Hey folks, Valkor here. Epic-1 and I paved the cold, wet, crowded streets of NYC to hang with the folks at SEGA. Was it worth it, drudging through such craziness? You bet your sweet ass it was, because we got to check out some kick ass games. Here’s a sneak at what SEGA was showin off with a TOV: DoubleView.
Mad World (Wii)
Valkor: First up was Mad World. I don’t know why, I kept calling it Death World. But you know what? Both names makes sense as the game is crazy as hell with killing all around. Epic-1 is the Wii guy and as soon as he picked up the chucks, he was all in. The game is very intuitive, though some of the crazier moves will take getting used to. Graphically I like the black and white, but after a few minutes things started to mesh. Yeah you get the red blood and some yellow, but some small touches of color would really make Mad World shine. Otherwise if I wasn’t too lazy for the Wii I would be all over it. Plus it’s rated M (had to do a double take on that one; An “M” game on a Nintendo System??) and it really shows! This March you’ll be able to pick up your copy.
Epic-1: The game was Mad World this game was very exciting, full of blood and pretty easy controls. Now I know what you’re saying Wii doesn’t have any good games well my friends in March you will have that game in Mad World. The game follows Jack, a man trying to stop a game of killing made by terrorists. And did I forget to mention the winner gets 100 million dollars? (yea it’s not going to be easy). While your killing people there are also side games you play to get points and of course my favorite part of the game is that it follows Sin City-esque ways by being in black and white drawing type form except for the blood that’s red.
Bayonetta (XBOX 360, PS3)
Valkor: Going in I thought Bayonetta was another shooter, but wasn’t I surprised that it was more of a “Devil May Cry” type game. I first read about the game in a past ish of EGM, and to check out gameplay action first hand? Yeah, I was excited. The game stars… well Bayonetta, a witch with some serious hair. From my understanding, Bay’s costume, weapons, everything on her person is made up of her hair. And she can use her hair in a variety of attacks, including gun attacks which she use/fire with her hands and her feet. You can also pull off some insane combos and I can’t wait to try out “Witch Time”, which slows things down briefly so you can pull off some crazy stunts. Graphically the game is a step up from Devil, because everything moves seamlessly with no breaks in screen changes (ala Devil). This is gonna be a killer title for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Look for it fall 09.
Epic-1: Now this is a game for those fan boys with a half naked chick and for the gamers who love Devil May Cry well it’s the same people and follows the same concept pretty much. Now this chick uses her hair to bring up some nasty creatures to finish off her opponents and did I mention that her hair is her outfit so OH YES!!!! (Fan boys beware may cause blindness lol).
StormRise (XBOX 360, PS3)
Valkor: Talk about going in-depth? Epic and I spent more time on this game than all the others, but you know what? That time the rep took to talk about the game explains a lot. For starters we talked about getting the mouse/keyboard combo all into a joystick, so that console users will get the ease of use the PC users have, but I think after the PC gamers check out this action they may want to switch over, because everything from troop placement, and switching between your infantry can be done with the flip of your analog pad. And on top of that you not only get a true RTS, but you also get the power of a first person shooter, where you can really strategize how, where and when your troops can attack. Though we didn’t get to see too much, we got enough info that intrigued me enough to want to see more of the game, which is coming out this March.
Epic-1: Yes this game is all about strategy as you lead your army against your opponents but you must use strategy but what really got me was the easy controls as shown to us by one of the tech guys. Now if you love World of Warcraft or even board games like Risk you are going to love this game. The game takes place in the future and you have everything from robot suits, to giant crab like creatures, to invisible spy alien type forms helping you out but the enemy has something to stop whatever you have its all about how you use your army and how they use theirs that’s right strategy.
Sonic and the Black Knight (Wii)
Valkor: Another Wii, this is the family type stuff I am used to seeing on Nintendo. I let Epic tackle this one again and first off it’s very intuitive; just jump right in. Graphically it’s nothing special and the game thus far looks pretty simple, and standard Sonic fare. I believe this is also a March title (Everything is March, but I have to wait for Bayonetta? Damnit!!)
Epic-1: In this game we follow Sonic as he is warped into another dimension following the King Arthur storylines and includes Sonic favorites like Tails, Knuckles and others. Now this game is for any kid 10 and up or any major Sonic fan but for me it was a little too easy and I believe that any kid 5 or older can handle it. No coins to collect but you will collect apples which in turn equal coins and remember it’s on Wii so a lot of nun chuck use with the Wii remote itself.
Phantasy Star Portable (PSP)
Epic-1: I myself don’t know too much about the game so I will let Valkor take this one but from what I saw the graphics were good and it looks interesting in whole.
Valkor: Really it’s almost like these guys wanted to brush this under the table, we were in and out before we knew what was going on. Still, I am really excited about the game, because the PSP is lacking in RPGs. And as a phantasy nut (fantasy = phantasy, pun intended), I need more RPG’s. Not just with the PSP but with the PS3 as well. Sega you guys are my saving grace, throw some action RPG and full fledge RPG’s Sony’s way. Enough with the shooters! I know I didn’t go into much of the game, but neither did the reps, but Phantasy Star PSP is a definite must pick up title when it’s released this March.
Valkor’s Final thoughts:
This is not about the event but more as a plea to Sega of Japan and Sega America: Get Back Into the Console Market. Seriously, I don’t care what anyone says, but gaming as it stands is WEAK! Xbox lovers you might be happy with your shooters, sports, and racing, but I’m happier with a 5 dollar download of Mega Man 9 than I am with a 60 store bought purchase of Fallout 3. When Sega was making games, they had the most diverse line-up on any system (next to Nintendos) and it shows when I was recently in a video game shop and perusing older titles from the PS1 and the Dreamcast. I can count on 1 hand how many games they had on the PS1 shelf that I would buy (FF7 being one) where as with the Dreamcast, I would need more hands. Right now the Xbox 360 s catering to the online community by making games that can be played by multiple players and they’re quite strong at it, but not enough gaming for the single player. (I know they’re picking it up but it should have been done from the start). And the PS3? I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m actually disappointed in my purchase. The PS3 has turned into nothing more than a media machine. You know what the PS1 and PS2 had going for it? Lots of RPGs. Where are they now? Non-existent. The Wii and DS are kicking ass and with good reason; they’ve stuck with the formula by focusing on the games and the diversity of titles. Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior reign supreme on the DS and if you want gaming on all levels, then the Wii is it (But I must stress, I’m just too lazy for the Wii lol.)
This is where Sega shines, because when they were in the consoles they matched Nintendo move for move, and really my choice has always been Sega right up to the Dreamcast because I know I will get a wide variety of gaming for my dollar. Please guys consider stepping into the console ring once again. If the games are there and the system is strong, then Sega can definitely make their mark once more in the console arena.