Last month, Microsoft had an RPG conference in Japan.  The biggest news out of the event was the announcement that Star Ocean 4, previously thought to be a PS3 exclusive, is in fact, an Xbox 360 game and might not show up on the PS3 at all.  Xbox owners can also cheer that The Last Remnant, a multiplatform Square-Enix RPG, is going to be released earlier on the 360 than on the PS3.  Other highlights from the conference include additional media and information on Tales of Vesperia (a 360 exclusive by Namco in the series made famous in the US by Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube) and Infinite Undiscovery (a 360 exclusive by Square-Enix that looks similar to Rogue Galaxy).

I'm reminded of this quote from Vic Ireland, the president of the now-defunct RPG localizing company, Working Designs:

For the future, there are still great opportunities. I have been in touch with a number of other publishers and manufacturers and I will be working with some of the WD staff to do games for other publishers for the time being, but not as Working Designs. One thing that holds a ton of promise is Xbox 360 RPGs, and I've contacted Microsoft about getting what's underway in Japan out in the US and helping to get more done worldwide. We'll see what happens on that front, but please let them know that you want more rpgs here. There's some amazing stuff coming for the '360 in Japan, and I know I want it — I think you will, too.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who read those words from Vic Ireland back in 2005 and laughed in disbelief.  The Xbox 360 being a great RPG machine?  Aside from a couple Bioware games (Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire), the Xbox's library of RPGs was practically non-existent.  Why would the 360 be any different?  And yet, here we are in 2008 and those words of Vic sound more prophetic than crazy.

How did we get to the point where the PS3, aside from Final Fantasy XIII, is sparse in the RPG department, despite the PSOne & PS2's utter dominance in the genre? How did the Xbox 360 come to look so impressive compared to the original Xbox's pathetic showing?  There are a number of factors: Microsoft's courting of Japanese developers and their own investment in Mistwalker Studios (Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey); the Xbox 360's one-year head start; and the cheaper price tag are all factors. But I believe the biggest contributor is that Microsoft published good RPGs significantly earlier than its competition.  RPGs tend to be games with low replay value; thus, fans of the genre tend to buy more RPGs than fans of other genres with greater longevity might.  The early availability of RPGs on the Xbox 360 combined with RPG fans' tendency to buy many RPGs created a snowball effect: a good RPG comes for the system encourages more fans of RPGs to buy the system, which in turns encourages more companies to make RPGs for the system.  The system has momentum now — Western RPGs like Too Human and the Mass Effect trilogy, Japanese RPGs from companies like Square-Enix & Namco, Strategy/RPGs from Atlus — and I don't see that changing any time soon.

Will the PS3 or the Wii be able to catch up and overtake the 360 in the RPG field?  I don't think so.  Final Fantasy XIII, though a big title, looks like it'll be too little, too late.  And with Square-Enix showing more and more support for the 360 and less support for the PS3, there's always the chance that FFXIII could end up as a multiplatform title.  The Wii has a fair chance of developing a good RPG library simply because the system is selling insanely well and the dominant system inevitably gets strong game developer support, but I don't know.  Whether it's true or not, the Wii is getting a reputation as being the console of choice for casual gamers and so developers may prove hesitant to develop RPGs for the system.  The Wii might end up with a strong lineup of RPGs, but as of now, that's merely a hope; there's nothing particular noteworthy in the genre on the system at the moment.

In the meantime, I plan on enjoying the 360's RPG library while marveling at the strange and bizarre world we live in.

Courtesy Slashdot comes news of an unexpected marriage:

Across the country, hundreds of ministers and pastors desperate to reach young congregants have drawn concern and criticism through their use of an unusual recruiting tool: the immersive and violent video game Halo.

Those buying it must be 17 years old, given it is rated M for mature audiences. But that has not prevented leaders at churches and youth centers across Protestant denominations, including evangelical churches that have cautioned against violent entertainment, from holding heavily attended Halo nights and stocking their centers with multiple game consoles so dozens of teenagers can flock around big-screen televisions and shoot it out.

Though I am not a religious person, it occurred to me that the coverage offered by the likes of GamePolitics.com, though fair, is focusing on the gaming aspect. In the interests of a balanced discussion, I invited my co-worker, Lucas Mearian, to offer his Christian perspective:

"Churches tend to use many different methods to attract young people. I don't have a problem with trying to appeal to the younger generation, but of course there are clear lines to be drawn. As Christians, we're not supposed to be like the world. For more than 2,000 years the message of the cross has worked just as it was supposed to have. You really don't need to deviate from that. It's more about how to get that message out to a world that's constantly growing and competing for our attention.

"That being said, it's not that different today from 2,000 years ago. Here's the apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth, Greece (1 Corinthians 9:19-23):

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

This week's mail bequeathed upon me the fifth and final season DVD of the popular Web series Red vs. Blue, the comedic application of the video game Halo that introduced me (and much of the world) to machinima.

Machinima, in the words of the series' own Private Dexter Grif, is described simply as "taking [a] video game and puppeteering it to make a narrative story". In this case, the games are Halo and Halo 2, and the effect is produced by linking several Xbox consoles together, recording the video, then dubbing audio over it. In this way, pre-existing animation can be used cheaply and more easily than creating one's own art assets. The result is about 20 three-minute episodes per "season" detailing the ongoing battles of the Red Team and the Blue Team as they battle each other and, more often, themselves, in the Blood Gulch box canyon.

Read the rest of this entry at Computerworld.com »

I moved to a new apartment last month, which meant taking down my 5.1 surround sound system and mounted speakers and disconnecting my five video game consoles, DVD player, VCR, switchbox, and 36" CRT TV. I knew this day was inevitable, and at one point I wondered if it would be easier to leave the sound system and entertainment center, which had been assembled in that room, where they were for the next tenant, and start from scratch in my new home. Of course, my budget wouldn't allow for that, so it all came apart.

Fortunately, this move had not been anticipated a mere three months earlier, when I completely rewired my setup to a) have five consoles connected simultaneously instead of four (I used to have connected only one from each manufacturer: Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft. Now I can have both my backward-compatible Wii and N64 side-by-side); and b) upgrade my Wii connection from composite to component. Given that recent surgery, I was familiar with what needed to go where and was able to recreate it in the new setup without much difficulty.

Since this reconfiguration also affected my DVD player, you can read the full details of what hardware was needed and why on my film blog, Showbits.

Title	:	Wrath Unleashed
Platforms	:	Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox
Publisher	:	LucasArts
ESRB Rating	:	Teen
Game Rating	:	7.3
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

When gods battle, mortals tremble. But LucasArts' release of Wrath Unleashed, for the Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox, is not the world-shattering event I'd hoped for. [Xbox version reviewed here] 

Wrath Unleashed is essentially a repackaging of Archon, Electronic Arts' classic computer game from two decades ago that combined the strategy elements of chess with the uncertain outcomes of an action game. Though Wrath looks like a different beast, anyone familiar with Archon will quickly adapt to this new setting — though they may not like the transition. 

Wrath Unleashed pits two to four fantastic armies against each other on a hexagon-gridded map. Players take turns moving centaurs, genies, dragons, and other creatures to place them in control of temples. On most levels, whoever occupies a certain number of temples, or decimates the opposition, first, wins. 

When two opposing creatures vie for control of the same hex, a real-time battle occurs. Each creature has weak and strong physical and magical attacks, as well as strings of combinations. The strength of the attacks differ, as does the life force of each attacker; a demigod, for example, not only inflicts more damage per attack than a unicorn, but can take three times the beating of said horse, creating an unbalanced engagement. The fields also vary in composition and element and support combatants of matching alignment, such as the fire god's henchmen situated on a volcano. 

Despite (or perhaps because of) these variables, the battles are more frustrating than dramatic. It is very easy to fall victim to a string of physical attacks from which there is neither escape nor opportunity for riposte; the dodge/block button has little effect in either regard. Environmental hazards are too random to be advantageous: the most aggressive strategy proves futile if, on your way to execute it, you're struck down by a stray bolt of lightning. Preparing the battlefield is essential, but the actual battle degrades to a mindless melee in which most of the game's tactical elements go out the window. 

As mentioned, victory in battle should lead to control of the temples. A good strategy game would reward patience and planning, but most of Wrath's scenarios have a fixed limit of only 25 turns, which is even fewer minutes. If none of the winning conditions are met within that frame, the game is a draw, regardless of who has the upper hand. Speed is as key as strategy to ultimate victory. 

Some mechanical minutia further constrains enjoyment of Wrath. This game improves upon Archon by offering three- and four-player battles, but that only balances the absence of online support for downloadable maps or engaging Internet opponents; even Archon was superior in this regard. Even though offline, ten seconds of waiting precede and follow every battle — a difficult time to justify for loading commonly-used battle maps. 

The graphics are serviceable. The fantastic creatures do not always possess a traditional appearance, instead trying to look as intimidating and battle-ready as possible. Their pre-battle and winning poses do little to inspire, though. 

Though multiplayer is best, Wrath Unleashed remains restrained. It lacks the longevity and elegance necessary for a successful strategy game. Advance Wars has more tactics, though less action; even LucasArts' own Gladius serves as satisfactory competition. Sometimes, when mortals tremble, it's not in awe, but disappointment.

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This article is copyright (c) 2004, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Gamebits, 21-Mar-04

Title	:	Sonic Heroes
Platforms	:	Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox
Publisher	:	Sega
ESRB Rating	:	Everyone
Game Rating	:	7.8
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Sonic the Hedgehog has been a mainstay of the entertainment industry almost as long as Mario. Yet Sega's mascot has not successfully transitioned to as many genres as Nintendo's plumber, with mediocre racing and party games to his name. Whereas Mario's leap to 3D essentially defined what a 3D platform game should be, Sonic's adventures on the Sega Dreamcast were less inspired, thanks in part to the hedgehog sharing the spotlight with several playable castmates. This tradition continues with Sonic Heroes, the hedgehog's first multiplatform release. [GameCube version reviewed here] 

The variety of gameplay styles in this 3D action game is similar to that established in the episodic escapades of the Sonic Adventure games, except less divisive. Whereas previously, each level would feature a different protagonist, in Sonic Heroes, players remain in simultaneous control of a trio of heroes. Switching between characters is a snap, and a constant necessity, as each has unique moves and strengths necessary to advance past each stage's many obstacles. 

A total of twelve characters, familiar from past Sonic games or new to this installment, offer four unique paths — sometimes treading the same ground, sometimes intersecting with the other heroes (or anti-heroes). Each team has three archetypes: a speedster (such as Sonic), a flyer (Tails, the two-tailed fox), and a powerhouse (Knuckles the Echidna). 

Whether it's fighting or fleeing, solving puzzles or flying to new heights, the Sonic squad can do it all. There are some excellent moments of high-speed freneticism, which have always been what Sonic does best. Unfortunately, such moments comprise only a third of the action. Sega had the wisdom to split various gameplay styles further among the different teams — Team Chaotix, for example, has goal-based missions, such as finding specific hidden items on each stage, while Team Rose is aimed at beginner players — but this doesn't change the fact that a sudden burst of Sonic speed may be just as suddenly halted by a hurdle only Knuckles can overcome. 

Other gameplay vices are present. The game exercises the archaic practice of bottomless pits, where one misstep can send players to their doom, no matter how much health they have or progress they've made. One character's main attack often sends him charging forward, regardless of his proximity to precarious perches, which decreases the usefulness of his primary function. 

The presentation is enjoyable but not without flaws. The prerendered sequences that advance what passes for a plot (as though we needed one) are gorgeous enough to warrant lamenting their rarity. But once inserted into the actual gameplay, players will find the camera is often tightly focused on Sonic's destination, presenting a poor view of his immediate surroundings and leaving him open to attack. Mostly cheesy, yet catchy pop tunes compose the soundtrack. 

Given the game's ternary nature, a cooperative multiplayer mode would seem natural. Instead, only a two-player, split-screen, competitive option is available, and doesn't offer much beyond standard races and ring-collecting sessions. 

The gameplay provided by the hedgehog's pals is not poor, but it does create unbalanced enjoyment which ultimately drags down the whole product. Perhaps it's time for the hedgehog to go back to his roots and take his next adventure solo.

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This article is copyright (c) 2004, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Tech News, 03-Feb-04

Title	:	Spy Hunter 2
Platforms	:	Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube
Publisher	:	Midway
ESRB Rating	:	Teen
Game Rating	:	5.5
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Spy Hunter, a classic coin-op of the Eighties, was successfully remade into a modern title that captured the spirit, if not the mechanics, of the original. 

Developers often hunt for innovation to enliven sequels. But in this case, what made the original Spy Hunter remake a triumph has been abandoned, leaving publisher Midway with a mundane and unspectacular husk for PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube. [PS2 version reviewed here] 

Players still engage in vehicular combat as they progress through global stages, fighting terrorist cells. Though the concept is the same, the execution is not. The faults begin with the vehicle of choice, as vintage Interceptor super spy car has been remodeled for this sequel. The original G6155 has been emasculated into a far less effectual, "new and improved" G8155. The amount of damage the main vehicle can sustain is minimal, shedding its shell at a moment's notice into weaker motorcycle and jet ski models that look like rejects from a Terminator movie. As any of these units become damaged, their capacity to locomote decreases; what good is a crippled spy vehicle? Even the ability to traverse rough terrain is impaired, requiring players to manually engage an off-road mode. The speed boost, once a finite but renewable utility, is now granted a set number of times per level. 

The changes don't stop with the wheels. Formerly a loner, Alec Sects, the man behind the wheel, has teamed up with a female spy, and though Bond set the precedent of working with attractive counterparts, Alec has always been a mysterious loner. Making him part of a team has, in my eyes, weakened his "cool" factor in this sequel. Granted, he always had help from the mysterious weapons van, but its form in this game is just silly, especially when players briefly take control of its turret. 

The game structure has also been altered from the original's controversial requirement to complete multiple goals to access further levels. I found this style added depth to each stage, requiring gamers to fully explore and master each course beyond the primary objective. Along with perfect execution, the pre-rendered entrances, exits, and passing attempt at a plot cemented the game's cinematic spy style. 

Spy Hunter 2 is more focused on getting players from start to finish without looking back. Secondary goals are just that, and are no longer essential to unlocking further development. The story and non-interactive graphic sequences are mostly absent, shedding the polish of its predecessor. 

The graphics have also been reduced from their original quality. The vehicle itself has become a more solid mass of gray, lacking the lustre and detail of the prior Interceptor. An intuitive health meter, decreasing with damage, has been replaced with a damage meter that increases. The cockpit view has been completely eliminated, and the rear view mirror is just small enough to be useless, while still taking up a portion of the screen. Pushing down on the analog stick completely reverses the camera, but this angle cannot be maintained while simultaneously steering left or right, rendering it, too, useless. 

Years after the Sony PlayStation 2 came out, I finally found for it a piece of software I liked: Spy Hunter. To see what has become of the sequel truly saddens me, but there's no sense hunting for quality that isn't there; Spy Hunter 2 is the game that came in from the cold with none of the entertaining qualities of any of its predecessors.

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This article is copyright (c) 2004, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Tech News, 27-Jan-04

Title	:	Rogue Ops
Platforms	:	Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube
Publisher	:	Kemco
ESRB Rating	:	Mature
Game Rating	:	6.5
Review by	:	Jeremy Pallant

In Rogue Ops, you play Nikki Conners, a cute, petite blond who had the minor misfortune of having her husband and daughter killed in an explosion courtesy of a terrorist group with the unlikely name of Omega 19. Your average housewife would simply mourn, but Nikki is an ex-Green Beret, and so she joins a distinctly shadowy, ruthless, anti-terrorist group called Phoenix, presumably related to the notorious Operation Phoenix run by the CIA in Vietnam and Cambodia. After two years of intense training, she is unleashed upon those who murdered her family. 

I really wanted to like this game [PS2 version reviewed here]. It has a lot going for it. Primarily it's all about stealth, restraint, and precision. Nikki's equipment is relatively limited, and her armament is austere with only limited ammunition. That's a refreshing change. I recently finished Max Payne 2, and was amused at the colossal weaponry he would accumulate by the end of a chapter. He shouldn't have been able to keep walking with that lot. 

Nikki, on the other hand, might go in with a silenced pistol, a silenced sniper's rifle — both having very limited ammunition — and a handful of shuriken. You have to be precise with your shots, and just going in gung-ho doesn't work. Fortunately, the controls are sufficiently well-tuned to assist you in this. More ammunition can be scavenged from the bodies of those you kill, but you will rarely be comfortable with the amount you have. This was actually an enjoyable part of the game, and certainly added to its feel. As usual, there is an initial training mission to introduce you to the game, and to Nikki's capabilities. 

There are several ways to take aim at the enemy. There's an aiming point as you move around that turns from red to green when it passes over an enemy. Secondly you can switch to a view mode that zooms in slightly for greater precision, but prevents you from moving. If equipped with a sniper rifle, you can zoom in on a target more closely. Finally, if equipped with a thrown weapon like a grenade, the trajectory is displayed. 

Precision is important here, because hits are position sensitive. Shooting someone through the head will result in an instant kill, but body hits, especially if the target is wearing body armor, might require several shots, and with limited ammunition available, this is something you want to avoid as much as possible. 

The AI is a cut above the average. Everyone's familiar with this phenomenon: you shoot a guard, and the guy standing next to him won't notice. That doesn't happen in Rogue Ops. Perform the same deed in this game, and the alarm will sound, and your enemies will start to actively look for you. Where the AI falls short is that, after a short time of your not being found, or you kill everyone engaged in the search, the alarm will be switched off. That's hardly realistic. Similarly, if you attract attention by, say, shooting out a searchlight, that's a pretty obvious indication someone's around, but the tactic described above works, and soon the heat will be off you. 

Alarms will also sound if you're seen on a security camera, and that can have rather disconcerting consequences if there are turreted guns nearby, which will duly open up on you, and generally make life very unpleasant. This action will also alert nearby guards. 

It seems odd to me that in a game primarily about stealth, it is impossible to avoid combat, and there's only ever one way to achieve your goal. One of the strengths of a game like Deus Ex: Invisible War is that there are many ways to meet mission requirements; Rogue Ops needed a feature like this. One the other hand, it does make you pay more attention to your environment, looking for that switch, ledge, or crawl space necessary to advance the game. 

A prime weakness of the game is that it often devolves to a switch hunt, or a search for the right swipe card. This design became old with the original Doom; however, the means of acquiring the right swipe card, or finding the switch is a little more interesting. Swipe cards are most often found by the bodies of your kills, or by picking the pockets of the living. Switches are often hidden, and might need to be found by the infrared visor you are equipped with, which shows the extra heat given off by electrical circuitry and hidden enemies. 

Graphically, Rogue Ops does not represent the best the PS2 is capable of. Textures are sometimes muddy and pixilated. In fact, I found myself wondering if the game hadn't originally been intended for the PSOne, and then changed in mid-development. The character models are surprisingly low in polygons, except for Nikki herself who has a few more. Mind you, you spend most of the game with a view of her shapely rear, so the extra detail was appreciated, although I did get tired of the skin-tight, midriff-baring outfit she favored. Not exactly what you would call practical. 

The game fails to excel in its execution. While the missions themselves can be quite long with changing objectives, and the cut-scenes do a good job of outlining the plot, the lack of a proper save-game feature strongly detracts from the experience. The in-game menu certainly gives you the option, but it doesn't work as you might think. Each mission is divided into a series of objectives, and each objective met is indicated by a green flag on the screen. If you save at this point, should you die later, even if you make further saves, you will be returned to the checkpoint when you reload. 

To add insult to injury, the in-game menu doesn't actually have a load option. Should you die, you get the option to resume from the last checkpoint, but if, for example, you decide you could have tackled that last section with less ammunition expenditure, you must exit to the main menu to reload the game. I found this to be very irritating, and is why I scored the game as I did. If a proper "save/load anywhere" feature had been implemented, I would have awarded another whole point. 

Further frustrating the gameplay is the sheer length between opportunities to save. Being a stealth game, you spend a significant amount of time sneaking carefully from place to place, which takes time. On one occasion, I came as close as I ever have to throwing the controller on the ground, because after spending perhaps half an hour slowly and carefully making my way around, I made a mistake, got myself machine-gunned to death by remote turrets with no clue what I did wrong, and was then returned to where I had been a half-hour previously. 

In summary, Rogue Ops isn't a bad game, and with a little more effort on behalf of the development team it could have been a better game. However, the deceptive save-game system, second-rate graphics, rigid mission structure and endless view of Nikki Conner's odd attire all contribute to making it something less than a competitor to Splinter Cell. If anyone's considering a purchase, I definitely recommend renting first.

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This article is copyright (c) 2004, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Gamebits, 07-Jan-04