bit as now Rayman Legends will be releasing before the Kraken is unleashed, launching on September 3rd in the U.S. It’s still pretty close to GTA V by two weeks, but I think this could spell good things for the game. I’d still prefer it got released some time in August (Europe will get the game on August 29th), that way the psyche of the gaming populace isn’t affixed to the September = GTA V mentality and forget about Rayman Legends. Then again, the fate of a smaller game vs. a bigger game is much more grim when the small game comes out after the bigger game. So for now, we wait for the results.
Rayman Legends launching on 360, PS3 and Wii U Sept. 3 in North America (update) [Polygon]
Dancin’ for joy!
With the might of a hundred clasping fists, I raise my hand in the air with absolute jubilee! Last year came news that the original Gameboy Color game Shantae might come to the 3DS virtual console. Wayforward’s Matt Bozon confirmed today via Twitter that the it will be released this summer. “Shantae Virtual Console update: looks like mid June-early July. Will keep you posted!” the tweet reads. This comes as WayForward continues to kick much ass on Nintendo’s handheld, prepping Mighty Switch Force 2 and Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse.
This also comes as the equally expensive Earthbound was announced for the Wii U’s virtual console last week. If you traverse the secondhand market regularly, you’ll see that prices for these games tend to be very high. Shantae here was one of the last GBC games released, becoming rare right from the get-go. The asking price on eBay usually hovers around $200, sometimes even higher. Amazon is no better. Keeping the price up was most likely the lack of any kind of re-release of this game (like Earthbound). There’s also the fact that most emulators can’t handle Shantae, with the only compatible one (that I know of) being rather terrible.
Hopefully this should drop those physical prices down hard, should you decide to go that route. I’ll be playing this on my shiny new 3DS XL!
Shantae hitting 3DS VC sometime around June/July [GoNintendo, via NintendoLife]
The Wired Fish Network 