I is for Inching closer to release
Tuesday is the launch of the game every Halo fan has been waiting for since they threw their controllers in disgust at the ending of Halo 2; Halo 3. As much as I don’t want to be excited about it, I am. There is something about the Halo series that has a hold of me no matter how much I try to fight it.
The Halo series is a huge part of the current gaming culture. While you may find gamers who haven’t touched it, you would be hard-pressed to find one who hadn’t even heard of it. As the game that single-handedly established Microsoft in the gaming world, Halo was very important in directing current trends and exposing tactics of certain companies. Halo’s past is riddled with cheap (though unsurprising) tactics, disappointment and endless delays. It also harbors monsterous release numbers and one of the strongest fan-followings of any game.
When the first Halo title was announced back in the summer of ‘99, the game was set for release for both Windows and Mac OS. The game was an immediate hit amongst journalists who had had a chance to preview game earlier in the year at E3. Halo was seen as the title to bring gaming to the Mac in a way that it had not seen previously. It was only a year later, though, that the hopes of this killer Mac title were destroyed when Microsoft announced that it had purchased Bungie Studios (developers of the Halo series) and would make the game a Microsoft exclusive. As if this wasn’t enough of a blow, the game would no longer be initially released on PC, but on Microsoft’s new game console, the Xbox. This transfer of platform severly changed the development of Halo and when Bungie rewrote the engine, it changed from a 3rd Person title to a First Person Shooter. While the end product was considered inferior to the game displayed that first year, it still found success and aclaim as a console title. The control scheme and many of the methods of gameplay used in the Xbox version of Halo became mainstay parts of console FPS titles for years to come.
I give the history of the original title for a reason. Halo has one of the more interesting pasts for a game series and it shows in the games themselves. While original title felt almost incomplete on Xbox and the second felt stunted, both titles, for as flawed as they were, hold a special place in many gamers hearts. That place could be one of absolute love or utter hate, but no matter what it is, Halo is known to everyone. It is with this and on the back of the biggest game release in history (Halo 2) that Halo 3 will make its appearance.
MUSIC
ICO was released in 2001 for the PS2 and quickly fell under the radar. Though being critically acclaimed, it found itself in the "cult classic" niche. Directed by Fumito Ueda, who later when on to develop Shadow of the Colossus, ICO is a unique adventure game set in an abandoned castle. Michiru Oshima and Pentagon composed the soundtrack for the game, creating a minimal, atmospheric score.
As the last track of the album, "ICO ~You were there~" features the vocal talents of former Libera member Steven Geraghty. The song is extremely beautiful, using a mixture of synthesized instruments and real ones to create a powerful yet subtle ambiance that is only accented by the high vocals of the young singer.
Yasuhiro Kawasaki - Temple Illusion of Gaia Original Soundtrack
Published by Enix in Japan and Nintendo everywhere else, Illusion of Gaia is an RPG released for the Super Nintendo back in '94. It is part of the so-called "Soul Blazer" series which consists four titles developed by Quintet that share both "plot themes and gameplay elements." Illusion of Gaia ended up being the only major soundtrack developed by composer Yasuhiro Kawasaki who did only minor titles afterwards such as the Japanese version of Sim Tower: The Vertical Empire for PC in '95.
The track "Temple" is about as cliche of a SNES RPG track as you can find. Though showing off the best of the best in the world of VGM is important, the mediocre songs are just as vital. By '94, the major RPG franchises of the day were already in full swing with the fifth iterations of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series both already on shelves. Because of the success of their style of music, many other titles turned to mimicry to help them find success in the market, including Illusion of Gaia's soundtrack. The production sounds like early Final Fantasy but less inspired. This is perhaps why Kawasaki found little work after the release of this game.
G is for Games and Gears.
One of my favorite parts of some of the games I own is the nostalgic feel I get from them. Most of the games I own that are over 5 years old are still in my collection for sentimental value. Whether it’s the first Final Fantasy I ever played or a Super Nintendo game I have played so many times I’ve lost count, it’s these old titles that keep me coming back for more. I’m sure most people have a game like this; one that they can’t get rid of. Having grown up through the reign of Nintendo and Sega, though, I’m curious to see what games lend themselves to such an honorable position in the next ten to twenty years. When the preteens and younger of today grow up to become adult gamers, will they look back fondly on games like Ratchet & Clank or will their games be the more mature titles like GTA? Where I’m playing old games like Super Mario World, maybe that game will be replaced by God of War.
No matter what they are playing now, I do know that they should also be playing the games I grew up on. I know most parents want to give their kids the best, and right now that includes a 360, a Wii, maybe a PS2 or a PS3, but they should also (or instead) give them a Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis. There are a few reasons I say this. One is obviously that young kids really don’t care about technical superiority. Sure, given the option, many kids will more than likely go for a 360 over a SNES, but a lot of that has to do with their own perception of what makes them look cool. Saying you have a 360 at school makes you a lot cooler than saying you have an SNES (unless you are in the right crowd). However, when they are at home, there is no one there to make fun of them for not playing the latest and the greatest, so why not let them enjoy games that make up for their lack of technical prowess with solid, enjoyable gameplay.
My second point is if you are a gamer parent yourself, you probably understand the importance of “knowing your roots.” Having a good background in classic games helps to develop a gamer’s taste and style. By playing many older titles and seeing how games were developed and executed in the early days allows for a better progression in ability and understanding. It also allows for more enjoyment of modern titles when you know the evolution of the game itself. For instance, having played the original Metroid titles, I get a huge amount of enjoyment out of the Prime series because I can see the evolution with my own eyes and understand parts of the game that would be lost to those who aren’t already versed in the Metroid series.
My last point is a simple one but probably a major one for parents. It gives you and your kid something with which to connect. Sure, you play a lot of the current titles with him but wouldn’t it also be fun for him to see what you grew up playing? For every Sly Cooper or Tak they have, you have a Bubble Bobble or a Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing. Whether they end up liking the games or not isn’t the point; it builds a connection. How many people remember doing something with a parent because they used to “do it all the time” when they were a kid? The enjoyment of the task never really came from the activity itself but the feeling of a connection with the parent.
With the Wii’s Virtual Console, I can see the need for one of the older systems sitting on the entertainment center dropping (though maybe every kid needs the experience of blowing until they’re dizzy into an NES console). Many of the classics from yester-year are becoming available to the younger audience through the VC and even the handheld market. I do feel, though, that whether the games are played on an original system or on a DS doesn’t matter as long as they are being played.
MUSIC
Gears of War is one of the best selling Xbox 360 titles so far, and with good reason. Developed by Epic Games using the Unreal Engine 3.0 and masterminded by Cliff Bleszinski, this third-person shooter game is the most fun you can have with a gun that also acts as a chainsaw. The soundtrack was scored by Kevin Riepl, composer of many other titles such as Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004, Unreal Championship 2, and City of Villains.
The track “Train Wreck - Locust Theme” is a great example of the atmosphere that the soundtrack does such a great job of creating. The mix of winds, strings, and electronic sounds creates helps build tension in the music and while keeping the music exciting. The strings that appear about a forth of the way in sound like something out of Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain.”
Hiroshi Seiyama - BLUE WATER BLUE SKY ~May's Theme~ GUILTY GEAR X HEAVY ROCK TRACKS ~ The Original Soundtrack of Dreamcast!!
Originally developed for the arcade, Guilty Gear X helped establish the Guilty Gear series among the top tiers of the 2D fighters. The game (along with the rest of the series) was riddled with references to popular rock music and included a soundtrack to fit the theme. Writer and character designer for the Guilty Gear series, Daisuke Ishiwatari, also wrote the music.
“Blue Water Blue Sky” sounds like you’d expect a rock song with such a name to sound. It’s upbeat, extremely catchy, and worth listening to over and over again. If you have ever listened to early 90s Jrock, then the main melody to the track will sound very familiar. The writing style coincides with the 90s style of writing found in Jrock, but not in a bad way. Instead, it creates around 3 minutes of enjoyable instrumental rock that does a great job of representing what the Guilty Gear music is all about.
Miki Higashino and Yumiko Takahashi - Reminiscence Genso Suikoden II Original Game Soundtrack Vol. 1
The Suikoden series has been around for almost 12 years now and while the fifth installment in the series was released in 2006, the second game is considered the pinnacle of the series by many of its fans. Due to the immediate competition with the release of Final Fantasy VIII, unfortunately, the game was quickly overshadowed and fell into obscurity, remaining as one of the rarest PSX titles in the US. The soundtracks to Suikoden II and the rest of the series have proven to be popular with around 15 albums released to accompany the five Suikoden titles.
This track is one of my favorite Suikoden tracks of all time. The piano composition is extremely beautiful and compelling and the accompaniment of the traditional Japanese vocals helps to propel this track above the others. The tone of the piece is both uplifting and somber which is conveyed so well with the minimal use of instruments. Unlike the arranged version found later in the album, the use of only a piano, a few stringed instruments and the vocals helps to make the track much more emotional than the arranged version.
D is for Dead? I don’t think so!
As it’s been a while since my last post and there are many things that have happened, I’m just going to start fresh.
I am a fan of System Shock 2. A very big fan. Since I am a fan, I was more than excited when Bioshock was announced. I waited, almost patiently, for the release of what could be the greatest FPS RPG title released since SS2. Upon release, however, as impressed as I was by the game, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was just playing SS2 with a new theme. It was almost as if they had re-skinned the original game, slapped a new prefix to “Shock” and dumbed down the difficulty. I could go on about it but I feel that Zero Punctuation said it perfectly in the following video:
On another note, I want to talk about RPGs. More specifically, Japanese RPGs. Yes, I know, it’s a touchy subject. JRPGs is like the Euro Metal of the gaming world. Everyone had probably played one or two, but only the nerdiest of the nerdy (myself included) really enjoy them on higher level. So if you are not a fan of them, I would say skip on down the post. Anyway, my issue is with the evolving battle systems in the games. More and more are JRPGs going to a real-time battle system and straying from the turn-based style that it was birthed with. I don’t necessarily dislike this trend, it’s simply that the transition has been very rocky. More often than not, I have found myself playing a real-time system that has been not only exceedingly dull, but also very contrived and not even very well executed. Only a few titles have really stood out as having excellent real-time systems or variations thereof (Star Ocean, Tales of Symphonia, Final Fantasy XII). There has also been a growing pressure on classic turn-based franchises to shed their ways and go to the new style. Series like Dragon Quest, games that have built their popularity on the solid turn-based gameplay, are feeling the pressure from other series who have jumped ship and embraced the new system. This I am not happy with.
I grew up playing turn-based games, and I would rather not see series I have loved change something that drew me into it in the first place. A Dragon Quest title that is not turn-based seems almost blasphemous. I do understand that turn-based systems can be overwhelming or sometimes needlessly convoluted. Games like Magna Carta that featured hybrid systems that were so overly complex that playing the game was no longer fun ruins the image of turn-based titles.
Another nail in the turn-based coffin is the random encounter. So often are old titles associated with this bastardized version of exploration that it becomes synonymous with tedium. Games have been starting to stray from that concept, but it still rears its ugly head every now and then (Rogue Galaxy).
In the end, I feel that Final Fantasy XII has done the best job so far of combining both schools of thought into one extremely coherent and entirely enjoyable game.
MUSIC
As the title implies, today is the day of the D. No, I am not talking about Tenacious D, I am talking about tracks from games who’s name begins with that lovely letter D. Below you will find music from Dragon Quest, Devil May Cry, and Dead Rising. Enjoy.
Koichi Sugiyama - Overture Dragon Quest VIII Sorato Umito Daichito Norowareshi Himegimi Symphonic Suite
Shawn McPherson - Cerberus Battle Devil May Cry 3 Original Soundtrack
Hostile Groove - On a Mission Dead Rising Original Soundtrack