“Super fighting robot: MEG… Maverick Hunter?”

Aesthetics.  I have highlighted several times (unintentionally and on purpose) the role of aesthetics in videogame characters. And now I come to find out the iconic Mega Man was almost a victim of virtual reconstructive surgery.  In my “ZOMG! DANTE IS DARK HAIRED NOW! I’M DONE” post I discussed how a character’s aesthetics is one of the main factors which binds people to a specific character.  So when you take that away, people are going to react – and not in a good way.  Especially when not only Mega Man, but also Mega Man’s world would have encountered the virtual scalpel.

Maverick Hunter.

First Person Shooter.

Mega Man?

Armature Studios was working on releasing a Mega man X reboot as a FPS and with redesigned character graphics.  That previous sentence alone will boggle the mind of any gamer who has ever played Mega Man X.  I really don’t understand the reasoning behind these developers sometimes when thinking it’s a fucking great idea to change a character’s appearance.  I can understand an enhancement here and there – that’s okay.  But to the point the character is almost unrecognizable? That’s foulplay.

The above picture: Mega Man.  Impressed?  Well, I can’t say it’s not a cool suit – pretty badass to an extent.  HOWEVER, would I be hyped this is how Mega Man will look like from now on?  Not so much.  For one thing,  everybody and their mothers are accustomed to Mega Man’s face being exposed all the time.  It is his most human-like attribute.  And what do you see here?  Whatever it is, it’s not Mega Man.  Now let’s discuss how the cannon doesn’t look like a cannon.  Classic Mega Man has a sphere/round like and solid shape cannon.  There’s no wires showing.  It’s not rectangular shape. And it certainly does not look like a sub-machine gun.  To be completely honest, this guy over here looks like a slimmer version of Halo’s Master Chief.

Surprisingly enough, (from what I read) fans have been more outraged over Maverick Hunter being a FPS – which I found extremely interesting.  Arguments mainly revolve around how “horrible” of an idea is to exchange Mega Man X’s 2D platform gameplay with the FPS universe.  Fans have complained about the limited visibility that characterizes FPSs and the difficult platform controls when needing to jump.  They also argue how Mega Man X reboot would have to compete against giants like Halo and Call of Duty.  All valuable points, no doubt.  Nonetheless, I do believe people are stretching it too far with the whole FPS thing being such a horrendous idea since I’ve experienced AMAZING FPSs that were once platforms.  Example: Metroid Prime.

I was a platform once.  What seems to be the problem?

In the end, the Maverick Hunter got dropped when Keiji Inafune (illustrator and co-designer of the Mega Man character) left Capcom.  Capcom communicated “ongoing discussions about Mega Man” for the future.  After losing Inafune, a vital part of who Mega Man is, I believe it’s a smart move.  Nevertheless, Capcom has to be careful when playing around with Mega Man.  This has not been the first time a Mega Man game has been shot, buried, and left to rot.  With that, Mega Man’s fanbase is massive – would be a shame they started walking out of the franchise.

Last, but not least, a special shout out to my friend, The Ralphnerd, (go and check out his blog, by the way) who shared this Mega Man news with me…  And has personally requested for me to review specific videogames he believes he might like before buying them, ha, ha.

Any articles you want me to look over?  Any games you want me to review?  Just let me know!

See you around!

 

Part III – PlayStation 4: “The most powerful console”

Part III?  Why, OF COURSE!  As I mentioned in my previous entry, the PS4 left us with much to talk about.  So now, on to the fun stuff: videogame releases for the PlayStation 4.

 

Killzone: Shadow Fall

At one point during the PS4’s announcement, co-founder of Gorilla Games, Herman Hurst, takes the stage and transports us to the universe of Killzone: Shadow Fall.  In this first person shooter a war between factions has begun in an intergalactic setting.  Opening scene: you’re in a spaceship flying over a beautiful architecture of alluring plazas and elegant buildings. Once you arrive to your destination and being treated like an (almost) V.I.P. …  BOOM!  Alarms go off; the ground begins to shake; and before you can even make sense of what the heck is happening, an explosion knocks you unconscious and all you see while blacking out is a wall of fire coming your way.  Pretty fucking scary… You finally get out of your mini-coma state only to see this asshole trying to make a bullet a permanent part of your face. 

The Asshole

 

In matter of minutes into the game you’re stabbing the same motherfucker in the neck; find yourself in the middle of a shooting fest; and finish up grasping for dear life from a motherfucking rope attached to a flying space craft while some douche is trying to shoot you.  Two words: FUCKING AWESOME!  Yes, you got your pistols, rifles, scopes, and grenades – the usual.  But KSF appears to have gone above and beyond to make its gameplay far more interactive than normal FPSs which I believe will be its highlight (still impressed by the rope scene. Ah, love it!).

 

DriveClub

From the warzone to the streets!  Sony has waited 10 long years to finally develop one of the most gorgeously crafted driving games I have seen, I am willing to bet, ever – all thanks to PS4 technology.  The result? DriveClub was born.  The game gave me a Need For Speed vibe, but the graphics…  Oh, my GOD!  I don’t know if the trailer showed cut scenes or actual gameplay graphics (which I pray to whatever divine entity out there is the latter), but damn they were stellar.  The graphics looked INSANELY real – to the point that I believe if you lick the screen I bet you’ll be able to taste the fucking leather on those seats.  Backpacking out of my obvious love with these graphics, there was a cut scene during the announcement of a game titled Deep Down and it was almost like watching a movie in HD – I almost died.

But wait!  There’s more!

How about we visit the supernatural for a brief moment?  Between a guy spewing fireballs and fabricating swirling infernos out of thin air in a heavily guarded city, The Sucker Punch’s game Infamous – Second Son makes its presence known.  Not much of a storyline could be taken out of the trailer for this game; however, I believe it’s a wonderful addition to the PS4 releases.

I have to admit Sony has targeted a vast range of gaming styles.  Take the games The Witness which is basically a puzzle solving game.  Not excited over it, certainly not needed to take so much screen time during the PlayStation 4’s announcement, but I can’t judge.  Just because it’s not my cup of tea to sit down in front of the PS4 to connect dots on a screen, doesn’t mean other Gamers out there don’t enjoy it.  Other games announced included Diablo III (a roleplaying game centered on investigating a celestial mystery) and Destiny (a captivating FPS which has been predicted to be the next mind-blowing game for the Ps4) which certainly will not disappoint. 

 

Watch Dogs

Now on to my favorite: Watch Dogs.  By the middle of the trailer for this game I wanted to fast forward to the day I will be able to purchase such beauty.  And the fact that it takes place in Chicago?  MY current city?!  It’s a must have.  The demo demonstration during the announcement got me intrigued from start to finish.  Watching the main character walk around streets I visit on the regular tapping into people’s personal devices and gain access to whatever private data without no one noticing gave it SUCH an exciting/scary atmosphere.  And I loved every single second.  All of the sudden you’re chasing and putting a random street thug out of his misery only to have the Chicago Police Department on your ass!  But don’t fret.  You end up jumping on one of the  CTA’s (Chicago Transit Authority) trains and escape…  It had me at edge of my SEAT!

PlaySation 4 has proven itself to be a phenomenally POWERFUL system.  With software engines working only to enhance graphics; the push for enrichment of social connection; and array of features to please almost everyone in the fucking world, I believe other consoles have quite some homework to do if they don’t want to be left in the shadows.  Yes, we have to wait until “Holiday 2013” to get out hands on such machine.  And if the PS4 lives up to the high expectations, I could not care less if it’s released it December 31, 2013.

Well, that’s what I got for you regarding the PlayStation 4.  Any questions, things you believe I should review, etc., don’t hesitate to contact me.  Hope you’ve enjoyed the informative read! 

See you around!

(P.S. Below are the trailers for each of the games I mentioned in this post.)

• Killzone: Shadow Fall

• DriveClub

• Deep Down

• Infamous – Second Son

• The Witness

• Diablo III

• Destiny

• Watch Dogs