Today you get an audio clip, rather than the usual paragraphs. The Link below will lead to my post on DivShare.com where you can listen to ramble on as many times as you like. Enjoy.
The Audio Clip at DivShare
Sources:
(2001). Mega Man Legends. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gamespot.com/mega-man-legends/. [Last Accessed April 30, 2013].
Mega Man Legends. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.amazon.com/Mega-Man-Legends-Playstation/dp/B000006OVJ. [Last Accessed April 30, 2013].
RawmeatCowboy (2012). Inafune at GDC - Mega Man Legends a sales failure, Resident Evil was almost canned, Mega Man's future. [ONLINE] Available at: http://gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=173294. [Last Accessed April 30, 2013].
Mega Man Legends (video game). [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man_Legends_(video_game). [Last Accessed April 30, 2013].
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Lost Odyssey: Are Odysseys Too Dated?
Lost Odyssey was first released in Japan for the Xbox 360 on December 6, 2007 by the developer Mistwalker. It was later released worldwide in February 2008. It is a turn-based RPG, based heavily on old-school RPG gameplay, but with several modifications that keep the player more involved in gameplay.
Considering the limited popularity of JRPGs in the United States, its strange that roughly half of Lost Odyssey's sales came from America. At the same time, turn-based RPGs tend to be quite popular in Japan, and yet sales numbered fewer than 105,000 copies. Compared to similar games, this dearth of sales couldn't be covered by the exceptional American sales, and profits were relatively low.
The only real complaints about Lost Odyssey were about how outdated the combat was. More and more RPGs are stepping away from the old tradition of characters lining up and actions determined by turns. Even with that as a framework, Lost Odyssey involved timed button presses and other unique twists that made it stand apart from other titles. Evidently, this wasn't enough of a change for potential buyers. Unsurprisingly, the incredibly detailed graphics did gather widespread acclaim, but that wasn't enough to bring in more sales.
Lost Odyssey is also one of the few Xbox 360 that had a total of four disks, so if you try to find the game used, you may run into a problem finding a full set of useable disks. Eventually, a downloadable version was added to the Xbox Live Arcade.
Until next time.
Sources:
(2013). Lost Odyssey. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vgchartz.com/game/7637/lost-odyssey/. [Last Accessed April 27, 2013].
Lost Odyssey. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Odyssey. [Last Accessed April 27, 2013].
Considering the limited popularity of JRPGs in the United States, its strange that roughly half of Lost Odyssey's sales came from America. At the same time, turn-based RPGs tend to be quite popular in Japan, and yet sales numbered fewer than 105,000 copies. Compared to similar games, this dearth of sales couldn't be covered by the exceptional American sales, and profits were relatively low.
The only real complaints about Lost Odyssey were about how outdated the combat was. More and more RPGs are stepping away from the old tradition of characters lining up and actions determined by turns. Even with that as a framework, Lost Odyssey involved timed button presses and other unique twists that made it stand apart from other titles. Evidently, this wasn't enough of a change for potential buyers. Unsurprisingly, the incredibly detailed graphics did gather widespread acclaim, but that wasn't enough to bring in more sales.
Lost Odyssey is also one of the few Xbox 360 that had a total of four disks, so if you try to find the game used, you may run into a problem finding a full set of useable disks. Eventually, a downloadable version was added to the Xbox Live Arcade.
Until next time.
Sources:
(2013). Lost Odyssey. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.vgchartz.com/game/7637/lost-odyssey/. [Last Accessed April 27, 2013].
Lost Odyssey. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Odyssey. [Last Accessed April 27, 2013].
Friday, April 19, 2013
Scott Pilgrim Vs the World: The Game: No, Not The Movie...
Scott Pilgrim Vs the World: The Game (Which from no on will be shortened to Scott Pilgrim The Game), is a PSN and XBLA title that was released by Ubisoft Montreal in 2010. It is a side-scrolling beat 'em up, with minor RPG elements thrown in.
Straight up sales were not to horrible considering Scott Pilgrim The Game gained a good amount of attention from the already large Scott Pilgrim fan base. The game did loosely follow the original graphic novel, so some fans bought it even though they might not usually play this style of game. Scott Pilgrim The Game also had a feature that fewer and fewer games have these days; local co-op. The problem however is that it did not have online multiplayer like most games are leaning towards lately.
Co-op is incredibly fun and helped balance the somewhat inconsistent difficulty, but there was no way to play with other people online. A DLC pack came out two years later that added an online feature but even then is cost an additional five dollars, rather than simply coming with the game. Not to mention the fact that people who had not purchased the game already, probably did not notice that the pack added online capabilities. Most of the advertisements put more focus on the playable character that came with the pack, Wallace Wells.
Although online play came out a little too late to garner any new attention from potential consumers, at least the Scott Pilgrim The Game got another round of attention after its initial sales burst. Scott Pilgrim The Game is still available for download on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as well as two additional characters, Knives Chau, and the previously mentioned Wallace Wells.
Until next time.
Sources:
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game. [ONLINE] Available at: http://scottpilgrim.wikia.com/wiki/Scott_Pilgrim_vs._the_World:_The_Game. [Last Accessed April 18, 2013].
Matt Helgeson (2013). Oft-Delayed Scott Pilgrim DLC Out Now, Adds Wallace Wells And Multiplayer. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/03/11/oft-delayed-scott-pilgrim-dlc-out-now-adds-wallace-wells-and-multiplayer.aspx. [Last Accessed April 18, 2013].
Scott Pligrim vs. the World: The Game. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pilgrim_vs._the_World:_The_Game. [Last Accessed April 18, 2013].
Straight up sales were not to horrible considering Scott Pilgrim The Game gained a good amount of attention from the already large Scott Pilgrim fan base. The game did loosely follow the original graphic novel, so some fans bought it even though they might not usually play this style of game. Scott Pilgrim The Game also had a feature that fewer and fewer games have these days; local co-op. The problem however is that it did not have online multiplayer like most games are leaning towards lately.
Co-op is incredibly fun and helped balance the somewhat inconsistent difficulty, but there was no way to play with other people online. A DLC pack came out two years later that added an online feature but even then is cost an additional five dollars, rather than simply coming with the game. Not to mention the fact that people who had not purchased the game already, probably did not notice that the pack added online capabilities. Most of the advertisements put more focus on the playable character that came with the pack, Wallace Wells.
Although online play came out a little too late to garner any new attention from potential consumers, at least the Scott Pilgrim The Game got another round of attention after its initial sales burst. Scott Pilgrim The Game is still available for download on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as well as two additional characters, Knives Chau, and the previously mentioned Wallace Wells.
Until next time.
Sources:
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game. [ONLINE] Available at: http://scottpilgrim.wikia.com/wiki/Scott_Pilgrim_vs._the_World:_The_Game. [Last Accessed April 18, 2013].
Matt Helgeson (2013). Oft-Delayed Scott Pilgrim DLC Out Now, Adds Wallace Wells And Multiplayer. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2013/03/11/oft-delayed-scott-pilgrim-dlc-out-now-adds-wallace-wells-and-multiplayer.aspx. [Last Accessed April 18, 2013].
Scott Pligrim vs. the World: The Game. [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pilgrim_vs._the_World:_The_Game. [Last Accessed April 18, 2013].
Oddworld Abe's Oddysee: More Professional Opinions
I recently asked a good friend of mine, Alex Welsh, if he had any games that he felt belonged on this blog. He promptly began to talk about Oddworld Abe's Oddysee. Alex is currently a freelance video game programmer and gaming enthusiast.
Oddworld Abe's Oddysee is a 2D platforming game that was released by Oddworld Inhabitants in 1997 for the PlayStation. Gameplay revolved around solving platforming puzzles and saving other Mudokons (Abe's species). Abe can possess enemies to do his bidding or use the environment to trap or kill potential threats. The GameSpeak system also let Abe communicate with other Mudokons or even hostiles.
Welsh had been introduced to Oddworld by a friend of his about a year or so after it had been released, and he had never actually heard of it before. After his introduction to Oddworld, he rarely ran into other people who knew anything about it. Most of this is due to the recurrent problem of bad marketing. Welsh commented that he, "can't really think of seeing any kind of advertisement for Oddworld anywhere. Not even in game stores."
When I asked Welsh what he felt elevated Abe's Oddysee above and beyond being an average game, he actually referred to a gameplay experience that wasn't his own. Apparently, the sound design of the game would include the sounds of objects that were currently off screen. This system was so well designed that a man named Terry Garrett, who just so happened to be completely blind, was able to complete an entire playthrough of Oddworld Abe's Oddysee without assistance.
Currently, the easiest way to play Abe's Oddysee is to download it from the Oddworld Inhabitants Official website, where all four installments of the series can be found. Welsh and I both recommend the sequel, Abe's Exoddus, as well.
Until next time.
Sources:
A. Welsh (April 13, 2013) Personal Interview
Oddworld Abe's Oddysee is a 2D platforming game that was released by Oddworld Inhabitants in 1997 for the PlayStation. Gameplay revolved around solving platforming puzzles and saving other Mudokons (Abe's species). Abe can possess enemies to do his bidding or use the environment to trap or kill potential threats. The GameSpeak system also let Abe communicate with other Mudokons or even hostiles.
Welsh had been introduced to Oddworld by a friend of his about a year or so after it had been released, and he had never actually heard of it before. After his introduction to Oddworld, he rarely ran into other people who knew anything about it. Most of this is due to the recurrent problem of bad marketing. Welsh commented that he, "can't really think of seeing any kind of advertisement for Oddworld anywhere. Not even in game stores."
When I asked Welsh what he felt elevated Abe's Oddysee above and beyond being an average game, he actually referred to a gameplay experience that wasn't his own. Apparently, the sound design of the game would include the sounds of objects that were currently off screen. This system was so well designed that a man named Terry Garrett, who just so happened to be completely blind, was able to complete an entire playthrough of Oddworld Abe's Oddysee without assistance.
Currently, the easiest way to play Abe's Oddysee is to download it from the Oddworld Inhabitants Official website, where all four installments of the series can be found. Welsh and I both recommend the sequel, Abe's Exoddus, as well.
Until next time.
Sources:
A. Welsh (April 13, 2013) Personal Interview
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Pure: Making ATVs Fly
Pure is an ATV racing game that Created by Black Rock Studios and published by Disney Interactive Studios back in 2008. Taking cues from over the top racers like SSX, Pure puts a huge focus on performing ridiculous tricks and jumps that defy physics. Pure also boasted a deep customization system that allowed players to build unique ATVs for any situation.
Pure was received with immediate praise for its tight controls, inspired tricks, and its ability to convey a sense of speed and vertigo to players. It also had some downright beautiful visuals, with highly detailed scenery and a crisp, vibrant color scheme. What ended up as Pure's downfall was the little things that kept it just shy of its potential.
The first problem that made people overlook Pure was that there was no split-screen, in what was otherwise a great party game. Races were short, fun, and lead to plenty of over the top moments, but you couldn't play with a friend unless you both had the same console and a copy of Pure. The other problem was that there was almost no variety of race types. This led to playing the same races against the computer again and again, which made people lose interest fairly quickly.
These problems could have easily been fixed in a sequel but, Disney decided to scrap the series before Black Rock Studios could have a chance. Pure can still be found used for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. I'm usually not too big of a fan of racing games, but Pure just felt genuinely fun.
Until next time.
Sources:
Tom Magrino (2009). Disney Garages Pure2?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gamespot.com/news/disney-garages-pure-2-6214130. [Last Accessed April 9, 2013].
Pure. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gamespot.com/pure/. [Last Accessed April 9, 2013].
Pure (Video Game). [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_(video_game). [Last Accessed April 9, 2013].
Pure was received with immediate praise for its tight controls, inspired tricks, and its ability to convey a sense of speed and vertigo to players. It also had some downright beautiful visuals, with highly detailed scenery and a crisp, vibrant color scheme. What ended up as Pure's downfall was the little things that kept it just shy of its potential.
The first problem that made people overlook Pure was that there was no split-screen, in what was otherwise a great party game. Races were short, fun, and lead to plenty of over the top moments, but you couldn't play with a friend unless you both had the same console and a copy of Pure. The other problem was that there was almost no variety of race types. This led to playing the same races against the computer again and again, which made people lose interest fairly quickly.
These problems could have easily been fixed in a sequel but, Disney decided to scrap the series before Black Rock Studios could have a chance. Pure can still be found used for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. I'm usually not too big of a fan of racing games, but Pure just felt genuinely fun.
Until next time.
Sources:
Tom Magrino (2009). Disney Garages Pure2?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gamespot.com/news/disney-garages-pure-2-6214130. [Last Accessed April 9, 2013].
Pure. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gamespot.com/pure/. [Last Accessed April 9, 2013].
Pure (Video Game). [ONLINE] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_(video_game). [Last Accessed April 9, 2013].
Darksiders: A Professional's Opinion
A few Days ago I went to speak with professor Jainan Sankalia, who teaches game development classes at UT Dallas. I asked him if there were any games that had encountered that were under-rated, and why he felt that way. The game he decided to talk about was Darksiders.
Darksiders is a third person brawler, released in 2010 by Vigil Games, akin to games like God of War. The basic plot revolves around War, the horseman of the Apocalypse, as he tears his way through hordes of angels and demons as he tries find who set the Apocalypse in motion.
Sankalia put most of the blame for Darksiders' poor sales on its utter lack of advertising. The only reason that Sankalia had played Darksiders is because one of his co-workers mentioned that it influenced a project that they were both working on. The only advertising that Sankalia could remember were banners that said absolutely nothing about the actual game play.
When I asked Sankalia if there were any unique aspects of the game that really made it stand out, he actually responded by saying that there were none. He went on to explain that Darksiders took the good parts of well established titles such as Zelda, God of War, and even Portal, and just made sure that the pieces fit together in a unified way. Darksiders felt like a complete game, not just a bunch of mismatching segments that were thrown together.
Some of the games I have talked about in this blog have had aspects that could push buyers away, such as God Hand's difficulty. The only potential barrier that Sankalia could think of was the art style. Sankalia mentioned that he had heard several people talk about passing up playing games with such a stylized and unique appearance in favor of games with a more "realistic" design.
Darksiders is currently available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, as is its sequel Darksiders 2. Sadly, it looks like there will not be another installment in the series since Vigil Games recently went out of business, but that is no reason to skip over the Darksiders games.
Until next time.
Sources:
J. Sankalia (April 8, 2013) Personal Interview.
Darksiders is a third person brawler, released in 2010 by Vigil Games, akin to games like God of War. The basic plot revolves around War, the horseman of the Apocalypse, as he tears his way through hordes of angels and demons as he tries find who set the Apocalypse in motion.
Sankalia put most of the blame for Darksiders' poor sales on its utter lack of advertising. The only reason that Sankalia had played Darksiders is because one of his co-workers mentioned that it influenced a project that they were both working on. The only advertising that Sankalia could remember were banners that said absolutely nothing about the actual game play.
When I asked Sankalia if there were any unique aspects of the game that really made it stand out, he actually responded by saying that there were none. He went on to explain that Darksiders took the good parts of well established titles such as Zelda, God of War, and even Portal, and just made sure that the pieces fit together in a unified way. Darksiders felt like a complete game, not just a bunch of mismatching segments that were thrown together.
Some of the games I have talked about in this blog have had aspects that could push buyers away, such as God Hand's difficulty. The only potential barrier that Sankalia could think of was the art style. Sankalia mentioned that he had heard several people talk about passing up playing games with such a stylized and unique appearance in favor of games with a more "realistic" design.
Darksiders is currently available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, as is its sequel Darksiders 2. Sadly, it looks like there will not be another installment in the series since Vigil Games recently went out of business, but that is no reason to skip over the Darksiders games.
Until next time.
Sources:
J. Sankalia (April 8, 2013) Personal Interview.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Psychonauts: Someone Else is Talking Today
Today's post is brought to you by Brian Machuca. He currently works on a blog dedicated to the development progress of Dark Souls II. If you are interested, here is a link to his Blogger site. Enjoy.
__________________________________________________
Sources:
Sarah Leboeuf (2012). Double Fine "Made More on Psychonauts This Year" Than Ever. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121108-Double-Fine-Made-More-on-Psychonauts-This-Year-Than-Ever. [Last Accessed March 31, 2013].
Andy Chalk (2012). Tim Schafer Talks Humble Indie Bundle on Reddit. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/117659-Tim-Schafer-Talks-Humble-Indie-Bundle-on-Reddit. [Last Accessed March 31, 2013].
Psychonauts Vs Best Selling Video Games. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cracked.com/funny-5772-psychonauts-vs-best-selling-video-games/. [Last Accessed March 31, 2013].
__________________________________________________
Psychonauts
is a platform video game created by Tim Schafer, developed by Double Fine
Productions. The game was released on April 19, 2005 and June 21 for
PlayStation 2. Psychonauts is based on the exploits of Raz, a young boy gifted
with psychic abilities who runs away from the circus to try to sneak into a
summer camp for those with similar powers in order to become a Psychonaut. He
finds that there is a sinister plot occurring at the camp that only he can
stop. Raz gains use of several psychic abilities during the game that are used
for both attacking foes and solving puzzles.
Psychonauts
received critical acclaim, with its unique premise, endearing characters, sharp
writing, and overall sense of humor being the most commonly praised aspects of
the game. While the game received strong critical praise and several accolades,
Psychonauts suffered from poor sales and the publisher, Majesco, suffered financial
difficulties. After a month from release Majesco had adjusted their fiscal year
projections from a net profit of $18 million to a net loss of $18 million.
By
the end of the year 2005, Majesco had reported that less than 100,000 copies
had been shipped. In mid-2006, Psychonauts had sold 400,000 and was out of
print in the USA. By 2007, the game was available on Steam and Xbox Live
Marketplace. In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book
100 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. On May 31, 2012 the game went for
sale on Bundle; sales of Psychonauts exceeded past sales of the game within the
first few hours of the Bundle going live. Psychonauts made more money this year
than it ever had before. It took a while, but it made its revenue and made its
mark. If you never picked up Psychonauts, I highly recommend this title.
Sources:
Sarah Leboeuf (2012). Double Fine "Made More on Psychonauts This Year" Than Ever. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121108-Double-Fine-Made-More-on-Psychonauts-This-Year-Than-Ever. [Last Accessed March 31, 2013].
Andy Chalk (2012). Tim Schafer Talks Humble Indie Bundle on Reddit. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/117659-Tim-Schafer-Talks-Humble-Indie-Bundle-on-Reddit. [Last Accessed March 31, 2013].
Psychonauts Vs Best Selling Video Games. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cracked.com/funny-5772-psychonauts-vs-best-selling-video-games/. [Last Accessed March 31, 2013].
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