New 3d Castlevania fighting game for Wii? Initial impressions!

Brad

Cover Art Comparison - East vs West

Much like Niko Bellic, this country has driven the lovable Kirby into weary disillusionment and led him down a path a anger.... and murder.

I'm about to show you the covers for five games. I believe they are the five most recent Kirby games released in this country and Japan. On top is the Japanese cover and underneath is the American one. You tell me if you can see a difference.


Kirby, the delightful adventurer?

Or Kirby ....steals from the poor?



Kirby, the adorable puff ball?

Or Kirby ....a ball of murder?



Kirby ...enjoys a happy ride on his flying star?


Or Kirby ...hits a kid and keeps on driving?



Kirby ...calls his friends to out and come play?

Or Kirby ...hates that his bitch of a girlfriend keeps calling?



Kirby ...secure with his manhood?

Or Kirby ...a serial rapist?



YOU BE THE JUDGE


Brad


PS I have figured out a way Nintendo can bring over Stafy, another lovable first party character, to America!

007: Quantum of Solace Trailer Hits Net

Sorry guys, this one isn't really video game related... unless you count the fact that EA is busy developing a game to coincide with this movie which happens to be one of 2008's 3 heavy hitter movies (Dark Knight, Harry Potter, and QoS). Anyways, its my birthday and i'm happy that I get a new trailer for Quantum of Solace, the 22nd bond movie. Enjoy!



-Nick

Summer Ds Preview - Part 2

Check out Part 1 if you are curious about what came out in June. Here are the games coming out in July that interest me. There are a couple of others that I'm curious about, like Civilization DS, but I need to see some reviews on them first.


(July 22)



(July 1)



(July 22)




For Importers:


Densetsu no Stafi: Taiketsu! Dire Kaizokudan (July 10)







Brad

Holy shit, how long was I asleep? Diablo 3 gameplay footage!!

I will give more detailed impressions later, but I have to go to work now. All I can say as of now is that I fucking love Blizzard. You did exactly what needed to be done with this series.

(These load much faster)

Cinematic Trailer



Gameplay


Necro for life,

Brad

Siren is Now Mine

Hey everyone, if you have been listening to the show, you will know that I am personally outraged at the fact that "Siren: New Translation", for the PS3 is only being released via PSN in North America. Sony's reason behind this decision is based on the fact that the original Siren for the PS2 didn't exactly sell well. In fact it didn't even sell well enough to ensure that its sequel would make it to the states. It's also a good way of testing the waters with this new downloadable media option. This is a reasonable decision but i think they are ultimately going to lose out on sales among people like me, who refuse to buy a game unless it is in a physical media format. Luckily, thanks to a post on a different blog, I was informed that Siren will be available in both formats in Japan with English language option! Five minutes later, I had officially imported Siren: New Translation from play-asia.com. The game will ship on July 24, 2008 and should have the game in my hands by August 1st at the latest. Looks like I have another game to play this summer!

-Nick

Brad's Laundry List - Drowning in Portable Games Edition

Let's forget what I have(or haven't) beaten as of late. Much like my illustrious colleague, Nick, I too have a huge list of games I need to (try to) get through this summer. This is going to be difficult, but let's get started.



Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - 75%
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin - 75%
The World Ends With You - 15%
Etrian Odyssey 2 - 1%
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 - 1%
Lunar Knights - 20%
Hotel Dusk - 10%
Dragon Quest Rocket Slime - 35%
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords - 70%
Kirby's Canvas Curse - 90%
Kirby's Squeak Squad - 80%



Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions - 90%
Jeanne D'Arc - 50%
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 - ??%
Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core - 25%
Patapon - 15%
Metal Gear Acid 2 - 10%
Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops - 15%
Crush - 20%
Field Commander - 5%
Valkyrie Profile - 5%



Final Fantasy 5 - 85%
Metroid: Zero Mission - 50%
Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap - 99%
Astro Boy: Omega Factor - 85%
Gunstar Super Heroes - 10%
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams - 95%


I need to travel more...


Brad

Alone in the Dark Impressions

I just did something that I thought I might regret. Despite all of the negative reviews that have been hitting the Internet, I decided to go ahead and pick up "Alone in the Dark" for the xbox 360. The fact that summer is usually a sparse release window for games, I went ahead and did this with the hopes of having something else to play through during my summer vacation. Let me give you a little background first. Alone in the Dark is the 5th game in one of the longest running survival horror franchises in existence. This new AiTD has been developed by Eden Studios and published by Atari in an attempt to revive this dying franchise.

First of all, the game is set up a little bit differently than most. Rather than the typical checkpoint system, the game is broken up into several episodes, complete with "previously on" narratives and credits. The format is actually set up much like a DVD menu and makes for an interesting way to approach a game like this. The player actually has access to any episode and chapter in the game right from the get go. Of course, I have chosen to play from the beginning to end in order to experience the story as it is meant to. So far, I have completed the first episode of the game and have gotten a pretty clear picture of the games strengths and weaknesses. Surprisingly however, I have actually been enjoying the game. Since these are impressions, ill keep this brief.


First of all, this game definitely has some issues, primarily with the controls. Controlling Edward is clunky and awkward and probably the reason for all of the negative press surrounding the game. The camera can make moving around incredibly awkward especially when you are tasked with trying to defend yourself against hordes of monsters while trying to perform inventory management. The game gives you the choice of playing in third person mode or first person most of the time. Third person looks better but makes movement slow and is usually risking death when in a fight. I would recommend playing in first person for the majority of the game.

Graphically, the game looks impressive but lacks polish in some areas. There is sometimes a good amount of pop in and frame tearing as well as a few instances when the audio doesn't seem to match up. This game has been in development for awhile and could have an incredibly impressive xbox 360 title had it come out a year earlier. Based on what I have experienced so far, the horrendous controls are the only thing holding this game back from being worthy of decent reviews. Combat can be awkward at times as well because the only way to put a target down permanently is to light him on fire or shoot an incendiary bullet into the scars that cover their bodies. This makes for an interesting twist on combat but can ultimately be frustrating. With that said, let me tell you why I am actually enjoying this game.

Surprisingly, I am having a good time playing this game. While the controls are clunky and hard to get the hang of, the game play throws many different situations at you in such a way that the game doesn't get too repetitive. One scene may have you repelling from a collapsing building and the next may have you driving a car through a enemy filled parking garage.

Combat can be tricky but finding ways to take down your foes can be interesting. Also, getting through locked doors can be achieved by hitting them with heavy objects such as fire extinguishers. What is cool about this is that using the right analog stick, you can move the position of whatever object you are holding. This allows you to actually control how much force you use and what way you swing your object. This can also be used to light wooden objects on fire to create a makeshift torch or weapon. Using flaming weapons also causes enemies to cower in fear and run from you which is a cool feeling. Story in the game is also handled surprisingly well so far. The game includes some great action sequences and well produced cut scenes and dialogue.

Overall, the game seems solid enough and I am actually happy with my purchase. The game is definitely not for everyone and there is some definite unforgivable control issues but what it lacks in control it makes up for in presentation. Look forward to my full review once I finish the game.

-Nick

New Podcasts

Hey Guys,

Here are the new shows for the week.

068 - The Reviewed Show [Live Recording]

014 - Top Five Video Game Fixes [Live Recording]

You can download them in the Podcasts Sections,
David

1337

Back a few weeks ago, 4PP regular thecosmicfly was nice enough to capture and send us a piece of 4playerpodcast history. I just thought it'd be nice to share it with everyone who made this possible.

Thanks again Cosmic,
4PP

View it in the Photo Album Here

Also be sure to check out Bl00d_ey3s in action here.

Ninja Raiden: A Kojima/Itagaki Production

Konami has some really good franchises. As far as genres go, they are also fairly well balanced. They have experimented with 3d action in the past, but this lead to several mediocre Castlevania games. The Playstation 2 installments had potential, but in a world with Devil May Cry, they simply didn't have a chance. I love Castlevania, but sadly it seems Konami might milk the 3d version of the series over on the Wii. While this is certainly tragic for me, I have been doing a little bit of brainstorming and a little bit of fantasizing and have come up with an absolutely brilliant idea.

The Metal Gear Solid series has recently come to a close, and while the story had excellent closure, there were a few questions still unanswered. One of the biggest was Raiden's story between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4. In MGS2 Raiden was a dainty pretty-boy, but in MGS4 he is a badass cybernetic ninja. While this is certainly not surprising for the Metal Gear universe, there is still a story that can be told there. And this side story should be a separate action game. A "gaiden" if you will. Perhaps even a "Raiden Gaiden."

Now Hideo Kojima has worked on action games in the past. Zone of the Enders is a fast paced anime inspired mech franchise that has developed a strong following over its short series. Many of these fans, including myself, would die to see a sequel to these games, but hear me out. Kojima has also toyed around with ground based 3d action as well. In Metal Gear Solid 3, one of the many easter eggs was a bloody action mini-game accessed by loading a save during Snake's captivity. This "nightmare" was actually a lot of fun. Here is a video of this sequence:



Tomonobu Itagaki on the other hand, has more than just dabbled in the genre. The former head of Team Ninja over at Tecmo is responsible for one of the greatest 3d action games ever made. Ninja Gaiden was raw, bloody, and expertly crafted. While the Dead or Alive series is pretty underwhelming and Ninja Gaiden 2 was a sloppy mess, I still have some faith in Itagaki. And if the now jobless game designer were to work with Kojima Studios, I think we could see something truly special.

Itagaki is a bit of character and it shows in his games. The same can be said for Kojima, but he has a staff that manages to channel that creativity into an amazingly tight final product. Itagaki could use a bit of this... restraint, to help him make a game. If we can get the gameplay of Ninja Gaiden with the story and characterization of the Metal Gear Solid series... this could revolutionize a somewhat stagnant genre.


Ok, i want teh bewbies too.



Brad

Denis Dyack loses the internet.

Denis Dyack, founder of Silicon Knights and creator of the upcoming game 'Too Human', has just done the dumbest thing ever. ...He visited the internet.

NeoGAF is one of the largest video game message boards on the net, or at least the most influential, and Dyack took it upon himself to let them know how he truly feels. He starts the thread off with the following quote:

"I think it is time to draw the digital line. Too Human will be out in August and I think there is going to be a lot of trolls crying here. Either way when the game comes out this forum will likely be on fire. So in order to try to put it out some gasoline on this fire I will ask those interested to stand up and be counted."

Ugh, what has he done.

Now Dyack has always been vocal about his games, especially this one, but this honestly seems like some sort of backwards attempt at viral marketing. This is not the first time he has acted like an idiot either. His epic appearance on the EGM podcast where he defends the game after the shitty demo build from a couple of E3s ago was particularly entertaining.

Anyways, see the full thread here for more antics. Things get really entertaining when he responds to the thread later with "Put up or shut up." LULZ


As for me... I am strongly considering passing on this game now. Not because of Dyack, I think it's great that he defends his product.

This is my problem: Removal of 4 player co-op(now only 2player) + No story at all in co-op mode = No motivation to play co-op. And without good co-op, this game has no reason to exist.

This is not the next 'Diablo'.


Brad

The Replacement for Guilty Gear

If you don't already know, the Guilty Gear series has been taken to a completely different route by making Guilty Gear 2: Overture a Dynasty Warriors-ish action game. Many have wondered why ArcSystem works would make such a move to take such a balanced and beloved 2-d fighter and take it away from what made it successful.

Enter BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger. The spiritual successor to Guilty Gear. I recently ran across a gameplay trailer for it. I can't believe I missed it back when it came out. It's fast paced, got neat anime inspired characters, and a wild looking combo system. I was really excited for this game... until I saw it. Now that I've seen video, I can say I'm utterly disappointed. Everything seems too eerily similar to Guilty Gear. The guy in red with the thick sword is Sol, the guy in white with the thin sword is Ky, big guy is Potemkin, and the girl in white might as well be Millia. One of the biggest reasons Guilty Gear was so fresh and invigorating was the character design. Never had anyone seen the uniqueness of the fighters. Each one played differently ranging from possessed backward fighter to boy dressed up as cute girl with yo-yo. Besides the characters bearing resemblance to Guilty Gear, some even have the same moves, the most notable being Potemkin's backbreaker throw. Something I also have a problem is that you hear the same sound effects, similar voice actors, same rock music and text style. It's a spiritual successor but does that mean you can just import everything from the last game shuffle it around and call it new? It's a fighting game yes. The most important thing should be the fighting system, but if I you're going to run your original flagship title into the ground and try to give birth to something to take it's place, it's got to be something big and BlazBlue is not it.

Look at Street Fighter IV. I can't stand the way it looks but hell, it's something completely different and although a lot of the characters are the same from previous games, I can appreciate the visual upgrade and changes being made. But maybe I'm just looking at things the wrong way. Maybe BlazBlue isn't the game I'm making it out to be. But from my perspective, they're using the "Guilty Gear" name to sell an action game while rehashing their old formula to call something "new." Both of which, in my book, are not cool.

David

New Left 4 Dead Footage

4player Podcast WILL be getting this day one.

And as 4 players...

...we will prevail.






Brad

DS as a musical instrument. Done right.

All music in the following video was created solely by this DS software, the Korg DS-10. And it's awesome. Watch the whole thing, the mini performance at the end is great.


(High quality, give it time to load up.)


This is seriously some of the coolest software I've ever seen for the DS. While Electroplankton is fun and user friendly, it is very very limited. This can hold 20 songs with like 16 patterns each. This is the kind of software that I know I won't be able to use for shit. But this time, unlike with Jam Sessions or Electroplankton, I'm excited to try.



Brad

Spider-man: Web of Shadows Gameplay Revealed

Spider-man has always been a shaky franchise on gaming consoles. Rarely is swinging, combat, and storytelling mastered in a single game. I would argue that the best attempt at a spider-man game would be "Ultimate Spider-man" which was released several years ago on PS2 and Xbox. Unfortunately, the 3 movie based games were mediocre at best and have really left me craving a real quality web slinging experience. A few months ago, I posted about the next attempt by Shaba Games entitled, "Spider-man: Web of Shadows". Other than the trailer I had posted, there has not been any gameplay shown... until now. While I remain skeptical, I feel a little bit of excitement and anticipation building in my stomach. This new video demonstrates how the team intends to bring together the two primary gameplay mechanics of past games and make them one, seamless mechanic that is as fun to play as it is to watch. It looks like it will finally be possible to pull off a lot of the crazy aerial maneuvers that you have seen in the movies. Anyways, check it out and let me know how you feel about the game so far.


-Nick

Tonight on 4player Podcast

Podcast Episode 68
We will be discussing everything we have been playing over the past week, topics in the news, and more. Show starts at 11pm central time.

Top 5 Video Games Fixes
No game is perfect. If you could fix one thing wrong in some of your favorite games, what are they and why?

Fatal Frame 3
Nick should be able to finish the game tonight. He plans to do this before the podcast, so show up early!


The craziness can be found here on our live feed.


Brad

Rock Band Japan Part III

Continuing with my Rock Band Japan wishlist, I've decided to go with the very unique band Kishidan. The "Knights" are basically a bunch of "high school" guys who never grew up and never wanted to. They're been criticized by many especially the older generation as their rebellious antics and lyrics tend to find fans with the younger generation. They're a energetic bunch and are known for their easy to learn choreography, Ouendan like uniforms, and of course the crazy hairstyle.

Kishidan - One Night Carnival

I didn't want to use this song because it's been used in so many other Japanese Rhythm games before, but after listening around it really is the best song for Rock Band. Every instrument plays it's part and no one gets stale for too long.

They're a very unusual band, so of if you have any questions..
feel free to ask,
David

If you liked the song, Here's another song of theirs that I like, Kishidan - Kira!Kira!

If you guys want to go back and read about the others Japanese Bands I've featured, this will take you to the previous one, Part II - the Ulfuls.

New Comic Thursday

Here's the second entry into Mike Azzato's Webcomic

Bulgogi & Meatball - Urban Camo

We'll be continuing with the Metal Gear Arc for a few weeks, hope you guys are MGS fans.

Thanks,
Mike & David

New Podcasts

The from last Saturday have been posted for to download onto the mp3 player of your choice. Of course, they can be found in the podcast section to the right.

#067 - The 4-Player Show, We return to full force as Nick makes his return from his trip to China. [Live Recording]

#013 - Top 5 Games (15-11), We go over our top games all-time. We recap our top 10s and then talk about our next five after that.
[Live Recording]

Thanks,
David

Gummy Bear!!

Back a few months ago when we shot the Season One Opening, Mike and I went out to rent a bear costume. Mike kept the suit over night and shot some footage with it. Now he's gone back and edited it to music.



Props to his girlfriend Sandra for the mad dance skills while in the bear suit.
David

The graphics have come a long way... Hideo Kojima has not.

Disclaimer: Welcome to Metal Gear Solid 4: After Hours. This will contain minor spoilers as it shows the bosses in their "Beauty" form. These videos have nothing to do with the story really, so it's not like it will ruin anything.

So apparently there is more to the "second forms" of the Beauty and the Beast bosses. If you wait long enough, you get transported to a white room. Just Snake, the bosses in their skin tight suits, and lots and lots of suggestive sounds.





Here are the others: Octopus, Mantis, Wolf



This isn't the first time Kojima has pulled this pervy otaku shit. Check this out from Metal Gear Solid VR Missions back in 1999. *blushes*




Brad

I have a problem. I'm a customizaholic. O_o

I'm a sucker for video games with job class systems in them. Final Fantasy Tactics is my favorite game of all time in a large part do to the freedom I have in making the "perfect team." From 'Chaos Blade', my favorite text based MUD back in the day, all the way to the recently released Etrian Odyssey 2, I've way too much time brainstorming, researching, and experimenting on how to my make "perfect team" based on the job classes available. And now, with the upcoming release of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2, I already find myself looking into class options for when I start the game. It would scare you to know how much thought I put into these things, so instead of writing about the job, I will instead just post some really cool art for some of the new races/classes.




Yeah, I'm not playing that last race...

Brad