The Negative Edge News Report 08.07.08

Posted by Tommy Coloma on 08.07.2008

Today we see if the iPhone can challenge the DS and PSP in the portable games market, reveal how some of you can play Street Fighter IV this weekend, drool over LittleBigPlanet's pre-order goodies, and take a look at the latest Marvel vs. Capcom 3 rumor. We also have this week's only good release plus much more.



I spent a good part of my weekend checking out Lost Odyssey. I had something else that I really had to do and this was what I played to avoid it. I started it Saturday morning, only intending to play an hour or two (just enough to get a feel for the game), but ended up finishing the first disc about ten hours later. So, I guess you can say that I liked the game. It plays the way you'd expect an RPG that's produced by the creator of the Final Fantasy series to play. While the game has its own nuances, for the most part, it plays things by the numbers. The story and characters are what are keeping me interested so far. A big part of the story is how a mercenary who has forgotten about his past has recently begun to remember things in his dreams. The dreams come in the form of on-screen text that you have the option of skipping. Reading the text helps to make that character less annoying than your typical Final Fantasy-like hero. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that most gamers will skip those dream sequences after reading a few of them (I'm guilty of that already). While the main character is just ok, most of the secondary characters are pretty cool. The only ones that I have issues with are the children that join the party later. Luckily, I was able to remove them from my fighting party so I only see them in cut scenes. Frame rate issues aside, the graphics are good enough. The one thing that stood out about the graphics was the way veins were added to the characters. It's very noticeable in one character in particular. Describing her doesn't do the vein system justice, but let's just say that thanks to the addition of veins, this character has some of the most realistic breasts ever seen in a video game. If you want to see them, you have to make your way to the end of disc 1. Based on what I've played so far, it's safe to say that Lost Odyssey is one of the better RPGs on the 360. It isn't spectacular, but if you want a modern RPG with old-school gameplay on the Xbox 360, Lost Odyssey should fit the bill.


The News As I See It

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Is the iPhone a contender?

Time had a recent article in which it discussed whether or not the iPhone can compete with the DS and PSP in the portable games market. The article makes the mistake of suggesting that in order to succeed developers need to take advantage of the iPhone's "coolest attributes" like the tilt sensor. We already know through experience (year one DS and Wii games) that shoehorning things like that makes for shitty games, so I hope that developers don't take that suggestion too seriously. Don't get me wrong - adding tilt sensor attributes to games would make for some compelling gameplay elements IF DONE RIGHT. It's just that they shouldn't add it just for the sake of adding it as the article seems to suggest.

Now, if Apple really wants iPhone gaming to truly take off, it needs to make sure that the iPhone makes a big splash in Japan. It's no secret that Japanese cell phone games are badass. We don't see any of them here because our cell phone technology is a few years behind theirs. If the iPhone becomes competitive in Japan, we could see some of the more important franchises on the iPhone. RPG ports and puzzle games in particular would work well with a touch screen interface. With an influx of awesome games from Japan, the developers over here would have no choice but to stop making half-assed games for cell phones.

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Here's your chance to play Street Fighter IV

The EVO 2008 finals will take place this weekend in Las Vegas. It's already too late to register to compete, but if you're in the area, you could swing by to check out Street Fighter IV, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and a more updated version of HD Remix, all of which will be playable at the event. Make sure that you bring something to do while waiting, 'cause I'm sure that the lines will be extra long. And if it helps, you'll find the shortest lines during the 3rd Strike and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 tournaments.

You can find more info on EVO here.

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LittleBigPlanet Pre-order Deets

I don't normally pimp pre-order goodies, but seeing as how LittleBigPlanet is one of the few titles to look forward to on the PS3 this year, which means that most gamers with a PS3 will probably pick it up, I thought that the recent pre-order announcement was worth talking about. In a post by Mark Valledor, the Marketing Manager over at SCEA, it was revealed that Sony is working with some as-of-yet unnamed retailers to give a number of extras to those who pre-order the game. Right now, the extras include the official "LittleBigPlanet Creator" miniguide by Brady Games (in digital format), a LittleBigStickerBook, a LittleBigPouch, and exclusive Nariko SackGirl and Kratos SackBoy downloadable costumes.

The Little Big Planet demonstration at E3 was the only interesting part of Sony's whole conference, so I'm already there. The best part of this deal has to be the LittleBigPouch. I have no use for it, but now that I've seen it, I know that it has to be mine.

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Marvel vs. Capcom 3 would make a good consolation prize

IGN recently asked Kevin Feige, the president of production at Marvel, whether or not a new Marvel vs. Capcom game was in the works. His surprising response was "Yes. And maybe sooner than you think." The article then goes on to suggest that Tatsunoko vs. Capcom could be reworked so that Tatsunoko characters are replaced by characters from the Marvel universe. Doing that would allow Capcom to release the same game in the US without going through the licensing nightmare that Tatsunoko vs. Capcom would have caused. This is all conjecture, of course, but it fits in with Kevin's response.

I was never a very big fan of the VS series, but at this point I'll take any new Street Fighter game that I can get. The whole Tatsunoko vs. Capcom thing won't be a problem for me since I could just import the PS3 version when it comes out in Japan. That means that if Kevin Feige knows what he's talking about and a new MVC game is in the works, we just might have a total of four new Street Fighter games within a year (SF4, HD Remix, MVC3, and TVC). Then again, the last time a bunch of Street Fighter games came out close to each other (MVC2, Alpha 3, and CVS2, and 3rd Strike), Capcom decided to stop making them for a few years. The future is both scary and awesome at the same time.


The Release List

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Unfortunately, there are no US releases that I can get behind this week. But there is one import that looks good -



Steal Princess: Touzoku Oujo (DS Import)

"When Satan steals a boatload of treasure, someone's gotta steal it right back from the big galoot. Enter Anis, the 'Steal Princess' who's brunette, not-really-royal, and light-fingered. Anis has a dominatrix-pirate vibe about her since she wields a whip and wears an eye-patch." (description by NCSX)

This looks to be an action-RPG with puzzle elements. You'll miss out on the story if you don't know Japanese, but you can make it up in your head as you play through it. That's what I do in these situations...



To Be Continued...

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That's it for this week. It's a little short, but I have a good excuse (Lost Odyssey).

Now, I was minding my own business when someone on a yellow cycle boxed me in with his light trails. If I can figure out how to get myself out without hitting the walls of light, I'll be back next week.