Achievement Unlocked 07.23.09 Summer of Splosions

Posted by Rod Oracheski on 07.23.2009

Rod Oracheski takes a look at the Summer of Arcade and ponders the early love for Shadow Complex, takes an quick look at 'Splosion Man, and starts out a new business-related section. Plus HD video of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger!

The Summer of Arcade is upon us, with 'Splosion Man arriving this week. Following weeks will bring us Marvel vs Capcom 2, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remake, Trials HD, and Shadow Complex - and it's that last game's hype that has me a bit confused.

Tiptoe Through the Treetops?

Is it as good as they say?

It seems like everyone is already in love with Shadow Complex, and while I share some of the appreciation for how good the game's looked initially, it seems a bit premature.

Look at the history of the developer, Chair Entertainment: Advent Rising and Undertow. Neither game was a blockbuster, with Advent Rising's biggest claim to fame being a million-dollar giveaway that they then reneged on.

It reminds me a great deal of the outpouring of love for The Conduit - another game that came from a development team with no real hits to their name.

The similarities continue beyond that, with both games seeing the developer get the backing of a big name: Epic is backing Chair Entertainment and High Voltage Software (HVS) undoubtedly benefited from making a game exclusive to Nintendo's console.

The major difference there is that Epic is actually backing Chair, with Shadow Complex sporting Unreal Engine 3 tech and looking pretty spiffy as a result. Being exclusive to Nintendo's console didn't really net HVS Nintendo's backing, though a conversation with some 411mania staffers raised one interesting prospect: desperation.

It's not desperation on the part of the developers, but the media. Places like IGN, who were over the top in their praise of The Conduit (and over the Metacritic average by a full 15 percent) are desperate to have something on the Wii that targets someone - anyone - that cares about...well, about places like IGN.

It's a theory that's not completely loony as the Wii-buying public doesn't seem to care about reviews, something EA's Peter Moore recently admitted the software publisher recognizes. That has to panic sites like IGN, who rely on advertising revenue and don't want advertisers believing they can avoid spending money there.

Conspiracy theories aside, there's also a difference in the games themselves - with The Conduit really not distinguishing itself from the first-person shooter (FPS) pack in any way other than being a Wii exclusive. On the PS3 or 360, it would have been an also-ran before the race even started - relegated to lesser coverage than the top-tier FPS games. Shadow Complex, on the other hand, can't really be called generic - though it appears to be a throwback to the 8-bith and early 16-bit sidescrollers, it definitely has its own flavour.

To be clear, I'm not down on Shadow Complex - I think it looks pretty good and I'm definitely going to check it out when it hits Xbox Live Arcade. I just wonder how a developer with a so-so history suddenly has the media paying attention. Is it the Epic factor? Are people jonesing for a sidescroller done right? Did someone really like Undertow? Give me your thoughts on it in the comments.


JP Prag, who wrestling fans will probably recognize as the guy behind the Hamilton Journal, suggested in my recent NPD breakdown that I make that a weekly column. As I told JP in that column, I don't think I could do it as a weekly article. That said, no reason I can't throw some business stuff in here for the people who want to hear it. So here we go - starting with the continuation of the Activision/EA silent (mostly) warfare.

Activision vs EA

According to Gamespot, Activision, which has been putting together a new studio in the San Mateo area, pulled two senior developers away from Electronic Arts' Visceral Games studio - formerly EA Redwood Shore, the unfortunately acronymed EARS. These aren't random nobodies from the rank and file either: studio GM (General Manager) Glen Schofield and COO (Chief Operating Officer) Michael Condrey.

It's not clear what project the pair will head for Activision, though it's apparently going to be one of their existing franchises. Is there something they haven't already 'exploited' into the ground?

The move is obviously a clear gain for Activision, but the loss for EA comes on two fronts.

Firstly, they lose a pair of passionate talents in Schofield and Condrey. They were key factors behind Dead Space and often the 'out front' men on the upcoming Dante's Inferno. Condrey began his career with EA, in fact.

Secondly, the studio itself must be shaken by the loss of two leaders while in development of a pair of titles: the aforementioned Dante's Inferno along with Dead Space Extraction for the Wii. Visceral was tagged as one of EA's leading internal studios, so having staffers walk away must raise some concern.

EA is likely to be in damage control mode at Visceral, trying to reassure those staffers who are still there that there's no need to worry - much less entertain any future offers from Activision.

As for Activision - is the poaching done or will they continue to recruit?

ESA Picks Huey

From EA to the ESA (Entertainment Software Association), with news that the ESA has appointed Erik Huey as its head of government relations. Huey will be the industry's advocate at the federal and state level.

"Erik's demonstrated advocacy abilities on behalf of numerous entertainment and telecommunications clients will serve him well as he navigates the specific challenges and opportunities that the ESA and our member companies face," said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. "As game technologies and gamer demographics continue to evolve, the entertainment software industry will rely on Erik and his team to help foster a beneficial environment for our industry's innovation and creativity."

Huey has worked on the political side of things in the past, with the most recent being with the Obama campaign during the 2008 primary and general elections, coordinating voter protection and mobilization efforts in Western Pennsylvania.

With the gaming industry increasingly coming under fire by politicians, Huey may be a good choice to stave off future trouble.

Credit - The ESA

ESA Picks a Fight

And it looks like Huey will be busy, with the ESA announcing Wednesday that they'll be going after the Chicago Transit Authority over their restriction on the advertising of computer and video games rated "Mature 17+" (M) or "Adults Only 18+" or (AO).

The ESA contends the restriction is a violation of their First Amendment rights - also unfair, as there's no similar restriction on advertising M-rated movies, music, or TV shows. The group will no doubt cite a 2007 case from Denver in which the Regional Transport District rejected a proposed ban on video game ads due to freedom of speech concerns.

Credit - The ESA

150 million untapped?

According to Nintendo of America's senior director of product development, Tom Prata, the company believes the game market currently sits at 295 million people. Though a staggering number, the company apparently believes it could grow by 150 million - "if the right game came along" according to Prata.

The internal numbers revealed by Prata also seem to point to the North American market being just under half of the world's game market, making up 143.7 million of their 295 million estimate.

Credit - EDGE Online

The Sounds of Silence

While music games came on with a roar following the breakout success of Guitar Hero, Gamasutra has found the genre as a whole seems to be far weaker than it was a year ago - down 49% year on year.

The year over year numbers for both Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises show a decrease of 67 and 34 percent, respectively.

Worth noting, however, is that the numbers don't include revenue generated via song and song pack purchases. With Rock Band heavily favouring a DLC approach (reporting 40 million song downloads already) versus Guitar Hero's continual release approach, the real difference could well be negligible.

With Rock Band set to start up the recently announced Rock Band Network, where user-generated content can be uploaded, approved, and sold to end users, it's likely that franchise's actual revenue will continue to climb through 2009 and 2010.

Both Activision and EA (Guitar Hero and Rock Band publishers, respectively) would do well to heed these lower retail numbers in the future, however. The buying public is obviously not feeling the same love for the franchises that they did in the past, whether that's from 'franchise burnout' or simple economic pinch, and adjustments will need to be made for future releases.

Credit - Gamasutra

'Splosion Man

Large bosses just mean bigger 'splosions.

The annual Summer of Arcade promotion kicked off this week, with 'Splosion Man hitting Xbox Live Arcade. I spent a few hours with the game on Wednesday, capturing video and screenshots (one over to the right, and a video coming soon), making it through to level 22 or so out of the (I believe) 50 available.

The game is an old school blast - exactly the kind of game that Xbox Live Arcade was made for. Part platformer and part puzzle game - but don't worry, all the puzzling revolves around deciding how to blow things up.

Every single face button is set to 'SPLODE - with all the game's strategy coming from timing your explosions for proper damage and effect. You'll be flying from one major explosion to another, even bouncing from wall to wall in a blast-propelled wall climb.


For only $10, 'Splosion Man is an absolute steal. You also get a few bonuses here, with the ability to unlock a Gamerpic, theme, and even an Avatar accessory - though nobody seems to know exactly what that'll be.

You can grab the 'Splosion Man demo here.


Four videos today, with some 'Splosion Man ones coming tomorrow. First off, a look at one of the more interesting races in Fuel - an open-world racing/exploring game that didn't see a great critical reception. I have to admit that I was interested in Fuel when they first showed it, cooled on it by the time it came out, then wasn't overwhelmed by the initial impression the game gives.

While a lot of games can afford to start out slow, that's just not the case for what's purported to be a racing game. Unfortunately that's exactly what Fuel does, saddling you with clunkers that can't accelerate worth a damn - or control worth one, for that matter. If you manage to make it through the first few zones you'll find much better vehicles that solve both those issues. It's just a shame that the first impression for this one is so poor. It takes so long for this 'open world' game to actually open up that most will have given up on it before getting to the fun stuff.

I think in a previous column I said the game should have been marketed more as an exploration title instead of a racing one, and that's something I'll still stand by. While there are some scattered gems in among the races, most of the fun is found just bombing around the terrain as it transitions from plains to forests to deserts, all without a single load.

Here's one of those race gems - a checkpoint race while a trio of tornados rip up the terrain.



Speaking of niche games, here's BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger. The fighting title reminds me of Guilty Gear (and no wonder as it was made by the same team) though a bit more bizarre. There's an incredibly deep story here, with the pursuit of all the story 'branches' quite possibly providing over 20 hours of replay value just for single player. I have to admit the story really didn't do much for me, trending heavily towards the overwrought and quintessentially Japanese-style narrative that I've grown tired of. The Tips section, where 'Boobie Lady' keeps things moving along with humour, on the other hand - that was a lot more entertaining.

The gameplay is rock-solid, with a heavy emphasis on offense. If you're sick of games where people can succeed by turtling, this one's for you. There are some defensive techniques, but most of the game's focus is on doing damage as quickly and efficiently (and flashily) as possible.

Here's three BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger videos. The first is the intro, entirely done in the 'static image' style that most developers have moved past - but it works pretty well. The second is the first of the 'Boobie Lady' Tips videos - definitely worth a look. The third is gameplay, captured early on - so excuse the noobish moves. I'll try to get some more up later this week.







If you have any questions or want to request any videos, leave a comment below. Until next week, I'm out.