Ben-DutkaHurricane Earl = dud. Well, around here, anyway. It was still fun to watch the winds whip the skirts around at the US Open, though. 😉
Capcom, Square-Enix probably shouldn't be your role model
I don't get it. I just don't get it. No matter how many times I think about it, no matter how many ways I analyze it, I just can't comprehend the desire to "Westernize" major Japanese franchises like Devil May Cry . At first, I thought I might be in the minority but upon reading about a hundred comments to that article, I'm pretty sure I'm not…and I've seen the response of other gamers in forums around the Internet, and I'd estimate that at least 90% of those who heard that "we have to give DMC a Western touch" statement hated it. DMC4 didn't sell well enough? Really? I don't think that's true – I'd have to check the sales numbers, but I believe they were pretty damn good – and even if it were true, what good will it do to forsake the loyal followers in an attempt to create an entirely different fanbase from scratch? What the hell does that even mean?! They must think they'll be able to keep all their fans while adding more, right? But…uh…if you take the Japanese flair away from DMC, those fans are gonna go bye bye.
Then, they went and laugh ed at the idea of an Onimusha return , which caused even more irate responses from fans and gamers. Capcom isn't making any friends in the gaming community right about now. Maybe they should actually read the responses here and other places; it isn't hard to find examples of the backlash. I mean, good God, just pay attention.
You're not convincing me, Crytek
I don't care what anyone says; PC devs have the biggest egos on earth. I know some of it can be attributed to the sour grape syndrome, as they've watched consoles advance in just about every possible facet of entertainment while their precious PC platform has taken a back seat. So maybe this is why Crytek claims that both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have been maxed out . They may have a point; we're five years into this generation, after all, and it's tough to believe we'll see something better than Uncharted 2: Among Thieves . But you know, if Naughty Dog had said this, or Kojima, I would be more inclined to listen. But I've seen gameplay of Crysis 2 , and Crytek's claims of it being the "best looking console game" in existence aren't ringing true just yet. Has anyone noticed that PC developers don't seem to believe in color and vibrancy? That we get a lot of metallic silvers, grays, and darker colors? The lushness of an Uncharted just doesn't seem to exist in the PC realm.
But that's beside the point. The point is, I'm not about to put a lot of stock into Crytek's words when they don't appear to have maxed out anything. I'm sure it'll be good but right now, Crytek is talking a lot of trash, and Killzone 3 footage continues to vastly outstrip anything I've seen of Crysis 2 . Maybe they think they've maxed out the PS3 and 360 because they haven't dedicated all their time to the PS3…just a thought.
Personal gaming update
Not much going on for me as I lie in wait for October, but I am playing Cladun: This is an RPG! on the PSP. You'll see a review for that this week – it comes out on September 21, by the way – and you can also expect to see more PSP reviews in the future. At the very least, I want to cover the big titles; I feel so bad that we missed Peace Walker . You should also see reviews for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 this week, along with answers from Tecmo and Insomniac for our Quantum Theory and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One questions. Oh, and I want to get to Castle Crashers on the PSN, too.
Beyond that, I'm still reading "War and Peace" (currently at the end of Volume 2), which is phenomenal. I'm also watching the US Open pretty religiously. The wind caused all sorts of hilarious problems today; Jelena Jankovic almost missed a serve entirely and sent the ball into the fourth row, and Sharapova's match was delayed like a half-dozen times for stuff like towels flying across the court. It's too bad that Roddick is out but Fish is playing great , and it's nice to see my girl Ivanovic playing well again. My predictions- Wozniacki wins the women side; Murray wins the men side.
I got hit by Earl today. Lost power for 3.5 hours, but no major damage.
That's called a symptom of a thunderstorm around here.
You get a hurricane and NZ gets an earthquake… What's going on here?
Well, according to Wikipedia (I know it's not a great source, but it's easy) DMC4 had sold 2.3 million copies by the end of March 2008. That's pretty damned good sales when you consider that this generation had barely started at that point. Honestly though, I don't really want to know what the devs are thinking anymore. it makes my head hurt too much. You'd think that they'd be able to just jump on the internet once in a while and try to gauge fan reaction to the titles that have been released, rather than just looking at the sales figures. Bleh.
As far as Crytek go, they've proven they can talk the talk, but I honestly can't see their title standing up to being the best looking game on consoles. So far as maxing them out, yeah sure, but that doesn't make it a great game off the bat. I don't know. They all seem a bit arrogant.
Personal Update:
Finished part 1 of Anna Karenina, really enjoying it. I'll be picking up a couple more books when I head down cityway next weekend, but I don't know what yet. Probably not War and Peace though.
Finished Final Fantasy XIII on Monday afternoon. Posted a review if you want to see my thoughts. Now I'm playing through GTAIV, and after that the Episodes. Also playing a bit of GTPSP on the side.
Yesterday I bought Blade Runner on Blu-ray and the album 'I Believe You Liar' by Washington. I like them both.
Outside of that, still writing, getting back into exercise slowly, wanting to kill people at work, no longer interested in the NRL season this year as my two favourite teams ended up as the bottom two teams, and I'm not sure if the Titans got into the finals, I'll have to check later. Hmm… yeah.
Looking forward to next weekend. That's all I can say. Also I won't be posting on Wednesday or Thursday, not that y'all care too much.
Peace.
P.S. Ben, really looking forward to those interviews and more PSP reviews. Keep Chillin'
Unrelated, but awesome: Sucker Punch at PAX, Cole now has telekinesis. Sweet, and I really hope that they have alternate skins. Apparently they showed off a Dreadlock Cole.
Peace.
Its a shame really, I was going to move to Christchurch, but now I am not so sure after doing quite a bit of research on where the fault actually lies.
I think no area of New Zealand is untouchable, except maybe Auckland and north from there.
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
Eeeek! I have customers in Churchchrist. Hope they are ok.
@ Qubex
You are right most places in NZ will get earthquakes at different times, even Auckland gets them. But remember Auckland is also built on a whole heap of volcano's, most of them are extinct though.
Good to see the amount of fellow Kiwi's here on PSX 😀
I like DMC and Onimusha the way they are, so I wish Capcom would just relax.
I have faith in Crysis 2; though, I'm still taking the wait and see approach. It's not as exciting to me as either Reach or KZ3.
As to whether or not the PS3 and 360 are at their limits: I think it's a matter of perspective. There's so much these systems can do it's difficult for me to accept that we need to race into new hardware. Games today can still wow me, and I think there's plenty of life in the current gen to carry on several more years of great hits without causing the gamer to lay down a few hundred bucks for a hardware upgrade. Am I the only one who feels that this hardware gen is still just starting?
I've been playing Assassins Creed 2 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, peppered with some intermittent FFIX sessions–my PSP-fix that gets time in-between the cracks. I really have to commend AC2 for it's excellence. The critic in me is ready to claim that it's the best game I've played this year. I never really played the first game, so this whole franchise has been introduced to me largely through AC2.
I look forward to future installments, but I'm leery of Ubi-Soft's pedigree of milking the life out of franchise until it feels like common stock.
Yes, indeed, Master Temujin. Capcom went from being one of my favorite developers of the last generation to almost just "meh" this generation…. And it has everything do with paranoia fueled by Japanese execs fearing the death of their market , and the ailing global economy…They should snap out of it anytime now (though i don't think that would happen as it think it is more of a reflection of execs trying to validate their jobs than of what actual game makers and customers think).
While it is true, certain relatively-recent phenomena such as MW and Halo in the western market have been met by unprecedented sales and represent a newly burgeoning market, which is making a whole lot of people salivate enviously over, that doesn't mean the previous markets and genres are now dwindling and defunct. But if they continue to fuel and follow that paranoia, they may actually enact a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Regarding my gaming update, i was pleasantly surprised by Demon's Souls. Now i'm playing Dante's Inferno on account of World's praise for the game. I must admit, even though so far it does seem like a shameless reskinning of GOW as i expected, i must say it is an uncannily well-done imitation, as far as the gameplay and engine and presentation is concerned. And that, i did not expect.
Ah, no need to call me Master Temjin, yet. Unlike you, I haven't been able to complete NGS2 on Master Ninja difficulty. I'll be happy to accept the title once I complete it on that difficulty as well.
I suppose I could be called Titan-Temjin, having beat GoW3 on that mode and all of it's Olympus Challenges… but doing that isn't anywhere near as cool as being a Master Ninja. So I'm good with just Temjin until I become Master =D
I also felt that from the demo that Dante's Inferno was a "me-too" title in the genre. I dunno.
Oh, it definitely is a me-too game. A very well done imitation, which is why i only bought it used with the full-intention to return after i'm done with it. I buy plenty of games from the local gamestop where i got it from, so the employees are fine with the occasional free "rental".
BTW, platinuming GOW3 (beating the game on titan, a long with the challenges, and other trophies) is definitely on par with MNM mode on NGS2.
Awesome, well that's comforting about NGS2. I thought GoW's Titan mode had about 3 tough spots.
1) The Obsidian Scorpion
2) Inside of Pandora's Box: A tough drawn out battle fighting a multitude of enemies
3) The 3 headed fire dog late in the game
And I should mention the very first boss fight was tough because of being so weak.
Those were exactly the sections of gameplay that i was thinking of, too.
it almost sounds like you were disapointed by your opening line Ben.
noone seems to have brought this up but on tuesday there will be a demo for the new God of War psp game for plus members.
as far as pc gaming goes i have been looking for things to play on my pc and i am not impressed. i still find ps3 to be the better choice in most games that are on both. what isnt on my ps3 i just dont think i like.
personal gaming update:
i finally have had some time to play some games this week. when I go to wait for the bus after school to pick up my kid i bring my psp and read some comics or play a game.
i picked up cuboid and that is a lot of fun. some of the puzzles are pretty hard. i also picked up hamster ball for my daughter that is turning 6 later this month. she had a blast playing that and thought the hamster was cute.
i also upgraded my internet this past week from dsl to cable. i was getting about 2.5mbps and now im up to anywhere from 18mbps to 21mbps. i only pay for 12mbps. i can tell the difference in everything i do. i love it.
im planning on getting into the dlc for bioshock 2 soon. a friend gave me a trial key for starcraft 2. i played a few hours so far and as much as it is fun, i wont be buying it. i will enjoy the trial and move on. if i really want to play it ill go over to my buddies. i have been playing a little more spore. still wish this game would have made it to the ps3, would be a great ps3 game.
i looked at ffxiii on amazon its about $30, i decided to keep my $$. i dont know thinkin about gamefly again so i can just play some games that i wont have to buy.
Last edited by frylock25 on 9/4/2010 10:18:31 PM
Blockbuster's online site has been doing a 2 week free trial of their online game service. During those two weeks I was able to finish up on FFXIII.
It bothers me that GoW is PSN-Plus members only.
While I'm not a Kane and Lynch guy, during the time the US demo was available only for PSN PLUS members, I could've downloaded the demo from the Euro PSN without any memberships.
This reminds me of instance a few years ago.
A 360-fan-buddy of mine was saying how much he liked subscribing to OXM because he gets demo discs, like the "exclusive Turok demo." But before his mag had even arrived through the mail I already had access to the same demo from PSN… So basically, the existence of his magazine prevented him from getting the demo sooner. I wonder if the existence of PSN Plus is doing the same thing. In the case of K&L, it has.
thanks for the idea i almost forgot that blockbuster existed lol.
it doesnt seem that they are holding up the full end of the plus deal. im a little unimpressed so far but i have had a lot of fun with the games i have gotten so far. dont get me wrong unimpressed is not the same as unhappy. i have many more months of content on the way and still time to be impressed.
Last edited by frylock25 on 9/4/2010 10:52:49 PM
I opened up my email last night & was surprised to see a "Congrats" from the PSN. Somehow I was picked for the GOW Ghost of Sparta demo code.
Very cool, especially seeing how I'm not even a Plus member yet.
Thanks PSN & Sony!
BTW, I love the GOW GoS demo, it's absolutely gonna be giving some angry love to the PSP.
Congrats Saint, I'm a plus member and I've really enjoyed being one thus far with all the savings (something we know you love) I've had.
Well no offence to anyone, but Crysis 1 on ultra settings on my PC, pretty much is better than any graphics on my ps3. I'm not saying they don't have amazing graphics, I'm just saying the foliage textures, the environment, everything is just better looking.
Now Crysis 2 on console, I'm sure won't even look as good as Crysis 1 on PC I'm guessing, since they really don't know all too much what they're doing with the PS3 (but then again maybe they do, for all we know they've only shown beta gameplay and decided to hide anything better yet) But that's just my opinion, like I said, PC + Ultra settings now, so it all comes down to what kind of PC you have, I'm sure Crysis Medium setting's isn't the most fantastic thing in the world, I dunno, never tried it, haha.
As far as DMC goes, I think I'm done with the series, 3 (special edition) was my favorite by far, then 4 just kind of…ruined it for me, and if they're going even MORE western than the game already seems a bit, then it's just lost now, ah well, gaming update, bout to try out that GoW:GoS demo, woo
Wolf I agree with you about the first Crysis still having the best graphics out there(if your computer can do it). But I must say as the years go by the gap grows smaller and only if you're looking for differences you can't spot them easily between Uncharted2 and Crysis.
Also watch out for the "anti PC" group that plagues this website sometimes. Giving any credit to a PC game over a console game opens you up to a battle.
Once you get to high levels of graphical presentations, things get more and more subjective. I've seen Crysis on high settings and I still wasn't as impressed as I was with Uncharted 2. I have my reasons for that but like I said, it gets very subjective when the visuals are so close.
Besides, the point I was making was Crytek's statement about the PS3 and 360 hitting their "technical peaks." I'm not questioning what they can do on PC; I'm questioning if Crysis 2 on consoles will allow me to lend more weight to their comment.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 9/5/2010 1:01:53 AM
True, and I mean, the graphic style of Uncharted 2 wasn't the same as Crysis, and I can indeed say, they both look amazing in their own right, it's only when someone sits and wants to compare the two do you find differences, lol and trust me =P I know about the whole 'anti-pc' thing.
Wolf,
Keep trying to get into the open beta for FFXIV, it's really fun and some of the bugs are funny.
Speaking of graphics I think one of my favorite gaming moments was when I 1st put in the original Far Cry (aka Crysis .5) back in 2004 and was blown away by how real the game looked and how loud my computer was running. I had the same moment when I was playing SOTC on PS2, standing on a high point watching a bird's movements down below in a valley.
I'll take supreme artistic direction and vision on display over superior graphics any day. My memory of the water effects from Far Cry while incredible pails in comparison to multiple moments of brilliance found in SOTC's world.
Really, Uncharted 2 has no business looking competitive with Crysis, but it does. The sad thing is, Crysis can only be made to look awesome using processing power that in many ways is over 5x that of the PS3. If Naughty Dog were creating games with that sort of horsepower that it'd take to run Crysis well, they'd make a game that far surpasses it visually.
Crytek can make a good looking game when they have little concern about performance ceilings (couldn't any decent dev?) so I'm concerned if Crytek really has what it takes to work in an environment where efficiency within limits is concerned.
To their credit, the graphics in Crysis 2 do technically appear to be nice, competitive with a lot of what's out there, but what I've seen doesn't surpass what I've seen from KZ3.
Tem you're being a little unfair. Crytek didn't have the luxury of developing for one piece of hardware with unchanged parameters to adjust to. While there may be PCs with more powerful processing than a PS3 there are also PCs with less processing power and Crytek had to design a game around this constraint. Yes people complain that it takes 2k worth of PC hardware to run Crysis effectively but in all honesty this is untrue and it does run on mid level PCs.
I think there are pros and cons to the differences with designing a game for a PC and a console exclusive. Crytek had the luxury of having a higher ceiling for number crunching but Naughty Dog had one piece of hardware it had to design for and plenty of help from Sony.
@LV, Crysis – at launch – required high end hardware to run at anything better than the lower resolutions and detail levels. You know that, you know it's true. Perhaps today it's not, but at launch it sure was.
I knew you would show up :). At its launch you're right it took a lot of PC muscle to run it above low settings. Only a few months later I was was running above mid settings with:
4gigs of ram
8600gt videocard
3ghz dual core processor
I don't consider that setup to be "high end" and certainly not very expensive.
Not now….no.
😉
You have to admit that the guys at Crytek, like some other PC developers, adhere to the mentality that hardware will catch up with them. Their games invariably require more hardware than is common at launch, but about one product cycle later (6 months in the world of video cards) it starts to go mainstream. That's not the way it works on consoles though, and Crytek need to get used to that.
I agree with you but for the most part I don't mind it. I enjoy building and modifying new computers and having new games that feature newer/better graphics. It gives you something to look forward to.
My favorite PC developer happens to be the opposite of this type of design. Can you guess who!?……
Yup, Valve. It's nice that I'm able to online game with my friends lacking in PC hardware thx to Valves continued support of a broad range of PC specs.
In the end I'm just arguing for the sake of arguing (go figure) and while Crysis looks amazing the cost of a PC to get its max settings is certainly more expensive than the $300 it takes for Uncharted2 which looks damn near close to Crysis.
Last edited by LimitedVertigo on 9/5/2010 2:32:16 AM
Lol, LV, I'm certainly trying to get into the beta, I got my code in and such, but my problem now is the download client 🙁 I made a post about it in the FFXIV beta thread in the forums if you wanna check it out, I just can't seem to get it to download, SIGH.
But yeah, my computer really isn't that great either, well at least compared to NOW anywayz, running a 2.5ghz Quad, 9800GT Geforce and 8gb ram, so it's a bit better, but not amazing haha. Oh…and Vista likes to suck up most my memory =(
Wolf,
I'm posting this from work so consider yourself on my good list 🙂
I suggest you torrent the client file. I made sure to download the client well before the release of the open beta just in case your scenario were to happen. Go to isohunt and search for FFXIV beta client, I know it's on there. A friend of mine downloaded it in under 3hours.
If that doesn't work I will look around for another solution. SE has been VERY idiotic thus far in how they've released the open beta.
Good luck!
LimitedVertigo, I understand that the development environment for PC is different than that of an exclusive console dev, and it's a good point to mention it.
Though, going back to developer experience. A dev like Naughty Dog has many years of experience in designing games around the specifics of an architecture. In order for a dev to make a stand-out title for a console they have to work extra hard at making the most out of the same hardware that all of their competitors have.
To connect this to recent statements made by Crytek concerning the necessity of new hardware for advancement. To me, that perspective runs parallel with their reputation of being processing mongers. I can play a game like GoW3 where Santa Monica studios claims they have yet to harness all of the processing options of the PS3 and, yet, I'm blown away by it's graphics. Really, Uncharted 2 and GoW3 look like they belong to a more powerful set of resources as they stand a cut above the rest in nearly every department concerning visuals on consoles.
I'm also suspicious of Crytek's marketing of their CryEngine 3: lets race onto new hardware where they can more aggressively market their engine for prospective devs who would undoubtedly be scoping out API's to power their next-gen games.
Yeah, I can't imagine holding my breathe for a chance to play a game 3-4 years AFTER it is released.
Temjin,
Good points, I agree the games you listed have amazing graphics and the best among console cames.
Shams,
Then don't be a PC gamer since clearly your funds or knowledge don't allow you to play PC games on day1 like me and rest of the PC crowd.
Nah, I'm a software engineer and gainfully employed…so funds and knowledge is not the problem. It's just that I have other things to look forward to in life, and more important things to invest my money in. So the ps3 suits my gaming needs just fine.
Well, if you're talking about download JUST the client that then P2P downloads the full thing, I have that already, I dl'ed it before the beta started also, but the problem is, I can't seem to download the full Beta now through the download client, it's ticking me off, so I'm looking to see if the full unpacked beta is out and about somewhere, so far, haven't had any luck, ugh.
Wolf,
I've been trying to find it as well for you and been unable to. What happens when you launch the client download software? The overall game clocks in over 8.5 gigs.
Lol, kind of late now, but actually it's all good now, someone on the forums helped me out 🙂 they linked me to a site that had pretty much any possible piece I needed to get into it, haha, downloaded each patch individually and such, and when I finally finished it, the servers are down 🙁 LOL
But anywayz, either here or on the forums, tell me what server/character name and stuff you have so we can party up and such whenever we have the time =D
Dang, Shams, we like a lot of the same games and have the same career choice. I'm not employed in the field yet, but in a couple more years I hope to be as I'm still working through my schooling. I hope to land an internship eventually.
Temujin, I had that suspicion when I saw you use the words "key performance indicators" in a previous (very well-written) comment of yours.
just wanted to throw this out there but EA STORE online has a 40% sale on games right now. it ends 9/5 so anyone got money in the bank today can grab it if you dont mind digital downloads. im getting both the expansions for spore for the price of the bigger one. just a heads up.
Last edited by frylock25 on 9/4/2010 11:20:13 PM
if capcom wants DMC5 to sell well any where it needs to be more like 3. 3 was the best DMC by far also onimusha should get a new game it was a great series and lots of people seem to want it,and personally i think we need a new ookami game on ps3
But what i really dont get is why would they want to make their games more american? they're japanese they should worry about making games their people will like and not concentrate on something they know little about.
its like how when i made snickerdoodles i brought lots and lots to school 'cause i knew everyone liked them but when i made something new i only took a few as a test then more next time if they were liked.
and isn't DMC already kinda westernized i mean a lot of characters are originally mo-caped and voiced by power ranger stunt men or actors
the ones who aren't power rangers are still not japanese and there was never a japanese voice track for any DMC game
12 days to TGS 2010!!
I posted earlier that it was the Sept 10th-14th but its actually the 16th-20th.
I'm really hoping The Last Guardian is shown and discussed since it was a no shoe at E3.
I'm only waiting for that FF7 news, yes I mean WAITING and nope HOPING. I'm also hoping for some more Move news. I'm still on the fence with that, if we get some sord of Red Steel type game I'd be sold though.
I use to be like you, drooling for some FF7 sequel/remake news but that was years ago and I've come to the conclusion it may not be something I really want.
Look at the new Star Wars films, or the latest Indiana Jones. Just like movies sometimes a game comes out that works on its own and for that moment everything comes together to make something incredible. As years go by the hype increases and people lose focus of what made the original so great and just assume it will all transfer to the newest form.
Last edited by LimitedVertigo on 9/5/2010 2:10:47 AM
Yes, but those we're completely new entries in the same series, what i'm expecting is a recreation. just like the ones already remade for the DS.
The DS remakes you speak of are nothing compared to a FF7 remake. Remaking a pixelated NES/SNES game with smoother surfaces and new CGI cutscenes is far different than what we can expect from a FF7 remake.
FF7 is far more complex than those games and thus any remake will have the burden of tackling the issue of remaining true to the fan base while attempting to offer something fresh and relevant so as to justify the remake. I don't see this happening, certainly not with the hype we've created for such a project.
Continuing the movie comparison, look at remakes. A majority of them pale in comparison to the original movies their based off of. There is a reason for this and I'm sure it will apply to FF7.