Binding Blade, except for Path of Radiance, subverted more FE tropes in an interesting way than any other game. The villain was more emotionally complex than any FE villain except Lyon, and I thought that the portrayal of Idoun as so pitiable was interesting. Blazing Sword is okay but only really works IMO in the context of Binding Blade, and Nergal is a pretty bad antagonist, honestly. Anyway, looking forwards to the next FE installment in TTL; FE was probably the first video game series fandom I was involved in(hell of an introduction, I know, I once compared Vaike to Hitler, don't ask) so it holds a special place in my heart.
Massively Multiplayer: Gaming In The New Millennium
- Thread starter RySenkari
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Heh...Binding Blade played the formula to safe, people put in a pedestal Jahn speech bring me back memories of 2005-2006... again PoR story was pretty staighforward was the strenght, the fantasy WW2 as we called it was amazing...a shame radiant dawn was a mess damage the series(and even damage the amazing PoR).
Nergal is servicable even funny with his obession with Quintesscence but the plot was the lord trio chemistry.
I hope Shouzou Kaga still leaves. I'd never really say his games were close to my favorite Fire Emblem games, but I suppose it would be interesting to wonder if he stayed. Kaga and Nintendo have kept the circumstances behind their falling out very under wraps, but it seems like a big falling out when Nintendo and Intelligent Systems don't seem to mention him by name at all in any interviews after he left and the whole law suit.
He is a visionary and innovator for turn-based strategy games though, so credit there.
As for Zephiel, I would say it's thanks to the Blazing Blade that I would consider Zephiel a villain with depth. I also hold the stance of finding Radaint Dawn better than Path of Radiance, but that's a bit too much of a tangent.
He is a visionary and innovator for turn-based strategy games though, so credit there.
As for Zephiel, I would say it's thanks to the Blazing Blade that I would consider Zephiel a villain with depth. I also hold the stance of finding Radaint Dawn better than Path of Radiance, but that's a bit too much of a tangent.
Kaga is something like, we see what he do after he leaved nintendo and when the first was FE5.5 the later seems to 'strange'(lack of translation make hard to play) trying to be unique, what kaga make was pretty finely crafting his ideas into work, even if some where pretty weird to oustanding(FE3 and FE5 are the epitome of his game design as FE4 is his epitome of his story design) again as a minor spoiler...will be two FE permanent team from now, one console other handled...guess who is in which one?.
Well are those your opinions but Zephiel and Deep are not in the same sentence(Lyon,Sephiran, even Ashnard, Alvis of course are more in line with that)
Keep in mind I still don't think Zephiel is that particularly deep (and I agree with you on all those villains being better...Ashnard on the same level as Zephiel for me), but there is something there. He's very good at being an antagonist you want to take down and he does think like one Shinobu Sensui of Yu Yu Hakusho and I like Sensui.
Just he started the war and those reasons were petty as fuck
The whole thing of his father hating i can accept but the typical i will hate all humanity for it and start a war that ended in disgrace...what a child
Oh yeah, that reminds me, planning to include the Wave Fire Emblem game in the winter games update, so let me know your idea pretty soon.
Speaking of, are there any ideas or things that you wanna do or need help on extending outside of video games or are you good?
For right now I think we're okay, though we could always use extra news/pop culture topics to cover if you have an idea, as we mostly have games on the docket for the next few weeks worth of updates.
Well, I haven't been keeping up because of an internship, but I figure it is the middle of the millenium and I'd be happy to pvodie some ideas via PM.
I am curious since you covered the WWE, how's their game license holding up? I'll admit to not being fully read on this (not for lack of trying) but from what I understood, WCW went with Human Entertainment for their first big game and ECW still had both its garbage games (Although No Rulez might have been good) but did WCW stick with them? And if so, did Human eventually jump ship to the WWF? Because if so, we get a TL where the WWE game franchise was developed by the Fire Pro guys. And that sounds pretty sweet.
There have been annual WWE games over the last few years, though we haven't been covering them because none have really been major enough to say much about. We will say that THQ doesn't have the license anymore, but we're not quite sure who does. It's not Human though. I think maybe Activision got it around 2002 or so, and they're doing the games.
Fall 2005 (Part 5) - The Handheld Holiday Rivalry
ZVX
ZVX is a mech-based third person shooter game released exclusively for the iPod Play in November 2005. It takes place 100 years into the future, and centers around a soldier named Zane who is nearly killed in battle. When he awakens, he has lost his memories, but in the aftermath of the battle, he finds a powered up battle suit and climbs inside, finding himself to be a natural at controlling it. He begins to roam the land in search of his identity, while helping everyone he meets along the way. The game is partially open-world, though there's a definite order to missions and the game does keep you on a fairly narrow path, you can still wander about and complete a couple of smaller missions out of order, while also finding upgrades, giving the game a bit more of a non-linear feel. As Zane wanders the land, he is hunted by a mysterious group of soldiers looking to steal his suit, while also running into the person who wounded him in battle, a female mech pilot named Julie. At first, Julie seeks to kill Zane, but as she realizes the kind of person she injured, she begins to long for atonement, and ultimately becomes Zane's primary love interest, helping him evade the people trying to kill him while also helping him to discover his identity. However, once Zane does remember who he really is (toward the end of the game), he becomes angry and murderous toward Julie, and must learn to forgive her if the two are to work together to safeguard the battle suit. ZVX is actually a fairly short game, despite its partial non-linearity. It takes about 2-3 hours to complete the main campaign, depending on how skilled the player is. Reviewers see the game more as a technological showcase for the iPod Play's graphical power than as a serious killer app, but overall reviews are fairly good. Sales are mediocre, but those who do play the game generally enjoy it.
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Call Of Duty
The iPod Play version of Call Of Duty is released in December 2005. Half a port of the original game, and half a spinoff, the game is a retelling of one of the campaigns of the original 2003 title, specifically the American soldier campaign. It follows an American soldier after he lands at Normandy, but rather than switching back and forth between this American soldier and a British one, it stays with the soldier throughout the game, and fills out the game with new missions for him to complete, telling an alternate story to the original title's campaign. This focus on a single soldier makes the iPod Play's Call Of Duty about 30% shorter than the original game's campaign mode, but it makes up for that with quality graphics and tight gameplay that's quite similar to what one would find in the console games. The lack of a dual stick control scheme does make the iPod Play's Call Of Duty a bit more simplistic than the console versions, but the game controls similarly to how most pre-dual stick FPS titles do, and ultimately plays pretty well all things considered. The game also features an online multiplayer mode, and this is heavily promoted in the runup to the release of the game as one of the first major handheld multiplayer FPS titles. While lacking some features of a typical console Call Of Duty multiplayer mode, it's still got a variety of modes and features, and is fairly popular for a while after launch. The iPod Play's Call Of Duty is generally well received (certainly not the failure that the OTL Vita Call Of Duty game was), and considered to be one of the best handheld FPS titles released on a handheld to date. Sales are quite strong and it would be pushed as a big selling point for the iPod Play during the holiday season.
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Supernova Appears To Have Won Black Friday, But Overall Handheld Sales Look Strong For The Holidays
The early sales numbers from Black Friday are in, and though we don't have exact figures, indications are that the new Supernova handheld from Nintendo managed to outsell Apple's strong iPod Play by a small margin. The Supernova, with its slightly better graphics and lower price tag, was a hot seller on the day after Thanksgiving, despite the lack of any true "sales" for the device because of its newness (though some retailers did offer up a $25 gift card with a Supernova purchase). Though some sellouts were reported, most would-be buyers reported little trouble getting their hands on one, even those who showed up later in the day. This is likely due to Nintendo's heavy production of the device, combined with lower than expected sales. As for the iPod Play, it's still retailing at $299 for the base model, and no major discounts were reported on Black Friday, though that didn't keep Apple's handheld from reporting strong sales as well. While supply is starting to catch up with demand, it's expected to still be somewhat difficult to find over the holidays. Sales have generally been slowing down for the iPod Play over the course of the year, despite hit games such as Sonic Blaze and Virtua Fighter Infinity being released for it. It's becoming easier to find, and isn't considered one of the must-have gifts of the holiday season like it was in 2004. Still, the iPod Play's future looks bright: it's got a strong slate of games coming in 2006, and sales are still strongly outpacing those of its fellow Apple console the Katana, which appears to be on its way out.
In fact, handhelds may indeed be the best selling game devices of the season. A recent forecast released by a leading industry analyst predicted what the top selling game devices in December would be, and here's their list:
1. Game Boy Supernova
2. iPod Play
3. Nintendo Wave
4. Microsoft Xbox
5. Apple Katana
While on one level it shouldn't be surprising to see this list arranged the way that it is, considering that it's ranked in order of the release date of each of these devices, this is the first time ever that a gaming handheld has occupied the top place on this chart. The Nintendo Wave is still selling strongly, and is expected to pass the Xbox in overall worldwide sales by the end of 2005 (if it hasn't already, after reporting a strong Black Friday as well). The Supernova and iPod Play are expected to remain neck-and-neck throughout December, and though the Supernova is favored to come out on top, the iPod Play may yet make a push for #1 if supply continues to outpace demand as it has started to do in the latter half of this year.
-from an article on Games Over Matter, posted on December 9, 2005
ZVX is a mech-based third person shooter game released exclusively for the iPod Play in November 2005. It takes place 100 years into the future, and centers around a soldier named Zane who is nearly killed in battle. When he awakens, he has lost his memories, but in the aftermath of the battle, he finds a powered up battle suit and climbs inside, finding himself to be a natural at controlling it. He begins to roam the land in search of his identity, while helping everyone he meets along the way. The game is partially open-world, though there's a definite order to missions and the game does keep you on a fairly narrow path, you can still wander about and complete a couple of smaller missions out of order, while also finding upgrades, giving the game a bit more of a non-linear feel. As Zane wanders the land, he is hunted by a mysterious group of soldiers looking to steal his suit, while also running into the person who wounded him in battle, a female mech pilot named Julie. At first, Julie seeks to kill Zane, but as she realizes the kind of person she injured, she begins to long for atonement, and ultimately becomes Zane's primary love interest, helping him evade the people trying to kill him while also helping him to discover his identity. However, once Zane does remember who he really is (toward the end of the game), he becomes angry and murderous toward Julie, and must learn to forgive her if the two are to work together to safeguard the battle suit. ZVX is actually a fairly short game, despite its partial non-linearity. It takes about 2-3 hours to complete the main campaign, depending on how skilled the player is. Reviewers see the game more as a technological showcase for the iPod Play's graphical power than as a serious killer app, but overall reviews are fairly good. Sales are mediocre, but those who do play the game generally enjoy it.
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Call Of Duty
The iPod Play version of Call Of Duty is released in December 2005. Half a port of the original game, and half a spinoff, the game is a retelling of one of the campaigns of the original 2003 title, specifically the American soldier campaign. It follows an American soldier after he lands at Normandy, but rather than switching back and forth between this American soldier and a British one, it stays with the soldier throughout the game, and fills out the game with new missions for him to complete, telling an alternate story to the original title's campaign. This focus on a single soldier makes the iPod Play's Call Of Duty about 30% shorter than the original game's campaign mode, but it makes up for that with quality graphics and tight gameplay that's quite similar to what one would find in the console games. The lack of a dual stick control scheme does make the iPod Play's Call Of Duty a bit more simplistic than the console versions, but the game controls similarly to how most pre-dual stick FPS titles do, and ultimately plays pretty well all things considered. The game also features an online multiplayer mode, and this is heavily promoted in the runup to the release of the game as one of the first major handheld multiplayer FPS titles. While lacking some features of a typical console Call Of Duty multiplayer mode, it's still got a variety of modes and features, and is fairly popular for a while after launch. The iPod Play's Call Of Duty is generally well received (certainly not the failure that the OTL Vita Call Of Duty game was), and considered to be one of the best handheld FPS titles released on a handheld to date. Sales are quite strong and it would be pushed as a big selling point for the iPod Play during the holiday season.
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Supernova Appears To Have Won Black Friday, But Overall Handheld Sales Look Strong For The Holidays
The early sales numbers from Black Friday are in, and though we don't have exact figures, indications are that the new Supernova handheld from Nintendo managed to outsell Apple's strong iPod Play by a small margin. The Supernova, with its slightly better graphics and lower price tag, was a hot seller on the day after Thanksgiving, despite the lack of any true "sales" for the device because of its newness (though some retailers did offer up a $25 gift card with a Supernova purchase). Though some sellouts were reported, most would-be buyers reported little trouble getting their hands on one, even those who showed up later in the day. This is likely due to Nintendo's heavy production of the device, combined with lower than expected sales. As for the iPod Play, it's still retailing at $299 for the base model, and no major discounts were reported on Black Friday, though that didn't keep Apple's handheld from reporting strong sales as well. While supply is starting to catch up with demand, it's expected to still be somewhat difficult to find over the holidays. Sales have generally been slowing down for the iPod Play over the course of the year, despite hit games such as Sonic Blaze and Virtua Fighter Infinity being released for it. It's becoming easier to find, and isn't considered one of the must-have gifts of the holiday season like it was in 2004. Still, the iPod Play's future looks bright: it's got a strong slate of games coming in 2006, and sales are still strongly outpacing those of its fellow Apple console the Katana, which appears to be on its way out.
In fact, handhelds may indeed be the best selling game devices of the season. A recent forecast released by a leading industry analyst predicted what the top selling game devices in December would be, and here's their list:
1. Game Boy Supernova
2. iPod Play
3. Nintendo Wave
4. Microsoft Xbox
5. Apple Katana
While on one level it shouldn't be surprising to see this list arranged the way that it is, considering that it's ranked in order of the release date of each of these devices, this is the first time ever that a gaming handheld has occupied the top place on this chart. The Nintendo Wave is still selling strongly, and is expected to pass the Xbox in overall worldwide sales by the end of 2005 (if it hasn't already, after reporting a strong Black Friday as well). The Supernova and iPod Play are expected to remain neck-and-neck throughout December, and though the Supernova is favored to come out on top, the iPod Play may yet make a push for #1 if supply continues to outpace demand as it has started to do in the latter half of this year.
-from an article on Games Over Matter, posted on December 9, 2005
I have two questions for svc.
1. Who are the developers?
2. Is there any multiplayer modes in the game?
1. Who are the developers?
2. Is there any multiplayer modes in the game?
It's good to see the handheld market having actual competition instead of having Nintendo's unstoppable Gameboys go up against Sony's poorly-supported offerings.
You mean ZVX? I think Apple uses an in-house developer, possibly some of the old Sega game developers for it. It's published by Apple so I'd imagine it's a Sega-based studio. It does have a multiplayer but it's pretty basic, nothing like The Covenant. Multiplayer's not intended to be the draw.
Sadly, you are correct.
Still we have Project Pippin to look forward to! I know I am!
Sega is, as I've said before, little more than a skinsuit for Apple to wear. And I don't doubt for a second that they would discard it not long after Project Pippin is released.
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