Gundam Breaker 3 (PS4/Vita)

This week I wanted to talk about something Anime-related again however there is a bit of a twist this time around, I’ve been playing a PS4 game called Gundam Breaker 3 a lot at the moment and I dare say it might be one of my favourite Gundam related games to date. I’m a huge fan of Gundam and love making Gunpla models when I find the time, my room is littered with them.

Recently Bandai and Sunrise have been pushing the Gunpla aspect of the franchise a lot more as they have had three separate animated series relating to it in which the characters are normal everyday people who just participate in tournaments in which their custom models battle it out. With the popularity of such, sales naturally went up but a lot of people yearned to be able to make custom units in the same way they do in the series, now there are many talented people who can do this in real life but for someone like me it’s quite difficult to go beyond just snap building.

That’s why I love that they made this game, the game pretty much follows the idea of those Anime I mentioned above in that you place your Gunpla in a virtual environment and pilot it in battles against other users or the CPU, but with this game you can totally customise your unit with any existing parts placed in the game. So for example you could make the original Gundam but give it the tank tread legs of the Guntank, or you could give your standard Zaku II a huge ass Gunblade, the possibilities are somewhat endless and I find myself spending more and more time just making units and uploading pictures of them to social media rather than progressing in the game itself.

The reason I got this game so early rather than waiting until it was much cheaper was because it was actually translated into English fully (with the voices still being in Japanese), this has become the case with a few titles on the PS4 recently and is such a great idea, I mean the PS4 is region free so why not? I used to import a lot of titles on the Vita and PS3 but they were all in Japanese text and therefore pretty difficult to get my head around in some cases, I would generally shy away from any game like this title which relied heavily on text to explain the mechanics of the game (Like an RPG for example) but by having this option available I’m more willing to import.

I think it’s funny that they didn’t do this sooner to be honest, Bandai knows that many fans buy Gunpla online from Japan and import their games so why not offer this option to them and get the most out of their sales, so far I’m about halfway into the game and have not noticed any spelling or grammatical errors so I would say they have done a good job translation wise for the text, I have had absolutely no trouble in figuring out what I am meant to do objective wise or what the effects of certain equip parts are.

This gives me faith as there are about three more Gundam or Mecha related games coming out in the next year that are going to offer the same English language option, it’s going to destroy my wallet but I’m so happy Western fans are being taken into consideration, it is important to remember however this is the Asian release of the game (Singapore,Taiwan etc) and not the Japanese release, it has full Japanese Voice acting but the text can be in languages such as Taiwanese or any other Asian Language for that region.

When I played the original game I felt the focus was absolutely on the online play as the difficulty in going in to levels alone would ramp way up or they would last so long due to being all on your own that you wouldn’t really want to play more than one match at a time. This time around I do still play alone but you always get at least one or two CPU controlled units with you to alleviate some of that difficulty spike.

It’s clear they still want you to play online (and I do when I can!) but at least there is that option to go solo with CPU backup, I will say I do generally get people joining me online but they are usually those that are so overpowered and over-levelled compared to me that any mission they do is a cakewalk and no real fun, they are also super impatient when I’m looking through the items we got during the mission and deciding if I want to equip them or not.

This game shines for me due to the amount of customisation on your unit, I had only played the original game but on the Vita and it was all in Japanese (so pretty impossible to understand what I was doing), had an awful frame rate at times and was generally not as fun due to the lack of things to do. I did not play the second title so cannot comment on how much they improved from the original but in terms of this title I think they blew the original out of the water. I’m playing it on PS4 so there is that natural step up graphically as this is the first of the series on the console but the amount of options I have to design my unit is fantastic.

You have the standard leg,arm and head parts as you would in the other titles but this game allows for much more finer detailed options such as the ability to add emblems and decals to your unit, being able to change the material you unit is made out of such as plastic, High gloss injection or metal composite and one of my favourite appearance details has the be the option to make your unit battle damaged, I love this it really make the unit stand out more than just a big plastic blob on the screen, you can even add weathering effects to the unit which give off a really worn or dirty look.

The gameplay is relatively simplistic as it is generally a multi-level based mission in which you and your team will face hordes of other Gunpla enemies, with a mid and main boss’ usually appearing throughout  the level, once you have defeated X amount of enemies you are then able to move on to the next stage of the mission until you face the strongest unit and end the mission. Now there are variations in this in which it can be you versus a giant mobile armour as a kind of one on one boss battle and there are also some more objective based gametypes in which you must defend a command post while defeating enemies.

The combat is generally a simplistic fare as you have your three main attacks, light, heavy and projectile based attacks and when you gain enough power you can execute a special move that does huge damage, now obviously there are a wide range of customisable weapons, so for example with your melee attacks you can use Beam sabres, whips, knives or even martial arts fists as if you were in G Gundam, now if you have the latter that will affect your entire fighting style as well as your special move which can be anything from a combo to a Kamehameha type move.

Now those are the standard equipable weapon types however as you progress you may gain certain parts that allow you to use even more weapons, for example if you equip the 00 Raiser Seven Sword backpack which has buster blades on each shoulder then hell yeah you can use those. Have a back plate with two throwable daggers on it? Hell yeah you can use them. It does not even stop there an addition in this game from the first was ‘Builder Parts’ now these are small items that are either cosmetic or weapon based, an example being if you added a grenade anywhere on the body you can use it, I personally use the ZZ head beam cannon and put it on my units chest to have a decent long range attack.

The good thing about these extra weapons are that they do not replace you existing melee and projectile weapons, these will always be your Square, Triangle and R2 weapons no matter what, these extra weapons are controlled by the D-Pad for selection and used by pressing the circle button. You actually have enough room to use 8 extra weapons so two for each direction, I think this is wonderful even if it does make you slower and you mech look massive.

Now while the combat can get a bit more intricate if you throw all this into the mix it does not really go beyond an almost horde mode sort of thing where you’re just smashing through waves of enemies so in that respect it is not a touch on the arcade fighter series Gundam Vs, however I feel in time it could become a lot more than it is now if the developers will allow it, it is certainly a huge step up from the first game.

I think I would recommend this if you’re a Gundam fan or even a mecha fan, there are so many options and the in game story is nothing you really need to pay attention to or need to have watched the series in order to understand, it’s just sort of in the background so this is a pretty decent place to start for anyone. Of course I’m a huge Gundam fan so there is a bias somewhat in that I’ll pretty much play anything Gundam related I can get my hands on,

I would have to say that I would class this game as my favourite of the bunch I have played, I think the reason for this is just from the satisfaction of making your own unit, I love this aspect of the game so much and feel it can only be improved in much more detail in further instalments, this game is most definitely worth your time if you’re a fan or the series!

If you ever pick up the game and want to play add me on Psn: ScatmanBegins

I just want to take a short moment to thank Royce for always sharing my Blogs, I mostly write for myself but thanks to him my blogs have reached a lot of people I would never expect them to reach, he does a lot of work for a lot of people but I really appreciate it and will miss him in California this year!

Downwell (2015)

This week I decided to delete the blog then I decided I write for myself and to bring it back again... anyway on the recommendation of a friend (@Antlol666) I decided to look in to the game Downwell, now I was curious about it after hearing so much about it online and through friends but it was only when it was on sale on the Vita store for under £4.00 that I decided it couldn't hurt even for that price and man I don't regret this at all, I love this title a lot but first I wanna talk about how this game came to be.

The game was the 13th title developed my Japanese Developer 'Moppin' who had previously done a few gamejam type games in order to challenge himself. Downwell was going to be another of these games however the developer saw the potential and continued to work on it even after the week was over. After sharing images and Gifs on his own Twitter the game came to the attention of Publisher Devolver Digital. With that the game was soon to be released on IOS and Android devices in 2015 and shortly after on Sony devices in 2016.

I can see why this was originally released on mobile platform, I mean it works well on the Vita but it's so addictive and quick to play/end that it just seems like the kind of thing you would play on your commute to work, I could not see myself playing this on the PS4.. I mean I could for sure but it's so simple quick and addictive I feel it works well on the move. I couldn't play it for more than say 20 mins but I could play it a lot throughout the day if I wanted to.

This game is entirely simplistic, It takes no real thought and no real strategy. In a sense it is almost 'roguelike' much like The Binding Of Issac and other games like Rogue Legacy, I think these kind of games are fantastic and both of those mentioned above are some of my favourite games I got through the Playstation Plus service. It can be quite difficult as you get in to it but the game is so quick and easy to start that you will find yourself playing it over and over.

I love the simplistic art style, it's your standard pixel 'Indie' design, however it is purely black and white other than the frame you choose for the game, so basically it's black, white and another colour until you unlock more frames. Personally I prefer the classic Gameboy frame in which it is monochrome because it reminds me of when I used to play my Gameboy Pocket but I feel the Red frame which you start with is really appealing to the eyes.

There is not really any story or plot point to the game, dude jumps down a well and fights whatever is on the way down trying to harm him while trying to collect any treasure he might come across. A simple story with even simpler gameplay, there are just three basic controls, movement, jumping and shooting with each stage getting increasingly more difficult with new enemies, items and things on screen at one time.

I think with games like this I can actually understand why people play video games on their mobile phones, I mean I still do not think I would as I have portable consoles however I believe games like Downwell that have short addicting gameplay work incredibly well on this platform and obviously were tailored toward it in one form or another, why wouldn't someone just pick up their phone play maybe 4 mins and the put it away, it's an absolute short time killer and the more I think about it it's similar to the mobile game Doodle Jump.

The game has a lot in the way of multipliers and shops, I myself rarely use the shops as I like to save the currency in order to unlock more things at the end of each level, but the shops allow you to heal, buy weapons and more. The multipliers are fantastic and allows the gameplay to become even faster and chaotic, I personally like the drone multiplier and laser combo myself. That's the beauty of it you can just keep it stacking with weapons and other multipliers after each level or if you take the time to go to a cave.

There is not a lot more I can say about a game that's this simplistic but overall this is a mobile game above all else, I could never play a game on my phone because I see it as just that, a phone however having this on the Vita was fantastic. I dearly hope this gets brought to the 3DS for those who do not own a Vita because, it's cheap, It's quick and above all it is a lot of fun. It goes to show a game so simple can be a contender against a world of AAA titles left right and centre.

Your experiences with Video Games: Josh Brown

This week I'm back with another interview, this time from my friend Josh. I've known Josh for around 4 or 5 years now but we only really became friends in our second year of university, I can't even remember how really but I know we used to talk about video games a lot with Liam and a few other people, much to the frustration of our friend Jess.

Although we were always talking about Videogames we've never actually played online with each other, other than our go to games Smash Bros and Mario Kart. We all get super competitive around it and find Josh's admiration for Rosalina to be sickening...

Myself and Liam never really kept in contact with anyone from university, more so because it was in our home town and the people we sometimes spoke to have since moved back to their own home towns etc, but I think the reason we keep in contact with Josh almost daily in our group chats and meet up often because he's like the only one from Uni who got our sense of humour and had the same interests as us.

I've been looking forward to interviewing him because, like Liam he is one of my closest friends and he got me in to a lot of series like Samurai Warriors, I'm really interested to see his answers and hear about his experiences as I hope you are too!

What were your first experiences with video games?

Hard to say, as I believe I started playing games when I was 3 years old. My first memory, which was more spurred on by the fact that I saw a photo of it when I was in my teenage years, was me in my older brother's room playing Super Mario 64 and wearing a jumper with Mario on it. Some other ancient memories include playing Cannon Fodder with my Dad and also Command and Conquer: Tiberian Dawn.

When do you feel you got in to video games as a hobby?

I'd say when I got a bit more independent and was liking things for myself more than what my brother would play, so around 6 maybe? Although I'd always still want what my brother had...

What are some of your favourite games and why?

So many to choose from!

·         One of them would have to be World of Warcraft - In my opinion this is one of the best games ever to be made, whether that is pure fanboyism or truth, or the fact that Blizzard managed to turn a niche thing into something that began to spread everywhere, it's hard to say. All I can say is that I've spent countless, so many hours (and so much money, which was worth it, and actually cheap compared to constantly buying new releases) on this game that it has to be one of my favourites. I've played it on my own, with friends and family, I've played it a year at a time, to sometimes only one day in a year. On and off for over a decade this game has provided me with entertainment, and really that is the whole point of a video game, so I think it's safe to say its done a good job. Also, it strikes the nostalgia chord within me and a lot of others hard.

·         The big 3D Mario Games (Super Mario 64, Sunshine and Galaxy 1 and 2) - I find these games to be almost perfect in every way. Gameplay, length, music/sound, narrative, art/graphics and replayability. Anyone can play and enjoy these. Another nostalgia factor too.

·         Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus - This game is purely fantastic. Has one of the most unique gaming experiences and worlds I've ever seen. The soundtrack is fantastic, aswell as the atmosphere. I can always replay this game, it will never get old.

·         Dark Souls/Dark Souls II, Bloodborne and probably soon to be Dark Souls III - These games will still have to stand the test of time unlike the others just mentioned. They are very different and often challenging games, which is the main appeal for me. The atmosphere is almost always top notch, which really helps to separate these games from others. Whether they will start to fade away and become mediocre its hard to say, but the fact that Dark Souls itself is starting to almost become a genre (as cringey as some journalists can be about it) shows that it has had an impact on the gaming community.

I could go on and on but I'm just going to name some titles now that have had a massive impact on me and I would consider favourites:

·         Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

·         Dawn of War (Plus expansions)

·         Diablo II

·         Command and Conquer Series (Mostly up to and including Generals - Thanks, EA)

·         Stronghold

·         Advance Wars Series (And more recently the Fire Emblem Series)

·         Half-Life 2 (and Episode Two)

And so many more...

What game has the best soundtrack to you and why, do you feel music is important in a game?

This blurs with my favourite games, but World of Warcraft. Its a fully orchestrated soundtrack that can instantly bring pictures in your mind of whatever area you were in when it plays, and that is a powerful thing.

Music is very important to a game, it can make mediocre games memorable as it gives you a sensory memory effectively. Video games are mostly visual, hence video, but when you get a perfect audio response, it makes the game so much more worthwhile. Immersion is a big thing that music helps with.

Most vivid video game memory?

Again, World of Warcraft.

I used to play Runescape, and one day my brother (who was at University at the time) messages me on AIM (I know, right?) telling me, 'Just wait until you see what game I've been playing' and sends me a screenshot of his Night Elf Rogue in a dusty, barren area in the game aptly called 'Desolace'

Upon his return from University, he gets me started with the free trial, and thus the memory commences. Playing my Dwarven Hunter in the Dwarf starting area, the snow-capped mountains of 'Dun Morogh.' The sense of wonder and awe is too great and I wish I could experience it again.

What are you playing currently?

XCOM 2 - This game is kicking my ass, making me feel like the worst Commander in existence as I watch my friends that I created in-game die and die again due to my stupid mistakes and the wrath of RNGesus. Aside from some performance issues, the game is pretty good.

What is the most obscure game or rarest game you own?

Probably Shogo: Mobile Armor Division for PC. I can't even find the disc but I know I have it. Younger me would have never known how heavily influenced by Japanese mecha this game was, but I just liked guns and these mechs had guns. I never finished it and probably never will.

What about video game memorabilia?

I've tended to mostly stay away from collecting video game memorabilia, mainly because I just played the games and shyed away from being seen as a 'nerd' too much (silly I know). Only recently have I started to collect some things, but they're quite tame, such as Nintendo's Amiibo or the Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain collector's edition arm, and it kind of makes me want to get more. This newfound, yet small, love for this probably stems from Lewis, so thanks, I guess.

Are you as in to video games as you once were?

Yes, possibly even more, but the passion is directed towards being part of the community of gaming and keeping involved with everything rather than younger me just playing games and doing nothing else. I do put less hours into most games now, but that is just due to adulthood.

As you switch between consoles and PC often is there one you prefer of the two?

I go through phases. For a recent example, late 2014-late 2015 I was pretty much PS4 only, yet now I've just built a brand new gaming PC and my focus is there. I've only ever been adamantly on one side, and that was on PC back around 2006-ish. I don't care now as each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses. Most of my gaming has been on PC and Nintendo platforms though.

If I absolutely had to pick one over the others, and that choice would lock me out of all the rest, I would choose PC. The longevity and flexibility of PC is something that can't be ignored, it has the most games and often blurs into the other platforms (i.e - cross-platform games and emulation) It would break my heart though as then I would never have Nintendo games again.

And that's why I will play on every platform if I have the opportunity/desire. :)

Favourite game you never beat?

Quite a recent one - Divinity: Original Sin.

The game is fantastic, a really solid combat system with a wacky world. I played about 40-50 hours of it and then just stopped. With the Enhanced Edition out, I have no excuse. I will go back and play through it again, it deserves it.

Physical or digital?

Depends on the platform:

·         Home consoles (PS4, XB1, Wii U) - Mostly physical, and some digital.

·         Mobile consoles (3DS, Vita) - Mostly digital, and some physical.

·         PC - Digital.

Was there ever a genre or series of games you were adamant you would not get in to but ended up enjoying?

Hard to pinpoint and exact genre/series, but I would say more Japanese games, the ones that are less mainstream. Since getting a bit more into some anime/manga (as in literally one or two) I've become more relaxed around the more niche games that Japan provides.

What was the best co-op or online experience you had?

Online - World of Warcraft - no doubt about that.

Co-op - Probably the Gears of War trilogy - played them all through with my brother, which really highlighted the 'Brothers-in-arms' feelings the game gave

If you were to have kids would you want them to be in to video games and what would you have them start with?

Try and look past how sappy this is, but I'd be happy and encourage them in whatever hobby they liked.

If I would have them start with anything though, it would be Mario.

Do you feel you'll always be playing games in some form?

Probably, whatever you do when you were young stays with you in some way or form. Video games will easily, as they are technology, which will always being changing and evolving.

What's a game series you feel is under appreciated?

The Warriors/Musou games (Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors and the like).

Although Koei Tecmo literally poops them out like Activison does with Call of Duty, and Ubisoft with Assassin's Creed, and the DLC they have is ridiculous, they have done it for so long that there is a base standard of quality they always maintain. They are great to just play and play, they are full of content, and there are so many areas of culture that they can encompass - Dynasty/Samurai for historical periods, Hyrule/One Piece for other game series' and anime/manga series - so you may just find one that resonates with you.

For me it is Samurai Warriors. Less known than the juggernaut of its sister, Dynasty Warriors, it is a game I really enjoy. The soundtrack is very good, and the period of history is intriguing. Since the first title, it has become more wacky and anime-ish, but is just fun for me. Maybe others won't understand, but I've sunk over 250 hours into Samurai Warriors 4/4-II  and got the platinum trophy for both.

What is the best Anime related video game you've played?

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3/Tenkaichi 3 - without a doubt in my mind these two games are probably the most fun games to ever be made for the Dragon Ball Universe.

Is there an anime series you feel would work as a game that hasnt already been made?

I haven't watched much anime, but one that I have, and an idea that gets thrown around sometimes by people in the community is a Kill la Kill video game. It would be perfect as a hack-and-slash game, akin to Platinum Games and their titles.

Has there ever been a spin off of a series you've enjoyed more than the original series?

Samurai Warriors - I've always preferred it to Dynasty Warriors. Although nowadays it's less of a spin-off. (And I can't think of any other examples at the moment!)

What series are you connected with the most?

The Warcraft Universe. Love the lore and its been with me half of my life.

I'll probably go check out the film too, doesn't look half bad.

What series have you always had an interest in but not had a chance to get in to?

Final Fantasy - I've only really played a bit of Final Fantasy X, and some of Final Fantasy XIV.

With XV coming out and the renewed interest in VII I should get to it!

Are there any areas or stories you wish were explored more in games?

·         Areas:
Space - More Space is always good.
The Mind - Psychonauts did this to a certain extent, was very interesting.

·         Stories:
Tragedy - I really like stories that are just despair and hopelessness. If you've got a story that really shows there are no heroes and potentially no happy endings, it can really make you think about the characters.

What game are you most excited for in 2016?

I'll be cheeky and name the top three:

1.       Fire Emblem: Fates - I'll be buying the special edition (hopefully) with all three sections as I've recently started to love the Fire Emblem franchise.

2.       Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Deus Ex: Human Revolution was fantastic, and the cyberpunk genre is fantastic.

3.       Dark Souls III - Just read above really.

How do you feel about video games currently?

I'd say at the moment we're having a mini video game renaissance. There are tonnes of new games every quarter, old titles that people thought were dead are getting sequels, games are getting ports so they can be played by more people, companies are starting to listen to feedback (Square Enix, to name one) and the console war has all but evaporated, with companies focussing on their own things.

There are a few negatives that must be addressed though. There are two main things that spring to mind instantly:

1.       Broken games - Games not working on PC, terrible console performance, etc. These aren't just normal bugs and glitches but a reoccurring problem of companies taking the 'Let's see if we can just get them to buy from the hype and not notice the issues. If they do, we'll just patch it later!' approach.

2.     Over-sensitivity to certain content in games - I'm mainly talking about certain groups of people and journalists that want to thrust their opinion onto the world that a game is 'too sexualised,' or, 'too white.' Stop trying to censor and change everything you don't like, there is a reason people have different tastes. You wouldn't go into a book store and start yelling about raunchy romance novels and how they are damaging society, would you?

Apart from that, it's going fairly well. Let's just see what happens.

Where do you feel video games will go in the future?

I feel they'll mostly stay the same as they are now, accepted by society but not massively popular aside from the standard big titles that the mass public are used to.

VR will try to make its way onto the scene, and I really hope it does, as I am very intrigued to see what can come of it, but it may just fail.

All in all, I'll keep playing games until I decide they aren't worth my time anymore, but that doesn't look like that will happen for a while.

Thats it for this week, I think this was super interesting and I discovered a few things about Josh I actually didn't know before, Josh doesnt have twitter or anything but if you wanna find him I'm sure he's starting another Rosalina thread on 4chan....