Much like the increase in digital distribution over physical media, the injection of smartphones into the portable gaming ecosystem has quickly caused many to declare dedicated portable game systems officially dead. But is that really so?

I believe that each platform has its strengths and weaknesses. They can… no, they SHOULD coexist. To get rid of dedicated portable game systems in favor of touch screen phones would be to force an unnecessary limitation on ourselves.

More Than Just Making Calls

Smartphones have provided us with a wealth of interesting game types at a fraction of the cost of retail games. Anywhere from $10 to as low as 99 cents can buy you a game that you might spend countless hours with. And with very little barrier to entry, many indie developers have managed to get more exposure than ever before.

Similar to the DS, the touch screen common on smartphones has allowed developers to explore unique control schemes and innovative new game types. While there’s certainly a lot of dregs to wade through (something true of all platforms), there are undoubtedly some quality games to find for those who take the time to look.

You’ve Got the Touch

While there are alternate control methods (such as tilt controls), devices like the iPhone primarily use the touch screen. When games are designed with touch control in mind, it can be a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out that way.

Many games make use of a “virtual joystick” controlled by sliding your thumb around the screen. Generally, this only works for games that don’t require any kind of precision.

I recently played the iPhone version of NBA Jam. The virtual stick works adequately, but I became frustrated when I accidentally moved my thumb a bit too far and my character came to an abrupt stop. It’s sloppy, but it was one of the better experiences I came across.

The iPhone version of Mega Man 2 on the other hand is almost unplayable. I consider it to be one of the easiest classic Mega Man games and I’ve beaten it a ridiculous number of times, but on the iPhone I was in trouble. For action platformers, a virtual joystick just isn’t up to the task.

Fighting games don’t fare much better. While I was impressed that a version of Street Fighter IV works at all on a phone, it felt like nothing more than a short lived novelty in comparison to the real version. The amount of buttons had to be drastically reduced cutting the game’s depth considerably and the virtual joystick input is downright laughable for any kind of serious play.

"You get what you pay for."

You could argue that the iPhone version is a fraction of the cost of the upcoming 3DS version. But to be brutally honest, I would rather pay more for the game that actually works.

“But You Don’t Need Those Games To Be Portable!”

Inevitably, this is where the same argument comes up. I’m told that there are so many games in genres that do work well on smartphones that I shouldn’t care about the genres that don’t. These genres work better on consoles anyway, so I should only play them there.

Would you also tell me I shouldn’t listen to drum ‘n bass on my earbud headphones because my home stereo could do it better? Would you tell me that there are so many good soft rock songs that I shouldn’t care about listening to drum ‘n bass when I’m away from home? I hope not, because I would probably have to smack you.

The point is that sometimes I am in the mood for specific game types. No amount of other genres will scratch that proverbial itch.

Not Just For Short Bursts

Another remark I often hear is that if a portable game does provide a console-level experience full of deeper, more engrossing gameplay, than it has failed as a portable game. The logic here is that portable gaming is only good in short bursts.

Certainly, being able to quit anytime is important. But the DS goes into sleep mode when closed and the PSP sleeps when you flick the power switch. These are functions that are standard with every game, regardless of genre and it’s reasonable to assume the next iterations will do the same.

But are short bursts, such as while waiting in line while grabbing a bite to eat, the only time people play games? According to EA’s Vice President of Mobile Worldwide studios, Travis Boatman, users play mobile games at home 47% of the time.

Why would somebody play a portable game at home when they could play a console (aside from the 7% spent on the toilet)? Speaking from my own personal experience, there are many reasons to play a portable gaming device (whether it be a phone or dedicated system) over a console.

"The ridiculously long lines found at conventions are just one of the many situations where extended portable gaming sessions happen."

When multitasking for example. I recently reformatted my desktop computer and had to reinstall a large number of programs. My computer isn’t located near my consoles, so I got in a lot of quality “DS time” while occasionally pausing to swap discs or click OK on the next prompt.

My consoles are in a pretty secluded area of my room. Sometimes I want to be around where the rest of my housemates are, in the shared living room area, so that I can converse while relaxing and playing games. Moving my consoles to this area is out of the question.

I also know multiple people whose only means of gaming are portable devices. This can happen for various reasons, whether it be that portables games are often cheaper than console games or that the rest of their household uses the only available TV so much that consoles are not a practical option for them. Yet they still want to play new games, some of which require more than a touch screen or tilt controls in order to work well.

Never Overgeneralize

To say that there’s no place any more for dedicated portable game systems is to say that people like myself or my friends don’t exist. The fact of the matter is, people have a variety of different situations in life. You might not ever feel the urge to play a dedicated portable game system, but not everybody is in your situation or shares your taste in gaming.

It’s best not to use broad, sweeping statements to describe portable gaming habits. The reality of the situation if far more complex than that. I can’t speak for the distant future, but as of right now, there are plenty of reasons for people to game both on smartphones AND dedicated portable game systems, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

On this, the one-hundred and fourth episode of our fine internet radio program, the guys are too depressed to discuss the news. Layoffs, layoffs and more layoffs. The upside is lots of good games come out this week.

A few games were also played this week, including the iPhone versions of NBA Jam and Super Street Fighter IV. Jonah finally picked up Retro Game Challenge and Jesse dove back in to Star Soldier R. Adam lets us know why he is giving up on Bionic Commando ReArmed 2.

We also announce the winner of our last contest. All this and more on Barrel Roll #104, “Barrel Roll Triple Pack”!

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On a very special eighty-eighth episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, it’s an all-night dragon dance party. And there ain’t no party like a one-eyed dragon party, ’cause a one-eyed dragon party has historically accurate robo-samurai.

In our segment where we talk about the games we played the previous week, simply titled “video games”, Jesse and Jonah talk about the remix tour of NBA Jam, Jesse tries to get into Alan Wake and has even checked out the DSiWare title Shantae: Risky’s Revenge.

Jesse and Adam break down Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, which Adam managed to pull himself away from Minecraft for a few minutes to try out. Jonah finally started his epic western quest in Red Dead Redemption, and even had a chance to try out the multiplayer with Wes (even though he didn’t make the show).

In “Let’s Play Together”, Jonah and Jesse talk about Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes and its constant one-eyed dragon parties.

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Show Notes

New Games This Week

Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Wii)

Vanquish (360, PS3)

Fallout: New Vegas (360, PS3)

EA Sports MMA (360, PS3)

Saw II: Flesh and Blood (360, PS3)

DJ Hero 2 (Wii, 360, PS3)

Power Gig: Rise of the SixString (360, PS3)

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 (360, PS3)

SBK X: Superbike World Championship (360, PS3)

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 (Wii, 360, PS3)

Dragonball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team (PSP)

Blazing Souls: Accelate (PSP)

The Shoot (PS3)

Time Crisis: Razing Storm (PS3)

Super Meat Boy (XBLA)

News

Mega Man Legends 3 Heroine Voting Contest

Guwange coming Nov 10 on XBLA for $10

Gran Turismo 5 delays for the millionth time

Pre-Order Dragon Age II before January 11th automatically upgrades it to signature edition

Uncharted film seemingly in the works

Music

Intro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by Main Finger

Middle Music – “Sasuke Sarutobi’s Theme” from Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes

Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

On a very special eighty-seventh episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, only one wizard will rise up to save the world from the minions of darkness washing over the land. Select carefully…

In what we’ve been playing, Jesse hit up the demos for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. He also talks the nitty gritty of advanced classes in Valkyria Chronicles II. Jonah has played a little of several games, including The Longest Journey, Duke Nukem 3D, Minecraft and the PC Classic, Master of Magic, where he was implored to “select wizard”.

Wes is back with more on Red Dead Redemption and the third episode of the Doctor Who adventure game.

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Show Notes

New Games This Week

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes (Wii, PS3)

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (WW, XBLA, PSN)

ZhuZhu Pets 2: Featuring the Wild Bunch (Wii, DS)

Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals (DS)

Super Scribblenauts (DS)

Just Dance 2 (Wii)

Sniper Elite (Wii)

Lucha Libre: AAA Heroes Del Ring (Wii, 360, PS3, DS, PSP)

Arcania: Gothic 4 (360, PS3)

Medal of Honor (360, PS3, PC)

Invizimals (PSP)

Who’s That Flying!? (PSN)

Pinball FX 2 (XBLA)

News

Ono says Inafune needs to see a million requests for Darsktalkers to green light it, currently they have about 5,000

Arthur and Nathan Spencer, Magneto and MODOK confirmed for MvC3 http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/08/video-marvel-vs-capcom-3s-sir-arthur-and-the-bionic-commando/ http://www.joystiq.com/2010/10/09/modok-vs-magneto-marvel-vs-capcom-3-video-face-off/

Bangai-O HD delayed until Spring, adding Co-Op and Competitive Multiplayer

Mega Man Legends 3 has veteran staff from past entries as well as from Monster Hunter, Lost Planet, and Basara staff

Mitsuda working on Orchestral Xenogears album

Import the world, not the character in Dragon Age 2

Gaming as we know it is revolutionized by the Game Boat

Music

Intro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by Main Finger

Middle Music – Unknown song from the Master of Magic Soundtrack

Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

End Clip – From Chris Remo’s “The Wizard“

It’s that time of year. You know, the time when your wallet begs you for mercy? Yes, as the last quarter of 2010 comes, so does the deluge of new releases. But have no fear, WingDamage is here to help you remember which games are coming out for the Nintendo Wii. Let the insanity begin!

Kirby’s Epic Yarn [Hands-On Impressions]

“When I first saw screenshots of Kirby’s Epic Yarn, I wasn’t convinced. However, the second I saw the game in motion I fell in love with the style. Everything is made of yarn and felt and the animations look unbelievably smooth. But yarn isn’t just for show. You can use yarn to whip and grab enemies, scrunch up sections of the level, and more.

The Kirby formula is mixed up as Kirby uses a variety of transformations without having to eat enemies to do it. Drop in/drop out co-op lets you progress through levels with a friend, collecting secret items along the way. My time with the demo at PAX left me eager to get my hands on the adorable platformer.” -Jesse

Disney Epic Mickey

“I remember the days when a Disney franchise game meant you were in for a treat. Remember Duck Tales on the NES? How about Darkwing Duck?

Throw in the fact that Warren Spector, legendary game designer, has been wanting to make a Mickey Mouse game pretty much since video games were a thing (at least according to his Keynote at PAX). This leads me to believe that the pairing of Spector and Disney will make for something truly special.

It isn’t a tie-in game, and they seem to be giving Spector and his team at Junction Point Studios a lot of liberty with the characters and story. If what we’ve seen of the game so far is any indication, we are in for a fun and interesting adventure in the universe of the world’s favorite rodent.” -Jonah

Donkey Kong Country Returns [Hands-On Impressions]

“Everybody wondered what Retro Studios, the developer behind than fantastic Metroid Prime games, would work on next. I don’t think anybody expected it to be the revitalization of Donkey Kong Country.

While Donkey Kong Country Returns definitely looks like a safe sequel, Retro’s adding enough new things to push the series forward, including simultaneous co-op (instead of tag-team), more unique character abilities, and dual layered level design. Having played the game at PAX, I can honestly say I’m really looking forward to grabbing a buddy and making my way through each secret filled level.” -Jesse

NBA Jam [Hands-On Impressions]

“BOOM SHAKALAKA! HE’S ON FIRE! ET CETERA! These are phrases I use to hear quite often in my household (ok, maybe not that last one). With the series coming back, I’ll be reliving those glory days of meeting up with friends for some arcade-style, local multiplayer.

I’ve never been a sports guy, but a few games, such as NBA Jam and NFL Blitz, I’ve spent countless hours having a blast with. This is the type of game that can bring the sports fan and the sports ignorant together with the same level of joy.” -Jesse

Sonic Colors [Hands-On Impressions]

“Sonic Colors was one my most surprising experiences at PAX. I went in expecting another disappointing 3D Sonic game and instead found myself waiting in line a second time to play it again. Levels have branching paths with secrets, power ups are fun and not forced upon you, and there was a nice mix of speed and platforming in the demo I played. While I’m still cautious, this is the first 3D Sonic game I find myself actually looking forward to in a very long time.” -Jesse

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes [Hands-On Impressions]

“Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes recreates Japanese history in painstakingly realistic detail from the flying cyborgs to the magic powers. While fighting hundreds of soldiers, you and a friend (either online or in split/screen) can juggle an absurd amount of enemies as you take over bases and make your way to the boss. Hack and slash your way through stages with over a dozen characters as you learn about the rich, magic robot infused history of Japan.” -Jesse

James Bond: Goldeneye 007

“While Goldeneye might not hold up as well today as some would like to believe, there’s no question that it blew up the FPS genre on consoles. Who hasn’t played the multiplayer modes to death back in the day?

Rather than up-res the now dated game, this new re-imaging attempts to examine what concepts made the original so enjoyable. Retaining aspects like a ridiculous number of multiplayer modes and modifiers that can be combined, Goldeneye 007 looks to morph a classic into a modern game to bring the best of both worlds. It will be interesting to see if they can pull it off.” -Jesse

DJ Hero 2

“The original DJ Hero was a breath of fresh air in the stagnant rhythm genre. DJ Hero 2 takes things to the next level with new meaningfully scored freestyle sections. Not only will you free style with samples (which now apply more consistently to each song), you’ll also be able to freestyle scratch and freestyle crossfade. Combine this with a more robust multiplayer experience and you have more than a glorified track pack. This is a true sequel that expands on the great fundamentals the original laid down.” -Jesse

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

“The first Star Wars: The Force Unleashed had its issues, but overall I did have a lot of fun with it. The story and characters were interesting, and by the end when you were fully powered up, the force powers kept the battles fun.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II boasts better controls, more force powers, and double lightsabers (so intense). Starkiller is now searching for his lost love as Vader is pursuing him in an attempt to clone the perfect Sith Warrior. It’s all a Star Wars nerd could need to get their heart pumping!

The Wii version also features an exclusive 4-player battle mode.” -Jonah

FlingSmash

“What do you get when you combine Tennis and Pinball? FlingSmash. Using the Wii Motion+ for improved accuracy, FlingSmash has you and a friend flinging your heroes around scrolling stages, smashing everything in your path. As you progress through the game’s 8 worlds, you’ll fight bosses and change forms. I’m not exactly sure what to make of FlingSmash to tell you the truth, but it’s an interesting concept.” -Jesse

Longtime WingDamagarians know that I am a huge fan of the NBA Jam series. So when I heard that the upcoming NBA Jam game was going to be playable at PAX, I made my way over to the EA booth. Even before I could see the booth, I could hear people yelling in a mixture of excitement, anger, and joy, as they dunked on each other and caught on fire. It sounded like a Friday night at the arcade back in the day.

After chatting with some of the members of the dev team and getting some sweet hands-on time with the game, I can safely say that NBA Jam is back and better than ever.

A large reason for this success is due to the dedication of the team. They get what makes NBA Jam so much fun. They even brought original Jam creator Mark Turmell out for a week to have him discuss the game. They also managed to track down the original announcer on Facebook and got him to come back to yell series catchphrases like, “He’s on fire!” and I am pretty sure I heard him yell “Boomshakalaka!”

Before I go much further, I do have to apologize to the two guys who demoed the game with me. These poor boys that thought the Heat could compete with my Lakers. You gotta have rebounding guys. By the time the third quarter ended, we had to call the game on account of Kobe, Pau’s, and my skillz. End of 3rd quarter: 50 to 10. Mercy quit.

The dev guys confirmed that there will be no annoying rubber band A.I. If you are better than your opponent, there will be no miraculous comebacks, where every one of their shots goes in and all of yours rim out. Nope, if you are better than your buddy you can crush them mercilessly, a la 50 to 10.

The set up for the game is basically the same as the original. Games are 2 on 2, with exaggerated dunks and “knock guys on their butt” shoves. If you hit 3 shots in a row, you catch on fire. Rookies still try to dunk every time and the vets sit back and drain 3 threes. All of the controls are assigned to buttons except for the shooting which is done by swing the wii-mote up to jump and then down to release the shot.

The game blends fast, frantic action with some surprising amount of strategy. There is now a counter to just about everything your opponent can throw at you, but just like in a fighting game if you guess wrong you’ll get burned (literally, a dude will catch on fire and start making everything). A spin move will counter a shove but will leave you vulnerable to a strip. While throwing elbows might send your opponents flying they also force you to pick up your dribble. Figuring out how to counter your opponents moves and trying to trick them into trying the wrong tactic make for some great times.

There is a version of the game coming out for PS3 and Xbox 360 that you get with NBA Elite, but it is significantly stripped down when compared to its Wii counterpart. For the full Jam experience you’ve gotta bust out your nunchuck and Wii-mote.

Unless an asteroid smashes into the Earth between now and the game’s release, MechaJesus and I will be rocking out with Team Bobcat on NBA Jam when it releases in October.

On a very special seventy-fourth episode of the video game podcast “Barrel Roll!”, the guys witness history in the making as Scissor-Man scores a million goal-points to win the World Cup for team ScissorMans.

We also talk about video games.

Returning junior editor Russ “the Bus” Walsh attempt to tell us about Crackdown 2 , but his spirits become too crushed to continue on. Adam has finally joined us in 2005 and picked up an Xbox 360, so he has mostly been playing older XBLA titles like Shadow Complex and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Jonah had a chance to try out the co-op mode in Sin and Punishment: Star Successor. He also picked up the new Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge. Meanwhile, Jesse has fired up the space jams with Mass Effect 2.

In the news, we talk about NBA Jam possibly coming to XBLA and PSN, the upcoming “Summer of Arcade” games, Dragon Age 2 and much more.

There is even time for a “Friday Old Games” discussion of Goonies 2.

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Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

As I mentioned yesterday, finding out when and where to eat at E3 is important business. While there is food on site, like at the Convention Center’s Galaxy Cafe, it’s just so-so and fairly overpriced. “Either eat on a budget or pay for a decent meal,” is my motto. But what’s the best way to go?

On day one, after exploring the grounds a bit, my friend and I left the Convention Center and found our way to Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge. They offered an $8 lunch special that included a round of bowling (yes, there are lanes on the site). That atmosphere was very laid back and comfortable, and the cheeseburger and fries were very satisfying. Sadly, we had no time for bowling. A fine meal, but a little pricey and time consuming.

For day two we decided to go totally budget. Unfortunately, there isn’t any fast food around the Convention Center, but we were still in luck. To promote the game Homefront, an upcoming FPS about North Korea taking over the US in the future, THQ subsidized a traveling food vendor to sell themed food items, like Korean BBQ tacos and kimchi quesadillas (clever, if not controversial). The food was pretty good for its simplicity, and two tacos and a quesadilla cost a mere $4.

But the best way to go is eating for free, though this may take investigation and connections. When we finally found Activision’s area (which was separate from the two main halls) and saw a presentation for Call of Duty: Black Ops, we realized they were serving free pizza. It was awful, but shoot, it was free. A little later we got free beef and cheddar sandwiches from Capcom, as we were invited to their swanky special event on site. I should also mention that there are plenty of people in and near the Convention Center who will give away free energy drinks, so keep your eyes peeled for them.

Boy, all this talk is making me hungry. Let’s get on with some games. Today I’m here to give impressions on NBA Jam, Bionic Commando ReArmed 2, Okamiden, Ghost Trick and Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes. And yeah, that’s me and Charles Martinet up top! Woohoo!

NBA Jam

Back in the 16-bit days, NBA Jam was one of my all-time favorite games. I never owned it, but rented it constantly — remember when you could just go down the street and rent games for a dollar a day? At any rate, it’s kind of funny. Since then, sports games have strove to become more realistic and complex, and this factor made me a little worried when I first heard that NBA Jam was being reborn. But I’m glad to say NBA Jam for the Wii is still all those things that made it great: a baller jumping 20 feet into the air, smashing down a flaming slam dunk, and the announcer yelling “Boom-shaka-laka!”

So far as I can recall, everything I loved about the original is the same. The only major improvements to my eye are the graphics, which now use 3D models for the players, but various facial photos of the available players for the faces. It looks silly, but in a fun way, and really fits the vibe of the game. Another element that was new to me, though I believe it’s been employed in past successors of the original NBA Jam, is having two-player coop, with a total of four players in a game.

Much like in Donkey Kong Country Returns, my rustiness really showed in this game, and I was really ineffective at playing with my friend, Cheston. Once our two opponents got a knack for the alley-oop dunk, they crushed us pretty handily. Similarly to Wii Sports Resort’s basketball, the game uses thrusting the remote up to jump and then slamming it back down to shoot/dunk. I think I got a little too into it and got careless, but being able to dunk on people as Stoudemire felt awesome (when it worked).

I have to admit, this E3 really brought me back to my 16-bit days, and I think this game might have taken me back even more than DKC and Kirby. As a testament to how fun this game was, even though we played it just once and I sucked, my friend is considering buying a Nintendo Wii just for this game. I’m looking forward to it too — then I can set right that darned Lakers/Celtics championship.

Bionic Commando ReArmed 2

Bionic Commando is a fine game, but it’s one I could never get into. While not one of Capcom’s more renowned series, it has a devoted following. But with each new attempt to bring back Bionic Commando, Capcom has simply lost me — that is until now. Playing their newest installment in the works, Bionic Commando ReArmed 2, I finally get it. I finally feel like a master of my own universe. I can finally jump.

Even though it’s just a mere, unenthusiastic hop, being able to jump really changed this game for me. Leaping up and grappling onto objects just feels better than positioning yourself carefully and then grappling. The ability to grab and throw barrels from ReArmed is back. The demo also started with three weapons: the typical gun, a more powerful but short ranged shotgun, and a grenade launcher that created such a wide explosion that you risk killing yourself if you don’t get out of the way. These same weapons may have been in the first ReArmed, though, and I’m not sure if the final game will let you start with them.

Despite the added ability of jumping, the game is still challenging, and I wasn’t able to clear the initial demo stage. I still don’t know if I’m sold on Bionic Commando, but I think with a game like this I could definitely get into it better. The visuals are nice, though I do wish they were brighter and more defined. Still, it’s a nice homage to old school values, and it’s interesting to see that ReArmed is outliving its big budget, cinematic adventure counterpart. Oh, and Nathan “Rad” Spencer, the protagonist, has a mustache now, which is pretty cool.

Ōkamiden

Ōkami is a game I unfortunately never got into. While it certainly does have unique concepts and a glorious visual style, these things alone didn’t make it a great game to me. But with its successor coming to the Nintendo DS, I think there’s a good opportunity to fix some things up. After all, a game that has drawing shapes as a major mechanic would be most suited on the DS, don’t you think?

In Ōkamiden you play as Chibiterasu, the little pup variation of the previous game’s antagonist, Amaterasu. Also joining you is the boy Nushi, who rides on Chibiterasu’s back. While the player controls Chibiterasu, they can dismount Nushi and command him to go somewhere by drawing a path on the touch screen. This gives a bit more depth to the game’s puzzle elements, and in the demo I was carefully guiding both Chibiterasu and Nushi to different switches, one at a time, in order to clear obstacles and proceed.

At any time you can use the celestial paintbrush to draw different figures and cause effects, like repairing bridges or cutting down obstacles. I can tell you this feature works so much better on the DS, as I have painful memories from the Wii Ōkami in taking over 20 minutes trying to draw a straight line with the remote. The game’s battle system has also been simplified; I never really understood how it worked in the original game, but in Ōkamiden I seemed to pick it up a lot quicker. There were also minor enemies that appeared on the map which you could attack with a boomerang-like weapon, instead of always shifting to the battle mode.

Despite its improvements, Ōkamiden still seems to be the same slow-paced, adventure puzzle game, not unlike the DS Zeldas, and it’s not my cup of tea. But for fans of Ōkami and adventure games, this new installment should really please you.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Ghost Trick is a game I’ve been excited for long before I knew I’d be going to E3. I’m a huge fan of the Ace Attorney series, so seeing an original concept from the same team was great news. In Ghost Trick you play Sissel, a man who’s already dead but his spirit lives on, sans memory. But before he can make heads or tails of things, he sees a dangerous looking man about to shoot a girl in cold blood. A mysterious voice urges Sissel on to rescue her with his new ghostly abilities — namely being able to possess and operate inanimate objects…  and he fails. But death is only the beginning.

Ghost Trick takes the logic-based gameplay and story driven scenes from the Ace Attorney series and adds in action elements. Yes, action. The two chapters available in the demo started with the death of someone or something. As a ghost, you can talk with their spirit. But you also have the ability to rewind time four minutes before the person’s death (small trivia: four is an unlucky number in Japan, since its pronunciation, “shi,” also means death). You first get to see how things play out, which give you an idea of what items you’ll want to interact with later. Time then rewinds again, and now you must find out what objects to possess in order to avert the person’s fate.

During a “mission,” you can enter the Ghost World, which is how you possess objects. Your reach from an object only goes so far, and you must have other points nearby to connect to. Then you can return to real time, and manipulate the object with whatever ability it has (turn on a lamp, strum a guitar, extend a ladder, etc). But events occur in real time, and you may have to wait for someone to move to the right spot before using an object effectively. Some objects can only be used once as well. Every time you successfully alter someone’s fate, it acts as a restore point for you to return to later, and the mission ends when you successfully prevent a person from being killed. But with the grains of the hourglass constantly falling, you can get real tense when you don’t know what to do (fortunately a thought bubble icon gives you hints).

The storytelling and characterizations seem to be right on par with the level of quality that Ace Attorney has. One thing I’ve always loved about Ace Attorney that seems to transfer over to this, is how lightly they take the subject of death. Despite this, however, a Capcom rep told me that the story gets pretty heavy early on. Like a good book, it sounds like Ghost Trick will be hard to pry from your hands.

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes

This is really the third installment of the Sengoku Basara series in Japan, and the funny thing is, I remember playing the first one back at E3 2005 when it was being called Devil Kings. I actually don’t know much about the series, and the only reason I wandered over to it was because it was open. But Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes turned out to be one of my surprise favorites at E3.

To the best of my knowledge, Sengoku Basara takes place in a fictionalized version of feudal Japan, and the characters are based on real life samurai integral to Japan’s history. Of course, the game really has about as much to do with feudal Japan as do giant enemy crabs. But being a stylish action game, Sengoku Basara doesn’t take itself very seriously, and that’s part of what makes it fun.

What REALLY makes it fun is mowing through countless hoards of enemy troops as they run at you. As many of the troops are virtually harmless, the point becomes to chain up as big a number of combo hits as you can, which lets you perform even more powerful attacks. It may seem simplistic, and I certainly wasn’t trying to pin down a technique when I was playing, but it’s supremely enjoyable to smash through mobs of troops, and watch their health meters bounce around as you continually demolish them. On the other hand, the bosses do pose a real challenge, since they can chain-attack you much in the same way.

Each stage is about taking over enemy territory; defeating the sitting regent or whatever and replacing them with your own (doing this is what actually clears an area). What’s more, the game offers split screen co-op, allowing you to have a friend join in on the fun. We played the Wii version, which wasn’t quite as pretty as the PS3 version, but I doubt it was any less fun. Only complaint I have is the voice acting, which sounds pretty campy. Other than that, this was an immensely fun game that I’m now looking forward to.

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Tune in tomorrow for my last round of E3 impressions. We’ll look at some of Nintendo’s and Capcom’s heavy hitters, as well as a game that’s not by either of those companies. See? I’m not biased or anything!

“Friday Old Games” is a series of articles in which we review a game from the older generations of consoles, share why we picked it, and whether or not it holds up with time.

I was perusing the internetz when I came across the news that EA is bringing the NBA Jam franchise back. I knew immediately that my next FOG review would have to be about the pinnacle of the NBA Jam series, NBA Jam: Tournament Edition. I hooked up a Genesis and proceeded to rain 3′s on the computer’s head.

There is something almost perfect in the design of NBA Jam. Even if you don’t know the difference between a triangle or a motion offense, you can still pick up and play NBA Jam. This is the game that pretty much defined arcade-style sports. Within seconds of sitting down to play, you’ll be doing insane dunks and knocking opposing players on their butts.

Everything about NBA basketball is exaggerated. Players are able to jump up to the rafters and perform crazy over the top dunks. If you can make three baskets in a row without the opposing team making a basket you ‘catch on fire’ which grants your player unlimited turbo and increases your chances of making your shots. If you catch on fire you can go on massive scoring runs and pull away from your opponents.

On defense you can try for the steal or you can shove your opponent over and take the ball from them. If you miss on either one, your opponent is going to get an easy dunk. Knowing when to make your move is the key.

On offense you have a wide variety of over the top dunks at your disposal. Even basic dunks have you jumping ten feet in the air, spinning around a couple times before slamming it home. A common mistake that rookies make is falling in love with the dunk. They will go for the big dunk every time, while I quietly drain 3 pointer after 3 pointer.

One of the best things about the game was the number of secrets you could unlock. There were dozens of secret characters and all sorts of cheat codes that changed up the look and feel of the game. Putting in the code for half court length dunks and Big Head mode were two of my favorites. Tournament Edition took everything that worked in NBA Jam and added a boat load of unlockables and cheat codes. When people talk about NBA Jam, they are probably really thinking of the Tournament Edition.

Why did I pick this game?

I spent entirely too much time with all of the NBA Jam games when I was a kid. My friends and I would spend hour upon hour with the game. It would get to the point where we would hear the announcer in our sleep. When I heard that the franchise was making a return, I knew that I had to replay the old school game.

How does it hold up with time?

NBA Jam holds up surprisingly well. Picking up the controller felt like putting on an old comfortable pair of shoes. I immediately started going back to the spots on the 3 point line that I am convinced work best for each player (Mark Price from the corner, Alonzo from the baseline, etc.). Characters don’t look nearly as good as I remember, but the basic gameplay still resonates with me.

Besides, any game that lets you play as Bill or Hillary Clinton is alright in my book.

I am playing Lumines. I am in the groove. The whole board is basically clear. I am already at my previous high score and I am quickly taking off for the stratosphere. If life were NBA Jam, I would literally be on fire. My hands are moving with a precision that a concert pianist would envy. There is nothing that can stop me. When Masterlookas sees this score, honest to god, tears are going to fall out of his eyes.

And then bloop blip.  I’ve got a message from my friend.

I shrug and pause to send a reply.

Bloop blip; another message from another friend. I sigh and send a quick reply.

I un-pause the game and get back to it, only now I am out of the groove. I am making stupid mistakes. Moves that a moment ago would have cleared the board are now horrendous mistakes that are quickly piling up. I scramble as my nerves begin to fray. I could still come back from this. All it would take is one piece. I set everything up for this one moment as I prepare to come back from all of my little mistakes. I can get the groove back, I just need this one piece.

Bloop blip; another message at the exact moment I am rotating the block to clear everything.

The little bloop blip somehow causes everything to stutter and hiccup for just long enough for me to miss placing the one piece that can save me. There is nothing I can do now. As I watch the last piece begin to fall, I let out a cry of frustration so loud that my dog thinks I am signaling him to attack my cat.

And so my dreams of glory are dashed and I feel like Samuel Taylor Coleridge as he was composing Kubla Khan; my masterpiece brought to a halt by a mundane distraction.

This is not the first time that this has happened.

Messages have caused my death numerous times. The all time best (and worst) came courtesy of Masterlookas.  I was going through the silos in Call of Duty 4 on veteran, which is by far the toughest section of the game. Masterlookas knew that I was having a bit of trouble so, like the great friend that he is, he sent me a message.

“I hope this message distracts you and you die!”

Ah, friendship is grand isn’t it? Sure enough, his message did distract me and, sure enough, some crazy Russian trooper shot me in the face and I had to restart.

I love that I can send messages to my friends no matter what game they are playing. I have used the messenger service to interrupt my friends in the middle of a movie so I can tell them that I had just made a hilarious joke at their expense (don’t want to talk behind someones back without letting them know that I zinged them). I had no qualms about firing off messages whenever I see they are online. I didn’t really care if they were on the last boss or trying to beat an impossibly hard level. Who cares what they are doing? I have a mildly amusing joke I have to tell them.

However, I (like all reasonable, rational people) have decided that it is completely unfair when a message distracts and/or kills me. Xbox Live should include a feature where the system knows that you are in a cool or difficult part and waits to deliver the message. I have no clue as to what sort of programming stuff would be involved in this, but I do know there are all sorts of hertz and gigabytes and other make-believe words inside of Xbox 360′s, so maybe a couple of those could be used to keep messages from popping up when I am “en fuego”.