Arkham Asylum Box Art is Dark and Brooding... As It Should Be

The Dark Knight is a character that should be dark. It is a IP that should stick to the dark worlds in the minds of Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, and Frank Miller. As far as Batman video games go, it has not yet solidified itself as a respectable gaming franchise. I am obviously hesitant going into the new "Batman: Arkham Asylum" but I do think that it is looking promising thanks to a number of good decisions made my the development team.

Today, the games box art was revealed to the world. Obviously, box art is a relatively small portion of a games success. It has no bearing on the games quality but a well designed box art is still an important marketing decision. Speaking from retail experience, a large portion of walk in customers are shopping for games without having a particular game in mind. This means that often times, the first exposure a consumer may have to a game is with its box art. With that said, i'm pleased to say that I am really happy with Rocksteady's choice.

What are your thoughts on the games art?

-Nick

Brad's Laundry List - Missing DS Edition : (

It's been awhile but I'd thought I'd go ahead and give an update on the current progress on the video games I have been playing this year. You might notice that Nintendo DS games are very absent from my list now. Unfortunately, I no longer enjoy the company of a DS as it has gone missing.

2009 List 1
2009 List 2

Completed:
Xenosaga: Episode 3
Grand Theft Auto: The Lost and the Damned
FEAR 2
Killzone 2
Flower
God Hand [round 2]

Working On:
Loco Roco (50%)
Jeanne D'Arc (65%)
Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core (95%)
Splinter Cell: Double Agent (90%)
Tomb Raider: Underworld [round 2] (40%)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary [round 2] (50%)
Parasite Eve [round 2] (20%)


Brad

4PP Video Blog - 2009.03.11. Wednesday

I also forgot to mention that I think this is big for Sega as well, as they are taking the chance to publish this game and future games for Platinum Games.

Thanks,
David

New Podcast Uploaded

Here's the newest show recorded Monday Night.

103 - Big Hulking Mass Show [download]

Impressions: 

Watchmen

Prinny: Can I Be The Hero?

Yakuza 2

Chronicles of Riddick Demo

Wheelman

Killzone 2

News:

Community Segment

4Player Minute

Kitto Change Myself!!!!

First off, THANKS ZELKOVA, who took the time to scour youtube to find this video. I'm so glad to finally know what the song title is and also to find out that it is on the Ryu ga Gotoku 3 OST. Now I just have to find the OST.

Notice that in the game Kiryu is cheering Haruka on. Fans of girl groups will commonly do those cheers during live performances. It's like making the show interactive. I'm looking forward to Morning Musume should I go to Anime Expo later this year.

Also notice that Haruka starts off timid singing the song. But as the song progresses, Kazuma's cheering brings life into her performance. She becomes more animated and sways from side to side. Eventually you're brought into a live performance atmosphere. It's awesome! I can't wait until they bring this game here.

Thanks again Zelkova,

David

Online Night: EagleEyes is Afraid

A video from Online Night. For those of you who are/were bomberman fans, I think you can understand the video. For those of you who can't, play some bomberman damnit.



We'll give you details about this week's Online Night soon,
David

Dood, It Wasn't That Hard.

So I finished Prinny: Can I Be The Hero? for PSP this morning around seven thirty. It only took me about nine hours and forty one minutes, and I still had 369 Prinnys left. Easy as Pie. As always I'd like to thank all of those in chat who stuck around to see the end. It wasn't pretty as the last boss fight was pretty gruesome. Painfully excruciating pattern memorization coupled with fatigue made the final fight drag out longer than I expected or wanted.

There has to be something said about the final battle, the way it was set up. For the entire game you were set up to fail. Cheap deaths, hard controls, annoying repeated voices, repetition, and enemy placement. It's a game players worst nightmare. But looking in light of all of that, the last boss battle was genuis. The was it was designed. Sure the character was annoying, but the way you fought him took careful planning. It's a little hard to talk about on a blog so tune in tonight for podcast 103 as I will go more into detail.

There also has to be something said about the challenge and whether or not I would recommend this game to someone else. I'm not sure. I really enjoyed the game, but I'm still not sure if that's the correct term to use. I can tell you why I felt the way I did about this game.

I like a challenge. There is something inside me that is drawn to them. I can't back down. I've been told its my stubborness. That I'm too prideful. I don't want to admit I'm wrong or that I can't do it. I get excited when I can keep pushing forward when others want to quit. Maybe it's from watching too much Anime and never wanting to give up my dreams. There is some truth in all of that, I just don't know to what extent.

See you at tonights Podcast Recording,
David

Around 10 PM 4PP Time. Central.

And I'm sure it will sell like crap compared to Street Fighter 4.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger has been confirmed for a North American PS3/360 release this summer, and will probably be the only fighting game I give two shits about until Tekken 6 is released. BlazBlue is the spiritual successor to Guilty Gear, and as much as I would have wanted Guilty Gear X3, this gives me an excuse to play more "Guilty Gear" with all new characters. Many of the new characters seem similar to the shoto like mainstays that GG always had, but there are some fresh new styles as well it seems.

So the game may look crazy and complicated, especially the combos; but I assure you that combos in BlazBlue (much like Guilty Gear) are much easier to have fun with and pull off at entry level play. Stringing shit together in Street Fighter is way harder than it ever should be, but GG and BB seem to reward players by allowing combos with much less strict timing. Don't worry though, there is plenty of high level comboing potential to be had by all.



I just don't get why Street Fighter gets all the hype when there are plenty of other fighting games with much more inspired character and fighting style design choice, yet still manage to be just as balanced or more balanced than Street Fighter at high level play. The fighting styles in BlazBlue might seem tame right now by Guilty Gear standards, but keep in mind that this is the first game in the series and that many of the crazier characters came in the Guilty Gear sequels.

Have fun with Rufus. I'll most likely be playing Litchi or Noel.




Brad

The Honor of a Yakuza

What is it about Kiryu Kazuma that makes me not want to hate his character? Although he is/was a Yakuza member, I can't find things about him that I don't like. Even though he's in the streets beating up people, brutally slamming their faces into walls, I want to be him.

In games like Grand Theft Auto we find characters who are admired for their complexity. People who are forced into tough decisions where they may not always have the happy ending. A trend in Western developed games is the ability to pick either the good or the bad. The choice between the two has become a staple. I have never been able to take interest in that choice. When you give it to me, I always want to play the good character. Those themes which are such a big part of games like Knight of the Old Republic and Fable never had much appeal to me. It was like the decision was already made for me.

As much as the evil stereotype for a Yakuza member exists. Kiryu Kasuma finds a way to turn it back on itself. He took the blame for a murder he didn't commit and went to jail protecting two people he loved. He was disowned by the Yakuza. He gets out ten years later and begins searching everywhere for his one true love. He finds her. And as she is dying in his arms he promises to raise her daughter, from another man, as his own. He gives up his position in the Yakuza to go clean and start a "family." It's all sorts of craziness. Do men like this actually exist?

Does this kind of story even make sense here. I love it to death. I can't find reason not to like this character. Beneath all the grime and filth world, there is this shine that I can want to identify with. Is this a case of East vs West? The way two cultures look at organized crime. I've never understood people's fascination with organized crime. Is anyone out there that may shed some light? Why are they so different? Are they different? Is this just a special case?

I want Yakuza 3. So can this story exist here and be appreciated?
David
BLES Foundation

Hmm....

One thing I've always been completely intrigued by is the Japanese Host Club. It's something that in American culture we really have nothing that remotely resembles it. I've been playing Yakuza 2 lately and of course there is a Hostess Club. I've been completely drawn into the complexity of the Dating Sim element.

I'm sitting here playing it trying to figure out this girl Madoka's likes and dislikes. I'm worried about how my answers will effect her opinion of me and although there are two other girls, I have this sense of responsibility to not see them while I'm "seeing" Madoka. It's kinda a weird feeling. To kind of be in a virtual relationship. As well as a little dangerous. You've seen the sci-fi films or the theories where a human falls in love with a robot, losing interest in real relationships. I could see someone becoming a shut in and just playing these types of games.

So this makes me wonder, How in depth do these games get? I'm sure a game like Yakuza who's main focus is the mafia storyline and action combat RPG element doesn't so the genre justice. Does anyone have any experience with these games? Maybe know one with Japanese Language with English Subtitles? Or possibly just one in english? If you do not feel comfortable leaving a comment, please feel free to send me an email.

Thanks,
David