Cultural Anxiety – Trojan/Tatakai no Banka (NES/Famicom)

I had plans to get Conquest of the Crystal Palace up for December, but a Hardcore Gaming 101 writer has mentioned his interest in doing a report on the game there, and that would be quite handy, so I’m going to hold off a bit and see what he comes up with.  In the meantime, here’s a quickie on one of Capcom’s early NES/arcade efforts.

Study 21 – Trojan/Tatakai no Banka (Capcom, NES/Famicom)

Trojan/Tatakai no Banka is one of Capcom’s earlier games, originally released in 1986 in arcades.  It stars the titular Trojan, a warrior who is living in a dystopic Mad Max-esque future where demons have shaken up civilization into a chaotic mess, and their influence dictates the world’s people save a few strong fighters.  Trojan is one of these special humans immune to the demon’s corruption, and armed with a sword and shield he prepares to wipe out the threat and save the world.  Fairly straightforward storyline, really.

The game was a moderate hit worthy of receiving a NES/Famicom port, which Capcom performed in the last half of 1986, releasing it in time for the holidays in Japan in December, and in February 1987 in the US.  The game mixes up the gameplay a tad, as Wikipedia details:

The NES version of Trojan features several significant changes to the game, such as the addition of new power-ups and hidden rooms, as well as an alternative Versus Mode, where two players compete against each other in a best-two-out-of-three duel, making it Capcom’s first attempt in the fighting game genre.

So, this game does mean something to the greater Capcom sphere.  Unfortunately, the gameplay is a trainwreck.  It’s clunky, your hero’s animation is slower than his foes, and the shield/sword dynamic the game wants to utilize isn’t too effective or fun to control.  Capcom revisited the concept with Tiger Road in 1987, but moved on to better action gameplay engines and concepts following that.

Ignoring the arcade version (which used the same promo materials), let’s focus on the boxes and title screens.

I love Japanese auction sites sometimes – you find better boxes there.  Anyway, this was special art done for the Famicom box, and it’s definitely in the anime vein.  Trojan doesn’t look too shabby – he’s doing exactly what he’s capable of in the game itself.  Iron Fist or whatever his name is looks wonky, that he does – sort of like Guts Man, actually. XD

The NES box reuses that lovely holographic grid Capcom adored in their early days (as well as their audacious “High Resolution Graphics” claim).  The art is plucked right from the arcade flyer, which at least shows some artistic credence (compared to, say, Mega Man).  Despite this being the official art for the arcade in both regions, I think Capcom’s choice for the more dystopic sci-fi styled poster over the Famicom’s Tezuka-esque piece was regionally considered.  Trojan looks decently bad ass in a He-Man sort of way, and that villainous scum behind him looks pretty menacing and an adequate super hero antagonist…in short, it attempts to appeal to an American comic/sci-fi crowd.  Does it work?  Well, that’s up to the viewer, I suppose.

A quick title screen comparison:

Not much to comment on.  Different logos and more text in the copyright for the US game (which is on the right).  From what I could tell, the innards of the game were untouched in localization.

It’s fascinating to me how a game with a dystopic post-apocalyptic scenario can be interpreted in such distinct cultural ways.  Even a game whose guts are minimally altered can see drastic changes in its box art, and it’s one reason I enjoy composing these posts and am thrilled about doing this kind of thing for a career (wish me luck!).

Sources:

Joystiq piece on Trojan – http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/12/virtually-overlooked-trojan/

StrategyWiki guide for Trojan – http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Trojan

GameFAQs Image page for Trojan – http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/587732-trojan/images

Spidershinya’s Yahoo blog – http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/spidershinya/60766453.html

Wikipedia page for Trojan – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_(video_game)

LVLs. 2011 in review

WordPress has sent me our 2011 Year in Review, and I’m passing it along.  Thanks to all of you who’ve visited us this year – we hope you’ll stick around for 2012!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 160,000 times in 2011. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 7 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Virtual Console No-Shows: Uniracers (SNES), Weaponlord (SNES)

A duo of Super NES MIA’s for you this week.

84. Uniracers (SNES, Nintendo/DMA Design)

Brief Synopsis – A racing game designed by DMA Design (who would go on to become Rockstar North and create the Grand Theft Auto series) that puts you into the unicycle seat and sends you careening through Sonic the Hedgehog-esque tracks.  A unique one, that this is.

Why is it Missing? – Perhaps Rockstar holds the license now, or perhaps Nintendo doesn’t wish to revive it.  It’s hard to say, really.  Shame, as this kind of quirky game would be ideal for Virtual Console discovery.

Other (Legal) Options – Super NES is the lone path to follow.

85. Weaponlord (SNES, Namco/Visual Concepts)

Brief Synopsis – A weapon-based fighting game created by Visual Concepts (who would become Sega’s sports developer in the Dreamcast era, and then one of 2K Games’ in the current gen), this was one of the first fighters originally built for home consoles instead of the arcade.  It’s also fairly violent and more technical than some other representatives of the genre.

Why is it Missing? – Does Namco hold the rights or does Visual Concepts?  That’s the question.  Despite potentially easy cross-over into Namco’s own Soul Calibur series, they’ve never attempted to do such a thing, and maybe that’s an indicator (or perhaps Namco doesn’t wish to revisit this for some reason).  Whatever the case, it’s not there!

Other (Legal) Options – This was released on both the Super NES and Genesis, so the odds are a little better than a solo console release.  It was rather late in the 16-bit lifecycle, though, so it may be a little tough to track down.

 

Gamer’s Playlist – “Squaresoft Variation”

Happy New Year!

Composer Jeremy Soule is probably best known for his epic orchestral scores for The Elder Scrolls series, including the latest entry, Skyrim. However, his first game score was actually SquareSoft’s Secret of Evermore on the SNES. So, perhaps he was paying tribute to his roots when he contributed to Overclocked ReMix this gorgeous rearrangement of Nobuo Uematsu’s “Terra’s Theme” from Final Fantasy VI.

Title: “Squaresoft Variation”
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
Arranger: Jeremy Soule

As usual, the song is available for download at ocremix.org.

Gaming TV From Yesteryear – Gamespot TV, MMOs

Remember the pre-World of Warcraft days, when the genre was dominated by EverQuest? And before that, Ultima Online? Well, in this episode of Gamespot TV, which probably aired in February 2001, they take a look at the exploding MMORPG phenomenon.

This episode also features reviews of Star Wars Episode I – Battle For Naboo for the N64, American McGee’s Alice for the PC, Classic Board Games for the PC, and Mega Man X5 for the PlayStation. There are also previews of 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker and The Typing of the Dead for the Dreamcast.

This is also the final episode of the show on YouTube under the name “Gamespot TV.” Ziff Davis sold ZDTV to Paul Allen, and the network was renamed Tech TV. As a result, the show was disaffiliated with the website, and renamed Extended Play.

Part 1:

Hit the link for the rest!

Wildcat’s Fifteen Favorite PS2 Games

While I have more PS2 discs than anything else, the majority of them seem to be retro compilations, which I don’t want to include in this list.  So, I discovered that I have several games I need to sit down and play, but I’ve experienced enough to pick what fifteen games from the system I love the most.  This list will most certainly change over time.

Shin Megami Tenshi: Persona 4 (Atlus)

I love Persona 4.  It’s on my Absolute list, so I’ll keep myself short here to avoid repeating myself.

Sly 2: Band of Thieves (Sony/Sucker Punch)

Sly 2 is a wonderful stealth/platformer/action game, with each piece of its genre puzzle shining.  Top-notch voice work makes the characters pop, and it’s a bunch of fun riding along with Sly, Bentley and Murray as they progress in the plot.  It’s a game that I argue putting into my Alternate list all of the time.

Okami (Capcom/Clover Studio)

Okami does so many things right – beautiful visuals, incredible music, and an enchanting environment make wandering the Japanese countryside as Amaterasu a treat.  It’s a little long in the tooth, but it’s quite wonderful despite that.  Further thoughts in my Opinion piece.

Half Life (Sierra/Valve/Gearbox)

One of my favorite FPS shooters (and I’m picky about the genre).  Gordon’s quest to escape Black Mesa is well-paced, full of creative aliens and situations, and is fun, fun, fun. The final section of the game in the alien’s homeworld is a little convoluted, but other than that it’s nigh-perfect.

Psychonauts (Majesco/Double Fine)

Double Fine’s attempt at a 3D action/platformer is very unique in the genre.  It throws in a lot of crazy ideas, characters and worlds to explore, and Raz’s psychic talents are well-implimented and great to play around with.  The controls are a tad rough and the game lacks fine tuning, but its zeal and wildness makes up for its downsides.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of a Cursed King (Square-Enix/Level-5)

Charming as hell with some of the best voice acting in any game, Dragon Quest VIII is a gem and a half that I truly need to finish.  Awesome characters (with, as I said, AMAZING voice work), beautiful music, quirkiness up to wazoo, and a solid battle engine makes for a lovely, lovely JRPG.

Burnout Revenge (EA/Criterion)

This is my favorite racing game.  It’s chaotic, it’s fast, and it’s responsive – everything I need to be intrigued at all by a racer.  A marvelous game Grace and I love very much.

Silent Hill 3 (Konami)

Creepy, atmospheric, and disgusting – Silent Hill games (at least the ones by Team Silent) have a special unnerving quality about them that repels yet attracts.  In my opinion, SH3 is the best in the PS2 entries.  I like Heather as a character far more than James, and the story is a clusterfuck of a ride.  It controls stiffly, but beyond that SH3 is my pick for the most terrifying PS2 game I’ve played.

King of Fighters XI (SNK Playmore)

Fighting games are not in short supply on the PS2, but I’ve spent the most time with SNK Playmore’s eleventh chapter in the long-running King of Fighters line.  It’s got a robust cast, the best play system the series has had, and despite a cheap-ass boss, it is a lot of fun to battle opponents.

SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals (Sony/Zipper Interactive)

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed SOCOM.  I didn’t expect much from it, but it is a great squad-based shooter that has some awesome moments wrapped up in its levels.  The AI isn’t perfect and Jester is obnoxious, but on the whole I am glad I had a chance to give it a try.  More here.

God of War II (Sony)

I once had Kratos’ hate-fueled rampages in my Favorite list, but despite being well-made action games with neat setpieces to explore, the appeal loses some of its luster.  I like Kratos as a character (however flawed he may be), and this has some great moments, but I think the overall zest I was had for the game has dissipated over the years.

Neo Geo Battle Coliseum (SNK Playmore)

For a first crossover effort from their own games, this is a great start.  The gameplay is tight, the characters chosen are mostly good ones, and the battle engine is pretty solid.  There’s the unfortunate effect of missing some characters that I adore from the SNK canon (Blue Mary, Setsuna, King), and it doesn’t quite resonate with me as well as KOF 11, but it’s still a good fighter.

Silent Hill 2 (Konami)

I think James’ story is more compelling than Heather’s, and his demons are much more insane in scope, but it lacks the gameplay polish its sequel has, and the voice acting isn’t up to the same level.  It’s also much murkier, which adds to the ambiance of Silent Hill’s chill, but it can sap some of its shock value, too.  Worth a play, though, if you want something more adult for your PS2.

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (Sony/Sucker Punch)

Sly 3 has a major issue with packing too much into its core.  It doesn’t need seven playable characters, or an abundance of secondary modes (Sly 2 managed to not abuse this feature of its gameplay), or a fluff multiplayer mode.  When it’s focused on the main heroes, it’s as good if not better than Sly 2, but it loses that focus way too much.

Devil May Cry (Capcom)

As a pure action game, Dante’s first trek into gaming history is insanity controlled.  Comboing demons is a lot of fun, and it has a dynamic enough gameplay engine to keep it entertaining through the end.  It has some dull points – repeating bosses, swimming, some braindead dialogue…but on the whole this is Dante’s finest moment even after all this time,

Contenders:

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (UBI Soft)

Shinobi (Sega/Overworks)

God of War (Sony)

The Tunage Inductees for 2012

Tunage kind of died this year, and I apologize for that.  It’s a lot of work to put a post together for them, and I suppose the Youtube copyright change made me a little disillusioned to the continuation of the series for a while.  I’d like to remedy that for 2012, and to do that I’m going to announce the four composers I’d like to get into the feature at minimum.  I figure doing one per three month cycle is something I can handle, even with school.  So, without further adieu, here’s who will be joining the prior musicians of Tunage:

Jan-Mar: Ryu Umemoto

Apr-Jun: Yuko Takehara

Jul-Sep: Stephen Rippy

Oct-Dec: Minako Hamano

Nester has also said he’d like to chip in at least one composer sometime in 2012, Norio Hanzawa.  So there will be at least five profiles to look forward to next year.

Music Wednesdays – Tracey Ullman’s “They Don’t Know”

Here is Tracey Ullman’s popular cover of Kristy MacColl’s “They Don’t Know.” Despite being released in 1983, it’s nearly a dead ringer for a classic 60′s Phil Spector production.

Music Wednesdays – The Matches’ “Happy New Year”

PROFANE ALERT

Another year is nearly over, and how better to watch it pass by than with an appropriate song.  Well, The Matches provide such an opportunity with this rarity all about the holiday.  It’s not super optimistic, but hey, sometimes that’s okay.  Those seeking the track will need to hunt down A Foggy Holiday: Carols from the SF Scene, Vol. 2.

Rurouni Kenshin manga to be revived by Watsuki, plus other news!

Anime News Network has the scoop, so I’m just going to quote them:

Manga creator Nobuhiro Watsuki will be resuming his Rurouni Kenshin series for a brief run starting in the June issue of Shueisha’s Jump Square magazine, which will ship on May 2, 2012. The magazine’s advertising describes the samurai manga’s return as a “reboot,” although the magazine may not be using the term with the English denotation in mind. More details will be in upcoming issues of Jump Square.

Keishi Ōtomo’s live-action Rurouni Kenshin film will open in Japan on August 25, 2012. The first half of the new Rurouni Kenshin: Shin Kyoto-Hen anime project just opened in two theaters last week, and the second half is slated to be completed next summer. Viz Media publishes the manga in North America.

Very exciting!  I hope a lot of this stuff makes it to America, too.  Also, Aniplex’s Limited Edition releases of the Kenshin OVA’s Trust and Betrayal, Reflection and The Movie are all out in the States.  They’re not cheap, but the packaging looks quite lavish.  Not a bad time to be a fan of the series, I must say.