Games, the Obscure -
August 15, 2001 - Chris Jones
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed
within this column are those of the participants and the
moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the
GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive
material afoot.
Who knew it could be so painful to read an Aristotle quote?
Don't say we didn't warn you.
Lessee, we got a Wild Arms 3 update today. I like what I've seen about the game so far, although in theory I've liked just about all the Wild Arms games. The first, though, ended up being an unspectacular hybrid of 16 and 32 bit RPG design, and I actually liked what I played of the second... although so much else came out that year it ended up getting sidelined.
So what about this new one? Cel-shading? Good. Character portraits? Good. An SNES Shadowrun-like topic system for conversation? Very good! And last but not least, the implication that combat will exclusively use firearms, instead of the swords and guns which were in the last two... which makes me happy, since it makes a heck of a lot more sense for a Wild West-type RPG. Nifty.
Onward.
| Who could have forseen? |
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In the early system wars, when both a PSX and a Saturn sit next to each other in their kiosks at Target, it seemed a war was brewing. How wrong could I have possibly been? Being a loyal SEGA space monkey, I had a lot of faith in the Saturn before I even got to play it. When I finally did, it was an amazingly colorful and beautiful game called NiGHTs.
My ears worked overtime to ignore the music and screaming children playing Wipeout next to me, and I only once or twice caught sign of the brilliant score of NiGHTs stretching its arms out of the speakers (turned down by employees) towards my ears. At first, trotting around as the children seemed absurd and boring, and didn't look at all impressive. But then, I turned into NiGHTs. Loops, tricks, collecting dreamspheres....it was all so fluid, fun, and addicting.
Sadly this game faded into obscurity along with the Saturn. Oddly enough, everyone seems to "NEED" the possible sequel, and are hoping for it to be the surprise Sonic Team title at Spaceworld. Bah...
-Ray (with 50+ dreamcast games...still upset its almost all over....)
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I think part of the reason the Saturn died like it did was that Sega did such a poor job of marketing it; in opposition to Genesis vs. SNES, or even NES vs. Master System vs. TG-16, I was barely even aware that there was a console war going on at the 32-bit level until it was almost over. For me, and for a lot of others, I suspect, things seemed to be pretty squarely in Nintendo's corner (no pun intended), with the SNES fading gracefully into the N64, and the PSX only becoming something more than a relatively expensive oddity when FF7 was released.
Still, I do remember how gorgeous and spectacular NiGHTs looked in demos... if only we were living in some sort of alternate reality where the Dreamcast had prospered, so we might look forward to Sega doing reissues of all those games that didn't get enough exposure on the Saturn. Pity, that.
| More mourning for the Saturn |
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Well...I'd say the Saturn got overlooked. Big time. Nights was one of my
favorite games ever...but that's not too important.
The Saturn had a blazingly fast processor. The graphics, while a touch dated
at times, moved incredibly fast and without a hint of slowdown which plagued
some PSX games, such as the horror that transforming into mist in a boss
battle in Symphony of the Night. I also have to mention the great lighting
effects it was capable of producing, but was rarely harnessed, Panzer Dragoon
Saga being the only game ot utilize them.
The Saturn also saw some great games that no one knew about. Albert Odysee,
and the first Lunar remake, as well as Datona USA. And of course, Nights. I
payed 60 bux for a Saturn, Nights, Daytona USA, and a host of horrid sports
games. Well friggin worth it.
The Panzer Dragoon games, both shooter and Saga deserve mention as excellent
titles, as well as Shining Force 3.
Unfortuanetly, Saturn was overlooked by developers as well. The system, while
powerful, was hard to program for. Most of the titles were either first party
or the obligatory EA Sports titles, and Working Designs, who have always
supported Sega.
Saturn also had one benefit most don't realise. The system had some memory
built into it, and you didn't NEED a mem card.
Oh well. While the system was overlooked by most, I enjoyed my Saturn, and
will probably dig it out soon for a game of Nights. Then I'll hook up the old
SNES and play some Lufia...
Ahh the "old school". A time that doesn't really exist, but for nostalgia's
sake I have to pretend..
Peace,
Ray |
One of the disadvantages of working at this site is that I've always been acutely aware that there were some titles on relatively obscure systems that I really needed to get around to playing one of these days, but I've never had time to chase those titles down. Panzer Dragoon Saga pretty much leads the list in that respect; while the game's not universally loved, enough people have written in superlatives about it to make me very, very curious.
As for the rest, it is a shame that more companies haven't taken note of Sega's idea to include a built-in memory card in with their system. Of course, most people these days are already aware that a memory card is a must-buy with any new system, but there are always a few first time buyers (like me, once upon a time) who forget and have to wait a day or so before they can save anything on their brand new game system.
Of course, a built-in memory card is just one more thing that can go wrong with a console, making it easier to have external cards that can be bought separately and thrown away if something else happens. Still, it'd be nice to have console makers be a little more considerate in this respect, perhaps by including a pack-in memory card with the new system.
| I'm sorry, I cannot approve your use of a capital R "Rules" |
| Chris,
One word: Mischief Makers, on the N64. Okay, that's five words. But this game
Rules. A big helping of Japanese wackiness, a cute android babe,
anthropomorphic power ranger wannabes, an obese biker-type who's also a
robotic genius, heart-pounding tricycle races, all out urban warfare with
rocket launchers and jet packed dive bombers, amateur ghostbusting (with a
pot), and of course, giant transforming mecha. What more could you want?
Granted, it is an action game foremost, though there are puzzle elements, and
doesn't really fall into the GIA's coverage, but anyone with an N64, and who
enjoys anything of strange Japanese culture, you should play this game for
serious entertainment. And even if you don't the game is fun enough in its
gameplay aspects and nature. Trying to get all 50 Gold Gems for the secret
ending (like I did ;) can be frustrating but very fun. "Sasquatch Beta, BEAST
CHANGE!"
Super Saiya-jin.
By the way, I put the GIA as one of my favorite links on my Ebay AboutMe
page. I trust my kickback's in the mail.
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Yikes, this is one game that I thought oblivion was too good for. Like a lot of people, I was excited at the prospect of a 2D game for the N64 when I saw the ads for Mischief Makers, but I was lucky enough to rent it first: odd, unfun gameplay, freaky graphics (those face-tiles scared me, still do) and all in all, a general letdown. I guess I was hoping for a platformer with the same general vibes as, say, Yoshi's Island, and perhaps it was unfair of me not to judge the game on it's own merits. Still, this is not something I particularly look back on with any kind of fondness.
And the only kickback we can offer is a warm sense of doing something good for other people... and isn't that enough, in the end? (Now say yes or everyone will think you're a selfish bastard, capisce?)
| Now this is a tragic story |
| Chris:
I can't help but feel that Conker is not only one of the most unfairly overlooked, but also misunderstood, unappreciated and downright unlucky releases I've had the privilege to play. One, it debuted during the N64's death throes, a last lewd fling before the lights went dim. Two, the mature rating cut that declining audience even further, meaning it wouldn't sell dick. Three, few reviewers and players seemed to grasp what it was all about, and that's what pissed me off royally. They thought they were mighty clever in pointing out the irony that it was an "M" game that was mildly humorous yet decidedly immature, with all the sweary dialogue, sexual innuendo and gore, but they failed to see it was clearly intentional.
Players (and critics) often complained that Rare only made cutesy-poo games starring adorable wildlife critters in yay-coloured environments. "Give us something 'mature,'" they cried, "with swearing and severed limbs and sex organs aha!" Rare then promptly canned the "kiddie" Conker's Quest and turned it into the depraved Bad Fur Day as a response to this sort of maligned logic.
I like to think that this game serves as both commentary and criticism of the gaming industry at present. The first two-thirds is shock humour and gross-out, or what some maintain is "mature," while the last is an attempt to challenge that notion and offer an alternative definition. Oh, and it had tight yet diverse gameplay, juvenile humour executed with clever care, nice graphics and a terrific score (given the technical limitations of the platform). And Gregg has to be the coolest character ever. Right. That's it. Piss off.
-Captain Sarcasm, who probably overanalyzed this a bit.
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"Rare only made cutsey-poo games starring adorable wildlife critters in yay-coloured envoronments"? Que? Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Jet Force Gemini... do these names ring a bell? True, it was a shock to see Conker, the happy squirrel, undergo this particular metamorphosis, but given Rare's earlier inclinations towards no-holds-barred mayhem, it's not that surprising that they'd see what the formula looked like if they threw in some over the top gross-out humor.
At any rate, the general consensus amongst critics seems to be that the game was a surprising reach from pretty much anyone's standpoint, and it didn't deserve the tragic fate that awaited it. To which I say, it's too late for Conker, but it's not too late for you: a lot of places are selling the game for about $30 these days, which is a completely reasonable price for such a gem. Before Nintendo's next big console hits, check out one of the better titles from their last one.
| It's like Golden Axe EXTREME!!! |
| Dear Soon-to-be-Departed DA,
What's the most overlooked game of the past half-decade? It's tough to choose just one, but if pressed, I'd nominate Guardian Heroes for the Sega Saturn.
Developed by the fan-favorite Treasure team, Guardian Heroes was released domestically by Sega in the spring of 1996 and received no real marketing aside from a single screenshot that covered the delicate region of the naked woman in Sega's infamously distasteful "Nothing Else Matters" magazine ad for several Saturn games.
For Saturn owners who overcame such an unpleasant association, however, Guardian Heroes proved to be an immensely rewarding purchase. Essentially a medieval fantasy elaboration of the side-scrolling "beat-'em-up" genre popularized by Final Fight and Golden Axe, Guardian Heroes added to the formula fighting-game play mechanics, an RPG-like experience system, and a branching story structure. With intuitive controls and a graphics engine that allows, quite literally, dozens of characters and explosions to fill the screen at once, the game captures an exciting sense of chaotic combat without being confusing or simplistic.
The attached storyline is a standard warriors-save-the-kingdom yarn, but it permits the player to choose different paths through the plot, and each story segment leads to its own series of endings. And when one grows weary of the central game, there's a versus mode that allows up to six players to fight each other with any of the fifty-plus characters from the game's story mode.
In all honesty, I've never encountered a game so enduring in its play value as Guardian Heroes. It's a superb piece of programming and an example of how genre hybridization, when properly done, can result in some of the most memorable gaming experiences to be found.
Of course, one could make a case that the Sega Saturn (with Panzer Dragoon Saga, Sakura Wars, Dragon Force, and other excellent games in its library) was itself unjustly neglected during the last five years, but that's an argument for another column and, I note with some sorrow, another Double Agent host.
Todd C
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One of the great things about doing this column has been that I occasionally get exposed to things I'd never heard of before, and would never have gotten it into my head to think about. Guardian Heroes seems to fit this bill; I've never really heard of it, and from what's been described here, it doesn't sound hugely different from a lot of other walk-and-brawl games out there, like the recent D&D arcade games. Still, Todd seems to think a lot of it, and the whole point of this topic to gain exposure to stuff you likely haven't heard of before, so... cool.
| I disagree with you, and spit upon your dog for emphasis |
| Chris,
I disagree with your assertion than Microsoft will be able to overcome a slow start. It has done so repeatedly in the PC software arena only through bundling. The pattern is that Microsoft releases a freestanding product (often a clone of an existing product) which captures a minority of the market. Then Microsoft hands out its software for free (aka bundling) with the next version of Windows. Since people have Microsoft's clone already installed on their computer, they do not go through the trouble of downloading the superior product of Microsoft's competitor, because what they have is good enough. Where bundling is not an option (i.e. with hardware such as Webtv or palmtop computers) than Microsoft has not even won a majority of the market, let alone the dominance or near dominance it inevitably achieves with bundled products. So unless the X-box is going to be packaged free with a future version of Windows, I do not see how Microsoft is going to manage to overcome a slow start. Furthermore, I cannot recall a system that has started slow out the gate but gone on to become a signifigant force in the console wars (though as Sega can attest, even a fast start is no guarantee of success).
- Mark
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Hmm, sounds like somebody's been reading one of the plethora of books about Mr. Bill and Co. that's come out in the wake of the Microsoft anti-trust case. There are some valid counter-arguments to what you've presented (bundling is very much an option for palmtop computers, and Windows CE has been on a lot of different companies' machines... it simply failed because it was a lousy product for the target environment) but mostly I'll just point out that this time around Microsoft doesn't need a majority share to survive, and can't reasonably be expected to get one going up against Sony and Nintendo combined. Microsoft's PC games, while not quite at the artistic level one might expect from Blizzard or Looking Glass Studios, still generally sell and play pretty well. In other words, they get the job done, and I'd expect no less from the Xbox.
And if I remember right, the PSX didn't have the fastest start in the world for a year or two, but the phrase "significant force in the console wars" fits Sony pretty well, eh?
| Memories of other great, early shovelwear |
| Chris,
First, sorry to see you go. You did a great job.
Second: Both the Saturn and the Dreamcast were overlooked as systems, but this is a dead horse that I think should be beat no longer. Sega is out of the hardware business, everybody just needs to deal with it and move on. Therefore, I am not going to pick a overlooked game from either of these systems because they were, in general, overlooked.
Overlooked game that I enjoyed:
N64: Blast Corps-This was a really great game with fun and innovative gameplay that I think many missed. They were so many levels, the graphics were great for the time, plus something like over 15 different vehicles to control (including the A-Team van, sweet!) The game had enormous replay and gameplay value because of the vast number of tasks to complete. In general, a great game that didn't get the advertising it needed to be known.
Peace,
Keith Lee
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Blast Corps: a game that I totally overlooked, along with the rest of the early other stuff that came out with the N64. I don't know precisely why that was; the SNES had games like Populous, Pilotwings and Final Fight that weren't great, but were certainly capable of holding my attention and my money until something better came along for the system. Blast Corps, Hexen, Wetris... I dunno why, but these pretty much passed me right by (deservedly so in some cases, not so much in others).
On the other hand, my penance was duly extracted: I didn't get to drive the A-Team van. C'est la vie.
| There ain't no such animal |
| Hey Chris,
I've enjoyed the ride and I'm sorry to see you go.
On to the topic.
I expect that there will be quite a few letters naming one game or another that
the writer feels was great and everyone else hated, or that everyone seems to
agree was great, but that no one (on a large scale) bought. I don't think
either of these categories fits in with the idea of an overlooked game, though.
If everyone who played it hated Legend of Legaia except for me and Fritz
Frauendorf, the game wasn't overlooked. People looked at it and decided it
wasn't for them, and told their friends about it.
Alternatively, some games receive rave reviews by the press but sell dismally,
such as Samba de Amigo. These types of games, though, tend to have an impact
on the industry despite their supposed failures. Sure, not very many people
bought Jet Grind Radio, but we're certainly seeing it's influence in all the
games coming out with cell shaded graphics.
So, where is this going? I realize that this topic refered to a period between
3-5 years ago, but it just made me think that today, even in this time when
quite a few gaming sites are shutting down, most every game released on a
console still gets a blurb or two and a review. I really don't think a game
can be considered "overlooked" anymore.
Chris Wright
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I'm halfway inclined to chalk this up to semantics, and halfway inclined to concede the point. There are still an army of games that don't get the audience they need or deserve; I'd cite Jet Grind Radio as a prime example if the GIA hadn't done everything humanly possible to get the word out about it.
On the other hand, things aren't quite like they were way back in the dawn era of gaming when a title like Pinball Quest could be released with less than 1% of the gaming public knowing about it. Glance at IGN's release list and that alone'll give you a great idea of what the gaming situation looks like now and in the immediate future... maybe you're right, and any further neglect isn't "overlooking" so much as a mere attention deficit. Good point.
Closing Comments:
Sorry this one's going up so late folks; you can blame Mr. Jeremy Steimel for it. I would have been more than happy to stay at home, slaving away over a desolate computer screen in my scorching apartment and consuming naught but microwave soy patties, but he wanted to go get some decent burgers and catch a movie. Softie that I am, I decided to take a short break - I beg your forgiveness. (Seriously, that goes double for one particular person 150 miles North of me.)
As for tomorrow, let's get a bit more serious for a second. Within a fortnight, a new DA will be putting their name up top, and bending the discussion to their will, which is fine and good. We here at the GIA have a pretty good idea of what we'd like to see from a new hire, and those concerns will doubtless be reflected in who gets picked. But I'm also curious as to what you'd like to see in a new DA. What's more important, general writing ability or gaming knowledge? Wit or insight? Biased partisan, or neutral mediator? I don't really want to turn this into a debate on what I or other DAs in the past have done, but if you need to use one of us as a reference point, go to it. Other than that, I leave it to you: see you tomorrow.
-Chris Jones, not that late, all things considered
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