Ben-DutkaE3. Over. …lots of articles. And videos. Monosyllabic communication may be the only possibility and yet, I can't miss my Week in Review.
Metal Gear Solid: Rising lets me see the other side…
For months, all long-time Final Fantasy fans have been saying that FFXIII felt disappointing, primarily because we were looking for something different. We were looking for something distinctly Final Fantasy . What we got was a new installment designed to drag in new – perhaps distinctly Western – fans, which is why fans sorta felt a little betrayed. I maintain the game is fantastic although I say that in comparison to the rest of the series, it falls short of super-lofty expectations. Now, as for Metal Gear Solid , I love the franchise but I sort of got into later (around MGS3) and therefore, I'm not as personally tied to it…which in turn is why I think Metal Gear Solid: Rising looks awesome. I know it's an obvious departure but the game looks polished and beautiful and crazy entertaining, so I'm psyched. At the same time, I'm not surprised to see a lot of negativity coming from the lifelong MGS followers.
See, I get it. I get it because almost the exact same thing happened to "my" franchise. So now I can see it from both sides, and I can better understand both sides. My brother, for instance, is currently playing FFXIII and he loves it. It's the first FF he's played and in fact, one of the first RPGs, but wasn't Square-Enix's goal to ensnare people like him? For Rising , I love the old MGS but I'll keep an open mind for the shift because, I suppose, the old gems don't sit quite as close to my heart.
Some of my E3 highlights
Obviously, we were big fans of the Twisted Metal announcement , only in part because Dave Jaffe and Scott Campbell really showed us some love . PlayStation Move now interests me a little more, I'm very very glad Gran Turismo 5 has a finalized release date , and Killzone 3 pretty much blew me away . I was also impressed with what EA brought to the show, as both Dead Space 2 and Medal of Honor were definite highlights, in my opinion. I also think it's just plain amusing that we finally heard the booth babes speak out about the gamers and journalists they see during the week. There are always certain aspects of every E3 show that one tends to remember, and I can guarantee the Twisted Metal unveiling and Gabe Newell's shocking announcement won't be forgotten any time soon.
Personal gaming update
Obviously, I didn't have a heck of a lot of time for games, but I've finally managed to get out of Mexico in Red Dead Redemption , and I finished up Joe Danger . Next up is probably Alan Wake , although I might just wait until my birthday; in the meantime, I'll take a break. Maybe I'll start up a game of FFVII or FFT, which is my default option whenever I take a break from new games. With the first half of 2010 featuring so many huge titles, I've struggled to keep up but strangely enough, I'm not really behind. Of course, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is always in the running for a nostalgic replay. And there's something else, too- I've been honestly considering a Wii purchase for the sole purpose of playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 . I hate buying a console for only one game but this might have to happen. We'll see.
By the way, now that our secret is out, I can finally explain how we came to know about it; thought you might like to know. Back at the end of 2008, we did an interview with Jaffe and Campbell . I spoke to Scott first and during that time, he started telling me all about Twisted Metal ; he used the name more than a few times, which confused me. Then when I spoke to Dave and started referring to the project by its name, he stopped me and said they hadn't announced any such game. Then I told him about my conversation with Scott and he seemed surprised, but asked me very politely if we could keep it under wraps. I agreed. And that's the way the situation stayed until this past week. There. Happy? 🙂
There's more to the Wii than Super Mario Galaxy 2. Super Mario Galaxy, No More Heroes 1 & 2, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Super Paper Mario, House Of The Dead: Overkill, MadWorld, Metroid 3 and New Super Mario Brothers Wii are great games.
Still, there are always the long periods of zero games that interest me. That's why I've owned 4 Wiis; I keep selling it off as soon as there's nothing to play. I'm afraid I might be selling my current one off…only to buy a 5th one around Christmas.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a great game but it's nowhere close to being the greatest game ever.
Last edited by n/a on 6/19/2010 10:10:35 PM
If I ever got a Wii it would be for the Zelda games, I love me some Zelda. Though I know Ben hates the 3D Zeldas.
You're just saying more Mario and I've never been a fan of the new Zeldas and Metroids.
Trust me, if I was, I would've already had a Wii. Outside of their mascots, they really don't have any new games that seem appealing to me.
Yeah, there's a lot of Mario on the Wii. He seems to have a hold on me. Perhaps because he has never compromised on his beliefs like Miley Cyrus has. Or something else other than his games are addictive.
Last edited by n/a on 6/19/2010 11:27:14 PM
-World of Goo (fun PSN-like game)
-Okami (the Wii version is the best version)
-Cave Story (instant classic)
-Zack & Wiki (great platform game)
-Lostwinds: Winter of the Melodias (fun platform game which uses the Wiimote perfectly)
-Klonoa (remake) (a remake of the original masterpiece)
-Muramasa (BEST GAME EVER!)
-Red Steel 2 (it's actually really good)
-Rune Factory: Frontier (non-fighting rpg, but it's very fun, Harvest Moon anyone?)
-Tales of Symphonia 2 (yeah…)
The Wii's got some great games.
I forgot Punch-Out Wii. Another great game for the Wii. Wii Sports Resort is also excellent for what it is. There's also some great Virtual Console games out there.
Last edited by n/a on 6/20/2010 10:06:18 AM
@Ben which Zelda disenchanted you? Ocarina of time is simply one of my favorites in both 3d and 2d, followed by ballad of the windfish. But I still enjoyed wind waker quite abit despite my skepticism for about 2-3 years after its release. When I finally played it for more than 30 mins, i loved it, and i even liked the phantom hourglass as well.
I'll admit, i didn't take a liking to link's last outing on the wii, but i haven't been able to play it for more than 15 minutes at a go since i don't have a wii.
P.S. I'll be stoked if you reply 😀
I love Zelda up until Ocarina of Time and can enjoy other Zelda games after but it seems like that series needs something completely new already. The newest Zelda doesn't look to be doing anything differently.
It was OoT that messed it up for me. IMO, Zelda is just one of those franchises that in my heart of hearts, should and always will be 2D.
Can't you borrow a Wii from someone? According to Nintendo's sales figures, if you don't own a Wii, you should know at least 10 other people that do.
@Ben I'll admit, the 2d zeldas do make me feel 'warm and fuzzy' inside, and they do have a very different feel from the 3d ones, but I can't help but love both for the most part.
@No goat 23. Actually both my cousins have Wii's, but I've already got such a long queue of Games to purchase and to finish, I doubt borrowing it would do more than deprive either of them of their console for a few weeks with no real use of it coming from me. Ever since graduating from Uni and working full time, I haven't had as much time to game as I previously did.
As a result i've sort of loaned my Xbox 360 to one of my cousins and he's had it for so long that he's bought an extra controller for it and multiple games. I don't think i have the heart to take it away from him now, he not really a fan of his wii anymore, although his dad loves it. I'm currently focusing on ps3 and PC gaming for now.
P.S. Thanks for replying guys
@Ben I'll admit, the 2d zeldas do make me feel 'warm and fuzzy' inside, and they do have a very different feel from the 3d ones, but I can't help but love both for the most part.
@No goat 23. Actually both my cousins have Wii's, but I've already got such a long queue of Games to purchase and to finish, I doubt borrowing it would do more than deprive either of them of their console for a few weeks with no real use of it coming from me. Ever since graduating from Uni and working full time, I haven't had as much time to game as I previously did.
As a result i've sort of loaned my Xbox 360 to one of my cousins and he's had it for so long that he's bought an extra controller for it and multiple games. I don't think i have the heart to take it away from him now, he not really a fan of his wii anymore, although his dad loves it. I'm currently focusing on ps3 and PC gaming for now.
P.S. Thanks for replying guys
Whoa, the Wii? Again…WHOA!
Hey, there are other games besides SMG2 that warrant a purchase.
Going to download Joe Danger tonight!
Ben, Nintendo might use this endorsement in a coming ad campaign.
Ben from PSXExtreme : "I want a Wii!"
A $20.00 game I recommend from when the Wii first came out is Zack and Wiki. Very little known, but highly graded puzzle game.
Don't forget Wii New Super Mario Brothers. And if you have never played, you must get Pikmin 1 and 2. Originally for the Gamecube, but Pikmin 1 is now on the Wii, and Pikmin 2 is supposed to be release on the Wii. It is already in Japan. Pikmin 3 is due hopefully this year.
Joe Danger is awesomely awesome.
And yeah, trust me…if I get a Wii, I will have to search for other games to play besides just the one I bought it for.
Joe Danger is a blast, loving it.
With the Wii, you are in a position to really only worry about playing the best of the best though.
With your job, you have so many games on the PS3 monopolizing your time. When it comes to the Wii, you can afford to be choosy. In that sense, I would bet that you will likely grow quite a fondness for the Wii because your only experiences can be the true ACES of that system.
Now if it were your only system, and you had to reach on a lot of games trying to get your gaming fix, you would probably come away with a much different oppinion of it on a whole. They can't all be Triple A Nintendo Exclusive games!
Last edited by MyWorstNightmar on 6/20/2010 12:07:29 AM
It's just that with the PS3 and 360, I feel like I actually have cutting-edge AAA exclusives…with the Wii, it just feels like nostalgic, too-bad-they-can't-compete-but-they're-still-fun exclusives. 😉
With your take on the matter, I get it, I respect it, and I wonder how you will feel after playing through the best of the best. Maybe it won't change at all. Nothing will be able to top Uncharted 2, but some of the games rank up there with some of the AAA bests for PS3 and Xbox, just not in the graphics department. And, I know that you don't play games JUST for the graphics.
I just ping'ed Jawknee that HELL hath freezeth over, Ben is going to dip his toe in the Wii waters.
I still can't believe it. When I read it, I blacked out for 10 minutes. When I came to, I re-read it to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. I blacked out again. I now have a concussion from hitting the floor with my head. I just learned Obamacare won't cover. Stay tuned.
Last edited by MyWorstNightmar on 6/20/2010 1:02:24 AM
lol Frozen over indeed.
Ben, anyone who likes plat-formers will like Mario Galaxy 2. Some of the level design are the best I've seen.
Other games i suggest:
Tatsunoko vs Capcom
Super Paper Mario
Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition
I know you didn't like Ocarina of Time but if you can find a friend to loan you a copy of Twilight Princess, it's at least worth a try. 🙂
Jawknee, I think he already played Twilight Princess a "Wii" bit on his brothers Wii. Not sure how many brothers he has, so I would auld assume it was none other than CharlesD's Wii. Don't think he much cared for it, if I recall.
Last edited by MyWorstNightmar on 6/20/2010 1:25:01 AM
Word.
thats why i got my legend of zelda twilight princess for the gamecube. the guy from gamestop kept trying to push the wii version on me and went as far as to say that the gamecube version was canceled. i told him to look on their computer like they were taught to do when they dont know what they're talking about. sure enough, i got my copy. i also got a strategy guide but they only had wii strategy guides. i found it pretty weird that the maps in the wii strategy guide were the mirror opposite of the actual gamecube version of the game. guide says treasure chest is on the right, game puts the chest on the left side.
@ john the reason the maps are reversed from what i remember is that they flipped everything so link would hold his sword in the hand you use your wii mote on the wii. im pretty sure that is why it wont match your wii guide
Yup, Frylock is correct. Link has always been left handed but since the Wii seems to support a right handed configuration they had to make Link right handed.
I bet Jaffe gave Campbell a good scoff in the head for that little slip up. Good thing for them that you stuck to your word, Ben.
So how did the exclusive interview come into play? A good faith offering from Eat/Sleep/Play? Extortion? Blackmail?
No, a straight-up good faith offering from them. Jaffe told me to contact him at E3.
Awww, Extortion sounds so much better.
I'll be the first to say I'm not really upset about MGS Rising. just a little "cautious".
it's by Kojima so i fully expect it to be at least good
sigh….
it's not by Kojima. Hes not writing or directing the game. The only association he has with it is producer and his companies name on it. Hes left this game in the hands of an independent team and hes made that clear on a number of occasions. In fact he seems to distance himself from the game anyway he can when asked about it.
Well I was right about that little interview of yours was I? Good deal.
I'm not especially attached to MGS but it is sad to see a name used to sell something that doesn't appear to hold the core gameplay. Which is why I was disappointed with FFXIII too.
Juggling lots of games lately, another Heavy Rain playthrough, Fallout 3 DLC, RDR (which I am nowhere on) and I should finish the last battle on Star Ocean The Last Hope tonight or tomorrow. Ben, it's too bad you gave up on that one; it really is the best in the series despite a few flaws.
Update: FINALLY beat Star Ocean, that bad guy had millions of HP. Great ending. That's how you're supposed to make a JRPG.
since i watched my brother beat the game and figuring out the plot half way through, i have no inclination of buying star ocean 4 right now. i was going to wait for the ps3 version which i knew was coming and was excited for it. then my brother who hates rpgs bought it. i started to loose interest as he kept playing. especially every time i heard that little girl talk.
meh, that's standard anime fare.
Ben,
I know you probably won't, but you can always save a lot of money by going my route & just buy a used Wii system.
I'll bet there's millions of "hardly used" pristine condition Wii's sitting boxed up in someone's closet, just awaiting new adoption papers.
Just make sure to check that it came from a kids-free home.
That's exactly how I'm going to get my Wii later this year.
Thats what I did. A Wii, Two remotes+nunchucks, wii fit board, controller charger station, SSBB, all for $200, and this was almost a year ago. There were other games as well, but they werent good. I know Iron Man and Ultimate Alliance were two of em, there was one more that I can't remember. There is also a charger for the Wii Fit board and a cooling fan, but we haven't used either of those. I bought it from my boss. I think I went into too much detail.
It's a possibility. I have no concerns about Wii reliability, so I might do that.
They are very reliable. Had mine since launch. Only issue i seem to have is it takes longer to load the game the it used to and only sometimes does this occur…..and this is after my dog managed to snag a wire as he ran out from behind my TV yanking it to ground hard enough to crack the casing.
Still works.
Say what you will about Nintendo, but they have always made an unbreakable product.
I was really impressed with the Twisted Metal E3 demonstration. I can't wait until they announce the lauch date; or have they?
personal gaming update: i went and bought Heavy Rain, played for over 5 hours the first night and a few hours the next day. amazing!! then ironically we got a heavy rain and it wiped out power all over the place. i didnt have power for 2 days. that sucked, we lost a lot of frozen stuff and are forced to eat what isnt bad. well whatever. any way back to playing Heavy rain tonight i love the way the game is turning out.
still workin on mag also but my gf is tired of watchin me play that and really only that lately so i picked up heavy rain so she could enjoy it and she thinks its cool.
@ Ben you only want the wii for part 2? not the first one? if i ended up getting a wii i would score both of those and the other super mario bros game they made that looked cool.
Last edited by frylock25 on 6/19/2010 10:55:22 PM
Yeah, I might play them both. It would make no sense to me to own only one game for a system.
Ben i want to say if you do score a wii and the mario games id like to hear your opinion on all of it. i kind of like the black wii and the mario games look cool. but maybe ill wait for it to be cheaper…
if you ended up scoring a wii and a few games, after playing them it might be cool to maybe do a little editorial on it. just an idea. you know it would not seem right to have a review like you do for Playstation stuff but throw up a random sunday editorial… kind of like the car stuff you guys are doing. we all love PS3 but we are all here for gaming.
if its good play it.
Last edited by frylock25 on 6/19/2010 11:53:20 PM
man, i was blown away by the heavy rain story when i played it. after beating it the first time i thought WTF kind a game did i just play. i mean that in a good way of course.
Super coverage on E3, Ben. You must've been exhausted.
Me, I'm psyched about Rising, too. I only got in to the series recently (a couple years back). I played MGS1 and MGS2 before I broke down and played MGS4. I was able to follow the story well enough, but I admit, I kinda felt a little burned out…like how you feel after an overnight cram session for a test back in the school days… They seem to be using the same graphics engine for Rising as they did for MGS4, except this time, there clearly is more of focus on action… The DVD-Nerf effect is gonna guarantee a downgrade in many things, though, like cut-scenes, and sound, and textures…but as long as the action is there, I'm good. I'm a total NG fan.
I'm enjoying ModNation Racers these days (beautiful game), and I'm playing through Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 on Master Ninja difficulty, and I've remembered how much of an adrenaline rush that game packs…Awesome. I'm also playing LBP in chunks, and just finished my fourth playthrough of U2 on Crushing (that game never gets old). I'm thinking about playing Dead Space again, and I'm pondering over downloading Pixel Junk Shooter, Soldner-X series, and Joe Danger.
Oh, I also sold my 360. I figured my hands were full with my ps3 library (understatement), and I might as well get the most buck I can from trading my 360 2005 model now. Alan Wake, Mass Effect 3, and Gears 3 just didn't get me excited enough to keep it. Maybe, I'll pick up a used one later (preferably the new one).
I've considered selling the 360 in the past because it gathers more dust now than it used to. But it stays just for a few exclusives I really don't want to miss (Alan Wake, Gears, etc.)
When I first played Gears 1, I was pleased. MS actually doubled the RAM of the 360's graphics card as per Cliffy B's request, and the game shows that. And Marcus Fenix was a cool character, in a selfless, man-of-few-words, heroic kind-of-way, and the new texture-rich world with the lens-magnification during the roadie-run was all very cool, and I was psyched about the sequel.
When I played the sequel, my hopes were up. The graphics were hardly an upgrade, but still impressive (like when you got to shoot up the brumac in the face, and see all the polygons fall like gravel). The game lacked the wow effect of a new game, because the world was the same, the whack-a-mole action quickly became repetitive, lacking variety, and the story felt tacked-on and it dragged on. It showed glimmers of inspiration at times (like the exchange between Marcus and Carlos that took place as they debated searching for Carlos's wife), but it just dragged on and got really dreary to the point where I ceased to care.
Mass Effect 2 was also cool, but I found myself pushing through everything to just to see the story play out, in the same way. And though I played through it twice, it wasn't exactly a memorable experience. It was plenty of fun while it lasted, doing upgrades, getting new skills and characters, and doing side-missions, but after wards, it just didn't leave enough of an impression.
The thing is, they both used the Unreal Engine, and the gameplay of both games reflected that, and it all felt the same. Characters are not very maneuverable, and so the actual gameplay just doesn't invoke as much fun as games like Uncharted 1 and 2, or inFamous do.
A.Wake seemed like a cool game, but I was expecting a survival-horror experience, and from the reviews, it seems less of a Dead Space and more like an action-adventure, almost like an Uncharted-in-the-dark, just not as polished. So, it's safe to say after playing Uncharted 2, A.Wake can't even hold up a candle. And so, I can pass.
And honestly, after Ninja Gaiden 2 got released on the ps3, I just didn't have enough reasons to keep it.
This may change though, depending on how good Gears 3 and Mass Effect 3 are. I may just get another 360. However, the problem with reviews for the 360 games, is they usually hype up the games unrealistically, like they're getting paid to do so. And user reviews (other than psxextreme's of course) are garbage, because they're either 10's or zeros. So I don't know. I'm more than happy with my current collection. But if MS manages to snag a couple of GOTY-worthy titles in the future, I may just have to try them out.
By the way Ben, I'm totally agree with you having all consoles. As a reviewer and journalist, having experience with all systems gives you a better idea of the general, industrial standards of quality, adding even more weight to your reviews, which works out for us, especially to those who happen to have multiple consoles.
Just to be geeky and specific. MS didn't double the video memory available to the graphics card in the 360. There is no video memory on the graphics card as such, because there is no graphics card. Both the CPU and GPU are integrated on the motherboard, the GPU isn't on an expansion card like in a PC.
The 360 uses a unified memory architecture with 512MB of RAM that is dynamically allocated depending on the video render mode that the developer uses. I'm not sure what it was that CliffyB asked MS to do, but they didn't do it, the architecture already allows a game developer to allocate as much as they want from the 512MB (minus the amount used by the resident portion of the OS).
The other RAM in the 360 is the embedded RAM in the GPU package. The so-called embedded RAM isn't embedded on the actual GPU die, it's on a daughter-board (or was, with the die shrinks they've done, it should be possible to put it on chip now). At the time it was implemented there was no way to include the embedded memory on the same physical chip as the GPU, it would have been nigh on impossible to manufacture. So the GPU is supplied as an integrated package with the embedded RAM embedded in the package that is then integrated as the GPU on the 360 motherboard.
But the thing is that RAM was sized to handle the full anti-aliasing of a full-resolution 576p image, not an HD resolution. Whether it's a coincidence or not I don't know, but the limitation of the 'free' anti-aliasing and other tricks that the embedded RAM allows is 576p resolution (or there abouts), and not an HD resolution like 720p. A very curious decision really.
Anyway, whatever it is that CliffyB was supposed to have asked for, more embedded RAM on the GPU would have been a great idea.
My bad on the terminology. Just before release, 360 had only 256MB for Shared Allocated RAM to be used by it's ATI Graphics Chip. Cliffy B asked for 512MB instead, and demoed what Gears would look like before and after the upgrade to MS big suits. So the head of MS Gaming division conceded, but said that his request would cost MS 1 billion dollars more. Cliffy B's response was that request will sell 1 billion more xboxes.