It is the 31/12/2014; in other words, New Year's Eve! The last day of 2014; a year with highlights and just as many sore thumbs and eyesores to have had behold. From the Eurozone expanding with Latvia becoming the 18th member, the so-called 'controversial' XXII Olympic Winter Games, Ebola, a Boeing 777 going missing, Robin William's suicide, anniversaries, to the chaos of Black Friday sales, an Airbus crashing on the 28/12/2014, and the typical last minute tactics of any Government facing possible eviction in 2015.
By the way the perspective that the Government in power in the United Kingdom don't do much until the nearing days of the General Election, or the Race to US Presidency is purely a representation of human nature. Think about it, we as people tend to react most strongly when our lives are endangered, or someone or something we care about undergoes a possibly fatal situation, or something doesn't coincide with expectations. In the instance of the UK Government in power; their authority, power is threatened by the possibility of being passed to another party, ousting the current Government; so the current Government invoke 'intentions' such as actions and 'promises' that provoke the public's following and vote so that when the 2015 General Election takes place, the current Government may hold on to their position of authority and power. Is it really any different from human nature? The answer is: "no, it is not".
Yes that's a lot to remember 2014 for. For better or worse; 2014 is just another 365 days where happenstances occur like in previous years and will occur in 2015, and subsequent years to follow, unless the world comes to an inexplicable halt, which could happen, though I won't hold my breath or prey or beg for the apocalypse like some people may do (and if you are a Doomsday seeker then, that's fine). In truth however, a lot that occurred in 2014 or might occur as the last day of 2014 unfolds disinterests me.
I won't say I'm blind or oblivious to happenstances and events, but I am a complex yet simplistic monstrosity who goes about my life with a tunnel-vision like perspective. To elaborate, the parts of the world that I interact with or interests me appear in colour and invoke my senses of concentration and hearing, the surroundings and people that exist in those spaces are black and white yet still provoke interaction whenever for whatever reason like someone asking me for the time. The rest like panic created by exasperated fears of Ebola and the 10th anniversary of the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 is silenced TV static to me; while it may mean something or matter to others, it means nothing to me.
What matters to me at this rate is finding ways of distancing myself from the damning reality that is my life for the time being. See; because of my nature and lack of social skills, grimness, and negativity; I have no self worth or value to anyone else beyond the family values. I am unemployed for the time being because the positions I apply to which I feel would be appropriate given my circumstances, aren't biting (fishing: fish show disinterest to the fisherman by not biting into the lure of the fisherman). Even if I were in an employment situation; my outlook and nature won't change; though I must stress this isn't depression, its simply my nature to be consumed by negativity and past failures. To evade my reality; I turn to media such as DVDs, video games in particular, the WWE, TV shows, and my fictional writing. It may seem grim an no way to live, but this is my preference and to me this lifestyle is no harder than breathing.
Naturally the video games that come out in 2014 help to fuel my preferred and safer lifestyle and my imagination. Would I be typing up a fan fiction based on Corpse Party if I never knew of or played a Corpse Party game? The answer is: "no, I wouldn't". Would I have a fictional based concept for Final Fantasy X-3 if I was disinterested in Final Fantasy X and X-2? The answer again is: "no, I wouldn't". Would I try out the offerings from the CastleVania series (especially CastleVania for the Nintendo 64) if the Angry Video Game Nerd episodes weren't interesting and amusing?
You get the idea...
So 2014, what video games stand out like a collection of gold bricks standing in direct sunlight, and what are diabolical atrocities that really should be fitted with a suicide button which we could activate to stop the atrocious gaming experience and save our sanity before it sinks into the grotesque abyss from where the terrible video games spawn from? Well that's a problem, see I don't get to play all the new or upcoming games like the employees of gaming websites like IGN, Gamespot and so on, and I don't have the necessities such as a powerful gaming PC or a PlayStation 4, or a iPad to play the new games that came out in 2014. I can therefore only talk about the games that I owned or played such as Forza Horizon 2, The (Telltale) Walking Dead Season 2, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, and so on.
To make it straightforward; I will list in no particular order the 2014 games that are outstanding:
Alien Isolation (Xbox One)
Tomb Raider Definitive Edition (Xbox One)
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (PS3, PSVita)
Forza Horizon 2 (Xbox One)
Corpse Party: Blood Drive (Japanese release) (PSVita)
Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox One)
Pokémon Alpha Sapphire (3DS)
Out of the list above the video games that truly stand out as personal favourites are:
Alien Isolation - It is unquestionably the most terrifying and pressurising video game I have played (and proudly own) of 2014. It is a triumph over expected disappointment and mediocrity that comes from movie inspired games, and carves its own place in cult classic games. Playing Alien Isolation is enlightening after the damming failures of the Resident Evil series and potential but alas unfinished Silent Hill Downpour.
Corpse Party: Blood Drive - Not since the heartbreak story of Final Fantasy X and its continuation in Final Fantasy X-2, have I been truly sucked into the game's world. But then along came Corpse Party: Blood Covered Repeated Fear in 2010, and from then on I have been terrified, sorrowful, amused, delighted, and inspired like never before. I immediately became a fan and I got my hands on Corpse Party: Book of Shadows (both the Limited Edition Japanese release and English subtitled PSN release), and Corpse Party the Anthology: Sachiko no Ren’ai Yūki Hysteric Birthday 2U (Japanese release only), and the Blu-ray set of Corpse Party: Tortured Souls (though I do enjoy the Musume series or the sexually explicit content). Needless to say I pre-ordered Corpse Party: Blood Drive Limited Edition through Play Asia.com. Now I haven't played Corpse Party: Blood Drive because I do not understand Japanese subtitles, but the power of the story and its cast and the unquestionable horror that I do know of makes it tremendous, and I anxiously await if and when XSEED release the English subtitled version just like they did with Blood Covered Repeated Fear and Book of Shadows.
Tomb Raider - I was never interested in the Tomb Raider series prior to the 2013 reboot; sure I played demos of the earliest instalments and later on I tried Tomb Raider: Legend, but it never appealed to me. But in early 2014; with a very thin library of games for Xbox One and reports of how good the 2013 reboot was, I took a punt with the 2014 Definite Edition, and I was very satisfied with my decision. To me this is one of those very rare action-adventure games that does everything nearly flawlessly like Resident Evil 4 and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It really does feel like a adventure and a beautiful, and challenging one at that. What's more it isn't overly overwhelming with game mechanics and complexity like Mass Effect games. Because of this 2014 Definitive Edition; I look forward to the release of Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Forza Horizon 2 - The original Forza Horizon on Xbox 360 was a delightful shift away from the numerous track based simulation racing games, except of course Forza Horizon was still a Forza game which meant it couldn't be just a arcade spin-off, it had to blend both worlds and it so, so fantastically that I knew there had to be a sequel. And what a sequel Forza Horizon 2 is! Seriously this the most entertaining and satisfactory pleasing racing game I have ever played. While it is nowhere near as maniac as my former favourite racing game: Destruction Derby 2, I knew it couldn't be, and while it can't do certain things like Destruction Derby 2, Forza Horizon 2 does many things that it completely wins me over and will for racing fans who have yet to take the plunge into Forza Horizon 2. While it is a very successful simulation racing game with as much energy and colours as 3KG mixture of Smarties, M&M's and Jelly Beans; Forza Horizon 2 succeeds over other racing games like all Forza games do because it allows people to customise the cars and create countless unique designs to play and share with. I for one have jumped onto the opportunities presented, and have spent many restless nights conjuring design ideas for my amusement. Forza Horizon 2 is almost perfect and far more than my high expectations for a sequel to Forza Horizon were, plus with the recent Storm Island DLC release; it provides a very bright future for what may come in future DLC, or for Forza Horizon 3!
Now comes the 2014 video games that I wish never existed after I had played them. Now these games mentioned aren't terribly atrocious like Air Control on Stream, but to borrow a phase from Dave Rudden from IGN when concluding on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of WWE 2K15: "is like seeing Brock Lesnar going from breaking the Undertaker's streak to losing to Hornswoggle during the pre-show in back-to-back WrestleManias.", these games beg the question "Where did it go wrong?" especially when you consider what these terrible games hail from. So here we go; the two (2) worst games of 2014 that I wouldn't wish my worst enemy (who is me) to play, and instead go for the slow agonising death from blood exsanguination and shock as the body's flesh is torn off by heartless and vengeful vultures with the knowledge and patience of a surgeon!
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII - While Final Fantasy XIII is a low point in the infamous Final Fantasy series, I couldn't label XIII as a bad Final Fantasy game. I couldn't comprehend there being a bad Final Fantasy game, unless you start talking about spin-off titles like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers and Final Fantasy All The Bravest. I never thought a main and numbered entry of Final Fantasy could be bad, but then Square Enix shoved yet more of the unappealing Lightning down our throats and expected us to go crazy like they have for countless years clutching their privates and groaning ecstatically every time Lightning's name prompted up. Seriously what were Square Enix on when they authorised the go-ahead for yet another game centred around Lightning? Where they stuffing themselves with crack, cannabis, PCP, and every other high legal or illegal until every SANE person died leaving only the morons who thought Lightning was the second coming of Jesus remaining, or were they threatened by some collection of nut-jobs that make Hitler and Stalin meshed together into a abomination of disgusting putrid, look like an angel? Okay, maybe that's being a tad harsh, and sure the game itself completely terrible, its playable and in theory should have worked. BUT the concept of yet another sequel was insanity, and to me personally so unappealing and a deliberate cash-in after the rather unflattering true ending to Final Fantasy XIII-2 which you had to pay for happened. If Final Fantasy XIII-2 wasn't saddled with such a complete f*** up of a plot involving time travel; my reaction to Lightning Returns might have been more positive, but it was and to make the downpour of diarrhoea s*** even more perplexing and above all appalling; Lightning Returns stirred yet more confounding nonsense and laughable bad touches into a soufflé made of whale vomit, feces and a genocide full of rotting bodies blended together, that Square Enix really should've thrown away and destroyed tenfold after Final Fantasy XIV happened. Now as I said, Lightning Returns isn't completely terrible like Air Control on Stream, and while this playable even though it is one of the Final Fantasy series' darkest hours; what I absolutely cannot forgive is the fact Lightning Returns exists when reception of Square Enix was tellingly floundering and the appalling aftertaste of Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 were clear signs not to go further down a troublesome route. Many alternatives were possible and may have been better then what we as fans and gamers ended up with, but instead of sticking with what they knew and would be a safer investment, Square Enix threw caution to the wind again and realised the miracle pulled off by repairing Final Fantasy XIV into A Realm Reborn, couldn't be pulled off for the unfavoured XIII series.
As a final damming legacy to Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII; Final Fantasy was incepted on December 18, 1987, it is a media franchise that is 27 years old and is commercially and critically successful. It is Square Enix's best selling video game franchise, with more than 100 million units sold, and one of the best-selling video game franchises. It was awarded a star on the Walk of Game in 2006, and holds seven (7) Guinness World Records in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008. Now in 2014, I can legitimately claim that the Final Fantasy series has been in a rut for years, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is a clear sign that Square Enix haven't learnt from they're terrible decisions and mistakes.
WWE 2K15 - I am a big fan of WWE, and a bigger fan of the video games because they allow me to create my own Superstars and Divas, finishing moves, logos, championships, and run my own editions of Raw, Smackdown, PPVs, stories etc. WWE 2K14 stands as the best modern WWE video game. The same cannot be said for the several versions of WWE 2K15.
Honestly, where do I begin...?
WWE 2K15 for the Xbox 360 and PS3 are definite 'no, nos', compared with 2K14; 2K15 has missing features which is poor, and graphically you have to wonder what 2K Sports were trying to accomplice. If the intention was to make a harrowing 60% complete WWE experience that would scare WWE fans to go for the Xbox One and PS4 versions instead then they have succeeded, except the plan backfires because WWE 2K15 on the next generation consoles is a glass half empty kind of experience. For all the polish and great looking character models, WWE 2K15 on Xbox One and PS4 misses the target by a considerable margin; picture it like a dartboard, 2K Sports were aiming for their three (3) darts for the triple 20 mark hoping to score the magically 180, but instead they scored 112 and have one (1) of the darts puncturing the side of someone's head!
To put it in a nutshell: 25 creation slots is disappointingly low compared to the 100 slots for WWE 2K14 and 2K15 for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The inability to create Divas is also disappointing and implies a taste of sexism. No importing songs from the hard drive for character's theme music like you can do on the Xbox 360 version of WWE 2K14 is a damming blow. Missing match types; seriously I loved the ingenuity of 2K14 of altering matches types for K.O. only eliminations, or flaming tables only eliminations, plus the bigger matches such as the 6-man Hell in a Cell and 6-man Money In The Bank Ladder matches (which can also have Divas competing in these match types instead of just Superstars). No championship creations or logo creation. MyCareer is loaded with glitches and is a total waste of time, WWE Day of Reckoning and its sequel (both for the Nintendo GameCube), and WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008 (PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One) are better story based modes. The presentation of the selected Superstar's Health, Stamina, Momentum, and Signature and Finisher count are unnecessary and make playing a match more like an arcade game (this is meant to be realistic? You don't see health bars for the Superstars and Divas on WWE programming do you?!). 2K Showcase mode is lacking in comparison to 30 Years of WrestleMania Mode on WWE 2K14. Commentary is still bad.
Ultimately the experience both during matches and out is shallow and any satisfaction becomes tedious after a few times. The bottom line is that WWE 2K15 is a real disappointment on par with WrestleMania X8 on the Nintendo GameCube, WrestleMania 21 on Xbox, Legends of WrestleMania, and Showdown: Legends of Wrestling (even though it isn't a WWE licensed game). The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of WWE 2K15 are just borderline poor compared to WWE 2K14 and Playing WWE 2K15 on Xbox One or PS4 is a expensive tease more than anything. We as fans and gamers are prompted to 'Feel It'; with a 'Presentation Overhaul' and 'Improved Gameplay', WWE 2K15 is meant to be the new definition of WWE gaming, but instead in feels significantly incomplete and because of this, the game is lying about being the definitive WWE gaming experience. For the true next-gen WWE gaming experience; we have to wait for WWE 2K16 because that should at least be able to complete what WWE 2K15 tried to implement, and include the features that were missing.
Now if WWE 2K15 was promoted like Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeros is a prequel and a taste of what's in store for us in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, then I could be fairer on my regards for the lack of content in WWE 2K15. Alas WWE 2K15 wasn't produced or sold that way; it was released like a complete game when it wasn't and sold at full price. At least with Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeros, Konami were wise to admit that it was a precursor for The Phantom Pain and reduce the asking price. For those who want the best WWE gaming experience; get WWE 2K14 and save money or if you still have WWE 2K14, then don't give WWE 2K15 a second (2nd) thought. These reasons noted above plus my regards in previous posts are the reason why WWE 2K15 as a whole is considered the WORST video game of 2014 along with Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.
With 2014 during to a conclusion and 2015 dawning; here's what I will be looking forward to in the new year:
Corpse Party: Blood Drive (with English subtitles)
Corpse Party 2: Dead Patient Episode 2
Telltale The Walking Dead Season 3
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Oddworld New n' Tasty (for Xbox One)
The reveal of Resident Evil Zero Remaster
The reveal that Silent Hills will be available for Xbox One as well as PS4
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
The House of the Dead 5 (seriously its been a while now since HotD4, and the series can't stop at HotD: Overkill)
The Sims 4 (for Xbox One and PS4)
Halo 5: Guardians
Tekken 7
Resident Evil Revelations 2
Okay, this is it for this post and the year 2014. I can't make up my mind what my next post will be about but it will be available to read in the later stages of January 2015.
Until next time, see ya!
Have a great New Year!
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Sunday, 21 December 2014
Xbox One - SJBMCPRS Diagnosis
21/12/2013, 14:50 - Tesco Extra supermarket, Yeovil, Somerset, United Kingdom.
This was the moment when I had purchased the Xbox One console. Now a year on; what do I have to say about the system?
Did it reach my expectations? Was it worth the cost? Was it ludicrous to buy at the time?
Answers: Not really, I could afford it so who cares, and yes it was ludicrous to buy an Xbox One when I did.
Okay so the simple stuff is out of the way, next comes the explanations. I learnt like the majority of gaming fans that the Xbox 360 successor was coming in the form of the Xbox One, and it had these technical specifications and these abilities and whatever Microsoft were hyping. My reaction was lukewarm; the Xbox 360 is phenomenal and I wasn't going to get tired of it anytime soon, so I had no real reason to get the Xbox One in the foreseeable future. That said, the lifespan of the Xbox 360 was coming to an inevitable conclusion meaning the next instalments of games I enjoyed on the Xbox 360 such as Need For Speed, Forza Motorsport, Halo, and so on would become available on the Xbox One and not continued on the Xbox 360 (although that assumption proved wrong later on). As more was learnt about the Xbox One, it became a matter of trying to understand what the system could and couldn't do because there was definitely a lot of confusion since Microsoft were going back on what they said, and weren't providing straight answers to particular features that I wanted to know about. By the time the Xbox One was released in the United Kingdom, I had learnt much to my dismay pretty much everything I needed to know and figured it would be something I would get, but not anytime soon because Microsoft needed to do a lot of work and offer more games to make purchasing the Xbox One worth it.
So what the hell happened you might be asking. In truth the key points that interested me about the Xbox One were Forza Motorsport 5, and the fact that my Xbox Live account (strangersparky) could be imported and co-exist on both the Xbox One and Xbox 360, which meant the achievements and (small number of) gaming 'friends' would continue to build up without fault. Additionally the Xbox One controller was supremely comfortable and engaging to use which is something I thought wouldn't be possible to improve upon following the success of the Xbox 360 controller. I also assumed the next instalments to games I enjoy such as Forza Horizon, The Sims 3, Metal Gear Solid, Star Ocean, Devil May Cry, Halo 3 and 4, Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil, Silent Hill and countless more would in time be available on Xbox One (which for the most part is accurate).
Ultimately though it came down to an alignment of circumstances that convinced me to take the plunge. I had the money, there were Xbox One consoles in stock at the Tesco Extra store in Yeovil which I happened to be in that day, I had a coupon for double points on any purchases I made with my Tesco Clubcard, and I felt impulsive. All these added up to me getting the Xbox One despite my previously made decision to wait a while for the Xbox One to get better and offer more choice. In the end I returned home with an Xbox One console, Forza Motorsport 5, Dead Rising 3, an additional Xbox One controller and two (2) charge and play packs for the controllers; all of which come to the total cost £609!
Now £609 is a lot! But in truth I wouldn't have saved much had I waited a year later because the price for the same configuration wouldn't have been so significant to make me want to smash my brains in with a cricket bat. Let's work it out; according to the receipts I have of the transaction on 21/12/2013 the £609 is broken down like this:
Xbox One console with Kinect: £429
Dead Rising 3: £48
Forza Motorsport 5: £48
Xbox One controller: £44*
Two (2) official charge and play packs: £40*
Total: £609
* These items were purchased in the Game store in Yeovil on the same day.
Now a year on, the price breakdown would work out like this:
Xbox One console with Kinect: £389
Dead Rising 3: £28**
Forza Motorsport 5: £44
Xbox One controller: £39**
Two (2) official charge and play packs: £40**
Total: £540
**These items would have to be purchased in a Game store or on Games online store since Tesco Extra in Yeovil do not sell these items.
The price difference a year on for the same configuration is £69, not exactly mindboggling...
Of course where it matters is of course the Xbox One hardware and software and ultimately this is where the deciding factor lies because as of 21/12/2014, the Xbox One has been improved somewhat and the library of games has grown from the near bare bone providing there was a year earlier. In 2013, there was only one (1) game I cared about having and playing and that was Forza Motorsport 5. Now Dead Rising 3 is a fine game and especially fun in short bursts, but the Dead Rising series wasn't something that I overwhelmingly enjoyed and the problems in previous instalments were present in 3 including the telling signs that Dead Rising 3 wasn't completed before it was released. In truth I got Dead Rising 3 out of necessity because my brothers could enjoy the zombie slaying and be satisfied until something else came out.
Of course the Xbox One's biggest problem in my mind is the inability to import and play music while playing a game as effectively as the Xbox 360. The Xbox One CAN play music whilst I play a game, but its not mine and my younger brother's music. What the Xbox One can do is play music from apps on the system such as YouTube and Xbox Music, but in doing so the app becomes 'snapped' and takes up a percentage of the gameplay presentation, which if you 'unsnap' will stop the app. Not only don't the apps have the extent of the music we like and have, but the way the Xbox One system has been configured means the presentation of a game like Forza Motorsport 5 is compromised by the window the app takes. It also has to be said that Xbox One is a prescription service that's not included in the monthly Xbox Live prescription, now that's complete and utter burnt and puked on Christmas Day roast turkey dogs***!!
Seriously this was a tremendous problem that put me off the Xbox One system and still does. While monthly updates are improving the functionality of the Xbox One and recent updates now allow a USB to be plugged into the Xbox One so it can play several media files such as mp3s, there is no option to import music onto the Xbox One through a USB or CD to be used later on for whatever purposes. Personally I do not fully comprehend why the Xbox One is incapable of this when the Xbox 360 CAN, especially with a hard drive of about 460 GB. Initially I had hoped that with time this would become possible on Xbox One and the usability of music stored onto the hard drive would mirror the Xbox 360, and that I and my younger brother could play WWE 2K15 just like we play WWE 2K14 on the Xbox 360. But no, and while its no longer a bigi because WWE 2K15 is a total downpour of misery and larva raining upon my expectations, melting my hopes and ambitions like a strip of magnesium held above a Bunsen burner, the feature would be nice for games like Forza Horizon 2 and Dead Rising 3.
To elaborate; on the Xbox 360 we have about 1200 songs on the hard drive which we have painstakingly ripped from writable CDs we filled with our kind of music and unique tracks that cannot be obtained in any way other than to make them yourself. When playing the Xbox 360, we have the choice to play music from the hard drive and 98% of the time we do, and when we have our own music playing; it does NOT interfere with the gameplay or the perception we see and hear. The biggest example of this use is when we play WWE 2K14 and fabricate our own WWE in Universe mode; we have the commentary turned off because it is terrible and instead we provide our own meanwhile we have a playlist of songs playing in the background during matches because without it, the gaming experience stinks. Additionally we have specific songs on the Xbox 360 hard drive for each of our 100 created characters which we've loudened, cropped, and added to as desired. This means we can songs by Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle, Three Days Grace and songs from other media such as 'Regalia' from SoulCalibur V, WWE songs that aren't on WWE 2K14 such as Kane's 'Slow Chemical' by Finger Eleven, and lastly songs we have edited significantly such as 'Jes XXIX Relentless Tragedy (SBG Mix)' which is Disciple's 'Someday' with five (5) plus minutes of fabricated tracks from Corpse Party, 'Noel's Theme' from Final Fantasy XIII-3 OST, Dexter, Team Four Star's DragonBall Z Abridged series, Final Destination series, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, CSI, Oddworld Abe's Exodus, GTA III, Pokémon, Top Gear, The Angry Video Game Nerd, and numerous sound effects like explosions, gunshots and so on, spliced over the song (I'm not kidding here, this is some real grade A horses*** here).
The point is this is what mine and my younger brother's music consists of and its one of the reasons we adore the Xbox 360. The Xbox One's inability to have the same functionality is distressing and makes tedious aspects of games that more discouraging. Think of it this way; wouldn't it be nice to at least have the option to play your own music during those possibly weariful elements of gaming such as building up your party in a RPG like Final Fantasy XV, or the option to have something else play in the background instead of the repeating radios on Grand Theft Auto V and Forza Horizon 2?
There is a silver lining in this however because recent updates have enabled me to choose a image or theme to be represented on the Xbox One background just like I can on the Xbox 360, which means I can have a Corpse Party image on the Xbox One background which is nice. With Xbox One consoles being sold with bigger hard drives; there may yet come the day where I can have custom music playing in the background. I just won't be holding my breath because it could be a while before this is realised, if it is actually possible.
Those who were patient enough to hold off buying an Xbox One until more games became available, they may be tempted by the offerings available today and the bright outlook of games coming out in 2015. The thing is from my perspective which is based on a year's worth experience of owning and playing an Xbox One Console; there is yet to be a definitive game that is totally exclusive to the Xbox One. Sure there are great games on Xbox One like Alien Isolation, Halo Master Chief Collection, Fifa 15, Grand Theft Auto V, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare and Forza Horizon 2; but ask yourself this: are these exclusive to the Xbox One? The answer is no, nearly every game or oncoming games are and will be available on other systems and while some games perform and appear better on Xbox One than the Xbox 360 counterpart, these still take away the appeal of having an Xbox One when you can have more or less the same experience and satisfaction, and save money having the Xbox 360 versions. I know there are exclusives like Sunset Overdrive that stand out, but frankly I do not foresee many exclusives in the near future.
Now I'm not deliberately picking on the Xbox One by stating the above, the PS4 is in the same boat and neither consoles are marginally different from the their predecessors in terms of unique offerings. This brings me up to one of the big reasons for purchasing any console from this eighth (8th) generation of video game consoles; the graphics. Getting a Xbox One or PS4 or Will U; you'd expect several things like superior graphics or revolutionary gameplay, but the truth is there's very little to prove that the eighth (8th) generation is a revolutionary step up from the seventh (7th) generation. In some instances there are differences in terms of number of pixels and presentation and gameplay that stand out like with the higher detail models of Superstars on the Xbox One and PS4 versions of WWE 2K15 over the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, or the Kinect on Xbox One to detect sounds and movements made by the player. Ultimately however the differences are few and far between the different versions of the same games (7th gen or 8th) and unless you really care about 1080p, then you don't really care as long as the games and the console of your choosing is enjoyable.
As a side note; I must concede that the Wii U is arguably the best in terms of exclusivity out of the three (3) home consoles but that exclusivity is a key reason why I don't have a Wii U because I prefer simplicity and all the bells and whistles of the Wii U make it unappealing and inaccessible (the Wii U gamepad in particular) to gamers who are used to the yearly instalments of Call of Duty and sports games. If you must have any console from the eighth (8th) generation then I would recommend the Nintendo 3DS family of systems because it offers exclusive games, favourites such as Mario and Pokémon, and portability.
Switching back to evaluating the Xbox One a year on plus since its been released; I have to admit the Xbox One still leaves a lot to be desired and Microsoft has a lot of work to do before I can be convinced that the purchase of the system and its library of games and dedication I have given so far is worth it. Its undoubtedly good and it will get better with time but with hindsight I should've waited until Autumn 2014 because by then the desirable games would have been released or close to be released and the system itself would've been updated enough to have avoided the headaches and disappointment I experienced since I purchased the Xbox One in December 2013.
Thankfully Forza Horizon 2 is the game for Xbox One I've been waiting for since the Xbox One was announced. It really is a ton of fun and it gives me the chance to exercise my creativity with the cars (even if the creativity isn't on par with others). If there is one (1) game that I would recommend for the Xbox One; its Forza Horizon 2. With any luck in 2015 there will be more recommendations like Halo 5 Guardians, and Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain, but for now its a start.
Well, ...this is it for my diagnosis of the Xbox One a year on. I look forward to the offerings in 2015 and hopefully a year from now when I do a diagnosis of the system two (2) years from its release; I'll have more positive things to share about the Xbox One.
Before I say 'see ya' I will divulge on New Year's Eve what games stand out, what stink and which are a complete pile of deplorable s*** smothered in a bucket of pus, puke and famine along with such terribleness like 'Pudsey: The Movie'. I will also share what I will be looking for the most in 2015.
Until then, see ya!
This was the moment when I had purchased the Xbox One console. Now a year on; what do I have to say about the system?
Did it reach my expectations? Was it worth the cost? Was it ludicrous to buy at the time?
Answers: Not really, I could afford it so who cares, and yes it was ludicrous to buy an Xbox One when I did.
Okay so the simple stuff is out of the way, next comes the explanations. I learnt like the majority of gaming fans that the Xbox 360 successor was coming in the form of the Xbox One, and it had these technical specifications and these abilities and whatever Microsoft were hyping. My reaction was lukewarm; the Xbox 360 is phenomenal and I wasn't going to get tired of it anytime soon, so I had no real reason to get the Xbox One in the foreseeable future. That said, the lifespan of the Xbox 360 was coming to an inevitable conclusion meaning the next instalments of games I enjoyed on the Xbox 360 such as Need For Speed, Forza Motorsport, Halo, and so on would become available on the Xbox One and not continued on the Xbox 360 (although that assumption proved wrong later on). As more was learnt about the Xbox One, it became a matter of trying to understand what the system could and couldn't do because there was definitely a lot of confusion since Microsoft were going back on what they said, and weren't providing straight answers to particular features that I wanted to know about. By the time the Xbox One was released in the United Kingdom, I had learnt much to my dismay pretty much everything I needed to know and figured it would be something I would get, but not anytime soon because Microsoft needed to do a lot of work and offer more games to make purchasing the Xbox One worth it.
So what the hell happened you might be asking. In truth the key points that interested me about the Xbox One were Forza Motorsport 5, and the fact that my Xbox Live account (strangersparky) could be imported and co-exist on both the Xbox One and Xbox 360, which meant the achievements and (small number of) gaming 'friends' would continue to build up without fault. Additionally the Xbox One controller was supremely comfortable and engaging to use which is something I thought wouldn't be possible to improve upon following the success of the Xbox 360 controller. I also assumed the next instalments to games I enjoy such as Forza Horizon, The Sims 3, Metal Gear Solid, Star Ocean, Devil May Cry, Halo 3 and 4, Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil, Silent Hill and countless more would in time be available on Xbox One (which for the most part is accurate).
Ultimately though it came down to an alignment of circumstances that convinced me to take the plunge. I had the money, there were Xbox One consoles in stock at the Tesco Extra store in Yeovil which I happened to be in that day, I had a coupon for double points on any purchases I made with my Tesco Clubcard, and I felt impulsive. All these added up to me getting the Xbox One despite my previously made decision to wait a while for the Xbox One to get better and offer more choice. In the end I returned home with an Xbox One console, Forza Motorsport 5, Dead Rising 3, an additional Xbox One controller and two (2) charge and play packs for the controllers; all of which come to the total cost £609!
Now £609 is a lot! But in truth I wouldn't have saved much had I waited a year later because the price for the same configuration wouldn't have been so significant to make me want to smash my brains in with a cricket bat. Let's work it out; according to the receipts I have of the transaction on 21/12/2013 the £609 is broken down like this:
Xbox One console with Kinect: £429
Dead Rising 3: £48
Forza Motorsport 5: £48
Xbox One controller: £44*
Two (2) official charge and play packs: £40*
Total: £609
* These items were purchased in the Game store in Yeovil on the same day.
Now a year on, the price breakdown would work out like this:
Xbox One console with Kinect: £389
Dead Rising 3: £28**
Forza Motorsport 5: £44
Xbox One controller: £39**
Two (2) official charge and play packs: £40**
Total: £540
**These items would have to be purchased in a Game store or on Games online store since Tesco Extra in Yeovil do not sell these items.
The price difference a year on for the same configuration is £69, not exactly mindboggling...
Of course where it matters is of course the Xbox One hardware and software and ultimately this is where the deciding factor lies because as of 21/12/2014, the Xbox One has been improved somewhat and the library of games has grown from the near bare bone providing there was a year earlier. In 2013, there was only one (1) game I cared about having and playing and that was Forza Motorsport 5. Now Dead Rising 3 is a fine game and especially fun in short bursts, but the Dead Rising series wasn't something that I overwhelmingly enjoyed and the problems in previous instalments were present in 3 including the telling signs that Dead Rising 3 wasn't completed before it was released. In truth I got Dead Rising 3 out of necessity because my brothers could enjoy the zombie slaying and be satisfied until something else came out.
Of course the Xbox One's biggest problem in my mind is the inability to import and play music while playing a game as effectively as the Xbox 360. The Xbox One CAN play music whilst I play a game, but its not mine and my younger brother's music. What the Xbox One can do is play music from apps on the system such as YouTube and Xbox Music, but in doing so the app becomes 'snapped' and takes up a percentage of the gameplay presentation, which if you 'unsnap' will stop the app. Not only don't the apps have the extent of the music we like and have, but the way the Xbox One system has been configured means the presentation of a game like Forza Motorsport 5 is compromised by the window the app takes. It also has to be said that Xbox One is a prescription service that's not included in the monthly Xbox Live prescription, now that's complete and utter burnt and puked on Christmas Day roast turkey dogs***!!
Seriously this was a tremendous problem that put me off the Xbox One system and still does. While monthly updates are improving the functionality of the Xbox One and recent updates now allow a USB to be plugged into the Xbox One so it can play several media files such as mp3s, there is no option to import music onto the Xbox One through a USB or CD to be used later on for whatever purposes. Personally I do not fully comprehend why the Xbox One is incapable of this when the Xbox 360 CAN, especially with a hard drive of about 460 GB. Initially I had hoped that with time this would become possible on Xbox One and the usability of music stored onto the hard drive would mirror the Xbox 360, and that I and my younger brother could play WWE 2K15 just like we play WWE 2K14 on the Xbox 360. But no, and while its no longer a bigi because WWE 2K15 is a total downpour of misery and larva raining upon my expectations, melting my hopes and ambitions like a strip of magnesium held above a Bunsen burner, the feature would be nice for games like Forza Horizon 2 and Dead Rising 3.
To elaborate; on the Xbox 360 we have about 1200 songs on the hard drive which we have painstakingly ripped from writable CDs we filled with our kind of music and unique tracks that cannot be obtained in any way other than to make them yourself. When playing the Xbox 360, we have the choice to play music from the hard drive and 98% of the time we do, and when we have our own music playing; it does NOT interfere with the gameplay or the perception we see and hear. The biggest example of this use is when we play WWE 2K14 and fabricate our own WWE in Universe mode; we have the commentary turned off because it is terrible and instead we provide our own meanwhile we have a playlist of songs playing in the background during matches because without it, the gaming experience stinks. Additionally we have specific songs on the Xbox 360 hard drive for each of our 100 created characters which we've loudened, cropped, and added to as desired. This means we can songs by Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle, Three Days Grace and songs from other media such as 'Regalia' from SoulCalibur V, WWE songs that aren't on WWE 2K14 such as Kane's 'Slow Chemical' by Finger Eleven, and lastly songs we have edited significantly such as 'Jes XXIX Relentless Tragedy (SBG Mix)' which is Disciple's 'Someday' with five (5) plus minutes of fabricated tracks from Corpse Party, 'Noel's Theme' from Final Fantasy XIII-3 OST, Dexter, Team Four Star's DragonBall Z Abridged series, Final Destination series, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, CSI, Oddworld Abe's Exodus, GTA III, Pokémon, Top Gear, The Angry Video Game Nerd, and numerous sound effects like explosions, gunshots and so on, spliced over the song (I'm not kidding here, this is some real grade A horses*** here).
The point is this is what mine and my younger brother's music consists of and its one of the reasons we adore the Xbox 360. The Xbox One's inability to have the same functionality is distressing and makes tedious aspects of games that more discouraging. Think of it this way; wouldn't it be nice to at least have the option to play your own music during those possibly weariful elements of gaming such as building up your party in a RPG like Final Fantasy XV, or the option to have something else play in the background instead of the repeating radios on Grand Theft Auto V and Forza Horizon 2?
There is a silver lining in this however because recent updates have enabled me to choose a image or theme to be represented on the Xbox One background just like I can on the Xbox 360, which means I can have a Corpse Party image on the Xbox One background which is nice. With Xbox One consoles being sold with bigger hard drives; there may yet come the day where I can have custom music playing in the background. I just won't be holding my breath because it could be a while before this is realised, if it is actually possible.
Those who were patient enough to hold off buying an Xbox One until more games became available, they may be tempted by the offerings available today and the bright outlook of games coming out in 2015. The thing is from my perspective which is based on a year's worth experience of owning and playing an Xbox One Console; there is yet to be a definitive game that is totally exclusive to the Xbox One. Sure there are great games on Xbox One like Alien Isolation, Halo Master Chief Collection, Fifa 15, Grand Theft Auto V, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare and Forza Horizon 2; but ask yourself this: are these exclusive to the Xbox One? The answer is no, nearly every game or oncoming games are and will be available on other systems and while some games perform and appear better on Xbox One than the Xbox 360 counterpart, these still take away the appeal of having an Xbox One when you can have more or less the same experience and satisfaction, and save money having the Xbox 360 versions. I know there are exclusives like Sunset Overdrive that stand out, but frankly I do not foresee many exclusives in the near future.
Now I'm not deliberately picking on the Xbox One by stating the above, the PS4 is in the same boat and neither consoles are marginally different from the their predecessors in terms of unique offerings. This brings me up to one of the big reasons for purchasing any console from this eighth (8th) generation of video game consoles; the graphics. Getting a Xbox One or PS4 or Will U; you'd expect several things like superior graphics or revolutionary gameplay, but the truth is there's very little to prove that the eighth (8th) generation is a revolutionary step up from the seventh (7th) generation. In some instances there are differences in terms of number of pixels and presentation and gameplay that stand out like with the higher detail models of Superstars on the Xbox One and PS4 versions of WWE 2K15 over the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, or the Kinect on Xbox One to detect sounds and movements made by the player. Ultimately however the differences are few and far between the different versions of the same games (7th gen or 8th) and unless you really care about 1080p, then you don't really care as long as the games and the console of your choosing is enjoyable.
As a side note; I must concede that the Wii U is arguably the best in terms of exclusivity out of the three (3) home consoles but that exclusivity is a key reason why I don't have a Wii U because I prefer simplicity and all the bells and whistles of the Wii U make it unappealing and inaccessible (the Wii U gamepad in particular) to gamers who are used to the yearly instalments of Call of Duty and sports games. If you must have any console from the eighth (8th) generation then I would recommend the Nintendo 3DS family of systems because it offers exclusive games, favourites such as Mario and Pokémon, and portability.
Switching back to evaluating the Xbox One a year on plus since its been released; I have to admit the Xbox One still leaves a lot to be desired and Microsoft has a lot of work to do before I can be convinced that the purchase of the system and its library of games and dedication I have given so far is worth it. Its undoubtedly good and it will get better with time but with hindsight I should've waited until Autumn 2014 because by then the desirable games would have been released or close to be released and the system itself would've been updated enough to have avoided the headaches and disappointment I experienced since I purchased the Xbox One in December 2013.
Thankfully Forza Horizon 2 is the game for Xbox One I've been waiting for since the Xbox One was announced. It really is a ton of fun and it gives me the chance to exercise my creativity with the cars (even if the creativity isn't on par with others). If there is one (1) game that I would recommend for the Xbox One; its Forza Horizon 2. With any luck in 2015 there will be more recommendations like Halo 5 Guardians, and Metal Gear Solid V The Phantom Pain, but for now its a start.
Well, ...this is it for my diagnosis of the Xbox One a year on. I look forward to the offerings in 2015 and hopefully a year from now when I do a diagnosis of the system two (2) years from its release; I'll have more positive things to share about the Xbox One.
Before I say 'see ya' I will divulge on New Year's Eve what games stand out, what stink and which are a complete pile of deplorable s*** smothered in a bucket of pus, puke and famine along with such terribleness like 'Pudsey: The Movie'. I will also share what I will be looking for the most in 2015.
Until then, see ya!
Sunday, 23 November 2014
Video Games: The Incomplete Ages - SJBMCPRS Diagnosis
"You can't release something that's not finished" - The Angry Video Game Nerd from episode 118 (11 minute 50 seconds)
The quote above says it all and in my perspective the video games of today are especially guilty. Bugs, glitches, server issues, data corruption, missing features... nearly every game released these days have problems, just look at the inferior Driveclub for PlayStation 4 as a prime example of an incomplete game, by incomplete I mean that the game was released when there were still problems that SHOULD have been ironed out before release.
Before I get hammered with readers who disagree with me calling Driveclub "inferior", I just want to say this: Forza Motorsport 5, Forza Horizon 2, Gran Turismo 6, Race Driver: Grid, Need For Speed Rivals; these are just a handful of racing titles available on past gen and current gen platforms that are on a whole better than Driveclub.
The point is video games of late have been struck with problems besides hacking and piracy; a problem that shouldn't exist anymore and yet rears its ugly head in and ruins the specific video game experience for gamers.
My attention and attitude to glitches, and bugs have been evident and bitter ever since Silent Hill Downpour drowned in the downpour of criticisms, despite it have a promising plot and was atmospherically chilling and secluded like any Silent Hill game should be. Now I like Silent Hill Downpour and can get passed the aspects that ruin the overall gaming experience, though I can't forgive the development of the game because it was clearly a game that deserved more attention and a powerhouse of developers making Downpour the game it should've been, rather than the stammering Government politician that it effectively is because it was underdeveloped by Vatra Games. That said I wasn't surprised by the shoddiness in Silent Hill Downpour when you factor in the only other game Vatra Games developed was a mediocre effort knows as Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot. In essence Vatra games attempted brain surgery after playing one round of Hasbro's Operation game; it wasn't going to go smoothly.
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames is affected similarly, though its a far more baffling case when you take into account how well the original Mercenaries video game (Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction) came about, and especially more so when Pandemic Studios were the developers for both games. While Silent Hill Downpour suffers in several areas, it is playable and enjoyable; Mercenaries 2: World In Flames isn't playable because both the Xbox 360 and PS3 editions crash/freeze at the starting menu because it is trying to connect to the EA servers which no longer exist, thus it stops entirely. One way to get passed this is to sign off and play offline and then once you start the game, you can then sign in and continue playing. Now while there are ways of playing either the Xbox 360 or PS3 editions; the fact that EA does nothing to support their product with servers, and no longer have Pandemic Studios (because the studio closed in 2009) to make patches and correct the problems in the game means the troubles will persist and affect the gaming experience. Even if EA were to lift their head out of the ground and do something, its too late for me because the experience, the cost and frustration has completely ruined the game for me and for others no doubt.
Both examples above are examples of video games that would've been better if the developments weren't rushed in order to sell in retail ASAP. It seems however that the game developers behind the games we play today have never heard of the term 'quality' and 'dedication'. In the month of November (2014) there have been several 'big' video game releases such as Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Far Cry 4, Assassins Creed Unity, Grand Theft Auto V (for Xbox One and PS4), Halo: Master Chief Collection, WWE 2K15 (for Xbox One and PS4) and so on that have reported issues. While there are patches being developed to 'fix' the gaming experiences for these games, these 'fixes' are after the fact that these games weren't completed and tested thoroughly enough before reaching 'Gold status' and being released to the public. Because of this incomplete development approach developers take, it is us the gamers will discover bugs, glitches and other experience and performance issues which ruin the gaming experience.
This is 2014, not 1996 where Eidetic's (now SCE Bend Studio) idea of a game good enough for public release was Bubsy 3D, or November 1982 where Atari developed the very poorly designed Atari 5200!! We should be at a point where the games we buy and play are as good and 'complete' as technically possible, and yet this clearly isn't the case. The fact that video games are nowadays sold incomplete with content that is held back so it can be sold later on as DLC for a price is a waterfall of bulls*** and radiation! Today in order to get the 'complete' experience of a video game like Call of Duty Advanced Warfare (or any recent game for that matter); you have to pay £40 or so for the initial game, then purchase DLC that can cost up to £30 or more and in the meantime be patient because the developers behind the said game are providing game patches to correct issues or server problems that SHOULD have been made BEFORE the game hit retail stores! There is no logic to this other than the fact that this increases profits. One might argue that DLC is a means of increasing the lifespan of a game but the truth is the initial game would've had the SAME LIFESPAN had the 'missing' content from the 'incomplete' game been available on the initial game from the get-go; the only difference is that the 'complete' experience wouldn't cost any more which would be favourable to the gamers. And please don't come up with the excuse that the size of the 'missing' content would've exceeded the capabilities of the initial video game release because that's also complete bulls***, if video games can be downloaded in their entirety from disk formats or through the internet then it means the hard drives on consoles (minus the Nintendo Wii U) and PCs are more than capable of storing and handling the requirements.
Now compare and contrast any recent video game for the Xbox One for example to that of Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System which was released in 1992 in PAL territories. Both the modern Xbox One game and Super Mario World may contain bugs, glitches and so on and sold at a typical retail price of £40. The differences begin with the fact that the modern Xbox One game will be sold 'incomplete' and will require additional cost(s) optionally in order to get the 'complete' gaming experience. Super Mario World on the other hand was the 'complete' gaming experience from the SNES cartridge with no exceptions. Which one therefore is the more COMPLETE video game? (answer: Super Mario World in case you weren't able to decide).
Now for my main gripe and the best example of a video game that defines 'The Incomplete Ages' right now in my opinion: WWE 2K15 for Xbox One/PS4. Now if you have read the post about WWE beforehand then you would know that I am a fan and I am fanatic about storytelling for my created Superstars and Divas in the WWE video games. (Even if you haven't read the previous post) I had tremendous plans for 2K15 despite some concern that it wouldn't be possible to set custom music as entrances like I could in nearly every WWE game for the Xbox 360. Learning that the Xbox One and PS4 versions of WWE 2K15 would be delayed three (3) weeks after the last gen versions annoyed me of course but I'd always have the ideas in my head and backed up onto documents on my laptop anyhow so it wasn't overly damming and it gave me the promising impression that the developers: Visual Concepts and Yuke's were going to use the time to 'fix' any gaming errors before release. Alas whilst waiting it became apparent that there 'limitations' and reductions of content, perhaps the biggest shock was the fact that there would be the capacity for only 25 created characters and none of them could be Divas. From that point on the hopes, desires and expectations I and my younger brother had, had slid downwards like a man thrown down a rocky hill after having his limbs amputated by a malicious butcher. It was the 21/11/2014 when I finally got my hands on the Xbox One version of WWE 2K15 and the 'incompleteness' set ablaze the last remnants of amusement and satisfaction I had original held and replaced those ideas and passion with darkened resentment.
F*** this game!
Though limitations and 'incompleteness' were present in most areas, I and my younger brother set about creating the 25 Superstars that we had painstakingly whittled down from the 100 we have on WWE 2K14 for the Xbox 360. Both of us had spent the equivalent of two (2) days making our created Superstars and trying out the new wrestling mechanics and MyCareer mode, both of which we didn't like and knew we would need practice and getting used to before we started are own season. On the 22/11/2014 I had got to the point that the limitations and 'incompleteness' of WWE 2K15 were hindering some of the desires for our created Superstars such as entrances and moves, so I purchased the season pass which set me back £20 on top of the £45 price tag for the initial game. Even after using the 'Accelerator' to unlock 'everything' there were still problems like the absence of entrance motions for Bray Wyatt, John Cena, and The Undertaker for the created Superstars to use, even though the Entrance motions are available if you choose to edit those actual Superstars' entrances.
F*** this game!!
At around 02:15 on the 23/11/2014 I had finished the creation process of my last created Character, saved it, turned off the Xbox One console with WWE 2K15 returned to its case, and then attempted to get a few hours of sleep. I don't sleep well anyhow so it was asinine to try but whatever. 10:00 in the morning and both my younger brother and I started up WWE 2K15, only to find that everything we did in the two (2) long days prior was completely non-existent! A bug in the game had caused the saved data to erase and leave the both of us fuming like a set of boiling kettles stuffed with dynamite that were going to blow up. Internet forums indicate that this is a major problem felt across not just Xbox One and PS4 owners but also Xbox 360 and PS3 owners, and so far there has been no update, patch or notification from the developers regarding this issue.
F*** this game!!!
As murderously enraged I feel, I'm glad I still have the saved date for WWE 2K14 on the Xbox 360 which is just as well because it could be some time before a 'fix' is made to overcome the issues with WWE 2K15, the DLC packs become available, and rebuild trust. To say that I am disappointed and mega f***ing pissed off with WWE 2K15 though would be a understatement that dwarfs Tomorrow Square (5th tallest building in Shanghai, China). And yet it was my younger brother: Alec who phased our displeasure the best by saying this:
"Congratulations 2K Sports on creating a game on par with the crap the WWE is airing on TV! The tagline is 'FEEL IT' huh? Oh I FEEL IT alright...!"
The biggest problem I have with WWE 2K15 is the extent of how inferior this feels to WWE 2K14 due to the sheer 'incompleteness' that is as profound as having the alarm lock going off at full volume while its strapped to the side of your head. While its acceptable that there would be features removed to an extent to allow for the new graphical enhancements and motions, I wasn't prepared for just how much was removed when you compare 2K15 with 2K14 (while you can have a hundred Created character slots on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of WWE 2K15, it is the same as WWE 2K14 overall except with 2K15 its like coming out a magician's saw in half trick with your torso and everything above actually sawed off from the legs!).
The way I see it is that WWE 2K16 will emulate WWE 2K15 on Xbox One and PS4 and have the features and match types that were missing from 2K15. But the problem I have is that WWE 2K15 could've had the missing features and have been more 'complete' if the development cycle was expanded for longer meaning it may not have been released until Spring 2015, but by doing this WWE 2K15 for Xbox One, PS4 (and PC at a later point) would be twice the game it is now. If the developers and publishers and WWE agreed with this plan in order to give a more definitive 'complete' gaming experience then I would be happy to wait, as no doubt would many who are now disappointed fans.
Alas, this didn't happen and probably won't happen in the future, meaning in order to get the proper new definitive experience and true successor to WWE 2K14; we'll have to wait until November 2015 for WWE 2K16 and hope that 2K16 is the game 2K15 couldn't be. But wait; even if that happens, we'll have to wait for DLC and patches to kick in to fill in the 'incompleteness' of the initial realise of WWE 2K16 because like nearly every video game in this age of 'incompleteness'; gamers will discover problems with the video games we buy and play because the games upon realise will be either incomplete or broken altogether.
Its a sad reality that is not new, and though there is the use of the internet to share experiences with problems, forums and suggestions how to overcome a bug, glitch or problem in general, as well as betas; 'The Incomplete Ages' for video games and consoles doesn't appear to be stopping any time soon.
Well...that's me done for this month. Next time I'll offer my impression of the Xbox One as a whole one (1) year since I purchased it in December of 2013.
Until next time, see ya!
The quote above says it all and in my perspective the video games of today are especially guilty. Bugs, glitches, server issues, data corruption, missing features... nearly every game released these days have problems, just look at the inferior Driveclub for PlayStation 4 as a prime example of an incomplete game, by incomplete I mean that the game was released when there were still problems that SHOULD have been ironed out before release.
Before I get hammered with readers who disagree with me calling Driveclub "inferior", I just want to say this: Forza Motorsport 5, Forza Horizon 2, Gran Turismo 6, Race Driver: Grid, Need For Speed Rivals; these are just a handful of racing titles available on past gen and current gen platforms that are on a whole better than Driveclub.
The point is video games of late have been struck with problems besides hacking and piracy; a problem that shouldn't exist anymore and yet rears its ugly head in and ruins the specific video game experience for gamers.
My attention and attitude to glitches, and bugs have been evident and bitter ever since Silent Hill Downpour drowned in the downpour of criticisms, despite it have a promising plot and was atmospherically chilling and secluded like any Silent Hill game should be. Now I like Silent Hill Downpour and can get passed the aspects that ruin the overall gaming experience, though I can't forgive the development of the game because it was clearly a game that deserved more attention and a powerhouse of developers making Downpour the game it should've been, rather than the stammering Government politician that it effectively is because it was underdeveloped by Vatra Games. That said I wasn't surprised by the shoddiness in Silent Hill Downpour when you factor in the only other game Vatra Games developed was a mediocre effort knows as Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot. In essence Vatra games attempted brain surgery after playing one round of Hasbro's Operation game; it wasn't going to go smoothly.
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames is affected similarly, though its a far more baffling case when you take into account how well the original Mercenaries video game (Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction) came about, and especially more so when Pandemic Studios were the developers for both games. While Silent Hill Downpour suffers in several areas, it is playable and enjoyable; Mercenaries 2: World In Flames isn't playable because both the Xbox 360 and PS3 editions crash/freeze at the starting menu because it is trying to connect to the EA servers which no longer exist, thus it stops entirely. One way to get passed this is to sign off and play offline and then once you start the game, you can then sign in and continue playing. Now while there are ways of playing either the Xbox 360 or PS3 editions; the fact that EA does nothing to support their product with servers, and no longer have Pandemic Studios (because the studio closed in 2009) to make patches and correct the problems in the game means the troubles will persist and affect the gaming experience. Even if EA were to lift their head out of the ground and do something, its too late for me because the experience, the cost and frustration has completely ruined the game for me and for others no doubt.
Both examples above are examples of video games that would've been better if the developments weren't rushed in order to sell in retail ASAP. It seems however that the game developers behind the games we play today have never heard of the term 'quality' and 'dedication'. In the month of November (2014) there have been several 'big' video game releases such as Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Far Cry 4, Assassins Creed Unity, Grand Theft Auto V (for Xbox One and PS4), Halo: Master Chief Collection, WWE 2K15 (for Xbox One and PS4) and so on that have reported issues. While there are patches being developed to 'fix' the gaming experiences for these games, these 'fixes' are after the fact that these games weren't completed and tested thoroughly enough before reaching 'Gold status' and being released to the public. Because of this incomplete development approach developers take, it is us the gamers will discover bugs, glitches and other experience and performance issues which ruin the gaming experience.
This is 2014, not 1996 where Eidetic's (now SCE Bend Studio) idea of a game good enough for public release was Bubsy 3D, or November 1982 where Atari developed the very poorly designed Atari 5200!! We should be at a point where the games we buy and play are as good and 'complete' as technically possible, and yet this clearly isn't the case. The fact that video games are nowadays sold incomplete with content that is held back so it can be sold later on as DLC for a price is a waterfall of bulls*** and radiation! Today in order to get the 'complete' experience of a video game like Call of Duty Advanced Warfare (or any recent game for that matter); you have to pay £40 or so for the initial game, then purchase DLC that can cost up to £30 or more and in the meantime be patient because the developers behind the said game are providing game patches to correct issues or server problems that SHOULD have been made BEFORE the game hit retail stores! There is no logic to this other than the fact that this increases profits. One might argue that DLC is a means of increasing the lifespan of a game but the truth is the initial game would've had the SAME LIFESPAN had the 'missing' content from the 'incomplete' game been available on the initial game from the get-go; the only difference is that the 'complete' experience wouldn't cost any more which would be favourable to the gamers. And please don't come up with the excuse that the size of the 'missing' content would've exceeded the capabilities of the initial video game release because that's also complete bulls***, if video games can be downloaded in their entirety from disk formats or through the internet then it means the hard drives on consoles (minus the Nintendo Wii U) and PCs are more than capable of storing and handling the requirements.
Now compare and contrast any recent video game for the Xbox One for example to that of Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System which was released in 1992 in PAL territories. Both the modern Xbox One game and Super Mario World may contain bugs, glitches and so on and sold at a typical retail price of £40. The differences begin with the fact that the modern Xbox One game will be sold 'incomplete' and will require additional cost(s) optionally in order to get the 'complete' gaming experience. Super Mario World on the other hand was the 'complete' gaming experience from the SNES cartridge with no exceptions. Which one therefore is the more COMPLETE video game? (answer: Super Mario World in case you weren't able to decide).
Now for my main gripe and the best example of a video game that defines 'The Incomplete Ages' right now in my opinion: WWE 2K15 for Xbox One/PS4. Now if you have read the post about WWE beforehand then you would know that I am a fan and I am fanatic about storytelling for my created Superstars and Divas in the WWE video games. (Even if you haven't read the previous post) I had tremendous plans for 2K15 despite some concern that it wouldn't be possible to set custom music as entrances like I could in nearly every WWE game for the Xbox 360. Learning that the Xbox One and PS4 versions of WWE 2K15 would be delayed three (3) weeks after the last gen versions annoyed me of course but I'd always have the ideas in my head and backed up onto documents on my laptop anyhow so it wasn't overly damming and it gave me the promising impression that the developers: Visual Concepts and Yuke's were going to use the time to 'fix' any gaming errors before release. Alas whilst waiting it became apparent that there 'limitations' and reductions of content, perhaps the biggest shock was the fact that there would be the capacity for only 25 created characters and none of them could be Divas. From that point on the hopes, desires and expectations I and my younger brother had, had slid downwards like a man thrown down a rocky hill after having his limbs amputated by a malicious butcher. It was the 21/11/2014 when I finally got my hands on the Xbox One version of WWE 2K15 and the 'incompleteness' set ablaze the last remnants of amusement and satisfaction I had original held and replaced those ideas and passion with darkened resentment.
F*** this game!
Though limitations and 'incompleteness' were present in most areas, I and my younger brother set about creating the 25 Superstars that we had painstakingly whittled down from the 100 we have on WWE 2K14 for the Xbox 360. Both of us had spent the equivalent of two (2) days making our created Superstars and trying out the new wrestling mechanics and MyCareer mode, both of which we didn't like and knew we would need practice and getting used to before we started are own season. On the 22/11/2014 I had got to the point that the limitations and 'incompleteness' of WWE 2K15 were hindering some of the desires for our created Superstars such as entrances and moves, so I purchased the season pass which set me back £20 on top of the £45 price tag for the initial game. Even after using the 'Accelerator' to unlock 'everything' there were still problems like the absence of entrance motions for Bray Wyatt, John Cena, and The Undertaker for the created Superstars to use, even though the Entrance motions are available if you choose to edit those actual Superstars' entrances.
F*** this game!!
At around 02:15 on the 23/11/2014 I had finished the creation process of my last created Character, saved it, turned off the Xbox One console with WWE 2K15 returned to its case, and then attempted to get a few hours of sleep. I don't sleep well anyhow so it was asinine to try but whatever. 10:00 in the morning and both my younger brother and I started up WWE 2K15, only to find that everything we did in the two (2) long days prior was completely non-existent! A bug in the game had caused the saved data to erase and leave the both of us fuming like a set of boiling kettles stuffed with dynamite that were going to blow up. Internet forums indicate that this is a major problem felt across not just Xbox One and PS4 owners but also Xbox 360 and PS3 owners, and so far there has been no update, patch or notification from the developers regarding this issue.
F*** this game!!!
As murderously enraged I feel, I'm glad I still have the saved date for WWE 2K14 on the Xbox 360 which is just as well because it could be some time before a 'fix' is made to overcome the issues with WWE 2K15, the DLC packs become available, and rebuild trust. To say that I am disappointed and mega f***ing pissed off with WWE 2K15 though would be a understatement that dwarfs Tomorrow Square (5th tallest building in Shanghai, China). And yet it was my younger brother: Alec who phased our displeasure the best by saying this:
"Congratulations 2K Sports on creating a game on par with the crap the WWE is airing on TV! The tagline is 'FEEL IT' huh? Oh I FEEL IT alright...!"
The biggest problem I have with WWE 2K15 is the extent of how inferior this feels to WWE 2K14 due to the sheer 'incompleteness' that is as profound as having the alarm lock going off at full volume while its strapped to the side of your head. While its acceptable that there would be features removed to an extent to allow for the new graphical enhancements and motions, I wasn't prepared for just how much was removed when you compare 2K15 with 2K14 (while you can have a hundred Created character slots on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of WWE 2K15, it is the same as WWE 2K14 overall except with 2K15 its like coming out a magician's saw in half trick with your torso and everything above actually sawed off from the legs!).
The way I see it is that WWE 2K16 will emulate WWE 2K15 on Xbox One and PS4 and have the features and match types that were missing from 2K15. But the problem I have is that WWE 2K15 could've had the missing features and have been more 'complete' if the development cycle was expanded for longer meaning it may not have been released until Spring 2015, but by doing this WWE 2K15 for Xbox One, PS4 (and PC at a later point) would be twice the game it is now. If the developers and publishers and WWE agreed with this plan in order to give a more definitive 'complete' gaming experience then I would be happy to wait, as no doubt would many who are now disappointed fans.
Alas, this didn't happen and probably won't happen in the future, meaning in order to get the proper new definitive experience and true successor to WWE 2K14; we'll have to wait until November 2015 for WWE 2K16 and hope that 2K16 is the game 2K15 couldn't be. But wait; even if that happens, we'll have to wait for DLC and patches to kick in to fill in the 'incompleteness' of the initial realise of WWE 2K16 because like nearly every video game in this age of 'incompleteness'; gamers will discover problems with the video games we buy and play because the games upon realise will be either incomplete or broken altogether.
Its a sad reality that is not new, and though there is the use of the internet to share experiences with problems, forums and suggestions how to overcome a bug, glitch or problem in general, as well as betas; 'The Incomplete Ages' for video games and consoles doesn't appear to be stopping any time soon.
Well...that's me done for this month. Next time I'll offer my impression of the Xbox One as a whole one (1) year since I purchased it in December of 2013.
Until next time, see ya!
Thursday, 16 October 2014
WWE - SJBMCPRS diagnosis
Like it or not, I am a fan of the WWE. During the mid 90s I watched the installation process of Sky TV in our family home back in "Royal" Tunbridge Wells, Kent (actually it was closer to Southborough but Tunbridge Wells was close by). After this process, my oldest brother tested SKY TV and soon enough found SkySports and there was wrestling on, which he wanted to watch. I looked on with no understanding of it at all, though it became more and more clearer that my older siblings were fans of wrestling, in particular WWE which was known as WWF at the time (it wasn't the same WWF as the one featuring the protection of pandas and wild animals). Naturally I got more and more exposed to wrestling, especially since my Mum was also a fan, but it wasn't until the screen went red with flames soaring upwards on the TV and out came an imposing red and black behemoth known as "Kane" that I stood in awe and paid better attention to the WWF. From there on I was interested in the WWF and watched its programming on Sky TV whenever I could. Still it wasn't until post WrestleMania XIX (19) that I became a fan and it was WrestleMania XX that was the first PPV I watched via box office from start to finish. Since then I have watched all of the now WWE PPVs that were free on SkySports and the majority of the bigger PPVs such as the Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and WrestleMania and some minor such as Bad Blood which had gimmick matches such as the Hell In The Cell (these PPVs were ones you had to order via Sky Box Office). I would watch Raw the day after it aired because we had a recorder, saving us from the task of staying up past midnight and watching it as it aired. Watching Smackdown on the other hand was a tradition I was determined to maintain because it was superior WWE TV and I preferred watching wrestling matches that weren't ruined by unnecessary DQs, celebrities and hijinks which were common on Raw.
Sadly I do not watch WWE programming the same way or as much because I grew weary of content I didn't care for and Smackdown became and now especially is a shell of its former self. Now I watch only what interests me and storyline associated content building up to the oncoming PPV, and skip the rest. PPVs such as SummerSlam, the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, TLC and WrestleMania are definite watches for me, my younger brother and my Mum, but if there is a lacklustre build-up to a lacklustre PPV such as Hell In A Cell 2014 then I spend my money on other things and watch the PPV freely after its happened (technically illegal but then charging money to watch inferior content is just ridiculous and depressing when you do buy into the PPV and it turns out like a cheeseburger without the cheese or the actual burger).
Of course when the WWE Network FINALLY arrives here in the UK and works just aw well as other video channels such as YouTube and Cinemassacre, then I will jump on the bandwagon and pay the "9.99 per month" price tag and get my fix of WWE programming that way. Seriously there is WWE content that I wasn't able to watch such as the majority of the brand exclusive PPVs that I want to catch up on and watch infamous matches such as Eddie Guerrero versus JBL at Judgement Day 2004. It would be interesting to watch the documentaries on such events like the Monday Night Wars, and perhaps watch content from WCW and ECW on the WWE Network. Aside from that though there is nothing really else the WWE Network offers that I'll watch, I can say "no" to Total Divas even though I am the biggest fan of the Divas in the family; I just can't stand Big Brother inspired programming.
My favourite Superstars and Divas and others? Kane, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Vince McMahon, Edge, Chris Jericho, Goldberg, Christian, Eve Torres, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Randy Orton, AJ Lee, Mickie James, Stephanie McMahon, Paul Heyman, Goldust, Triple H, Cesaro, The Miz, Dutch Mantel, Jack Swagger, and JBL. Personal Favourite? Kane
Now I might get a lot of flack for my list of favourites and personal favourite but my list reflects my viewing of WWE, WWF, WCW and so on; I've never watched entities like AWA, TNA, ROH, and the many regional wrestling developments there were back in the day, and I have no intention of doing so. I am a person who likes what he likes and doesn't venture out of that comfort zone. The apparent "Golden Age" of wrestling doesn't interest me and personally I don't give a damn or like Hulk Hogan. I like wrestling yes but I like the stories that are told and the characters even more and that's what hooks me in. You can bash me for liking John Cena but the truth is I like what he does in the ring, what he says and I admire John Cena for his dedication into the business and outside such as the Make A Wish Foundation. I enjoy the supernatural prowess of Kane and The Undertaker and appreciate that they can wrestle better then many. I enjoy the talkers such as Paul Heyman and the McMahons because they are heels (bad guys) and are so good at it. Chris Jericho in my opinion is the most talented in the WWE and out because he can give grade A matches twice a week, he doesn't have a bad attitude, he wants to spur on next generation wrestlers such as Bray Wyatt and back in John Cena in 2005 and can be successful outside the WWE like with his band Fozzy.
Of course there much to hate about the WWE and amongst the many wrongs, these are the worst in my opinion: Vickie Guerrero, Michael Cole, Hornswoggle, Bo Dallas, Adam Rose, The Great Khali, celebrities, Bret Hart versus Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XXVI (26), the Bella Twins, tag teams with superstars looking the same as each other, Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton versus Hulk Hogan at SummerSlam 2006, Night of Champions, John Laurinaitis, Having no blood in gimmick matches such as Hell in A Cell, Ladder, TLC and so on, music artists performing such as Kid Rock at WrestleMania XXV (25), Santino Marella, Hell in A Cell PPV, Big Boss Man versus The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania XV (15), Chyna, Jeff Jarrett, WWE's obliviousness to the past (i.e. ignoring the fact that The Undertaker and Triple H had already had a match at WrestleMania XVII (17), WWE mistreatment of Divas.
The Undertaker versus Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX (30) is neither a favourite match of mine nor a horrible abomination either. It couldn't live up to the highly praised matches involving The Undertaker at WrestleMania before such as against Shawn Michaels at XXV (25) and XXVI (26), but then it would've been foolish to think a match with Brock Lesnar could. Still I felt genuine fear because after Brock hit the German Suplexes and his second (2nd) F5, The Undertaker was out of it and couldn't synch with Brock effectively. After the third (3rd) F5 I thought it would be impossible to tell a convincing story anymore if The Undertaker kicked out considering how broken he appeared. Still Brock getting the 1, 2, 3 and ending the Streak created shock felt across the world, I couldn't close my mouth because it had broken off after it hit the floor. For the rest of the event I had jaw pain because I was still in complete shock. And yet consciously I was nodding in agreement with myself about the decision, about Brock winning. For me it makes sense for Brock Lesnar to beat The Undertaker and end the undefeated Streak because Brock is certainly more than capable of beating The Undertaker in a match or a shoot fight and has done so impressively in the past matches against The Undertaker. It works for Brock's mystique too because he was a monster of a man in the WWE during his first stint and still is a monster of a man today.
The only gripe I have with The Undertaker versus Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania XXX (30) was that it happened too late and when it did, The Undertaker wasn't healthy enough for a match with Brock who is very physical and imposingly powerful but nothing else (he's not capable of doing it all in and out of the ring like Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Triple H or Kane). The match itself was cumbersome and flat and unfortunately The Undertaker did suffer because of his injuries and sustaining a concussion during the match. But that in itself makes the match remarkable because The Undertaker was capable of delivering a match with Brock Lesnar in his, age and condition. Its kind of odd that the Streak got broken after 21 wins because 21 has nothing significant to it like 20, 25, 13 or any number associated with omen and the devil, but ultimately I agree with Chris Jericho and Paul Heyman regarding The Undertaker's toughness and the Streak and that The Undertaker should lose in his last match. Will it be The Undertaker's last match? Personally I don't think so, I feel he'll honour Sting's challenge for a match at WrestleMania and that will be the last because the Streak is over at 21-1 and the appeal of The Undertaker versus Sting at WrestleMania will be that both are legends, its never happened, and Sting wants to face The Undertaker so badly. I feel that The Undertaker versus Sting could be a fitting pinnacle for both legends regardless of the outcome.
But its because of the video games that I enjoy the WWE the most. At first when the games were about the wrestlers and the wrestling, it was acceptable and fun at times but overly average and unmemorable. WWF Warzone was the first game I came across that allowed you to create your own Superstar but back then the mode was just as average and I wasn't as creative back then, still it was fun hitting WWF Superstar with TVs! WWF Attitude and its clones were better and I enjoyed the fact you could choose the moves this time around, create a female Superstar (Diva) and the voicing of Superstars and Divas was often times hilarious. WrestleMania 2000 or XVI (16) as I prefer to call it and WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64 were definite improvements and I would call the later a classic.
It was with and after WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain though were WWE games got to the level that I really enjoyed myself. Creating a Superstar/Diva became progressively better as did the graphics, general sound and gameplay. With multiplayer online or offline; wrestling was even more enjoyable because now you didn't have to just fight against the A.I controlled wrestlers. It was around this time were myself and my younger brother began our own WWE with our own created Superstars and Divas, shaping our own editions of Raw and Smackdown and PPVs. We also provided commentary and since then this trend has only grown. With WWE '13 and 2K14, me and my younger brother utilise the WWE Universe mode to add that extra level of unpredictability into the fray of absurd and plentifully enjoyable madness. Hopefully with WWE 2K15, things will continue and I can resume with my created Superstars and Divas and stories whether it be on my own or with my little brother.
Alas there is a problem; not with the games themselves but rather the limits of these games have. I am more then anyone in the family or anyone I know; a fantast and I come up with some very long-winded and precise stories that irritate my younger brother who is not made up the same way as I am. I have my limits say for example I won't touch on Space or a whelm not realistic at all, I opt for an alternative world where my characters live beyond the business of WWE. The Superstars and Divas I create have backstories, they live in fictional homes based on actual and real world locations i.e. Chicago. I use these characters in other media such as in racing games or RPGs.
An example of this is a character called "Bigichu", he is a blood relative to the now deceased Triple P, Bigachu Biga Bi Ga (BBB), and Bigachu, but has different parents. Bigichu is yellow skinned like his relatives, has a distinctively minimal moustache, dons dark blue ring gear and his favourite band in the world is Chevelle. Bigichu closely associates with a created Superstar called "Cobra" created by my younger brother. Bigichu is a former Royal Rumble winner, a former World Heavyweight Champion and once the co-general manger of Raw with and without Cobra. Bigichu has only recently let out to his colleagues in the WWE that he is a husband to a former Diva called Jessie and has a daughter, making him a father. Outside the WWE he lives with his daughter at their home in Atlanta, Georgia, while his wife and his daughter's mother had walked out fairly recently for unknown reasons. The family servant is "ChoasCroc Ronso", a Ronso from yes you guessed it Spira in Final Fantasy X and X-2 who also competes in the WWE. Thanks to the Xbox 360 versions of WWE games, I can use an edited version of Chevelle's "Antisaint" song as a user playlist which plays as Bigichu's music when coming down to the ring and winning the match just like the actual WWE Superstars and Divas. In Forza Motorsport 5 and Forza Horizon 2, there are cars in the garage that are painted in the same dark blue and have a created logo "4 REAL" just like Bigichu has on his ring gear, thus defining the cars as "Bigichu's cars".
"????!!???!!!!" is perhaps what comes to mind of whoever reads this post, but the truth is "Bigichu" is just (1) example, and because there are a hundred (100) shots for created Superstars and Divas in WWE 2K14, it means there are 49 other Superstars and Divas that I have created, each different and each having their own unique music and stories, some that are far longer and detailed than "Bigichu".
I have four (4) created representations of Corpse Party characters on WWE 2K14 which will be duplicated in detail on WWE 2K15 later on. They are Ayumi Shinozaki, Yoshiki Kishinuma, Naomi Nakashima, and Seiko Shinohara and yes they wrestle in mine and my little brother's variation of the WWE based on 2K14 and so on. All are rather short in height to reflect upon their ages based on the Corpse Party series and my own fictional writing, but cannot be the exact heights due to the limitations of the WWE games. Attires are different once again because of the limitations in the WWE games though I try to replicate their attires and appearances as faithfully as I can while plainly creating an alternative setting from the Corpse Party series, for example; Yoshiki utilises in essence the same attire as seen in Corpse Party: Missing Footage when Yoshiki meets Shinozaki in the store (at least I think its a store with a photocopier). Each have unique qualities; for example Naomi is the submission expert and her move set is specifically set to inflict damage on an opponent's head thus making it easier to force a submission with her first (1st) finisher "The Hart Lock" or a pinfall by utilising a chokeslam as her second (2nd) finisher, Seiko is the fastest and dives over the ropes and attempts high risk moves the most, Seiko's attacks are kick to the head based as are her finishing moves which she can perform as a "catch finisher" like Randy Orton's RKO which incidentally is Shinozaki's finishing move. Both Shinozaki and Naomi use a song from the Corpse Party series as their music themes, whereas Yoshiki uses an edited version of "Misery Loves My Company" by Three Days Grace and Seiko has an edited version of "All About Tonight" by Pixie Lott to reflect upon Seiko's happy and fun personality. The story behind these four Corpse Party characters is written and defined in my own fan fiction of the Corpse Party series dubbed "Corpse Party -Reckoning-" which tells how the four (4) came to Chicago, Illinois and end up competing in the WWE as well as how they go on with their lives together following the events defined in the Corpse Party games.
Now the paragraph above is a mouthful and then some to take in I imagine but the real stunner here is that while this is in my mind, it is actually written on a Word document using the title "Corpse Party -Reckoning-" and thus far it is 366 pages long with the intention to be far more as it will eventually cover the events such as they're matches at SummerSlam 2013 and then "Regina's Court Case" which transpired after the 2014 Royal Rumble and 1st ever "Diva's Rumble". Before one might mutter the words "WHAT THE FUCK?!!?!" I should point out that "Regina" is indeed another character (Diva) that I created who has been a major character since WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2009, who hasn't been beaten at WrestleMania (WrestleMania XXIV (24) being her first (1st) and is shaped by traumatic difficulty encountered as a child.
........................................................ Okay now you can say "WHAT THE FUCK?!!?!"
This is the tip of an iceberg with me, and a post that defines the essence of what being a fan of the WWE is like from my perspective. Mind boggling isn't it? I should mention that this is what I enjoy and I won't apologise for it. Whether you may consider it sad or not, the fact is that there are countless others who create their own Superstars, Divas, create their own WWE Universe and so on, and perhaps there are those out there who think or act similar to me. Does it make me feel better that I'm perhaps not the only one who thinks and acts this way? Not really, but hey honesty is good for the soul, ...sometimes....maybe. If you have anything you wish to say reading this then don't feel like you have to keep it locked away with a padlock with a key set in a jar of acid eroding away (Saw III (3) reference there). I welcome any comments.
If you think you want to try a WWF/WWE game out then there are many to choose from. Just don't go for WrestleMania X8 (18) for the Nintendo GameCube because that's Vickie Guerrero "Excuse Me!" with Hornswoggle chewing at your right foot for an hour horses***!!
Until next time on the SJBMCPRS Report, see ya!
Sadly I do not watch WWE programming the same way or as much because I grew weary of content I didn't care for and Smackdown became and now especially is a shell of its former self. Now I watch only what interests me and storyline associated content building up to the oncoming PPV, and skip the rest. PPVs such as SummerSlam, the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, TLC and WrestleMania are definite watches for me, my younger brother and my Mum, but if there is a lacklustre build-up to a lacklustre PPV such as Hell In A Cell 2014 then I spend my money on other things and watch the PPV freely after its happened (technically illegal but then charging money to watch inferior content is just ridiculous and depressing when you do buy into the PPV and it turns out like a cheeseburger without the cheese or the actual burger).
Of course when the WWE Network FINALLY arrives here in the UK and works just aw well as other video channels such as YouTube and Cinemassacre, then I will jump on the bandwagon and pay the "9.99 per month" price tag and get my fix of WWE programming that way. Seriously there is WWE content that I wasn't able to watch such as the majority of the brand exclusive PPVs that I want to catch up on and watch infamous matches such as Eddie Guerrero versus JBL at Judgement Day 2004. It would be interesting to watch the documentaries on such events like the Monday Night Wars, and perhaps watch content from WCW and ECW on the WWE Network. Aside from that though there is nothing really else the WWE Network offers that I'll watch, I can say "no" to Total Divas even though I am the biggest fan of the Divas in the family; I just can't stand Big Brother inspired programming.
My favourite Superstars and Divas and others? Kane, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Vince McMahon, Edge, Chris Jericho, Goldberg, Christian, Eve Torres, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Randy Orton, AJ Lee, Mickie James, Stephanie McMahon, Paul Heyman, Goldust, Triple H, Cesaro, The Miz, Dutch Mantel, Jack Swagger, and JBL. Personal Favourite? Kane
Now I might get a lot of flack for my list of favourites and personal favourite but my list reflects my viewing of WWE, WWF, WCW and so on; I've never watched entities like AWA, TNA, ROH, and the many regional wrestling developments there were back in the day, and I have no intention of doing so. I am a person who likes what he likes and doesn't venture out of that comfort zone. The apparent "Golden Age" of wrestling doesn't interest me and personally I don't give a damn or like Hulk Hogan. I like wrestling yes but I like the stories that are told and the characters even more and that's what hooks me in. You can bash me for liking John Cena but the truth is I like what he does in the ring, what he says and I admire John Cena for his dedication into the business and outside such as the Make A Wish Foundation. I enjoy the supernatural prowess of Kane and The Undertaker and appreciate that they can wrestle better then many. I enjoy the talkers such as Paul Heyman and the McMahons because they are heels (bad guys) and are so good at it. Chris Jericho in my opinion is the most talented in the WWE and out because he can give grade A matches twice a week, he doesn't have a bad attitude, he wants to spur on next generation wrestlers such as Bray Wyatt and back in John Cena in 2005 and can be successful outside the WWE like with his band Fozzy.
Of course there much to hate about the WWE and amongst the many wrongs, these are the worst in my opinion: Vickie Guerrero, Michael Cole, Hornswoggle, Bo Dallas, Adam Rose, The Great Khali, celebrities, Bret Hart versus Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XXVI (26), the Bella Twins, tag teams with superstars looking the same as each other, Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton versus Hulk Hogan at SummerSlam 2006, Night of Champions, John Laurinaitis, Having no blood in gimmick matches such as Hell in A Cell, Ladder, TLC and so on, music artists performing such as Kid Rock at WrestleMania XXV (25), Santino Marella, Hell in A Cell PPV, Big Boss Man versus The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania XV (15), Chyna, Jeff Jarrett, WWE's obliviousness to the past (i.e. ignoring the fact that The Undertaker and Triple H had already had a match at WrestleMania XVII (17), WWE mistreatment of Divas.
The Undertaker versus Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX (30) is neither a favourite match of mine nor a horrible abomination either. It couldn't live up to the highly praised matches involving The Undertaker at WrestleMania before such as against Shawn Michaels at XXV (25) and XXVI (26), but then it would've been foolish to think a match with Brock Lesnar could. Still I felt genuine fear because after Brock hit the German Suplexes and his second (2nd) F5, The Undertaker was out of it and couldn't synch with Brock effectively. After the third (3rd) F5 I thought it would be impossible to tell a convincing story anymore if The Undertaker kicked out considering how broken he appeared. Still Brock getting the 1, 2, 3 and ending the Streak created shock felt across the world, I couldn't close my mouth because it had broken off after it hit the floor. For the rest of the event I had jaw pain because I was still in complete shock. And yet consciously I was nodding in agreement with myself about the decision, about Brock winning. For me it makes sense for Brock Lesnar to beat The Undertaker and end the undefeated Streak because Brock is certainly more than capable of beating The Undertaker in a match or a shoot fight and has done so impressively in the past matches against The Undertaker. It works for Brock's mystique too because he was a monster of a man in the WWE during his first stint and still is a monster of a man today.
The only gripe I have with The Undertaker versus Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania XXX (30) was that it happened too late and when it did, The Undertaker wasn't healthy enough for a match with Brock who is very physical and imposingly powerful but nothing else (he's not capable of doing it all in and out of the ring like Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Triple H or Kane). The match itself was cumbersome and flat and unfortunately The Undertaker did suffer because of his injuries and sustaining a concussion during the match. But that in itself makes the match remarkable because The Undertaker was capable of delivering a match with Brock Lesnar in his, age and condition. Its kind of odd that the Streak got broken after 21 wins because 21 has nothing significant to it like 20, 25, 13 or any number associated with omen and the devil, but ultimately I agree with Chris Jericho and Paul Heyman regarding The Undertaker's toughness and the Streak and that The Undertaker should lose in his last match. Will it be The Undertaker's last match? Personally I don't think so, I feel he'll honour Sting's challenge for a match at WrestleMania and that will be the last because the Streak is over at 21-1 and the appeal of The Undertaker versus Sting at WrestleMania will be that both are legends, its never happened, and Sting wants to face The Undertaker so badly. I feel that The Undertaker versus Sting could be a fitting pinnacle for both legends regardless of the outcome.
But its because of the video games that I enjoy the WWE the most. At first when the games were about the wrestlers and the wrestling, it was acceptable and fun at times but overly average and unmemorable. WWF Warzone was the first game I came across that allowed you to create your own Superstar but back then the mode was just as average and I wasn't as creative back then, still it was fun hitting WWF Superstar with TVs! WWF Attitude and its clones were better and I enjoyed the fact you could choose the moves this time around, create a female Superstar (Diva) and the voicing of Superstars and Divas was often times hilarious. WrestleMania 2000 or XVI (16) as I prefer to call it and WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64 were definite improvements and I would call the later a classic.
It was with and after WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain though were WWE games got to the level that I really enjoyed myself. Creating a Superstar/Diva became progressively better as did the graphics, general sound and gameplay. With multiplayer online or offline; wrestling was even more enjoyable because now you didn't have to just fight against the A.I controlled wrestlers. It was around this time were myself and my younger brother began our own WWE with our own created Superstars and Divas, shaping our own editions of Raw and Smackdown and PPVs. We also provided commentary and since then this trend has only grown. With WWE '13 and 2K14, me and my younger brother utilise the WWE Universe mode to add that extra level of unpredictability into the fray of absurd and plentifully enjoyable madness. Hopefully with WWE 2K15, things will continue and I can resume with my created Superstars and Divas and stories whether it be on my own or with my little brother.
Alas there is a problem; not with the games themselves but rather the limits of these games have. I am more then anyone in the family or anyone I know; a fantast and I come up with some very long-winded and precise stories that irritate my younger brother who is not made up the same way as I am. I have my limits say for example I won't touch on Space or a whelm not realistic at all, I opt for an alternative world where my characters live beyond the business of WWE. The Superstars and Divas I create have backstories, they live in fictional homes based on actual and real world locations i.e. Chicago. I use these characters in other media such as in racing games or RPGs.
An example of this is a character called "Bigichu", he is a blood relative to the now deceased Triple P, Bigachu Biga Bi Ga (BBB), and Bigachu, but has different parents. Bigichu is yellow skinned like his relatives, has a distinctively minimal moustache, dons dark blue ring gear and his favourite band in the world is Chevelle. Bigichu closely associates with a created Superstar called "Cobra" created by my younger brother. Bigichu is a former Royal Rumble winner, a former World Heavyweight Champion and once the co-general manger of Raw with and without Cobra. Bigichu has only recently let out to his colleagues in the WWE that he is a husband to a former Diva called Jessie and has a daughter, making him a father. Outside the WWE he lives with his daughter at their home in Atlanta, Georgia, while his wife and his daughter's mother had walked out fairly recently for unknown reasons. The family servant is "ChoasCroc Ronso", a Ronso from yes you guessed it Spira in Final Fantasy X and X-2 who also competes in the WWE. Thanks to the Xbox 360 versions of WWE games, I can use an edited version of Chevelle's "Antisaint" song as a user playlist which plays as Bigichu's music when coming down to the ring and winning the match just like the actual WWE Superstars and Divas. In Forza Motorsport 5 and Forza Horizon 2, there are cars in the garage that are painted in the same dark blue and have a created logo "4 REAL" just like Bigichu has on his ring gear, thus defining the cars as "Bigichu's cars".
"????!!???!!!!" is perhaps what comes to mind of whoever reads this post, but the truth is "Bigichu" is just (1) example, and because there are a hundred (100) shots for created Superstars and Divas in WWE 2K14, it means there are 49 other Superstars and Divas that I have created, each different and each having their own unique music and stories, some that are far longer and detailed than "Bigichu".
I have four (4) created representations of Corpse Party characters on WWE 2K14 which will be duplicated in detail on WWE 2K15 later on. They are Ayumi Shinozaki, Yoshiki Kishinuma, Naomi Nakashima, and Seiko Shinohara and yes they wrestle in mine and my little brother's variation of the WWE based on 2K14 and so on. All are rather short in height to reflect upon their ages based on the Corpse Party series and my own fictional writing, but cannot be the exact heights due to the limitations of the WWE games. Attires are different once again because of the limitations in the WWE games though I try to replicate their attires and appearances as faithfully as I can while plainly creating an alternative setting from the Corpse Party series, for example; Yoshiki utilises in essence the same attire as seen in Corpse Party: Missing Footage when Yoshiki meets Shinozaki in the store (at least I think its a store with a photocopier). Each have unique qualities; for example Naomi is the submission expert and her move set is specifically set to inflict damage on an opponent's head thus making it easier to force a submission with her first (1st) finisher "The Hart Lock" or a pinfall by utilising a chokeslam as her second (2nd) finisher, Seiko is the fastest and dives over the ropes and attempts high risk moves the most, Seiko's attacks are kick to the head based as are her finishing moves which she can perform as a "catch finisher" like Randy Orton's RKO which incidentally is Shinozaki's finishing move. Both Shinozaki and Naomi use a song from the Corpse Party series as their music themes, whereas Yoshiki uses an edited version of "Misery Loves My Company" by Three Days Grace and Seiko has an edited version of "All About Tonight" by Pixie Lott to reflect upon Seiko's happy and fun personality. The story behind these four Corpse Party characters is written and defined in my own fan fiction of the Corpse Party series dubbed "Corpse Party -Reckoning-" which tells how the four (4) came to Chicago, Illinois and end up competing in the WWE as well as how they go on with their lives together following the events defined in the Corpse Party games.
Now the paragraph above is a mouthful and then some to take in I imagine but the real stunner here is that while this is in my mind, it is actually written on a Word document using the title "Corpse Party -Reckoning-" and thus far it is 366 pages long with the intention to be far more as it will eventually cover the events such as they're matches at SummerSlam 2013 and then "Regina's Court Case" which transpired after the 2014 Royal Rumble and 1st ever "Diva's Rumble". Before one might mutter the words "WHAT THE FUCK?!!?!" I should point out that "Regina" is indeed another character (Diva) that I created who has been a major character since WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2009, who hasn't been beaten at WrestleMania (WrestleMania XXIV (24) being her first (1st) and is shaped by traumatic difficulty encountered as a child.
........................................................ Okay now you can say "WHAT THE FUCK?!!?!"
This is the tip of an iceberg with me, and a post that defines the essence of what being a fan of the WWE is like from my perspective. Mind boggling isn't it? I should mention that this is what I enjoy and I won't apologise for it. Whether you may consider it sad or not, the fact is that there are countless others who create their own Superstars, Divas, create their own WWE Universe and so on, and perhaps there are those out there who think or act similar to me. Does it make me feel better that I'm perhaps not the only one who thinks and acts this way? Not really, but hey honesty is good for the soul, ...sometimes....maybe. If you have anything you wish to say reading this then don't feel like you have to keep it locked away with a padlock with a key set in a jar of acid eroding away (Saw III (3) reference there). I welcome any comments.
If you think you want to try a WWF/WWE game out then there are many to choose from. Just don't go for WrestleMania X8 (18) for the Nintendo GameCube because that's Vickie Guerrero "Excuse Me!" with Hornswoggle chewing at your right foot for an hour horses***!!
Until next time on the SJBMCPRS Report, see ya!
Thursday, 25 September 2014
Silent Hill - SJBMCPRS Diagnosis
In 1999, the gaming world was introduced to a gloomy and frightful town called Silent Hill; via the PS One game titled 'Silent Hill'. It is a survival horror adventure that gained publicity as nightmarish and a competitor to Resident Evil. Years later, Silent Hill evolved into a media franchise; producing various sequels, a prequel, comics, movies and establishing a contrast to the Resident Evil "Peek a Boo!" by establishing the psycological horror that pushed boundaries and welcomed us to the more twisted and shocking realms that were actually more realistic then in other games such as Resident Evil. Arguably this point was best potrayed in Silent Hill 2, which is considered to be the best Silent Hill game, and experience thus far.
Now I am not the biggest fan of Silent Hill, I started of with Silent Hill 3 and got not very far. I tried Silent Hill 2 and too got nowhere. I required walkthroughs written on the internet to progress and gradually complete 2 and 3, as well as the backing of codes to relieve some of the tension and nerves as I progressed into the unknown realms of Silent Hill. I felt bad cheating and not going through the process of exploration into the twisted images of 2, and 3, but even so I did quickly realise that Silent Hill was more preferable then its rival games such as Resident Evil. Nothing to me proved this more than Silent Hill 4 The Room... my personal favorite in the series.
This may sound weird but I associate Silent Hill 4 with my development in life a lot; the moment I explored the demo on PS2 and squashed the Sniffer Dogs and Victims with Henry's foot, I was enchanted into the horror. I completed the demo back to back for days until the full game was released and I sought out for my copy which I obtained in Tesco Extra at Tower Park in Poole. I had the PS2 version because I didn't have the original Xbox, though I later found that it was a tiny bit better on the Xbox console and preferably my choice of format. To ensure I got far and enevitably to the multiple endings, I had the offical strategy guide and with it I sought to complete Silent Hill 4 with all its endings several times and explore the perks, easter eggs and novelties contained within. Its thanks to Silent Hill 4 that I understood human emotion better and explore imagination beyond what I knew before, for better and worse. I will admit however that having to transport back and forth between worlds and the apartment just to exhange or equip or remove items was really medicore.
But it also associates a fair amount with what I fell out with and lessons that didn't benefit my life. Firstly it made me distrust the gaming magazines I enjoyed reading and collecting, all because in the Offical PlayStation 2 Magazine, the review for Silent Hill 4 was 7/10, yet it scored the same points as Colin McRae Rally 2005 which in the same issue scored 8/10. This alienated me to no end and it wasn't until years later when I understood that minds wired up differently from mine valued things differently. Consciously I cannot forget the car crash that happened after I brought my copy of Silent Hill 4 from Poole without thinking that having this game had cursed me and brought the bad luck. Its stupid I know but 'til this day I feel this way still. Silent Hill 4 also introduced an inappropiate obsession I have with gaming in that I collect games I like and keep them even though it does nothing logically but take up space. I must note as well I have had copies of Silent Hill 4 far too many times for I to count just like I have with Need For Speed Underground 2.
With my many experiences with Silent Hill 4, I had a newfound trust for the series and renewed interest in completing all the Silent Hill games I had as well as understanding the stories and events in each entity of the series. I completed 2, 3, as well as the first Silent Hill and in time found myself invested in the future of Silent Hill whether it be the next game in the series or movie. Unfortunately like the Angry Video Game Nerd and his love for Castlevania, Silent Hill for me couldn't improve following 4 or the regarded best of the series 2 in the same way that AVGN found numerous dissapointments following Super Castlevania IV.
When Silent Hill V (5) was announced, I was excited as to be expected and dreamt of what it could be like and how the plot may unfold. As soon as I learnt however that it would be developed by Double Helix Games; the same developer that made 'The Da Vinci Code' video game, I felt my hopes and expectations fall to the ground and shatter like a heart made of glass. Silent Hill Homecoming was a significant departure from the Silent Hill tradition and broken in fundemental ways that I felt mad that it was even called a Silent Hill game because it sure as hell didn't deserve to be. I admit its not terrible, its playable and if one can ignore the 'Silent Hill' aspects, it is a 7/10 game at best; but because its a Silent Hill game and fails badly at being convincingly harrowing or challanging, it is in my opinion the WORST Silent Hill game.
In years to come Silent Hill would expand onto the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and introduce the prequel; Silent Hill Origins. Now this was more like it though it still wasn't terrifying as a Silent Hill game should be and because it was a PSP game, it had limitations which were made so dangerously apparent when it was ported onto the PS2 later on. Its still better than Silent Hill Homecoming, but not close enough to remedy the franchise after the blasphemy that was Homecoming.
Silent Hill Shattered Memories is an intresting addition to the series, but again it wasn't the saving grace other fans might have hoped, and it installed a really daunting impression that the series was in grave danger because it utilised the humble beginnings of Silent Hill, altered it somewhat and then made it into a survival horror, puzzle game. It was actually pretty good but I hated its forced linear nature and the inibility to fight the monsters, plus it was on the Nintendo Wii which meant it was compromised from the start. It could have been a real turnaround for the series but instead it was built on last generation consoles like the PS2 and the Nintendo Wii which felt last gen from the start even though it competed against PS3 and Xbox 360. My biggest gripe with Shattered Memories however is that while it may not be considered cannon, or in other words a spin-off title, it interferes with the memories of the first Silent Hill and potrays a different and worse impression of characters like Harry Mason. It made me mad like how "That '90s show" of The Simpsons contradicted what was already established in the Simpson timeline and story.
Movies came and subsequently went, while the comics continued, but the bitter disapointment I felt and no doubt fans of the series also felt was still profound. The first (1st) was 'okay' but then I didn't think highly of the concept of making Silent Hill into a movie in the first place so therefore my expectations were dammingly low to begin with. The same could be said for 'ilent Hill Revelation 3D'; the second (2nd) movie I felt was better because it hit more the notes which Silent Hill 3 introducted but its like saying the Xbox 360 looks better in white than black, its not significant and personally I wish Hollywood would leave video games alone and that we didn't have the games we love turn into films like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Need For Speed, Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia and so on. Oh and I hate the fact that Revelation feels rushed from the start and has that Vincent character, I would've promoted Revelation as the best thing since the sandwich toaster if Heather brutally and inhumanely murdered Vincent while driven insane by the Otherworld.
Now I want to go on record and say that Silent Hill Downpour should've been a very good game and would've brought life back into the Silent Hill series. I personally really liked Downpour and it had a lot going for it too; music, story, setting, secondary missions, exploration... I would've said that Downpour was at long last the one to be better than Silent Hill 2 and taken its place over Silent Hill 4 as my personal favorite out of the series. There was just one major problem however, the game was beyond broken! Even with the patch, Downpour fumbled about, struggled with framerate, loading times, auto saving every time a person blinked and awful animations. Some reviewers state the fighting mechanic is also broken, but I actually like it because it made you feel vulnerable and outmatched against the monsters just like in the first four (4) games, and not tediously overpowered like in Homecoming. The bad fighting mechanic however was profoundly atrocious when Murphy becomes the 'Bogeyman' and tries to strike Anne.
The animations and stiffness is a dissapointing factor in my opinion becuase there are numerous ways of dying such as being consumed by the Otherworld while in 'Chase mode' or being impaled by spikes yet when death does occur Murphy simply groans and collapses like a wardobe toppling over. Given the numerous possibilites and ways of dying, it would have been nice and dare I say satisfying to see Murphy being eviscerated, decapitated, torn apart, shredded by a saw, catch on fire and burn to death or literally swallowed up by the Otherworld while in 'Chase mode'. Personally Downpour needed to be more freightening, a way to do that would've been in a death scene or a Fatality like in Mortal Kombat, I needed to be afraid of dying because of the visual presentation of Murphy or Anne dying instead of being frustrated when inadvertant death occurs unspectaculary and then have to wait for the game to load. Instead it proves flat, frustrating having to go again and incomplete.
To say Downpour feels incomplete is an understatement, it puts me in mind of The Getaway on PS2 where there is promise and the ability to explore the surroundings and town of Silent Hill but lacks the fundemental garnish that would make a barley functional and stiff game look and feel great. Even if Downpour were delayed for longer just to overcome the technical difficulties then it would've been very welcome. Instead we got a game that was great but unready and rushed. Picture Downpour like a soufflé done incorrectly and that incorrectness spoils what would've have been delicious. Frankly if you were a proud chef, you wouldn't produce a inferior soufflé to someone you know has expectations; the same could be said about Silent Hill Downpour, and yet the devolpers Vatra Games and Publisher Konami went ahead with the incomplete and inferior product.
As a result this was an unholy bad move which costed everyone involved; Vatra Games subsequently went bankrupt, Konami issued replacement games as redemption to fans, and fans playing Downpour were angry and disappointed. While there is the PlayStation Vita game: Silent Hill: Book of Memories, I have lost hope with Silent Hill and therefore choose not to invest in a Silent Hill game that is called a spin-off and focuses on online multiplayer.
For me it essentially kills off the Silent Hill franchise along with any hope that it can be revived. It is unfortunate that I see Silent Hill as extinct as the Dino Crisis series, and though Silent Hill is not yet dead with the oncoming 'Silent Hills', I have little confidence in the future of Silent Hill.
Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro teaming up to create the next Silent Hill entry called 'Silent Hills' is admittedly a hugely appealing prospect. I do not know who Guillermo del Toro is or what he's infamous for but I do understand that he regarded highly regarded in horror movies just as Hideo Kojima is highly regarded in gaming. From what I've seen, experienced and heard about the P.T Demo and 'Silent Hills', there is undeniably impressive aspects, but its still too early to be excited about 'Silent Hills' and the fact that you have Hideo Kojima and a movie director leading the project worries me. Why does this worry me? Its simple; I have a feeling that its going to be Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots all over again. MGS4 is more of a movie than a game; it is so heavily bogged down in its own world of cutscenes and near endless text and talking that the moments of gameplay in MGS4 feel lost and very few in between. Don't get me wrong, I can accept MGS4 because its the Metal Gear series and there hasn't been a bad offical Metal Gear game in my recollection, though MGS2 does sting, plus I am invested in the mind boggling story and plot, but I don't like MGS4 because of its more film than game nature. I play games for the enjoyment and gameplay simple as, if I want to watch a film I'll watch a DVD simple as. In my opinion the two (2) different entites should not be blurred into one but it did and MGS4 is the way it is, and I fear that 'Silent Hills' will suffer the same fate. It may be a great game, or at least very good, but I strongly feel like its a technical marvel like the Bugatti Veyron rather than a game I can enjoy.
If I am proven right and the Silent Hill series becomes too different from what I adored, then at least I have Silent Hill HD Collection on my Xbox 360, and Silent Hill 4 The Room on both PS2 and Xbox to enjoy and rejoice in the memories. Of course I can be proven wrong! Time will tell but in the meantime feel free to express your opinions as I do, and until next time... See ya!
Now I am not the biggest fan of Silent Hill, I started of with Silent Hill 3 and got not very far. I tried Silent Hill 2 and too got nowhere. I required walkthroughs written on the internet to progress and gradually complete 2 and 3, as well as the backing of codes to relieve some of the tension and nerves as I progressed into the unknown realms of Silent Hill. I felt bad cheating and not going through the process of exploration into the twisted images of 2, and 3, but even so I did quickly realise that Silent Hill was more preferable then its rival games such as Resident Evil. Nothing to me proved this more than Silent Hill 4 The Room... my personal favorite in the series.
This may sound weird but I associate Silent Hill 4 with my development in life a lot; the moment I explored the demo on PS2 and squashed the Sniffer Dogs and Victims with Henry's foot, I was enchanted into the horror. I completed the demo back to back for days until the full game was released and I sought out for my copy which I obtained in Tesco Extra at Tower Park in Poole. I had the PS2 version because I didn't have the original Xbox, though I later found that it was a tiny bit better on the Xbox console and preferably my choice of format. To ensure I got far and enevitably to the multiple endings, I had the offical strategy guide and with it I sought to complete Silent Hill 4 with all its endings several times and explore the perks, easter eggs and novelties contained within. Its thanks to Silent Hill 4 that I understood human emotion better and explore imagination beyond what I knew before, for better and worse. I will admit however that having to transport back and forth between worlds and the apartment just to exhange or equip or remove items was really medicore.
But it also associates a fair amount with what I fell out with and lessons that didn't benefit my life. Firstly it made me distrust the gaming magazines I enjoyed reading and collecting, all because in the Offical PlayStation 2 Magazine, the review for Silent Hill 4 was 7/10, yet it scored the same points as Colin McRae Rally 2005 which in the same issue scored 8/10. This alienated me to no end and it wasn't until years later when I understood that minds wired up differently from mine valued things differently. Consciously I cannot forget the car crash that happened after I brought my copy of Silent Hill 4 from Poole without thinking that having this game had cursed me and brought the bad luck. Its stupid I know but 'til this day I feel this way still. Silent Hill 4 also introduced an inappropiate obsession I have with gaming in that I collect games I like and keep them even though it does nothing logically but take up space. I must note as well I have had copies of Silent Hill 4 far too many times for I to count just like I have with Need For Speed Underground 2.
With my many experiences with Silent Hill 4, I had a newfound trust for the series and renewed interest in completing all the Silent Hill games I had as well as understanding the stories and events in each entity of the series. I completed 2, 3, as well as the first Silent Hill and in time found myself invested in the future of Silent Hill whether it be the next game in the series or movie. Unfortunately like the Angry Video Game Nerd and his love for Castlevania, Silent Hill for me couldn't improve following 4 or the regarded best of the series 2 in the same way that AVGN found numerous dissapointments following Super Castlevania IV.
When Silent Hill V (5) was announced, I was excited as to be expected and dreamt of what it could be like and how the plot may unfold. As soon as I learnt however that it would be developed by Double Helix Games; the same developer that made 'The Da Vinci Code' video game, I felt my hopes and expectations fall to the ground and shatter like a heart made of glass. Silent Hill Homecoming was a significant departure from the Silent Hill tradition and broken in fundemental ways that I felt mad that it was even called a Silent Hill game because it sure as hell didn't deserve to be. I admit its not terrible, its playable and if one can ignore the 'Silent Hill' aspects, it is a 7/10 game at best; but because its a Silent Hill game and fails badly at being convincingly harrowing or challanging, it is in my opinion the WORST Silent Hill game.
In years to come Silent Hill would expand onto the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and introduce the prequel; Silent Hill Origins. Now this was more like it though it still wasn't terrifying as a Silent Hill game should be and because it was a PSP game, it had limitations which were made so dangerously apparent when it was ported onto the PS2 later on. Its still better than Silent Hill Homecoming, but not close enough to remedy the franchise after the blasphemy that was Homecoming.
Silent Hill Shattered Memories is an intresting addition to the series, but again it wasn't the saving grace other fans might have hoped, and it installed a really daunting impression that the series was in grave danger because it utilised the humble beginnings of Silent Hill, altered it somewhat and then made it into a survival horror, puzzle game. It was actually pretty good but I hated its forced linear nature and the inibility to fight the monsters, plus it was on the Nintendo Wii which meant it was compromised from the start. It could have been a real turnaround for the series but instead it was built on last generation consoles like the PS2 and the Nintendo Wii which felt last gen from the start even though it competed against PS3 and Xbox 360. My biggest gripe with Shattered Memories however is that while it may not be considered cannon, or in other words a spin-off title, it interferes with the memories of the first Silent Hill and potrays a different and worse impression of characters like Harry Mason. It made me mad like how "That '90s show" of The Simpsons contradicted what was already established in the Simpson timeline and story.
Movies came and subsequently went, while the comics continued, but the bitter disapointment I felt and no doubt fans of the series also felt was still profound. The first (1st) was 'okay' but then I didn't think highly of the concept of making Silent Hill into a movie in the first place so therefore my expectations were dammingly low to begin with. The same could be said for 'ilent Hill Revelation 3D'; the second (2nd) movie I felt was better because it hit more the notes which Silent Hill 3 introducted but its like saying the Xbox 360 looks better in white than black, its not significant and personally I wish Hollywood would leave video games alone and that we didn't have the games we love turn into films like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Need For Speed, Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia and so on. Oh and I hate the fact that Revelation feels rushed from the start and has that Vincent character, I would've promoted Revelation as the best thing since the sandwich toaster if Heather brutally and inhumanely murdered Vincent while driven insane by the Otherworld.
Now I want to go on record and say that Silent Hill Downpour should've been a very good game and would've brought life back into the Silent Hill series. I personally really liked Downpour and it had a lot going for it too; music, story, setting, secondary missions, exploration... I would've said that Downpour was at long last the one to be better than Silent Hill 2 and taken its place over Silent Hill 4 as my personal favorite out of the series. There was just one major problem however, the game was beyond broken! Even with the patch, Downpour fumbled about, struggled with framerate, loading times, auto saving every time a person blinked and awful animations. Some reviewers state the fighting mechanic is also broken, but I actually like it because it made you feel vulnerable and outmatched against the monsters just like in the first four (4) games, and not tediously overpowered like in Homecoming. The bad fighting mechanic however was profoundly atrocious when Murphy becomes the 'Bogeyman' and tries to strike Anne.
The animations and stiffness is a dissapointing factor in my opinion becuase there are numerous ways of dying such as being consumed by the Otherworld while in 'Chase mode' or being impaled by spikes yet when death does occur Murphy simply groans and collapses like a wardobe toppling over. Given the numerous possibilites and ways of dying, it would have been nice and dare I say satisfying to see Murphy being eviscerated, decapitated, torn apart, shredded by a saw, catch on fire and burn to death or literally swallowed up by the Otherworld while in 'Chase mode'. Personally Downpour needed to be more freightening, a way to do that would've been in a death scene or a Fatality like in Mortal Kombat, I needed to be afraid of dying because of the visual presentation of Murphy or Anne dying instead of being frustrated when inadvertant death occurs unspectaculary and then have to wait for the game to load. Instead it proves flat, frustrating having to go again and incomplete.
To say Downpour feels incomplete is an understatement, it puts me in mind of The Getaway on PS2 where there is promise and the ability to explore the surroundings and town of Silent Hill but lacks the fundemental garnish that would make a barley functional and stiff game look and feel great. Even if Downpour were delayed for longer just to overcome the technical difficulties then it would've been very welcome. Instead we got a game that was great but unready and rushed. Picture Downpour like a soufflé done incorrectly and that incorrectness spoils what would've have been delicious. Frankly if you were a proud chef, you wouldn't produce a inferior soufflé to someone you know has expectations; the same could be said about Silent Hill Downpour, and yet the devolpers Vatra Games and Publisher Konami went ahead with the incomplete and inferior product.
As a result this was an unholy bad move which costed everyone involved; Vatra Games subsequently went bankrupt, Konami issued replacement games as redemption to fans, and fans playing Downpour were angry and disappointed. While there is the PlayStation Vita game: Silent Hill: Book of Memories, I have lost hope with Silent Hill and therefore choose not to invest in a Silent Hill game that is called a spin-off and focuses on online multiplayer.
For me it essentially kills off the Silent Hill franchise along with any hope that it can be revived. It is unfortunate that I see Silent Hill as extinct as the Dino Crisis series, and though Silent Hill is not yet dead with the oncoming 'Silent Hills', I have little confidence in the future of Silent Hill.
Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro teaming up to create the next Silent Hill entry called 'Silent Hills' is admittedly a hugely appealing prospect. I do not know who Guillermo del Toro is or what he's infamous for but I do understand that he regarded highly regarded in horror movies just as Hideo Kojima is highly regarded in gaming. From what I've seen, experienced and heard about the P.T Demo and 'Silent Hills', there is undeniably impressive aspects, but its still too early to be excited about 'Silent Hills' and the fact that you have Hideo Kojima and a movie director leading the project worries me. Why does this worry me? Its simple; I have a feeling that its going to be Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots all over again. MGS4 is more of a movie than a game; it is so heavily bogged down in its own world of cutscenes and near endless text and talking that the moments of gameplay in MGS4 feel lost and very few in between. Don't get me wrong, I can accept MGS4 because its the Metal Gear series and there hasn't been a bad offical Metal Gear game in my recollection, though MGS2 does sting, plus I am invested in the mind boggling story and plot, but I don't like MGS4 because of its more film than game nature. I play games for the enjoyment and gameplay simple as, if I want to watch a film I'll watch a DVD simple as. In my opinion the two (2) different entites should not be blurred into one but it did and MGS4 is the way it is, and I fear that 'Silent Hills' will suffer the same fate. It may be a great game, or at least very good, but I strongly feel like its a technical marvel like the Bugatti Veyron rather than a game I can enjoy.
If I am proven right and the Silent Hill series becomes too different from what I adored, then at least I have Silent Hill HD Collection on my Xbox 360, and Silent Hill 4 The Room on both PS2 and Xbox to enjoy and rejoice in the memories. Of course I can be proven wrong! Time will tell but in the meantime feel free to express your opinions as I do, and until next time... See ya!
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