I Dream in Retro by Mike Richards

This is one of the most brilliant videos I’ve seen in a long time! A great fit of editing and animation. Check it out now!

Yakuza 3 Is Not Leaving Japan…Or Is It?

You can now cry for good reason. The great Yakuza series has had a ton of success in Japan but in the U.S. it’s a bit more complicated. The first game came to North America in September 2006 (about a year after Japan) but the game only featured English dub which didn’t fit the Tokyo setting so fans were a bit disappointed.

Two years later SEGA listened and released the sequel with Japanese voices and English subtitles… but the game sold very poorly despite critical praise. So now SEGA doesn’t think it is worth it to bother translating the game since it probably will sell very poorly again.

The problem I believe lies more with marketing, the Yakuza games were never greatly advertised, hell I only heard about them about a year ago or so. I am pretty sure there are a lot of people who have discovered the series recently and are planning to buy Yakuza 2, if not 1, to try it out.

It’s a real shame Yakuza 3 will most likely never make it here, especially since SEGA just announced Yakuza 4… which we will probably never see either.

Edit: Apparently the “no American release” is not an “official SEGA Statement” so there is still hope!

AVP Marine Trailer!

Do SO Want! NOW!

A Letter to RPG Fans From RPGFan

Quite appropriately RPGFan posted an editorial letter regarding the experience that we RPG players face. It is quite enjoyable so I thought I’d share it with you.

Are We Having Fun Yet?

I’ve been playing RPGs for as long as I can remember, starting with Final Fantasy I. They’re my favorite genre of games. I’ve beaten well over a hundred of them, and I have easily sunk more time into RPGs than I have into all the other games I’ve ever played of any other genre combined. And when I share this simple observation with my friends who have been able to strike a healthier balance between their RPGs, their platformers, their puzzle games, etc., they ask me: “do you even enjoy playing games at this point?”

That’s a valid question. And I think it’s a question that any frequent RPG player (particularly the MMORPG enthusiast) needs to ask. Is this leisure, or is it mere habit at this point?

After some serious soul-searching, I have come to the conclusion that there are times when I’m playing an RPG that I’m not having fun, but I’ll keep playing it. Due to their nature (the epic story-telling, the linear plot, the grand scope and scale) there are going to be times that the game just isn’t enjoyable. But you push through, maybe for ten or more hours, because there’s something exciting waiting on the other side. Or, at least, you hope so. After all, If the ending is also unsatisfying, then it was truly a wasted effort.

That is, of course, what separates most role-playing games from any other genre: the amount of time you sink into a single “playthrough.” For many action-based platformers, if you’re not having fun within the first hour, you probably aren’t going to have any fun at all. And if you play it for a few hours, and the game loses its fun factor at some point, you probably won’t feel any emotional discomfort from putting down the game and never returning. Not so with RPGs, where character development is heavily emphasized, and the dangling carrot of “good things to come” keeps you going. We RPG fans do tend to prefer delayed gratification over short-term, immediate gratification.

Another observation I must make, of course, is the trend towards real-time combat in RPGs. More and more, RPGs are jumping ship from traditional, turn-based, menu-driven combat to systems that look more and more like a 3D action adventure. Final Fantasy XII demonstrated this jump well, and games like Magna Carta, .hack//G.U., and the Tales series all continue to grow in popularity because they are so action-oriented. The only major franchise that remains true to its steadfast turn-based roots to this day is Dragon Quest. There were rumors that Dragon Quest IX would be an Action RPG, but such rumors were unfounded.

Of course, a fun experience does not require real-time action, nor does real-time action guarantee a good time. Strategy/Tactical RPGs remain largely menu-based and slow in nature, though we’ve seen more and more RTS/RPG hybrids in the past few years, and these games require a quick-thinking brain for all of their micromanagement and strategy.

Even with these changes in the nature of the genre, delayed gratification is still the name of the game. The typical RPG, be it Japanese or Western, will involve gaining experience points and slowly working towards what is hopefully some decent endgame content, with exciting bonuses accompanying your mastery of skills or magic spells, and an exciting conclusion to a large-scale plot. But if the return on your time investment is poor, there’s nothing you can do. You’ll have played and beaten an entirely un-fun game. This rarely happens to fans of platformers, FPS titles, or puzzle games. So there’s a greater risk with RPGs in finding anything enjoyable. But when you find it… in my opinion, the reward is great indeed.

Patrick Gann

Ace Attorney Investigations SDCC 2009 Trailer

Fans of the Ace Attorney series are already pretty excited about this game but at this year’s San Diego Comic Con they unvealed a new 3 minute-long gameplay trailer so enjoy!

SaGa Japanese Limited Edition DSi

For the release of SaGa 2: Goddess of Destiny on the DS Square Enix announced a special edition bundle of the DSi which will cost ¥24,880 ($265).

No plans to release this in the US for now sadly.

Sam Raimi Will Direct WarCraft Movie

Big news in geek world!!

Blizzard has announced that the Evil Dead and Spider Man director will try to do justice to the lore of the great property. Chris Metzen who created the whole incredible story for WarCraft III will be heavily involved in the project so there is hope friends!

Here’s the press release:

Blizzard Entertainment® and Legendary Pictures Sign Sam Raimi to Direct Upcoming Warcraft® MovieRaimi, acclaimed director of the blockbuster Spider-Man series, will bring the forces of the Horde and the Alliance to life in epic live-action film. Charles Roven’s Atlas Entertainment will produce alongside Raimi’s Stars Road Entertainment.

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Legendary Pictures announced today that Sam Raimi has signed on to direct the eagerly-anticipated major motion picture based on Blizzard Entertainment®’s award-winning Warcraft^® universe. Raimi has, in the course of his career, clearly demonstrated a genius for developing and adapting existing fictional universes for mainstream audiences while staying true to the spirit of the original content.

Raimi directed the Spider-Man trilogy, which has broken box-office records around the world and garnered five Academy Award® nominations. Known for his imaginative filmmaking style, richly drawn characters and offbeat humor, Raimi wrote and directed the cult classic, The Evil Dead and produced 30 Days Of Night. He most recently wrote and directed the supernatural thriller, Drag Me To Hell.

“At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story,” said Raimi. “I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen.”

Charles Roven’s producing talents were recently seen with last summer’s blockbuster The Dark Knight, which grossed in excess of $1 billion, was nominated for eight Academy Awards® and won two. His body of work also includes the widely acclaimed Batman Begins and the sci-fi classic 12 Monkeys. Roven, with Atlas producing partner Alex Gartner, will be producing with Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull, Legendary’s Chief Creative Officer Jon Jashni, Raimi and Raimi’s producing partner Joshua Donen. Raimi’s partner, Robert Tapert, will be an Executive Producer and Blizzard Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Creative Development, Chris Metzen, a Co-Producer.

“Partnering with Sam Raimi exemplifies Legendary’s mandate of marrying the highest quality intellectual property to world-class filmmakers,” said Legendary’s Tull. “Sam’s passion for ‘Warcraft’ is undeniable and we know that he will create an incredible film worthy of Blizzard’s phenomenal franchise. We look forward to collaborating with our partners at Warner Bros. and continuing our successful relationship with Chuck in bringing this rich new world to the screen.”

“Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have a shared vision for this film and we searched at length to find the very best director to bring that vision to life,” said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. “From our first conversation with Sam, we could tell he was the perfect choice. Sam knows how to simultaneously satisfy the enthusiasts and the mainstream audience that might be experiencing that content for the first time. We’re looking forward to working with him to achieve that here.”

“Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft has become a second home for millions of players and Sam’s experience and talent make him the perfect director for this remarkable and action-packed world,” said Atlas’ Roven. “Alex and I are proud to be working with Sam and re-teaming with our friends at Legendary and Warner Bros.”

The film will fall under Legendary Pictures’ co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. “Warcraft is emblematic of the kind of branded, event films for which our studio is best known. We have enjoyed great success with our partners at Legendary, and this is an incredible opportunity for us to work with Sam on a project that is so eagerly anticipated by so many,” said Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft universe is a rich fantasy setting that revolves around the epic conflict between the opposing forces of the Horde and the Alliance. Since its debut in 1994, Warcraft has developed a loyal following across the globe, with several bestselling, award-winning PC games and a range of popular licensed products including novels, action figures, apparel, comic books, board games, and more. World of Warcraft^®, Blizzard Entertainment’s subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Warcraft universe, is the most popular game of its kind in the world. Its most recent expansion, Wrath of the Lich King^™, is the fastest-selling PC game of all time, with more than 2.8 million copies sold in its first 24 hours of availability and more than 4 million in its first month.

Further details about the upcoming Warcraft movie, including cast and targeted release date, will be revealed as development progresses.

Visceral Games Employees Go to Activision

Visceral Games is on the fast track to become a very high-caliber studio. Having developed the great Dead Space and currently working on Dante’s Inferno (as well as Dead Space Extraction, an on-rail shooter for the Wii).

On the other hand Activision keeps growing and is apparently opening a new, yet unnamed, game studio which wouldn’t be too noteworthy but two major Visceral Games employees have announced they are leaving the company to go to this studio.

These two are Monchael Condrey, former COO of the company and Glen Schofield, former General Manager of the company and who was instrumental in making Dead Space.

Obvisouly some people at Visceral should be bummed but the real interesting question is why these two decided to switch boats like this.

A Small Step for Man, A Giant Leap for Rabbids!

To celebrate to 40th anniversary of the first man on the Moon, and isn’t it time we reached for Mars and beyond?, UbiSoft has given us a nice Rabbid Go Home trailer.

As with most trailers for these crazy aliens it’s funny, outlandish and cute all at the same time.And since in this game the Rabbids are trying to get back to their home..on the Moon… see the connection?

Buzz Aldrin would be proud!

Final Fantasy Marathon!

OK it’s not my habit to post on the weekends but this is a timed affair so I wanted to let you know.

The guys over at TheSpeedGamers are doing a Final Fantasy marathon to help raise money for Autism and Care Treatment Today.
They plan to play through every FF game in no particular order so if you want a trip down memory lane or if you just enjoy marathons, check it out and consider making a donation.

The feed can be found here.