2D-X

Interview: Jimmy Soga, product manager, Lunar: Silver Star Harmony

Timothy Torres — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:44:17 +0000

Lunar is back. The much-beloved RPG that first wowed gamers on the SEGA CD (and virtually every other console since) has returned in the form of Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, which looks to be the definitive version of the game. While the crew works on the review, we decided to reach out to Jimmy Soga, product manager, XSEED Games to answer some of the questions that have weighed heavily on the minds of Lunar fans.

I’m curious what kind of working relationship XSEED has with Game Arts and Working Designs. Who decided Lunar: The Silver Story Story Complete wasn’t complete enough? Who are the main team members behind the new PSP version, and is anyone returning from previous versions?

Our relationship with Game Arts is pretty simple. As the North American publisher we do the localization and all the changes we make (text updates, the new voice recordings, bugs, etc) we toss over to Game Arts to throw into the game. Then we look at how the changes have been implemented and send more changes and vice versa. There’s a lot of back and forth.

As for Working Designs, since it doesn’t exist anymore we don’t have any working relationship with them, but we did use the old Working Designs script as the base so that the game will have the same feel of Lunar that fans have loved for so long. We also had our translator stay in close communication with the scenario writer, Shigema-san, to fully understand his vision and worldview of Lunar so that the long time fans can experience the familiar yet new Lunar.

As for the decision of Lunar: SSSC not being complete enough (that’s pretty funny btw), the Japanese version was actually just “Lunar: Silver Star Story” so perhaps it was never really “complete” in their mind. But jokes aside, the team really wanted to look at this project not as a “remake” but more of a “rebirth” of Lunar. We have the original character designer, Tshiyuki Kubooka-san drawing new art and character designs, the scenario writer Kei Shigema-san adding new scripts to the story so that players can better understand the world of Lunar, and the composer, Noriyuki Iwadare-san who re-recorded the whole soundtrack to make it more perfect in his mind. I heard he even went out and bought an ocarina to practice for this title.

Why the change to an isometric view?

Considering the screen size of the PSP and the art style of the game, the isometric view seemed to be the best way to show off all the graphical upgrades and give a nice view of the revamped world.

The Working Designs script in both the Sega CD and PlayStation One versions of Lunar Silver Star contained a lot of goofy humor, in-jokes and pop culture references to things like M&Ms, Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson. Talking to NPCs was fun and encouraged. Will the PSP version’s script carry a similar sense of humor?

Definitely! The new script uses the earlier version as a foundation and, though we tweaked some minor points like the really obvious pop culture references, fans are going to recognize a lot of the dialogue and jokes and catch a few new ones, too. Keeping the humor in was a big priority because that’s what Lunar is known for. It was one of the first RPGs to really make it worthwhile to even talk to NPCs and that’s not going to change in this remake. Fans can expect lots of inappropriate commentary from lovelorn NPCs, inflatable companion pitches and even a few serial killer nods.

Although Lunar is an RPG beloved by generations of gamers, this will mark the fourth version of the Silver Star story. Anything you want to tell old fans on the fence about it? What about new players who might overlook it?

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is actually really worthwhile for both new and old fans. Older fans would get to see Lunar reborn with lush new backgrounds, fleshed out sprites and a masterfully redone soundtrack. The story will scratch that Lunar itch they’ve been having for years and Jenny (Stigile) Maganalles was brought back to do the new versions of WINGS and Nocturne of the Wind. The Limited Edition also comes with something every fan is trying to get their hands on in-game: Bromides!

Fans of the original also have the added incentive to try it out because there’s a new prologue where you can play as the Four Heroes and we’ve added back in some history that was left out of the older versions. So, some new, some old, all good. As for new fans, Lunar is a game that has been remade so many times because it’s just THAT good. The story is timeless and moving, and the characters stay with you long after you beat that final boss. It’s a must for anyone that loves RPGs.

Fans of the SEGA CD version of Lunar really latched onto the opening theme that played during the attract mode in the American version. Will it return in this version?

Haha. Oh man. While the “Attract mode” song from the SEGA CD is one of the greatest things ever made I’m afraid Lunar: SSH follows the music/opening from SSSC. The animated opening is the same as SSSC, but the song has been remastered and redone with new lyrics. Something nice for a bit of continuity between the last version and the remake, however, is the return of Jenny (Stigile) who sang both the updated WINGS and the boat song once again. She’s an incredible singer who’s only gotten better over the years, so fans should look forward to that.

Finally, can we expect a new PSP version of Lunar 2 or Grandia?

I’ve spoken to Masato Dobashi-san, the director of Lunar: SSH about this before and he said that there are no plans of it as of now but it all depends on the reaction from the fans. The American fans are very vocal about their love for the series though, so here’s hoping for another remake or even Lunar 3.

Is PlayStation Move the Nintendo Wii killer?

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:29:23 +0000

The one thing that makes the Nintendo Wii unique among the other current-generation game consoles is its fun (but sometimes clunky) motion controls. It’s gotten everyone from Lil’ Suzy to Gran’ma to make spastic movements in front of their televisions as they backhand balls, box, and a myriad other activities. This special interaction is not quite as stand-out as it once was thanks to to Sony which has unveiled PlayStation Move.

Playstation Move requires both the new wand controller (which houses three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer and a magnetic field sensor) and the Playstation Eye camera to work. Exact pricing hasn’t been detailed, but Sony’s confirmed that PlayStation Move will be available as a sub-$100 “starter kit”, which will include a controller, one Playstation Eye, and one game. Sony also plans to sell the PlayStation Move as a standalone product, and bundled with the Playstation 3 system itself. Sony also showed off a mini-controller that works very much liek the Wii nunchuk.

During an event at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, Sony demonstrated a handful of new games that support the motion-sensing controller including Sports Champions, Move Party and Motion Fighters. Sony also demonstrated how PlayStation Move works with already exisiting titles such as LittleBigPlanet.

PlayStation Move will prove a technological godsend to publishers such as SEGA which released the unusually-hardcore-for-the-Wii MadWorld (a title that pretty much flopped on Nintendo’s platform). While Aunt Betty isn’t ready to soak a black and white world in crimson, Joe PlayStation is and the PlayStation Move help facilitate that. Atlus, Capcom, Square, and over two dozen other companies have pledged allegiance to the new motion controller which will no enable cross-platform pollination of formerly Wii-only titles.

The motion-controller battle begins this fall.

Replica Neo Geo Stick Japan-Bound; America Stiffed Again?

Review: The Battle of Olympus (NES)

Thomas Rivas — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:15 +0000

With the release of Percy Jackson and the Unnecessarily Long Title a few weeks ago and the Clash of the Titans remake just around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to blow the dust off The Battle of Olympus (NES) – a game that combines the intrigues of Greek mythology, the side-scrolling gameplay of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link, and the “WTF, how did I just die?!” moments of every game that ever pissed you off.

You play through this game as Orpheus – a man stricken with great sorrow after his wife, Helene, is bitten by a poisonous snake and dies. After learning that Helene’s soul was actually taken by Hades “so that he can make her his queen” (bow chicka bowwow), he sets off on a journey to bring her back from the underworld. However, this is never fully explained save for a small paragraph in the manual, so a majority of your time is spent piecing together cryptic messages from villagers you come across throughout the game.

There’s never a sense that you’re on a mission to save your true love, but rather on an aimless journey riddled with monotonous quests. Even if you’re lucky enough to stumble into the temple of a god, they offer minimal help unless you’re able to provide them with some sort of offering.

Fortunately for our hero, the gods of Olympus couldn’t care less for precious metals or virgins. Instead, they’re willing to provide you with divine items in exchange for…olives. Similar to the Mega Man series, creatures you defeat along the way (monkeys, satyrs, ninjas, etc.) will sometimes drop a bay leaf that restores partial health or an olive to add to your god bribery fund. Yes, I said ninjas. The maximum amount of olives you’re allowed to carry at any given time is 99 – a number only dedicated players will reach considering death cuts the number in your possession by half. While it could take an hour to gather enough for an item, one miscalculated jump over a deathtrap will turn you back into a scavenger and your controller into a projectile.

And if there’s one thing you’ll be doing a lot of in this game, it’s falling. For a heavily armed man on a perilous journey to save the love of his life, Orpheus can’t take a hit. Any contact with a creature or projectile knocks your player back a few steps into an uncontrollable moonwalk-like motion. Normally, that might be pretty cool, but when you’re at the edge of a platform and moonwalk yourself into a pit, it can be anything but.

Despite this, the control over Orpheus is pretty solid. With the exception of some minor stair difficulties (Castlevania fans will understand), movement and attack commands are followed precisely and never really become an issue. You’ll spend much more time looking for items than cursing the controls.

Unfortunately, the items you bust a mission for are as complicated to figure out as they are to obtain. Naturally, swords and shields are pretty self-explanatory but several others you’re required to have are head-scratchers. Apollo gives you a harp to summon Pegasus but it can only be used while standing in front of a totem-like object that blends into the scenery (which I only found out after crawling to a walkthrough). Poseidon’s “gift” is an ocarina that only works when played near a body of water. The tune summons a dolphin that you’re allowed to ride on to unexplored areas of the map. It’s actually very useful and doesn’t take long to figure out, but I mention it because the sight of you riding the dolphin just looks so wrong.

The only thing worse than the visual of a Greek hero riding a dolphin, is the soundtrack that goes along with it. Look through your phone right now and pick out the ringtones you would never be caught dead using. Throw them together in one continuous loop and you’ll end up with something far more enjoyable to hear than what The Battle of Olympus has to offer.

Each location has its own theme music but never gets passed a handful of measures before throwing on the repeat switch and spiraling into a level of annoying once dominated by Creed and Limp Bizkit. If that weren’t enough, the repetitive side-scrolling background makes you feel more like a citizen of Bedrock than a warrior of Olympus.

Overall, The Battle of Olympus has to be one of the most difficult games I’ve ever played. You may not die with one hit, but seemingly never-ending quests filled with absurd obstacles will have most players rethinking whether or not Helene is worth all the trouble. If you ask me, Hades can keep her.

Interview: Mike Fahrny, producer, Tecmo Bowl Throwback

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:02:07 +0000

If you follow my game-related ramblings on Twitter, you know that I recently spotted a Tecmo Bowl Throwback plug on one of ESPN’s late afternoon/early evening sports programs. As a long time fan of the franchise, I was admittedly geeked; not just for the exposure that the legendary series has garnered, but also for the fact that I had a Q + A session cooking up in 2D-X‘ cauldron of awesome. A Q+A that you can check out right now.

Certainly, building a football game within the era of EA’s Madden exclusivity is an uphill battle . How do you hope craft a compelling pigskin experience?

To put it simply – by staying true to the original that everyone loved so much. We’re not trying to give people the next gen sim experience that Madden is – we just want people to have a good time with some nostalgia form their childhood.

Tecmo Bowl Throwback is the first new Tecmo football game since Tecmo Bowl Kickoff. Will the new game contain elements of the old such as the Super Abilities?

No, this version is much more true to the SNES version of Tecmo Bowl. We found that a lot of people didn’t like the some of those elements from Kickoff.

In terms of customization, will gamers be able to tweak teams as they see fit, or will they have to have to earn points over the course of a season to apply to abilities?

All abilities in Throwback are true to the SNES version and players will not be able to edit them nor will they increase/decrease over a season. Earning points over a season is a good idea though – perhaps the next time around.

Will Tecmo Bowl Throwback have any secret characters or teams?

Well, I’ll tell you this – all the SNES stats are in the game so you really just need to know where to look to find what you’re looking for.

Tecmo Bowl Throwback features both retro, 2D graphics, and a polygonal, modern look. What was the emphasis for this move?

While we wanted to give people the original experience that they all love, we also wanted a chance to update the visuals of the game while still keeping it arcade.

When playing in the polygonal mode, can you rotate the field or is the view locked in the horizontal view?

The camera is locked to the horizontal view in Throwback. We played a lot with the camera this time around and found the one you’ll see in the finished product to be best for this type of arcade football. There is a zoom option that will let you get a closer look than the default camera though, should you want one.

Will the stat tracking be improved over the rather confusing implementation seen in Tecmo Bowl Kickoff?

The stats have been modified to be a little more user friendly now. I think people will enjoy the new look and be able to interpret the info a little easier than before.

An official release date hasn’t been announced, but which quarter can we expect to see the game released?

Very, very soon…

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Gameworks, Las Vegas: SEGA’s gaming oasis in the desert

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:24:59 +0000

If you happen to be in Las Vegas and grow tired of the neon lights, slot machines, and over the top nature of the city, Gameworks is your haven. CES 2010 gave me the opportunity to first venture into the place, as Valkor (the head honcho of The Other View) and I decided to hit it up after an early evening burger run.

Upon strolling into the place, Gameworks doesn’t look much different from any other family dining/arcade establishments (think Dave & Busters), but after casing the joint and noticing the lineup of titles — After Burner Climax, Daytona USA, Outrun, Rambo — we realized that it’s a SEGA fan’s dream arcade. And being that, we nearly splooged.

Rambo. Two player terrorist-killing action at its finest.

After buying a cart load of game tokens, Valk and I plopped down in front of the bad ass cab you see above, fed it shiny metal circles, and lifted the machine guns, and proceeded to lay waste to all manner of people that speak differently than we. Rambo’s your typical light gun shooter, but the license and satisfying feedback led us to complete the game (after losing significant amounts of money).

Outrun in mock cars kicks ass.

It just kept getting better. I love Outrun. It’s one of my favorite all-time racers. Gameworks had an incredible four sit-down machines, which allow virtual drivers to compete against one another. What made this set up kick ass was the cameras embedded into each machine that broadcast each gamers’ smiling faces on an overhead screen for all to see. Awesome stuff. As all the Outrun seats were taken, Valk and I took on one another in Daytona USA where I lost by a few seconds after tanking a bank.

After wiping away a man-tear, I took out my sorrows on After Burner: Climax and an odd Sonic fighting game; Valkor moved onto a funky Star Wars action game. At the end of the night, we were stoked to have finally found a kick ass arcade — something that as you well know is very hard to come by these days. Fortunately, Gameworks isn’t confined just to Las Vegas; you can find a splattering of locations across the nation.

Game on.

Virtual Vox Pop: What’s the hardest 2D game you’ve ever played?

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:33:46 +0000

Virtual Vox Pop is a weekly open mic in which we ask you, the reader, to sound off on a particular topic. This week, it’s the hardest games ever.

Games just aren’t as hard as they used to be.

Don’t mistake this statement as one coming from a person looking to artificially give his gaming accomplishments more weight – - I see it as fact. Outside of a few throwback titles (Mega Man 9, Mega Man 10), few contemporary games achieve the level of hair-pulling insanity that ran rampant through the 8- and 16-bit eras.

The 2D-X team has decided to list our most frustrating 2D games and, as expected, they’re all pretty old. Agree? Disagree? Let your voice be heard, folks.

Chris Gampat, News Editor
Action titles, truthfully, have to be amongst the hardest games I’ve ever played. A couple of them really stand out, but the king has to be the original Prince of Persia. The reason why is because you needed to save your beloved princess in one hour while fighting through hordes of palace guards, skeletons, countering your alter ego that is created when you jump through a mirror and navigating traps. The game really started to mess with your mind, too, because you had the counter down at the bottom of the screen telling you “15 mins…30 mins…” and you didn’t know just how many levels there were to navigate and how long it was going to take for you to win this. Eventually you start to realize that you don’t need to fight all the guards in order to win, but back then us gamers really didn’t figure that out. This is probably the first game I’ve ever played where in order to win you really need to just concentrate on getting to your objective and that’s all. It is to date one of the only games I’ve never beaten. In fact, I only know people that have beaten it using cheat codes.

Thomas Rivas, Contributing Editor
The Battle of Olympus has to be one of the most difficult games I’ve ever played. You may not die with one hit, but seemingly never-ending quests filled with absurd obstacles will have most players rethinking whether or not Helene (the damsel in distress) is worth all the trouble. If there’s one thing you’ll be doing a lot of in this game, it’s falling. For a heavily armed man on a perilous journey to save the love of his life, Orpheus (the hero) can’t take a hit. Any contact with a creature or projectile knocks your player back a few steps into an uncontrollable moonwalk-like motion. Normally, that might be pretty cool, but when you’re at the edge of a platform and moonwalk yourself into a pit, it can be anything but.

Jeffrey L. Wilson, Editor-in-Chief
No question, it’s Image Fight II, a semi-obscure Irem-developed PC Engine Super CD shooter that will make you want to toss rocks at grandma . Casual shmup fans like often cite bullet-hell shooters as some of the most difficult in the drama, but few games actually destory your ships and portions of your soul like Image Fight II. Vertical shmups are my preferred style of shooting, and Image Fight II did all it could to take the fun out of it. The sprites are relatively big, which combined with the limited vertical movement, made bobbing and weaving incoming artillery pure bastardy. I never passed the third level. Whatevs.

Microvision’s Show WX pico projector pimps your portable playing

Timothy Torres — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:16:34 +0000

Platinum members of the gaming community, if you ever felt like you didn’t have it all already with your fancy iPhone, worry not. Now you can show everyone how good you got it with Microvision’s SHOW WX, a pocket-sized projector with a laser display system that boasts 10 ANSI lumens, a 5000:1 contrast ratio, WVGA (848 x 480) resolution, and it never needs focusing. Its battery lasts about two hours on a single charge, too.

If that sounds good to you call up your concierge to order yours for $549 for the standard edition. If you feel like you can skip lunch at Nobu for a day or two, by all means, go for the limited edition for $999, for which you’ll get a personalized splash screen, LE insignia, a certificate of authenticity, a VGA dock and some other trinkets.

Once you have your SHOW WX, find your nearest wall without an original Rothko on it and go to town playing Plants vs. Zombies and Flight Control. Those lasers should make any casual iPhone game feel like an actual substantial big screen gaming experience as you can scale images from 6 inches all the way up to 200.

No related posts.

Shank pre-GDC gameplay trailer is bad ass

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:23:43 +0000

Klei Entertainment, fresh from inking a publishing deal with EA, has released a pre-GDC gameplay trailer of the upcoming modern-day Western, Shank. The 2D, cartoony side-scroller packs hardcore action title that features copious amounts of gunplay, bladeplay, and bloodshed.

The animation looks remarkably smooth, and the shadowed, sunset level, stylistically, is pure coolness. Shank will be headed to PC, PSN, and XBLA this summer. Are you ready for some animated violence? Methinks I am.

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Free Twin Blades DLC revealed in new trailer

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:25:24 +0000

Remember that forthcoming Twin Blades DLC that we mention in the game’s review? Well, Press Start Stuido has released a trailer detailing the new additions, which includes a more robust fighting system, a map, a storyline, new environments, and maybe the most welcome plus of all, bosses.

The free (yes, free) downloadable content for the iPhone/iPod touch/XBLIG is slated to arrive by the end of the month, and from what’s showcased in this clip, it’s just what’s need to break the monotony of this lovingly animated 2D video game, but repetitive, run-and-gunner.

Grab your stylus: Scribblenauts sequel coming this fall

Jeffrey L. Wilson — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:56:02 +0000

5th Cell’s Scribblenauts had quite the lofty intentions, even if its wings began to melt a bit as it approached the goal. Still, the revolutionary game in which the entire game world can be influenced by your jotted words, apparently was profitable enough to warrant a sequent after mixed reviews.

Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced plans for a Sribblenauts follow up that’s set to arrive this fall. In it, players control the returning hero, Maxwell, as he attempts to snag the “Starite,” the prize earned from solving the various puzzles.

The biggest addition is the ability to modify objects using the new adjectives system. Adjectives can change the color, size, and many other aspects of the object they are describing. Multiple adjectives can be combo’d together to let you manipulate the game world to an even greater degree.

With all the talk of words and adjectives, it kind of has me jonesing for a Schoolhouse Rock crossover, if not just for the soundtrack alone.