I was really excited for the new Arkham Asylum game... until I saw a gameplay video on my Xbox. First off, it's an Eidos game. You know, the guys that ran the Tomb Raider franchise into the ground. Over, and over, and over. And then they got bought out by Square Enix. Because they suck.
Arkham Asylum is going to be a stealth game that just happens to have Batman in it. Sure, they got the voices from Batman: The Animated Series (Kevin Conroy and Mark "Skywalker" Hamill), but that's just not good enough. This will be a darker version of Hitman with cooler gadgets. Hitman was sloooooowwwww. I'm Batman. I don't want to hide in the shadows and sneak around all slowey! I want to kick some henchman butt with my funkey gadgets, then kick some Killer Croc and Joker butt, also with my funky gadgets, crazy intelligence, and millions of dollars. I know Batman sneaks around in the shadows and is one with the night... but I want to be the fun, exciting, cool parts of Batman. Maybe there is a small chance that the game will work; Eidos did create Desu Ex, after all. But B:AA isn't Deus Ex. It's Tomb Raider and Hitman. Bleh.
Ever seen a video for MadWorld on Wii? The game looks cool, and stylish, and gore-tastic, and fun. But you see the game in action, it's not that interesting. You run around, grab people, and toss them into sharp objects for five hours. Weeee...
XIII had style too. But the hit detection was shoddy and the graphics, while interesting, were actually kind of ugly. Also, the controls always felt a little... off. It had a sweet soundtrack and a huge amount of style, but that wouldn't save it. It won't save Batman either. Arkham Asylum will sell millions, and fanboys will love it, but it will not be a classic. It will be just another slow-paced Eidos disappointment. Oh well.
Showing posts with label Square Enix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Square Enix. Show all posts
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Not better than the original
A sequel should keep the good parts of the first game, throw out the bad, and add new features, making the core experience even more enjoyable. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years does not do this.
This WiiWare exclusive takes all the old graphics, charm, and mechanics, and adds MORE random battles. I spent the entire first hour of playtime on the first dungeon (which was only two floors) because I had to fight a random monster every four steps. Just to be sure that it wasn't like this before, I popped in my old copy of Final Fantasy II (the American title for IV) on SNES, my newer copy of FF4 on the PlayStation, and I even tried my copy of FF4 on Game Boy Advance, and, sure enough, there were a LOT more battles in this Wii one. Battles aren't intrinsically uninteresting, but these particular battles have been the same for fifteen years. They're stale. The one new feature in battles, Band Attacks, has already been used in numerous other games, most recently in Sonic Chronicles on the DS. Two or more characters team up for one attack, making a stronger attack, but depriving both characters of the necessary MP. Woo.
This game would be great on a cell phone, where it was originally released, as long as there was a quicksave option. As it is... The After Years takes great characters from one of history's most beloved series and gives them one more adventure. But that's all. Square is treading a long-beaten path, and their storytelling had better be nothing less than sublime for them to expect anyone to complete this game and invest in the downloadable content. There's a difference between pure, brutal nostalgia (Mega Man 9) and a shamless cash-in like this, despite Square bringing back the cast that worked on the original game to make this pseudo-sequel. Their love of the past cannot be denied. This game can be.
...Of course this is all just based on the first hour of playtime. If I ever find myself going back to it, I'll be sure to let you know if there is any change in how I feel about it.
Llama out.
This WiiWare exclusive takes all the old graphics, charm, and mechanics, and adds MORE random battles. I spent the entire first hour of playtime on the first dungeon (which was only two floors) because I had to fight a random monster every four steps. Just to be sure that it wasn't like this before, I popped in my old copy of Final Fantasy II (the American title for IV) on SNES, my newer copy of FF4 on the PlayStation, and I even tried my copy of FF4 on Game Boy Advance, and, sure enough, there were a LOT more battles in this Wii one. Battles aren't intrinsically uninteresting, but these particular battles have been the same for fifteen years. They're stale. The one new feature in battles, Band Attacks, has already been used in numerous other games, most recently in Sonic Chronicles on the DS. Two or more characters team up for one attack, making a stronger attack, but depriving both characters of the necessary MP. Woo.
This game would be great on a cell phone, where it was originally released, as long as there was a quicksave option. As it is... The After Years takes great characters from one of history's most beloved series and gives them one more adventure. But that's all. Square is treading a long-beaten path, and their storytelling had better be nothing less than sublime for them to expect anyone to complete this game and invest in the downloadable content. There's a difference between pure, brutal nostalgia (Mega Man 9) and a shamless cash-in like this, despite Square bringing back the cast that worked on the original game to make this pseudo-sequel. Their love of the past cannot be denied. This game can be.
...Of course this is all just based on the first hour of playtime. If I ever find myself going back to it, I'll be sure to let you know if there is any change in how I feel about it.
Llama out.
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