PortCon: Day 1

There was a lot of stuff from PortCon yesterday. Rabbesking was quick enough to get some of it up.


Uh, the next song video will be better. Right?


David

You can see pictures and stuff from the 4PP Facebook.

Community Blog (Xalgar) - RPG Discussion

Are RPGs a dying genre?

Xalgar

"Slowly and slowly, I've been noticing that RPG's are constantly reusing the same storylines over and over and western RPG's are lacking in the innovation department. The kids at my school don't even know what Elder Scrolls, Square Soft, or even "Tales of" games are, and I constantly here the story "I bought Fallout 3, but it's ****ing boring, there's so much talking and ****! I just want to shoot stuff like in Halo" I seriously wanted to spit in this idiot's face.

I do know however that RPG's are mainly played by older audiences who are not into raging at incompetent team mates and instead, appreciate the peace of a good story and the thrill of watching your character get stronger and have more abilities. But with my generation which is mainly into FPS's, will RPG's eventually receive the same fate as adventure games? Or am I wrong and this is just where I live that these kids are so close minded to their game selections?"



jasix

"Not really no, you have to look at the bigger picture not just where you live, RPG is huge in Japan, they go nuts for it. Xbox360 sales was terrible in Japan until Blue Dragon came along and Lost Odysee. Also Fallout 3 isn't really your standard RPG and the need to shoot something is only natural with that game. RPGs are still going strong and will remain i believe, the only problem with them at the moment is the lack of them in EU/US for next gen consoles. The Xbox360 has quite a few but they aren't anything special PS3 has a few and some great looking ones lined up like White Knight Chronicles and Hopefully Demon Soul will come out of Japan too if not the game has English option already so importing won't hurt, its a hack n slash RPG Demon Soul but it looks awesome!"



Mordiford

"Games like first person shooters are much easier to get into, to pick up and play. In the same way that the people you referenced in your original post were being closed minded, so are you. RPG's are usually a pretty big commitment, I myself sometimes have a hard time due to their formidable length. In that sense it is likely that the number of RPG's released will drop in the west, but not by much. In Japan RPG's are still quite successful so there really isn't an issue on that end.

Even in the long-run though, there will still be a large number of hardcore RPG fans that will keep the genre alive in both Japan and the West. There will likely still be quite a few strong franchises in the coming years.

Also, as per your note on rehashing the same storyline, if you break down most storylines in games you will find major similarities, this occurs with characters as well. However this is not exclusive to the RPG genre, you may just notice it more because those games are so story driven that it's easier to draw a comparison. Really though, similarities in characters and story are apparent in almost all genres."



ceby

"Xalgar I don't know if you remember this but RPG were considered dead back in the 90's and their revival was basically because of Diablo, a hack/slash RPG. I think RPG like any genre come and go in cycles.

I mean sure you don't see as many adventure games out their but their still are some. The Sam and Max adventures for the PC quickly come to mind.

If you just keep the faith and keep buying RPG's they wont' be going anywhere."



streetninja

"RPG's will never go away entirely. There used to be a whole bunch of old JRPG's but over the last 10 or so years we've seen the genera change and blend with others. We've seen RPG's mix with FPS's, RTS's and several other kinds of genera to make great new experiences."



maskedarcstrike

"I can see your point that it seems like not many traditional RPG's come out these days but I believe japanese developers only have themselves to blame for that for losing originality.

J-developers have followed the same formula for the past 20 years without really stepping outside the boundary that much and when they have with games like Vagrant Story they never want to try again because the game didn't sell well.

Hell look at Atlus I think the only reason the shin megami tensei has done so well the past 6-7 years was because of it's original setting.

After 13 years I'm sick of Tetsuya Nomura's spiky haired character designs if you've seen characters in one game of a series you've seen em all. Star Ocean, Tales of, Final Fantasy.

The last japanese RPG I really loved was Dragon Quest VIII, the british voice acting and charming script really made the characters come alive and make you grow attached to them. Even though the game followed the standard J-RPG formula to the T it had so much charm and soul it's hard not to love that game.

Earthbound followed the same formula IMO but just had a different setting.

50% of the game in an RPG is telling a story and how can you enjoy the game if you don't give a crap about the characters?"



yanki

"What I learned in Japanese class is that Japan likes to believe in the "if it's not broke, why fix it" statement. Okay, maybe that is simplifying it too much, but it struck me as a rather interesting comment on the "kata" (the way) to do things. If you take a look at a lot of things that come out of Japan, not just rpgs, there is a formula to how they work. Shonen and Shojo manga are very similar no matter what story you are reading and JRPG's are noted even more now for having unoriginal storylines. The Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series I find to be the more breakaway from that rehashing of similar plots. I just finished Persona 3 and am currently playing Persona 4 and I'm saddened I have to take a break due to finals! If you want a JRPG that isn't so by-the-book, I would give Persona and SMT a try, especially if you can find a copy. The new Devil Summoner is coming out and the first one is actually quite easy to find compared to SMT:Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga.

But even if most JRPGs are similar, I still love them. To answer your thought, I do not see this genre dying out in 5-10 years. In Japan, they are indeed huge. I went there like two months after FFX-2 was released and I saw ads and merchandise just about everywhere for the game. Famitsu poll on top 10 games of all time largely consisted of FF games, though the poll is quite old, I doubt if a new one were done it would contain less RPG games. The Dragon Quest series, though not really popular in the US, are phenomenally huge in Japan. I have no idea how true this is, but I heard that schools will actually take a holiday when a new DQ is released in Japan. The only 360 games I hear doing well in Japan, are indeed JRPG's."




Keep up the quality discussion guys and gals.

Brad

Community Blog (dafishies) - 'GTA Chinatown Wars' Review

Here is another review from our rapidly growing Reviews Section over in the forums. Keep it up guys.


Dafishies

Well I am a man of very few words....but when it comes down to something that I truly believe in, these few words grow into...well.... a lot. That's pretty much how I can feel about Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown wars. Starting off its pretty good, but then if your truly devoted or interested in continuing, its well worth the trouble.

If your looking for a game like the PSP version of Vice City, then this will definitely not be your cup of noodles, but if you've ever played a GTA game, and your not so strict on graphics or viewing point this is a great selection. Personally I've only played Grand Theft Auto games at my cousin's house and my friends house. I didn't even realize there was a story untill i played a little bit of Liberty City. Since this is my first "actual" Grand Theft Auto experience, it was a good one. Especially since it was on the DS, a system where if you find a mature game, you've won the lottery.

Starting off first and foremost, if your gonna play a GTA game, you gotta ask the most basic question of all, how is the gameplay? Well to answer that, I would say its pretty much inherited everything from the past GTA games and built upon it. With extra features, and bonus's that'll drive you crazy, the gameplay is phenomenal. Same as always your "free mode" is based upon driving anywhere in the city (which is the same size as Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto 4, minus one city b/c of plot reasons) and cause mischief, mayhem, or you know, help out the fire department for a change.

Now, I've heard people talking and saying they are getting turned down from this game just because the viewing angle is Top down. Well, I've played the old Gameboy versions of GTA and I've not hated them just because of their "top downness" the game is actually a lot easier because of it. Since you can see over building for places to hide and such. This doesn't ruin the game experience, it just lends itself to your own personal gain. Plus the fact that everything is rendered in 3D, with no sprites or 2D pictures. When you see a car flip, it actually flips, no sprite animation cheapness or trickery. The car actually flips. So if your the type of person who hates top down games then maybe this isn't for you.

Another powerful addition to the game is replayable missions. Every single mission you've beaten in the game is saved, and replayable from any safehouse you own. I know that I've personally gone back and beated several missions 3 or 4 times just because they were awesome, and because everytime you replay a mission you get a bronze, silver, or gold medal. All the missions are different with maybe 1 or 2 similar ones, but overall they are pretty decent and story driven, and some of the later ones are pretty badass. You will do things that you never thought was possible to do on the DS. The only thing I didn't like is that since this was rated M for Mature, They decided to Swear........all the time. I was constantly sighing and getting a little tired of the F words, and everything else they say. I know that its a "Mature" game, but really did that guy just have to say the F word in that sentence?

The Shear size of the game speaks for itself. I would say there are over 20 different vehicles, 15-20 weapons, and has drivable motorcycles and boats. If your underestimating the power of the DS, then your severely mistaken. I was astonished when I first started. I did not belive they would be able to pull off this game, but as soon as I stole that first car, I was definately hooked.


~Scores~

Gameplay - 9/10

Story - 7.5/10

Sound - 8/10

Graphics - 7/10

~Overall~ 8/10


-Dafishies


Leave comments and opinions in the original forum post.

Community Blogs (thecosmicfly) - Asks: What should a sequel be?

thecosmicfly
"Seeing as this generation is rife with many sequels and prequels, I thought this would be a good topic to discuss. How do you think developers should tackle the next game in a series? For instance, should they only improve and add on the gameplay set out by the first? Should they be more focused on taking a few risks and changing the formula entirely? Same could be said about the story. Should it continue the plot with the main characters returning in their rightful places or take interesting and unique steps in telling the story? I'm interested in reading your indepth opinions and thoughts.

Note: this is on the subject of sequels and prequels only, not remakes, spin offs etc. if it isn't an official installment and hasn't got a giant number at the end then it's irrelevant, unless you're prepared to argue that point."


AznSenzation
"A sequel MUST have a good story. Without it, what's the point of a sequel.

1) Sequels in my eyes should keep some of the game mechanics that that game used. IF not keep the game mechanics, add more. Example, Resistance: FoM and Resistance 2. Resistance FoM had chimera in online that could use chimeran rage, to be able to see through walls and be stronger. They took that out in Resistance 2, but they added the aiming mechanic, red screen for health, and berserks in multiplayer.

2) The story should be well done. Like in Killzone 2, I don't really feel the story is that strong. However, the gameplay from Killzone 1 to 2 is INCREDIBLE. Games like Resistance need a good story, because I loved the story in Resistance: FoM. It should be able to continue the story, in a strong way that will keep the players guessing, wondering and waiting."


sophora
"A sequel should be something that improves and builds on the original. Games that continue the story of the original are welcome, but there has to be a sort of refresher that reminds you what has happened. Having something like that in the title menu as an option would be nice (ex. Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner).

You can't really diverge from the original when making a sequel too much, otherwise you end up with something like Xenosaga II >_>."


davethezombie
"A sequel of series can be expressed in different ways in terms of the different features of a video game. However, a good and true sequel, is able to surpass its faults from previous games in all areas of the features of a video game.

In the respect of a storyline, the sequel doesn't necessarily have to tie up loose ends, in the case of another sequel, but it should answer some questions. The writing should work back from previous games, and give the gamers a different perspective on the previous games in the series. That is what creates a good and strong story, open to future sequels.

In terms of gameplay, it should take an errors from previous games, and challenge them, making it a smoother and just plain more enjoyable experience for the gamer. A sequel should make attempts at trying innovative gameplay, reworking the original gameplay status quo, to keep their gamers interested in the series.

Sequels should always be an improvement of previous games, not some side project that the developers decided to work on."


IkusaGTx
"Sequels should be an improvement or over the game with the same things that made it great along with new mechanics involved."


daikenjo
"i think a game should improve and add onto their already existing gameplay, unless the fans feel that a drastic change is needed. when the developers listen and really apply feedback to their sequels, they're making large steps towards making a game that tons of people would have a blast playing.

for the most part, any big risk-taking wouldn't be wise for a sequel unless it was a long running franchise that was getting stale with the same style of gameplay. in my opinion, all the gambles and risks should be made on the very first installment; that's the best way to reap the biggest rewards, so they can then fine tune their new formula in future installments, making them more enjoyable, refreshing, and start new trends in the gaming industry(Valkyria Chronicles T_T).

in terms of story, i think gamers are pretty lenient to what direction the story goes, as long as it's CLEAR and well written. when i think of a bad story, it's usually ones that are too convoluted, vague, or "clusterfucky" for me to care about. how stories should be developed for sequels would differ for each genre, and what kind of story they are telling. if the game had a lone protagonist, then continuing the story with the same character would make sense until it sees the end(God of War, Resistance, etc). but like i said, as long as the gameplay is solid and well-made, the story is safe to go in most directions. this may not apply to some jrpgs however, as story is usually equally as important(if not more) than the gameplay. as long as they know when to stop, unlike some franchises..."

exocel
"a sequel should have you cheering about seeing your favorite characters return, and not roll your eyes at them getting into another similar situation."

Feel free to continue the discussion over in the forum thread.



Brad

Community Blog (thecosmicfly) - Killzone 2 Impressions

Ok, here are cosmic's thoughts on Killzone 2 which started a very lengthy thread over in the forums. Quite a few people have added their impressions, so make sure you drop in and post yours. There are some light spoilers in this post, so be wary.

thecosmicfly on Killzone 2

"For me, I've just rented it today and I'm almost finished with the campaign (I'm surprised I haven't gone blind from all those hours. :\ ). Graphics clearly don't need to be mentioned since we all know what it looks like, by which I mean they look absolutely phenomenal. Although a few effects are pretty underwelming (The flamethrower and medigun laser are pretty hideous) the overall style and look is amazing, and does deserve credit in the graphics department.

Even after some tweaking with the controller settings the gameplay still doesn't feel as tight as it should. You can't have quick hip firing and have slow, steady zoom in aiming. The sensitivity is either high or low no matter what. It takes time getting used to it, and it does give the game a somewhat unique feel, but I'm not too happy about it. Lean and Peak works great most of the time, even though it has the problem most games with cover systems do (Getting stuck on a wall even though you don't want to be). On a random side note I do wish blindfire was kept in there even if it's not as effective as a TPS (It still would've been neat to have, and we need one game that has to put the 'blind' in blindfire back in).

The areas tend to be bleak and dark a majority of the time, but you do get to travel to unique locations and set pieces, including a Gears of War-esque train ride, a Star Wars: Attack of the Clones like factory and even one level on one of the ISA Cruisers.

Vehicle sections are brief but entertaining, especially the EXO Suit romp againts the Helghast. Tank could've handled a bit better though.

The story is... adequate. It gets the job done and explains what and why you're doing things, and there is drama added into the mix. I won't spoil who dies in the game, and really their deaths don't come off as good as they should, but the amazing Orchestra score helps to get some emotion out of the scenes (Did I mention KZ2's music is kickass? No? Well it is. A lot). There are plot holes and inconsistencies that I find extremely stupid though, one of which is one of the games more important parts. The excessive profanity will get right on your nerves, thats for sure. I mean swearing can be fine, but it feels like it's thrown in the dialogue either because they couldn't think of any adjectives or to earn an M/18 rating. It doesn't feel need most of the time. Rico is a douche, full stop.

OMFG BOLT GUN AND LIGHTNING GUN KICK MAJOR ASSCHEEKS.

And that's all I can think of to say about the game so far. A word of warning though. I started on Veteran (Hardest difficulty already unlocked) to see how things would go, and now I regret doing it. This game is HARD AS HELL. No really, it's not always the challenging sort of hard, but the throw your controller at the cat or grandma type of hard. Sometimes the AI is good at one upping you tactics wise, but the game just like's flooding you with 14 Helghast soldiers from all sides that are a little too 'nade tossing happy. And some sections they respawn repeatedly until you advance enough. I can think of 3 occassions where the game has been rediculous with the difficulty, and one of them is the last level of the game, which I'm stuck on now. D: If you're going to play this game, please put it on easy so you can have a fun time killing and less time going through trial and error.

I hope to have a go of the multiplayer soon. Heres to hoping it makes the game worth purchasing, and praying that the Assault class doesn't become the most spammed/noobish class (Watch Gametrailers Killzone 2 Badge videos if you wanna know what I mean).

Updated Impressions

Finished the end of the game earlier today. That final battle still was a bitch. God I'm glad there are enough checkpoints, but it was still a cluster of fucks. Radec was pretty cool to fight against, especially with how he evades and sneaks up on you. But after that entire legion of Helghast soldiers, flametroopers, captains and rocket launching mofo's, it didn't make me think "Oh this is sweet" but more "Just let me get this fucking mission done already!".

After seeing the ending, I now literally HATE Rico. He was mostly irritating throughout the game, but what he does at the end now makes me want to slaughter his wannabe tough guy ass. D:<

As for the multiplayer...

So far, it's great! The most fun I've had in an online game for a while now. The reviews have praised the multiplayer, and it deserves it. Everything is so deep. The ribbons, badges and medals system are on par with CoD4's xp/perks system, if not better. It will take a while before things do start to get interesting (You need 350 points alone just to unlock the first class, and need to play 8 or more matches to get enough ribbons to unlock a medal and recieve new abilities. But because the core objectives in a round are enjoyable enough you'll eventually get there.

The on the fly Mission Objectives are brilliantly executed. It always keeps things moving. One minute you're defending an area and the next you find yourself turned into the assassination target. Its amazing.

The maps are surprisingly great as well. Infact I'd say there's a wider colour palette in the multiplayer maps than most of the singleplayer. Corinth Crossing would be my favourite artistically. There are so so SO many levels and layers to each map, and they're extremely huge with multiple paths. There will be times where a stalemate occurs between both teams and all it takes is for two guys two go down an empty path, outflank them and you'll turn the tide of the match.

The only real problems I have are the shooting controls. But those also come under my complaints about singleplayer as well. Its not too damaging to the experience, but when you want to fine tune that aim for a distant headshot or are caught going in circles when in a close quarters battles, the sensitivity just isn't fully up to the job.

Even having said that there are still loads of huge and minute points that make the multiplayer extremely fun. If you're in a Squad you can respawn at your squadmates position. If you're an assassination target and you're mortally wounded (Down on the ground but still just alive) you can still win the match. Hell, even the sound that goes off when you make a kill is satisfying.

I've rented this game for a week, so we'll have to see when I return it if the multiplayer is addictive enough to make me purchase it. At the moment it looks like I will be.


And yes, we need to have a 4PP Online Night with Killzone 2. Preferably on the weekend though."

---

Keep up the good work

Brad

Community Blog - daikenjo: What makes a great FPS?

This will start as a weekly feature, and might become something more frequent provided that we get enough good stuff in the forums. Keep in mind that I will also be posting thread responses if they seem to fit the post. I will be featuring interesting discussions, impressions, reviews, or whatever as long as it's related to the world of video games. If you want to be featured, join the forums and post your thoughts!

I chose daikenjo's post this week because it was relevant to the times as Killzone 2 will be coming out soon, and because it received some good responses.

daikenjo

What makes a great FPS?

"I was just wondering since FEAR 2 and Killzone 2 are going to be the 2 biggest shooters this month. I never fully got used to console controls for fps games (i probably just need to play more), so i haven't played much at all. I'm more of an rpg/adventure gamer, but i'm trying to get into shooters and just wanted your opinions.

So..yes, what make up a great FPS? is it solid and intuitive controls, or is it innovation? I ask this because a lot of reviews say that KZ2, while it looks amazing, doesn't bring anything "new" to the table. I don't really know what "new" things they may have expected. can anyone enlighten me? do they mean along the lines or the slow-mo option in FEAR, or the limb-cutting aspect of Dead Space?

It also seems to me that this is a genre that pays more attention to realistic graphics than nearly any other, and is a heavy factor in the quality of a game for its immersive-ness. If a FPS had the graphics of say, Tomb Raider (which is a great platforming game, and looks great for its genre), I believe would get a lot of criticism. People i know who play a lot of FPS tend to compare graphics a LOT, and i don't think it's necessarily because they're "graphics whores", but because it's actually necessary in this genre. Do you think that's true, or do you think a great storyline and solid controls are enough make up for lackluster graphics?

I've heard mixed things about the storyline, whether it's very important or not to the overall quality of the game. Do you mainly play for the story? Or does the online and co-op make the game for you?

Sorry if my questions are stupid, FPS is a new genre for me. Just want your thoughts :] "


lordhumungus
"I like a realistic view in my FPS games. I wan't to atleast see the charactors feet. I remember I shat bricks when Halo 2 came out. I wish the devs would realize that your arms can he held farther away from your face than nine inches. "

evilplans
"why would you even want to see their feet.
when devs put legs in an FPS it usually looks stiff and like cardboard.
i feel like a lot of FPS games without the feet or legs in view, are just better.

i'm a weapon/gun detail whore.
nice smooth controls.
explosive environment.
cool stuff. "

Darknezz
"Balance, a good premise, a story, groundbreaking weapons (Zero-Point Energy Field Manipulator, anyone?), the feeling that you're just one soldier among many (of course, this depends on the story; Maybe you're a one-man-army super mutant, or something like that). I could list more, if I cared enough, but the above will never happen. We're just gonna see more "OMG SPACE MARINE ONE TWO FOUR GO!"

arrow91
"As long as the game play is good, story can be let loose, IMO.

The things that matter:
-Graphics. If they're not good, they can't be ugly. I've seen some games like some game with "Owl" (a Snake/Fisher copycat) and some Rambo-like guy. That game was UGLY. So in conclusion, the graphics must be bearable.
-Replay value. If it isn't worth playing over again, it probably won't matter much if you miss playing it once.
-Multiplayer PLUS (not or) with all of the above.

BrainCleaner
"story and location.

i want a reason to go around this corner, not just cos there's a guy there to shoot. So story is a big part for me. I love the 1st assault on the hollow in GoW2, when even tho' you are DELTA SQUAD, you still felt like you were working with other squads and gears to get stuff done!

Location. I like places to 'feel' alive. If i'm fighting a bunch of bastards in a school, or factory, or on a space ship, that place should BE what its is or was ment to BE. It may sound odd, but i like to look a round and see a place as what it was ment to be not just "this-is-here-as-an-obstacle-for-you-to-avoid-and- this-is-here -for-event-123-to- happen!" stuff.
As I said above there, story is the bonus."

Xalgar
"I like games where when you zoom in with a sniper rifle, your movement is limited. Yeah, screw you Halo."

skimers
"Besides the graphics, controls, and replayability, I enjoy the immersion that games like L4D or Half-Life gives. I like to be thrown into unique worlds that is not always about shooting but enjoying the scenery and atmosphere as you go through the game."

bigboss815
"Innovation, Tight controls, atmosphere, immersion, excellent soundtrack, good production values, creative story. Many things go into a good FPS game."

Wednesday_R
"I guess I'm a lover of spectacle because I loved Black.
Those gruelingly long, mid-combat reloads were totally forgiven by being so shiny and badass looking."


Please try to write to the best of your ability as there are plenty of eyes on this blog. So simple punctuation is appreciated. Yes I know... kettle black, glass house, etc.

Brad