This year I'm working on the Back Log. And I'm going to finish some games!! For REALS! This comic of mine sums up the situation:
Well I kinda dropped off the face of the earth after E3 last year didn't I? I found my time taken up by my other project and I haven't been able to update incompletionist. And I didn't finish any games. So here's to a new year of video games!
Let's go through the list of games that I played in 2013:
Fire Emblem Awakening
Super Mario 3D Land
Persona 3 Portable
Etrian Odyssey 4
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
Tearaway
Gravity Rush
Dark Souls
Pokemon X
Dragon's Dogma
Pokemon Red
Dragon Quest 8 and 9
Games finished since last year: Super Mario 3D Land... maybe? I need to double check the save. Dragon Quest 9 Attack of the Friday Monsters (because it was super short).
E3 starts tomorrow. I've never been excited for E3, but this year is incredibly different with each of the major console makers touting new hardware and flashy new software. The PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U all are trying to make a splash with consumers, and now is the time to convince the industry that each are viable platforms. Wow. I'm excited to hear about stuff. There could be MEGATONS of info this week.
Look for Freedom Wars in 2014. Coming to the PSVita.
With loads of Indie games coming to the Vita- and upcoming integration with the PS4- it might be time to get one before prices start to rise on this awesome portable. That sounds dumb right? Check online- you could probably grab a new or used Vita for around $150. That's no joke. I expect that price to go up as more AAA games come to the device (slowly but surely), and since it has been rumored that the Vita will be able to stream/remote play most PS4 games.
(Plus the device is region free. You just need a couple of memory cards, which are locked, for each region account. That makes importing games more bearable that the 3DS situation)
I'm interested to see if the Vita can grow into itself as a stable portable gaming platform. My guess is that it's fate will rely on its ability to work with the upcoming PS4 console. We don't know how much the new PS4 or Xbox will cost and that might be the final decision point on whether or not folks pay up for these expensive pieces of hardware. It just depends on what each company has to offer. Sony and Microsoft are about to enter the next generation and they could face similar problems seen at Nintendo. Someone at Nintendo recently mentioned why the Wii U wasn't doing so well (among other problems):
Some minor PSVita News. Sony released the 2.0 update for Vita, which improves online connectivity, some fixes, email ability, and some other stuff. Watch it here (in Japanese):
Everyone is playing Borderlands 2, but I'm looking forward to some new Japanese releases for this upcoming year.
Here are some highlights:
New PS3 model:
The rumors were true. News had been circulating about this new model, and sadly it isn't a PS4, but it looks like SONY will try to cash in before it debuts the next generation console. It's a slimmer version of the current model, which will ship in white and black later this year.
I haven't completed a game since... December? That's why I'm an Incompletionist.
While I wasn't the biggest gamer back in the late 90's I do remember the launch of the PlayStation and it's effect on what video games were becoming back then. I loved the PlayStation, and its ability for full motion video sequences, expanded soundtracks, and three dimensional adventure games. The loading screens were somehow tolerable, and games themselves seemed leagues ahead of their 16-bit predecessors.
Parappa the Rapper stands out as one of the most interesting games I owned from that era. I vaguely remember the few commercials that ran sometime around 1997 or 1998. I don't suppose that the game was as incredibly popular in America as it was in Japan, but I could be wrong. I ended up picking it up because I was intrigued with the crazy characters, and the music. I had no idea what the game was like.
While reading some of the first issues of the Official Playstation Magazine, it seemed like the editors were nuts for this game. They went as far as having most of their photos taken with the iconic Parappa beanie. In the first issues of that publication, there is constant mention of Parappa the Rapper. I didn't read these magazines until later, so I wasn't part of the initial fanaticism around this game when it was brought over from Japan almost a year after its initial release.
I ended up with the game around 1998 and I was amazed at the goofy lyrics and my inability to match the rhythm with the PlayStation's controller buttons. The songs were memorable, and it was a game that my younger siblings could enjoy as well because it wasn't technically difficult. The game is a early rhythm-music game, much in the same respects as Guitar Hero and Rock Band were a decade later. I don't know if people give Parappa the credit it deserves when it comes to rhythm type music video games, but it definitely was something that stood out amidst the other games that were being made by Sony at the time.
Parappa the Rapper had a spin off called UmJammer Lammy, a sequel on the PS2, an anime television show, and will now be featured in the upcoming game PlayStation Allstars Battle Royale. It seems that folks love this rapping dog.
What's funny is that for the better part of over a decade, I've kept the insert poster on my dorm wall, bedroom wall, and now it is on my office bulletin board. I'm always reminded of Parappa's catch phrase "I Gotta Believe!!"
Origianal Japanese insert poster
North American insert poster
NOTE: There's different poster for the PAL version of the game, from what I can tell, it matches the orange cover. I've looked all over the internet for a scan, but came up empty handed.
Box Art
PAL cover
Japanese Cover
I like that the Japanese art tries to describe and cram all the stuff from the game on a small CD cover. Was that a nineties thing? Love the flying toilet with wings by the way.
American Cover
PSP re-release cover
Development
The music stands out as the strongest point of the game. Depending on how well you repeat the rap, the key will change and elements of the song start to get crazy. It's almost worth losing a few times on each level to see the different animations for each stage. The games seems limited in terms of content from today's standards, but six levels, a bonus stage, and all of those short full motion movies between stages was a lot for 1997.
The artwork for the game was created by American artist Rodney Greenblat. His work was the basis of the two dimensional look of the characters. He also went on to design characters for the Anime series that aired in Japan, as well as create and produce the popular manga Thunder Bunny.
Sony Magazine cover designed by Rodney Greenblat
The game was developed by Masaya Matsuura who has since created many games that focus on interactions with rhythm and music. He was part of a popular Japanese music group called PSY S. After Parappa the Rapper, Matsuura went on to produce Vib Ribbon and various other music video games. Its interesting that Matsuura has focused his career in video games around music, especially as the PlayStation allowed for better sound quality in games. Perhaps it was ironic that PSY S broke up around 1996.
Results
The first thing I noticed while playing the game is that the full motion videos have really shown their age. They look like bad quality computer animations from kid television, and at the same time they have this cartoonish appeal that make them worth watching. Each of the stages are as I remember them: freaking amazing. I like how they made everyone two dimensional in a interesting kind of papercraft kind of way. Sequels to the game improve on the graphics of the character, but in my opinion try to make Parappa a more three dimensional character than he was originally designed to be.
Playing through the first couple levels is easy enough, and then the game ramps up the difficulty, or becomes out of sync with the rhythm.. I can't decide which. The hardest level is definitely the 5th level where you must battle rap the other characters in order to cut in line at the bathroom before you soil yourself. I think at the 5th level there's a definite problem with the note delay or something, because it can be difficult. The final level is a breeze and reunites the entire cast of the game for a final song.
If you beat the game you can go back and attempt to reach a "Cool" rating on each song. If you complete every level with that ranking, a secret Bonus Stage opens up. I haven't been able to do that yet. I'm just not that good freestyling the rap, and there are still sync issues with the music and beat. I'll see if I can pull it off later.
Over all, it was a nostalgic trip to play and finally beat Parappa the Rapper.
Money you don't have can even burn a hole in your wallet.
I've been dragging my feet, and thinking about the next generation of portable consoles from Nintendo and Sony. I've been looking at both for some time now and I've determined that the only way I'll ever make the jump is if they have enough incentive for me to get one, be it a game, price, or overall experience. Something that I had to have. Both the 3DS and the Vita are pretty slick, and they have some interesting titles, but there are a few things that hold me back from both.
The current 3DS design bugs me because I know they'll just redesign it later. It will look better, have longer battery life and more games. The 3DS already has a long list of games that interest me. Mario games, the potential western release of Monster Hunter 4, Kid Icarus, Zelda games, and a bunch of interesting smaller indie type games. The problem I have is that it is region locked, and I'd like to import all those Japan only games that I know won't come over to the US. Nintendo is dumb about this, which means I'd have to hack the device to find a way around that, or buy a Japanese 3DS. Totally stupid. The price drop made the device a super hit last year, and it looks like the 3DS is here to stay. But Monster Hunter 3G wasn't brought over here, and Fire Emblem probably won't either, and while I find some of the other games interesting, right now it seems like an expensive leap when I know a redesign is coming next year or soon-ish. The special editions 3DS' keep rolling out in Japan and they look awesome. I'd love to have a Dragon Quest or Monster Hunter special edition, but... that will never happen.
Special Editions!
And another crazy Dragon Quest Monsters game is coming out at the end of the Month. This one is called Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D and will be bundled with a limited edition white DQ 3DS. I've never really played the Monsters variant of DQ, but I've heard that it is better than Pokémon. The game play is interesting because it gives proper scale to the monster you may encounter, which hasn't really been done before. Blah. I'm a sucker for this stuff.
Switching gears...
White Vita coming to Japan next month.
And then there's the PSVita. It's new, it looks slick, and the demos that I've played have all been amazing. The problem right now are the slow output of awesome games, the prohibitively high price, and the hidden cost of buying a very expensive memory card. I like the design. Awesome games like Gravity Rush has been out in Japan for some time now, but aren't slated for release until what? June? The slow roll out of games is what made everyone hate the 3DS at launch. The Vita is nice, probably technologically better than the 3DS, and will eventually have a nice library of games... but offhand I can't think of one that would make me want to buy it. Phantasy Star Online 2 won't be out until next year, and for whatever reason Capcom hasn't announce a Monster Hunter title for Sony's handheld. That boggles the mind. Then there's this cryptic stuff about a game called Soul Sacrifice. It was announced in Famitsu Magazine with a six page spread, and little to no information about it. A short trailer has emerged which leaves people wondering: is this a sequel or spin off to the popular Sony game Dark Souls? That would be nuts. And probably make me want a Vita more than a 3DS (after the price drop).
We'll find out more in a few days. I've heard that in the coming months that there will be some awesome game announcements for the Vita, and that all the naysayers will probably shut up. But they're all six months to a year away. That's terribly slow. Now Vita hasn't been selling very well, and it looks like Sony's right on track to mess up their console launch just like Nintendo did with the 3DS. Time to drop the price or do something that will get those Vita's off the shelves. Right now there's little incentive. Nintendo has a smidgen of incentive.
If I had to quantify my incentive percentage to buy either console:
3DS: 60%
(based on larger First-Party title list, Monster Hunter 4, and eventual redesign)
Vita: 40%
(based on initial price, nebulous title schedule, and promising future)
I'm going to finish a game this week. That's a promise. No more distractions.
But in other big news:
SEGA's MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming to the PlayStation Vita.
The sequel looks amazing, with its combination of sci-fi and fantasy that's made Phantasy Star an original series from the start. What makes this better is the fact that you can play the game both on PC and Vita. I've been wondering when someone would tackle the first real portable MMORPG. I like to play rpg's, but I would like the option to play them on portable system. Even when I played World of Warcraft, the closest thing to portable for that were crude tablet computers or netbooks. If the video confirms how seamless playing Phantasy Star Online 2 is on the Vita and PC... I might be sold. If Sony would confirm a Monster Hunter or Dark Souls,that would seal the deal.
I havent' really played any of the Phantasy Star games, but since I got a Dreamcast not too long ago, I've been wanting to play the first Phantasy Star Online game (though now it involves a complicated process). It was a cutting edge game, that had interesting features that allowed you to play with players all across the globe (this was back in 2001). There was a universal translator to communicate with other players in Japan for crying out loud. Official servers went dark a few years ago, but there's a private server or two for folks that want to play the original game.
I'm excited to play some new games this year, and I've gone over the ever growing list... I've been distracted by Dragon Quest IX, which I've been playing in my spare time when I'm on break at work. I feel like I'm only scratching the surface on that game, and that I'm probably playing it wrong. I'm too far in to restart, so I'll never know.
That being said, I've been looking over the list of games that I want to finish this year, and I wish that I had more time during the day. Changes with work, and life are going to make 2012 a tough year. Keeping on top of my art projects, music stuff, blogs, other things are going to cut into game blogging. I see this as a research project though, into the development of games that people have enjoyed for a long time, and that make me enjoy them more when I learn everything about them. This year will be no different, and I'm guessing that I'll probably end up posting to this blog in spurts.
The PSVita was finally released in America and like many people around the world, I'm finally wondering if the PSP will be cheap enough to buy now. There are lots of PSP games that I want to play. PSP sales have been out selling the new Vita in Japan and that has many people wondering if the Vita has a chance in the portable video game world. It will be fine, just give it time. People forget that the 3DS had a crappy start, and it was all doom and gloom nonsense from the Apple fanboys who never pay more than 99 cents for anything. The Vita looks nice, I've played it a few times, and if there were more interesting titles lined up for it, I'd probably get one. Gravity Rush looks amazing, and from what I've played, it is awesome. The new Lumines soundtrack is worth checking out as well. Its hard to believe this is possible on a handheld console.
There are some big name games coming to North America for the Wii. Nintendo is cranking out some of the best stuff at the last second to grab even more Wii sales. Some Nintendo games that I'm excited to see this year:
Xenoblade Chronicles
After complaining to Nintendo of America long enough, they finally relented and authorized distribution of this game in North America. It had only been available in Japan and Europe up until now, and it will be released in April. Nintendo has always been kinda hesitant to bring over games for localization in North America, but this is a no-brainer. The game look amazing and is another example of the action-JRPG's that have been so popular overseas. I was considering importing this game from Europe and soft-modding my Wii to play it. I've never played any of the other games in the Xeno series, but this one looks like something that I can really get into, and the hype around it's release in America is something I don't want to miss.
The Last Story
This is a game that I've heard less about, and like Xenoblade, was also only released in Japan and Europe. It was announced that this game would see release in America in the Summer of 2012. This game was made by
Hironobu Sakaguchi, THE guy who created and produced the Final Fantasy series (up until IX). He left Square after his movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within flopped, and started his own company, Mistwalker. I would say that his Final Fantasy games are some of my favorites, but I haven't played II, III, or VIII. Given that he created those games and was the president of Square during its heyday in the 90's, this has made The Last Story a super title for the last year of the Wii. It combines elements of an action turn based RPG and a third person shooter, which intrigues my simple brain.
Dragon Quest X
The closed beta for this Wii/Wii-U MMORPG started last week. This game has the potential to be the biggest game for Nintendo hardware. Square Enix has been quiet about this game since announcing it, and besides a few videos, there isn't much in terms of official news. With the beta out, there are more screenshots and videos that have been trickling out to give a better idea on what kind of MMO this will be. From some of the videos it looks like turn-based combat is somehow implemented, and there are multiple characters and jobs available for players. It retains the same Akira Toriyama cartoon style from the previous games (because the Wii can't process anything realistic) and that's awesome. Dragon Quest games have always been cartoon-ish and should remain that way. The game should be out in Japan by the end of the year, and we probably won't see it in America until 2013. Which sucks.
Level 5 did such a great job with the Dragon Quest series, and at the same time, keeping everything that made the series great intact. I've only played a few hours of Dragon Quest VIII, I'd play it more if I could fit it into my schedule. Square Enix is developing the latest game in house, and we'll see if that changes anything.
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