• 11Jul 07

  Rock across America...

  So its been a while since I made a blog post, figured now would be a good time to do so. The subject I want to discuss today is the rise of American-made rhythm games.

  Generally, rhythm games have been reserved for the Japanese market with titles such as Beatmania, Taiko no Tatsujin and the ever-popular Dance Dance Revolution. However, starting in 2005 with the release of Guitar Hero, Americans finally got a chance to try a home-grown rhythm game. Despite the fact it takes a lot of cues from the Japanese series Guitar Freak, GH did feel distinctly different from the rhythm game-norm.

  Flash-forward to 2007. Guitar Hero is a success with a sequel spanning not just the Playstation 2 but the Xbox 360 as well. The concept of American-made rhythm games is starting to take off as a whole and Activision is set to release its Guitar Hero II expansion pack, GH Encore: Rocks the 80s. Later this year, Neversoft's first crack at Guitar Hero comes with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock while former GH developer Harmonix helps EA craft their ambitious Rock Band game. I personally think this is a good expansion of American gaming. These rhythm games are both fun and exciting, easily wrapping up the player in the moment of pseudo-rock.

  Rock Band promises to be especially exciting with its new drumkit and microphone add-ons (as well as some modifications to the guitar gameplay lifted from the Guitar Hero series). Personally, I find the drumkit to be the best part of the package as Guitar Hero already had the guitar-playing covered. Likewise, Activision is promising some nice touches to Guitar Hero III that should make the competitive side a little more interesting with its new Battle Mode. I'm glad that VS play actually has a sense of competition involved this time around with ways to influence your opponent's progress. A couple years ago, no one really expected American developers to be making rhythm games that everyone would be hyped about but...only time did tell. Now I can't wait to see what is being planned for the future in this genre now that the US is producing rhythm games that rival the Japanese titles.

  • Posted Jul 11, 2007 7:02 am GMT
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 14Apr 07

  So...it cometh...

   

  

   

  After months of uncertainty and upon completion of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All (I've had my copy since October 2006 because I imported it), my brain can finally be at ease. Capcom has made it offical that Gyakuten Saiban 3 will be ported to the DS, complete with an English translation.

  For those that don't know me, I'm a BIG Phoenix Wright fan. There's just something about the incredibly twisty stories that keep me begging for more. Just this week, Gyakuten Saiban 4's release in Japan caught my attention and in the same week, the 3rd game is announced for the DS. This has definitely been a good week for me as a gamer.

  My friend bought me the first game as a gift and I'm glad he did. Without his input, I would have never considered the series in the first place. Really, it is a game about courtroom battles; not exactly an inspiring subject on paper. But once I got into it, I couldn't stop. I was playing the game until 3 AM, just to see the next plot twist (particularly with the first game's bonus case; truly that was a work of art).

  When I heard the second game was announced, I was looking forward to it with much enthusiasm. However, once I had it in hand and had completed it; my speculation if the 3rd game would ever be announced was hanging in the air. Capcom had never spoke about it, instead saying the sales numbers of Gyakuten Saiban 2 would decide if the 3rd game would see a DS release. By this point, the fourth game was well into its devleopment cycle and Capcom was talking more about it than the 3rd game's potential for a port. So I patiently waited, avoiding spoilers and wondering if it would ever come out. And then Capcom announced their Ace Attorney 3 contest and my hopes were renewed and one month later...well, you can see where we are now.

  So, come this September, I'll be a happy gamer. I can only hope that Capcom takes more care in their localization this time (the last game had some glaring grammatical errors) and I look forward to their announcement that the fourth game will eventually make its way to our shores.

  • Posted Apr 14, 2007 5:27 am GMT
  • Category: Games
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 28Mar 07

  Oh man, you're kidding...

  http://www.gamespot.com/wii/sports/mariosonicattheolympicgames/index.html

  What is this?! The two ICONS of 90s gaming and the figureheads of the legions of fans split between the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis camps. The two characters who PERSONIFIED the 16-bit era and were the topics of discussion in the playground battles of console superiority of ye olde, now in the SAME game?! Ludicrous...but true.

  Thanks to a license from the Beijing Olympics of 2008, Sonic and Mario have unified under the same banner in the spirit of the Games. A couple of track & field events, all in the name of friendly competition. Seems like its going to be a fun time.

  But let us reflect on what brought us to this point. The rivalry, the fandom...everything. The day that no Sonic nor Mario fan thought would ever happen has just happened. Sega and Nintendo have collaborated to put their two mascots into the same game.

  Now, admittedly, Sega is no longer in the console business so maybe this moment doesn't have quite the impact it would have had if this had occured a couple years back but even so, the lineage both franchises possess definitely make this no small matter. Mario, the powerhouse franchise that propelled Nintendo through the 8-bit era combined with one-time arch-rival Sonic the Hedgehog, upstart mascot created by Sega for the sole purpose of giving Nintendo an answer to their pudgy plumber are now seen in the same title.

  Does this mean that we'll be seeing more crossovers in the future? Maybe, no one can say really...but now the door is open...

  • Posted Mar 28, 2007 6:32 pm GMT
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg

See Previous Blog Posts »