Massively Multiplayer: Gaming In The New Millennium

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BONUS: pop'n music TwinBeat: THE MOVIE Tracklist
(It's already been a year ITTL? Time flies. Anyway, here it is...)

pop'n music TwinBeat: THE MOVIE (iTwin; JP release late 2009; US release early 2011)

The TwinBeat sub-series of pop'n music games for consoles rolled on with the 3rd game for iTwin, and 17th overall. The reveal of possible changes at Konami, a couple of months after this game's release, led to whispers that this game might be the last to see US release for the iTwin, and pop'n music TwinBeat: TUNE STREET,*1 the next game in the series (a late 2010 release in Japan) might not see shores outside of its home country at all. Nevertheless, this incarnation, themed after a film festival, was blessed with a packed enough songlist to please the fans and stop them worrying about the developers being repurposed as pachinko jingle composers with uncredited roles...*2

The aforementioned pop'n music TwinBeat: TUNE STREET saw Japanese release in late 2010, with a small tie-in to the soon-to-be-released arcade game pop'n music 19 fantasia...*3

Song List
[GENRE] Title / Artist

Licensed music (JP version) : *4

BATTLE WITHOUT HONOR OR HUMANITY / (cover) *5
Butter-FLY / (cover)
Lovin' Life / (cover)
暗黒サイケデリック / ALI PROJECT
ブルーバード / (cover)
キセキ / (cover)
夏祭り / (cover)
ピンク / パーキッツ *5
ポリリズム / (cover)
ロマンティックあげるよ / (cover)
ルージュの伝言 / (cover)
釈迦 / 筋肉少女帯 *5
スキ☆メロ / 小倉優子

KONAMI Original (default): *6
[CAPSULE PRINCESS] ふしぎなくすり / 上野圭市 feat. SATOE
[CINEMA 2] 映画「ジェノヴァの空の下」のテーマ / Q-Mex
[CLOWN PUNK] ピエロのままで / good-cool ft.ATSUSHI from NEW ROTE'KA
[CORE ROCK] PUNK隊?!トリロジー / Des-ROW ・組スペシアルr *7
[CUTIE TECHNO POP] We Can Change / Sota Fujimori feat. Kemy
[FOLKTRONICA] リンゴロジック / Dormir
[FRENCH CINE JAZZ] Le départ à L'Alpe-d'Huez / ELEKTEL feat. Mayu-chan
[GIRLS ALTERNATIVE CORE] Make my way / 阿部靖広 feat.森亜紀子
[HARD ACTION] COMMANDO / 96
[HYPER DRAMATIC] 薔薇は永遠に美しく / TЁЯRA *8
[J-ROCK Ø NEW] Alicy / colors feat. Hyuga Rei
[LAND BALLAD] GEO SONG / world sequence feat.Sana
[LOVELY MOTOWN] プリズム / SE-NA☆ from 4C-STATE
[PARTY DANCE] will / NAOKI
[RUSSIA 2] レトロ男爵の嘆き / 劇団レコード
[SHOWA NOIR] 誰がために陽はのぼる / MAKI
[STAR ELECTRO] LEADing / ウッチーズZ *7
[WASAN TECHNO] ZIN-DEN-GO / V.C.O.
[WORLD J-POP] Natura's love call / 猫叉Master feat.Sana *7

Returning Songs (default):
[BOSSA NOVA] Cappuccino bossa / HASHED BOX
[CINEMA] 映画「SICILLIANA」のテーマ / Q-Mex
[ELEGY] 幸せを謳う詩 / あさき
[FLOW BEAT] curus / D-crew
[HONG KONG EURO] Hong kong magic / tiger YAMATO *9
[RUSSIA] トロイカダンス / Q-Mex plays "Hirotees"
[SOUND TRACK] 宇宙船Q-Mex / Q-Mex

pop'n Film Festival Event:

= Phase 1 =

[DEEP SEA ROMAN] The Aim of Nautilus / mu-Ray
[EXTRA GRUNGE ROCK] simple / ジョルカエフ多鬼島 *7
[GOTH INDUSTRIAL] PACEM / L.E.D. fw. L.E.D. fw. 堀澤麻衣子
[HAPPY J-VOGUE REMIX] Spring Comes Around (In Like a Lion) / Sota Fujimori Rmx by wac
[JAPANESE ALTERATION] 花吹雪 ~ IIDX LIMITED ~ / S.S.D.FANTASICA feat.ユッコ
[NU STYLE ROCKABILLY] Electronic or Treat! / PON *10
[TECHNO CHILD] わたしのパパはのうむだいじん / 秋山巴美とパパドンドン

= Phase 2 =

[AMBIENT TECHNO] less is more -pop'n edition- / lim's Sculpture *11
[HANDZ UP] Second Heaven / Ryu☆
[IDOLISER SPEED POP] Get'im! My Movie Star Love / jun feat.Schanita *7
[LUNATIC REEL] moon dance / Akino
[METAL FLOW] CURUS-M (ditty) / Des-crew
[MIDNIGHT DnB] Searching... / Tia
[OKINAWASSIVE] 西表島琉球曲 / サイモンマン

= Phase 3 =

[BATTLE SYMPHONY] 最期の決断 / Dp.Honda
[CONTEMPORARY NATION 4] Tree in Lake ~消えたチチカカの木~ / 猫叉Master
[GALAXIVE ROCK] Polaris / Mutsuhiko Izumi
[HIPHOP MIX] We Don't Care / MTO & MAD Sequence *7
[LADIES METAL] 麗破唖甦 ~rebirth~ / good-cool feat.AYANO *10
[RYUSEI RAVE REMIX] 流星☆ハニー Perforation Mix / 新谷あきら Rmx by good-cool
[TWIN HERO] 明日への誓い / 下村陽子 feat.軟鉄兄弟

= Phase 4 =

[CYBER WESTERN] PITAゴラス☆KISS / good-cool ft.バッチ恋トシ
[FEVER ROBO REMIX] 踊るフィーバーロボ Eu-Robot mix / D&E&Y Rmx by kors k as disconation
[FIGHT SEQUENCE] 最大の戦士 / 小野秀幸&96 *7
[HAPPY HARDCORE] STAR SHIP☆HERO / Lucky Vacuum
[HEAT UP] Ignited Night / HHH *10
[NINJA METAL] 背水之陣 / すわひでお
[SHOOTING FUSION] El Dorado / TAG

= Phase 5 =

[ELEGY 2] この子の七つのお祝いに / あさき
[FALLEN ANGEL TRANCE] Walkure of the Northern / dj TAKA *7
[FUTURISM REMIX] demilizione -ambienza- / ensemble futuro+Wacchita *12
[KAIJU] 突然ゴルゴンゾーラ / ひので155
[METALLIC OPERA] Geiselhaus / Sarastro
[PIANOTEC] Stories / Ax
[WAR SCROLL] 西軍∥∴⊂SEKIGAHARA⊃∴∥東軍 / Yukky+DES *10

= Final Song =

[SILENT] 音楽 / 弁士カンタビレオ

= Ending Song =

[SPACE OPERA] Stardust Wanderers / BPO Hollywood

Notes
*1. As before, TUNE STREET replaces Sengoku Retsuden as the pop'n 18 theme over concerns for international markets. This makes it ironic that it could possibly never see US release...
*2. I tried to fit in a dig at "BEMANI Sound Team" here, but this was as close as I could get.
*3. The loss of Sengoku Retsuden means this theme is bumped up one version.
*4. No genres for licensed songs. Most of the licensed lineup was replaced with Western popular music for the US release.
*5. This licensed song was retained for the US release.
*6. Not every song survived the butterflies. These ones are missing: ƒƒƒƒƒ op.2, Infinity Of Our Love, The Smile of You (I don't believe Elebits was a significant thing ITTL), Treasure Hoard, ボクモ、ワタシモ、ムービースター☆, へんたいトリロジー, 恋する東京 SF_P5 ElePop Mix. Some received equivalents in the TTL songlist.
*7 Song original to TTL.
*8. This song actually came from pop'n 19 in OTL, and replaces Fantasia in the songlist, which will appear in pop'n 19. (I couldn't pass up the opportunity to put the Bond movie theme pastiche in the movie version and the song called Fantasia in the version called Fantasia)
*9. DJ nagureo still retires from KONAMI, but his songs aren't removed en masse like in OTL.
*10. This was in Sengoku Retsuden OTL, but that theme didn't happen here.
*11. This crossover never happened in OTL.
*12. Remix original to TTL.
 
Winter 2011 (Part 12) - The Rest Of The Games
(Here are the rest of the notable games from January 2011 to March 2011!)

-

Nintendo Sapphire-

El Shaddai: Ascension Of The Metatron

Similar to OTL's title, El Shaddai: Ascension Of The Metatron is an action/adventure title with hack and slash and platforming elements. It centers on a man named Enoch who must battle the forces of evil while seeking seven powerful angels to help him protect the rest of humanity. Borrowing heavily from the earlier books of the Bible, the game's plot differs somewhat from OTL by being a bit more character-based, giving the angels a more distinct personality and also giving the player a more RPG-like progression system that levels Enoch based partially on how the player's combat style is conducted. Positioned as one of the more hyped Sapphire releases of the early part of the year thanks to its impressive visuals and addictive combat gameplay, it's a bit better reviewed than the OTL game, and sells somewhat better as well, though it doesn't quite rise to the best-seller level. The game's success would earn it at least one sequel, and a potential crossover with other franchises as well.

Antarctica: 2110

The direct sequel to 2010's Antarctica: 2100, this game is released just a year after its predecessor, and features pretty much the same engine with only a few small gameplay and weapon additions. The setting is one of the few major changes: whereas the previous game took place in a series of irradiated valleys, this game takes place in a mix of urban environments, including the ruins of cities destroyed in climate change and nuclear hellfire, and also the surviving cities looking to rebuild after the wars that tore the planet apart. This gives the game a bit more of an optimistic viewpoint than some of the other recent games in the series, but most critics and fans still complain about a game that they say should have been a mission pack DLC rather than a full-fledged full-priced sequel, leading to mediocre reviews and so-so sales.

Waddlemore

A very unique platformer about a pink plush bear who contains four smaller plush bears in his body, Waddlemore has the feel of a mascot platformer without really trying to be one, instead focusing more on strategic platforming and combat, with some puzzle elements. The small bears can either work together or remain inside the main bear to grant it extra strength and defense. The game features a cutesy aesthetic but is surprisingly hard, with mastery of the multibear mechanic a must to succeed at some of the later levels. Waddlemore scores strong reviews averaging in the mid 8s, and becomes a niche hit, eventually earning a sequel.

Apple iTwin-

I'll Be A Loser Forever!

A very cutesy JRPG/comedy game about a schoolgirl who, despite becoming a magical hero and fighting evil, is still viciously picked on. It's over the top, full of anime tropes, and has niche cult classic written all over it. Becomes one of those games that's frequently featured in sales, and a lot of iTwin owners end up picking it up for cheap during those sales, sort of like the Prinny/Neptunia games of IOTL.

Mickey Mouse Returns

A 3-D platforming game that can best be seen as a cross between Epic Mickey and the Magical Quest series (borrowing from both in terms of gameplay but taking a more Magical Quest light tone), Mickey Mouse Returns is Capcom's return to making Mickey Mouse games, bringing the full gameplay of Magical Quest into 3-D. It features Mickey Mouse and friends battling Pete across a wide variety of stages and environments, with Mickey as the protagonist but with characters like Goofy, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy showing up as support characters (with Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Scrooge McDuck all playable at certain points). The villain, Pete, has a wide variety of disguises and abilities as he does battle with Mickey Mouse, either fighting him personally or deploying a minion, while Mickey Mouse can wear one of ten different hats, including a firefighter hat, a magician hat, a gardening hat, a top hat, and a policeman's hat, amongst others, each of which grants him different powers (the firefighter hat gives him the ability to use hoses and ride a fire truck, the magician hat lets him use spells, the top hat lets him do Vegas-style illusions, etc.). Like previous Magical Quest games, it's a fun whimsical platformer that makes great use of the iTwin's optional motion controls, and even has a two player co-op mode in which the second player can play as Minnie, Donald, Goofy, or Scrooge McDuck full time. Scrooge has most of his DuckTales abilities, making this game a fun little crossover between the two properties (unfortunately, DuckTales villains don't show up in this game). Mickey Mouse Returns is quite positively received, and earns sales slightly better than OTL's Epic Mickey.

Rise Of Nightmares

A motion-control themed horror title for the iTwin, this game was designed for the Kinect IOTL, and features somewhat similar motion controls for TTL's version, though it can also use the classic controls to play like a traditional survival horror game. Like OTL's title, it has a somewhat hokey plot about a man searching for his kidnapped wife, who has been taken by a mad scientist conducting terrifying biological experiments. It's a fairly average horror game, most notable for its motion controls (which are actually quite good) and its extremely gruesome body horror. While reviews are mediocre, it does sell decently well, enough to turn a small profit.

Valerian And Laureline 3

The third game in this adventure/shooter series sees the time traveling sleuthing team return for another intergalactic adventure. In this game, Valerian and Laureline must battle a syndicate of intergalactic gangsters who have commandeered a particularly powerful weapon and have teamed up with a woman with strange magical powers. This title is a much more straightforward action adventure than the previous game, with a more lighthearted plot and only subtle gameplay improvements. Instead, the developers sought to improve the pacing of the game, with more diverse missions and more dramatic and fun gunfights. For the most part, it works: reviews slightly exceed those of the last game, and though sales aren't all that great overall, it's still a profitable game and not seen as a disappointment. Apple is largely going through the motions with this series now, treating it like the mid-tier series it is rather than one of their premiere franchises. For the next generation of games in this series, they'll outsource the development to other studios, playing to the series' strengths while downplaying its weaknesses, and the series remains a consistent one going forward into the next generation, with this third game being the last one for the iTwin.

Comix Zone Reissued

A 3-D beat 'em up title and the direct sequel to 1995's Comix Zone on the Genesis, Comix Zone Reissued is a 3-D beat 'em up with a cel shaded art style. Though the game is ostensibly a 3-D game with full range of movement, it's not really an open world title, and features a mostly linear path through levels. Sketch Turner returns as the primary protagonist, able to use all sorts of weapons and items against the various enemies he faces. This time, he has companions to help him battle his foes, up to four in all, including his wife Alissa, his old pal Roadkill, and numerous other characters that meet up with Sketch throughout the game. This option is only available in co-op mode, which can be both online and local, when playing alone the player can only choose to play as Sketch until the game is beaten once, which then gives the option to play as any other playable character. The game's plot sees Sketch once again bankrupt after sales of his comic book plunge. “People don't read comic books anymore,” says Sketch's publisher, the mogul Bigg Money, who turns out to be the game's villain, who deliberately sabotaged sales of Sketch's comic in order to absorb the remaining power from it to become a real life supervillain and take over the world. With his new powers, Bigg Money is able to turn real life into a comic, and Sketch must use all his skills to take the evil mogul down, with the help of his friends. As far as beat 'em ups go, the game is fairly plain, though it does have some fun combo moves and boss fights that make it fairly replayable. The big attraction of the game is its cel shaded style which makes it look exactly like a modern comic book thanks to the iTwin's graphical power. It's a visual marvel, and most of the praise for the game ultimately comes from this. Reviews are fairly strong, averaging in the mid 7s to low 8s, and sales follow suit, making the game a midlevel hit on the same level as Valerian And Laureline 3.

Outland

An arcade-esque 2D platformer developed by Ubisoft, this well reviewed OTL digital title becomes an iTwin exclusive ITTL due to Apple paying big money for the game's exclusivity and also contributing to its development. The basic gameplay, in which players must hop on certain colored platforms at a certain time, with enemy vulnerability also based on alternating colors (similar to Ikaruga) is identical to OTL's game, while the plot, about a man who thinks he's hallucinating strange things only to find himself pulled into an ancient battle, is fairly similar to OTL's with a few minor changes. Just like in OTL, the game is reviewed exceptionally well, becoming one of the iTwin's top digital download titles of the year, and it remains near the top of the digital sales charts for quite some time.

Radiant Silvergun II

Thanks to the critical and moderate commercial success of this game, it gets the sequel that it didn't get IOTL (it did get Ikaruga IOTL and ITTL, but here it gets a direct sequel with similar gameplay based on the same storyline). It's beautiful, retro-styled (but with better graphics), bullet hell fun all the way, featuring an amazing soundtrack and plenty of difficulty. Not intended for all players, it's released at a budget MSRP of $39.99, and not a lot of physical copies are printed, though it's also sold digitally. While not a commercial hit, the game gets stellar reviews on par with Ikaruga, and it's considered one of the best games of the year and one of the best shooters of all time, making a lot of “must play” iTwin lists despite its difficulty.

Game Boy Supernova-

Everybody's Golf

A port of the Sapphire title with some new content, Everybody's Golf is basically what it is IOTL, a light-hearted take on golf with easy to learn controls and cutesy cartoon characters. With no proper Mario Golf game having been released since the early days of the Nova, this is a sorely needed handheld title, and gets strong reviews, helping it to sell fairly well.

Lash Out: War Of The Minds

This handheld spinoff of the Lash Out series is a sort of sidequel to Lash Out 3, and features Laika, trapped within Lash's mind, helping to defend him from a mind assassin sent by Unisys. This requires Laika to navigate the space within Lash's mind, which coincidentally has her traveling through a world filled with fragments of Lash's previous adventures, making for a game much like the home console experiences. Laika has similar weapons to Lash, including a pair of versatile energy whips and a host of other bladed weapons, but is also able to exert limited control over her environment. Coincidentally, the game shares a lot of thematic and visual motifs with Christopher Nolan's Inception, leading to a lot of comparisons between the two (though it's more of an epic adventure than a heist film like Inception was). While not quite as epic or grand as the console games (it doesn't look as good as Lash Out 3, though it is visually comparable to the two Wave titles), it's still considered a good handheld platformer, and sales meet expectations, making it a financial success.

Prince Of Persia: The Lost Relics

This handheld spinoff of Activision's adventure franchise is a fairly straightforward take on the Prince's adventures, fearing the Prince venturing through a series of dungeons in search of his queen Shana, who has been kidnapped and imprisoned by an evil mage. The game is VERY Zelda-like in its structure, which is deliberate considering the platform it's on. The Prince must explore six dungeons in search of a special relic contained within each one that can give him a clue to Shana's location and also grants him a special power. The dungeons are full of puzzles, traps, and enemies, though the dungeons are also somewhat more cookie cutter than the typical Zelda dungeons. While reviews for this game are decent, it's considered a bit of a disappointment compared to the console games, and ultimately doesn't sell nearly as well.

Multiplatform-

Counter-Strike Neutral

The latest version of Counter-Strike, this game is released for the PC and for all major consoles, offered as either a standalone game (for $29.99) or an update to an existing current generation version of Counter-Strike. Its biggest innovation is the addition of a “neutral” faction to the game, allowing for three-way battles or mid-match defections. The game also adds plenty more stages and weapons to enhance the current-gen experience. While considered an interesting twist on the game, the reception is fairly muted, with some criticism that the new content doesn't justify the 30 dollar price tag, and with many players choosing to play the unmodified game. It's marginally successful, but seen as a blip more than anything, and for Sapphire players, SOCOM 5 gets a lot more buzz.

From Dust

A god-sim title developed for the Sapphire and iTwin (and also for PC), From Dust is quite similar to OTL's game, which itself was a spiritual successor to the Populous series. The game does take a bit more influence from SimSociety, allowing civilizations to be customized with more detail and even allowing for online gameplay with players able to visit each other's civilizations (though you can't interact with them to nearly the same degree as you can with SimSociety). Like OTL's game, a challenge mode is also included. From Dust is somewhat praised for being one of the first major sim titles on the seventh generation consoles, but its scope is somewhat limited, even despite its ambitious design. Sales are much stronger on the iTwin than on the Sapphire, despite the Sapphire version's slightly better graphics.

Ogre Battle: Ride The Wild Wind

Enix's latest version of their classic tactical RPG series is designed for the Supernova and the iPod Play, and goes back to the style of battles from the original game, with parties battling one another across open battlefields. There's a lot of customization that can be done for your soldiers, and recruiting has never been easier, though it's possible to end up with a truly massive army because of this, making the game very complex and strategic. There's a whole bunch of brand new classes in the game, many of them based on riding, with some truly exotic creatures able to be used as mounts. The game's plot involves an unexplored frontier and two grand armies clashing over who will be the first to claim the new land. The game features 24 storyline maps and 10 side quest maps, with some small non-map excursions available as well. The game is well reviewed, especially amongst RPG-centric sites, though one of the main criticisms of the game is that it's too complex for those new to strategy games to properly enjoy. Hardcore RPG maniacs and longtime Ogre fans, however, consider the game excellent and one of the best titles in the series.

Tekken 7

The seventh installment in this fighting game series (Namco is considerably ahead of OTL with Tekken releases, thanks to the game's continued popularity with both Nintendo and Apple fans) is released on the iTwin and Sapphire, and features improved graphics, improved gameplay, and plenty of fighters, including the series' first DLC. While similar to most previous Tekken games, Tekken 7 introduces a few new features, including a new more intuitive combo system and also a system of counter-comboing which allows players to interrupt an opponent in mid-combo for considerable damage, making chaining combos a bit of a gamble and making the game a bit more strategic. The game features 28 fighters in all, with five total DLC fighters, including an anthropomorphic sheep (the game's joke character) and a couple of characters from outside franchises, including a popular Ace Combat character. Tekken 7 is considered mediocre as far as Tekken titles go, but is still mostly a good fighting game and generally sees strong sales.

Bulletstorm

Epic's follow-up to the Amok series ITTL, Bulletstorm is a first person shooter as ludicrous as the OTL game, awarding points for stylistic killings and generally being a shooter focused on fun rather than having a heavy or realistic plot. The game plays fairly similarly to IOTL's title, but takes a lot of influence from Amok, and a lot of fans consider it to be Amok 3 (though in first person rather than in third person), even though Epic still plans to develop the third Amok game as a multiplatform title after finishing up Bulletstorm. The game features intense, fast-paced action, encouraging players to kill enemies brutally and with plenty of style. The game's plot is similar to OTL's, with the protagonist and his team of soldiers hunting down a black ops team gone rogue on an alien planet, though the protagonist is more motivated by revenge in TTL's game, and much more cybernetic experimentation is involved in the plot as an homage to the storyline of Amok. Overall, Bulletstorm is quite positively received, both critically and commercially, becoming one of the most successful new IPs of the year. Released on all three major consoles, it achieves the most success on the Sapphire, which outsells both the iTwin and Xbox 2 versions of the game combined.

Victorious

Released for the Supernova and iPod Play, Victorious is an action RPG with a lot of gameplay similarities to the Mana series, though it features four characters to a party instead of three, and can indeed be played with three other people, though only through local wireless. The game's plot is fairly basic, it's about a group of four destined heroes, three boys and one girl, each from different backgrounds coming together to save the world. The game has no voice acting, instead telling its story through brief animated cutscenes and motion comic-like dialogue, and has a vast world with plenty of different environments and dungeon types. It's one of those high quality, fairly generic RPGs that gets good review scores but only sees moderate sales at best, and while it's fondly remembered by those that do play it, it doesn't achieve much notoriety and is forgotten by the general gaming public.

City Of Compton

An open-world “true crime” game published by Acclaim with a lot of similarities to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, this game takes place on the streets of Compton in the 1990s and depicts an intense gang war. Its protagonist, voiced by Tupac Shakur, is a young man attempting to escape the violence of the streets but who ultimately gets pulled back into crime thanks to opportunities offered by his friends and a debt owed to his big brother. The game garners immediate controversy upon its release, thanks to its depiction of violence and a complex drug-dealing minigame (more complex than the one in OTL Chinatown Wars) that some believe glorifies drug dealing. While the game on its surface does seem to glorify violence, gangs, and crime, it's actually a somewhat tragic story that shows the protagonist as being reluctant to participate in crime, and notably doesn't allow you to kill civilians the same way that the Grand Theft Auto games do, instead the protagonist will only attack cops or fellow criminals. While praised highly by some reviewers, others call it a generic attempt to cash in on the open-world sandbox craze, and so overall reviews end up averaging mostly in the mid to high 7s. While the game sells strongly initially, sales soon drop off and the game ends up in bargain bins by the end of the year, another game that just couldn't replicate the success of Grand Theft Auto. Tupac takes the game's failure somewhat hard, backing off of video game voice acting for a good while after this.

Matrimony: It's Your Wedding Day!

A platformer/minigame title about a toy that comes to life to help married couples achieve bliss, this game has you helping five different couples over the course of the game, and puts the married couple in some truly fantastical situations. Players have to rescue a flower girl from sentient wedding decorations, climb a giant skyscraper/cake, among other insane things that take the idea of a typical wedding and warp in into crazy video game action for the iTwin and Sapphire. It's as weird as it sounds, but becomes a cult hit and gets good reviews.

Ninja Gaiden Sky

A Ninja Gaiden title released for the Sapphire and iTwin, this game sees Ryu Hayabusa return to battle a syndicate of ninjas who stalk the day rather than the night, putting Hayabusa out of his element and forcing him into some situations he's never been in before. This game rewards the player for bold combat and action, much like OTL's Bloodborne, with relentless attack against a defending foe being the smartest course of action. This game retains the difficulty of previous Ninja Gaiden titles, and this time, there's no easy mode for players to fall back on. Despite the intense difficulty, the game has a somewhat lighter and even more adventurous mood than some of the other games in the series, garnering a Teen rating and featuring villains with more honorable motivations than most, which makes Ryu question his life's mission. The game features more female villains than any previous Ninja Gaiden game, and even makes the syndicate's leader an elderly ninja woman who is seen as a mother by her subordinates. Ninja Gaiden Sky turns a lot of series conventions on its head, but it's still a fast paced and difficult game, and achieves excellent reviews and moderately good sales.

Tomb Raider: Vengeance

Published by Eidos but developed by a new studio brought together explicitly for this game, Tomb Raider: Vengeance both wraps up the “artifacts” plotline of the last two games, but also sees Lara Croft journeying the globe in search of revenge after her love interest, the British detective Ethan, is brutally murdered by a gang of treasure hunters connected to the villain from Fearless (who Lara Croft killed in revenge for murdering an elephant). Vengeance is designed to be an evolution in both gameplay and presentation from the previous game, not quite on the level of OTL's 2013 reboot (and not as brutally violent as that game either), but intended to take Tomb Raider in a truly modern new direction, giving Lara her most fluid, realistic controls to date and also improving the aiming of her guns. In a lot of ways, Lara controls a lot like Nathan Drake from OTL's Uncharted, able to climb and maneuver with unprecedented ease. The game's plot also evolves mid-game, from a simple revenge plot in which Lara hunts down one by one the people responsible for Ethan's death, to a sort of character exploration for Lara in which she tries to think of what her mother (whose soul is still trapped somewhere and who Lara may be able to bring back) would do. These plots come together when the game's primary antagonist, a young but ruthless treasure hunter named Stone, takes possession of an ancient jewel which turns out to be the jewel Lara's mother's soul is bound to. Stone, as it turns out, has motivations of his own beyond simple greed for taking the jewel, and it's also confirmed that he wasn't directly involved in Ethan's murder (instead, Stone's partner Lopez, who Lara kills about two-thirds of the way through the game, is the one responsible for killing Ethan). While Stone is still willing to resort to just about anything to get what he wants, Lara comes to understand Stone's motivations, and the final confrontation between the two is as emotional as it is revealing). Lara ultimately decides to spare Stone's life, but Stone later sacrifices himself to help Lara escape with the jewel. In the end, Lara finally decides to let both her mother and herself move on, releasing her mother's soul from the jewel, accepting her own grief, and coming to terms with her life in a moment that truly seems like the end of the series and the end of Lara's journey. Lara returns to her mansion and enjoys her first good sleep in years, and the game ends without a sequel tease. Tomb Raider: Vengeance is probably the most positively received Tomb Raider game of its generation, getting praise for its storyline and technical prowess. While not as highly praised as OTL 2013's game, it's still seen as a transformational title for the series, even as the series seems to be ending. Of course, thanks to strong sales on the Sapphire and iTwin (and so-so sales on the Xbox 2), the series will continue, but whether it goes in a reboot direction or continues its current storyline has yet to be seen.

-

Top Selling New Console Games In North America (in terms of sales over the first four weeks of release):

January 2011:

1. SOCOM 5 (Nintendo Sapphire)
2. Mickey Mouse Returns (Apple iTwin)
3. Vintage Speed Series: Master Class (Apple iTwin)
4. Tekken 7 (Apple iTwin)
5. Tekken 7 (Nintendo Sapphire)

February 2011:

1. Novus Ordo Seclorum (Nintendo Sapphire)
2. Novus Ordo Seclorum (Apple iTwin)
3. Bulletstorm (Nintendo Sapphire)
4. Shadows Of Midnight (Nintendo Sapphire)
5. Archipelago: Future Fear (Nintendo Sapphire)

March 2011:

1. Star Wars: The Clone Wars II (Nintendo Sapphire)
2. Star Wars: The Clone Wars II (Apple iTwin)
3. Zeppelin Age: Into The Steamlands (Nintendo Sapphire)
4. Tomb Raider: Vengeance (Nintendo Sapphire)
5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars II (Microsoft Xbox 2)
 
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What are these guys doing ITTL?:

  • Gary Glitter
  • Jimmy Savile
  • Max Clifford
  • Rolf Harris
  • Bill Cosby
  • Kevin Spacey
  • Harvey Weinstein
  • and John Lasseter
 
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Also what are the guys and gals who are apart of the SCP and AlternateHistory.com communities/fandoms doing ITTL?

I doubt my life would be much different, in fact I might be doing worse now due to the side effects of the whole Chris-chan thing. As in, I might actually be dead.
 
Also what are the guys and gals who are apart of the SCP and AlternateHistory.com communities/fandoms doing ITTL?
Assuming I'm still alive (and considering how blind my parents were to pop culture in the '90s and '00s, I suspect I am), I'd be a very different person. It's more than likely I never developed a love for video games or Disney with Epic Mickey--the thing that showed me video games weren't just Mario and Disney wasn't just sunshine and daisies--being butterflied. At this point, I'd also be complaining about how the Marvel movies are poor adaptations of their source materials and that Fox needs to get their crap together.

Really, for me, this timeline is a pop culture dystopia. Almost all of my favorite things are gone or twisted in some worse-off way (I'm looking at you, TTL MCU and Harry Potter!).
 

AeroTheZealousOne

Monthly Donor
I never lived.

Makes two of us, though I am contemplating a version of myself from this world. How different would they be, I have no idea. But from an OTL perspective TTL is more optimistic yet at the same time a mixed bag of fates. There is so much awesome to this world yet so much greatness we don't get.

It's one of those TLs (probably the only one so far) that makes me think about our big blue marble we call home, and my own place in it.
 
Assuming I'm still alive (and considering how blind my parents were to pop culture in the '90s and '00s, I suspect I am), I'd be a very different person. It's more than likely I never developed a love for video games or Disney with Epic Mickey--the thing that showed me video games weren't just Mario and Disney wasn't just sunshine and daisies--being butterflied. At this point, I'd also be complaining about how the Marvel movies are poor adaptations of their source materials and that Fox needs to get their crap together.

Really, for me, this timeline is a pop culture dystopia. Almost all of my favorite things are gone or twisted in some worse-off way (I'm looking at you, TTL MCU and Harry Potter!).
Blame Pyro. I love the guy, but he is a major DC fanboy. Not a problem, I actually prefer DC over Marvel in comics, VERY slightly (I love them all), but he's the one who made the decision to nuke Marvel. He also hates GOTG, the greatest movie ever, so his opinions are invalid.:p Still, i'm in favor of good movies, regardless. Also, what was wrong with TTL HP?
 
Blame Pyro. I love the guy, but he is a major DC fanboy. Not a problem, I actually prefer DC over Marvel in comics, VERY slightly (I love them all), but he's the one who made the decision to nuke Marvel. He also hates GOTG, the greatest movie ever, so his opinions are invalid.:p Still, i'm in favor of good movies, regardless. Also, what was wrong with TTL HP?
Being Honest i was never the superhero movie fan but Pyro post were so well done to not integrated into the TL, the guy knew his comic books, and marvel nuked itself OTL, just because the movies don't change they nuked as otl(and i'm angry with that too), just some OTL stuff looks asbish when looking with ATL crystal :rolleyes: . Still his Green Lanter trilogy was amazing, my favorite ITTL.
 
Blame Pyro. I love the guy, but he is a major DC fanboy. Not a problem, I actually prefer DC over Marvel in comics, VERY slightly (I love them all), but he's the one who made the decision to nuke Marvel. He also hates GOTG, the greatest movie ever, so his opinions are invalid.:p Still, i'm in favor of good movies, regardless. Also, what was wrong with TTL HP?
I feel that must speak in my defense here and say that my "hatred" of GoTG was more letting my fanboyism run wild against my better judgment. That has been alleviated by simply not participating in any fan discussions and just letting bygones be bygones.

As for "nuking" Marvel, my first contribution to the TL was the much-maligned Clone Saga having a different ending where Peter Parker retires as Spider-Man to raise his daughter with Mary Jane while Ben Reilly takes up the mantle for ten years. This had the effect of splitting the fanbase the same way as Flash fans are split between Barry Allen and Wally West in OTL. It really, REALLY ticked Joe Quesada off and he made it his mission to return Peter Parker Spider-Man again as well as make him single again. Hence why he killed off Ben and rebooted Marvel in a similar fashion as OTL's New 52, though I would also describe it as "One More Day" on steroids. The fanbase revolted and Joe's ego got out of control enough for Newscorp to dismiss him.

Marvel Comics is on the road to recovery, but unfortunately some things got "snapped" due to the butterfly effect. One of those was (unfortunately) the film version of Guardians of the Galaxy as the event the spawned the 2008 incarnation--Annihilation--never happened. On the other hand, Spider-Gwen showed up early, but you can thank Ry for that.

The movies are still doing pretty well and avoided the pitfalls of OTL's DCEU. Fox largely concentrated on Spider-Man and the X-Men on the outset because those were the big money makers during the nineties. The Fantastic Four movies did good, but not great, and were better than their OTL counterparts. The Human Torch and the Thing even made appearances in the Spider-Man films so there are strands of continuity. The Captain America series did really well and the Cap/Iron Man film Heroes United outperformed WB/DC's slate that year. Hell, TTL will be getting the Avengers in 2012 (albeit with some noticeable changes) so there is still that.

The Marvel Mediaverse ITTL has not quite performed to the level of OTL's MCU, but it still doing quite well all things considered. I took great care to make sure that Marvel got its share of hits too.
 
Apart from Glitter and Savile, the rest of them have not yet been exposed for their crimes, similarly to IOTL.
Is it possible any of them won't... you know... be scumbags ITTL and will have been changed for the better due to butterflies? A world with less sexual misconduct and assault is always a better one.
 
Is it possible any of them won't... you know... be scumbags ITTL and will have been changed for the better due to butterflies? A world with less sexual misconduct and assault is always a better one.
That is something Investigation Discovery Worthy...Cosby and Wenestein are out, too far away the POD and very ingraned their psyche, ditto spacey..other don't know enough for a judgement
 
That is something Investigation Discovery Worthy...Cosby and Wenestein are out, too far away the POD and very ingraned their psyche, ditto spacey..other don't know enough for a judgement
Speaking of Cosby and Weinstein, what happened to Ben Roethlisberger? This would be around the time the allegations against him came out, wouldn’t it?
 
That is something Investigation Discovery Worthy...Cosby and Wenestein are out, too far away the POD and very ingraned their psyche, ditto spacey..other don't know enough for a judgement
I think Lasseter might be one of the easiest to change the ways of--he did some pretty nasty things and made people, especially women, feel very... uncomfortable, to put it lightly. But he never (to my knowledge) actually committed sexual assault, like some of the other guys on that list.
 
I think Lasseter might be one of the easiest to change the ways of--he did some pretty nasty things and made people, especially women, feel very... uncomfortable, to put it lightly. But he never (to my knowledge) actually committed sexual assault, like some of the other guys on that list.
He was an asshole, not a predator...still those can change if got the wrong end of a jab...but umm...thanks for the info
 
Spring 2011 (Part 1) - Crime Stories: In The Land Of Gods And Monsters
Crime Stories: In the Land of Gods and Monsters

August 4-December 1, 1919

Background:

With the success of the first game, Rockstar put Andrew Richards and his team onto the sequel. They were wary of making a sequel so quick after the first game, but Richards managed to put them at ease. Work was a lot smoother on this game than on the last. The trick was to retain a lot of the systems from the first game that worked (and removing those that didn't) and adding new things to the game that made sense, given the time period. Not only did a lot of the crew return for this game, a lot of the cast did as well.

Cast:

Troy Baker as Johnson "Jack" Wood, age 35-38

Born: July 1, 1884.

The agency has been running successfully for two years and he lives in a modest house with his wife and children. Though only one, Quentin Roosevelt Wood, is born before the start of the main game the younger two, Irena Patricia Wood and David Lloyd Wood, are introduced in the DLC. He is quite happy all things considered.

Anya Garnis as Svetlana Konstantinevna Wood nee Petrova, age 30-33

Born: December 31, 1888 (N.S.) (O.S. December 19, 1888)

Forced to leave her job at the coroner's office after the birth of her son in 1918, she helps Jack out as much as she can, while also trying to convince Dr. Burns, and the city, to give her, her job back. It's difficult she knows but worth it.

Tara Strong as Ethel Finch nee Wood, age 26-29

Born: November 5, 1892.

Quite content to help her brother, After her marriage to Harry she is happy for a while. Then she suffers a miscarriage early in 1919. Though her friends and family support her, she is left barren. Or so she thought.

Jack Huston as Harold "Harry" Finch, age 28-31

Born: November 30, 1890.

Married to Ethel, he seems happy. After Ethel miscarried, he comforted her as best he could. Now, with another baby on the way, he feels he must do what he can to protect his family.

Mae Whitman as Karen Harvey nee Sutter, age 27-30

Born: March 8, 1892.

Feels somewhat stifled in her current position, she wants to set up on her own. Jack sees the benefit of that, though he thinks that she should wait a little while longer before doing that.

Matthew Ryan as Charles Loveday Harvey, age 36-39

Born: March 12, 1883.

Still feels that his wife should stay at home. He thinks that, after the baby is born, she'll perform her natural duties, as he calls them.

Sabra Johnson as Agatha Esrom, age 19-22

Born: February 4, 1900.

Has become somewhat disillusioned with detective work. Plans to go to university. Though she will help Jack where she can, her studies are more important right now and Jack understands that.

Lee Thomson Young as Marcus Jones, age 20-23

Born: January 3, 1899.

Marcus plans on marrying Agatha and continues to help Jack more (he doesn't think he'll fit in at university).

James Arnold Taylor as Finbarr "Finn" Collins, age 35-38

Born: June 14, 1884.

At the top of his field in crime reporting. He is still on edge about whether he'll be outed yet. He still very much wants to help out.

Lyssa Fielding as Sarah Grace, age 34

Born: January 31, 1885 Died: October 16, 1919.

Still trying to make a name for herself in crime journalism. Now she is getting desperate. How far would she go for a story?

Adam Beach as Detective Sergeant Michael Cross, age 29-32

Born: April 10, 1890.

Still struggling with his sexuality, though he doesn't let that interfere with his job. He is still quite personable, recently started to turn his eye back to his reserve.

Clancy Brown as Detective Inspector Clarence Raceland, age 57-60

Born: October 4, 1862.

Has come to accept Wood and Associates as equals in crime fighting. Though he has some trouble still overcoming his misogyny at times, he is grateful for their opinions.

John DiMaggio as Horace Burns, age 60-63

Born: September 4, 1859.

Regrets having to let Petrova go, but rules are rules. He still lets her consult with him on cases for a smaller fee.

Grey Delisle as Mary Crichton, age 34-38

Born: August 31, 1884.

Taking care of her children as best she could. Blames herself for what happened to Rachel. She has started to spend some time helping with various children's charities.

Greg Baldwin as Wendell Crichton, age 35-38.

Born: October 13, 1883.

Running for city council, he runs on a law and order platform. He enjoys the support of many in the community in this endeavor, except his father who wants his eldest son to take over the family business.

Stephanie Jewell and Rebecca Brown as Rachel Crichton, age 12-15.

Born: April 7, 1907.

Still gets headaches and convulsions from epilepsy, and nightmares from her captivity. However, she is mostly recovered from her ordeal in the last game. She wants to become a doctor or teacher when she grows up.

John Crowe as Henry Crichton, age 7-10.

Born: May 6,1912.

While he has an inkling of what happened to Rachel, he has the concerns typical of a young boy his age at the time. He has recently joined the boy scouts.

William Thomas as Cole Crichton, age 5-8.

Born: June 2, 1914.

He doesn't remember why his sister is the way she is. However, he wants to make sure that it never happens again.

Corey Burton as Absalom Crichton, age 62.

Born: March 17, 1857. Died: November 3, 1919

In response to what happened to his granddaughter, Absalom has become a recluse. He delegates more and more to others, especially his children.

Jennifer Hale as Narcissa Lonsdale nee Crichton, age 32.

Born: June 14, 1887.

Wendell's younger sister, she just came back to Canada after living in England for 10 years. Her and her husband Jarius seem to have plans for the elder Crichton's factory.

Oliver Vaquer as Jarius Lonsdale, age 36.

Born: January 2, 1883. Died: December 1, 1919.

An ambitious lawyer, he quickly joins his father in law's company. Though he is competent, he just rubs people the wrong way.

Paget Brewster as Lillian Crichton, age 30-32.

Born: August 1, 1889.

Recently divorced, with her husband taking their children with him, she has recently come to Canada to start over. She thinks that helping her brother get elected to city council and her father to run his company will get help bring her children back to her. Though she realizes that it might be a fool's errand.

Wendy Crewson as Elenora Farcas, age 47.

Born: December 12, 1871. Died: August 17, 1919

Still runs a good business. Though she has been thinking about leaving the business altogether.

Gideon Emery as David C. Looney, age 48-52.

Born: November 5, 1870.

Still finds ways to flaunt the law while still being respectable. After Farcas dies, he buys up the academy.

Steve Blum as Arthur Wood, age 57.

Born: October 1, 1862. Died: November 12, 1919.

While his business is still strong, Arthur is not. He is suffering from an illness that winds up killing him.

Adrianne Barbeau as Charlotte Wood, age 52-56.

Born: May 31, 1866.

She is still a strong willed woman. With the death of her husband, she throws herself into helping her children anyway she can.

April Stewart as Lucy Collins nee Wood, age 44-47.

Born: June 20, 1875.

Still happy go lucky. Though she has slowed down in recent years.

Mary Kay Bergman as Maude Wilson nee Wood, age 58-61.

Born: May 7, 1861.

In her last appearance in the series, she dies off screen between games, Maude dispenses some lasting wisdom.

Colleen O'Shaughnessy as Paula Knight nee Wood, age 49-52.

Born: June 3, 1870.

The most understanding of the aunts, Paula has a marvelous time.

Jim Cummings as Nigel Wood, age 62-63

Born: June 20, 1857.

An exuberant presence, he finds some hope in his nephew. He invites his family to Calgary in June 1920 to see the Exhibition.

Yannick Bisson as Thomas C. Wood, age 69

Born: January 15, 1942.

Happy with the success of the first show, Thomas goes right into this one with more confidence. Though not much more as he is sure that the first show was a fluke.

Peter Stormare as Konstantine Petrov, age 56

Born: June 14, 1863(N.S.) (O.S. June 2, 1863). Died: November 12, 1919.

Like Jack's father, he has a lingering illness that kills him, though he still has a good humor about it.

Claudia Black as Elena Petrova, age 52-55

Born: June 4, 1867 (N.S.)(O.S. May 23, 1867)

Still strong, she welcomes her grandchildren and throws herself into helping to raise them. She moves in with her daughter and son in law in order to do this.

Chantal Riley as Jennifer Fraser, age 26

Born: June 5, 1985.

The first show leaves her ecstatic to do more. She feels that it honors the past and gets her a secure future.

Robson Green as Abraham Richards, age 49-53?

Born: 1868-1869.

Still just as mysterious as ever, Richards still has a few missions for the government that Wood and Associates can work on.

Will Friedle as Jonas Evans, age 25-28

Born: June 5, 1894.

A bit older, Evans is now a better spy than he was in the last game. He has more respect for Wood and Associates, though there is an undercurrent of animosity.

James McCaffery as Detective Sergeant Henderson J. McNaughton, age 38

Born: June 7, 1881. Died: December 1, 1919.

Transferring to Homicide between games, McNaughton still has a tendency to cut corners during investigations. He hopes to one day be a Detective Inspector.

Patricia Thomas as Sofia Meyers, age 15-19.

Born: October 4, 1903.

Happy with her job and her son, Silas, named for her late father, she owes a great deal to both the Crichtons and Jack Wood. She is hardened, though still a little naive at times.

Rick Pasqualone as Salvatore "Sal" Pinedo, age 29-33.

Born: November 2, 1889.

Still running his book store with his wife, Sal never misses an opportunity to have a bit of fun. While he can't get around as much on his leg, he is always ready to help his old CO.

Georgina Reilly as Maeve Pinedo, age 29-32.

Born: June 13, 1890.

Bored with her life at the book store, Maeve decides to go to university. Though her husband is against it, she also knows that the world has changed and she wants to be a part of it.

Lou Mancini as Giorgi Pinedo, age 13-16.

Born: May 7, 1906

Stuck in the middle of his parents fights, he tries in best to protect his mother and gets hit for it. He tries to get Jack to intervene to no avail.

Avery Brooks as Reverend Booker Jones, age 61-64.

Born: January 8, 1858.

Wants to do right by his community, he is delegating more to a younger man. Reverend Jones is looking to the future.

Michael Kenneth Williams as Thomas Michaels, age 46.

Born: February 12, 1875.

Still a member of the New York chapter of the NAACP, Michaels has a few cases that need some looking into.

Michael Fassbender as Captain Horst Klimt, age 35-36.

Born: October 12, 1886.

A captain in the German army, Klimt was captured during the war and was treated well by Jack and his men. Klimt is loyal to Germany, but is worried for her future.

Willemijn Verkaik as Gertrude Klimt, age 34-35.

Born: August 4, 1887.

Horsts' wife, she is loyal to her husband. Though she seems meek she will show a rough side of herself when need be.

Geraint Wyn Davies as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, age 61-63.

Born: May 22, 1859.

The famed author of the Sherlock Holmes and Professor Challenger stories. He is always searching for proof of the hereafter.

Kim Cattrall as Lady Jean Conan Doyle, age 56-58.

Born: March 22, 1874.

Sir Arthur's wife. She has a bit of a controlling influence on her husband.

Nigel Bennett as Sir Atticus Raymond, age 63.

Born: January 4, 1858.

A hard hearted and cruel man. He comes down hard on any who disagree with him.

Charlie Cox as Algernon Raymond, age 37.

Born: March 6, 1884.

A nervous young man, he served in the Quartermaster's Department during the war. He is scared of his father and yet admires him.

Kelly MacDonald as Florence Raymond nee Macgregor, age 37.

Born: June 17, 1884.

More willing to stand up to her father in law than her husband, Florence and Algernon have only been married for a year.

Daniel Maslany as Harry Houdini, age 46-48.

Born: March 24, 1874.

The stage magician who set about debunking mediums. He is always good for a joke.

Kristen Connelly as Bess Houdini, age 44-46.

Born: January 23, 1876.

Similar to her husband in a lot of ways, Bess sometimes performs in her husband's act.

Michael Benyaer as Inspector Hubert Manseau, age 47.

Born: June 4, 1873.

A member of the Sûreté du Quebec, he is good at his job and knows when to accept help.

Graham Greene as Malachi Cross, age 68.

Born: January 3, 1853.

Michael's father. He asks his son and Jack to come to the reservation for a job. A kind but strict man, he is usually distrustful of White men. He also wants to see his youngest child again.

Plot:

Abandon all hope ye who enter hear.

-Dante's Inferno.

We open with Thomas Wood and Jennifer Fraser meeting again. Thomas says that the case they are going to discuss takes place a year after the war ended but during the Influenza Pandemic that took place. Jennifer asks him if the killer took precautions to make the deaths look like flu victims. Thomas says no. Since the world seemed to have gone to Hell, so would they.

Canticle I: Our own Devil.

We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.

-Oscar Wilde.

The game proper starts with Wood and Petrova at home with their son Quinton in August 4, 1919. They get a call from Raceland telling them that a judge was found dead and they need help. After leaving Quinton with Ethel, they make their way to the crime scene. When they get there, they realize that it's been staged. Eventually, they find that it looks like Limbo from Dante's Inferno.

Someone with a passion for Dante seems to be killing people. This is seemingly confirmed when Elenora Farcas is killed and made to look like someone from the Circle of Lust. Though horrified at what happened to her, Wood and Petrova set about trying to solve her murder. Which is when, on September 9, when a chef, killed like someone in the circle of Gluttony is found.

Canticle II: Seeing only Purgatory.

One curiosity of being a foreigner everywhere is that one finds oneself discerning Edens where the locals see only Purgatory.

-Pico Iyer.

In the investigation of the chef, Wood and Petrova begin to suspect that Jarius and Narcissa Lonsdale are behind the killings. However, they are blocked by Henderson McNaughton. They start to notice that certain pieces of evidence disappear around him when an accountant working for Crichton Manufacturing is killed like someone from the circle of Greed.

Fortunately, Raceland believes them and he and Cross suspect that McNaughton's on the take to the real killer. He also advises them to be careful. That is when they get a call about the body of a soldier found by a nearby river for the circle of Wrath. Around this time, late September 1919, Petrova finds out that she is pregnant again. Soon after, on October 16, 1919, Sarah Grace turns up dead representing the circle of Heresy.

Canticle III: Their Bliss be more delightful for them.

The blessed in the kingdom of heaven will see the punishments of the damned, in order that their bliss be more delightful for them.
-Thomas Aquinas

While investigating Grace's murder, Lillian Crichton contacts the team. She says that she has a way to get at the killers: she'll convince her father to cut them off. They try to talk her out of it but she is determined. A few weeks later, on November 3, Absalom Crichton is found dead in a way that looks like something out of the circle of Fraud. In the weeks that followed it becomes increasingly clear that the Lonsdales are involved.

They bring Narcissa in for questioning on December 1 and she says that she didn't think that Jarius and McNaughton were really behind the murders. Then she came across a secret ledger that Jarius kept in a secret room. They believe her and that's when they get a call. Jarius and McNaughton have kidnapped Petrova and her and Wood's son Quinton. They want to see Wood alone at a place of their choosing.

Soon afterwards, Wood shows up at the meeting place. Jarius and McNaughton both make claims about being able to walk out of this. Their motives were simply that those people were in the way. And now Wood and Petrova are in the way. Wood, smiling throughout, says they won't make it that far. Control is shifted, briefly, to Harry Finch to take both Jarius Lonsdale and Henderson McNaughton out with one bullet (it is possible to take the two out separately, though it's canon that they both die by the same bullet). Both men are cleared in the following investigation.

DLC Cases:

As with the first game, this game has a series of loosely connected cases, this time taking place in the early 1920's, released once a month after the game was released.

Shuffling the Deck 1920-1922

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

-Harriet Tubman

1. The Lovers January 14-22, 1920

This case is about two bodies which are found in one of Arthur Wood's old houses that's being torn down. They are eventually identified as Honoria Desmond and Kyle Mansfield, who were supposed to own the house under assumed names. They disappeared in 1887. In the course of the investigation, Wood and Petrova discover that his late father wasn't involved in their deaths.

Desmond and Mansfield were setup to marry other people. Rather than go through with it, they decided to kill themselves in the then uncompleted house. One of the former guards comes forward and says that when he and his boss found them, the boss decided to put both bodies in one of the walls so as not to slow down construction.

2. Temperance Reversed June 23-July 3, 1920

At Nigel Wood's ranch, Nigel wants to know who's making his herd sick. It started the previous month. Wood and Petrova soon discover that, thanks to Nigel's support of the local tribe of Plains Cree other ranchers want to take the land. With evidence in hand, these men are rounded up.

3. Death September 4-19, 1920

A month after Irena is born, Wood and Petrova are called to Montreal to help Sûreté Inspector Hubert Manseau investigate the murder of a local political candidate. Manseau believes that the man's rival was the one behind it, but Wood and Petrova are not so sure. In time, they discover that his wife was the one who killed him for monetary reasons.

4. The Knight of Cups March 4-12 1921

While visiting some distant relatives in England, Wood and Petrova run into Richards and Evans. It seems that someone is trying to rob the Bank of England and lower the Pound. Wood and Petrova decline to help but the next morning they read in the paper that it happened. When they get to the bank, they find that Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini have been called to help.

Over the course of the investigation, it becomes apparent that Richards and Evans might know more than their letting on. They don't admit anything and where the money went is anyone's guess.

5. The Hanged Man Reversed March 13-15, 1921

Sir Arthur invites Wood and Petrova to join him and his wife in visiting a friend of his, Sir Atticus Raymond. Raymond, and his son Algernon and daughter-in-law Florence, were recently robbed of some family heirlooms. They would like to get them back but not involve the police. They suspect they are still on the property, perhaps one of the servants took them.

However, it turns out that Algernon and Florence took them as Sir Atticus is running out of money. They didn't tell him as they were sure that would be disinherited. He does so anyway.

6. The Star July 7-10, 1921

Back in Canada, Wood, Petrova and Cross are called to the Brantford Six Nations Reserve by Cross' father Malachi. It seems that his middle daughter, Emily, has disappeared with her child and he doesn't know what to do. He's heard what Michael has been doing and he insisted on bringing Wood and Petrova with him.

Eventually they find Emily and her daughter, Martha, in Brantford. Emily doesn't want her daughter to suffer through the residential schools like she did. Cross manages to convince Wood and Petrova to leave them though they soon hear that they move back to the reserve.

7. Four of Wands August 12-21, 1921

Going back to New York, Wood and Petrova meet with Thomas Michaels again. He thinks that someone is fleecing the local African-American community. They eventually find that a local conman is making a pyramid scheme, not unlike what Charles Ponzi did. They eventually turn him over to the authorities.

8. The Magician August 2-14, 1922

Taking place shortly after David's birth(It's here players learn that David is Thomas' father), the Woods now meet Captain Horst Klimt and his wife, Gertrude. He's doing a tour of North American military schools and is stopping in Lancaster on his way to West Point. They catch a show by Harry Houdini. Houdini and his wife Bess invite the four to dinner.

Gertrude wants Wood and Petrova to investigate a series of threats against her husband (he doesn't take them too seriously). When someone takes a shot at the captain, then he starts to worry. Houdini helps, against his wife's wishes and they find that it may have something to do with British intelligence. With that Captain Klimt contacts the German embassy to what to do next.

9. The Tower Reversed September 12-15, 1922

Klimt returns to Lancaster with news. Apparently, the threats weren't from British Intelligence but German communists. He has proof in the form of Richards and Evans who say that the bank robbery from 1921 was a cover to get the communists out into the open. Wood and Petrova smell a rat though. With a bit more investigating, they realize the whole thing was a ruse.

Klimt is German Intelligence and he was ordered to infiltrate the communists, a few of whom followed him to North America which Wood and Petrova help to catch, but when he was caught he was sent to North America, with help from the Brits, while the Weimar Government cleaned things up. Klimt says that he is only going to stay in Canada for a few more days when Gertrude goes into labor.

10. Strength October 1-14, 1922

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his wife Jean are in Canada as part of a speaking tour for the Society of Psychical Research. They hear that there is someone claiming to be psychic in Toronto and they ask Wood and Petrova to help them prove it either way. The Klimts join them (the birth took a lot out of Gertrude and she is just now recovered. The baby, a boy named Erwin, is fine).

After a thorough investigation, it is determined that she is a fraud. Sir Arthur, disappointed, remains as committed as ever to his cause.

Gameplay:

The same basic gameplay as the first game is still here. However, there is the option to switch to a first person mode, as well as being able to more freely switch between the two leads. Other than that there is not much to say.

Achievements/Trophies:

Another year gone by: Get all other achievements/trophies 150g/Platinum

A New Show: Start the new investigation 15g/Bronze

Abandon All Hope...: Take all clues from the first crime scene 15g/Bronze

Too easy: Find the bribe note in the judge's safe on the first sweep of his office 20g/Silver

Too little...: Try to save Elenora Farcas 20g/Silver

A non-too easy path: Find the first message left by the killer 20g/Silver

Small burns: Get good or better answers to your questions in one interrogation 30g/Silver

Those of taste: Find the patsy 50g/Silver

An insurance policy: Voice your concerns to Raceland before McNaughton 15g/Bronze

Nothing to see: Discover that evidence has gone missing 15g/Bronze

The Lost One: Have a good look at the soldier's uniform 30g/Silver

One Less Snoop: Decipher Sarah Grace's notebook 30g/Silver

Halfway there: Find half of the killer's messages 40g/Silver

My Nemesis: Find all of the killer's messages 80g/Gold

Not for this: Convince the Crichtons 20g/Bronze

The Old Man: Find all the evidence at Absalom Crichton's office 30g/Bronze

The Crooked Path: Follow McNaughton to where he has the evidence 50g/Silver

A Real Fixer-Upper: Get one improvement for the Wood's house 10g/Bronze

A Few Knickknacks: Get 50% of improvements 40g/Silver

Much Improvement: Get all of the improvements 50g/Silver

A few loose ends: Get the Final Proof 30g/Bronze

Turn her around: Get Narcissa to confess 30g/Bronze

Get out the vote: Attend Wendell Crichton's rallies 20g/Bronze

One pull: Vote for Wendell Crichton 20g/Bronze

Wipe the Smile...: As Harry kill Jarius Lonsdale 50g/Silver

Dodge This!: As Harry kill Henderson McNaughton 50g/Silver

Two Birds....: As Harry kill Jarius Lonsdale and Henderson McNaughton with one bullet 100g/Gold

DLC:

A Tell-tale Sign: Investigate where the bodies were found 20g/Bronze

Who were you?: Sculpt faces for the victims 20g/Bronze

In here somewhere: Search your father's records 20g/Bronze

Just swell: Interrogate the guard 20g/Bronze

What a loss: Complete The Lovers 20g/Bronze

Alberta Morning: Take a tour of the ranch 20g/Bronze

Rotgut: Investigate the herd's feed 20g/Bronze

Treaty Wrongs: Discover the reason to the illness 20g/Bronze

All to hell: Find the evidence 20g/Bronze

From on high: Complete Temperance Reversed 20g/Bronze

Modern Politics: Get to Montreal 20g/Bronze

A little off the top: Find the victim's head 20g/Bronze

Placards: Interrogate the rival and the wife 20g/Bronze

Platitudes: Search the rival's office and the wife's home 20g/Bonze

Bon Mons: Complete Death 20g/Bronze

Holmes and Watson: Meet Conan Doyle and Houdini 20g/Bronze

A hole in the floor: Search the vault 20g/Bronze

To the Depths: Search the sewers 20g/Bronze

A Few Twists: Question Richards and Evans 20g/Bronze

Non-Quixote: Complete the Knight of Cups 20g/Bronze

The Hall: Get to Raymond Hall 20g/Bronze

Not here: Search where the heirlooms were stolen 20g/Bronze

Not well: Hear an argument between father and son 20g/Bronze

Not at all: Find the heirlooms 20g/Bronze

All's Well?: Finish The Hangman Reversed 20g/Bronze

On the Land: Get to the Reserve 20g/Bronze

A few words: Search Emily's home 20g/Bronze

Until then: Search Brantford 20g/Bronze

A difference of opinion: Try to convince Emily to go back 20g/Bronze

Resignation: Complete The Star 20g/Bronze

Back Again: Return to New York 20g/Bronze

Schemers: Look for the swindler 20g/Bronze

Tabs: Look over the books of the company 20g/Bronze

Stashes: Find the money 20g/Bronze

Downfall: Complete Four of Wands20g/Bronze

The Captain and his wife: Meet Horst and Gertrude 20g/Bronze

The letters: Analyze the letters 20g/Bronze

A Glimmer: Save Horst's life 20g/Bronze

All the Same: Search the room of the sniper 20g/Bronze

Not yet: Complete The Magician 20g/Bronze

A Magnificent Return: Meet with Horst, Richards and Evans 20g/Bronze

Not again: Look in the communists room 20g/Bronze

Tell them that!: Catch all the communists during the first chase 20g/Bronze

A good word: Interrogate the communists with Horst 20g/Bronze

A grudging respect: Complete The Tower Reversed 20g/Bronze

A Flight of something: Meet Sir Arthur and Jean 20g/Bronze

Lively Spirits?: Take part in the séance 20g/Bronze

Seeing what others do not: find all of the tricks 20g/Bronze

Spiritually speaking: Confront the Fraud 20g/Bronze

Auf Wiedersehen, Sir: Complete Strength 20g/Bronze

Reception:

Crime Stories: In The Land of Gods and Monsters was released worldwide for the Microsoft Xbox 2, Apple iTwin and Nintendo Sapphire on April 7, 2011 with one DLC a month afterwards. While it didn't improve much on the gameplay of the previous game, it was still a high quality game earning mid-high 8s. Critics and fans praised it's story as both a good mystery and continuing the story from the last game in a realistic way.

The game still attracted some controversy for some of the language used. However, there was less of it this time as it was expected from this series. While Richards would have loved to stay with the seventh generation of consoles for one more game by the time this one was done, the dev kits for the eighth generation were already in the office. Looking at them he started to see new possibilities.
 
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