Art of Life

More on Okami, i have been meaning to share about this artbook i ordered from Amazon for some time now but didn't because i haven't really got around to actually looking at it. You see i'm afraid that it might contain spoilers to the ending so i would very much rather wait till i finished the game before dwelling into it. Of course there is also the issue of suspense if i were to bring it up on the forum as i ordered two copies, one for myself and the other for andy so if anyone were to get curious it's always fun to tease.

It didn't work out quite like what i expected, ordering the book did not spurred me to play the game further (though i'm still playing it) and i wouldn't be passing it to andy as he wouldn't be making it to tomorrow's gathering. Oh well, that's life right?

It's a Mad Mad World

It took the guys at Clover studios a while to realise but eventually they finally got around to realising the cold hard truth, sex and violence sells even more so in video games. Developers are still very cautious when it comes to pushing the envelope for sex in video games but they are certainly not shy of pushing the level of violence in video games. While everyone applaud and sing praises for Viewtiful Joe and Okami, there is no denying that the lack of violence in those games was what led to the lack of interest among the general gaming community and ultimately, their poor sales.

Now the newly reformed Platinum Games seems to have abandon their previous approach and have decided to follow the trend of the market by doing exactly what the public wants, more violence action games. The first two up are Madworld and Bayonetta, with the latter being a return to the action genre for hideki kamiya since his last foray being the first Devil May Cry. I personally am pretty excited to see Bayonetta though it would have been nicer if it came out before Bulletwitch because the early concept of the lead female character looks awfully lot like her. It remains to be seen if these games will go down well with the critics but one thing's for sure, better or worse, these games look to sell bucketloads more than Okami or Viewtiful Joe.

Kinda sad when you really think about it don't you think?

Due Credit

More on my "should i or should i not get Okami for the Wii?", and no i don't care what Matt at IGN says this time (nor did i ever did actually, creep). So far the port has scored an impressive score at metacritic, earning a place among the top ten highest-rated Wii games, though it's no much of a feat actually considering the kinda of games that are being released on the platform anyway.

Several days after the port was released, news began circulating around the internet that the box art for Okami Wii spots a IGN watermark indicating the source of the material, the very idea being kinda dubious considering that Capcom themselves owned the game and all related assets and artwork for it.The idea that Capcom couldn't be bothered to tap into their own resources to pull out an artwork for the boxart but instead pinch it from IGN doesn't sound too comforting.

The final straw came when gamers who already managed to finish the game noted that the Wii port does not contain the original credits due to legal restrictions that prevent Capcom from using the Clover logo on any product not affliated with them. Somehow Capcom is unable removed the Clover logo from the pre-rendered sequences featuring the credits and thus, decided to leave it out altogether. Looks like my worst fears came true after all, hideki name won't be appearing at the end credits of the game. Clover studios, when will you guys get the due credit you deserve?!? Shame on you Capcom, shame on you....

Get Smart

Ever play an action game and got stuck at a devious puzzle before? If no, you should give Viewtiful Joe 2 a try. If you ask me, puzzle and action game are a deadly combination, when it comes to an average action gamer with an itchy trigger finger the approach is always the same, shoot first talk later.

In Viewtiful Joe 2, most of the time you have to have enough smarts to go with your reflex if you are to survive to the end of the day. I admire team viewtiful approach in this sequel but have rarely feel so dumb on so many occasions when playing a game. Most of the puzzle are pretty straight-forward and actually quite clever once you figured it out but the problem is you just don't get into a game like viewtiful joe expecting to put your thinking cap on, reminds me of my early days playing those classic Lucasarts adventure games... except now i end up with hurting my fingers as well as my brain.

The First Time

Remember what's the very first game you bought for your new console? well i do, in fact most of the time the first game i get for my new consoles will probably raise a couple of eyebrows. it's not that i'm trying to be different by buying something else but most of the time, i end up buying a new console in advance before the game i originally got the console for is out and therefore, i end up buying some other game in the meantime to fill up my time. The first game i got for my Nintendo DS? Viewtiful Joe Double Trouble ! Hardly a memorable DS title now, but back then i was really curious what kinda graphics the Nintendo DS could pull off and Clover Studio portable adaption of their hit franchise does seems to stretch the Nintendo DS graphic capabilities and stylus gameplay. When i got my Sony PSP, the first ever UMD i got was Metal Gear Solid: Digital Novel. I know it's not even a game but this quirky idea of reading a graphic novel on a PSP along with Silent Hill Experience was what initially got me interested in the system.

By the time i got around to getting my Nintendo Wii, i had a lot of catching up to do because my goal right from the beginning was to play as many Gamecube games as possible before the Wii catalogue starts to pick up steam, much like what happened with the Nintendo DS after the first launch year. Some may think it's a bit silly to pay so much for a Wii only to play Gamecube games but if it saves me the trouble of having another console around and offers me the same experience as playing it on it's original platform then i'm in. I was lucky enough to find a non-Player's Choice version of the Resident Evil Gamecube Remake and ended up finding most of the Gamecube titles i originally set out to get, save perhaps the Gamecube version of Viewtiful Joe. Of course i eventually started playing Wii games too though i still only have two miserable Wii titles (not including bundled games) despite getting the system more than five months ago. My first real Wii title was Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles which while was fairly entertaining, is a couple of notches below No More Heroes, my second Wii title. I have a feeling the best is yet to come for the Nintendo Wii and i look forward to see what Capcom and Konami will bring to Nintendo system.

Looking back, i guess the first game for your new console is kinda like your first love it may not be the best you have experienced but it's one that you will surely remember for life. Either that or i'm just a sentimental sap even when it comes to games...