The Negative Edge News Report 07.27.07
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 07.27.2007
This week I call out class-based MMOs, show you how to play to win, bring your hopes up about the possibility of Red Alert 3 for the Wii (only to let reality send them crashing down to Earth), and More!
History seems to be repeating itself as once again I'm looking for another job. Just like last year, I'm constantly going through periods where I'm not getting any promising offers, and then suddenly I'll get two or three very good ones all at the same time. That pretty much happened this week as I got calls for four very nice sounding Flash/ActionScript coding positions. I'm not looking forward to commuting again (three are for positions that are two to three hours away), but I guess the pay and the hours of solitary confinement on the train (thank you Nintendo DS) might make up for it. One problem that I might be facing is deciding which job to take. On paper, all four look good. So good, in fact, that I would be hard pressed to decide on which one to take up if I were to somehow get offered all of them (unlikely but you never know). So I could end up picking a job that turns out to suck hard while missing out on another that would have been awesome.
Now, this whole job situation got me to start thinking about a game that I just recently started to play again - Guild Wars. The Eye of the North expansion is coming out soon so I wanted to get back into GW beforehand. My main character is a Necromancer. Necromancers specialize in the dark arts; they pretty much deal with black magic and the manipulation of the dead. It sounded cool at the time so I just went with it. After playing for a while I found that all I was doing was playing backup, which, in the beginning, I was fine with. In Phantasy Star Online I spent most of my time using magic to keep my party alive so that was nothing new. But in that game, if I wanted to, I could also partake in the bloodshed since my HUnewearl character was good with both magic and melee weapons. Unfortunately, Guild Wars (and I'm sure this applies to most of the other games in the genre) does not allow for such flexibility. Sure, I can select a secondary profession, but even so, I'm still a Necro so meleeing still means instant death once the enemy starts to targets me. This is one thing that I think needs to be improved in modern day MMORPGs. Shouldn't I be able to completely change my character's profession to another without having to create a new character of a different race? The appeal of these types of games is having the ability to build up a character, right? So why can't I make my dark magic user into a full-fledged warrior? Ok. Balance might be an issue, but designers can fix that by limiting players to one full-fledged profession at a time. It's not the perfect solution but it'll do. Restricting professions in MMORPGs is an old-school concept that needs to be updated. I like to think that if I worked hard, I can accomplish anything, including things that are supposedly inherently impossible.
The news as I see it
Learn how to be good at PLAYING TO WIN... for free!
Damn. I wish this had come out seven years ago when I still lived within driving range of Golfland, the place to be (at the time) if you wanted to duke it out with some of the best Street Fighter players in the world. That was also when I still had the money, energy, and, most importantly, the time to devote to getting good at competitive games. I never took advantage of the situation so the highest level I got to was probably slightly better than average (even though I always talk about them, I'm not actually good at fighting games). While my days of playing SF games competitively (or at least trying to) may be ending (Xbox Live just doesn't cut it for me), I can still see myself striving for excellence in other game types such as PVP matches in Guild Wars, PC shooters like Battlefield 2, RTS games such as Command and Conquer 3, and console shooters like Halo 3.
Fortunately, gamers such as myself (sometimes) who are serious about getting better at their favorite competitive games now have free access to Playing To Win, a book that focuses on showing you how to improve your game. Normally, I'd dismiss stuff like this as complete bullshit, but the author, David Sirlin, is often talked about at Shoryuken.com, so I gave it a chance. The contents of this book were based on some articles which the author started to write back in 2000. The positive responses from gamers convinced him to compile it into Playing to Win. I've read through some of the book already and to summarize, this book will show you some stuff you already know, some stuff that you know but never think to do, and a whole lot of new stuff that you never realized. It's a good read and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get better at competitive play, no matter what the game.
- Play To Win (online version). Remember, if this does make you super awesome leet at your game of choice, donate or get the physical version. It's the righteous thing to do.
Bits and pieces
Wii has the most exclusives - quantity over quality?
Gaming Target just compiled a list of exclusives for all of the major consoles. According to them, the Wii has pulled ahead of the Xbox 360 in terms of exclusives. While I'm happy that the cheapest console out there has the most exclusives (even though I hate exclusives in general), I'm a little bothered that most of those exclusives aren't that good. These types of lists should be a little more specialized in order to show prospective buyers what they can look forward to. How about a list of exclusive AAA titles? Maybe a list of exclusive first-person shooters or RPGs? Perhaps a list of exclusive titles that have garnered a lot of buzz? As it is now, all we have is just something that Nintendo fanboys can throw around to show that their system of choice happens to have more of one thing than the competition.
Nintendo: the considerate company
Or maybe it's just greed. Whatever the reason, Nintendo has decided that it will hold off on releasing the Wii version of Mario Kart until that empty period between Winter and Spring. What this means is that any company that is smart enough to release anything during the after winter/pre-spring drought will now have to contend with yet another AAA Nintendo release.
The Heavenly Sword demo has dropped, allowing the brains of PS3 owners to produce the vast amounts of endorphins they so desperately need right now.
Guilty Gear meets Samurai Showdown?
Location testing for what should have been Street Fighter IV Sengoku Basara X is already going on in Japan. Arcade Renaissance and Insert Credit have some impressions and info that you might find interesting - AR1, AR2, AR3, AR4, IC1.
I can't really tell what it's like without hands-on experience. Right now, it looks like Guilty Gear with swords and some Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 assist-like abilities thrown in for good measure. I can't wait for it to come out on the PS2/Wii in America in two or three years.
Red Alert 3 Expansion, Wii port, or just wishful thinking?
Over at the Command & Conquer home page the above picture keeps making the rounds. Some big announcement is going down next month. The red makes me think "Red Alert" expansion. But the word revolution tells me Wii port. Maybe we'll get the best of both worlds with Red Alert 3 for the Wii! Yeah right!
Become a Paper Champion in Madden on the DS
This year's Madden on the DS will give players the ability to relive their grade-school glory days without the guilt of killing off ten trees for their sport. That's right! The triangular glory of Paper Football is on it's way. Yay?
Special Note
I got a few replies from the companies that I said I was going to bother last week. It's much harder to talk to video companies than I thought it would be. It's like the technical people don't like to talk to writers or something. I didn't have time to compile what I got (the job thing) so it'll come next week.
The Week In Releases
Persona 3 (PS2) DELAYED!
Or at least, it should have been here this week. Sorry guys. One of the last great PS2 RPGs has been pushed back due to problems with some of the extras that Atlus is packaging with the game. Take this opportunity to finish what ya got. If you can actually do that, let me know.
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (Wii Japan)
Yet another Guilty Gear game. This one is notable because it is the first 2D fighting game on the Wii (not including VC games). I see the Wii as being the one to replace the PS2 as the premiere 2D fighting game system so expect this to be the first of many. There is no word on what the waggle controls are like, but expect them to be atrocious. Regardless, this is definitely something to look forward to if it ever hits the states.
Melty Blood: Act Cadenza Ver. B (PC Japan)
The first post I ever made at 411mania contained a preview for the PS2 version of this game. A year and one week ago, to be exact. This one is a slightly updated version for the PC. There are the standard balance tweaks along with a new four-player mode ala Guilty Gear Isuka. Since it's on the PC it's basically region free. The only problem - it's pretty damn expensive. I never paid attention to import PC game prices so I have no idea if it'll drop before they run out of stock...
Shining Force (Wii VC)
I honestly didn't play this one until this week. I did hear that it IS one of the best RPGs on the Genesis. It looks promising and the music is great so far. The fighting system might put people off though. Reminds me of Super Robot Taisen, but with magicians and swordsmen instead of, you know, robots.
This week's background wallpaper
Remember PS3 owners! Now you too can use customized backgrounds! Now we just have to wait for Nintendo to get on the ball...
"I was walking along a path with two friends—the sun was setting—suddenly the sky turned blood red—I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence—there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city—my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety—and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature." - Edvard Munch
Yes, such is the feeling one gets when playing below-worthy two player games. But fear not, Raving Rabbits 2 will have a greater emphasis on multiplayer gameplay.
"Cut the heroic nonsense & bow down before mighty Megatron."
We have yet to be treated to a decent G1 Transformers game. People who grew up with the series are starting to hit their 30s. Would developers be interested in putting out games whose characters would appeal mostly to people of that age? Probably not, so unless a remake of the old series that uses the same character models just magically appears on television, this Megatron will never see the light of day on modern consoles. Pity...
The Video Game Dictionary - Midnight Bliss edition
The Darkstalkers series' Demitri Maximoff knows what he likes and isn't afraid to do what is necessary to get it. What is it that a Vampire such as himself savors more than life itself? Why, the "blood of innocent girls" of course! Luckily for him, he has a special move which allows him to enjoy the goodness no matter what the gender of his enemy is. With his Midnight Bliss, Demitri can transform his enemy into a more appealing form before draining that person's blood and stealing her soul.
On a related note, guess what I found while browsing one of my favorite import sites (NCSX) -
These happen to be the Bliss'd versions of some of the male characters from Capcom Fighting Jam. The ones in question include Demitri, Guy (2 versions), Shin Gouki, Urien, and Yun. Can you figure out who's who? In-game, Midnight Bliss is fun to pull off, but Bliss'd figurines? I want to see the sales figures for these when all is said and done.
I so wanted to talk about Claymore this week. It's funny how one episode can turn an OK series into one of my favorites overnight. No time though. This section will return next week. Right now I'm planning on talking about three series to make up for the last few weeks - Nodame Cantabile, Claymore, and Tenshi na Konamaiki. Never heard of them? That's the point!
To be continued...
That's it for this week. Some guy named Demitri is standing right next to me muttering something about a "midnight bliss." He's creeping me out. If I can get away from him, I'll be back next week.
Now, this whole job situation got me to start thinking about a game that I just recently started to play again - Guild Wars. The Eye of the North expansion is coming out soon so I wanted to get back into GW beforehand. My main character is a Necromancer. Necromancers specialize in the dark arts; they pretty much deal with black magic and the manipulation of the dead. It sounded cool at the time so I just went with it. After playing for a while I found that all I was doing was playing backup, which, in the beginning, I was fine with. In Phantasy Star Online I spent most of my time using magic to keep my party alive so that was nothing new. But in that game, if I wanted to, I could also partake in the bloodshed since my HUnewearl character was good with both magic and melee weapons. Unfortunately, Guild Wars (and I'm sure this applies to most of the other games in the genre) does not allow for such flexibility. Sure, I can select a secondary profession, but even so, I'm still a Necro so meleeing still means instant death once the enemy starts to targets me. This is one thing that I think needs to be improved in modern day MMORPGs. Shouldn't I be able to completely change my character's profession to another without having to create a new character of a different race? The appeal of these types of games is having the ability to build up a character, right? So why can't I make my dark magic user into a full-fledged warrior? Ok. Balance might be an issue, but designers can fix that by limiting players to one full-fledged profession at a time. It's not the perfect solution but it'll do. Restricting professions in MMORPGs is an old-school concept that needs to be updated. I like to think that if I worked hard, I can accomplish anything, including things that are supposedly inherently impossible.
Damn. I wish this had come out seven years ago when I still lived within driving range of Golfland, the place to be (at the time) if you wanted to duke it out with some of the best Street Fighter players in the world. That was also when I still had the money, energy, and, most importantly, the time to devote to getting good at competitive games. I never took advantage of the situation so the highest level I got to was probably slightly better than average (even though I always talk about them, I'm not actually good at fighting games). While my days of playing SF games competitively (or at least trying to) may be ending (Xbox Live just doesn't cut it for me), I can still see myself striving for excellence in other game types such as PVP matches in Guild Wars, PC shooters like Battlefield 2, RTS games such as Command and Conquer 3, and console shooters like Halo 3.
