So its been a while since I made a blog post, figured now would be a good time to do so. The subject I want to discuss today is the rise of American-made rhythm games.

Generally, rhythm games have been reserved for the Japanese market with titles such as Beatmania, Taiko no Tatsujin and the ever-popular Dance Dance Revolution. However, starting in 2005 with the release of Guitar Hero, Americans finally got a chance to try a home-grown rhythm game. Despite the fact it takes a lot of cues from the Japanese series Guitar Freak, GH did feel distinctly different from the rhythm game-norm.

Flash-forward to 2007. Guitar Hero is a success with a sequel spanning not just the Playstation 2 but the Xbox 360 as well. The concept of American-made rhythm games is starting to take off as a whole and Activision is set to release its Guitar Hero II expansion pack, GH Encore: Rocks the 80s. Later this year, Neversoft's first crack at Guitar Hero comes with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock while former GH developer Harmonix helps EA craft their ambitious Rock Band game. I personally think this is a good expansion of American gaming. These rhythm games are both fun and exciting, easily wrapping up the player in the moment of pseudo-rock.

Rock Band promises to be especially exciting with its new drumkit and microphone add-ons (as well as some modifications to the guitar gameplay lifted from the Guitar Hero series). Personally, I find the drumkit to be the best part of the package as Guitar Hero already had the guitar-playing covered. Likewise, Activision is promising some nice touches to Guitar Hero III that should make the competitive side a little more interesting with its new Battle Mode. I'm glad that VS play actually has a sense of competition involved this time around with ways to influence your opponent's progress. A couple years ago, no one really expected American developers to be making rhythm games that everyone would be hyped about but...only time did tell. Now I can't wait to see what is being planned for the future in this genre now that the US is producing rhythm games that rival the Japanese titles.

 

 

After months of uncertainty and upon completion of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All (I've had my copy since October 2006 because I imported it), my brain can finally be at ease. Capcom has made it offical that Gyakuten Saiban 3 will be ported to the DS, complete with an English translation.

For those that don't know me, I'm a BIG Phoenix Wright fan. There's just something about the incredibly twisty stories that keep me begging for more. Just this week, Gyakuten Saiban 4's release in Japan caught my attention and in the same week, the 3rd game is announced for the DS. This has definitely been a good week for me as a gamer.

My friend bought me the first game as a gift and I'm glad he did. Without his input, I would have never considered the series in the first place. Really, it is a game about courtroom battles; not exactly an inspiring subject on paper. But once I got into it, I couldn't stop. I was playing the game until 3 AM, just to see the next plot twist (particularly with the first game's bonus case; truly that was a work of art).

When I heard the second game was announced, I was looking forward to it with much enthusiasm. However, once I had it in hand and had completed it; my speculation if the 3rd game would ever be announced was hanging in the air. Capcom had never spoke about it, instead saying the sales numbers of Gyakuten Saiban 2 would decide if the 3rd game would see a DS release. By this point, the fourth game was well into its devleopment cycle and Capcom was talking more about it than the 3rd game's potential for a port. So I patiently waited, avoiding spoilers and wondering if it would ever come out. And then Capcom announced their Ace Attorney 3 contest and my hopes were renewed and one month later...well, you can see where we are now.

So, come this September, I'll be a happy gamer. I can only hope that Capcom takes more care in their localization this time (the last game had some glaring grammatical errors) and I look forward to their announcement that the fourth game will eventually make its way to our shores.

http://www.gamespot.com/wii/sports/mariosonicattheolympicgames/index.html

What is this?! The two ICONS of 90s gaming and the figureheads of the legions of fans split between the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis camps. The two characters who PERSONIFIED the 16-bit era and were the topics of discussion in the playground battles of console superiority of ye olde, now in the SAME game?! Ludicrous...but true.

Thanks to a license from the Beijing Olympics of 2008, Sonic and Mario have unified under the same banner in the spirit of the Games. A couple of track & field events, all in the name of friendly competition. Seems like its going to be a fun time.

But let us reflect on what brought us to this point. The rivalry, the fandom...everything. The day that no Sonic nor Mario fan thought would ever happen has just happened. Sega and Nintendo have collaborated to put their two mascots into the same game.

Now, admittedly, Sega is no longer in the console business so maybe this moment doesn't have quite the impact it would have had if this had occured a couple years back but even so, the lineage both franchises possess definitely make this no small matter. Mario, the powerhouse franchise that propelled Nintendo through the 8-bit era combined with one-time arch-rival Sonic the Hedgehog, upstart mascot created by Sega for the sole purpose of giving Nintendo an answer to their pudgy plumber are now seen in the same title.

Does this mean that we'll be seeing more crossovers in the future? Maybe, no one can say really...but now the door is open...

For my next subject, I'd like to tackle the decline of the state of professional wrestling games.

Much like the actual product it is based on, the WWE video games are falling into fast decline. Before anyone complains, this isn't a "I want another AKI WWE game" rant. I know that ship has sailed and I'm okay with that. But really, the quality of the wrestling games we see today (especially the once-great Smackdown series) has slipped greatly.

These days, WWE has fallen into a slump of predcitable storylines coupled with sub-par wrestling (and I'm not even tackling the individuals mucking up the joint *nasty glance at Cena*). Likewise, pro wrestling games are lacking innovation and often take two steps back and one step forward in terms of new features. That coupled with unintuitive gameplay at times just sours that which could be a great experience.

The biggest violator is the Smackdown series. What began as one of the most comprehensive experiences in the pro wrestling genre that a gamer could get (if you weren't into stuff like Fire Pro or obsessed with No Mercy), the Smackdown series has spiraled into the slump of the "yearly update". THQ and Yukes fail to really stride and instead rest on their laurels with minor improvements and tweaks coupled with updated rosters and arenas. Their latest effort, Smackdown VS RAW 2007, is devoid of any inspiration and the series itself has been dry since the 2006 edition. Even I had great hopes when the original Smackdown VS RAW game was announced, complete with its dynamic heel-face system (but in the end, even that game felt like a retread of Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain, my current favorite game in the series). But Yukes unwisely scrapped that for future incarnations, instead focusing on the wrong areas of improvement.

I'm not being a hater. There are areas I'm glad they touched up. The 2007 edition brings in their new grappling system and has decent online. However, there's still a lack of soul in the development. They just rush-job the series now, pushing out new versions at the expense of the quality the series once had. If a game like No Mercy can be timeless and enjoyable in the here and now, why can't the premiere wrestling game series of the next-gen? Slow down the development and reflect, Yukes. If WWE can't make wrestling fun again, at least you can.

(The large abbreviation at the top means "This Is Bad News For Sony, To Be Quite Honest", for those not familiar with NGG-isms.)

Welcome to my first ever blog. I hope to use this to convey my thoughts on the ongoing changes of the gaming industry...so long as I remember to update when a new thought crosses my mind.

Anyway, let's get going.

So...Capcom decided to let DMC4, the title I'VE been jealous about not getting as a future-360 owner, go multiplatform despite their claims it never would. Well, this is certainly a surprise...a pleasant surprise. Now all the Playstation 3 has to hold my interest is Metal Gear Solid 4. I look forward to the eventual release of the game on the Xbox 360.

Enough about my interest in the game, let's talk politics. Sony's grasp on the industry (starting with the original Playstation back in 1995 and most definitely continuing through the Playstation 2 in 2000) is slipping. I'll be totally honest; I was intent on buying a Playstation 3 when the system was first announced. It mostly stemmed from the lack of 3rd party support I saw as a Gamecube owner back in the last gen. I ended up breaking down and buying a Playstation 2 once it was announced that Burnout 3: Takedown wouldn't be coming out for the Gamecube. After that, I managed to swipe a good number of 3rd-party titles that would have otherwise missed the Gamecube (Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, Burnout Revenge, and Metal Gear Solid 3 come to mind). Once I modded my PS2 and made it import-ready, I got to play even more titles that included a deluge of awesome 2D fighters that the US would have missed out on altogether.

Bearing all this in mind, I wasn't entirely confident Nintendo would manage to pull out of its 3rd party slump going into the next generation. The Revolution (as it was known as at the time) was definitely showing promise but its unique control mechanics made me wonder if 3rd-parties would end up creating "side games" for the system, reserving their big guns for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. That was enough to sell me on the idea of getting a PS3. Why not a 360, you ask? Well, I personally saw Microsoft's first swing at console gaming last generation as a total blunder. Through the system's entire 5-year lifespan leading up to the Xbox 360, the system saw a total of 4 games that I ever wanted to play. I was a total anti-Xbox fanboy and saw no reason to think the 360 would somehow reverse that.

But time makes fools of us all. Turns out the tables have completely turned on Microsoft in the here and now. The Xbox 360 (coupled with its revolutionary online service, Xbox LIVE) is now the dominant system in the market and seeing a wave of games that completely reverse my stance on the Xbox line. With all this fanfare, what happened to Sony; the company I had put so much faith into? Well, the PSP is a flop (unless you're willing to walk on the "other" side of the line) with its useless movie format and games that don't hit the highs as often as the DS' library. The PS3 is overpriced (even if it is the cheapest Blu-Ray on the market) and lacks the quality software that could ever justify such a cost. Because of that, their hold as the dominant company in the industry is firmly shifted to Microsoft. As the 3rd parties keep falling from their lineup, I am left to wonder if there will be anything that will make me want a PS3.

Well, I've written enough. I'll come up with some new blogs later down the road, as the industry rolls forward.