Staff Attack!
Max Murray Slices up Metal Gear: Rising
After being blind sided by last year’s announcement, and receiving a year of complete silence, we watched Kojima-san take the stage, and immediately exit rather than assist with a title he’s so deeply invested with. While it’s clear the torch has been passed, what’s still very murky is if this new team is going to stay faithful to what has made the MGS series so great: the story. The trailer focused 100% on flashy new gameplay and cut scenes (not to be confused with cutting-scenes), and literally revealed nothing that tied it to the Metal Gear universe other than Raiden. This is absolutely unheard of for a Metal Gear title. Do you remember the debut trailer for MGS:4 during E3 2006? Kojima’s team did not need to focus their 3 minute trailer on espionage gameplay because the forefront of importance was not this new, urban environment, or the new tricks Snake came equipped with, it was the story. I’m not saying that the sword cutting does not look amazing, and that it won’t be a blast to “Zan-Datsu” the hell out of my enemies, but when Matsuyama, the producer himself, says in an interview that they first created, developed and perfected the cutting technology, and then came up with the concept of using Raiden because of his sword wielding trademark, you start to suspect why Mr. Kojima adopted their new tag-line, and “Lightning Bolt Action’d” off the stage and away from future association.
Raymond Conley Likes to Move
It seems like the gaming biz is tired of being stereotyped as over-weight couch potatoes. Now, we can see that motion-based controls are starting to catch on quick, as this allow for a deeper immersion into interactive gaming and gets the player’s butt off the couch. This tech is really cool and has tons of unseen potential. However, it is also bittersweet.
I really do believe that motion controls will help a gamer delve deeper into immersion for gaming. With all the motion-based demos displayed at E3, you can really see how this technology can take games to newer levels. Remember that this direction is still in its infancy and needs to grow, just like any new tech. But there were a few ideas that seem to show that motion-based gameplay is headed in the right direction. For example: Sorcery – you get to cast spells based on the movements of your hands. How AWESOME is that?! I really believe that next year, we will begin to see amazing applications that can be used with the PlayStation Move controller. Give the developers time. The PlayStation 3 did not become an overnight success. It took a few years for developers to figure out how to optimize the technology that powered the PS3, and now we are beginning to see it’s fruits. I really think the PS Move will likely follow the same trend.
And now for the bitter part. While I do hope for the PS Move’s success, I don’t want to see the whole industry to dive into making all games motion-based. There are times (if not most times) that I WANT to sit on my couch, while pillaging and plundering a peaceful village and enjoying a pizza at the same time. With the PS Move, the lazy inside me will not want to get up and spar my nemesis around my living room. Some days, I just want to relax while I kill Helghans.
If the PS Move is successful, I hope that all the hardcore games that use the motion technology will come with the option to switch back to my tried and true friend, Dualshock 3.
Adam Wolfe Sucker Punches the Pixel Counters
It would seem that with this fan favorite being announced most gamers would be ecstatic, but instead we get posts complaining about graphics. In a generation where games are getting more and more realistic and even going into 3D it seems gamers have been jaded. Lost is the joy of simply blowing up your opponent regardless of how pretty their car looks.
Fans of the series have been clamoring for a new Twisted Metal for years. Those of us that remember playing Twisted Metal 2 on the PS1 know that regardless of the graphics it is going to be a fun game. From the epic all nighters flying through the streets of Tokyo battling Sweet Tooth to the roof tops of New York City the gameplay has always been a staple of the series. We as gamers owe it to ourselves to start appreciating games for there gameplay above everything else, and not simply hoping for a pretty picture.
