Ah, I guess I misread "more professional Angelfire" as being 'like Angelfire, but more professional'.
Massively Multiplayer: Gaming In The New Millennium
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Fall 2003 (Part 2) - Beyond Good And Evil
Beyond Good And Evil
Beyond Good And Evil (ITTL, the "And" is fully spelled out, unlike OTL's game in which the title appears as Beyond Good & Evil) is an action/adventure game developed and published by Ubisoft. While thematically similar to OTL's game in terms of plot, and sharing many similarities to OTL's gameplay, elements of both gameplay and plot are different from the OTL version in numerous ways. Creator Michel Ancel took inspiration from games like Super Mario Dimensions/Super Mario Ranger, The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time/Majora's Mask, and Squad Four: Rebellion when creating this game, combining elements from the Ultra Nintendo's most acclaimed and beloved 3-D classics. In addition, because Ubisoft did not acquire the Prince Of Persia license ITTL, elements from OTL's Sands Of Time, including the game's puzzle-solving and contextual action elements, cinematic tricks, and even a few of the time travel type skills from that game, are incorporated into TTL Beyond Good And Evil's gameplay. Essentially, gameplay in Beyond Good And Evil combines some of the collecting and genre-bending elements of the 3-D Mario games, the dungeon exploration and items of the 3-D Zelda games, and combat elements from both Squad Four: Rebellion and OTL Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, to create a game that feels somewhat larger and more thorough than OTL's Beyond Good & Evil, with a faster, more fleshed-out combat system and improved graphics and cinematic effects. Jade controls mostly as she does in OTL's game, though she is a bit more fluid and quicker on her feet. She uses a staff as a primary melee weapon, but has a small laser pistol as her ranged weapon ITTL (the pistol is set to "stun" most of the time, save for a couple of notable scenes late in the game where she can be seen switching it to "kill" mode). She also possesses a number of gadgets, including her trusty camera, a grappling hook, and a small computerized hacking tool. She's also able to lay traps for enemies, an element that didn't exist in OTL's game. Jade can collect items to increase her maximum health, but can also "level up" by defeating enemies for currency which she can use to purchase upgrades to her gadgets or to herself. The graphics in Beyond Good and Evil retain the OTL title's somewhat cartoony feel, but with a more detailed and realistic appearance, with perhaps the best character animation to appear in a video game up to that point. The game can be broken up into eight "chapters": an initial exploration and introduction segment, followed by six "dungeons" interspersed with plot exposition, exploration, and collecting, and then the final segment where Jade confronts the game's primary antagonist. Beyond Good And Evil has somewhat more of an open world feel than the games it's inspired by, as the planet of Hillys is full of cities and places to explore, with shops, caves, and a vast ocean to explore on either hovercraft or (later on) a spaceship which can zoom to any part of the planet Jade wishes to go. Like IOTL's game, planet Hillys is populated with both humans and humanoid animals, though in this game, the ruling government is somewhat discriminatory against the animal hybrids (and it's eventually learned that the government is experimenting on them in order to sacrifice them to the evil alien overlords). Though Ubisoft put a massive amount of money into the production of the game, the voice acting is largely done by the same crew of Parisian-based American expatriates who performed the voice acting IOTL (by now, Ubisoft had begun using largely Los Angeles-based union voice actors for their games, but with so much money going to the other parts of the game, they decided to use their in-house crew for this title). Luckily, the voice acting is still considered top-notch, especially Jodi Forrest's performance as the game's protagonist Jade. There are a few spotty performances, but for the most part the voice acting is considered some of the best in any game released in 2003.
Like OTL's game, Beyond Good And Evil begins with Jade and her trusty pig partner Pey'j in their lighthouse, which serves as an orphanage for displaced children. However, whereas in OTL's game Jade became a photographer because she needed money right away, ITTL's game she already serves as a reporter, capturing footage for an underground television network known as the Truth. The Truth documents crimes against humanity committed by the ruling government, Section Alpha (TTL's version of the Alpha Sections), which claims that its heavy-handed approach to governance is necessary to protect humanity from the threat of the DomZ, the aliens that tried to destroy Hillys once but were defeated by Commissar John Galvan, leader of Section Alpha and "hero" of the war to save the planet. The Truth claims that the DomZ have not actually been defeated, but are using Section Alpha as a puppet government. The introductory segment sees Jade needing to collect three items from Galvan City to patch up the lighthouse, while at the same time collecting a crucial piece of photographic evidence. Jade is followed into town by one of the orphans, a boy named Sam. This initial segment introduces the player to several crucial characters in the city, numerous services Jade can take advantage of, and a number of locations that will be important later on. After Jade collects what she needs, she discovers that Sam has followed her and orders him to go straight home. However, before she can, Sam is abducted and taken to a hidden facility on a nearby island, the game's first real "dungeon". In this place, Jade must find Sam, and at the same time learns that numerous children have been abducted in order to feed to the giant bugs being raised in this facility. Jade saves the kids and fights the Queen Loroach, and discovers evidence that a Section Alpha scientist might be responsible for this bug's existence. Jade meets up with her contact, Erin, the leader of the Truth and the on-air news anchor for the secret network. Jade will need more evidence to pin down Section Alpha, and infiltrates a government facility with the help of a friendly robot based on Double H from the OTL game. At one point, the robot is captured in an attempt to break it down for parts, but Jade manages to save it. However, its combat servo has been extracted, and implanted into the game's second boss, a massive scorpion robot called the Stingulator that Jade must take apart piece by piece.
With the evidence collected via the raid on the government facility, the Truth is able to present a massive expose that convinces some Hillys citizens that Section Alpha is really up to no good. This part of the game, about a third of the way through, is sort of a "breather" for the player, as they can have Jade complete some sidequests and upgrade her equipment if needed. However, once a certain action is taken (the game will tell the player they're advancing the story before they perform this action), it triggers a massive DomZ invasion, which Section Alpha, led personally by Commissar Galvan, fights to repel. The invasion of the DomZ causes the suspicions that the Truth stirred up to fade away as quickly as they began, as Hillys enters a wartime footing. Jade races back to protect the kids from a DomZ attack squad, only to learn that members of the Truth, including Erin, have been taken into custody by Section Alpha. Pey'j promises to protect the kids, telling Jade to go and rescue the resistance members, who've been taken to a cave facility buried in Hillys' tallest mountain. Jade reaches the depths of the mountain, but instead of finding a massive Section Alpha battle tank as she expected, she is confronted by a powerful DomZ attack squadron, confirming suspicions she had that the DomZ and Section Alpha are working together. She attempts to capture the evidence with her camera, but it's knocked out of her hand, and she is unable to take a picture while she's fighting for her life. She defeats the squadron and rescues the Truth members, except for Erin, who's being held at a separate facility. Jade has to put rescuing Erin on hold, however, as she is eventually tasked with going to a deep ocean cave in order to track down the Section Alpha scientist who's been working with the DomZ. She eventually tracks down the scientist after exploring the facility, but first has to defeat a huge mutated fish, the Horrorshark. Jade confronts the scientist and makes him reveal everything. There are a lot of plot revelations here, including the fact that the DomZ never rule a planet directly, but ALWAYS do so through a shadow government. Any planet whose government won't submit to this arrangement is completely destroyed. The scientist also senses something special about Jade herself, but before he can elaborate, he is shot dead...by Erin, who seems at first to be an ally but then reveals that she's working with Section Alpha (she's been brainwashed to serve them). Jade is taken into custody and placed in a top-secret Section Alpha prison facility.
At the facility, Jade meets other prisoners, some of them from other worlds, and realizes that she's not being held by Section Alpha, but by the DomZ. Jade escapes this prison (taking the other prisoners with her) and makes her way back to Galvan City, where she decides to launch a raid on Section Alpha HQ. She'll need to secure help from the other allies she's made along the way, and once all the prerequisites are satisfied, she is able to enter the HQ. At the top floor of Section Alpha HQ, she confronts Galvan and Erin. Galvan forces Erin and Jade to fight briefly, but Jade refuses to fight her friend and is subdued. However, something within Jade (related to her power) awakens Erin, and Erin turns on Galvan, only to be fatally wounded by a DomZ assassin. Galvan flees, but Jade captured the attack on Erin with her camera, and Erin, using the Section Alpha HQ transmitter, makes one final broadcast to the people of Hillys, proclaiming Jade a hero. Jade and Erin convince the people of Hillys to revolt, and as revolution erupts in the streets below, Erin dies in Jade's arms (though Jade tries desperately to revive her). Jade pursues Galvan and confronts him on the roof of Section Alpha HQ. Galvan flees, but leaves a massive killer mech, the HunterKiller XG, for Jade to battle. After defeating Galvan, Jade goes back to the lighthouse to find Pey'j, but finds only the orphans, as Pey'j was taken by the DomZ. Jade learns that Pey'j is really a member of a galactic fighting force who's been battling the DomZ all over the galaxy, and that he was drawn to Jade by the power she holds within. Jade makes her way to a secret place on Hillys from where the DomZ have been secretly ruling the planet and where Pey'j is being held. She makes her way to the center of this place and has one final battle with Galvan, but after defeating him once and for all, is unable to save Pey'j before he is killed. Jade collapses to her knees, desperate not to lose Pey'j like she did with Erin. But at that point, her secret power fully activates, and she is able to revive Pey'j (in similar fashion to the OTL game). Pey'j tells Jade that the DomZ fled to space and plan to destroy Hillys with a superweapon since they can no longer control its people. She goes to the lunar base where the DomZ are hiding this weapon, and after making her way through the base (the biggest, most difficult dungeon in the game since it is the final one), she confronts the DomZ high priest and defeats him. The defeat of the high priest frees the remaining prisoners and liberates the people of Hillys, but even though her home planet is safe, Jade knows that the DomZ still control many other planets in the galaxy, and if the galaxy is truly to be free, the spark of revolution will have to be taken to every corner of the galaxy. Jade, Pey'j, and their allies board a spaceship and prepare for a new adventure before the credits roll (the Pey'j DomZ twist isn't present in TTL's game, since there's already a viable sequel hook in the galactic liberation mission). The Evanescence song "Buried Alive" (an original TTL song, replacing the butterflied "Going Under" as the first song on the album, it's somewhat similar musically but with different lyrics and themes) plays during the credits ("My Last Breath" also played during the game, during the Erin final speech/Jade pursues Galvan/Hillys revolts scene).
Beyond Good And Evil receives excellent reviews, the second best to date for a Wave title (behind Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec). The game is even better received than OTL, due to the improved combat system and larger world, along with the more coherent storyline (OTL's game was somewhat retooled in mid development, while TTL's game was largely consistent throughout and had a larger staff), and becomes an instant Game of the Year contender upon release. As far as commercial performance, Beyond Good And Evil essentially takes the place of the butterflied Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time in terms of being Ubisoft's massively promoted adventure game for 2003. Nintendo too is all too eager to promote it, since it's a Wave-exclusive title (the OTL game was multiplatform). As the game's October 20 release date approaches, however, some at Nintendo get cold feet, as the game seems somewhat similar to the upcoming Squad Four: Upheaval, and the company doesn't want the game stepping on the toes of its hot upcoming franchise blockbuster. But these people are largely overruled, as Wave sales have entered a slight decline and Nintendo wants to create as many hits as possible. The game gets a MASSIVE promotional blitz as its release date approaches, with commercials featuring Evanescence's "Bring Me To Life" juxtaposed against dramatic cutscene footage and scenes of the gameplay, with other commercials featuring the game's stirring original score. In other words, promotion for TTL's Beyond Good And Evil is pretty much the polar opposite of OTL's. It's released simultaneously in North America and Europe on October 20, 2003 (Japan would get the game in early December), and sales are, in a word, spectacular, with 885,271 copies sold worldwide in the game's first week (including half a million on release day, placing it among the top 15 launch days of all time).
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"The success of Beyond Good and Evil put Nintendo in a very awkward position: Squad Four: Upheaval was coming out in less than a month, but how could Nintendo position it as the Wave's big holiday game when Ubisoft's blockbuster was already playing that role quite nicely? Nintendo could have promoted both games equally, but some families could only buy one for Christmas. They couldn't delay Upheaval to spring, because so many promotional materials had already been released pushing the game's November release, and by the time Beyond Good and Evil's promotional period ramped up, Upheaval had already gone gold. So Nintendo pushed forward with Squad Four, and hoped the game would be good enough to upstage Beyond Good And Evil. But with the overwhelming critical praise that game was getting, Nintendo had to hope that the trend of each Squad Four game getting better reviews than the one before it would continue."
-from the Gaming Historian video "History Of Squad Four (Part 2)"
Beyond Good And Evil (ITTL, the "And" is fully spelled out, unlike OTL's game in which the title appears as Beyond Good & Evil) is an action/adventure game developed and published by Ubisoft. While thematically similar to OTL's game in terms of plot, and sharing many similarities to OTL's gameplay, elements of both gameplay and plot are different from the OTL version in numerous ways. Creator Michel Ancel took inspiration from games like Super Mario Dimensions/Super Mario Ranger, The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time/Majora's Mask, and Squad Four: Rebellion when creating this game, combining elements from the Ultra Nintendo's most acclaimed and beloved 3-D classics. In addition, because Ubisoft did not acquire the Prince Of Persia license ITTL, elements from OTL's Sands Of Time, including the game's puzzle-solving and contextual action elements, cinematic tricks, and even a few of the time travel type skills from that game, are incorporated into TTL Beyond Good And Evil's gameplay. Essentially, gameplay in Beyond Good And Evil combines some of the collecting and genre-bending elements of the 3-D Mario games, the dungeon exploration and items of the 3-D Zelda games, and combat elements from both Squad Four: Rebellion and OTL Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, to create a game that feels somewhat larger and more thorough than OTL's Beyond Good & Evil, with a faster, more fleshed-out combat system and improved graphics and cinematic effects. Jade controls mostly as she does in OTL's game, though she is a bit more fluid and quicker on her feet. She uses a staff as a primary melee weapon, but has a small laser pistol as her ranged weapon ITTL (the pistol is set to "stun" most of the time, save for a couple of notable scenes late in the game where she can be seen switching it to "kill" mode). She also possesses a number of gadgets, including her trusty camera, a grappling hook, and a small computerized hacking tool. She's also able to lay traps for enemies, an element that didn't exist in OTL's game. Jade can collect items to increase her maximum health, but can also "level up" by defeating enemies for currency which she can use to purchase upgrades to her gadgets or to herself. The graphics in Beyond Good and Evil retain the OTL title's somewhat cartoony feel, but with a more detailed and realistic appearance, with perhaps the best character animation to appear in a video game up to that point. The game can be broken up into eight "chapters": an initial exploration and introduction segment, followed by six "dungeons" interspersed with plot exposition, exploration, and collecting, and then the final segment where Jade confronts the game's primary antagonist. Beyond Good And Evil has somewhat more of an open world feel than the games it's inspired by, as the planet of Hillys is full of cities and places to explore, with shops, caves, and a vast ocean to explore on either hovercraft or (later on) a spaceship which can zoom to any part of the planet Jade wishes to go. Like IOTL's game, planet Hillys is populated with both humans and humanoid animals, though in this game, the ruling government is somewhat discriminatory against the animal hybrids (and it's eventually learned that the government is experimenting on them in order to sacrifice them to the evil alien overlords). Though Ubisoft put a massive amount of money into the production of the game, the voice acting is largely done by the same crew of Parisian-based American expatriates who performed the voice acting IOTL (by now, Ubisoft had begun using largely Los Angeles-based union voice actors for their games, but with so much money going to the other parts of the game, they decided to use their in-house crew for this title). Luckily, the voice acting is still considered top-notch, especially Jodi Forrest's performance as the game's protagonist Jade. There are a few spotty performances, but for the most part the voice acting is considered some of the best in any game released in 2003.
Like OTL's game, Beyond Good And Evil begins with Jade and her trusty pig partner Pey'j in their lighthouse, which serves as an orphanage for displaced children. However, whereas in OTL's game Jade became a photographer because she needed money right away, ITTL's game she already serves as a reporter, capturing footage for an underground television network known as the Truth. The Truth documents crimes against humanity committed by the ruling government, Section Alpha (TTL's version of the Alpha Sections), which claims that its heavy-handed approach to governance is necessary to protect humanity from the threat of the DomZ, the aliens that tried to destroy Hillys once but were defeated by Commissar John Galvan, leader of Section Alpha and "hero" of the war to save the planet. The Truth claims that the DomZ have not actually been defeated, but are using Section Alpha as a puppet government. The introductory segment sees Jade needing to collect three items from Galvan City to patch up the lighthouse, while at the same time collecting a crucial piece of photographic evidence. Jade is followed into town by one of the orphans, a boy named Sam. This initial segment introduces the player to several crucial characters in the city, numerous services Jade can take advantage of, and a number of locations that will be important later on. After Jade collects what she needs, she discovers that Sam has followed her and orders him to go straight home. However, before she can, Sam is abducted and taken to a hidden facility on a nearby island, the game's first real "dungeon". In this place, Jade must find Sam, and at the same time learns that numerous children have been abducted in order to feed to the giant bugs being raised in this facility. Jade saves the kids and fights the Queen Loroach, and discovers evidence that a Section Alpha scientist might be responsible for this bug's existence. Jade meets up with her contact, Erin, the leader of the Truth and the on-air news anchor for the secret network. Jade will need more evidence to pin down Section Alpha, and infiltrates a government facility with the help of a friendly robot based on Double H from the OTL game. At one point, the robot is captured in an attempt to break it down for parts, but Jade manages to save it. However, its combat servo has been extracted, and implanted into the game's second boss, a massive scorpion robot called the Stingulator that Jade must take apart piece by piece.
With the evidence collected via the raid on the government facility, the Truth is able to present a massive expose that convinces some Hillys citizens that Section Alpha is really up to no good. This part of the game, about a third of the way through, is sort of a "breather" for the player, as they can have Jade complete some sidequests and upgrade her equipment if needed. However, once a certain action is taken (the game will tell the player they're advancing the story before they perform this action), it triggers a massive DomZ invasion, which Section Alpha, led personally by Commissar Galvan, fights to repel. The invasion of the DomZ causes the suspicions that the Truth stirred up to fade away as quickly as they began, as Hillys enters a wartime footing. Jade races back to protect the kids from a DomZ attack squad, only to learn that members of the Truth, including Erin, have been taken into custody by Section Alpha. Pey'j promises to protect the kids, telling Jade to go and rescue the resistance members, who've been taken to a cave facility buried in Hillys' tallest mountain. Jade reaches the depths of the mountain, but instead of finding a massive Section Alpha battle tank as she expected, she is confronted by a powerful DomZ attack squadron, confirming suspicions she had that the DomZ and Section Alpha are working together. She attempts to capture the evidence with her camera, but it's knocked out of her hand, and she is unable to take a picture while she's fighting for her life. She defeats the squadron and rescues the Truth members, except for Erin, who's being held at a separate facility. Jade has to put rescuing Erin on hold, however, as she is eventually tasked with going to a deep ocean cave in order to track down the Section Alpha scientist who's been working with the DomZ. She eventually tracks down the scientist after exploring the facility, but first has to defeat a huge mutated fish, the Horrorshark. Jade confronts the scientist and makes him reveal everything. There are a lot of plot revelations here, including the fact that the DomZ never rule a planet directly, but ALWAYS do so through a shadow government. Any planet whose government won't submit to this arrangement is completely destroyed. The scientist also senses something special about Jade herself, but before he can elaborate, he is shot dead...by Erin, who seems at first to be an ally but then reveals that she's working with Section Alpha (she's been brainwashed to serve them). Jade is taken into custody and placed in a top-secret Section Alpha prison facility.
At the facility, Jade meets other prisoners, some of them from other worlds, and realizes that she's not being held by Section Alpha, but by the DomZ. Jade escapes this prison (taking the other prisoners with her) and makes her way back to Galvan City, where she decides to launch a raid on Section Alpha HQ. She'll need to secure help from the other allies she's made along the way, and once all the prerequisites are satisfied, she is able to enter the HQ. At the top floor of Section Alpha HQ, she confronts Galvan and Erin. Galvan forces Erin and Jade to fight briefly, but Jade refuses to fight her friend and is subdued. However, something within Jade (related to her power) awakens Erin, and Erin turns on Galvan, only to be fatally wounded by a DomZ assassin. Galvan flees, but Jade captured the attack on Erin with her camera, and Erin, using the Section Alpha HQ transmitter, makes one final broadcast to the people of Hillys, proclaiming Jade a hero. Jade and Erin convince the people of Hillys to revolt, and as revolution erupts in the streets below, Erin dies in Jade's arms (though Jade tries desperately to revive her). Jade pursues Galvan and confronts him on the roof of Section Alpha HQ. Galvan flees, but leaves a massive killer mech, the HunterKiller XG, for Jade to battle. After defeating Galvan, Jade goes back to the lighthouse to find Pey'j, but finds only the orphans, as Pey'j was taken by the DomZ. Jade learns that Pey'j is really a member of a galactic fighting force who's been battling the DomZ all over the galaxy, and that he was drawn to Jade by the power she holds within. Jade makes her way to a secret place on Hillys from where the DomZ have been secretly ruling the planet and where Pey'j is being held. She makes her way to the center of this place and has one final battle with Galvan, but after defeating him once and for all, is unable to save Pey'j before he is killed. Jade collapses to her knees, desperate not to lose Pey'j like she did with Erin. But at that point, her secret power fully activates, and she is able to revive Pey'j (in similar fashion to the OTL game). Pey'j tells Jade that the DomZ fled to space and plan to destroy Hillys with a superweapon since they can no longer control its people. She goes to the lunar base where the DomZ are hiding this weapon, and after making her way through the base (the biggest, most difficult dungeon in the game since it is the final one), she confronts the DomZ high priest and defeats him. The defeat of the high priest frees the remaining prisoners and liberates the people of Hillys, but even though her home planet is safe, Jade knows that the DomZ still control many other planets in the galaxy, and if the galaxy is truly to be free, the spark of revolution will have to be taken to every corner of the galaxy. Jade, Pey'j, and their allies board a spaceship and prepare for a new adventure before the credits roll (the Pey'j DomZ twist isn't present in TTL's game, since there's already a viable sequel hook in the galactic liberation mission). The Evanescence song "Buried Alive" (an original TTL song, replacing the butterflied "Going Under" as the first song on the album, it's somewhat similar musically but with different lyrics and themes) plays during the credits ("My Last Breath" also played during the game, during the Erin final speech/Jade pursues Galvan/Hillys revolts scene).
Beyond Good And Evil receives excellent reviews, the second best to date for a Wave title (behind Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec). The game is even better received than OTL, due to the improved combat system and larger world, along with the more coherent storyline (OTL's game was somewhat retooled in mid development, while TTL's game was largely consistent throughout and had a larger staff), and becomes an instant Game of the Year contender upon release. As far as commercial performance, Beyond Good And Evil essentially takes the place of the butterflied Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time in terms of being Ubisoft's massively promoted adventure game for 2003. Nintendo too is all too eager to promote it, since it's a Wave-exclusive title (the OTL game was multiplatform). As the game's October 20 release date approaches, however, some at Nintendo get cold feet, as the game seems somewhat similar to the upcoming Squad Four: Upheaval, and the company doesn't want the game stepping on the toes of its hot upcoming franchise blockbuster. But these people are largely overruled, as Wave sales have entered a slight decline and Nintendo wants to create as many hits as possible. The game gets a MASSIVE promotional blitz as its release date approaches, with commercials featuring Evanescence's "Bring Me To Life" juxtaposed against dramatic cutscene footage and scenes of the gameplay, with other commercials featuring the game's stirring original score. In other words, promotion for TTL's Beyond Good And Evil is pretty much the polar opposite of OTL's. It's released simultaneously in North America and Europe on October 20, 2003 (Japan would get the game in early December), and sales are, in a word, spectacular, with 885,271 copies sold worldwide in the game's first week (including half a million on release day, placing it among the top 15 launch days of all time).
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"The success of Beyond Good and Evil put Nintendo in a very awkward position: Squad Four: Upheaval was coming out in less than a month, but how could Nintendo position it as the Wave's big holiday game when Ubisoft's blockbuster was already playing that role quite nicely? Nintendo could have promoted both games equally, but some families could only buy one for Christmas. They couldn't delay Upheaval to spring, because so many promotional materials had already been released pushing the game's November release, and by the time Beyond Good and Evil's promotional period ramped up, Upheaval had already gone gold. So Nintendo pushed forward with Squad Four, and hoped the game would be good enough to upstage Beyond Good And Evil. But with the overwhelming critical praise that game was getting, Nintendo had to hope that the trend of each Squad Four game getting better reviews than the one before it would continue."
-from the Gaming Historian video "History Of Squad Four (Part 2)"
IGN: 9.6
Gamespot: 9.3
GameInformer: 10/10
Electronic Gaming Monthly: 10/10/9.0
Judgment Day: 10 (Alex)/9.0 (Victor)
Edge: 10/10
Famitsu: 37/40
GameRankings: 95.54%
Metacritic: 93
Fall 2003 (Part 3) - Rockstar Standing Tall
Driven After Dark
Developed by Rockstar Games and published by Take-Two Interactive, Driven After Dark is a street racing title that replaces the Midnight Club series, which was never developed ITTL. The game shares many gameplay similarities with OTL's Midnight Club II, but emphasizes more of the "street" in "street racing", with the protagonist, Lee Summers, engaging in not just street racing but in a number of other crimes as well, including drug running and weapon smuggling. The game takes place in a city based on Los Angeles called Caliente Coast, and features a large, open city similar to the Grand Theft Auto games where Summers can wander about, looking for races or jobs. Unlike the Grand Theft Auto games, Summers can't kill anyone outside of a mission, and there's very little blood in the game. Despite this, the game is still rated M due to language and drug content. It starts out with Summers participating in a few basic races. Once he's built up his reputation by winning enough, he'll catch the eye of a local gang and enter the world of organized crime. As Summers acquires money, either from jobs or from prize money, he can soup up his car or even buy new ones. Surprisingly, the police don't play much of a role in the game, they won't interfere in races and rarely come up during missions (it's explained away in the plot by saying that the CCPD is on strike). The game's plot is largely just a backdrop for the racing, which is quite fun and fairly realistic, even compared to games such as Need For Speed.
Driven After Dark is released exclusively for the Xbox on October 20, 2003, finishing second in sales during its release week (far behind Beyond Good And Evil). Reviews are mostly favorable, though the game is criticized for a lack of things to do besides racing (the crime missions are rather simplistic and boring) and occasionally frustrating controls. Still, it's seen as a good effort by Rockstar in branching out into additional genres, something the company would do a lot more of in the sixth generation.
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Mindy Kaling: Grand Theft Auto finally arrived on the Nintendo Wave last week, and early sales reports indicate a major hit. The game was a launch title for the Microsoft Xbox back in 2001, and has been a massive success, selling over 5 million copies on that system alone to become the second best selling game on that system, just behind fellow launch title The Covenant.
Patrick Clark: Rockstar had signed a timed exclusivity deal with Microsoft to make the game an Xbox exclusive for two years, and the announcement of the Wave version of the game at E3 2003 was one of the most well received announcements of the show. The game features a slight graphical upgrade but is otherwise identical to the original Xbox version.
Kaling: NPD is now reporting that Grand Theft Auto sold about 600,000 copies in its first week on the Wave, making it one of the biggest launches of the year. Nintendo expects the game to be a top seller over the holidays, and also expects the upcoming port of Grand Theft Auto: Miami to be equally successful when it's released in January.
-from the November 3, 2003 episode of G4 Weekly News
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Rockstar's curious strategy of releasing some of its top upcoming games as console exclusives may seem a strange one, but according to developer Adam Fowler, there are some sound reasons behind it.
"We're looking to play to the strengths of each console we're developing for," said Fowler, as he gave us a brief preview of the upcoming Nintendo Wave game Internationale. "Each of our three upcoming games is designed to play to that specific console's strengths, downplay its weaknesses, and appeal to its core fanbase."
By the time you're reading this, the Xbox exclusive Driven After Dark will already be out. The Sega Katana is getting its exclusive in 2004: The Chase, a game that casts the protagonist as a criminal, with one goal: get away from the police by any means necessary. The Chase takes one of the Grand Theft Auto games' most enjoyable aspects and creates an entire game out of it, but Fowler assures us that each chase will have different aspects and no two chases will feel the same.
"We set about to make this one of the most realistic driving games ever," said Fowler. "In a game where 95% of what you'll be doing is driving, we know we've got to get the driving controls absolutely perfect. You won't have to fight the game, only your pursuers."
The Wave exclusive Internationale, meanwhile, will force the player to use their wits. It's a spy thriller, which has the player take on the role of a female spy as she charms her targets and figures out how to best complete her mission.
"Games like Velvet Dark and No One Lives Forever did inspire Internationale, I won't lie about that. But where those games oftentimes had players resorting to violence, in Internationale, violence is exactly the opposite of what the player wants to happen. If things get violent, you've probably already lost."
It's a definite change of pace for a Rockstar game, a game from a company that cut its teeth on some of the most violent and controversial video games ever created. When we asked Fowler if Internationale was the company's attempt to make itself known for something other than violence, Fowler laughed and shook his head.
"We just thought it'd be a fun game to make. And we hope players will find it just as fun."
While Rockstar is making many of its newest games exclusive to just one system, its most anticipated game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, will be released simultaneously for the Xbox and the Wave, making it the first Grand Theft Auto game to be multiplatform from the start. Nintendo fans won't have to wait to get their hands on one of 2004's most anticipated titles.
"It'll be the same game on both systems. We enjoy working with both, and it wasn't hard to get this game to play nice with both of them."
We asked Fowler if San Andreas would see a Katana release.
"Not right away. But anything's possible."
-from the cover article of the December 2003 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, titled "Why 2004 Will Be The Year Of Rockstar"
Developed by Rockstar Games and published by Take-Two Interactive, Driven After Dark is a street racing title that replaces the Midnight Club series, which was never developed ITTL. The game shares many gameplay similarities with OTL's Midnight Club II, but emphasizes more of the "street" in "street racing", with the protagonist, Lee Summers, engaging in not just street racing but in a number of other crimes as well, including drug running and weapon smuggling. The game takes place in a city based on Los Angeles called Caliente Coast, and features a large, open city similar to the Grand Theft Auto games where Summers can wander about, looking for races or jobs. Unlike the Grand Theft Auto games, Summers can't kill anyone outside of a mission, and there's very little blood in the game. Despite this, the game is still rated M due to language and drug content. It starts out with Summers participating in a few basic races. Once he's built up his reputation by winning enough, he'll catch the eye of a local gang and enter the world of organized crime. As Summers acquires money, either from jobs or from prize money, he can soup up his car or even buy new ones. Surprisingly, the police don't play much of a role in the game, they won't interfere in races and rarely come up during missions (it's explained away in the plot by saying that the CCPD is on strike). The game's plot is largely just a backdrop for the racing, which is quite fun and fairly realistic, even compared to games such as Need For Speed.
Driven After Dark is released exclusively for the Xbox on October 20, 2003, finishing second in sales during its release week (far behind Beyond Good And Evil). Reviews are mostly favorable, though the game is criticized for a lack of things to do besides racing (the crime missions are rather simplistic and boring) and occasionally frustrating controls. Still, it's seen as a good effort by Rockstar in branching out into additional genres, something the company would do a lot more of in the sixth generation.
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Mindy Kaling: Grand Theft Auto finally arrived on the Nintendo Wave last week, and early sales reports indicate a major hit. The game was a launch title for the Microsoft Xbox back in 2001, and has been a massive success, selling over 5 million copies on that system alone to become the second best selling game on that system, just behind fellow launch title The Covenant.
Patrick Clark: Rockstar had signed a timed exclusivity deal with Microsoft to make the game an Xbox exclusive for two years, and the announcement of the Wave version of the game at E3 2003 was one of the most well received announcements of the show. The game features a slight graphical upgrade but is otherwise identical to the original Xbox version.
Kaling: NPD is now reporting that Grand Theft Auto sold about 600,000 copies in its first week on the Wave, making it one of the biggest launches of the year. Nintendo expects the game to be a top seller over the holidays, and also expects the upcoming port of Grand Theft Auto: Miami to be equally successful when it's released in January.
-from the November 3, 2003 episode of G4 Weekly News
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Rockstar's curious strategy of releasing some of its top upcoming games as console exclusives may seem a strange one, but according to developer Adam Fowler, there are some sound reasons behind it.
"We're looking to play to the strengths of each console we're developing for," said Fowler, as he gave us a brief preview of the upcoming Nintendo Wave game Internationale. "Each of our three upcoming games is designed to play to that specific console's strengths, downplay its weaknesses, and appeal to its core fanbase."
By the time you're reading this, the Xbox exclusive Driven After Dark will already be out. The Sega Katana is getting its exclusive in 2004: The Chase, a game that casts the protagonist as a criminal, with one goal: get away from the police by any means necessary. The Chase takes one of the Grand Theft Auto games' most enjoyable aspects and creates an entire game out of it, but Fowler assures us that each chase will have different aspects and no two chases will feel the same.
"We set about to make this one of the most realistic driving games ever," said Fowler. "In a game where 95% of what you'll be doing is driving, we know we've got to get the driving controls absolutely perfect. You won't have to fight the game, only your pursuers."
The Wave exclusive Internationale, meanwhile, will force the player to use their wits. It's a spy thriller, which has the player take on the role of a female spy as she charms her targets and figures out how to best complete her mission.
"Games like Velvet Dark and No One Lives Forever did inspire Internationale, I won't lie about that. But where those games oftentimes had players resorting to violence, in Internationale, violence is exactly the opposite of what the player wants to happen. If things get violent, you've probably already lost."
It's a definite change of pace for a Rockstar game, a game from a company that cut its teeth on some of the most violent and controversial video games ever created. When we asked Fowler if Internationale was the company's attempt to make itself known for something other than violence, Fowler laughed and shook his head.
"We just thought it'd be a fun game to make. And we hope players will find it just as fun."
While Rockstar is making many of its newest games exclusive to just one system, its most anticipated game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, will be released simultaneously for the Xbox and the Wave, making it the first Grand Theft Auto game to be multiplatform from the start. Nintendo fans won't have to wait to get their hands on one of 2004's most anticipated titles.
"It'll be the same game on both systems. We enjoy working with both, and it wasn't hard to get this game to play nice with both of them."
We asked Fowler if San Andreas would see a Katana release.
"Not right away. But anything's possible."
-from the cover article of the December 2003 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, titled "Why 2004 Will Be The Year Of Rockstar"
San Andreas... after Grand Theft Auto: Miami, wouldn't it be more logical to set its sequel between the actual cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco, or in a single, huge replica of Los Angeles? Grand Theft Auto: Las Vegas could be a TTL equivalent of Chinatown Wars instead.
Grand Theft Auto: Naples would be nice too, considering the city's crime problem. Nothing like doing stuff for the camorra while racing an old Vespa down the Spaccanapoli street.
Grand Theft Auto: Naples would be nice too, considering the city's crime problem. Nothing like doing stuff for the camorra while racing an old Vespa down the Spaccanapoli street.
Or if it is really out there, GTA Jakarta, because being chased by BMXs ridden by police troopers while riding a moped is crazy.San Andreas... after Grand Theft Auto: Miami, wouldn't it be more logical to set its sequel between the actual cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco, or in a single, huge replica of Los Angeles? Grand Theft Auto: Las Vegas could be a TTL equivalent of Chinatown Wars instead.
Grand Theft Auto: Naples would be nice too, considering the city's crime problem. Nothing like doing stuff for the camorra while racing an old Vespa down the Spaccanapoli street.
According to myself anyway.
San Andreas... after Grand Theft Auto: Miami, wouldn't it be more logical to set its sequel between the actual cities of Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco, or in a single, huge replica of Los Angeles? Grand Theft Auto: Las Vegas could be a TTL equivalent of Chinatown Wars instead.
Grand Theft Auto: Naples would be nice too, considering the city's crime problem. Nothing like doing stuff for the camorra while racing an old Vespa down the Spaccanapoli street.
Well, they're calling it San Andreas so they can squeeze all those cities into one big, fictional state. Though those cities' names will be changed as well.
Will it still be set in the world of African-American gangs, or will it try something different like Chinese triads or Latin cartels?
We've actually yet to determine that.
And on that note, I think it's time for a brief announcement.
After the final 2003 update (the end of year recap), we're going to take a bit of a break before starting on 2004. We have to take some time to relax, recharge our creative batteries, plan more stuff and talk to some of our contributors. It could be a two week break, it could be two months or more, we're just going to take a break to rest and relax from working on the timeline. Just a heads-up!
As we mentioned before, if it still gets made it'll be covered in the 2003-04 TV season recap. So it'll come after the break (which is good, since it gives us more time to do it justice if we do end up doing it).
Fall 2003 (Part 4) - Enix, Not Square Enix
ActRaiser: The Master Returns
ActRaiser: The Master Returns (localized from the Japanese title which when directly translated is ActRaiser: The Return Of God) is an adventure/simulation game developed and published by Enix, exclusively for the Nintendo Wave. Unlike the Katana's ActRaiser: Valkyrie 2, ActRaiser: The Master Returns plays very much like the original 1991 game, to the point where it could almost be considered a reboot (if not for the fact that it takes place many thousands of years after the original game). Gameplay alternates between two modes: a simulation mode, in which The Master, assisted by his loyal angelic followers, creates towns and other natural features in the world below, and an action mode, in which The Master descends to Earth to battle monsters and defend his people. The action mode, which in the original ActRaiser featured 2-D platforming gameplay, plays like a full 3-D hack and slash in this title, with elements of exploration and a variety of different places to battle demons in: The Master can battle his enemies in the wilderness, in caves, and in dungeons, but will also occasionally be entering towns and buildings to battle demonic foes. The gameplay retains the basic ActRaiser formula, though it's now much more complex: The Master has a variety of special attacks to use in combat, he has a number of powerful melee weapons at his disposal (not just a sword, but an axe, a spear, a hammer, and others), and can use magic as well. He can also interact with townspeople, and in fact, interacting with and helping his worshipers is a major part of playing the game. Simulation mode has also gotten more complex. Like in the original game, the player must choose where to start building a town, and what resources that town should have. The Master can erect structures and control the weather, he can alter the terrain and stop natural disasters as well. For the most part, everything that the player does will in some way help the Master's worshipers below. There is an option to smite one's followers, but this should ONLY be used in the most dire of circumstances, if a town has become totally overrun with monsters or heretics, for example. There is the option for the Master to rapture his followers from a town about to be smited to gain what resources he can from those followers. The more good works the Master does, the more people will come to worship him. This will earn the player Blessings, the game's currency, which can be spent on weapon/character upgrades, additional miracles, etc. In addition, there are 20 special followers, known as Acolytes, who can be befriended over the course of the game. It's highly recommended that the Master seek out these Acolytes (about half of whom are mandatory at some point in the story), in order to gain a special blessing which usually takes the form of a major stat increase, an excellent treasure, or a new technique. ActRaiser: The Master Returns features voice acting from Enix's usual cast of New York-based actors, which includes Dan Green reprising his role from Revolution Alpha as The Master. Other voice actors in the game include Rachel Lillis, Megan Hollingshead, Eric Stuart, and Maddie Blaustein. This game also marks the first video game role of voice actress Carrie Keranen, who voices Mariah, an Acolyte met by the Master very early on in the game, who falls in love with him. The game features solid graphics, not as good as those in other RPG/adventure games of the day such as Final Fantasy X, but sufficient for a Nintendo Wave title. A highlight is the game's epic symphonic soundtrack, which features both classic ActRaiser tunes from the SNES games and more than two dozen brand new compositions, giving the game's score an epic, Wagnerian feel.
The Master Returns takes place thousands of years after the original ActRaiser games. The people have lived in peace for aeons, no longer worshiping The Master as they once did, but The Master is content with this since it means the people live in happiness and no longer need him. However, one day, The Master feels a great sorrow emanating from the land. The cities and towns of the world have fallen into decay: sin and evil have overtaken humanity once more. This sin has originated from Belroth, the Unholy One, angel of darkness and traitor to the heavens. Belroth is a far more powerful and insidious evil than The Master's old enemy Tanzra, but it was thought that he was defeated countless ages ago in the Great War of Heaven. However, Belroth has returned to corrupt humanity, and The Master takes up his sword once again to protect his people. As The Master begins to build new towns for his followers, Belroth's demons make themselves known. Not only are demons and monsters descending upon the land, but corrupt and evil people are appearing as well, and The Master has no choice but to destroy them as well. The Master must first descend to the world below and clear out an area of monsters to make it safe for humans to live there, and then once the town is built, a problem will eventually present itself. There's no set order that this must be done, however, certain areas will become hotspots of demonic activity. Particularly large cities are especially vulnerable to this. Time will pass with every action taken, and if urgent calls for help aren't answered, The Master will lose worshipers in those areas, with a chance that they might become permanently lost to evil. It is possible to lose an Acolyte this way: however, it's impossible to be presented with a choice where the Master must protect one Acolyte at the expense of another, while more than one Acolyte can be in dire danger at a time, if the Master chooses to assist another Acolyte, no time will pass toward the rescue of any other Acolytes.
Out of the 20 Acolytes the Master can befriend over the course of the game, these are the six most significant:
Mariah: A young woman who is falsely accused of prostitution and becomes an outcast, The Master rescues her and she falls in love with him, though because of the Master's general love for all humanity, he does not reciprocate those feelings. There are numerous parallels between Mariah and Mary Magdalene.
Cato: A powerful warrior who defends a small town from Belroth's demonic hordes. He is brave but foolhardy, and the Master must protect him from being killed while also teaching him humility.
Showa: An old, blind farmer who is the single food provider for a town that the Master places in a somewhat inopportune spot for crop growth. The Master must encourage and protect Showa while defeating the powerful demon who has corrupted the soil.
Lisbeth: A struggling mother of five children whose husband has been possessed by a powerful demon.
Rolf: A young romantic who is being seduced by one of Belroth's most powerful lieutenants, an evil succubus who represents the sin of Lust. The Master must teach Rolf the virtue of temperance if the succubus is to be destroyed.
Tolver: A scholarly man who refuses to worship The Master. The Master, who accepts that many will choose not to worship him, and merely asks to be worshiped because the blessings of humanity will enable him to better protect humanity, engages in numerous lengthy dialogues with Tolver over the course of the game. Eventually, while The Master does not receive Tolver's worship, he does receive Tolver's respect, which grants him a powerful boon. Through The Master's relationship with Tolver, the player learns The Master's philosophy: he views himself as a protector and servant of humanity, asking for worship only to the extent that it gives him enough power to protect them. The Master's own humility is thus seen as his greatest trait: he sees himself as no better than the humans who worship him.
After The Master is able to establish eight sufficiently large human settlements and clear out the demonic presence there, Belroth finally appears, and launches an attack on the Sky Palace itself, reigniting the Great War of Heaven. The Master must free his imprisoned angels. Any Acolytes he has befriended will appear during the battle in some fashion, either assisting the Master or needing to be rescued by him (the ones who need to be rescued will grant an additional reward upon saving them). Eventually, the Master confronts Belroth and engages him in a fierce battle, first in his angelic form and then as a powerful and hideous monster. Defeating Belroth will end the corruption and save humanity. The ending of the game depends on how many Acolytes the Master has befriended (and has been able to protect during the course of the game). If 8 or less Acolytes remain (since the Master is required to befriend 10, this ending would mean that you've lost a few before the end of the game), the "bad" ending occurs, in which humanity once again turns away from the Master. While The Master is pleased that humanity is safe and happy, he knows that at some point, the corruption that befell them will most likely return, and that he will once again be called upon to save humanity from evil. If between 9 and 19 Acolytes remain, the temples built to honor the Master are still fully populated with worshipers, and there is hope that finally, the evil has been purged from humanity for good. This is considered the "good" ending. However, if all 20 Acolytes have been befriended and the Master has been able to protect all of them, humanity is truly purified and will never "need" the Master again. The Master is given the option to descend to Earth and live as a mortal being, reunited with his Acolytes and experiencing all the love and emotions of a normal human life. This is considered the "best" ending. No matter what ending the player gets, each Acolyte that remains will get their own small scene during the ending.
ActRaiser: The Master Returns is released in North America on November 10, 2003, to universal critical acclaim. The consensus is that it captures the feel of the original ActRaiser title while at the same time incorporating 12 years of gameplay and presentation advancements to present a truly modern adventure title that feels like an old school classic. Sales are excellent in Japan, but somewhat less so in North America: the game's release is overshadowed by Enix's Wave port of Revolution Alpha in October and the upcoming Final Fantasy X in December, and so North American sales are rather mediocre when compared to some of the other major hits of the holiday season. However, the game is still fondly remembered by those who do play it, and considered a modern classic in its genre.
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"The wait is over: one of Enix's most acclaimed RPGs of all time has finally come to the Wave! Revolution Alpha, which follows three brave heroes on a quest to save their world, is a follow-up title to classics such as Soul Blazer and Terranigma! And with better graphics than the original Sega Katana version, along with two new exclusive dungeons to test RPG veterans, it's the definitive version of one of the best RPGs of its generation!"
-from Nintendo Power's article on Revolution Alpha in the November 2003 issue
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While Squaresoft still rules the RPG roost, and their upcoming Final Fantasy X is expected to be the biggest RPG of the year, their arch-rival Enix still has plenty of their own epic games on the way. In fact, Enix has more upcoming major games scheduled than Squaresoft, and will be developing at least one game as a multiplatform title.
Let's get that game out of the way. Draught is being designed as a "modern day dungeon crawler", with a unique first person interface. Lead developer Yuichiro Kitao says that he drew inspiration from first-person shooter titles for the game's playstyle, but that it will also include elements familiar to dungeon-crawler veterans, blending the RPG and FPS genres into a unique experience that only Enix can create. Enix plans to release Draught on all three current-gen systems, which will make this game the company's first title for the Microsoft Xbox.
The Lotherian Tome is a more traditional style RPG, featuring turn-based combat and lots of magic and sorcery. The game's plot is said to revolve around an ancient book that has been utilized by powerful people for many thousands of years, and that just a single page from the book is enough to give someone power to rule over an entire kingdom. The Lotherian Tome is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Wave, it's expected to be released in Japan early next year. A North American localization has yet to be announced.
Full Metal Alchemist is Quintet's follow-up to Revolution Alpha, featuring action-RPG styled gameplay. Though created by the makers of games like Soul Blazer and Revolution Alpha, Full Metal Alchemist is said to take place in a completely different world, where alchemy is used to gain power over life and death, and ancient magic meets a modern, steampunk aesthetic. Players will take control of protagonist Edward Elric, whose life and that of his younger brother Alphonse spirals out of control after a costly and tragic mistake. The game is to be released in Japan next year, while a North American localization has been announced but likely won't appear until late next year at the earliest. Full Metal Alchemist has only been announced for the Wave thus far but could make it to other systems.
Then, of course, there's the granddaddy of them all, the series that put Enix on the map: Dragon Quest VIII. The newest installment of the classic RPG series, which will be a Wave exclusive, is early in its development, but features beautiful cel shaded graphics and looks to take place in a world even more massive than that of the previous game. We don't know too much about this one, but we know it's going to be one of Japan's top selling games ever once it's released. We have no word on a North American localization: Dragon Quest VII didn't sell all that well on either the Saturn or the Ultra Nintendo, but the timing of its release, right before the launch of the next generation consoles, almost certainly played a role in the game's disappointing performance.
-from an article on RPGamer.net, posted on November 18, 2003
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"Once we started developing games for Nintendo again, we soon realized the ease of developing for the Wave console and the power it brought to bear. We didn't intend to develop games primarily for the Wave, and did want to be a true multiplatform developer, but we found ourselves increasingly gravitating to the Wave for most of our projects. It was just easier to do games as exclusives, and we felt the console's sales justified the decision. The only other console on the market at the time with comparable abilities and ease of development was the Xbox, but the Japanese market for that console was virtually nonexistent. We'd have to compete with Square for Nintendo's promotional favor, but co-existing with them on the Wave was easier than what we'd done when we were developing exclusively for the Saturn."
-Yasuhiro Fukushima, founder and CEO of Enix Corporation, in a 2013 interview with Gamesovermatter.com
ActRaiser: The Master Returns (localized from the Japanese title which when directly translated is ActRaiser: The Return Of God) is an adventure/simulation game developed and published by Enix, exclusively for the Nintendo Wave. Unlike the Katana's ActRaiser: Valkyrie 2, ActRaiser: The Master Returns plays very much like the original 1991 game, to the point where it could almost be considered a reboot (if not for the fact that it takes place many thousands of years after the original game). Gameplay alternates between two modes: a simulation mode, in which The Master, assisted by his loyal angelic followers, creates towns and other natural features in the world below, and an action mode, in which The Master descends to Earth to battle monsters and defend his people. The action mode, which in the original ActRaiser featured 2-D platforming gameplay, plays like a full 3-D hack and slash in this title, with elements of exploration and a variety of different places to battle demons in: The Master can battle his enemies in the wilderness, in caves, and in dungeons, but will also occasionally be entering towns and buildings to battle demonic foes. The gameplay retains the basic ActRaiser formula, though it's now much more complex: The Master has a variety of special attacks to use in combat, he has a number of powerful melee weapons at his disposal (not just a sword, but an axe, a spear, a hammer, and others), and can use magic as well. He can also interact with townspeople, and in fact, interacting with and helping his worshipers is a major part of playing the game. Simulation mode has also gotten more complex. Like in the original game, the player must choose where to start building a town, and what resources that town should have. The Master can erect structures and control the weather, he can alter the terrain and stop natural disasters as well. For the most part, everything that the player does will in some way help the Master's worshipers below. There is an option to smite one's followers, but this should ONLY be used in the most dire of circumstances, if a town has become totally overrun with monsters or heretics, for example. There is the option for the Master to rapture his followers from a town about to be smited to gain what resources he can from those followers. The more good works the Master does, the more people will come to worship him. This will earn the player Blessings, the game's currency, which can be spent on weapon/character upgrades, additional miracles, etc. In addition, there are 20 special followers, known as Acolytes, who can be befriended over the course of the game. It's highly recommended that the Master seek out these Acolytes (about half of whom are mandatory at some point in the story), in order to gain a special blessing which usually takes the form of a major stat increase, an excellent treasure, or a new technique. ActRaiser: The Master Returns features voice acting from Enix's usual cast of New York-based actors, which includes Dan Green reprising his role from Revolution Alpha as The Master. Other voice actors in the game include Rachel Lillis, Megan Hollingshead, Eric Stuart, and Maddie Blaustein. This game also marks the first video game role of voice actress Carrie Keranen, who voices Mariah, an Acolyte met by the Master very early on in the game, who falls in love with him. The game features solid graphics, not as good as those in other RPG/adventure games of the day such as Final Fantasy X, but sufficient for a Nintendo Wave title. A highlight is the game's epic symphonic soundtrack, which features both classic ActRaiser tunes from the SNES games and more than two dozen brand new compositions, giving the game's score an epic, Wagnerian feel.
The Master Returns takes place thousands of years after the original ActRaiser games. The people have lived in peace for aeons, no longer worshiping The Master as they once did, but The Master is content with this since it means the people live in happiness and no longer need him. However, one day, The Master feels a great sorrow emanating from the land. The cities and towns of the world have fallen into decay: sin and evil have overtaken humanity once more. This sin has originated from Belroth, the Unholy One, angel of darkness and traitor to the heavens. Belroth is a far more powerful and insidious evil than The Master's old enemy Tanzra, but it was thought that he was defeated countless ages ago in the Great War of Heaven. However, Belroth has returned to corrupt humanity, and The Master takes up his sword once again to protect his people. As The Master begins to build new towns for his followers, Belroth's demons make themselves known. Not only are demons and monsters descending upon the land, but corrupt and evil people are appearing as well, and The Master has no choice but to destroy them as well. The Master must first descend to the world below and clear out an area of monsters to make it safe for humans to live there, and then once the town is built, a problem will eventually present itself. There's no set order that this must be done, however, certain areas will become hotspots of demonic activity. Particularly large cities are especially vulnerable to this. Time will pass with every action taken, and if urgent calls for help aren't answered, The Master will lose worshipers in those areas, with a chance that they might become permanently lost to evil. It is possible to lose an Acolyte this way: however, it's impossible to be presented with a choice where the Master must protect one Acolyte at the expense of another, while more than one Acolyte can be in dire danger at a time, if the Master chooses to assist another Acolyte, no time will pass toward the rescue of any other Acolytes.
Out of the 20 Acolytes the Master can befriend over the course of the game, these are the six most significant:
Mariah: A young woman who is falsely accused of prostitution and becomes an outcast, The Master rescues her and she falls in love with him, though because of the Master's general love for all humanity, he does not reciprocate those feelings. There are numerous parallels between Mariah and Mary Magdalene.
Cato: A powerful warrior who defends a small town from Belroth's demonic hordes. He is brave but foolhardy, and the Master must protect him from being killed while also teaching him humility.
Showa: An old, blind farmer who is the single food provider for a town that the Master places in a somewhat inopportune spot for crop growth. The Master must encourage and protect Showa while defeating the powerful demon who has corrupted the soil.
Lisbeth: A struggling mother of five children whose husband has been possessed by a powerful demon.
Rolf: A young romantic who is being seduced by one of Belroth's most powerful lieutenants, an evil succubus who represents the sin of Lust. The Master must teach Rolf the virtue of temperance if the succubus is to be destroyed.
Tolver: A scholarly man who refuses to worship The Master. The Master, who accepts that many will choose not to worship him, and merely asks to be worshiped because the blessings of humanity will enable him to better protect humanity, engages in numerous lengthy dialogues with Tolver over the course of the game. Eventually, while The Master does not receive Tolver's worship, he does receive Tolver's respect, which grants him a powerful boon. Through The Master's relationship with Tolver, the player learns The Master's philosophy: he views himself as a protector and servant of humanity, asking for worship only to the extent that it gives him enough power to protect them. The Master's own humility is thus seen as his greatest trait: he sees himself as no better than the humans who worship him.
After The Master is able to establish eight sufficiently large human settlements and clear out the demonic presence there, Belroth finally appears, and launches an attack on the Sky Palace itself, reigniting the Great War of Heaven. The Master must free his imprisoned angels. Any Acolytes he has befriended will appear during the battle in some fashion, either assisting the Master or needing to be rescued by him (the ones who need to be rescued will grant an additional reward upon saving them). Eventually, the Master confronts Belroth and engages him in a fierce battle, first in his angelic form and then as a powerful and hideous monster. Defeating Belroth will end the corruption and save humanity. The ending of the game depends on how many Acolytes the Master has befriended (and has been able to protect during the course of the game). If 8 or less Acolytes remain (since the Master is required to befriend 10, this ending would mean that you've lost a few before the end of the game), the "bad" ending occurs, in which humanity once again turns away from the Master. While The Master is pleased that humanity is safe and happy, he knows that at some point, the corruption that befell them will most likely return, and that he will once again be called upon to save humanity from evil. If between 9 and 19 Acolytes remain, the temples built to honor the Master are still fully populated with worshipers, and there is hope that finally, the evil has been purged from humanity for good. This is considered the "good" ending. However, if all 20 Acolytes have been befriended and the Master has been able to protect all of them, humanity is truly purified and will never "need" the Master again. The Master is given the option to descend to Earth and live as a mortal being, reunited with his Acolytes and experiencing all the love and emotions of a normal human life. This is considered the "best" ending. No matter what ending the player gets, each Acolyte that remains will get their own small scene during the ending.
ActRaiser: The Master Returns is released in North America on November 10, 2003, to universal critical acclaim. The consensus is that it captures the feel of the original ActRaiser title while at the same time incorporating 12 years of gameplay and presentation advancements to present a truly modern adventure title that feels like an old school classic. Sales are excellent in Japan, but somewhat less so in North America: the game's release is overshadowed by Enix's Wave port of Revolution Alpha in October and the upcoming Final Fantasy X in December, and so North American sales are rather mediocre when compared to some of the other major hits of the holiday season. However, the game is still fondly remembered by those who do play it, and considered a modern classic in its genre.
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"The wait is over: one of Enix's most acclaimed RPGs of all time has finally come to the Wave! Revolution Alpha, which follows three brave heroes on a quest to save their world, is a follow-up title to classics such as Soul Blazer and Terranigma! And with better graphics than the original Sega Katana version, along with two new exclusive dungeons to test RPG veterans, it's the definitive version of one of the best RPGs of its generation!"
-from Nintendo Power's article on Revolution Alpha in the November 2003 issue
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While Squaresoft still rules the RPG roost, and their upcoming Final Fantasy X is expected to be the biggest RPG of the year, their arch-rival Enix still has plenty of their own epic games on the way. In fact, Enix has more upcoming major games scheduled than Squaresoft, and will be developing at least one game as a multiplatform title.
Let's get that game out of the way. Draught is being designed as a "modern day dungeon crawler", with a unique first person interface. Lead developer Yuichiro Kitao says that he drew inspiration from first-person shooter titles for the game's playstyle, but that it will also include elements familiar to dungeon-crawler veterans, blending the RPG and FPS genres into a unique experience that only Enix can create. Enix plans to release Draught on all three current-gen systems, which will make this game the company's first title for the Microsoft Xbox.
The Lotherian Tome is a more traditional style RPG, featuring turn-based combat and lots of magic and sorcery. The game's plot is said to revolve around an ancient book that has been utilized by powerful people for many thousands of years, and that just a single page from the book is enough to give someone power to rule over an entire kingdom. The Lotherian Tome is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Wave, it's expected to be released in Japan early next year. A North American localization has yet to be announced.
Full Metal Alchemist is Quintet's follow-up to Revolution Alpha, featuring action-RPG styled gameplay. Though created by the makers of games like Soul Blazer and Revolution Alpha, Full Metal Alchemist is said to take place in a completely different world, where alchemy is used to gain power over life and death, and ancient magic meets a modern, steampunk aesthetic. Players will take control of protagonist Edward Elric, whose life and that of his younger brother Alphonse spirals out of control after a costly and tragic mistake. The game is to be released in Japan next year, while a North American localization has been announced but likely won't appear until late next year at the earliest. Full Metal Alchemist has only been announced for the Wave thus far but could make it to other systems.
Then, of course, there's the granddaddy of them all, the series that put Enix on the map: Dragon Quest VIII. The newest installment of the classic RPG series, which will be a Wave exclusive, is early in its development, but features beautiful cel shaded graphics and looks to take place in a world even more massive than that of the previous game. We don't know too much about this one, but we know it's going to be one of Japan's top selling games ever once it's released. We have no word on a North American localization: Dragon Quest VII didn't sell all that well on either the Saturn or the Ultra Nintendo, but the timing of its release, right before the launch of the next generation consoles, almost certainly played a role in the game's disappointing performance.
-from an article on RPGamer.net, posted on November 18, 2003
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"Once we started developing games for Nintendo again, we soon realized the ease of developing for the Wave console and the power it brought to bear. We didn't intend to develop games primarily for the Wave, and did want to be a true multiplatform developer, but we found ourselves increasingly gravitating to the Wave for most of our projects. It was just easier to do games as exclusives, and we felt the console's sales justified the decision. The only other console on the market at the time with comparable abilities and ease of development was the Xbox, but the Japanese market for that console was virtually nonexistent. We'd have to compete with Square for Nintendo's promotional favor, but co-existing with them on the Wave was easier than what we'd done when we were developing exclusively for the Saturn."
-Yasuhiro Fukushima, founder and CEO of Enix Corporation, in a 2013 interview with Gamesovermatter.com
It would be deliciously ironic if this TL's FMA did get a manga-and it was a short, forgettable tie-in made by someone other than Arakawa.
I was right then, FMA is going to play more or less like a slower Devil May Cry or maybe like a flashier Kingdom Hearts. If the plot will remain the same, I'm sure it'll be a hit. A few elements from the first anime series could make their way to the game though, if only because Conqueror of Shamballa was a very nice movie. Maybe in a sequel...?
PS: please, make Winry somewhat more important as a character. Playable Riza and Roy would be nice, too.
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