Say that again

Recently, Sega announced a mini-Megadrive. It's a commemoration of the console's 30th anniversary and contains 85 games built in.

Well here we are again: yet another iteration of Sega's greatest achievement. I won't deny that the Megadrive/Genesis was a major game-changer (so to speak) in the early nineties but do we really need to be informed of it over and over again?
Furthermore, yet another iteration of the Megadrive's success highlights, for me, the apathy and downright hostility towards the Mega CD and the Saturn. Okay, so maybe unsuccessful consoles may not sit well with their creators (Virtual Boy anyone?), but both consoles had some diamonds in the rough and it be a shame for them to be forgotten and left by the wayside as history continues to march unabated. Perhaps moreso considering Sega's 'scorched earth' approach to the (now non-existent) preservation of the Saturn.
If the success of Online Distribution had proved anything, people will gladly pay to play something legally. And I know for a fact that I will pay to play some decent Saturn games in a legal format.
I mean, there were other decent games that weren't Nights

Lets be honest here Sega: Do you really want the pirates to win?

That was the year it was: 2017

And so, the curtain comes down on another year.
So....2017....How about that eh?

2017 was, for me, mostly me rediscovering Elder Scrolls Online. A game that i originally approached with reluctance is a game that I have played near exclusively in 2017. The funny thing is that the thing that turned me around was a skill re-spec for my first/main character. Since then I've made a few more characters. All of which, I have approached with a particular plan in mind. Funny thing that: I approach with a plan, and subsequently a better grasp of what I'm doing and suddenly the game becomes a lot more enjoyable. Still, it's no different from me of nearly two decades ago building a plan to work in Civ 2 and Heroes 2.

Other highlights was seeing the Conquest series appear on GoG; beating Nights into Dreams, Conquests of the Longbow and KOTOR 2 - all of which have been a long time coming; Going to PAX and Trying out Alien Swarm.

But you know what? If we go be feel alone, 2017 seems like something of a slump. Nothing came out this year that really grabbed my attention. Maybe it's me living in a backwards flowing bubble, maybe it's me having played games for so many years that it becomes harder for something to stand out of the pack, but somehow one gets the impression that gaming has reached it's zenith: There are no more frontiers to conquer, no one beyond the Steam indie crowd is prepared to make any risks and everything seems to be recycled. Funny thing how a industry that has moved at a lightning fast pace has now hit a point that resembles stagnation.
I've heard whispers that we may be due in for a second Gaming Crash but maybe we could do with one, just to shake things up a bit....

Still we can only hope that 2018 is better....

Anywho, thank you for reading this blog and i hope to speak to you again next year.

Can you hear the lambs Clarice?

Another game has been struck down from my Hall of Shame. Clean out your desk Nights Into Dreams - you're outta here!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th September 2017

And thus ends a journey that has been twenty-one years in the making. I still remember seeing the trailer for this game in a store and being really excited about it, what with me being a Sega fanboy sympathizer. But it is only now, when Sega's heyday as a hardware manufacturer is long gone that I'm able to play Nights Into Dreams - on the XBLA. Irony eh?
Of course, I'm not playing the Saturn version: I'm playing the HD enhanced version. I could play the original version by why would I want to do that?

Okay, sarcasm aside, this game would still have to rank as one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. And the HD Enhancement does just that: Enhances the graphics into one of the most brightest and most colorful games around. Indeed it certainly shows up a lot of modern games - and this was a game released in a the middle of a decade people tend to look back on as being full of grittiness and edginess.
I remember one of the first reviews I saw of this game the reviewer noted that the game looked like it been made by a graphics department who'd had too much red cordial - can't say I disagree.
The music is also a treat too.

Now that we have the aesthetics out of the way, how does the gameplay come across?
I like what this game was trying to do, with it's flight mechanic but the prospect of flying is hindered by the knowledge that what the player is ultimately doing is flying along a fixed path. Sure there are alternate paths but they don't seem that different. And there's no denying that the game is short - but the difficulty makes up for it. For therein lies the challenge of reaching the 'A' rating - a challenge that, naturally, seems difficult in getting. And I will admit that i was putting a lot of hard effort in only to get anything but an 'A' - to a point where I was starting to take it personally.

One interesting observation is that, given how there is a loud call for more female representation in gaming, I actually found Claris' dream easier than Elliot's dream. True: I breezed through Clari's levels and got some high scores but Elliot's dreams were more tricky and more demanding to get higher scores - so much so, I was baffled that i did really well only to get hit with  a lowly 'C' grade.
So what, playing the female character means an easier time? Clearly this game was thinking way ahead of it's time.

But at the end of the day, this game had a lot of charm and I liked it a lot. It has great ideas, great art direction and the HD enhancement really help the game. It may have been a diamond in the rough when it was first released but, when compared to a lot of it's Saturn stablemates, Nights Into Dreams is a game that truly comes across like it was made with heart and a passion to be the best game the makers could produce.
And HD enhancement gives Nights Into Dreams the greatness originally worthy of it.

This Looks Like a Job For Superman!

So a new Batman game is on the way for the eighth console generation so now would be a good time as any to talk about DC’s greatest hero – that’s right, Superman.

Superman may be the greatest of all superheroes and the wellspring that all others have come from but such a distinction can’t stop him from having crummy games. And it’s not just the notorious Superman 64 - the Superman brand has, throughout gaming history, has lent itself to flops like the Arcade game and the 2600 game.  And somehow the alleged Superman Curse seems no longer confined to actors.

Is it possible to make a Superman that’s actually any good? Well the first problem would be to overcome the inescapable truth that Superman is the embodiment of the invulnerable power fantasy. And invulnerability is a very hard thing to do in a medium where a player finds himself up against legions of obstacles all of which are life threatening. So how does one make a game around a character that is practically bullet-proof AND not make it boring?

One possible solution would be focus on one of Superman’s characteristics – that being the power of flight. Who wouldn’t want to be placed in a Sandbox environment and be given the ability to take off and fly with ease (or at least without the necessity of hijacking a helicopter)? I mean if Nights Into Dreams can prove that a game can be made around a flight mechanic then there’s no reason why a Superman game couldn’t work. Why, I’ve played the Commander Keen games with the jump cheat on (so sue me) and somehow I could easily imagine that working as a Superman game.

But making a game around a character who is bullet-proof is only half the problem – Superman is the ultimate good guy and doing everything to everyone may not appeal to the modern gamer. True being the good guy is never easy but it can work given a suitable risk/reward system: if the player, say, faces the task of rescuing people from a collapsing building caused by a bad guy, there lies a challenge of rescuing the people. If the player manages to rescue all of them, they will be rewarded but if one or all the people die they will be penalized. And such penalties could come in the form of populace reaction: If Superman does a bad thing the people of Metropolis will distrust him and will react accordingly. This in turns will inspire the player to try and work their way back in Metropolis’ graces. It may not be an easy undertaking but, given the right amount of reward, it may work (and hey, who can’t deny the appeal of being Superman and shifting heavy objects?).

But the ultimate question is whether or not anyone wants a Superman game. Which brings me back to Batman: In recent years Batman has been blessed with games and movies that have ultra-successful whilst Superman has had to contend with his once glorious name becoming toxic with the afore-mentioned Superman 64 and the polarizing Man of Steel. And thus who in turn, has the largest command of the nerd cash? Hint: Not Kal-El.

That is something I’ve noticed: The people who love Batman hate Superman with just as much vigor. Indeed, I heard that the recent Arkham games were made by people who loved Batman and wanted to do the best job possible. While such dedication is admirable I can’t help but picture Rocksteady being full of people who would fall over themselves to make Batman game but would be anything but enthusiastic to make a Superman game. It is also somewhat telling that the only way it would seem to save the Superman movie franchise is to do a crossover with Batman.  Yep, the only way to save your franchise is to get in someone else to do it for you.

I can see a Superman working providing the right amount of thought is put into it and is made by people both passionate about Superman and committed to doing the best job possible. The only problem is whether or not the appropriate numbers can be generated from those people who are far more enamored of Batman. 
And as a parting shot consider this: We may all laugh at movie producer Jon Peters and his complete misunderstanding of Superman but somehow I can’t help but think Mr. Peters has become something of an avatar for those who aggressively place Batman on pedestal whilst denouncing Superman.

10 Best Intros of the 5th Generation

And here we are with this blog’s 600th post! Woot!
Well I did promise I’ll do a better job with my 600th post than I did with my 500th post so what do I have in store for today? Well I decided I’d do a follow up on one of my favorite posts in this blog. Remember the best intros of the fourth generation post I did? Well today we’ll be doing the best intros of the fifth generation!

To do a post like this presents a challenge and a half: My previous post lauded intros from the fourth generation largely through their ability establish mood, drama and intent largely through the limitations of the day – and having a particular attachment to that generation helped too. Not so with the fifth generation – with the increase of technology, more restrictions were broken down and the palette the game designers could work from grew bigger. But the removal of restrictions doesn’t always mean an increase in creativity. As such, I often find myself having little to no attachment to the games of fifth generation like I have to the games both before and once.

Nevertheless, a challenge has been set and it’s one worthy to rise up to. So here are my eleven best intros of the fifth generation.


11. Independence War (PC)

Let’s start this list with a game I’ve never actually played – hence it’s lowly positon on this list. It does seem unfair true but somehow I could not go past this intro.
And could I not? It may run for fifteen minutes making it easily the longest on this list but somehow it never feels like a chore to get through. Instead, a lot is established about the game and the universe it is set in. We see multiple planets. We see a conflict being set up. We see a background and history brought forth. We see political intrigue and the desperation with fighting a war. Indeed, I’ll go so far to say that this video does the whole establishing of its own universe so well that it puts a lot of modern games to shame.
Also pleasing is the look of this universe: It has a gritty look to it and some great lighting effects that really go a long way in establishing the mood of the game. This isn’t some gung-ho idealist space opera, this is a war being fought. Its more Babylon 5 than Star Trek and is all the better for it.
Actually, now that I watch this intro, maybe this game should be worth a look…


10. Lunar: Eternal Blue (Sega CD)

Okay so I’m cheating again here seeing as this game was originally released for the Sega CD but it was also released for the PS1 so it still counts!
Anywho, what I particularly like about this intro is the art direction: I ‘m impressed by the anime-esque character designs and the horrific image of a planet being bloodily destroyed by some demonic hands. But what really makes the intro for me is the place that Lucia is wandering through: We see wall carvings describing a story that is appears to be a mixture of both history and mythology. We see wars being fought, demonic beasts wracking destruction and instances of deities providing salvation.
Whilst I’m typing this from a relative newcomer (I’ve played both Silver Star and Eternal Blue but not long enough to complete them or form an idea about the game’s mythology), it is still impressive to see this ruined fortress and how it’s been abandoned by time. Also impressive is how it’s building on what appears to be clearly the game’s own mythology. Again, I haven’t the game enough but seeing this makes me feel inspired to play the game further and find out just what this mythology is. And that’s what a game’s meant to do right? Convince you to play the game it’s attached to? In this case it is a mission well and truly accomplished.

9. Metal Gear Solid (PlayStation)

If we could, for a moment, consider the landscape of gaming in a post-Sega CD world: Full Motion Video games have turned out to be a complete joke with pretentions to offering an experience akin to a movie – but instead presenting appalling acting and little to offer the ‘game’ side of things. CD storage suddenly looks significantly less appealing and the ‘movie experience’ looks best suited to staying with the movies.
That being said, Metal Gear Solid comes across as being a revelation. Finally, we have a game that actually has the look of a genuine movie (as opposed to something shot in someone’s backyard). The voice acting is superb. There are credits for both cast and staff members. And, most importantly, it still requires player participation – a balance that sounds absurd but works like a charm.
Unfortunately, with hindsight, it is sad that future Metal Gear Solid games continued going down the movie path with extended cutscenes that required little to no involvement from the player. But for one glorious moment, it all came together for the first Metal Gear Solid game.

8. Starcraft 2: Brood War (PC)

Whilst I may have shown some contempt for fifth generation graphics, I am somewhat lenient towards the PC crowd. Maybe it’s because I was using one at the time. Or maybe some of the graphics in that area hold up the best. Or maybe PC games have an ‘ageless’ quality to them largely due to the presence of the modding crowd.
But no matter: Let’s talk about this intro. Whilst I found the intro to the original Starcraft dull, this however is more compelling. It begins with the Terran marines fighting a losing battle through the Zerg and then goes onto to introduce two characters who become of key importance in the campaign ahead as well as their intent. So much of this works so well: The rain, the thunder and the mood of hopelessness that radiates throughout the intro. Also of particular note is the music that starts off with some rockin’ guitars, which had already been established as being tied to the Terran campaign in the original game, and then evolving into something operatic, as befit the UED campaign in Brood War. For any newcomer, seeing this intro makes one eager to have a shot at this campaign and find out who Alexei and Gerard are and just what they intend to do. Which is what any good intro should do.


7. Shining Force 3: scenario 1 (Saturn)

Again I’m cheating because this is another game I’ve never played. Yes I’ve played Shining Force 1 and 2 but not 3 – this is instead another game I am relying upon purely on the intro (as well as game footage on YouTube). But what an intro! This is packed to the gills with some great imagery, with the most significant being at the end where two swordsmen face off against each other in a fire-ravaged city as a giant mech approaches. The music is fantastic, certain characters are introduced and a lot is packed into this video to convey that things do indeed happen in the game attached to it. And with the presence of elves, centaurs, winged demons, magic spells, statues that come alive and steampunk this certainly ticks all the boxes for any fantasy aficionado.
Whilst I could’ve done without the inclusion of the sound effects, this is intro, like any intro, is designed to grab the player and to that end it succeeds with flying colors. Could it be enough to hunt down a Saturn, all three installments of Shining Force 3 and learning Japanese to understand all the dialogue? Some people have so one could say that this intro may have done plenty enough.

6. Tekken 2 (PlayStation)

I recall seeing this back in the day and the first thing that sprung to mind was; “I gotta get this game”.
I could end the story right there and then as it would sound very familiar and such a reaction is the exact thing an intro is made to do. The thing is, however, I wasn’t really impressed with the original Tekken (both in the arcade and the PS1 version), but seeing this intro was a key step in convincing me that the PlayStation may be worth a damn.
So what makes this intro so special? Well, compared to it’s predecessor it looks great: The graphics look pretty good, they are devoid of the ‘blocks’ that plagued fifth generation gaming graphics (they look dumb then and still do today). The character designs are superb. And the lightening effects are also a stand out - which astonished me back in the day as I didn’t think that thing would’ve been possible. 
As for the intro itself, we’re introduced to the characters, both old faces and new, and we see enough to establish their character and their role in the game. It may not sound like much but this intro does it so well that I’ve seen similar intros done for other games but they come across a pale imitation. So whatever this intro does, it does it right. 
(and I’ll rather have this intro than the one with Heihachi’s screaming mug any day).

5. Nights Into Dreams (Saturn)

It may be a short intro but within the space of forty-three seconds, the game’s intentions are established with ease. Bright colorful graphics? Check. A mood that is both mischievous and heroic? Check. A setting both over-worldly and grandiose? Check. Visuals that support the claims made in the title? Check. Indeed, I recall seeing this intro in the mid-nineties and I was hooked. So much so, I waited for well over a decade before I downloaded the HD remake of the game on XBLA.
Okay seriously: I’m always impressed by how this intro establishes so much within such a short space of time. Some may say it’s the limitations of the Saturn hardware but I feel this is a holdover from the previous gaming generation where developers had limits as what they could do – and subsequently had to work hard and work smart to navigate around such limits. And this intro shows signs of the developers putting in the same kind of hard effort.
And the fact that this was on the Saturn, a console now notorious for having some failures of games and a mishandled PR campaign, makes such effort worth it’s weight in gold.

4. Ghost in the Shell (Playstation)

I’ve certainly talked up Sega a lot in this post – and even I can’t deny that the fifth generation was not a good time for Sega. So, for the sake of balance, let’s talk about PlayStation.
Let’s not beat around the bush: I love me some Ghost in the Shell. I thought the original movie was great, I found Stand Alone Complex superb so it was somewhat inevitable that I would eventually track down this lost treasure.
Whilst not the sequel that many people longed for it was however a follow up to the movie and, as this intro indicates, it was true to the spirit of both the movie and the original manga. Plus you get to blow shit up as a tachikoma long before Stand Alone Complex came about (clearly the game was ahead of its time).
Without a doubt, the most striking thing about this intro is the quality of animation. One thing I recall distinctly from the mid-nineties is that with the increase in storage space offered by the CD-ROM, many game developers attempted to incorporate animation into their game, in an attempt to replicate Disney or even Don Bluth. This however felt like a game that truly walked the walk. The animation is incredible, easily on par with the movie and certainly exciting to watch. Indeed, whilst I may find the blocky graphics of many PS1 games hard to take seriously this however is a delightful surprise.

3. Soul Edge (PlayStation)

Remember what I said about how every fighting game that has an intro introducing every character is a pale imitation of the one in Tekken 2? Well Soul Edge doesn’t do anything to change that opinion but it has enough clout to stand proudly on it’s own two feet.
So what we have here is one of the most rockin’ intros ever. So where do I start? The theme music kicks arse; the singer, Suzi Kim, sings with a conviction that is entertaining; each and every character gets plenty of screen time and they appear multiple times (which is more that can be said of similar intros to other fighting games). And it is absolutely glorious from start to finish.
Also of note is that this intro holds up really well years later. Yes I’ve been critical of the lasting power of fifth generation graphics but this is one intro I can watch again and again and still find entertaining. Whilst my own experience with the Soul series is with the Soulcalibur 1 and 2 – both of which have a graphical quality that still holds up today - it’s nice to know the progenitor of the series still has something of its own to say and it still works years later.

2. Final Fantasy VII (Playstation)
All right, I admit it: This intro is nothing short of impressive. Yes I’ve been critical of Final Fantasy 7, yes I think FF6 is better, yes I’m put off by the fandom this game inspired but at the end of the day, one can’t deny this is intro is incredible.
Years later, this is still jaw-dropping to watch. It must be the zoom out of Midgar. Or it could be the graphics which still look great seventeen years later.
And with hindsight, one can see how this game made many people excited and pretty much made a lot of people forget about the NES and SNES incarnations of Final Fantasy. And considering the strength of it, one can see how such a recognizable scene was used as tech demo (but the less said about that better).


And my favorite intro of the fifth generation is…

1. Planescape Torment (PC)

In coming up with this list I had something of specific criteria: The success of an intro depended on a combination of how well it established the game in-universe, how it made me interested in a game, how it worked with the technology of the day, and how many times it made me rewatch it on YouTube (as you might imagine that last one may have been the deciding factor.
Thus, the video you see above this passage of text is the intro I felt fulfilled all these criteria.
Within this video a lot is established about the game and its universe. We are introduced to both the Nameless One and Deionarra. We also see locations that later prove to be of importance –and, as players of this game would know, it pays to pay attention.  We see key themes within the game being raised with the image of the Torment insignia and the army of zombies with fingers raised in accusation.
However, what I find most interesting about this video is what is known with hindsight because (SPOILERS) as anyone who’s beaten the game would know, it is never actually revealed what the first incarnation did that inspired him to seek atonement through immortality. Thus this video is pretty much the only clues we get. We see a woman (who clearly doesn’t share Deionarra’s appearance), a guy drowning, battles being fought and a glimpse of the Nameless One as a human. What does it all mean? We’ll never know and that, in turn, is a tantalizing detail that adds to this video’s mystique.
This intro adds so much to the game. Even after I’ve beaten the game, I’m still finding things if interest in the intro and seeing how it connects with the rest of this game – which is more than many other games can claim. It’s a unique intro and here at Game Tumour we celebrate the unique. So it gets the gold star from me.

So that’s it for the 600^th post! Thank you for taking the time reading it and here’s to the next 100 posts!
 

To be this good takes Ages

Following on from an earlier post, today I downloaded Radiant Silvergun and had a bash at it. I didn’t last long, which is unsurprising for an arcade shooter, but I was impressed with the number of shooting abilities on offer. Needless to say, this warrants further investigation.

What is of particular note is that with the purchase of Radiant Silvergun, the number of Sega games (as in either made by Sega or originated on a Sega console) on my XBLA account now reaches eight. It joins the likes of Sonic Adventure, Sonic CD, Ikagura, Soul Calibur, Daytona USA, Nights into Dreams and Guardian Heroes. Now whilst it may not sound like much it still represents a third of the games I have downloaded from XBLA.

I suppose having a particular empathy for the Sega games is a holdover from my days as a Sega fanboy. I guess once you’re a fanboy you’re one for life and you can never truly escape such a fate. However other reasons behind such an empathy exist in the form of:

• Perhaps playing Sega games on the Xbox it is a firm indication of Microsoft's replacing of Sega in the Console race
• Or maybe it is more of a case of finally playing games that I have previously only been able to admire from afar.

But most likely there is still the faint glimmer of hope that if Sega games are being brought maybe a miracle may happen and we’ll finally see a re-release of Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force 3.

But what are the odds of the happening, amIrite?

Two's Company and Three's a Crowd

An age-old debate: 2d platformers or 3d platformers?

Honestly this question isn’t something I really need to think about: 2d all the way. I grew up with eight bit and 16 bit games and, as far as I’m concerned, they did the job nicely and still do today.

My experience with 3d platformers has been varied: I recall the first time I played Super Mario 64 on the N64 and, having enjoyed both Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros 3, experiencing some kind of culture shock: I had no idea what I was supposed to do with Mario or where I was supposed to go. Consequently much of my time in Super Mario 64 was spent running around like a headless chook. Latter still I found many 3d platformers seemed unclear as to not only where to go but how to get there: At times my experience with 3d platformers was awash with difficulty in distinguishing what was a ledge and what was scenery – And anyone who tells me they haven’t slipped up a complicated jumping onto  something they thought they could hang onto is a liar.
I also didn’t appreciate the fact that much the graphics looked really ugly – a fact not helped years later as many fifth generation games have not aged well in the graphics department.  And matters were not helped by a wonky camera that seemed to refuse to go where the player wanted it to.

And that pretty much sums up my feelings towards 3d platformers: Unclear paths, hideous graphics and a resentful camera. Major problems that, to me, was more than enough as a deal-breaker. And having come from the 16-bit era, these flaws came across as being a major regressive step – why try and ruin that which was working so well already? Indeed, these problems were, and still remain, the reasons why I loved 3d platforms: The screen moved with the PC, they looked nice (some even hold up really well today) and it was always clear where the player was meant to go (not to mention the thrill of finding new paths to get to the exit). That and they were tremendous fun to play.

Now that’s not to say that I’ve found 3d platformers that I’ve enjoyed – Prince of Persia Sands of Time comes to mind – but that had a great narrative and a fun time-rewind mechanic to back it up. In fact I’ve found that when a 3d platformer is offering something else, I will latch onto the ‘something else’ and lo and behold, I find I can really enjoy the game itself (ie Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, NiGHTS and God of War).

As for the 2d platformers, I love them and I still do. And I suspect I’ll still be enjoying them ten years from now. I still finding some being made today (Eversion anyone?) and they are still as compelling as ever. I think that is how I feel about the conflict between 2d and 3d – I’ve become so accustomed on 2d so for 3d to grab my attention it had better offer something else on top.

Your move 3d platformers

Keep Dreamin'

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Sega are really doing themselves by not making their back catalogue of non-Megadrive/Genesis games readily available. Sure there have been a few games on the Master System/Saturn/Dreamcast slipping through the cracks on PSN and XBLA but what about the rest? Whilst Sega may have had more than few failed consoles to their name, I can still think of some games in Sega's back catalogue that could benefit from a second look.

I could see some reluctance on Sega's part namely a) the difficulty of obtaining rights of certain games with certain gaming studios scattering elsewhere b) an unwillingness to release something that has no guarantee of decent sales and c) the idea that maybe Sega's failed consoles is something they would like to forget. Reasonable claims I will admit but I've heard of such games being spoken of in near mythical terms and needless to say my curiosity is piqued.
I can think of several games on the Mega CD that may be worth dusting off and preserving for gamers both now and in the future, namely Eternal Champions, Lunar, Popful Mail, Robo Aleste, Shining Force CD, Silpheed, Snatcher and Vay (and who says it was all Sonic CD?)
And on the Saturn front, I would certainly like to play the likes of DragonForce, Astal, Shining the Holy Ark and Panzer Dragoon Zwei. I know of games that may benefit from a proper translation like Assault Suit Leynos 2, Shining Force 3, Magical Knight Rayearth and Grandia. And need I mention how many people want to see a proper rerelease of the Holy Grail of gaming Panzer Dragoon Saga?

Of course I've gathered this laundry list of titles through research - I've heard all of these titles spoken highly of both Sega fans and (general) gamers alike so it makes me interested in checking them out. One problem though: How do I do it? This in turn goes back to Sega not taking action to preserve their gaming catalogue and make it readily available. Listen to me Sega: Would you rather people get to these games through using emulators and denying you of some actual money?

The recent arrival of Nights Into Dreams to the XBLA provides new, solid evidence to suggest otherwise that Saturn games may be difficult to emulate or even revamped to stunning effect. Sure Nights was also ported to the PS2 but the presence of other Saturn games on XBLA, Guardian Heroes, Radiant Silvergun, could be another reason for, right?
But alas if the spectacular revamp of Nights will prove anything, it will be proof fifth generation gaming can be rebuilt in such a manner. And thus yielding another excuse for those wanting a new Final Fantasy 7 to persue their tireless crusade (fingers in the ear and all). Okay but how about we ask for something we HAVEN'T played?

Dreams of Reason

Well Nights Into Dreams has finally made it's way to the XBLA. For me it's the end of a journey that began sixteen years ago: For, from being enamored at first sight of the intro as teenager, to brief instances of actually playing the game since, to debating as to whether or not I purchase the Wii incarnation, I finally have an edition of Nights Into Dreams to call my own :D

I mentioned earlier this year that I managed to play the original Nights Into Dreams on the Sega Saturn where I found the controls hard to get into grips with and the graphics looking dated to the point of horrible. However with the HD revamp, neither seems to be case at all: The graphics are glorious to behold and they great for a sixteen year old game. None of the pixelation that has plagued fifth generation games at all!
Also, the music sounds lively and fun - in fact I'm not sure its the same from the Saturn but who cares? It sounds marvelous just the same.
And the controls are better than my previous experience! As crazy as it may seem, for the first time ever I had a clear idea what to do and where I was going and I was making excellent progress.

Now gaming technology is one where people are constantly in the race to produce the most technological advanced product imaginable - hardly the type of thing that improves with age. But here, it's justified - who would've thunk it?!

You're an all star

I recently heard that a follow up to Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing is currently in development.
I've played the first game and I thought it was all right. Sure I bear the scars of having lived through years when everyone was making their own karting game in an attempt to match the success of the original Super Mario Kart, but Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing was good fun - and a great way to put one's friendships on the line just to notch up a win (although it is bit puzzling as to why the super fast Sonic needs a car....).

A look at the character list reveals some familiar faces: Vyse of Skies of Arcadia, Nights from Nights into Dreams, Gillius Thunderhead from Golden Axe and Joe Musashi from Shinobi. Much like the first game, the character roster seems spread across Sega's history with some classic figures stepping back into the light and some lesser-known faces getting a second shot. The titular character from the upcoming movie Wreck it Ralph is also present (nice tie-in there), real life racing driver Danica Patrick is also in, and the racing tracks will be inspired by the likes of Outrun, Panzer Dragoon and Afterburner.

Whilst it is nice to see Sega dust off some of their other IP, it does make one wonder if they may have something up their sleeve. Years earlier Nintendo did the same thing with Super Smash Bros Brawl - notably with the presence of the character Pit which eventually led to a new Kid Icarus game - twenty years since the last one.
Could this be a sign a change may be afoot? Considering that Sega finally released Nights into Dreams on the XBLA with a new HD remakes one would think that Sega may be trying some market research to see if some old IP may be worth something.
It maybe too early to call but for the romantics among us, it would be nice to think that Sega may finally be moving past their Megadrive/Genesis glory days and digging up some lost treasures to preserve. The Saturn games have built a reputation for being notoriously difficult to emulate but the presence of Nights (even if it was also on the PS2) is a step in the right direction.
If so, how about Panzer Dragoon Saga eh?

The Sky is Falling

I heard a rumor that Skies of Arcadia may be coming to XBLA - well not so much a rumor but it seems to be listed as a an unconfirmed upcoming title on that font of reliability Wikipedia.

Whilst wikipedia isn't the best source of information, I am intrigued with the idea of Skies of Arcadia appearing on the XBLA. As mentioned previously Skies of Arcadia is a favorite and, for me, good enough reason to keep hanging onto my Dreamcast. Still I would get any XBLA version if all the DLC is included and the graphics get a HD rejig - seriously I've recently seen Skies of Arcadia on a HD and it looks weird.

Still I do welcome the idea the idea of more Sega games appear on XBLA and become more readily available. If the reappearance of Nights into Dreams is a harbinger of what's to come then I'm all for it. After all, without past games becoming readily available then everyone will simply start using emulators and the game companies can't allow that now can they?

Nightfall

Some exciting news: The Sega Saturn classic Nights into Dreams is coming to PSN and XBLA as a HD revamp:


Well this is good news: I've played a bit of Nights in the past and have enjoyed so having it in HD is welcome in my book.
But personally this is indeed a welcome move on Sega's part: I've said before they were doing themselves a disservice through not having Saturn games readily available on a downloadable service. Sure not everything on the Saturn was crash hot but there were a few diamonds in the rough that indeed worthy of preservation for generations of gamers to come.
I just hope that Nights may be the spark that inspires Sega to revamp more Saturn titles *coughShinginForce3coughPanzerDragoonSagacough*

Saturn V

This weekend, I was at AI-Con - Tasmania's prestigious anime convention. As well as engaging in the usual convention trappings such as cosplay, gameshows and talking to other nutters, I did spend some time in the games room - where lo and behold I stumbled across a Sega Saturn.
I've said a lot about the Sega Saturn before - mostly wondering why Sega aren't doing anything with the games that came on it. I've heard no concrete evidence as to why: some say source codes for certain games were lost and others say the Saturn's complex technology is too difficult to emulate.
But I digress: Over the course of the weekend I got to play Nights and Panzer Dragoon for the first time in a long time.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Many of the games of the fifth generation may have looked impressive at the time but now they seem to have aged rather horribly. Granted there are one or two exceptions (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night being one such example - and maybe Final Fantasy IX) but many fifth generation games, I find, don't look great at all - to the point one can only wonder what the big deal was originally. And the same can be said of my experience playing the Saturn. I have been interested in Panzer Dragoon series for it's ideas, art direction and Saga's status of being the holy grail of gaming - playing it, the graphics look too pixelated that was often hard to see what was happening. And Nights didn't fare much better: The lack of the 3d controller made it had to get into grips with and the game graphics looked pixalated, again, and nowhere near the intro I feel in love with back in 1996.

Mind you, I've always wondered why Sega doesn't dust off the Saturn titles like they have done with the Megadrive and the Dreamcast but I think I see why: I've seen firsthand that many Saturn titles look like arse now - when compared to the Dreamcast and even some Megadrive titles. It's equally possible that maybe Sega would like to forget about the consoles that didn't work out for them.

Funny how things seem daft the further you get from your teens.....

But here's a thought: The Virtual Console, PSN and XBLA have really gone to an effort of making old games accessible to many people - some of whom may not have played the titles in question, It makes me wonder how many other games have been passed over for release and will thus forever remain unplayed.....

Go you good thing go

Those who follow my blog will note I have been a champion for the Virtual Console for, if anything, providing me the opportunity to try out substantial games that I missed out on the first time around. But the thing is I've recently been disappointed with releases for the VC.

To me, there are a lot of great games available on the VC, but they share space with a lot of other games that are just rubbish - thus leaving a lot of more deserving games out in the cold. If the VC is offering gamers like myself a second chance why doesn't this prospect extend to the other side of the console? If the VC is built on the promise of gaming preservation, why have a lot of good games been overlooked?

What bothers me is that Nintendo have a lot of great games on the VC but an equal amount of crap games - that and the N64 games conspicuously the only console of it's generation available. It begs the question: If Nintendo have a wide access to games on obsolete consoles, why not take it further? I for one would like to see some of the Sega Saturn games released for the VC, namely DragonForce, Nights into Dreams and Panzer Dragoon Saga (sure demand will never end for a re-release of PDS but if it can be done, even if it is a straight up emulation, THEN DO IT). Sure the Saturn was a disaster in it's day but, as time tends to heal old wounds, maybe it is time to look at what did work with new eyes.
Granted the video game industry is driven by profit (like any other form of entertainment) but why not take some risks? Sure the original Final Fantasy can't compete on a technical level to it's successors, but the fact that it's appeared on the VC bestseller list says something. As the saying goes, fortune favors the brave. And the worst thing a gaming company can do is shut itself off from it's fanbase.

All in all, Nintendo have got something great going with the Virtual Console, in gaming preservation and offering second chances. It would be shame to have such potential squandered with decisions not being seen through out of timidness.