Hide and Geek

We learned a few days ago that Climax are working on a Konami-related title for the Wii and PSP. Climax aren’t exactly the most well known developer, but they’ve got a pretty decent track record from what we’ve seen; they’ve worked on Silent Hill Origins for the PSP, and they’re currently developing Overlord: Dark Legend for the Wii that looks genuinely stunning.

Climax recently put out a job listing for a new Wii title, and considering the dev’s background, it seems to point towards a Wii iteration of Silent Hill.

“Climax are one of the leading creative lights of independent games development with a great history, but our future is even more exciting with awesome titles such Overlord: Dark Legend for Codemasters, our stunning and refreshing take on the horror genre and our original ground breaking next-gen game for the PS3 and the Xbox 360. “

So with the developer’s history, and Konami’s involvement with the game, it’s looking more and more likely that we’ll be seeing Silent Hill for Wii in the near future.

Let’s just hope it’s not a PSP port.

Source - GoNintendo

/Rory is ‘inb4′ the on-rails jokes.

Christian Svensson, Corporate Officer/VP of Strategic Planning & Business Development over at Capcom has recently been elaborating on a few misconceptions regarding some of their sales figures, namely for Zack and Wiki: The Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure and Okami.

It was previously thought by some that Zack and Wiki sold a respectable amount of copies, with some sources citing numbers approaching 500,000. However, according to Svensson, “[Zack and Wiki] did not sell 500k units, or anywhere near it”. In his post, Svensson seems to show a hint of resentment, and with good reason; Zack and Wiki was a fresh, creative game that was entirely suited to the Wii’s point-and-click interface, and it breathed new life into the genre. What’s more, it was met with raving applause and was backed with a substantial marketing campaign, and yet it still managed to bomb at retail.

For such a fantastic and original title to go unnoticed by many really is disheartening. With that said, however, perhaps the biggest shame here is that you could easily pick up Zack and Wiki for £15 or less, and the same goes for Okami, and if you haven’t already, make it your duty as a gamer to do so.

Zack and Wiki was an original take on the Point-and-Click genre, but failed to recoup its costs

After the Wii was announced, during the time when everybody was thinking how great a Wii iteration or remake of <insert franchise/game here> would be, the PS2 sleeper hit started to surface in gamer’s imaginations because Okami seemed like a perfect fit to Nintendo’s console; utilising the Celestial Brish with the Wii Remote seemed like second nature, and so the campaign began. For months, fans clamoured for a Wii port of Amaterasu’s adventure, and those who missed the masterpiece the first time round vowed not to make the same mistake again when the Wii version was released.

Fast forward a few months; Capcom announce that ReadyAtDawn Studios are hard at work on the title. The fans rejoice; the game would be released with seemingly improved controls, in 480p, in 16:9 widescreen, and with a fresh start. It all looked promising.

In the weeks before Okami’s re-release, reviewers found themselves falling in love with the game all over again. Receiving perfect scores from the likes of 1Up and EuroGamer, the title managed to generate an average score of 90/100, and to this day it’s heralded as one of the best games available on the Wii. Of course, this was expected; Okami was only 2 years old and still held all the awe and inspirational beauty found in the original - the wow factor was still there.

Okami's brilliance wasn't reflected in its sales

So with all the hype and universal acclaim, it’s still a wonder to me that the Wii version of Okami “is not on track to outsell the PS2 version”. That’s right, the PS2 version which is usually seen as a commercial disaster actually sold more than the Wii version with all its additions and surrounding hype.

So where did it all go wrong? Many believe that Capcom were wrong to publish the game at full price, stating that they could find the original on the PS2 for £10. Some blame the lack of advertising for the game’s disappointing sales. However, I believe that a marketing campaign on the scale of Zack and Wiki would’ve been rather hopeless and not exactly beneficial; would the average Wii-owning family be drawn to the game from a TV advert like they would with something like Big Beach Sports? Likely not. There is the possibility, however, that Okami almost reached its market potential on the PS2. Despite its relatively weak sales, they weren’t disgraceful for such a niche title.

Perhaps I’m naive for thinking that there was a market on the Wii for such a niche, core, 50+ hour title; the title didn’t sell well on the PS2, the greatest selling console of all time, with an install base of over 100 million. Despite this, however, I am somewhat baffled and genuinely disheartened about these sad state of affairs.

However, maybe I can sleep easy tonight after all; “Okami has been moderately successful”.

Source - GoNintendo

/Rory urges you to buy at least one of these games.

Nothing quite annoys me like the cretins that infest gaming forums and message boards. Whether it be due to a superiority complex, overuse of internet slang or downright simple mindedness, these people make me question why I even bother with online communities at all.

By way of a solution, Hide and Geek are offering a generous helping of advice to help you improve your internet persona. Pay attention then, here’s what not to say on a gaming forum or message board…

“At the end of the day, it’s all subjective . We each have our own opinion, and it is neither right nor wrong, but should be respected bla bla bla….“

Congratulations inspector insightful, you’ve stated something of such blinding obviousness that I’m never going to listen to you again.

When arguments spring up on forums about opinions and subjectivity, I die a little inside, I really do. Whoever throws the ‘It’s all subjective isn’t it!‘ comment into an argument deserves to be instantly ignored. Of course it’s subjective. Anything that is not an express fact is quite obviously an opinion, why do people find it neccessary to point this out? Good debate centres around the proposal of two opinions, good debate is based on subjectivity.

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If you’re reading this I can pretty much take for granted that you know who 1up are, or were. The 1up we used to know has changed, but it was necessary change to avert their inevitable end. I’d reccomend reading a blog post by Sam Kennedy on the situation if you want a bit more clarification of the issue.

This is a monumental loss, not just for those involved who lost their jobs and what has been such a huge part of their life for years, but to our industry. While there are many other places you can go to get your news, reviews and opinions, there were few, if any, with the integrity and value of 1up.

While it’s absolutely crucial that we remember the people who have contributed to 1up already, it is equally important that we take part in what is about to happen. Already set in motion are several projects by ex-1up staff, who are aiming to continue to make content for us to enjoy.

The Geekbox

Ryan Scott

Geekbox Radio, an all-new gaming audio podcast from some of the talented ex-1UP personalities who brought you shows like GFW Radio, Legendary Thread, and Sports Anomaly (I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag yet as far as who’s appearing — you’ll have to tune in to find out!). With any luck, it might even be good.

Rebel FM

Gallegos, Suttner, Kollar, Chandronait, O’Donnell, Kraus

Well, it was promised, so here it is. I’m pleased to welcome Anthony Gallegos, Nick Suttner, Phillip Kollar, Matt Chandronait, Ryan O’Donnell, Jade Kraus, and me, your humble web minion as we do a bit of Irish wake for 1up and EGM mixed in with a bit of what we’ve all been playing, because really, that’s what it’s all about.

“Talking Orange”

The 1up Show Crew

We’re going to continue to make gaming “TV” that is free and take advantage of the new world of media. YouTube, Vimeo, blogging software, etc. That’s the way we consume our media, it’s the way you do and we’d be fools not to acknowledge it.

THIS IS NOT THE END

Pay attention to these collaborations, experience them and help them grow, because this is just the beginning of very exciting times. Not least for the dedicated people creating this content to persue new endeavours, but for us to enjoy them. So subscribe to the podcasts and RSS feeds, bookmark the sites and follow the Twitter updates, because the 1up we know is still here.

Woffls

A comment by 2D Boy’s Ron Carmel in the December issue of GamesTM has recently got me thinking. Those who read books aren’t called ‘bookers‘, those that watch films aren’t referred to as ‘moviers‘ - so why do those who play games get given the label ‘gamers‘. The word holds no negative connotations, but does say a lot about society’s perceptions on gaming as a past time. With the incline of casual gaming however, could the term ‘gamer’ eventually become obsolete?

The medium of games has yet to reach a stage where it’s completely socially acceptable. The image of a gamer being a male teenager with spots and glasses is undoubtedly still held by many. Of course, this an unfair stereotype, but thankfully one that the rise of casual gaming is set to change. Today, everybody plays games. Children and parents, boys and girls. Some of these people aren’t ‘gamers’ by conventional terms, but they do play games. In the not so distant future, will gaming become so firmly etched into society that the term ‘gamer’ will lose all meaning?

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Metal Gear Solid 4, Gears Of War 2, Mass Effect, Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4; all of these titles have been praised for their cinematic experiences. We have reached a time where the graphical fidelity is there to allow us to experience convincing game worlds, further pulling us in to characters, story and interaction. Yet all of the above mentioned games are at their cinematic best when the player isn’t in control and becomes a spectator to the action. So is the game itself cinematic or is it simply the cinematics themselves that provide the experience ?

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One of the new avenues for games in recent times has been a focus on user created content. Whilst mod tools have been around for many years they have been limited to a small PC audience. Now though, the idea of the end user creating their own game content has hit the forefront of many games and marketing campaigns. From something advanced like Little Big Planet to the ever so simple tool of Mii creation. Involving the user in their own games and then sharing that with other people has become another check box that game developers need to consider in their projects. It is all about building a community that essentially makes the game live and breath without the developers needing to pump out their own content to occupy people.

Another area of community focus is the interaction of players and developers, this has led to the creation of community managers and developer specific forums. However, is a push for games to have a community the very thing that is killing the prospect for community?

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The conception of the virtual console and digital distribution has given rise to some fantastic games that would have otherwise never seen the light of day. Capcom’s recent release of Mega Man 9 has proved that retro revival can be incredibly popular. Games such as this have no console to call home anymore, so the virtual consoles are the perfect place to relocate to. When 2D games are this good, it has to be asked; did we made the jump to 3D too quickly?

By today’s standards, games need to be 3D in order to be taken seriously. Although there are still games being released in 2D, great games at that, they make up but a fraction of the overall market. Why should an entire dimension of gaming be dropped just because the technology is there to move on? Capcom’s Megaman  9 was an incredibly refined platforming experience, showing just how good 2D platformers can be. Surely there’s much that has yet to be done in 2D? New gaming experiences that have been missed out on due to the premature jump to 3D. Jonathan Blow’s Braid certainly proved that 2D games could offer an experience like nothing else in ‘next gen’ gaming.

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Whatever influences the purchase of a game, the quality of a game’s box art is rarely going to be the deciding factor. This means that seldom will a player go into a game with a completely blank mind, without any prejudice or preconceptions put in their head by others. In this instance, a player would experience a game completely through their own eyes, and every opinion they formed on the game, would be entirely their own. In an industry that is fuelled by hype and the knowledge of upcoming titles, it’s unlikely that this scenario would ever occur, but it certainly raises some interesting points.

As much as we like to think that our opinions on a certain game are indeed our own, it’s not unlikely that these opinions have been already influenced by the words of others. Whether this be through previews and reviews, or the comments of a respectable individual, are we really thinking for ourselves? What assumptions have we already made about a game, before we’ve even played it. Hide and Geek ponders; just how personal are our opinions, can we really say that they are our own?

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The games industry has in recent years been praised for it’s cinematic presentation, pound earning potential but above all it’s ability to bring top class entertainment interactively. If you take a look at the past year and consider what players have actually experienced then it is quite astounding. For me personally I have killed mob bosses, lost a princess, sunk a city, become a world class defense attorney and died in my fair share of world wars; all in the space of 12 months. Where else can someone do that in a couple of hours after work?

Film and books offer escapism but you are always a passive observer to the action that plays out in front of you. You never get to pull that trigger, make that tackle, run that guy off the road or jump for that last available ledge to save you from peril. Video games are the only bastion available to people who wish to experience something that would be unlikely to happen to them in the real world. Yet has the medium reached a boundary in which to deliver interactive entertainment?

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