Taking Control

As hinted at in the middle of the week, Valve's third and final reveal for the Living Room Takeover was the Steam Controller. The new gamepad is the final piece of the puzzle for the company's triple gut punch to console developers. Perhaps the biggest hurdle in winning over the less hardcore gamer was the idea of playing a game with a keyboard and mouse. Valve decided that rather than try to force this configuration on the unwilling, they would simply map an entire keyboard to one of the strangest looking yet technically impressive video game controllers ever made.

Ins and Outs

While not the most beautiful controller to ever hit the market, the Steam Controller is certainly among the most interesting. (And honestly, how many of us even glance at the controller once while gaming?) The gamepad features dual clickable trackpads that should be able to mimic a computer mouse. Sixteen buttons are neatly spread out over the face, shoulder and back of the pad, half of which Valve says can be reached without your thumbs ever leaving the track pads. Housed beneath the trackpads are  weighted electro-magnets supposedly capable of delivering a more encompassing vibration feedback in addition to functioning as speakers.

Most intriguing to me is the touch screen, another clickable button that will recognize where the player is touching the screen when clicked. Since the contents of the screen can be varied, it essentially adds an infinite number of combinations and possibilities to player interaction. Valve's suggestions include a scrolling menu, radial dial, or even secondary use such as map integration. However, Valve knows the player's eyes should never have to leave their big screen, so the contents of the touch screen can be overlayed on the television when being used.

An Entire Keyboard

There are programs that already map keyboard functionality to gamepads, but this appears to be the first controller built specifically with that purpose in mind. Every Steam game, no matter the genre, can be played from the Steam Controller thanks to Bindings. Binding's allow the player to map every keyboard input to a button on the controller. The most important thing about this though is that players can do it themselves, or use a configuration created and shared by another Steam user. Valve says that players will be able to choose from a list of the most popular configurations. I'm curious to see if the controller will auto default to one.

The timing for me personally is a coincidence. I recently attempted to play a Steam game for which I could not get my connected controller to work. My experience setting up Windows Live, effectively creating an Xbox account, was nightmarish enough as I couldn't properly play the game without and account and the process to set one up and tie it to the game took me another half hour once the game was already installed. Finding out that my controller of choice wouldn't work was irritating to say the least. I was ready to go buy one of those Xbox 360 gamepads for Windows until this announcement dropped. Now, well I've waited several months to play the game already, I'll wait a few more until I can get my hands on a Steam Controller.

One, Two, Three Punch

I'm not going to try to hide my excitement for this week's announcements. I only became a sort-of PC gamer in the past year since installing Steam. The reality is I'll probably never abandon consoles completely. But Valve's Living Room Experience definitely has the gears turning in my head. They have introduced what could effectively be an upgrade capable video game console. I'm a living room gamer at heart, no doubt about that. It's what I grew up with and what I'll continue to love. Now, Valve is giving me a way to access their huge, often highly discounted library of games and is providing me everything I need to do it right from my couch. 

I'm not saying this is a fatal blow to the big three console makers. The fact is, I'm not totally convinced Valve will be able to sell their Machine to the casual masses. What I am saying is if I have the choice of buying a $60 game on my traditional console, or that same game at a possibly discounted price on Steam Machine...well, they have my attention at least.

Something Old, Something Blue

As E3 approached earlier this year, I was waiting for that one game that would make me want to grab a Wii U. While a few games look like potential winners, there was nothing that stood out. At least, nothing that I expected. However, there is one game that I thought could be a system seller for me. Of all things, a Sonic the Hedgehog game.

Galaxy X-Treme

It's been almost twenty years since there was a Sonic game that had me this excited. Sonic Lost World been compared a lot to Super Mario Galaxy and in a good way. That's high praise. To me, the game looks like a weird cross between Galaxy and 1996's unfortunately cancelled Sonic X-treme, which I remember really looking forward to. I see both games represented in the Lost World footage and as a long time Sonic fan, it's hard to not get excited.

Momentum, Not Speed

Far too often when reading reviews of Sonic games that haven't lived up to their hype, I come across a comment that irritates me - that Sonic has always been "all about the speed". Yeah right. Just try playing through Marble Zone on the original game and tell me that was all about speed. Let me know how it works out for you when you try to blaze your way through Sonic 2's Mystic Cave or Metropolis. 

Sonic may have been designed to be a 'faster Mario', but he was never all about speed. Finally, I read one game journalist's correction that Sonic has in fact always been about momentum, not speed. That the developers of Lost World have slowed Sonic down, forcing the player to actually hold another button to get him up to super speed, is another thing that has caught my eye about this game.

It's a Vicious Cycle

And then there's the 'Sonic Cycle'. If you've never heard of that, it basically goes like this: a new Sonic game is announced, it looks amazing and everyone gets excited about it, it ends up being an extremely disappointing mess, everyone swears off Sonic for good....and repeat from step one. Actually, in recent years, the Cycle itself has made its way into being part of that process to the point that now it is mocked along with the games themselves.

And of course, many say that the Cycle has in fact been broken in recent years. I've heard some people claim that Sonic Colors broke the Cycle, but I never got around to that game, so I can't speak to that. Others claim Sonic Generations did it, and I take issue with that. Sonic Generations was a great game, but only if you are comparing it to other Sonic games. Next to something like Super Mario Galaxy, it's a stretch to even call it good. The controls still weren't that great. The visuals were too distracting. Just the overall presentation was severely lacking.

But Sonic Lost World...I feel like this could be the game that's going to bring Sonic back and...

Oh, Wait...

...and just like that, reality creeps in and reminds that it is unwise to get too worked up about Sonic. Joystiq ran a video preview of the game recently in which their editor in chief details his time with the game. The game still looks great, no doubt about that. However, in addition to sounding like he was just being informative and not actually excited for the game, there was one thing in the video that really caught my attention. In the last few seconds of the video he declares, "Prepare to enter the Sonic Cycle yet again."

Oh boy. That doesn't sound good.

Lean Mean Steam Machine

Behind Door #2: Steam Machines

Last week Valve teased a series of three announcements that would be landing this week. On Monday, we learned about SteamOS, a Steam-based operating system that would run on "living room machines". Today, we learn what those machines are: Steam Machines.

An Open Market

Contrary to what was widely believed, Valve will not be developing these Steam Boxes Machines themselves, but have opened the floor for other manufacturers to jump in and try to sell you on their own versions. This is very good news. Instead of just one manufacturer setting an insanely high price, multiple manufacturers will be competing for your cash. This equals better prices and ultimately better machines.

It also reinforces the idea that Valve is looking for Steam to be a platform that dominates the living room. Had Valve decided to just be the sole developers of the "Steam Machine" concept, it would put them up against the 'Big Three' console manufacturers directly, but especially Microsoft and Sony. Now, while I think they certainly have a viable platform, that still would have been a tough sell. An open market allows Valve to focus on what it does best, namely develop outstanding games while still being a great distribution channel for other games.

Beta Machine

That said, Valve has announced they will be distributing their own prototype Machine to 300 lucky steam users. Getting into the beta requires a little work, but it's great to hear that the company has some beta devices that it is looking to send out to the public. A couple other things that intrigued me in the announcement? First, Valve announced that users would indeed be able to build their own machines and install SteamOS. Second, even the pre-built Steam Machines (Valve's at least) could be "hacked", have the hardware changed and install other software. This seems to be the company's way of hammering home the point that it's not about the machine itself, it's about Steam and getting it into your living room.

Door #3

Valve isn't done with their announcements this week. Having only revealed two of their promised three announcements, they have already stated that the third and final reveal would take place on Friday. Now, many are thinking there is finally going to be an announcement of Half-Life 3. While that could happen, even if it does, I don't think it's the big news. 

Look at the last question on today's announcement. After assuring readers that users could utilize a mouse and keyboard or gamepads, they announce that readers should stay tuned for more "very soon" on the topic of input. If that's not a tease, nothing is!

A Lemonade Stand for Indie Games

IndieGameStand Launches

In the hot summer months, I love finding a classic lemonade stand run by a little kid learning the highs and lows of running their own business. But in between sessions of major AAA games, my refreshment of choice is a nice indie game. Often simplistic in nature and produced on a low (or no) budget, these games survive on the passion behind their creation alone. With IndieGameStand, you can get games on the cheap, and contribute to a respectable charity at the same time. Maybe you'll even find a game that's just the right combination of sweet and tart!

The Choice is Yours

Similar to what the Humble Bundles offer, the daily deal over at IndieGameStand.com is a "pay what you want" deal. The proceeds help fund not only the developer, but a percentage of the sales also go to a charity chosen by the developer. Of course, when you give people an option to feed their belief that the world owes them everything for nothing (or close to it anyway), you're going to get plenty doing exactly that. But the site features incentives to push your purchase a little higher.

A paltry $1 appears to be enough to unlock the download key you'll need, but beating the average price (typically easy to do for the aforementioned reason) unlocks incentives such as bonus content and soundtracks. In the example I looked at, coming in at $10 unlocked a third tier that gets you a three game bundle. Further, bumping your contribution to be in the top ten unlocks yet another tier of rewards.

Indie Paradise

Of course, that's just the deal of the day, which cycles to a new entry every 96 hours. Perusing the site, I found it to be an incredibly comprehensive and up to date source of indie games. There is a lot here and the beauty of it is that there aren't any big budget AAA games for them to get lost among. With the site still in its infancy, I expect an even better selection of both games and charities as word spreads. I know I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it.

Check it out at https://indiegamestand.com/

Full Steam Ahead

Valve Announces SteamOS

After a tease late last week about bringing Steam into the living room, Valve's announcement today surprised exactly nobody. Unveiling SteamOS, the company appears to be taking a direct swipe at their console counterparts.

Steam TV

In what appears to be an evolution of Steam's "Big Picture" mode, SteamOS is described as a free stand-alone operating system for...'living room machines'...whatever that means. Perhaps it's Vavle's way of saying the OS can be installed on PCs or laptops. Whatever it is, I'm intrigued by the timing here.

The the only mention of availability is "soon", my guess is that it will drop right around the time a large amount of people will be bringing shiny new consoles into their living rooms. In just under two months, Sony and Microsoft both launch their highly anticipated and highly pre-ordered next generation systems. Is Valve taking aim?

S Box

I'm most curious to see if Steam Box is still a reality, either as a product or maybe just a concept. Whatever form Valve's new living room experience takes, they are already promising a large library of games and virtually not transition from the current setup. The current library will be accessible via streaming, but most intriguing is the company's wording about the library. They are promising more announcements regarding all the AAA titles coming to the system in 2014. The more I read, the more this sounds like an attempt to steal Sony and Microsoft's thunder. Given Valve's apparent love of sales and other deep discounts (um, Summer Sale anyone), it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

This is supposedly just the beginning of what Valve will be unveiling in the coming weeks. I don't think very many people took Valve seriously when they started talking about taking over the living room. Whether they succeed or not, clearly they have lofty ambitions. While I'll be enjoying my PlayStation 4 on November 15th, I can't help but wonder which company will have the dominant place in my living room.

A to B via Z

My journey through every main series Final Fantasy game continues.
Current adventure: Final Fantasy (the original).
Oh and, yeah…SPOILERS!

It’s amazing to me that I’ve played this game twice already and I can’t remember where everything is. Last week I seriously had no idea where to go, but after stumbling north from the Elven castle I remembered the dilapidated castle with the mysterious king. This king wants his crown and even though I’m supposed to be finding a way to wake up the Elven prince from his five year nap I decide finding a king his pretty is far more important.

I don’t hate Final Fantasy. I don’t even dislike it. I think it’s a great game and definitely an important one. But every time I play it I’m reminded of how far the series and RPGs in general have come. This first game at least is very much about getting from point A to point B via point Z. Order of events rarely makes sense and I’m really glad I at least remember enough of the game to make my way around without aimless wandering.

After equipping my team with some decent weapons, my Warrior and Red Mage are seriously kicking butt in battle. I know my Monk will get there eventually, it just takes some time. But my White Mage? I’m kind of regretting her presence at the moment. I’m starting to wish I had gone with a second Red Mage. Then I could have (at the moment) three really great fighters with one that could focus on black magic and another that could focus on white. But I’m assuming there are some high level spells later I’ll be thankful for, so it’ll work out.

My trip this week consisted of heading north to get a quest from the mysterious king and then south to retrieve the object of his desire. I’m not going to lie, there was a lot of me dying and resetting involved. I forgot how brutal this game can be at times (like running into a large group of enemies all with the ability to paralyze and watching them knock my HP down little by little as I just stand there). But I finally managed to get in and out of a dungeon and head north again.

I give the crown I had retrieved to the mysterious king and it turns out he’s the evil king of dark elves because of course he is. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of that one-hit kill thing he’s got going on. Fortunately, at this level, and other than the aforementioned spell, he’s a bit of a pushover. From him I get the Crystal Eye and here’s where I get to the whole A to B via Z thing (though not for the last time I’m sure). First it’s all the way north to visit Matoya who trades me a special potion for the eye but then rather rudely demands I vacate the premises. Jerk. Oh, and another thing I realized irritated me at this point in the game? Being forced to encounter a group of goblins that, at this point, are defeated with a stern look. I mean, easy battle yes, but kind of frustrating too since the experience/gil reward is so little compared to what I need now.

Anyway, time to head south again to use this handy new potion to wake up the Elf prince. Who gives me a key. Um…yay? Now I get to run all over the place unlocking mystic doors. I guess I did get a couple of neat items out of it so far, but nothing really major.

This week I’ve got a few more places to loot and then…I have no idea. It’s been too long. I’m not sure where I’m going next, but I know I have to visit the dwarves at some point. I’m having fun in this game and technically I know I’ve just scratched the surface. I haven’t even activated the first Crystal yet. The adventure will continue.

Driving Around in Circles

One time, late at night, some friends and I found ourselves lost in the country. We drove down seemingly endless stretches of road between cornfields that our imaginations decided looked ominous and threatening. Roads wound and looped around trees and we were sure we passed the same farmhouse at least a couple of times. Our minds conjured all manner of horror scenarios every time we contemplated stopping at a lit farmhouse to ask for directions.

Eventually, we noticed that a particular group of clouds seemed to have a sort of glow about them. We reasoned that it was light being cast from our nearby home city, so we aimed the vehicle in that direction. Finally, we got to some buildings that we actually recognized and a huge weight was lifted from the pit of our stomachs. We weren’t lost anymore. We knew exactly where we were and exactly what route we needed to take to reach our destination. It was the moment we went from, “Where am I?” to, “I know where I am!”

I’ve experienced something similar to this while playing a game, except the fear and uncertainty was replaced with irritation. When I first played Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, I hated it. I couldn’t find my way around. Everything looked the same to me. No matter what area of the game I was in, I could never quite picture where I was in relation to the rest of the world.

This was especially frustrating because I didn’t have this problem with the previous game. After spending just a little bit of time in GTA3, I could survey my surroundings and mentally map my way to my next destination on the fly.

I attribute this to landmarks. What I mean by that is there was always something nearby that I could easily recognize. The junkyard at the bottom of the hill, the cafe on the corner at the top of the hill, that sort of thing. I never gained that level of familiarity with Vice City, at least not in all areas.

Though the nature of our current project at Bladed Cyber Technologies doesn’t really lend itself to landmarks, I’ve already been thinking about what I can do with potential future projects. Maybe it will be a hollowed out tree in a forest level or a complex bridge structure in a water level.

Whatever the case, I think it’s important, especially in lengthy levels, to give the player a sense of familiarity, a place they can get to and think, “hey, I remember this.” Doing so gives the player a place of attachment where they can map out their strategy or even just regroup for a brief down time. There are few things more frustrating in a game than being completely lost and having no idea where to go. You don’t have to hold the player’s hand and you don’t necessarily have to give them a map. Give the player enough recognizable landmarks and they’ll store the map in their head.

The Light Heroes

I have decided to play through every main series Final Fantasy game.During the week, I play. On Fridays, I’ll write about my adventures.

Current Game: Final Fantasy (PS – FF Origins)

Well, here we go. The very long adventure begins with this, the first session with the game that started it all, Final Fantasy. This is actually my third play through of this game. I first played the original NES game many years ago. I remember it being a rather difficult but satisfying experience, albeit not one that I wanted to relive any time soon. It was brilliant, but also very rough around the edges.

Then, a few years ago, I played the GBA port. I really enjoyed that and I’d say it actually rekindled my love for the series. In fact, it was that play through that first made me think of doing this series play through.

Now, for my third outing, I’ve decided to play the PlayStation version released as part of Final Fantasy Origins. I don’t remember many technical details about the NES version, but so far I do notice a few differences from the GBA title. Some minor (I would say better) dialogue changes exist in this PS version. It also seems to be a lot more demanding in terms of enemy strength and item prices. Plus, the PS version opens with a great for its time but still kind of pointless opening cinema. I guess everyone probably thought it was amazing back then.

But enough of that for now. On to the adventure. One thing that always did, and still does bother me about this first game is that the protagonists are generic. You choose their class and you name them. They have no back story, no personality, and no tangible investment in the world other than it probably wouldn’t be cool to live some place evil reigns. All we’re told is that a prophecy foretold their coming. They show up with crystal shards clutched in their hands but fairly early on the game indicates that they know nothing of the mystery surrounding them.

So, what…did they just feel compelled to swing into action? I suppose it doesn’t matter. They are here and just when prophecy said they would be. My heroes are Warrior, Monk, Red Mage, and White Mage. The first stop is Corneria where a king’s daughter has gone missing. If the heroes rescue her from the traitor Garland, the king will believe they are truly the Light Warriors and restore the bridge to the north.

So we take a quick trip to some ruins where the evil Garland thinks he has taken over Corneria (and I’m guessing the world). Not sure about the logic there, but I suppose I can go with it. Garland is a total pushover of course and upon the turn of his daughter, the king holds to his end of the bargain. The bridge, which apparently leads to the rest of the known world, is fixed and our heroes come to the real beginning of their journey.

The long journey of the Light Heroes commences. Wait…where’s the bridge?

First stop, thanks to a tip from a dancer in Corneria is the cave of the witch Matoya. But she’s blind and keeps prattling on about some crystal eye so she’s no help. Fortunately she’s got some dancing brooms on loan from Mickey Mouse and they let me in on a little secret about how to pull up the map.

Anyway, I’m next led to the town of Provoka where some dirty rotten pirates have taken over the town by standing in one small corner in front of a building that has no entrances anyway. Pretty intimidating stuff, but somehow I managed to convince him (by beating up his entire crew) that he should totally knock it off with the whole standing/harassing thing, and he just straight up gives me his ship. Awesome, now my Heroes can take to the seas and fend off marine life that seems to have no problem jumping on deck and instigating lengthy battles as though being in water is just something they do while waiting for Shark Week to start.

Anyway, Dancing Girl mentioned something about a cursed Elven prince to the south, so it’s in the boat and south to the city of…Elfland? (Sigh.) Well, first of all, there are tons of things to buy in this town. It has good equipment and good 3 and 4 level spells. Everything is also ridiculously expensive. Plus, there’s a lot to consider when buying magic. After playing future titles in this series, it’s hard getting used to the magic system here. There are four possible spells in each magic level, but one character can only learn three of them. And magic points are weird with each spell only costing one, but each spell caster only getting a few points which are distributed across the different spell levels. It…makes no sense really. In any case, I don’t have enough money to buy even one, so I’m going to have to go hunting.

Before I do that I make a quick run up to the Elven castle. Turns out the prince has been napping for five years since some madman stormed the castle and cursed him. You’d think it would have been easier to just kill him, but I guess if the villagers still couldn’t figure anything out after five years his plan wasn’t too terrible.

And this is pretty much where I left off for the week. I know I want to get those spells from Elfland so I’m going to have to beat up some of the wildlife. Also, one of the elves mentioned that a witch named Matoya could brew potions, so if I remember correctly, she’s the one who helps me wake up the prince. But I still need to find her crystal eye. Another elf mentioned something about dwarves to the west, so I guess I’ll be checking them out too. Next week.

I Was a Teenage Fanboy

My pre-teen and early teen years came at the height of the 16-bit console generation. Though I was a gamer well before that, it was this generation of games that had the biggest impact on me. Even today I consider the Super Nintendo to be one of the greatest consoles ever released. But that wasn’t always the case.

Sometime at the beginning of that generation, I got my hands on a Sega Genesis and Sonic the Hedgehog. Though I didn’t yet own the console, by the time Sonic 2came out, I knew without a doubt that I had to have one. When I finally did get a Genesis as a gift, Sonic 2 rarely left the console. I probably played that game over a hundred times. Though I did own a few other really great games, the truth was that there wasn’t much else that interested me or that I was allowed to play.

Around this same time, my best friend got a Super Nintendo. The classic Nintendo vs. Sega rivalry crept its way into our friendship. We vehemently defended our system and games, though I’d say the disagreement was never enough to hurt us. Still, we chose our sides and we stuck to them.

This was back when Mario and Sonic were actual rivals, not just friendly sports competitors.

He insisted Super Nintendo was better and only occasionally showed interest in my Genesis. I stood behind my claim that Genesis was the superior machine with much better games. More than that, I denounced the Super Nintendo as a children’s device with no redeeming qualities. I was a Genesis and Sonic fanboy through and through. However, though I would never tell him this at the time, I was secretly envious of his Super Nintendo. As much as I loved my Genesis, I desperately wanted a SNES and all the amazing games I had seen on it. It was my secret, and I would never admit it.

Except I finally did. I swallowed my pride. Though I never went so far as to say the SNES was better, I did at least acknowledge that it was a great machine, at least as good as the Genesis, and I really wanted one.

I’ll never forget that, because it’s the point at which I ceased being a fanboy and became a real gamer.

It didn’t mean that I stopped loving my Genesis or Sega. In fact, I still credit Jungle Strike on Sega Genesis as the game that made me make a promise to myself that one day I would develop games for a living. It took a long time, but I am finally realizing that dream (even if it’s not in the same way I envisioned all those years ago).

As the years passed, so did my allegiances. Yes, I still had favored consoles. The difference is that even if I strongly disagreed with someone or couldn’t understand how they could claim their preferred console was better than the one I preferred, I always at least tried to maintain an open mind. I found favorable things even about consoles that I never owned and insisted that in the end it didn’t matter because we are all gamers.

Too bad that opinion, even all these years later, seems to be such a minority. With Sony and Microsoft both set to release their newest generation consoles on the world, tensions have never been higher between Xbox fans and PlayStation fans.

Same fanboy arguments, different generation

Yes, I prefer the PlayStation brand. I have preferred the PlayStation brand since before Microsoft was even a competitor in the market. Heck, my PlayStation loyalty was even a complete accident (I’ve mentioned that before…and it’s still a topic for another day.) I don’t have anything against the other consoles. I just like PlayStation. I like the controller better. I like the games better. It’s just my opinion.

But the thing is, apparently that’s not good enough. Of course, being a PlayStation fan automatically draws ire from Xbox fanboys who rage about how everything Sony does “is an epic fail lolz” as though my decisions actually impact them in any way. But it turns out that even acknowledging that there are things that interest me about Microsoft’s newest console is enough to draw the hate from the PlayStation fanboys too.

Apparently the trendy new derogatory word for this is a “neutral”. Yeah, I’m a “neutral” now because I either can’t make up my mind or I’m just waiting until I see who “wins” the console war. I’m fishing for “likes” on anything I post and I’m just trying to be the peacemaker, the gamer Messiah, so that I can get friends on both sides for when one of those sides inevitably fails.

Most of the time I find I can just ignore this or at most provide some flippant comment. But sometimes, it just gets to me and I mouth off to someone about it. Look, I understand the concept of having a preference and defending it. I encourage it. What I do not understand is claiming the competition has nothing going for it. Even if you truly see nothing on the other side that interests you (which I highly doubt), does that actually mean it is an unworthy device and that anybody who supports it is in denial or just clinging desperately to a hopeless cause?

I mean, come on people, these devices are setting us back several hundred dollars. Is anybody really going to buy one just to prove a point to a complete stranger? Getting passionate about why you think your choice is the better one is one thing. Completely dismissing the competition and verbally attacking those who dissent is quite another. This is not standing behind your chosen brand. This is pathetic, immature fanboyism. I know the signs because I used to be one.

And that’s why I also know there is hope. You can have your favorite. You can have your preference. You can believe with everything in you that you are right and others are wrong. You can also have all that and still be able to see or at least be intrigued by the idea of what might lead someone else to come to a different conclusion. You can discuss console exclusives that you’ll never get the opportunity to play and understand them to be fine games. You can look at games that you have no interest in and still be interested in what makes other people like them so much.

Basically, if you are a fanboy, you can grow up to be a real gamer.

Mega Man: The Next Generation

In 2008, Capcom shocked the entire game community when it was revealed that after eleven years, the original Mega Man series would be getting a sequel. When Mega Man 9 was released, many gamers, myself included, were transported back to our childhood as we took in the 8-bit graphics, chiptune music, and insane difficulty that we had loved so long ago. A critical and commercial success, the retro revival led to another sequel two years later. Mega Man 10, another trip down memory lane, was released in 2010. It was a truly wonderful couple of years and everyone wondered where the Blue Bomber would show up next.

But the joy was short lived. Over the next three years Capcom hinted, teased, promised, and announced, but ultimately cancelled several more highly anticipated games. First up (that we knew about) was Mega Man Universe. This ambitious project drew some mixed reactions, but was still highly anticipated thanks to the high customization options for player characters and levels themselves. It was to be a Mega Man game built by Mega Man fans. It was cancelled in 2011.

Next up was Mega Man Legends 3, the long awaited sequel to the popular 3D series. While I never played these games myself, I remember the reaction when this game was announced. It was easily one of the most anticipated games of the year. It was cancelled in 2011 to everyone’s disappointment, including Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune who offered to finish the game despite having left the company the previous year. His offer was refused.

Though it was never announced for international release, another Mega Man title called Rockman Online was known to be in development since 2010. This one would be a Mega Man MMO that took place long after the events in the rest of the series. It was being co-developed by Capcom and Neowiz games but was mysteriously cancelled in 2012.

Finally, this year fans learned of another rather shocking Mega Man title that had been cancelled back in 2010. Maverick Hunter was going to be the first of a trilogy. In a strange but exciting twist, it was revealed that the game would be a re-imagining of the X series as a first person shooter that would take on a much darker tone with a completely redesigned Mega Man. Truly, this one would have been a very different beast.

So with blow after blow after blow it’s no surprise that, at least when it comes to Mega Man, Capcom is not exactly the subject of friendly talk among some gamers. But it turns out fans may not need Capcom after all. Mr. Mega Man himself, Keiji Inafune, is set to give fans his very own robot blasting adventure.

On August 31st, 2013, Inafune launched a Kickstarter campaign for Mighty No. 9, an obvious spiritual successor to his beloved franchise. The game stars Beck, the 9th in a line of powerful robots who were meant to be used for industrial purposes but have now gone berserk. Beck, being unaffected, will need to take down the rest of the Mighty Number robots in any order players choose. Players will need to run, jump, blast, and transform their way through the stages using weapons and abilities stolen from Beck’s enemies.

Sound familiar? It should. This is a Mega Man game in everything but name, and the campaign has no problem throwing that name around. That said, Inafune and his team are also doing what they can to present a unique take on the Mega Man concept. Beck won’t just gain his enemy’s weapons, he’ll be taking on full body transformations to traverse the levels.

Some have criticized this move. Personally, I am behind it 100% If Capcom refused to give players what they want, then I will gladly stand behind the man who started it all as he delivers to us the next generation of robot blasting fun. Clearly, I’m not alone. Only two days in, the campaign has surpassed its requested goal of $900,000. From here on out, it’s all about the stretch goals and adding even more to the game. The game’s 2015 release date is a long way off, but given this man’s track record, I’d say it’s a good bet that the wait will be worth it.

We will never forget Mega Man. But the future? It’s all about Beck, Might No. 9!

First Contact: Game Dev Tycoon

Game development is difficult. At least, it can be. I’ve mentioned before how detail oriented you have to be as a designer. There have been many times when I thought I was especially clear on certain aspects of a project that my teammates ended up having questions about. It can be a very stressful and demanding position. Yet, not only do I have a lot of fun doing it, I also have no desire to trade places with any of my comrades. Not the artists. Not the programmers. Not the writer. Get us together working as a team and it can be a wonderful experience. (It can be a little frustrating at times too, I’m not going to lie, but for the most part it’s really great.) But there’s one thing I think we’d all agree on: game development is way more involved that it appears to be from the outside.

Enter Game Dev Tycoon from Greenheart Games, a game about developing games. I know, sounds a little strange, but during the few hours I’ve spent with the game, I’ve had an incredible amount of fun. I’ve also felt stressed, joyed, disappointed, excited, dejected, determined, insecure and reassured. So, pretty much like actual game development.

Game Dev Tycoon transports you back in time over three decades and plops you in a dingy garage with a small computer desk and a mere handful of potential development options. It then walks you through the process of creating your first game, asking you to choose a theme and genre then tasking you with balancing how you will spend your development time.

Before you build your game, you’ll need to specify a name, topic, and genre. More options become available as you play.

Upon ‘releasing’ your game to the public, you’ll get a breakdown of the media reaction as well as the sales. You also get the opportunity to generate a report that helps guide your future endeavors by examining what worked and what didn’t with your game. Finding a winning combination is key to achieving financial success, but don’t expect to churn out sequel after sequel. As the years pass, technology grows. You’ll find yourself reliving video game history from the early days of the industry with cleverly altered company and console names opening up more doors to development.

Your development is likely to be hit or miss as you research new technologies or design innovations and struggle to balance your time and money with the myriad of mechanics you can add to your game. One wrong move can cost year dearly.

In my game, I paid for a development license I could barely afford and when my first game to utilize it bombed hard I had to accept a government bailout. I nearly bankrupted the company with a couple of very poorly reviewed and even worse selling misfires. Depressing as that can be, making a game that is praised by the masses and throws your small startup into the limelight is as exhilarating and rewarding as it sounds, especially if you can do it fairly early in the game or immediately after one of the aforementioned epic failures. This is exactly what happened to me when one of my games brought me from the brink of disaster to having enough cash to afford a brand new office space with plenty of cash in reserves.

My first huge success brought me back from the brink of bankruptcy. Apparently the whole world loves fluffy bunnies.

But victories are never guaranteed. With technology and market trends constantly changing, I imagine it’s easy to go from super developer to totally bankrupt with just one abysmal game. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you can afford licenses and salaries and still make your dream game.

I haven’t played Game Dev Tycoon enough to know if there’s some game breaking magic formula that can assure victory. There are definitely things that can guarantee you at least a small measure of success at certain points, but until I dig more deeply into the game, I won’t know if those thing remain true for every play through or for how long. What I do know is that the game is solidly entertaining. It is fast paced enough that you have to keep moving, keep researching, keep developing if you’re going to stay afloat. But there are enough things that suspend time so you can catch your breath and plan a strategy in between.

So far, I am loving Game Dev Tycoon. I also suspect that it is going to continue to offer me a new perspective on my own development projects, be they solo or as part of the team. GDT may be a simplified look at the game development cycle, but I’d say it’s as well done and accurate a portrayal as is possible while still being a load of fun to play.

Finally Fantasy

I’ve been trying to think of a series of entries that I could post on a regular basis. While I do have a couple ideas for ‘series’ posts (such as the First Contact series and the Top 100 series), they are not really things that I can guarantee on any sort of schedule. I also have my game design projects, and I can certainly post about those frequently, but since I never know when I’m going to be putting time into the development of one of my games, it’s difficult to know for sure when I’d be able to address them directly. I want something that I know gets done on a certain day. It gives the blog a sort of legacy series that can always be counted on, and it gives me at least one solid topic for the week.

Eventually, I realized I’m already doing something that I can write about on a regular basis. A couple months ago, I decided I was going to play through every game in the main line of Final Fantasy titles, plus a few sequels or side games here and there. While I have at least played most of the games, I’ve only actually gone all the way through a few of them. Having played the first one within the past couple years, I had decided to just start on the second game. But now that I have somewhere to go with it, I think I will revisit the first game. (It will technically be my third play through.)

And so, with that in mind, I’m happy to announce that every Friday will be…

Yes, ‘finally’. Seriously I should have played through all these games long before now. The RPG genre is one of my favorites and it seems almost heretical that I could feel that way without playing through one of the most iconic series.

So, starting with the original Final Fantasy, I’ll be playing the games throughout the week. I’ll have no set goals, so each week’s post is going to be dependent on what I managed to accomplish. I’ll discus my thoughts, feelings, and observations as I make my way through each adventure. No specific goals means this series is likely to run for a very, very long time. I’ve certainly got plenty of material to work with.

I’ll be playing through every main series title, probably with the exception of Final Fantasy XI, the online game. Chances are, I’ll also be playing through at least some of the direct sequels. Perhaps, at times, I’ll pick up some of the spin-offs or side stories. I’m not sure exactly which version of each game I’ll be playing. Probably just whichever is the most convenient for me to get my hands on. At the present, I don’t plan to use guides or walkthroughs, though I will be doing some research before I start each title to make sure I know what I’m getting myself into. At the very least I might consult maps and tips.

I’m looking forward to doing this. I’ve been wanting to play some of these games for a long time. Now, more than just having the desire, I have a purpose. I’m going to share my experience with you. I’ve played enough of the games to know that they usually represent some of the best titles on their respective platforms. So join me as I take on one of the longest running series in video game history. Let’s save the world!

Talking to Animals

I talk to animals.

Hey, everyone does it. Don’t tell me you don’t have a ‘dog voice’ or that you don’t get just a little bit silly sounding when Fluffy the cat decides your lap seems like a nice place for a nap. As far as I’m concerned, my cat is an equal member of the household. Considering the number of times she’s outwitted me, I think she’s earned it.

But it gets worse. I talk to fake animals. I call them neighbors. I worry that they will be upset with me if I haven’t spoken to them for a few days. I fear they might get angry if I’m just too busy to run errands for them. Worst of all, I fear one of my animal friends will leave town before I get the chance to plead with them to stay.

Before men in white coats show up at my door I should probably clarify that I’m referring to the residents of my town in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It’s amazing what one little game can do to you. I wasn’t sure if I would like this game when I first decided to get it. I was even less sure that my wife would like it. But when we each acquired our own 3DS, I figured I’d give it a shot knowing that we would be able to visit each other’s towns and play a game together.

It’s really been a great experience. There’s a bit of friendly competition to see which of us can acquire certain town upgrades first. There some cooperation as we both watch for furniture and items the other might like.

And outside the game world we have those moments that draw us back to our common hobby when, on seeing a grasshopper in our back yard we look at each other and exclaim, “Where’s my bug net?” When last weekend neither of us had much of a chance to spend in our respective towns, we both commented about how our townsfolk were probably going to be upset with us. When I finally did fire the game up once again, I was relieved to find that all my furry residents seemed genuinely pleased to see me, even if they did wonder where I had been.

Is it overbearingly silly at times? Yes, but that’s part of the charm. After a long stressful day at work when I’ve had enough of reality, it’s nice to be able to enter a whimsical world where a town full of animals look to me, their mayor, to keep their beloved home running smoothly.

So, yes, I talk to animals. And if I could find the time, I’d do it every day.

2D or Not 2D

Oh, Nintendo. What are you doing?

Day after day, year after year, I defend you. I stand up for you. I say, “Nintendo is an innovator, watching out for gamers of all ages.” I argue that Nintendo is still at the top of its game.

And then you go and do this to me.

3DS – 3D = 2DS…wait, what?

That, in case you haven’t heard, is the Nintendo 2DS. It’s a competitively priced handheld gaming system which plays both DS and 3DS games. Except it had no 3D capabilities. So it’s a DS. That plays 3DS games. Sort of.

I actually already have one of these. It’s called “Nintendo 3DS XL with 3D Slider Turned All the Way Down.” Okay, I confess, Nintendo 2DS has a better ring to it than that I guess.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s not the concept that I have a problem with. I think it’s great that Nintendo is introducing a reasonably priced handheld gaming system capable of playing all its newest games. That’s not my problem.

Nor do I have a problem with the lack of 3D capabilities. I’ve seen it argued that this defeats the purpose of the whole ’3DS’ name, but they took care of that by changing the name.

Oh, and honestly, I don’t even have a problem with the design. I mean, it’s terrible and hideous, obviously, but since I won’t be getting one I don’t really care what it looks like.

No, my biggest problem is with the name. I understand the idea behind it. It’s better than a DS, but not quite a 3DS, but it will play both types of games. It’s a 3DS without the 3D. It’s 2D…so, 2DS. It does make sense. But my fear is the same one I had with the release of the Wii U. Will people who do not visit gaming news sites every day really understand what this is?

I kind of thought that Wii U just sounded like the educational version of the Wii. Of course, since I do visit game news sites every day, I knew what it actually was. But I also heard that the Wii U reveal at E3 last year confused a lot of people into thinking that the Wii U was just a simple upgrade to the Wii, not an entirely new system. Might these same people see the 2DS sitting next to the 3DS and assume it’s an older system?

I know, ultimately this won’t affect me directly, and I’m sure the confusion will blow over eventually. But I fear these kinds of decisions coming out of Nintendo. They are already looked at as the company “behind the times” since they don’t seem overly interested in competing directly with Microsoft or Sony. It was bad enough when Microsoft entered the gaming arena with the Xbox and hijacked the gamer image from Nintendo, painting them as a company that only made games for little girls and grandmas. The last thing I want is Nintendo itself confusing potential customers.

In any case, I hope the system is a success. I hope it draws in more gamers. But I also hope that when it’s time for another new system reveal, Nintendo does something that says, “we may be different, but we’re still relevant.”

The Confident Loser

I have collected many great memories of specific game moments over the past thirty years. Most of the time, these memories are forged by big budget titles.

The first time I ran through the Star Festival, the opening scene of Super Mario Galaxy.

Stepping outside a military base to see the skyline above the Golden Gate Bridge teeming with alien ships in Resistance 2.

Taking out an entire area of enemies completely with stealth in Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

Revisiting the accident that injured Lucca’s mother in Chrono Trigger.

Honestly…I could just go on and on and on. So many great moments in so many great games. Images that are burned into my mind. Things I will never forget.

But sometimes, it doesn’t take a team of hundreds to create these long lasting memories. Sometimes, maybe these memories come about completely by accident. I still credit the developer in times like this, after all it well designed game is simply going to have those moments when everything comes together and something truly extraordinary happens.

In fact, one particular memory I have is nothing more than a combination of an AI with a specific set of orders and an overconfident player (that’s me) who just wasn’t paying attention. It happened in a free web game called Neo Circuit. 

Now, Neo Circuit isn’t a unique concept. It’s been done before just with a different theme. In the game, you start with one or more terminals with a set amount of power. When used, this power replenishes over time. You click and drag from one of your terminals to another to send power to it. If the targeted terminal is empty, this claims it for you. If it is owned by an enemy, the power you send over will begin to deplete the power of the enemy terminal.

Each terminal can be upgraded to hold more power and allow for more links. This is where one aspect of the strategy comes in. Do you spend power upgrading your terminal? Or do you let that power build up to serve as an attack or perhaps even a defense terminal?

This is further complicated by some of the level setups. Maybe in the middle of the playing field there is an unoccupied high level terminal. At that point, it becomes a race to see who can get there first. Though even if you don’t, it doesn’t mean you are out of the game, it just means you’re going to have to do everything you can to overtake it or at least make sure your opponent can’t utilize its full potential.

The session that has stuck with me involved a setup like this. There were a lot of terminals on this specific board and at least one was a high powered neutral terminal. The enemy AI went for it almost immediately and I began to do the same. There were several minutes of tense back and forth tug-o-war as we struggled to gain the center terminal and to gain a large number of surrounding small capacity terminals that might help us in this effort. We snaked all around the bored gaining and losing terminals in our fight to wipe each other out.

Finally, I gained the upper hand. I managed to not only get a hold of the center terminal, but keep the enemy from gaining it right back. I choked off a few straggling enemy terminals but focused the bulk of my efforts to the north where the AI had built up a considerable force. There were so many links with so much power bouncing from terminal to terminal, building up and assisting my units that were doing the majority of the attacking.

Little by little I whittled away as the enemy’s power. My attention was completely focused on wiping out his power center. Finally, I saw that victory would be mine. The AI didn’t stand a chance. I surrounded his last power center, ready to pound at it incessantly. Then, I saw that center terminal, the one I fought so hard to gain control of, blink back to the AI’s color. I looked down. The AI controlled the entire bottom half of the map and he was aggressively pushing north.

Somehow I had forgotten about one tiny terminal in the corner that the AI still owned and my eyes were blinded to the entire area. I thought it was mine and I had been so busy rerouting power from all these terminals that none of them could defend themselves. One by one they had fallen,. While I had been attacking what I thought to be the AI’s power center with a collection of low level terminals, the AI had methodically taken over larger and larger terminals until it finally stole my main power center right out form under me.

I was stunned, but I also had a huge grin on my face. I know it was just numbers and code working against me, and it had been my own overconfidence and failure to pay attention that had led to my demise, but I couldn’t help it. This was one of the most awesome defeats I had ever experienced.

I didn’t just think I was going to win, I knew it. That overconfidence had destroyed me in the end.

And I had enjoyed every moment of it.