Welcome one and all to the revitalized home of The Backlog! We'll discuss all things gaming as well as posting reviews, personal op-eds and random tomfoolery from your favorite 90's kid. So, strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride.
The adventure starts now.
What's Good, Neighborhood? Been a hot minute since the last blog post, huh? Not gonna lie, I feel kinda bad that we've gone 4 months since. However, today's posting is for a good reason. Let's rap about it, shall we?
As gamers, when we hang with our friends IRL or online, there is one conversation that inevitably comes up. The topic can be summed up as: "Man, I wish X game would be remade!"
More often than not, the conversation continues further with discussion of how certain things about said beloved game could be retooled for current generation hardware, mechanics, and audiovisual technology/techniques. Considering that these conversations can get pretty lengthy and the number of classic, currently vaulted, games that most players (especially Your Favorite 90s Kid, aka me) would love to see again is exhaustive, to say the least, I'm starting an initiative in this little corner of the internet.
Let's get these ideas out there or posterity. Let's start these discussions and put them together in a place where we can all gather and find them easily! Public square style! We'll call it...
"The Retro Remix."
This will be a forum where we can all get creative and, at the same time, rekindle the great memories of our favorite games. A place where we can focus our efforts on being happy. Like how arcades back in the 90s were great social hubs for gamers. So, with the forum setup for this, let's lay out a road map.
Each game and each remix submission will be its own blog post. This way, we can have an easier time keeping discussion of the remixes on-topic. Full submissions can be as in depth as the author wants and multiple remixes of the same game are allowed. I mean, the way I'D like to see a game remade may not be the same as how one of you folks would want to see it.
I'll be accepting submissions via email at BlazingAceGames@gmail.com. Be sure to include a social media handle of your choice (Twitter, Twitch, PSN, etc) in the subject bar along with the hashtag #RetroRemix so I can give you credit when I upload them. I'll be sure to notify folks on every platform I can to bring the party to you.
Let's use this to really bring our community together and showcase the talent that I know is within all of us.
There's a lot going on out there with this whole Wuhan Flu/COVID-19 business. So, I just want to make sure that to those of you reading this I say the following: Stay safe. Keep practicing good hygiene also follow best practices regarding being out in public, if you're still allowed to go. If you are stuck at home due to quarantine, then make good use of your time. Tidy up your home, find some exercises that you can do to stay active while indoors. Also, of course, get in some quality gaming. So long as we play it smart and take this seriously, then we'll be okay. Panic and melodrama are rampant, out there. Just keep a cool head, protect yourself and your loved ones. We'll make it out the other side of this crisis. Together.
Over the past week, I was pleasantly surprised by having the chance to revisit one of the most important games of my formative teenage years in the form of the demo for Final Fantasy 7 - Remake. Oh boy, did that hit me harder than I anticipated. Not only was this another of those games that has a combat system that feels fantastic to play, but it was more of my actual memories that were drawn forth from playing it. What I haven't had the real breadth of platform to express, though, is just how central Final Fantasy 7 truly is to who I am as a creator/storyteller. Allow me to share that with you now. As with the rest of my current personal projects, "Fated Edge" began as a fanfiction take on the world of FF7. The early concepts of the majority of the characters being directly referenced from FF7's cast. As my own sensibilities evolved and I grew to find more of my own identity as a person, the characters and the world evolved. Here's some examples:
The lead protagonist of Fated Edge, Daniel Sage, was my "Cloud Strife proxy." Messy blond hair, green eyes, swordsman. To differentiate him from Cloud, however, I went to great lengths to rework his personality. Funny enough, the closer approximation would be Zack during the later events of FF7 - Crisis Core. The martial artist/brawler character that joins Daniel on his adventure is a plucky, young goofball by the name of Damian Ramirez. Right off the bat, swapped gender to separate him from Tifa. I made him more of the comic relief when outside of combat and as time goes on, he and Daniel will forge a friendship akin to brotherhood. The healer/mage, my "Aerith proxy," Crystal Ellis. Firstly, don't expect her to die. Secondly, she still has elements of a playful personality combined with the outlook of a sheltered girl running away from home to see the world. Hence, how she meets Daniel and Damian. I could go on and on about the specifics, but the main deal is that this is a project I always revisit to gauge how far I've come in both my character design and my storytelling. There's also the fact that this project wouldn't really exist if not for the time I spent playing JRPGs in the 90s and Final Fantasy 7, in particular. To sum up, when that flood of nostalgia washed over me at the end of my first playthrough of the FF7 - Remake demo, it was more than just the time spent with my friends IRL. It was the time I spent creating and honing a whole cast of characters, the post-apocalyptic world they inhabit, and the ever-evolving story that I will, one day, finally get to tell. Until that day arrives, I'll keep gaming, working, and evolving. Here's to hoping you'll stick with me. In the meantime... ~Stay Good, Neighborhood
You start up your favorite game, right? You might watch the intro cinematic to get yourself hype, or because it's just a visual treat that draws you in even further. Once you press Start, load your file and double-check your settings, you're off an running. Once you're in-game, there's just something about the mechanics or the responsiveness of the controls that just makes it feel like you're going on instinct, but not necessarily going through the motions. This is the type of vibe that, I think, games should really strive for. I'll give some examples, in no particular order, of games with great gameplay/combat mechanics that I always return to. Feel free to reply in the comments with some of your own examples. Xenogears
Fei goes ham with the martial arts
I'm currently replaying this classic on my PSP and if there's one thing that always makes me keep coming back to this game and keeps me hooked over the course of the narrative, it's the combat. The "Deathblow system" employed in Xenogears turns the standard turn-based fare into a balance between managing your team's stamina (or fuel when piloting your awesome anime mechs) and unleashing relentless combos ranging from piledrivers to "shadowboxing" and all the 90s nonsense in between.
As it stands, there are other JRPGs out there that revolutionized action combat. Yet, even to this day for fans that're trying to build their own games and those that simply wish to see this game make a return (I count in both categories), if there's one artefact from this title that deserves another moment in the sun, it's the Deathblow system. Perhaps, even an evolved/updated take. Legend of Dragoon
Dart wreaks acrobatic havoc
What is there to be said about Legend of Dragoon that hasn't been said elsewhere already. Dart's rise from simple "hometown boy" to divine hero status is 4 discs of nothing-short-of-LEGENDARY. Much like the classic mentioned above, what helps the story sink its hooks even deeper into the hearts and memories of gamers the world over is what the game calls the "Additional Skill" system.
In yet another creative subversion of traditional, turn-based combat, Additions give each character a set of signature combos that require timing and accuracy to perform successfully. Even greater acuity is necessary to get the most damage you can out of each strike. What's more? Enemies have a chance a counterattacking mid-combo, so you have to stay on your toes. There's no simple button-mashing, here. Should the fans receive this dream-come-true remake (ala FF7), then realizing the Additional Skill system in a real-time setting would be, I'd imagine, a walk in the park.
Street Fighter 3 With fighting games reaching massive arcade market saturation, the late 90s was a battleground in multiple senses of the word. It was in the early months of 1997 that Capcom went on to reinvent their flagship title and, in return, fighting games as a whole. With the release of Street Fighter THREE, not only did they mostly stop the "counting to 3" jokes, but they also added a new defensive countermeasure to the martial-arts-chess-game that is Street Fighter: the Parry. If you were to tap toward your opponent on the joystick with precise timing to meet an incoming attack, you'd successfully parry it, taking no damage and putting yourself in prime attacking position. What's more is that you can do so for multi-hit assaults. With the system being further refined in future iterations of Street Fighter 3, it was 3rd Strike that came onto the scene as the fighting game "Belle of the Ball," but also ingrained this moment into the gaming zeitgeist forever:
EVO. MOMENT. 37
There are so many more examples of games out there where the mechanics just feel "right." Games where simply going hands on with them after so many years brings back a flood of memories from the time you first played. Take note, said feeling is quite subjective. So, any game can do the same for others as these three have done for me. Feel free to comment below or hit me up on social media (@BlazinAceNelsonon Twitter) and let me know which games evoke awesome "Muscle Memories" for you. Until next time:
So, I've been watching my good friend Oliver (@oliverbcampbell on Twitter) play Middle Earth: Shadow of War recently and it's brought to mind a pattern that I've seen in gamers as a whole. It's taken me a couple days to really mull this over, but I still want to articulate this and at least start the conversation. From what I've seen, gamers tend to fall into something of a 3-point Paradigm. All Triforce jokes aside, whether you're casual, pro, or any of the myriad qualifiers in between, when you get into gaming, you're likely to fall somewhere within this paradigm.
At the 3 points are the archetypes that I call Synergist, Synchronist, and Strategist.
Synchronists are the types of gamers that really manage to immerse themselves once they lay hands on the controller and start their chosen game. They form something of a direct 1-to-1 connection and can play as though they are immediately experiencing the scenarios built into the game. Even when you see someone lean with every turn their vehicle makes or flinch when their character takes a particularly brutal hit... That means they'd synced with the game to some degree. Playing shooters like Overwatch, a pure Synchronist can fine-tune their own reaction speed and accuracy to make seemingly lumbering characters like Zarya or Reinhardt into quick-draw terrors.
Synergists differ from Synchronists in that these types of gamers are more reactive, as opposed to being more reflexive. A pure Synergist is like a good improv partner. Their greatest strength is being able to take what's presented and play off of it, thereby interacting with the game they play from more of a "conversational" angle. Let's take free-flow combat games like WB's Arkham and Middle Earth titles, for example. Some gamers, like Oliver, adjust to the flow and systems and match their own reflexes and muscle memory to the games. In that instance, he could be counted as more of a Synchronist. I, on the other hand, take a bit of a broader view and play not as if I were Talion but rather as if I were in Talion's position. I leverage my observational vantage point to get the same results as my friend's reflexive playstyle.
The third vertex of this triangle is inhabited by folks that I like to call "Strategists." Strategists are the type of gamer that interact with their chosen title by digging into the built-in and external meta of the game. Their domain is collision detection, frame data, pluses or minuses on block/hit, etc. Those who are heavy Strategists generally have a wealth of experience under their thumbs/joysticks and, more often than not, come to capitalize on this knowledge to educate as well as excel. Commentators like "Tasty Steve" Scott (@Tasty_Steve) and David "UltraDavid" Graham (@ultradavid) are prime examples.
All gamers show traits from these three archetypes in the way they play. From the casual to the global competitor. While everyone falls within the bounds of this triangle, pros tend to characterize one or more of these archetypes to an extreme level.
At the end of the day, what does this all mean? Simple. We can all excel at and enjoy gaming not just for what gaming is... but for what WE as gamers are and what we each bring to the table. Or Triforce. However you want to put it. Just some food for thought for you. On that note, Work Hard, Game Harder and as always:
Stay Good, Neighborhood.
***Ace's Note: Originally written and posted on 12 October, 2017)
Over
the last few reviews, I've (hopefully) established the purpose of The
Backlog. The “Big Question” that these reviews and videos hopes
to ask.
“Can
these classic games stand the tests of time and competition?”
My
general conclusion is that if certain games can be preserved via
review or fully remade, that these classics can still be relevant in
the modern gaming age. It's about opening the time capsule that
contains some of our most cherished gaming memories. It's about
letting the rose-colored lenses, the scales of nostalgia, fall away
from our eyes for long enough to examine these games from a fresh
perspective. There's no more immediate answer to the “Big Question”
than Yakuza Kiwami.
A
special thanks goes our to Sega of America for providing the Metro
City Boys a review code for this game so that I was fortunate enough
to get in at least a week and a half worth of game time in
preparation for this review. With that said, Let's Rumble!
Sights
and Sounds
Yes,
ladies and gentlemen. This is a full remake of the original sleeper
hit Ryu Ga Gotoku, aka Yakuza, initially released on the PlayStation
2 in the US in December of 2005. The major and immediate difference
between this and the original classic is that the game was realized
and rebuilt using the same framework that powered the stellar prequel
that was released earlier this year, Yakuza Zero. As this is a direct
follow-up to Yakuza Zero, those that played the previous game will
immediately recognize our man-of-the-hour, Kazuma Kiryu.
Not
only will Kiryu be looking absolutely dapper in his iconic gray suit
and deep crimson dress shirt, but players will also be treated to the
familiar and always hopping red-light district, Kamurocho. Since the
game is utilizing the same engine as Yakuza Zero, everything in this
entry in the franchise looks absolutely stunning. Vibrant colors and
bright neon lights pulse with the heartbeat of the district, the
people milling about and going about their daily lives add a great
sense of reality to the setting and the major characters look
incredible!
Not
only does Kiwami look absolutely stellar, but the game SOUNDS so much
better, too! Gone are the English dubs, for better or worse (so long
Michael Madsen and Mark Hamill), in exchange for re-recorded Japanese
audio dialogue. The voice talent from Yakuza Zero, as expected,
returns reprise their roles in this follow-up. Kiryu has that
rock-solid, almost pensive air about him while in contrast, rival
gangster Goro Majima sounds manic, frantic and downright nutty! Even
during the times where I had to look away from the screen for any
given reason, simply listening to the characters as they spoke was a
treat.
Not
to be forgotten, the remixed soundtrack of Yakuza Kiwami is just as
much an improvement over the original as the visuals. Kiryu's furious
blows and brutal slams land with a visceral impact. You can hear the
metal twisting every time you bludgeon an enemy with a nearby bicycle
or motorcycle! The musical score is enough to bring just that much
more hype to every encounter and never gets dull. When we're talking
the incredible sights or the hard-hitting sounds of Kamurocho, the
best response I can relay to you is that good ol' reaction macro of
Pacha from the Emperor's New Groove. YOU KNOW THE ONE!
Going
Hands-On
This
will be said a lot over the course of this review, but those that
have played Yakuza Zero will feel right at home with Kiwami. Those
that have played any of the Yakuza games will feel right at home with
this one. Much like with the visuals and the sounds, the gameplay has
also been preserved from Yakuza Zero for use with Kiwami. Of course,
since you're only controlling one hero this time, as opposed to two,
one might think that this sequel actually takes away from the
plethora of mechanics offered in the previous title. I can assure you
that this isn't the case.
The
standard character progression trees (Body, Soul and Technique) are
still present, this time requiring levels of experience to build upon
and upgrade as opposed to using the thematically ludicrous amounts of
yen you earn in the previous game to “invest in yourself.” While
Body is used to increase your overall health and offensive capability
and Soul increases your Heat, allowing for more devastating special
attacks, Technique will be where you find the upgrades to Kiryu's
Brawler, Rush and Beast combat styles.
Speaking
of which, Kiryu will have access to all of those styles and even his
ultimate “Dragon of Dojima” style right from the start of the
game! A true carryover from Zero! Although, a particular story event
right at the start of the game will be used as the explanation of why
you have to start from scratch in terms of leveling Kiryu up. To be
honest, it's actually a clever and even reasonable explanation that
offers plenty of motivation to commit to the grind. Additional
abilities that allow you to cancel and switch between the different
styles mid-action make the combat even more fluid than before.
On
the topic of the Dragon of Dojima style, that has its own separate
skill tree and is tied to the newly introduced (unique to this
remake) “Majima Everywhere” system. Put simply, since Majima is
such a beloved character, the game was rebuilt to include segments
where you can encounter Majima at any point and any location in the
game outside of the established story encounter. After each victory
over the Mad Dog of Shimano, you receive an upgrade to the DoD style,
adding new abilities which even include attacks and weapon masteries
taken right from Majima himself!
Now,
no Yakuza game is complete without the usual distractions, sidequests
and miscellaneous tidbits that come with it. Yakuza Kiwami has that
in spades. You've got the return of the slot car racing from Zero and
even the classic karaoke and crane minigames. There's even casino
gambling, darts, and billiards! You know, the real classy adult-type
stuff. However... I need to take a moment to talk about the minigame
that supposedly FOR KIDS. That is none other than “MesuKing.”
Seriously, can we talk about this?
It's
like insect battling (a classic hobby among Japanese youth in the
90s), mixed with Rumble Roses and it plays like the
Rock/Paper/Scissors catfight minigame from Yakuza Zero. It's probably
one of the craziest things I've seen in this series and it's the part
of the game that gets the most consistent laughter out of me. Now,
keep in mind: these are scantily-clad women cosplaying as various
insects and engaging in some pretty serious wrestling and
humiliation/submission combat. THIS GAME IS SAID TO BE FOR KIDS!!!
The kids in the Club Sega arcade actually PLAY THIS GAME. LEGIT
COMPETITION!
Suffice
it to say, Yakuza Kiwami is no slouch in the “wild-and-wacky”
department.
Compare
and Contrast
This
time around, asking the Big Question is a bit of a tricky
proposition. The reason being that this game is actually the ANSWER
to said question. The Yakuza series is incredibly beloved in Japan
and Yakuza Zero really catapulted the series into the gaming
zeitgeist in the West. So, we can readily see just how well it stacks
up against its competition. Considering the state of the beat-em-up,
action RPG genre and open-world adventure genres, there are very few
games that could be considered direct competitors.
There
was one point where a large majority of the casual gaming public
looked at Yakuza as a derivative Rockstar's GTA series. However, over
the course of the franchise the Yakuza games have proven to be far
more than and far beyond being a mere derivative work. Similarities
in the expansive living world and the numerous amounts of side-story
content can be made between Yakuza and GTA, to be sure. However,
that's where those similarities end.
Long
Story Short
In
the past, I've referred to this game as the distilled essence of what
a good friend of mine dubbed “casual insanity.” The Yakuza series
seamlessly blends together gritty crime drama with off-the-wall
moments that one would think would break the immersion in a game
dealing with subject matter such as this. How one manages to take
things like Shun Akiyama's “magazine suppository” in Yakuza 4 or
the outrageously adult but still tasteful “MesuKing” and
intertwine them with the gripping samurai-esque story of Kazuma Kiryu
is a feat seemingly known only to the developers of this awesome
franchise.
To
be quite frank, the very existence of Yakuza Kiwami is the answer to
whether the original can stand the test of time. As to how it stacks
up against its competition, the fact that there was enough demand for
this game to be made let alone localized and brought to the West
should be evidence enough of how that could be answered. If
this wasn't clear enough, Sega is making another statement with the
announcement of a Kiwami remake for Yakuza 2, utilizing the Dragon
Engine that powers Yakuza 6.
Kiwami
is a love letter to fans of the series that have stuck with it since
the beginning. It also serves as a killer continuation for those who
had their first taste of Kamurocho with Yakuza Zero. At $30, this
game is a STEAL for the amount of content you receive right out of
the box. With all that said, get out there and Get. This. Game. You
won't be disappointed. So, until next time:
Stay
Good Neighborhood.
*** Ace's Note: This is a Backlog review that I, unfortunately, never got around to making a video for. However, I still wanted to write this up as a way to keep fresh in my mind what these reviews are all about as well as the format I've established. Enjoy!
With
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite fast approaching release, I've taken some
time to look at the conversation surrounding the game. The vast
majority of the criticism stemmed from the seeming lack of characters
on the roster. Fresh faces. Nods to beloved and forgotten franchises
cast aside by the former premier fighting game developer in favor of
their perennial cash cows. Among the characters and series that've
been long-clamored for (by myself as well as many others), there
exists the tale of... a samurai.
There
have been numerous games to come onto the scene that take historical
fiction and turn the content into an imminently entertaining time on
the consoles for which they've been developed. The Musou games,
Bladestorm and most recently Ni-Oh from Koei Tecmo immediately spring
to mind. However, Capcom has been taking their stab at historical
fiction action games as well with the Sengoku Basara series and, of
course, Onimusha.
While
the first game in the series, Onimusha: Warlords, could be described
as “Resident Evil w/samurai” and the follow-up (Samurai's
Destiny) introduced players to Magoichi, Fuuma, Ekei and a Jubei
Yagyu that looks strangely like action legend Sonny Chiba, it was
Onimusha 3: Demon Siege that really got its hooks into me as a gamer
and endeared me to this series. It's time, once again, to dive into
The Backlog and see just what this game brings to the table. So
polish your Oni Gauntlets and sharpen your swords.
Sights
and Sounds
For
a game that came onto the scene in the early third of the PS2's life
cycle, the rendering and overall visual design of this entry in the
series is pretty solid! One could only imagine how Onimusha 3 would
look when the textures and models are scaled up to any of the widely
recognized HD resolutions. All that aside, considering that Onimusha
3 sees the return of the main hero from the first game as well as
antagonists from the first two, a lot of the enemies are recycled
foes. So, if you've had plenty of time to face off against the Genma
archers or the brutes with the tetsubo, then you've got a good
understanding of what to expect.
There
certainly are a few new faces to deal with, though, like those creepy
slug-type monsters that split into smaller spawn when defeated by
normal attacks. There are also new floating wizard-type enemies that
cast rings to either damage or freeze you in place. There are also,
of course, new locations for you to traverse through in your battle
against the Genma. This is bolstered by the fact that the game takes
place across two different time periods: Sengoku Era Japan and Paris,
France circa 2004.
From
a visual standpoint, one of the highlights of this game is the
beautifully mo-capped opening sequence directed by none other than
Donnie Yen. Another big visual draw is the rendered likeness of
returning star Takeshi Kaneshiro as he's teamed up with Jean Reno the
leading man in Leon the Professional.
When
it comes to the sounds of Onimusha, everything is sufficiently
thematic for a supernatural fantasy game. Clashes and slashes have a
certain weight to them, the Genma howl and screech with unsettling
feral tones. Spoken dialog can be a bit rough on the delivery, but is
solid nonetheless. The definite high point of the sound design,
though, is the soundtrack. In particular, the return of Samanosuke's
theme from the first game in the series.
To
say that this looks and sounds like an Onimusha game, well that's a
given. However, compared to the first, Onimusha 3 had gotten quite a
bit of polish and it certainly shows.
Going
Hands-On
It's
not just in the audiovisual department that Onimusha 3 is a step up
from its immediate predecessors. The gameplay has been considerably
refined and even expanded on for this iteration. While movement is
still on the tanky side, combat has seen some improvements that make
the action feel a lot more fluid once you pick up the controller.
Even after going for years without playing it, I was able to quickly
adjust to the movement, targeting and pacing of attacks. Acquiring
the new slate of Oni weaponry was just as rewarding as always.
Re-learning various strategies in the Oni training was a joy and
unique abilities were powerful, yet incredibly well balanced.
This
is only enhanced by the fact that there are two fully playable
heroes, this time around. Samanosuke is familiar territory for fans
of the series that've stuck with it since Warlords. The new Oni
weapons he can acquire bring new elemental attacks to the battle. The
twin blades called Tenso are light-based, while Kuga is a wind-themed
nodachi. Bringing up the rear is the powerful, earth-based battleaxe
Chigo. For long range, you get various elemental arrows and for
maximized melee damage there's the “Ten-point Slash,” a unique
10-strike combo that requires knowing the rhythm of your current
weapon's unique attack string.
Jacques,
the new Oni Warrior to join the fight after being flung to the past,
is granted the Oni Whip to go with his gauntlet. With Jacques,
players are greeted to the classic slate of elemental weaponry for
fire, lighting and ice damage. Enja is a fire-based snake sword,
while Raisen brings the thunder in the form of a sansetsuyari
(3-section-spear). The chilling frost comes in the form of Hyosai, a
straight-up, spiked ball-and-chain! What Jacques also brings to the
table, as a result, is a unique long-range game. He can use his
flexible and extendable weaponry to tag flying enemies that require
Samanosuke to load up on arrows before engaging. Also, Jacques can
use his weapons to grapple enemies, objects and even special Oni
Fireflies to reach high places.
Among
the familiar mechanics of Soul Absorption and using the Protective
Mirrors to save/upgrade, the Dark Realm portals that take you to
bonus challenge areas and the trick puzzle boxes littered throughout
the game, the newest change comes in the form of Ako, the Tengu
spirit. On the surface, Ako seems like a nice little gofer for items
that drop during battle, but what really makes her shine is the
different colored vests (haori) that you can find and equip. Each
comes with its own passive buffs that apply to your character, like
being able to auto-recover health.
From
a control standpoint, Onimusha 3 is one of those sequels where even
though the change from the previous game isn't drastic in the
quantitative sense the QUALITATIVE leap from Samurai's Destiny
to Demon Siege is exceedingly and immediately noticeable.
Compare
and Contrast
It's
that time again, Neighborhood. Time to ask the question: Does this
game have what it takes to withstand the tests of time and also
competition? Well, in order to do that, we need to find its closest
modern-day competitor and that search is easy enough. I even
mentioned it earlier. That would be Koei-Tecmo's newest historical
fiction offering, Ni-Oh. Classic tank controls notwithstanding, the
combat in Onimusha 3 is much like Ni-Oh in that it is grueling yet
fair. To get the most out of your chosen hero, whether it be Will
Adams, Samanosuke or Jacques, you need to have a keen sense of your
surroundings and make use of all your available skills.
Facing
off against fantastical, supernatural creatures and fictionalized
avatars of famous historical figures is a hallmark of both Ni-Oh and
the Onimusha series. While the former focuses on a hero foreign to
Japanese shores, Onimusha takes a more immediate viewpoint with
Hidemitsu Samanosuke Akechi. The similarities between the two are
readily apparent. The question remains, though... Can Onimusha
compete?
To
be honest, the game holds up really well, graphically. Perhaps a
redubbing of the spoken dialog in the game and scaling up (if not
remaking) the visuals could really give this game a chance to shine
even brighter in the current gaming market. Only time will tell if
Capcom will even truly acknowledge this franchise once more.
Long
Story Short
As
far as sequels go, Onimusha 3: Demon Siege is a textbook example of
how to bring back the old and inject new life into its franchise.
Fans of the classic Samanosuke from the first game are treated to
having him as an accompanying hero, while those who want to see the
samurai evolve will have access to him directly. The inclusion of
Jacques was a brilliant move, even though during the initial
development the game was set to include New York as opposed to Paris.
If
this game were to make a resurgence today, without significant
improvements to the gameplay, it could very well be written off as a
Ni Oh clone and yet another attempt by Capcom to muscle in on
territory previously occupied by Koei Tecmo ala Capcom's Sengoku
Basara series as compared to Sengoku Musou.
Does
Onimusha 3 pass the test of time? With flying colors.
Can
it pass the test of competition? That would be more of a struggle,
but it's certain that the game could do pretty well in today's
market. I'd love to see Onimusha make a comeback, as the franchise
has some amazing characters and the stories among the different
protagonists are expertly woven together. Here's to hoping we haven't
seen the last of Samanosuke Akechi.
With
the season fast approaching its end, there's no doubt that Summer
2017 was a pretty big summer for fighting games. Between the
announcements of new content for current AAA titles and reveals of
exciting new ones, the future of the genre seems pretty bright.
However, there was one in the midst of it all that was on the verge
of stealing the show. That was the tentatively-titled “Arika EX,”
from the developers of the Street Fighter EX series.
With
the folks at Arika seeing such a massive surge of support for their
April Fool's revival of classic characters from their beloved spinoff
series, it's high time that we take a look back at these diamonds in
the rough. Perhaps a little background is necessary to help set the
stage.
In
the mid-90s, while working on their own unique fighting game, Arika
was approached by Capcom with a desire to see their Street Fighter
characters brought forth into 3D after the success of Street Fighter
Alpha and Alpha 2. Since the groundwork had already been laid out by
this group of former Capcom talent (directly credited for working on
Street Fighter 2), it was a simple task to add Ryu and Ken along with
other World Warriors to the fledgling roster. Thus, Street Fighter EX
was born.
Let's
take a look at what sets the EX series apart from the core Street
Fighter franchise as well as what reminds fighting game fans the
world over of Capcom's late-90s glory days as we dive right back into
The Backlog. This time, we're not covering just one game, but three.
So quarter up and brace yourselves for Street Fighter EX!
Sights
and Sounds
From
a visual standpoint, the EX series could definitely be seen as a
product of its time. When Street Fighter EX was first hitting arcades
and seeing distribution on the PS1, blocky character models
resembling those found in the original Tekken were the order of the
day. Of course, the technology available was largely untapped.
Developers were just hitting their stride with the new format and
hardware. Pre-rendered FMVs were the latest thing in cinematic
presentation in gaming! On the other hand, while the EX games tended
to be on the ground floor of their respective consoles visually, it
was the sound design where the games truly excelled.
Every
Shoryuken sounded like the heavy-hitting, juggernaut-class uppercut
it was meant to be. Each character sounded sufficiently iconic, from
Bison's laughter as he descends onto the battlefield in a globe of
Psycho Power to Kairi's anguished cries (voiced by the late Kaneto
Shiozawa) after unleashing the kind of beastly beating that would
give Akuma a reason to smirk with pride. More importantly than the
sound effects and voiceovers, though... DAT MUSIC THO! Oh my
goodness, that music!
From
the EX Opening to tracks like Strange Sunset, Light Guardian, Rising
Dragoon and everything in between the Street Fighter EX series blazed
an impressive trail with its soundtrack. In fact, the soundtrack for
the Street Fighter EX series has become so iconic outside of the core
franchise and made such an indelible impression that one of the most
prolific fighting game content creators on YouTube regularly uses
music from these games in his videos. I'm sure you know who I'm
referring to.
While
admittedly dated, it's easy to look past the blocky,
low-polygon-count models and the
“2D-painting-on-infinite-flat-platform” arenas to see that while
underrated, EX is no slouch in the audiovisual department. The sights
aren't always so grand, but the sounds more than make up for it.
Going
Hands-On
Listen,
folks. I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Street Fighter EX,
as could be expected, plays exactly like you'd imagine a Street
Fighter game to play. Six-button attack layout, punches and kicks of
escalating degrees. 8-directional movement on a 2D plane. Up for
jump, down for crouch, hold back to block. This is a series of games
for folks that have already been playing Capcom fighting games like
SF, Darkstalkers and the Marvel franchise games like Children of the
Atom and XMen vs. Street Fighter. While there's no tutorial for
newcomers to the franchise or even to the fighting game genre, the
controls are simple enough on their face that it's easy to teach.
What sets EX apart,
however, is the unique mechanics that are introduced to the games.
Not only can you cancel from normal attacks to specials and from
specials to supers (aka Super Cancelling), EX is the first to
introduce another kind of Super Cancel. The EX games allow you to
link together super moves one after another as long as you have meter
and as long as you're not repeating supers back-to-back. For example,
one of Ryu's more damaging combos includes cancelling from his
Shinkuu Tatsumaki to the Shinkuu Hadouken and back to the STSK for
the finish.
In EX2 and its
expansion, EX2 Plus, comes the implementation of the Custom Combo
system from Alpha 2 (here, dubbed Excel Combo). Also, every
character's movelist is expanded with the addition of powerful
3-meter-cost Meteor Combos. These vary from the tried and true Shin
Shoryuken to the impressively long and equally risky G.O.D. All of
them as iconic as the characters these moves are tied to. EX2 also
sees the return of franchise favorites Blanka, Vega/Balrog and Sagat,
as well as improvements to the cast overall.
With Street Fighter
EX3, an early title for the PS2 and one of the few that were still on
CD (blue-back) media, the systems of cancelling and Meteor Supers are
expanded further with the introduction of Momentary Attacks along
with the Meteor Tag Combo and Critical Parade attack. Momentary
Attacks, simply enough, allow you to chain together special moves
with the press of a button on impact. With EX3s focus on tag-team
fighting, that's where you want to make use of Meteor Tag Combos and
the Critical Parade. The Meteor Tag combos are Level 3 supers that
require a specific pair of combatants (Ken/Ryu, Guile/ChunLi,
Blanka/Dhalsim). Meanwhile, the Critical Parade is where both
fighters on a team are on screen with a limited-time allotment of
Unlimited Super meter to wreak havoc on the opponent.
The EX series also
introduces Trial Mode: a series of missions for each character,
involving performing their signature moves, optimized combos and
character-specific strategies of increasing difficulty. Trial Mode
solutions are like a master class in introducing fighting game
mechanics to the player like “buffering” and “negative edge”
without directly spelling them out. However, should you manage to
find the strategy guide for EX+A or look online for how to perform
the more advanced solutions typically found as a character's Mission
15 or 16, you'll find wonderful info and tips that carry forward into
fighting games of today.
The Street Fighter EX
series introduces dynamic revisions to classic gameplay while
bringing that same approach to its visuals and sound design. The
“Fathers of Street Fighter 2” really nailed it with this series
and it is great to see that they're making a return with the new
“Arika EX.” Beloved characters and solid gameplay, repackaged
using the updated high visual fidelity of Street Fighter 5. It's as
though the one issue that could be taken with the game is being
remedied as the IP is being brought forward to the modern-day.
Compare
and Contrast
Once
more, it's time to ask the question. How does Street Fighter EX and
its sequels stack up to current games in the same genre and even
within the same franchise? Well, we should start with the obvious and
get that out of the way. By today's standards, the EX games look
dated as all get out. Although the models and backdrops are very much
artefacts of outdated tech, from a standpoint of sound design and
visual design, one could argue that with a fresh “coat of paint”
the EX games could very well compete with the likes of Street Fighter
5.
The genre is making
quite the resurgence, so a game like Street Fighter EX will see some
stiff competition. However, if the positive response to characters
like Kairi, Hokuto/Shirase, Darun and Skullomania at this year's
Evolution tournament is any indication, then Arika EX will do a far
better job of answering the question of The Backlog than I could. I'm
looking forward to seeing it when it does. The beta can't get here
fast enough.
Long
Story Short
Arika
and Capcom's Street Fighter EX series is a fine example of bringing
time-tested designs and gameplay into a new age of gaming and game
development. We wouldn't see the cast of Street Fighter in 3D again
until the release of Street Fighter 4 in 2009. The receptions of the
later versions of SF4 and that of SF5 on release served to redirect
the attention of a rather sizable contingent of the FGC back to games
like EX. Games where content is unlocked based on the work you put
into playing the game, where the characters are unique and memorable.
Characters like Rufus
and Laura are a flash in the pan, but Skullomania, Darun and Vulcano
Rosso are seen as so much a part of the Street Fighter lexicon that
they match up to Ryu and Ken. So, when on April 1 of this year, the
devs at Arika streamed their game on Twitch, there was a groundswell.
Soon, we'll see that tidal wave of support realized as Arika returns
to the arena with Garuda, D.Dark and the rest of the crew along for a
brand new battle.
Does the Street
Fighter EX series stand the test of time? Yes. It's like dusting off
and polishing a long-unused katana only to find that the edge hasn't
dulled. Street Fighter EX is worth a revisit for the music alone. EX2
for the refined gameplay (no wonder it's so rare). EX3 is a great way
to experience the 2-on-2 tag system that's going to be present in
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite without having to struggle through the demo
to use it to the fullest.
With that said, it's
high time I sign off. Happy gaming and as always:
What's
good, Neighborhood? I'm pretty sure my opinion on this game by itself
is evident from my reactions as I've played through it for the first
time in years. However, it's not simply my opinion on this game
that'll be the focus here. So, for those of you that have joined me
for the week-long LP and those that are just coming in for the review
I would like to formally welcome you to The Backlog. To celebrate the
release of the anime on Netflix, our inaugural review will focus on
one of the franchise stalwarts.
Castlevania:
Symphony of the Night.
Symphony
of the Night is widely regarded as one of the purest forms of gaming
excellence. From its soundtrack to the dynamic sprite-work and
animation, the subtle use of 3D rendering for the sprawling and lush
environments, very few times (before or since) has Castle Dracula and
it's adjacent environment been realized so fully and to such
universal acclaim. Symphony of the Night is a game with so much
impact that it has defined a specific genre and style of video game
that has lasted for 2 decades.
The
question remains: In this new era of gaming and game development,
even within the sub-genre that SotN has helped usher into the
industry, does this game stack up to what modern technology and
techniques have been able to produce? While that answer may be
obvious to you, Neighborhood, it's best that we explore the “how”
and the “why.” You picking up what I'm putting down? Yeah? Good.
Let's get started.
Sights
and Sounds
When
you first boot up the game, the Konami logo card that greets you
after the nostalgic boot screen for the PS1/PSX is bombastic and
creative in a way that is emblematic of the 90s. Afterward you go to
the title card and are prompted to jump right into the game. The next
menu is definite foreshadowing for the game itself, showcasing a
haunting vocal melody as you go about the business of loading your
game. If it's your first time starting a new game file, things take a
decidedly interesting turn as the peal of a guitar riff signals the
immediate start of the action.
The
prologue section of this game was designed to not only serve as a
little backstory for the events of the narrative proper, but also as
a nod to fans of classic Castlevania as you get to replay Richter
Belmont's final battle against the big daddy vampire himself,
Dracula. It's a great blend of old and new (for the time) and the
quality of CD audio definitely lent an extra clarity to sounds of the
coming clash. It's in this prologue that we get some of the most
iconic lines in gaming, such as the age old question-and-answer.
“What
is a man? A miserable pile of secrets!”
After
Richter's victory and the appropriately melodramatic text scroll
plays detailing the story in between games, you're returned to the
action as you see a decidedly more detailed character racing through
the forest at top speed. As Alucard, you battle through the
initially-darkened halls of the castle, but before long the lights
come on and not only are you greeted with the opulent castle
interior, your ears are also introduced to the hybrid rock-opera
soundtrack.
While
the game takes place only within the castle itself, the different
areas of this place are unique and replete with their own individual
visual theme, musical theme and a roster of enemies as menacing as
they are detailed. From the castle library with its floating
phantasms and skeleton duelists to the underground catacombs complete
with frogs, fish monsters and whatever that rose-woman is... Every
area looks and sounds like a whole world unto itself.
Boots
on the Ground
To
those that are old ranch hands when it comes to action-platforming
titles, playing SotN is like riding a bike. Once you learn it, you
never truly forget. The controls are simple on the surface. The D-pad
controls movement, the face buttons are for your basic actions like
attacking, jumping and a special action; Square, X and Triangle,
respectively. Up plus your attack button uses your staple Castlevania
sub-items. However, when you switch from Richter to Alucard, things
get a bit more intricate.
As
Alucard, your moveset opens up considerably as you can equip both
hands with various weapons, shields and items to help you through the
game. Your left and right hands correspond to the Square and Circle
buttons and keeping track of which hand is which will definitely come
in handy later in the game. The Triangle button action for Alucard is
a backward dash that is great for evasion and re-positioning. Outside
of your basic actions, you will eventually obtain transformation
abilities that are mapped to the shoulder buttons (R1 for the Bat, R2
for the Wolf and L1 for Mist).
As
an interesting nod to fighting game players, Alucard also comes with
his own unique spells that are activated by inputting different D-pad
combinations ending with either Square or Circle. In short, there are
a lot of options for how you want to control Alucard.
The
other parts of this game's “Holy Gameplay Trinity” are the
platforming and the exploration. The platforming, by and large, is
tight and precise. Moving from one area to the next using your jumps,
dashes and transformations is intuitive and rewarding. However, there
are some holdovers from classic Castlevania games that rear their
heads. In particular, getting hit-stun locked into a ricochet loop
that will most definitely kill you if you happen to get really
unlucky. There's also the annoyance of floating enemies being at just
the right angle to stymie any forward progress you may want to make
when dealing with a particular platforming segment... Medusa Heads in
the Castle Tower, I'M LOOKING AT YOU!
The exploration in
this game and the emphasis on uncovering new areas via backtracking
with newly acquired skills or items is one of the shining areas of
this game. It's also part of why the “Metroidvania” sub-genre was
even coined in the first place. There's also the Castlevania classic:
breaking walls to find hidden passages that are off the beaten path
in addition to hidden items. Wall turkey, anyone? What's more, is
that in a clever reuse of assets, the game was basically DOUBLED in
size with the inclusion of the Inverted Castle. The entire map is
flipped on its head along with the player's expectations of this
already phenomenal game. Along with the topsy-turvy map is a new
cadre of bad guys to cut down in each area and bosses to conquer
before battling a revitalized Dracula for the true finale.
Taking all this into
account, you can build a pretty convincing case for why SotN is
considered a timeless classic in gaming.
Compare
and Contrast
Now
comes the point where we ask the main question of The Backlog itself.
Does this game stand the test of time? How does it stack up to its
modern-day contemporaries? To answer that question, we can compare
and contrast SotN to more recent titles like Shadow Complex, the new
Strider and even such titles as Darksiders and the God of War series.
Of course, we can also use more closely related titles like the other
half of the “Metroidvania” duo: the Metroid franchise. It's safe
to say that SotN and, in particular, Super Metroid/Metroid 3 have
been influential in game design for quite a while.
The influence on
exploration mechanics is readily apparent in Darksiders and God of
War. The sprawling set pieces that require tight controls and a deft
hand to fully explore are, indeed, holdovers from the age of SotN.
The stylized lore surrounding classic supernatural creatures like
vampires, succubi, demons and demigods permeates gothic fantasy
storytelling to this day. Even though the gaming landscape has
shifted from two dimensions to three and characters are now realized
through high-polygon-count models instead of hand-drawn animated
sprites a lot of what makes the adventures of Kratos, War and many
others so great can be decisively traced back to Samus Aran and
especially Alucard.
Long
Story Short
Castlevania:
Symphony of the Night is a game that is the technical and mechanical
embodiment of rock-opera. The gameplay is simple on it's face, but
meaty enough that complete mastery changes the game entirely. The
subject matter hits hard as this tale of legacy and revenge pits
father against son. The moments of respite and downtime are
plentiful, but brief enough that they don't grow stale and always
keep the action fresh. Between the sprites, the music and the
controls, there's a fusion of past and present. A “symphony,” if
you will, of old-school game design with modern tech and technique.
The phrase “Often
imitated, never duplicated” certainly applies here. To complete the
purpose of The Backlog and answer the question of whether
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night can withstand the tests of time
and competition, the answer is most assuredly yes.
If you're a gamer
looking for a nice nostalgia trip, a fan of Lords of Shadow or even
an aspiring game developer looking for reference material, give this
game a shot. From the moment you climb those steps as Richter to the
last note of “I am the Wind,” Symphony of the Night is time well
spent and worth revisiting.
