February 25th, 2010 by The Grey Ghost
Earlier this week, two of Final Fantasy XIII’s developers, Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama, were interviewed over at Tech Digest. Along with questions about FFXIII and the current RPG market, the two were asked the eternal question of the possibility of a remake of Final Fantasy VII. The two had both worked on FFVII, so few could better offer insight on Square-Enix’s interest in the idea.
Yoshinori Kitase offered these words of discouragement:
If it were possible that we had all the right facilities and the right environment to be able to make and prepare a Final Fantasy VII remake within a year, we’d very much like a go at it! But even Final Fantasy XIII has taken over three and a half years to create. If we were to recreate Final Fantasy VII with the same level of graphical detail as you see in Final Fantasy XIII, we’d imagine that that would take as much as three or four times longer than the three and a half years it has taken to put this Final Fantasy together! So it’s looking pretty unrealistic! But if any such situation came about by any remote chance, then yes, we’d do it!
This is an excellent point…at first. There is no argument that each installment of Final Fantasy’s canon should continue to uphold the highest possible standard in graphical quality. However, the same need not be said of remakes or spin-offs.
Many fans of FFVII would like to have a remake of the game that is a heavy competitor for its current-gen cousins. But what they (or I should say “we”) want is a reasonable revamp of the original blocky polygons and incongruous cut scenes. The level of graphic quality from PS3 launch titles would be welcomed with open wallets. The FFVII tech demo–nearly 5 years old now–exhibits an impressive graphical facelift that could easily be applied with current development technology.
My suggestion would be to use the same visual style as Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core or Final Fantasy: Dissidia. While not photo-realistic, it has a beauty that is both captivating and appropriate to that world.
There’s an undeniable market for Final Fantasy VII that Square-Enix is foolishly reluctant to tap. Since its release, the PSN port of the original FFVII has held strong at the top of the charts (with only a brief decline around the release of the PSP version of Little Big Planet). In fact, with graphics that are properly rationed, a FFVII remake could be available for download on either PSP or PS3 platforms. It could be the perfect incentive for gamers to more openly adopt Sony’s otherwise fruitless PSP Go.
There would always be fans that nitpick and the game’s developers may not be as artistically satisfied, but the game would sell like crazy. And isn’t that what this business is all about?
Posted in Games, RPGs | No Comments »
January 30th, 2010 by The Grey Ghost
??? as Elena from Street Fighter III
I’m ashamed to say that I struggle to find the identities of the cosplay models that I showcase in the column. Among I feel shame more especially, is this lady costumed as Elena from Street Fighter III. If anyone can supply a name, that would be awesome sauce.
I appreciate this case because it is a steep challenge for an Asian person to pull off a convincing portrayal of an African person who practices Capoeira. The high heels are a bit curious, but then she may have feet too tender to risk harm against sharp river stones.
Posted in Cosplay of the Week, Street Fighter | No Comments »
January 26th, 2010 by The Grey Ghost
Episode 20: “Get Your DDR Out Of My RPG!”
Run Time: 51min 14sec
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In the Method to Madness podcast, I’m joined with my good friend Kevin “The Business” Gray to discuss great anime and video games that you should be watching as well as ones you should feel ashamed you are watching.
This episode, we discuss…
Persona 4 & Magna Carta
Persona 4 and Magna Carta are two JRPGs that we believe were tailored specifically to test Kevin’s nerves. If their intent was to break his will, leaving him curled on his floor as a mere shell of a human being, licking the bible for strength, then mission accomplished.
Kevin takes spotlight this episode as the minstrel of warning to those yet to suffer through these titles. People who have played Persona 4 and sing its praises, be ever humbled by this fact: Your awesome game has a penis monster…that’s on your side.
Posted in Games, RPGs, podcast | 3 Comments »
January 15th, 2010 by The Grey Ghost
I’ve purchased Lunar: The Silver Star over three times across the past 15 years. This February, I’m going to buy it again.
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is the newest port of one of my all-time favorite JRPGs; this time on the PSP. I’d fallen in love with the Lunar games back in its original Sega CD days and picked up every incarnation ever since. From the PlayStation’s fully-revamped Silver Star Story Complete to the scaled down Lunar Legend on Game Boy Advance. The Lunar series has a strong cult following and I’m proud to count myself among the flock.
After playing through the PSP demo (released on the PlayStation Network earlier this week), I felt treated to sweeter, shinier eye candy with the more recent “Silver Star Story” flavor. The version of the story and gameplay so far appear faithful to the “Silver Star Story” incarnation and recycles its Gonzo-animated cut scenes. The soundtrack is just as familiar, though remixed to establish its own identity.
Withstanding the localization, while good, will be the most difficult for long-term fans of Lunar. Since the mid-1990s, the North American license for the Lunar games was cradled in the arms of Working Designs until its demise in 2005. The publisher and its captain, Victor Ireland, established their trademark in the form of their localizations, as well as their brilliant cast of voice actors. When time came to bring the PlayStation port stateside, extra effort was put toward bringing back the same cast from the Sega CD.
The license is now in the hands of Xseed, who–even though “Harmony” draws from the same material as its “Complete” predecessor–were not able to also acquire the rights to re-use Working Designs’ existing localization. This means a whole new script, new song lyrics, and new voice over cast for the English dub. This lack of consistency between this new port and the generations before it will be a challenge, though so far this orchestration has not felt inappropriate. As of this writing, I’ve yet to find any of the cast information and I’m anxious to hear if Ghaleon’s understudy can match the great John Truitt.
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
Limited Edition Contents
The PSP version will be released in two forms: Standard and Limited Edition. The standard edition, which is only the game itself, is a mere $30…cheap compared to most other PSP releases. The Limited Edition is a mere $10 more and will include the UMD of the game, a soundtrack CD, and 13 bromide cards of the Lunar’s lovely female characters.
Don’t want to spend money just yet? I encourage you to play the demo for free. Xseed seems to have followed Working Designs’ example by making the save data from the demo compatible with the full version of the game. Working Designs had the wisdom to establish a level cap in its demo for “Complete” to discourage unfair griding; I’m eager to see if Xseed is just as sharp. Additionally, applying the PSP demo’s save file is rumored to unlock special features in the full game. So get downloadin’!
Posted in Games, RPGs | 3 Comments »
January 1st, 2010 by The Grey Ghost
I typically shy away from PC games, mostly due to my machine seldom (if not barely) meeting the specs for minimum system requirements. Because of this, I engage in a ritual every few years when I do acquire a new computer: I’ll install a few of my games from 5-8 years past just to see what they look like on a PC that can handle their optimal potential.
This most recent round, the one title out of the handful I’ve re-installed that I found myself continuing to play through is Star Trek: Elite Force II. I know; it’s a guilty pleasure of mine. Up until I found it for under $5 at a used game store years back, I thought the premise of the game was absurd. Here’s the common sense math:
Star Trek + First-Person Shooter + “Elite” in the Title = Butt
Once I sank my teeth into it, however, I was blown away. The Elite Force games—Elite Force II, especially—is beautifully tailored for Star Trek fans. EFII’s single-player campaign is structured around a solid story, faithful in tone with the TNG-era series. As the lead character, you engage in Federation diplomacy, explore mysterious alien cultures, and tangle with Romulans. There’s a token garnish of technobabble, but it’s kept relevant and at a forgivable level.
The game’s most memorable missions place you in situations that any Trekker would gush in assuming a role. The first of which is the initial mission, which takes place during the Voyager series finale and ties EFII to its predecessor, infiltrating a Borg cube. Later, you restore power to a derelict ship, dodging the floating corpses of fallen crewmen. Further still, you’re surgically altered for an espionage mission at a secret Romulan base.
There’s even a level where you’re sent to walk the underside of the Enterprise-E’s saucer section, à la First Contact. I’m the only person on the planet that despised First Contact, yet I couldn’t resist jumping into the turret gun crying, “Come get some, bitches!”
Between missions, you’re able to explore familiar Star Trek locations, like Starfleet Academy and various decks of the Enterprise. Each of these areas are constructed in brilliant detail, successfully immersing you in the Star Trek universe. Each of these moments are a relaxing oasis and returning to them is my thrusting incentive to complete each mission, well beyond the simple satisfaction of victory.
Aw, crap.
What most captures me in EFII is the healthy amount of fan service. It’s subtle; players that don’t pick up on it won’t notice missing it. Those that do are in for a treat. Most of these involve references to previous Star Trek episodes and characters, but there are plenty of Easter Eggs to be found as well. For instance, in the Enterprise library, one of the computer displays shows a profile for the Predator. There’s also a hidden level where you enter a side-scrolling platform game resembling Super Mario Bros.
My favorite feature of the game is the ability to eavesdrop on the conversations of background characters. Aside from story-related dialogue exchanges, there are character-specific subplots, like the running gag of the plant-obsessed ensign annoying each of her crew-mates. There’s even a cantina bar scene where you encounter alien patrons having a discussion that paraphrases the Mos Eisley scene in Star Wars where Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi negotiate with Han Solo and Chewbacca.
[ insert pun about observing heavenly bodies ]
Of course, no thorough helping of fan service would be complete without a portion of sex appeal. EFII is on the ball with specimens of polygonal hotness. In fact, the ending cinematic is determined by a dating sim sub-game, where you can hook up with either your tenacious teammate or the busty blond alien chick in the metal bikini. Pimp it up, ye nerds.
My one gripe with the entire Elite Force series is its monsters. While you do face off against plenty of humanoid races, the primary adversary in both games are the same: Bugs. I can forgive their use in the first game since bugs are easy monsters to understand—there’s no remorse in splattering them and they need only be as gross as possible.
[ insert pun about the game being buggy ]
While they’re not the same bugs in EFII, they’re still bugs. That is not acceptable. I’m playing a Star Trek game, not Starship Troopers. The monsters in EFII could have easily been robots, energy beings, clones, or even trained monkeys.
That aside, the game is a must-play for Trek fans, along side Bridge Commander. Though obtaining a copy now will cost significantly more than the pocket change I paid for mine at the time. Because of the conflict between Activision and Viacom shortly after EFII’s release, the game has a slim chance of being re-printed or made available via digital distribution. Thus, I invoke my philosophy on piracy until someone gets their act together on a product with continuing evidence of support and demand.
Posted in Games, Reviews | 1 Comment »
December 27th, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
In our arrogance, we human beings prefer to believe that we’re sophisticated, highly-enlightened lords of our universe. The truth is that we’re still apes just barely out of the jungle. Apply enough pressure or hoist out the pillars of our worldly constructs and we revert to beasts enslaved by our savage impulses.
Case in point: The young man in the video below. His mother canceled his World of Warcraft account and his brother made note to document his reaction. Question my theories all you like, but you’ll understand by the 1min 10sec mark when his frustration occurs him to shove a remote control up his own ass.
Posted in Games, Humor | 2 Comments »
December 24th, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
In fact, this would be my dream Christmas:
Posted in Games, Holidays | No Comments »
December 10th, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
Just a couple weeks ago, Capcom confirmed the addition of new characters to its upcoming Super Street Fighter IV. Included in the mix are Final Fight heroes Cody and Guy. It’s a shame that Mike Haggar couldn’t complete the Final Fight reunion, but I suppose we’ll have to make do with Zangief’s alternate costume.
What’s somewhat curious is the Capcom’s decision to continue using Cody’s “Alpha” costume, which portrays him as an escapee from a 1920s chain gang. Unless Cody’s just a huge fan of O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?, I can only assume that the current installment of the Street Fighter games is just as much about time travel as it is about punching with fire. This may also explain why Sakura hasn’t aged a day in the ten years that take place between Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Street Fighter IV.
Fortunately, the developers of Super Street Fighter IV have saved me a call to Doc Brown, giving explanation for their design choices in a recent interview. Mad props to SRK member Azrael for the translation, BTW.
The short answer for Cody’s prison garb in SSF4 is basically this: Kids today are probably too young to remember what arcades are, let alone the original Final Fight. The most recent version of Cody that gamers might be familiar with is the design used in Street Fighter Alpha 3, just a decade ago. You kids… You just don’t know the guilty pleasure of a good arcade beat-em-up.
The inclusion of Cody also meant revisiting one of the features that made his character unique in Alpha 3: The knife. Despite it being a painful hurdle for the games programmers, the dev’s believe that Cody’s ability to pick up and throw a casually discarded knife adds an additional layer to the gameplay. More than just chipping away at each other’s lifebar, his opponents can now take part in a “keep away” meta game, with the knife as a MacGuffin.
In a Cody mirror match, only one knife will be available. If both Cody’s reach for the knife at the same time, only one will receive it. The other better start making some distance. More than just a knife will be available… Other Final Fight melee classics will appear, such as pipes and wrenches. No word yet on finding meat in oil drums.
Posted in Street Fighter | No Comments »
December 4th, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
My previous post with a similar video was arguably staged, which I realized as soon as I saw the boyfriend’s bogus reaction. All the same, the video made a point that was worth revisiting.
The video above may be genuine, if at least more believable. Again, I judge this by the boyfriend’s reaction, which in this case does not look scripted. The sudden cut of the camera suggests a real couple fight took place shortly after. But then, his request that she fetch him a drink is a bit cliché. And why would he post her video on his websites?
Whatever… You boys and girls need to grow up.
Posted in Games, Humor, Sex & Romance | No Comments »
December 3rd, 2009 by The Grey Ghost
This is a cool sketch comedy recreation of Street Fighter Alpha 2. Whomever directed it must have been a genuine Street Fighter fan, given the level of detail applied. There’s no way that any TV show in America would clear the sweet use of pyrotechnics, especially the ones used in the Chun Li Vs. Bison fight. Also notice Sodom’s Engrish intro.
My personal favorite special effect was Sakura throwing a pie in the face of the superimposed fanboy. The effect of Sakura’s fireball can easily be done using a fog machine, an Airzooka, and a stage light.
Posted in Humor, Street Fighter, TV & Movies | No Comments »
