FF14 Interview

Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XIV will be the second Massively Multiplayer Online entry in Square Enix's revered RPG series. Amid the chaos of E3 we sat down with Hiromichi Tanaka, senior vice president of software at Square Enix, and online producer Yasu Kurosawa. Read on to hear their thoughts on the Guildleve system and the possibility of handheld MMORPGs.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about the game?

Hiromichi Tanaka: There are two unique points to Final Fantasy XIV. One is Guildleve – the lead quest that you tried earlier on. This guildleve system allows people to try out, or get rewards or level up certain skills they have, in a very short time – like 30 minutes. So even if you're a solo player, or playing in a small group, you can still manage your time very efficiently and level up your character in the way you like. In addition to that we have the armoury system, which allows the players to change classes by just holding a different piece of equipment, so that allows more flexibility for the players to enjoy the game. They can learn abilities during the process, and by combining different abilities you can customise and create you own character, and have your own game experience. Also, because this is a Final Fantasy game, you can of course expect a huge, deep storyline.

Q: From the demo it was difficult to get a sense of the size of the world. How expansive is the wider world of the game?

HT: What we have in the beta is like 20 per cent of the actual game contents, so it's five-ten kilometres across. It's about that size.

Q: Can you tell us a bit more about the character classes, and how they relate to the Final Fantasy games that we already know?

Yasu Kurosawa: This time there are four different categories: Disciples of War, Disciples of Magic, Disciples of the Hand and Disciples of Land. So, these are the four main categories, and in them are many different classes that we will be introducing.

HT: And by changing the equipment you can customise your own characters. So there are several classes in the game, and by learning different abilities you can make your class. Actually this time we purposely decided not to use the common job names we used in previous Final Fantasy titles, so you really have to make sure you combine the exact skills you need to become a White Mage of the future. It's really up to you how you develop your character.

Q: You mentioned an epic story that will run throughout the game. Obviously that's quite hard to do with an MMO, so how are you going to make the player part of the plot while still giving them the freedom they want?

HT: The main idea is the same as the package titles of the Final Fantasy series, so NPCs will be the key trigger of the game. By talking to NPCs, they will give you the storyline. The key point of the Final Fantasy XIV storyline is that you'll be experiencing what happened in the past, and doing that will involve the secrets of the world. If it's a package title, sometimes by following the story you can't do anything else – you just have to keep on following. But because this is an MMO, you're allowed to stop the story at certain points, and try out a different quest. So you have much more freedom. Also, by trying the quest that might sort of experience the further story. That's how we're going to bring the character into the mainstream story, and we've managed to do that because we had a lot of experience with Final Fantasy XI.

Q: Do you feel that the MMORPG is still coming of age? Are there a lot of places for the genre to still go to?

HT: Final Fantasy has been out for eight years now, and when you think about how long it was in development, it's been more than ten years. I've had 27 to 28 years in the games industry, and a third of my life in the industry has been spent on online titles. From that aspect, I believe that the MMO is a well established genre now. However, it will evolve in the future, it will keep on changing. As Final Fantasy XI did with certain version updates, the game can change really drastically. There are a lot of possibilities, and I think things will change from here on.

Q: What is the business model for the game, with regards to subscription fees?

HT: It's going to be a 30 day subscription model, and as for the price we are currently confirming the details. It should be announced shortly.

Q: When people play MMOs, they often play it exclusively and ignore every other game in their collection. Has there been any resistance from the platform holders in this regard? If a million people play FFXIV and don't want to play anything else, that might not be good for Sony.

HT: That's a very good point, and that's something that will be a concern as well! On the PS3, you will have to login to the PS3 [the PSN] to enjoy the game, so I guess that's how we're contributing.

Q: Do you think we could ever see a Final Fantasy Online game on a portable console – on the PSP or a future successor, for example?

HT: Yes, I believe it's definitely possible. The DS and PSP both have networking systems implemented, so it's definitely do-able. The CPU of mobile consoles are much lower spec compared to other consoles, or even to PC, so that could be a difficulty if you want to simply transfer a console-based MMO onto a mobile machine. But if it's built specifically for DS or PSP that's definitely possible, even on the current technology.

Dragon Quest IX

Dragon Quest IX Review
What do you expect from the next iteration of your favourite JRPG series? Better graphics? Improved voice acting? An innovative new battle system? Dragon Quest IX has none of these things. The reason for this can be traced back to a decision made before the game was even in development; the decision to bring the game to a handheld console. As with Square Enix's controversial attempt at westernisation with Final Fantasy XIII, the decision was made with the intention to open the franchise up to a wider audience. The question is: is this going to sit well with the diehard fans that have stuck with the series since day one? As I find myself loitering in that category of gamers (I'd need to be a few years older to have been there since day one), I decided to find out.


Before getting stuck in, let's take a moment to explain a few things. If Square Enix has succeeded in attracting a new audience, there could be people reading this who haven't the foggiest what the series is all about. Here's the history lesson, then: the first Dragon Quest game was released on the NES back in 1986, and over the next 24 years enjoyed the success and sales that other franchises can only dream of. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, the most recent entry in the series (and the first game in the main series to reach European shores) was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2006. It was a rip-roaring success, and all eyes were on the PS3 to play host to the inevitable ninth game. That 'next gen' Dragon Quest game will have to wait a while, however, because Square Enix has decided to launch Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DQIX from here on out) on the console with the biggest pool of potential players: the Nintendo DS.



Despite its newfangled four-player co-op (which I'll be addressing shortly) the game is incredibly traditional in the role playing sense. You'll wander from town to town, slaying monsters and helping out NPCs with whatever problems their poor little town is facing. It's the quintessential JPRG experience. A JPRG wouldn't be a JRPG these days without some form of item synthesis, and DQIX doesn't disappoint with its extensive alchemy features, allowing players to create more potent medicines and stronger weapons by combining existing items. Side quests can of course be found off the beaten path too, although I found the majority of these took the form of a thoughtless fetch quest. The series might have moved from the big screen to a little handheld one, but all the features you'd expect from a console RPG are included

The Dragon Quest series has always had a strong religious theme at the core of its narrative, and the ninth iteration of the series is no different. The silent protagonist (whom you create before starting the game) is a guardian angel; a 'Celestrian' - to use the game's lingo - who looks after a small town known as Angel Falls. After helping out about town and collecting benevolence from its faithful denizens, our winged protagonist returns to the realm of angels to offer the benevolence to the great Yggdrasil tree. The idea is that this will allow the angels to ascend to the land of God, but an unforeseen catastrophe throws a spanner into the works. After blacking out, our hero wakes up in Angel Falls stripped of his wings and halo, and his heavenly powers replaced with mortality. The adventure that unfolds involves finding out what happened, and reinstating your Celestrian status.

As we've come to expect from Square Enix games, the localisation is superb, and the script has a fantastic sense of humour. Story delivery on the whole is lacking, however, which can be attributed to the fact that none of your party members talk. For the most part, the plot is advanced through the vexatious monologues of Stella, a fairy that starts following your character around early on in the game. For the first time in the series, your party is comprised entirely of mute adventurers, all of whom are created and recruited by the player. The customisation features are basic, with but a few preset face types and hairstyles to choose from. Still, the game features such an extensive range of hats, gloves and suits of armour that this doesn't seem to matter.

Virtua Fighter 5

Virtua Fighter 5 Review

If you like beating people up then SEGA's Virtua Fighter 5 is the game for you. Developed by the black belts at AM2 (Fighting Vipers, Fighters Megamix), VF5 is a true gameplay showcase that deserves more mainstream attention than it will probably ever get. Then again, proper timing can make a big difference in a title's success, and with the PlayStation 3's void of compelling software since last December, Virtua Fighter's chance of grabbing North American eyeballs is better than ever.

And let's face it, our attention should be grabbed. After all, one of the universe's biggest mysteries is why SEGA's excellent franchise has never reached the same American commercial success as its competition. Soulcalibur and Tekken both, for example, are lucrative post-arcade endeavors that see strong sales and good word of mouth years after their release. Virtua Fighter, on the other hand, gets labeled as "the hardcore alternative" and sees most of its action at tournaments or in Asian markets (it's huge in Japan); domestic appearances are usually relegated to diehard neighborhood get-togethers and occasional competitions.

But you can blame us for that. It's a popular misconception among the press that Virtua Fighter's mechanics are too complicated for the laymen. That's a myth. What makes VF so compelling is that it's as multifaceted as you allow it to be. Two beginners can hook up and execute a minutia of combos with fairly little knowledge of the system, but pit those same players against an expert, and they'll see things they never thought possible. Therein lies the stumbling block of the media's (and as a result, the uninformed public's) view of Virtua Fighter -- a depth of gameplay that rewards skill is misinterpreted as "too complex" for general audiences. Hell, I'm no pro myself but I can still see how brilliant the system is from the very start.

Hopefully, Virtua Fighter 5 will open eyes and prove that VF is an all-access beast. As one of the few exclusive (at least for now) PS3 titles in the first quarter of 2007, it has the opportunity to grab consumers it wouldn't normally reach, and it deserves plenty of recognition. Why? Because though it isn't a huge leap over the PS2's Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, it does offer a number of everyone-friendly improvements that make it the most accessible installment yet. Faster gameplay (think "DOA fast"), reworked combos (several of which chain more naturally), and hearty customization options should get people hooked and fast.

Virtua Fighter's satisfying gameplay can be attributed to one major factor: character balance. Unlike the competing 3D titles mentioned earlier, Virtua Fighter has done a stand-up job of giving users a legitimate chance with every last warrior in the lineup. Sure there are some overpowered moves here and there, but they're minimal at best and are easily recognized after a couple of matches. This means that 90% of the time, good Akira players match up well against good Pai Chan users and advanced Aoi users won't dominate advanced Vanessa players. From a mechanical standpoint, there's nothing more important in a fighter than that.

When playing against another human being, Virtua Fighter 5 is incredibly satisfying. Even when getting your ass handed to you by a superior player, the smooth controls and deep combat compel you to play more. Unfortunately, brawling with the AI isn't nearly as gratifying since the CPU is actually quite tepid. In fact, unless you crank the difficulty all the way up, the majority of your opponents are surprisingly lazy and offer little retort to a series of fists in their face. Constant hit-and-run tactics combined with quick rush/ throw techniques will take out most sub-elite rivals, and will still deal serious damage on even the heaviest hitters.

The weak AI is softened a bit by the inclusion of the addictive Quest mode which simulates the practice of traveling to various arcades and challenging the world's best players. It's surprisingly engrossing, throws hundreds of AI-powered foes at you and serves as the primary way to gain new items for character customizations. The sheer number of modifications that can be made to a single fighter are immense (specific items for 17 different characters with four outfits each mean plenty of unlockables), and the fact that you can save up to 30 unique characters per PlayStation ID means that you can expect an abundance of variety.
Despite my affection for Virtua Fighter 5's gameplay mechanics and customization, however, there are a number of design choices that still leave me scratching my head. The most obvious, of course, is the lack of online support (yeah, like you didn't see that one coming). Though latency concerns were probably this feature's biggest adversary, it's still baffling to see that a next-gen game of this magnitude (on a system built around the idea of network processing) doesn't support an option that several PS2 fighters have had for years. This is an especially painful reality when considering how weak the AI is. Why settle for a CPU-driven Quest mode when there's nothing stopping you from doing it for real?

There are a couple of other concerns I have as well. Versus matches have an abundance of arbitrary menus, for example, and unless you want to load your customized character before every match, you'll have to select "play without data" for each bout. Using a character ID is a bit of a pain too, because you can only save one character per name and don't have a "Master ID" that keeps track of a single player's performance with multiple combatants. The strangest hitch of them all, though, is that players can't take their characters to a friend's house and play against another created character. Plus, you can't save replays from every match type and the music and audio isn't very memorable.

But VF5's presentational elements aren't all bad -- the visuals are more than impressive with cool cloth physics, nice special effects, and some cool background views. The character models look pretty good too and even when running in 1080i (the box only claims 720p, but it goes higher), the animations are smooth and fast.

Closing Comments

Virtua Fighter 5 kicks a whole lot of MMA ass. It offers one of the most intuitive and robust fighting systems ever assembled and the customization options and quest mode are great fun. Granted, its AI isn't very good, it has a couple of interface issues and the lack of online is a major negative, but the mechanics here are so amazing, that it doesn't hurt the overall package as much as it would in other games. Grab a buddy (or five) and play it... a lot!

Another Take

from Hilary Goldstein

Virtua Fighter 5 is a difficult game to judge. The fighting engine is second to none. Just based on mechanics alone, it's one of the greatest fighting games I've played. The level of character customization is exciting and can lead to some very unique looking fighters. But everything else comes up a little flat. The interface is mediocre and the AI is unsophisticated. The environments, which lack good ambient sound and graphical flare, are a bit of a disappointment. So too is the lack of online play. The absence of the network aspects that made the arcade version so cool haunts the gameplay modes. This is a game that belongs online, and part of the overall experience feels hollow without network play. Virtua Fighter 5 gets a lot right and in the places it matters most. You won't find a more technically demanding fighter on any system. Virtua Fighter 5 is a great fighter, but with the dawn of the next-generation of gaming, more is needed to make for a true classic.

Calamity Trigger

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Limited Edition Review

Being a devoted follower of developer ARC System Works -- the folks behind the Guilty Gear series -- I was ecstatic when I first found out that BlazBlue was on the way. The oddly-named 2D fighter would serve as the (dare I say it) spiritual successor of the Guilty Gear franchise and preserve the developer's legacy for creating wildly imaginative, fast-paced fighting games with nice visuals. Although I was sad to hear that Guilty Gear might eventually bow out to the BlazBlue name, I was eager to get a fresh start. And now that BlazBlue is finally here, I couldn't be more pleased with the final product.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is one of the most polished, fun fighting games I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Although the game will have a much more limited appeal than mainstream powerhouses like Street Fighter and Tekken, this gem of a fighter really needs to be played by anyone even remotely interested in fighting games. There's almost nothing about this game that rubs me the wrong way and ARC System Works has thought of every little detail a fighting game fan could want.

Limited Edition Content The initial run of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is actually pretty special, as there's no Standard Edition to be found. That's right: the first copies of BlazBlue will all be Limited Edition. You get the game in its fancy packaging, a two-disc soundtrack full of some fantastic music and a bonus Blu-ray filled with helpful tutorial information -- all for the price of a standard retail game. This really blows other Limited Editions out of the water, considering how both pack-ins are not only "free" but are actually worth getting. Eventually, BlazBlue will have a Standard Edition run which I will examine when the time comes. But for now, everyone buying BlazBlue gets a very nice package with some great character art on the outside. Inside the box is the aforementioned soundtrack, which spans an impressive 42 tracks across two discs. Composed by ARC System Works designer Daisuke Ishiwatari, these tunes are actually worth giving a listen. Lastly, the bonus Blu-ray is designed to be an introduction/tutorial to the BlazBlue universe. Although the menus and overall presentation might seem like they came straight out of Apple's iDVD software, the actual information presented is fantastic. Not only are all the game's basic battle systems explained, but BlazBlue experts are brought in to describe character-specific strategies and tips for beginners. If you didn't already figure it out, I'll summarize my thoughts on this run of BlazBlue: buy it. You can read more about my feelings on the game itself below, but getting all this Limited Edition content for the price of a standard retail game is a steal.

BlazBlue has it all: awesome characters, stunning backgrounds, sweet music, tons of unlockables and -- most importantly -- enjoyable fighting. Like the 2D fighters before it, BlazBlue pits two characters against each other in a battle that takes place on a 2D plane. Anyone even partially familiar with Guilty Gear will feel right at home when playing BlazBlue, as the game not only borrows heavily from Guilty Gear's aesthetics but also feels very much like the "evolution" of the Guilty Gear franchise. While certain fighting games (such as Street Fighter and Soulcalibur) emphasize ground combat and more pointed, precise inputs, BlazBlue places tremendous stress on fast action and dashing, as well as plenty of aerial combat. Unless you're controlling a slow character (I'm looking at you, Tager), be prepared to play this game at a dizzying pace.

One of the things I love most about BlazBlue is how straight-forward the basic fighting engine is. Yes, there is depth to be found and the advanced techniques can be intimidating, but at its core, BlazBlue only has four buttons to learn. Attacks A, B, C and D. The "D" stands for "Drive," which is a special, character-specific attack that is -- essentially -- the "easy way to look cool." Attacks A, B and C are just normal attacks of increasing strength. Besides these simple attacks, you use the D-pad (or an arcade stick) to move around, duck, jump, and block. That's all there is to it.

Watch our full video review.

Of course, that's just the tip of the iceberg in BB Land. BlazBlue also features a host of advanced techniques that ARC System Works fans should have come to expect. By pressing back on the D-pad and holding A and B (The attacks, not the 360 buttons!), your character will put up a Barrier, which is a more effective way of protecting your fighter. You can also hit A, B and C together during a move to Rapid Cancel, which stops the animation of your current attack and allows your fighter to execute another move immediately. This sort of technique drains your Heat gauge though, which is the BlazBlue equivalent of a Power/Super/Tension gauge. Besides cancels, the Heat gauge also governs your Distortion Drives (super attacks) and Astral Finishers (a flashy instant kill), to name a few. As you can see, there's plenty to learn in BlazBlue, but that's what experimenting in the Training mode is for.

If this looks like it's too much to handle, it's really not. BlazBlue is actually very beginner friendly, as basic combos can be executed just by hitting A, B and C in order. The Drive attack is a great way to perform a special move without any effort, and blocking soon becomes second nature. These are all one-button-press techniques, so I suspect that even beginners will have something to enjoy when they first start. Even when players do move on to bigger, better special moves, all the directional inputs are familiar: circle from down to forward on the D-pad, circle from back to forward on the D-pad, etc.

These responsive mechanics are complemented by a veritable sea of other gameplay elements that make BlazBlue such a fun experience. No fighting game is complete without a great cast of characters and once again the designers at ARC System Works have given us a memorable roster. Yes, these characters borrow heavily from their Guilty Gear predecessors, but they've been given a life of their own thanks to their very distinct personalities and their unique Drive attacks.

Positioned as the poster children of the BlazBlue universe, Ragna, Jin and Noel are arguably the game's star characters. The strangely adversarial relationship between Ragna and Jin echoes the classic tension between Guilty Gear's Sol and Ky. This time, however, the roles have been seriously reversed, as I'd say that Ragna (the successor to Sol) is the hero and Jin is the "villain." I love these characters and how fun they are. From the distinguished vampire girl Rachel to the over-excited ninja Bang, there's just too much personality for one disc.

Rachel and Bang face off.

The unique designs of the characters also affect how they function in the ring. These fighters all play differently and the majority of them have unique mechanics that must be learned outside of the universal mechanics. For example, Carl can control his marionette, Nirvana, while also fighting his opponent. Also, Rachel has a separate gauge that dictates how many times she can control the wind blowing through the ring. These abilities are usually tied to the Drive attacks, but coaxing the player into learning unique mechanics for each character adds tremendous depth to the play experience.

Supporting these characters is a well presented story (for a fighting game). Although things are quite confusing at first, playing through the game with different characters begins to reveal the plot of BlazBlue piece by piece. This is definitely a Japanese-style story, but it plays right into all my anime sensibilities and I think any anime fan will feel quite comfortable with it. If you're not big into anime/JRPG narratives, things will definitely feel bizarre, but I think the imaginative characters and beautiful art will keep you interested.

The overall structure of BlazBlue as a game is great. There's a Story mode, where each character has 3 branching pathways to follow, an Arcade mode, a Score Attack mode, Training mode, a Replay Theater, an extensive gallery for unlockables and -- of course -- multiplayer options. Every mode works really well and the attention to detail is apparent in nearly every facet of the game's design. Whether you're perusing the options menu to adjust HUD positioning, window transparency, message speed and countless other tweaks, or you're just admiring the drool-inducing emblems that represent each character in high-style, you can tell that ARC System Works went all out when developing this game.

One particular element of BlazBlue that prospective buyers might be curious about is the network play. Local multiplayer is a given, but how does a game like this work online? Although I haven't been able to see how BlazBlue performs when all the fighting game junkies have clogged the servers, all my play tests of BlazBlue's online component have been positive. There's usually some lag at the beginning of the match but things seem to catch up soon after.

Meet your new best friends.

This online functionality is made even sweeter when you realize that you can save match replays and watch them in the Replay Theater I mentioned above. Replays can be viewed at normal speed, sped up, or frame-by-frame, which is a great option for the hardest of the hardcore that want to study a troubling loss (or startling victory). The only problem with these replays is that you can't rewind them once you start -- you have to boot them up again. A minor complaint, but a complaint nonetheless.

The only other real issue I can call out in regards to BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is the game's limited appeal. Although I personally think everyone should give this game a go, I know that the zany character designs and speedy combat might not suit everyone's tastes. For me, I was right at home the moment I landed on the main menu. For others, they might see the giant, disproportionate Tager and question the game's (lack of) logic.

Closing Comments

Honestly, there's no way I could describe everything I love about BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger because I would be writing a novella. All you need to know is that this has become one of my favorite fighters of all time and the level of polish and detail this 2D wonder has is amazing. The character designs are excellent, the fighting mechanics are top-notch and there are even extra animated scenes that feature chibi (super adorable) versions of the characters talking about the BlazBlue universe.

I know BlazBlue is only targeting a certain type of fighting game fan, but I think the mechanics are cool enough to entertain anyone even remotely interested in the genre. I'm sure that once the community gets its hands on this game, the true test of balancing will begin and issues I might have missed might come to the surface. With that said, there's no escaping the fact that I had a blast playing BlazBlue and I encourage everyone to buy a copy.

Oddball 90's

In the last installment of VGA, I blabbed about the strange side of PC gaming in the 90's. Much like the bizarre gyrocopters and wingsuits that came about when people were trying to figure out what could and couldn't fly, some creative and unique (if not successful or good) games were made before people settled on the "right" way to do things.

The article closed with an invitation for you guys to blab about particularly offbeat games from that era. I knew that a lot of you would have some interesting things to say, but it still came as a surprise to check my inbox and see it filled with so many death threats.

After a half-hour spent clicking "Report Spam" while sobbing, I was left with this stuff.

Harvester

Forum user DoombatINC writes:

"If you're looking for another 90's game, consider Harvester, the point-and-click adventure game that was also a serial killer training program engineered to progressively desensitize the player to killing and eating people. Here's a serviceable playthough, get some popcorn and someone you don't want to love you anymore and give it a watch."

Phil Salvador writes:

"It's not particularly unique because it's an interactive movie, but it has two interesting distinguishing features. Firstly, the plot takes place in a farm town where ritualistic/serial killings occur every harvest moon in accordance with an evil local cult. Secondly, it's disgustingly graphic. Modern games have absolutely nothing on this cutscene."

Liz Beetem writes:

"The best line of the game is "Can't nobody live without a spine, ain't nothing more natural than that", or something of that ilk."

Harvester is the thinking man's Phantasmagoria, assuming the man in question tends to think about how much better Twin Peaks would have been if it had been set in the 50's and crossed with Faces Of Death, and how John Frumpyflannel would make a better protagonist than Mary Sweatpants.

Come to think of it, a co-branded Harvester vs. Phantasmagoria 2D fighter in the vein of Mortal Kombat would have been a good idea. Or, at least, an idea.

Total Distortion

Evan Perkins writes:

"In a few words, you're a music video producer who used a dead uncle's fortune to build a media tower and teleport into the 'Distortion Dimension', a dimension formed around MTV style music. The main part of the game is a life simulator, where you record film and music in the dimension, then make videos to earn cash, which you spend on food, fuel, and a way back to Earth (teleporting costs money)."

Matthew Haines writes:

"TOTAL DISTORTION
TOTAL DISTORTION
TOTAL DISTORTION
A THOUSAND TIMES TOTAL DISTORTION

It is exactly what you are describing."

When you go to sleep, you are told that "The dreams are racing down the road. The winner will take over your mind!" Naturally, you must use a dream gun to kill the BAD DREAMS (their uppercase, not mine). This is strange for many reasons, the first being that I thought the entire game was a fever dream directed by our very own Jeff K.

Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls Of Tong Nou

Phil Salvador writes:

"It's an adventure game by Osamu Sato, a borderline insane Japanese video artist who received a grant from Sony Imagesoft to make whatever his heart desired. What he ended up making was a game about a man named Rin who loses his soul. He decides to borrow another one and sets sail for his soul's new home at the soul-swallowing island of Tong-Nou. Except Tong-Nou is a giant green floating head that vomits eyeballs, and the insides of his face are made up of endless landscapes covered in half-burnt candles, palaces made of solid gold, and weird abstract creatures that look like an ornamental Jell-O mold ate Mr. Potato Head."

Be sure to check out the playthrough videos that Phil provided to get an idea of what this game looks like in action. Eastern Mind featured a monochromatic bald dude with a piece of machinery erupting from his head long before Valve's logo guy, so by my calculations it should have sold at least as many copies as Half-Life.

Johnny Mnemonic

Ian D. Hepburn writes:

"It was a forgettable William Gibson short story that became a terrible movie that led to an even worse game. The poor graphics, lame fight mechanics, unresponsive controls, and instantly dated dialog guarantee that today this game would be gathering dust in a $1.99 bargain bin at Best Buy while all the other shovelware flies off of the shelf."

Henry Rollins was in the film version of Johnny Mnemonic, but he was not in this game. Henry Rollins was Mace Griffin, of Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter. That might tell you something.

Omikron: The Nomad Soul

Stage Beans (probably his/her actual name) writes:

"There's no 'basically...' for this game. It's a bizarre, involved, goofy as fuck story about how some inter-dimensional demon-police-computer is pulling people into the Omikron game (so fucking meta ) and resurrecting them into different citizens that, with the help of a computerized David Bowie, can unleash the power of music to the citizens of the universe or some bullshit. I never beat it."

Brannen Huske writes:

"The controls in the game held me back, but the story was always absurd enough to make me want to finish it."

In a game full of people that don't really look like people, David Bowie plays two characters that look just like David Bowie. Sure, the controls were enough to keep everyone who wrote in from beating the game, but multibowie makes this a classic.

Obsidian

Will Greenwald writes:

"Imagine Myst after you just chugged a bottle of Dimetapp and have Terry Gilliam's Brazil playing in the background. Boom, you have Obsidian by Rocket Science."

This is perfect. I've looked at dozens of screenshots of the game and still have no clue what's going on. See that flyer with the fish? If someone put forth the effort to make something like that in a modern game, it would be plastered on every corkboard and littered floor you came across for the next six to twelve hours. In Obsidian it is used once, presumably in a puzzle that involves a ball of light and an ancient machine with lots of exposed gears.

Bad Day On The Midway

Yotam Wilson writes:

"the first thing I do is call my adventure games buddy to come and witness the awesome graphics that can only run on my 16MB ram powerhouse, we fire that shit up and... a 10 minute long opening movie in which the nobody speaks and a lot of shit happens to a very young boy that may be the protagonist of the story, but very possibly is actually a real live soul trapped inside the game through a satanic ritual"

As this feature progresses, it's becoming all too clear that souls were being trapped at an alarming rate in the 90's. While the biggest gaming threats in the 2000's have been terrorism, zombies, DLC and the mandatory registering of an account for every publisher/developer/multiplayer service in existence before you can play a game you just fucking bought, those could all be combined and wouldn't come close to the havoc unleashed by soul theft in the previous decade.

The Psychotron

a m (definitely his/her actual name) writes:

"I don't even know if I'd really call it a game. I mean, I guess it was interactive, but just barely."

In The Psychotron, the president wants you to recover a missing scientific device. The device's capabilities aren't clear, but I imagine they involve keeping jets and barns perfectly intact after high-speed collisions with each other.

MTV's Club Dead

Jeremy Lindemann writes:

"It had a quasi-industrial soundtrack that sounded strangely like Chemlab, really choppy FMV, and some PG-13 innuendo. You played as an ex-con living on borrowed time and posing as a cyberplumber [yeah...]."

Club Dead has one thing going for it - it brings to mind a time when random bits of decayed overlay graphics were totally awesome, whether they were on TV or product boxes. They meant something, dude, just like guys making angry faces or yelling (preferably while wearing goggles) REAL CLOSE to the camera.

By the way, the blurb on the box, the thing that's intended to entice people to buy the game? "The secret spa for cyberjunkies may also be your last resort."

The Neverhood

John Wallace writes:

"Created by Earthworm Jim creator Doug TenNapel, The Neverhood is basically third-person claymation Myst. It features beautiful art, brilliantly weird music and puzzles difficult enough to make you want to strangle a small child. It also features memorable animated sequences such as the one with a large, snarling monster that is called a 'weasel' solely because it chases the protagonist around what, according to the background music, can only be a mulberry bush."

This is completely unfair, but I always avoided this game because it reminded me of Clay Fighter. They're completely different genres and are leagues apart in terms of creativity, but... Clay Fighter. That sort of thing always bothers me, even if it shouldn't. I suppose that's why I could never get around to using that bar of gold I found in the backyard, the one that's rectangular like the Clay Fighters box.

The Dame Was Loaded

Maxim Ternosky writes:

"You play a first-person detective in the 1940s sent to investigate a missing person, but (naturally) the case turns out to be much bigger, involving murders, a diamond robbery, etc.

The voice acting (voice acting!) and music were surprisingly good, and the story and dialogue were pretty well written ("my hands were tied. I blocked the punch with my face."). However, the game suffered from obtuse-puzzle adventure game syndrome, and considering there were about a bazillion ways to die/get stuck/get caught/run out of time, the sort of creative thinking needed to solve those kind of puzzles was too risky, and the game was pretty much unplayable without either a walkthrough or unlimited patience. ."

See that screenshot? Those cards are SO unrealistic. I would have had a royal flush.

Armed & Delirious

Seth Paul writes:

"You play a pill-popping, hard-boozing grandmother whose family is kidnapped by mutant rabbits and are probably going to be subjected to medical experiments (I swear to God, I am not making this up). You get missed because you live in the attic of the house, and thus it's up to you to find and rescue the family (though considering they are all unlikeable, it makes no sense why you'd want to) and get your house returned from the limbo it has been sent to."

Naiomi Clewett writes:

"I remember at one point, your character comes across a cow that was, if memory serves, taking a shower. For no discernible reason I can recall, the cow let out a high pitched, Michael Jackson-esque squeal, tweaked its udders, and sprayed a stream of milk into the air. "

And that last quote, ladies and gentlemen, sums up PC gaming in the 90's. Thanks again to everyone that wrote in. I'm sure I forgot to include some games and quote some people because my soul was being captured by cyberspace as I put this article together, but I appreciate every letter that comes in.

Toughest Puzzles

Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent is the newest project from Telltale Games (Sam & Max episodes, Tales Of Monkey Island), promising to occupy a space somewhere in the triangle between Professor Layton, Fargo and David Lynch. So, basically Doom with guns.

Nelson Tethers is the sole agent in the US Department of Puzzle Investigation. The FBI has repeatedly turned down Nelson's offers to lend his puzzle-solving skills to their investigations, seemingly unimpressed by the heroism he displayed while opening a suspect's safe in Nashville several years ago. It was a very difficult safe.

After a long dry spell, Nelson is finally leaving the office for a big time case: The mysterious disruption of an eraser factory in Scoggins, Minnesota. This isn't just any eraser factory, but the very eraser factory that supplies the White House with its erasers.

While you'd expect this sort of game to offer plenty of head scratchers, a few puzzles stood out as exceptionally difficult.

Rome Total War

The Roman Empire setting was of interest to us as it was a time of great turbulence, with several factions vying for power,” Simpson explains. Flavius issues a rousing speech — his men clang swords and spears against their shields in approval. Then the air fills with the thunder of feet and hooves as soldiers rush toward the loose group of huts.

Segesta’s defenders are hopelessly outmatched and the battle ends quickly, without the need to occupy the village center for three minutes, since nearly all enemy soldiers have been killed. Then Flavius must decide whether to occupy Segesta, enslave the local population, or raze the settlement and slaughter its people.

Stand Your Ground. Armies collide.

“The Roman Empire setting was of interest to us as it was a time of great turbulence, with several factions vying for power.”

- Mike Simpson, SEGA creative director

Each choice carries with it positive and negative effects, and the Julii leader decides on occupation, which earns the least amount of money, known as Denarii, from looting but allows Segesta to immediately begin contributing income from farming, mining, trade, and taxes. In addition, the local citizens, while admittedly unhappy about being conquered, can be put to work constructing buildings and training new soldiers — enslavement would have spread them to other cities controlled by the Julii and forced Segesta to rebuild its population.

As the Julii troops take up residence in Segesta, Simpson remarks: “We wanted to cover the rise of Rome from controlling just the Italian Peninsula to most of Europe.”

Lead the Charge. A commander readies his troops.

A Tale of Three Families

The Julii family is wealthy and controls a large swath of territory, but it has the Brutii and Scipii families to contend with, as well as the Gauls to the north. Flavius sends a Julii spy to learn what he can about the Gallic troops even as the leader of Gaul makes an offer to establish trading between the two factions. Flavius agrees to the proposal, adhering to the adage that one should keep friends close but enemies even closer.

Meanwhile, the House of Brutii finds itself at war with the Greek cities — perhaps the Julii rival will be weakened in the process. Sometimes all you have to do is play the diplomacy game properly — knowing which conflicts to stay out of while negotiating relationships with neighbors — and gain power without shedding a drop of blood. Diplomats are a valuable part of that process, while assassins can tilt inter-faction dynamics with one well-timed strike.

Pachyderms Run Amok. These powerful units can help turn the tide of any battle.

As your territory grows, you’ll also need to keep an eye on the home front. Citizens taxed too heavily may threaten to revolt, while poorly-maintained settlements are more susceptible to plague outbreaks that will decimate their population and reduce the amount of Denarii they contribute to your coffers. However, if you capture a settlement located in a province with a World Wonder — such as the Great Pyramid of Giza or the Lighthouse of Alexandria — you’ll earn powerful empire-wide benefits.

I split the early part of the campaign between capturing rebel settlements and building up my economy,” Simpson notes. “Once my economy is going strong, I can then fund enough armies to rapidly spread out across the map. I also use diplomacy to secure my borders while I’m off fighting elsewhere.”

Research is Key

“Learn to obey before you command,” the Athenian statesman known as Solon said during the sixth century BC. In the case of Simpson’s development team, they learned to obey their research before embarking on such an ambitious project. “We have an extensive library of books and DVDs and we always dive into them when working on a title, to fully immerse ourselves in the time period,” he explains.

The High Ground. A perfect place to survey the battlefield and gain an advantage over the enemy below.

For Rome: Total War, he says, “we also visited key locations, battlefields, and museums. It gave us a great excuse to watch ‘Gladiator’ multiple times.”

As we talk, the scene before us fast-forwards several hundred years. The Julii, Scipii, and Brutii families would likely not recognize what we now witness: while their internal strife eventually led to the creation of the Roman Empire, that mighty entity now finds itself split into Western and Eastern halves. The Western Empire, ruled by Rome and its ineffectual Senate, is on the brink of collapse, while the Eastern Empire, from its seat of power in Constantinople, still holds large swaths of territory in its tight grip.

The Beginning of the End

This is the setting for the Barbarian Invasion expansion pack included in Rome: Total War Gold Edition. “Both time periods saw huge threats to Rome and massive wars, making them a perfect fit for the Total War series,” Simpson notes.

Ready, Aim... Preparing to repel a siege.

Religion is a major component of Barbarian Invasion, which also features new playable factions, with ten to choose from when you embark on the main campaign. In addition, it mimics the migration of the Huns, Goths, and other people with the introduction of hordes who can sack cities and plunder large amounts of wealth. However, a horde has no homeland, so it can also choose to settle in a defeated city and establish a new nation.

No matter how you choose to chart the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, you would be wise to heed these words from the Roman poet Ovid, set down by him during the early years AD in his seminal work, “Metamorphoses”: “Time, the devourer of all things.”

Brother in Arms

Without proper medical supplies, the wounded men in the barn are likely finished, prompting Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Cassidy to send Hartsock and a pair of privates, Franklin Paddock and Dean “Friar” Winchell, to the nearby town of St. Martin. There they’ll find bandages and plasma in a church. However, they’ll also encounter German soldiers guarding the medical depot.

Producer Mike Wardwell, writer Mike Neumann, writer/adviser Col. John Antal, and I follow the trio as they cautiously make their way along a dirt road. An eerie quiet hangs over St. Martin, as if the Normandy Invasion is trying to catch its breath during what will turn out to be the most frantic day of the war.

In Your Sights. Look down your scope to improve your aim. Your mobility will severely decrease, however.

“You’re invited to think about combat tactically.”

- Mike Wardwell, producer

“For me, the personal stories of these heroes were the most compelling reason to make Brothers in Arms,” Antal remarks, motioning toward the men in front of us. “These games focus not only on the combat and tactics of battle, but also on the brotherhood between soldiers, where friends are made and lost and the heroic actions, decisions, and sacrifices of one can save the lives of many. This is a story worth telling.”

Move Out! After getting a top-level view of the situation and issuing orders, watch your troops move into position.

Flanking Manuevers

Hartsock and his men come across a field with low walls along two of its borders. Hay bales and barrels dot the landscape, providing cover for attackers and defenders. Situational view offers a top-down perspective on the action, allowing you, in the role of Hartsock, to plan out a strategy. After you return to the battlefield, order your squad to take specific positions and lay down suppressing fire that forces the enemy to take cover while you flank them. When you have a clear shot at the defenders, eliminate them and send your squad to the next engagement.

Mission Accomplished. One early assignment involves taking out enemy AA guns.

“You’re invited to think about combat tactically,” Wardwell says as Hartsock begins issuing orders. Bullets whizz by, but they don’t faze him: the corporal calmly calls for suppressing fire on the enemy. Circles above the German soldiers’ heads turn from red to gray, indicating they’re pinned down, and Hartsock creeps into a flanking position. “All games employ the concepts of suppression and flanking to some degree, but Brothers in Arms built a game around it,” Wardwell continues.

Later in the game, you’ll add a second squad, so one can engage in suppression while the other handles assaulting the enemy. Each situation you encounter in Road to Hill 30 and Earned in Blood requires a unique strategy. How do you handle two or more groups of enemies firing from different positions?