Praktisch dort: Comiket 74

Kann es zu viel einer guten Sache geben? Man kann nicht helfen aber sich wundern, komischen Markt 74, der größte anime/fandom Fall nachher sorgend in der Welt. Lesen Sie mehr

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Wir können alle manchmal vergessen, daß ausdehnend, das Unterhalten und ja die freien Spiele häufig auf einer einfachen Plattform vorhanden sind, Ihr web browser. Lesen Sie mehr

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XBLA doubleshot: Rez und Ikaruga

Ist selten ein populäres Spiel so, daß es erfolgreich ein zweites Leben auf einer anderen Konsole findet. Even rarer does that game surpasses the original. Yet this was the case not once, but twice this winter with the Xbox Live Arcade releases of Rez and Ikaruga, two seminal Japanese shooters that are finally available on a wide scale to American audiences. Read more

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Better safe than sorry

Roughly a year and a half ago, Nintendo sat at the poker table with Microsoft and Sony. At the time, Microsoft had already shown its hand with the 360, and Sony claimed to be holding onto more aces than a standard deck would allow. So what did Nintendo do? Read more

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The World Ends With You

The long-awaited North American release of the heralded (yet largely unappreciated by Japanese gamers) Subarashiki Kono Sekai has brought a new revolution to handheld RPGs, proving that Square Enix is, despite its continued milking of the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts franchises, still capable of original content.

Players take the role of Neku, a young cynic who finds himself in Shibuya’s famous scramble crossing with no recollection of how he ended up there or why. Neku discovers that he’s now part of the Death Game, and over the course of seven days must fight the “Noise” (various creatures that take the form of animals) to survive and complete daily missions. As the story progresses Neku learns more about himself, his allies, and the finer points of human interaction, in-between shopping for clothing, killing poisonous frogs and kangaroos, and reading the thoughts of passers-by.

In combat, Neku’s “deck” consists of 300 collectable pins with unique attack skills such as flame-throwing, bullets, and melee strikes. Attacks are executed by using the stylus in a variety of ways such as slashes and taps, some even integrating the microphone. As the game progresses, pins level up and grow more powerful as they’re utilized. While Neku’s action takes place on the bottom screen, the top screen features one of several allies who also fight the Noise. Allies are controlled via the D-Pad (or the face buttons for you southpaws) in a unique pattern combo system, with combos performed by either character giving bonuses to his or her partner on the opposite screen. For those who would find it hard to manage both screens at once, an auto-assist option is available to help players get adjusted and can easily be overridden by the player.

Designer Tetsuya Nomura (known for his work in the recent Final Fantasy games and the Kingdom Hearts series) has given the game a hip, urban feel, to match the setting of Tokyo’s current hotspot for teens, urban culture aficionados, and bleeding-edge fashionistas. The character designs are both comforting to S-E fans and at the same time a refreshing departure from the fantasy-based settings of its other series; featuring the sort of outfits that, while certainly outlandish by American standards, are a common sight in districts such as Shibuya and Harajuku. The game’s music also matches the mood - essential in a modern setting when the wrong tunes can quickly remove the player from the experience.

World takes steps to revolutionize how players gain XP with a “Mingle” mode in which XP is awarded when the player’s DS comes into WiFi contact with another DS, no matter what cart is in that system, ensuring that World will be slotted at anime conventions, LAN parties, and events like PAX for months to come. This and other in-game innovations are proof that if you’re looking for a change of pace in both the RPG genre and how you use your DS to play games, The World Ends With You is a must-buy.

Patapon

When unexpected genres cross in the videogame world, it’s often a recipe for disaster.? However, in combining the real-time tactical genre with that of the rhythm game, Patapon has not only set out to be all things for all people, but has for the most part succeeded.

The player takes the role of an omnipresent deity worshipped by the Patapons, a tribe of hunter/gatherers that marches to the beat of sacred drums that you control.? By beating these drums in the correct sequence, the player can order the Patapons to attack, defend, or retreat.? Players can further customize the Patapon army by introducing new units such as cavalry or ‘bards’ and collecting upgraded weaponry.? Over the series of missions, players lead the Patapons through forests, jungles, and deserts, fighting the enemy Zigaton tribe and defeating legendary beasts to find Earthend and the mysterious “IT.”

The game’s art is best described as simplified cartoonish 2D.? It will remind gamers of Loco Roco, another game produced by Japan Studios.? This means that instead of awkward-looking 3D, players can expect smooth animation and an eye-pleasing environment in which to lead the Patapons.? The soundtrack is quite catchy, although after extended playing sessions one may never want to hear “pata-pata-pata-pon” ever again.? Most importantly, it’s fun to watch your ragtag army of Patapons tear through the opposition and dance their way across the victory line.

The game’s two apparent flaws are both genre-specific.? On the rhythm side, hardcore music game junkies may find the simple beats to be too simple, nevermind that they’re always at the same tempo.? When in “Fever” mode (which gives units stat boosts as a reward for keeping with the beat), the only way to adjust to an enemy’s changing attack is to drop out of “Fever”, throwing off your army’s rhythm and giving the enemy opportunity to strike.? Allowing players to adjust the tempo (possibly with the D-pad, as the only buttons used during play are on the right side of the PSP), would allow for adjusting fluently to the situation, and possibly provide new challenges where they were forced to stay at a certain tempo in special areas.

On the tactical side, the option to create new units using materials collected both during missions and through minigames is hamstrung by what amounts to grinding for loot through various “hunting” missions.? During combat, one cannot command the individual squads of units separately - when one attacks, all attack.? Additionally, money and items dropped by fallen enemies disappear after a period of time, which means that when the archers cut down the lancers halfway across the screen, by the time the foot soldiers break through that Flaming Sword of Badassness will have already popped out of existence.

Though frustrating at times (and painful for the right hand when played for long periods), Patapon is a fun experience that proves the PSP to be a capable platform for new gaming concepts.

Give a Little Back: Child’s Play 2007

I was born with severe hemophilia A, which is a complicated way of saying that my blood has problems clotting.? As a result of this, I’d have to make pretty regular trips (once or twice a year) to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where Dr. Allen would draw some blood and tell me that, no, not much had changed since the last time they saw me.? Then I’d get a lollipop and convince my dad that instead of going in to school late we should go to a Phillies game or see a movie, but I digress.

While waiting for my turn in the back room, I’d inevitably have one of three options - watch the TV (which was usually tuned to a morning talk show or soap opera, for the sake of entertaining the moms who had brought their kids), read a book (which, being a kid, I wouldn’t always remember to bring), or the Game Castle.? The Game Castle was a marvelous little thing - literally, shaped like a generic fairytale castle, it held a monitor as well as a Sega Genesis with one or two controllers.? I remember passing the time with Echo the Dolphin, Sonic, and Comix Zone, and for those 10-15 minutes (or half an hour if I was lucky and there weren’t any other kids who wanted to play), life was as good as it could get.

I tell this story not because I’m feeling nostalgic, but because last week the guys at Penny Arcade announced that Child’s Play has started up for 2007.? Child’s Play is an outstanding charity which has brought the joy of gaming to upwards of hundreds of thousands of children’s hospitals worldwide in the last four years.? There are two ways to donate - either send money to a general PayPal fund that will be distributed to all of the hospitals, or click through to a specific hospital’s Amazon wishlist and pick and choose.? Whether buying something as simple as a sticker book or as extravagant as a 360, you will be making a difference for patients of children’s hospitals across the world - 45 hospitals from six different countries are participating already, with more surely to be added as the holidays approach.

Last year, when I found out that my old stomping grounds at CHOP had been added to the list, I immediately logged onto Amazon and paid for a black DS and Final Fantasy III cartridge.? This year, maybe I’ll add a PS2 or two to the cart, or perhaps show some love to one of the hospitals in Australia or the UK.? Whether through donations big or small, I hope you’ll join me in supporting this wonderful cause.

Jam Sessions

From the “I never thought they’d localize this” file comes this surprisingly full-featured guitar simulator from Japanese developer Plato and North American publisher Ubisoft, based on the Japanese title Hiite Utaeru DS M-06.

Jam Sessions isn’t a ‘game’ so much as a ’sound toy’ - think Electroplankton but far less experimental. Players first assemble a ‘chord palette’ out of over a hundred authentic guitar chords each of which corresponds to the D-Pad (or action buttons for southpaws). Using the left or right trigger buttons to shift palettes, players can have access to up to 16 chords at a time.

The actual ‘play’ mode shows the chord palette on the top screen of the DS, and a single ’string’ on the bottom. Using the stylus (or a guitar pick, or a thumb), players ’strum’ the string (while pressing a corresponding chord button with their other hand) to produce - yes - music. Once players adjust to the system, they can play any number of chord-based songs to their heart’s content. This means, however, that the realm of lead guitarists (solos, melodies, and the like) are not an option. Most guitar players will point to this as the game’s greatest shortcoming. Players are also “limited” to the chords available. There isn’t a method to create custom chords or power cords, but most will find the available selection more than adequate.

Song Mode includes several built-in tracks with a wide ranges of genres; from Bob Marley to Johnny Cash and even some Death Cab and Avril Lavigne thrown in for good measure. These pre-built chord palettes (and accompanying chord guides with lyrics) allow you to play the songs on your own. Half of the songs include demos so that players can hear the proper tempo. However, these demos are hampered by the lack of anything representing a vocal track (one of the few features in Hiite that wasn’t included in Jam Sessions as opposed to vice versa), and Song Mode doesn’t have any method of making players play the correct stroke rhythm. So, while this mode will pose challenges to players who haven’t picked up a guitar (or a Guitar Hero controller, for that matter) in their lives, seasoned guitarists will enjoy being able to rock out to Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” and other classics.

Significant improvements to the original include 7 unique effects pedals such as distortion, delay, flanger, and tremolo, each with their own settings. Players can also record their pieces for playback (with the ability to store up to five at a time). Audio options have been updated to include a specific output setting for guitar amps. Superficial improvements include several dozen backgrounds and string animations, which are a welcome change from the unappetizing gradients available in the Japanese version.

Jam Sessions is available in three flavors - the standard edition, a special Best Buy-only edition that includes three more tunes in Song Mode, and a Performance Bundle (MSRP $69.99) dated for December that includes a mini-amp. While the casual gamer will likely want to give this a pass, musicians of all stripes will be interested in finally being able to put their DS to productive use, whether on-stage or in the recording studio.

PTD@Comiket 72

“It’s about 8:50AM at Tokyo Big Sight, we’re currently approaching the East Hall. We’ve passed something on the order of 50,000 people waiting in line for the West Hall. This event is big on the scale that you’d think of God’s testicles as huge, and it doesn’t even open for another hour.” (Notes from my voice recorder)

They came from everywhere. Authors and artists, cosplayers and journalists from around the world, all converged on Tokyo Big Sight in scenic Odaiba, for Comic Market, also known as Comiket. The event is a twice-yearly celebration of anime and videogame fan culture in Japan, the largest such event in the world.

This year’s Summer Comiket called tens of thousands of attendees (Friday’s crowd alone was 170,000) to take the early train, all wanting to be the first to purchase comics, CDs, and all manner of goods from the roughly 10,000 sellers. The sellers here are doujin circles, groups of friends with similar interests/hobbies who are selected to receive booth space. Admission is free, but in order to successfully navigate the 22 acres of exhibition space fans must purchase the Comic Market Catalog, a phone-book-sized volume that lists every circle along with a description of items they’re selling and maps of the venue. A CD-Rom version is also available and features a fully-searchable database and the ability to make custom color-coded checklists and maps.

True to its name, most of Comiket is dedicated to comics. East Hall 6 and West Halls 1/2 focused mostly on doujinshi, fan-produced comics, often based on existing video game titles (think fanfiction but illustrated). A shocking majority of the booths in East 6 were dedicated to works based on Sengoku Basara (released in the US as Devil Kings), but attendees who looked hard enough could find doujinshi based on more popular games in the US such as Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, and even Tomb Raider. The West Halls, a 20-minute trek away, were dedicated to works based on RPGs and fighting games with a special section reserved for all things Square-Enix.

Don’t be mistaken, comics aren’t all you can buy at Comiket! There is also an incredibly strong gaming component. The Doujin Software section had rows of booths displaying every game genre. Casual platformers shared space with puzzle games from MOUNT?PUNCH based on popular anime such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Es, an action shooter from 9thNight, reminded me very much of the Armored Core series. Parody games, such as a title combining the popular visual novel Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai with Phoenix Wright, were presented in every possible way, from slickly-produced packaging to hand-labeled CD-R discs. Even the most obscure of interests can find its place at Comiket. Early in the day we stumbled across a table staffed by two friendly guys in red Atari shirts, promoting their Jaguar fanzine. Yes, the much-maligned Atari Jaguar has a fan club in Japan.

These games are not published by companies, but rather by the creators themselves, all of whom do it for the love of their fandom or their craft. I spoke to Ryo a programmer for Secret Organization Mild Flag , a newly-formed circle currently developing a simulation RPG. He proudly states, “if you think about the commercialization of ‘otaku culture’, it basically boils down to this: people start as amateurs and do what they wanted, and there’s a fanbase that will support that kind of activity as opposed to just walking by it. I think that these people, if they can prove and hone and carve their skills into their pieces of work, they’ll gain the skills and the self esteem to go out and be commercial in the future. From my point of view, this is a really good first step. It’s also a good place for professionals to come back and kind of do whatever they want.” Evidence of this was abundant. Several famous manga-ka were selling their works that day, and many famous manga writers (such as the girl-group CLAMP) have risen to popularity through Comiket. TYPE MOON became famous with their popular novel game Tsukihime, then transitioned into a commercial organization in 2003 before releasing the mega-hit Fate/stay night. The company’s popularity was evident on Friday, as the line to enter its booth zigzagged for well over a kilometer.

Some circles stay true to their roots despite their success. Game designer ZUN is the lone member of Team Shanghai Alice. He is the designer, coder, and composer for the Touhou Project, a shoot-em-up series known internationally for its focus on characters, bullet patterns, and music which is surprising in a one-man production. I got to chat with Shacho and ARM of IOSYS, a popular music doujin circle that released a remix/arrangement CD of ZUN’s original Touhou Project tracks. Their CD sold out just as quickly that day as the new Touhou game itself did. Over 200 booths were selling doujinshi inspired by the Touhou Project and other doujin games, a clear indication of the loyal fan base that such games have.

Jirurun of shoot-em-up game circle SITER SKAIN demonstrated their latest product ALLTYNEX 2nd, to an appreciative audience, maneuvering his 2d fighter ship through intricate patterns of bullets. He and his partner, both with over a dozen years of programming experience, built the game from the top down. “Players [of STGs] want to move around a 2-dimensional surface… they find the simplicity of figuring out the rules to be a great advantage. In that sense, that kind of person will always be there, so I think [STGs] won’t completely vanish,” Jirurun commented in response to the looming “threat” of 3D gaming’s popularity. “However, as the number of games in the area increases, unless you make clear discriminations, they will all turn into the same game, so we’re in a kind of interlude period where everyone’s breaking their heads trying to come up with something new, and I think that’s where the advances are going to come from.”

Music circle groups offered a plethora of arrangement and remix CDs based on anime and videogame themes. While the majority sided towards electronica, rock, metal, and even hip-hop fans could find satisfaction. My personal favorite find of the day was ALiCE’S EMOTION and HARDCORE TANO*C. Their main performer, who goes by either REDALiCE or TANO*C, began making music four years ago, combining his love for club music with his interest in videogames to create songs that will get even the most stationary of otaku on the dancefloor. TANO*C releases hardcore techno and gabbercore for the masses, while REDALiCE focuses on arrangements based on anime and videogame soundtracks.

On the rooftop, photographers snapped dramatically dressed cosplayers posing in the sun. Most were current otaku darlings Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky?Star. A full group were cosplaying as characters from the rhythm game Pop’n Music sharing stage with a fantastic foursome from the recently-released Square-Enix RPG Subarashiki Kono Sekai [editor's note: check out our preview of SKS later in this issue!]. Pokemon trainers, Ragnarok Online characters, and even Mario and Link could be seen posing for the admiring fans and photogs.

While an event as large as Comiket is certainly impressive in its own right, even more stunning is that applications were being sold left and right to participate in Comiket 73, four months away. Until then, the attendees of Comiket 72, judging from the size of their stuffed bags, will all have plenty to distract themselves with.

For Americans with interest in doujin soft, SimulationStyle.com hosts a community dedicated to doujin games, as well as an archive of games, music, and workarounds toward playing these games on non-Japanese copies of Windows XP. If you visit Tokyo, several shops in the Electric Town district of Akihabara sell doujin soft and usually stock new material in the days following Comiket. Although westerners may not be able to understand character dialogue or plot details without some Japanese knowledge, events like Comiket prove that a gamer’s love for his hobby is truly an international phenomenon.

Tokyo Game Show 2007: Friday Report

Once more into the breach I dove to bring you more hands-on impressions on a variety of games on display. Read more

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