Digital Chumps

Sometime last summer Ubisoft held some sort of press event that entailed flying a bunch of game writers over the Atlantic and into Venice. The purported goal of the trip, aside from the typical schmoozing the press, was to boast about the historical allegiance of Assassin's Creed 2's architecture. I thought it was stupid and pretentious (though I will admit the obvious envy of our site not getting an invite) and considered it just a passive excuse to add another bullet point to the back of the box, and, in the process, generate some press buzz. Twenty hours into the game, my opinion has greatly shifted on the matter.

 

Whether you want it or not, there is a ton of extraneous information detailing nearly every person you meet, painting you acquire, or place you go. While not all together different from a wikipedia entry (with some additional details embellished for the game's fiction), what that information brings to the context greatly benefits my suspension of disbelief. History buffs might get a significantly larger boner from running into famous members of the Italian renaissance (many idiot Americans like myself could probably only identify the Medici’s and Mr. da Vinci), but it's still cool to run into people like Caterina Sforza and then chuckle when you think that Ezio almost slept with her. Regardless, the glut of factually accurate information treats its foundation and its players with respect, which is more than I can say for the way other games bastardize history to fit their fiction (Dante's Inferno comes to mind). Assassin's Creed certainly takes its own liberties with history, but it does it in a manner that supports its fiction rather than exploits it.

 

The non playable characters are also rather impressive. In the original Assassin's Creed they felt like fodder, or simple pawns taking up space for no other reason than to impede Altair (and constantly beg for money that didn't exist in the game), but this time their presence in the game world actually feels justified. Hiring thieves, mercenaries, or whores to distract guards are the more obvious examples, but the otherwise mundane tasks I have seen them doing are arguably more impressive. Watching a guy chisel a sculpture, patch concrete into a wall, or hammering a structure together adds a sense of familiarity and personality to the game, like you're roaming through a lived-in place that functions and exists before you were there, and will continue to do so after you're gone. GTA IV's Liberty City was much the same way, albeit in a more cohesive manner.

 

At no point did I ever consider collecting all the flags in Assassin’s Creed 1, but the sequel, thanks to a significant reward system, has me grabbing every collectable in sight. I'm a sucker for feather hunting, I buy every piece of art I can get my hands on, I've acquired all the available armor/weapons thus far, I've raided all the codex rooms in sight, I found all the statues at my villa, and I voraciously devour all the extraneous side missions. Races, assassinations, viewpoints, beat ups, and courier missions are usually completed before I allow myself to move onto another part of the game. The races kind of suffer at the cost of the game's limited camera angles and button complexity, but I'm really, really enjoying the beat ups and assassinations. With the legitimate assassinations more linear and rigid than the originals fantastically open, almost improvised climaxes, the side stuff feels like it has more room for a choose-your-own-adventure method of murder. It's quite a rush every time; identify, set your mark, find a perch, and swoop in for the kill before getting the hell or - or go in guns blazing killing everyone in sight and hoping for the better. Artificial parameters sometimes rear their head, but it's all still a good deal of fun (and there are so many of them!)

 

Also of considerable surprise are the occasional alternate types of gameplay. I saw the flight sequence at Sony's E3 conference and sort of dismissed it as a lame one-off mission and wondered why in the hell they would feature it. After doing that missions last night I still think it's sort of weak, but it is competent, and it provides a nice break from the onslaught of missions. Same thing with the Wild West covered wagon chase on the way to Venice. I never expected missions like that in an Assassin's Creed game, but it was actually a lot of fun in its limited inclusion. I've done some boat stuff so far, but I'm curious as to what else awaits in the later third of the game (or the cut portions coming soon as DLC).

 

Feeling the real-world elements a bit more this time too. The frequency of switching out the last time around created a disconnect between two worlds, but the majority of Ezio this time around, along with audio interjections from your real life friends, makes the experience feel like a more cohesive package. Desmond's extended time inside the Animus also did well to support the last games ending, as well as the mid game sequence where he real life'd Ezio's moves. "The Truth" glyphs are also especially cool, with Cam Clarke's desperate voiceovers adding a sense of foreboding danger and upcoming mindfuckery.

 

Which, of course, is welcomed.

This was completely necessary:

 

 

Jhenn's position as the official DigitalChumps Enforcer^TM was solidified through numerous sensational measures.  She (along with some help from some fine people from GameSpy) sabotaged some European journalists attempts to cut in the registration line, promoted a general hardness often associated with 80's action heroes (pictured above), and flagged down mascots for premiere photo opportunities (below).  Additionally, her skills with the Japanese language prevented me from getting killed several times.

And, finally, a brief booth babes sampler:

 

 

I fondly remember the debut video for InFamous at Sony's 2007 E3 event.  Finally, Sucker Punches Playstation 3 entry was revealed in the form of an open world escapade showcasing the allegedly good or evil exploits of a modern day super hero.  Comparisons to Crackdown were unavoidable, but InFamous looked to bend the prototype by introducing a more coherent narrative and elements of morality into the mix.  Whether or not people will fear or worship you, how the city will look, and how Cole, the main character, is treated are all reflections of the morality based system underlying the more overt gameplay.  We've seen these elements in RPG's before, but plugging them into the sandbox world of GTA and, yes, Crackdown is still unknown territory.

As previously unseen is the feature that, as a superhero, you're also blessed with a host of superpowers.  Cole's gift is in the form of electricity, which, as the developers told us, easily lends itself to a host of appealing gameplay devices.  Of particular interest was Cole's ability to use electricity to chain together objects.  He would throw lightning at girders, bring them down onto other metal objects, and channel electricity through those objects for added effect.  The developers said they were striving to make sure every single use of Cole's power felt dissimilar from the traditional projectile and melee weapons that populate so many other open world games, with a complete emphasis on the fact that you will never see Cole, or anyone else, pick up and use a gun.

As an open world game, InFamous lacks the traditional ‘level' paradigm, but the sequence of events we saw were part of a mission called Blood Trail.  Cole was climbing lampposts and free running his way up buildings in glorious fashion.  In the end he had to find some sort of power grid, which he had to free of Reapers (the game's similarly elemental super powered antagonists) with a glorious display of electro combat.  The game is still at least half a year away, but it's already looking competent enough to have a sizeable impact when it finally drops sometime next year.

 

Dead Rising: Chop till You Drop was an interesting experience, mostly because we had no idea what to make of it.  I always thought the original's hook lied in the sheer number of zombies on screen, a feature which the Wii would have considerable trouble replicating.  For the most part our fears were justified, because this new iteration lacked the tenacity of its previous version.   The format of the demo may have been to blame, but it felt significantly different from its 360 counterpart.  The mall had blockades that kept us on a path, the zombies were limited to five or six at a time, and the goal of each mission was to subvert a seemingly randomly placed boss.  Again, this may have been a temporary format to familiarize us with how combat would work out on the Wii, but it felt lacking.

Resident Evil 5 showcased one of the same levels from E3, but with the added bonus of a new control scheme and true co-op play.  Unfortunately due to a communication mix-up (basically I'm an idiot), I failed to sample the new controls, but the co-op went over quite smoothly.  At E3, the AI controlled Sheva usually knew what she was doing in the context of the game, but, outside of providing cover fire on a few select occasions, she was usually fine on her own.  Actually playing with another person was an entirely different experience; neither one of us were familiar with the territory, and the sense of desperation associated with figuring out where to go, what to do, and how to stay was an exhilarating test of skill and patience.  We were constantly trading items and ammo, debating on where to go and what to cross, and tag teaming hoards of zombies (or whatever) whilst traversing the sultry wasteland.  Resident Evil 5 was unquestionably Capcom's ace of the show.

Street Fighter IV, running on a 360 as opposed to an Arcade cabinet, was as mesmerizing as usual.  Seeing Vega, Bison, and Balrog with the ‘correct' names gave us an interesting sense of time and place, but catching a glimpse of Akuma in the lineup made us smile like giddy fanboys.  I still got the snot kicked out of me by some guys from a European publication, but it was glorious the whole way through.  We missed getting a chance to actually play Bionic Commando: Rearmed, but the level we saw someone else play through looked par for the course; somewhat difficult to get used to, but incredibly rewarding once you got you head around the controls.

 

Few developers in the industry have as much enthusiasm than Hiroyuki Kotani.  I've seen passionate developers and enthusiastic producers, but I've rarely encountered a person so deeply ingrained in and excited about their creation.  Even more amazing was the observation that Kotani seems to be energized by creating a sequel that looks, for all intents and purposes, a game created entirely around the response from the first game.  More customization, more diverse game mechanics, a longer experience, and, yes, four player multiplayer are all finally a part of Patapon.

The most exciting of which was, of course, the multiplayer session.  We were treated to real time demonstration, with Kotani summoning four volunteers to help him romp through a level.  Despite some unfamiliarity with the game, everyone was eventually able to work together and clear the level.  As best I could tell, everyone had to input the command to advance forward, but then each individual Patapon could input individual commands and, as long as they were in sync with the beat, would act accordingly based on what they needed to do.  The original game was begging for this option, and it was wonderfully fulfilling to see it actually happen.  The best part?  It was all done through game sharing; only one copy of Patapon 2 was required for four people to play.

In addition to that, the game also looks to introduce a few more Pokémon-like elements to the classic rhythm /strategy/tactic hybrid of the first title.  Bird Riders, Robots, and Wizards look to join the ranks of your soldiers, and an evolutionary system is in place to develop up to 48 types of rare Patapon.  In fact, more of everything appears to be on the menu for the sequel, as kindly illustrated by this graph I photographed right out of the presentation:

I was lucky enough to grab a brief interview with Kotani, and his enthusiasm, as I expected, was seemingly limitless.  I asked whether or not the game was created as a fan response, and he revealed that yes, it was created to satisfy fan's desires, but was also the product of new ideas and new concepts he wanted to insert into the Patapon universe.  He explained that Patapon was born out of a dream he had, complete with the basic pata-pata-pata-pon beat and drum sample, and it seemed that the sequel was an extension of the inspiration from his original dream. 

 

I would have been pleased if Locoroco 2 was just a moderate extension of the first game's concept.  The original Locoroco was, without a doubt, the happiest game I had ever played; not unlike digital Prozac electronically absorbed through a non perverse tactile activity.  Locoroco's lead designer Tsutomu Kouno is, thankfully, far more ambitious than I. Loco 2, in additional to preserving the previous game's joyous atmosphere, has taken a more kitchen sink approach to the rest of the design concept.  You won't believe how much content has been packed into the sequel.

Of the most fundamentally relevant to the core game is the new ability to bite down and clamp onto objects.  Uses of this mechanism included biting objects and wiggling them free to pull them out of the ground, gripping on to stuff as it move you from place to place, and throwing switches to set parts of the level in motion.  We were also told that the Mai Mai king will make frequent appearances to teach even more new, as of yet revealed actions. 

Stage design has also received a significant overhaul.  In the demo reel we saw an underwater stage with some cool gravity effects, as well as a couple "vehicles" (such as a rocket ship), for you to ride around the level.  Overall, 25 stages are planned for the final version.  Fans of the first game will note the smaller number of stages, but they shouldn't be worried; the extraneous content found within Loco 2 might outweigh the overall game.

First off, seven goals appear in each stage after the initial play through.  These included finding and collecting five butterflies in the stage, racing to a checkpoint, and locating missing Loco's hidden somewhere in the stage.  Secondly, Loco 2 is overflowing with minigames.  Of particular interesting as a horizontal shooter, which featured a ship dragging a Loco around behind it.  The Loco got bigger and bigger as more stuff was collected, thereby making it harder and harder to evade incoming fire and proceed through environmental obstructions.  Another was Loco Rider, a four player minigame that involved everyone pushing each other all over the place in a bit of traditional platforming insanity. 

A minigame from last time around is revisited in the form of the Mai Mai house.  Rescuing the lost Mai Mai's throughout the level will transport them to their new dwellings.  The more and more you pack into the house, the more activities, such as running around or playing instruments, they partake in when you choose to visit their dwellings.  Should you be exceptionally gifted at pleasing them, they will reward you with new minigames or hidden stages.  Of particular interests was the fact that their house can also be attacked and broken down, which you will occasionally have to defend against with a giant cannon.  It was kind of unclear how deep this portion of the game will run, but it felt like it might have the potential to be more of a time sink than the main course.

I got to sit down for a brief interview with Tsutomu Kouno, which was probably the highlight of my TGS experience.  It's clear that Sony is giving Kouno complete control over his game and are perfectly comfortable with letting him fully develop every drop of passion that spilled out of his ambitious vision for Locoroco 2.  He said that Locoroco 2 would not only include unrealized concepts he wanted to include in the first game, but was also more of a burgeoning playground for whatever he happened to think of during the development process.  Even the most seemingly minuscule or insignificant idea was fleshed out and turned into a design concept that fit perfectly within the Locoroco paradigm.  He also said that no matter what one element from the first title would remain constant throughout the follow-up: the game's focus is not on competition, but on fun, pure unadulterated fun.  Competition has taken a back seat to delivering an experience focused around enjoyment - and, in a day where most games lose sight of the simple fun elements, Locoroco 2 felt completely revitalizing.

Enjoy....

Come see another SCEA title brewing, White Knight Chronicles, and enjoy the screenshots here or by clicking on the pic below.

I don't know about the rest of you joes, but I love me some Patapon 2.  Enjoy the screenshots from TGS here or by clicking the screenshot below.

There's nothing quite like the screams of aliens in a game.  SIGH.....  Check out the following screenshots from the game here or by clicking on the picture below.