Pokemon: 20 Years Later

Train On

For me personally, Pokemon was a large part of my childhood.  It was an activity that brought together all of my friends and was constantly a topic of conversation throughout the school day.  Now, as a 20-year-old, not  much has changed.  Pokemon has grown up along with my generation as many of my peers that own 3DS’s still play the games.  In addition to peers from my generation, my younger siblings have also taken an interest in the series.  Seeing that the series has held on enough to interest the current generation despite the large amount of other media out there is telling of its lasting power.

 As the series hit the 20 year mark, Game Freak and Nintendo look to usher in a new 7th generation of Pokemon with Pokemon: Sun and Moon.  Located in the new Alola region, these games will channel an island feel.  The announcements took the internet by storm as news and fanart for the new starters trended all around the internet.  While Sun and Moon are exclusive to the 3DS, Game Freak is looking to expand the series to mobile devices with Pokemon GO.  The attempt at attracting the mobile audience has already done well at attracting older generations who grew up with the series but may not have continued to play the console game titles.

While the series may go through dramatic changes over the next few years in order to adapt to the state of the media market, its continued popularity makes the case that it won’t be going away any time soon.

Do you have fond childhood memories of Pokemon?  Share them in the comments!

PS Vita – A West vs East Comparison

What Went Wrong?

Released worldwide in 2012 by Sony, the Playstation Vita was the successor to the Playstation Portable.  Despite being released to a great amount of fanfare and positive reviews the device stalled shortly out of the gate in Western territories.  Many attribute the Vita’s sluggish early sales to the rise of smartphone gaming and a high price point.  Regardless of the market climate, Nintendo’s competitor device the 3DS was able to overcome a launch stall and reach nearly 50 million units sold compared to the Vita’s 10 million.

While the device was heavily supported by Sony in its first two years, support soon dropped off after slumping sales continued to lag behind expectations.  With some suggesting that Sony had put the device on life-support, others looked at the devices strong sales and following in Japan as reasoning that Sony should try to save the device with a marketing campaign and further software support.

Regardless of the Vita’s struggles in the West, the handheld was thriving in Japan.  While Japan has always been a country known for their love of portable systems, the support for the system compared to the rest of the world was significant.  One option suggested by many is to localize games in English that were previously exclusive to the Japanese market.  Many saw Sony’s lack of interest in cornering the niche RPG market a sign that they simply didn’t care about the success of the Vita.  While the system was home to critical successes such as Persona 4: Golden, Dragon’s Crown, and Muramasa Rebirth; Sony made no attempts at working with 3rd party Japanese developers or publishers to recreate similar successes.

Part of this thought process may have been that Sony’s main goal was that if they couldn’t reach casual audiences that the system was not worth supporting.  In this case, more effort should have been put into the flagship games released for the system in its early years.  Previous PSP standbys such as Syphon Filter, Patapon, Lokoroko, and most of all Grand Theft Auto should have been developed in order to carry the Playstation portable division into the next generation.

What do you think would have “saved” the PS Vita?  Sound off in the comments!

A Look Back At Catherine

Love Is Over

The release of 2011’s Catherine was a watershed moment in video game history.  The adult oriented puzzle/adventure game thoroughly impressed critics and opened a debate on the depth of video game narratives.  The game was developed and published by Atlus and upon release was praised by critics for its narrative depth, difficult puzzles, and impressive visuals.  Despite praise from the niche target audience, the game was met with somewhat minimal fanfare in comparison to typical AAA game releases.  Despite this, it surpassed sales expectations for Atlus and set records for first week sales for the company.  According to VGChartz estimates, the combined sales totals for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions add up to over 1 million copies sold.

 

Climb Climb Climb!

While the commercial success of the game for Atlus was obviously important for the game’s notoriety, the game’s layout and thematic elements are truly what made it notable.  From the gameplay perspective, the climbing puzzles that made up the core of the game were immensely challenging.  Even seasoned puzzle gamers struggled with the game on normal difficulty.  While the puzzles were extremely difficult, they were fair and could be beaten with skill and practice instead of dumb luck.  The presentation of the bosses throughout the game is also an important piece that helps to expand on developments in the story.

Flirtatious or Familiar?

At its core, Catherine is both parts a puzzle game and a highly detailed visual novel.  While Atlus could have gone the cheap route with the visual novel sections, they pulled out the stops and made a completely interactive bar setting for the main character to interact with.  The depth of the story content is also impressive in both scope and topics covered.  The game uses a colorful and relatable cast of characters to tackle tricky issues including marriage, cheating, and commitment.  The questions regarding relationships that are asked throughout the game’s dream sequence’s force the player to examine their own views on personal relationships.

While some media outlets found the game’s content to be overly suggestive most praised the game’s ability to confront potentially uncomfortable topics from a unique perspective.

Have you played Catherine?  If so, what are your feelings on the game as it approaches 5 years from its release?  Sound off in the comments!

The Biggest RPG of 2016: Persona 5

Atlus’s Flagship Franchise is Set for a Big Year

After years of waiting, the release date of Persona 5 has been announced.  The game is set to release on September 15th, 2016 in Japan with a later 2016 release date for the rest of the world.  The release date announcement comes nearly 8 years after the release of the last installment of the series which came out on the Playstation 2.  Development and conceptualization of the game began around 2010 as Atlus put the finishing touches on “Catherine”.  Unlike Catherine however, Persona 5 will use a completely new engine built from the ground up by Atlus.  Persona 5 will also be the first in the series to receive a dual console generation release, as it is set to release on both the Playstation 3 and 4.

 

In true Persona series fashion, the game centers around high school aged characters tasked with confronting supernatural entities as well as struggles within their own personal lives.  Persona 5 specifically, deals with themes of youth trying to find their place in both the world itself and in the sprawling city that is Tokyo.  As indicated by director Katsura Hashino, the main theme of the story is slavery in the form of personal and physical bindings that the protagonists must overcome.

The story itself centers around a nameless protagonist, a seemingly mild-mannered 16-year-old boy who transfers to a school in Tokyo.  Through school, he meets the other protagonists Ryuji Sakamoto and Anne Tamaki, who are in some ways both delinquents.  Thus far, plot details have been kept very vague in trailers to allow for maximum immersion upon release and to avoid spoiling key plot points.

Series standard features such as social links, which allow the main character to grow closer to and date certain characters, will return in some altered form.  One new feature that is added to the game is a stealth function to go along with the “Phantom Theif” theme that is carried throughout the game.

What would you like to see included in the latest Persona installment?

Sound off in the comments!

Let It Die: The Latest Suda 51 Trip

Will Grasshopper Manufacture’s Free-To-Play Gamble Pay Off?

By: Brendan Ferris

Grasshopper Manufacture boss Goichi Suda or “Suda51” as he’s known to his fans, is known for taking risks.  Throughout his career, he has carved out his own niche filled with hyper violence, raunchy humor,  and unique visuals.  From the bizarre grindhouse stylings of “No More Heros” and “Lolipop Chainsaw” to the unique stylings of “Contact” and “Flower, Sun, and Rain”, Suda has solidified his place in the industry as a true visionary.

Despite Suda’s impressive pedigree, he has yet to make an attempt at the Free-To-Play monetization format.  Not only is this new territory for Suda, but it also may be an uphill battle to earn back the trust and interest of fans who has been waiting intently for his next project.  When “Let It Die” was first announced, it was titled Lily Bergamo, and had a main female protagonist in addition to a vastly different visual style.  Many loyal Suda fans were upset to see the vibrant anime esque style scrapped in exchange for a darker more gritty Western gaming look.  Despite the visual changes, the game remains the same concept as a Free-To-Play title.

“Let It Die” is a highly stylized, online multiplayer only, action game that was developed in conjunction with Gung Ho entertainment.  This marks the 3rd time that Suda has worked with a major AAA publisher after previously working with Ubisoft and Electronic Arts.  While the full scope of the game’s concepts and plot aren’t known yet,  Suda has given those interested a taste through several gameplay trailers.  Despite the game being online multiplayer only, it will have a story and bosses as you progress through the world.  However, the main focus of the game is PVP combat using any means necessary.  Players enter the game’s world, an abandoned amusement park, mostly naked and are forced to kill anyone they come in contact with.  Through combat with other players, you can aquire new weapons and clothes to boost your combat effectiveness.

The issue of the game being Free-To-Play arises due to it being a multiplayer game that is focused on resource hording.  Many are concerned that some players will sink money into expensive weapon add-ons thus making the game unfair for those that don’t want to pay to play.  Suda has acknowledged this concern and promises that the model will not be “pay to win” and that he aims for the game to be as fair as possible to all players.

Do you think that “Let It Die” will be a success despite the Free-To-Play model?  Sound off in the comments!