Trent Reznor talks id software, innovation, old school games

I was watching this Digg Dialog interview with Trent Reznor earlier, and thought it would be cool if someone mentioned his work doing the sound effects and music for Quake. Much to my surprise, it was mentioned--and thus we get Trent offering his own intelligent observations on the game industry. It's around the 23-25 minute mark, but you should really watch the whole thing, since Mr. Reznor has a lot of great insight to share. Enjoy!

Review: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

In an interview before the release of 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, two of Fiddy’s boys, G-Unit rappers Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, revealed they were more than just rap stars lending their voices to the multi-platinum rapper’s new game.

The duo name-dropped both classics as well as new favorites among the gaming elite, but confessed they really just liked to play the best new games rather then trying to pay close attention to the ever-changing litany of original IPs, spin-offs and franchises commonplace in the industry. And who can blame them? They’re professional rappers, not gamers.

When asked what they thought about Blood on the Sand, Yayo probably said it best. “This is going to be my favorite game when this [sic] comes out,” he said.

For Yayo and his fellow G-Unit members, not to mention Fiddy and company’s countless fans, Blood on the Sand may be just what the doctor ordered.

A cover shooter with 50 Cent’s insistently high production values, the game does a great job of wiping away the bad memories of Fiddy’s first game appearance, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, which, despite strong sales, received tepid reviews.

And while Blood on the Sand is a far more solid game, it’s anything if not staid. The cover shooting is perfectly adequate, but overall the game lacks any kind of innovation and certainly offers little you haven’t seen before—outside of its nonsensical story anyway.

Hope you like this camera angle--you'll be seeing a lot of it..
It’s not that Blood on the Sand is a bad game. It’s just one that falls short of what it could have been. What saves it from mediocrity, is, surprisingly, Fiddy’s involvement himself.

This time around, Fiddy’s out for blood in the, uhm, Middle East somewhere, when his payment for a concert, a priceless diamond encrusted skull, is stolen by a gang of ethnic terrorists who ambush the rapper’s humvee.

Yeah, the story makes little sense. All you really need to know is that Fiddy kills a lot of terrorist scum and throws lines around like “That bitch stole mah skull!” But that’s part of the game’s, uhm, charm. (Well, that and lobbing F-bombs like Molotov cocktails).

To their credit, Fiddy and G-Unit members Tayo, Banks and DJ Whoo Kid do a bang-up job with their voicework—especially 50 himself. I have to say I was pretty surprised by the quality of Mr. Cent’s performance, especially considering that kind of voice acting licensed games usually have, but he actually makes Blood on the Sand a hell of a lot more enjoyable. Kudos also must be given to the script writers for not oversaturating the game’s F-bombs.

Obviously Fiddy likes to speak his profane peace, and does so often. But it doesn’t really sounds forced, not like in say, Capcom’s so-bad-it’s-good Beatdown: Fists of Vengeance. And there’s something inherently satisfying with hearing Fiddy yell out, “Motherfucking cocksucker!” before he blows them away.

The game also (I would guess at Fiddy’s insistence) makes for good fan service—the soundtrack is riddled with old and new tracks from the rapper, and unlocking extras like music videos will be fun for some die-hard followers.


Blood on the Sand's hand-to-hand combat leaves much to be desired.
But Blood on the Sand also suffers from some really ho-hum game design. Outside of getting more powerful weapons, the terrorists never really change, and the level design is uninspired and bland at best and cumbersome at worst.

The game tries to make up for this by presenting you with a number of timed challenges that pop up often. You may have to take down a couple of grenadiers, blow up a tank or pick off a few snipers, to name a few, before the time runs out. Do so and you’ll get extra points (yes, this game actually has a point system) and can unlock extras in the game.

But ultimately, as fun as the challenges can sometimes be, they've become just another feature to slog through by the time you reach the end--just like the game’s combat itself. Not even Blood on the Sand’s large assortment of weapons, which can be bought with cash you find lying around in random crates, can save 50's new adventure from the "kill waves of enemies until the level ends" design, leaving little difference, aside from obvious ones of firepower, in your selection. Fiddy likes to take his time reloading too, which I found irksome.

Surprise, Bitches!
And with glaring flaws like the no less than three separate encounters in which Fiddy’s made to take down a chopper with an RPG, It just seems like Swordfish Studios sort of ran out gas halfway through the design process and hoped no one would notice—to say nothing of the game's continuously poor AI, weak hand-to-hand combat (essentially Resident Evil 4-style quick time events, but easier) on-rails sections and obvious graphical glitches.

Credit must be given to game’s inventive point scoring system, which will net you more point if you waste a bastard from outside cover and while making liberal use of the taunt button, but with so many other compounded problems it’s a somewhat hollow victory.

But really, chances are if you’re a big fan of Fiddy himself (especially if you were burned by Bulletproof) or you’re just looking for the next cheap-thrill popcorn shooter, Blood on the Sand’s generic trappings, done up with G-Unit paint, will probably suit you just fine. For the rest of us, well, there’s always Gears of War 2.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
THQ
PS3, Xbox 360
$59.99
3 out of 5 stars

Guest Commentary from a Portland State student and fan

Here is another guest blog post from our student contributor Marnix Brinkhoff. In between sessions of working on his jump shot and cheering on the Dutch team at the World Baseball Classic, Brinkhoff gives you his take on the upcoming spring football schedule.

As Spring Football practice begins for the football team, goviks.com is busy wasting our time with beautifully slanted articles about how the upcoming football season will be miraculously different than the last two years.

The article entitled, “Sixteen Returning Starters, Experienced Group Return for 2009 Football Season” fails to understand that those returnee’s are a combined 7-15 (win-loss record) over the past two seasons.

By all means return the entire squad from last year, but the fact remains, we sucked last year!

Even though the athletic department’s propaganda website spins a rosy picture on the upcoming season, I’m hear to explain that it will be just another failing season in the “Almighty” Glanville’s tenure.

The following are points from the article that are expected to be boosts for the upcoming season but they are really just business as usual. That business of late has been losing…

Drew Hubel and Tygue Howland return: YES!!

No one would want to miss out on the drama of who is going to start from week to week. The fact that both of these quarterback’s return doesn’t mean a damn thing, because Glanville and his staff are just going to be as wishy-washy as John Kerry on who there man is going to be.

My take is to just pick one, stick with him, and allow them to get better without fear that next week they are going to be benched!!

McClintock Returns: Wahoo!! We don’t run the ball anyways. Oh by the way, this has been bothersome ever since last year…

Mr. Davis, I realize you are considered the offensive guru, BUT when you play one of the worst run defenses in the NCAA (Washington State last year) maybe just maybe you should try to run the F%$@ing ball!!

Super Mario (D’Ambrosio) is out: And you expect to improve on a season where he was a rockstar?

3 Returning Lineman: For a team that allowed 41 sacks for a yardage loss of 243 yards (Second worse in the Big Sky) this shows promise; because the only thing to do is get better.

The Defense: Expect more basketball scores, because we lost Shantz, McCrae and Jones.

Say whatever you want about the competition in Spring Football, the fact will remain that we will have an inexperienced defense taking the field next season, which means only one thing—lots of scoring…for the other team.

But all is not lost in the Glanville camp.

For those of you worried about Special Teams there is ample competition at the kicker/punter position, which is a good thing since we will probably be punting the ball quite a bit.

Update: the Dead Rising contest is now closed. Thanks everyone!

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop contest and trailer

Hey there,

For those that saw the contest blurb in today's paper, here's the details. Basically, I'm going to pick a random time this week to put up a Dead Rising-related post. Once the post goes up, be the first email games AT dailyvanguard DOT COM with the subject line "Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop contest" (upper case and proper spelling is necessary) and you win a copy of the game. Please include your name in the email so I can write back, congratulate you, set up a time to meet, etc. I will post an update when the contest is closed.

In the meantime, a trailer for the game is below.



If you missed my full review of Dead Rising, click here.
Thanks for reading, and good luck!

Press-Release (because I am too damn lazy to write up a real post): New downloadable Square-Enix titles

GAME DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA (25th March, 2009) – Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix) announced today at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the forthcoming releases of new downloadable titles including FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS™ and FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: My Life as a Darklord™ for WiiWare™, as well as the FINAL FANTASY® series for the Virtual Console™ for Wii™.

The release of these new downloadable titles represent Square Enix’s recognition of the growing demand for online distribution of content/services, and the commitment they have made to provide content/services that match the needs of their customers.

Square Enix will be offering two new releases for WiiWare: FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS and FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord.
FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS, is an RPG that continues the story that began in the 1991 Super Famicom™ title FINAL FANTASY IV. In Japan, this title was released as a downloadable cellular phone application in February 2008. It has since been lauded for its deep storytelling, and a year after its release, has been downloaded over 3 million times.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord is the newest instalment in the FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES series, which has shipped over 2 million copies worldwide and is set to grow further in 2009. This title will be a sequel to FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King™, which launched simultaneously with the WiiWare service in May of 2008.

In addition, the Virtual Console allows Wii users to download and play classic titles released on previous game consoles, and now for the first time ever, the FINAL FANTASY series will be made available via home console download. The first instalment of the series will be FINAL FANTASY, originally released for the Famicom™ in Japan in 1987, which will be available for download in May 2009 in Japan. The release date for PAL region will be in 2009.

Please see below for product details:

About FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS

Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Publisher: Square Enix Ltd.
Platform: Wii
Genre: RPG
Launch Date: 2009

18 years after FINAL FANTASY IV first stole the hearts of Japanese gamers, the adventure continues in FINAL FANTASY IV: THE AFTER YEARS.

Released as a mobile phone game in Japan, this wildly popular sequel has topped 3 million paid downloads as of 25th February 2009.

The game focuses primarily on Ceodore, son of FINAL FANTASY IV heroes Cecil and Rosa. He is ably supported by a host of familiar faces from the original cast who star in a series of additional tales.

For more information, please visit the official website at http://www.ff4theafteryears.com.

About FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord

Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.
Publisher: Square Enix Ltd.
Platform: Wii
Genre: Real Time Strategy
Launch Date: 2009

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord puts players in the highly fashionable shoes of the Darklord's daughter, a malevolent little Miss, charged with dispatching intruding do-gooders by strategically placing traps and monsters around the tower she calls home.

Players will need to get their hands on ever more diabolical traps and abominable monsters to stop those pesky adventurers from making it to the Dark Crystal at the top of the tower. Be warned, though – with heroes of all the races and job classes from the FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES series storming the Darklord’s lair in real time, traps and minions will count for nothing unless deployed like a true evil genius. Anything less and the Darklord’s beloved home will be reduced to rubble!

For more information, please visit the official website at http://www.MyLifeasaDarklord.com.

Review: Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride

In the days before the 2002 marriage of Square and Enix into the RPG colossus we know today, Dragon Quest, or Dragon Warrior as it was known in North America, seemed to be aimed at more of a niche audience—far from the widely popular (and highly publicized) series it is today in Japan.

In fact, it’s probably a safe bet that most westerners had never even played a game in the series until Dragon Quest VIII hit north American shores back in 2005. Such was the fate of many a localized Enix title when it was still a standalone company.

But since 2002, it hasn’t been just the former rival companies that have benefited; gamers have as well, and in spades. Aside from huge financial gains, the merger has arguably made it easier for Square-Enix to take chances by releasing old favorites here that not only have never been localized for western audiences, but also aren’t necessarily typical of the genre.

Case in point: Square-Enix’s release of the never-before-localized Dragon Quest V, a beautifully re-created iteration of the classic Super Famicom release. Like most games in the venerable series, this one is a classic throwback to the simpler times, when random battles were plentiful and characterizations were comparatively straightforward.

But that’s doesn’t mean that the game is just like any other RPG you can play on the market. To one extent or another, Dragon Quest has always struck me as a series with personality and true soul, something that sometime-overbearing, heavy-handed Final Fantasies can’t even always measure up to (although I’m nitpicking out of love in saying so).

Regardless, DQV is brimming with the series’ signature vitality. The game’s narrative follows a young boy’s journey into manhood, a path fraught with many personal hardships he must endure and ultimately overcome. Along the way, our intrepid hero has to navigate through life’s twists and turns, including personal responsibility, marriage and fatherhood.


For a game that originally came out almost 20 years ago Square-Enix has done an admirable job making Dragon Quest V stand out with a whole palette of lush, colorful visuals.

Even today, few RPGs try the life-lived approach, sticking instead to the basic “hero must save the world from impending doom” approach. While DQV employs a little of both, there’s a notable amount of basic humanity injected into the storyline, keeping things fresh and engaging throughout.

I actually cared more about the personal lives of the game’s small cast—that includes some of the NPC supporting characters—than I really did about the impending doom. That’s pretty impressive, especially for a game that originally debuted in 1991, when RPGs hadn't yet reached the epic levels they have today. Anyway, I don’t think I’m alone when I say that most of the time you play an RPG for the story, and DQV delivers a wonderful and even moving tale.

The game has some other innovations not seen in most games of its time, as well. Take, for instance, the Pokemon-style monster catching element of the game. If you’ve played Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, you have the basic gist—you can catch monsters you fight in the wild and allow them to join your party as allies, the difference being that unlike Joker, you battle with your beasties rather than just watching them (that, and there’s thankfully a lot less grinding).


Combat in DQV may be old-school, but it's tried and true mechanics hold up well.
For monster-catching enthusiasts and completionists, this feature could add countless hours to the game’s overall length, and different monsters have their own spells and abilities. Monsters can be stored in your wagon or with a monster caretaker, which makes collecting more convenient than a chore.

DQV has standard linear progression inherent to the genre, but you can choose who you want to marry, which is an interesting twist, and the addition to talk to your party about contextual goings-on is a good addition. (You also have your traditional smattering of minigames and side-quests, although DQV, for the most part, sticks to the main story). Finally, I can’t be thankful enough of the game’s dual-screen presentation.

Like last year's DQ IV, this feature makes much quicker work of dungeons, since you can use both screens to check paths for holes and dead ends without actually having to walk down them. In towns and some other areas, the environments are semi or completely rotatable, which really adds a lot to the presentation.

Personally, I love the quaint, limited environmental renderings seen in 32-bit games like this—the charming juxtaposition of humble sprites, blocky geometry and bright, simple textures evokes a sense of character that isn’t always present in more powerful offerings.


DQV's dual-screen presentation is not only pretty, but it makes the chore of navigating maze-filled dungeons a snap.
Combat animations are the same way—simple and straightforward, you simply stare your enemies down in first-person, but the baddies are large, colorful, and very smoothly animated—there’s really aren’t any hitches anywhere DQV and even for being dated, the game offers some wonderful visuals to feast on (the roiling waves of the ocean in battle and a particular water themed-dungeon come to mind).

DQV is definitely old school, but there’s very little I have to say against it. Occasionally the game’s reliance on finding clues about where to go next through obscure conversation isn’t as helpful as it could be, and at around 25 hours you can blow through this one pretty fast (if you want to). But for all the game’s heart, humor and simple-yet-engrossing narrative, these are trifles.

It may be relatively quaint by today’s stand-by apocalyptic standards, but DQV is overflowing with what many other RPGs are lacking—a personality—that alone makes it worth a look. The other stuff? That's just icing on the cake.

Draqon Quest V: Hand of The Heavenly Bride
Square-Enix
Nintendo DS
$34.99
4.5 out of 5 stars