The failed Vita and why I like it.

After talking about the Wii U a few weeks ago and how I still enjoy it even if it is deemed a failure I felt I should talk a bit about the Playstation Vita and how many would deem this handheld to also be a ‘failure’especially when comparing it to Nintendos 3DS and mobile gaming. I really enjoy the Vita and a lot of the games made for the console but I can absolutely agree that Sony again dropped the ball with their handheld system in the West.  I don’t believe the console is in any way a bad console for what it does or the games it has on it but I do feel Sony have not learnt from any mistakes of the past and brushed the Vita away as if it is the unwanted member of the Playstation family.

I feel to a point the PSP was a way more popular console, it certainly had longer Western support by Sony compared to the Vita. I did own a PSP and used to play it quite regularly but the only reason for this is because I modded the console with the help of a friend (and honestly who didn’t mod their PSP?). I mainly played Japanese Gundam games and PS1 games if I’m honest, I cannot remember a specific Western game I truly enjoyed on the console however I will say there were a few fantastic titles on the system that I used to play a lot that were Japanese Developed such as Tekken 5 DR which I would say is the best numbered titles to this day and the Shin Budokai Dragonball games. So there were elements to the PSP I enjoyed but I doubt I would have without the modding capabilities that plagued Sony and the console.

The reason I bought a Vita though is not because of my enjoyment of its predecessor but because I’d signed up for Playstation Plus and kept getting free games for it that would stack up, at the time when I first got PS+ the Vita games it provided me with were actually titles I was interested in playing such as Gravity Rush, Uncharted and Dragons Crown as well as a few indie titles. I thought if I keep getting decent titles like this I may as well pick up the console and just never buy any games for it so I bought the original model new with Tearaway (another great  game) included and for about a year I generally did not buy anything for the console.

Over time with the sales popping up I have been buying Vita games and I did buy a few physical imported Gundam games so I certainly do have a library built up albeit a small physical one so in no way do I leave my Vita to gather dust the way I eventually would my PSP. I feel the Cross save function for games like The Binding of Issac have really played a big part in this also, it’s such a wonderful feature and allowed me to continue my games on flights abroad, I can’t fault it.

Much like the Wii U I find myself getting annoyed that a lot of Vita exclusives have moved to other formats like IOS or Steam, I think it’s great that it will allow others to actually be aware and experience certain titles as some certainly deserve to be played but It kind of takes away some of the reason to ever play the console, I’m certainly torn on this.

I Felt some games used touch features for the sake of it, I think one of the biggest culprits of this is Uncharted: Golden Abyss. I have only played the game for about an hour and it’s nothing special but the tutorial would stop you every now and then saying things like ‘If you want to jump and climb touch the front screen’ when you could literally just press X and have it done automatically like in any other game, why mess about with touch features for something like this. I have no issue with touch features like rubbing the screen to uncover something or to zoom in and out but if you’re using it just for the sake of it because it’s on a console that uses the features then I’d rather you not bother, be creative with it for goodness sake.

The Vita actually got me in to a lot of Visual Novels which is a genre I really did not think I would ever care about, usually I cannot be bothered to be reading constantly when I’m playing a game but thanks to a sale and the DanganRonpa series I was hooked on the storyline and have now played every released game in the series, the great thing about these games is that they make sure they do something I feel any handheld should do and allow you to save at almost any point so you truly can play on the go even if the game is text heavy. I certainly would not want to be on the move with a game like this and be unable to save after reading a whole bunch of plot.

I will say I find the console comfortable to hold and never really find any issues with the button layout, I think I may find issues with the smaller slim version however, I love the interface of the system itself it’s really simple to find anything you need and the store is just as simple to navigate, I will say It does annoy me that some Apps on there cannot be deleted such as the calendar and the recently shut down ‘near’ service (think streetpass but shit)

As much as I enjoy the console I have never actually used the remote play feature which allows streaming of PS4 content to the Vita, this is because I’ve never had the need to, all of my consoles are in my own room and I never felt the need to go elsewhere in the house to play them, if I did I would just move the console I do think this is a cool feature for those who need it however!

I thought the Playstation TV was an alright idea in theory as it was a Vita console without a screen or buttons you could hook up you your TV. I mean if you wanted Vita games but did not want the Vita and wanted to play them at home it’s certainly an option for you but half the games were not even compatible due to Touch screen features so if you did own one you had to be quite selective, either way it was discontinued in the West last year which really does not surprise me…

People like to say the console is a ‘Weeb machine’ because most of the support was from Japan and at this point pretty much all the support is from Japan, I can see why they would say this because it’s generally true. All the games are either Niche titles or JRPGS with a few Indie games sprinkled in, I have no problem with this as I have found plenty of titles I’ve enjoyed, however the reason it’s this way is because Sony again don’t know how to push a handheld in Western markets, the support is there from Japan but not everyone is a fan of typically Japanese games.

The Vita started off well with games geared more towards a Western audience like ports of PS2 classics, Uncharted and Tearaway but soon after it just sort of dried up, I don’t ever remember there being much advertisement for the console either and most people were already disappointed with their dust collecting PSPs at that point to see a clear reason why this one would be any different other than touch screen features. Perhaps the necessity for a  handheld aimed more towards ‘gamers’ rather than kids is not really there, I certainly feel a bit odd bringing out a handheld on the train or in public even though that’s primarily the whole point of them and I’m sure others do too.

I think one of the reasons it sold so poorly in general though is the ridiculous price of memory cards. I believe my console game with a 15gb card and due to the amount of games I would get from PS+ I would constantly have to delete titles and redownload them when I actually wanted to play them again rather than just having a full library available to me whenever I wanted.

This was an issue somewhat with the PSP also but at least with the PSP the memory cards were a fairly decent and reasonable price that also did not have to be Sony specific and could be any sort of Sandisk card as long as it was the right physical size to fit, of course there was the chance for corrupted data from cheap cards but the option was there.

With the Vita though there is not this option, you HAVE to buy a memory card specifically made for the Vita, this tiny little thing that holds your games has to be from them. That’s not so bad right? Wrong! Because Sony never cheapen the price for these cards, If I wanted the biggest card I could find which was 64GB it would set me back almost £70 plus postage as god knows there Is no Vita merch in any game store I’m aware of in the UK.

I actually did bite the bullet and buy this memory card recently because I was just sick of constantly trying to make room for the games I would be getting,  It was annoying to have to pay this price but I felt with the lack of the support for the console in the West they may just stop making these cards soon and then to buy one new would be even more expensive. I’m glad I did buy it because I can just play whatever the hell I want now without the worry but eventually I’m sure I will fill this up too! I sure as hell won’t buy anymore cards!

I really like physical media rather than purely digital although I have got a number of digital titles on all my consoles due to services like 'Games with Gold' and such I really would prefer it to be physical, now in the case of the Vita I only own a few physical games by choice however there are a few games that I’m happy actually get a release in the US and EU such as the new Gundam Vs game which came out this month but there was just no option to own it physically which kind of bummed me out, I understand it is a very niche game but I’d love there to have at least been a very limited run of physical cases for them, I just love to see them all displayed on my shelf.

Some companies do actually do this and that’s really cool it’s like developers know there is this really small but vocal fanbase in the west for the Vita and they appreciate them as much as we do them, it’s almost like the Vita is this little club of people sometimes from what I read online and I have no issue with it, I know people who have bought one and literally only have ps1 games on it because they want to play them on the way to work, I know people who just buy exclusives and I know people who just play imports  or Indie games . There are all these different kinds of people playing who are so vocal and happy the console exists and that’s kind of endearing.

As much as I like Sony I feel it is crucial they learn from their mistakes in the West with this sort of thing especially with VR coming up, I am quite excited about VR and will likely by the PSVR at some point however I am hesitant as I don’t want it to just be a fad first of all and I don’t want Sony to slowly drop supporting it altogether as they have the Vita. Perhaps as VR is attached to a home console this will not be the case but I cannot shake the feeling.

I think it would be best if Sony do not make any more Handheld consoles and if they do they better make sure they learn from it, I think they can certainly release mobile games even if I am not one to play games on a phone or tablet but they certainly do not need to focus on making another handheld, I think the Vita will be fine for the duration of the PS4s lifetime but I feel all developers will move on after that which is totally understandable, I think I’ll continue with it for ps1 games on the go if anything at that point but who is to say what’s going to happen in a few years time I suppose.

Overall I still continue to enjoy the Vita and feel I will for some time as PS+ continues to provide me with some fun titles and sales generally always bring me something new to play, I think it’s a shame that the Vita has been reduced to this by its own companies lack of support amongst other issues but I think if you’re on the fence about it and perhaps want to try a few titles then by all means see if you can find a used console or one quite cheap but be aware of the issues like memory cards and multiple exclusives eventually being ported either to the PS4 or Steam, it’s certainly no necessity to own this console as a Sony fan but it’s left an impression on me.

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: Ant Dahl

This week I'm back with another interview about experiences with video games!, I'm really happy with how this is going so far and have been pleased with the amount of people who wish to be involved. One of the first to ask to be included was Ant Dahl who is one of the hosts of one of my favourite podcasts The Fortuna Podcast. I think I first started speaking to Ant shortly after letting him know that I enjoyed the podcast that he and Marshall put together and from there we discovered we were both in to the same sort of things as well as big fans of flannel shirts.

Shortly after Ant and Marshall were kind enough to invite me on their podcast which I really enjoyed even if it does require me to be up pretty late/early. I've been on since which you can check out here!
I actually got the opportunity to meet them both when I went to California to attend Gamedays 2015 in Anaheim and we had a blast even if we didn't get to hang out for as long as I'd hoped it was just nice to meet someone you admire and shoot the shit a bit. 

Ant and Marshall both speak in depth about video games amongst other things on their podcast so I'm really pleased to be talking to one of the Yankee-doodle double threat this week and I hope you enjoy the interview!

What were your first experiences with video games?
Some of my first experiences with video games came from playing games with my Dad as a kid. It's odd really because I remember having both a Nintendo and a Super Nintendo at that age, but my memories come from the times I played games like Donkey Kong Country with my Dad. We used to sink a lot of time playing the Super Mario Bros All Star Pack for Super Nintendo as well. But I also have these memories of playing this weird coloring game for the NES, where you colored pictures of Dinosaurs. It was terrible but I used to spend so much time with it. I have a bunch of memories that I can’t place in the right spots.

When do you feel you got in to video games as a hobby?
You know, I'm not entirely sure. It probably stems from getting Pokemon Red and Blue for the Gameboy. So this was somewhere around 1998 I believe. I had never been so sucked into a video game at that point in my life. As an 8 year old I was constantly trying to figure how to finish things quicker than normal so I could soak more time into them. I started waking up for school an hour earlier so I could get ready and have an extra hour to try and catch a Pidgey or some bullshit. 

I played the playstation 2 all throughout Middle School (6^th- 8^th grade in the states). I fell out of video games throughout high school until I got a Wii my senior year specifically for Smash Bros Brawl. But other than that, I probably didn't start looking at games as a hobby until I got the Xbox 360 when I graduated high school. But Pokemon was definitely the jumping off point for me. 

What are some of your favourite games and why?
Two of my favourites really stand out to me because of their cinematic qualities. I absolutely love film and if a game has a cinematic quality, I can easily be drawn into it.

I'm a huge fan of the Metal Gear Solid series. Those games are brought up in every day discussions with me. They're just so dense with information and things to question that if I have a moment to talk to somebody about metal gear in depth, then I'm stoked. I think my favorite out of the series is Snake Eater. That was really the peak of the story for me, I think about the writing and the story constantly and how genius it was. Especially since it was a PS2 game.

The original Bioshock was one of the most immersive experiences I've ever had with a video game. I had never felt like I was so apart of a world before. There was so much to explore and the way it unfolded stories of characters that weren’t central to the plot really struck a chord for me. It helped that it incorporated a lot of horror elements into the game. I'm such a sucker for horror games even though I'm easily scared.

Another important favorite of mine is Pokemon Red and Blue. I got them as a gift from my grandmother very shortly before she passed away and they have always been some of the most sentimental games to me. Like I said earlier, I changed my life to revolve around those games and now whenever a new instalment comes out, I take the day off just to play it. When Pokemon X and Y came out, I put 12 hours into it on the day it came out.

Just to name a few other favorites Donkey Kong Country, Super Smash Bros, Red Dead Redemption, Hotline Miami, A Link Between Worlds, Bloodborne, and Mega Man X. I think some favorites that will surprise some people are Tony Hawks Undergound 2, and Parappa The Rapper. This by far was the most difficult question, because my favorites change so often. 

What game has the best soundtrack to you and why, do you feel music is important in a game? 
Hotline Miami had a soundtrack for a video game that changed the way I look at video game soundtracks. The Phantom Pain has an incredible collection of music in the game. The Tony Hawk series has always had a great soundtrack. Except the most recent one that one was shit in every way.

Most vivid video game memory?
I was in first grade when this happened. My dad once called a Necky in Donkey Kong Country a “fucking prick” and I asked him what that meant and his response was “that thing”. So I went to catholic school the next day and called some kid that annoyed me a “prick” and got in a ton of trouble over it. My dad and I still laugh about to this day.

What are you playing currently?
I generally try to play one game at a time because I absolutely hate starting a game and never finishing it. I kind of look at it like not finishing a movie or not finishing a book. Once I start something I have to finish it. But I'm in between semesters right now so I'm playing way too many games. 

I'm mostly focusing on Dark Souls II: Scholars of the First Sin, but I’m also playing Yoshi's Woolly World, Black Ops 2, Amplitude, and I'm slowly burning through Until Dawn.

What is the most obscure game or rarest game you own?
In terms of most obscure, I have this game called Incredible Crisis for the first PlayStation. I think its original name is Todemo Crisis. It's this super weird collection of these super difficult mini-games. Any time I bring it up to someone, the usual response is that they've never heard of it. It's a ton of fun though and it’s really funny. 

As far as rarest games, I don't have many, but I have a few. A while back I scored a copy of Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes for 20 bucks. I have a sealed copy of Super Empire Strikes Back. I don't think that game is rare by any means, but I've never taken it out of the box. I have an original copy of Manhunt before it was pulled from shelves and given an AO rating. 

Unfortunately I went through a period of my life where I sold a good portions of my games off, so I don't have a lot of the games that I used to own that would be considered rare and being a college student constantly leaves me broke. When I do have money, I often choose to put it towards traveling to meet up with friends or check out newer games.

What about video game memorabilia
I need to stop buying Amiibos.

Physical or digital?
Physical all the way. I can't believe there's actually debate about this. Even if I buy a game digitally I will make it an effort to get a physical copy down the road. I think with the most recent Konami scandal with P.T. it should showcase the risk of buying a digital copy of anything. You can own it one day and it could disappear the next. 

Was there ever a genre or series of games you were adamant you would not get in to but ended up enjoying?
I’m not entirely sure it’s a genre, but the “Souls” series was something that I thought would be the dumbest series of games, but I cant stop playing them. I’m not a huge fan of RPGs to begin with and the attitude that people carry about these games can be super annoying. But as of late, they are some of the most fulfilling games I’ve played.

What was the best co op experience you had?
Portal 2 had a co-op mode that was co-op in the truest sense of the word. I spend most of my time playing single player games so I haven’t played many co-op games. I played The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Adventures on my own and I’ve even played through most of Triforce Heroes on my own.

If you were to have kids would you want them to be in to video games and what would you have them start with?
I thought about this question before and I’m never sure of the answer. I think I’d like to take the approach that my dad did with me. We played so many great games together when we were younger and that was a stepping-stone for me to explore new games. But now a ton of games don’t include split screen co-op because games have become so technically advanced since the Super Nintendo. I think it would be super cool to have those bonding moments.

But on the other hand I’d want my kid to hate video games. I’m not trying to raise a loser or anything.

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

What's a game series you feel is under appreciated? 
Garrett Hunter from Mega64 talks about The Legacy of Kain series every so often and its always met with strange looks or it illicit the response of “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” Soul Reaver and Blood Omen were such phenomenal games for the PS1 and PS2. I actually wish they would bring back that series. Soul Reaver 2 was also the first game that I played that had a long cut scene in the beginning of the game that I couldn’t skip and it sort of taught me that video games can be a great platform to tell stories.

Has there ever been a spin off of a series you've enjoyed more than the original series?
Technically Rock Band, but Metal Gear Rising takes the cake for sure on this one. It is so infuriating listening to people drone on about how much they hate Metal Gear Rising because “it ruined metal gear solid” or how “its not a stealth game this is bullshit”. All of that because they couldn’t read the games title to see that it wasn’t a Metal Gear Solid game. Of course its okay to dislike the game for valid reasons, but dismissing it for not being a “solid” game is bullshit. I don’t necessarily like Rising better than Solid, but that game is incredibly gratifying.

Now I know you're a big fan of Movies, Video Game movies have a bad wrap so is there any video game movie you actually enjoy, has there ever been a movie tie-in game you've enjoyed?
I actually have this really sick morbid curiosity when it comes to movie tie in games. Because I know those games have to be complete shit, but that cant be completely broken. I’ve actually had an idea for a series of videos based on movie tie in games that I eventually want to work on.

But to answer the question, there are tons of movie licensed in games and a ton of TV licensed games that I love. I think a lot of them come from the SNES era, but there are still some great ones. Toy Story 1 and 2 both have incredible games to accompany those films. There’s a Pagemaster game that I think is a ton of fun as well. You know, the movie where Macaulay Culkin gets sucked into a book by a wizard? The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie game was so much fun as well. Star Wars has several great games. I think movie tie in games have a bad reputation, but there are some solid ones there. 

What series are you connected with the most?
This is a weird split, but Metal Gear Solid (series) and Pokemon. Pokemon for the reasons I’ve already stated, but Metal Gear for how in depth those games are. Metal Gear Solid just hits me hard with the story and its game play. These games have actually taught me to be extremely patient in video games. I mean, certainly the story of the series has had its ups and downs, but I think the thread of MGS has always been there. The fact that I’m able to carry on hour-long conversations about different theories of what’s happening in these games, should say a lot about how connected I am with these games.

How do rhythm games fare since their resurgence?  
Rhythm games are one of my favorite genres of games. If you’re making a rhythm game, chances are you have to have a dope soundtrack, your game play requires you to think fast and put your hand to eye coordination to the test. Amplitude was just “rereleased” for the PS4 and that alone should show people that rhythm games don’t have to be clones of Rock Band. I love Rock Band, but in that whole 5-year span where everyone had their hand in the “plastic guitar rock music” pot, it became super saturated and boring. 

Now there are games like Crypt of the Necrodancer, Amplitude, Elite Beat Agents, Bit Trip, and even Guitar Hero has understood that these games need a drastic change or need to be drastically different from their competitors to stand alone. Rock Band really tapped into best of the genre and now others need to figure out how to make it their own.

I hope that now that they’re returning that it’s a regular genre of games. Playstation is testing waters to see if people have an interest in Parappa the Rapper by releasing the sequel for the PS4 (which I hope spawns a third game). I hope rhythm games are here to stay. I think they have a shot. Even some of the Tony Hawk games have felt like rhythm games to me at times.

I feel like you secretly knew I had an undying love for rhythm games, and that’s why this question is here. I like this question.

Are there any areas or stories you wish were explored more in games
Dark Souls and Bloodborne have such vast worlds to explore in games that I know I’ll never get to all of those areas. I wish I had more time to go back through Bloodborne and explore more of Cainhurst Castle or the Upper Cathedral Ward, maybe even some of the chalice dungeons. I just don’t have that much time to devote to completing games. Once I’m done with a story, I like to move on to the next.

What game are you most excited for in 2016
Dark Souls 3 for sure. That is hands down the most anticipated games for me this year. But I’m also really excited for The Legend of Zelda Wii U, Ratchet and Clank, hopefully Rise of the Tomb Raider hits PS4 this year, Yooka-Laylee, The Last Guardian, and I’m sure there will be a few more down the road.

How do you feel about video games currently?
I think we’re in a fine state of video games. I think a lot of people get wrapped up in the politics of games a bit too much. Some I find to be incredibly understandable, but then there’s shit like Gamergate where I’m ready to check out. There just seems to be such an incredible sense of entitlement to people who use the word “gamer” to describe themselves that just straight up grosses me out. And that falls on both ends of the spectrum as well. I totally understand and support people that want better things in their games, such as portrayal of women and minority characters. Certainly not all of that is done properly or the way that I would go about discussing it, but I would rather support that than support a group of man-children calling in death threats because a woman spoke ill of the a game they probably mildly like.

Games can be complete shit and handle things poorly, but those things get recognized for being piss poor and eventually get weeded out. At the end of the day the video games I’m playing are fucking fun as hell and if that has indication of the state of games, then I suppose that means we’re doing something right.

Where do you feel video games will go in the future?
I’m excited to see what people do with the VR that isn’t virtual porn games. I think since I’ve been playing video games since I was around 3 or 4 years old that games have only gotten better, that they can only get better. I think we’re on the right track to make that happen. I hope video games become more accessible to more people and that they become learning tools teach kids moral and life lessons. I hope that they become more cinematic and really showcase how powerful a story telling medium it can be, more so than it already has. I hope they become more inclusive to women and minorities. Other wise they belong in the trash. 

 

I just wanted to thank Ant for this in depth interview and also for his and Marshall's work in putting together a really entertaining podcast that you should totally check out! Fortuna podcast returns on Wednesday the 26th with episodes generally coming out every Wednesday, be sure to follow their Tumblr linked above for updates or Ant on Twitter.

How Videogames can benefit Anime

So I was looking at my game collection the other day and realised I own quite a lot of Anime related video games especially for series I've always been a fan of like Dragonball, but there are a lot of titles I picked up on a whim or had originally played at a friends house that in turn got me super interested in a certain series like Naruto for example. The more I thought about it the more it occurred to me that it's down to video games that I am a huge fan of certain Anime and without me playing these games I may not have even given many series a chance.

With the Naruto example this was back in around 2006, I had always heard of the series being really popular before it was brought over to the West, with many saying it was 'the next DBZ' but Id never thought to actually sit down and watch an episode. However in high school a few of my friends had modified PS2's with a bunch of Japanese titles on them, this was the first time Id really thought that there were more modern (at the time) games that were not released worldwide and really opened my eyes to a lot of titles.

One of the games we would always play was what I believe became the Naruto Ultimate Ninja series in the West, which only had a basic amount of characters and only really went up to the first few arcs of the Anime. I remember thinking the attacks were pretty cool and the characters interesting enough, but I think what really sold it to me was seeing that Naruto had something similar to Dragonball with the nine tailed transformation. It was soon after discovering this that I began to look online and start watching the series.

I have a really big memory of being really sick that Summer holiday and just sitting in my room watching the series from start to finish but skipping out that god awful filler that would lead into Shippuden. This was around the time the Shippuden Anime had just began airing in Japan and quickly I decided to begin reading the Manga as I could not deal with the amount of filler being thrown out. I think over time a lot of people slowly got to the point where they were sick of the series to a degree but were so invested in it that they felt they had to see how it ended, I know I was. Overall it was an enjoyable Manga Series and while I probably would have go into it eventually, It was because of that PS2 game that I took the plunge.

I think video games have hugely benefited a lot of series, especially in the West where a lot of series would otherwise not be considered for dubbing even Manga releases, it's thanks to the release of certain titles that these series can gain a whole new group of fans and get an idea of how successful the series could potentially be in the West.

The biggest example of this for myself is the Dynasty Warriors Gundam series of games which is now on its fourth title. Before I played this game I had only watched Gundam Wing on UK TV and played one game on the PS2 set during the original series, which at the time I assumed was some kind of Wing side story. So for Christmas in around 2007 I asked for a Xbox 360 and the first game I got was DW Gundam as I had been hearing about it online and how it featured a large number of series.

Now in this game it pretty much mashed together all different series and timelines into one big what if story with some proper Anime related story modes along the way, I believe this was really beneficial as it introduced me to so many new characters and Mobile suits as well as a useful section of the game which informed you about everything to do with them albeit briefly. Seeing all these characters interacting and noticing some knew each other previously due to being set in the same universe gave me a huge incentive to research the franchise itself and find where I could watch some of these shows and when they were produced.

Unfortunately in the UK at the time there was no real way to obtain any of the other series legally so I had to resort to downloading them, I don't believe Sunrise have too much of a problem with this as the primary aim of the show was to sell Gunpla models and merchandise, in a sort of glorified toy commercial style and if we're only shown one series we may not even know these models existed. This has changed slightly now with more releases showing up in the UK but also on Gundams official Youtube page in which they will upload entire old series for a set time and also broadcast new episodes of shows weekly just after their airing much like Crunchyroll.

I think the first series I started with was G Gundam, a sort of mix between Dragonball and Gundam and the first alternate universe show in the franchise, which understandably was right up my street. Shortly after I watched Seed which was another alternate universe series but used a lot of plot elements and features from the original series almost as if being a modern adaptation (in 2002). I think it also helped that a series was just airing at the time titled Gundam 00 which I got in the habit of watching weekly, this really made me feel like a part of the fan base because I could discuss it each week with friends and online much like when I used to watch a show on Toonami.

It's fair to say this franchise is one of my all time favourites and if my Gunpla collection is anything to go by it will remain that way for some time, at the moment I've watched pretty much every single thing that's been released, even some terrible Canadian live-action movie, it's almost as if releasing the game in the UK was some kind of master plan from Bandai and Sunrise and in my case it really worked out.

There are of course a few more examples such as the Ghost in the Shell game on Playstation 1 which I played on a demo disc in the late 90s, In all honestly this game was not one I can remember a lot of other than the red mech you pilot during the demo and it is perhaps not the best representation of the Anime overall but I remember the huge amount of demo discs I would have as a kid from magazines and all these now hazy memories of obscure titles id endlessly play. While the Ghost in the Shell game was one of these, I remember playing this game a hell of a lot compared to the other titles on the disc and it was not until the around 2008 that a magazine company in the UK started to release certain Anime titles every few weeks on DVD with a new issue of their magazine.

The first of these was Ghost In the Shell and as soon as I saw this I instantly remembered the name from that demo disc I had enjoyed countless times, I didn't even realise the game was based on this Anime when I first played it but I quickly picked it up and watched it as soon as I got home. As much as I enjoyed the movie I've still yet to watch the sequel or series produced more recently, regardless it was due to a dumb demo disc that I even picked up this DVD in the first place, but I guess that's what the studio was hoping for with the creation of this game.

 

The most recent example of a video game enticing me to view a series is with Jojo's Bizarre Adventure All Star Battle on Playstation 3 which was a title I originally saw being discussed on forums every so often, but what really caught my eye with this title was it's amazing looking visuals which looked as though they were taken straight out of the Manga pages themselves. This game was developed by CyberConnect2 who are known for their amazing look Naruto titles and the Anime inspired Asura's Wrath, both of which I had previously played and was impressed with visually, so I knew this title would be worth a look.

However I did not want to import the title just because I thought it looked nice, so I looked online and researched the series as best I could and luckily saw the A new animated adaptation of the Manga was in the process of airing in Japan. I began watching the series right away and while I found the first half of the first arc to be slow I found the ending and the entirety of the second arc to be amazing, I've even begun to read the Manga way past this point and thoroughly enjoy it.

What is most interesting about this game is that a huge number of fans began importing it purely because they had enjoyed watching the Anime online, due to this the developers used this new found Western popularity to finally announce a physical Western release in certain stores and because of the nature of the game going all the way up to the 8th arc of the Manga it has opened up the entire series to a new audience which has allowed Viz Media to license a USA release.

After I played this title myself when it was released in the UK I was honestly blown away, not because it was a super amazing game but because of the quality and care taken by the developers to produce something that actually looked like it came right off the page, I think the developers really know how to handle Anime related titles and have proven this time and again, especially with the amount of fan service they add to these titles in the form of subtle references, the attention to detail and the use of perfectly choreography, even really little things like having a certain super move breaking another players super depending on who the character is that you're against (think Saibamen Vs Yamcha in a DBZ game), truly this is a great title to own if you're a fan of the series.

There are many other examples of games that have got me into certain Anime such as Koeis Fist of the North Star games, the Sengoku Basara series and even some Bleach games and I'm glad I played each one of them, because each title I've mentioned opened up an enjoyable series to me, while some my have lost steam along the way or may not have been as enjoyable as their video game counterparts they were all still worth the watch.

While video games can be great for getting someone in to a series they can also be used to breathe new life into a series that may have already ended. The biggest example of this can be the Dragonball series of video games before and after the release of the new movie. Now Dragonball is a good case because it's a series that is so immensely popular across the world and has had a huge amount of games produced but there are only so many times you can play through Raditz to Kid Buu without getting tired.

While this is counteracted by perhaps making the gameplay change depending on the series such as Budokai to Tenkaichi, generally the inclusion of what if scenarios was introduced. Now this was probably the best thing to happen to a lot of games as the series is such a wealth of possibilities both character wise and story wise. For example Budokai had the infamous Cell absorbing Krillin stage as well as the what if fusion prominent in the second game, whereas Tenkaichi focused more on the what if story aspects such as having Raditz join up with Goku and Piccolo or Zarbon plotting against Frieza.

To an extent this kept things fresh and was welcomed by many who were getting tired of playing over the same story over and over again, I think over the years developers of these titles have got the message and tried to incorporate as much new content like this as possible, while that is a lot easier now with new movies being produced the recent Xenoverse title has adapted this in full force by having the entire game revolve around the idea of the story we're all familiar with being changed to a certain degree.

While a lot of this was inherited from Dragonball Online the way that the developers expanded upon it and added a number of new scenarios as well as the ability to create your own character have only proved that this fresh air breathed into the series is welcome, especially if the numbers in which the game has been selling are anything to go by. It's pretty clear that if used well what if ideas can certainly keep the popularity of some series afloat long after they have aired and also continue to bring new fans along the way.

I always found it quite strange that these titles are generally well received as opposed to most movie licensed games, but perhaps the concepts within these shows are a lot easier to work with or perhaps it's because in a lot of cases it's fans of the series who are working on the games and actually put a lot of time and effort in to them rather than working towards a release window of a certain movie. Regardless it's clear to see that Anime and Videogames go hand in hand and can greatly benefit each other if used correctly.

But I'm curious are there any titles that got you into a certain Anime, let me know via Twitter or something!, thanks for checking this out as always.