What Happened To Metroidvania?

I'm glad that Castlevania was able to evolve and continue to do well on consoles, the same way I'm glad Metroid Prime did as well as it did. Both of those games, although very different from their predecessors,  maintained a little of what made those past games amazing, while at the same time growing to appeal to new audiences. But where on Earth has metroidvania gone? 

Dave Cox, Lords of Shadow series producer had this to say, "We needed to make a change and so we did. The Castlevania series wasn't going anywhere, sales were dwindling and it was appealing to only a very small hardcore base of fans. That's how franchises die."

Cox went even further, comparing the state of the franchise before Lords of Shadow was released to that of Capcom's Mega Man. In Mega Man's defense, the state of that series can be blamed on mismanagement by Capcom, not on the series getting stale, but lets get back on track.

Alucard about to kick ass...

...Gabriel about to kick ass..

I can understand adapting with the times, but it almost feels as though developers sometimes turn their backs on the things that made their games so memorable in the first place. The last time there was a 'traditional' Catslevania game released was back in 2008, with Order of Ecclasia. You have to go even further back to find a Metroid game not named Prime or Other M, and that was 2004's Metroid Zero( a remake of the NES original). I'm all for developers trying to preserve franchises, but when it comes at the expense of the FANS, then it becomes a problem. 

Yes, you've broadened the audience for your game, but you've also alienated a portion of your actual fan base. Fans that buy your games solely on its name. And as for your new" FANS" you've acquired, they'll drop interest in your game as soon as something new or similar comes out. What I'd like to see is a medium, where both can live and be profitable. Take Mario for instance. No matter if Mario is racing, using a water gun, or running around in a cat suit, there will always be traditional Mario games for those that want them. It doesn't have to be one or the other. 

Classic platforming at its best.

The Wave Beam.

Looks familiar.

The Nintendo 3ds offers a way to do this, by using the handheld for the more traditional 2d styled games like Metroid or Castlevania, and the relying on the console for the more action oriented 3d releases. Konami was doing this until a few years back, but Nintendo has completely forgotten classic Metroid. I applaud what they tried to do with Other M, attempting to blend 2d and 3d action, but it still isnt the same. To be honest, they actually did a pretty good job gameplay-wise, the only problem with the game being the story and character portrayal. There isn't a reason for the long drought of these types of games. Metroid Fusion is regarded by many as one of the best games in the series, and that was a released on gameboy advance.

My only wish is that the developers realize and understand that there is still a market for these types of games before it is too late. It took Square Enix three sub par Final Fantasy games and the release of the well received Bravely Default, to see that people still wanted traditional rpgs.  That isn't to say the Lords of Shadow series is sub par, but that there is room at the table for both, and that one doesn't need to be sacrificed for the other to succeed. Who knows, maybe this E3 well see teaser trailers for a sequel to Dawn of Sorrow or Metroid Fusion. A guy can dream, right?

Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution Special Editions Detailed

The new title in the popular Naruto fighting game franchise, Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution, is expected to be released in the fall of 2014, but in the meantime we can salivate over these awesome images of special editions to be released. Namco Bandai Games Europe has revealed two different collectors version of the title. There will be a 'Rivals' edition for first day buyers of the game which will include a Sasuke outfit for Naruto and a Naruto outfit for Sasuke (see bottom).

Collectors Edition

The Samurai edition, which will probably be the more expensive of the two, will come with a Samurai Naruto figurine and a collectible metal case.  For buyers that preorder, you'll also get samurai skins for Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke as a bonus. 

Day One Bonus

Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution is the 5th game in the Storm franchise and is expected to be released on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 later this year. The above information is based on the European release, and may or may not match the North American release. Thank you goes to Saiyan's Island for the information.

New Minecraft(xbox 360) Update & Texture Pack

Right on the heels of title update 14, the guys over at 4J Studios have prepared a new update to fix some of the issues presented by it. Annoying problems like blocks reappearing and the issue with the first item in your quick select being moved, have now been fixed along with many other issues. Along with TU15, the new Candy texture pack is also available to download now. If you are wanting to turn your world into a virtual candy land the pack is available on Xbox Live for $1.00.

Ginger bread Golem!!!

Smash Bros Release Info And New Characters Revealed

Its been quite for a few months now on the Super Smash Bros front, but thankfully the big N held a Nintendo Direct yesterday for both the Wii U and 3DS version of the much anticipated game.

 Needless to say, the Wii U version is breathtakingly beautiful to look at. Everything is fluid and moving at a wonderful 60 fps. For what many call an under powered console this game looks stunning. 

During the Direct two new characters were revealed, Charizard and.....Greninja! Which is cool, because a buddy of mine and I were just talking about how cool and badass Greninja was, and the next day its announced as a combatant in the new Smash Bros. ! Thanks Nintendo! The trailer below is from the Direct, and showcases both characters and some of their moves.

During the presentation Nintendo finally gave out some info on when to expect these games. The 3DS version will be released sometime this summer, and as for the Wii U we can expect its iteration this holiday season. Another notable piece of news is that character transformations have been removed. So fighters like Zero Suit Samus and Shiek will have their own character slots, but dont worry the characters are being fleshed out and new moves are being added.

First Impressions: Warface Beta

 Just spent some time with the Warface beta for Xbox 360 and surprisingly had a good time with it. I'm not saying that its going to replace Call of Duty, but for a game in active development it wasn't too bad. The game has a very simple look and feel, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. You can tell its borrowing from some of the more popular franchises out there, most notably Ghost Recon and the above mentioned COD.

The games setting is standard fare for the genre,  with abandoned foreign villages and middle eastern deserts. The game's. Sound is also rather generic and is what you'd expect from a 360 arcade game.

Now i know it sounds like I'm being extremely hard on this game, but really I'm not. The game is a free-to-play fps, you downloadable from Xbox Live. I was never expecting Battlefield 4. Games of this type have two objectives; to get you to put tons of hours into them, and to get you to spend money through in game purchases. And this is where this game may succeed.

Gameplay from Call of...I mean Battle...I mean Warface.

Its paint by numbers approach may be its greatest strength, because even though it doesn't do anything new, it does most everything well. The game controls ok, and is easy to pick up and play.

When you shoot the opposition they normally take damage, which is always good in a fps. Seriously though, it controls well enough and takes obvious cues from some of the more popular franchises. One major gripe is that all of the enemies look and react the same. After playing through a few levels of co-op this stood out like a sore thumb. The jury is still out on the multi-player, and I'll update this as soon as the full game is released. So far though the game seems to be decent, but not much more than a time waster. Its fun to play, but to get the most out of it, it appears you'll have to be willing to put up some cash for weapon upgrades and such.

One of My Faves #1: Tales of Vesperia

 Where do I begin? I love the Tales franchise, and Tales of Vesperia is my personal favorite. Over the years the the series evolved with the times, but somehow stayed true to itself and its fans. Unlike Final Fantasy, who seems to have lost and/or forgotten its identity, Tales has stood the test of time. With its unique blend of action and classic rpg elements, the gameplay remains fresh and exciting throughout the course of the game. This battle system makes leveling up in game much more enjoyable than your typical turn based rpg, and has contributed to the replay value of the game.

Raven, Repede, Rita, Yuri, Estelle, and Judith

What makes a great game is balance, and ToV has just that. I play this game for the story just as much as I do for the combat. Without spoiling anything, ToV is in  my opinion the darkest in tone of the series. The characters are put in situations where the solutions to the problems are not always clear. Its never as simple as good versus evil, and their decisions never so easy as black or white. This isn't your standard good versus evil story line here, and as a result the main character Yuri is forced to make some tough not so typical jrpg hero decisions. The subjects of revenge and murder ( there is even a tiny bit of genocide) are common throughout the game, and it makes you look at these characters actions and their motivations somewhat differently than you normally would.

 Vesperia is the first HD entry in the series, and the series has never looked better.The game's art style is beautiful from the over world map to battles stages. The use of colors and detail bring the villages and dungeons to life. The game has great characters as well, all of them unique and with their own motivations within the story of the game, but whats a game or story without awesome villains too? Good thing ToV has some amazing boss battles( especially the final boss). Some of the baddies are pure evil, others are more tragic, and some are just doing what they feel is the right thing. Which isn't too different from what Yuri does throughout the game. If you haven't played this game, you owe it to yourself to try it. In an age where classic rpgs seem to be a thing of the past, its good to know that there are developers still making these types of games.

In the city.

This isn't meant to be a review, as much as its intended to bring to your attention an overlooked game of the past generation. Its one of my favorite games of all time, and is a good fit for any jrpg fan out there.