Dec 21, 2012

Kotaku

Welcome to the Best of Kotaku, where I round up all of this week's best content.

Up above is a cute and, oddly, heartwarming Mario gif. It's the adorable handiwork of Paperbeatsscissors, where you can find more cute and oddly heartwarming Mario gifs.

Moving on to our Best Of content this week, we kick things off as usual with a comment from the community.

The Best Comment From The Community

Our favorite comment of this week comes to you from Troy Themed Gimmick Account: La Araña Discoteca, in response to Jason's role-playing text game:

Ooh, fun! I want to try!

Kotaku: Warhammer. Talk to me.

THQ: Mmmmmmaybe. *coy smile*

Kotaku: Dammit, PUT KNOWLEDGE IN ME.

THQ: To know if Warhammer is meant to be, first you must answer these riddles three...

Kotaku: Jason Schreier. To seek the Holy Scoop. Blue.

THQ: Did you hear about our Humble Bundle? Pretty cool, yeah?

Kotaku: Uhhh, yeah. A while ago. Warhammer me.

THQ: *singsong* There might be another Saints Roooooooow!

Kotaku: You don't say.

THQ: We cannot confirm or deny any rumors regarding the future of the Saints Row franchise. *click*

... Aaaaaand scene.

The Knights of New Vegas: How Obsidian Survived Countless Catastrophes And Made Some Of The Coolest Role-Playing Games Ever

Jason Schreier gives us a fascinating inside look at Obisidian's development history. More »

Video Games And The Sandy Hook Shooting: Two Very Different Reactions

Stephen Totilo compares two very different reactions to the Sandy Hook shooting that were sent to him last weekend. More »

Peter Molyneux Needs Your Money ASAP Because "I Am Not by Any Measure a Hugely Wealthy Individual"

Evan Narcisse talks to Peter Molyneux about the realities of his new career at 22 Cans. More »

Pokémon Designs Aren't Getting Worse, They May Be Getting Better

Patricia Hernandez gets in depth about Pokémon design over the years. More »

The Smartest & Dumbest Things EA Did in 2012

Holden Miller takes a look at EA's accomplishments this year. More »

The Most Stylish, Arresting & Maybe Even Beautiful Video Game Trailers Of 2012

Luke Plunkett rounds up this year's best trailers. More »

The Best Gaming GIFs of 2012

Chris Person shares his favorite GIFs of this year, with readers chiming in on their own. More »

The Fear is Gone: My PC Is My Next-Gen Console

Stephen already has the next generation console. It's his PC. More »

The Smartest & Dumbest Things Activision Did in 2012

Stephen puts Activision's decisions in 2012 in perspective. More »

The Best Stealth Moments Of 2012

Kirk Hamilton shares some of his most notable stealth memories in video games released this year. More »

The Smartest & Dumbest Things Ubisoft Did In 2012

Holden takes a look at Ubisoft's decisions this year. More »

The War Z Mess: Every Crazy Detail We Know So Far [UPDATE]

Jason gathers together every piece of news to come out of The War Z and its questionable state. More »

Borderlands 2 Gets So Much Right, But Gets One Thing Very Wrong

Rick Burford points out Borderlands 2's shortcomings. More »

5 Things You Should Know About Borderlands 2's Next DLC

Tina Amini plays a bunch of Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt to preview the latest DLC for you before it comes out. More »

What Happens When A SNES Controller Is Eaten By A Wii U Controller

Luke reviews a wacky Wii U controller. More »

After Sandy Hook And Virginia Tech, I'm Done With Violent Video Games

Jeremy Norman explains how violence has taken a personal toll on his life. More »

The Biggest Disappointments Of 2012

Kirk tallies up all of this year's biggest disappointments. More »

Weapons of Mass Disruption #2: Why Is (Almost) Every Video Game Suddenly Free?

Ben Cousins explains the trend toward free-to-play. More »

The Best Japan-Only Games of 2012

Richard Eisenbeis makes us all jealous with the best Japan-only games of this year. More »

Minecraft: The Story of Mojang: The Kotaku Review

Matt Hawkins wasn't much of a Minecraft guy. Until he saw this documentary, that is. More »

The NRA's Absolutely Unhinged Response to Newtown Condemns Video Games as a 'Shadow Industry' that 'Sows Violence Against Its Own People'

Owen Good reports on the NRA conference where the executive VP attacked a bunch of video games. More »

Partygoer: Topless Women at Gameloft's Holiday Party Says a Lot About The Games Industry

Jason Schreier talks to the attendee of a crude game industry party. More »

What Are Splatterhouse, Kindergarten Killer and the Other Games the NRA Slammed Today?

Owen explains what each of the five games singled out by the NRA, and puts them into context. More »

The Year In JRPGs

Jason takes a look at what was good and what was bad about JRPGs this year. More »

Dec 21, 2012

One Piece Pirate Warriors 2 Looks To Be More Upgrade Than Sequel (Not That That's A Bad Thing)

Kotaku

I guess you could say that I'm a fan of One Piece. I don't follow the magazine on a week to week basis in Shonen Jump, but I've read all of the manga books. I haven't seen much of the anime, but I've watched a good deal of the movies, including the latest one. I haven't played most of the One Piece-based games, but one I did play was One Piece： Pirate Warriors. The game was enjoyable for the most part, but felt a little short and was not without its flaws. So when I got a chance to check out Pirate Warriors 2 at Jump Festa 2013, I figured I'd see how they've improved on the last game.

Control-wise, it's pretty much the same deal as before. Still no jump button (which is ironic, considering the title of the magazine that features the original series), but otherwise the combat is smooth and as satisfying as ever when you send crowds of enemies flying. Compared with the first game, movement feels more refined and fluid, but that may have been my imagination, and the 40 inch TV I was playing the demo on...

As for new features, a Haki system has been added for combat against Logia-type bosses. (If what I just wrote makes no sense, then you're not a huge fan of One Piece and this game and its predecessor are totally not for you.) There will also be non-canon "what if" scenarios for fans to enjoy. New usable characters are also expected be added. So far, the only definite addition is the lightning man, Eneru, but teasers indicate that Black Beard and Aokiji will be included as well.

All in all, from what's been revealed so far, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 feels a bit more like Pirate Warriors 1.5 than a full 2. Then again, the previous game did seem rather abridged, so maybe the first one was 0.75 and this is 1.0?

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 will be available on the PS3 and PS Vita on March 20th, 2013.

Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

Dec 21, 2012

Tales of Hearts R is Shaping Up To Be The Definitive Version of the Game

Kotaku

After the success of Tales of Innocence R in Japan, Bandai-Namco is moving another of last generation's portable titles over to the PlayStation Vita—this time in the form of Tales of Hearts R. Today at Jump Festa 2013, Kotaku East was able to spend some time with the first playable demo of this Tales series remake.

Like Tales of Innocence R, the first thing you notice about Tales of Hearts R is that it is a complete remake from the ground up. The chibi-style sprites are gone and replaced with 3D models reminiscent of the console games in the series. The environments as well have gotten a complete overhaul both in and out of battle.

The section of the game I was able to play was only a few minutes in length. After a short four-panel conversation—which is now, like the entire main story of the game, fully voiced—you move your party through a cathedral where you are randomly attacked by soldiers. The demo ends after you reach the area above the organ and fight a boss battle against a beautiful woman and a man with a bazooka.

The demo, while short, showed off the battle system quite nicely. Much like the controls of Tales of Innocence R, free movement is controlled via the left thumbstick while special attacks are mapped to the D-pad and/or right thumbstick. Other than that, it's played exactly like its console big brothers, using the same basic style of 3D combat present in the series since Tales of Symphonia back on the GameCube.

In the end, Tales of Hearts R looks great on the Vita and plays well to boot. And with its graphical additions and voice acting—not to mention the inclusion of a new playable character—Tales of Hearts R is shaping up to be the definitive version of this game.

Tales of Hearts R will be released on March 7, 2013, in Japan. There is currently no word on an international release.

Dec 21, 2012

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX Looks Great and Plays Just Like the Originals (For Better or Worse)

Kotaku

Announced back during this year's Tokyo Game Show, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX is a PS3 HD remaster of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and its sequel Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories—as well as a collection of CG cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Today at Jump Festa 2013 in Japan, Kotaku East was able to get some hands-on time with the first playable demos of the games in this highly anticipated HD collection.

Firstly, the big question: How did it look? The answer: As good as can be expected.

The graphics of both titles are generally excellent when compared with other HD collections. The details now present on the character models are crisp and clear (as many were taken from Dream Drop Distance), as are the background textures. The only graphical blemishes are the pixelated diagonal lines that sometimes appear where two textures meet.

As for gameplay, there were two different demo stations set up at the Square Enix booth for 1.5 HD ReMIX—one for the HD version of Final Mix and the other the HD version of Re:Chain of Memories. Each of these demos had three different playable areas from across each respective game's story.

For Final Mix HD, I spent time gathering items for a raft on the Destiny Islands, fighting my first boss with Donald and Goofy in Traverse Town, and facing off against Captain Hook alongside Peter Pan.

The most obvious change from the original version of the game—other than the graphics, of course—was the addition of the triangle "special action" button that didn't first appear in the series until Kingdom Hearts II. Originally, special actions were a cumbersome part of the battle menu, so this is a welcome change. Other than that, the controls in Final Mix HD were identical to those in the original version—which is to say, pretty bad by today's standards. Sora can only move in eight directions (instead of the full 360 degrees of later games) and the camera might as well be the final boss of the game for all the aggravation it causes you. There are also a ton of collision errors with Sora ignoring ledges he should grab on to and other similar issues.

Chain of Memories HD, on the other hand, looked as good as Final Mix HD but had none of the antiquated control issues. For Chain of Memories HD I spent my entire play time as Riku—though Sora was playable in the two other levels present in the demo. He controlled perfectly—most likely due to Re:Chain of Memories being built on the Kingdom Hearts II version of the engine unlike Final Mix. The loading times when creating each room were a bit worrisome, but none lasted more than ten seconds.

In the end, after my short time with Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX, I am quite excited to spend more time with this collection. It is a great port and any flaws present in it were there in the original. It's an impressive feat, especially when you consider it's all the work of two lone individuals.

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX will be released in Japan on March 13, 2013. There is no word yet on an international release.

Dec 21, 2012

If You Like TV, Read This Book

Kotaku

It's remarkable, the variety of great TV shows we've gotten to watch over the last ten years. From The Wire to Friday Night Lights to Deadwood to The Sopranos, I've found that I've grown far more invested and interested in television stories than I am in movies.

It's not much of a stretch to say that the last decade or so has been a bona fide television revolution. And one guy has been in the thick of it the entire time: Television critic Alan Sepinwall.

I've been reading Sepinwall's blog, "What's Alan Watching?" for years, from back when he was still at the New Jersey Star-Ledger and writing in his free time at a regular ol' Blogger blog. Nowadays he's full-time at HitFix, and is a recommended first-stop the morning after each of the shows he's covering airs.

He's been covering TVs mega-shows for years now; his takes on Lost, Friday Night Lights, and The Sopranos were constant companions while those shows were on the air, and his analyses of The Wire are peerless. He's a consistent, thoughtful critic who regularly surprises me with his insights, and even when I don't agree with him, I find value in his writing.

So it makes sense that his new book, The Revolution Was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers and Slayers Who Changed TV Drama Forever would be good. And it is. I've been reading it over the past week, and it's like reading a polished, comprehensive version of his blog. (I mean that in the best possible way.)

Sepinwall puts forth the argument that, more or less starting in the late 90s, television has grown dramatically more sophisticated. Each chapter of the book focuses on a different show that bears that theory out, from Oz to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In addition to recapping the full run of each series, he speaks with the writers and showrunners that made it all happen. The book is overflowing with behind-the-scenes wisdom, unlikely origin stories and fun bits of trivia. It also accomplished the unlikely feat of making me want to finally watch Oz, the only show in the book that I haven't seen.

As a side note, I personally enjoy an anecdote Sepinwall shares in the book's forward, where he talks about how people react to his job differently now than they would when he first started out. "I'm a television critic," he'd say, back when the best thing on was ER or NYPD Blue. People would respond with mild bemusement, or mention how easy his job must be. Now, years later, they react differently: They take him aside and ask him about Friday Night Lights, or want to talk to him about The Wire.

I feel similarly at parties when I tell people I write about video games for a living. Even a few years ago, I'd get a smile and a crack about how easy my job must be. But nowadays, it's just as likely that people perk up and start asking questions about games they've played, or think are interesting. We can only hope that video games are starting to hit the same sort of cultural turning-point TV did in the early 2000s, and that in ten years' time we'll be talking about where we were when our own revolution started. Given some of the stuff we've seen in the last couple years, it wouldn't surprise me.

Anyhow, it's a good book. Fun to read, and a good last-minute Christmas gift, if you're in the market.

Hope everyone's set to have a fun holiday. Feel free to discuss anything you like, here or over in the Talk Amongst Yourselves forum. Have good chatting, and a good weekend.

Dec 21, 2012

What People Said About the Terrible Game the NRA Made Six Years Ago

Kotaku

Welcome back to "Backhanded Box Quotes," a collection of measured, thoughtful criticism from the user reviews of Metacritic and elsewhere on the Internet.

Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association's No. 1 mouthpiece, emerged from Oz's curtain this morning to condemn the worst video games of American culture. Funny, the NRA made one itself: NRA Gun Club, released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. Here's what people said at the time.

NRA Gun Club

Crave Entertainment

Released: Oct. 2, 2006.

Critic: Brian (Metacritic)

• "I'll give it an overwhelming thumbs down."

Score: 2.

Critic: GamesRadar

• "The feeling you get from holding an actual weapon in your hand might grant some intoxicating sense of power, putting as it does the power to end a life in your hands. Of course, the same could be said of a hammer."

• "NRA Gun Club may be useful for demystifying gun ownership for wannabe weekend warriors, but it sure as hell doesn't qualify as much of a game."
Score: 2.

Critic: Ian Nelson (Amazon)

• "Perhaps one of the single most horrendous games to ever come from a third-rate game creator."

• "NRA Gun Club could very well be the single worst game in the history of games."

• "This game is pure garbage, and Crave Entertainment should be as ashamed of itself as I am."
Score: 1 star.

Critic: Jeff Gerstmann (then of GameSpot)

• "Absolutely pure in its devotion to awfulness." (Note: This was the lone bullet point under the heading "The Good.")

• "This is the sort of hastily slapped-together game that should have been a free bonus for subscribing to the NRA newsletter or something."

• "Most textbooks are more entertaining."

• "This game promotes violence—you're bound to rip the disc out of your PlayStation 2 and fling it across the room almost immediately after putting it in."

• "Since the game doesn't let you reload the weapons or press the safety, you don't learn much."

• "NRA Gun Club's awful gameplay and presentation make it an effective though unintended antigun message: Guns are boring."
Score: 1.6

Critic: GarrisonO. (Metacritic)

• "This game completely sucks!!!"
Score: 2

Backhanded Box Quotes will be an occasional feature of Kotaku's Anger Management, unless it isn't.

Dec 21, 2012

This Cool New Game System Lets You Play With A Bunch Of Tiny Touch-Screens

Kotaku

We've been following the Sifteo Cubes for a while now, intrigued by their promise to give us an entirely new platform for fun, original games.

The gist is this: The system consists of a collection of cubes, each of which has a touch-screen and an accelerometer. The cubes are organized by a wireless base station, which sits in the middle. Games are built around moving, connecting, re-arranging and shaking the cubes.

Sifteo sent me a set of cubes (though technically: They're not quite cubes, are they?) and a base station, and I've been playing around with them for the past week.

I made the video above to show what the Sifteo Cubes are all about. You can find out more about them at the Sifteo site, and can be picked up at Barnes & Noble, though the Sifteo folks tell me they're currently sold out online, so you'll have to go to an actual store. It costs $129 for a base station and three cubes, and $30 for each additional cube.

Jury's out on whether these will still be cool next year, or if they're a neat but short-lived idea. But there's a lot still to come for Sifteo - a letter from the company co-founders mentions games from the creator of the Bit.Trip games, Cipher Prime, Magic: The Gathering designer Richard Garfield, and J.S.S. Joust makers Die Gute Fabrik. In addition, "Critically acclaimed designers Messhof, Tracer and Minusbaby are also producing a music-themed Sifteo game," which, considering Messhof is behind the wicked-cool game Nidhogg, sounds very cool indeed.

Even as it stands, Sifteo Cubes are cool—cooler even than I thought they'd be. They're certainly not essential, whatever that means, but they're fun, and would make for a great Christmas present for the hard-to-shop-for.

Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly credited Cipher Prime as being involved with the Bit.Trip series. It has been corrected.