Why are some remakes of classic games horrible?

Certain attempts at remaking video games..... (examples include: Donkey Kong country (1, 2, and 3) ---> Donkey Kong: Jungle Beats, Rayman 2: The Great Escape ----> Rayman Raving Rabbids, Final Fantasy VII ---> Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, and any remakes of the Barbie video game) took their main lovable characters, and stripped them of everything that was righteous and fun about them. When I play FFVII I want to continue the ever-lasting battle between Cloud and Sephiroth, when I play Rayman 2: The Great Escape I just want another amazing platforming game. (RM2: TGE was in fact my favorite game on the Nintendo 64, the originality in level design, the actual game play, and the funny voices bestowed to the characters was one of the first games I truly appreciated for its artistic value... Actually it ties for first with Super Smash 64 which is my favorite fighting game of all time... ANYWAY)

All I have to say to all of you game designers out there is that you shouldn't screw around with a winning formula. Take The Legend of Zelda series.

Each new Zelda game is based off of the concept established by the original game which is: A boy with a green hood becomes a hero by using his... Sword, shield, and a myriad of puzzle solving tools to save the princess and/or the world from being taken over by the evil pig-man Ganon. The only differences between the games are the graphics, the actual tools that Link finds (with a couple recurring favorites of course), and the user interface that the player uses to control our favorite hero of time. It started with the NES which is the most basic of controls, then evolved with the controllers until it ultimately was turned into a motion sensor based epic, and a touch screen on-the-go adventure.

Don't get me wrong there are games that changed dramatically but still had awesome results. Let’s take THE iconic video game character Mario for example.

(It just so happens I'm in a Nintendo kind of mood today, and here's a picture of everybodies favorite chubby italian plumber)

Mario has started as, and eventually transcended, the 2D side-scroller and has dominated every style of video game that he has been put into. He has been in: 2D, 3D, Racing games, sport games, Party games, Role-Playing Games, puzzle games, home brewed flash game, and even an educational math game for the PC that some of you may remember. Mario is the most recognized video game character of all time, but all of you know this already... which just further proves my point of him being the most recognized character of all time.

Still what exactly makes Mario so much better than the rest? His successful shift from 2D to 3D was, in my opinion, what made him so special. He started off running towards the right side of the screen leaping over stuff, going in pipes, jumping on bad-guys, and hitting his head on blocks so he could get his fix of shrooms. And what did he do when he changed dimensions.... THE SAME THING. Fundamentals people, fundamentals. Nintendo kept their winning formula of jumping on or into stuff, and simply made everything 3D. Of course they added some new content (hats, animal-themed super-powered jump suits, new bad-guys, a new level selection process, etc.), but they made sure to revolve all of the new content around the same play style that everybody loved, and still loves. (Mario was taken out of his world and placed into the different style of games just as a selectable character, mainly because he is Nintendo's top character, but still he has made more appearances in games than any other character in the history of the video game world)

BUT what's also important to the Nintendo's success was that they didn't add too much.

Everybody loves new content, but sometimes the new content is either: A. terrible and not what you wanted for that character, or B. there is just too much new content to deal with.

To sum it up: Stick to the fundamentals unless you are a truly gifted gaming company, if you do not this runs the risk of losing your fan base completely. (Rayman lost me for example) There are other reasons of course, plus it is all about personal preference anyways, don't be ashamed to play Barbie on the nes if you truly enjoy it.

More to come. (My epic Assassin's Creed story is in the works so stay tuned.)

Left 4 Dead: Influential? I think so.

Ok, so this is my first blog entry, and I figure I might as well start by writing about the only game of last year that I actually spent my money on. That’s not to say I didn’t try out any of the newest games, because I can assure you that I beat just about all of the “must play” games of 2008. Luckily for me this game also happened to be awarded game of the year, along with many other awards from various companies, magazines, etc. etc. For you gamers out there you obviously know that I'm talking about Valve's newest, and in my opinion finest game, Left 4 Dead now................


(Minimized screen to play a couple rounds for inspiration..... let’s say about an hour and a half later)

L4D's unique teamwork style game play has changed the first person shooter (FPS for short) experience forever. It proves that if you put your players under the correct circumstances then they will be forced to work together as a team, as opposed to other games such a Halo, CoD4, and nearly all other FPS’s (with exceptions of course), where you can fend for yourself and presumably still win. In L4D's case: 4 players are fighting for their lives against a never ending swarm of blood-thirsty post-apocalyptic zombies, and somehow or another these guys can find you no matter what. This idea forces you to constantly watch each other’s back and rescue one another from the constantly re-spawning "special zombies" whom are played by the opposing 4 man team. Now for those who are reading this article you probably know this already, but what you may not know is just how profound of an idea this is in terms of game design.

Let's take a look at the average gamer: Now picture in your head the biggest gamer you know (if it is yourself then I apologize in advance... actually..... not really, I don’t really care). Now envision that gamer sitting alone in their room playing any FPS that doesn't require a certain amount of skill/teamwork (*cough Halo*). When that gamer gets into a groove and starts mercilessly killing the opposing team, does he ever stop to think about the rest of his team? The answer is: Yes, but for only one reason and that is when he/she wants to find out their kill count and then compare it to the rest of the "team." It is usually safe to assume that the rest of this "team" doesn't really care about anybody else either. (Sadly, it became normal to find some of the older players “team killing” 9 year olds just so they could enjoy listening to their high-pitched squeals of pain) As funny as it was, well heck it’s still extremely funny, but I would rather be satisfied by the game itself, and not entertained by the sheer joy of “powning” some random pre-teen who supposed to be your partner.

But in L4D this is not the case. If even one of your teammates dies, then the chances of winning the round are cut by 25%. Each member is just as important as the next, and a certain amount of strategy/skill goes into each round. I expect that other game developers will use L4D as an iconic example of teamwork based FPS’s, but not only is the idea of extreme amounts of teamwork influential, so is the idea of a “mindless” shooting game involving an over-whelming number of…. You guessed it: Zombies.

Konami is releasing a new game in Q3 of 2009 called: Zombie Apocalypse... now I wonder what this game is all about? I’m only taking an educated guess here, but I think it may have to do with a group of individuals fending off a zombie apocalypse….. But this time it’s in THIRD PERSON. Originality at its finest: Taking a brilliant concept, changing the perspective, and there you go, brand spanking new game. Although for some reason it feels like one character happens to be in both of them:

(L4D’s Louis on the left) (Zombie Apocalypse’s pseudo-Louis is on the right)

Ok so maybe they aren’t 100% identical, seeing as Z.A.’s pseudo-Louis seems to be a few years older and has a tiny bit of hair… And no I’m not being racist… I just feel that Konami’s lack of originality needs to be called out here. But I will give it to Konami when I say that their Metal Slug-esque style of game play and their selection of anti-zombie weapons still make it look like an extremely fun game, although I cannot guarantee the replay value.

(Game play found at: http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/14336489/zombie-apocalypse/videos/zomie_gmp_harlanaction_040209.html)

(Quick side note)

Other Zombie related games released shortly after Left 4 Dead include:

Pop Cap Game’s- Plants vs. Zombies, and Gameloft’s – Zombie Infection (which quickly rose to their top selling game) Although it seems like there is only two examples now, I’m sure there will be many more to come, and L4D can be thanked for revamping the zombie obsession.

Lastly, I was caught extremely off-guard during this year’s E3, and yes I saw all of it, but the announcement was made for the release of L4D2.

Video provided by: l4d.com

Hold on…. Didn’t L4D1 just come out last year? Now there is going to be a second? All I can say is… AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

I have also read the news about ultra-nerds not shutting up about how they haven’t spent enough time on the first one. This minor annoyance has caused some players to begin boycotting Left 4 Dead 2 (here’s a bit of extra information about the boycott provided by IGN: http://pc.ign.com/articles/992/992283p1.html)

If you are one of those obnoxious super-nerds listen up. The fact of the matter is with the amount of impending content to be released (5 new campaigns, new characters, and the introduction of Anti-Zombie Melee weaponry, let alone all of the patching that will need to be done, along with the probably even more content that I have listed here) it would be foolish for Valve to not charge an additional fee. Even for a company as epic as Valve that would be pushing it. I have played enough L4D to say that it is perfect the way it is, but I was always curious why I didn’t get to rip a Zombie in half with an over the top chainsaw, or bash their faces in with a bat, presumably similar to the Scout’s bat in Team Fortress 2 (Another Valve Game). I would like to assume that Left 4 Dead 2 is going to be the best thing to happen to L4D, mainly because Valve’s batting average in terms of great games is pretty amazing, and with a big leap forward in such a short amount of time, they must mean business. Trust your game designers for they are gamers too. Expect a thorough review of L4D2 when it hits stores in late 2009.

To sum things up, expect to see more cooperative online first person shooters where you MUST help your teammates to survive, as well as a few more Zombie titles in the years to come…. (Will there be a fun anti-zombie game for the Wii now that the Wii Motion plus has come?)

To wrap up my first article: Left 4 Dead Rules, enough said. (5 stars + The Morrison Stamp of Approval)

Welcome to The Gamer's Pub!

Welcome to The Gamer's Pub!

My name is Jess Morrison and I will be your Bar Tender for the evening. Here at T.G.P. I'd like to serve you all a unique brew of delicious, ice cold reviews, previews, video game stories, and up-to-date news on all of the latest happenings in the video game industry, as well as in the vast field of technology as a whole.

It is my dream to one day make it into the video game industry, on the business/creative development side (because I can't program for the life of me, and trust me, I have tried). Games have always been my escape from the real world that allowed for my imagination, emotions, reflexes, and skills to subconsciously take over. It's the one field I can see myself happy working with for the rest of my life.

SO RAISE YOUR GLASSES YOU NERDS, GEEKS, MISFITS, AND RANDOM PEOPLE AND DRINK UP! BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU LOVE MOST!

NOW READ MY ARTICLES!