[Denki for Listening] Episode 6 - Here Comes a New Challenger

Despite Jhonny's absence, the crew carries on with myself and newcomer Maria Canales. We talk about several multiplayer-based games, focusing on some of 2011's most unique multiplayer games like Magicka and Trine 2, before focusing on the upcoming Asura's Wrath and my recent experience at the LG Cup's US Qualifiers. Continuing with the Capcom theme, we discuss the new announcement for Resident Evil 6 and news that Dead Rising 2 developer Capcom Vancouver will be working on a new IP, eventually springboarding into the age old discussion of creating new products versus utilizing established franchises.

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02:15 - Magicka discussion
06:42 - The enjoyment and frustration of Trine 2
13:35 - Asura's Wrath impressions
15:48 - Discussion on dubbing and my horrible Nixon impression
20:12 - Reports on the LG Cup US Qualifiers
27:00 - Resident Evil 6's announcement discussion
31:05 - Capcom Vancouver's new IP

[Friday Five] Reservations About Project Fiona

Recently unveiled at CES 2012, Razer’s Project Fiona hasbeen turning heads for the tablet’s ability to playcore PC games like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marines ratherthan being relegated to casual games like AngryBirds. While the idea of playing full blown PC games on a touchscreentablet is appealing and unimaginable at the moment, I still have somereservations about the system’s viability, especially in its current prototypeform.

It’s Way Too Bulky

The 10-inch screen itself isn’t that big of an issue – theiPad and Motorolla XOOM series both are ten inch tablets as well. Thecontrollers on the side, however, not only expand the tablet considerably, butmakes for unnecessary bulkiness. Unlike an ordinary laptop or tablet that onlycontains a flat surface, Project Fiona and its controller add-ons will likely becomea nuisance in any backpack. At most, it will need a special carrying case orfeature detachable controllers, both options of which I find cumbersome incomparison to carrying a gaming laptop around.

Tablets and HardcoreGames are Incompatible

Like smartphones, tablets appeal most to people who are onthe go. Tablets specifically cater more to people who aren’t computer savvy. Thetarget audience isn’t exactly composed of the hardcore gamers that would wantto play core games on the go. Even worse, there’s no benefit that tablets couldbring to these genres either – anything that Project Fiona could allow thesegames to do, the 3DS or PSV have probably already done. With action adventuregames, the tablet and controllers may be adequate, but FPS fans willundoubtedly pine for mouse and keyboard over the tablet’s offerings.

Short ForeseeableBattery Life

With an Intel i7 processor inside the tablet, I’m nothopeful for Project Fiona’s battery life. If the tablet does have a massivebattery, then it may stand a chance. A low battery life will inherently hurtany gameplay experience, cutting play time dramatically. Obviously with thetypes of titles that gamers are looking to play with Project Fiona, games thatwill undoubtedly eat away at and use the tablet’s processor, they will want acharger and outlet nearby throughout gameplay.

It Won’t be Cheap

There’s several reasons why we already know it won’t becheap. For one, Razer isn’t known for making cheap products – that’s not to saytheir products are a rip off, but they definitely burn holes in gamers’wallets. While we don’t know what exact processor the device will use, the i7still hovers at around high 200s to mid 300s on Newegg. On top of that, tabletsthemselves don’t come cheap right now either. The ASUS EP121 Tablet PC, whichruns Windows 7 and features an i5 processor at 1.33 GHz with no dedicated videocard. Razer hasn’t said anything about dedicated video cards yet, but it’s safeto assume that Project Fiona will have it if it’s meant for gaming. With that,an Intel i7 processor, and a projected Windows 8 OS, the tablet is looking moreand more exclusive.

You Can Always JustBuy a Laptop

This option will always come up when one ponders the meritsof buying a tablet. In this case, it’s even more imperative to compare the practicalityof a tablet to that of a laptop. All of the reasons mentioned above seem tofavor a laptop purchase over that of a tablet. For gaming, a laptop will have akeyboard. Even a 17-inch laptop would fit better in a backpack than a tabletwith controllers hanging out. Most laptops also have extendable batteriesavailable. While a gaming laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M will probablyrun gamers around $1200, they can be assured it will be compatible with gamesfor a long time to come. At the moment though, this is all speculation and wehave quite a while to see how the Razer’s price and specs will compare withtraditional gaming laptops. But until then, I won’t be holding my breath forsomething that may turn out to be just a novelty.  

[Hardware Preview] PlayStation Vita

When we first saw the PS Vita at E3, it all seemed like afuturistic system that we would never actually own. With only a month beforethe PSV’s North American release, we got our hands on one of Hong Kong’s 3Gmodels and tried it out. Aside from its technical superiority, the PSV is filledwith smart design decisions that make it the premiere portable device forgamers to anticipate.

There are several things that players will notice about thesystem once they hold it in their hands: it’s wide yet slender, features alarge 5-inch screen that is incredibly lightweight, and a wildly differentinterface. While the sleek nature of the system is appealing, I couldn’t helpbut feel paranoid about putting it into my pocket. With such a large screen,the system felt like it was bound to snap and was just plain uncomfortable inmy pocket.

During gameplay, however, the system was a marvel to hold.The PSV’s dual analog sticks and overall sizable buttons felt welcoming, asthough a portable was finally large enough for my gigantic hands. The system’sportability was ultimately sacrificed for a more engaging gaming experience. It’sa trade-off that I won’t mind, as long as I had something other than my jeans’pocket in which to store the PSV. Conveniently, games include useful links tothe game’s website, company’s website, or PSN store for easy access. The multitouchcapacitive touchscreen is duly sensitive and precise, making it leaps andbounds above the 3DS’s outdated resistive touchscreen and giving it many morepossibilities instead.

Some browsing through the system’s applications quickly showedsome notable improvements over other systems’ similar counterparts. ThePlaystation Store itself is pretty easy to browse, featuring categories on theleft ranging from the games and add-ons to movie downloads. Fans of digitalcontent will be excited to find that retail games are also available as digitaldownloads. Near, the PSV’s attempt to connect nearby gamers, shows differentusers on a map including their PSN usernames, recent games, and trophies. Thisfeature most mirrors the original Nintendo DS’s PictoChat that allowed users tochat with others nearby; however, Near works on a much larger scale, allowingusers to see others several kilometers away as well. Security concerns mayarise, but since the unit was in Chinese, we were not able to test outdifferent settings.

In order to receive internet signal, the 3G model includes aslot for a SIM card. Curious to see if any SIM card would work, we inserted aT-Mobile SIM card with data on it and, to our amazement, it was able to receivedata. However, it was only able to receive 2G speeds, telling us that thesystem is on the same band as the AT&T network. While the SIM card was inthe slot, the PSV gave notifications on any text messages that arrived.Unfortunately, the system was incapable of replying to text messages or receivingcalls. Perhaps hackers may work on a mod for this in the future, but at leastexisting AT&T customers who wish to have data anywhere can use the system’sdata capabilities, given that they are willing to miss some calls. Keep in mind that the model we tested was from Hong Kong and unlocked - a feature that may not hold true for the North American release.

With only a month to go before its North American release,the system is looking better and better. There are some design decisionsalready that some may question, but the trade offs are definitely worth it. Welook forward to its release and will be waiting by the door for its arrivalcome February 22. 

[Event] LG Cup Street Fighter IV HD US Qualifiers

With its recent exclusive release of Street Fighter IV, LG has been trying to publicize the game as muchas possible, even running a worldwide tournament for both the Android game and Xbox360 version of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition ver. 2012. Before the world finals in South Korea, LG teamedup with Level|Up to run the US qualifiers this past weekend. We were there inall its competitive gaming, free food, and giveaway goodness.

Unlike most tournaments, the LG Cup started registration andcheck-in rather early at 8 AM, but didn’t formally start till 12:30 AM, an hourand a half after the original posted time. While this is par for the course inmost tournaments’ cases, it was disappointing to see players rushed out soearly in the morning just to wait almost five hours more, or even longer ifthey were in the second pool, to play. In the meantime, players were able toget in some casuals and practice for the tournament. Because the tournamentitself was free, many players like Sebastian "-5" Jennings, the player previously known asOneHandedTerror, and Derek “omni” Daniels who have stopped playing long beforeturned out as well, making for a reunion for some.

As the tournament got underway, things were rolling alongsmoothly with most gaming stations filled with the exception of some keymoments. However, as the tournament had started late, the second pool of thetournament had been changed from double elimination to single elimination.Obviously, it was a huge disappointment to many who attended who could havechosen to attended a tournament elsewhere instead or simply slept in. Consideringthat this was a free tournament with a trip to South Korea as the ultimateprize, there was a lot to be gained and little to be lost. In the end, though, spectatorswere still given an exciting tournament, with MCZ|MRN Joshua "Wolfkrone" Philpot facing offagainst EG. Ari "Floe" Weintraub in the grand finals. Though Floe shocked many with his premiereof Guy, Wolfkrone edged it out.  In theLG Nitro HD’s Street Fighter IV tournament,finals came down to MCZ|MRN Wolfkrone facing off against Victor "Victheslick" Denchartphan. Wolfkronemanaged to win this one as well, despite not having his signature Viper play.

There was fun to be had by attendees as well whether theywere competing or not. With free food and drinks provided, the most thatspectators could complain about was perhaps the lack of freeplay stations,which is par for the course in most tournaments. Before leaving, thanks toiam8bit, many left with extra shirts and posters as well. Overall, the LG Cup’sUS Qualifiers was a good opportunity for players to take a stab at going toKorea, enjoy some free pizza, drinks, and each other’s company.

[Demo Spotlight] Asura's Wrath (PS3)

In the barren month of January, where game releases are few and far in between, a demo for a hyped up game is quite appreciated. With a little over a month before its release, Asura’s Wrath has appeared on both the Playstation Network store and Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace. Filled with over the top action and excitement that reminds us of noteworthy action anime like Dragon Ball and Naruto, this game has already caught our eyes.

The demo offers two levels with vastly different playing styles, both of which exhibit the game’s changing controls and abilities rather well. The first has Asura fighting against a giant boss, a battle that will have players drawing up memories of the PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus. Some parts of the battle work out like a generic action adventure title with Asura shooting plasma while avoiding incoming attacks. In the second stage, it’s a one-on-one duel, where plasma shots are put aside for fist fighting. Both of these showcase the game’s changing command list that is based on the stages and story rather than some tech tree. Once he has built up enough meter, burst will flash across the screen with a button prompt that will be the first of many more. Unlike traditional quick time event games, Asura’s Wrath flourishes on it and continually gives varying, appropriate commands. It manages to be cinematic without ever boring.

Everything about the game is sure to give anime fans chills. The designs look like they’re straight out of an episode of Naruto, mixing Asian mythology with machinery. Even better, a boss can have his starting monologue cut short with a single button press. It all contributes to Asura being nothing short of a badass and players a part of an anime episode with action packed battles. The biggest gripe with this so far is that the English voices also properly mirror a horribly dubbed anime, devoid of emotion and sounding just plain laughable at times. Hopefully a dual audio option will be available for the full release.

Asura’s Wrath seems to be Japan and Capcom’s answer for Sony’s own God of War, featuring both eastern mythical figures and a plethora of quick time events that deliver an exciting visual experience. It’s a shame the demo didn’t showcase anything other than boss fights, but it certainly has us hyped up for its release on February 21.

[Review] Pet Zombies (3DS)

Pet simulators, like famous Japanese robotic dog AIBO, are really only enjoyable if players can’t own the actual pet. Once I got my own dog, Nintendogs immediately began to gather dust. When the imaginary pet in question is a bit more exotic, obviously the real life alternative is out of the question. A different take on the recent zombie trend, Pet Zombies doesn’t let players blast zombies, but raise them as the name would imply.

In the game’s world, apparently the zombie outbreak has been somewhat controlled, because zombies are openly for sale as pets. From the get-go, players will be able to select one of several zombie archetypes, ranging from jocks to scientists. Afterwards, players will be able to customize them, but most of the customization options are shallow, only allowing players to change their skin or clothing color. In the beginning, the variety in archetypes may be exciting, perhaps allowing players to live out fantasies of raising a fallen friend or torturing those high school enemies, but there also seems to be little differences between the zombies aside from the occasional gestures.

As with any other pet, zombies need food and entertainment. However, the way the game is designed doesn’t need players to actually care for their pets that much. There are two spectrums toward which players can take their zombies: nurture or torture. It sounds fun at first, especially given that most pet simulators discourage mistreating pets, but players will eventually find that it makes little difference how they choose to raise the zombies. The game doesn’t even keep track of time; zombies never suffer from starvation or separation anxiety, but only notice that they would like a snack or some playtime when players are actively playing Pet Zombies.

While playing with zombies, players will soon find that they need in-game currency for additional toys and food. To get these, they’ll have to play through some of the minigames. Compared to the actual zombie raising, this segment is much more fun, though that might not be saying much. These are usually just endurance trials, the player’s ability to catch coins flung from trash bins or floating throughout the airspace. As a time killer, these are sufficient but are unlikely to keep anybody’s attention more than for one or two tries at a time. Thankfully, that is enough to help players stock up or buy a precious toy they’ve just unlocked through raising their zombies.

It’s always interesting to see a game that takes a trend and turns it on its head. Upon seeing the game, I couldn’t help but think of Shawn of the Dead, yet the game fails to be a fulfilling comedic or immersive experience. Conceptually, it could have been fun. As a pet simulator, however, it creates too large a disconnect between the game and player to ever create the illusion of raising a pet. Players who always wanted to abuse their pets in Nintendogs or Petz might want to take a stab at Pet Zombies, but it will have little keeping power beyond that.

Available on: 3DS; Publisher: Majesco Games; Developer: 1st Playable Portables; Players: 1; Released: November 16, 2011; ESRB: Teen; Official Site

Note: A retail copy was provided to Denkiphile for review purposes by the publisher.