| Virtua
Fighter 5 | Akira |
|
> Yes indeed, the screenshot of Akira from Virtua Fighter
5 above is a shot taken of real-time graphics! Let's see Tecmo
try to beat this! The CPU in the arcade board on which it's running is
less powerful than a single core in the 360's triple-cored
CPU, yet already the game looks miles ahead of DoA4.
The characters are bordering on real (borderline realistic I should say)
from the way their clothing flows and wavers around their bodies in the
wind as they move to how their skin comes to life with life-like (even
wrinkling) textures and to how their facial animations move with all natural
grace. The upgraded cast of characters even sweat, thus light reflects
off their sweaty skin! It's almost hard to believe how huge an upgrade
VF5
is not only graphically, but artistically over its predecessor(s) too.
All that remains to be seen is whether or not the gameplay has taken the
necessary leap forward to merit our attention. Like with Phantasy
Star Universe (which has been delayed for some fine tuning),
we are finally seeing what Sega is/are truly capable of once
again when not forced to rush titles out all the time. Sega
has no excuses now.
> I suspect that Sega has decided that it/they can afford
to wait to release PSU because of the huge success of Rising
Force Online (a new mech-based MMORPG Sega localized
in Japan which now boasts a million users in Asia). Sega
has even obtained many brand new high-speed servers in preparation to cope
with demand. Sega is probably preparing PSU
for a western launch as I type to give Square-Enix (whose
output hasn't been the best recently -- no doubt because it hardly needs
to compete with anyone when its brands are so popular), a run for its money.
Just think of how many poor quality Star Wars games have
sold on brand awareness alone for an idea of how this can have a negative
impact on gaming. All the big publishers seem to be focusing more on "sequels"
and remakes now more than ever than original intellectual properties. Most,
if not all of the time, the non-gamers who buy most of the games made today,
rely on popularity itself to measure a game's value to them because they
don't necessarily have the time to research into the newest releases themselves.
The only problem is leaning too heavily on brand awareness runs the risk
of snapping that crutch in two like a twig without fresh ideas to stop
the flow of ideas turning stagnant (this is where the enfeebling grip of
laziness sinks its cold sharp claws into people). Can Sega
rise above it all?
| Virtua
Fighter 5 | Eileen |
|
> One of the new VF5 characters, Eileen (above), specializes
in Kouken, a martial art modeled on the movement of monkeys. What is noteworthy
is that I find her more beautiful than sexy. It's not an easy task to capture
true natural beauty (none of the female characters in DoA
come close in my opinion, but I doubt many others share those sentiments).
Fighting games are still the domain of hardcore gamers with the mastery
of a character's every move taking more time than most people are prepared
to commit. Let's hope this new style of martial art Sega
has introduced to the series is viscerally pleasing enough to be worth
mastering.
| Virtua
Fighter 5 | Eileen |
|
> In other news, Sega Amusement Vision's Like A Dragon is
now officially scheduled for a U.S. and European release under the title
of "Yakuza", a title summarizing the theme of the game with
enough buzz (public awareness) to resonate with consumers previously unaware
of the game in which players embark on a journey into Japan's criminal
underworld. Like A Dragon (a loose translation of its Japanese
name) is what can best be described as a Shenmue-style
FREE Action/Adventure game (only darker), as some people already know,
delving (deeply) into the nefarious machinations and inner workings of
the Japanese mafia otherwise known as the Yakuza (I can see why Sega
chose this name for audiences outside of Japan). Will it know the meaning
of mass market success? Only time will tell. I fully intend to buy this
game the moment it arrives mainly because it still shows that at least
some people at Sega have the vision necessary to take Sega
forward with original titles, and Sega of America have finally
proven that the days of refusing to localize great Japanese titles is a
thing of the past (I must admit to having my own doubts at first). Perhaps
this will be the cross between Shenmue, SpikeOut
and Streets of Rage we've all been hoping for? The game itself
was confirmed for both America and Europe (by both these branches of Sega)
in a single announcement as if someone at Sega wanted to put all
localization doubts to rest straight away. I for one welcome such decisiveness!
> I thought that they might have had their hands full with the translation
of PSU but I was proven wrong in the end. After selling out
in Japan and receiving great review scores, it looks like Amusement
Vision's Like A Dragon will be one of the best Sega
interactive martial arts experiences since Shenmue
2 ("an interactive Jacky Chan movie" as one Sega
fan once put it) with a protagonist who fits the definition of a noble
wayward badass or redefines the meaning altogether (hopefully the main
character doesn't have all the charm of a brick wall like the taciturn
Ryo from Shenmue does). Famitsu, whose reviewers
are well known for being brutal, gave it a near perfect score already.
And since this may be the closest thing to Shenmue 3 we play
in a long time, it should keep the Sega faithful happy. With
Yu
Suzuki himself claiming that the Shenmue series will
be finished through games, online or otherwise (another cause for celebration),
Yakuza
should tide fans over until the next part arrives...
| Ryu
ga Gotoku | PS2 |
|
> Personally, I see this as one of those games balancing easy accessibility
(making it user-friendly for casual players) with the kind of depth old-school
gamers famished of the depth they crave can sink their teeth into, which
is exactly what the industry needs to keep everyone happy. Getting the
balance right between casual and hardcore tastes without tipping the scales
in favor of one or the other, thus alienating one side or the other (walking
a fine line between both realms) will be an eternal struggle from now on.
The Final Fantasy series has already gone down the drain
by being dumbed down and sexed up into interactive soap operas to give
it a broader appeal; I don't want all games to follow it down the same
path. I presume, and indeed hope, that SoA simply saw the
potential for success in Like A Dragon here; I don't long
to return to the days when Sega was too short-sighted to
see past Japan. This game should either meet or perhaps even exceed all
Sega
fans' expectations in a world where brutalizing others with martial arts
is the name of the game! I don't care where a game comes from; as long
as it's good, it deserves as much exposure as possible. What a pity not
everyone sees things the same way; sales figures are the only language
this increasingly solely profit-driven industry understands now. What does
this future we protect with fire hold for us I wonder?
> Expect a review from one or two of our members when it arrives (we wanted
to cover more of Sega's PS2 releases anyway). Sega
should keep the Japanese voice-overs and add English subtitles to the western
version for an added touch of realism not only to not break the atmosphere
of the game, but to keep costs to a bare minimum. In the very least, the
DVD format should allow room for both English and Japanese voice acting.
We shall see. We may finally be given a real reason to own a PS2
even for those of you who refuse to buy one on principle alone (I sympathize).
Look at the detail the former members of Smilebit including
the PD Orta
team have managed to squeeze out of this piece of junk. The PS2
needs to hurry and die already so that games are no longer dragged down
to its level forever and ever.
> These new titles along with the next generation Sonic game
may mark a return to form for Sega. I certainly hope so!
Now that Blizzard has confirmed that World of Warcraft,
whose popularity knows no rival, is out of the picture for the 360
(apparently, Blizzard is afraid of making compromises to
the game to squeeze it onto console hardware), Sega has been
given another great incentive to gather the momentum needed to push through
with a port of PSU to the fledgling next gen console. It
is the most logical and likeliest choice considering the ease of porting
PC
code to its friendlier next gen. hardware after all, so I see no compelling
reason why not. What self-respecting Sega fan wants to be
forced to buy the Delayed-Station 3 when it eventually arrives with its
less-flexible less-advanced (in other words, "inferior") graphics processing
unit (even if those clinging to the dying Sony brand as if
they are afraid to let go of what they are familiar with are loath to admit
it) and nightmare of a too-many-cored CPU, anyway? The mass media almost
took pleasure from the pain of putting a magnifying lens on every little
flaw in the 360, so let's hope the games journalists at the
forefront who we all know are known for their abject objectivity give the
PS3
the same treatment... or is that asking too much?
Good
Gaming,
-Geoffrey
Duke
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do you think? Email |
