Category Archives: Adventure

Adventure

Adventure, Games and Software, Otaku, Pop Culture

Mega-Evolution is NOT a Fad

September 12, 2014 Alex McCumbers

Mega-Evolution was thought to be an exclusive mechanic of Pokemon X and Y. Yet, as Nintendo continues to show, haters of Mega-Evolution will have to deal with it, because it’s not going anywhere soon. For those who ignored the newest Pokemon games, Mega-Evolution is a power granted to specific species of Pokemon that pushes their abilities into new levels. To do this, a trainer must have that Pokemon’s Mega Stone. The form lasts for only that battle, but during this time a Pokemon’s strengths, abilities, and even type can be altered. Some Pokemon, such as Charizard and Mewtwo have two mega forms, each with unique attributes.

This mechanic changed the way Pokemon battles were played. A strategic Mega Evolution could change the fate of a match. I frequent a popular browser game called Pokemon Showdown, which focuses solely on competitive Pokemon battles and creates tiers to create a balanced game—it’s basically Fight Club with adorable creatures. When the X and Y mechanics were implemented into the system, it changed everything.

Players began to fear specific Pokemon due to the mere chance that they would Mega Evolve. Last I played, Mega Gengar is still banned and Mega Kangaskahn is invincible. Some trainers hissed at the use of a Mega, while others praised the return of fan favorites in need of a competitive overhaul.

Personally, I love Mega-Evolution. It brought new life into my favorite Pokemon, Charizard. While I loved nothing more than blasting away enemies with a STAB dragon attack, I always thought all this power was temporary. My fears were eradicated with three new games set to be released.

Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby

Using Megas in this game came as no surprise. Remaking the first GBA Pokemon games in the X and Y engine needed to support the mechanic as players would undoubtedly want to trade between the two 3DS games. However, the sheer amount of Megas is rather staggering. Already there have been thirteen confirmed Mega-Evolutions plus an additional two (Latios and Latias) that are assumed as hackers have found the items and models in X and Y. Will all these Megas saturate the game? Will trainers think less of Pokemon that cannot Mega-Evolve? In fact, that would make an excellent plot line for a movie or an episode of the anime if it hasn’t happened already.

Honestly, out all the Megas that have been announced, I’m most excited for Mega Marshtomp. Let’s be honest, there have been few internet phrases that reached the popularity of “I herd u like Mudkips.” That, and Mudkip is the first starter I picked on the original Ruby Version. I also have my fingers crossed for a Mega Flygon, but so far all I’ve gotten is a well-done Rick Roll.

Aside from Mega-Evolution, Primal-Evolution has also been added to Groudon and Kyogre. These forms change those Pokemon into their original selves during the creation of Hoenn. These forms are massive and will prove to be overly powerful. Every time I see them though, I always think, “Can’t wait to see Primal Rayquaza!”

Super Smash Bros. 4

The gaming world has known about this for a while. Both Charizard and Lucario will be able to use their Mega forms in Nintendo’s newest brawler. So far, only Charizard X has been seen. While the X form is obviously more popular, it sort of leaves Charizard Y to cry in the corner. Melee favorite Mewtwo has yet to make an appearance, but considering it has two forms as well, I’m going to assume that he (or she depending on what movie you watched) will be available in DLC. Whether Mega-Evolution will be available outside of a Final Smash ability is yet to be known. I’d like to see them as alternate costumes at the least, but keeping them as a killing blow can add to the fear of seeing them evolve.

I guess we’ll have to wait until Super Smash Bros. comes out for 3DS on October 3.
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Pokken Tournament

A while back there was a screen shot of Blaziken that many fans thought to be about a new Pokemon game. Others thought that Blaziken may be coming to Smash; however, few could’ve guessed that Namco was teaming up with Nintendo to create a Tekken game with Pokemon characters. It is the most astounding bit of news I’ve heard since Hyrule Warriors was announced. Not only is the idea absurd and honestly stupid on paper, but by watching the trailer I was floored. Pokken Tournament is looking to be an awesome Wii-U port of what will obviously eat the yen of Japanese arcade players. Hopefully, Pokken will come to the 3DS as well.

So far details have been scarce, but Lucario, Machamp, and Blaziken have been confirmed characters. What’s interesting is that Lucario is seen using his Mega-Evolution, which may be used in a similar fashion to Kazuya’s Devil form in Tekken. This leaves me to wonder what other Megas will appear in the final game, if any at all. I hope that a new Mega is shown as a boss on Pokken first and later comes to the handheld games.

Either way, being that I’m both a fan of fighting games and Pokemon, I am conducting the hype train for all things Pokemon. Choo! Choo!

Megas Forever!

When Mega-Evolution first arrived I was a skeptic, although through X and Y, I came to love them for what they are. Mega-Evolution adds new things to Pokemon and frankly the series has been so formulaic that it definitely needed the change. Honestly, I’m not too keen on Megas popping up everywhere, but for the most part I enjoy the new designs and power of these forms. I can’t wait to awaken the dragon as Charizard or turn up the heat with Lucario in a more button responsive game.

Thinking Mega-Evolution to be a fleeting thing is harder to do when considering the acceptance of the fans. Artists are creating their favorite Pokemon as Megas, many looking to be professional and creative. Modders have even put Megas into other games, like Minecraft and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Many gamers were hesitant like me, but most have grown to love these powerhouses. Gamers can’t ignore that something awesome and new has happened to the series.

Finally, Pokemon as a franchise is trying new things and reaching into places it previously wasn’t. Pikachu is a worldly recognizable character to the point that people are forgetting about Mickey Mouse. Whether its toys, games, cards, or simply a bunch of Pokemon at a soccer game, Pokemon bring all sorts of people together for one thing: fun.

Of course, this also means the world is okay with the forced enslavement and gladiatorial engagement of various creatures, but most overlook that.

Action, Adventure, Game File, Games and Software, Indie Pennant, Multiplayer

Cuphead: An Interview with the Developers

July 21, 2014 Alex McCumbers

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jDZfREYppk&w=560&h=315]

During Microsoft’s E3 Press Event, there was one game that stood out to me. Cuphead is being created with all the old cartoons of the 1930’s in mind, while the game mechanics hearken back to the classics of the SNES and Genesis. Recently, I reached out to Studio MDHR with a few questions:

== When designing the game, how did you capture the tone of classic cartoons? What sort of technology are you utilizing? ==

The main tech we are using isn’t a tech at all. It’s all traditional hand-drawn and hand-inked animation which is exactly how they animated in the 1930s.

To ensure that the style is very close to the original material, we constantly research tons of cartoons from the era to gain knowledge and study the way key animations were approached. It also lets us add to our ever growing style guide that is filled to the brim with things that we adhere to most of the time—visual aids like: eyes[mad/sad/happy], pupils, blink types, teeth, tongues, hair, hands, feet; animation aids like: turnaround frames, action lines, timing, cycles; and even flaws: missing color in frames, poorly drawn in-between, etc.

After all of that is placed in the game, we have a bunch of post-processing to aid with the visual style we are trying to replicate. Different types of blur, subtle vignettes, dust, scratches, hair, noise and other layers are built on top of each other to produce what you see in the game. We’ve spent a TON of time getting the effects just right—probably two and a half months or more!

== Judging from the videos, Co-Operative play looks to be a major feature. How are you handling Co-Op? ==

Co-op is a necessary feature for run and guns—this genre was MADE for two players!

We are testing out some team-up moves, but nothing has been implemented yet; we are very picky about fine-tuning and how one thing can affect multiple areas. If we can’t create ideas that complement or add/improve on the gameplay, we’ll drop it.

Two players has a unique give and take: some situations become easier while others can turn instantly chaotic if both players are not in tune. Co-op creates comradery and that in turn creates friendship—so what we are really saying is that Cuphead will create new relationships.

== Cuphead has a subtitle. Does this make Cuphead a planned franchise? ==

If we are lucky enough to work on other games in the future, we are hoping that we get to expand on Cuphead. But that doesn’t mean we are planning for it at all. We are going all out on this first release to the best of our ability and within a timeline that makes sense to us. In our minds, we are treating Cuphead as if it were the only game we’ll ever release.

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It would be nice to explore more ideas and increase the Cuphead universe before moving on to a new title, but only “father future” knows if this will occur. We also both still dream of a Sega Master System port too, but all of our focus is on finishing Cuphead (SMS fans keep your fingers crossed!)

== Will there be any secrets or things to unlock? ==

Yup, yup! We will have things like bosses, weapons, alternative path/shortcuts, NPC dialog, etc. As well, we will have a new game+ (that increases the challenge to a level we are proud of) and we are playing around with the idea of mini-challenges (e.g. defeat Boss 3 without letting him jump over you).

We always found our favorite games had secrets and even other hidden subtleties, so it is a MUST for us to include them in Cuphead. Take Punchout!: there are so many nuances to what seems like a simple game that it can be replayed for many years. It took me a lifetime to figure out first round K.O. strategies, and every replay felt as rewarding as the first time I played it.

== The Xbox 360’s Indie library, while vast wasn’t overly impressive. Do you think this is changing with the Xbox One?==

Accepting that the 360’s indie library wasn’t perfect doesn’t change the fact that some of the best games on the system were indie! With the constant growth and support of the indie scene, the Xbox One will be a great place for indie titles and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of the roster. I could be wrong but, if my memory serves me well, Nostradamus had predicted the perfect indie utopia happening in 2015, so let’s wait and see!

== There’s been very little shown so far. Are there any plans for more footage or a demo? ==

When we are happy with what we have, we will show more. We are going to show off the parry system soon, and continue to provide additional footage as development presses on. A demo will come too, we aren’t sure how we will handle it initially (press only, or at an event [PAX, etc.]). But once we make decisions on that sort of stuff, we will let everyone know on this newfangled thing called ‘the internet’.

== Alex’s Thoughts ==

All in all, I’m massively excited for Cuphead. Hopefully, the newer consoles make independent developing easier. These days all the big name titles take few risks or stick to a formula they know will make money. Making money is the name of the game, but does the industry move forward when these games flourish? With the recent purchase of my gaming PC, I’ve found myself buying more and more indie games. Not only because they’re cheaper (that does help), but because I see true heart in them. It’s a level of soul that I remember from my days of staring at a lined screen, connected to the game by a wire on my controller.

Indie games are rapidly becoming the best games around. So next time a new Call of Duty comes out, think of how many indie games you could buy instead.

Adventure, Game File, Indie Pennant

Indie Alert: Hush

March 5, 2014 RaShaun Eshalomi

I don’t remember being afraid of much when I was a kid. When I was five, I begged my mom to let me see the 3D release of Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare; I loved every moment of it and watched without a flinch. For Halloween, I was never a princess or a fairy; I was always something scary. I loved to be scared and embraced it, until I realized I was afraid of clowns and then later I became afraid of those creepy ass porcelain dolls—maybe just dolls in general; dolls have no souls and they just stare at you with wide death eyes.

The point I’m getting at is everyone—even I—had childhood fears, and sometimes those fears linger on through adulthood (clowns, no one likes clowns). Game Studio 78 has taken the fears and phobias we had as kids and used them to create a story- and character-driven adventure game called Hush.

You play as Ashlyn, a little girl who is trapped in a demented orphanage. She must build up her courage to overcome her fears and escape. With the help of her best friend (a stuffed animal named GoGo) and various toys she finds on her adventure, you will have to hack and slash your way through enemies. Because the developers want to challenge its players, hacking and slashing won’t always work. Sometimes players will have to use a mix of strategy and stealth to take down a difficult enemy.

Ashlyn’s courage plays an important part in this game. With enough courage, she can defeat mighty foes; however, if her courage is too low, she will panic, which will force you to hide or even faint. Along with the status bar, sound is also an indicator of how much courage you have. Solving challenging puzzles will help Ashlyn progress through each level. Unlocking new routes to avoid dangers and cracking codes to unlock vital items will greatly help Ashlyn gain more courage.

To ensure Hush receives the dedication and attention fans deserve, developers will adopt the episodic format. Each episode is divided into chapters representing a different fear that Ashlyn must overcome: “Fear of the Dark,” “Fear of Thunder,” and “Fear of Ghosts” will be the first three chapters for episode one. Other episodes will include fears like clowns, spiders, heights, etc.
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The creatures you have to face will be unique to each fear: “Fear of Thunder” will pit you against highly volatile automatons with a paralyzing ruckus, while “Fear of Ghosts” will force you to fight an evil kid-mastermind and his ghostly minions. Boss battles will pit you against enemies whom embody their correlating fear in the most terrifying way. Ashlyn’s stuffed best friend won’t be enough for the most dangerous battles, thus players will find various toy weapons that tie in with the chapter. Using experience, players will be able to upgrade and improve their weapons.

With influences from Alice: Madness Returns, Game Studio 78 wants to make sure players can relate to Ashlyn’s fears and journey to overcome them. Despite its kiddie-cartoon graphics, Hush will not be for the little ones; the sharp contrast between whimsy and horror makes this game more than a child’s fantasy.

With the help of its Indiegogo campaign, Game Studio 78 hopes to release the first episode in late 2014 on all platforms, including mobile. You can learn more about the developers on their website and check out more of their Hush artwork in the gallery.

Action, Adventure, Game File, Indie Pennant, Puzzles

Indie Alert: Ray’s the Dead

January 29, 2014 RaShaun Eshalomi

Honestly, I’m tired of running away from zombies: tired of constantly looking over my shoulder while desperately searching for scarce weapons and safe shelter. I want to be a zombie for once. Ragtag Studio will give players the chance to be the feared one in Ray’s the Dead. Just in case you haven’t heard about this game (or Ragtag Studio), here is a quick preview.

You play Raymond La Morte: a poor zombie just trying to figure out who he was, why he died, and why he has the power to control other zombies. As soon as I read “Ray . . . builds a diverse zombie army . . . ,” I was instantly sold. Using the light bulb stuck in his head, Ray can raise other zombies from their graves, recently killed humans, and even dogs. There are different zombie types, each type comes with its own skill set, which will help Ray figure out his past. Reminds me of Overlord (thought I was going to say Pikmin, right?), being able to command an army of skilled minions and have them do your dirty work.

With a mix of action, adventure, stealth, and strategy, there is no concern of boredom. Players will have to use their zombie infantry to overwhelm and take down humans, avoid dogs, destroy objects, and solve puzzles. During his quest to get answers, Ray will uncover interactive flashbacks. These playable flashbacks will help restore Ray’s memory and reveal the events that led to his death.

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If you hate the ’80s, you’re screwed (and crazy). Ray’s the Dead is set in the ’80s where you will see familiar faces and places, and hear a soundtrack inspired by the wicked (yes, I’m lame) decade. Even the color scheme of the game is totally ’80s.

I’m definitely looking forward to Ray’s the Dead‘s release on PS4 and PC this year (unfortunately, a release date has not been announced). I know it will not only be fun—you know, having and army of zombies and stuff—but the story will also play a huge part, and that is always important.

You can learn more about Ray’s the Dead on its website and Steam Greenlight. Don’t forget to show your support by following and liking Ragtag Studio on Twitter and Facebook.

Action, Adventure, Game File, Indie Pennant

Warframe: Space Ninjas are Awesome

January 9, 2014 Kenneth Medford

Ninjas. Space ninjas. The end. Seriously, that’s all I need to say about this game, but I’ll continue if I must.

These space ninjas, known as Tenno, are the bane of the Grineer: twisted looking aliens who lack the grace of the Tenno. What they lack in grace and skill, however, the Grineer make up with galaxy crushing numbers. Similar to the Jedi order, what remains of the Tenno must now band together to fight back against the tyranny of evil.

It’s nice to have a reason for the hacking, slashing and shooting, but this game is really about the gameplay. With a combination of a melee weapon (sword, knife, scythe, etc.) primary guns (assault rifles, sniper rifles, etc.) and side arms (kunai, handguns, etc.), you suit up in your warframe. These warframes vary in stats and abilities. Some will be better with melee attacks while others specialize in support abilities. Each suit comes with up to four special abilities that you have to level up to be able to equip. These abilities can range from a dashing slash attack to repairing shields or setting an enemy ablaze. Players will bring all this firepower to bear against various enemy types in several mission types including sabotage, assassination, and all out elimination—my personal favorite.

When battle becomes too difficult, you can invite up to three friends or strangers to help you tear your foes to shreds. Every mission is fully co-op, so you can always come back to a mission that had you outnumbered and get sweet revenge with allies. My connection is far from the best and I have yet to experience anything more than a second or two worth of lag and the chat is very clear using the standard Sony ear piece.

Graphically, the game is quite solid. During battle, the designs of the various warframes stand out from enemies and other warframes. Even if you and a friend have the same frame, color palette swaps can be done to both the frame and your weaponry to bring a little unique flavor to your Tenno. New planets bring new locations, which have their own unique style and color palette. Firefights pop with the flash of gun barrels, and slicing an enemy in half is much more satisfying when you see his severed remains hit the ground. All the wonderful details that make the combat as beautiful as it is visceral.

As if all of the above wasn’t enough to pique one’s interest, let me give you the kicker: it’s free. Yes, Warframe is a free-to-play game. If you feel so inclined, you can spend money to expedite getting some of the more powerful weapons and warframes. You can also grind it out and earn in-game money to purchase blueprints and use materials (found during missions and rewarded after successful missions) to build those same items. It’s completely up to the player.

The only major issue I take with the game is the control scheme. With only two preset configurations, which simply swap how character powers are activated, there is very limited room to customize it. It was almost five hours into the game before I realized there is a block button because it is relegated to the up directional button. The placement would be fine if you are meant to block while stationary, but if you want to block bullets on the move, you will have to contort your hand into quite the odd position. Activating powers can sometimes be hit or miss using the touch pad as it can misread your swipe in the midst of a firefight. Early on, these don’t present much of a problem, but as the enemies become tougher, any misstep trying to adjust to these controls will cost you your life.

If you can’t tell, I am in love with this game. The difficulty can become a bit much when trying to play alone, but with a solid team of Tenno, it should be easy to avoid the invisible wall of progress that gamers sometimes hit. Worst comes to worst, you played a free game you didn’t like. If you end up anything like me, you’ll have a digital hit with more than enough enemies to slice and riddle with bullets for months to come. Enjoy my fellow ninjas.

Warframe is available now on PlayStation 4 and PC.

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