I find it funny that unknown indie games are thriving and Ubisoft is still complaining about a 90% drop in sales because of the evil pirates. After continuing my Adventure game marathon I found this game. Someone had suggested it on the forums. I looked at it saw a RPG maker game (a program that premakes RPGs for you easily for people who can't make them) and went fuck that. But after hearing a lot about it again and having just finished up Gray Matter I decided to give it a try. At first I'm going "what is this some lame comedy bullshit?" Then I played longer and finally understood what everyone was talking about. The game may look unappealing but the story is great. After playing for the few hours it took to finish the game, the graphics doesn't look so bad anymore. However is this really worth 12 bucks?
The game is almost as short as Dear Esther and theres absolutely no replay value. Why is it worth 12 bucks? For a game you make in RPG maker? Seems like anyone can throw together a game and sell it these days. However I remember saying games with shitty gameplay but good stories should stick to writing books this one is a bit different. It may be an RPG maker game but its an Adventure game at heart. It wouldn't be fun if it was a real game with lots of dumb stuff to distract you and it wouldn't make sense in a book. Its mixing these two together that you get the perfect game, an Adventure game. Without being able to interact with the world and find objects to trigger memories it just wouldn't be the same. Its a shame Adventure games are dying out. I may not have played many of them, but I still find them extremely fun.
Adventure games may be dying but its certainly not entirely dead. It has a very niche audience that are eagerly waiting for more. Double Fine recently started a Kickstarter for a new adventure game and they raised over 3 million dollars to make the game. That is a lot of fucking money from people desperately wanting a new adventure game. A lot of adventure games joined up Kickstarter too and are getting close to reaching the goal. I'm going off topic. When you first start the game you meet up with your two protagonists, Dr. Eva Rosalene and Dr. Neil Watts. The two of you have unique jobs where the two of you give the person another chance to live by granting them one wish just before they die but everything is just a memory. You meet the caretakers of an elderly man named Johnny who is on his deathbed. You are told his wish is to go to the moon and the two of you enter his memories and find out exactly why and by changing certain events in his memory the two of you can make that wish come true. However its never really that simple is it?
Its painful and heartbreaking. The characters are all very likable, and you're always begging for more information but its never given to you. As you go back further in time you learn more and more about them and why they are doing what they did. There is really nothing I can say without spoiling the game. The story is very good and the music isn't bad. It fits the theme pretty well. However as the game ended we were told this is part 1 of many. If this really is part 1 of many then its already 12 bucks for 1 part?. Thats pretty steep of a price for something with barely any replay value with RPG maker graphics.
Do not let the first few minutes of the game fool you. Walking around like an RPG and fighting turn based combat is all for comedic effect. People start off hating the protagonists because they add nothing to the story until later on they realize they're there for the comedic effect to alleviate the bleakness of the game. Its a very depressing game yet touching at the same time. I don't hate this game, in fact I like it a lot. Would this be called an adventure game? It most likely can. People assume its an RPG because its made in RPG maker. It is not. Adventure games are unique in the sense that they rely more on the story to sell the game. However the gameplay is not entirely forgotten. Without proper gameplay, an adventure game is nothing but a story. Its the merging of these two things that we get something amazing. This game did it right.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqkJuSV-23U
Give it a try.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Captain Morgane and the Golden Turtle - You need a man to get anything done
Well what is this game? Its a pirate adventure game set in the Caribbean. Wait, isn't there another game like that? Yeah one of the most famous adventure games of all time, Monkey Island. Except this game you are searching for turtle island. The game isn't bad its reminds me a lot of Monkey Island but instead of a lumbering oaf that is Guybrush you get this giant asshole Morgane. Morgane isn't as witty or resourceful as Guybrush but she has a crew that can do stuff for her. I forgot where I heard about this game but it caught my attention by being so similar to Monkey Island. Its a spinoff series of another adventure game by the same company called So Blond and share many of the same characters.
The graphics are pretty good, but character sprites are a little lacking but easily overlooked. Most characters are likable and entertaining minus a few. Voice acting is decently well done. There is a problem though, and that is Morgane thinks of you as an idiot. She needs to point out everything to you. EVERY LITTLE THING. Oh I got a cloth I should go to the pump. Oh the pump is missing a rivet it must be on the ground. Oh I fixed the pump now I can add water to my cloth. The cloth is wet now I can clean the windows with it. I cleaned the windows, Mama is going to be so proud. Arghhhh. Let us think for ourselves you dumb brat. The game starts as an 8 year old Morgane doing chores for her mother and its mostly a tutorial so she gives you a ton of information. As you progress you are given less and less information. Even with so, the amount of information given is still too much. You're supposed to be Morgane, not some loser that follows Morgane around while she explains everything to you a second time because you're too stupid to understand. Yes literally she repeats what just happened on the screen to you. The character says something and something happens oh no heres Morgane breaking the 4th wall, yet again, to explain to you in simpler terms. The inventory is kinda annoying as its extremely sensitive. Moving it too far to the left or right flies across all the pages.
Later on you become the acting captain for your father's ship when you are grown up. At first your crew is slow to trust you but eventually they start growing on you. You as in Morgane. What I liked is that she is both a woman and Spanish. Thats two minorities in video games in one character. Although Morgane is likable and portrayed in a positive light as a capable independent woman, she can never get anything done without ordering a man to do it. For example you need to climb up a wall, you have to call someone to give you a lift. Opening a window? Need a man to open it. Sure the captain's first mate has comically huge strength and is twice as big as the other guy but most of the time the men used are random scrawny guys. He is used when you need to cut through a jungle with a battle axe or threaten away pirates and to act as a bodyguard because its an unsafe area in the French Quarter. Its a shame. Guybrush isn't super strong but as an adventure game we can understand being able to hold random huge objects or lift things that are impossible (until you suddenly aren't!) Because its an adventure game how else are you supposed to fit 50 items in your pants?
I can understand if its a super realistic game but this is a comedy adventure game. Its not as witty as Monkey Island but its not bad if you don't compare it to that. You're able to hold giant fucking totem poles in your pants to save your crew yet you can't open a window because you're a girl and you don't have the strength? Why do you have to go back to call a crewmate to do it? Other than that theres really not much to hate about the game. The game has many references like on a rock formation at the top of a cliff if you investigate with the look button you make a comment about how it looks like a monkey holding up a lion cub. An obvious reference to Lion King. Inside the kitchen you see lots of fish and various seafood hanging on the walls. One of them looks like a metroid. If you keep an eye open for these things you can find them easy. Theres even a my little pony reference. However the puzzles for the game is very easy. Any adventure game veteran would find it too easy but for a novice it should be fine.
Overall, its an ok game but its not great. If only you can get things done without a man. Even so, Morgane is a memorable character with her Spanish accent and sharp tongue. It makes me smile every time someone goes "Hello Morgane (pronounced mor-gain) how are you" because of the way it sounds. Its pleasing to hear an ethnic name and that of a woman in a game. Morgane isn't sexualized either. She is a strong female character (despite needing men to do all the heavy lifting yet being able to hold giant objects like totem poles to save your crew when they get shackled is exempt from this.) A rare breed and more games need to learn to make.
The graphics are pretty good, but character sprites are a little lacking but easily overlooked. Most characters are likable and entertaining minus a few. Voice acting is decently well done. There is a problem though, and that is Morgane thinks of you as an idiot. She needs to point out everything to you. EVERY LITTLE THING. Oh I got a cloth I should go to the pump. Oh the pump is missing a rivet it must be on the ground. Oh I fixed the pump now I can add water to my cloth. The cloth is wet now I can clean the windows with it. I cleaned the windows, Mama is going to be so proud. Arghhhh. Let us think for ourselves you dumb brat. The game starts as an 8 year old Morgane doing chores for her mother and its mostly a tutorial so she gives you a ton of information. As you progress you are given less and less information. Even with so, the amount of information given is still too much. You're supposed to be Morgane, not some loser that follows Morgane around while she explains everything to you a second time because you're too stupid to understand. Yes literally she repeats what just happened on the screen to you. The character says something and something happens oh no heres Morgane breaking the 4th wall, yet again, to explain to you in simpler terms. The inventory is kinda annoying as its extremely sensitive. Moving it too far to the left or right flies across all the pages.
Later on you become the acting captain for your father's ship when you are grown up. At first your crew is slow to trust you but eventually they start growing on you. You as in Morgane. What I liked is that she is both a woman and Spanish. Thats two minorities in video games in one character. Although Morgane is likable and portrayed in a positive light as a capable independent woman, she can never get anything done without ordering a man to do it. For example you need to climb up a wall, you have to call someone to give you a lift. Opening a window? Need a man to open it. Sure the captain's first mate has comically huge strength and is twice as big as the other guy but most of the time the men used are random scrawny guys. He is used when you need to cut through a jungle with a battle axe or threaten away pirates and to act as a bodyguard because its an unsafe area in the French Quarter. Its a shame. Guybrush isn't super strong but as an adventure game we can understand being able to hold random huge objects or lift things that are impossible (until you suddenly aren't!) Because its an adventure game how else are you supposed to fit 50 items in your pants?
I can understand if its a super realistic game but this is a comedy adventure game. Its not as witty as Monkey Island but its not bad if you don't compare it to that. You're able to hold giant fucking totem poles in your pants to save your crew yet you can't open a window because you're a girl and you don't have the strength? Why do you have to go back to call a crewmate to do it? Other than that theres really not much to hate about the game. The game has many references like on a rock formation at the top of a cliff if you investigate with the look button you make a comment about how it looks like a monkey holding up a lion cub. An obvious reference to Lion King. Inside the kitchen you see lots of fish and various seafood hanging on the walls. One of them looks like a metroid. If you keep an eye open for these things you can find them easy. Theres even a my little pony reference. However the puzzles for the game is very easy. Any adventure game veteran would find it too easy but for a novice it should be fine.
Overall, its an ok game but its not great. If only you can get things done without a man. Even so, Morgane is a memorable character with her Spanish accent and sharp tongue. It makes me smile every time someone goes "Hello Morgane (pronounced mor-gain) how are you" because of the way it sounds. Its pleasing to hear an ethnic name and that of a woman in a game. Morgane isn't sexualized either. She is a strong female character (despite needing men to do all the heavy lifting yet being able to hold giant objects like totem poles to save your crew when they get shackled is exempt from this.) A rare breed and more games need to learn to make.
Collector Editions - Another way to spell cognitive dissonance
Collector Editions are for people who wish to feel special. They are filled with nothing but the prestige of owning a collector edition that they spent massive amounts of money on. I don't buy collector editions. Why? Because I rather use that money to buy two games instead. Whats really in there anyways? Usually they include art books, bonus content on how the game is made, and other little stuff that doesn't really add much. Some of the more recent ones includes day one DLC, exclusive ingame items (that can be edited in by modifying the files by changing one line,) guaranteed beta access, and more. These are limited in numbers so people who buy them can feel special. For a 60 dollar game, collector editions go for 80-90 dollars. That is a "normal" collector edition.
What are these super special collector editions then? Well, how about one for 150 dollars? Bethesda for example, claimed that games are too expensive to make so they have to charge their collector editions for 150 bucks. That seems a little steep but people buy it up. Not wanting to be outdone, Kingdoms of Amalur has a collector edition for 380 bucks. Yes 380 fucking bucks. That shit is stupid as fuck. Who in their right mind would shell out 380 for a piece of shit collector's edition for a piece of shit game. The Secret World has one for 250 dollars but it includes a "lifetime subscription." If you're one of those thinking, "Hey that might be worthwhile if you play for an year and a half!" Then go slap yourself on the face. Lifetime subscriptions have never turned out well. The first game to ever do that, or one that I am aware of, is Hellgate London. That game flopped and closed down so fast that no one ever got their money's worth. When you get a lifetime subscription you are taking a gamble that the game won't flop. You are also gambling that you would continue playing the game for that long. Games that hand out choice for a lifetime subscription probably isn't looking forward to staying alive for very long because, why else would they give them out? They'd earn more money without it.
However, one company goes up and beyond everything in pure greed. I have never seen anything this stupid and greedy in my life. This goes beyond the stupidity of EA and Ubisoft. Who is it? Capcom. How stupid you ask, well would you ever pay 1293 bucks for a collector edition that has nothing but a leather jacket designed like the guy in the game? No its not a typo. No you did not read wrong. One fucking thousand two hundred and ninety three fucking bucks. I hope the collector edition comes with a gun to shoot yourself in the head because thats probably the only way you'll live down the shame and embarrassment of purchasing it. I can understand a tiny increase for 80-90 bucks. I can sorta understand 150 bucks for Bethesda, they have a huge fanbase and they are able to milk that much. I can understand lifetime subscriptions if you're willing to take a gamble. But for 1293 bucks there is nothing anyone can possibly say to justify that amount other than if Capcom comes out and says "We're greedy assholes and we want to know who is stupid enough to buy the collector edition because they've been eating up our shit and sucking our cocks for the past few years already by playing our shitty games. We want to know how far we can push it before they realize they're retards."
Maybe then, just maybe, it would be justifiable but that would never ever happen. Until people realize they're being played a fool game companies are just going to shit out collector editions with exuberant prices because they can.
What are these super special collector editions then? Well, how about one for 150 dollars? Bethesda for example, claimed that games are too expensive to make so they have to charge their collector editions for 150 bucks. That seems a little steep but people buy it up. Not wanting to be outdone, Kingdoms of Amalur has a collector edition for 380 bucks. Yes 380 fucking bucks. That shit is stupid as fuck. Who in their right mind would shell out 380 for a piece of shit collector's edition for a piece of shit game. The Secret World has one for 250 dollars but it includes a "lifetime subscription." If you're one of those thinking, "Hey that might be worthwhile if you play for an year and a half!" Then go slap yourself on the face. Lifetime subscriptions have never turned out well. The first game to ever do that, or one that I am aware of, is Hellgate London. That game flopped and closed down so fast that no one ever got their money's worth. When you get a lifetime subscription you are taking a gamble that the game won't flop. You are also gambling that you would continue playing the game for that long. Games that hand out choice for a lifetime subscription probably isn't looking forward to staying alive for very long because, why else would they give them out? They'd earn more money without it.
However, one company goes up and beyond everything in pure greed. I have never seen anything this stupid and greedy in my life. This goes beyond the stupidity of EA and Ubisoft. Who is it? Capcom. How stupid you ask, well would you ever pay 1293 bucks for a collector edition that has nothing but a leather jacket designed like the guy in the game? No its not a typo. No you did not read wrong. One fucking thousand two hundred and ninety three fucking bucks. I hope the collector edition comes with a gun to shoot yourself in the head because thats probably the only way you'll live down the shame and embarrassment of purchasing it. I can understand a tiny increase for 80-90 bucks. I can sorta understand 150 bucks for Bethesda, they have a huge fanbase and they are able to milk that much. I can understand lifetime subscriptions if you're willing to take a gamble. But for 1293 bucks there is nothing anyone can possibly say to justify that amount other than if Capcom comes out and says "We're greedy assholes and we want to know who is stupid enough to buy the collector edition because they've been eating up our shit and sucking our cocks for the past few years already by playing our shitty games. We want to know how far we can push it before they realize they're retards."
Maybe then, just maybe, it would be justifiable but that would never ever happen. Until people realize they're being played a fool game companies are just going to shit out collector editions with exuberant prices because they can.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
