20 Years of Sneaking

Today, Konami of Japan celebrated the 20th Anniversary of Metal Gear in a big shebang with series creator, Hideo Kojima. On feature were all things Metal Gear, from the new stuff coming to collected editions of the past games. If you thought Konami was putting all their eggs into one PS3-shaped basket, you’re wrong. Solid Snake just might be biting the bullet at the end of MGS4 (maybe), but his presence certainly won’t be lacking if Konami brings out everything they’ve shown at tonight’s big gig.
There will be Metal Gear games aplenty- the PS3 MGS4, a Metal Gear Solid Online game also on PS3 (which will be going on test in Japan very soon), a collection of all the past games, an enhanced PSP Portable Ops game (wherein the Old Snake in MGS4 makes his debut appearance), Metal Gear mobile games (Japan only though- DAMN) and Metal Gear cellphones, Metal Gear toys, Metal Gear books (including a new PSP graphic novel/game)… I’m even kinda seeing Metal Gear toilet paper somewhere there.

But of course, the big thing tonight for gamers was seeing the actual game in action, as demoed by Kojima himself. I’ve seen a couple of vids from IGN (they were taken down though- there seems to be an embargo on vids at this moment) and they look pretty good. The graphics look exactly as seen in the past trailers, though of course it’s all under a player’s control. Snake can now switch from third to first person at will (you can play the game entirely from first person if you want), and there are new things to do like grab an enemy’s weapon, and new CQC moves like an instant-KO crotch squeeze (OUCH). As seen in past vids, Snake’s new sneaking suit gives him a chameleon’s ability to blend with his immediate surroundings, and even on the bad, bad quality videos it’s pretty impressive to see.

So far, the action shown in the realtime demo vids was pretty impressive. The way Snake moves and interacts with the environment is still recognizably MGS, but deeper and more detailed. The way you can move and interact with the environment and join battle against or with this or that faction in a war-torn environments is tantalizing to say the least.  The graphics look awesome, and the interface looks super-slick.

Other tidbits- Eva, Naked Snake/Big Boss’s love interest from MGS3 will be returning in MGS4, albeit a lot older and still showing off a bit of cleavage (cue in shudder right here). Now, let’s all take a moment to think of young, hot Meryl. Ah.

We can all expect more media from this much-anticipated game on major gaming sites by tomorrow or so. It all just makes the wait for Early 2008 that much harder than it already frickin’ is. Thanks, Konami. Thanks a lot.

Heavenly Demo due this Week

The much-awaited demo for the upcoming PS3 fighting action-adventure title has been given a set date. It will be downloadable from the Playstation Network starting this Thursday, July 26. While this is pretty much confirmed by IGN for the UK, it is also assumed that other regions will also be getting the demo at the same time.
The demo is most probably the same as the one shown off in the recent E3, which means that players will be able to play through the cinematic ‘QT’ event of sliding down gigantic ropes towards waiting enemy soldiers. The final game is set for release this September.

The Price of Power

I recently saw a show called Gamer Revolution (in the UK it’s called Gamer Generation) from the Discovery Channel. It explores how videogames are now more than just a hobby for kids, but a force of expression that is changing the world as we know it. It was a pretty cool program, not just for the snippets of games shown throughout the episodes, but for the knowledge that gaming isn’t a kiddie thing anymore. It’s a serious pasttime that has already overtaken movies and television in some respects (the average gamer is supposedly 30 years old).

Among the many interesting things shown is an MMO-event held in Norway called The Gathering which is in effect the biggest LAN party in the world. Thousands of young gamers come together at a single venue to play games. Despite being a get-together, there’s little actual talking or interaction (despite you all being in the same area) as people are far too preoccupied with playing the game.

But by far the weirdest thing for me is the discovery of a job known as a Power Leveller. Apparently in first world nations, people who love playing MMOs but can’t commit enough time for it can just have their character played and ‘levelled up’ to a specified level by people employed in countries like Romania (and even the Philippines). So after a time, they get their characters back at a higher, more powerful level. People are PAYING for someone else to PLAY their games! It’s logical, in a way, I guess… but it just kinda blows my mind. Some people just have more money than time, so they employ others who have less money but more time. Makes sense. But still weird.

Bah. I don’t really want to go that deep into my games. Not all the time, at least. I just want to play, darn it. Simple.

Seen the New Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer?

Most hardcore gamers were probably glued to their computers a couple of weeks ago, during E3 2007. In that week of impressive and not-so-impressive showings for all three big consoles, one particular trailer was the talk of the town. It was so big, the game’s creator himself was on hand to introduce it. I’m talking about Metal Gear Solid 4’s new trailer, of course, brought to our grubby paws by Hideo Kojima himself.

Divided into two big segments, the trailer first shows the aging Solid Snake AKA Old Snake infiltrating a camp belonging to Liquid Ocelot’s PMC (Private Military Contractor) army. Through a voiceover dialogue between Snake (still voiced by actor David Hayter) and old comrade Roy Campbell, we learn of Liquid’s plot to launch an armed insurrection against the free world with his massive army. Nobody dares move against Liquid since taking him down is tantamount to upending the world’s current economy, which is heavily reliant on warmaking and the aforementioned PMCs. Campbell however has no such compunctions, and sends in Snake to terminate Liquid.
Alongside Snake, we also see the new FOXHOUND (led by a returning Meryl Silverburgh) also gunning for Liquid. But everything goes to hell in a handbasket when Liquid activates what appears to be a special signal (manifested by the sounds made by the Gekkoes, or mini-Metal Gears) that drives soldiers imbued with special combat-enhancing nanomachines, seemingly insane. That means EVERYONE in the area, including Snake and Meryl, goes haywire as Liquid makes his exit. Snake desperately tries to make his way to a kill shot on his nemesis, but fails. Liquid boards a helicopter with another familiar face (Naomi from the first MGS) and the title screen flashes.
We are immediately brought to a different, more action-packed segment preceded by the voices of Vamp and Raiden, both alumni from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.

What follows is a knockdown battle between Cyborg Ninja Raiden and the flamenco-dancing Vamp, amidst the mooing Gekkoes (this scene apparently happens soon after Raiden’s butt-kicking of the Gekkoes in the E32006 Trailer). Done in realtime graphics, this cutscene is simply amazing with acrobatic stunts and graceful combat crossed with some brutal attacks. Both seemingly unstoppable warriors eventually fight to a deadly stalemate, each one stabbed by the other, as the trailer finally ends with the message of the game’s simultaneous release in ‘early 2008’.

All I can say is… WHOA. That was pretty awesome. The Old Snake part was kinda blah, but the Raiden-Vamp fight was BOSS. Sadly, it’s just a cutscene but darn… you don’t see that kind of kick-ass combat every day. It was the kind of thing that wouldn’t be out of place in a Matrix movie, or any big budget martial arts epic. Well, it had to be… since this trailer is meant to tide us over for a while. Sigh. Anyway, hopefully vids of actual gameplay will be forthcoming soon, in the next big game shows. For now though, once again 2008 seems so far away.

Word on the Street

Apparently there’s a big announcement coming this Monday from Capcom about Streetfighter… to be more specific, Super Street Fighter II HD Remix. It’s already common knowledge that this DLC game will be the original Super Street Fighter II but with all-new, Hi-Def 1080p sprites from UDON, the makers of the Streetfighter comics. What will this announcement be about? Perhaps a firm release date? Word on Streetfighter IV? Well, with Capcom’s new 2-D game being teased recently just revealed to be Basara X (Devil Kings), I wouldn’t hold my breath on that last one. Hopefully this will be something really cool. We’ll just have to wait a bit on this one.

UPDATED: Apparently all this hubbub is about how Capcom is asking fans and players what specific Achievements they want to have for the game. That’s it. Sheesh. What a load. Oh well.

The Long Wait Begins: Previewing Soulcalibur IV

Soulcalibur IV is my future fighting game of choice. I’ve loved this series since the original, but the previous installment on PS2 put my love for the series through the roof. The development team, Project Soul, have proven themselves to be more dynamic and forward than their brethren over at the Tekken team, what with stuffing Soul Calibur III with goodies like Create-a-Soul (Character Creation), cool minigames aplenty and even a sorta-kinda RTS hybrid in Chronicles of the Sword.

Okay, Chronicles wasn’t exactly the best thing in SCIII, but I think it was far better than stuff like Tekken Bowling or that Devil Within minigame. And where Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection just let you tweak color palettes or switch hairstyles, SCIII let you create your own Samurai Dancing Bikini Girls. I rest my case.

Aaaaaanyway. Soulcalibur IV looks to have graphics that seem, from the so-far-released screens and art, at least as good as Virtua Fighter 5 (so far my benchmark for graphical finery in Now-Gen fighting games). The detail and substance is close, though VF5 still nails the lighting and ‘solid’ feel of the characters and world. But then again, we haven’t seen that much of SCIV yet. There’s still a ways to go. Still, VF5’s been out a couple of years and is STILL the graphic king. You have to give Sega credit. Well, Soulcalibur IV will supposedly have graphics so detailed, characters’ bodies will actually get indented in real time due to their costumes, and actual features like a character’s nipples are supposedly individually rendered underneath the cloth. Sounds like hokum to me, but whatever. The proof is in the looking. Bottom line is, SCIV should look awesome. If it looks even half as great as VF5, I’ll be happy. If it lives up to the devs boasts, I’ll be giving out cigars.
Aside from looks, SCIV will reportedly have cool features and modes up the wazoo once again, just like the previous game. Create-a-Soul will return, more improved with more options and customization options, such as more choices for voices and items or clothing choices that will actually have an effect on gameplay.

As for the established cast of blade-wielding maniacs, SCIV will reportedly see most (if not all) of the faces from SCIII at least return, with some, like Tira (the razor hula hoop-wielding psycho-kitten) having a drastic fashion makeover. The developers though seem to have decided to keep quiet on any new additions, at least until the release date comes closer. There HAS been sighting (in the new E3 trailer) of a previously-unseen fighter mixing it up with the other fighters; a female warrior dressed from head-to-toe in plate armor, wielding an unusual dual-wield combo of spear and shortsword. My take is that this female knight may be a CAS (Create-a-Soul) Character, and not really an actual addition to the fighter lineup. Only time, and Project Soul, will tell.

Other little tidbits- SCIV will fix up the gameplay that many hardcore fans have complained got broken in SCIII (Characters like Xianghua and Sophitia, as well as many of the CAS classes, were seen as overpowered). Also, there will supposedly be a ‘new way to finish a round’, which does not involve depleting your opponent’s life bar or a ring out. My take? Perhaps a Disarm move. Or an ‘Instant Kill’ maneuver you charge up by hitting the enemy with a set number of buildup moves a set number of times. The segment in the SCIV trailer where Siegfried is shown delivering a massive overhead blow at a stunned Tira may be a demonstration of this.

According to the trailer and teaser, the saga of Soulcalibur will come to a head in SCIV. The holy sword Soul Calibur (wielded by Siegfried) and the evil sword Soul Edge (wielded by Nightmare) have given their users massive power, and it will result in a Mother-of-all-Slashfests among the fighters involved in this war of swords. Will it be the final SC? Not as long as the franchise sells, I’d say. In any case, this upcoming Slash ’em up looks to be awesome when it comes out on the PS3 and Xbox360 sometime in 2008.

What the Hell is a Hardcore Casual Gamer?

I am what you could probably call a Hardcore Casual Gamer.Try as I might, I can never be really good at games.

I blame this for my late entry into gaming- we could never really afford expensive toys like the Colecovision, Intellivision or whatever-vision there was at the time when I was a kid. I had to make do with whatever was at hand- or fill the back of my notebooks with ‘Shooting Stars’ pen-flicking battles. Nope, by the time I could get my own gaming systems and games at will, I was already working. By this time, my time for hard-wiring my reflexes to gaming skills had long past.

But no matter that I’m no longer a kid. Actually, the way things are, games and gaming aren’t really kids’ stuff anymore. The average gaming system and requisite games are far beyond the allowances of normal, non-pensionado younglings. Videogames, these days, are a serious hobby for the mature adult. Many games have content that shouldn’t really be seen by kids, especially those titles that enjoy budgets that often surpass those of many Hollywood movies. Nope, game companies don’t make games for kids. They make games for guys like me. The Hardcore Casual Gamer.

I’m a guy who just LOVES games. I love graphics and the steady progression visual panache has evolved from the blocky abstract animated figures of yesteryear to the photorealistic digital superstars of Now-Gen’s games. I appreciate stuff like a game’s story, script, characters and histories. I’ve followed the careers of longtime gaming characters like an obsessed fan stalking some teen dream.

Ask me to name the Ten Commandments, or the Twelve Disciples. I’ll probably make mistakes a lot. Ask me the Character Roster of Tekken, Streetfighter II (all the hunnerd variations), Soul Calibur, Virtua Fighter or DOA, and I can recite them without batting an eye. I found myself more attracted to digital divas and polygon princesses rather than live sex symbols. But then, considering how actresses, TV stars and models are so digitally-altered and photoshopped these days, who can really say what is REAL or Artificial?

I freakin’ love games so much, it’s no longer funny. It’s serious money and time I’m throwing into this hobby, and for what? All for eye and mind candy. Well, it’s better than becoming a chain smoker or alcoholic, I guess. In that light, I guess I have it good.

So stay a while and listen. Gaming has never been this amazing and wondrous, in all the History of Mankind. You probably don’t appreciate games as much as I do, but after reading this blog a bit, maybe a bit of my zeal will rub off on you. Or not. In any case, it should be fun. Because that’s what games are all about.

Lock and Load.