Dreamfalling...

This past week, I've been writing an article for the website, but my mind's been on something else entirely. There's an article I want to write, but there's really no medium for it. Except here, of course.

A few years ago, there was a PC game released called The Longest Journey. Without question, it was one of the best games I have ever played. A point and click adventure game that felt both close to home and incredibly fantastical at the same time. It was a treasure. Amazing story, beautiful landscapes, great writing, and real emotion behind it.

This year, the sequel to The Longest Journey was released. Called Dreamfall, it continues the story of the first game, and lives up to my already high expectations. The only complaint I had was that it was far too easy, and far too short. But that also made me think. Dreamfall does not have much pure gameplay. Usually, that is the most important thing I look for in a game. Is it fun to play, does it give a challenge, etc.

But Dreamfall is far from a deep gameplay experience. Dreamfall is the story. It is the characters, the setting, and the emotional depth of the plot. It is the unspeakable beauty of the locations you find yourself in, and the absolutely astounding music and voice acting. It is about becoming immersed in it all, swept away by the themes and feeling of the game. I feel glad that I waited to get the limited edition, with the artbook, art cels from the game, and part of the soundtrack. Although the game is over, I can go to those and feel like I'm back in that world again.

The storyline of Dreamfall is not something I will reveal. But it had me riveted. It was not a labyrinthine plot, although it was large and encompassing. It was an intensely intimate story, following the lives of 3 main characters: Zoe Castillo, April Ryan, and Kian Alvane. Each had their own struggles, personalities, and roles to play. Their paths entwined, playing out as a true story of their lives, not the events they found themselves in. It was epic in scale, but very personal. You rise and fall with them as they make hard decisions, and struggle with those choices.

No description I can give will really do this game justice. Is it perfect? No. There were things I didn't like. Do I feel like it was a worthwhile experience? Beyond question. I think Ragnar Tornquist, creator of Dreamfall, said it best: "Games are not yet art. But there is art in games." If ever there was a game to prove the latter half of that maxim, it is Dreamfall.

E3 06 Coverage: Nintendo DS games

Hey guys. This'll probably be the last (or close to last) entry in this year's E3 coverage. There's an absolute slew of good games coming out, more than I can ever hope to cover by myself. This has been an E3 that was defined by games, not vague promises of hardware potential. I may talk about other games that I hear more about in the future, but as for now this is what I got. So onward.

ELITE BEAT AGENTS
This is a sequel to a Japan-only game called Ouendan. In a nutshell, it's a touch screen rhythm game that's decidedly Japanese. The basic "plot" is that you control 3 "agents" (in the original, they were male cheerleaders) to go around town and solve problems by dancing to music. And the music is mostly of the goofy type. It's an incredibly addicting game, from what I hear. I didn't import Ouendan, much as I wanted to (and still might) but this looks to be a damn fun game for the future.






HOTEL DUSK: ROOM 215
This is an interesting title. It's a semi-film noir detective story set in 1979 LA. Your main character, Kyle, is searching for a lost friend. His trail leads you to Hotel Dusk. This is made by the same people who made the underrated (IMO) Trace Memory. This looks to be a fuller experience, with some interesting hooks. For example, the game boasts complete stylus control. Which is a good thing, as the game is intended to be played entirely with the DS on its side. This merits further attention.






TOUCH DETECTIVE
While Hotel Dusk is a serious take on the noir genre, Touch Detective is a Japanized "spoof" of it. I use quotation marks, because knowing Japan, I'm unsure if the Japanese would realize it's a spoof. At any rate, Atlus continues its fine work with this title. Starring a girl named Rina (think Veronica Mars, but anime), the game is a series of cases, a la Phoenix Wright, and told more from a detective's POV. This isn't high crime, though, this is more on a level with, say, Nancy Drew than Agatha Christie. Regardless, the game is very cerebral, and looks to be a nice addition to the rebirth of the detective game.






CASTLEVANIA: PORTRAIT OF RUIN
And finally, a game whose title should be at least mildly familiar. The first Castlevania for the DS, Dawn of Sorrow, was a great installation of the classic franchise. And arguably among the best DS games released last year. Portrait of Ruin, however, is beginning to look even better than that. Set in the World War 2 era, this Castlevania lets you control 2 characters, and expands the gameplay to distant lands, far from Dracula's Castle proper. A whole bevy of new attacks, items, puzzles, and absolutely stunning 2d graphics are making this look like one of the best Castlevania games to date. Check out the trailers if you can, and the screens below. It's hot. Very hot.






Of course, this is by no means exhaustive of the damn good games that are due out. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass looks to be an amazing return to the Link to the Past style of gameplay, Starfox DS is the space shooter's triumphant return, and of course the Final Fantasy III remake looks hot. But the above are some games that I imagine would be missed in the shuffle, and deserved a bit of exposure. They look to be damn fine games.

More possibly to come.

E3 06 Coverage: The PC Games

The PC gaming realm has been on a distinct downward trend for some time. It's not dying, but as of recently, consoles have come to dominate the landscape for consumers and developers alike. And although a good number of the following titles are being developed for the PC, I would not be surprised to see a lot of them ported over.

There's going to be a glaring omission to this list, but with good reason. That omission is Will Wright's Spore. The reason for this omission is because although it had a great showing, there is very little that could be said that could hype me for this game more. Simply put, this game is second only to Zelda for me as the most anticipated of the year. If you're not getting it, you're wrong. =) If you haven't seen anything about Spore, check out the video on Joystiq with Will Wright playing the game. It's astounding. And at the end, for some reason, Robin Williams is there to also play. It's a strange moment.

At any rate, here are some of the lesser-seen and damn good PC games of E3 06.

MASS EFFECT
This is an interesting conundrum of a game. It's being made by Bioware, makers of Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, and the like. The best way I've seen this described is as a squad-based scifi RPG. It's like taking a good western RPG and combining it with Half-Life 2 shooting, but with more tactics and depth. The only thing that I can compare it to is Deus Ex, but with a great deal more freedom and customization. There are layers upon layers of gameplay styles in this game, and the game itself is graphically gorgeous. There will also be future downloads of episodic content. Mass Effect is being developed primarily for the 360, but a PC version is said to be in the works. Screenshots below.






HELLGATE: LONDON
This game is set to be big. Very big. And considering it's made by the same people that made Diablo II, that's to be expected. This is a hack-n-slash RPG set in post-apocalyptic London. Demons invading, portals to Hell opening, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria. But the best part about this is that a lot of the content is randomly-generated, so there's an infinite amount of variation that will go on. You can choose from one of several classes, and use their unique abilities to fight through the world. It's very Diablo-esque, but also with a greater accent on online play. It looks to be a quasi-MMOG that can be played offline as well as on. It looks fantastic, but I'm gonna hold off on getting it until the reviews roll in. This looks to be a PC exclusive.






BIOSHOCK
If you played PC games in the late 90s, there was one game that stood out among others. That game was System Shock (and SS2). An incredibly creepy FPS where you were the only human left on a space station that was as silent as death. And constanly crooning in your ear was SHODAN, the maniacal AI that held humankind in such contempt. No doubt one of the defining games of the era. But any prospect for a continuation of the series died when Looking Glass Studios went out of business.

But now, many years later, some of the original Looking Glass crew are making Bioshock, a spiritual successor to System Shock 2, albeit not a true sequel. Set in Rapture, an underwater genetic engineering facility, Bioshock sets to recreate that kind of creepy isolation and seething mystery that was so prevalent in its predecessors. From impressions I've read, it's succeeding, and may indeed be named Best of Show for this year's E3.






ALAN WAKE
I also mentioned this game in my Microsoft conference report. I had only heard one real thing about this game when it was first announced, but it sold me. It is a game made by Remedy, those responsible for the amazing Max Payne games. Alan Wake is a psychological thriller based around a writer, the game's titular character. Set in a small idyllic coastal town, right out of Maine, Alan Wake's dreams and nightmares become manifest, and launches him down a frightening story. Not too much else was revealed at E3, but a trailer and a few screens are more than enough to whet my appetite for now.






This is by no means comprehensive, I didn't even get to cover Command and Conquer 3, Tabula Rasa (made by Lord British of Ultima fame), and the new Shadowrun (Based on the pen and paper game, but don't get your hopes up, it's got major flaws). But that's enough PC stuff for now, it should be able to disprove the notion that PC gaming is on the way out.

My next entry will most likely cover some interesting titles for the DS, so stay tuned.

E3 06 Coverage: World of Warcraft Edition

So yes. I take a break from the Nintendo-centeredness that my coverage has been to offer some new details about the game that's destroying America - World of Warcraft.

The coverage comes in two parts: What we know about the new races, and what we know about the rest.

First, the races.

ALLIANCE: THE DRAENEI
First off, yes. It's the Draenei, not the Eredar. Or are they? You see, the story goes like so. The Draenei were originally Eredar. They lived in relative peace on a planet called Argus. However, this race caught the attention of the Titan Sargeras. Sargeras corrupted 2 of the Eredar's leaders, Kil'Jaeden and Archimonde, and much of the Eredar race. A few resisted him, led by an Eredar named Velen. Velen had been contacted by a naaru, a being of light and goodness. The naaru urged Velen to abandon Argus, and so a small amount of the uncorrupted Eredar fled with Velen. They renamed themselves the Draenei, or "exiled ones" in the Eredar language.

Eventually, the Draenei landed on a world that seemed to be safe. They called it Draenor, or "Exile's Refuge." The only other sentient race on that planet were the orcs. For the most part, the two races kept to themselves. Until one day Kil'Jaeden found the orcish race, corrupted them with insane bloodlust, and then started a war on Draenor. The orcs won, and those Draenei who could not escape were corrupted by demonic magic. A small group did escape onto a (I'm quoting here) "dimensional spaceship" and fled. Years later, they crashed onto the world of Azeroth. They made their home on the Azuremyst Isles, off the northeastern coast of Kalimdor, and recently made contact with the Alliance. The Alliance accepted them in because of their respect for the Light as taught by the naaru.

OK. So that's the backstory. Here's the game data.
-Starting zone is the Azuremyst Isles, NE coast of Kalimdor.
-Racial skills: +1% to hit with spells aura, +10 Shadow resistance, +15 Jewelcrafting, and a HoT for 50 damage over 15 sec.
- Classes: Warrior, Priest, Mage, Hunter, and PALADIN.

My impressions? They're the freaking Protoss from Starcraft. Space-faring demons who found Jesus. The lore's a bit of a reach, but I can buy it. I'm definitely thinking about rolling a Draenei now in the expansion.

HORDE: THE BLOOD ELVES
The Blood Elves are the remnants of the High Elf nation destroyed by Arthas in the Third War. Having lost their connection to the Sunwell, they are now voracious mana-hungry people. They need to feed their addiction. They hate the Alliance for their betrayal of Quel'thalas, and their unwillingness to help the Blood Elves in their time of need. Their leader, Prince Kael'Thas Sunstrider, is currently the right hand of Illidan Stormrage, lording over Tempest Keep. He has set Lor'Themar Theron as his regent on Azeroth. Kael is something of a savior figure to the Blood Elves, promising to bring them into Outland, away from the troubles of Azeroth.

-Starting zone is Quel'Thalas, NE of the Eastern Plaguelands. The city has already been mostly rebuilt thanks to Blood Elf magics.
-Racials: +15 Enchanting, +5 all resistences, Mana Tap - drain 50 mana from target (stacks 3 times), Arcane torrent - AoE silence, gain 20 mana/energy/rage per Mana Tap.
-Classes: Priest, Mage, Warlock, Warrior, Rogue.

My impressions? Cool. I like. Although I wonder why the Blood Elves will want to kill Kael, since he seems to be a raid boss....

OTHER STUFF
- Flying mounts reconfirmed, although only in Outland, and only at lvl 70.
- Some of the Naxxramas gear is here. And I do gotta say, I'm a tad aroused at Kingsfall.
- The Tier 3 armor also looks amazing. Although the warlock graphics look rediculous.

More to come later.

E3 06 CoveraHOLYSHIT!

Oh God.

Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod.

SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL!



- Due out for Wii in 2007.
- ONLINE PLAY ENABLED.
- "Under the direction of series creator Masahiro Sakurai, Super Smash Bros. Brawl will feature two control modes: motion-controlled and classic, GameCube-style combat. That means players who prefer to play the game with the traditional control setup can do so using the GameCube controller they're already accustomed to while the new motion control adds a new dimension previously not available in fighting games."
- The main theme music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu, the guy who's done every Final Fantasy song ever. EVER!
- NEW CHARACTERS:

HIS SHIELD IS A CARDBOARD BOX!

SPECIAL ATTACK IS A FART!

KID FREAKING ICARUS!
-NEW ITEMS:

Yes, that's a Nintendog.
-CRAZY SHIT:





More characters possible. Named specifically were Sonic and possibly Mega Man. More coming as soon as I can humanly get my hands on it.

E3 06 Coverage: Day the First

More on the Wii:

There were a few things I neglected to mention about the Wii. The first is the introduction of a "classic" controller, presumably for use with the Virtual Console (downloadable games and the like). A picture of it can be found here, it's too big to inline. It looks a bit strange, very oval. Like a SNES controller with 2 analogue sticks. And it connects into the Wii remote. Seems slightly odd. Ah well, we'll see how that turns out for playing VC games. Also shown alongside the classic controller was an interesting "shotgun" shell for the remote. Now that looks interesting.

Also, one thing that was mentioned that I didn't quite have a handle on until now is WiiConnect24. Basically, it means that the console is never off. It goes into standby mode when not used, and allows online connections to be made even while you are not there. For example, in a game like Animal Crossing, different people can visit your town while you are away and leave messages, gifts, etc. It also allows for the automatic downloading of new content while you are away.

And I think that's about all that I'm going to say about the Wii hardware. There was a good deal revealed, but we have yet to know specifics on pricing or release date. (Rumor says $200-$250 for the console, and Nintendo has said it will release this year for certain.)

Now. Onto the games. This will take the lion's share of my coverage from now on.

Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Wii)
One of the unique titles for the DS released last year was a surgery simulation called Trauma Center: Under the Knife. You play the role of a Dr. Stiles, seeking to heal patients and prevent the spread of a deadly disease called GUILT. The good people who made that exceptionally fun game are working on a new title for Wii: Second Opinion.

Early screenshots show that the game has become much more stylized, prettier, and looks to take advantage of the Wii remote while following the storyline of the original. Blatantly anorexic nurses aside, this looks to be one of the titles that will again help to define Nintendo's new technologies.





Phoenix Wright: Justice for All (DS)
He's back, baby. The DS is home to a lot of unique games, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney may have been the cream of the crop. Think Law and Order, but with an anime twist. And jaw-droppingly hilarious. Not to mention playable. Phoenix Wright returns to the DS in a continuation of the first DS game, with some new twists.

Phoenix will take on 4 new cases with some new tricks up his sleeve. Most notable is the "Psyche-Lock". Ever have a witness who you know is hiding something, but want to get at it? You use the Psyche-Lock feature to wear down a witness with questions and pointing out inconsistencies in their testimony. Add that to a great returning cast of characters, and this is a game I will have on the day it launches in early 2007.




Many more games ahead, I've barely scratched the surface. I'll post more as more details become available.

E3 06 Coverage: Microsoft's Conference

So, despite looking high and low, I was unable to find a live stream to watch Microsoft's E3 conference. At least, I was unable to find a free one.

Microsoft had much less of a conference than Sony and Nintendo did. They understandably don't have very many aces in the hole, the 360 has been out for some time, and they've been pretty forthcoming about their console strategies. Their conference was mostly devoted to showing what they'd done so far, and what to expect in the future.

That said, there were a few big highlights.

Firstly (I seem to like that word today), there was the announcement of the first next-generation Grand Theft Auto coming to the 360. It was worded as to make it sound like it was exclusive, but the truth is a tad muddier. GTA4 will release simultaneously on the PS3 and 360. BUT. The 360 will get exclusive episodic content following the release of the game proper. That is to say, more missions, more storyline, more "stuff". This indicates that not only has Microsoft cut into Sony's exclusivity deals, but is also going past it. The PS3-360 rivalry this generation is going to be intense.

Another highlight was the announcement of Fable 2, the brainchild of revered designer Peter Molyneux. Despite the fact that the original game didn't really hold up to its potential, this one may be an attempt to right things. They're saying the same things about this one that they did about the last one, so I'm not holding my breath.

Also on the table was Alan Wake, by Remedy. Now, I know that doesn't sound familiar to a lot of people, but it's a psychological thriller set in Maine by the people who did Max Payne. I was impressed by the realism of the environments and the character model of Alan Wake, and I already know I'm going to be getting this in one form or another. Will be a 360 (and PC) exclusive.

And finally, what X-box 360 conference would be complete without a "surprise". Note the quotes, because it's probably the worst kept secret in gaming. That's right. The conference ended with a quite beautiful CGI movie of Halo 3. No gameplay shown, just a teaser that you can now find on gametrailers.com. I will say this, much as I dislike Halo. It was very pretty. Halo 3 is planned to be the last Halo game in the trilogy, but I sincerely doubt that's going to happen, cash cow that it is. Due out in 2007.

And that's about it from Microsoft.

I got some new access to Nintendo's press website, so I've been basically devouring that all day. I'll go over the games in full detail tomorrow, but I do need to say that this lineup looks to be even better than the one of the past year. It's simply astounding how many good games are coming out.

I'll leave you with a small tantalizing secret. And one that most of you will find interesting. It concerns the new Alliance race for World of Warcraft. According to those who've been in the E3 center, the new race is a large, purple, tentacled beast of an ally. Pictures below.





There's two possibilities. The first are The Broken, essentially the upper caste of Dranei society. Kinda cool, but not too much known about them.

The other possibility is that this new race is one we've seen before. These could be the Eredar. Now, simply put, the Eredar are demons. Members of the same race as such great Warcraft enemies as Archimonde the Defiler (killed in WC3 at Mount Hyjal) or Kil'Jaeden the Deceiver (Illidan's master, alive and in the Outlands). If they are coming to the Alliance, they must have a hell of a good story to do so.

We'll find out tomorrow.

E3 06 Coverage: Nintendo's Conference.

Oh ye gads. What a great change of pace from yesterday's Sony shenanigans.

Firstly, the Wii's second secret is a speaker (not microphone) in the controller to add to the immersion. This way if you're swordfighting for example, the controller actually makes a metallic clang (and rumble) when you hit. They demonstrated Link shooting an arrow and hearing the bowstring hum and the arrow nock as you pulled back on it. It looks like a very nice touch.

Nintendo didn't really have a single great game that they were holding in reserve. Instead, there was hit after hit of absolutely astounding games coming. I'll take them all in turn. No screenshots yet, as it just happened, but I'll be posting more later on in the conference.

Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Looks absolutely astounding. No question, the most anticipated game of mine of the year.
- Will be available at Wii launch (probably November). 2 versions, however. One for Cube, another for Wii. The Wii one has the remote functionality. It seems like an odd decision to have 2 versions, but it doesn't matter to me. I'll be getting both. Probably the Cube version first, however.
- Wii functionality is seamless and fluid.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
- This is it. This is the next-generation Mario game that we've been waiting for since the Gamecube launch.
- The graphics and gameplay looked amazing. Classic platforming with the remote. I didn't think it possible.

Starfox DS
- Fuck yes. Hopefully a true successor to the SNES playstyle, and not the weird hybrids that plagued the Gamecube.
- Touch screen control.
- Wi-fi battle modes.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
- Graphics looked on par with the Gamecube predecessors. This is not a bad thing, especially if it's an early build.
- There's a lot new functionality with the remote. There's nothing better than seeing Samus Aran launch a grapple beam at a Space Pirate's shield, feel it attach, and then yanking the shield away and unloading the arm cannon into him.

There were many other games shown, including new Nintendo IPs. I'll try to post more about them later when there are movies and screenshots. For now, I go to watch the Microsoft conference.

E3 06 Coverage: Sony's Conference

This is going to be less image-heavy, nothing really worth inlining a pic.

If history follows a certain path, this PS3 conference may be remembered as the conference that started the end of the Playstation era. The absolute lack of enthusiasm by both the Sony execs and the audience was astounding. There were several new games shown, showcasing the graphical powerhouse that the PS3 really is. Only one or two look like they might be worth a look (Getaway and possibly Eight Days).

The big stuff didn't come until the end of the conference.

First, the game that everyone was waiting for: Metal Gear Solid 4. This looked amazing, and will undoubtedly be a stunning conclusion to the Metal Gear Solid saga. A great deal of the old characters from the series will be returning: Otacon, Meryl Silverburgh, Raiden, and Solid Snake himself. Kojima actually managed to make Raiden look badass, something that I wouldn't have thought possible. It was a trailer, no in-game footage shown, but damn if it didn't look good. Due out in 2007.

Sony then revealed their online plans, which was a direct lift from X-box Live. The interface was the same, the features (gamertags, marketplace) were identical, and the like. The only good thing to be said for it was that it was promised to be free of charge.

Then Sony talked more in-depth about the console. And they unveiled the new controller. Apparently they realized that the boomerang design was horribly rediculous. So they instead reverted to what is essentially a standard PS2 controller, but wireless. It looked nearly identical to the ones hooked up to my PS2 right now. But there was a very large kicker to this.

The Sony PS3 controller will have motion detection. That's right. They took the idea that Nintendo was using for the Wii, copied it, and slapped it into their controller. They then demoed it, and the person playing it looked kudicrous as they attempted to control a plane in flight via the tilt sensors. The controls were not very responsive; there was a horrific amount of lag between the player and the game. It was later revealed that Sony was forced to remove the rumble feature from the controller in order to fit in the motion sensing. Never mind the fact that Sony was sued for copying the idea of the rumble from its original creators, and barred from using it in future consoles.

Then came the real kick in the gut. Sony announced pricing. The PS3 will come in 2 versions. The "core" version will have a 20 gig hard drive standard and sell for $500, while the bigger version will have a 60 gig hard drive and retail for $600. Yes, that's right. And it gets better. The $500 version will be lacking several important features. Most notably, there will be no memory card drive, no HDMI support (thereby negating the purpose of the Blu-ray drive), and no WI-FI. I mean, Jesus.

If Sony were to lose its lead this generation, this would be how they'd do it.

Set to launch worldwide this November. With prices like that, I am confident there won't be shortages.

Nintendo conference early tomorrow, will be watching and updating as it comes.