VGCulture - Music - PAC-STEPS

Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/236450/
Source: Youtube Channel Laurent Bosch

PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX+ had 8 DLCs announced for it before the game released which was offered for free for those who pre-order the game.  If you had pre-ordered the game, you would have 4 extra courses, 3 skins, and 2 BGMs.  I pre-ordered the game for $2 less on Green Man Gaming thinking that even if the game got a discount with the DLCs, it'd still cost around the same price so I might as well get it now while it still offered the DLCs.  One of the 2 BGMs offered is Pac-Steps.  When I first saw the name, I was thinking it'd be a Dub-Step iteration with sampling of the classic jingle from the original.  The thought was both interesting and frightening at the same time.  Thankfully, the track turned out to be Drum 'n Bass/Jungle (I guess it's referring to variations of DnB like Hardstep/Trancestep).  The song isn't too heavy so it has a bit of a laid back feel to it while still sounding fast and urgent which matches the hectic speed of the game.  It starts off sounding a bit more organic with real sounding instruments as it transitions to faster beats with a more synthesized drum kit.  The courses are great additions to the game and the skins are fun little aesthetic changes, but the addition of this song made it really worth it.

Sadly, I can't say the same for the other BGM DLC "Re-entrance".  It's essentially a remix of the Main Menu theme used in-game which I didn't really like.  The game is a lot of fun and I'm very glad they brought it to PC, but there are some problems with it that I'll probably address when I do a review.  If you already have the game on consoles, it should have upgraded to the new stuff for free while those who have the main game on Steam but not the DLCs can get Pac-Steps for $.99.

NewNews - Mighty No.9 Documentary Episode 0

Kickstarter Page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9
Source: Youtube Channel 2PlayerProductions

It was already mentioned that 2 Player Productions was going to document the development of Mighty No. 9 and keep the supports, fans, and followers of the game up to date with its progress.  This particular episode was recorded before the game was announced and before the Kickstarter was launched.  Speaking of which, there are 4 days left to back Mighty No.9.  Also, the development team has reached out to the public to choose, out of 9 designs, which concept should be finalized as the Heroine "Call" for the Mighty No. 9 game.

Mighty No. 9 is an Action-Platformer led by Keiji Inafune, who has worked on titles such as the Megaman series, with his pool of talented, veteran game developers.  The game is set to launch in 2015 and was announced earlier this month which has reached out to over 45,000 backers to support this project.

Source:
-Kotaku - One Of These With Be Mighty No. 9's Heroine. You Decide.
(I think most of us know Mr. Fahey meant to say "Will" and not "With").

GameLight - Wonder Flick

JP Site: http://www.wonderflick.jp/
Source: Youtube Channel Jeuxvideo24

From the makers of Professor Layton comes another game for mobile devices.  It seems Level-5 has really taken a liking to making games on mobile devices lately and their newest RPG is no exception.  More than that, their idea for this game is one that players can enjoy over many different platforms with the same progress intact.  So with this "Wonder Flick" game, you can play it on iOS, Android, Wii U, PS Vita, PS3, PS4, and Xbox One (or at least that's the plan) and the progress will be kept in the cloud/servers so that you can continue where you left off on any console.  As the name suggests, the player will be "Flicking" little coin icons to perform actions: Attack, using potions, defending, special attacks, etc.

What I'm more interested in is the soundtrack.  Did you happen to see whose name flashed in the trailer?  Nobuo Uematsu of Final Fantasy fame had his name appear in the trailer with a music note which usually tells the viewer who is responsible for the music for that trailer.  Whether Uematsu will be responsible for all the music in the game is unclear at the moment, but it's something to look out for.  As for the game itself, it seems rather gimmicky and heavily focused on the mobile gaming audience.  But who knows, it might turn out to be really fun!  Where's the 3DS version?  I see this working better on 3DS than on PS Vita in terms of mechanics.  The game will be available in Japan on iOS and Android in November 2013 while PS3, PS Vita, PS4, Wii U, and Xbox One versions will be available sometime in 2014.  No Western release has been announced thus far.

Source:
-Kotaku - No, This Next-Gen RPG Isn't Called "Wonder F**k"

GameLight - Puyo Puyo Tetris

Source: Youtube Channel puyosega

Amitie is back with more Puyo Puyo going up against Tetris!  A Puyo Puyo crossover with Tetris isn't too surprising, but it's finally being made.  I've been a fan of both games for the longest time as most people have who play these puzzle games.  Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and Kirby's Avalanche have been two games that didn't use the name "Puyo" in the title that I played with Puyo Pop Fever being one of my favorite iterations of the series.  For Tetris, I'd say Tetris DS by was the best version of Tetris I have played for the best controls, mechanics, color scheme, and variety in modes.  So how much will the game change with these two mega puzzle blockbusters put together?  It doesn't seem much as both games have had versus mode in their respective games which seems to be the base concept for this crossover.  It doesn't seem all that different or game changing.  Why not go all out and have a super puzzle crossover!  Have games like Columns, Puzzle Fighter, Puzzle League, and maybe even Puzzle Bobble (Bust-A-Move) be part of the action and have the player choose which game they want to play and challenge other puzzle players.  Make it even more outrageous with 8 players instead of just 2!  But in all seriousness, I hope there's more to the game than just straight up versus PuyoPuyo against Tetris.  The game releases next year on PS3, PS Vita, Wii U, and 3DS in Japan.  No mention of a Western release has been made.

Source:
-Joystiq - Puyo Puyo Tetris makes sense

NewNews - Indie Game Stand

Official Site: https://indiegamestand.com/store/

There are a lot of digitally distributed game sites out there, but a lot of them don't always reach their target audience.  I didn't know about GreenManGaming until one of my friends told me about it and how he got Borderlands 2 for $36 pre-order.  GoG is often mentioned on multiple gaming news media sites.  I found out about Desura from the Humble Indie Bundle.  Thanks to Joystiq, I now know of one other site that distributes indie games!  IndieGameStand has indie games that haven't reached other platforms such as Steam and Desura and are still in Beta or even Alpha stages so that fans of indie games can grab them.  Steam keys and Desura keys can be given if available and become available whenever they get officially on a platform.  The site also often gets sales and even has a Pay-what-you-want sales in 96 hour durations.  Even if you're one of those who wish to wait until the game is readily available on Steam and get it off there directly, you can skim through the site and see what indie games there are that need your support and upvote them on Steam Greenlight as the Steam Greenlight page itself can get quite messy and convoluted.  So if you like Indie games, lots of sales/discounts or want to find specific games to support on Steam Greenlight, IndieGameStand is a good site to visit.

Source:
-Joystiq - IndieGameStand launches developer-focused online store

GameLight - PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX+

Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/236450/
Source: Youtube Channel Robert Cram

I'm so ready for some PAC-MAN!  PAC-MAN Championship Edition first released 6 years ago on Xbox Live Arcade and I was able to finally try it out 2 years ago when a demo released on PS3's PSN store.  The concept of the pellet gobbling PAC-MAN remains the same, but some rules have been changed a little.  The game will speed up, slow down, have more pellets appear, have a bunch of ghosts swamp you, and other crazy new mechanics that really change the pace of the classic arcade game.  As far as I know, the game is still only single-player, but  perhaps that might change as the "plus" version allows "players to challenge their friends".  The problem is, it might just mean allowing the player to beat their friend's score on a friend's list leaderboard.  A multiplayer version does exist in places like Dave & Busters (Arcades) as I have played it earlier this year with 3 other friends and it was a lot of fun.  I don't think it'll provide online multiplayer (listed as single-player only), but it should be a fun arcade experience.  I already pre-ordered it a month ago to get the 8 DLCs that come along with the pre-order.  I just have to wait 2 more days before I start munching pellets and ghosts.

"The update provided improved leaderboard functionality, the ability to challenge friends, and medal support. In addition to this, paid downloadable content was also released. It added four new courses (Big Eater, Championship III, Highway II, and Mountain), three new skins (based on Dig Dug, Rally-X and Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures) and two new background music tracks (Pac-Steps and Re-Entrance) to the game. This content was made available in the "All You Can Eat Add-on Pack" bundle." -Wikipedia

You can grab PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX+ on Steam for $9.99 or if you want to save a little you can grab it at GreenManGaming and use their 25% off coupon (GMG25-J4B0D-FLH8M) and get it for $7.49 with all the DLCs.  The game unlocks on September 25th at 12PM PST.

NewNews - Tokyo Game Show 2013 Highlights

Official Site: http://expo.nikkeibp.co.jp/tgs/2013/en/
GameTrailers: http://www.gametrailers.com/tgs

Today's the last day for the Business side of the show while there are two more days over the weekend for public viewing for this year's Tokyo Game Show left.  There hasn't been any announcement that has surprised me or made me excited yet, but there are a lot of videos and news on games I was already looking forward to.

-Chaos Rings Sigma
-Dark Souls 2
-Deadman's Cross
-Deep Down
-Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z
-Final Fantasy Agito
-Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
-Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD
-Kingdom Hearts X
-Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
-One Piece Romance Dawn
-Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+
-Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures
-SoulCalibur: Lost Swords
-Tales of Xillia 2 (Trailer up top)
-Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call
-The Evil Within

NewNews - Hiroshi Yamauchi Passes Away at 85

Image Source: BrooklynKing

Hiroshi Yamauchi ran Nintendo as its president from 1949 to 2002 and contributed to the revival of Videogames when the industry was at its lowest point.  In other words, he helped save the Videogame industry with the introduction of the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom in Japan).  He was a business man at heart and so he may not have been directly responsible for all the games and memories we had of playing them, but it's undeniable that he was a driving force towards the industry's influence in the world.  After Satoru Iwata succeeded Yamauchi's position within Nintendo, Yamauchi stayed with the company as an adviser.  It's been reported throughout the three decades of Nintendo's existence, since it became a videogame company, that Yamauchi was a hard man to work with and that he was a force to be reckoned with.  He always sought out change and innovation and was rather adamant on his decisions, be they good ones or not.  But because of that, Nintendo continues today to innovate and deliver new entertainment.  Despite that, Nintendo has been viewed as being stubborn on change throughout the years as the game industry becomes more involved in online and social aspects.  Yamauchi's influence in Nintendo hasn't been prevalent ever since stepping down as president in 2002.  And now that he has passed, it is entirely up to the new generation to shape, adapt, and change to keep Nintendo relevant in the industry.  The sales of Nintendo's newest Wii U console hasn't been doing the best it could have done, but things could change.  Despite the N64 having a lot of great and memorable games on it, it actually sold pretty poorly and it was the Gameboy and Pokémon that saved Nintendo during those times.  The Virtual Boy was a complete failure.  The Gamecube also have a difficult life-span.  But despite all those hard times, the Nintendo Wii was a revolutionary hit and had changed the game industry in terms of their target audience.  Many would argue that it had ruined Nintendo's reputation within the community, but change and risks must be taken if any sort of innovation is to be made.  Yamauchi made many decisions for change and took lots of risks, some of which were pretty bad.  But Nintendo probably wouldn't be where it is today as one of the most influential, if not THE most influential, company within the Videogame industry were it not for those decisions.  Hiroshi Yamauchi certainly made his mark in the industry and world and his legacy will continue in the name of Nintendo.  R.I.P. Hiroshi Yamauchi, thank you for your contributions.

Yamauchi passed away earlier this morning after a battle with pneumonia. He was 85. -Kotaku

Sources:
-Huffington Post - Hiroshi Yamauchi Dead: Former Seattle Mariners Owner And Nintendo President Dies At 85
-Kotaku - Longtime Nintendo President Dies Aged 85
-Kotaku - Nintendo President: We Will Carry On The Spirit Of Hiroshi Yamauchi

GameLight Review - Krater

Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/42170/
Source: Youtube Channel MachinimaTrailer

Developer: Fatshark
Publisher: Fatshark
Platforms: PC
Release Date: Jun 12, 2012
Genre: Action-RPG, RTS

Pros:
+ Amazing music that plays a very important role in the atmosphere of the game
+ Quite a memorable experience with an immersive environment
+ Interesting team compositions can be made which changes up the gameplay

Cons:
- There is an excessive amount of padding (grinding/farming)
- Gameplay lacks variation (4 classes, 2 types of each and 2 skills each)
- The main story wasn't enticing and side quests were also boring

Recommended: No, not a game I can easily recommend to anyone, but those who enjoy grinding and dungeon crawling might be able to enjoy this.

There is much to be said about Krater.  It's set in a post-apocalyptic Sweden with an almost realistic fantasy sort of theme to it.  To be plain and simple, the game is bursting with potential but only begins to scratch the surface of what it can achieve.  Krater, at heart, is an old-school, top-down, party-based, Point-n-click Action-RPG, in an RTS control format, with NO active pause like most party-based Action-RPGs.  Some games that can be referenced to are Dungeon Siege, Confrontation, and Dragon Age.  Most fans of this genre did not like the fact there wasn't an active pause function in Krater to allow them to plan out attack orders.  I actually liked that there wasn't one as it forced the player to quickly respond to the situation actively which made the flow of the game a lot faster than most in its genre.  The game features party management, stat building, multiple character control, a huge open-world to explore, cooperative multiplayer, tons of quests to take on, various items to loot, and an injury/death mechanic that keeps the game challenging.  The problem is each and every one of the aspects that make this game great also has flaws to them that make the game repetitive, frustrating, boring, and unrealized.  There are 8 different kinds of characters, but derive from only 4 different classes with only 2 skills each.  Stat building is not gained from levels and putting in points, but rather obtaining boosters and implants by either farming for gold to buy them or to loot them (the good ones are super rare).  Having multiple characters to control with no active pause does make for a faster and exciting experience, but it is also difficult to manage in cases of large mobs.  Traversing the overworld has a sort of Final Fantasy feel to it and is interesting, but it can get annoying when having to travel from one end of the map to the next without being able to save in-between (you start from the last town visited if you exit).  Cooperative Multiplayer only offers 3 short campaigns to play on, each with a large difficulty difference from each other (there isn't a cooperative main campaign).  It's nice to have side quests in most RPGs, but side quests in Krater are generally boring, requires a lot of running around, and doesn't reward the player very much.  There are a lot of different kinds of items in the game, but most of them are terrible and finding an upgrade takes forever (not to mention items are limited to only weapons and gadgets).  The injury/death mechanic does sound pretty hardcore and may interest some niche gamers, but for the most part it's a nuisance and can't be turned off.  With all this said, the game is revolved entirely around grinding/farming.  You grind to get your characters to rank 10 and farm for items and credits (currency) to pay for unlocking the characters up to rank 15 and purchasing all the boosters and implants which are quite expensive and rare.  Honestly, I think it's okay that the developers went for grinding as their main source for replay value as many in its genre does the same; however, I feel that this was executed poorly in an inelegant fashion.  The limited classes and skills lack variation in gameplay.  The side quests give the player no motivation to pursue them as opposed to just running through the multiplayer maps solo as it rewards the player with a lot more credits and loot despite it being unchanging and boring.  Everything just seems to fall short of something that could've been great.  Just having a cooperative main campaign might have changed the entire experience of the game.  Only 24%-32% of the time I spent finishing the game was spent progressing through the story while the rest of the time was spent mindlessly re-running the multiplayer maps solo to farm for credits.  I can't say that I didn't have fun with the game because I did, but I was also disgusted and disappointed with it at the same time.  What got me into the game and something really worth praising for is the atmosphere the game had.  The graphics weren't the best, but it was used efficiently for the world the developers wanted to craft and the music gives it a rather unforgettable experience.  The music was something I loved from beginning to end.

Aesthetics
Art-Style: 3D Steam-Punk-ish/Post-Apocalyptic
+ There's a colorful and almost fantasy-like feel to the game
+ Animation and effects have nice details to them that make the game feel visceral
+ Straight-forward and clean user-interface
+ Incredible over-world map in design, atmosphere and aesthetics
+ Memorable tunes have an impressive effect on the game's experience
+ Powerful and effective usage of sound-effects
+ Explosions, shockwaves, and electrocutions are quite the spectacle

- Difficult to distinguish characters with enemies when not selected
- Character designs are a bit boring
- Graphics not entirely optimized very well (frames will lag or freeze occasionally)
- Not a lot of variation in the look of dungeons
Aesthetics: 8/10

Buttons
Controller: Keyboard and Mouse
+ Can change the key-bindings to hotkeys
+ Pretty easy to select individual characters and the whole party
+ The flow of combat and the way skills work is pretty solid

- You can change keybindings, but you can't arrange skill order
- Can't scroll the map through mini-map
Buttons: 6/10

Concept & Content
Core Concept: Grab quests & fulfill them, grind & farm when needed
+ There are some dungeons that are random and different each time
+ The flow of quests leads you where you need to go, never get lost
+ Lots of side quests for the player to earn extra credits or level up
+ Cooperative mode can be started at any point in the game
+ You can choose the kind of team you want to have
+ Combat is fast-paced and can be excitingly frantic
+ There isn't a lot of voice-acting, but some of the stuff they say are pretty funny
+ Booster/Implant mechanic leaves plenty of room for experimentation and builds
+ Gadgets adds an extra layer of strategy in combat, almost like an extra skill
+ World map is pretty big for a small game, so lots of places to explore
+ Injury/Death mechanic gives the game a bit of a classic RPG challenge

- Having an injury is troublesome, but a character death means starting over...
- World map can be annoying to traverse when just trying to get to a destination
- Items are limited to weapons, gadgets, boosters and implants; no armor
- Boosters/Implants are necessary but expensive and rare which forces farming
- Combat can feel pretty dumb when you're permanently stunned or mobbed
- There are only 4 classes with 2 variations of each with two skills each
- Side-quests are boring and don't reward the player very well with the time spent
- Cooperative mode is limited to 3 short missions that has vast difficulty curves
- Some maps have enemies right behind it that get aggro'd but can't be killed (can't pick up items and can't heal until they die).
- Krater is very atmospheric, but the story fails to be engaging or interesting
- The core design, flow, and execution is solid, but not fully realized
- The game demands so much grinding yet lacks variation that it becomes a chore
Concept & Content: 4/10

Duration
+ The main story quest of the game has a nice steady flow to it in the first 2 chap.
+ If I really wanted to play more, there's still a lot of quests I can do

- Once you hit that difficulty wall, the flow of the game comes to a halt
- Prepare to grind/farm a LOT to get anywhere in the game
- A lot of the difficult boss battles are actually just long and tedious
Duration: 4/10

Fun
+ I thought a 3-man party Action-RPG with no active pause made it exciting
+ Trying out different combinations of team compositions was pretty interesting
+ Although limited in variation, Multi-player co-op can still be pretty fun
+ The atmosphere from the graphics and music made quite the experience
+ I honestly feel like this could've been an incredible game, it was "sorta" fun

- I was disappointed when finding out co-op was only 3 short missions
- So much grinding/farming was required that I felt like I wasted a lot of time
- I've gone through frustration, boredom, desperation, and disgust playing this
- Rather than feeling satisfaction and relief from beating the game, I felt nothing
- Krater is an unrealized gem that could have been much better
Fun: 5/10

Overall
Krater was a crazy roller-coaster ride that had me conflicted in how I felt about the game.  On one hand, I had fun with it and thought it had a lot of great ideas.  In the other side, I felt like I was wasting a lot of time grinding/farming.  I could've gave up playing the game a long time ago, but I was stubborn and wanted the satisfaction of completing the game.  What was saddening was that I didn't feel satisfied or relieved about completing the game.  The fact that I spent so many hours on the game and worked so hard to completing it made for a memorable experience, but not one I'd really like to revisit.  I suppose it's one of those "I'm glad I got through that" kind of experiences.  I do enjoy a challenge, but that challenge was covered in so much padding from grinding and farming that it was a long and tedious quest that didn't feel as fulfilling as it should have.  Krater has a solid base to work off of a really good Point-n-Click, Action-RPG experience, but the content and quality of all the aspects that made this game needs to be refined before it can really reach there.  I don't regret buying or playing Krater, but it's not a game I could really recommend a friend.  Sadly, I had a friend buy it before I started playing so we could co-op together only to find out multiplayer was only 3 short missions.  If I were to play the game anymore after this point, it'd be to help my friend grind in co-op mode until he finishes the game.  Overall: 5.4/10


But really, if I didn't point it out enough times, the music is incredible and one of the major factors that made this game such an amazing experience in the times I did enjoy the game.  This theme is like an anthem for the game:
Source: Youtube Channel Mister Potatoman

The soundtrack can be bought with the game.  If you would like to listen to the original tracks before they were remixed into the game, you can check out Christian Gabel's Soundcloud Page.

NewNews - Ghosts 'n Goblins Online is Back!

Steam Greenlight: Ghosts 'n Goblins Online
Source: Youtube Channel 씨드나인 게임즈

Ghosts 'n Goblins Online has been around for a while and has been talked about in the game community and then it was canceled.  Apparently it's been canceled twice already.  Well it's back again with a chance to release stateside through the help of Steam Greenlight.  With news of this, every major media is spreading the word and hopefully getting people to upvote it on Steam Greenlight.  The main concern for a lot of GnG fans is that the game looks too easy.  Looking at the gameplay, I'd say that it's because it's a completely different gameplay mechanic from what most people know about the GnG series.  The game is still a 2D Action-Platformer, but rather than a straight up Action game where you move forward, die in two hits, and have limited amounts of way to attack, there are a lot of RPG elements such as an open world to explore, stats to improve, lots of skills to attain, etc.  You could say that it's Maple Story in a GnG universe.  There seems to be different classes with an array of skills to learn, the ability to play cooperatively with other players, raise stats and attributes to improve survivability, damage, and ability power, and play in competitive PvP arenas.  There seems to be a mode called "demonic dimension" where you die in two hits (classic GnG style life system: Armor->Underwear->Dead).  There's a trailer showing some of the gameplay:
Source: Youtube Channel 씨드나인 게임즈

With this, yes the game will be easier to accommodate an online gaming experience as well as a more general audience.  Still the game looks to be very interesting and is one I'm willing to play.  A lot of people are also hoping that the attention and success of this game might bring about the resurrection of Megaman Online and bringing it over here.  I'd be very happy about that.

Source:
-Joystiq - Ghosts'n Goblins Online resurfaces at Steam Greenlight

VGCulture - Music - Pokémon Catchatronic

Mix Creator Youtube Channel: Nick "Pogo" Bertke Source: Youtube Channel Pokemon

I don't keep up with Pokémon much nowadays because of various reasons.  I stopped playing the game because it was way too hard to keep up with and it took a lot of time.  Every time I play a game that required grinding, I'm reminded of playing Pokémon.  I've only truly completed the original Pokémon game and have not really played any of the main series games since then (though I do have Poké Gold/Silver and SoulSilver, just never beat them).  With the upcoming Pokémon X/Y, I'm considering trying it out since it seems a lot of changes to the game will be made for this iteration.  For the Pokémon cards, it was just too expensive of a hobby to keep collecting them and there were too many.  Did you know people still collect Pokémon cards?  It's crazy!  And finally, I stopped watching the show shortly after they changed all the voice actors.  It also bugged me that Ash never got smarter and always ends up doing the same mistakes he did in previous seasons.  So it's a bit of surprise for me that after seeing this little music video/dance mix made by Pogo, I have the urge to watch the show now.  The mix is pretty catchy and makes good uses of sampling (though, that's mainly what Pogo is known for).  I also see a bunch of first generation and 2nd generation Pokémon in the video.  There's even a small snippet of Ash in his original character design, hat and all, holding a gym badge that doesn't look familiar.  So much has happened in the world of Pokémon that I'm oblivious to it now.  Mike Fahey of Kotaku didn't seem to like the mix or video as much as he points out Pogo's other works such as the one he did for Alice in Wonderland.  Perhaps my expectations before watching the video was low that I ended up liking it a lot and reminded me how much I miss Pokémon.  Pogo has a lot of great works you can check out at his channel (top link).

Source:
-Kotaku - Pokemon Brings Back "Gotta Catch 'Em All" With A Bad Music Video

VGCulture - Music - Mighty No.9

Kickstarter Page: Mighty No.9
Youtube Channel: 2-Player Productions
Source: Youtube Channel nuclearblast91

The support for Keiji Inafune's Mighty No.9 has been phenomenal.  The funding has already reached over 2 Million dollars with 17 more days to go.  It's clear that many people are excited about the game, including me.  2-Player Productions has joined the team to document the progress and development of the game.  I think this is a good idea.  To have the community be so involved and close to the development of the game allows fans to be reached out and be part of the journey the team at Comcept are taking to complete this project.  For me, one of the most interesting and important factors in a game's development is the music as I find music to be incredibly important in a game and is also what I work with most.  So it was a nice surprise to have a video interview Mighty No.9's music composer (who also worked on the original Megaman) Manami Matsumae posted up by 2-Player Productions.
Source: Youtube Channel 2PlayerProductions

It was short, but rather inspiring hearing from her own words of her work and her involvement with Megaman and Mighty No.9.  Hearing her play the Mighty No.9 theme she wrote on piano sent a chill down my spine.  I'm really looking forward to hearing the rest of her work in the full game when it finally releases in 2015.

GameLight - Heroes of Loot

Official Site: http://www.heroesofloot.com/heroesofloot/
Source: Youtube Channel orangepixelmobile

If there were ever a modern-day version of the classic Gauntlet, it'd probably be this game.  With the same exact 4 characters as the classic Gauntlet, the player traverses an endless stream of levels that randomly generates while grabbing loot to purchase items and take on quests to get even more items.  There's a free demo for PC/MAC that you can try out.  Being a fan of Gauntlet, dungeon-crawling and retro graphics, I quickly downloaded the demo and tried it out.

I'll be honest, the game's not very engaging playing on PC/MAC.  It's clear that the game was designed for mobile devices and doesn't change its mechanics at all for the PC/MAC.  Essentially, you hold down the attack button and just move around and dodge danger as your attacks automatically home-in on the nearest enemy.  There are no other buttons or abilities or such other than picking up runes that give you a short duration of power.  Also, the game is single-player only which leaves having actual buttons/keys to play and a larger screen the main reasons for playing on PC/MAC.  So although I compared this game to Gauntlet, it's missing a lot of aspects that made Gauntlet fun.  The game feels very barebones, yet it works really well in terms of a mobile device.  Having randomly generated levels keeps the game fresh which seems like an interesting distraction to have on my phone when I'm out and waiting somewhere.  I'll probably get this game for my phone, but not for PC.

Heroes of Loot is available for iOS in the App Store ($1.99), Android in the Google Play Store ($1.99), Ouya & Gamestick (price unsure), or PC/MAC ($4.99)

Source:
-Kotaku - Heroes of Loot Is The Most Retro Game You'll See Today

GameLight - Ridge Racer Driftopia

Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/226410/
Source: Youtube Channel gametrailers

Namco Bandai Games are on fire with the Free-to-Play games with Tekken Revolution out and a Soul Calibur: Lost Swords on its way.  Ridge Racer Driftopia was announced earlier this year as a Free-to-Play racer and showed up on Steam Early Access yesterday.  I quickly downloaded it and tried it out last night to see what the game was all about.  I'm not a huge racing fan unless I have the wheel and pedal to play with, but I do still enjoy a racing when the controls and feel of the game are fast and tight (I generally like the more unrealistic racers).  I started up the game and it didn't require me to do a bunch of registrations, signing in and all that.  It just asked me to optionally give my e-mail to get a bonus in-game item.  Then it explains a lot of mechanics of the game with pop-up text blocks and arrows showing every little aspect of the game.  I guess I appreciate the help with finding my way around the game, but it did feel like it dragged on.

I finally picked my car and got through all the text and started up the game.  I drove straight forward and tried to turn but bumped into a wall and *BAM* "GAME OVER" you have to use some repair kits to fix your cars.  This was a bit of a concern for me that if you ever ran out of repair kits, you couldn't play anymore (or at least for the rest of the day).  But then I found out it was really easy earning more.  So after a few tries of crashing into walls, I got comfortable with the controls playing on keyboard and was able to get through without blowing up into a ball of fire.  As the name would suggest, there is a lot of drifting.  Drifting is one of my favorite things to do in racing games, and they generally feel too slippery or uncontrollable to be any fun in most racing games.  But it felt really good the very first time I drifted in-game and it looked really nice too.  The only mode beside Time attack is spirit race which is kind of like a single-player/multiplayer mode experience where you race against the ghosts of other players rather than live time.  This eliminates the problem when a player plays at a low player count time in the day and doesn't have anyone to play with/against.  On the other hand, the ghosts can't really react to the players actions and respond to them.

The graphics are beautiful and the music is amazing, but the mechanics of how the game works worries me.  The actual game during a race feels fine and I actually like how it feels despite not liking blowing up after one bump into the wall and starting over.  The real problem is everything in-between racing: having to use repair kits to repair cars you total, not being able to play the next level until you level up, you have to replay the same two levels several times over before you unlock the next level and you have to replay that a few more times before unlocking the one after, you can only own a certain number of cars unless you pay real money to unlock more slots, you must log-in/start-up the game every 24 hours to receive bonuses, etc.  The entire game just felt very "facebook", time orientated with a lot of repetition.  So in the end, I wasn't having that much fun and it felt like I was playing under a very limited restriction.  I did like that actual "in-game" play and that's when I looked up more about Ridge Racer Driftopia and realized that the levels, graphics, music, gameplay and such are all assets from Ridge Racer Unbounded.  Despite being disappointed with Ridge Racer Driftopia, my new found interest in Ridge Racer Unbounded made trying the game out worthwhile.  Keep in mind that Ridge Racer Driftopia is still in beta/early access and will continue to grow, so it might get better in the future.  For me, I want a full game with no restrictions due to micro-transactions or heavy time investment and I think Ridge Racer Unbounded might be the thing for me.

NewNews - Phantasy Star Nova

Image from Joystiq (Source below)

Yay, news about Phantasy Star Nova!  Booo, it's not about Phantasy Star Online 2!!!  As excited as I am about another Phantasy Star in the making, Sega hasn't really reached out to fans of Phantasy Star in the Western market in the past few years.  Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinite wasn't brought over and Phantasy Star Online 2 was announced for the West a year ago with a set launch of Spring 2013 as we approach the Fall of 2013.  The launch of PSO2 in the West has not been canceled, but it has been postponed until further notice.  With that said, can we even expect to see Phantasy Star Nova here?

Phantasy Star Nova will be developed by Tri-Ace and published by Sega.  The game can be played Offline or cooperatively online for up to 4-players.  Given Tri-Ace's past projects, I'm wondering if the game will be a bit more traditional with turn-based elements rather than an Action-RPG experience.  It's possible that it could be turn-based Action-RPG like the Tales series (which their project with Radiata Stories and Star Ocean was like).  The last three games developed by Tri-Ace were released and seen in the Western market for the Playstation 3: Resonance of Fate, Star Ocean: The Last Hope International, and Final Fantasy XIII-2.  Whatever it may be, I look forward to seeing Phantasy Star Nova in the future.  Phantasy Star Nova is set to launch on the PS Vita in Japan in 2014.

Source:
-Joystiq - Phantasy Star Nova announced for Vita

NewNews - Deep Down Trailer

Source: Youtube Channel cogmovie

There's finally a trailer for Deep Down!  Or so I thought.  The video reveals some futuristic themes going on with Medieval themes during combat that's familiar to the Demon's Souls and Dark Souls series.  We hear that one of the characters can see memories from an object, so perhaps there's an Assassin's Creed thing going on here where the character sees the memory of a place by re-enacting it through gameplay.  The music really doesn't match the theme, but I like it.  From what is told, the game is an Online Multiplayer Action-RPG.  Although it still doesn't show or explain much in terms of gameplay, it does give us a little more in-sight to what this game might be about.  It's one of the new IPs for the Playstation 4 that I'm really excited about.  This game will be kept under wraps and probably won't resurface until February 2014 when the Playstation 4 launches in Japan.  I'm looking forward to it.

Source:
-Joystiq - Capcom details Deep Down [update: trailer!]

NewNews - Trails in the Sky on PC & Sequel on its way!

Source: Youtube Channel XSEEDgames

In the past few years, I keep hearing from friends, critics, and other gamers that "The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky" is the best RPG for the PSP.  I never got around to it despite wanting to see what was so great about the game.  Today, it was revealed that the PC version will be brought over to the West on Steam while the sequel will be worked on being brought over.  The sequel will be translated by Carpe Fulgur (Recettear, Chantelise, Fortune Summoners) which will be their first big project.  It's been a while since they've announced on working on anything.  Although I'm happy that they're moving up to work on big projects, I had hoped they'd translate even more indie gems to bring over.  The first game for PC will release this Winter while the sequel will release next year in the summer.

Source:
-Joystiq - Trails in the Sky coming to Steam, Carpe Fulgur translating sequel for PSP and PC

GameLight Review - Bulk Game Review (9-5-13)

I have, once again, accumulated a large list of completed games that I couldn't possibly go through one by one and will give a simple review for each one.

[The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing - PC]

Genre: Top-down, Point-n-click, Action-RPG
Recommended: Yes
Van Helsing was a surprising entry into my list of games and one that I enjoyed.  The game's short and offers limited character builds compared to most Diablo-esque games, but delivers a satisfying experience with easy drop-in/drop-out online multiplayer.  The witty dialogue between Katarina and Van Helsing, the subtle yet beautifully memorable melodies of the music, and flashy animations of all the destruction that is done made for an entertaining Action-RPG experience.

[Alan Wake - PC]
Genre: 3rd-Person Shooting Adventure
Recommended: Yes
Alan Wake is a lot more than what I expected.  The compelling story and challenging action aspects of the game kept the game interesting and the player wondering the entire way through.

[The Lord of the Rings: War in the North]
Genre: Hack-n-Slash, Action-RPG
Recommended: Maybe, Yes if you can find 2 other friends to play with you.
The game isn't entirely deep in terms of RPG or Story, but it does provide an exciting and satisfying Action Hack-n-Slash experience with the ability to cut off limbs and head as finishers.  It was a mildly entertaining experience that was more fun when playing with a friend than solo.

[Kung-Fu Strike: The Warrior's Rise - PC]
Genre: Arena Fighter, Beat-em-Up
Recommended: No
I really want to recommend this game as it has some of the best Martial Arts animation I've seen in a game as well as some tight "perfect blocking" mechanics; however, the game is severely flawed to the point where even the easiest difficulty was impossible to complete.  Rather than a traditional Beat-em-Up where you progress forward, the game plays much like an Arena Fighter where the player fights off mobs of enemies in a small room.  It was an entertaining and hysterical game after I found a cheat to play it, but it's not worth playing through legitimately.

[Legend of Fae - PC]
Genre: Puzzle, RPG
Recommended: Maybe
I did find the game to be really fun, but certain enemies and bosses were so frustrating, tedious and difficult that it didn't seem satisfying even after over coming them.  The game is rather challenging considering that it's listed as a casual game, but it was better for most of the game (not the boss battles).  I would mainly be able to recommend the game to those who specifically like Puzzle/RPG hybrids as the game seems too difficult for casual gamers to enjoy and too child-like themed for most core gamers.

[Mark of the Ninja - PC]
Genre: Stealth, Action-Platformer
Recommended: Yes
Although there is some familiarity to the developer's previous work "Shank", the game really stands out on its own and a great job of creating a stealth game in 2D form.  The game is challenging, thought-provoking, and satisfying when a tactic or plan comes together.  It also accommodates to many different play-styles such as playing carefully and passively with stealth and no kills, being mischievous using trickery and tactics, or aggressive with straight-up massacre.

[McPixel - PC]
Genre: Adventure
Recommended: No
McPixel presents the player with a series of clicking Mini-games to save the day.  Often times, clicking the wrong object causes odd or hilarious events to happen.  Its novelty runs dry very quickly and each minute I spent on the game made it feel like my IQ was dropping.  The game is very obscure with a lot of crude humor that was non-nonsensical with absolutely no challenge as everything is trial and error.

[God Mode - PC]
Genre: 3rd-Person Shooter
Recommended: No
Although I had fun with the game, it's not one I could easily recommend to friends.  The game is obviously made for cooperative online multiplayer, but the game suffers from the inability to match-make correctly or at all which results in a lot of players playing solo.  Although combat is not deep, the mechanics are simple, straight-forward, and satisfying.  The game is quite challenging and has a decent amount of weapons and modifiers from "Test of Faiths" to keep it interesting.  Sadly, solo play does get old and not being able to play multiplayer does provide very little to offer in replay value.

[Eternal Sonata - PS3]
Genre: Action Turn-Based RPG
Recommended: Yes
Some may complain that the game is too preachy.  Some may not like how repetitive and short the game is for an RPG.  But for me, the game had a nice steady flow in progressing with little to no grinding required, a decent story, and a entertaining combat experience.  Along with my love for Chopin, the music by Motoi Sakuraba made for a wonderful music experience.  Fans of the Tales series would probably enjoy this game.

[Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce - PS3]
Genre: Action Hack-n-Slash
Recommended: No
I love Dynasty Warriors and I thought this spin-off had a lot of fun ideas and mechanics that really deviated from the main series in an interesting way.  Being able to fly around fighting Lu Bu while going into Super Saiyan mode DBZ style was so ridiculously awesome that I thought for sure this would be a great game.  Sadly, I started to see how the worked and didn't like where it was headed.  Essentially, the game is short and was originally made for the PSP (handheld) and thus was designed all around a LOT of grinding and replaying levels over and over again.  The game was also meant to be played with 4-players with the PS3 version providing online play.  I didn't think anyone would play it anymore considering how late I got it from release date, but surprisingly I connected to one other player who helped me defeat Lu Bu because it was impossible in one of the stages I was at.  Still, the game was a massive grind and it was difficult to enjoy when it meant playing the same level over and over again.  Certain mechanics such as air dashes and wielding two different weapons was eventually implemented into the main series which made me happy.

[Call of Juarez: Gunslinger - PC]
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Recommended: Yes
The last Call of Juarez I played was Bound in Blood, and that game was kind of slow near the end.  Not so with Gunslinger.  The unique story telling with the player re-enacting all that is being told, exaggerated and changed was really interesting in terms of a narrative.  The gameplay was fast-paced and offered various ways of playing depending on what skills/weapons were picked up along the way.  The one thing I didn't like was dueling.  I hated it in Bound in Blood, and I still don't like it in Gunslinger.  Overall, the game does feel fluid, challenging, and exciting.  The game doesn't have a multiplayer mode, but it does provide a decent single-player experience for the cheap price of what it's asking for.

[The King of Fighters 13 - PS3]
Genre: 2D Fighter
Recommended: Yes
I was saddened by the smaller roster than what I'm used to in the KoF series, but I was also pleasantly surprised by the over all feel, refinement and quality of the game and its characters.  Despite the usual characters and move sets being present, the game does feel rather fresh.  The backdrops and character animations are gorgeous while still retaining the overall atmosphere of the long running series.  As much as I like this iteration, I'm hoping they bring back more characters in the next game.

[Tekken Tag Tournament 2 - PS3]
Genre: 3D Fighter
Recommended: Yes
The roster contains characters new and old with an array of customizations for your favorite one.  TTT2 definitely is the definitive version of a Tekken game it can get with a highly balanced character roster, shiny graphics, and super smooth frame rates.  Also capable of playing up to 4 players.

[Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition - PS3]
Genre: 2D Fighter with 3D Graphics (2.5D Fighter)
Recommended: Yes
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition held up pretty well as the definitive iteration of the game until Capcom announced Ultra Street Fighter IV at EVO this year.  At this point, there are two things you can do if you want to play Street Fighter IV: Buy this version and upgrade to Ultra with ($15 supposedly) or you can wait until Ultra releases and just buy that to have the definitive version of SFIV until they decide to milk us some more.  But overall, SSF4AE has everything one would want for a Street Fighter.

[Cave Story+ - PC]
Genre: 2D Action-Adventure Platformer
Recommended: Yes
I mainly bought the plus version to support Daisuke Amaya in his creation of a masterpiece.  Cave Story+ mainly adds an "HD" graphics which doesn't improve the game as most people find the original graphics to be part of the charm of the game while there are two other music selections besides the original: New and Remastered.  "New" changes the songs up a bit and might not sound that great to those who are already used to the originals while "Remastered" is a recreation of the originals that change very little to structure and is more of an instrument change.  Cave Story+ also adds challenges and a boss rush mode to the game.  Even if you don't pick up this game, go and download the original for free and play it.  It truly is a masterpiece of a game that's reminiscent of classic NES games like Metroid and Megaman.

[Street Fighter X Tekken - PC]
Genre: 2D Fighter
Recommended: Maybe
If anything, it's probably better to grab the PS3 or Xbox 360 version of the game as the PC version no longer has anyone playing online.  For me, I generally play against computer AI or with friends.  The game is an interesting cross up of Street Fighter and Tekken with a lot of flashy abilities and techniques that can be used against your opponent.  It's also annoying having to go through Games for Windows Live every time I want to play.  Gamepad detect is no problem at all.  I've used both gamepad and fightstick and was able to configure the controls with ease.  Although the game can be played competitively (featured at EVO the past 2 years), it'll be probably more enjoyable to those who don't play as intensely.

[Sniper Elite Nazi Zombie Army - PC]
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Recommended: Maybe
The game isn't very deep and can be considered very repetitive to some players; however, it was straight-forward and mostly enjoyable for me.  Using a sniper rifle against Zombies doesn't seem to be the most practical method of taking them down, but it is pretty satisfying seeing the bullet travel in slow motion as it breaks and tear the legions of the undead apart.  The game can be played 4-player cooperatively online on higher difficulty settings and make for an interesting multiplayer experience, but the game is mostly about kiting and fetching items still.  It'd definitely be fun to play with 3 other friends while on voice chat though.

[Way of the Samurai 3 - PS3]
Genre: Action-RPG, Simulation
Recommended: No
I've waited so long to get any one of the Way of the Samurai games in the series, and I had finally gotten the third one.  I did have some fun with it, but it's simply not a game for everyone.  The game is very open-ended and does little to teach you how to play (on purpose) so that you can explore, experiment and learn along the way.  You pretty much try your best to be a Samurai by not killing people unless you really need to, helping others, and fight for a cause you believe in.  The first few hours were a confusing mix of doing odd jobs that were either dumb, boring, frustrating, or pointless.  I then learned that it was just method of earning money rather than to progress the story.  A number of decisions can affect the outcome of a playthrough and give one of over 20 different endings.  If you have the patience, don't mind poor quality development (graphics, sounds, animation, etc.), then the game can be rather entertaining and even memorable in some events.  I found the ridiculous nature and hilarity that can come about from screwing around in the game to be some of the most fun I had in the game.  But other than that, I'd say the game caters to a very niche group of players.

[Skullgirls - PC]
Genre: 2D Fighter
Recommended: Yes
I have ignored Skullgirls up till now and eventually Pre-ordered it when I found out it was going to release on PC.  I've heard a lot about the comprehensive tutorial and how great it was and I finally understood why.  It teaches all the most fundamental basics of a 2D fighter to the player that no other Fighter teaches and thus allows the player to use the same basics and bring them to any other 2D fighter and have an easier time to learn how to play.  Story mode is rather short, but it does provide some personality behind each character.  There isn't a versus mode against AI and so Single-player only has Story Mode and Arcade Mode to rely on.  I kind of wish there was an endless mode or survival mode of some sort for Single-player.  The game is a lot of fun and runs really smoothly online.  Combos are pretty easy to pull off compared to most fighting games.  This game is a must for those who want to get into Fighting games and hasn't played one before.

[S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - PC]
Genre: First-Person Shooter, Survival
Recommended: Yes
If you're bored with linear First-Person Shooters that shuffle you from one point to the next, you should definitely check out STALKER.  This open-world, first-person shooter, survival game was a fresh experience with lots of non-linear gameplay providing a lot of side-quests, bonus items to find, and all sorts of loot to gather and manage.  The elements in the game resemble a lot of what made DayZ popular: open world exploration, looting enemies, finding food and drinks to stay satiated, etc.  Surprisingly, there are still people playing the game online which is the closest to resembling DayZ.  There are two iterations in the series that follow this that I'm looking forward to playing once I find the time.

[Bleed - PC]
Genre: Run-n-Gun Platformer
Recommended: Yes
The game's not particularly long nor is it very expensive ($5), but it was really fun.  The game tries to capture the charm and difficulty of classic run-n-gun games in a fast-paced action environment with lots of enemies, the ability to air-dash and slow down time, and tough boss fights.  The game can be played 2-player cooperatively as well if you attach a controller.  The game can be incredibly challenging on higher difficulty settings.

[Cortex Command - PC]
Genre: Sandbox, Action, Strategy
Recommended: Maybe
It's not a very straight-forward game and is very conceptual.  Once you figure out how the game works, it's really up to you to "make" it fun.  A lot of the controls for moving and shooting are pretty clunky and unruly.  This is what usually makes it frustrating for most players.  Still, there is a lot that the player can do and can provide a lot of entertainment for those patient enough to build their level and rules to fit the scenario they want to play.

[Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara - PC]
Genre: Beat-em-Up
Recommended: Maybe
A port into the modern generation, Chronicles of Mystara brings the classic Arcade, Dungeons & Dragons, beat-em-up "Tower of Doom" and "Shadow Over Mystara" to the modern generation consoles free of the need to keep stuffing in quarters.  I have never played the originals, so this was a fresh experience for me.  I understood why it was so revered as I played through the game: multiple story/level paths, collectible equipment, various skills and items to utilize, challenging and memorable bosses, and 4-player cooperative multiplayer.  This port allows online cooperative play, but sadly no one plays it anymore (I was able to join 2 games during the first day I bought it during a sale).  Then there's playing 4-players locally.  The problem is that it didn't recognize any of my controllers which leads me to think that it only uses Xbox 360 controllers like a lot of PC games nowadays.  Because of these two factors, I couldn't easily recommend this game as most beat-em-ups are more fun with more people.

[Sacred Citadel - PC]
Genre: Beat-em-Up
Recommended: Maybe
Sacred Citadel has the same exact two problems as D&D: Chronicles of Mystara: No one plays online anymore and it only recognizes Xbox 360 controllers.  Even beyond that, the game offers little in variety.  Although there are specials moves and abilities, the most effective strategy is to trap all the enemies in a corner and repeatedly stun-lock them there.  The game would definitely be a different experience and be a lot more entertaining if you played multiplayer as other strategies come into play with multiple players.

[Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 - PC]
Genre: Platformer
Recommended: No
Sonic 4 tries very hard to capture the magic and nostalgia of the original trilogy but fails to do so in the most important factors.  The levels resemble very closely to other levels in past Sonic games such as the first level, the Casino zone, and the Mechanical laboratory.  Some of the backdrop really are impressive, but some of the other aspects in terms of graphics just didn't do very well for gameplay.  Animation, in particular, causes Sonic seemly move slower, feel heavier and clunky, and some of the hit-box detection really doesn't match up with the model.  A lot of the gimmicks and level designs also really slow down the flow of the game.  There's also a lot of points in the game where unexpected things happen.  The very last boss was nothing but unexpected things one after another.  If it weren't for the fact that I had a few dozen lives by then, I would have been furious having to start over that level every time just to figure out what the heck Dr. Robotnik/Eggman was going to do next.  I did not enjoy Sonic 4 very much.

[Monaco - PC]
Genre: Action, Strategy
Recommended: Absolutely, If you can find friends to play with
As a single-player game, Monaco is just challenging and rather frustrating.  But playing with friends really changes the game.  Hilarity and shenanigans ensue as you and your friends try to coordinate a plan to sneak into buildings, steal money, and get out alive as traps, alarms, guards, and dogs cause all sorts of havoc.  Unfortunately, the game uses Xbox 360 controllers for local I think since my gamepads weren't recognized in the game.  But online multiplayer with my friends really was a lot of fun.  The game is also compatible with the Steam Workshops which presents an infinite amount of possibilities for the game in the future.

[Rush Bros. - PC]
Genre: Platformer, Racing
Recommended: No
What really got me interested in Rush Bros. is that it featured music from Infected Mushroom.  It takes music and matches the levels moving parts, traps and doors to the beat as the player races through it to get to the goal.  At first, the game is pretty solid with a lot of potential for speed runners playing competitively.  But as I got to the later levels, most all the levels I came across involved a lot of traps, getting lost while trying to find keys to a locked door, mechanics that took the player back where they were 1-2 minutes ago, and showed how flawed some of controls in the game were.  What's more, a lot of the levels didn't follow the beats of a song correctly which made it ridiculously hard to predict the pattern of certain traps.  There were even a few level I found that were impossible to complete.  I don't mean to say "very difficult", I literally mean impossible as it presented no form or method to get across certain points.  The game has some good ideas, but the game overall is highly unrefined and broken.


Whew, that's it for now.

GameLight - Chaos Code

Official Site: http://www.fkdigital.net/chaoscodeps3en/
Source: Youtube Channel PlayStationAsia

Another overseas fighting game has made its way to North America as a downloadable game on PSN.  Chaos Code is a 4-button 2D Fighter with a lot of modern mechanics such as air-dashing, double-jumps, invincible frame dodges, specials, grabs, and cancels.  If I were to compare it to any fighting game, I'd say it's closest to The King of Fighters series with a bit of Melty Blood.  I'm not sure what to think of the game by looking at it, but it is $11.99 so I might try it out.  Honestly, I think Phantom Breaker looks a bit more interesting, but no release date for that game has been made yet for North America.  Chaos Code is available for download at $11.99 on the Playstation Network for the Playstation 3.  Keep in mind that the game doesn't have online play at the moment, but will possibly feature it in the future as the developers patch it in.

Source:
-Shoryuken - Chaos Code Now Available on PlayStation Network in North America

VGCulture - Music - Christian Gabel

Soundcloud Page: Christian Gabel - Krater
Source: Youtube Channel Christian Gabel

I wanted to revisit a game I mentioned over a year ago called "Krater".  It is a top-down, 3-man party, Action RPG/RTS Adventure game set in a desolate, post-apocalyptic Sweden.  A lot of the atmosphere and influences that went into Krater was due to the inspiration musician Christian Gabel had when coming across a series of concept art seemingly meant for a movie.  He had worked on a soundtrack inspired by the images of Karlstad in ruins and shared his findings and work with one of the developers of Fatshark when he was at a party talking about science-fiction movies with them.  Fatshark had already been working on a post-apocalyptic game at that point and the developer Gabel was talking was fascinated by his story thus the studio collaborated with him on the development of Krater.

The music is very atmospheric with a retro sort of feel.  Gabel was fond of the use of synths and other old audio equipment which in turn made for a nostalgic sounding environment.  Some of the tracks would be then remixed for the game to fit the situation.  The feeling that I get from listening to the music while playing the game is one of familiarity, despite never having heard the song before.  And although I use the word "atmospheric" to describe the music, it's not the generic, cinematic sounding "atmospheric" that I'm against as most of the songs have some sort of recurring theme or hook to them that make them memorable, unique and distinguished.  I'm actually kind of sad this soundtrack wasn't used in a movie.

The reason for revisiting the topic of "Krater" since July of last year is that I eventually bought the game but never found the time to play it.  It went on sale various times and eventually I convinced one of my friends to grab it so we could play co-op on it.  Unfortunately, co-op is just a tiny mode where two players run through one of three very challenging dungeons to grab loot, level up, and earn some money.  The combat system and gameplay is interesting, but lacks content and variety.  There are only 4 classes to choose from and each class only has two skill (there are high tier versions of the skills for the classes later in the game) and characters have level caps to them which means getting higher level cap characters require leveling them up from the beginning.  Since there aren't any resources (mana/energy, whatever you want to call it), all skills are based off cool-downs and how the player cycles through.  The game is pretty fun in its own right, and the music is a huge (and I'm HUGE) plus to the experience; however, it does feel unrefined, unrealized, and full of potential that hasn't been tapped into yet.  The atmosphere and music of the game definitely are the highlights of the game thus far with the combat, class, and skill management being interesting but not entirely fleshed out.  I'm still holding out my definite opinion of the game until I've fully completed it first, but it's still not a game I'd be so sure of recommending to a friend.  The music, on the other hand, I would recommend anyone to listen to.  Click on the top link to listen to some of the track directly from Christian Gabel's soundcloud page.  And if you like it, the soundtrack is available on iTunes, Amazon, and various digitally distributed music sites.

NewNews - Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9 & Crypt of the NecroDancer

Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9
Crypt of the NecroDancer: http://necrodancer.com/
Source: Youtube Channel touchgameplay

Keiji Inafune (creator of Mega Man) left Capcom a few years ago to work on his on games under his new studio Comcept.  In between then and now, I've heard him work on a few small projects and Soul Sacrifice for the PS Vita.  This weekend, he finally revealed that he has been working on a new project that's considered a spiritual successor to the Mega Man series.  In this reveal, Keiji Inafune talks about this new game called Mighty No.9 and makes a LOT of references.  The game is a side-scroller Action platformer about a robot that wasn't infected by a mysterious computer virus that caused other robots to go crazy.  The main character will be able to acquire abilities from enemies he's defeated.  The character's name is Beck and the companion is Call (Rock and Roll = Beck and Call).  What the underlying message behind the creation of this game seems to be is that Inafune had some great ideas for the next Megaman game but wasn't able to go through with them when he was with Capcom.  So now, he wishes to use those ideas under a different identity despite it being so similar to what he cannot use anymore.  A lot of fans have responded and love what Inafune has shown.  For me, I'm really excited on what this game can turn into; however, I'm also afraid problems may arise from the blaring resemblance to the Mega Man franchise.  It'd be terrible for those working on the game and the fans awaiting for (and funded) it if Capcom decides to sue Inafune's studio and shut down the project.  But perhaps Capcom will ignore it altogether and focus on what they're doing and let Inafune do what he's doing.  I probably didn't mention it yet, but Inafune has already reached his initial goal of $900,000 within 2-3 days on kickstarter.  All that's left is the higher donation goals to get the game on consoles as well.  I wish Keiji Inafune the best of luck and look forward to playing the game in 2015.

The other game talked about over the weekend of PAX is an indie game called "Crypt of the NecroDancer".
Source: Youtube Channel Brace Yourself Games

It is a pleasant, and unexpected, mix between a rogue-like and music rhythm game.  Movements and actions done in sync with the beat of the music racks up combo points.  The music is created by famed musician Danny Baranowsky who made the music for Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Issac.  The player can also use their own music to play the game.  I love rogue-likes and it's been a silent genre throughout the decade which seems to have had a good year this year with several games under the genre.  I also love music rhythm games which seems to have had a dead period these past few years after the community got burnt out from all the guitar heroes and rock band games that released.  It is a surprising mix that seems to work as shown in the video and one that I'm looking very forward to releasing.  You can pre-order the game now on the top link for $22.49 and will receive a steam key for it when it's officially out as well as the soundtrack.