Hyrule Historia Releases Today

The encyclopedia of all things Zelda launches today in North America.

Dark Horse Books and Nintendo have teamed up to bring us The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, containing an huge collection of historical information and artwork on The Legend of Zelda franchise. Although the volume released in 2011 in Japan, this is the first time American and European readers will have a chance to read it. Inside the hardcover book is never-before-seen concept art, a full history of Hyrule, the official chronology of the games (in case you always wondered), and a bonus -- an exclusive comic by the creator of The Legend of Zelda manga, Akira Himekawa. The introduction to Hyrule Historia was written by Shigeru Miyamoto, who invented The Legend of Zelda, along with Super Mario and Donkey Kong.

Hyrule Historia can be purchased at Amazon.com.

It's currently the number one selling book on all of Amazon.

Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness Review

Game: Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness
System: PC (DOS)
Genre: RPG
Developer: Origin Systems
Release date: 1981, 1986


Pros: Lots of character customization options, ambitious story
Cons: Not much guidance on how to make progress


Ultima is one of those legendary series that sit in the pantheon of influential video games. The first game in the series, Ultima I, was one of the very first commercial computer role-playing games. It borrowed ideas from tabletop RPG games like Dungeons & Dragons and brought them to life on a computer screen. Although video games have become much more sophisticated in the 30 years since Ultima I was first released, almost all modern role-playing games owe something to Ultima.

Ultima I takes place in the lands of Sosaria, where an evil wizard named Mondain is causing havoc. Evil men and beasts roam the land, and dungeons crawl with sinister things. A hero is called upon to save the land by defeating Mondain and destroying his Gem of Immortality. The story in Ultima is surprisingly ambitious considering its subject matter  -- let's just say it's not your standard medieval fantasy -- and considering it's the work of only two men, one of whom was a freshman in college. The story is not entirely fleshed out -- the game is rather short, after all -- but it's interesting and it slyly maneuvers around RPG tradition.

The revolutionary tile graphics in Ultima I allowed for huge worlds.

At the onset of Ultima I, players can create a custom character. They can choose race, class, and sex, and assign a name to each character. Ultima I also allows players to modify statistics such as strength, wisdom, and agility. It's very Dungeons & Dragons. During the game, each avatar earns experience points by defeating monsters. As with all RPGs, characters also have hit points. However, in Ultima I there is no current hit points/total hit points system. Rather there is a single number that rises and falls throughout the game. Players can increase their character's hit points by emerging alive from a dungeon or paying tribute to a castle lord. Food plays an important role in Ultima I as well. Even if a character has 5,0000 hit points, he will starve and die if he runs out of food.

One of the more revolutionary features in Ultima I was it's graphics engine, which might seem unbelievable when compared to something like the Unreal engine or Source. But in 1981, when the game first launched, Ultima was a technical marvel. The secret was tile graphics, a collection of pre-rendered tiles, each one 14x16 pixels. Each screen in Ultima was formed from 200 of these tiles, laid together in rows of 20 and columns of 10. Essentially each tile was a miniature picture of everything that appears in the game world. For example, several grassy-looking tiles would be laid side-by-side to create a meadow, or several watery-looking tiles laid together to form an ocean. It allowed Richard Garriott, who designed the game, to create a huge game world with many continents, each covering several screens.

The isometric first-person perspective of Ultima's dungeons.

This method, however, was only used for the world map screens. When a player descends into a dungeon, the perspective switches to an isometric, first-person point of view.

So, Ultima I has an exciting, unorthodox story, lots of customization options, and a huge game world to explore. What it doesn't have, however, is much advice for its players. Without some sort of guide or hint book, players might find themselves wandering the lands of Sosaria ad infinitum. It's easy to get lost and difficult to know what to do, and in which order to do it. Non-player characters offer a few vague hints, but much of the game is left to trial and error.

Still, Ultima is worth playing. It's a very important game, and recommended for anyone interested in the history of computer role playing games. Setting aside its historical significance, it's still a fun and different RPG with a lot to offer.

The Best of Bond

Happy Birthday, James Bond! Or belated birthday, anyway. 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of James Bond movies. The first movie, Dr. No, debuted in 1962. MGM celebrated the anniversary by releasing the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall, and promoting a Blu-ray collection featuring the first 22 Bond movies. There will also be a celebration of James Bond at this year's Oscar ceremony. Rumor has it that all six James Bond actors will appear onstage together for the first time.

Although it's not nearly as spectacular as all that, the contributors here at DBtC want to pay tribute to the legend of James Bond in our own small way. Four of us have weighed in on our favorites from the franchise, including movies, Bond girls, theme songs, and villains. Enjoy!

Best Bond Movie

Evan's pick: From Russia With Love (1963)

More slowly paced and deliberate than the movies that followed, From Russia With Love is one of the most understated and realistic Bond movies. The story is credible, the characters are relatable, and the special effects are used sparingly until the climax. From Russia With Love introduced many elements to the James Bond formula, among them the pre-credit sequence and theme song. It also marked the first appearance of Q and Bond's nemesis Blofeld. Finally, From Russia With Love features of the most brutal and brilliantly choreographed fight scenes in the history of cinema.

Eyes Only.

Beth's pick: For Your Eyes Only (1981)

For Your Eyes Only is a classic James Bond movie. Featuring spectacular scenery, tense action sequences, and a believable romance, this film is the most memorable of the series. Additionally, though Roger Moore is not the top Bond, he seems the right fit for 007 in this story. Carole Bouquet is the heroine of this film, and though she could not speak English, she plays a believable daughter seeking revenge for her parents. From scuba diving to cliff scaling and more, this film has all the hallmarks of a good Bond movie and has stood the test of time.

Lizzie's pick: Casino Royale (2006)

Casino Royale leaves me feeling charmed, devastated and in love, every time. This may not be the traditional purpose of a Bond movie, but as you can see from my unconventional picks below, I am not that concerned with tradition. I am much more interested in how the Bond tradition is evolving - playing down the gadgets and sexism in favor of complex characters that appeal to a broader audience. Casino Royale was the first Bond movie I genuinely loved as a young woman. In explaining the genesis of Bond, it takes us on a journey of a super spy who turns out to be very much a human, with all of the beauty and flaws that entails.

Rob's pick: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Lazenby stars in OHMSS.

Nobody does it better than . . . George Lazenby? Movie-wise, it's true. OHMSS gets my pick because unlike the rest of my picks which show the quintessential Bond, this film was the first to break the mold that had been so successful since Goldfinger. At its heart, it's a personal story. There is no world domination plot, no sexually suggestive names, no henchmen to be endlessly parodied in the future. James Bond falls in love. He doesn't go after Blofeld (Telly Savalas) because he's threatening the world. His demands are actually pretty low-key. He goes after Blofeld because Teresa di Vincenzo (Diana Rigg) isn't just the damsel in distress who Bond needs to end the film with near a body of water. She's the love of his life and he risks it all to save her, even Blofeld's reprisal against Great Britain. Directed by Peter Hunt, the editor on earlier Bond films, the film moves along at a brisk and engaging pace. Until Casino Royale (2006), it was the longest Bond film at 142 minutes. But unlike the bloated, overlong action films of today, you are never checking your watch to see how much time is left. Lazenby usually receives a bad reputation from Bond fans, however his grounded, emotional potrayal of Bond wasn't just Connery-lite. In fact I would argue elements of his portrayal still resonate in the later performances of Dalton, Bronsnan and Craig. Bond did have feelings, and the biggest problem I have with the rebooted franchise is that this tragic chapter is no longer an essential part of Bond's core. Even years later it still resonates in the character. Case in point, my buddy Evan's mention of that nightclub scene in The Spy Who Loved Me, owes its noteworthiness to this film. 


Best Bond Girl

Evan's pick: Barbara Bach (Anya Amasova)

I'm going to defy conventional wisdom and pick Barbara Bach, who plays James Bond's foil in The Spy Who Loved Me. Let's get the nasty business out of the way: Bach is gorgeous. But that's not what makes her so good. Her portrayal of KGB agent Triple-X is layered, nuanced, and genuine. This is a character torn in three directions, by her loyalty to her murdered lover, by her duty to her country, and by her physical attraction to Bond. The scene between Bach and Roger Moore in Max Kalba's club is a highlight.

Eva Green shines as Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale.

Beth's pick: Eva Green (Vesper Lynd)

Most of you know that Ian Fleming liked to give his female characters provocative, clever names (Pussy Galore, anyone?) At first glance most people might not notice that Vesper Lynd is meant to read like West Berlin-- a little joke from Fleming about the Cold War. Played by Eva Green, Lynd is a rare Bond girl. She is a strong woman, dedicated to her work, and an equal to Bond's ego and wit. Green's beauty is unparalleled, and she plays Lynd as an unforgettable character. The train scene between her and Bond is one of the all-time greats.

Lizzie's pick: Eva Green (Vesper Lynd)

As Beth mentions, Eva Green plays a rare Bond girl in Casino Royale, and one that feminists can truly embrace. Vesper Lynd is strong, beautiful, witty and vulnerable - a complex woman like most real women. The train scene is also one of my favorites, as Vesper demonstrates a wit and intuition equal to that of Bond, but there are so many others that evoke both pain and delight. If the train scene shows Vesper at her most sassy and arrogant, the shower scene reveals her innocence and vulnerability, and her quips throughout the movie make it a real treat. If I were James Bond, I would fall in love with her, too.

Bond attempts to seduce Pussy Galore.

Rob's pick: Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore)

No it's not just because of the name. Well that's certainly an essential part of it. Unlike the name, Ms. Galore is never a charicature. She never needs to be rescued by Bond. She didn't even like him for first couple of encounters. Bond's success in the film owes everything to Ms. Galore's timely intervention. She's an expert in judo, a crack pilot and one of the most beautfiul of all Bond girls (considering she's the second oldest in the history of the franchise, that's a bold statement). I watched The Avengers largely to see Honor Blackman as she made such an impression on me when I first saw Goldfinger. Could there have been more character development? Sure. Did Bond win her over pretty easily despite her earlier iciness? Most definitely. But for me Pussy Galore remains the best Bond girl if for nothing else than no one in my opinion has come close to matching her winning combination of beauty, physicality and attitude.


Best Bond Song

"Goldfinger" made Bassey famous.

Evan's pick: "Goldfinger" by Shirley Bassey

This is the signature Bond theme for a reason. It's sultry, it's poetic, and it's actually germane to the movie to which it belongs. Bassey's voice hits all the right notes, and the horns section fills in the blanks.

Beth's pick: "You Only Live Twice" by Nancy Sinatra

Nancy Sinatra, most famous for "These Boots Are Made for Walking" which is hardly an epic masterpiece of song, delivers a rare, stunning performance in You Only Live Twice. Iconic of the period, this song is still featured today (recently heard on an episode of Mad Men), and has an unforgettable melody.

Lizzie's pick: "Skyfall" by Adele

In "Skyfall," Adele has created a haunting song that matches a movie laced with fear, tragedy and nostalgia. Days after watching Skyfall for the first time, I found myself playing back Adele's lovely voice in my head as I recalled Bond's melancholy and defiance, his childhood home going up in flames: "I never liked this place anyway."

Rob's pick: "Goldfinger" by Shirley Bassey

It's not easy turning the title of a Bond film into a memorable (for quality and not for being laughable) theme. Goldfinger is what they all aspire to. Not only does it serve to introduce the character before he appears on the screen, the catchy lyrics work as a song in their own right. There's a reason Bassey is the only artist to record more than one (three total) Bond theme. Her powerful high notes and sultry voice are the microcosm of Bond at its best: powerful, seductive and a bit dangerous.


Best Bond Villain

Evan: Telly Savalas (Ernst Stavro Blofeld)

The ultimate portrayal of the ultimate Bond villain. Unlike other actors, Savalas makes his Blofeld truly menacing, a man of stature and grace who could become murderous at the drop of a hat. Blofeld is a worthy enemy to a super spy like James Bond -- he's resourceful, intelligent, egomaniacal, and ruthless.

The latest Bond villain, Raoul Silva.

Beth's pick: Javier Bardem (Raoul Silva)

In an effort not to pick Blofeld as the best Bond villain (though he probably is), I have opted for a more modern choice. The recent performance by Bardem as Mr. Silva, the broken, flamboyant and twisted former-MI6 agent, left me wondering if it might not be one of the best Bond villain performances ever. The interplay between Bond, M, and Silva is unique and the concept of a former-agent-turned-villain gives an interesting look into the character of MI6 agents and asks the obvious questions about Bond's own stability. Bardem's performance makes your skin crawl-- something every good villain should have.

Lizzie's pick: Javier Bardem (Raoul Silva) 

Javier Bardem has a knack for playing  villains, and he does not disappoint as Raoul Silva in Skyfall. While Silva's seemingly insurmountable shrewdness is  terrifying, he also manages to introduce welcome comic relief into the story. I found myself laughing out loud more than once during the movie, even as I felt darkness creeping into London and my own heart pounding. Silva also serves as a contrast to Bond, showing the evil Bond could succumb to if he had just a little bit less loyalty, humility or strength of character. 

Goldfinger taunts Bond.

Rob's pick: Gert Frobe (Auric Goldfinger)

Telly Savalas as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in OHMSS was a close second but this is the Bond villain to beat. Of course, James Bond will always win in the end. He's never going to be killed halfway through the film. But when Goldfinger has Bond strapped to a table and is ready to slice him in two with his handy laser, I still to this day can't help but feel the tension as Bond scrambles to find a way to save himself. He expected Bond to die, and I'm sure audiences back then may have thought it was a possibility. It's a testament to how Connery plays the scene, but Frobe's quiet intensity and seething vileness make Goldfinger a truly lethal Bond villain. Not that he's can't be charming entertaining his guests on his Kentucky stud farm or calmly relating his scheme to our hero over a mint julip. (That's a drink, Bond fans.) All this and he would have succeeded if not for the best Bond girl stepping in (see above).

Best Bond

Evan's pick: Sean Connery

The man who started it all, Sean Connery IS James Bond. He created the onscreen version of Bond, and mastered it long before anyone else attempted the same. Unlike other actors who played the role, Connery embraced everything that made Bond so attractive and so immoral. He was sexy, he was smooth, and he was deadly. But he was also aloof, unsympathetic, even cruel. And he killed in cold blood. Yet his violence was always under control. He could focus it against his enemies, his friends, even himself. From his very first scene in that casino in Dr. No, Connery disappeared into the persona of James Bond -- steely, seductive, and smugly self-confident. Nobody does it better.

Sean Connery in Dr. No.

Beth's pick: Sean Connery

This is one of those times where I have to really parce out my "favorite" Bond, from the "best" Bond. There's no question that Sean Connery is the greatest Bond. As Evan said, he "is" James Bond. Not only does Connery have the presence and gravitas that makes James Bond, but his accent, his charm, and his looks are quintessential. Without doubt, Craig is the second-best Bond, and in time I may switch my choice over to him, but I'm not prepared to say that Connery isn't still the greatest for the sole reason that I can't imagine James Bond having never been played by him.

Lizzie's pick: Daniel Craig

If Sean Connery IS Bond, then Daniel Craig is the new Bond, who far surpasses his predecessor in depth and humanity. I would argue that the two are completely different creatures - Connery, a cool but ultimately unsympathetic assassin- Craig, a raw but tender man who convincingly plays murderer and lover alike. Although I can understand how a traditionalist Bond fan might find my choice incomprehensible, I prefer the latter by leaps and bounds. It's not just Craig's "perfectly formed" you-know-what that makes his version of Bond unbearably alluring. It's also the way he kills, survives, loves and grieves - with all of his rough edges dressed up in a tux.

Daniel Craig in Skyfall.

Rob's pick: Sean Connery

There's no nostalgia creeping in here. Sean Connery is, and always will be, James Bond. He's how we measure every actor who has come after him. If other actors do develop different facets of the Bond character or "do more" with the character, we're still either directly or indirectly stating Connery is the definitive portrayal of Agent 007. It has become innate to characterize James Bond with Sean Connery's portrayal. He can be cold or charming. He can be intense or playful (usually with the women, or Q!) To the day whenever I hear the introduction of Bond, I always hear it as "Bond. (click) James Bond" and he casually closes his lighter halfway through. Not just the best introduction of Bond, but one of the best character introductions in the history of film. From that moment, Connery was imprinted on me as James Bond, and I don't see anyone unseating him no matter how many actors take on the role in the future.

THQ Closes, Sells Off Assets

Video game company THQ is officially shut down; its studios and game properties were sold at auction three days ago. THQ was founded in 1989. It reached its high water mark in profits in 2007, but was forced to downsize two years later due to  huge drop in sales. THQ filed for bankruptcy in December 2012.

Here is a breakdown of the auctioned properties:

Homefront: $500,000 (Crytek)
Metro: $5.8 million (Koch Media)
South Park: $3.2 million (Ubisoft)
Relic: $26.6 million (Sega)
THQ Montreal: $2.5 million (Ubisoft)
Evolve: $11 million (Take Two)
Volition: $22.3 million (Koch Media)

Vigil Games, a former subsidiary of THQ, is still looking for a buyer. Vigil is best known for the game Darksiders. Platinum Games has expressed interest in the Darksiders property and Vigil employees.

Here are some of the big games THQ published over the past few years:

Darksiders
de Blob
Homefront
Warhammer: Dawn of War
Saint's Row
Metro 2033
Red Faction: Guerrilla
Company of Heroes

Nintendo Direct Recap

Wow, what a day. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata dropped some pretty big bombshells yesterday during the Nintendo Direct broadcast. So let's break them down one by one.


Smash Bros, 3D Mario, and Mario Kart Confirmed for E3

Although it was generally accepted that Nintendo was working behind the scenes on a new 3D Mario and Mario Kart, confirmation from Iwata was welcome. The Wii U Mario game is being developed by the team behind the Mario Galaxy games and Super Mario 3D Land. Both Mario and Mario Kart will be playable at E3, meaning the games will probably release in the fourth quarter. The much-anticipated Super Smash Bros. game, which will launch on Wii U and 3DS, will also make an appearance. Although it sounds like 2014 is a more likely launch year for Smash Bros.

New HD Zelda Teased

Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma briefly took over for Iwata-san to tease a brand new Zelda in high definition. There were no images to show, but Aonuma explained the philosophy behind the game: it will look to the beginning of the series for inspiration; and it will "rethink the conventions of Zelda."

Wind Waker, Remade 

Because the new Zelda will take some time, Nintendo intends to keep us entertained in the meantime. The Gamecube game The Wind Waker will be remade for Wii U with new Gamepad features, enhanced graphics, and some tweaks to the gameplay. It will launch this fall.

Wind Waker graphics in HD.

Yoshi Rumor Confirmed

The rumor that Nintendo was working on a new Yoshi game was confirmed yesterday by Iwata. It will be a 2D platform game directed by Takashi Tezuka, who supervised Yoshi's Story and Yoshi's Island. The team behind Kirby's Epic Yarn will develop.

The new Yoshi game shares a similar art style with Epic Yarn.

Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem

As if one Nintendo crossover titles wasn't enough (see Project X Zone), Nintendo will be bringing to the Wii U a crossover game featuring characters from Atlus RPG Shin Megami Tensei  and Intelligent Systems RPG Fire Emblem.

Wii U Party Announced 

We already knew Wii Fit U was coming this year. Now we know another title in the Wii series is on the way: Wii U Party, the sequel to hit game Wii Party. From the footage shown during Nintendo Direct, Wii U Party looks like a virtual board game mixed with some Mario Party-style mini-games.




New Game from Monolith Soft 

The stat of Nintendo Direct might have been footage from a new RPG from Monolith Soft, the company that developed Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii U. It may even be a sequel to Xenoblade. The "X" at the end of the game trailer would indicate it at least belongs to the Xeno series.

A screen capture of Monolith Soft's new RPG for Wii U.

Virtual Console Coming to Wii U

Lastly, Iwata also announced that the Virtual Console will arrive on Wii U after the spring firmware update. NES and SNES games will be available at first, with games from other systems -- including Game Boy Advance -- available later. There will be an introductory campaign where users can download select NES titles for a 30-day trial period for 30 cents each.


And that's about it. There were a few more announcements, some new footage, and glimpses of the future, but all the big news is represented above. Please see the video of Nintendo Direct below for the entire presentation.

Nintendo Direct Announced for Today

Nintendo announced it will present a Nintendo Direct news report today at 9:00AM EST.

Little is known about the details of the presentation, although the Nintendo Direct is expected to cover only the Wii U. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said, "This time, the plan is a bit different from a regular Direct, in that I'll be talking about what kind of Wii U titles and services Nintendo is developing."

What will Nintendo unveil? I think there will be more info about Nintendo TVii, the multimedia application that allows Wii U to serve as a hub for all television programming -- Netflix, Hulu, DVR, etc. I also expect some information about the Wii U "virtual console," where players can download classic games. In addition to that, there should be a release date for Pikmin 3 and some new gameplay footage.

News outlets are reporting that Nintendo will tease brand new Wii U software during Nintendo Direct. One of these titles might be Resident Evil Revelations, which was announced yesterday for Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. The game is an enhanced port of the 3DS game (which will be reviewed on this blog next week). There is also a rumor floating around that Nintendo will unveil the new Monolith Soft game during Nintendo Direct, and that it's a new Earthbound title. Personally, I hope that Monolith Soft is working on a new IP.

Nintendo Direct can be viewed here:

North America
Japan
Europe

I will update this post during Nintendo Direct. Stay tuned!

9:00 AM EST: Iwata tells viewers that this Nintendo Direct will be different. It will inform us about future plans and software for the Wii U.

9:03 AM EST: A conversation on Miiverse, with sample posts including tips on how to play ZombiU. Iwata is trying to articulate the meaning and utility of Miiverse.

9:10 AM EST: There will be two Wii U system updates -- in Spring and Summer -- to improve the operating system. Virtual Console services for Wii U will commence after the Spring update. NES and SNES games will be available, and can be played on the Wii U GamePad. GBA games will also be available, eventually. Prices for NES and SNES will be the same as the prices for the Wii Virtual Console.

9:14 AM EST: In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Famicom (NES), Nintendo will offer a promotion where Wii U users can download NES titles for 30 cents.

9:20 AM EST: Iwata apologizes for the lack of Wii U titles in January and February. He also introduces new footage for The Wonderful 101.

9:22 AM EST: A development video for Bayonetta 2, exclusive to Wii U.

9:25 AM EST: Nintendo is working on a new 3D Mario and a new Mario Kart for Wii U. They will be presented at E3 2013 in playable form. There will also be a new Wii Play game released this summer.

9:29 AM EST: Two brand new games revealed: a new Yoshi platform game from the team behind Kirby's Epic Yarn; and Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem.

9:33 AM EST: Two Zelda games are on the way to Wii U: an enhanced version of The Wind Waker and a brand new unorthodox Zelda. The Wind Waker will launch in the fall.

9:35 AM EST: Iwata teased footage of the new Monolith Soft RPG.

Gravity Rush Review

Game: Gravity Rush
System: PS Vita
Genre: Action-adventure
Developer: JAPAN Studio
Release date: June 12, 2012


Pros: Lovable protagonist, detailed open world to explore, great music, well-executed gravity mechanics
Cons: Overly cryptic story, anticlimactic ending


The PS Vita might be selling below expectations, but that doesn't mean its games are lackluster. One has only to look at Gravity Rush to see the massive potential of Sony's newest handheld. Gravity Rush, the latest title from JAPAN Studio, is a spectacular game. Its mechanics, which allow players to manipulate the laws of physics, are a revelation; its production design rivals the very best console games; and its heroine is a superstar. Yet Gravity Rush has a fatal flaw. Whether by design or by mistranslation, the story in Gravity Rush is a train wreck. Characters are introduced suddenly and dismissed just as quickly, plot threads are left incomplete, and the entire last act of the game rushes to an abrupt and unsatisfactory ending.

Gravity Rush takes place in Hekseville, a city floating in the sky. The heroine of the game is Kat, an amnesiac with extraordinary powers that allow her to "shift" gravity. She can refocus her personal gravity on any flat surface: the face of a building or the underside of a bridge, for example. Hekseville quickly becomes Kat's adopted home, and she fights for its citizens against masked enemies and mysterious creatures called "Nevi." Spindly and inky, the Nevi bring to mind the "Ing" from Metroid Prime 2. They come in all shapes and sizes, and plague the neighborhoods of Hekseville.

Kat looks around Hekseville.

Speaking of Hekseville, it's a joy to traverse. Each neighborhood has a unique personality and unique music: melancholy melodies for old town; big band music for the red light district; and industrial noise for the factory sector. Music is definitely a highlight of Gravity Rush.

Hidden around each neighborhood are rumor spots -- where Kat listens to background information about the city -- and also challenge missions, and gems. Challenge missions are what you might expect. Kat must race around town within a given time limit, or she must dispatch a large group of enemies. One of the most interesting challenges is a "gravity slide" race, one of the few instances where Gravity Rush uses the Vita hardware in new and creative ways. Players must touch the screen on either end to initiate the slide, and then turn the Vita left and right (like a steering wheel) to maneuver.

Up, down, left, and right lose meaning in the air.

Meeting certain benchmarks in challenge missions will earn players gems, which can be traded in for upgrades -- more powerful attacks, a longer gravity gauge, etc. These same gems are scattered around town, above and beneath each neighborhood. Exploration is so fun in Gravity Rush that it's easy to postpone the main mission indefinitely in order to collect gems and see the sights.

When Kat isn't visiting the clubs, parks, and skyscrapers of Hekseville, she's fighting. Many critics derided the fighting mechanics in Gravity Rush, but they're wrong. Combat is well-designed and well-executed. Kat has an arsenal of powerful moves at her disposable, all of which are easy to learn. Moreover, combat never degenerates into simple button-mashing. Players must use careful timing and strategy to win each fight, especially those against giant bosses.

Kat strings together a combo attack against a Nevi.

The main event in Gravity Rush, however, are the story missions. These include everything from fetch quests to stealth infiltration to combat with the aforementioned boss monsters. For most of the game, the quests make sense and help propel the story forward. But late in the game, the story takes an unexpected and bizarre left turn. From that moment on, the vaguely mysterious story of Gravity Rush becomes unbearably cryptic, and the entire game suffers. JAPAN Studio may have intended for Gravity Rush to be part of a longer series, but that doesn't excuse bad storytelling. It definitely doesn't excuse the finale, which might be the most confusing and anticlimactic video game ending ever written.

Nevertheless, hopes are high for Gravity Rush 2, should it be released some day. The world of Hekseville is worth revisiting. Kat is a heroine that demands a sequel. And the gravity and combat mechanics in Gravity Rush are too good for just one game. Had it not been for some bad storytelling and a poorly-paced final act, Gravity Rush could have been one of the very best handheld games ever made.

Happy Birthday, DBtC!

Time for birthday cake!

Today, January 19, 2013 marks the one year anniversary of this blog. It's been a wonderful first year, and I want to thank all my readers for supporting Don't Blame the Controller. There will be plenty more to read and discuss in the coming months, so please continue to check the blog and leave comments.

On Janary 19, 2012, I posted the first article of many. It was a feature on SOPA, the anti-piracy legislation and its potential impact on the video game industry. Since then the blog has grown bigger and has become more comprehensive. It's featured previews, reviews, retrospectives, top ten lists, and even a top 100 list to commemorate the 100th post.

Here are some stats from the first year.

*There have been 140 posts, including this one.
*The blog has been viewed over 22,000 times.
*The most viewed article is the Banjo-Kazooie retrospective with 1,308 hits.

Thank you again to my readers, and to everyone who's contributed to the blog since it launched a year ago. I'm very grateful for your support.

Nintendo Unifies Hardware Divisions

According to a report published on Nikkei.com, Japanese video game giant Nintendo plans to combine the development divisions for its home video game consoles and handheld systems. If true, the move would see employees from both divisions merge and relocate to a new development building now under construction near Nintendo headquarters in Kyoto, Japan.

Here is a partial translation of the original report:

“Game system development projects are becoming larger and taking longer to complete as the machines become more advanced. Nintendo apparently has its sights set on speeding up these projects by sharing development processes for consoles and handheld devices where possible and by reassigning personnel depending on the situation. It sees interactions between engineers as a potential hotbed of new ideas.” 

This is exciting news. Perhaps the move is designed simply to cut costs and boost Wii U and 3DS connectivity. But maybe this is the first step in a process meant to produce Nintendo's first handheld-console hybrid, a brand new portable system that "docks" with a television.

Scribblenauts Review

Game: Scribblenauts
System: Nintendo DS
Genre: Puzzle
Developer: 5th Cell
Release date: September 15, 2009 (NA)


Pros: Diverse puzzles, lots of replay value, brilliant premise

Cons: Imprecise stylus controls, frustrating at times

The idea of Scribblenauts is best summed up by its catchphrase: "Write Anything, Solve Everything." The purpose of the game is to solve a variety of puzzles using objects generated by the player. Scribblenauts provides the setting, the clues, and the questions; and it asks players to dream up the answers. So the game allows almost limitless options for each player, a simultaneously liberating and daunting scenario. It's one of the more creative and open games of the past ten years, and it delivers something that was previously thought impossible: the player is allowed to summon almost anything his mind can imagine. Yet Scribblenauts is not without flaws.

Scribblenauts is built around an engine called "Objectnaut," which assigns several properties to the tens of thousands of nouns available in the game. If the player writes "bicycle" into the word entry screen, a bicycle will appear onscreen. And thanks to Objectnaut -- which provides physical characteristics and artificial intelligence for each object -- the bicycle will look and act like a real bicycle. Maxwell can ride it; he can push it down a hill; he can dump it in a lake and it will sink. A huge part of development time was spent on Objectnaut, researching nouns and their properties, and adding them to the database. As a result, players can solve the game's many puzzles with any number of objects, and any combination of objects. To fetch a cat from a tall tree, a player might create a ladder for Maxwell to climb. Alternatively, he might create a mouse to lure the cat down on its own.

How Scribblenauts works, at a glance.

There are over 200 levels in Scribblenauts, organized into two categories: puzzle levels and action levels. Puzzle levels provide a riddle for the player to solve; action levels are, naturally, more action oriented with platform elements, traps, and switches. At the completion of each level, players earn "ollars," the in-game currency that can be used to purchase new worlds and avatars, and "merits," awarded based on the creativity of the player's solution. Because puzzles can be solved again and again, always with different objects, Scribblenauts has huge replay value. Yet not all puzzles are created equally. Some are fun and challenging to play through; others are frustratingly oblique and counter-intuitive. Prepare to experience some quiet rage during Scribblenauts, especially if you plan to finish every last puzzle.

Maxwell flies a helicopter.

Another Scribblenauts frustration is its control scheme. The game uses the touchscreen to control Maxwell AND to manipulate objects, meaning that an imprecise touch on the screen might interrupt a carefully staged object combination, or simply send Maxwell off the nearest cliff. Trust me: this happens more often that you think. The physics in Scribblenauts are another problem. Objects will bounce and fall in strange, unpredictable ways, and often fail to connect to each other on the first attempt.

Still, a few quirks are expected from a game that allows so much freedom and so many open-ended possibilities. Despite some control issues and finicky physics, Scribblenauts mostly delivers on its promise of a game where the player's imagination is the only obstacle, his capacity to invent the only roadblock.

VP Biden Meets with Game Execs

Biden meets with video game executives.

Yesterday, Vice President of the United States Joe Biden met with video game industry executives to talk about gun violence in the U.S. Executives from Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, Epic Games and ZeniMax Media were present. Also in attendance were Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder, and researchers from Texas A&M and the University of Wisconsin. The meeting was part of a larger presidential initiative to determine the causes of and solutions to gun violence after the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT.

Christopher Ferguson, one of the researchers who attended the meeting, told The Wall Street Journal that he was "cautiously optimistic" about the meeting's outcome. Said Ferguson:

“I couldn’t say that the vice president had his arms around the industry and was saying how wonderful it was on the one hand. But on the other hand, I didn’t detect that instantaneous rush to judgment and say the most negative thing either. I think he’s in a sort of neutral or agnostic position, which is probably quite reasonable with where they’re at right now.” 

So far, the Obama administration has focused on gun laws, but it's also scrutinizing a media culture of violence, and mental health laws.

Although many outraged Americans have been quick to blame violent video games, the scientific record is undecided. Some research claims that violent video games trigger increased aggression, but other research finds no linkage between violent games and delinquency. In any event, video game executives are making a defiant stand in Washington, D.C., calling on Congressional allies, and amassing research and legal opinions to support their industry. Executives have been quick to cite research carried out by the Federal Trade Commission in 2009 that credited game makers for going further than any other media group to keep inappropriate material from children. Also benefiting the games industry is the 2011 Supreme Court ruling that found restrictions on the sale of video games to be unconstitutional.

Nintendo Force

The premiere cover.

No, it's not a new superhero squad made of Nintendo mascots.

It's a brand new magazine meant to fill the vacuum left by the closure of Nintendo Power. And it's on sale as of today.

Nintendo Force is the brainchild of IGN editor Lucas Thomas, who assembled, a la The Avengers, a "dream team" of industry veterans to produce a spiritual follow-up to Nintendo Power, which ended its 24-year run in December. The Nintendo Force staff includes individuals from Destructoid, GoNintendo, 1UP, Nintendojo, and several other sites and publications.

On the Nintendo Force Facebook page, founder Lucas Thomas said this:

"This [first issue] represents the culmination of several months of work for all of us who came together to create this debut issue of the all-new Nintendo Force Magazine, and it’s been especially gratifying to see all the positive comments and pledges of support from all of you in the past three weeks since we went public with our existence"

Now, where to purchase Nintendo Force #1?. It will be available at HP MagCloud. There, consumers can buy either a physical or digital copy of the magazine -- the physical copy is more expensive, but comes with a free digital copy.You can buy a digital copy of the magazine. You can buy a physical copy of the magazine – and get a free digital version thrown in too. The one glaring negative of this partnership between MagCloud and Nintendo Force is that MagCloud does not offer subscriptions.

However, Thomas has promised fans that Nintendo Force will provide a subscription plan before issue #2 debuts. If you are at all interested in subscribing, send an email to subscriptions@nintendoforcemagazine.com with the subject line “I want to subscribe!”.

A digital copy of Nintendo Force is priced at $4.99, and a print copy is priced at $17.99. The price is extreme considering other magazine prices, but all proceeds go to charity. "We’re honoring NP’s legacy here and doing this as a labor of love," wrote Thomas, "so when you buy Nintendo Force, you’re supporting kids that could use a helping hand."

Issue #1 will include a 26-page "Year in Preview" that highlights the biggest games of 2013, including Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, Pikmin 3 and Rayman Legends.

Inside Nintendo Force.

Nintendo Force can be purchased here in print and digital forms.

Changes to Rating System on DBtC

Dear readers, thank you for your patronage. This blog has experienced its fair share of ups and downs, but loyal readers like you keep it running (and keep its editors happy.)

I have a brief announcement for you, and it involves the rating guide for video game reviews on this blog. Since I started Don't Blame the Controller early last year, I and other reviewers have used a ten-point scale with half point intervals to score games. The system has worked well so far, but for a number of reasons I've decided to change it.

I've become increasingly disillusioned by video game reviewers on websites and in dedicated gaming publications. There seems to be some serious score inflation going on. Who knows what the cause of the problem is. Maybe there are too many games and too few journalists, and reviews suffer because any given reviewer can't spend an appropriate amount of time with a given game. Maybe corporate leadership or advertising departments put pressure on reviewers to give high-profile games inflated scores. Or maybe the corps of professional video game critics is simply not very good at what they do. It's a prickly, difficult question with no easy answer. But I feel confident about one thing: the 100-point scale and the 10-point scale (which this blog formerly used) doesn't help.

With a scale that runs from 1 to 100, or 1 to 10, there is a tendency -- whether conscious or subconscious -- to use only part of the scale. Let me explain. It's very easy to fall into a trap where a ten-point scale works in the same way as an academic grade scale, i.e., A, B, C, D, or F. In this trap, 90-100 are A's; 80-90 are B's; 70-80 are C's; 60-70 are Ds; and <60 is F. In effect, the 10-point scale -- which runs from 0.0 to 10 -- is reduced to 59-100. Thus only a fraction of the scale is used, and scores are inflated. Does every reviewer who uses a ten or 100-point scale fall into this trap? Not at all. But I worry that many do.

My solution is to start grading games in the same way I grade movies. On a four-star scale. I find the four-star scale to be less inelegant and awkward than the ten-point scale, and less open to manipulation -- intentionally or otherwise.

According to the new scale,

**** = Masterful
*** 1/2 = Excellent
*** = Good
** 1/2 = Fair
** = Poor
* 1/2 = Bad
* = Awful
1/2 * = Dreadful
ZERO = Unplayable

I will NOT be changing the old scores, and will keep the old scoring guide at the top of the home page for reference. All future games will be scored according to the four-star system.

I hope this new system works well for the blog and for you, the reader. And I hope it inspires other critics to adopt such a scale.

Sincerely,
Evan
Editor-in-Chief

Pokemon X, Y Coming this October

Nintendo announced two major Pokémon games for the 3DS yesterday morning: Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. Both will arrive for the 3DS in October in all territories. In a Direct broadcast that chronicled the series, Nintendo CEO Saturo Iwata introduced the new 3D games via the trailer below.

Keep an eye out for the three new starter Pokémon: Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie.

Sony Patents Technology to Block Used Games

Video game company Sony has patented new technology that could be used to block used video games. The "Electronic Content Processing System" sounds innocuous enough, but it associates individual game discs with matched user accounts. According to the patent:

"A game playing system includes a use permission tag provided for use in a game disk for a user of a game, a disk drive, and a reproduction device for reproducing the game. The disk drive reads out a disk ID from the game disk. When the game is to be played, the reproduction device conveys the disk ID and a player ID to the use permission tag. The use permission tag stores the terms of use of the game and determines whether a combination of the disk ID and the player ID conveyed from the reproduction device fulfills the terms of use or not." 

In the patent filing, Sony argued it was "vital" to redistribute a portion of proceeds to developers, who make no money whatsoever from secondhand sales. This technology, which may in fact never be used by Sony,  would also be applicable to other forms of electronic content, including images and music.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Do you think Sony will use such technology with its upcoming Playstation 4? Will Microsoft follow suit? How will this tech affect the secondhand games industry? Let us know in the comments section.