Most people know, and love, Japanese developer Hideo Kojima for the Metal Gear series, a franchise he created all the way back in 1987.
For me, though, that's a convoluted mess of a property that's become more unwieldy and pointlessly self-referential with each passing entry. If you feel the same and would like to see a glimmer of why people still regard the man with such adoration and authority, you might want to look to 1988's Snatcher instead.
Snatcher is so much a product of its time that it hurts. An adventure game released in Japan in the late 1980's, it's played from a static first-person perspective and relies heavily on searching environments for clues and speaking with/interrogating characters in the game (in other words, scrolling through menus), the only action coming in the form of intermittent "shooting gallery" sequences (Japanese game fans will recognise it as, in many ways, a "visual novel", a genre still popular in the country today).
That's not what made the game good back then, though. And it's certainly not what makes it so fondly-remembered today.
Games always have, and always will, "borrow" from other mediums like film, comics and books. What Snatcher did went a little beyond this, though; it almost stole visual cues and design elements straight from some of the best science fiction works of the 1980's.
The player, Gillian Seed, is Blade Runner's Rick Deckard. The game's bad guys, the titular Snatchers, are T-800s from the Terminator series, so much so that the American version had to be edited to avoid a lawsuit. The way the game communicates its post-apocalyptic setting is very reminiscent of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. And the manner in which the Snatchers move about the modern world taking the place of actual humans (not to mention their very name) is straight from 1956's Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
So intent was Kojima with paying direct reference to his favourite characters and properties that in one scene, in the Outer Heaven nightclub, you can see a crowd shot featuring sci-fi legends like Giger's Alien watching "entertainer" Isabella (pictured up top) shake her stuff on stage (again, this was changed for the American version of the game, movie characters replaced, bizarrely, with Konami characters like Sparkster).
This hat-tipping wasn't limited to other people's stuff, either; Metal Gear fans will find a ton of references to Kojima's first game in Snatcher, from Fox Hound to the aforementioned Outer Heaven to the name of your humorous sidekick in the game, which is, well, Metal Gear.
Stealing content from other works normally doesn't get you very far, but most of these "influences" had something in common: they were all adult science-fiction, dealing with technology in a dirty, practical fashion, and featuring dark storylines in which not everything comes up smelling of roses at the end. For fans of this kind of stuff, works of their ilk were strangely rare, and since at the time these series' fanbases (even in Japan) had a lot of dovetailing, Snatcher was a rare opportunity for them to indulge their interests, especially since the game didn't shy away from including at times very graphic imagery of things like corpses (though some of these were toned down for the game's release in the West).
The other reason Snatcher burns on in many people's hearts is its writing. Kojima is well-known for his love of telling a story, and nowhere does this work to better effect than in Snatcher. Unlike Metal Gear, which is at times simple (owing to it being an action game) and others bloated (owing to the fact it's been around for decades), Snatcher's adventure game setting means Kojima was able to weave his various influences together into a strong, coherent storyline that boasted surprisingly strong writing, both in terms of framing the story and in your dialogue with the game's characters.
Of course, it helped the game also looked gorgeous, especially in its later updates (originally released in 1988 on Japanese computers, it would later be ported and seriously upgraded for the PC Engine, Sega CD, Saturn and PlayStation). It wasn't just the graphics being updated between versions, either; later versions added improved intro sequences and voice acting, while the Sega CD edition (the only one ever released in the West) even had support for Konami's light gun peripheral to make the shooting sequences easier.
For all the game's critical success, though, it's never seen a sequel, the only other game released bearing the same name being 1990's SD Snatcher, a remake of the 1988 original in the style of a top-down RPG, complete with cute character portraits.
If you've never played Snatcher, you can check out a high quality playthrough of the Sega CD version here (or, you know, given the fact its only Western release was on a long-dead platform you could find yourself a copy). Also, if you speak Japanese, the first instalment of a radio play based on the franchise, Sdatcher, is now available for download.
Captured Tiger | His season ended when he missed the cut at the PGA Championship three weeks ago, so Tiger Woods is on the virtual links instead, doing motion-capture work for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (Photo by brerwolfe/Flickr)
We would never call master filmmaker Freddie Wong a sell-out. But, the use of the SharpShooter and the Resistance 3 setting (with animations by Insomniac Games), right as both are part of a big ad campaign, does make it seem this was, well, commissioned.
If so, who cares; Freddie Wong has absolutely earned it. And the video doesn't skimp on his brand of humor. Here's a look at the Move under, what, the PS5? You're going to need a hell of an extension cord.
[h/t U.I. 2.0]
I've been hearing it for a month about Disgaea 4 not being included in the Coming Soon for Sept. 6 alongside other games such as Resistance 3, Driver: San Francisco, Dead Island and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. So here you go: Disgaea 4, here on the front page, big as Christmas, is coming out this week.
• Dead Island (PC, PS3, 360)—Techland's highly anticipated survival horror zombie game isn't a shooter. The focus here is on melee combat as you try to survive Dead Island's open world.
• Driver: San Francisco (PS3, 360, Wii)—Ubisoft seeks to resuscitate a lagging franchise with a strange premise: Your protagonist is in a coma, and has the supernatural ability to leap from car to car, taking control of it as he tours the city by the bay.
• Resistance 3 (PS3)—The finale to Insomniac's trilogy takes place in an American heartland overrun by Chimaera, with protagonist Joseph Capelli fighting his way from Oklahoma to New York.
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC, PS3, 360)—Brawny, brutal and bloody, follow Captain Titus as he repels hordes of Orks with big, badass weaponry and, oh yes, the Chain Sword.
Also: Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten (PS3); Driver: Renegade (3DS);Rise of Nightmares (360); Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters (PC, Mac).
• Crimson Alliance (XBLA)
• Rock of Ages (PC)
• Skydrift (PSN, XBLA)
• Star Fox 64 3D (3DS)
Sept. 13: Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad, NHL 12. Sept. 20: Gears of War 3. Sept. 27: Pro Evolution Soccer 2012; X-Men: Destiny; FIFA 12. Oct. 4: Dark Souls; NBA 2K12; RAGE; Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Oct. 11: Ace Combat: Assault Horizon; Dead Rising 2: Off the Record; Forza Motorsport 4. Oct. 18: Batman: Arkham City; Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One.
What are you getting? What do you want? What are you looking forward to? Sound it off below, and at #twig.
After about a year of beta testing, Riot Games is canceling Mac OS support for League of Legends at midnight on Tuesday.
In a statement, Riot said it made the decision because "our current approach regarding the Mac platform won't guarantee the quality and frequent updates we deliver today on the PC." While this is the end of the Mac beta, it doesn't rule out the possibility of a Mac version in the future. "We are committed to building a solution that will work on the Mac in the long run," Riot said, "but it will take some time."
The shutdown is effective at midnight on Sept. 6.
The beta testers who used the League of Legends store may choose to receive a full refund, or keep their accounts open and continue to play on a PC.
Riot is also giving all Mac players a code for the Champions Pack. "Mac player" means a majority of one's logins came from that client. The code must be redeemed before Tuesday.
Announcement [League of Legends. For those who can't see the message, go here. h/t dlawrenc]
Each week throws off several new video game lists ranging from the humorous to the trivial. What's better? A list of those. Here's a roundup of the rundowns out there.
•Ten Greatest Train Levels [Megabits of Gaming] It's more than just a staple of westerns (though I was disappointed not to see Red Dead Revolver on here). This list examines the times when its fun for your action game to be on rails.
•Top 10 Characters You Want As Your Head Of Security [Wiki Game Guides] Interesting choice of topic here; the list includes Professor Layton, Duke Nukem and Private Ramirez from Modern Warfare 2. Surprised not to see Agent 47, but I guess he's a lone operative and not much of a delegator. His methods are a little heavy-handed, too.
•Ten Most Depressing Deaths in Video Games [Gaming Bolt] Not "shocking," just "depressing." I was deeply moved by one of the endings to Fallout 3 but I don't know that I'd call it depressing. It's not on this list, but a lot of well-known thought-provoking demises are.
•Top 10 Greatest Football Games of All Time [Planet Xbox 360] Here's one I can argue about. I'd go with NCAA 12 over 11 although for comprehensive quality in its time, NCAA Football 2004 was still the best. Madden NFL 2004 is likewise the best version of that series. College Football USA 96 should be here instead of Madden '96. I'd have put Tecmo Bowl as well as Tecmo Super Bowl on this list. Mutant League Football needs to be here, too. NFL 2K4 was better than 2K1 and both are overshadowed, of course, by 2K5.
•Top Ten Non-First-Person Shooters [GamePro] That title doesn't mean "third-person shooter," it means "a game played in first person perspective that's about more than shooting." Maybe they should have said "first-person non-shooters?" My head hurts. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the inspiration for this roundup, which includes a game that rhymes with "Schmortal."
Though recently promoted to Electronic Arts' chief operating officer, EA Sports' old boss, Peter Moore, still is involved with products coming out of that division. And in an interview with IndustryGamers, he said he doesn't expect their next NBA simulation, due in 2012 after a two-year hiatus, to compete with NBA 2K right out of the gate.
"It'll take us a few years maybe, but if that's what it takes, that's what it'll be," he told the publication. "It's not going to happen overnight, but we'll sit here 3, 4 years from now and hopefully we'll be talking about what a great battle NBA 14 or 15 is versus their 14 or 15."
Last year, EA Sports canceled (though at the time called it an indefinite postponement) its remade NBA Elite 11 one week before its release date, under intense criticism and widespread consumer disapproval of the game's bug-filled, unpolished demo. The project was moved from EA Canada to EA Tiburon (in Florida) and will skip this year, a decision partly influenced by the impending NBA lockout.
NBA 2K has been, far and away, the dominant basketball simulation on the current console generation. Last year's game was many sites' sports game of the year, and was a Kotaku nominee for overall game of the year. It was deeply entrenched as the preferred NBA title even against NBA Live, which saw a decent release in 2009.
But, as Moore points out, it's also the dominant title within 2K Sports' own portfolio. "It's their focus because, as you know, they've given up on NHL recently. NBA is the game that they need to focus on," he said. "When I think about 2K Sports, it's probably 80% of their portfolio from a unit basis and a revenue basis. It's a great game, but we're not walking off the court crying here,
Moore confirmed that there already is an early version of the game "up and running" down at Tiburon. His use of NBA 14 as a hypothetical title was interesting but, of course, nothing is confirmed for what this game will be called when it arrives.
EA: It Could Take a 'Few Years' to Compete with NBA 2K Again
[IndustryGamers via Pasta Padre]
The widely acclaimed action RPG Bastion will not be getting any DLC—at least DLC that extends the story—the game's developer said in an interview.
"We have no plans to extend the game in that way," Greg Kasavin, the game's writer and creative director, told The Morton Report. "As I was saying before, we held nothing back. It's meant to be a complete story, so there are no obvious extensions."
Kasavin said his studio, Supergiant Games, will still support Bastion post-release and "I guess you could call something like the Portal turrets DLC," but seemed pretty definite no more content was planned.
"We're probably going to go dark here in the sense that our game is out there and whatever we do next probably isn't going to happen for a while," Kasavin said later in the interview, which further indicates that Supergiant has moved on from Bastion.
This came from the second of two parts of a wide-ranging interview in which Kasavin discusses much more about the game, its development and reception.
Interview: Supergiant Games' Greg Kasavin on Bastion (Part Two) [The Morton Report]
Interview: Supergiant Games' Greg Kasavin on Bastion (Part One) [The Morton Report]
No-brainers make for the best 'Shop Contest ideas and this one was a lead-pipe lock as soon as it was spotted on Tuesday. This log flume full of Smash Bros aficionados takes the gold for best roller-coaster reaction shot of all time, but we're going to make it better.
The exploitable potential of this really needs no explanation, so I'm just going to skip to the source image and the participation guide. Have at it. I expect a billion entries.
Source Image: Smash Bros. Water Slide Reaction Shot [seen via Reddit]
Now, while this one was an easy candidate, I do want to be sure I'm picking subjects you guys want to 'Shop up. So feel free to put suggestions in the #photoshop hashtag. I'll be sure to check there when I'm looking for candidates.
You know the drill: The 20 best 'Shops will get rounded up and published at the end of next Saturday. Meantime, I and the rest of the starred commentariat will approve and promote as many as we can so folks can see them and pass judgment.
This is your no-frills step-by-step procedure to participation in the Kotaku 'Shop Contest.
1. Create your 'Shop.
2. Upload it to a free image hosting service. I suggest imgur. It's stupid simple. No account is necessary.
3. This is very important: You must use the URL of the image itself. In imgur, this is the second URL it gives you after you upload the image. It's under "Direct Link (email & IM)"
4. At the beginning of the comments roll, click "Start a New Thread"
5. To the right of your name, select "Image."
6. Paste the imgur URL in the image URL field. It's the field that says "Image URL."
7. You can add editorial commentary if you want, but then just hit submit and your image will load. If it doesn't, paste the image URL as a comment.
8. This is important: Keep your image size under 1 MB. It will not upload to comments if it is over that size. What's more, we're getting reports that if your 'Shop is more than 1000px tall (vertical), it won't upload. If you're getting the broken-image icon, try resizing to a smaller dimension.
As an added inducement, I want to let you know I do star commenters who send in worthy/funny submissions - whether or not they're chosen for the final 20. This may not happen immediately. I usually start rounding up a gallery by the middle of the week. This is my subjective call, but I do want to recognize as many contributors as possible, and show gratitude for making this such a popular feature on weekends.
Now, Gentlemen, start your 'shopping!
This year we had all three barbecue holidays in the U.S. fall on a Monday. Guess who's already off on Mondays?! That would be me. Alas. But it is Sunday morning, which means to thine own selves, be talking.
Big thanks to Brian H. May for his Fanboy Wars TAYpic submission. Want to be featured in TAY? 'Shop up one and submit it #TAYpics. The image to use, and other instructions, is in this thread.