61 Frames Per Second

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• Cursed Mountain: Namu Amida Butsu Get

  Sometimes, though not often, I’m exhausted by the preponderance of violence in videogames. Fret not, I’m not about to go on some tirade about the ten billion plus war simulators available on every game playing device known to man corrupting the world’s youth, turning them into desensitized monstrosities. Hell, if you’ve ever glanced at this blog before, you’ve probably noticed that I’m something of a glutton for the ol’ ultra violence. But still, sometimes I long to turn on a game and not have to destroy, break, mangle, or kill things. Variety tends to cure these murder-doldrums, though. For example, when I look at Bayonetta, I think, “Why, sure, that precocious young woman has guns. Many guns. But killing things with hair sounds quite refreshing!” Or take the original Klonoa! Nothing says change-of-pace like using a disembodied moon prince as a projectile to inflate doofy but malicious critters until they explode. This is why I’m getting excited about Cursed Mountain. Survival horror’s not new to Wii. In fact, Wii’s Fatal Frame 4 is another great example of alternative fighting, what with its camera based ghost-defeating. But in Cursed Mountain you humiliate ghosts with an ignoble second death through the power of Buddhist prayer. Buddhist. Prayer. That is awesome. Read More... Posted Nov 11 2008, 01:00 PM by John Constantine with | with no comments Filed under: john constantine, wii, bayonetta, klonoa, sailor moon, Horror, fatal frame 4, pocky & rocky, cursed mountain, sailor mars

• Klonoa: Careful, Namco. You Tread On My Dreams.

  I’m not a purist. No, really. When it comes to classics being revisited, modernized, or remade, I don’t need every facet of the past perfectly preserved just the way I remember it in order to get a desperate nostalgic thrill. I delight in Mega Man 9 because it’s a great game whose presentation and technological limitations are carefully made design choices, not because it’s a new NES game. I’ll let you in on a secret: I actually like Mega Man 7 and 8. Yeah, that’s right. I think they’re good games. Not as good as their forebears, but all the same. When the new Bionic Commando was announced last year, even before Rearmed was revealed, I didn’t balk at Radd Spencer’s Adam-Duritz-makeover. I think the new look is cool, especially the way his dreads flow behind him like delicate willow branches as he soars through dystopian cityscapes and… oh! Excuse me. What I’m getting at is that not everything from yesterday is sacred. Some things, especially in games, should be changed. Final Fantasy III DS is a good thing. The NES original is just too slow now. Tomb Raider Anniversary preserves a revolutionary game’s best qualities while also making it, you know, playable. In with the new, out with the old may not be an all-encompassing maxim, but it’s more often than not good advice. That said, Namco, if you go through with this, I will hurt you. The Raw Meat Cowboy himself over at GoNintendo received a survey from Namco-Bandai today, the subject of which was their impending Wii remake of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. RMC has smartly inferred that Namco is testing the waters to see if Klonoa should be localized for North America. One of the questions in the survey asks which of these two character designs is preferable. Read More... Posted Oct 30 2008, 03:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, nintendo, wii, capcom, final fantasy, bionic commando, nes, mega man, tomb raider, klonoa, mega man 9, namco bandai, mega man 7, mega man 8, namco, bionic commando rearmed, final fantasy III, poochie

• The Tale of the Identical Box Art

  The blogosphere is rumbling with news of an industry lawsuit that isn't very interesting, and it's all about box art.  Seems like Activision had a little bit of "inspiration" for the cover of their latest Baja game--an inspiration that came from THQ's own library.  GameDaily reports: THQ's box art has been out in the open since this June. The company contends that Activision's box art uses "virtually identical" artwork. Activision's game, developed by Left Field Games, is shipping to retail this week, but THQ had asked the court to enjoin the release of the title. THQ apparently got in touch with Activision earlier this month to request that they create a different box art for SCORE International Baja 1000, but Activision refused to comply. And here's the evidence: Aside from the hilariously blatant plagiarism, there's really not much to this story--or is there!?  My ulterior motive for reposting this news is that it finally gives me a chance to talk about an observation I made during my dark, dreary days at GameStop.  You see, Baha games alone do not inspire thievery; there exists another pair of games with shockingly similar box art.  And the truth is so stunning I'm going to go ahead and hide it behind a cut. Read More... Posted Oct 29 2008, 05:30 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: xbox 360, ps2, klonoa, bob mackey, box art, lawsuit, baja

• Pikmin Remake: Too Soon?

  The Pikmin series is one of Nintendo's most recent franchises, and seemingly, its most overlooked--but Nintendo itself is seeking to remedy this with a new, improved Wii-make (I shudder at the terminology) of their cartoony take on the RTS. As a big fan of Pikmin, it's nice to see some attention given to a series that's really deserved more; and even hardcore Nintendo fans can admit that the GameCube was by no means a popular enough system to make Pikmin the hit it should have been. But if this new Pikmin is more of a remake than the Wii's Resident Evil 4, wouldn't Nintendo's time be better spent on making a new game? Note: I realize they don't normally solicit advice from gaming blogs. Of course, we don't know if the "new" Pikmin Miyamoto casually mentioned at E3 is this remake--so things are still up in the air at this point. But if the only new Pikmin we see this gen is a slightly revamped version of a seven year-old game, you'll be able to taste the disappointment in the air. Read More... Posted Oct 03 2008, 11:00 AM by Bob Mackey with | with 9 comment(s) Filed under: remake, nintendo, wii, pikmin, klonoa, bob mackey

• Lowering the Standard: Why Nintendo’s Hardcore vs. Casual Commitments Aren’t the Problem

  I tend to sound overly pessimistic when talking about the Wii. I happen to love the system. I think the funky little box has quite a lot going for it and it’s given me a handful of unforgettable gaming experiences, with Wii Sports and No More Heroes chief among them. No, I’m not overly pessimistic about the Wii. I’m overly pessimistic about Nintendo. As much as I want to be excited about a new Punch-Out!, I can’t help but look at the facts: Nintendo has released more traditional, hardcore games in the Wii’s first two years than they did in the Gamecube’s first four and all of them, with the exceptions of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, have been below the gold standard of Nintendo’s internally developed software from generations past. Read More... Posted Oct 02 2008, 07:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 9 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, metroid, nintendo, wii, madworld, zelda, gamecube, fire emblem, super mario bros, punch out, klonoa, fragile, smash bros, house of the dead, oboro muramasa

• Klonoa's Truimphant(?) Return

  Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, a mostly-forgotten mascot platformer for the PSX, may be far less forgotten in the not-too-distant future. 1UP reports that the first--and admittedly, best--Klonoa game will see new life on the Wii in a fully-refurbished remake this December, which is great news--for Japan, anyway. Not only will this remake excise the game's lousy pre-rendered sprites; everyone who missed Namco's mascot of indeterminate species back in 1997 will finally get a chance to see why they should regret all of their decade-old mistakes. Here's a video of the original game in action, lest we've forgotten: I've always held a bit of disappointment in my heart for the general failure of the Klonoa series; despite the furry trappings, the first game was a whimsical adventure with a seemingly contrary bittersweet--and slightly depressing--tone. And the economy of effective storytelling fit in well with the game's deceptively-simple puzzle-platforming mechanics; Klonoa is a solid little game, and very similar to the 8-bit 2D platformers that undoubtedly inspired it.  Unfortunately, the series was launched at a time when 2D vs. 3D was a common argument, back before people realized they could live together--kinda like Ebony and Ivory (ask your parents). Read More... Posted Oct 01 2008, 03:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 14 comment(s) Filed under: remake, wii, klonoa, namco bandai, bob mackey

• Abominations of Technology: Pre-Rendered Graphics

  As a weird side-effect of technological anxiety and the transition from 2D to 3D games, pre-rendered graphics had their place.  In some cases, that was a very, very bad place, like where Big Bird said strangers couldn't touch you; basically, any game with pre-rendered, animated sprites.  Though in the 32-bit era, it's reasonable to say that some pre-rendered graphics were necessary--if a circa 1997 Square programming team tried to make a real-time Midgar, the result would be an abominable pile of warping polygons and broken dreams. But so many years later, you'd think that we, as a people, could unite against pre-rendered graphics and say "No more."  In what can only be considered an affront to the eyes and good taste of gamers everywhere, developers are still using pre-rendered graphics.  And it's high time they stopped. Read More... Posted Sep 08 2008, 06:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: donkey kong, donkey kong country, klonoa, bob mackey, pre-rendered graphics

• Where is Shuichi Sakurazaki, Creator of Ninja Gaiden?

  While they might not be rock stars quite yet, it’s great that videogame developers are becoming more and more recognizable by name. Many, many people know who Hideo Kojima is and what Kojima Prodcutions makes. Sega didn’t just contract Platinum Games to make a few killer titles for them, they signed them on for the name recognition, for the artists’ cred. Back in the day, it wasn’t the people who created games that got recognized. It was only franchise names and publishers that got the love. In 2008, it’s widely known that Tomonobu Itagaki is the head honcho behind Ninja Gaiden. But who is the brain behind Ninja Gaiden on the NES? After doing a bit of digging, I found that Ninja Gaiden and its first sequel were designed by a fellow named Shuichi Sakurazaki and Tecmo’s Team Strong. The game’s trademark cutscenes, arguably the first of their kind, were penned by Sakurazaki himself. But that’s where the information trail ends, with nary an interview with or a Wikipedia page on the man to be found. I found only two other games credited to Sakurazaki, and surprising ones at that. Read More... Posted Aug 27 2008, 01:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: john constantine, where is, ninja gaiden, klonoa, tecmo, namco, shuichi sakurazaki, tomonobu itagaki

• A Letter to the Industry: How to Destroy the Female Gender Barricade

  Girl gamers, how to attract more women to games, making games for girls, various takes on these topics have been popping up a lot lately. This is a subject quite close to my own heart and I have compiled a few suggestions for game developers to consider when making their next title (assuming said game is aimed at an audience broader than “randy male youth”). These are not suggestions for how to make a game just for girls but rather, how not to drive us away... Read More... Posted Jun 26 2008, 11:00 AM by Amber Ahlborn with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: metroid, beyond good and evil, metal gear solid, final fantasy, amber ahlborn, samus aran, feminist, girl gaming, klonoa