Review: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

It's been a good long time since I've got my hands on a Castlevania, although it's not really THAT long. The last one I played was the remake of the PSX on the GBA. As I started this game, I expected more and more of the whip-using fighter from some branch of the Balmont family, but lo and behold! Not only do we have a fighter named Jonathan, but a female who for once, isn't the damsel but a powerful, attractive spellcaster known as Charlotte (replacing one trope for another....Not too shocking.). Now, this Metroid-based game improves upon the RPG-like concept of stat-building and exploration. Alongside another story to kill the undead and demonic forces of Dracula and the new vampire Baruner, these two work together to kick some dark butt.

Spells and weapons galore dot the rooms and monsters as the two characters make their way through Dracula's castle under rent, as the daughters of the big bad Baruner attempt to stop you at every turn as you enter pictures; the will of the artist and the world created inside, alongside the realization of a 1940's perspective. Graphics maintain their Japanese flair and fluency, while using dialog which suits the ambiance of the game well.

Another interesting concept is the (seemingly) more difficult, and more interesting chance deviate through multiple paths in the storyline. That's new ground for Castlevania, and rare for the GBA/DS titles, if it exists at all. After attaining a certain spell for Charlotte, you can choose to "purify" some of the lesser vampires into humans, breaking the cycle of destruction and making the overall game seem less bleak. The effect is, to say the least, satisfying.

All in all, a innovative game for the Castlevania series with some new touches, as well as some old favorites (A certain traitorous "Shinigami" among them.), and a fine addition to the co-op genre which everyone will enjoy.

Judgement: 7/10


The Browncoats' Thoughts.

1) I want to RP more. Not just at conventions either.
2) Brainstorming is fun.
3) I am so going to get those anime club forms soon.
4) I'm capable of being my own person, and it's awesome.
5) Pink and Blue are cute colors on a girl. No matter what Miriam (My co-creator) says.

So, I lied.

I guess bi-daily is better for me than daily. No biggie then. *Looks through the latest Gamespot stuff.*

Well, Gundam DW already keeps to irk me heavily. This is just another ploy at making money, only this time I'm slicing Zakus instead of infidels, and with a beam saber instead of a REAL saber. What's the point? Surely I would just play the original DW2 or DW3 with I wanted massive horde destruction....Hell, it probably won't be for American audiences anyway...*Sliently wishes for TOD:R to show its glory to the American masses.*

Articles that interest me today:

Mind Quiz ousted from shelves: Ok, if you have the time to argue about "spastic" being a offensive term, which it's not FYI because it is a medical term, you can probably home-school or do mental training games with your child which aren't offensive. Surely, these parents haven't lost that much time and interest in and with their children.

GTA4 Trailer 2: ....Good for Rockstar. Seriously, good for Rockstar; they got through all this bullshite involving Hot Coffee and Bully and Manhunt 2 and did what needed to be done with making this downright beautiful looking trailer to a game which looks to be just as interest. Perhaps not as expansive as GTA:SA, but definitely interesting and well detailed. I can't wait to enter more buildings though and cause more virtual crime. It's a game, that's all it is, and all those people out there should just understand that.

Blue Dragon August 28th: Oh thank god. There have been so many games that have gotten the shaft and removal from North American shores, which would sell so well here, and they don't realize the potential. Why don't they? Surely these games could put them on the map. FF: Reverant Wings, Tales of Destiny Remake, and Namco X Capcom (alongside a small disc featuring translated versions of the older games so people can find out who they are..) with Japanese voice actors, but English text is a great idea. I mean, that's how Anime does it. I wish some of these people at Namco or Square or Capcom would grow a brain.

My Past Work (Part 3)

The Abridged History of the Gamer

By Matthew Szlapka

You hold the gray plastic rectangle in your hands and turn it over, reading the warning label on the back. The bottom has a small rectangular hole where a long white stripe rests inside it, waiting to placed within the gray box next to you. Exhilaration reaches its peak as you open the latch and place the rectangle in the slot, firmly pushing the item into place. You press the button next to you, and the television awakens with color and sound, as the amazement of a new v ideo game sets in.

The history of Video Games was a long and arduous climb for the media giant of today, and it created the kind of person who involve themselves into the genre on a fanatical basis; the gamer became the icon for the franchise, as the fascination started in the local arcades. During the seventies and eighties, people were so skilled at the game of Asteroids that they were thrown out of arcades for hogging the systems. Their accomplishments were left in the twenty-five cent machine, their hallmarks gracing the leaderboard for ages to come, which led to more and more people obsessing to attain the same goal with a joystick and two buttons. The population grew ever larger, seeking to outdo to competition in a battle for supremacy. Quarters were placed in those slots, and the arcades realized what Asteroids, along with the three to four other games released at the time, were able to bring out from such a small amount of time. A media giant had taken its first steps.

Back then, the individual gamer itself is still similar to the gamer today; A young man or woman, in fewer cases sadly, who bought a pizza pie at the corner store while his fingers moved over the joystick and buttons, or the trackball, or the (modified) driving wheel which allows for too quick a turn. Friends and fellow gamers looked on as the score began to skyrocket in the player’s screen, as they shouted strategies and suggestions to them, taken with varying amounts of thanks or dismay. All that chatter stopped as the numbers continue to grew higher and higher until the novelty breaks when the ship is destroyed. It was their last life; the group fans out to other systems, but the gamer isn’t there for the fanbase. He puts another quarter into the slot, chokes down another slice of pizza, and it starts again. Games appealed to the want for adventure or being the hero; Who wouldn’t want to be the one man or woman who had the ability to save humanity from Space Invaders or save the girl from the giant ape in Donkey Kong?

The home console, which was introduced in the 1977 changed everything. As soon as the Atari 2600 came onto the scene with its list of games, the gamer evolved from a high-schooler who went to the boardwalk arcade to dump a couple quarters into a large machine to one who never left the house. The gamer worked hard for the twenty bucks to buy a black cartridge with artwork on the front, place it into their Atari 2600, and played for hours on end. The joystick which gave the person control came home, and they felt as if they were helping ET phone home to his family, or driving a sword through a dragon’s chest in one strike (Adventure).

In the present day, graphics from the 2600 were far below the normal parameters for a powerful gaming system, but these were the foundation from which all games came to be; the place, time, and the systems and games involved are affectionately labeled as “old-school.” Without these landmarks, such as the well-known Nintendo Entertainment System, the arcade games by Namco and Midway, and the straight-line Vector graphics of the late seventies, the industry and concept of gaming would cease to exist. They were the inspiration and the foundation for all designers and developers and are respected as such.

Like all forms of media, the gaming industry has its legends. These designers and composers, such as Shigeru Miyamoto and Nobou Uematsu, were respected and revered not only as inventors of incredible games, but as works of art. Japanese legends were the most prominent although the industry was originally a American product because of their incredible imagination and work ethic which was evident in their fast cars, memorable children’s toys, and collectable card games with beautiful designs. Once the Nintendo - the Fanicom in Japan, was released in 1986, the new market opened the door for innovation and creativity in a completely different manner, and the Japanese industries took hold. American companies, as well as those from Europe, started to make themselves known, but a gamer worth his money and time had several games from the Japanese-influenced market, even if the game was not originally released in Japan, such as Sonic Spinball. To the American designer community, Richard Garriott and Sid Meier come to mind as legends in their field.

Today, the gaming industry has thrived with a long, successful run of systems, arcade machines, and broad online-based games which began in the mid-nineties. The gamer has evolved once again in change with the growing industry, but it has also alienated itself by creating a fixed line between games, the preferred gamer to that game, and their personal interest; the athletic guy generally finds the shooters and sports games well within his sense of machismo, and never gives the in-depth storyline and development of an RPG any thought. Conversely, any fantasy nerd is sure to find Madden 2007 just as unappealing, turning on Final Fantasy XII instead.

The modern gamer has been involved with a even greater evolutionary flaw; the technical superiority and fascination with newer games, coupled with neglect of older games which brought the franchise to its current glory. New gamers have no interest in the games which made gaming a powerful and well-developed media franchise to begin with; showing no respect for their predecessors and the designers that created them, these people continue to care only about the latest technical innovation to hit the market, such as the movement-based Wii Remote, or the online capability of Xbox Live. Even the attempts of the console developers to educate the masses of their past has been neglected for newer, better-looking, and “more interesting” material.

I view this as completely unacceptable; the gamer was someone who spent hours of sleepless nights and reveled in caffeine-induced insomnia to experience the designer’s creation, and they respected him or her. Now, the majority no longer cares about what made their newer games exist, much less how enjoyable they still are to this day. It is a complete travesty to the work these men and women have spent their lives learning coding for, and is an insult to the industry in general. History is meant to be learned and respected, not shrugged off like a pile of trash.

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My past Work (Part 2)

The Crackdown: Judgment of the Three New Consoles

By Matthew Szlapka

Almost as well-known as the introduction of videogames into our modern culture, one of the strongest forces which define the future of this industry is the advertising campaign known as the Console Wars. Beginning with the two old-school giants: Nintendo and Sega in 1995, the console war has always been a major event ever since the inclusion of a third front, to the predictable release dates during the holiday months. The true battle is in the gamer, which must decide on the best system, and purchase accordingly.

Unlike console wars in the past; however, the 2005-2006 console war is much more relaxed. The three competing systems: the Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, and the Xbox 360, have all taken completely different approaches to the idea of gaming. Which of the innovations will be most appealing depends on the buyer, since no system has a clear advantage over the others this holiday season. As the sales came to a close, I looked at the new systems and what they were capable of, to attempt a judgment of the superior system this console season. Let’s look at the statistics.

Wii:

Nintendo’s last hope for console greatness, the Wii (which is the first Nintendo console not to place its name in the title, which refers to the console’s ability for everyone to be entertained.) made a tremendous showing at E3 with a library of familiar character and an innovative control. Using a sensor at the front of the Wii Remote, the player assumes control of a character’s simple actions, such as swinging a sword (LOZ, Twilight Princess.) or determining the power of your drive. (Wii Sports, Golf.) The sensor also controls the system’s console function, turning your hand and wrist into a mouse pointer. Although it takes a while to master the control scheme, and the requirement of a standard controller to play control-heavy games is financially frustrating, it is a very marketable innovation which has incredible potential.

The hardware in the Wii is the most impressive seen thus far for Nintendo, proudly using an ATI Hollywood graphics unit. ATI is well-known for the Radeon series of graphics cards for high-end gaming computers. This is not the first console the graphics giant has worked for, and the quality of their units proves they will be going nowhere.

Quite possibly the most interesting feature of the Wii is the use of its wireless connection to download older games at reasonable prices. Nintendo has not only teamed with Sega, but also the buried Turbografx from Japan to release games that many old-school gamers have waited patiently for a successful return. The potential for such a system is high; the appeal for the older gamers is already strong, but it also provides a resurgence of interest to the new generation.

Overall, the Wii has achieved a strong hold in sales, having sold all released systems within 44 days of the US launch and year’s end. Its control scheme and downloadable content are strong selling points for Nintendo, but its library of titles relates to the release of the DS: the games are interesting, but fail to stand out. Legend of Zelda came the closest in terms of a launch title, selling eighty-six percent compared with the Wii, but the game was also released on the Nintendo Gamecube, which lowered interest. This system is taking it’s time, similar to Nintendo’s handhelds, to release the more enticing and better-developed titles at a later date.

Xbox 360:

The Xbox 360 broke the cycle by releasing a year earlier than any other system. They had hoped to use their superior graphics, audio, and software to completely outshine the other companies before their new console launch. However, an incredible amount of hardware bugs along with a lack of games from well-known Japanese supporters such as Square Enix or Capcom led to a very humbling experience. The Gamecube and Playstation 2 stayed afloat, although the Xbox managed to sell 10.4 million units with the promise of refunds for hardware repair and the re-creation of certain games which were played on the Xbox (Battlefield 2, Burnout 3.)

A year later, the Xbox 360 has redeemed itself with new games that began with Dead Rising and shall hopefully continue, along with beautiful graphics and impressive online capability through Xbox Live. With growing support from game companies overseas, the competition for international gaming quality has truly begun. The Xbox has attempted to appeal to the older gamers, by adding downloadable arcade content from Namco such as Pac-Man or Galaga.

Having the most money for hardware development gives Microsoft a distinct advantage in compact visual and sound-related fields. Using a PC-level processor designed by IBM, and also relaying on ATI for their graphical abilities, the Xbox 360 has the most advanced hardware overall. This is mildly important to the gamer, since the quality of a game requires multiple factors to interest a player, not just the beauty of the impressive graphics.

The Xbox 360 took a major chance and failed, but has returned with better games and a new direction. Microsoft has already made a lot of money with this system, and it stands to make a lot more with the inclusion of Japanese gaming companies and the maintenance and improvement of Xbox Live. But this potential is very slow and that makes the gamers anxious. The delay of Blue Dragon, the Xbox’s first Japanese role-playing game originated by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, until June has annoyed hundreds of eager fans. Although Microsoft has attempted to alleviate the situation with great games like Gears of War and Lost Planet (Capcom), it is this journalist’s judgment that this stall tactic for better games will not last.

Playstation 3

Out of all the systems, the Playstation 3 seems to excel at the area of raw media. From the first few screens at E3, its graphical capabilities outshine the Xbox 360 on several different levels, and it came through brilliantly.

The system’s visual superiority is shown though the Blue-ray Disc system that is standard in every console. Using a different laser from its predecessors, the Blue Ray disc holds far information than any other disc type on the market. Along with a twenty GB hard drive, the system is capable of much more storage than any other system. Along with an internet browser, the ability to play your own music and DVD’s, and the promise of backward compatibility, the Playstation 3 looks to be a very impressive media system.

But it lacks in its primary function; gaming. At the very steep price of 600 big ones, the only people who bought the system did so in order to sell it back. The system’s Blue Ray disc, which is worth a grand up-front in a normal DVD player, was the only defining feature. The games were lackluster, and the gamers knew it. A week after the releases of the PS3 and the Wii, gamers went to their local to find PS3’s available, but Nintendo products completely gone. This has not happened since the Playstation came and took Nintendo’s SNES and N64 from 1995-1997. It seems to me that the tables have turned.

If Sony wants to make this work, they will need to start releasing good games sooner than later, as well as dropping their idea of an interactive control as original. A week after the report of the Wii’s controller, Sony announced their plans for a controllable, movable controller as well. Get your own ideas, Sony.

So, there you have it. Three systems with their own strengths and weaknesses, but with no clear victor. These next couple months will decide not only who will reign supreme, but also how the industry will be defined in the years to come. Everyone has to bring their best, or they will be brought down fast. That is for certain.

My past work (Part 1)

Avernum: And you thought Solitary was bad…

For those who stick to the more demanding and engrossing PC games that come out these days within the RPG genre, Jeff Vogel is likely to be a completely unknown designer, for the sole fact that all of his work has only been available online since 1994, not to mention it’s exclusive nature for the Macintosh. The PC conversion for all the games at Spiderweb software gives gamers a unique opportunity to play a truly unique and engrossing series of games.

Originally known as the Exile series, which used a 2-D bird’s-eye view of a customizable-party RPG in a expansive fantasy world in three numbered titles and a legendary editor, Vogel was dramatically expanded on this franchise with 3-D graphics, an easy-to-understand interface and gameplay elements, and even combined factors from the three original games to create Avernum, the subsequent remake plus one of the original series of role-playing fantasy games. A definite change from the normal, you find yourself in control of four characters (a great difference from the original games six) in the extremely expansive caves of Avernum, the aboveground Empire’s makeshift prison for those who speak against the oppressive government. Thrown through a one-way portal, the player finds that Avernum is far different than the horrible legends and rumors that they expected, and is instead a magical place filled with monsters, surviving inmates, and other sentient (and hostile) beings such as the Nephilim and the Slithzerikai. Three main quests involving the explication of revenge against the empire takes well into the forty-hour mark, with several different quests and the thirst for exploration of the caves; even in the shareware version, which only allows to learn of the three quests but not partake, the game is rather massive. Although there is no music to accompany the action in any part of the series except for the opening screen, the sound effects for spells, physical combat, entering towns, and even walking add a sense of realism to the game; after all, one could just use the music they collect on Winamp or ITunes for the background: It’s what I do.

Graphics are an impressive display of sprites and pale countryside as giant mushrooms, twisted trees created by magic, towers and cities dot the landscape. Although bland, the also contributes in a consistent environment of a world under the surface.

Avernum 2 involved new features, such as the choice of using the three primary races (Avernites, Nephilim, or Slithzerikai) against the Empire, which is actively at war with the underground after the events of the first game. The major plot twist comes very early on, with the introduction of the cave’s natural inhabitants, a truly alien-looking race, society and culture known as the Vahnanaiti. Different buildings, dungeons, and monsters wait as you travel between two distinct lands in a progressing world. One glaring aspect of the series continues to be its difficulty, which is a huge breather from the scores of simple RPG’s which have turned the genre into a much simpler kind of entertainment through highly visual, verbal, and musical methods. The matter of difficulty can be a blessing or a curse, since the game’s lack of music and highly appealing graphics serve to improve gameplay, but could be far too taxing a game for people to maintain interest.

As the series progresses into its third and fourth titles, more and more features and modifications are added, such as a Job Board, where renewable quests make themselves known, and the ever helpful ability of area-effect spells, which the series has not had since its predecessor. The most altered game from the rest is Avernum 4; with absolutely no difference between town, travel, and underground cavern, as well as a completely refurbished control scheme, the game has become a completely different kettle of fish as the players, new or experienced (The website claims that there is no need for the player to have played the other three, although I beg to differ for storyline purposes.) will partake of a much more believable environment as cave ambient sound-effects fill the speakers. With the improvement of sound, along comes the improvement of graphics in such a bland atmosphere as the immense caverns and the natural rock formations put things into perspective.
Overall, the series has come a long way from the original game, which was already a groundbreaking achievement. Besides graphical issues and lack of musical/sound effects which create the setting even more, All of the games have a background and ambience of a world which has its own unique nature and environment all its own, which no other game could emulate. A great game for those who spend 7-10 dollars for the full version, and addictive enough to allow for several hours each day. A true gem of the shareware world.

Judgment: 9.5/10

My newest stuff....

Well, I'm back. I am now going to be using this blog not only for my latest work, but also what I deem to be nescessary on a (hopefully) day-to-day basis. Lord, or whoever is up there, knows I've been meaning to post more....Reviews, thoughts, fic/saga ideas, the list goes on.

So, if anyone is out there and actually cares about reading people people they don't know, or just has an interest in what I've written already, I'm going to start with the reviews, stories, and features I find to be the best.

Welcome to the blog I want to keep..


5 Recent thoughts: (New column; features my thoughts and feelings for the day, in a little sentence. Enjoy.)

5) The Tenth Doctor is one hell of a badass.
4) Transformers and HP Movie 5 for Movie Interest.
3) Starcraft 2, Bioshock, and Fallout 3 for Game Interest.
2) The ESRB and Jack Thompson continue to test my patience.
1) RIP....Chris Benoit....Although after what you did to your kids, you're going to Hell, no matter what that Bible ssays.

While we're on the topic....

The last thing I posted was a little scene from my series. I'll provide a little synopsis for it.

The Senais Saga:

At the beginning of the universe, four fledging races emerged to help the rest develop and make it thrive; these races encompassed the four qualities which make the individual being: Ingenunity, Willpower, Emotion, and Change. Together, they prodded the races which grew and became in their own way over eons; not gods, but casual observers who allowed for a race to survive as long as they were capable. They saw the worlds around them thrive, and things were in harmony.

The race of Change, the Senais, were a society of culture and oral tradition, which diversified over and over into many different factions which coexisted and did their part to study the worlds' creatures and their cultures. Suffice it to say that some Senais were more interested in their charges and became involved, as all beings do once they leave the womb, and left the home planet of Traila in live amongst and gain the experience of life with the lower races.

They were, like the other three, rather arrogant. They believed that they were better than the lower races. They believed their work was for the greater good. They believed there would never be any breach of the harmony. They were wrong.

It began, as all great wars do, with only one being. A Senais who had been sent to monitor a small, self-developing planet under the council's watchful eye for some time. The year on that planet was 1095, in the vast plain to the northeastern hemisphere of the planet. It's name was Earth.