That was the year it was: 2015

Well here we are at the tail end of 2015. The festive season is well and truly upon us so now is the time to step away from this blog and spend some time with family and friends - which is what we all should be doing around this time.
Therefore, this will be the final post for Game Tumour in 2015.

This year has been a quiet one: Its not just because I choose to scale back the amount of time and effort in this blog due to outside commitments.
No, much of my time has been invested in playing Star Trek Online. But if playing World of Warcraft has taught me anything it is too easy to fall in the trap that is common with MMORPGs: You find it is the only thing you play, the one thing you invest the most time in that the other games tend to get neglected and because you're continually investing money in this game you convince yourself to make the effort not to make the investment going to waste (WoW with the subscription, STO with Pay-as-you-go). But being in that trap doesn't mean you can escape from it.
Why, in the past week I've found myself moving away from Star Trek Online and enjoying an old favorite, Dragon Age Origins, again.

Still it's not all been bad news: I've knocked down more games off my Hall of Shame: System Shock 2, Curse of the Azure Bonds and some of the Leisure Suit Larry games.
Other highlights of 2015 have been:

• my delight at seeing the Gold Box finally make it's way to GoG
• Convincing a friend to play Divinity Original Sin and both going into it blind - and both of us finding it quite enjoyable
• Meeting Bajo and Hex
• In another coup for GoG, the arrival of the original Star Trek Adventure games!
• Obtaining a copy of New One Lives Forever (and defying the legal confusion preventing it's re-release)

So what can I take away from 2015? Well, I think the less time I spend on MMORPGs, the better. Yes they are time-sinks - hell, that's what they're designed to be! - but the amount of hours invested in a MMORPGs can really be better invested in working on some of the many games that I have left untouched.

You know, I've been playing a lot of Western RPGs these past few years that it's been quite some time since I last played, and enjoyed, a JRPG.
Therefore, I think I will, in 2016, play Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky...

So this concludes Game Tumour for 2015. Thank you to everyone who has visited this blog over the past twelve months and I look forward to speaking to you all again in 2016 :)

It took ten years to get here

It is well documented in this blog that whilst I have had an interest in gaming over the years, it is only since late 2005 that it really took off and entrenched itself like it has now.
What really triggered this interest was tumbling across a list by IGN on the 100 Greatest Games of all Time. Curious, I sat down and read through all of it. As i did so, i found myself recognizing games I was familiar with, games I knew of and games that were completely new to me. In any case, it became clear to me that I had been missing out on a lot. So I made it my goal to track down all of these games and give them a shot.

That was a full decade ago.

 So where are we now?

Well I am pleased to say that, out of the hundred games listed, I have managed to obtain all but five.
Not a bad effort if I say so myself. Many of these games have been obtained as physical copies whilst others as digital downloads (through the Virtual Console and later GoG).

So which are the five that eluded my grasp? Well:

• Star Wars Arcade (no idea how I'm going to obtain that game)
• Pokemon Red/Blue (Pokemon has a massive fanbase. It scared me off)
• Advance Wars (truly worth getting a GBA for?)
• Super Smash Bros Melee (Somehow owning Brawl made owning Melee redundant)
• and Panzer Dragoon Saga (and good luck finding a copy of that).

And after ten years invested in this project what can I say at this point in time?

This project of obtaining the (then) Hundred Greatest Games of All Time has really been my stepping stone into the wonderful world of gaming.
What originally started out as a goal of hundred games has ballooned into (according a Raptr) a collection of just under three hundred games (!).
I have played, and enjoyed, games I have originally missed out on.
I have found much to love within games I originally never thought possible.
I have got off my arse and got my true first console the PS2 - and later, the Wii and 360.
I have stepped into the world of gaming and have made many friends through doing so 
And I have started this blog and have been rambling on it ever since.

They say that it often pays to acknowledge one's roots and to never forget where you've come from. And I acknowledge that this list sent me down a path that was bewildering but at the same time lot's of fun. In fact, now that I think of it, the original list pretty much functioned, to me at least, as a way to acknowledge gaming's past and to salute the pioneers that brought us all here to then then present state of 2005. And that's what I've done with this collection process: I have collected games, many of which I've never played before, and I've seen how they've managed to shape and inspire those which have followed in their wake. I've found material that have been completely new to me and it's interesting to see where certain ideas have originated from.

So where do we go from here?

Through obtaining, and playing, these games I have gained a sense of history and, like any gamer, built up some treasured memories to call my own. Indeed, one could say that I have forged my own identity as a gamer and have seen many more new places emerge before me. But that wouldn't have happened it it not been for those magical 95 games.
Okay so yeah a fair number of those 95 games have gone unplayed but i reiterate: It's important to know where you've come from. Why, recently IGN has released a new list of the 100 Greatest Games of all Time. And I found this new list places a lot of emphasis on more recent titles - but it means little to me as it seems more a celebration of the previous generation than a salute to the pioneers that the 2005 list was. Maybe it's a generational thing?

But no matter: This post marks the endpoint of a ten year journey so where do we go from here?
I have no idea but I tell you: It's going to be a lot of fun :)

Dark as the Darkest Night was Diablo

Lets talk about Diablo for a minute.

With the passage of time, I find Diablo something of an oddity: It was a huge hit in it's day but now no one seems to talk about it a lot. Okay so maybe the game has, in the years since, been surpassed by many RPGs, and Blizzard have made other games, but I still believe this is more to this franchise than it's most recent iteration.

I first played Diablo in 2002 - where I got my copy of a friend. I was to reluctant to play it at first (largely because I knew of the big twist that happens at the end of the game) but within time, I played Diablo all the way to the end (with both the Rogue and the Warrior) and it was quite enjoyable. As an action RPG it was a lot of fun but in the terms of atmosphere and art direction, the game was unbeatable. It was indeed engaging to have this mood of dread creeping throughout the game - the type that no other game has done since (with the possible exception of Eversion).

In fact maybe that's what I got the most out of the first Diablo: It does Dark Fantasy really well. These days Dark Fantasy seems to be a tag used to describe fantasy set in less-than glorious settings (ie Dragon Age and Game of Thrones). But I however subscribe to the traditional description of Dark Fantasy in that it's the combination between the genres of fantasy and horror. And it's that niche that Diablo fills nicely. It's not just slaughtering demonic enemies and slowly descending into Hell: It is, again, the atmosphere. It is the increasing discomfort that resonates the further progression is made. It is, again, that feeling of dread that drips throughout the game itself.

But really, the strengths of Diablo as a Dark Fantasy is best viewed through the intro:

Original video located here. Accessed 11th December 2015

To me this is Dark Fantasy done right: The ruined buildings, the use of shadows, the foreboding  music, the monsters all accumulating to the scream at the end. Indeed, one can't not deny just how being constantly returned to that sword in the ground suddenly comes across as unsettling. Amazing how this intro is still compelling nearly twenty years later.
In fact i can just point tot that intro and say: "That's Dark Fantasy".

Which in turn makes me wonder why no one has ever done anything to match it. Sure anyone can use Dark Fantasy to describe certain fantasy settings but Diablo truly feels like a game that walks the walk. Perhaps no one has bothered to try an match it: because the first Diablo game it so well.

So have I bothered with the other Diablo games? No I haven't. I will admit that the afore-mentioned twist at the end of Diablo left me feeling cheated of victory that it was enough to put me off further explorations in the series. It may sound petty but I don't know: I spent all this time with this character so having them befall the fate that was handed to them does indeed feel like a rip off. But then again, maybe that is part and parcel of a Dark Fantasy.
I will admit that it would've been a cool idea to have the stats of the PC in Diablo being imported over into Diablo 2 (like in Mass Effect) but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Still, you can't say that the trailer to Diablo 2 broke from the Dark Fantasy template:

Original video located here. Accessed 11th December 2015

"....There's something dark within me now..."

Telling a Tale of Batman

Apparently, Telltale games are making yet another series of games to add to their stable. And this new one will be a Batman game series.

What hasn't Batman got enough games already?

Trail of Torment

Nothing much to say for this week so here's a classic for dusting off: the trailer for Planescape Torment.

Original video located here. Accessed 4th December 2015

Its a compelling trailer but what is fascinating is that none of this footage actually appears in the game. Granted the game was still in development when this trailer came out but its interesting to see, with hindsight, how many ideas got scrapped. We do get to see Vhailor, Ignus, Nordom and the Lady of Pain as well as a glimpse (however fleeting) of The Nameless One. We also see Coaxmetal getting out and about.
Make no mistake: Planescape Torment is one of the best games I have ever played and one I will proudly champion. However looking at this trailer one can only wonder how much got left on the floor during the development phase

Dragon Around

Recently I discovered that the arcade classic Dragon's Lair has been released (in a revamped format) on Steam, PSN and XBLA. So now would be a good time as any to talk about.

For those not in the know, Dragon's Lair was an arcade game originally released in 1983. It featured the player controlling a bumbling knight named Dirk the Daring going on a quest, through a castle, to rescue a princess, Daphne, from a dragon.
In it's day Dragon's Lair got a lot of attention on two fronts: Firstly, it made use of Laser Disc technology which made it more powerful than it's arcade peers. And secondly, it boasted full animation by the legendary Don Bluth. Thus the graphics and animation were beautiful to look at (and still do thirty plus years later) and looked like nothing else at the time.
However, whilst the animation was a key selling point, the game itself presented a challenge to the player: It was their job to guide Dirk through the castle but it did not involve controlling him directly. No, what would happen is that a scene of animation will play out and the player would need to tap in the right command (whether pressing the attack button or moving the joystick) at the right time. If they succeeded, the scene will move to next one but if they failed there would be a death scene.
So yeah Dragon's Lair was nothing more than a series of QuickTime events. And guess what? There were no prompts whatsoever: it had to be all worked out by the player through trial and error. That may sound brutal but keep in mind that the game itself was built around a grand total of twenty minutes worth of animation. As such a length would make for a short game, you don't want it to be easy now, right?

So how did this game play out? Well, here's a playthrough of the recent revamp:

Original video located here. Accessed 27th November 2015

Personally, when I was a kid I never got to play Dragon's Lair but I did know of it through reputation. Aside from the art direction, the animation and Princess Daphne, a lot of that reputation rested on the brutal difficulty and how it is never clear on what the player needs to do and when they need to do it. But considering that this was an arcade game and arcade games thrive on draining the change from the player's pockets, having an arcade game that is too easy is out of the question.
Whilst I was unable to play Dragon's Lair that didn't stop me from admiring it from afar. But the earliest impression I got from Dragon's Lair was this is a dark fantasy. Now, these days the phrase "dark fantasy" is used to describe fantasy set in a rather less-than-spectacular setting (ie Dragon Age) - I however subscribe to the traditional use of "dark fantasy" in that it is used to describe the genre hybrid of fantasy and horror (ie Diablo).
And strange as this may sound, I always associated Dragon's Lair as being something of a horror game. Maybe it was because the eighties was a golden time for fantasy/horror hybrids (ie Jim Henson's The Storyteller and Return to Oz). Or maybe it was that ominous opening screen to Dragon's Lair itself:

Original image located here. Accessed 27th November 2015

Needless to say, upon viewing that play-through posted above, for the first time, I was really surprised to see the game was actually quite humorous and made heavy use of slapstick comedy. I suppose that the use of humor may ease the player's frustration of failing a move but when you fail plenty of Dragon's Lair (which you will inevitably do) the humor becomes less humorous and more annoying.
And even mocking.

Years later, I have no interest in playing Dragon's Lair - yes it is not the dark fantasy I was expecting and yes I'm not keen in QuickTime events. But at the same time I will will admit an admiration for the game series. Because it is undeniable it has animation and art direction that most game artists will kill for. Plus it is trying something new and certainly looks unique for it's era. And if it's truly the exercise in animation that Don Bluth claims it is then it has achieved such a goal and it's done so with flying colors.

And then there's the sequel:

Original video located here. Accessed 27th November 2015

.......I.......I've got nothing.

Unbearable

Momma bear and Baby bear:

Hey! Hey! You! You! Get off of my Cloud!

The big news proliferating around gaming is the recent announcement that Cloud from Final Fantasy 7 will be a guest character in the upcoming latest iteration of the Super Smash Bros franchise.

It's an odd choice for sure. Sure Solid Snake had his origins as a NES game and Sonic the Hedgehog's presence is the ultimate wish fulfillment but Cloud? I don't get it.
Okay sure the first six Final Fantasy games originally appeared on Nintendo consoles but Cloud had nothing to do with those games so that connection is weak. And I'm not sure on the wish fulfillment either: I recall back in the early-to-mid-nineties that a lot of Nintendo fanboys hated Sega but I wasn't clear on their thoughts on Sony (except that guy I sat next to in IT class). Mind you, however the thoughts the Nintendo crowd may have had on Sony mob it is ironic considering that, years later, the PS2 would trounce both the Xbox and the Gamecube.

But I digress.

This could very well be SqueeEnix trying to keep FF7 in the public consciousness but like they needed the help. Likewise, it can't be argued that Cloud has more marketing brand than Cecil. Or Kain. Or Edge. Or Terra. Or Shadow. Or Edgar. Or Sabin. Or Setzer. Or...

Modding through a muddle

Alas my saga against Baldur's Gate 2 continues with it STILL refusing to work for me.

For the unfamiliar, here's a quick recap in what's happened thus far:

• Bought the game in 2007 and then found out I needed a DVD drive
• Got a DVD drive and found out the Tales of Sword Coast expansion wouldn't work
• Played BG2 enough for the DVD to develop a huge crack
• Bought a new copy of the game only for it to fail on me

So I finally did shell out for Baldur's Gate on GoG and proceeded to mod the hell out of it. But a new problem has arisen  with the new GoG game client: Galaxy. Whether it is the mods or not, the games refuse to work within Galaxy! And even when I run the game independently of Galaxy, it still resorts to black screens and crashing!

How fitting then that this post be put on Friday the 13th...

An Admirable Effort

I've been playing a lot of Star Trek Online lately. And I'm pleased to say that my character has made it to the rank of Admiral.

If my guy made it that far then Starfleet must be really desperate for admirals. I mean Kirk threw his away, Picard never ranked past captain and Sisko entered the Celestial Temple. The fact that Janeway made it to admiral only confirms such a theory

This means War

So this has been doing the rounds lately:

Am I excited? Actually I'm astonished: I wasn't aware they were making a Warcraft movie

Soon you will call me master

Always good for a laugh:

Original video located here. Accessed 4th November 2015

Stocktake

Apparently since the announcement of the remake of Final Fantasy 7, SqueeEnix's shares have increased to their highest point in years.

I suppose this is what I always suspected: People want more Final Fantasy 7 and only more Final Fantasy 7. Who cares about anything else SqueeEnix have done? Who cares about the Final Fantasy's that aren't VII? Hell, who cares about the entire genre that is JRPG's?

And that is the last question that disturbs me the most: This is an entire gaming genre that has more or less crashed, and burned, into stagnation. With Final Fantasy 7 being the nadir of the genre it is also it's death knell: No one cares about any other games since and no other entrant in the genre has come close to matching the sales of Final Fantasy 7. True there have been other gaming genre's that may have suffered a lull that lasted for a painful amount of time, but they will always be resurrected by any bedroom developer and a devoted audience. But the JRPG hasn't had such a luxury.

Mind you, I have Trails of the Sky attached my Steam account for a long time without actually playing. Maybe it's time I should...

World's Finest

Met a guy named Marty today. Nice bloke.

Anyway!

Recent news has emerged that a new DLC will be coming for Batman: Arkham Knight, in the form of Batman vs Superman Batmobile. It will include the new Batsuit and Batmobile from the upcoming Batman vs Superman movie.

One can only wonder how many were disappointed that it's not a feature that allows Batman and Superman to fight one on one.

Oh wait, Rocksteady is made of Batman fans and one can imagine Superman being treated on a level comparable to "He Who Should Not Be Named". Likewise, one can imagine a one-one-one feature being added just for the sake of seeing Superman getting his lights punched out by Batman - even if there is indeed something deeply unsettling about a symbol of hope being beaten up by a guy with loads of money.

Oh well, at least there's always Injustice: Gods Among Us

...Let us leave the confusion and all this illusion behind / Like birds of a feather on a rainbow together we'll find....

And another game has been cast down from the Hall of Shame: Pack your bags Leisure Suit Larry 7 Love for Sail!. You're outta here!

Original image located here. Accessed 9th October 2015

I find some interesting parallels between Leisure Suit Larry 7 and Final Fantasy 7. Namely:

• Both are are the seventh installment of their respective franchises (well.....maybe not Larry). 
• Both came out at roughly the same time (Larry 7 in October 1996, FF7 in January 1997)
• Larry got a significant graphical upgrade with it's animation and art style. FF7 drummed up a lot of buzz with it's use of cinematics.
• Both games took a successful formula and added a whole of new features on top
• And both are largely regarded as being the pinnacle of the franchises

Of course, I'm only pointing out these parallels because I find it funny. Let's talk about Leisure Suit Larry 7:
Really, the mid-to-late nineties was a strange time for Adventure games. Generally it was a given that for the past decade the genre had gotten by on the notion that solid, and humorous, writing would overcome any technical limitations. However by this time, the technology had advanced to a point where it could match the writing on equal terms. So whilst we have games like Larry 7, Curse of Monkey Island, and excellent Grim Fandango, they arrived at a point where the genre was dying off. Still, one can't refute the satisfaction of seeing a genre end on a high note. And Larry 7 certainly belongs as one of best adventure games made.

When playing this game, one thing struck me is that this is game that, clearly, has been made with passion. It's as if Al Lowe and his team realized the tools they had at their disposal and put in all their effort to making the best game they could - and it shows considerably.
Firstly, the design of the game works a treat: It is easy to move around the ship setting and never once is it possible to die or end up in in an unwinnable situation - and coming from Sierra that's saying a lot. Secondly there's the graphics: The animation and art direction is superb and, for the first time, really fits the mood of the series. Thirdly the music is great: the midi music is finally ditched and in it's place are some really snappy jazz tunes. Fourthly the voice again keeps the pace set by the previous game and never once slips up. Larry is still pathetic, the narrator is still in scene-stealing form but credit must go to the hilarious Peg (seriously, she needs her own game). Fifthly, the humor is great: there are jokes that are laugh-out funny and there are various allusions to The Simpsons and Looney Tunes. And finally there are the additional features. Gimmicky I know but they had some amusement value.

In a way, perhaps it is fitting that this be the last Larry game that Al Lowe worked on. Larry 7 does everything so right, that it a followup may be near impossible to achieve. True there was that teaser at the end of the credits of Larry 7 but such a game has yet to emerge - even when Al has suggested he's still keen to make it happen. But if Larry 8 never shows, I'm not bothered. In fact, maybe it;s better that the series end at Larry 7 (of course, there are the bastardized sequels but we don't talk about them...)

So yeah Larry 7's reputation as the pinnacle of the series is justified and it's easily one of the best entrants in the adventure game genre. It's aged remarkably well and certainly worth a go.

Strike of the Ninja

A Kickstarter? To do a revamp of The Last Ninja?!

You can't kill the metal

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the original Sony PlayStation. And to mark the occassion, Sony asked their fans which was the best PS1 game of all time. The results were:

1. Metal Gear Solid
2. Final Fantasy 7
3. Crash Bandicoot
4. Crash Bandicoot: Warped 

Source 

Not much i can say except is indeed satisfying to see MGS still reigning supreme :)

....We can sing in the glow of a star that I know of / Where lovers enjoy peace of mind....

And yet another game has been given the boot from the Hall of Shame. Clean up your desk Leisure Suit Larry 6, you're outta here!

Original image located here. Accessed 28th August 2015

Compare to the other Larry games, this represents unfamiliar territory for me: I'd seen the other games whether being played or witnessing the box art. This however completely escaped my notice at the time. Why, I wasn't aware there was a Leisure Suit Larry 6 until I saw Leisure Suit Larry 7 in a game store! (and considering that this is a series that lacks a fourth entrant, that's saying something).

Anywho, having played Leisure Suit Larry 2 and 3, I can safely say that this game is a definite improvement. The character designs are superb, the locales are interesting and the voice acting is superb. Maybe it was case of the technology having advanced enough to make a decent game. Or maybe it was a simple case of having better writing then the preceding games.

I did call out Larry 3 for being ambitious but in Larry 6, the general goal is more scaled back (ie, attempt to sleep with as many women as possible). And that in turn provides a sense of focus. As a result, the jokes are great, the problems are solved through logical means and there is a clear beginning, middle and end. Leisure Suit Larry 2 and 3 may have been meandering but that doesn't seem to be the case here - and Leisure Suit Larry 6 is all the better for it.

And it's good to see that the unwinnable situations are less in number. True, I fell foul of two of them when playing this game and had to start over, but it's good to see that Sierra at this stage were starting to realize this flaw and were taking steps to correct it. True one could suggest that the games LucasArts were churning out may have made Sierra nervous but 'A' for Effort.

In addition, special mention must go the voice acting. Larry sounds pathetic and the ladies certainly have plenty of character that stretches beyond a character portrait. But the real star is the narrator, sounding smug, snarky and taking great delight in commenting on Larry's pathetic existence. Indeed, seeing as so many voices are spot on, it makes a fascinating contrast to the likes of Metroid Other M and the outrage it inspired when the previously silent character of Samus Aran was given a voice. 

All in all, Leisure Suit Larry 6 may have completely escaped my interest first time around - so it;s funny to see it turn out to be a such a superb game. And then, from Leisure Suit Larry 6 comes Leisure Suit Larry 7....

Bond. Azure Bonds.

Another game has been struck down from my Hall of Shame. Goodbye Curse of the Azure Bonds!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th August 2015

Boy has this been along time coming: I recall playing this over twenty years ago on my C64! True it was well and truly on the way out by then but I still played it and enjoyed it. After all, it was in the same series of the legendary Pool of Radiance so it has to be good, right?

This may sound strange but I compare Pool of Radiance to Super Mario Kart in that the first game introduced the concept and did it so well that the successive games haven't really done a lot to add to it. And that is the main problem I found with Curse of the Azure Bonds: It may have introduced two new classes, the Paladin and Ranger, as well as Dual Classing (keep in mind this was based on 2nd AD&D edition rules) but somehow it seems smaller then Pool of Radiance.
I recall Pool of Radiance being full of large areas to explore. In Curse however, the same area size is still present but there seems to be less of them. Also many of the areas are divided up. Case in point: The opening area, which is split between the city of Tilverton (where the PCs start the game) and the Thieves Guild. Now according to the background, Tilverton is a major city - it has a large temple and is visited by royalty. But for such a city it certainly seems small. And the Thieves Guild also seems small - especially when the thieves in question seem organized (one can imagine the thieves in Kovel Mansion in Pool of Radiance sniggering at these guys). True, Curse may have introduced an overworld map but the reduced areas somehow do take a lot of the immersion away from me.

Other things of note is the inclusion of Alias and Dragonbait from the original novel, Azure Bonds (for the unfamiliar, they're the two characters on the box art above). Sure they weren't much help but it was great to see them and have them join my party. It was also great to see Akabar, Olive, and Nameless too.
Also, the last battle was one tough nut to crack. It took me several attempts due to me being swamped by the Margoyles and the Priests of Bane. But when I finally managed to wipe them all out, the Big Bad, Tyranthraxus, turned out to be surprisingly easy to defeat. Anticlimax much?

Grumbling aside, I did enjoy Curse of the Azure Bonds. True it's part of the Gold Box series and I played those games a lot when I was a kid but seeing it now, it holds up surprisingly well. This goes to show that a well-designed game can outlast the march of time.
Also it's fun to see the same party I took all the way through Pool of Radiance return and go to even greater strengths.
Furthermore it's always pleasing to complete a game I started playing over twenty years ago :)

The Ultimate Warrior

Anyone remember a game called Barbarian?

For the unfamiliar,. Barbarian was a game that came out during the Commodore 64 era. It eventually found itself onto the Amiga and presented itself as a one-on-one fighter game. It was also notable for the use of gore and inclusion of decapitations, making it something of a spiritual fore-father to Mortal Kombat. It was a controversial game with a) it being banned in Germany because the violence and b) having Maria Whittaker on the box art.

But what I find fascinating about the game is the setting. Get past the obvious inspiration from Robert E. Howard's famous creation and the game presents a rather bleak setting.The background to this game is that some warlock has kidnapped a princess and it's up to the PC to go rescue them. But if the Princess in question is indeed a princess then she is of royalty and part of a ruling family. But what exactly is the ruling family actually ruling? Judging by the setting presented in the game, the land is sparsely populated and is kinda bleak.
Don't believe me? Watch this video of the Amiga version:

Original video located here. Accessed 5th August 2015

I counted eleven people in this game: The PC, the Warlock, the Princess and eight combatants. They are the only people in this game. We have forests, dungeons and volcanoes but no sign of civilization whatsoever.
So what kind of kingdom is this? An empty and wasted one? Does this Princess have any authority? Does the royal family in question have ANY authority? Is this princess even worth saving?

I do recall making a post how I noted how the original Legend of Zelda could work in a desolate setting but it would seem someone was way ahead of me....

...Let's fly way up to the clouds / Away from the maddening crowds....

And the hot streak continues with another game cast down from the Hall of Shame - yep, after something of a lull for the first half of the year, I'm on fire! And who is out on their arse this time around? Why, it would be Leisure Suit Larry 3!

Original image located here. Accessed 29th July 2015

Having played the first three Leisure Suit Larry games in order, it is interesting to observe the progression the series has taken. While the first game has this nasty reputation of being 'the game with sex in it', I however understand the satire that was being put in place: Larry is, no matter how you look at it, is a loser and his attempts to get laid always end both successful and with him being humiliated. Therefore it's funny how this satire is often missed by most people - still, the first Larry game sold enough to warrant several sequels (along with a more recent revamp) so more than enough people may have noticed.

But it would seem that that the Larry in the sequels is a different one from the first game. It would seem that Larry(s) in 2 and 3 is less a sleazeball and more a bumbling-yet-lovable loser. In Larry 2, Larry was looking for love (as the title suggests) and he does succeed in Larry 3 with Passionate Patti. Okay sure Patti comes at the end of several conquests but the conquests in question are handled in a more lighter manner with Larry's acts being interrupted by pure happenstance.
And as for Patti, I'm not sold on her. She comes across as beautiful, flirtatious and having been 'around', so why would she have an instant attraction to Larry? It would make sense for Larry to have an instant attraction to any woman who gave him the time of day as he's been established as a loser. So what did he do to win the attention of a woman who's made out to be sexy, confident and self-assured? I can see the argument that Patti was included to add some balance but I don't know: if anything, her presence seems a more no-win situation. Why, imagine how much outrage would've occurred if Patti was a mirror of Larry: A horny but hopeless nerd abused by the men she tries to hit on.

Beyond the writing though, there are still some glaring design flaws. While the parts controlling Patti were different, it was however dull compared to the rest of the game. And whilst the timed puzzles from the previous are gone, they are however replaced with an intruding arcade sequence (ergh!). And the controls are still as disagreeable as ever - funny how many of the Sierra games in the eighties tend not to age well. 

Some say that Leisure Suit Larry 3 was an improvement over the misstep that was Leisure Suit Larry 2. But I'm not convinced: If anything, I found the humor of two far better than three.
I don't know if the changes Al Lowe brought about in 3 was through the outrage caused by 1 and 2 but I guess you can't please everyone

.....Cantare, Whoa oh oh oh....

And yet another game has been cast down from my Hall of Shame. Pack your bags, Leisure Suit Larry 2, you're outta here!

 Original image located here. Accessed 27th July 2015

And much like it's predecessor, this was a game I originally encountered through witnessing it being played by my friend at the time. And once again, it is interesting to play this game myself given the distance of two decades worth of time.

Compared to it's predecessor, this game does indeed feel like a step down. Indeed, it is here that many of the criticisms associated with Sierra Adventure games rear their heads: Timed puzzles, situations that leave the game unbeatable and working towards a goal that is never made clear (thus making puzzles being overcome largely through trial and error). 
Furthermore I'm not sold on the graphics. One might say that they were a product of their time but the sprite of Larry looks nothing like the dude on the box art. Indeed, Larry looks more like a creep than the lovable loser he eventually grew into. Granted that was kind of the point in the original game but it is jarring to see how this character evolution started from. Moreso when Larry's character portrait makes him look like he's in his fifties.

Grumbling aside however, the jokes are still funny and the writing is still top-notch - even with the passage of time. It's just a shame that the writing has to share room with some glaring design flaws.
I often hear how people grumble how modern games play like the design team and the writing team were operating in separate rooms, segregated from each other. Funny how I got that same impression from a game made in 1988...

Volare, Ooooh Ohhh...

Another game has been struck down from my Hall of Shame: Goodbye Leisure Suit Larry 1!

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd July 2015

This is not the first time I have encountered this game: I recall watching a friend play it back in the early nineties in glorious EGA graphics and both us giggling at the smut like any other easily-amused eleven year old boy. And even then this series had a reputation of that 'game with sex in it' - which would guarantee interest from any eleven year old boy.

So it therefore becomes interesting to view this game from the perspective of an adult. And once you get past the sex it becomes clear: This game is actually really funny. It has great jokes, lots of fourth-wall breaking, jabs at Sierra (among others) and some truly absurd moments (the convenience store scene is still funny years later). I myself was fortunate to play in the enhanced VGA mode and the graphics were full of character that add considerably to the lunacy.
And that's really the strength of the game. It's really funny. In fact this really seems like a great bait and switch: offer sex and deliver something of actual substance.
Beyond that however the game does show some wrinkles with it's design: It's short, there's only five locations, there's a timer attached with certain puzzles and there are situations that can result in an instant loss. I guess that's par for the course when playing a Sierra game but really it shouldn't be.

Grumbling aside this game was a right laugh. Sure the design's dated but the humor hasn't - and that is saying a lot in gaming.

R.I.P. Satoru Iwata

The gaming world has been shock to the core with the recent passing of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. Whilst there are plenty of other people talking about his life and achievements here on cyberspace I however will offer my own thoughts on the man:

I am still the owner of the Wii. Whilst I used it more for the Virtual Console than the Wii games, I wouldn't have had one if it wasn't for Satoru Iwata. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have discovered, and played, so many games that escaped me the first time around. And for that I thank him.

In addition, credit must be given to Satoru Iwata who was able to run a massive gaming company AND still be passionate about games. I think we can all learn something from that.

Die For Your Queen

Over the past few weeks I've been playing a lot of Long Live the Queen.

This is certainly an entertaining game. I've seen plenty of anime to pick up all the jokes and references and there certifiably is suspense in seeing how the choices the player makes effects the hapless Elodie. Indeed, it says a lot when a small Steam game is more engaging than some huge twenty-gig-size monstrosity.

It's an entertaining game to be sure but so far I've achieved more successful coronations than I have deaths
And I can't shake the feeling that I'm playing this game wrong.

The Small One

Well there's no point in putting off any longer: Let's talk about the announcement of the Final Fantasy 7 remake. Yep, one of the big announcements of E3 is that there will be a FF7 remake regardless of my assertions that it shouldn't happen and we're better off without it. Well the egg is well and truly on my face: It would seem that someone at SqueeEnix saw my rants and decided to blow a lot of time and effort just to make me look small.

Bastards.

Ultimately though, this is the end result of years of pleading with SqueeEnix to do it and they've finally acquiesced. This the end result of people falling head over heels in love with Advent Children to a point where they forgot how the characters originally acted. This is the end result of people choosing to forget certain parts of the game. This is the end result of people acting like the JRPG genre ended with this game. This is the end result of people acting like Final Fantasy ended with this game. This is the end result of people acting like the entire RPG genre ended with this game.

So here's what I want to know: if this the end result then who is the winner here?
Yes the promise of a remake is well and good but it seems everything that was in the game originally will be included. So, like it or not, we will see Cloud in a dress, in all his HD glory.
Some may say that some changes should be made (ie the script and Barrett being a racist caricature) but still others would cry foul saying the game should be preserved as it is (warts and all). If all parties can't be pleased then the hard-fought victory isn't much of a victory then isn't it?

Then perhaps it is time we moved on

Dance to the Music

Recently I had a go at one of those dancing games. You know the kind: the one that requires to move about and having the players movements being picked up by a Wii mote.

Needless to say, I kinda sucked at it.

That's not to say I gave it my best shot but somehow I failed to register a high score. One could say that flailing my arms about like a nutter tends to do that....

Let's Get Smashed

Last weekend I saw, for the first time, the latest iteration of the Super Smash Bros. Yep, I saw a bunch of people huddled around a Wii-U and playing it...

...to be honest I can't see much difference between it and Brawl...

R.I.P. Chris Squire

Original video located here. Accessed 29th June 2015

 R.I.P. Chris Squire

Change the Script

In recent months I've come across a pair of interesting fan-edit movies: Firstly, there's the Tolkien edit of the Hobbit which merges all three Hobbit movies into the one feature and keeps it in line with the original text. And then there is a Phantom Edit of the Star Wars prequel trilogy that, again, knocks three movies down into a single feature and subsequently rewrites the script into something actually likeable.
I have to admire the dedication of the editors behind these edits: they have taken an incoherent narrative and worked them into something manageable, even likeable.

So how soon before someone does the same to games?

I suppose it isn't much of a stretch imagining someone modding certain games and reworking the narrative. This is largely due to a) the edited movies exemplified above showed that there are people willing to correct someone else's mistakes and b) the continuing existence of modding communities.

Personally I would like to see someone take the script of Final Fantasy VIII and made the narrative comprehensible. And populate it with likable characters.
And while we're at it, how about rewriting the narrative of Final Fantasy IX and make the rest of game maintain the pace set by the first disc?

The Return of Personal Best

And here we are at post no.700! Yeah I don't know how on earth I've managed to last for so long in this blog either. I guess I could write it down as a case of having plenty to say about a topic I'm keen on but I think it's more a case of being too dumb to quit.

So for post no.700, I thought I might revisit the case of my Personal Best. It seems a natural choice for as years go on, our opinions change and our interests tend to wander into new areas. After all, what I liked in 2012, doesn't necessarily mean I will feel the same way about it in 2015.

And if anyone wants to compare the previous list, go here

Anyway, enough waffling, lets get into the new list!

1. Ico
2. Metal Gear Solid
3. Baldur's Gate 2
4. Mass Effect 2
5. Red Dead Redemption
6. Sid Meier's Civilization 2
7. Secret of Mana
8. Planescape: Torment
9. Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
10. Super Metroid
11. Final Fantasy 6
12. Shadow of the Colossus
13. Super Mario World
14. World of Warcraft
15. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
16. Starcraft
17. Rock Band 2
18. Sid Meier's Pirates!
19. Spec Ops: the Line
20. Heroes of Might and Magic 2
21. Super Mario Bros. 3
22. Skies of Arcadia
23. The Stanley Parable
24. Resident Evil 4
25. Shining Force 2
26. Sonic the Hedgehog
27. Super Mario Bros.
28. Pharoah
29. To the Moon
30. Okami
31. Phantasy Star 4
32. Bastion
33. Pool of Radiance
34. Alien vs Predator arcade
35. Metal Slug
36. Dragon Age Origins
37. Bioshock
38. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
39. Command and Conquer: Red Alert
40. Last Ninja 2
41. Vendetta
42. Doom
43. Ogre Battle 64
44. Final Fantasy 10
45. Bubble Bobble
46. Actraiser
47. The Dig
48. Final Fantasy 7
49. Final Fantasy9
50. God of War
51. Raiden 2
52. The Chaos Engine
53. Cannon Fodder
54. Soul Calibur 3
55. Burnout 3

The Big E3

So E3 2015 has come and gone, leaving a trail of big announcements, revelations and fan-boys creaming their pants in it's wake. Whilst there are significant announcements to discuss (and believe you me we will be discussing them), today we focus on one in particular.

That being that Microsoft has finally caved in and given the Xbone backward compatibility. I suppose it's better late than never but one can't shake the feeling that this is an act of a company not getting the numbers they are expecting.

Me? My love affair with Xbox pretty much ended with the 360 - which resulted in even more time spent on the PC. So, whilst I can imagine this act being the equivalent of the Xbox crawling back,it does however suddenly make the Xbox enticing again - even when the Xbone has done little to pique my interest.

Still, I can't help but think that my vowing off Xbox and PlayStation caught the attention of a thought van that drove past my house and which subsequently inspired action to be taken...

Guardians of the Galaxy

Big news has emerged with the announcement that the Last Guardian is set for release in 2016. This has come after years of delays and confusion.
And we have a video to go with it:

Original video located here. Accessed 17th June 2015

Make no mistake, that I'm a big fan of Team Ico's (two) games and this video is interesting from that perspective: Here, we have shades of Ico with a protagonist wandering through a crumbling fortress with a companion. And, at the same time, we see the monster-climbing mechanic lifted straight from Shadow of the Colossus.
Considering that Shadow of the Colossus was a much bigger seller than Ico, I suppose it would be unsurprising for Team Ico to go back and revisit that territory. But such a prospect mirrors the comparisons I found between System Shock 2 and Bisohock: It's the same game but with a different coat of paint. Whilst the Griffon-esque creature seems a far more effective companion than Yorda, one can't help but think that perhaps Team Ico may be running short of ideas - especially considering the long gestation time this game has been in. 

But, of course, all of this is speculative: It's too early to call on this game when it has yet to be released.
If anything the real question here is: Could the Last Guardian be enough to sway me back to Sony? Only time will tell.....

System of a Down

Another game has been cast down from my Hall of Shame (and the first for 2015 too!). Goodbye System Shock 2!

Man oh man, has this game got a reputation and a half: the father of Bioshock, a complete reinvention (alongside Deus Ex) of the First Person Shooter genre, one of the scariest games ever made, one of the greatest villains ever conceived in gaming history.

And you know what? In this case the reputation is justified.

Okay so I may have been using a heavily modded version of the game, that resulted in updated graphics, reworked environments and high level textures but even such modifications can;t take away that this is a game dripping in atmosphere. There is real tension with danger lurking around every corner, there is dread invoked with the sound design and there is a real sense that this is survival horror done right (ie you're all alone and no one else can jump you & nick your gear).

However whilst System Shock 2 may be pushing sixteen years, it still stands as one of the toughest games I've played. Never mind the careful selection of skill allotment (it's been well-established that this game is unforgiving to a point that if you chose the wrong skills, you may find yourself unable to complete the game), I had to contend with weapon degradation, constant threats, never having enough ammo, and dying over and over again. Even the boss fight with the Many was a real nightmare - one that somehow made the eventual confrontation with SHODAN seem tame by comparison. That being said, I think I can now understand why Bioshock was made easier - and may have contributed to greater sales. Still, beating any tough game is certainly an achievement and that certainly was the case here.

Not much else except to say that System Shock 2 is a great game. And it is finally great to play it when it was lost in the legal limbo for so long.
Now, about No One Lives Forever....

The System is Down

Lately I've been playing a lot of System Shock 2.

This is an interesting game to approach on two fronts: Firstly it has a fearsome reputation in that is home to one of the greatest gaming villains (I am of course referring to SHODAN). And secondly, this is game I have come to to having played Bioshock, a game that has been made abundantly clear that it is the successor to System Shock 2.

It is that notion of System Shock 2 being a predecessor to Bioshock that is, to me, inescapable. I see so many similarities that it isn't funny. The weapons are the same, items are obtained via vending machines, there are turrets and security cameras everywhere, there are chambers that resurrect the player when they die, health and power-ups are provided via syringes, there's characters from both games running parallel to each other, there's hacking, weapon upgrades, cybermodules are ADAM, and Psionics fill in for plasmids.
Indeed, when comparing the two, one can't shake the feeling that Bioshock is just System Shock 2 with a new coat of paint (along with a steampunk aesthetic). And even then System Shock 2 started life as a completely different game before it was attached to the System Shock franchise for the sake of pushing sales.

Such is the similarities that I wonder if this is what gaming is going to be: a mere case of dusting off an old game and giving it a new coat of paint. I suppose that may make for an interesting solution to games that are lost to time and unable to played any more *coughPanzerDragoonSagacough* but at the same time, it does suggest that gaming progression is facing something of a standstill. I will concede that revamping an old game may be a way buck the system, generate interest in the father title and give new IP a fighting chance. But it makes me wonder how many people played Bioshock and then went to Steam to check out this System Shock 2 game....

Labouring Under Difficulties

Here's something inane I threw together and put up in Steam.

I doubt I'll be the first one to have thought of this - and whether or not anyone will get the joke but you can always try....

Dawn of a New Dragon Age

Recently I completed a play-through of Dragon Age Origins on the PC.

No doubt about it: This game is a lot different on PC than on the Xbox 360. Sure there is the obvious benefit of the user mods that improve the graphics and make welcome additions, but I found the controls better on the PC,the interface better and even some of the achievements present something of a significant challenge.

But who am I kidding? Its the mods that seal the deal for me. And they are impressive to say the least. I'm staggered by some of the effort these people have gone to and the results are astonishing. Of particular note is the Dark Ritual mod, that actually built a complete cutscene from the ground up. I also enjoyed the Skip the Fade mod and the Extra Dog Slot.

Ultimately though, playing through Dragon Age Origins again didn't feel like a crummy experience. I don't feel like I was ripped off when I bought the game for a second time purely for the modding. I knew what was going to happen in the game but I didn't feel tired. I've been and done all these things for a few times but I was never bored.

Maybe a new coat of paint could be just the thing to revisit a game....

Got Booked

Here's something that turned up in my mailbox earlier this week:

Well, if you're going to back one of these books on Kickstarter, then you might as well pick up a previous success

Dead Space

I was talking to a friend recently and learned how she was deleting some unplayed games off of her XboxOne hard drive - which, in turn, freed up some vital space.

Following her lead, I recently removed some Steam games from my hard drive which I don;t play any more. Only to find that I, ultimately, have saved a whopping 2 gig of space.

Of course that doesn't mean much when games these days are super huge in the terms of storage space but very little bit helps I guess....

Alphabet Steam

Here's something I came across recently: Does one, within their Steam library, have a game to match up to every letter of the alphabet?
Sounds to me like a challenge worth rising up to:

Age of Empires 2: HD edition
Ben There Dan That
Castle Crashers
Divinity Original Sin
Eversion
FTL
Gemini Rue
Half Life
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
J
Knightshift
Limbo
Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths
N
O
Papers Please
Quake 2
Rome: Total War
System Shock 2
Thomas Was Alone
Ultimate Doom
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
X-COM: UFO Defense
Y
Z



So I failed the challenge
But still, 21 out of 26 isn't too bad a result...

Master of all I survey

Here's something I came across recently: A survey from GungHo Entertainment, the company that currently owns the rights to the GameArts catalogue - this catalogue includes several Sega CD games like Lunar and Silpheed. This survey is asking if people are still interested in these games and whether or not they would like to see a re-release.

I, of course, voted for the Lunar series. Yes, it would be nice to actually finish both Silver Star and Eternal Blue....

Kick off

Normally I don't care much for Kickstarter but in this case I came  across something that was too good to resist: A book dedicated to the legendary Bitmap Brothers.

If you were a gamer in the 16-bit era, you would recognize the name. The Bitmap Brothers made some memorable games and were known for producing innovative games over several genres.
Whilst these guys never enjoyed massive worldwide success (comparable to, say, SqueeEnix), they were fondly remembered within the UK and for those who like their games to be challenging.
Personally, I'm glad to have such a record of this magnitude being made. With the passage of time, far too often do 'name' developers slip through the cracks, their pioneering achievements forgotten in amongst the relentless pace video games march at. With this book, it is reassuring to know that the Bitmap Brothers achievements in game design, graphics and rockin' music may finally be properly recognized.

So I encourage you to click on the link above and pledge your support!

Never Gonna Come Back Down

The other day I went into my local EB and found, much to my surprise, the original Fallout sitting on the shelf

Not bad for a game that's 18 years old

I have never seen anything like this before. This is, after all, an industry where progress happens quickly - and where things are often forgotten and left by the wayside just as quickly. So for a game that's 18 years old, and one that's easily available on Steam, to see it still on the shelves of a gaming store is certainly an achievement

Between a rock and hard place

Following on from last Monday's post, I was reminded how, at the end of the Dragon Age Origins,  Wynne announces to the player character that she intends to travel the world with Shale.

An odd pairing indeed, but it sure makes for a road/buddy movie I would like to see

Hit the Road

Still plugging through Dragon Age Origins.

You know I still remember how my first playthrough of Dragon Age Origins turned out: My City Elf Rogue ended the game and decided to head off to further adventures accompanied by his romantic interest, Liliana, and tagalong Zevran.

I don't know about you but there's a road/buddy movie in there somewhere...

Re-Enter the Dragon

Now that I've been saddled with a temperamental internet connection, I have become disillusioned with the MMORPG thing so I've found my interest slowly drifting to someplace else.

The someplace else has, strangely, been revisiting an old friend: Dragon Age. But on the Xbox 360. No, I'm talking about the PC edition and a heavily modded PC version at that (that and playing Dragon Age Origins again is preparation for Inquisition).

Playing this though has been mind-blowing to say the least: The controls are better, the graphics are better and the party AI is better. Okay true much of this may be down to the presence of the mods correcting the mistakes of the original game, but I'm having a blast with the PC version of Dragon Age. So much so, I'm finding it difficult to realise how I ever got by on the 360 version.

Truly no one lives forever

Recently I came across this depressing piece of news: the classic PC games No One Lives Forever will never be re-released on Steam or GoG due to no one knowing who really owns the rights.

I'm disappointed to say the least. I've heard a lot about No One Lives Forever 1 and 2 and I've been eager to play them.

Still, if Warner Bros/Activision/Fox can't make up their minds, at least I can go to eBay, hunt down both games, locate some patches to make them work, then it's my money Warner Bros/Activision/Fox/whoever won't be getting.

Broken Link

In relation to an earlier post about a Legend of Zelda TV series, it now has since been revealed that neither Nintendo or Netflix have such plans.

Meaning there is no LA Legend of Zelda TV series coming and that inane cartoon is pretty much all we're going to get.

Well! Excuuuuuuuuuuuuse me Netflix!!!!

Still, maybe it is for the best: Because Link has been, and always will be, a blank slate. He is what the player decides. And having a TV show make that decision will mean that it could never possibly match the expectations of the player(s).

They look so different on this side of the TV screen

Guess who i ran into on the weekend?

Console-Less

Recently Raptr announced it will cease all support for console games,

With each passing year I've found myself drifting further and further away from the console camp. Indeed, one could say this development could be another step in that direction. 

Good news / Bad news

Recently my house was connected to the NBN - this means my internet is now faster than ever!

And that's the good news.

The bad news is that an old cable had to pulled out to make it happen - one that ran around the house. And, ultimately, into my computer. What these means now is that my computer and the NBN router are now at different ends of the house. And on separate floors. Which in turn makes for a internet signal that may not be strong enough to handle matters concerning XBLA and MMORPGs.

And, somehow, dusting off my PS2 suddenly sounds like a very good idea....

Do you Sega what I Sega?

Here's something that's been bothering me for a while: How do you pronounce Sega?

When I was a kid, both myself and the people around me always called it by 'SEE-Gar' and no one ever thought any more of it. But such a pronunciation must've been an Australian thing because it is only in recent years that I've heard other people, more often than not from other parts of the world, call it 'SAY-Gar'.
This certainly was a surprise. Which is the correct pronunciation? I've been doing my way for so long it's hard to accept the other way.
One possible way of correct pronunciation, which comes straight from Sega themselves, is the Sega screen in Sonic the Hedgehog - but even that is unclear:

Original video located here. Accessed 13th March 2015

Does anyone know?

Yes Means No

So Homeworld Remastered is now upon us so one would think I would make a beeline for it.I have talked it up in the past right?

But strangely no: I'm not rushing out to get the Homeworld Remaster - or at least dropping everything and getting the Steam code.

Why? Well I did consider it until I realized that the ace end credits theme The Ladder had been omitted. That may seem strange enough to be a deal breaker but dammit, I want my game to end with some rockin' prog rock dammit!

But apparently Gearbox (or someone) couldn't obtain the license to use it.
So what does that men? Did Yes say No?

R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy

One of the icons of geek culture passed away on the weekend - Leonard Nimoy, Mr Spock himself.

Thankfully Star Trek Online are keeping his soundbites but I will admit it's getting hard upon leveling up and hearing that distinctive voice utter: "Congratulations Admiral"

I raise a glass to you, Mr Nimoy.
And say hi to Gene, James and DeForrest for us. :(

Paying up

Today I did some calculating up and found out that I've spent under thirty dollars on Star Trek Online.

Not a bad amount invested on a FTP game.

I suppose it is a good thing though that I've kept track of this figure. If anything, it's a necessary restriction when facing down a MMORPG - if you lose track of how much money you've spent on it, then maybe you're in a dangerous position. I hate to think how much money I've blown on World of Warcraft or Elder Scrolls Online but no doubt both amounts are somewhere in the three digits.

And considering how much money I've spent on games that have ultimately gone unplayed then maybe such a restriction is more important than I realize.

And now for something completely macabre

Relaxing when there's a dead body at one's feet:

Legend of Zelda: Televised Princess

Well the big news of the past week is that Netflix is working with Nintendo to produce a TV series based on Legend of Zelda.
This is a surprise to say the least seeing as Nintendo are notoriously protective of their trademarks - especially when one considers the last major media translation of their IP, the Super Mario bros movie, wasn't too good. 

Whilst there is a lot in the Legend of Zelda franchise that would make an adaptation work, or at least difficult to mess up, there still lies a big problem: Should Link remain a silent character?

Yes Link exists as an avatar for the player but just because it works in a game environment doesn't mean it will work for a TV series. Having him as a silent character would be baffling and strange.
But at the same time, Link is the hero to countless people - and no one could possibly fulfill everyone's expectations as to what Link should sound like (Metroid Other M anyone?). Furthermore, we all know what happened the last time someone tried to inject some personality into an otherwise silent character:

Original video located here. Accessed 16th February 2016

Still, at least the new Legend of Zelda TV series can't do worse than this.

We can be heroes just for one day

So Heroes of Might and Magic 2 got the distinction of being revamped in HD?

Well I suppose that's nice but when are we going to have a HD of Heroes 2?

Triumphs and tragedies

Alas my computer has suffered a major hardware failure. I've had to take it in to be fixed but, as is often the case, I'm stuck on a waiting list. There's no telling how long it will take so I'm left high and dry at the moment,

Still it's not all bad news: Before the computer crash, I did manage to make some progress with Star Trek Online. I defeated the Klingon ship that was giving me so much headaches and I made it all the way to the second season (Wasteland). Funny thing buffs: You never realise you have them until they end up saving your bacon

Paying for an Escort

Following on from a post made earlier this week about Star Trek Online, I decided to tackle the problem of being decimated by the Klingons by shelling out for a new ship: An Escort! Yes, screw the Cruisers, give me a ship made for combat! It's maneuverable! And it's loaded with guns! Yes, I'll make those Klingons regret they ever saw me!

Oh wait, they just blew me out of the sky.

Oh well, never mind then.

Going off Trek

I've been playing a lot of Star Trek Online lately.

I've been enjoying it so far but now I think I've reached the point where cracks are beginning to show. True I love going through the galaxy, I love building up a crew of individuals and how the game really captures the feel of the TV show. But what I find problematic is.....the ship combat.

You heard right. Some critics have said the ship combat as one of the highlights of the game but I'm not one of them. I find it dull, tedious and frustrating. At the risk of sounding like a noob, I've come to loathe the ship combat what with the enemy ships outpacing me, getting the shit kicked out of me by ships who never seem to take a scratch and being blown up time and time again.
Funny thing is, I've been going by the Federation campaign. And at one point I got to use a Klingon Bird of Prey - which, funnily enough I found more maneuverable and subsequently more enjoyable. Therefore perhaps there is something to be gleamed from the Klingon campaign.

bortaS blr jablu'Dl'reH QaQqu' nay'

Your God Not Mine

Some weeks ago, a new God of War was announced. Well I suppose a new God of War game is, by now, inevitable as the tide, regardless of actual quality.

Honestly, I think the God of War games have the same problem the Tomb Raider games one faced: The trap of formula. Both franchises had a big hit with the first game but everything that's followed in it's wake is the same formula - hindered by a Player character who has plenty of brand recognition but is handled by writers who don't seem to have a clue what to do with the them.

Really, what can you do with Kratos? It's fair to say that the God of War games that aren't no.1 have wrecked what made Kratos initially interesting: Now he's just being angry for the sake of it. Kratos is a parody of himself and he's stuck there. Now, he's been angry for so long that it's now expected of him: if he isn't tearing shit up, his fans will call foul - and if he were to have a moment of introspection and/or actual character depth, he'll be called a pussy.

Personally, I can see some potential in the idea of Kratos being confronted with the constant carnage he's caused. What if he was cast into a desert where he has no one to fight? There, in amongst the silence, he is confronted with his actions and the countless people he has killed. Only problem there is a) the afore-mentioned danger of making Kratos a pussy and b) that doesn't sound like much of a game.

Another idea, which continues the wavelength from the previous idea is having someone else as the Player Character. They saw their wife being cut down by Kratos so the player character takes it upon himself to take out Kratos himself. True Yahtzee suggested this before but it would make an interesting iteration on the themes established in the first game. Only problem there is that game franchises without their established lead tend not to do well (Metal Gear Solid 2 anyone?).

Still Tomb Raider managed to do something new with it's latest iteration, so there may be some hope for the God of War games - but I sincerely doubt it.

Free the Elder Scrolls

So Elder Scrolls Online has gone Free to Play. What this means is that this game is joining the other MMORPGs on the same boat whilst WoW is continuing to stream-roll along unabated.

Okay seriously, I've played ESO and I will certainly admit that it has been fun. So to hear to go Free to Play is something of a mixed blessing. On one hand, it may generate new interest in the game and become something of a lifeline. But on the other hand, it is a step towards the graveyard where many other MMORPGs lie.

Ultimately though, I guess time, as ever, will tell whether or not ESO has enough clout to go in for the long-term but it would be interesting to see how things develop in the wake of the FTP announcement

Its a Sony

Recently I contemplated investing in a PS4. Not for one it's games, God no, but for the PS1 and PS2 games available on the PSN. As is often the case with digital distribution, I like the idea of having a classic game readily available that I can continue to enjoy long after the original console has claimed by the march of time.

Thing is, I've built up a large number of PS2 and PS1 games over the years so this does raise the issue of whether or not all of them are available to the PS4 in one form or another.

So let's take a look:

PS1:
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Darkstalkers: Night Warriors
Final Fantasy Anthology
Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy 9
Ghost in the Shell
Loaded
Metal Gear Solid
Raiden Project
Return Fire
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Wip3out


PS2:
Burnout 3
Final Fantasy 10
God of War
Gran Turismo 3
Grand Theft Auto 3
Hyper Street Fighter 2
Ico
Madden NFL 2004
Metal Gear Solid 2
Metal Slug Anthology
Okami
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Resident Evil 4
Shadow of the Colossus
Silent Hill 2
Soulcalibur 3
Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution


So we have seventeen games available out of twenty nine. And some of the omissions are glaring (No Return Fire?! But that game's great!). Geez Sony, you're not making a persuasive case for me to shell out for a PS4.

Okay seriously: I can see the appeal of having some of my favorite games readily available but I've spent hours on many of these games. In some cases I've achieved hard fought victories, other times I've achieved success through pure luck and other times still I've won through patience and careful planning (Final Fantasy X Sphere Grid anyone?). So is it worth doing it all over again?

Probably not

Hey Man Slow Down

Happy New Year!

Yep, I'm back after my Christmas Break, ready to take on the new year. And what better way to start the new year with an announcement....stating that I'm slowing down.

Yep, I've made the decision to update this blog solely on a irregular basis. Some of you may have noticed that many of my posts last year came late or were really strained for content. A telling sign as any that coming up with regular material for this blog has become increasingly difficult.

So the time has come to scale down material for Game Tumour. This, by no means, doesn't mean the blog is dead, it will just be updated when I have something to say. And I think you'll agree that quality the posts is far better than quantity.

Still, it would be interesting to see how the ongoing issue of My Hall of Shame shapes out this year...