A Distinct Lack of progression

When I was a young lad in the early nineties, I was an avid reader of a magazine known as CVG (Computer and Video Games).
I can imagine that, having said that, many veteran gamers are now getting misty eyed with thoughts of nostalgia. It never fails to impress me how many people read this magazine back in the day and how many of them think highly of it years later. Granted the magazine in question had a very long shelf life (1981-2015) but for me, this was an important source of information in my tentative steps into the world of gaming. 

For this post, I would like to share with you all, something from the December 1992 edition. A reply to a reader's letter whom found a lot of Atari 2600 seemed more challenging when compared to the 16-bit era:

...Technical wizardry isn't necessarily a substitute for a good idea, and many of the games we're seeing today are substandard rehashes of ideas which are ages old. Why is this? Have all the good ideas run out? The simple answer is no. There are still plenty of good ideas out there, the the wrong people have them. 

I'll try and explain: in the old days a programmer would come out with an idea, sit down and bash out the code on his machine. He didn't have to work for anyone, didn't have to worry about so-called quality control and could work whenever he liked. That was how the all-time greats like Manic Miner were born. So what's gone wrong now? Computer game shave become such big business that programmers are forced to work in teams to compete, often writing specific projects dictated by software houses. These projects are dictated by business - will the game make money in the long run? - and very few people are prepared to to take any risks with the result that many good ideas are left on the drawing board. The upshot of all of this is what when a truly great game like Streetfighter 2 comes along everyone jumps up and down and makes a huge fuss, when there was a time when people were banging out brilliant software left, right and centre! 

At the end of the day, though, it's all up to you lot. If you go on buying the same old games the software companies will just go on producing them. If, however, you demand something decent then maybe the right people in power will take a long hard look at the future and realise that something has been lost. When was the last time ANYBODY wrote anything nearly as good as Defender?.... 

Unless you lot - the buying public - decides you want better more playable games you simply won't get them. Personally I'm sick to the back teeth of sub-standard licensed games and I for one am not going to tolerate it much longer. Start shouting for your games NOW! 

Source (page 48)

This may seem like a echo of the problems facing the current gaming industry but the thing is, this in 1992 - nearly three decades ago. It may be abused to think that such problems have grown to a monumental scale but they have. 

And the more things stay the same.....

Five Man Band

Reports have been circulating on how the PS5 is in development. So I guess its safe to say that we are advancing towards the dawn of the ninth generation, whether we like it or not.

With each passing generation, I guess it is inevitable that we will keep moving forward at a rate that is difficult to keep up. But really, the days of computer/video gaming as a niche interest are long gone. Gaming is so commonplace, across many a medium that it is difficult to find something new to say.
I grew up during the Golden Age of Gaming (as some commentators have dubbed the 16-bit era) and I know how it was: Someone gets a great idea, it becomes a massive hit and clones come charging out of the woodwork. Super Mario bros. Doom. Street Fighter 2. But whilst that practice is still in place, it is not as prevalent as it once was.  Oh sure any JRPG made now would owe a considerable debt to Final Fantasy and any sandbox game is walking the path set by the Grand Theft Auto series, but now, any game is building off something else. Its harder for anything new to be said when everything is moving in a loop and forgetting what came before.
It's kind of like drawing off the John Lennon cover of Stand By Me instead of the Ben E King original.

It has been my experience that every new gaming generation has to bring something new to the table to blow away everyone;s mind. I mean, even better graphics than before can only keep you going for so long

Return of Timezone

Here's something that came to my attention recently: Former arcade giant Timezone are announcing a comeback with plans to expand into shopping centres.

I remember Timezone being a big deal when I was a kid in the early nineties. It was a place where they had these real awesome games that I couldn't find anywhere else, somewhere I visited many times and a place where i blew many a dollar. Indeed, i have many fond memories about meeting people there and experiencing so many wonderful games.
Of course, that all seems irrelevant now, as the era of the arcade has long since passed. Sure it managed to bounce back from a previous potential collapse (saved only with the advent of Streetfighter 2), but the rise of the home entertainment, technical advancements and saved games kinda ended it for people.

The Timezone I knew from my childhood started was part of my local movie theater. Compared to other places it wasn't seedy and was more welcoming to all kinds of people. Then suddenly it changed it's name to NRG and then to Intensity, it's current name.
I remember Timezone as being packed, wall to wall, with arcade cabinets and little room for anything else. By contrast, I walk into Intensity now and it seems barren. Sure there's DDR but at the same time, there's some aging cabinets that haven't moved in twenty years, very few games from the past decade, and there seems a lot more open spaces. I've heard that arcades are still managing to live a surprisingly healthy existence overseas but you wouldn't think that down here. Hell, I've been to Galactic Circus in Melbourne and that seems to be doing amazingly well, despite the arcade being long-surpassed by the appeal of home gaming.

But it would seem that the Arcade's time has come (yet) again: Gaming has been recognized as a social activity thus presenting an opportunity worth seizing upon. And so Timezone announced a comeback: As indicated by the link above, they've opened up five new stores last year to enough success that expansion has been announced.
I doubt this thing will come to the backwater that Tasmania, but if it results in a large gaming complex loaded with all kinds of Arcade gaming then hell yes!

Shot Through

When I was a kid I really enjoyed arcade shooters – for some reason there was something appealing about controlling a jet/helicopter and gunning down a seemingly endless parade of military hardware. Indeed, I recall seeing these type of games in arcade parlors, watching the demo/attract mode and feel I could do better. Of particular note, I recall being more excited about Raiden 2 than Mortal Kombat 2 or Super Street Fighter.

I can’t stress this enough: I haven’t a clue as to why arcade shooters had such a sway over me. Was it the first kind of arcade game I saw and became familiar with? Was it seeing something that was capable of producing something beyond the limitations of my trusty Commodore 64? Or was it the offer of blowing shit up? I don’t know and somehow, such questioning doesn’t warrant further pondering.

However, when I entered my teens and adult years I grew off arcade shooters. Again why this is so is unclear to me:  Most likely it was me becoming aware of other gaming genres. Or maybe I realized just what a coin thief arcade games truly are. Nevertheless, I’ve gone off shooters and the interest has never been rekindled – true I’ve the Raiden Project for the PlayStation but, as always, the power of nostalgia can have a sway that is difficult to resist.

Still, what is of particular interest is that through being away from the genre, many innovations have occurred to it. Innovations that to me, come as a complete surprise. Two particular titles have stood out in particular: Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun. Both games from those wunderkinds known as Treasure and have such a reputation in amongst the arcade shooter crowd.

A reputation that warrants investigation – I already have Ikaruga and have had a go at it. So let’s see if Radiant Silvergun has something to offer….

Don't look now

On the weekend, I was talking to someone who turned out to be something of connoisseur when it came to horror games. He spoke highly of Outlast, was aware of Slender: The Eight Pages and showed me Eyes upon his ipad. The latter was of particular note: It was claimed it was done by the same people who made Slender and, through a demonstration, Eyes revealed itself to be following the same formula of ‘run from a freaky creature with murderous intent’.

I myself am not into horror games – I myself play games to relax and it’s hard to relax when your Player Character is being chased by a psychotic with murderous intent. However I can see something of a formula begin to emerge through the games mentioned above.  Tell me if the following doesn’t sound familiar: Trapped in a confined space with limited lighting? Threats in the form of antagonists that are of a mysterious nature? Constant danger that is practically relentless? The only action a player can do is running? Little to no chance of victory? Indeed, once one realizes there seems to be a formula to the recent wave of horror games it now becomes impossible to ignore.

I suppose the source of this wave can be traced back to Amnesia: the Dark Descent. Whilst it is kinda nice that that game was a success (for an indy game) and showed up the posers of the survival horror genre, one gets the sense that everyone else has since been looking over Amnesia: the Dark Descent’s shoulder and copying their answers. It would be nice to think that an indy game has become the benchmark for other horror games to follow but I think it more a race to see who can freak out players the most.
But suppose Amnesia: the Dark Descent is the new benchmark. It raises a question: Where can we go from here? Gaming history is littered with games becoming big hits only to inspire clones in their wake. – two such examples being Street Fighter 2 and Final Fantasy 7. Both are regarded as the finest of their genre and nothing that has followed has really matched it (although Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur may have a solid claim against Street Fighter 2). So if everyone seems intent on replicating Amnesia: the Dark Descent, does this mean the horror genre has nothing left to say?

Personally I think horror games work best when they sneak up from behind, pull the rug from underneath the player and gradually break the player’s will. Isn’t that right Eversion?

Wrestling an idea out of my mind

I've never been big on wrestling games. Sure they're good to have when you have some friends around and keen to have one-on-one punch ups but that's a niche that is easily filled with the fighting game genre. Thus there isn't anything wrestling games can offer that can't be fulfilled by the likes of Streetfighter or Soul Calibur.

But, in my book, if there is gaming genre that's not going anywhere then it is ripe for some reinvention. So how would I do a wrestling game?
Simple: I'd embrace the sheer absurdity of ti all. Now we all know that wrestling is all fake and the wrestlers are merely running through a series of staged movements. So why not build a game around that? Seriously, I'd like to play a wrestling game where it's the players role to build up a list of staged actions and then watch them all play out! It'll be like the Opening Direction option in Soul Calibur expanded into a full blown game!

Of course it may sound limiting but with some thought it can work: The player starts out with a small time wrestling stage but, through careful planning, can build up a staged wrestling match. Success is determined through audience reaction and generates money which can lead to bigger audiences and more elaborate matches.

Of course is this but a germ of an idea but with the right amount of polish it can work.
Any takers?

Arcade Fire

Inspired by this week's edition of Good Game, I thought I might take the time to talk about some of my favorite arcade games. I played a lot of arcades during my youth and have fond memories of them all - some of which I still play today. So without a further ado....

Mighty Bombjack
Growing up in the eighties I always viewed Arcade Machines with some degree of awestruck reverence. Whereas I was used to playing games on the Commodore 64, Arcade machines were something else: They were technologically superior, they attracted players of all ages and it was games being played in public! I recall seeing them in certain locations and seeing them always sent a rush of excitement through my young mind.
They say you always remember the very first arcade you play and in my case it was the Mighty Bombjack. Of course it wasn't anything special in it's day but, as the saying goes, ya gotta start somewhere...


Aero Fighters  (Sonic Wings)
It was during the early nineties that my interest in arcade machines racked up - most likely to me growing aware of something called consoles. Seeing how gaming was expanding into something beyond what I thought I knew, I made it a point to check out an arcade game the instant I saw it. Now whilst there were several genres available, the one that interested me the most was the horizontally scrolling shooters. For some reason there was appeal of controlling a war machine and going around blowing the shit out of anything dumb enough to stand in the way with spectacular spread shot and homing missiles.
For this reason I do recall Aero Fighters quite fondly. Sure it was a tough game to play but I recall being nine years old and playing this game a lot - not to mention just how exciting it was, playing an arcade game with my own money.
And admittedly, at the time I thought the intro was kinda cool too:



Street Fighter 2
Whilst I gave the shooters more attention than any other arcade genre, there was however the fighters - they were there and they couldn't be ignored. And no roundup of arcade games would be complete with mentioning Street Fighter 2. History has decreed that arcade games were in something of slump before Street Fighter2 came along and breathed new life into them. From the outset I'd heard of Street Fighter 2 and people spoke of it in awe-struck tones, as if they'd just discovered the Holy Grail. I myself only got to see it through my brother playing it and I was quite impressed with what I saw. He used Blanka a lot and I recall seeing how the electric attack inspired a unique skeleton - and through watching him play I picked up a lot. Of course, it would be years before I got to play it myself and it was a damn fun game. Indeed, SF2 was a big deal I remember a lot of excitement when Super/the New Challengers showed up. And I still play SF2 to this day and even now I'm impressed by how many people also played it when they were kids.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Well I loved the cartoon back in the day and seeing an arcade game based on it was sweet as. Of course, part of the appeal was the whole 4 player and that was pretty cool too. Of course I never saw four people playing it at once (although it may have been a bit hard to see the screen when four people are crowded the machine) this is definitely a high point in my arcade game history.

Vendetta
I'll always have a soft spot for this game. Beat-em-ups were definitely popular back in the early nineties and this was one of the stand outs. Yes it was Konami trying to replicate the four-player style that made TMNT a hit but Vendetta was special to me largely through showing a sense of humor rarely seen in a beat-em-up. Aside from the player characters resembling Mike Tyson, Hulk Hogan, Jean Claude Van Damme and Mr.T, there is heaps of character interaction, weapons, and slapstick to make this one of the finest games of it's day. The fact that this hasn't appeared on XBLA is a travesty but you know what? I'll take this over XMen Arcade any day.

Raiden 2
I had a soft spot for shooters and I think this was the best of the lot. Somehow it did everything right with the power-ups, bomb varieties, inventive bosses and detail with graphics. I still enjoy this one my Playstation and I believe I'll still be enjoying it years later.

Darkstalkers
I never played Street Fighter 2 that much during my youth but I do recall playing Darkstalkers quite a bit. It was a fun beat-em-up and I really enjoyed the creativity gone into it with a fighting roster made up of b-grade movie monsters getting stuck into each other. But really I should go ahead and admit it: It was all because of Morrigan Aensland. But then again what guy wasn't sold over?

Alien vs Predator
Forget the lame movies: This game was the shit! Predators? In a beat-em-up? With the Aliens? And shooting sections? And Arnie's character from Predator 1 thrown in for good measure?! HELL YES! So there was a whole lot going for this game and I particularly enjoyed how the shooting sections were integrated into a beat-em-up (which was something unique at the time). The graphics were mind-blowing to behold and it was indeed intense to be continually swamped by hordes of the aliens. Not much else I can say except this was one of the finest arcades I've ever played & someone should get this on the XBLA and NOW.

Daytona USA
Well what can I say? Everyone played this in it's day and no doubt still play it now. It was, and still is, a great game to play against friends and goes to show that if an arcade game is designed well enough it can have incredible lasting power. And you haven't played a game of Daytona USA with seven other people you haven't lived.

Virtua Cop 2
I never thought much of the 'gun' games during my time in the arcades but this was an exception. Not sure why though: Maybe it was the graphics, maybe it was the presentation or maybe it simply damn fun to play.
But whatever the reason, this is another game I still play when I get the chance and shooting the crims never gets old. I've even tried playing it with both guns in each hand! So yeah Virtua Cop 2 is great fun and I liked it a lot.

Metal Slug
Yet another game I still enjoy playing to this day. Just when I thought that games were getting too serious and someone should make something humorous, along comes Metal Slug. Everything about this game is class: The stupidly big guns, the absurd voice announcements and the delightful graphics that are still fun to watch even now. A lot of care and attention to detail went into this game and it shows - it makes even a compelling game years later. And, in a rare case, the sequels took a winning formula and made it even better!

So there you go. Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Now whilst people may say the arcades may be something of an anachronism I however maintain that if an arcade game is fun, is well designed and can be enjoyed with more than one person then the game will have staying power - which is impressive seeing that video games tend to have a limited lifespan and are often outclassed by technological superior successors. And if I'm still willing to spare the change for the likes of Virtua Cop 2 and Daytona USA then something must've worked better than originally hoped for.
Until next time...

Soul Calibur retrospective

I've made mention of the Soul Calibur series in the past and with Soul Calibur 5 just been released, now would be a good time as any to sit down and talk about my experiences with this franchise.

I first became aware of the Soul Calibur in the mid-nineties through the arcade game Soul Edge. I just happened to wandering through my local arcade when I noticed a 3d fighting game wherein the combatants were fighting with weapons. At the time, I wasn't too keen on fighting games: During the early to mid-nineties I recall so many of them around - no doubt made by people hoping to cash in on the success of the untouchable Street Fighter 2. Needless to say, seeing yet another fighting game didn;t really appeal to me.
Nevertheless I think I might have tried Soul Edge once but somehow it didn't make that much of impression - in retrospect this may have been attributed to graphics that looked unappealing and an announcer speaking in a very muffled voice. I tried the first character I saw, Sophitia, and proceeded with my usual fighting game tactic (ie button mashing) but somehow this game didn't set my world alight. Later I heard a friend say that one of combatants (either Sophitia or Seong Mi-na) apparently didn't have an arse - although how he noticed I don't know.

Nevertheless I came the recognise the brand of Soul and the character of Sophitia. This would come in handy years later when I would discover the Playstation conversion Soul Blade and that fantastically rockin' intro:



Around the same time as I saw that intro for the first time (2000) I was aware of the game Soul Calibur. At the time, I was aware this was a big deal for the Dreamcast and enough to achieve the rare gaming distinction of being a system seller. I'd seen the intro and recognised some faces - even if I was puzzled by the name change.
It was only years later that I actually got to play the game in question: First on the Dreamcast and then on the XBLA. I recall being impressed by the graphics, the 3d nature and the music. Plus the fights were both intense & fun and I loved the Mission Mode as well. Indeed, everything about the game came across as being a labour of love and it really showed with the replay value and inclusion of extra features like the art galleries and the opening direction.
And even now, Soul Calibur would have to be one of the few games that have actually age well: when I play Soul Calibur on the XBLA I'm still impressed by how well it holds up against more recent titles and how beautiful it all looks.

But I'm getting ahead of myself: Around 2006 I got a PS2 and eventually I came to Soul Calibur 3. There was no plan to get it: i saw it selling for cheap and I recognized the name. And although I was baffled to see so many unfamiliar faces, I still strapped myself in and invested many hours into the game.
This was more or less my true beginning with the Soul Calibur series. True, it was indeed strange to come into the series when so much has happened and I lacked the prior knowledge, but I eventually picked it all up. It was also kind of interesting to go back through the series and see faces I grew accustomed to in an earlier guise.
So yes, I played through with everyone and built up some favourites with Misturugi, Setsuka, Astaroth, Cassandra, Kilik, Voldo, Nightmare, Xianghua, Raphael and, of course, Sophitia. It did indeed seem odd to see such a seemingly epically story in a fighting game - one kind of got the impression it came from a different game and was shoe-horned into Soul Calibur for some inexplicable reason. Nevertheless, I followed it all - somehow!!! - and even looked back over previous games to pick up what I'd missed.
Also, I found Soul Calibur 3 to really good for social element. I found it a great excuse to sit down with a bunch of friends and crack some heads together: It was fun to see two people duke it out with an attentive audience and even do a tournament.
So yeah, Soul Calibur 3 was great fun to play and enough to win me over. I may not be a big fan of fighting games but Soul Calibur 3 was enough to show me there were some diamonds in the rough. And that is an impressive feat indeed.

And then there was Soul Calibur 4. This was a game I avoided. Yes I saw other people play it and yes I eventually ended up playing it at a friend's place but somehow, this just didn't hold any appeal for me. I could say that from what I saw, there didn't seem to be much different from the previous iterations(s) but I think the main reason was what had happened to the characters.
Most of the problems can come down to the designs. Now I can imagine the more powerful hardware of the PS3 and 360 may make for a bigger canvas upon which to work from and yes indeed the character models in Soul Calibur 3 look light years better than their Soul Edge counter parts but I didn't like the character designs in Soul Calibur 4. I enjoyed those in Soul Calibur 3 so to see them in Soul Calibur 4 made them look completely different in comparison - but the changes weren't for the better. Some of them looked silly and, in the case of the female fighters, sexed up to the point of ridiculous. In particular, Setsuka: I liked Setsuka in Soul Calibur 3 and there wasn't anything wrong with her design but to see her in Soul Calibur 4 looking completely different makes me wonder: 'Who are you and what have you done with the real Setsuka?'!
Also I think the character design of Sophitia in Soul Calibur 1 is far better than those in Soul Calibur 4 AND Soul Calibur 3.
And Kilik! What did they do to you man?! I loved Kilik for his heroic integrity so to see him, in the cut scenes, acting like an emo was indeed painful to watch.
In addition, the inclusion of characters from the Star Wars universe was, to me intrusive and enough for a deal-breaker.

So with a new Soul Calibur game now available, what do I make of it? Well I like the idea that the game is set seventeen years after no.4 and as a result many of the returning characters have aged to some degree. But I don't know: I enjoyed Soul Calibur 1 and 3 so maybe that is enough for me.