Massively Multiplayer: Gaming In The New Millennium

[RySenkari]

Arabian Rally

A rally-style racing game, Arabian Rally is the third game in a series that includes American Rally and European Rally, both of which were commercially and critically successful. Arabian Rally is the series' first release designed for seventh generation systems, and while it's not a cutting edge game in terms of graphics like Gran Turismo 4, it's still a beautiful looking game, featuring detailed supercars racing through the deserts and cities of the Arabian peninsula. It's a multiplatform title, released not only for all three current generation systems, but also for the iPod Play and Supernova, where it gets a somewhat scaled down port in terms of car selection and graphics. The first game designed from the start as a multiplatformer, it has a cosmopolitan focus, and more of a simulation feel than previous titles in the series. It features a selection of 70 different real-life supercars, racing across 18 tracks spread across countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. It also features a storyline mode in which the player befriends a rich young businessman who helps him gain access to secret races across the peninsula, and winning those races allows the player to unlock more cars and race on more tracks. As a rally-type game, Arabian Rally has somewhat of an arcade-like feel as the player races from point to point. Like in previous games in the series, the player only has a certain amount of time to reach the next point, and must also race 11 other cars attempting to beat them to the finish line. The game features realistic damage for the first time in the series, and though that damage doesn't impact the cars like it does in Gran Turismo 4, it still can play a significant role: take too much damage and your car is black flagged from the race. In addition to storyline and versus modes, the game features time trial modes as well, and also has online gameplay that supports up to 12 players. Unlike Gran Turismo 4, Arabian Rally also supports local multiplayer in which up to four players can race each other either with or without the CPU. The game, like last year's Sega Rally, has optional sliders that allow the player to control how much of an arcade experience they want the game to be, though these games always had a bit of a simulation-style feel to them moreso than other rally-style racing games.

Arabian Rally is released in January 2009, two months before Gran Turismo 4. Though expected to be a good game due to the success of its predecessors, Arabian Rally isn't expected to be much in the way of competition to Gran Turismo 4, due to the level of hype received by the latter game and also the perceived differences in quality between the two titles. Despite the muted expectations, Arabian Rally is a bit of a surprise: not only are reviews outstanding, better than the reviews for its predecessors and comparable to the critical reception achieved by Sega Rally, the game also sells much better than expected, becoming the biggest new release of January 2009. Arabian Rally finally establishes the series as one of the top racing franchises on the market, and also further popularizes rally style games after the success of the Sega Rally revival. Though a new game in the series is already planned for release, the developers are somewhat surprised by the success of Arabian Rally, and respond by making some changes to their upcoming game.

-

Gran Turismo 4

Gran Turismo 4 is a simulation racing game exclusive to the Nintendo Sapphire. Developed by Polyphony and published by Sony, the game is the TTL equivalent of OTL's Gran Turismo 5, and has many of the same features, including enhanced damage visuals and weather effects. The game also revamps the online mode, which appeared on the Wave's Gran Turismo 3 but in a fairly bare bones form. TTL's Gran Turismo 4 allows for up to 40 online racers at once, allowing for players to have a realistic Daytona 500 (NASCAR support is introduced in this game, as well as Indycar support). The game features a total of 1486 cars initially, with hundreds more made available through DLC. There are also 92 tracks available right from the base game, and dozens more would be sold through DLC. Polyphony worked six years to make Gran Turismo 4 the most realistic, comprehensive, and immersive racing simulator ever, and also the best looking: the game is easily the most impressive looking Nintendo Sapphire title to date. The cars look vivid and realistic, and damage also looks real and effects the racing performance of the cars (OTL's Gran Turismo 5 was criticized for the damage not effecting the cars in the initial version of the game). The game also features a wide selection of musical tracks, from both well known artists and indie bands, along with a selection of original instrumental tracks created just for the game. Just as IOTL, the player can import their own music for use in the game as well. Though the development process for Gran Turismo 4 was longer than OTL's process for Gran Turismo 5, it was significantly easier, due to the Sapphire's architecture being easier to program for than the OTL Playstation 3 Cell processor. This allowed for Polyphony to focus on adding more content and expanding the online gameplay. Expanding the online gameplay to allow for 40 racers at once was one of the biggest challenges that Polyphony faced in development of the game, but thanks to the Sapphire's advanced CPU, it was a problem that the team was able to solve. Not all tracks are available for 40 racer gameplay: only about 20% of the game's tracks support so many racers, including tracks like Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona. Of course, being a Nintendo exclusive game, Gran Turismo 4 has a few nods to other Nintendo racing titles, most notably Super Mario Kart, with a few classic tracks from the Mario Kart series being included in the game, and some karts from the series included as well. There's also an homage to the SNES title Stunt Race FX with one of the tracks from that game appearing, along with a car that looks suspiciously like the F-TYPE from that game (without the cartoony eyes, of course). Gran Turismo 4 doesn't feature much in the way of voice acting, and there are no commentators during the races themselves. However, after each race, there's the option to have commentary given alongside highlights of the race, and there's also a speaking voice in the game's various training modes. Like previous games in the series, Gran Turismo 4 makes you earn most of the bonuses in the games, including tracks and vehicles, by participating in a series of license exams and circuit races. While it's not too terribly hard to make consistent progress in the game, it's very time-consuming and difficult to unlock every single thing. This is by design, and though most players are used to it, it can be somewhat frustrating.

Gran Turismo 4 is released on March 24, 2009. It's the most hyped Nintendo Sapphire game in the first quarter of the year, and reviews are outstanding, significantly better than those for OTL's Gran Turismo 5, which was seen as a good game but somewhat of a misstep. Here, Gran Turismo 4 lives up to the hype and shows off the Nintendo Sapphire's next generation power in a huge way. It's the fastest selling racing game since Ultra Mario Kart, selling more than a million copies worldwide in its first week of release, but like previous games in the series, the majority of its sales would come after its first week as the game would become a must-own staple title for many Sapphire owners. While the Gran Turismo series hasn't changed much in its core gameplay, it has expanded greatly in its scope and level of detail, and remains the best racing simulation series on the market, enjoying the same level of success that it does IOTL. The twin successes of Arabian Rally and Gran Turismo 4 cement the racing genre as still being alive and well in the eyes of many gamers. Combined with the slightly elevated success that 2009's installments of EA and Sega Sports' NASCAR games enjoy, and the beginning of 2009 is seen as being one of the best times for racing games in recent memory, perhaps even topping the start of 2002, when the NASCAR 2K series first began and a slew of other racing titles saw major successes.

 

[RySenkari]

Gate

Gate is a shooter/RPG hybrid developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. Its gameplay can best be described as being similar to games like OTL's Mass Effect and the later Deus Ex games, but with more action-packed combat and a somewhat smaller scale. It takes place in the late 21st century in the future United States. Earth's technology has vastly progressed in the last 75 years, and the most revolutionary invention of all has been the creation of personal teleportation devices that can teleport a human being from one place to another. This technology has had incredible applications for personal transportation but has also come with a massive amount of ethical and logistical concerns, and addressing those concerns becomes the dominant question of the current political landscape. In addition, a saboteur has found a way to interfere with the technology. Catching the saboteur becomes the responsibility of Portland, Oregon detective Raymond Holmes (his last name a deliberate reference to Sherlock Holmes, though he acts very little like the character he's named after). Holmes must not only find the saboteur, but also deal with the changes in the world that the new teleportation technology has caused. Holmes is able to utilize the technology himself, and is able to fast transport all over the city of Portland, between various way stations that have been erected as conduits for the teleportation devices. He also has the limited ability to teleport short distances, though this ability is restricted in certain places. Beyond that, Holmes has a fairly standard action hero skillset: he can shoot guns and use melee attacks, he can sneak, duck, roll, jump, and essentially perform all of the feats that a well trained, athletic police officer can. He does have some slight genetic enhancements that let him do a bit more, but nothing on the level of, say, Adam Jensen from OTL's Deus Ex. Essentially, the player is asked to master the game's teleportation systems while leveling up Holmes' shooting abilities. The player can purchase or find stronger weapons or body armor to use, though the buffs provided by these new weapons and armor are somewhat limited compared to what they might be in other games. The player is also asked to find and talk to various people and elicit different responses from them, testing the player's detective skills and their ability to think logically. There's more than one way to approach a case in this game, which adds a degree of strategy to the various missions that can be undertaken. Side missions can also be taken, which will help Holmes' reputation with different people and groups that might make it easier to interrogate people later on, or even get someone to help him during key battles. As an Electronic Arts title, and a tentpole one at that, Gate had a large production budget, making it one of the most graphically gorgeous titles of the seventh generation thus far. The city of Portland is shown both in the daytime and at night, and looks absolutely beautiful, with animated signs lit up at night and great weather effects during the day. The cast consists mostly of unknowns, including the voice actor for Raymond Holmes. Greta Lorenza, a major character in the game, is voiced by Laura Bailey, but that's the most well known name in the voice cast.

Gate begins with a fairly simple mission in which Holmes must take down a robber who has been using his teleportation device to commit crimes, introducing the player to the game's teleportation mechanic and giving them a decent run through a fair portion of the city. After this intro mission, Holmes is contacted by his superiors, who tell him that Phytek Corporation (the creators of the teleportation devices) have asked for him by name. When Holmes arrives, he is met by a beautiful woman, Greta Lorenza, who believes that someone working for Phytek has found a way to hack the Gate technology, and is able to use it to abduct people to an unknown location. Numerous people who recently acquired Gate devices have disappeared and have gone off the grid, meaning that they can't be tracked. Holmes is given a promising lead to the location of one of the missing people, and follows these breadcrumbs to a homeless camp, where the person who disappeared is said to have lived. None of the homeless people living there can afford a Gate device, and Holmes initially believes that the person stole one, but then learns that the person, a young woman named Sandrine, is said to have been having regular conversations with a man named Noah Credding, a man who used to work for Phytek until he too disappeared soon after being fired from the company. By this time, Holmes is being pursued by members of a criminal gang known as the Derezzers, who all have Gate devices and rudimentary hacking abilities. The Derezzers and their leader, a hacker who goes by the nickname Scrapheap, are major antagonists during the first two-thirds of the game, and Scrapheap himself has a connection to Noah. Holmes learns more and more about Noah as he evades the derezzers and continues to pursue missing people throughout the city. Finally, two of the missing people are found: an old man who is found in a deranged state, and Noah himself, who is found comatose in an alley. The old man claims to have seen God, and is generally considered an unreliable witness, while Noah awakens with little memories apart from certain aspects of his career at Phytek. Through conversations with Noah (and also with Greta, who by now is a regular confidant to Holmes), Holmes gleans lots of information about the inner workings of Phytek and the state of society in general since the Gate technology was invented. Holmes is then clued into a third missing person being found: Sandrine, who was found trapped in a building, lucid but extremely disturbed, and claiming that her device took her to some kind of factory where she was forced to work endlessly, and that she saw thousands of other people there and that she was subjected to advanced brainwashing techniques. Her words match up with what the supposedly "deranged" old man was saying, and that the one the old man called "God" must be responsible for the disappearances. Noah claims to know nothing about anything that happened, and when Sandrine sees him, she sobs in his arms, treating him like a trusted friend. All the evidence points to someone at Phytek being responsible for hacking the Gate system to teleport users to a secret prison, and that Phytek is testing it on people who supposedly won't be missed, such as vagrants and criminals. Holmes starts to suspect Greta, who knows an incredible amount about the technology. Just when Holmes is getting ready to confront Greta, he too is taken by the technology, and ends up disoriented in a surreal hidden factory, where he must resist brainwashing and interrogation before being forced to work. Holmes spots an ex-Derezzer in the prison, and also spots a missing Phytek worker, but neither of them give any useful information. The player must break Holmes out of this strange prison and glean information on the figure referred to as God, who speaks in an androgynous, almost inhuman voice and gives commands to both subordinates and prisoners. When Holmes finally escapes, he goes again to confront Greta, but she's missing and Phytek's offices are being raided by the federal authorities. Holmes learns that the old man is dead and that Sandrine is missing again, but that Noah is relieved to see him. After a mission in which Holmes finally takes down Scrapheap, who gives up some key information about the prison factory and the fact that the Derezzers were helping to scout disappearance victims, he stops suspecting Greta and starts suspecting Noah, and his suspicions grow even more when Sandrine attempts to kill him. Holmes fatally wounds Sandrine, who comes to her senses and whispers Greta's name before dying. Holmes believes that Greta was trying to warn him about Noah before he disappeared and that instead of going after her he should have gone after Noah. He blames himself for Greta's death, but soon after is relieved to learn that she's alive, after she uses the Gate technology to "capture" him. When Holmes reveals to Greta his suspicions about Noah, she is shocked to learn this because the two of them used to be lovers and that they shared ideas with each other before having a falling out over ethics concerns with the technology. Holmes believes that Noah burned Phytek in order to clear all suspicion from himself before making his move, which would be mass abductions and enslavement of everyone with a Gate device: which, after a major product launch in a few days, will be over two billion people. Holmes and Greta race to stop Noah before he can activate his plan, but he's one step ahead of them, sending brainwashed assassins to kill them. Fortunately, Greta has access to the Gate device's root controls, unlocking more teleportation capabilities for herself and Holmes and enabling them to stay one step ahead of their pursuers. Eventually, the two confront Noah himself, but he's able to hack into Greta's Gate device and teleport her into the vacuum of space. He attempts to do the same with Holmes, but Holmes counters the hack and locks his device so it can't be hacked into. Noah reveals his purpose for hacking the Gate devices: he claims that people are already slaves to technology, and that he will simply redirect that energy to serve a greater purpose: him. Then, Holmes and Noah battle it out in a fight that combines teleportation with gunplay. Holmes kills Noah and tries to use his device to get into space and save Greta, but since Holmes can't pinpoint her location, he's unable to save her. Instead, he uses the Gate's master control to disable all Gate devices, destroying the technology for good: taking away a revolutionary invention, but preventing catastrophic misuse. He knows he may have done the wrong thing, but he states that the potential consequences of not doing anything are far worse. There IS a secret ending in which Holmes doesn't destroy the Gate technology, but requires the player complete three fairly well hidden side missions in order to access it. In the end, the world is changed, though it's ambiguous whether or not destroying the technology was the right decision. In a post-credits scene, Greta has managed to find her way onto an abandoned space station. She's alone and it seems like she'll starve to death in deep space, but her Gate device still has some power left, and it's left ambiguous whether or not she's able to get back.

Gate is released on March 3, 2009, for the Nintendo Sapphire, Microsoft Xbox 2, and Apple iTwin. The game is one of the most hyped titles of the first quarter of 2009 (arguably the most hyped multiplatform game, with only Gran Turismo 4 for the Sapphire being hyped more overall). It gets strong review scores from critics, solidly mid 8s with some 5-7 scores on the lower end and a few 9s and 10s from especially enthusiastic reviewers. The game is considered groundbreaking from a graphical perspective, with excellent combat utilizing the teleportation mechanic to great effect. It also gets praised for its storyline, which explores modern technological ethics (a lot of reviewers see parallels between the Gate teleportation technology and the rise of smartphones during the late 2000s, with some of them saying that the writers of Gate were making a clear parallel). The game is criticized somewhat for its fairly repetitive missions, which usually take the "go here, kill this guy" format and its limited customization and actual role-playing for the main character, who is seen as being fairly bland (numerous Phytek employees are seen as being more interesting, with main heroine Greta and villain Noah being especially praised). The game draws a lot of comparisons to Selene, though in that game the player has a lot more choice about how the game's missions and story turn out. Overall, Gate is seen as being a great achievement from a technical standpoint but being somewhat flawed thematically. Sales are excellent, among the best for games released in the first quarter of 2009, and first week sales for the three versions of the game combined come out slightly ahead of first week sales for the Sapphire exclusive Gran Turismo 4. The game is considered a success, though not QUITE a blockbuster level one for Electronic Arts, which hopes that a sequel will perform even better. Gate performs best on the Nintendo Sapphire, with sales lagging on the iTwin and REALLY lagging on the Xbox 2, being overshadowed by the release of Techno Angel: Immortal in that same month.

 

[RySenkari]

The late 2000s were a time of transition and difficulty for many of the kids' networks on cable television. A combination of the financial recession and the numerous scandals plaguing a number of hit live action kids' shows of the day made it difficult for networks to find shows to air. To make matters worse, animated productions were expensive. If a show wasn't already a hit, it was quite risky to pour time and money into a new show knowing that advertisers weren't willing to take as many chances as they used to. For Cartoon Network, it made things extremely difficult. With Avatar: The Last Airbender having been over for almost a year, and Thrillseekers ending in the spring, the network found itself relying on reruns of old hits to sustain itself. Their biggest currently running show after the end of Thrillseekers was probably The Exchange, which still managed to pull in between 1 and 2 million viewers per episode. However, it would be expensive for the network to produce new shows on its own. Thus, Cartoon Network did what a lot of kids' networks were doing at the time: they looked to the north. Canada was flush with new animated kids' shows, and was looking for networks in other countries willing to license them on the cheap. There were already a few Canadian-made cartoons on television at the time, most notably the high school comedy 6teen, which had been airing on The N digital cable network for quite some time. It was a seller's market for Canadian cartoons, and the animation studios of Canada found their biggest customer in Cartoon Network, which would acquire the licenses to nearly a dozen Canadian cartoons from the period between 2009 and 2011. The first wave of Canadian toons would arrive in 2009, and the three most notable were as follows:

Dungeon Dorks: This comedy/adventure cartoon was created by Sean Jara, based on his experiences playing Dungeons And Dragons as a teenager. Its main protagonists are two high school kids, Lex (voiced by Terry McGurrin) and Kara (voiced by Nicki Burke), who are obsessed with The Dungeonmaster's Labyrinth (basically an expy of Dungeons And Dragons). Their ongoing campaign, which they play with several other kids from their school, is the most exciting yet. But when events from that campaign begin to spill over into the real world, with knights, wizards, and yes, even scary dragons popping up all over their town, they realize that they're roleplaying for higher stakes than they ever thought possible. This show blends coming of age comedy with high adventure, both a funny satire of and loving tribute to tabletop role-playing games. It does have a lot of humor, but not as much “grossout” humor as other Canadian cartoons of the time (such as the aforementioned 6teen). Its humor is mostly down to earth, and can often be classified as “slice of life”, mixed with occasional moments of adventure and drama. Lex and Kara are frequently shipped together, but don't have too many romantic moments, at least at first, with both of them having their own independent love interests over the course of the series (including a somewhat ambiguous, if all too brief, female relationship for Kara, making this one of the more progressive shows of its day). The show would become somewhat more dramatic over the course of its run, similar to Spy School, but never completely loses its humorous edge. It would get three seasons of 26 episodes each, and though the show would end its run in Canada in late 2011, American fans would unfortunately wait a long, long time to see the third season in its entirety (at least through official legal channels, as the show would be posted online soon after its original Canadian airing). Poor ratings for the second half of the second season would lead to Cartoon Network sporadically airing third season episodes in poor timeslots, with the last 10 or so episodes burned off in early 2014.

Secret Sister: This is another action/comedy cartoon that centers on two siblings, Zeke (voiced by Andrew Sabiston) and his older sister Claire (voiced by Michelle St. John, who is most notable for voicing Nakoma in Pocahontas and ITTL plays a drama teacher on Degrassi for a number of seasons). Claire is a teenage superspy, though she's somewhat laconic and dark (think Kim Possible if she was a goth), while her 10 year old brother Zeke is a hyperenergetic sports loving extrovert. Claire works for a secret organization of teenage spies, and she's one of the best at her job. One day, Zeke secretly follows Claire, and threatens to rat her out to their parents if she doesn't take him on as a partner. The show is essentially a “villain of the day” type show where Claire does her thing as an extremely competent (if somewhat socially stunted) superspy and Zeke mostly causes trouble for her but occasionally bails her out of a jam. Though the two frequently argue and their personalities clash, they grow much closer as siblings during the course of their work. The show launched on Teletoon in 2007 and its second season aired in 2008. Cartoon Network would acquire the show in late 2008 and would air its first season to decent ratings success, while its second season would be burned off in the summer of 2009.

Pearlie: This is the only show of the three that also exists IOTL: it's a light-hearted animated show about a park fairy named Pearlie (voiced by Marieve Herington, same as IOTL) who lives with her friends in a park in the middle of a big city. The cartoon is based on a series of children's books by Wendy Harmer. IOTL, the show would begin airing in American syndication in 2010 after debuting in Canada in 2009. ITTL, Cartoon Network picks it up, believing they have a major hit on their hands, something that can appeal to girls after Thrillseekers ends its run. Unfortunately, Pearlie skews a few years younger than Thrillseekers did (and also lacks crossover appeal among boys), so it doesn't quite appeal to the same audiences. Still, it does well in its first season, and would receive two more seasons (IOTL, Pearlie ended after a 26 half-hour run, here it gets 78 half-hours, or 156 total episodes). Cartoon Network does find success airing Pearlie episodes in the mornings, where it can be enjoyed by younger viewers. It would also air on weekday afternoons in reruns, with its first season aired on Thursday night in prime time.

Cartoon Network isn't the only network that would find success with Canadian cartoons, which help numerous kids' networks get through a lean financial period (even moreso than they did IOTL). Canadian cartoons aren't the only foreign cartoons that would be picked up by the networks either: the French-made animated series Valerian And Laureline would be a big success for Cartoon Network during this time, and of course, numerous anime shows would be brought over and localized as well. The success of Canadian cartoons would lead to increased recognition for Toronto and Vancouver-based voice actors as well, a number of whom would relocate to Los Angeles during the 2010s.

-

After the Dan Schneider scandal and the tragedy on the set of The Smart Squad, it was thought to be almost impossible to launch a new live-action kidcom. Nickelodeon and Disney Channel both shelved plans for new live action kids' shows in the fall of 2008, but Fox Family pushed full steam ahead with Welcome To Riverdale, which debuted on October 4, 2008. The show, headed up by showrunners Michael Jacobs and April Kelly (best known for Boy Meets World), would be based on the Archie Comics universe, and would feature all the familiar characters from that beloved comic world, including Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. The show would see Archie entering high school for his freshman year at the same time as his long-time childhood friend Jughead and his long-time crush Betty. Meanwhile, rich girl Veronica Lodge would be entering public school for the first time after a lifetime of being in exclusive private academies, as her dad hoped that sending her to a public high school would give her more experience dealing with “ordinary people”. The show would mostly be a slice of life comedy, in a lot of ways similar to Boy Meets World, but with the fantastical and adventurous happenings of Riverdale occasionally slipping in. It would take a slightly more serious tone than the classic comics would, but with a rating of TV-Y10, wouldn't get too raunchy or violent (so don't expect anything like OTL's Riverdale). Instead, the Y10 rating would allow the show to occasionally deal with serious, real-life issues, but in a subtle way, not in an over the top after school special kind of way. Archie, played by Josh Hutcherson, is the show's everyman, trying to navigate the complex world of high school while staying loyal to his friends, even as he rises slowly up the social ladder. Betty, played by Meghan Jette Martin, is somewhat of a plain girl, but with lots of hidden depths: she's athletic and adventurous, and while she isn't always crushing on Archie, she has been his friend for a long time and harbors secret feelings toward him. Veronica, played by Elizabeth Gillies (who is essentially playing a more kid-friendly version of her Fallon Carrington character from the OTL Dynasty revival), is the typical “rich girl” type character, though she's more snarky than stuck-up, and has a hidden dark side, but also a hidden heart of gold (VERY hidden at the start of the show). She starts off hating Archie, only to soon realize she's crushing on him. She starts off hating Betty, but the two very gradually become best friends. The love triangle between the three of them is played very subtly, and all three characters are given plenty of chances to shine outside of it. Jughead (played by an actor unknown IOTL) is the show's comedy relief, but his friendship with Archie has some echoes of Corey and Shawn's from Boy Meets World, with Jughead not being quite so much of a bad boy and more of just an idiot. Despite an excellent performance from Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Gillies ultimately becomes the breakout star of the show, giving Veronica incredible depth and making her a fan favorite. Of course, the show would eventually bring in characters like Sabrina Spellman (in the season 2 debut) and Josie and the Pussycats (briefly toward the end of season 2 and then as more major characters in season 3), among many, many others from Archie Comics lore. It would easily become the most popular show in the history of Fox Family, scoring high ratings in season 1 that would only grow throughout the show's multiple seasons. It would catapult Archie Comics back into the public consciousness and would even inspire a notable Supreme Court case during the 2010s relating to fanworks and copyright. During an era when children's live action shows were believed to be dead, Welcome To Riverdale (and to an equally notable extent, Patroka Epstein's brave insistence that “the show must go on” as it pertained to The Smart Squad) would help them to rise back up like a phoenix from the ashes. Nickelodeon and Disney would greenlight their own live action kids' shows in the fall of 2009, and kidcoms would remain a force on cable television into the 2010s and beyond.

-

The current state of the major kids' cable networks as of spring 2009:

Cartoon Network: After ditching afternoon Toonami and after numerous long-running hits such as Thrillseekers and Avatar: The Last Airbender ended, Cartoon Network is left looking for a major new hit. The Exchange remains popular, though Lauren Faust's show about toys, Playthings, has dipped somewhat in the ratings since 2007. Though afternoon Toonami has been shelved, Saturday night Toonami is still going strong. In fact, it's arguably been boosted by the current acquisition boom, with numerous shows achieving success. The most notable of these new shows is the shoujo anime Hanakotoba, which began airing on Toonami in late 2008 and has been a significant ratings hit. While not quite on the level of Sailor Moon or Thrillseekers, it's probably the third most popular female-driven show on Cartoon Network in the last decade, and is starting to rise up to Naruto's level in terms of overall popularity. Other anime shows airing on Toonami at this time include Dinosaur King, based on a Sega produced toy line, and Celestial, which centers around a group of astronauts who lose their spaceship in a disaster but gain superpowers enabling them to fly across the galaxy and fight aliens. These new anime shows join old standbys like Naruto, which is about to launch its successor series in the summer, and Dragonball Z, whose reruns continue to be popular, on a four hour Saturday night block that continues to pull in strong ratings. Meanwhile, Cartoon Network has settled into an afternoon groove, airing a mix of action and comedy in a block aimed at preteen boys with shows like Dungeon Dorks and Pokemon. Cartoon Network is seen as being a bit too over-reliant on acquisitions, but that may change in the new decade as the network eyes a rising generation of young animators to create the shows of the future.

Nickelodeon: Nickelodeon is still trying to crawl out of the hole that Dan Schneider put it in. With few live action hits left on the network, Nickelodeon has gone overseas for its live action fare, acquiring a couple of Australian shows and hoping they'll be hits. Meanwhile, the network's animated situation is a bit better, thanks to the continued success of shows such as Class Clowns and the immortal Rocket Power, which as of May 2009 will have outlasted Thrillseekers. The network has also launched a new animated hit: in the fall of 2008, it launched the action cartoon Sarah, Witch Of Westfalls. The show's protagonist is a girl who, on her 13th birthday (on Friday the 13th) is given (somewhat against her will) magic powers by her dead grandmother. Sarah also learns that her school is a secret training ground for witch hunters, whose job it is to keep witches out of the town of Westfalls to prevent the tragedy they caused 100 years ago. One of the more serious cartoons to appear on Nickelodeon, it immediately becomes a hit (though not an Avatar level hit), and along with Welcome To Riverdale and Hanakotoba, is one of three majorly popular and influential children's shows to launch in the fall of 2008. Nickelodeon's animated fare keeps it afloat while it searches for a way to produce live action shows again after the Schneider scandal.

The Disney Channel: Despite Patroka Epstein's fall, The Smart Squad stays on the air (and has a strong third season in 2009), while Rock Out remains a mega hit driven by the charisma of Elle Schneider (who by this point has dropped the name Tanner, similarly to IOTL). Public School Princess has dipped in the ratings but is still a marginal success, leaving Disney Channel clearly the king of live action kidcoms. Though Welcome To Riverdale on Fox Family is a hit, it's still not pulling in the ratings that Rock Out and The Smart Squad are. Still, it's beating Public School Princess, and Rock Out and The Smart Squad will be gone by the middle of 2010, leaving Disney in search of a show that can pick up the torch. It doesn't look like Public School Princess can do it, so the network launches a search for its next big star. Meanwhile, the Animagic block has been going strong for more than a decade now, and doesn't show too many signs of slowing down, even after Greg Weisman leaves W.I.T.C.H. as showrunner following season four (the show will be helmed by Amy Wolfram for its final two seasons, her next gig after Thrillseekers' run ends). The block has picked up a couple of strong new anime shows, and despite losing out barely on Hanakotoba, continues to pull in strong ratings during the late 2000s.

Fox Family: Fox Family, of course, had a massive hit in the aforementioned Welcome To Riverdale, but that's not the only show that the network has performed strongly with. Spider-Man Evolved has been an anchor of the network's Saturday morning block, with more Marvel superhero shows on the way (including a possible show based on the Guardians Of The Galaxy coming in 2010). Skyward Animation launched their first of three new animated action shows in early 2009: Photo Finish, about a female high school track star and a dorky male yearbook photographer who become an unlikely heroic team, launches to decent, if not overwhelming, success. The network plans another animated show in early 2010: Mutations United, about a superhero team of physically mutated creatures, will be launching with a toy line and potentially a video game, and the company plans another animated show for either 2011 or 2012. Fox Family also has a number of live action drama shows that will air on primetime on weeknights, aimed at teenage audiences. While other networks are retreating in the face of scandal and economic hardship, Fox Family is pushing forward, fearlessly launching new shows and taking major financial risks. The network's ratings have steadily increased over the last two years and now it's knocking at the door of the Big Three. Like the FOX flagship network, which took advantage of weaknesses in the three major networks and an unfilled viewership niche in the late 1980s to launch itself as a major network in its own right, Fox Family 20 years later is doing the same thing to make itself a key player in the cable children's network landscape. It's come a long way from the era of cheaply made TV movies and The 700 Club, and it shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.

Here are the ten most popular currently running kids' shows as of April 2009. This isn't in terms of absolute ratings, but a combination of ratings, reviews, and cultural relevance:

1. Rock Out
2. The Smart Squad
3. Class Clowns
4. Welcome To Riverdale
5. Naruto
6. Rocket Power
7. The Exchange
8. Hanakotoba
9. Public School Princess
10. Sarah, Witch Of Westfalls

-

March 27, 2009

Inez Delgado had just finished up another voice coaching session, one of her most productive to date. Over the past few months of voice coaching, she'd learned an incredible amount about her craft, and had also learned something very important: this was something she wanted to keep doing for a very long time. Even though she was just nine years old, she knew that she had a passion for acting and that she had the potential to be extremely good at it if she kept working as hard as she could. She'd even gotten a few small gigs apart from Quixsters, very small roles in some animated shows, only a few lines each but still really fun and an opportunity to work with real voice actors and directors in a professional setting. Her parents supported her every step of the way, and she had the patience to wait a very long time for her “big break”, which her parents told her might never come but if she kept working hard and keeping her expectations realistic, might come sooner than she thought.

After the session, her voice coach complimented her, as he always did, and after saying his goodbyes to Inez and her mother, left the room to check on someone who had just arrived in the building.

“Mom, that was a lot of fun today,” said Inez, picking up the folder with her most recent lessons and handing it to her mother to be put away. “Sam said that I have a real instinct for vocal direction.”

“Well, you're coming along really nicely,” replied Sonora, “just remember not to strain your voice too much when you're acting hard for a scene.”

Inez had a tendency to be overenergetic for certain scenes in a way that made her voice creak, which her coach warned her could damage her vocal cords if she did it too often. She tried to pull back, but that tended to make her voice sound too quiet, and when she got discouraged, her coach reminded her that it's tough for even seasoned professionals to find their proper vocal level for certain scenes.

“Just don't focus too much on the tricky parts,” said Sonora, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder after she saw that Inez was starting to look a bit troubled remembering that part of the lesson. “Practice, but don't beat yourself up. You're already 100 times better of an actor than I was when I was nine.”

“You didn't even want to be an actor until you were like seventeen!” said Inez with a giggle.

“Yes, that's true, you're getting an early start,” Sonora replied.

The two began to leave when Inez's vocal coach came back into the room.

“I know you two were just leaving,” he said, “but I wonder if you'd like to meet someone special in the next room over? I have someone just starting out today and I thought you might like to meet her.”

“Oh?” said Inez, her interest looking piqued. Inez and her mother went into the next room, and there they saw a beautiful blonde-haired girl in a wheelchair, who Inez recognized immediately. “Oh....!”

Patroka Epstein had arrived for her first vocal lessons with her new coach. She was being pushed around in her wheelchair by her older sister, who saw Inez and gave a friendly wave.

“You must be Inez,” said Patroka with a smile. “I've heard a lot about you...”

“Oh... my god...” whispered Inez, placing a hand up to her mouth. She didn't know whether to be thrilled, or sad, or both. She was a huge fan of The Smart Squad, and had wept upon hearing of Patroka's injury, and though Inez probably could have met Patroka earlier on, she had been somewhat nervous of doing so, not wanting to say or do anything that might cause any more pain to the girl she idolized than she'd already suffered. She stood there, her legs shaking nervously.

“It's okay,” Patroka replied warmly, and nodded to her sister, who slowly pushed her over. “Inez... it's okay.”

“I.... I know, but...” Inez reached up to Patroka with a trembling hand. Patroka nodded, and Inez placed her hand on top of Patroka's. “Can you feel it?”

“I have feeling in my fingertips sometimes,” Patroka replied, nodding. “I can kind of feel it, I just can't move them.”

“You're amazing,” said Inez, a tear streaking down her face. “I mean, I love you so much on your show...! And in Kingdom Hearts, as Kairi... you're... you're so awesome!”

“I'm actually here getting voice coaching so I can start voicing Kairi again,” said Patroka. “I've only got about half my original lung capacity... Lana, is it half?”

“The doctors said about 40 percent,” said Patroka's older sister.

“Oh, you're just a glass half full kind of person aren't you?” snarked Patroka. Inez giggled, and pulled her hand back, taking a much more natural posture around Patroka now that she realized her idol's sense of humor was completely intact.

“I loved the scene in last week's episode where you chased after Suleka when she took the last copy of The Heart Equation at the school book fair,” said Inez. “And when you caught up to her and she threw the book so hard that it broke the ceiling!”

“Yeah, that little shriek Seychelle let out wasn't acting, they didn't tell her I was gonna be right in front of her!”

“And she squeaked like a mouse!”

“Do you have any older sisters?” Patroka asked Inez, looking her over. Inez shook her head.

“Nope, I'm an only child.”

“Are you sure? Because you and Seychelle could totally be sisters.”

“I like her too, she's funny.”

“You should see the kind of stuff she pulls off the set. She's hilarious, we play video games together too. Well, we used to anyway. Hopefully once I can move my hands again I can start playing them.”

“You play video games too?”

“Well, I wasn't much of a gamer before I met Seychelle, she plays all the time and she forced me and Bridgit to sit down and play them, so now we all play them.”

“I LOVE video games!”

“I hear your dad makes video games, I used to play a lot of Quixsters before my accident.”

“Oh man...” said Inez, looking a bit disappointed as she looked up at the clock. “Your lesson's starting soon, isn't it? I wanna keep talking to you but-”

“It's okay,” said Inez's voice coach, smiling at both of them. “I've got plenty of time.”

“Me too, it's not like I've got anywhere to be,” said Patroka, looking up at Lana.

“What if I've got somewhere to be?” Lana asked, smiling down at her sister.

“Too bad,” Patroka replied jokingly, craning her head up toward Lana as best she could. Lana smirked.

“You're lucky you're in that chair,” Lana joked back.

“I'm lucky to have such an awesome big sister,” said Patroka. Lana leaned down and kissed Patroka on the forehead and then went to have a nice conversation with Sonora on the other side of the room while Patroka looked back over to Inez. “So, you were talking about games, right?”

“What was it like to voice Kairi?” asked Inez.

The conversation between the two lasted almost an hour. They talked about games, about Patroka's show, about their lives... and though it was still rough for Patroka after more than a year since her injury, she was slowly making her way toward the best recovery she possibly could. She was still acting, and she was getting the best possible therapy in the world, both physical and emotional. Her doctors said that she might be able to regain some movement in her fingers, and from there, who knew what might happen? As Patroka and Inez finally parted ways, and Inez and her mom began getting ready to go back home, the two girls shared one final bit of conversation.

“Inez... my doctors say there's less than a five percent chance I ever walk again,” said Patroka. “And I'll be honest, that sucks. But... there is a 100 percent chance that if I wake up tomorrow, I'll have people who care about me and who support me, and that means everything. And you know what? You have people who care about you and support you too. And I'm one of them.”

“Patroka...” said Inez quietly, sniffling a bit.

Patroka leaned her head forward as much as she could.

“Arms... extending outward... reaching for a hug...” said Patroka with a smile, as if she was giving an acting direction. Inez took the hint, stepping forward and leaning in and gently hugging Patroka. “See you again soon, okay?”

“Mmmhmm,” said Inez with a smile and a nod. “Thank you for everything.”

 

[rick007]

The Amazing Race: Season 14: More drama.

This season of the race brought about some changes to the show. First, the show severely cut down on the amount of footage from the airport. Before this season, about a third of the show was from transportation hubs like airports. Reducing it brought more footage of the teams actually racing. Whether that's good thing or not I'll leave up to you. Another was cutting out the traditional "Eat, sleep mingle" that happens at each Pit Stop.

This was done part way through the season and done to create more drama between the teams. It would be kept for a few more season, at least until season 22, but here it was used to somewhat good effect. Again that depends on you. This season was cast in May 2008 and filmed that November (teams voted early in that year's election).

The Cast

Kisha and Jen: African-American sisters. They might fight at times but they are able to get a lot done.

Preston and Jennifer: Dating. They have a few odd things about them but they're not bad.

Margie and Luke: Mother and son. Luke is the first deaf contestant on the American version of the show. They manage to do good, thought they aren't as popular as they once were.

Tammy and Victor: Siblings. They bicker, and Victor can be hard headed at times, but they are still a good team.

Christie and Jodi: Flight attendants and friends. They are doing this show for their kids.

Jaime and Cara: Former NFL Cheerleaders and friends. Though they are slightly mean-spirited, they are good competitors.

Mark and Michael: Stuntmen/brothers. They are dwarfs (I don't know whether they worked on the Lord of the Rings movies or not). They also did some really stupid things on the show.

Amanda and Kris: Dating. They are like Kris and Jon from season six though I don't like them (Amanda and Kris) as much.

Mel and Mike: Father and son. Mike works in the movies and Mel is a speechwriter. They're fun in their own way.

Brad and Victoria: Married. They are an okay team.

Steve and Linda: Married. I think they are meant to be like Dave and Mary from season 11 but I can't prove that for certain.

The Race

Leg #1: "Don't let a cheese hit me!"

Original Air Date: February 15, 2009.

Starting at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, in California, teams get $281 and instructions to go to Zurich, Switzerland. Once there, teams have to go, by train, to the Church of Sant'Angelo in Locarno and sign up for one of three departure times the next morning. The next morning teams get a picture of a dam from the priest and have to figure out that it's Verzasca Dam. Here teams find the Roadblock.

In this Roadblock, one team member has to bungee jump down the face of the dam 70 stories (by the way if you recognize the dam, it's because it was used in the opening sequence of the James Bond movie Goldeneye). Once they get pulled up, teams have to go to Interlaken by train, then head to Kleine Rugen Wiese. There may have been a Detour here but there's no indication of why they cut it out. Anyway, teams now have to carry two 50 pound wheels of cheese each down a hill, using only flimsy wooden backpacks to carry them. And when I say flimsy, I mean they fall apart at the first sign of trouble. Once they are stacked, teams are told to go to the Hotel Stechelburg, where they have to listen for a group of yodelers singing at the Pit Stop.

1. Margie and Luke 10:13 A.M. Won a trip for two to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (yes, I do appreciate the irony of the team with the deaf team member winning on the leg that requires you being able to hear where the Pit Stop is).

2. Mark and Michael 10:16 A.M.

3. Tammy and Victor 10:17 A.M.

4. Kisha and Jen 10:43 A.M.

5. Amanda and Kris 11:02 A.M.

6. Brad and Victoria 11:07 A.M.

7. Mel and Mike 11:15 A.M.

8. Christie and Jodi 11:29 A.M.

9. Jamie and Cara 11:33 A.M.

10. Preston and Jennifer 11:40 A.M.

11. Linda and Steve 11:50 A.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #2: "Present your face honey."

Original Air Date: February 22, 2009.

Getting $300, teams are sent to Munich, Germany. Once there, teams have to go to the village of Ruhpolding and take a cable car to Rauschberg where the Roadblock is. In this Roadblock, one team member has to paraglide, with an instructor, 6,000 feet to a target where their partner is waiting. However, if there are unfavorable wind conditions they can either wait until the wind is right or take a 60 minute hike down to the mountain. Teams then have to go to Schonau am Konigsee, where they find the Detour: Balancing Dolly or Austrian Folly.

In Balancing Dolly, teams have to ride Segways over a two mile obstacle course. In Austrian Folly, teams enter a party tent and throw pies at each other's faces until they find one with a cherry filling. Teams are then directed to a woodcutter's shed where they have to wait until the woodcutter saw the end off a log. The clue on their log section points them to the Pit Stop: Schloss Hellbrunn in Salzburg, Austria.

1. Kisha and Jen 1:13 P.M. Won a hybrid go-kart for both team members.

2. Tammy and Victor 1:36 P.M.

3. Margie and Luke 1:40 P.M.

4. Jamie and Cara 1:41 P.M.

5. Christie and Jodi 2:07 P.M.

6. Mark and Michael 2:10 P.M.

7. Brad and Victoria 2:28 P.M.

8. Amanda and Kris 2:46 P.M.

9. Preston and Jennifer 2:59 P.M.

10. Mel and Mike 3:19 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #3: "You look good in that leotard."

Original Air Date: March 1, 2009.

Getting $310, teams are told to fly to Bucharest, Romania, by first traveling by train to Munich and getting to that airport. Once there, teams have to the Lia Manoliu National Sports Complex where the Roadblock is. In this Roadblock, one team member has to complete a series of moves on: the Balance Beam, the Parallel Bars and some floor exercises. Teams are then sent to Brasov, in historical Transylvania.

After making their way to Biserica Neagra, teams find the Detour: Gypsy Moves or Vampire Remains. In Gypsy Moves, teams have to go to a gypsy encampment and help a gypsy family move from one location to another by loading and then unloading their stuff. In Vampire Moves, teams have to drag a chained coffin to a field of stakes outside of Bran Castle. Then they have unlock the coffin and smash several frames inside it onto the stakes until they find the race flag. Then teams go to the Pit Stop: Vila Panoramic in Bran.

1. Amanda and Kris 10:07 A.M. Won a trip for two to Costa Rica.

2. Kisha and Jen 10:15 A.M.

3. Margie and Luke 10:33 A.M.

4. Mark and Michael 11:02 A.M.

5. Preston and Jennifer 11:17 A.M.

6. Christie and Jodi 11:45 A.M.

7. Jamie and Cara 12:10 P.M.

8. Brad and Victoria 12:12 P.M.

9. Tammy and Victor 12:38 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #4: "I've never seen anything like that!"

Original Air Date: March 8, 2009.

Getting $180, teams are told to fly to Krasnoyarsk, Russia. On arrival, teams are given a 10 Ruble note and have to figure out that their next destination is the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Dam. Teams are then told to go to the Church of Saint Innokenty. Here teams find the Detour: Stack or Construct. In Stack, teams have to stack wood into a large wall formation in front of an existing stack. If their wall collapsed into the existing one, they will have to rebuild both. In Construct, teams have to a workshop and make a local style window frame. Then they have to look for a house with a sign that says Repairs Needed and install the window frame properly.

After that teams have to go to the Museum of the Last Bow where they find a Blind U-Turn. The Blind U-Turn is like a regular U-Turn except that no one knows who did it. Margie and Luke U-Turn Kisha and Jen (though it has no effect as Kisha and Jen were already ahead of them when it happened). Teams then go to Bobrovy Log Park where the Roadblock is. In this Roadblock, one team member has to ride a bobsled rollercoaster track in under four minutes while looking for seven letters. Once off the track, they must arrange the letters into the word Chekhov. Then teams head to the Pit Stop: Krasnoyarsk Theatre of Musical Comedy.

1. Amanda and Kris 11:15 A.M. Won a motorcycle for each team member.

2. Kisha and Jen 11:25 A.M.

3. Jamie and Cara 11:45 A.M.

4. Margie and Luke 12:02 P.M.

5. Mark and Michael 12:15 P.M.

6. Christie and Jodi 12:48 P.M.

7. Preston and Jennifer 12:50 P.M.

8. Brad and Victoria 1:01 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #5: "You Jane, me Fro-Zan."

Original Air Date: March 15, 2009.

Getting $150, teams travel to the city of Novosibirsk, in Siberia, via the Trans-Siberian Railway. Once there teams have to go to Punkt Tekhicheskogo Osmorta where they find the Detour: Russian Bride or Russian Snowplow. In Russian Bride, teams, using a Lada car, drive to a Soviet-Era apartment pick up a bride then deliver her to the Voznesensky Cathedral, where the groom is waiting. Once they take a picture with the happy couple, they get the next clue. In Russian Snowplow, teams, using a Lada car to get there, go to Stadium Spartak where they have to take turns driving a snowplow through a marked course while being directed by their partner.

Teams then have to head to Gosudarstvennaya Publichnaya Nauchnaya Tekhnicheskaya Biblioteka, where the Roadblock is. In this Roadblock, one team member has to pick two Russian marathon runners, strip down to their underwear, then run a 1.4 mile course to the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, where their partner is waiting for them. Then teams walk inside the theatre for the Pit Stop.

1. Margie and Luke 10:59 A.M. Won a trip for two to St. Lucia

2. Kisha and Jen 11:04 A.M.

3. Christie and Jodi 11:15 A.M.

4. Mark and Michael 11:27 A.M.

5. Amanda and Kris 11:35 A.M.

6. Jamie and Cara 11:45 A.M.

7. Preston and Jennifer 12:01 P.M. NOT ELIMINATED/SPEEDBUMPED.

Leg #6: "I don't think so."

Original Air Date: March 22, 2009.

Receiving $230, teams are told to fly to Jaipur, India. Once there, they have to go to the Sacred Tree in Dhula Village. Teams then have to figure out that their next clue will come from picking up one of two phones and calling one of four numbers. Then they can go to the Amber Fort. Here teams find the Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member has to pick a heard of camels and, using traditional tools, put enough hay on a platform so it reaches a specific line and overflow a trough with water.

Teams then go to Johari Bazaar Road, where Preston and Jennifer get their Speedbump. For this Speedbump, they have to go to the Kala Hanuman Temple and paint an elephant's face. Then they can join the other teams for the Detour: Movers or Shakers. In Movers, teams have to Sanganeri Gate, load two rickshaws with barrels of hay, and then take them one and a half miles to the city walls. Then they have to search the hay for an elephant figurine that they have to hand in. In Shakers, teams go to a junction of four bazaars, put on traditional costumes, and joined a local dance troupe. They have to collect 100 Rupees (about $2 US at the time) for their next clue. Then teams head for the Pit Stop: Jaigarh Fort.

1. Kisha and Jen 1:22 P.M. Won an Ocean kayak for each team member.

2. Jaime and Cara 1:45 P.M.

3. Jodi and Christie 1:50 P.M.

4. Margie and Luke 2:15 P.M.

5. Amanda and Kris 2:30 P.M.

6. Mark and Michael 2:42 P.M.

7. Preston and Jennifer 3:01 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #7: "Don't panic? The handler only has one arm!"

Original Air Date: March 29, 2009.

Getting $300, teams fly to Phuket, Thailand. Once there, have to locate a statue of gorilla from a picture in their clue at the Phuket Zoo. Teams had to take a picture with the zoo's mascot, Esso the Tiger and participate in an elephant show, which involves being lightly stepped on and squatted on by an elephant. The next clue contains the Fast Forward, which involves using the teams own money to buy items for a local orphanage from a local market, which no one takes. Teams then go to Nguan Choon Tong Herbs Shop.

I don't know whether this next task was originally a Roadblock, but regardless both team members have to smell 99 different herbs and pick one that might contain a clue. Yeah I don't get this one either. It's the Detour:100 Barrels or 2 Miles. In 100 Barrels, teams have to prepare a ship for a 10 day journey out to sea. They have to choose a boat, fill 47 barrels with water, then load 53 onto the upper deck. In 2 Miles, teams have to pump up the tires and transport a rickshaw (with one team member sitting in it) 2 miles from Wat Phutta Mongkhon Nimit to King Rama IX Park. Teams then go to the Pit Stop: Wat Thep Nimit Temple.

1. Amanda and Kris 11:15 A.M. Won a trip for two to Oahu, Hawaii.

2. Kisha and Jen 11:28 A.M.

3. Jamie and Cara 11:43 A.M.

4. Mark and Michael 11:58 A.M. PENALIZED for sabotaging the bike pumps at the 2 Miles Detour option and for taking a taxi to guide them through the task which was prohibited.

5. Christie and Jodi 12:05 P.M.

6. Margie and Luke 12:15 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #8: "They really shouldn't be doing that."

Original Air Date: April 12, 2009.

Receiving $400, teams fly to Bangkok, Thailand. On arrival, teams go to the Chareonyont 007 docks where the Roadblock is. In this Roadblock, one team member has to put a propeller on a traditional Thai long-tail boat properly. Using the boat, teams, using a map, now have to go to the Peninsula Pier. Here teams find the Detour: Broken Teeth or Broken Record.

In Broken Teeth, teams have to go to the "Street of Happy Smiles" and match five patients with their dentures (Really? Also ew). In Broken Record, teams have to travel to Bangkok's Chinatown and pick a party van and some transgendered people known locally as kathoeys and sing karaoke to them for five miles. Then teams head to the Pit Stop: Phaya Thai Palace.

1. Jamie and Cara 2:11 P.M. Won a trip for two to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2. Kisha and Jen 2:36 P.M.

3. Christie and Jodi 2:57 P.M.

4. Amanda and Kris 3:46 P.M.

5. Mark and Michael 3:47 P.M. PENALIZED/NONELIMINATED/SPEEDBUMPED. (They were given two 2-hour penalties for selling personal items to pay for their taxi which isn't allowed. However, since Amanda and Kris came in with just over three hours left in the penalty, Mark and Michael were allowed to check in with the rest of the penalty applied to the start of the next leg.)

Leg #9: "I feel like I'm in a comedy sketch!"

Original Air Date: April 19, 2009.

Receiving $120, teams are told to fly to Guilin, China. Once there, teams have to get to the Folded Brocade Mountains. Here, in an unaired segment, teams have to climb to the Peak of the Luminous Moon and strike the drum of life. I think it was cut for time reasons. Teams then go to the Qing Xiu Lu Hair Salon, where Mark and Michael face their Speedbump: washing and drying two women's hair. Then they can join the other teams at bridge #24 on the Li River for the Roadblock.

In this Roadblock, one team member has to get a cormorant to retrieve 10 fish they had thrown into the river. Then teams have to go to the Ancient South Gate for the Detour: Choreography or Calligraphy. In Choreography, teams have to learn and perform a traditional dance routine. In Calligraphy, teams have to copy a Chinese character at four stations and get stamps saying that they did them correctly. Then teams go on foot to the Pit Stop: The Sun and Moon Pagodas at Banyan Lake.

1. Christie and Jodi 4:14 P.M. Won a trip for two to Barbados

2. Amanda and Kris 4:22 P.M.

3. Jamie and Cara 4:25 P.M.

4. Kisha and Jen 5:00 P.M.

5. Mark and Michael 5:29 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #10a: "Having a baby has to be easier than this!"

Original Air Date: April 26, 2009.

Getting $150, teams get sent to Beijing, China by plane. On arrival, teams have to go to the Liangzi Foot Massage Palace where they find the Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member has to drink a really foul tasting herbal tea, then endure a 10 minute foot massage, then drink another cup of tea. If they tap the chair and say uncle the massage will stop, but that means having to start the massage all over again. Teams then head to Guangcai Natatorium where they find the Detour: Sync or Swim.

In both cases, teams have to where Speedo swimsuits. In Sync, teams have to jump from the three meter springboards and land in the water in unison. In Swim, teams have to swim eight lengths (400 meters) alternating every two lengths (100 meters). Teams then meet Phil at the North Drum Tower, where they are told to keep racing.

Leg #10b: "Tammy and Victor would have breezed through this."

Original Air Date: May 3, 2009.

Receiving an additional $100, teams head to Beihai Street Market. Here teams have to locate a Travelocity Roaming Gnome, which has the next clue written on the bottom. Teams are told to go to Gugong Xibei Jiao, pick up an electric bike each and bike past the Forbidden City and across Tiananmen Square to Dongdan where they find the Detour: Beijing Opera or Chinese Waiter.

In Beijing Opera, teams travel to Huguang Huiguan Opera House and put on makeup that looks exactly like the models next to them. Once that is done correctly, they have to get on stage and bow to the master to get their next clue. In Chinese Waiter, teams have to travel to Huguang Huiguan Restaurant where they have to pick a table and take four orders in Mandarin Chinese, pronounce them to the chef correctly, then take the meals to the customers. After this, teams have to Wenchang Pavilion where the U-Turn is. No one U-Turns anybody. Teams then go to the Donghuamen Night Market where they find the Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member has to eat: a grasshopper, beetle larvae, a scorpion and a starfish. Then teams head to the Pit Stop: Beijing National Stadium.

1. Amanda and Kris 3:11 P.M. Won a trip for two to the Galapagos Islands

2. Kisha and Jen 3:15 P.M.

3. Jaime and Cara 3:43 P.M.

4. Christie and Jodi 4:15 P.M. ELIMINATED.

Leg #11: "Not what I had in mind."

Original Air Date: May 10, 2009.

Getting $290, teams fly to their final destination: Maui, Hawaii. On arrival, teams have to go to Beach Access 118. Here there is a partially aired Detour, where we, the audience, only see one side of it. It requires teams to season a pig then carry it suspended on a bamboo pole 200 yards to a luau. Then they have to cover the pig properly to get the next clue. Teams then head to McGregor Point where they have to get on a personal watercraft and ride one mile to a field of 100 buoys. There they search for their next clue.

This sent them to Kaohu Farms where the final Roadblock is. In this Roadblock, one team member has to search a pile of 300 surfboards with 11 with pictures of things the racers saw on the race. Then they have to make a fence by putting the surfboards in the ground in chronological order. Teams then go to King Kamehameha Golf Club, where (in an unaired task) they search for a statue before they reach the finish line.

1. Kisha and Jen WIN

2. Jamie and Cara PLACE

3. Amanda and Kris SHOW

The Review

This was certainly better than season 13, though not by much. Skipping Africa, South America and Oceania entirely, while not unprecedented, was a bit of a letdown. The tasks were decent, the cast, while not great were also not bad either. It's my number 12 race.

Still this season did ok in the ratings. Enough to warrant two more seasons. We'll see how well the first of those seasons goes next week.

 

[RySenkari]

For God And Country: Confessed

For God And Country: Confessed is the sequel to the 2005 Xbox FPS hit For God And Country, about an emotionally tortured MI-5 agent named John Hagen who must kill to clear his name while dealing with his own personal demons. In this sequel, Hagen returns, and despite the acts he committed in the first game, has returned to MI-5, having been retained by the organization because they know he's their best trained killer, while Hagen remains because he knows people will die if he doesn't kill to protect his country (his motivations and characterization are somewhat reminiscent of Jack Bauer from OTL's 24, minus the family connections). With the leap to the Xbox 2 comes enhanced HD graphics and a slew of new gameplay innovations. The open world format of the original game returns, but battles are even more cinematic, with crucial moments called "flashpoints" in which time slows down and Hagen must choose what action to take next in a few second window. As in the previous game, the player must not only watch Hagen's physical health, but his emotional health as well, and now a third factor comes into play: Hagen's spiritual health. Tortured by his own bloodstained hands and the sins he has committed, Hagen is regularly seeing a priest, and the player must make frequent visits to this priest so that Hagen may confess his sins. These confessions cannot be skipped, and Hagen lists the numerous kills and other sins he has committed, for which the priest admonishes him and prescribes penance. Every kill, every act that the player performs in the game must be accounted for, and if Hagen's spiritual health suffers, it's just as crippling as if his emotional health suffers. Hagen doesn't have a partner in this game, in fact, he refuses every opportunity for one, believing that his burdens are his to bear alone. The game takes on a far more melancholy tone than other FPS titles: killing is discouraged, and yet to progress in the game, the player must kill, making them feel the emotional weight of every action Hagen commits, even moreso than in the previous game. However, the game does provide frequent alternatives to killing in certain circumstances. Hagen can spare a number of characters over the course of the game. Sometimes, sparing these characters has no effect on the game at all. Sometimes, the spared characters (or their allies) can come back to help Hagen. Other times, sparing characters will lead to negative consequences. Despite all of these emotional strings that the game uses to tug at the character, the developers took pains not to make any one aspect of the game annoying or "un-fun" for the player. You don't have to confess all that often, and the confessions will frequently reveal deep character and story details, making it worth it to give them a listen. The game also subtly hints at which characters should be spared, only occasionally throwing the player for a loop. While Confessed sets out to be one of the most emotionally heavy games of all time, it knows its audience and still wants to be an amazingly fun game. The game itself involves Hagen being assigned to a remote English town to hunt down a wanted criminal. The stakes in Confessed are arguably lower than they are in the original game, with no major terrorist attacks or threats being made, but Hagen instead mostly working to clean up loose ends, conceal MI-5's dirty work, and protect a fellow agent whose identity we don't even learn until two thirds of the way through the game. In the process of hunting down the criminal, Hagen is accosted by another agent who disagrees with his methods, and while Hagen kills the criminal as he was told to do, he is also forced to kill this fellow agent. Because of this action, Hagen is then told to hunt down another agent, that first agent's partner, who has a massive data file that he plans to leak onto the internet as revenge for his partner's death. This data file has information implicating yet another agent in a murder of a terrorist warlord who also happened to be a major political player on the world stage. Hagen goes to hunt down the rogue agent while also covertly researching the agent he's protecting. Eventually, he learns that this agent he's covering for is a woman named Andrea Lysander, a decorated MI-5 agent who operates in the shadows and who has arguably committed as many crimes as Hagen. Hagen hunts down the agent threatening to leak the information implicating Lysander, only for Lysander herself to appear and kill the man when Hagen hesitates. The remainder of the game sees Hagen pursuing Lysander. The final mission of the game sees Hagen shooting his way through a small army of MI-5 agents before entering the church where he's been confessing his sins the entire game. He finds Lysander in the booth, confessing her own sins as Hagen holds a gun on her. She finishes her confession and then grabs Hagen's arm before he can shoot her, starting the game's final battle, essentially a one-on-one firefight in the church. After the player lands the killing shot, a cutscene plays of Hagen shooting Lysander in the chest, just as she fires a bullet meant for Hagen that ends up in the priest instead. Lysander collapses into the booth and confesses her final sin, just as the priest dies. Then, she passes out, and the game ends with Hagen carrying Lysander out of the church, leaving it ambiguous whether she's alive or dead and whether or not Hagen will try to save her or turn her in if she lives.

For God And Country: Confessed is released exclusively for the Xbox 2 on February 17, 2009. Early reviews are excellent, praising the game for its graphics and its integration of story and gameplay. It's not quite as glowingly reviewed as the first game, but averages scores in the high 8s, with most of the criticism going toward the campaign's slightly shorter length compared to the original's. The improved multiplayer mode gets some praised but is still seen as a bit spartan compared to games like Cyberwar 3 and Modern Warfare 2. Sales are excellent, as the game is one of the most hyped Xbox 2 titles of the first half of 2009, and it's generally seen as a successful follow-up to the excellent original, and a big exclusive that the console sorely needs.

-

Predator

An FPS title based on the classic series of films and an offshoot of the current Alien game series (developed by the same studio), Predator is a game that features three components: a human campaign, a Predator campaign, and a multiplayer mode. In the human campaign, you play as the mercenary soldier Chuck Renton, the leader of a squad of soldiers stranded in a foreign country and being hunted down by the Predator, the perfect hunter. As Renton, you must survive the elements, including wild animals and enemy soldiers, while also avoiding the Predator and making a plan to hunt it down. This campaign is structured much like a horror film, and takes some beats from 2008's Halloween game, also an Xbox exclusive, with the Predator being an ever-present threat. In the Predator campaign, you play as a Predator and follow the life of one of the creatures, from initial training exercises as a Predator youth to a mission in which you must hunt down a human said to be a legendary warrior and leader amongst his people. As the Predator, you can lay traps, gather clues, and murder the human's friends to lure him out. There are numerous flashbacks to your Predator training, covering increasingly difficult exercises and serving as timely tutorials, while going deep into Predator lore. Perhaps the most expansive part of the game is the multiplayer mode, which features asymmetric combat exercises between humans and Predators, along with a Predator deathmatch mode in which up to 16 Predators can hunt each other down until none remains. The developers' goal in creating this game was to create the definitive Predator experience, much in the same way that the Alien games were crafted to capture the feel and spirit of that series. Predator, which was announced at E3 2008, was slated to be one of the biggest Xbox 2 games of the year, with a massive positive reaction at the show and hype leading up to the game's release for several months in which more and more teasers and footage were shown. Ultimately, reviews mostly live up to the hype, with the game averaging in the mid 8s, not quite the glowing response that Alien: Xenowar got but still considered an excellent game. The biggest criticisms were directed at the Predator campaign, which was said to be a bit boring and lacking the action and tension of the Human campaign and the multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode itself also was said to have some flaws, with the 16 Predator battle royale mode marred somewhat by bullet-spongey Predators that could take a bit too much damage, forgiving poor play far too much. However, for the most part, the developers succeeded in creating a strong adaptation of one of the most iconic film franchises in recent memory, and the game is a major sales success when it's released in early March 2009.

-

Techno Angel: Immortal

Techno Angel: Immortal is a mech-combat based shooter game and the fourth game in the Techno Angel series, as well as the first game in the series for the Xbox 2. It picks up where Finality left off in 2006, ten years after the events of that game and featuring a brand new protagonist, an eleven year old girl named Sabine Avilo. Sabine rebuilds the Omniscient military exoskeleton and finds herself embroiled in a war for control of a ravaged planet Earth. Whereas the previous Techno Angel games were strictly first person shooters, Immortal blends first and third person gameplay, allowing the player to switch back and forth between the two styles at will. The advanced heads-up display that the series is known for makes its triumphant return, with a neater presentation and more information than ever, information that the player is able to toggle to their liking. The HUD provides combat information for Sabine and her opponents, allowing the player to view health status, weak points, and targeting reticles with incredible ease, while taking advantage of the Xbox 2's graphics to make the information presented stand out in a realistic and non-intrusive way. Techno Angel: Immortal, more than any other game in the series thus far, highlights the suit's ability to make its wearer superhuman. Sabine's abilities are enhanced to an incredible extent, even moreso than Adriana's from the original games. She can leap high into the air, fly short distances, grapple around like Spider-Man, pick up very large objects, and target hundreds of enemies at a time. Meanwhile, Sabine's enthusiastic commentary makes every action incredibly fun. While she's incredibly smart, she's still a young girl at heart and gets a lot more excited for everything than Adriana ever did. However, she's also been through quite a lot, so there's a hard and at times profane edge to her words. She's defiant and disrespectful, taunting and insulting her enemies, though she doesn't take any pleasure in killing. She's fiercely protective of the innocent and of people she cares about and is a more eager fighter than Adriana was. She also doesn't scare easily, even in the face of overwhelming danger. She's a complete badass and is hardened even further by the battles she experiences but never completely loses her spark of youth (indeed, though she always stays brave and defiant, the game's events are shown to increasingly weigh on her over the course of the campaign, until she finally has somewhat of an emotional breakdown toward the end). At times, the player must explore areas as Sabine alone without her mech suit, and these are somewhat stealth missions since she can't fight effectively. However, they're not PURE stealth. Sabine can still punch and kick and while she's not strong enough to fairly beat an adult soldier one on one, she can still resort to things like low blows and can even pick up weapons like crowbars and wrenches to use. These segments are few and far between and all but one are fairly short, and meant to highlight certain story moments when they occur. Immortal's mission structure is somewhat more flexible than that of Finality's, since there aren't objectives or Exosoldiers in the game. The game features a mix of open combat missions, which can be fairly long or fairly brief, closed combat missions in which Sabine must navigate a fairly enclosed area, or exploration missions which take place either in an open or enclosed space and don't involve much combat. The game features 18 total missions and the missions tend to be longer than those of Finality, making it seem like a much more epic, cinematic game. Most of the series' classic voice actors return, including Jennie Kwan as Adriana, and Sabine is voiced by relative newcomer Chrissie Fit, who is perhaps best known at the time for finishing 4th on the fourth season of American Idol ITTL and for having a few brief roles on TV shows.

Techno Angel: Immortal takes place in a world ravaged by war. After the events of Finality, the peace following the end of the Second American Civil War collapsed as wars erupted all over the planet, including nuclear wars. America tries to be a force for good in the world, but numerous insurgent factions threaten even America's unstable peace, while other countries have simply been bombed into oblivion. Adriana and the Omniscient have been gone for nine years after disappearing on a mission, and her ally and ex-lover Samuel serves as a high ranking American general, doing his best to keep the world from completely falling apart while never losing hope that Adriana is still alive. Meanwhile, Sabine Avilo lives in what was once the American Southwest but is now a contested border region between America and Mexico, with splinter factions from both countries fighting over water while the main American authorities have retreated from the area. Sabine likes to explore old battlefields, and she finds the broken pieces of the Omniscient on one of her adventures. She uses her technical skills and other scrap parts she's gathered to rebuild the suit, and uses it to take out some raiders who had been robbing a campsite where some old people have taken refuge. She returns home with the suit, but her parents try to make her give it up. Instead, she stashes it underground. Soon, a group of well-armed mercenaries with their own exoskeletons lay siege to Sabine's village in retaliation for her attack on their raiding party. The mercenaries begin beating Sabine's father before she emerges with the suit and attacks them. They nearly defeat her, but she overwhelms them with the suit's sheer power and saves her village and her family. She thinks her family will be happy with her for saving them, but her father, nursing a broken leg, yells at Sabine and demands she give up the suit. She refuses to do so, saying that she could help people, and that they can't make her do anything anymore before running away, using the suit to take flight. Sabine takes on a few more missions, drawing the attention of the United States military. It's Samuel who hunts her down, capturing her after luring her in with a fake rescue mission. Sabine is jailed and the suit impounded, but Samuel is impressed with the girl's courage and skill. He's torn between wanting to let her keep the suit (defying his superiors) and wanting to protect her and return her to her family. Sabine escapes her jail cell and goes looking for the suit, leaving some chaos in her wake. Finally, she finds the suit, but she also finds Samuel. After an emotional scene, Samuel lets Sabine "escape" with the suit. He knows that if the Omniscient survived, that maybe Adriana survived too. Meanwhile, the game's villain is introduced around the same time. The villain is a scientist named Dr. Elias Lasker, a brilliant theoretical physicist obsessed with creating the next generation of exoskeleton suits. He works for the American government in their weapons division and seems to be a normal man, but Samuel doesn't trust him. Soon after the scene where Samuel lets Sabine go, we see something extremely disturbing: a scene in which Adriana has been captured and is being tortured by Lasker, implying that at some point after she disappeared, she was found and taken prisoner. We see a few more of these scenes as the game progresses, presenting Adriana as being in serious danger and needing to be rescued, and that Sabine will be the person to do it. Sabine eventually decides to return to her family, but only because she learns that a raiding party is going to attack them. As it turns out, Sabine's family has been on the move because they are looking for her. Even her father, who is being pushed around in a wheelchair, is determined to find her. Just before she is about to go and reunite with them, they're attacked by a group of soldiers who appear to be part of Samuel's army. Sabine, thinking she's been betrayed, fights back against them only to be repelled by superior technology. However, out of nowhere, Samuel arrives and attacks the soldiers himself, revealing that the soldiers weren't taking orders from him, but instead were taking orders from Lasker, who has been able to create exoskeletons greatly resembling the Omniscient. Samuel realizes that only Adriana would have been able to give Lasker information about that technology, and wonders if she may be working for him for some reason. Sabine finally reunites with her family, and with Samuel's help, is able to explain to them that someone is using exoskeleton technology to launch attacks on civilians and military installations, and that only Sabine has enough firepower to stop them. Sabine's father still refuses to let her fight, but her mother relents, and insists that Sabine be allowed to go, as much as it pains her. Sabine, with the help of Samuel and some other allies she's acquired throughout the game, follows numerous leads to a place where Adriana was said to have been spotted. There, Sabine and Samuel find footage filmed by Lasker, irrefutable proof that he's been acting against the government. They also find something far more disturbing: interrogation footage of Adriana, footage revealing her interrogation at Lasker's hands... dated five years earlier. The last video shows Adriana's death. Samuel collapses, realizing that Adriana is dead and that there was nothing he could do to help her. Sabine flies into a rage and takes off on her own to hunt and kill Lasker. She destroys his escorts, only to be stopped by Lasker himself, piloting the second generation Omniscient. He easily defeats Sabine, but she manages to escape, having sustained her first serious combat injury. She treats her own injury and is found by Samuel, who scolds her for going off on her own and tells her to let the government hunt down Lasker. Sabine tells Samuel it's useless, he's unstoppable, and that she's going to get stronger and stop him for good this time. After a big blowup fight between Sabine and Samuel, Sabine learns of another attack on her family. She goes to save them, but even though she is able to protect almost everyone from harm, her mother is killed. Sabine collapses in despair and buries her suit, vowing never to use it again. Soon afterward, she is captured by Lasker's men, leading to an extended escape sequence... but Sabine is stopped by one of Lasker's top lieutenants, the same man who fired the fatal blast that killed her mother. She tries to fight back but she is easily beaten without her suit since she's just a little girl. Terrified but defiant, she spits in the face of her mother's murderer as he points a gun at her head.

Suddenly, the murderer is knocked out from behind by a masked figure, who orders Sabine to follow. Sabine does so, and the masked figure takes her to a grave... the grave of Adriana. The masked figure begs Sabine not to follow in their footsteps, but Sabine tells them that she won't stop until everyone who died at Lasker's hands is avenged, not just her mother but Adriana too. The masked figure removes their disguise... it's Adriana, scarred but still essentially the same person she was ten years ago, except even more courageous and now with some real physical definition due to being without her exoskeleton for so long. Sabine asks Adriana how she survived. Adriana reveals that she never broke and that she eventually faked her own death so she could escape. She planned on finding and killing Lasker, but wasn't able to. She tells Sabine that she never revealed herself as alive because without the Omniscient, she believed that people would expect too much of her and that she would never be able to live up to it without the ability to fight like she once did. She chose to remain in the shadows, doing what she could to help. Sabine then asks Adriana why she didn't expose Lasker. Adriana says that she thought of doing it, but came to realize that his mobile suit technology was the only thing keeping the military ahead of its increasingly dangerous enemies. Without that technology, the peace she fought so hard to achieve would collapse and Samuel would die. She confesses that it was a selfish and stupid decision to make, and begs Sabine's forgiveness for indirectly causing her mother's death. Sabine doesn't know what to say... she looks like she's going to hit Adriana, but then collapses sobbing into her arms, screaming "mommy" over and over again, her hard veneer utterly collapsing in the face of everything she's been through. Adriana embraces Sabine, telling her that she'll be her mother if that's what she wants and that she'll spend the rest of her life trying to be the best mother she can to Sabine. Scenes of Samuel leading an army of loyal soldiers into battle are then interspersed with scenes of Sabine in an abandoned house with Adriana actually pretending to be mother and daughter, as Sabine tries to cope with all she's experienced. Lasker and an entire squad of soldiers in their Omniscient 2.0 exoskeletons easily defeat Samuel's forces and take him prisoner, while Adriana reads Sabine a bedtime story and sings her a lullaby. A scene is then shown of Lasker in his exoskeleton, using a new superweapon built into the suit to destroy an entire shantytown full of people as a demonstration of the weapon's power, as a mushroom cloud is seen from many miles away. Lasker smiles malevolently against the glow, while Sabine is shown asleep in Adriana's arms. After all of this, Sabine wakes up, looks back at the still sleeping Adriana, leaves her a note, and then walks away and finds her buried suit, getting back inside with a determined look on her face. The last few missions of the game consist of Sabine's fight to stop Lasker and rescue Samuel while also saving the world from conquest. Meanwhile, Adriana realizes she's going to have to fight once again, and commandeers an Omniscient 2.0 by knocking out one of Lasker's elite soldiers and stealing it from him. Adriana reunites with Sabine and the two rescue Samuel, rallying an army consisting of exoskeleton-piloting soldiers from all over the world to stop Lasker. Sabine leads the charge while Adriana fights alongside her, but after a fight in which Sabine defeats Lasker, Lasker goes berserk and overclocks his suit, threatening to detonate his power source and create a massive explosion powerful enough to blow up a huge chunk of North America and send a tsunami wave crashing into Europe and Africa. Adriana flies into Lasker and grabs him, covering him up with the suit to buffer the explosion and limit its size. Lasker smiles: even though he's going to die, Adriana will go with him. Sabine and Samuel scream out, and Lasker laughs, but then realizes that Adriana's voice isn't actually her... it's a recording, the same mechanism she used to fake her own death and escape from him five years before. Lasker screams in horror as he detonates, the explosion massive but thanks to Adriana, barely enough to blow up a small city... and with not a single other person in the blast radius. Sabine and Samuel collapse with grief, only for Adriana to come up behind them, telling them that she never thought she'd have to fake her own death twice. They both embrace her, and the victorious allied army celebrates a madman's defeat, their hero's return, and the birth of a new hero. The ending cutscenes, which go on for about 30 minutes, show the aftermath: Lasker's madness united the world, allowing a unified army to crush the remaining malevolent forces and pool what resources remain to ensure peace. Sabine returns to her family, reconciles with her healed father, and lays flowers at her mother's grave as Adriana and Samuel, their love finally realized, look on. Sabine remains with her family, but still sees Adriana as a mother figure, and Adriana "adopts" her while also helping Sabine to keep up her combat training. The ending is extremely happy and hopeful, and it's implied that this, finally, is the end of the Techno Angel series... but of course, smart fans know that the franchise will someday return.

Techno Angel: Immortal is released on March 17, 2009, to extremely positive reviews. Sabine as a character is highly praised, with her vulnerability and ferocity contrasting to make an extremely relatable character who the player can't help but root for. The game's combat, which is significantly faster paced than that of the previous game, is seen as fresh and fun, bringing the series into the seventh generation with a much welcome enhancement in both gameplay and presentation. Review scores average in the low to mid 9s, making the game a bonafide hit for the Xbox 2. Sales would be excellent, significantly better than those of both For God And Country: Confessed and Predator, and easily making it the Xbox 2's biggest hit of the first quarter of 2009. Sales don't quite match up to Gran Turismo 4, but they meet expectations, and even give the Xbox 2's hardware sales their first significant spike since the release of Cyberwar 3. For the first time in quite a while, the Xbox 2's future is starting to look slightly bright again, and despite a somewhat lackluster slate of games for the remainder of the year, the success of the trio of hit exclusives that the console launched during the months of February and March 2009 show that there's still plenty of reason to get an Xbox 2. Now, some pressure is put on the Nintendo Sapphire, with game journalists focusing their attention on how Nintendo would respond to the Xbox 2's recent success. Curiously, few such questions were raised of the Apple iTwin, indicating that the Xbox 2's success was coming at the expense of Nintendo moreso than it was at the expense of Apple. The hardware sales charts for March 2009 would show a significant increase in month to month sales for the Xbox 2, showing that it was starting to catch up to the second place Sapphire... while iTwin sales remained completely level.

 

[RySenkari]

(Here are the rest of the notable North American game releases between January 2009 and March 2009!)

-

Nintendo Sapphire:

Nintendo Wars: Scorched Earth

The first Nintendo Wars game to see release on a mainline Nintendo console in a very long time, Scorched Earth takes the classic Nintendo Wars gameplay and gives it a gorgeous, high definition makeover. It also adds cutscenes and voice acting to give the game a sort of Valkyria Chronicles feel. The main storyline has 60 missions, and there are over 100 side missions and challenges for players to enjoy, while the game also features local and online multiplayer. The game features six armies battling it out across a multi-continental landscape, and allows for armies to form alliances with one another in mid battle, adding a degree of strategy that hasn't been seen in the series before. The game fixes a lot of the problems that Nintendo Super Wars had, with more variety in the game's single player missions and a much smoother online experience. Reviews are quite strong, averaging in the mid to high 8s, but sales are only mediocre in the States, with a lot of American players not wanting to play such an in-depth strategy title, and the graphics looking a bit backward compared to other games on the console (despite a beautiful presentation, the graphics still look fairly cartoony and simplistic). Sales in Japan and Europe are strong, and this game becomes arguably the most successful game in the series to date.

Shantae's Wide World

The pretty genie girl returns in her biggest adventure yet, a fun 2-D platformer that takes the player all across a massive landscape as Shantae tries to liberate each of the countries in the world from various bad guys who have taken them over. Players can actually visit the countries in whatever order they choose, with enemies naturally leveling up with Shantae as she gains more and more powers. All of Shantae's old friends and enemies return for this game, which plays much like the classic titles, with all Shantae's hair flipping and skillful jumping moves intact. Shantae, as IOTL, is a series that hasn't really caught on in the mainstream but continues to produce strong titles and has a decent-sized cult fandom, enough for this game to garner decent sales and make a profit despite having higher production costs than any game in the series thus far.

Ape Escape: Catch That Blue!

The newest Ape Escape game and the first for a major console in a number of years sees the classic Ape Escape gameplay return, with a boy and girl teaming up with their monkey friend to capture hundreds of apes scattered throughout a huge open world. This time, their target is a special experimental blue ape with the ability to teleport between dimensions. This blue ape is causing all kinds of havoc, bringing in creatures and objects from all over the multiverse and threatening to cause a massive dimensional collapse! As the protagonists pursue the blue ape, they must endure a wide number of challenges, capturing apes to open up more worlds and get closer to their goal. This is definitely a throwback to old school 3-D platformers, and while it's not the most original game, it's beautiful and plays really well. It's more of a 3-D platformer than Super Mario Flip was, and while reviews for this aren't as good as the reviews for that game, fans of the series and new fans alike embrace it somewhat, making it an early platformer success for the Sapphire and proving that 3-D platformers can still succeed even in this modern age.

Suikoden Tactics

A new Konami RPG in the tactical format, Suikoden is the latest series to become an SRPG ITTL, and while it plays much like games such as the Ogre series, its battles keep the classic turn-based format of the previous installments of the series. The plot features a ruthless conqueror exerting his will over the land, burning and capturing anything he sees, while the protagonists must raise up an army to stop him. The format of the game is perfectly tuned to the “lots of characters” format of classic Suikoden, and much of your time is spent recruiting new characters to your army and leveling them up. Battles involve parties moving on a battlefield instead of individual characters, and these parties of five are controlled by the player in combat. Suikoden Tactics is a well received SRPG, with strong sales in Japan and acceptable sales in the States. The only real knock against the game is the graphics, which are more suited to a Wave game than the Sapphire (it's rumored that Konami planned this game originally as a Wave title before bringing it to the Sapphire instead).

Apple iTwin:

Armored Core: Fully Engaged

Armored Core: Fully Engaged is the sequel to 2005's series reboot, continuing the story to some extent from that of the 2005 game and of course building upon the gameplay enhancements of that title, including a loot drop system and a new dynamic difficulty system in which enemy AI will improve if the player is doing extremely well. The game also introduces a “rival” system that can be compared to the OTL Shadow Of Mordor game, though instead of enhancing the skills of an enemy who kills you, enemies who merely achieve a lot of damage or survive a long time against the protagonist will return stronger than before. The game continues the story of Raven Squadron, introducing a new female protagonist and a rival (but still friendly) faction called the Seadragon Squadron. The game also has an optional motion control scheme in which players can steer, aim, and fire with the dual controllers, making for a more immersive experience. Fully Engaged has a somewhat short campaign, which is critics' biggest knock against it, but it still achieves strong reviews, averaging in the high 7s. Sales are decent in Japan, while they're a bit low in the States. Despite this, the game and franchise maintain a decent cult following and the leap to the iTwin is seen as a successful one.

Rocket Knight Re-Adventures

A 2-D action sidescroller title by Konami, Rocket Knight Re-Adventures is a reboot of the classic Genesis platforming series, and though it's comparable to OTL's Rocket Knight remake in terms of graphical quality and gameplay, it has nothing to do with that title and features a different plot and some different gameplay quirks. For the most part, it plays pretty much the same as the classic games, though with advanced graphics and voice acting and some quality of life improvements, including a much more generous save game system and more special moves that Sparkster, the protagonist, can perform. The plot is a fairly basic one, involving a gang of evil armored pigs attempting to conquer the kingdom and kidnap the princess. Rocket Knight Re-Adventures is a much welcomed revival, and though it only gets average review scores, sales are solid thanks to the game's launch at a budget price of $29.99.

Yakuza 3

The Yakuza series finally gets a proper iTwin installment, and this one, unlike its predecessor, isn't rushed out, but given a good amount of love and care. It features enhanced graphics and a much expanded city for the main character to explore. The plot is actually fairly light-hearted, with the protagonist wanting to open up his own restaurant but getting sick of paying protection money and deciding to protect himself by any means necessary. It's a fairly over the top game, though it can be violent and serious at times, and there's plenty of stuff to do, as par for the course for a Yakuza game. The game is released in January 2009 exclusively for the iTwin, and actually does quite well initially as one of the top selling new games of the month. It would be overshadowed later on, however, by the release of Dasho, which would hurt this game commercially until it received a price drop fairly soon later on. Despite being overshadowed by Dasho, Yakuza 3 is still a good game and many players prefer its less heavy storyline. It would sell worse in the West than Dasho, but better in Japan and Europe, and slightly better overall, ensuring the survival of the series and becoming a financial success.

Jet Set Starlets

A revival of the Jet Set Radio series, this game, as the title would imply, features a gang of female characters who are in a band together, and who promote that band by tagging their logo all over town. They ride roller skates and not only do they have to dodge the law, they also have to avoid gangs and rival bands as they made themselves known in musical fashion. A game that combines the rhythm genre with the previous game's extreme sports action, this title, with a more pop-based soundtrack, catches the wave of the growing girl pop phenomenon, and actually manages to score strong sales early on. However, it's actually not that terribly good of a game: the graphics aren't great and the rhythm segments are fairly clunky, with the skating segments becoming repetitive after a while. It's just not as innovative as the original Saturn and Katana games were, and it suffers down the road because of it. Still, it does have its fans, and sells enough copies to turn a profit.

Tenchu: Rise Of Shadows

A ninja based stealth action title, this is the latest game in the Tenchu series and the first to be an iTwin exclusive. Rise Of Shadows tells the story of the rise of a clan of ninja assassins, and follows a young man named Akudama through his first set of missions. The game features an extensive tutorial segment before sending Akudama out into the world to assassinate his targets. Rise Of Shadows not only features a traditional control scheme, but also has a fairly fun motion control scheme in which the player can swing the iTwin controllers as swords (Akudama uses twin blades). It's one of the control's better motion controlling games, and it's recommended that players use the motion controls to really immerse themselves in Akudama's quest to become a fearsome assassin. Rise Of Shadows gets strong reviews, but they don't translate themselves into strong sales, at least in the West. It's another game that does better in Japan than in the West, and the iTwin seems to have quite a lot of those lately...

Dave The Dog

A platforming game featuring a dog who goes on adventures, this sort of captures the old school Dog Dash type motif, but unlike that game, this focuses entirely on the dog. Dave's not an anthropomorphic dog, he controls like an actual real life dog (he's a beagle). With both action and puzzler elements, this game is another family hit, though it doesn't play too well to mainstream gamers. Sales do suffer somewhat because it's a game that many reviewers say should be priced less than a full-priced game, and indeed, it doesn't get a huge amount of sales right away, but as the price comes down, more families and younger players take notice of the game.

Return To Monkey Island: The Threepwood Chronicles

Return To Monkey Island: The Threepwood Chronicles is a new title in the Monkey Island series exclusive to Apple consoles and computers. It sees Guybrush Threepwood and Elaine Marley return to Monkey Island after the evil pirate captain LeChuck is reported to have hired a vicious band of mercenaries to harass the island's residents. The game combines platforming and puzzling, with classic-style gameplay interspersed with various platforming segments where the player controls either Guybrush or Elaine. The game has plenty of classic pirate humor and banter between the hero and his wife (Guybrush and Elaine are married by the time this game takes place), and even has plenty of fourth wall breaks. New voice actors have taken over the roles of Guybrush and Elaine, with James Arnold Taylor as Guybrush Threepwood and Moira Quirk as Elaine Marley, while Patrick Stewart plays the voice of LeChuck in a scenery-chewing masterpiece of a performance. The game utilizes motion controls quite brilliantly, with dozens of different actions that the player can perform, enabling them to solve puzzles with clever movements and patterns. The game also features an online mode of sorts, with leaderboards with the fastest times for individual puzzles and full playthroughs, encouraging speedrunning (and has both traditional and motion control categories). The game's full title is a bit unwieldy, with LucasArts adding the subtitle late in production at Apple's request to avoid confusion with Return To Three Mile Island, but most players just call it Return To Monkey Island and ditch the subtitle. The game gets excellent critical reviews, making it one of the most popular iTwin titles of the first quarter of the year, but sales aren't quite as impressive: the series has fallen in popularity from its mid 90s heyday, and even good reviews can't help it too much on that front. The game actually sees slightly more sales on Macintosh, where it's one of the most popular Mac exclusives of the year, even without the motion control scheme (though that would be patched in later after a popular accessory is released allowing players to use the iTwin controllers for Mac games). It's a strong return to form for the Monkey Island series but it doesn't quite bring the series back to full prominence.

Valerian And Laureline 2

Valerian And Laureline 2 is the sequel to 2007's hit action title Valerian And Laureline, picking up where that game left off and continuing along with more adventures for the titular duo of time and space travelers. After the first game was a surprise success, a sequel was quickly greenlighted and developed. Though Valerian And Laureline 2 plays much like the first game, the graphics have been significantly enhanced, with more background detail and improved character animations, making this game one of the prettiest iTwin games to date. It does feature some brand new gameplay mechanics, such as the ability for Valerian and Laureline to travel together on missions and utilize combo attacks and protect one another. There are also new weapons and items that can be used in battle to enhance the fighting power of both characters. The plot involves a figure from Laureline's past, Queen Mauritania, who has been pulled forward through time and is attempting to hunt down and kill Laureline for some unspoken wrong that has been done toward her. Eventually, it's learned that Laureline inadvertently started a peasant revolt that caused Mauritania's entire family to be executed. Mauritania is a gifted speaker and fighter in her own right, and raises up a powerful intergalactic army to hunt down Valerian and Laureline, forcing the two of them to defeat her and clean up her mess. In the end, a dying Mauritania forgives Laureline, and Laureline forgives her in return, providing a bittersweet ending to the story. The game features most of the dub voice actors returning from the original game, with a few of the New York City voice actors, most notably the voice actor for Valerian, replaced with Los Angeles-based ones (Valerian is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal in this game, whereas he was voiced by Eric Stuart in the last one). The game is released amongst a good amount of hype, considering how popular the last game was, but compared to the original, Valerian And Laureline 2 is a critical and commercial disappointment, achieving only marginally good reviews and lower sales than the original game. Though it's certainly not a bad game, it's not seen as a major improvement over the first,, and doesn't take serious advantage of the iTwin's capabilities beyond the game's graphics. Despite the disappointing reviews, the game is still a decent success, selling around a million copies worldwide.

Microsoft Xbox 2:

Spawn: Bloodlust

Spawn: Bloodlust features Tod McFarlane's titular comic hero returning to action in a brutal hack and slash title that sees Spawn battling an army of vampiric demons summoned to our universe by a wicked conjurer. This is a hack and slash that values substance over style, in similar fashion to OTL's God Of War. Spawn is violent and fierce, ripping enemies to pieces and sending blood and body parts flying. The game has a very dark aesthetic, and the player can utilize a variety of Spawn's powers, which are recharged the quicker he kills enemies. One of the more anticipated games of the first part of the year, it sees a lot of advertisements on television and the internet, and gets decent initial sales due to strong early reviews (in the low 8s). However, it's somewhat overshadowed by other Xbox 2 games released around the same time, and doesn't quite match them in sales. It's still one of the year's best hack and slash games and becomes a bit of an underappreciated gem.

Game Boy Supernova:

Hired To Kill

Hired To Kill is an action shooter title for the Game Boy Supernova. An almost shameless ripoff of the Hitman series but with unique gameplay features and a decent storyline, Hired To Kill gains some acclaim as a strong portable shooter title, and has much less stealth elements than the Hitman series, pleasing action junkies. Its missions are significantly shorter, usually only lasting about 5-10 minutes. This creates more bite-sized gameplay that's perfectly suited to the handheld format, though it does make the campaign somewhat short. The game would do well enough on the Supernova to eventually make the leap to console, thanks to decent reviews and fairly strong sales.

Puka: The Icelands

The fourth game in this fairly popular portable platformer series, Puka: The Icelands sees the adorable dragon make his way into a snowy world where his fire breath is mostly ineffective until he can find a way to warm things up. The gameplay twists in this game, which incorporate puzzle elements and an expanded world, along with tougher enemies, are well received by the mainstream gaming crowd, and this game actually gets the best reviews in the series thus far. Its sales are slightly improved from the last game's, making it decently profitable and keeping the series alive and well.

Kirby And The Fairy Circle

The second Kirby game for the Supernova, this title introduces some fantasy elements into the series as Kirby ventures forth into the Camelot-like world of Evermoria. He must rescue the beautiful princess Shalia from a group of mischievous evil fairies who delight in pulling pranks and taunting Kirby while using their wicked magic to transform Evermoria into a land of horrors. The game actually calls back a bit to the RPG battles of the Great Cave Offensive from Super Deluxe, with several RPG-style boss battles sprinkled throughout the game. However, at its core this is still a sidescrolling platformer where Kirby uses enemy powers to clear obstacles and defeat bad guys. Numerous RPG-related powers are introduced in this game, and Kirby even gets a Dragon form. The game features orchestral RPG-style music and a world map that hearkens back to the Legend Of Zelda series. The fantasy setting and gameplay elements make this somewhat of a unique title that gets better reviews than Supernova Star (which is impressive considering that game's great reviews), but slightly lower (but still quite good) sales. The positive reception to a fantasy-styled Kirby game intrigues Sakurai, and though he's currently busy at work on the Sapphire Smash Bros. and Kirby games, he does keep the idea of a proper Kirby RPG in mind for a future title...

Gran Turismo

Released on the same day as the Sapphire game, Gran Turismo for the Supernova is that game shrunk down to portable format. Though there are a lot less cars (500 or so) and tracks, the game looks utterly gorgeous on the Supernova, pushing it to its graphical limits and even at times exceeding the graphical detail of Gran Turismo 3 on the Wave. It even includes a full career mode, something that was missing from the OTL PSP version. It's a gorgeous game, plays extremely well, and even includes an online mode. Gran Turismo on the Nova got an outstanding reception, and though the Supernova version's reviews are slightly worse (the Nova version was an amazing technical feat whereas the Supernova's is merely an extremely good looking game), sales and reviews are still outstanding and it would become one of the best selling Supernova titles.

Minestacker

A 2-to-4 person puzzle game involving brightly colored mines, Minestacker (which does play a bit like Minesweeper but in a 3-D plane and with AI or human opponents) gains fame as a digital title but does have a physical version (with a $20 budget price). It's fine as a single player game with plenty of content, but achieves even more accolades thanks to its addictive online multiplayer. The digital version far outsells the physical version, becoming one of the most popular handheld digital games of the year.

Papal Primacy

Papal Primacy is a pope simulator, specifically based on medieval popes, in which the player takes on the role of a fictional pope and tries to maintain peace in Europe while also expanding Christendom's influence via conversions and crusades. An incredibly deep simulation game that almost requires historical and political science knowledge, it's one of the Supernova's most obscure sims, but it acquires a cult following and would also become a hit amongst streamers and Youtube reviewers for its humor potential (it's possible to be a good pope but also possible to be a very very bad one).

iPod Play:

Shenmue Trilogy

This is a collection of the three Shenmue games (the Saturn and Katana titles) ported to the iPod Play. It's a fairly straightforward port, with the graphics on the Saturn Shenmue and Shenmue II patched up and a few small quality of life features added to make the collection more suitable for portable play. It's a set of classic games available in portable format, though the first two games have been downloadable on iTunes for a while, so it's not as great a deal as one might initially think. However, the collection still sells decently, especially in Japan, and it becomes one of the more popular iPod Play titles of the year.

Snowboard Kids: Halfpipe Academy

A revival of the classic Snowboard Kids series that takes place in an exclusive boarding school high in the mountains, this game brings back the fun, family-oriented gameplay of the original titles and introduces a fun cast of characters, most of whom are fully playable. Unlike OTL's SBK for the DS, which brought the characters back looking more realistic, Halfpipe Academy features a more cartoonish style, similar to the original games. It's a really fun little snowboarding game and even has some easter eggs from Apple's Downhill skiing series. Critical reception is fairly positive, though sales are only about average for the genre.

Maya Fey And The Mysterious Library

A spinoff of the Ace Attorney series starring Maya Fey, the game is essentially a series of puzzle segments in which Maya visits a haunted library on the advice of her ghostly sister Mia. When she does so, she is sucked into several different books by a phantom spirit living there and must use her wits in order to get out, solving puzzles while also working to solve mini-cases with the help of a spirit lawyer. It's a cute little puzzle game and gives Maya (and her sister Mia) a lot of character development, and though Ace Attorney fans do enjoy the game, it's not really comparable to the main series and doesn't have quite as many iconic moments. Reviews and sales are both decent, but casual Ace Attorney fans can skip it, especially since it's exclusive to Apple handhelds.

Roaming Rover: King Size

An interesting twist on the Roaming Rover series in which the titular robot is transformed to gargantuan proportions and sent to stomp across miniature stages as he tries to get home and get himself shrunk down again, lest he squish poor Lydia like a bug. This game is a bit of an experimental title, forcing players to get through platforming stages transformed into a giant who's capable of smashing through obstacles but who also can't navigate certain areas. The game features boss battles against equally gigantic creatures that shake the arenas they take place in. It's odd to see a game like this on a handheld system, but the developers make it work through some unique perspective tricks and gameplay quirks. It gets credit for being more than a typical platforming game, but isn't the best received or best selling Rover game by a long shot, and is seen as somewhat of a miss.

Alterian Cross

A traditional RPG featuring fairly low-tech graphics but a beautiful art style, this game takes place primarily in a massive forest and features a unique new battle system, in which battlefields are vertical and characters must achieve height advantages over their enemies to be effective in their attack and defenses. The game's plot centers around a wayward prince who leads a band of soldiers to battle the dark wizard ruler of an ancient evil empire, but with some twists and turns along the way. As the only major traditional iPod Play exclusive RPG of the year, it gets a lot of attention from hardcore gamers but doesn't make much waves in terms of sales.

Ecco And The Mermaid Queen

Another Ecco the Dolphin game splashes onto the iPod Play, taking the form of an underwater 3-D platformer in which Ecco must help a beautiful mermaid queen rebuild her kingdom after every single person living there goes mysteriously missing. A game that takes elements of both 3-D platformers and even adventure games like Soul Blazer, this Ecco title takes some unique risks, with a more open-world adventure style format and a deep interaction between Ecco and a humanoid character (not a romance, though some fans do make jokes). The game's graphics push the limits of the iPod Play fairly hard, and it doesn't even have an iPhone enhanced version. The game gets great reviews, probably the best reviewed Ecco game ever made, and it becomes a bit of a sleeper hit.

Multiplatform:

Bloodrayne: Exit Mundi

After the success of Submerged, the next Bloodrayne title had a decent amount of hype for it, and would be released not only on the Xbox 2, but on the Sapphire as well. This hack and slash title would see Rayne defending a world condemned to an imminent apocalypse brought on by a powerful vampire lord whom only she can defeat. The game is somewhat more linear than Submerged, taking place across a series of landscapes that are being torn apart by devastating cataclysms, and sees Rayne battling horde after horde of powerful vampire minions, teaming up with what few allies she has left to save the world that she feels she has no stake in. The gameplay is actually a bit simplified from Submerged, and the plot is a bit simpler as well, but it also comes off feeling fairly refined and never overblown. It's not quite as slick or stylish as the Devil May Cry series, but it's still a well reviewed game, and one of the most successful launches of January 2009. Though Bloodrayne remains a mid-tier series, it hasn't faded into obscurity like OTL's series did.

Final Fight: Haggar's Fury

A re-imagining of the classic Final Fight series, this game is a classic styled 2-D beat 'em up for the iTwin and iPod Play. The graphics have been updated to HD standards, but the gameplay is classic Final Fight, as Mike Haggar and his buddies brawl against the bad guys to rescue Mike's new girlfriend. Up to four people can play at once, both locally and online, and the game features some new abilities for Mike and friends, including combo attacks. This game is a budget title released at $29.99, but has plenty of replay value, especially the multiplayer mode.

Mysteries Of The Inca

Released for the Sapphire and iTwin, Mysteries Of The Inca is an exploration game in which the protagonist is a young woman named Zana who must explore ancient Native American ruins. It has some elements of Tomb Raider but with less shooting and more emphasis on puzzles. Zana often clashes with a rival character, who uses unscrupulous means to beat her to the treasures, but the rival is actually a good hearted character and in the end, the two must work together to escape the final traps. With its intuitive puzzles and slick presentation, Mysteries Of The Inca is a very well reviewed critical success but only achieves moderate sales.

Urban Conflict: Liberation

The sequel to 2007's moderately successful Urban Combat: House To House Fighting, Urban Conflict: Liberation is an FPS taking place in a series of cities around the world, and involves dropping into heavily conflicted urban areas to rescue soldiers or civilians in danger. The game's four short campaigns are loosely connected, telling four different stories while sharing some characters between them. The game's campaign system in some ways takes the form of the SOCOM games, with missions designed for a squad of players to experience together (though the game is also playable by a single person). The game's graphical presentation is a step up from the previous game, which was somewhat backward for the Xbox 2. While this game is no Call Of Duty, it does get praised for its realistic combat and relatable characters, telling an exciting story without getting overly emotional. Reviews are quite good, averaging in the low 8s, and the game gets some good sales on the Sapphire and Xbox 2, making it one of the month's stronger releases. It would also get an iTwin version that would lag somewhat behind the other two in sales.

Zone Of The Enders

A port of the first two Zone Of The Enders games for the Supernova and iPod Play, this game adds a few extra missions and storyline segments that tie the two games together better and make them a fairly long and epic campaign, especially for a handheld. The graphics are a bit of a step down from the original console versions of the games, but they still look and play great on the portables, with the Supernova version coming out slightly better than the iPod Play version.

Alice In Wonderland

A JRPG released on the Supernova and iPod Play, this is a game based on the classic story, with Alice as the primary protagonist, and some of the other denizens of Wonderland as Alice's teammates as they first battle against the Queen of Hearts, and then against an even more powerful and deadly enemy threatening to destroy all life in Wonderland. While those who are familiar with the original story and Alice Through The Looking Glass will know most of what will happen, the game does throw in a few twists and the end-game boss is completely original. This is somewhat of a backward presentation for a JRPG, as the game doesn't have any spoken voices to speak of, telling its story entirely through text. It's somewhat of a dark game but nowhere near as dark as American McGee's famous re-telling of the story. Known for its beautiful art style, the game has cult classic written all over it and is one of the best portable RPGs of the year.

Hospitality

Hospitality is a game that combines SimHospital with Surgeon Simulator. This game allows players to run their own hospital, conduct surgeries, create medicine, pretty much every aspect of running a hospital is presented in this game. It has a light hearted aesthetic and becomes one of the most memetic games of the year, with a lot of humor potential in both the business and the surgery side of things. It's initially released on the Sapphire and iTwin, but gets ported to the Xbox 2 and numerous handheld devices as well.

Max Payne 4

Created by a somewhat small studio at Rockstar, Max Payne 4 is somewhat ignored by the company in favor of Grand Theft Auto II, but that doesn't stop this from being a fairly high quality action shooter that in a lot of ways continues where Mona Sax left off, incorporating some of that game's features including its intuitive “level up” feature that changes Max's stats based on how the player performs with him in game. As the first seventh generation Max Payne game, the game is presented in full HD, with realistic character models and animations and a dramatically improved melee combat system with full ragdoll physics. The interrogation/stealth mechanics from Mona Sax are present but less prominent, with Max preferring to let his fists and guns do the talking. The storyline focuses on Max's new life as a mercenary working for a young corporate executive. When the executive's missions cause Max's paths to cross with his old flame Mona, the two uncover a conspiracy that could not only threaten the life of Max's new client, but the lives of people close to them both, forcing them to work together in secret. While Max's employer is definitely presented as a pain in the ass at first, and someone who Max has to actively hide his relationship with Mona from, eventually he comes to respect Max and let him do his thing once he realizes that Mona is on his side and working to protect him as well. Max Payne comes off as more of a benevolent person in this game, doing a job but with a sense of loyalty toward others. Max and Mona's ultimate loyalties lie with each other, and this game, more than any other in the series, emphasizes their relationship. In the end, Max completes his mission, successfully protecting his employer and taking down the villains. Max and Mona rendezvous for one last one night stand, but even though Mona has to leave, it's clear that the spark between the two talented killers has become a flame that may well drive the events of a future game. Released in February 2009 for all three main consoles, Max Payne 4 scores good, but not great reviews. It's clearly not as beloved as Grand Theft Auto II, but it's still a high quality game and sales remain fairly strong.

The Corporate Job

A crime-based action title and the continuation of a series that also features games like The Casino Job and The Bank Job, The Corporate Job sees a band of criminals working to infiltrate a massive company in the hopes of hacking into their assets and scoring some cash. The player takes the reins of the leader of that gang and works their way up the corporate ladder while doing covert criminal missions on the side. The missions in The Corporate Job alternate between fairly mundane missions and action-heavy heists, capturing the same spirit that made previous games in the franchise such a success. However, The Corporate Job stumbles somewhat, and reviewers would award it fairly mediocre reviews, criticizing the game's somewhat boring set-up missions and viewing the action missions as somewhat repetitive. The game looks quite nice, but the voice acting and gameplay are both heavily criticized, and the game easily scores the worst reviews of the series to date. Thanks to the success of the previous two games, The Corporate Job still has a strong launch in terms of sales, but it's one of the year's most disappointing games.

Tomb Raider: Fearless

A new handheld Tomb Raider game for the Supernova and iPod Play, it's the first non-anthology format release for the new handhelds. A proper Tomb Raider adventure, the game sees Lara Croft in a series of action-packed locales as she pursues an antiquities thief across the globe. The game has an emphasis on high-risk, dramatic stunts that see Lara climbing cliffs and diving into deep lakes, exploring extremely hot and cold places (the game introduces a “condition” meter for Lara in which she'll lose health if she gets too hot or too cold, necessitating that the player equip her with the right outfit), and even pursuing the antiquities dealer to an abandoned and crumbling modern city, where she performs extreme parkour to catch her target. The antiquities thief is in position of a tusk that belonged to the mother of an elephant that Lara befriended, and Lara's mission is as much about vengeance as it is about stopping the thief (who plans to sell the weapon to a chemist who wants to make a special drug out of it). The game's focus on dramatic set pieces does lend itself somewhat poorly to the handheld format, with reviewers expressing their wish to see such dramatic landscapes on a larger screen, but the game IS probably the best playing handheld Tomb Raider game since the early Nova days, and scores good marks with reviewers. Sales are about on par with those of Tomb Raider: Generations, and the game does introduce some plot elements that will make their appearance in the upcoming console game.

Bomberman: Robot Blast

This somewhat retro styled Bomberman game is released for the Sapphire and iTwin. Featuring brightly colored battle areas and a variety of environments, it's a top down adventure title that plays much like classic games, and sees Bomberman battling an army of killer robots who can adapt to he and his friends' every move. Of course, in addition to the 64 level campaign, there's also a robust multiplayer mode in which players can enjoy blowing each other up either locally or online. Bomberman: Robot Blast is somewhat limited in its scope and is seen as not worthy of a full priced release, but a game is planned for 2010 that will give Bomberman his biggest adventure yet. This game has to settle for fairly mediocre reviews and sales, but those are shrugged off during the production of the upcoming open world Bomberman game.

Burn

Burn is a third person shooter game about a character who uses a flamethrower and incendiary grenades to torch his enemies. Essentially, the protagonist is a special forces soldier who has been sent in alone to battle a dangerous army poised to invade a helpless foreign country, and the soldier uses the only weapon he knows can defeat all of those men: the power of fire! The game is known for its tongue in cheek nature and excellent fire physics, perhaps the most realistic depiction of fire ever seen in a video game. Unfortunately, despite the realistic flames and meta humor, the game is seen as a mediocre shooter and largely ignored after its release for the Sapphire and Xbox 2.

Frederico

Created by Silver Sail and published by Activision, this is the long awaited HD installment of Frederico, a platforming adventure series about a sombrero-wearing hero who battles against the evil Generalissimo Garcia to rescue his beautiful girlfriend Maddalena. The game is somewhat of a reboot of the series, almost a remake of the original but in full 3-D and with new plot twists and storylines. Indeed, the old character development remains somewhat intact, with characters aware of things that happened in previous games in the series, giving this game a very meta feel. At its core, it's a 3-D platformer, but rather than collecting things, Frederico goes from point to point, battling enemies and gathering up money and items which he can use to enhance his outfit. Enhancing Frederico's outfit enables him to battle stronger monsters and reach new places. Though the first half of the game essentially retells the story of the very first game, after Maddalena is “saved”, Frederico learns that she was possessed by a powerful and vengeful spirit of an ancient princess, who tells Frederico that he has been disturbing her lands and her treasures, and that she will take them back and leave all of Frederico's friends trapped. The second half of the game sees Frederico rescuing his friends (including Generalissimo Garcia, who Frederico is none too happy about saving), gathering all his old stuff, and battling the vengeful princess. Meanwhile, Maddalena, who is quite unhappy that she was used by this princess to get her close to Frederico, devises a plan of her own, escaping and causing lots of mischief and trouble. If the first half of the game is fairly structured, the second half is quite crazy, almost a deconstruction of the entire series this far. In the end, the princess is defeated, but not captured or reformed. Instead, it's implied that she befriends Garcia's daughter Paulina and that the two will be causing more mischief in the future. One of two major games worked on by Silver Sail for 2009 (along with the next-gen Quixsters game), Frederico is mostly positively received for the game's beautiful, colorful graphics and new gameplay and plot twists. The ending feels almost like the end of the franchise if it wasn't for that sequel tease with Paulina and the ghost princess, but Carlos Delgado promises a short time after the game's release that there will be more Frederico in the future. Initial week sales are stronger than expected, though the game fails to become a true hit. It's still a success (certainly more than Honest Jack), but Frederico is clearly no Mario. The game is released for the iTwin (with excellent motion controls), the Sapphire, and the Game Boy Supernova (in complete but somewhat graphically lessened form), and sells about twice as many copies on the iTwin as it does on the Sapphire and Supernova combined.

Neferta: Friends And Foes

The sequel to 2007's surprise hit Neferta: The Ancient Stone, Friends And Foes takes the action/puzzle gameplay of the original and adapts it for more characters, with Neferta now traveling with one of eight companions during the course of her adventures. These include returning characters like Keola, Prince Gogan, Pharaoh Phil, and Smart Asp, but also introduces new characters such as Ban Dolier (a tomb raiding adventurer who's clearly a satire of Brendan Fraser's character from the Mummy films) and Princess Delta (the new princess who usurped Neferta's throne after she was exiled, she's less evil and more stuck-up). The game also introduces some fun new villains, most notably the Sphinxmaster, a Sphinx walking on a massive stone body who crushes anyone who can't answer his riddles. In order to save her friends, Neferta will have to solve the Sphinxmaster's riddles and puzzles while also using her telekinesis to fight a slew of other new baddies with her companions at her side. Gogan isn't quite fully reformed in this game, he's still fairly evil and Neferta is reluctant to team up with him, and the two have great chemistry during their missions. Meanwhile, Keola is her usual silly self, frequently screwing up and forcing Neferta to bail her out of jams. The game does tend toward the silly side a bit too much compared to its predecessor, largely playing toward fanservice interests more than it attempts to be a truly serious story. Still, the gameplay is extremely fun, with the companion mechanic adding a ton of variety to the game's various dungeons and battles. Reviews end up in the high 7s, definitely lower than those for the original game but still good enough for the game to be considered a critical success. As for sales, they're slightly lower than those of the first game. The iTwin version does the best, followed closely by the Sapphire and then the Xbox in a distant third. Electronic Arts isn't 100% pleased with the game's slight sales decline from the first, but they don't mind having a mid-tier series, especially with the devoted cult fandom that the series has. The third game is greenlighted and is planned to be more of a proper sequel, with much more drama and more of an epic feel than Friends And Foes.

Pinball Hall Of Fame

Released on the Sapphire, iTwin, Supernova, and iPod Play, Pinball Hall Of Fame is a compilation game recreating 30 famous pinball tables, similar to OTL's Pinball Arcade. The game recreates tables from the late 70s all the way to the late 90s, with some licensed franchise tables included. In contrast with The Pinball Arcade, Pinball Hall Of Fame is intended to be a more complete, albeit a more expensive ($49.99 MSRP) package. The tables look and sound just like their original counterparts, and play the same way too. Pinball Hall Of Fame would get DLC in the form of five-table packs sold at $9.99 each, with no option to buy individual tables.

Watchmen

A tie-in game for the movie (which, as IOTL, is released in March 2009), Watchmen is a beat 'em up game in which the player takes the role of Rorschach as he solves a series of murders that the rest of his team refuses to get involved in. It's a prequel to the film and comic, and features Jackie Earle Haley, who plays Rorschach IOTL and ITTL in the movie, as the voice of the character in the game. It not only features beat 'em up action, but also mystery solving and interrogation sequences, owing to the increased popularity of mystery games ITTL. Characters from the series such as Ozymandias and the Comedian make prominent appearances in the game, but aren't playable despite playing somewhat major roles in the story. The game gets good reviews, in the low 8/10 range, but despite capturing the feel of the movies quite well and especially capturing Rorschach's character extremely well, it's still seen as a somewhat run of the mill beat 'em up title only enhanced by its presentation. It would see release on all three major consoles, and though it sales fairly briskly initially, sales trail of rather quickly and the game ends up in bargain bins in just a few months. Still, it's good enough that it's seen as a must play game for fans of both the book and the movie.

-

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

January 2009:

1. Arabian Rally (Apple iTwin)
2. Arabian Rally (Nintendo Sapphire)
3. Arabian Rally (Microsoft Xbox 2)
4. Yakuza 3 (Apple iTwin)
5. Bloodrayne: Exit Mundi (Nintendo Sapphire)

February 2009:

1. Endotherm 2 (Apple iTwin)
2. For God And Country: Confessed (Microsoft Xbox 2)
3. The Corporate Job (Nintendo Sapphire)
4. The Corporate Job (Microsoft Xbox 2)
5. Max Payne 4 (Nintendo Sapphire)

March 2009:

1. Gran Turismo 4 (Nintendo Sapphire)
2. Techno Angel: Immortal (Microsoft Xbox 2)
3. Gate (Nintendo Sapphire)
4. Gate (Apple iTwin)
5. Gate (Microsoft Xbox 2)

 

[rick007]

Crime Stories: Literary Ghosts

June 22-August 15, 1917

Background:

Crime Stories started as an idea for a book series set in a fictional Ontario city called Lancaster. In early 2006, a 19-year-old Canadian named Andrew Richards was looking for something to write about. He wanted to write Alternate History books, but his parents said that maybe he should write something like historical mysteries instead.

Well, Richards was also a lover of video games and wanted to make a mystery game. So he studied some programming, wrote out a script and refined it until he was ready. He applied to The Pitch. Amazingly, he won and development, picked up by Rockstar, commenced pretty much immediately. It took two years but in the end, it was worth it. Part of the process was a new form of capturing the performances involving motion capturing the actors and filming them to capture their facial performance up close.

In the end, it was a third person adventure game, with some first person elements. While there were some shooting sections, the game doesn't rely on it. The games are mostly about getting information, tracking down suspects, questioning and searching for clues.

Cast:

Troy Baker as Johnson "Jack" Wood, age 32-33

Born: July 1, 1884.

A returning veteran of the Western Front of World War I, Wood lost the use of his left arm due to a German grenade. An experienced police investigator from before the war, he decides to setup his own private detective agency when he gets back. Normally, a good natured man with a broad handlebar moustache, he gets angered when people he cares about get hurt or insulted. A fan of Sherlock Holmes, he is often seen smoking a pipe. Speaks Welsh as well as English.

Anya Garnis as Svetlana Konstantinevna Petrova, age 28-29

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

A Russian Jew, Petrova was an only child. When she was younger, she moved around a lot: from Russia to Russian Latvia to London, England. Then she decided to become a pathologist. Her parents were against it at first, but grew to accept it. In 1913, she moved to Toronto to finish her studies and first meet Dr. Horace Burns there. When she graduated, he offered Petrova a job as his assistant. She is glad for it and comes to Lancaster. Speaks English, Russian, Hebrew and Yiddish.

Tara Strong as Ethel Wood, age 24-25

Born: November 5, 1892.

Jack's younger sister, they have always had a good relationship, in spite of the large age gap. Whenever her brother comes to her for help, she's always willing, even if she can't stand the sight of blood. When Jack comes home, she, somewhat reluctantly, helps him set up his detective agency. Just as long as she doesn't directly see any dead bodies. She too speaks Welsh and English.

Mae Whitman as Karen Sutter, age 25-26

Born: March 8, 1892.

Ethel's best friend. She wanted to be a policewoman, but the social mores of the time meant that she would only investigate runaway girls and truants and other "Morality Crimes". When Jack offers her the chance to work with him on all cases, she jumps at it. She speaks Dutch and English.

Matthew Ryan as Charles Loveday Harvey, age 34-35

Born: March 12, 1883.

A psychiatrist (though the term used then was Alienist: because people were thought to be alienated from their true natures) and Karen's fiancée. Though a good man, he can be cold. Though he doesn't approve of Karen working with Jack, he bites his tongue.

Sabra Johnson as Agatha Esrom, age 17-18

Born: February 4, 1900.

A teen who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, she immigrated to Canada when she was four. Met Jack in 1910. Jack promised her that he would train her to be a detective. Though they both know that she wouldn't join the force, she does want to start her own business when she is old enough.

Lee Thomson Young as Marcus Jones, age 18-19

Born: January 3, 1899.

Agatha's sweetheart. He comes into things when he stumbles on Agatha developing the photos of the first crime scene and, once things are explained to him, wants to help.

James Arnold Taylor as Finbarr "Finn" Collins, age 33

Born: June 14, 1884.

A journalist with the Lancaster Spectator. He is Jack and Ethel's cousin. Always happy to help, gives his cousins information in exchange for stories. He is gay in a time when that sort of thing wasn't tolerated, so he hides it.

Lyssa Fielding as Sarah Grace, age 32-33

Born: January 31, 1885.

A journalist with the Toronto Globe. Always inquisitive, she wants to report on crime instead of lifestyles.

Adam Beach as Detective Sergeant Michael Cross, age 27

Born: April 10, 1890.

A Mohawk Indian from the Six Nations Reserve outside of Brantford, Ontario. He joined the Lancaster Police Force as part of a pilot program in 1909. Wanting to prove himself, he keeps his true relationship with Finn Collins a secret.

Clancy Brown as Detective Inspector Clarence Raceland, age 54-55

Born: October 4, 1862.

An old school police inspector, he is wary of the new scientific methods of those like Jack and Michael. He is also a bit of a bigot and a misogynist, but he is willing to be proven wrong.

John DiMaggio as Horace Burns, age 57-58

Born: September 4, 1859.

Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Doctor Burns is the City Coroner. Always a forward thinker, he never misses an opportunity to bring about a change if he feels it necessary.

Grey Delisle as Mary Crichton, age 32-33

Born: August 31, 1884.

Mary grew up with Jack and married well. Though she is happy with her role in life, she was, from a young age, instilled with a need to help those less fortunate than herself. Though she can be misguided, and a little Anti-Semitic, her heart is in the right place and she does apologize when she has been proven wrong.

Greg Baldwin as Wendell Crichton, age 33-34

Born: October 13, 1883.

Mary's husband and heir to the Crichton fortune. Good friend of the people, he is planning to run for the city council.

Stephanie Jewell as Rachel Crichton, age 10-11

Born: April 7, 1907.

Mary and Wendell's eldest, she is studious and fun loving. She always obeys her parents.

Harold Donovan as Henry Crichton, age 5

Born: May 6,1912.

Mary and Wendell's middle child. He looks up to his sister a great deal.

Cole Ballard as Cole Crichton, age 3

Born: June 2, 1914.

Mary and Wendell's last child. A shy boy, he follows his older siblings everywhere.

Corey Burton as Absalom Crichton, age 60-61

Born March 17, 1857.

A steel magnate, Crichton prides himself on having pulled himself up by his bootstraps. Though something in his past haunts him and he taught his children to help others.

Gabriel Byrne as William and Shay Burroughs, age 60

Born May 4, 1857.

Owners of several dry goods stores, they are ruthless and opportunistic. They see people as mere pawns.

George Buza as Henry Aaronson, age 60

Born: January 14, 1857. Died: June 22, 1917.

An English Literature Professor at McCulloch University in Toronto. He had been growing increasingly paranoid as the years went on. He was always worried about something.

Don Creech as Crispin Fontaine, age 60

Born: February 17, 1857. Died: July 3, 1917.

A lawyer, he always protected the rich and powerful.

Wendy Crewson as Elenora Farcas, age 45-46

Born: December 12, 1871.

A madam of a brothel, she takes in girls from off the streets and takes care of them. She doesn't force her girls to do anything.

Gideon Emery as David C. Looney, age 46-47

Born November 5, 1870.

A businessman and crook. He owns and operates the Court of St. James Jazz Club. A jovial man he takes pride in helping those in need. He also sells illegal goods on the side.

Matthew Mercer as Geoffrey Baker aka Trevor Wilkes, age 37-38

Born: January 18, 1880.

Born into squalor, he watched his mother get killed by Aaronson, Fontaine and the Burroughs twins. When Crichton saw what they had done, he set about trying to help Wilkes, but lost contact. Wilkes thought he could get the men involved in his mother's death to admit what they had done and, by the end, went overboard.

Steve Blum as Arthur Wood, age 54-55

Born: October 1, 1862.

Jack and Ethel's father, he runs a successful Real Estate and Construction firm. He loves his family and would do anything to help them, outside of breaking the law.

Adrianne Barbeau as Charlotte Wood, age 51

Born: May 31, 1866.

Jack and Ethel's mother. Though she was young when she had Jack, she seems a lot older. She is the one who encouraged Jack to go into business and to, in her words, "prove your worth, your way."

April Stewart as Lucy Collins nee Wood, age 42

Born: June 20, 1875.

Finn's mother, Arthur's sister and Jack and Ethel's aunt. Very happy go lucky, even after the death of her husband in 1908.

Mary Kay Bergman as Maude Wilson nee Wood, age 56

Born: May 7, 1861.

The stern aunt. Always with a frown on her face, she never seems to approve of anything.

Colleen O'Shaughnessy as Paula Knight nee Wood, age 47

Born: June 3, 1870.

The sickly aunt, though she is a strong will.

Jim Cummings as Nigel Wood, age 60

Born: June 20, 1857.

The eldest son and a bit of adventurer. He got $10,000 out of the Klondike Gold Fields. Now he owns a ranch in Alberta.

Christopher Plummer as Cadwaleder Howell, age 74-75

Born: April 9, 1843. Died: April 13, 1918.

The old Colonel. Everyone calls him that even members of his own family. Charlotte is his only child. He was pleased that his only grandson joined the army. Lost his legs fighting the Boers.

June Foray as Bronwyn Howell, age 73-74

Born: January 8, 1844. Died: April 13, 1918.

Colonel Howell's wife. She has settled into the life of the army officer's wife.

Yannick Bisson as Thomas C. Wood, age 67

Born: January 15, 1942.

The grandson of Wood and Petrova, he would become a teacher. He has always told the story of his grandparents in class. When Jennifer Fraser approached him about this documentary, he readily accepted.

Peter Stormare as Konstantine Petrov, age 54

Born: June 14, 1863(N.S.) (O.S. June 2, 1863)

Petrova's father. He is always proud of his only child and is eventually glad that she followed a similar path to himself, as he's a pharmacist.

Claudia Black as Elena Petrova, age 50

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

Petrova's mother, she's the disciplinarian of the house. Though she does have her gentle moments as well.

Chantal Riley as Jennifer Fraser, age 23

Born: June 5, 1985.

Agatha's great granddaughter. A Criminology and film student, she accidently came across Wood and Petrova in her studies. When she found out about her and her professor's connection she knew she had the subject of her first film.

Robson Green as Abraham Richards, age 48-49

Born: 1868-1869.

Not much is known about Richards other than he was a Russian Jew born in Latvia. He made his way to England where he picked up a Geordie accent and he works for British Intelligence (the Secret Service Bureau, the precursor to MI6).

Will Friedle as Jonas Evans, age 23

Born: June 5, 1894.

A young, inexperienced secret agent working with Richards. He hails from Toronto.

James McCaffery as Detective Sergeant Henderson J. McNaughton, age 36

Born: June 7, 1881.

Works in Lancaster Police Department's Burglary Section. A charming fellow, he is not above cutting corners if it suits him.

Liam O'Brien as Patrick Jones, age 45

Born: June 21, 1872.

An accountant in Crichton's factory who has a predilection for young women. He usually gets what he wants.

Patricia Thomas as Sofia Meyers, age 14

Born: October 4, 1903.

O'Brien's maid, she came over from Ireland when she was 11. She wants to do good but doesn't know how.

Rick Pasqualone as Salvatore "Sal" Pinedo, age 28

Born: November 2, 1889.

Served under Jack in the army. He gets sent home after Jack after losing his left leg in battle.

Georgina Reilly as Maeve Pinedo, age 27

Born: June 13, 1890.

Sal's wife. Developed a crush on Jack that he knows about but will never reciprocate. She still loves her husband though, just not as much as she did.

Joseph Carducci as Giorgi Pinedo, age 11

Born: May 7, 1906

Sal and Maeve's son. His nose is always in one book or other. Still wants to have an adventure like the pulp novels that he loves.

Avery Brooks as Reverend Booker Jones, age 59-60

Born: January 8, 1858.

Marcus' father. A Baptist minister from Oklahoma, he is skeptical of any whites trying to help his community. Though he is willing to have his mind changed.

Jack Huston as Harold "Harry" Finch, age 26-27

Born: November 30, 1890.

Ethel's sweetheart, he served with Jack in the army. The left side of his face was damaged beyond repair during the war. As a result, he wears a prosthetic mask to cover it.

Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt, age 59

Born: October 27, 1858.

Who hasn't heard of Theodore Roosevelt? 26th President, Rough Rider, former Police commissioner, former Governor of New York. He finds a kindred spirit, or so he hopes, in Jack Wood.

Susanne Blakeslee as Edith Roosevelt, age 56

Born: August 6, 1861.

Theodore's wife. She is a strong willed woman.

Ted Levine as Detective Joseph Adams, age 58

Born: March 2, 1860.

An old friend of Theodore's from his days as police commissioner. He helped clean up the department as much as he could. He is willing to listen to evidence.

Michael Kenneth Williams as Thomas Michaels, age 43

Born: February 12, 1875.

Michaels has been working with the New York branch of the NAACP since its founding. He has also help Theodore with various problems that he has had around the city.

The Plot:

Revenge is a kind of wild justice, which the more a man's nature runs to, the more ought law to weed out.

-Francis Bacon.

The game starts with some old home movies from the '60s. They focus on an older couple, a man and a woman. The man doesn't seem able to use his left arm. A voice over starts: "This is how I remember them. Older, yet full of life." As the movies end, the lights come on and the person speaking comes on screen. Text on screen labels him as Thomas C. Wood (Professor of Criminology, McCulloch University), who looks to be in his late 60s. He says the reason he made this documentary was to get people of the modern day to appreciate the past. And to bring his grandparents back into the limelight.

Jennifer Fraser (Criminology and film student) then comes into frame saying that's nice and all but why not start at the beginning. As we transition to the opening credits, Wood says that his grandparents first met on the train to Lancaster, he was 32, and just out of the service, and she was 28, and just graduated from medical school. (The game intercuts back to the present during cutscenes to provide context and narration.) After the titles, the game proper starts.

After the titles, the game shifts to a train, where Jack Wood is sitting, smoking a pipe. Titles say that this is Toronto, June 22, 1917. Wood is looking at the station clock when he realizes that he hasn't changed his watch for a long time. He curses in Welsh when Petrova comes in. This prologue serves to introduce some of the major characters of the game: The Woods, Petrova, Wood's maternal grandparents the Howells, Karen Sutter, Agatha Esrom, Wood's cousin Finn Collins, Dr. Horace Burns and most of the Crichtons save family patriarch Absalom. Eventually we also meet Petrova's parents. As Petrova settles into her new job at the coroner's office (and experiences sexual harassment, misogyny and anti Semitism there) Wood looks for an office for his business. When Wood sets his business up, during which we meet Sutter's fiancée, Dr. Charles Loveday Harvey, he gets a call from Burns, who's the city coroner about a murder case.

Part 1: A Semi-Barbarous Age

Revenge is the naked idol of worship in a semi-barbarous age.

-Percy Bysshe Shelly.

It is June 25, 1917. At the house of the first victim, one Doctor Henry Aaronson, the player meets Detective Inspector Clarence Raceland and Detective Sergeant Michael Cross, a Mohawk from the Six Nations Reserve outside Brantford. Raceland treats Cross worse than Wood because of his race, and the women because of their gender, but he puts up with them both because the city council orders him to and, as Cross says, because Wood says so. Though Cross also suspects that Raceland has a small bit of respect for him from their years working together. Aaronson is found in his office dressed like Captain Ahab, complete with amputated leg, with a harpoon sticking out of his chest. Cause of death: being beaten to death with a paper weight before the harpoon went in.

This part mainly concentrates on the investigation into Dr. Aaronson's life and habits (especially after it's found out that he had syphilis). These include visiting Nora's Sewing and Quilting Academy (a bordello run by a Hungarian immigrant named Elenora Farcas), The Court of St. James (a recently opened jazz club run by an Irish immigrant and crook named David C. Looney [his name is pronounced Loan-ey]) and his place of work, McCulloch University where we meet Professor Geoffrey Baker. As the investigation goes on, Wood gets more help from Esrom's boyfriend, Marcus Jones and Maeve and Giorgi Pinedo, the wife and son of an army friend of Wood's and Fin and Petrova's friend Sarah Grace. It ends shortly after Wood's 33rd birthday on July 1, 1917, with someone finding Crispin Fontaine, Aaronson's lawyer, found wearing a Confederate army uniform hanging by a bridge like in the Ambrose Bierce short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.

Part 2: The Sweet of Revenge.

I tasted too what was called the sweet of revenge-but it was transient, it expired even with the object, that provoked it.

-Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, 1764.

Looking through Fontaine's cases, diaries and appointment books reveals that Fontaine and Aaronson were possibly more than just attorney/client. It seems that both men were acquainted since university and that they did something in the past that is getting them killed now. Wood, while visiting the Crichtons, who were also represented by Fontaine, mentions this and Absalom seems to have something to say but is interrupted by a call.

During an interview with the Burroughs twins, who were also represented by Fontaine, they put two and two together but refuse to say more without an attorney present. At the station, the group start asking what is worth covering up? Why these men? Who is murdering them now? That's when Mary Crichton calls saying that Rachel has disappeared.

Part 3: Graves of the Dead.

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

-Confucius.

During the search for Rachel, Wood tries to help with the case. Eventually, Petrova says that he should concentrate on looking for Rachel and even offers to help. Wood agrees and, while searching the area where she was last seen with friends and family one more time, they find her. She is wearing a dress similar to the one Alice wore in the original illustrations from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and there is a bloodied heart shaped axe lying next to her and she is bleeding from a head wound. Yes, she is still alive but she lost a lot of blood. Fortunately, Petrova manages to bandage her up enough to have her taken to the hospital.

After the operation, it's found that not only will she have a scar across her forehead but she developed epilepsy. While she is resting, Absalom Crichton comes into the station and says that he knows whose behind this: Trevor Wilkes, the son of a prostitute that he and his friends (Aaronson, Fontaine and the Burroughs twins) killed back in 1888. Crichton says it was an accident and that he never intended for this to happen. In fact, he personally saw to it that the boy got a good education, getting reports on his progress.

Then, in 1909, he disappeared. When asked what he studied, Crichton says English Literature. When Rachel is well enough to talk she says that the axe falling on her was an accident and that her kidnapper was kind. She says that the house was close to the park and when she sees it, they break in, revealing that Trevor Wilkes is Geoffrey Baker and that he is going after the Burroughs twins next.

Fortunately, they get there in time to stop Wilkes from killing them. After being confronted with the fact that he harmed a child in his quest for revenge for his mother, Wilkes goes with them quietly. While giving his confession, Wood nearly attacks him but Petrova manages to calm him down enough to get it out and he is found guilty and sentenced to hang.

DLC Cases:

These DLC cases take place after the main story. They serve as a bridge of sorts between this game and its sequel. These cases are loosely connected.

A Game of Chess

October 15, 1917-April 15, 1918

As a rule, the more bizarre a thing is, the less mysterious it proves to be. It is your commonplace, featureless crimes which are really puzzling, just as a commonplace face is the most difficult to identify.

-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

1. The Case of the Clock Shop October 15-19, 1917.

White: Pawn E2-E4

Black: Pawn B7-B6

The case starts in Wood's office, when Petrova comes in. She was doing an autopsy on a heart attack victim named Dieter Schmidt when the heel of his shoe came off revealing a piece of paper and a key. She has no idea what it could be for. The paper has some German on it. Wood says he'll look into it and she returns to work. Soon after Karen comes in, having just returned from her honeymoon, and she brought a client: Abraham Richards, though he uses the name Eustis Carmichael.

Seems that Schmidt was an agent for the Germans and Richards needs Wood's help in discovering what he was up to. After some poking around in the title clock shop, Karen discovers some flaxseed, which she realizes is useful for making TNT (her father was an explosives expert, that's how she knows). It's outside of a grandfather clock and she discovers that it has a keyhole. That's when they meet Jonas Evans, who says that he would like the key they have and that he works with Richards. They don't believe him and say they don't have a key.

Eventually our groups meet and we find that Schmidt was smuggling flaxseed to German agents in America and that the key opens a secret room behind the grandfather clock. Richards and Evans thank Wood and the others and say they'll take it from here.

2. The Old Soldier's Bones October 28-31, 1917.

White: Pawn D2-D4

Black: Bishop C8-B7

In the lead up to Halloween, someone digs up a skeleton wearing an old uniform in an area set to be used for the building of new houses. Wood is called in because they want to cover their bases. He enlists the help of his grandfather who says that the soldier is wearing the uniform of his old unit, The Royal Welch and that he remembers a young corporal named Simon Rylance, who disappeared with some money in the early 1880's. There is still an outstanding reward for the money.

The money is nowhere to be found and it seems that Rylance slip and hit his head on a rock and died. While he is buried, Wood decides to try and find the money. Fortunately, Rylance seems to have buried it close by and has turned it into a treasure hunt. He, with Agatha and the younger Crichtons, manage to find it and return it to the local branch of the mint for the reward, though Wood donates a part of it to medical research.

3. The Adventure of the Wrong Books November 3-8, 1917.

White: Bishop F1-D3

Black: Pawn F7-F5

On the day that Sal Pinedo comes home from the war, Jack gets a case from Absalom Crichton. It seems that one of his accountants, a man named Patrick Jones, has been embezzling from his company and he wants to get Jack in to run an external investigation. Jack accepts and starts looking into what he is doing.

At first there is nothing out of the ordinary. Then Ethel starts noticing discrepancies. Including that someone is forging Jones's name. After a few more days of this, Wood goes to Crichton and asks what this really is about. Crichton says that he has long suspected that Jones has been doing something illegal, he just doesn't know what. Wood promises to keep an eye on him but he will have to close this case.

4. The Case of the Reverend's Telescope November 12, 1917.

White: Pawn takes Pawn E4-F5

Black: Bishop takes Pawn B7-G2

Marcus Jones shows up at the agency with his father, Reverend Booker Jones, to say that the Reverend's telescope has been stolen and that the police aren't helping. Wood goes to talk to McNaughton and he hands over the (rather thin) case file and says not to look into it too hard. After looking around the church, Jack and company determine that the theft was carried out by Agatha who merely took it without permission (she didn't think Reverend Jones would say yes if he knew she was going to use it for another case).

Reverend Jones says that she will have to earn the telescope and, as punishment, she'll have to clean the church every week for a month. Reverend Jones tells Wood that it was just a test to see if Wood was really as good as Marcus and Agatha said they were and that he knew that Agatha had it. He just wanted her to come forward herself.

5. The Adventure of the Young Maid December 14-19, 1917.

White: Queen D1-H5

Black: Pawn G7-G6

Harry Finch returns home and Jack gives him a job working for him. Their first case together involves Patrick Jones. His maid, one Sofia Meyers, is claiming that he raped her, that he was keeping her prisoner and that she is possibly carrying his child. Petrova confirms that she was raped and that she is pregnant. The only thing that needs to be confirmed is the accusation against Jones.

It takes several days but it is proven that Jones did rape her and kept her prisoner using the money that he embezzled, and continued to embezzle, from Crichton's company. Jones is fired and jailed. Meyers, along with her unborn child (she has chosen to keep it), will live with Wendell, Mary and their family as their maid. Shortly afterwards, both Jack and Petrova and Harry and Ethel get engaged (Jack paying a visit to Toronto to ask her parents).

6. The Case of the Bull Moose January 31-February 8, 1918.

White: Pawn takes Pawn F5-G6

Black: Knight G8-F6

Revisiting the Flaxseed Case, Richards and Evans ask Jack, Petrova and Karen to come to New York. It seems that they didn't get all the flaxseed and some ended up in the city. They need help, so Richards and Evans recruited Theodore Roosevelt and his friend Joseph Adams of the NYPD.

Over the next few days they search high and low for it, eventually finding it near the Woolworth Building which the bombers intended to blow up. Richards and Evans take it from there and say that the bombers will go away for a long time.

7. The Case of the New York Bandit February 8-10, 1918.

White: Pawn takes Pawn G6-H7

Black: Knight takes Queen F6-H5

Still in New York, Roosevelt asks Jack, Petrova and Karen to help him and Adams track down a thief who's stealing from the city's African American community. The police won't do anything about it and, though Edith and Adams are against Roosevelt helping, they go for it.

With the help of Thomas Michaels, they bring down the thief: Joseph Adams. He apparently wanted the police to do something to help these people, so he stole from them. It's very backwards.

8. The New Start April 7-15, 1918.

White: Bishop D3-G6 Checkmate.

This case begins with Jack and Petrova returning from their honeymoon. They find that Jack's grandparents are dying. They also get a new case: another pile of bones was found, this time of a young woman. She is identified as a Moira King. Reverend Jones knew her. She was a member of his congregation and she went missing in 1908.

Jack looks into it and it seems that Miss King was attacked by wolves and everyone thought she ran away. Reverend Jones refuses to believe it until confronted with the fact that there were no other marks on the body. There are two funerals: one for Moira King, the other for the Howells.

Gameplay:

The gameplay is split into two sections: Mystery, dedicated to the mystery portions of the game (looking for clues, interviewing witnesses and suspects and analyzing what they all mean, getting informants) and Slice of Life, dedicated to side activities like dates between the characters or minigames that act to fill out the story. It also shifts between Jack Wood and Svetlana Petrova, depending on which section that is being played.

Achievements/Trophies:

Just the Beginning: Get all other achievements/trophies 150g/Platinum

Welcome to the show: Two partners meet 15g/Bronze

From Hell's Heart: Get every clue at the professor's house 15g/Bronze

Take a stab: Complete the first autopsy 20g/Silver

A Lifetime with Mercury: Determine the syphilis carrier 20g/Silver

The Third Degree: Correctly branch every question in an interview 30g/Silver

A Good Start: Get an informant 15g/Bronze

The Network: Get all informants 15g/Bronze

Good Learning: At Aaronson's office, find the group photo in the first sweep 15g/Bronze

The Plot Thickens: Find and solve an inspection puzzle 15g/Bronze

A Knotty Problem: Find all the clues at the second crime scene 30g/Silver

Clear as can be: Develop all pictures right the first time 50g/Silver

On the map: Find all landmarks in game 30g/Silver

No time like the past: Search the archives for answers 50g/Silver

Down the Rabbit Hole: Find Rachel 40g/Silver

Heart of Darkness: Find the Hideout 50g/Silver

The heart of the matter: Use evidence to prove a lie 30g/Silver

Almost there: Gather 95% of evidence 80g/Gold

Filling the Library: Find all the Pulp Novels 30g/Silver

Over There: Get through all memories of the war 40g/Silver

No longer with two left feet: Attend all dancing classes 30g/Silver

Good on ya: Visit The Court of St. James at least five times 30g/Silver

A few words: Use evidence to get a confession 100g/Gold

One for the files: Get 100% Completion 100g/Gold

DLC:

Soft shoe: Take the heel off the shoe 20g/Bronze

Office hours: Look around the clock shop during the day 20g/Bronze

After hours: Get into the clock shop at night without being seen 20g/Bronze

Prelude to a boom: Find the flaxseed 20g/Bronze

Opening Moves: Complete The Case of the Clock Shop 20g/Bronze

From the Grave: Search the area around the remains 20g/Bronze

Do I know you?: Identify the victim 20g/Bronze

Is that it?: Find the map 20g/Bronze

Eureka!: Find the Treasure 20g/Bronze

Put to rest: Complete The Old Soldier's Bones 20g/Bronze

Less and less: Follow Jones without being seen 20g/Bronze

A good man?: Search Jones' home 20g/Bronze

Not right: Interview Sofia Meyers 20g/Bronze

Not a sound investment: Look for discrepancies in the books 20g/Bronze

An eye out: Complete The Adventure of the Wrong Books 20g/Bronze

Not here to chat: Search the church 20g/Bronze

Looking up: Interview the staff 20g/Bronze

A test then: Follow Agatha 20g/Bronze

Good news: Get the telescope back 20g/Bronze

Well earned: Complete The Case of the Reverend's Telescope 20g/Bronze

Innocence Lost: Interview Sofia Meyers again 20g/Bronze

Not by a long shot: Search Jones's house again 20g/Bronze

Got it: Found proof of Jones's guilt 20g/Bronze

A Silver Lining: Get Sofia a job with the Crichtons 20g/Bronze

Innocence Regained?: Complete The Adventure of the Young Maid 20g/Bronze

De-Lighted!: Meet TR 20g/Bronze

The Square Deal: Search the last know location of the saboteurs 20g/Bronze

A good man: Interview the caught saboteur 20g/Bronze

End of the trail: Find the Flaxseed 20g/Bronze

The Strenuous Life: Complete the Case of the Bull Moose 20g/Bronze

A New York Minute: Search the latest crime scene 20g/Bronze

Making good time: Interview the other victims 20g/Bronze

At last!: Fight with the thief 20g/Bronze

One less good man: Have Adams return the items he stole 20g/Bronze

Leaving the Big Apple: Complete The Case of the New York Bandit 20g/Bronze

History Repeating: Search the scene 20g/Bronze

A little worse for wear: Tell Reverend Jones about the Victim 20g/Bronze

Taps: Say goodbye to the Howells 20g/Bronze

A small victory: Convince Reverend Jones of the truth 20g/Bronze

No goodbyes: Complete The New Start 20g/Bronze

Reception:

Crime Stories: Literary Ghosts was released worldwide on April 7, 2009 for Xbox 2, Apple iTwin and Nintendo Sapphire. The DLC content would be released once a month afterwards. While it received good scores, in the mid-8s to low-9s, the game did attract some controversy. Namely, it shows the racism, bigotry and misogyny of the period full force, even from the nominal good guys.

Richards maintains that that this was done to maintain accuracy. While most accept that, some condemn the game for promoting this sort of thing. Rockstar stands by Richards and the property and work on a sequel starts right away.

 

[RySenkari]

Journey To Mysidia

Journey To Mysidia is an action-RPG developed and published by Squaresoft exclusively for the Nintendo Sapphire. Created by a new team of young programmers assembled by the company, the game most closely resembles the Tales series in its gameplay style, but incorporates a number of new gameplay mechanics and intriguing twists, as well as calling back to the Final Fantasy series with references to that franchise (including the land referenced in the title, a reference to the city of wizards in Final Fantasy IV). The game centers around two heroic teams, one of light and one of darkness, both consisting of five legendary heroes who are tasked with journeying to the ancient magical realm of Mysidia, where all wishes are said to come true. The two teams are played separately for about the first two thirds of the game before finally coming together, and though one team consists of "light" heroes and the other team consists of "dark" heroes, both teams are heroic, only differing in their approaches and circumstances to the journey. The gameplay is fairly typical to standard action-RPG fare, with the player controlling one person at a time in battle but able to switch between characters at any time. Classes in the game are fairly strict, with some characters having more utility than others in certain tasks and each character having their own distinct statistical and ability-related quirks, with leveling up allowing players to distribute stat points and ability points. While some abilities are shared between characters, other abilities are unique. Both the "light" and "dark" teams have their own unique dynamics and "feel": the light team focuses more on defense and healing, protection and buffing. Battles with the "light" team tend to take a bit longer and play out more strategically. The dark team focuses more on attacking and damage, taking more risks and debuffing the enemy, with quicker battles and "squishier" characters. Once the light and dark teams come together, a new mechanic emerges: a "clash" mechanic in which light and dark attacks can be alternated on the same enemy to rack up damaging combo attacks, while the light team's buffs can give the dark team's characters incredible power and the dark team's debuffs can really speed things up for the light team. The game doesn't have a traditional "overworld", characters instead venture between paths and dungeons and towns, similarly to OTL's Final Fantasy X, with enemies encountered in the field and entering a separate battle screen when they are touched by the party. Each character has their own "limit break" of sorts (for light team members it's called a Surge, for dark team members it's called a Calamity) that can either unleash a devastating attack or help the party with some tremendous support skill. These are quite rare UNTIL the third party of the game, where building up light-dark combinations can charge them up a lot faster.

Brief character summaries:

Light Team-
Shanora: A beautiful magical princess and the light team's primary protagonist, sent forth to rally the five "heroes of light" to find Mysidia.
Estair: A dashing paladin who's a bit overly formal (like OTL's Steiner from Final Fantasy IX), Estair takes it upon himself to protect Shanora.
Garoar: A mighty lion man who comes from a majestic warrior tribe, Garoar is sort of the "tank" of the light team and can block fatal attacks.
Ned: A wily old man who claimed to have seen Mysidia once on his own heroic journey many years ago, he takes it upon himself to train Shanora.
Lily: A brave young huntress, Lily is the youngest member of the team, and is pure of heart and brilliant with an arrow.

Dark Team-
Kraig: The Dark King, monarch of a powerful realm who seeks out Mysidia to aid his suffering people.
Sylene: A somewhat sneaky half-cat, half-human woman, Sylene is a master thief, and is somewhat of a Robin Hood figure. Once condemned to be executed by Kraig, she ended up becoming his most loyal follower.
Lazara: A mysterious doctor who performs unsanctioned experiments, Lazara has a curious scientific mind, though she can be a bit cold.
Darien: A dark knight and a master swordsman, he and Estair are sort of an homage to the two forms of Cecil in Final Fantasy IV.
Flask: A dragon expert who is able to train the creatures and bend them to his will, he has been instrumental in assembling Kraig's dragon army.

Journey To Mysidia features some impressive looking 3-D graphics, one of the better looking RPGs of its day for sure, though it's not quite as visually impressive as the later Final Fantasy XII. Squaresoft also skimped somewhat on the localization, casting mostly unknowns rather than the usual Los Angeles-based voice actors who'd be well known to long-time gamers. Though there are a couple of recognizable names amongst the main cast, most of the voice actors in the game are fairly new to voicing games. That said, the voice acting in the game is deemed acceptable by most critics, with a few standout performances. The music for the game is composed by Naoshi Mizuta, who would also compose the score for the companion game on the Supernova, Second Horizon (the two games would share a number of shared themes, though they take place in different universes).

The game starts by telling the story of the realm of Mysidia using two different framing devices: Shanora being told the story as a young girl, and Kraig telling the story to his young daughter. After some more backstory in which we see Shanora being raised up as a destined hero while Kraig suffers a series of tragedies, including the death of his daughter (which explains his affection for Sylene, since she reminds him of his daughter somewhat which is why he spared her life), we learn why the two realms seek out Mysidia: Shanora seeks it to prevent the power from falling into the hands of a prophesized "dark one", while Kraig seeks it to save his realm from a plague. The two heroic teams are quickly assembled, with the player's perspective alternating between the two teams about once every 2-3 hours (the general formula is mostly that one team completes about two quests before the story switches off to the other team for two quests, then back). The two teams do have some interesting story connections and occasionally, a character from one team will encounter a character from another. The story goes out of its way to show that the "light" side isn't all good, with Shanora's kingdom being vaguely authoritarian, and that the "dark" side isn't all bad (in fact, it never really paints the dark kingdom as being villainous at all). Once the two teams are fully assembled, their journey begins in earnest, with a villain emerging on each side (the light team's villain is the dark wizard Althar, who murdered Shanora's parents and threatens to drain Mysidia's power, while the dark team's villain is a disgraced former dark knight known as Ragna, who seeks Mysidia's power to craft a sword that will allow him to depose Kraig in battle). Eventually, the two teams reach Mysidia simultaneously, and though Althar poses a significant threat by this time, the two teams nearly come to blows, with Shanora blaming Kraig for the deaths of her parents, and Kraig believing that Shanora's kingdom unleashed the plague. However, they soon realize that these are merely lies spread by Althar, and Shanora's team battles and defeats him. Althar swears vengeance, only to be struck down by Ragna, who Kraig believes is an ally by this point (while Ragna has been orchestrating most of the problems for the dark team, he's not made himself known as a villain and instead most of the problems for Kraig's group have been caused by rogue elements of Shanora's kingdom). Althar is defeated, but Mysidia's power has waned since the days of legend, and it's mostly populated by people who are merely surviving and know little about the power contained within the land. Meanwhile, corrupted creatures walk Mysidia and threaten those who approach, necessitating Shanora and Kraig's groups to team up for the first time. As this is going on, Ragna, under a clever disguise, finds a way to gain a bit of power from Mysidia and then covertly returns to his contacts in Shanora's kingdom to take over there. Even though Shanora and Kraig purify Mysidia's corruption, they cannot unlock its power. Suddenly, troops from Shanora's nation invade, led by Ragna, who has stoked a coup. Shanora and several other members of both teams are taken prisoner, and Kraig must lead a team consisting of Sylene, Estair, and Lily on a rescue mission. Meanwhile, Ragna finds a way to unlock the power held by the ancient king of Mysidia, but this power unleashes a demonic force that cannot be contained. The heroes learn that the power of Mysidia was sealed away to prevent this demon from emerging: the people willingly gave up their power to save the rest of the world. In seeking this power, Ragna has unleashed the demon, but even knowing this, he does not stop, and forges his sword of power. He tries to dual Kraig and kill him, but Shanora saves him, sustaining what appears to be a fatal wound. The other nine heroes call forth the power of Mysidia to save Shanora's life. Shanora is healed, and leads the heroes in battle against the demonic force. Upon defeating it, they then defeat Ragna and release the power trapped within the land, scattering it to the winds. It can no longer be used to help people, but it's also no longer a danger to the planet. However, now that Mysidia is freed from the power's dark influence, it can be settled freely by people all over the world, a place where the kingdoms of light and darkness unite under a common sky. Shanora finally assumes her role as queen with Estair as her consort, while Kraig resumes ruling his kingdom, no longer burdened by the tragedies of his past.

Journey To Mysidia is released in North America on April 14, 2009, about two months after the game's initial Japanese release. It's released to a highly (though not overwhelmingly) positive reception from critics, making it easily the best reviewed JRPG since Chrono Break. Critics praise the game's fun battle system, strong cast of characters, and great musical score and art style, though they somewhat criticize Ragna for being a bit of a weak villain, and also criticize the battles for being repetitive in certain circumstances even if the battle system is good. The game's initial week of sales in North America are somewhat hampered by circumstances beyond Squaresoft's control (more on that in the upcoming news update), but generally the game is considered a success thanks to a good marketing campaign and word of mouth. Though it's seen as somewhat of a "transitional game" between Chrono Break and Final Fantasy XII, it's still a good one and the reception to both it and its companion game convince Squaresoft that more might need to be done with this universe, perhaps establishing another quality IP for the company.

-

Second Horizon

Second Horizon is a turn-based RPG for the Game Boy Supernova. It features the same elements of "light" and "darkness" in Journey To Mysidia, but instead of the two sides cooperating, the game focuses on a clash between fabled warriors of light, seen as unambiguously good, and the forces of darkness, which are led by sympathetic but still ultimately villainous characters. Like Journey To Mysidia, players control a team of five heroes in battle (out of a possible ten characters in all), though combat is turn based and features a dynamic order based on agility and other "trick" moves and similar to the battle system of OTL's Final Fantasy X, with elements of OTL's Radiant Historia thrown in (enemy and hero positioning is important for certain techniques). The game features slightly more arcane language and technology than Journey To Mysidia, suggesting a world earlier along in its stages of development, with more medieval imagery and even a hint of Eastern-based culture thrown in with samurai and ninjas playing a prominent role in the game. The game's main plot is concerned with the heroic light team attempting to prevent the rise of a "dark" sun summoned forth by the Empire of Locrant, led by a powerful being known as the God-Emperor Dynaklast. Dynaklast employs a powerful army of trained warriors who believe that the rise of the dark sun will bring eternal peace to a world that's seen war and disaster befall it for thousands of years, while the heroes of light are prophesized to bring peace by destroying the Empire of Locrant and the dark sun forever. The heroes are led by a young man named Reshin, a samurai-like warrior with a lot of similarities to Shanora from Journey To Mysidia in terms of personality, with physical strength instead of magical powers. There are a few more character and thematic similarities between the two games, but the Reshin/Shanora connection is the most prominent one. The two games, which share a composer, feature some similar musical motifs as well, and also share a lot of spell and technique names between them. Like Journey To Mysidia, Second Horizon features voice acting and cutscenes, though its graphics obviously aren't on the same level as the console-based Mysidia. There are arguably more well-known voice actors in Second Horizon than in Journey To Mysidia, but this is more of an accident, as they weren't too well known at the time (Todd Haberkorn plays the voice of Reshin, and would later voice the protagonist in a much more significant Squaresoft game). Ultimately, Second Horizon is a more straight-forward heroic tale. Though there are a few twists along the way, including a major betrayal by a party member (reducing the party size permanently to nine), the game is ultimately about the defeat of the dark empire by the heroes of light. The ending implies a slight connection between the worlds of Journey To Mysidia and Second Horizon implying a connection via dimensional rift, though nothing concrete is stated.

Second Horizon is the companion game to Journey To Mysidia, with the two games united under the shared "Project Twilight" label by Squaresoft. There would be a couple of other minor projects associated with Project Twilight, including a manga series and a cell phone game that remain exclusive to Japan, and with the success of both Mysidia and Second Horizon (which becomes one of the year's best selling Supernova titles in Japan and does all right in the States), more works in the project would eventually be announced. Squaresoft's attempt to dabble in shared universes and establish new IPs comes as the company looks to expand its footprint and establish itself as an even bigger third party. Squaresoft was looking to evolve to something even bigger than it was, but would need a major success to gain confidence moving forward. Final Fantasy XII was on the way, but with X and XI merely matching expectations and not exceeding them, Squaresoft needed Takahashi's upcoming open world epic to be the biggest Final Fantasy since VII if they wished to begin making truly ambitious moves.

-

"We got even more footage from Final Fantasy XII at Squaresoft's Spring Sunrise presentation, in which footage from upcoming Japanese games was presented to Japanese gaming media figures and a few hundred very lucky fans. The event, established in Japan in 2006 and taking place in early April is seen as an important show in the run-up to E3, which will be taking place in June this year. Final Fantasy XII was probably the most anticipated game at the show, and Square wasn't stingy with the footage, showing off the game's exciting battle system in which three characters fight enemies on the battlefield in real time. The game's battle system allows players to program up to ten different techniques in addition to a regular attack. These techniques, which consist of a variety of different special attacks including character-specific combat tricks, magic that can be powered up and evolved, and character buffs and debuffs, can be used on a cooldown to devastating effect on the battlefield. Enemies can be staggered and even launched into the air for even more damage, and characters can even team up to stagger an enemy, launch them, and then slam them back to the ground for a truly spectacular combination. More details from the game's plot were also revealed, with the clash between god and man highlighted in the game's cutscenes. Class struggle also appears to play a major role in the game's plot, in which a woman named Lilith teams up with a variety of heroes of different backgrounds to battle a powerful theocratic empire headed by a corrupt leader. The sword Lilith wields, known as the Xenoblade, has a variety of special effects in battle, including the ability to stop time and see the future, which plays a role in both cutscenes and in battles themselves. Final Fantasy XII looks like a visual feast and with the most unique gameplay ever seen in the Final Fantasy series, it's shaping up to be the most anticipated Squaresoft game in a very long time.

Squaresoft also revealed a brand new shooter game known as Third Drive. It's a third person shooter with a magically infused protagonist who can shift himself between varying modes in combat, in particular elevating himself to a "Third Drive" mode with special, Matrix-like abilities. It's a unique foray into a different genre for a company known mostly for its RPGs, though Squaresoft has dabbled in other genres before, including rail shooters and fighting titles. Third Drive was one of the more positively received previews of the show, and was even available for a very early demo booth preview in which an early stage was partially playable. The game's combat system isn't like other third person shooters, it's not so heavily aim-reliant and instead seems to go for a more strategic approach, perhaps hoping to lure in players more familiar with the company's RPG titles. It looks like a fun one and could be a great follow-up to Final Fantasy XII, which, if successful, could boost the sales of all Squaresoft properties next year. Speaking of next year, Squaresoft did a fun presentation in which they declared 2010 to be the "Year Of The Chocobo", announcing a brand new Supernova game called Chocobo Rancher in which the player can raise chocobos for combat or racing. The game looked really cute, and though it wasn't available for demo play, we did get a good impression of the gameplay by watching Square's three minute presentation, in which chocobos can be caught in the field or bred in a farm, and each chocobo has its own distinct personality. Squaresoft promised dozens of different kinds of chocobos as well, giving the game a Pokemon feel, and once we saw the footage of Mog briefly riding on a chocobo, we were sold. Squaresoft will also be launching a chocobo OVA series and a new line of chocobo toys, including a talking chocobo doll that can connect with the Internet and with the upcoming Chocobo Rancher game."

-from an article on RPGamer.net, posted on April 7, 2009

-

Adam Sessler: Steve Jobs was seen at the Spring Sunrise show in Tokyo last week, checking out the latest games from Japan's top game companies. Capcom was there, of course, promoting a new round of iTwin and iPhone exclusive games such as a new Star Siren title and a pair of games based on the legendary anime Sailor Moon, but we're also hearing that Jobs was mostly there to meet up with Squaresoft.

Morgan Webb: Jobs is said to have been really, really impressed with Final Fantasy XII, and wants the game to come to iTwin. Final Fantasy, of course, has been a series that's been exclusive to Nintendo for more than two decades now, but it's no secret that in recent years, Squaresoft has mulled releasing some of its games for other systems. They have dabbled in PC releases for a few of the Final Fantasy games, but have never done a game for Apple, not even for the Mac.

Sessler: Jobs lobbying for Final Fantasy XII isn't surprising, but so far Squaresoft has been completely silent on any of its games coming to Apple, and with Nintendo and Squaresoft continuing to remain very close, with several of its staff members being confirmed as working on an upcoming Smash Bros. game for the Sapphire, we'd take any news of Squaresoft making games for the iTwin with a grain of salt until anything is officially confirmed.

Webb: Final Fantasy XII on the iTwin would be difficult as it is, the game is said to be the most graphically advanced console game ever, with complex animations and a massive open world with draw distances unlike any console game ever released, so porting it to the iTwin would be difficult regardless of the business hurdles involved.

Sessler: If Steve Jobs wants a Final Fantasy game on the iTwin, why not start with that chocobo game Squaresoft showed off at the event? *some footage from Chocobo Rancher is shown, which Sessler laughs at as it's put up on the screen*

Webb: That actually would be really fun to play on the iTwin, especially if it used the motion controls, like you could move your chocobo with your controller?

Sessler: You won't be seeing me play Chocobo Rancher on anything.

-from the April 9, 2009 episode of G4's X-Play

 

[RySenkari]

SOCOM 4

The fourth game in Nintendo and Sony's hit team-based shooter series, SOCOM 4 builds on the "dual squad" mechanic from the previous game, which was seen as being somewhat overly ambitious at the time of SOCOM III's release. In SOCOM III, it turned out fairly clunky, causing some slowdown issues and limiting interactivity between the squads, but in SOCOM 4, on the much more powerful Sapphire, it works perfectly. Two squads of up to eight players can be deployed on a mission together, and can work either cooperatively or competitively, even communicating with one another over voice chat (though it's optional to allow the two squads to communicate). Of course, the classic 4 and 8 player single squad modes also appear in the game, which features three main mission sequences linked over one long campaign: an invasion of an unnamed Asian nation in response to an escalating nuclear threat. A squad of Navy SEALs invades this nation (heavily based on North Korea but called something else in the game) after it acquires a stockpile of nuclear weapons from a rogue Russian military official. The SEALs must neutralize the nuclear threat, find out how the official was able to acquire the nukes, and finally enact regime change in this nation before it can launch its final remaining nuclear weapon against the United States. Missions take a variety of forms, from straight-forward battle missions to complex stealth missions requiring all team members to take on a unique role and work together. While the game's plot is seen as somewhat hokey and unrealistic, the missions themselves are praised for their structure, allowing players and teams of all skill levels to take part. These missions, combined with the game's intense competitive modes, make SOCOM 4 one of the best team shooters of the seventh generation thus far. Its focus on team cooperation is somewhat of a breath of fresh air compared to other shooters of the time, and it would become one of the most heavily populated Nintendo Sapphire FPS titles. Reviews hover in the lower 8s, the highest rated game in the series since the original, and it scores strong sales upon its release in the last week of April 2009.

-

Aquila: Moonrider

Aquila: Moonrider is released for the Apple iTwin in May 2009. It's the sequel to 2007's Aquila: Blue Sky, though it's not a direct sequel, serving as more of a side game in the series that allows the development team to try out new concepts. It continues the mech/FPS hybrid gameplay of Blue Sky, but is also quite streamlined and has a lot of railshooter elements (mostly free roaming levels but with some extended railshooter segments). Its protagonist is a girl named Kara who pilots a unique battle mech known as the Luna Exgenesis 001, an experimental craft with extraordinary speed and firepower but one that only Kara can control. Kara was gifted the craft by a scientist who was later murdered after his superiors learned of what he had done, and now the murderers are seeking Kara in order to regain control of the mech. Kara also finds herself embroiled in a war against the same enemy army that was fought against in Blue Sky, though it's a different branch of the army that isn't trying to accomplish the same goals. The game's unique control scheme is a pivotal feature of its gameplay, as the player must use the Luna Exgenesis' speed to their advantage. Shooting enemies while traveling at a higher rate of speed does more damage and racks up combos that allows the player to grab more items, which can be used to charge up the Exgenesis' other weapons. The player can also use discarded enemy weapons, which can be sheared off if attacked while the player's mech is going fast enough. The player is constantly encouraged to keep their speed up, which can make aiming somewhat difficult. The game's optional aim assist helps, but not a whole lot, making the game's skill floor quite low and its ceiling quite high. As for the plot, the first third of the game doesn't involve characters from the other Aquila titles, but eventually, Skipper from Blue Sky is introduced as a helper and later as a fighting companion. Algo Sunstar also returns, though in a non-fighting role this time around. The game introduces plenty of new characters, but Kara is at the center. A much calmer and more peaceful pilot than Skipper, Kara is a reluctant fighter and at first only seeks to survive and keep her mentor's legacy alive, but once the stakes get higher for her new friends, she becomes a determined and fierce fighter. Aquila: Moonrider gets somewhat lesser reviews than Blue Sky, due to its significantly shorter length, higher degree of difficulty, and complaints about the game's rail shooter portions, which aren't as polished or as fun as the rest of the game. Moonrider's sales are only mediocre, and the game is ultimately seen as a creative experiment that largely failed, somewhat due to poor design choices and somewhat due to the short development time for the game. It's a disappointment, but not a franchise killer for Aquila, which is still seen as one of the better and more unique FPS franchises out there and can survive at least one failure.

-

Alien Lancer: Free Energy

The fourth game in the Alien Lancer series had a somewhat long road to fruition. The last game, Dual Wielder, came out in 2006 for the Wave and Xbox, but not the Katana. However, Apple saw the appeal of the series and the strong sales it got, and in late 2006, made some moves to secure the next game as an iTwin exclusive, buying a controlling stake in the development studio while adding some of its own in-house developers to the project. The result is a wildly different game from previous titles in the series, one that takes on a more cartoonish tone while maintaining the story and characters of the previous games. The game's mood is somewhat of a hybrid of No One Lives Forever and Commander Keen, while the playstyle is unlike any FPS yet made. The protagonist Jane continues to dual wield her familiar alien laser pistols, but they're now amplified by an implant Jane received after being betrayed, captured, and experimented on by aliens. These weapons now fire much more rapidly, and Jane herself can transform into pure energy for brief periods of time. This makes for a heroine that plays very much like Tracer from OTL's Overwatch, teleporting and flitting around the battlefield quickly, dropping into and out of cover in a flash and reaching areas normally unreachable in other fighting games. Jane's mission is to take down an army of brainwashed soldiers who have been implanted with similar devices. For the most part, enemies aren't "killed" in this game, only knocked out once Jane does enough damage to them to disable their implanted devices. Jane does kill her actual foes (alien enemies who aren't brainwashed but are fighting of their own free will). Marvela returns from the previous game to cause trouble for Jane, and eventually the alien warlord Morgath rears his ugly face as well, though the game's primary villain is a mad scientist with a giant green head and strange psychic powers. Alien Lancer: Free Energy gets high marks from critics thanks to its insane but fun combat style and its smooth and colorful animation. Some longtime series fans do dismiss the game's somewhat "kiddy" tone, but the series has ultimately been a fun, light-hearted, and not overly violent FPS series. It's perfect for the iTwin (especially since the heroine's dual wielded weapons are perfect for the iTwin's dual motion control scheme), and a strong seller, outselling Aquila: Moonrider and becoming one of the iTwin's top exclusives of the year.

-

Alex Stansfield: There's no doubt that FPS titles have saturated the market. There are so many of them these days, and you'd think that people would get sick of them, but they really haven't!

Melissa Stansfield: I don't think I have yet.

Alex: I was never much of an FPS guy. I liked Doom, you know, I loved Goldeneye, Modern Warfare 2 is great, but the genre's just not my thing. I don't go out of my way to play them.

Melissa: That's fair. Me, I mean, they're not my favorite kind of game but I'm probably into them maybe a little more than you are?

Alex: Yeah, I mean, I see you playing them more than I do. And the thing is, that as more of these games come out, they're becoming more diverse. Like you've got your standard military shooters, but then there's games like Techno Angel: Immortal, and the new Alien Lancer that just came out, and those games are taking a ton of risks. You're more mobile, the enemies behave differently, there's more stuff to shoot at, it's not just a military game where you're a soldier and you're fighting and you have to kill these guys and go to this spot, we're seeing the creators of these games get so much more... creative, you know?

Melissa: Absolutely, and I think that's what's keeping these games popular. That's why they're selling so well, apart from the fact that a lot of gamers just like shooting stuff. I mean, let's not beat around the bush here, FPS games are some of the purest form of classic style video gaming, you're going around, killing bad guys, I mean it's basic stuff and that basic instinct hasn't gone away.

Alex: I think that's a big part of it, people are never going to get tired walking down a corridor and killing baddies. But there's something more to it, the narratives have gotten way more complex. It's not like Doom where you're just like a space marine and you're in hell... you're on Phobos, whatever, and you're killing stuff just because. Look at Techno Angel, the new one. You're a little girl. You found this old machine and rebuilt it. You're still going around killing people, but there's also this huge character arc about family and about the loss of innocence.

Melissa: It's such a deep story... well even the new military shooters get really deep into geopolitical type stuff. The new SOCOM was just dumb, but Modern Warfare 2 actually had some intriguing political thriller type storylines in it.

Alex: I remember Tom Clancy's Rendition told this amazing story about a thing that's actually happening in our modern world, and it's the backdrop for an FPS game. It had one of the best stories I'd ever seen.

Melissa: Do you think people these days will ever get tired of FPS games?

Alex: This generation of consoles is kind of perfect for it because these consoles now are powerful enough to render truly realistic enemies and environments, and a lot of the new FPS games are showcases for that graphical power.

Melissa: Well, to be fair, you were saying that about Saturn games on GameTV back in the day. You were all like, "the Saturn, these graphics are so realistic, it'll never get better than this".

Alex: Touche.

Melissa: So does it just mean that FPS games will be even more popular in the next generation?

Alex: It's hard to say. I think FPS games that offer something different, either in the gameplay, or in the story, or both, are going to do very well. I think that if all you are is just another military shooter, I think maybe later in this generation those games are going to start to fail, but unique FPS games that can do something that no other game on the market is doing, those are going to do the best.

Melissa: And what FPS game do you think is going to do the best in this generation?

Alex: I'm waiting to hear about the new Velvet Dark game. I think it's gonna be that one.

-from “Alex And Melissa's Gaming Podcast”, posted on Games Over Matter on June 5, 2009

 

[RySenkari]

Matt Lauer: Next week's Latin American peace summit in Miami could be a major foreign policy victory for President Huntsman, with Colombia and Venezuela set to sign a treaty that would end the conflict that has taken place along the border between the two countries for the last several months. Just last week, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez expressed optimism that the summit would be a success, and that he looks forward to improved relations between his country Venezuela and the United States. The United States has had tense relations with Venezuela during the last few years due to the leftist politics of Chavez, but with signs that Venezuela could be opening to more economic freedom and that the United States may soon resume more trading with the South American nation, relations between the countries stand to improve under the first year of the Huntsman presidency.

Paula Zahn: And as for Colombia, which remains a key ally of the United States in the region, that country's leadership has also expressed support for the deal, and recently thanked the United States for "showing support during a time of great need". The meeting in Miami will be the first in-person meeting between the president and the leaders of both countries, and it's expected

*The broadcast goes off the air*

-from NBC's Today broadcast at 9:41 AM on April 13, 2009

-

Erin Burnett: That tornado, which struck the western side of Huntsville, Alabama last night, damaged some shops and restaurants but fortunately caused no serious injuries. As you can see in this video footage taken on a cell phone by an observer, the tornado looked quite formidable and you can clearly see it over the roof of that shopping center, certainly must have been a frightening sight. The National Weather Service will be out in Huntsville this morning to assess the damage, a preliminary rating of EF-2 has been assigned to that tornado, indicating winds between 111 and 135 miles an hour, but trained officials will need to go out and confirm that rating which is why they'll be in Alabama this morning. Last night a reported seven tornadoes struck Alabama during a rough night of weather, the Huntsville tornado was the strongest of that severe outbreak but we're also getting reports of a barn flattened and lots of trees down from all the winds that passed through. Of course, spring is tornado season and plenty of places will be having their annual tornado drills today

*The broadcast goes off the air*

-from CNN's morning news broadcast at 9:41 AM on April 13, 2009

-

Erin Burnett: We're back on the air, but as you can see from the dim lights in the studio, we are on a generator right now. And I just want to let our viewers know that right now the city of Atlanta is completely without electrical power. There has been a major blackout, and it's not just here, we've gotten reports that cities all across the country have lost power, from New York to Washington to Dallas to Boston to right here in Atlanta, millions of Americans are without power this morning. I've got our Washington correspondent on the phone, and right now in the nation's capital there seems to be a state of calm chaos as people there are waking up to no lights and no electricity.

-from CNN's morning news broadcast at 9:45 AM on April 13, 2009

-

Anderson Cooper: This is a very much unprecedented situation we're having right now, both here in New York and all across the country. From one end of the country to the other, there is an enormous blackout, and not only is it here, but all the way to the West Coast, Los Angeles and Phoenix are reporting that they've lost power as well. We've got a map prepared to show just where the blackout is occurring, but because we are in a low power situation right now, we've actually had to improvise *a couple of staffers bring up a map of the United States imposed on a whiteboard, with the locations of numerous major cities drawn onto it with a red dry erase marker* and actually do this the old fashioned way. As you can see, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City, the three biggest cities in the United States, are all reporting electrical blackouts at this time. Houston, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, they still have power, so it's not everywhere, but a vast chunk of the Eastern United States and large parts of the West are without power, early estimates are that as many as 250 million Americans, about 3/4ths of the country, are without power right now, which gives you an idea as to just how big this blackout is. Canada is also reporting power outages in Toronto and Montreal, so it's not just here, it's in Canada as well.

-from an ABC Special Report at 10:08 AM on April 13, 2009

-

The Great Blackout of 2009 was, at the time, the most widespread blackout in terms of people affected in the history of the world. At its peak, about 240 million people in the United States and Canada lost power. While some of those people would have their power restored within 24 hours, most of them, about 160 million total or about half the population of the United States, would be without power for more than 48 hours. During this time, looting occurred in many major cities, most notably Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia, while small pockets of unrest also took place in Los Angeles and Miami. The loss of power for so much time proved quite dangerous for many groups of people, particularly in hospitals where generators were needed to keep life-sustaining equipment up and running. During the crisis, President Huntsman, speaking from a White House running on its own generator, did his best to calm and comfort affected Americans. This was the first major crisis of his administration, and he spoke to people repeatedly throughout the crisis, both on TV and on the radio, while directing FEMA and other government agencies to ensure order and the continuation of vital services during the crisis. He deployed the National Guard to cities affected by looting, and mercifully, the National Guard never had to fire upon any civilians, though there were three incidents of police-involved shootings and dozens of incidents of citizens firing on looters. The blackouts had been caused by a series of cascading failures resulting from an ill-prepared electrical delivery system. A failure that began at a power plant in Michigan spread first to the east and then to the west, causing another series of failures that crossed the Mississippi. Though most of Texas remained unaffected, the electrical grid supplying Dallas went partially down, ironically sparing most of the Metroplex (parts of Dallas and Ft. Worth lost power temporarily but came back online within a few hours) but causing failures to spread into New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Northern California, the Pacific Northwest, most of the Rocky Mountains and Plains region, and parts of the Inland South including Tennessee and Northern Alabama (which ironically had been dealing with tens of thousands of power outages caused by a severe storm outbreak the previous day) remained unaffected as well. Thanks to the heroic work of linemen and power plant personnel, some of whom got no sleep for the duration of the crisis, a vast majority of people had their power back by Wednesday night, though a few hundred thousand people wouldn't have it back for more than a week. The blackout was bad, but not as bad as it could have been: 374 people died as a direct result of the blackout, with an estimated 1,000-4,000 indirect deaths. Mercifully, it occurred during the spring and not during the summer or winter, when the death toll likely would have been much higher due to heat or cold-related deaths. Though civil unrest did occur, it largely remained limited to isolated pockets, with many people helping each other out as best they could. It illuminated the plight of America's homeless population, who were among the best equipped to handle the crisis, with numerous stories of homeless people helping those displaced from their homes by the blackout. The blackout disrupted numerous sporting events and television programs, and though most of the power had been restored by Friday, theatrical box office receipts that week dipped slightly from their expected totals, with many people still recovering from the traumatic experience of losing power for those two days. President Huntsman's leadership was highly praised, with many Americans viewing him as the "Comforter in Chief", giving advice about what to do during the crisis and reassuring Americans that help was on the way. He continued to lead recovery efforts once the power came back on, helping to make sure that areas where services had been down got the help and support they needed.

After the crisis, a huge amount of attention was placed on America's failing electrical grid, whose shortcomings had been exposed by the extended blackout. Though Huntsman was reluctant to devote so much government money to infrastructure improvement, there was overwhelming popular support for measures to prevent such a crisis from happening again, and, as had happened with the economic downtown and stimulus, Huntsman's hand was once again forced by circumstances beyond his control. In May, he would sign a trillion dollar infrastructure improvement bill that would focus on repairing and upgrading America's electrical grid. The bill had been overwhelmingly approved by Congress, and though Huntsman privately expressed a desire to veto it, he knew that such a veto would be overturned and would cost him majorly in terms of public support. He signed the bill into law, and over the next decade, an ambitious project to inspect and improve America's electrical grid would begin in earnest. It would be a slow process fraught with problems and roadblocks, and Huntsman himself would criticize the project numerous times, but slow as it was, America's electrical grid would slowly be brought up to 21st century standards. While this was going on, Huntsman would also find himself embroiled in the beginning of a fight over health care, as he worked to pass his ambitious new plan through Congress. Republicans for the most part supported the plan, which would ensure coverage for all Americans, but Democrats largely opposed it, particularly the health insurance purchase requirement. Democrats would find a powerful ally in the Senate in Nevada's Penn Jillette, who broke ranks with the Republicans he usually sided with to oppose the bill. He managed to pull a few more Republicans to his side, and suddenly, the bill faced an uphill Senate battle, with the threat of a filibuster looming. Though the House would have no problem passing the health care reform bill, it would stall in the Senate in May, and squabbling would continue through June as Republicans and Democrats worked to hash out a compromise and Jillette promised that no bill containing a requirement to purchase health insurance would ever make it through the Senate. The economy, though recovering slightly due to the stimulus bill, continued to be problematic. Unemployment continued to rise, as did consumer prices, causing the specter of stagflation to once again rear its head. Huntsman began to search for the same kinds of solutions utilized by Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s, but between the infrastructure bill, the stimulus package, and the new health care bill, tax cuts of that scale would cause an enormous rise in the deficit. Huntsman promised that fiscal responsibility would form one of the key planks of his agenda, and two trillion dollars added to the national debt in his first year in office was something he just couldn't allow. He'd need to find other fat to trim before passing any deep tax cuts, and started to brainstorm which federal programs he could cut before the end of the year. He also pondered deep cuts to military spending, but getting those past his fellow Republicans would be a challenge.

Despite the challenges that reared their head in the spring of 2009, Huntsman did have a couple of victories that allowed him leeway to push his agenda forward, both now and in the future. The first was the victory in Latin America, a successful brokering of a peace deal between Colombia and Venezuela. The two countries agreed not to encroach on each other's borders and hashed out a solution to the Ecuador crisis which had caused the fighting in the first place. Venezuela agreed to loosen up some of its trade policies, while Colombia agreed to cease raids into Ecuador and to enter into limited negotiations with FARC rebels with the goal of furthering peace in the region. Venezuela also agreed to a secondary deal with the United States that would allow even further loosening of trade between the countries. While Huntsman opposed giving further legitimacy to the Chavez presidency, he also saw that the economic opportunities presented by opening up more trade would ultimately benefit the United States more than it would Venezuela, including what he hoped would be an eventual lowering of consumer prices that would stave off stagflation. Huntsman's negotiated peace was a major foreign policy victory for the administration. It would ultimately lead to Huntsman winning a Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 directly related to his work to solve the crisis, and would be shared by the leaders of Colombia and Venezuela. The other major opportunity for Huntsman came when Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement from the bench in early June. Huntsman would begin to look for her replacement, and would find one in a somewhat unorthodox and controversial choice: Alex Kozinski, of the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Kozinski, apart from being 59 years old at the time (conservative commentators would criticize Huntsman for not picking a younger judge that could serve a longer term on the bench), was also seen as being somewhat bombastic and unorthodox, and it was thought that he might be too flamboyant for such a solemn office. He was also seen by some as being too socially liberal, but Huntsman said that this proved that Kozinski would rule on cases on their Constitutional merits and not from a political agenda. Despite some intense criticism and despite being seen as "disrespectful" during his confirmation hearing, Kozinski would be confirmed 68-32, with all but one Republican senator voting yes and some Democrats joining in as well. Kozinski would join Kennedy as a sort of "swing vote", voting very much to the right on economic issues but siding many times with the Court's liberal wing on social issues. The Court continued to stand at 5-4 toward the liberal wing, with Chief Justice Sotomayor, Ginsburg, Breyer, Souter, and Garland forming the liberal wing and Thomas, Scalia, Kennedy, and Kozinski forming the conservative wing. With Garland, Kennedy, and Kozinski seen as "swing" votes, many Americans saw the court as being quite balanced, and public opinion of the Supreme Court remained strong.

 

[RySenkari]

Phantasy Star VIII: Beneath The Spectral Canopy

Phantasy Star VIII is an RPG developed and published by Apple (though Sega is credited as the developer, and most of the same team from the previous games returns for this one) exclusively for the iTwin. Like its predecessors, Phantasy Star VIII mixes sci-fi with fantasy, and is set on a distant planet where technology and magic come together and the forces of light clash with the forces of darkness. Whereas Phantasy Star VII for the iPod Play was a bit experimental, with some action RPG-esque features, Phantasy Star VIII is somewhat of a return to the basics for the series. It features turn-based combat, though with a dynamic turn system very similar to the system from OTL's Final Fantasy X, in which turns can change order on the fly depending on speed and counter-attacks. It also has five characters in the active party, out of a total of nine playable characters (none of whom die in the game, also unlike Phantasy Star VII). It also puts a heavy emphasis on dungeon exploration, with many massive dungeons that the party must traverse as they travel through the game. There are dungeons between towns, dungeons outside of towns, dungeons in unexpected places... the game really tries to bring back the dungeon-crawling aspects of the classic games, with far more time spent in dungeons than in the previous game. And while Phantasy Star VIII continues to bring in a few aspects of the popular Phantasy Star Online spinoff series, it also nixes some of the additions that Phantasy Star VII brought in, including the randomized loot system. There's still some random loot in this game, but not nearly to the degree that there was in Phantasy Star VII, and it doesn't have such an MMO-like distribution, either. The game primarily takes place on the planet of Bastion, a world shrouded in a worldwide forest, with massive trees that rise miles into the sky. Their foliage gives off a beautiful luminescent glow that simulates the stars and the sky, and people live their lives both under these massive trees and within them. Though the presence of a worldwide forest would suggest a backwards, nature-oriented planet, Bastion is actually an advanced technological world, far more advanced than our own, with the people having lived with the trees and having used their energy to power their technology. In fact, the clash between technology and magic forms a major part of the game's battle system. Enemies are classified on a scale from entirely technological to entirely magical, with varying degrees inbetween, while attacks are classified the same way. Magical enemies are weak to technological attacks, but not vice versa, making it to the party's advantage to use as much technology in battle as possible. Technological attacks activate combat bonuses and buffs, though these bonuses are less pronounced when enemies and the field itself are oriented toward the technological. There is a third classification, biological, that can have elements of technology, magic, or both, and reacts to technology in varying ways. The most notable manifestation of biological enemies are the Blight, an alien organism that attacks the trees and plant life on Bastion and makes its appearance fairly early into the game. Players must not only become skilled at juggling the combat triangle, but the dynamic turn meter as well. Phantasy Star VIII features a fairly large, open world, though it's not open to quite the same degree as a Xenoblade or a Final Fantasy XII (OTL) might be. Players can explore large environments to find treasure and complete side quests, with side dungeons awaiting players who explore particularly well. The game's optional motion controls are mostly used for various mini-games or puzzles in the dungeons, and don't play too much of an impact on the overall game itself besides making certain puzzles easier. Phantasy Star VIII features some of the best graphics yet seen in an iTwin game, with lush environments and excellent character animation. The dungeon graphics get a bit repetitive at times, but each dungeon does have its own unique flare. Motoi Sakuraba returns as the game's composer, giving the game a more "epic" score than he gave to Phantasy Star VII. With the success of the Phantasy Star VII localization, Apple continues to throw a lot of money at the game's dub, ensuring a talented cast of Los Angeles-area voice actors filling numerous major roles. Nika Futterman stars as the voice of the game's primary protagonist, Glis, who is heavily based on Alis Landale from the original game (with their first names being only one letter different).

Phantasy Star VIII begins by establishing the world of Bastion, and that though the planet has amazing technology, the beings of Bastion do not travel into space, for the planet gives them all that they need. However, internal strife does occur, and Glis, a captain in the military of Lanel (the country where Glis hails from and where the beginning of the game takes place) is leading a raiding party of nameless soldiers on a military installation staffed by the nation of Caratia. This opening mission is mostly a tutorial for the game's battle system, and ends with a boss fight against a battle tank, followed by a sudden ambush in which Glis' fellow soldiers are wiped out. Glis is captured and interrogated, and this is where we first learn about the mysterious Blight, though it's just a rumor at the time. Glis is able to escape her cell, but then the perspective switches to Halter, the brash leader of a rescue mission to save Glis. Halter (voiced by Travis Willingham) is accompanied by his lieutenant, the somewhat quiet and demure Rin (voiced by Stephanie Sheh). Events conspire to lead Glis and Halter together, and after Halter and Rin are separated, Glis agrees to help Halter find her. This leads to a sequence of events in which the three encounter two more party members (one permanent and the other only temporary and won't return until later), end up lost deep in the forest, and encounter the Blight, which takes the form of strange green aliens who look like Swamp Thing, run and climb over one another like the zombies in the film adaptation of World War Z, and at first are completely immune to the heroes' attacks. Glis, Halter, Rin, and their new permanent companion Septaine (an arrogant bookworm who starts out extremely unlikable but who grows on the player as the game progresses), must find cover as they watch the Blight completely destroy a massive tree in which was once a large city that the four of them visited. The group goes through a couple more dungeons before they encounter the young Caratian general Valerie (voiced by Megan Hollingshead), who commands a powerful regiment of soldiers and who initially tries to have Glis and her group killed before realizing that they have valuable information about the Blight. Valerie and Glis distrust each other for a large portion of the game, with their similarities and differences both accentuated in their interactions with one another. Halter can't stop flirting with Valerie, much to Rin's chagrin, and it's established that the only reason that Valerie doesn't try to have the group killed is the presence of Septaine, who has taken copious notes about the Blight and its spread. The group makes their way deep into Caratian territory, and we meet a new character, Valerie's twin sister Camilla, who, unlike her combat-oriented sister, has taken to research and science. Camilla also knows a great deal about the Blight, and she and Septaine begin to put their knowledge together. Meanwhile, the Caratian military is still focused on its war with Lanel, and Glis is initially believed to be a saboteur. Valerie reluctantly vouches for her but it's still established that Glis and her companions are considered prisoners of war, and only alive at Valerie's pleasure. More questing and journeying takes place. We get another permanent party member (a combat robot named Tropp), and the Blight continues its advance, while the war continues as well. We also learn more about the nature of Bastion itself, and that many on the planet believe the trees that protect them to have been planted by an ancient god who came from space. The things that Glis' group discovers when they journey into the trees, including ancient writing, mysterious voices, and powerful magic, seem to somewhat support this theory. Glis believes that the ancient magic theory is true, while Valerie dismisses it (she would later admit that Camilla believes in it as well). We also learn more about Camilla, who doesn't join the party but who fills an important supporting role as a sort of explainer of the game's lore and discoverer of Bastion's secrets. We learn that Valerie and Camilla's parents favored Valerie, and that she has been the only one to support her sister's ambitions. About 60 percent of the way through the game, there is a cataclysmic battle between Lanel and Caratia (by now, Valerie is wavering in her loyalty to Caratia as she warms up to Glis, but she does leave the party temporarily and is fought as a boss battle before deciding to follow Glis' group again). Caratia is winning, but Lanel is putting up a good fight, when suddenly the Blight overwhelms Lanel. Caratia retreats, but the Blight wipes out the tree that forms Lanel's capital city, and millions are killed or left homeless as Lanel's capital is overrun with the Blight. By now, the party is able to damage the Blight, and fights some of them off, but the Blight is overwhelming, and Lanel is overrun.

Glis is devastated, though some of her friends from Lanel did make it out safely. They're accepted into Caratia as refugees, but must pay a heavy tax for the privilege. Valerie asks the Caratian leader if she can investigate the Blight, but is instead put in charge of ensuring that Lanel's refugees obey their orders, while Camilla has been put in charge of investigating the Blight. Once again, the party must do some time without Valerie, though she's replaced by both the final party member and the permanent return of the temporary party member from earlier, giving the heroes a mostly full contingent for a long and tough dungeon in which more of the planet's secrets are uncovered. Meanwhile, Valerie learns that Camilla has found a way to communicate with the Blight, and implores her to help stop them. Soon after, Valerie is declared a traitor by the Caratian leader, and is forced to flee back to find Glis, where she helps to save them from a Caratian ambush. After another quest, the group returns to the Caratian capital, but it's been overrun by the Blight, and Camilla is feared dead. However, what the party finds is much worse: Camilla has been communing with the Blight, and has been directing their actions for quite some time. Valerie tries to reason with her twin sister, but is attacked along with the rest of the party, who is forced to flee after defeating a massive Blight monster. Now that Camilla's secret is out, she no longer holds back her power: massive swaths of the spectral forest encompassing the planet are destroyed, and during this pivotal scene, the real sky is exposed for the first time, showing that instead of the beautiful stars that the canopy's trees have shown humanity on the surface of Bastion for thousands of years, the universe is actually a chaotic and terrible place. It's later learned that a group of human beings came to Bastion 3,000 years ago, fleeing a calamity in their own galaxy. They settled down on Bastion and terraformed the planet, planting seeds that transformed their world, but also prevented them from ever reaching the stars again. These trees have been their protectors and providers ever since, but now the Blight threaten to destroy that protection, and must somehow be stopped. Glis leads the party to rediscover the ancient magic that the founders of Bastion used to grow the massive spectral forest, and learn that the Blight is actually the manifestation of an ancient darkness that's plagued the universe for many eons. It's a biological disease given form by the malice and evil that the ancients fled so many millennia ago, an evil that has taken root inside Camille's mind. Camille is the only one who can stop the Blight, but she must be defeated. Valerie refuses to let the party kill her, and Glis is determined to find a way to keep that from happening. Eventually, the party has to find a way to get back into space and reach the ancients' homeworld to find an artifact that might purify Camille. They leave Bastion behind, not knowing what they'll return to. They find on the ancients' planet a runic knife that can pierce into the heart of darkness itself, and might be able to save Camille without killing her. They are also forced to battle a powerful ancient evil creature on the planet before returning to Bastion, which by now has been almost completely overrun (fortunately, most of the game's cities and locations are still intact, so the party is still able to access most of the quests they've neglected up to this point). Finally, the party goes to the core of the Blight to take on Camille. Camille now appears with a humanoid Blight creature that has the appearance and mannerisms of Dark Falz, the villain of the original Phantasy Star games, further tying this game in to its predecessors. After a fierce fight with Camille, who now utilizes powerful dark magic amped by a technological powersuit, Valerie is able to plunge the knife into Camille's heart, severing her connection to Dark Falz and bringing her to her senses. It seems that she's saved, but her bitterness and jealousy still remain, no matter what Valerie says to her. She tries to pull Valerie into the Blight, but Glis saves her just in time, and the two women watch in horror as Camille is fully absorbed into the Blight to become a creature of pure darkness and evil, sustained by Camille's hatred. This creature, known as Eternal Hatred, is a formidable foe, but she too is defeated by the party. Camille, defiant and bitter to the end, curses Valerie one last time before dying, and Valerie collapses in tears, comforted by her comrades as they rise to confront Dark Falz himself, who has possessed seemingly the entire planet to attack Glis and the heroes as the cosmic nightmare Blight Force. Blight Force is defeated as well, purging Dark Falz's evil influence from the planet and purifying Bastion in a way that the ancients could not. The Blight retreat from the planet, and though most of the Spectral Canopy is gone, Bastion is safe once again, its people now turning their attention toward seeking out the stars.

Phantasy Star VIII receives a solid critical reception, averaging right around an 8/10 from critics. While this is a very good score, it's more than a full point lower than the average for the previous game, and most of this has to do with the game's pacing and structure. Dungeons are long, complicated, and chock-full of enemies. While these encounters can nominally be avoided, since enemies do appear on the map and must be touched to battle them (no random encounters), the narrow corridors in many of the dungeons make this difficult and sometimes impossible. In many ways, the game has much of the same structure as OTL's Star Ocean IV: The Last Hope, with massive dungeons breaking up large, open areas of gameplay and long cinematics. It's a very beautiful and well made game, but the long and arduous dungeon crawling makes it somewhat anathema to RPG newbies, and even longtime series vets find it a bit of a chore to get through. Despite the slightly disappointing critical reception, sales are anything but: the game is released on April 28, 2009 in North America (after a January 2009 Japanese release and about a month before the European release), and is easily the most hyped Phantasy Star game to date, pushed as the iTwin's biggest RPG of the year. It did extremely well in Japan, selling about two million copies there before the North American release, and in North America it sells just over 250,000 copies in its first week, a huge number for the series and its most successful Western launch to date. The series' popularity has been elevated by both the successful iPod Play game and the Phantasy Star Online series, while the two previous remakes also help raise the series' profile somewhat. Even with mixed word of mouth, sales remain fairly strong in the West, and it becomes a bona-fide hit, easily the most successful offline Phantasy Star to date.

-

Final Phantasy? Phantasy Star VIII Is Anything But

Phantasy Star VIII enjoyed the most successful launch of any game in the series to date, with even better early sales numbers than Phantasy Star Online 2, itself a major launch title for the Apple iTwin. Even before the launch of Phantasy Star VIII, its team has been hard at work on the next games in the series, but now that the latest game is a success, these new titles can expect even more hype as they prepare for launch.

Later this year, we'll see the worldwide release of Phantasy Star Online 2: Return To Algol, which will take the online games back to the home system from the original four games in the series. Players will get to retrace the steps of heroes such as Alis Landale and Chaz Ashley, and will be searching for pieces of the Landale Legacy, a set of ancient magical equipment said to be invaluable in the fight against evil. They'll also be encountering the wicked Dark Falz, villain of the original saga, as his minions search for the Legacy in order to use its power to revive their dark master. Return To Algol will introduce new quests and allow players to level up like never before, taking on powerful new monsters with their new abilities. The expansion won't be free: it'll cost 30 dollars when it launches later this year, and players who don't have the expansion will remain restricted to the universe of the original game (which in and of itself is quite a big universe). More about the expansion will undoubtedly be discussed at the upcoming E3 conference, and we'll likely get a release date there as well. Phantasy Star Online 2 remains the most popular console MMO and third most popular MMO overall in terms of user base, behind World Of Warcraft and Final Fantasy Online (though Final Fantasy Online counts both console and PC users, with Phantasy Star Online 2 coming out slightly ahead in terms of console users alone). It also remains the most popular non-subscription MMORPG of all time, with its total userbase having surpassed that of Sony's PirateQuest late last year. Reggie Fils-Aime, in a recent interview with GameInformer, re-iterated that Phantasy Star Online 2 will remain a subscription-free RPG for the remainder of its lifespan, stating that "from the very beginning of its development, Phantasy Star Online and its sequels have always been intended as games that, once you pay the upfront price of the game, it's yours to play forever. We won't charge a subscription fee, and we'll never charge one. Phantasy Star Online is a place where millions of players have come together to journey the stars and battle the forces of evil, hunting for treasure and leveling up together, and we want to see millions more players join the fight in the future". Interestingly enough, Fils-Aime didn't say "sequel", he said "sequels". When pressed on that comment, he vaguely clarified himself, saying "Certainly, we'd like to do another Phantasy Star Online game in the future. For now, our focus is on Phantasy Star Online 2 and expanding its universe to make it even more fun to play as the years go on, but in the future, of course, it's possible that there could be a Phantasy Star Online 3."

One Phantasy Star series certain to get a third installment in the near future is the popular remake series, with Phantasy Star III on deck. Called Phantasy Star Generations, the game, which remakes the classic Genesis game that sees three generations of heroes in an ongoing war against evil, will be released this summer in Japan, and will see a North American release sometime after that. The game will be released on the iTwin, and looks very similar to Phantasy Star VIII from a graphical perspective, though it draws heavily from the original game for its combat system and storyline. Phantasy Star Journey and Phantasy Star Venture did quite well in Japan on the Katana, and helped to boost the profile of that console there, along with Apple's reputation in the country. Phantasy Star Generations looks to be the most hyped of the remakes to date, thanks to the success of Phantasy Star VIII, and if it's successful, we'll certainly see a remake of Phantasy Star IV, considered by many fans to still be the best game in the series.

-from a May 15, 2009 article on Games Over Matter

 

[RySenkari]

Mobile's Killer App? Welcome To The World Of Scribblenauts, Where Literally Anything Is Possible

As the iPhone and the latest Android devices continue to make their way into the hands of gamers, the games being made for them have steadily improved in quality. Theoretically, these devices are more powerful (in some cases, significantly more) than Nintendo and Apple's dedicated gaming handhelds, but the majority of games being released for them have been somewhat disappointing, either simplistic puzzlers or gimmicky touch-screen games that don't compare to the experience of the best handheld games. Still, there are diamonds in the rough, and when Scribblenauts launches later this year for Apple and Android devices, we could see the shiniest gem yet.

Scribblenauts takes advantage of cell phone touch screen technology to allow players to write and type in words that transform into objects that appear in the game. Anything, and we mean anything, can be created to solve the game's dozens of puzzle stages. Want to use a monster truck to knock down a building? You can. Want to make a lion appear to fight off a bunch of thugs? You can do that too. Even God himself can be placed into the game to solve puzzles and fight off baddies, just type his name into the game and he shows up, ready to be dragged into place with the player's finger. Scribblenauts is one of many games becoming possible through the use of touch screen technology, and utilizes the powerful processors of modern phones to incorporate an incredible database of objects, over 10,000 in all. Game director Jeremiah Slaczka says that Apple approached his company, 5th Cell, about making the game exclusive to the iPhone, but 5th Cell had already secured a publisher for the game, and wanted to make it available for as many devices as possible. He also says that while a version for the Supernova and iPod Play might be technically possible from a processing perspective, that the game really doesn't work the way it should without a touch screen.

"A touch screen makes it possible for objects to be moved much more freely, without pausing the action on screen," said Slaczka. "It also makes it easier to enter letters into the game quickly, something that would make a non-touch screen version of the game quite cumbersome."

The only non-mobile device considered for a version of Scribblenauts was the iTwin, and while Slaczka doesn't want to rule out an iTwin port, he also told us that for now, the game would be exclusive to phones.

"We're focusing on the phone release at this time. It's such a rapidly growing market and we feel the game's going to have a lot of success there."

-from a May 10, 2009 article on Kotaku

-

REVIEW: Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?

Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? was a defining PC gaming franchise of the 1980s, and had a brief stint of success in the early 90s with a popular series of games for the CD-ROM consoles of the day, but our favorite thief hasn't had much of a presence in the world of gaming since then. That could change with the release of the most hyped Carmen Sandiego game in the last decade, her leap to mobile phone platforms. While the game at first looks like it could be a port of the SNES-CD version from 1993, it's anything but that: this is a brand new game with all new cases and characters, and the graphics have been completely revamped, with colorful backgrounds, brand new animation, and some excellent 3-D graphics as well (though limited to static background images and a few small character animations). There's no voice acting in this game either, but there's plenty of witty text dialogue and some catchy music tunes as well. The game plays much like the Carmen Sandiego titles of old: Carmen is on the loose, having stolen some important artifact from somewhere in the world, and you, a rookie ACME agent, have to track her down, using geography-based clues to narrow the search. These clues are where the game really shines: the game features over 10,000 different possible locations, making it impossible for any one game to be the same as any other. In addition, the game's programmers have promised to add even more clues to the game as time goes by, further limiting the possibility of repeat clues. You'll use your geographical knowledge to gather clues and catch Carmen's henchmen, who can be interrogated for even more hints.

(...)

What really sets this mobile game apart is the GPS functionality, which will allow players to actually chase Carmen to certain locations around their own hometown, or even more if so inclined. This functionality is limited at first, but developer Niantic promises to expand it in the future, and we can imagine a world in which one day, particularly dedicated (and, admittedly, wealthy) players can actually go looking around the world for Carmen Sandiego.

(...)

Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? is a fun game that can teach geography to kids or allow adults to test their own geographical knowledge. It's a perfect game for mobile phones, and we're extremely intrigued by the possibility of actually hunting down Carmen Sandiego for real someday. The game is available on Android devices, but is not, as of yet, available for download on iPhone.

RATING: 8/10

-from a review of Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? for Android, posted on Mobile Gamer on May 26, 2009

-

Jeff Gerstmann: Make no mistake about it, Incursion From The Geistrealm was a disappointment. It wasn't a disappointment on the level that it killed how much I like World Of Warcraft, but it was definitely disappointing.

Ryan Davis: And it's a shame too, because with so much of the spotlight thrust on PC gaming at the end of last year thanks to SimSociety and how successful it was, a really good World Of Warcraft expansion could've gotten people super hyped for the game again and that didn't happen. Geistrealm was a mess. It had a crap story, the new dungeons were crap, the level pacing was really bad, it was way too grindy... and yet World Of Warcraft is still the most popular MMORPG in the world.

Gerstmann: It's still the king of the hill for sure. And we're still waiting on that console version.

Davis: It's not gonna happen.

Gerstmann: I think it is. I think maybe it is. Remember what Rob Pardo said about the Sapphire, and how much he liked the Sapphire?

Davis: Doesn't matter, it wouldn't work. The Sapphire could handle it graphically, sure, but the controls, you'd have to buy a keyboard and mouse for the Sapphire and it just wouldn't work. Mouse hasn't worked for a console game since Mario Paint. And besides, Blizzard I think right now has a better relationship with Apple than with Nintendo, because they did, um, Rhapsody Of The Firmament for Apple, remember?

Gerstmann: That's Jeff Kaplan's pet project, that has nothing to do with what Blizzard thinks of Apple. Blizzard made that game an iTwin exclusive because of money and because of the control scheme, they would've put that game on the Sapphire or the Xbox otherwise.

Davis: I think we'd get World Of Warcraft on the iTwin before we'd get it on the Sapphire, but we're not getting it on either one of them so there's no point in continuing this line of discussion.

Gerstmann: Well, either way, World Of Warcraft is still selling really well and it's still the #1 MMORPG. But the #2 MMORPG, Final Fantasy Online, IS on consoles and on PC, and let's talk about it. We already know Squaresoft is bringing it to the Sapphire.

Davis: Which they're going to talk about at E3.

Gerstmann: So my question is, why port the original when you can just make a brand new game? Apple did it. Phantasy Star Online 2 is doing great.

Davis: The Wave did so much better than the Katana, though. So you have a LOT more legacy players for Final Fantasy Online, which is amazing by the way since it's a per-month subscription game.

Gerstmann: It's incredible.

Davis: Final Fantasy Online's had some expansions recently. The last one was... spring of 2008, I believe?

Gerstmann: Pandemonium Reborn.

Davis: And that was received... really well, actually. And the new one is being developed to coincide with the Sapphire version and we think that'll be announced at E3 also.

Gerstmann: Can't wait to play it on the Sapphire, but you know what I'd like to play even more? Final Fantasy Online 2.

Davis: The cool thing about MMORPGs is you don't need sequels. You can just expand them.

Gerstmann: They haven't done either for Ultima X.

Davis: Are you still playing Ultima X?

Gerstmann: Lots of people are still playing it. You can play it on the Xbox 2, which is nice.

Davis: There's a rumor we're going to hear about Ultima XI at E3. That'd be nice too.

-from the May 19, 2009 episode of the Gamespot Podcast With Jeff And Ryan

-

"An increased number of MMOs are now launching on mobile phones, bringing the open worlds of massively multiplayer RPGs into the mobile arena for the first time. This is particularly common with newer Korean MMORPGs, which aren't quite as technology intensive as games such as World Of Warcraft and are able to fit onto smaller devices. The most popular new Korean MMORPG of 2009 is Fairycross, a game that features a world of steampunk fairies set in Victorian England, and whose name seems to take inspiration from the song "Ferry Cross The Mersey" by Gerry and the Pacemakers. In Fairycross, you battle evil ogres while gathering up treasure scrap to construct equipment and machinery. The game blends high fantasy with steampunk fashion, while utilizing a 2.5-D graphics engine that gives the game a retro, early-Sega Saturn game look to it. Players can meet one another in the game's 16 different zones, and can either battle each other or team up to hunt for treasure or battle ogre mobs. The game's touchscreen interface allows battles to play out very quickly, with the player simply tapping objects they want to interact with or enemies they wish to target. The game definitely has a grindy feel, encouraging players to spend many hours hunting down treasure or baddies, which keeps them in the game looking at advertisements longer (the primary source of income for the game comes from ad revenue, though there is a $19.99/year subscription version of the game that allows players to access 16 more areas and face stronger mobs of enemies). Fairycross came to the West simultaneously with the Korean release, as is increasingly the trend for Korean mobile games.

The game has accrued a fandom across the world, and many famous K-Pop stars also play the game, with a few even screencapping their accomplishments to show off on Friendster or Twitter. Many players congregate in areas recently visited by these stars, hoping to meet them in the game, and the game's developers have been quoted as saying that subscription activity spikes whenever a famous star is sighted in one of the premium-gated areas."
-from an article in the June 2009 issue of Wired magazine

-

"A really troubling trend in these MMORPGs as of late is the use of celebrity endorsements to gin up subscription numbers in these games. Last week, K-Pop star Myung Hee Song announced her new tour, sponsored by World Tree, makers of the popular mobile MMO Fairycross. Sounds innocent enough, eh? Well, World Tree is trying to push their new expansion with these new areas based on Balmoral Castle, you can find some big ancient ghost king there or some such thing, and of course you've got to pay the subscription fee of 20 dollars a year to go there. Well, who should show up in Balmoral Castle but the Fairycross avatar of Myung Hee Song, gleefully posting screenshots as she grinds away with her level 62 moon fairy, having a grand old time. World Tree sponsors Myung Hee Song, and here she is exploring this premium gated area, and posting pictures like she's some virtual tourist, like she's visiting Disney World or something. It's a pretty big fucking coincidence, wouldn't you say?"
-Jim Sterling, from an Escapist article posted on June 14, 2009

 

[RySenkari]

Batman: Gotham Stories

Batman: Gotham Stories is an action/adventure game published by THQ for the Sapphire and Xbox 2. It's a big-budget Batman game that in some sense (production values, graphical quality) is similar to OTL's Arkham Asylum. However, the game itself plays somewhat differently, more like a straight-up brawler title than a Metroidvania like the Arkham games were. In Gotham Stories, Batman takes to the streets to battle criminals and protect the innocent, and the game's narrative takes the form of a collection of loosely-tied together segments focusing on a different character or villain, with somewhat of a narrative running in-between. Apart from Batman, the game's most prominent characters are Robin (Dick Grayson, somewhat close to his transition to Nightwing), Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), and Catwoman (Selina Kyle). Numerous members of Batman's rogues gallery appear in the game, including Poison Ivy, The Joker, Scarecrow, and the Penguin, and the game also introduces an original villain, Dr. Lawrence Crencher, who later becomes the villain Terminus and is somewhat of the game's primary protagonist. The gameplay is somewhat inspired by the success of the Xbox's Spider-Man game. It's an open world game, but there's a definite order to the game's storyline missions, and parts of Gotham are locked away until the player completes parts of the story. In the meantime, there are plenty of side missions where Batman can bust petty criminals or look for clues to other, more significant crimes that if solved can unlock more of the game's backstory. The brawling isn't quite as fluid or intuitive as the Arkham games, with less gadgets for Batman to use and slightly less combo potential. Batman is more of a brute force fighter in this game, but is also a bit more of a bullet sponge as well, allowing the player to make more mistakes in combat. Batman can "level up" his health and fighting skills as the player progresses through the game, and there's even a skill tree, with most of the skills focused on fighting. Batman is able to intimidate enemies as well, making them cough up more clues or scaring them into surrendering. The game features plenty of cutscenes, and a fairly skilled voice cast. Kevin Conroy returns as the voice of Batman, but Mark Hamill doesn't play the voice of the Joker. Instead, he's voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, who voiced him in The Batman animated series IOTL (though this game's Joker appears somewhat similar to his OTL Arkham counterpart). Tara Strong doesn't reprise her role as Barbara Gordon either, instead, Cat Taber voices Barbara in this game. Grey Delisle voices Catwoman, while Dick Grayson is voiced by Mitchell Musso. Dr. Crencher is voiced by William Fichtner, whose performance as the character is particularly highly praised.

Gotham Stories can largely be divided into six segments, with an overarching storyline taking place in the background. The story segments are, in the order that they appear:

The Joker: The Joker is actually the first villain to appear in the game, and he has a somewhat diminished role compared to his role in the OTL Arkham series. Harley Quinn doesn't appear in the game. Instead, The Joker is bringing his old mob buddies together, presumably to concoct a scheme to get revenge on the Batman, but in actuality he sees to take out all the mob leaders at once and cause chaos in Gotham, and Batman has to stop him.
Catwoman: The story focused on Catwoman is the second one to be explored, though Catwoman plays a major recurring role in the rest of the game. The segment focuses on a heist gone awry, where Catwoman accidentally causes an innocent person to be grievously injured in an attempted robbery, and spends the rest of the segment fleeing from Batman as he pursues her. In the end, when it seems that Batman will bring her in, she manages to slip out of his grasp, refusing to take responsibility for what she has done despite her guilt over the incident, an incident whose consequences resonate for the rest of the game (the person Catwoman injured is Dr. Crencher's daughter).
Poison Ivy: This somewhat short segment sees Batman trying to catch Poison Ivy, who is planning to leak a massive amount of toxins at a gala celebrating Wayne Foundation donors. Ivy claims that Bruce Wayne and his friends are planning to poison the environment, and Batman must not only catch Poison Ivy, but discover who in his company has been lying to him.
Robin: This segment focuses heavily on Robin, with the Penguin as the main villain. Dick Grayson is dating a girl who happens to be one of Barbara's friends, but this girl is, for some reason, working with the Penguin, and may also have information about both Robin and Batgirl's secret identities. This segment goes in-depth into Batman's partnership with both Robin and Batgirl, and has a more emotional tone than the other segments of the game.
Scarecrow: This segment heavily features Dr. Crencher as well, who will ultimately become Terminus at the conclusion of this segment. Scarecrow works with Dr. Crencher to produce a powerful chemical agent that Crencher can use to take out both Batman and Catwoman, but the two both seek to betray each other, with massive collateral damage potential. This segment sees Catwoman risk her own life to protect Crencher's daughter from Scarecrow, while Terminus badly injures Robin and nearly does the same to Batgirl before Batman jumps in and saves them both.
Batgirl: The final segment sees Batgirl racked with guilt over Robin's injury, and she ventures off alone to deal with Terminus, while Batman is forced to give up on bringing in Catwoman to help Batgirl. Terminus' ultimate plan is to wipe out crime in the city by using a chemical made by Scarecrow and a weapon of his own design to blast Gotham from above. The chemical spread by the weapon is designed to eliminate people's desire to be criminals by causing them pain when they think about committing a crime, but Batman knows that the chemical will cause fatal brain bleeds in those affected, and has to stop Terminus to save the city. Batgirl arrives and manages to put up a good fight against Terminus before being hit by the weapon. At first, she's all right because she doesn't have any criminal desires, but after Terminus reminds her about Robin, she collapses in pain, unable to control her desire to kill the person who injured her friend. Batman arrives and the final boss battle begins, with Terminus' powerful weaponry and armor providing the main challenge in the fight. Batgirl fights through her pain long enough to help Batman knock Terminus out, and Batman administers a dose of the antidote to her in time to save her life. The ending shows that Robin has left before fully recovering from his injury, causing Batman to feel immense guilt about what happened to him. Batgirl is able to track him down, and despite his injuries, he's training... he plans to keep training until he's strong enough to be useful to Batman again, setting up his transformation into Nightwing.

Batman: Gotham Stories is released in May 2009. It's one of the more hyped games of the month, with similar hype levels to the 2007 Spider-Man Xbox game. Reviews are solid, averaging in the 8/10 range and praising the game's production values and scope. However, Gotham Stories would ultimately fall short of the praise given to OTL's Arkham Asylum. Its focus on an original villain rather than on the Joker is criticized by long time series fans, as is the absence of Harley Quinn. It's seen as one of the better Batman games, maybe the best Batman game ever released, but it's more of an expansion of the classic Super Nintendo Batman Returns-type brawler than it is a legitimate game changer for the series. It's a strong seller, and is highly praised by most, but it's not QUITE the blockbuster hit that OTL's Arkham games were. Still, it proves that there's an appetite for Batman games, and a sequel would soon enter production.

-

New Harley Quinn Animated Film Series Announced, Lyssa Fielding To Star In Title Role

Warner Bros. home animation division, which continues to produce animated films based on its popular DC super hero properties, has announced that at least three animated films will be released based on the Joker's longtime partner, Harley Quinn. Harley has appeared with the Joker already in a number of film projects, but these will be the first animated films where she'll be playing a starring role, without the Joker being present. In addition, Lyssa Fielding, who played Harley Quinn to great praise in the 2006 film Suicide Squad, will voice her in these new films. Previously, the role of Harley Quinn was played by Arleen Sorkin, and while Sorkin will continue to voice her in numerous other animated projects, including television shows and other films, Fielding will be playing her here.

"Fans responded really well to Lyssa's portrayal of Harley in Suicide Squad," said Paul Dini, one of the co-creators of the character, "and I personally thought she did an excellent job with the character, so for these films, I think her spin on the role will be a fun way to link the live-action film with these animated films."

The first film, simply called Harley Quinn, sees the character released from Arkham after surprisingly passing a psychiatric evaluation. She immediately makes plans to break her friend Poison Ivy (voiced by Annie Wersching) out of confinement, but finds herself wrapped up in another criminal scheme in the meantime. The release window for the film has been announced as 2010, with most production already wrapped up and animation work entering its final stages.

The announcement of Lyssa Fielding's involvement in another Harley Quinn-related project has raised speculation about a Suicide Squad film sequel, but so far, nothing has been announced as of yet, as Warner Bros. instead chooses to focus on other projects. Fielding herself has taken to social media to gin up support for a sequel, frequently posting about how much she enjoyed the role and wants there to be another film, but nothing has as of yet been announced.

-from a post on Toonzone.net on June 1, 2009

-

Batman Film, Animated Series Announced For 2011

Warner Bros. focus on the Justice League franchise has made fans wonder if there will ever be another stand-alone Batman film. Batman Triumphant was the last film to be released in 1999 featuring only the Caped Crusader, and while he's been a big part of the Justice League series, it's been a desire of many fans to see Batman return in his own film, especially after Superman was announced to star in a film in 2010 (though he'll be teaming up with the Legion Of Super-Heroes as well). Now, we have our answer. Batman Crusader will be released in 2011, and will take place before any of the Justice League films and apart from the Burton/Schumacher series. While it won't tell Batman's origin story, the film does take place before Batman teamed up with Robin and will focus on a "crucial decision" in the life and career of the Caped Crusader.

Released alongside this film will be a new animated series just announced for Cartoon Network, that won't take place in the same universe but will feature a "similar tone" to that film and will also take place at an earlier point in Batman's crime-fighting career. The voice cast for the show has not yet been announced, but it has been confirmed that Kevin Conroy will not be appearing as the voice of Batman. The new series will be animated by the same team as the new Batman animated film projects scheduled for bi-yearly release starting in 2010 with a new Harley Quinn film and a new Batman vs. Riddler story. With the new Batman announcements, and the popularity of the recent video game Gotham Stories, the Caped Crusader is experiencing a popular culture revival of sorts that might elevate him back into the same cultural prominence he enjoyed during the 90s. Only time will tell if the new films and cartoons can approach the popularity of the now-legendary Batman: The Animated Series, but one thing is for certain: we'll be seeing a lot more Batman in the near future.

-from a post on DC Galaxy on June 21, 2009

 

[RySenkari]

Ryan Seacrest: And now, at last, it's time to reveal the winner.

*Adam Lambert and a 17-year-old girl named Chloe Wang are standing on the American Idol stage.*

Seacrest: America... have you chosen Adam, the glam rock superstar who brought down the house with his raw emotion and vocal power? Or have you chosen Chloe, whose incredible pop ballads and stage ferocity got all of us moving our feet? America voted...

*Adam and Chloe hold each other's hands tightly, both of them trembling as they await the announcement of the winner.*

Chloe: Good luck, man.

Adam: You're amazing, girl. You're so amazing.

Seacrest: And the winner of the eighth season of American Idol is... Chloe Wang!!!

Chloe: OH MY GOD! *her mouth is wide open in shock and she nearly collapses before Adam pulls her in for a crushingly tight hug* I can't believe it.... I can't believe it....! *to Adam* You deserved to win. You deserved to win.

Adam: No way, no way girl, you kick ass. You rocked it.

Chloe: Oh my god! *still shell shocked as Adam kisses her on the cheek and Ryan walks over with a microphone* No freaking way.

Seacrest: Chloe... Chloe, you're the American Idol!

Chloe: Oh my god.... oh my god...

Adam: *releases Chloe from the hug and is just clapping for her over and over again*

Chloe: Oh my god. *takes her trophy and holds it tightly, still in disbelief*

-from the eighth season finale of American Idol, which aired live on May 27, 2009

-

When Chloe Wang won the eighth season of American Idol, it was seen at the time as perhaps the biggest upset in the history of the show. She had beaten Adam Lambert, who was seen by some as the reincarnation of Freddie Mercury with his massive vocal range and powerful rock ballads, which included a performance of Bohemian Rhapsody on the final two special that had Simon Cowell giving a one minute standing ovation. Lambert had repeatedly given some of the best performances in Idol history, while Chloe Wang was, at first, seen as just an ordinary pop singer with a decent voice that wasn't anything special and a very pretty face. However, Wang had two things going for her. The first was a stage presence that presented a much deeper personality than that of a pop princess. She was outspoken and somewhat rebellious, and even her pop songs had a bit of a harder edge to them, taking influence from power pop, punk, and even riot grrl. She presented herself as a take no prisoners, "I will kick your ass" kind of girl, and though she was one of the youngest in the final 12, she seemed to have a wit and wisdom beyond her years. She made a major name for herself during the Top 9 performance week, after singing a rendition of Britney Spears' "Toxic" that wowed the crowd but didn't move Simon Cowell, who gave Wang some of the harshest criticism he'd given any contestant all year. When Wang sniped back at him with a veiled insult, the crowd roared, and even Cowell seemed momentarily taken aback. That moment had seen Wang go from someone who'd been in the bottom three the past two weeks to someone who wouldn't finish in the bottom three until the Top 4. The second thing Wang had going for her was that she was riding the crest of the Asian pop wave. The daughter of a Chinese-American man and a Caucasian woman, Wang embraced her Asian roots (she briefly pondered changing her stage name to Chloe Bennet before applying for Idol, but decided against it at the encouragement of her parents), and not only performed American pop songs, but J-Pop and K-Pop songs as well, infusing them with her own punk style. She didn't know it at the time, but her stint on American Idol was the beginning of a fusion between American pop and Asian pop styles, something that arguably began with the Outkast/Hikaru Utada collaborations but didn't truly take off until Wang's unlikely Idol run, in which she covered songs that Asian pop bands had performed in English, mixing their styles with her own. Here was an American pop artist fully embracing the latest wave of Asian pop, and doing it in a way that was transformative rather than simply an imitation. She was embraced by the Asian-American community, who voted for her like no other Idol contestant before. She also won a vast majority of male votes, especially during the final two. Though her win over Adam Lambert was condemned by critics, it was celebrated by nearly everyone else, as the biggest symbol to date that the Asian pop boom had truly arrived. Wang would soon become one of the top pop stars of the day, quickly surpassing even Carrie Underwood in popularity amongst Idol alums, and elevating herself to a level matched only by rising stars such as Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

-from "Reflections On American Idol: Season 8", posted on an American Idol blog on September 3, 2015

-

Hikaru Utada, Andre 3000 Call It Quits

Japanese pop star Hikaru Utada and hip-hop superstar Andre "3000" Benjamin, one half of the duo Outkast, have broken up after nearly three years. The two not only enjoyed a personal relationship, but a celebrated professional relationship as well, collaborating on a number of projects that fused Japanese pop with Southern rap and helped popularize Asian music in the West. The two even enjoyed a pair of #1 hits, most notably "Kuruma", which featured Utada singing the chorus and backing up Outkast's rap lyrics. Though the two had dated very publicly, with appearances at the Grammys and the MTV Video Music Awards, they never announced any type of engagement, leading to rumors that their relationship wasn't quite as warm in private as it was out in the open. Utada was the one to announce the breakup in an interview with MTV, stating that "we decided to go our separate ways, it wasn't working and neither of us were feeling that connection like we used to, so I made the decision to break it off". While Andre 3000 hasn't publicly commented on the break-up yet, a song on the latest Outkast album is rumored to be about Utada. Called "Fallen Angel", the song talks about "bad decisions" related to a woman with whom the singer was once very close to, and the song also references "Ms. Jackson", Outkast's 2000 hit about Benjamin's failed relationship with Erykah Badu.

As for Utada, she is embarking on a massive tour of North America, Latin America, and Europe, following a successful concert in late 2008 where the singer performed in Tokyo alongside both Asian and American pop artists. The concert, called "Pan-Pacific Popmania", reached over 100 million viewers combined between MTV and online web streaming, while over 150,000 fans attended live across both locations, making it the most viewed concert since 2005's "Live 8". Utada's new English album is expected to release next month, and is expected to take a run at half a million sales in its first week in North America.

-from a May 21, 2009 article on Yahoo! News

-

Jay-Z: And I gotta tell you, these girls, they got it. They're gonna be the biggest group since Destiny's Child.

Nick Cannon: Whoa. When we first heard you had signed a Korean pop band, we thought, you know, maybe this is just Jay-Z branching out, trying out something new. You're saying this band is the biggest band you've ever signed.

Jay-Z: Absolutely. Look at what's going on right now. It's the new sound. Look at who just won on American Idol.

Cannon: Okay, so this band is called-

Jay-Z: 2NE1.

Cannon: To Anyone?

Jay-Z: No no, 2, as in the number two, and then N, and E, and 1. The "NE" stands for "New Evolution", and this is the new evolution of pop right here.

Cannon: Did you come up with that, or-

Jay-Z: No, no, their original label did. Then, you know, I did some wheelin', and some dealin', because I knew that I could produce these girls' next album in such a way that their talent would shine through. These girls, they're incredible.

Cannon: So when's their first American album gonna drop?

Jay-Z: Hopefully by the end of this year, but you know how the creative process is, could be next year. Hopefully this year though, we'll see.

Cannon: So is Jay-Z getting out of the hip hop biz or-

Jay-Z: *laughing* No, no, man. Fuck no. *laughing harder* No, I've still got a ton of rap acts and my own new album coming out this year. No, this is, this is me knowing talent when I see it.

Cannon: And if there's anyone in this business who knows talent, it's Jay-Z.

Jay-Z: But there's gonna be, I think, you'll see hip hop evolve. You remember how rock and roll started, with guys like Chuck Berry jammin' away. And then you get the Beatles, and you get Hendrix, and you get the Rolling Stones, and it just blows up and goes off in all these different directions. That's what's going on with hip hop right now. It's the kind of thing where you can take all this great music and just tell your story and let the music put those emotions in the mind of the listener, and any act, whether it's rap, or pop, or what have you, that can tell a great story is gonna sell. 2NE1 has a great story and I wanna help them tell it. You'll hear it soon, I promise you.

-from the June 8, 2009 episode of Nick Cannon's "Wild Beats" program on Northstar Satellite Radio

-

"The Great Gatsby won big at the Tony Awards last night, taking home the award for Best Musical, Best Performance By A Leading Actor In A Musical, and Best Performance By A Featured Actor In A Musical, among several others. It took home 11 awards in all, making it one of the biggest winners in Tony Awards history. The second biggest story of the night was the upset in a crowded field for Best Leading Actress In A Musical, in which legends like Bette Midler, Patti LuPone, and Stockard Channing were competing for the top prize. Midler was expected to take home the award for her performance in Suddenly Summertime, but it was instead 23-year-old Stefani Germanotta who took home the prize for her heartrending performance in Homecoming Queen. Germanotta's starring role in the hit musical about a teenage social outcast who forms an unlikely and ultimately tragic relationship with the most popular girl in school, won accolades for its uncompromising portrayal of the struggles of LGBT youth, but despite the praise heaped on her performance, most critics believed she wouldn't have the name recognition to take home a Tony. It was the only Tony won by Homecoming Queen, which was beaten out by The Great Gatsby in seven other categories, but it did make for one of the most memorable moments in the award show's history."
-from NBC's Today on June 8, 2009

-

Scott Pelley: But it's not exactly a dog-eat-dog world in the pop business, even as stars continue to rise overnight. Taylor Swift, who was nominated for Best New Artist at this year's Grammy Awards, said in a recent interview that she has a positive relationship with her fellow singers.

*A snippet is shown of Taylor Swift's recent interview with CBS This Morning.*

Swift: I just love it that so many young people are achieving fame in this industry. It's a tough industry to break into, but the doors are flying wide open. I have a really good relationship with everybody. I'm really close with BoA. We met last year in San Francisco at that concert we did together and she's such a fascinating person to get to know. We jammed on guitars together a bit, we sang some of our favorite songs together.

*Katy Perry is shown signing autographs outside of a theater in London, while Paramore is seen with the band Wishes (a Japanese band comprised of both male and female members in their late teens/early 20s) in Tokyo.*

Pelley: And now with stars from Japan, South Korea, and even China making their music heard on American radio, this new wave of pop singers has an international element not seen since the "British invasion" of the 1960s, when bands like the Beatles came to America and became household names.

*Archival footage is shown of the Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan show, and then footage from a 1960s Rolling Stones concert is shown.*

Pelley: While it's much too early to declare acts like Koda Kumi and Taylor Swift comparable to John Lennon and Paul McCartney, young fans are going just as wild for the new wave of pop stars as today's Baby Boomers went for those iconic British bands that changed rock and roll forever. Latin music superstar Selena, who has embarked on a production career, compares the current rise in popularity of Asian pop acts in the States to the Latin music boom of the late 90s and early 2000s, a music boom that many say she was instrumental in starting.

*Selena is shown at her production studio, giving some vocal coaching to young Selena Gomez as she records a modern-sounding pop song.*

Selena: It is just amazing to see how cyclical it is. When you have these ultra-talented performers that previously were only being heard by one group of people, and now suddenly the whole world knows about them, it changes everything.

*Scott Pelley is shown sitting across from Selena, interviewing her.*

Pelley: Do you think it's possible for any kind of music to catch on if the performer is talented enough?

Selena: Music is music, and I think it takes a lot of factors for a song to become popular. The singer's got to have charisma, the music has to sound good. Doesn't matter where the singer comes from. I've heard so much of the new pop music, and it sounds really catchy. I love Katy Perry, I think she's amazing. I think BoA has a really good sound. It's not any kind of music that's ever been heard before, but now that people are listening to it, yeah, they're really feeling it.

Pelley: Do you think there's still a place for your style of music in today's scene?

Selena: Oh, absolutely. I think you've got to adapt, of course, but the soul of that music is still there. I've experimented with some fusion sounds, Chris on the guitar, kind of a Latin guitar sound with some of the new music that's coming around. Carlos Santana and I did a lot of collaborations in the early 2000s with his old guitar and a modern pop sound that did really well. So yeah, there's a place for it. In the end, the listener will decide. You can't make somebody like something, you've got to appeal to their ear. This new music, it's really appealing. My daughter loves Taylor Swift, I think I do too.

-from a story on the June 24, 2009 episode of the CBS Evening News

-

Controversial Young Singer M.S. Promises A "Badass" New Album For Later This Year

14-year-old pop singer and friend to Pharell Williams, M.S., who is perhaps best known for "trolling" Taylor Swift at the 2008 Grammy Awards, is set to release a new album by the end of the year. While a title for the album has not yet been announced, M.S., whose real name is Martina Sanders, announced the new album on Twitter and promised that it would be "totally badass", while showing a picture of herself lighting a copy of her previous album on fire. That album went #3 in South Korea, and while it failed to chart in the United States, her songs from that album have garnered over a billion hits collectively on Videocean, raising anticipation for her upcoming album to a fever pitch. M.S., who turns 15 in August, hopes to launch herself into the American pop mainstream, but her recent behavior, which includes passionately arguing about her favorite anime shows on Twitter and posting pictures of herself in inappropriately revealing attire, have garnered a massive amount of controversy, and have somewhat called the reputation of Pharrell Williams into question, with some analysts urging him to "exercise more control" over his protege. Williams has mostly shied away from commenting about M.S.'s behavior, but when he has responded, most of his comments have been to the effect of "I'm just letting her be her". M.S. has been embraced by many young fans both male and female alike, and while her album is likely still a few months away, it's emerged as one of the most anticipated of the year, along with the new album for Hikaru Utada and the surprise Nirvana reunion album set for release this fall.

-from an article on Sonicwave.com, posted on June 26, 2009

-

Casey Kasem: And now, friends, this is it, the #1 song of the week and my final #1 reveal on this program before I hand over the reins to my good friend Ryan Seacrest, who I know will continue bringing you America's top hits with the same joy and excitement that I've experienced bringing them to all of you these past 38 years. It's been a wonderful journey and a privilege to come into your homes every week on the radio to count down the hits. We've had some great times, haven't we? I'm truly going to miss all of you very much. This week's #1 is a new #1 song, rising from #3 last week. It's from a singer who's a legend in her country of origin, but who is topping the American pop charts from the very first time. She hails from Japan, and her name is Ayumi Hamasaki. She's been performing since 1995, back when the top songs here in the US were songs from acts like Bryan Adams and Madonna. Only recently has she experienced success in the West, and her new album "Fantasy/Reality" features a mix of songs with English and Japanese lyrics. The biggest hit from that album is a song performed entirely in Japanese, "My Forever". It's the first ever song with all Japanese lyrics to top the American pop charts, and it's done so amidst a surging wave of successful young Asian performers bringing their hits to the West. In fact, it's the third Billboard #1 pop song this year by an Asian artist. Hamasaki has credited her success to her honesty and determination, and seeks to convey those qualities in her songs. She has said on numerous occasions that the greatest gift one can give themselves is to believe in themselves, a sentiment she expresses in many of her songs. Now, that determination has carried her song to the number one position on the American pop charts.

*drum roll*

Casey Kasem: With the #1 song of the week, and my final #1 as host of American Top 40, here's Ayumi Hamasaki with "My Forever".

-from the June 28, 2009 broadcast of American Top 40, Casey Kasem's final broadcast before retiring

 

[RySenkari]

(Here's the update reviewing the 2008-09 network television season!)

ABC:

ABC's season was all about the strong holdovers. Dancing With The Stars, Desperate Housewives, Lane, and Sheffield all stayed in the top 25, suffering only mild declines in their ratings. Lane remained a top 10 show in its seventh season, in which Lane went to college for the first time. The show remains one of the most acclaimed and powerful dramas on television, and shows little signs of slowing down, even as a 19-year-old Kristen Stewart became one of the highest paid actresses on television. As for ABC's new shows, there weren't too many hits to speak of, though The Alchemist, a show about a modern day chemistry genius who might possess mystical powers but has to deal with a hostile skeptic and an even more hostile hidden enemy, was a surprise hit and finished just inside the top 25 overall. The network would also see the debut of a mildly successful new comedy, Aloha, taking place in Hawaii and starring Kelly Hu as the busy matriarch of an energetic family.

CBS:

CBS had one of the strongest slates of new shows, adding The Mentalist and Eleventh Hour to a strong lineup that also saw sophomore hits Escrow and The Big Bang Theory rocket up the ratings charts. Escrow in particular saw spectacular success in the wake of the country's continued economic woes making it one of the timeliest and most controversial shows on television, and it became CBS' strongest drama overall. After struggling through some rough years, CBS was bouncing back in a big way, and began embarking on an initiative to push younger viewers to watch the network. The Big Bang Theory had proven successful, and their upcoming 2009-10 lineup looked to feature a massive amount of comedies and dramas featuring younger characters and aimed at younger viewers.

NBC:

Powers' third season, which featured spectacular twists and guest star appearances from the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Holly Hunter, was extremely successful, making it the top scripted program on television for the second straight year, and leading to the show winning an Emmy for Best Drama. Critics and fans alike couldn't get enough of Vince Gilligan and M. Night Shyamalan's amazing superhero show, and though the show wouldn't unseat American Idol (which, thanks to Chloe Wang, got its best ratings ever), it remained well above just about everything else. Apart from that, NBC didn't have too much going on in terms of holdovers. Sunday Night Football was still a huge hit and Cash Cab remained strong, but NBC's biggest story was its two rookie shows, the singing reality competition The Showdown and the firefighter drama Burn. The Showdown had a format in which one singer was the reigning champion and accepted challenges from up and coming singers who'd battled their way to the challenger spot, somewhat like the old Star Search program. Each episode culminated in the reigning champ singing to keep their throne, and viewers would vote on who would win. The Showdown joined Dancing With The Stars and American Idol as a runaway hit competition show, making it three in the top ten.

FOX:

FOX was struggling, even with American Idol topping the charts and House continuing to be a hit. The Moment Of Truth was still performing well, but its ratings were in decline, and though FOX's animation block remained strong thanks to The Simpsons and King Of The Hill, they had to trim the block to an hour due to the lack of other animated shows that could keep up from a ratings perspective. FOX struggled to find another success, canceling most of its new shows that debuted in 2008 and 2009. The network is at a bit of a crossroads, searching in unusual places for a new hit...

-

Top 25 Rated Network Television Programs Of 2008-09:

1. American Idol (Wednesday) (FOX)
2. American Idol (Tuesday) (FOX)
3. Powers (NBC)
4. Sunday Night Football (NBC)
5. Escrow (CBS)
6. Dancing With The Stars (Monday) (ABC)
7. Dancing With The Stars (Thursday) (ABC)
8. Lane (ABC)
9. Standard Of Care (CBS)
10. The Showdown (NBC)
11. The Mentalist (CBS)
12. Cash Cab (NBC)
13. Heart Of Darkness (CBS)
14. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
15. House (FOX)
16. Flagrant Foul (NBC)
17. Burn (NBC)
18. The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
19. 60 Minutes (CBS)
20. Eleventh Hour (CBS)
21. Sheffield (ABC)
22. Survivor (CBS)
23. The Moment Of Truth (FOX)
24. The Nature Of The Beast (CBS)
25. The Alchemist (ABC)

-

The Search For An Animated Prime-Time Drama May Be Over

It's a well known fact of American animation that dramatic/action shows can't be aimed at adults. Nearly all the "adult" animated shows that have ever aired on prime-time network television have been comedies. There have been some exceptions on cable, such as the limited series Aeon Flux, but for the most part, animated shows have been seen as exclusively for kids, and action shows especially, with even shows like Batman: The Animated Series forced to keep its content to a level that older children would be able to watch. That may be changing, as FOX has inked a deal with Joss Whedon to create an animated action show for the network's Sunday line-up, set to premiere early next year. The show's premise and title have not yet been revealed, but voice work and writing have already been completed for the first 13 episodes, and animation work is in progress. The show will be animated by Japanese studio Madhouse, and will have an anime look and feel, similar to hit anime shows such as Cowboy Bebop. It's a natural choice that Whedon's new show would take inspiration from anime, as Japan has been airing dramatic animation action shows aimed at adults in primetime for many years. It's rumored that FOX approached Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko to create a show for the network, but that the two elected to remain at Cartoon Network to create a follow-up to their hit Avatar series. The show will air immediately after The Simpsons in the 8:30 PM timeslot, looking to benefit from that show's lead-in, and while it will be an "edgy" show aimed at adult viewers, Whedon expressed hopes that teenagers will enjoy the show at well. It's likely that the show may be announced at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, in which Whedon is set to have a major panel announcing several new projects. If this new FOX show succeeds, it may well break new ground for televised animation, while also reviving FOX's stalling Sunday animation block.

-from a June 12, 2009 article at Toonzone.net

-

AMC's attempts to create a slate of hit drama programs may not be going so well, but on rival network FX, a healthy lineup of brand new drama shows has elevated that network's status to one of the top-rated channels on basic cable. Three new shows debuted during the 2008-09 season, and all three of them are currently averaging at least two million viewers, led by Moonshot, a dramatic series about an ill-fated NASA moon return mission. The series takes place in 2019, and a struggling NASA, unable to convince the American public that a Mars mission is feasible, decides to return to the Moon for the 50th anniversary of Armstrong's landing. The mission goes horribly wrong, stranding a crew of six astronauts on the Moon, and as NASA attempts to scramble a miraculous rescue mission, the astronauts struggle to survive and political intrigue hangs over everything. The next show, Melissa, is about a teenage girl who also happens to be a serial killer. The show is intensely controversial but also incredibly addictive, and perhaps the most buzzed about of FX's new dramas. Then there's Can I Take Your Order?, a dramedy that chronicles the lives of workers at an inner-city fast food restaurant. Loosely based on Eric Schlosser's expose book Fast Food Nation, the show is more episodic in nature than the previous two shows mentioned but features plenty of gritty and realistic language and scenes, exposing the drudgery of minimum wage work in a way that resonates heavily in the current economic environment.

There's also Lifetime's effort to be taken more seriously, focusing more on dramatic programs than its somewhat maligned made for TV movies. With an effort to push quality, ongoing storylines and improve its slate of actors, Lifetime is seeing higher ratings as well, and this "stunt" seems to be going better than its brief flirtation with creating a more "fun" network back in the late 1990s. The History Channel is also seeing success with its series of "American Presidency" docudramas, three-part profiles on the life of a different American president, with a new installment airing once every three months and promising to finish up the entire series by the end of the 2010s. 2009's slate includes George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Richard Nixon, and Abraham Lincoln has already been announced for 2010. While some of the more lesser known presidents will probably see their stories padded and embellished, the series has become a major hit for the network, along with its brand new show Pawn Stars about the life and times of a Las Vegas pawn shop.

Of course, the best cable fare remains confined to premium channels, and HBO is the leader of the bunch, with hits such as the sci-fi drama Galvan, about a ship full of Earthlings that has drifted into the territory of a brutal alien empire. There's also Loveless, about a woman novelist struggling in the 1910s, and The Starter, about a volatile pro basketball star. Then there's Shadows Of The Hills, a mystery/crime procedural series taking place in post-WWII Los Angeles, and based on the works of James Ellroy. The series is said to be a spiritual successor to the 1997 film L.A. Confidential, and is one of the most acclaimed new drama series of the decade, though its ratings are somewhat lacking and it controversially lost to Powers for the 2009 Emmy. Other premium channels like Showtime and Cinemax are airing hits of their own, but HBO's slate remains the strongest, and amongst cable networks in general, only FX can boast a comparable lineup.

-from an article posted on Tubehound.com on June 25, 2009

 

[RySenkari]

Killer Instinct 4

Killer Instinct 4 is a fighting game exclusive to the Nintendo Sapphire. The game continues storylines established in the previous titles while bringing Rare's combo heavy flagship fighting game to an HD console for the first time ever. Killer Instinct 4 introduces two new elements to the game in an attempt to distinguish it from previous games while also adding new strategic depth. The first element of the game is the option to utilize a tag team during gameplay. During fighter selection, players can either choose to fight with a single character or team up and fight with two characters. As in previous games with character tagging, it's possible to tag in and out at any time. If selecting a single fighter, that fighter must be knocked out two times for the opponent to claim victory, but if playing with a tag team, each partner must be knocked out only once, and there's no healing when a player is sitting out, unlike some other titles. The other new addition to the game is the concept of "counter comboing", or countering combo attacks with other combo attacks. While a player is being comboed, it's possible to continue entering inputs even if a character isn't able to move at the time. If a combo is activated at the right time, that fighter will automatically counter the current combo with their own partial combo. This partial combo can also be countered, leading to strategic back and forth combo maneuvers. There are also "tag combos" in the game that certain fighters can activate with one another. Not every team is tag combo compatible, so it's up to the player whether they want to utilize two compatible characters to perform one of these combos.

Killer Instinct 4 features a total of 26 characters in the base game, and four will later be made available via DLC. This includes 20 characters from previous games and six brand new additions.

The list of returning characters is:

Orchid
Cinder
Eyedol
Fulgore
Glacius
Jago
Riptor
Sabrewulf
Spinal
Dekado
Sarah
Griffin
Pow-R
Vangon
Kim Wu
Lasurr
Festiva
Organick
Tigran
Bewixtra

Chief Thunder, T.J. Combo, Tusk, and Geldman do not appear in the base game, though (a heavily reworked to remove any offensive traits) Chief Thunder and T.J. Combo would later return via DLC. The six new characters include:

Karkena: The game's primary antagonist, Karkena is a half-human, half-Kraken hybrid woman who uses her long tentacle limbs to strike her opponents from afar. She has the ability to hypnotize her prey, forcing them to do her bidding. She's the result of undersea experimentation by Ultratech causing the spirit of the ancient Kraken beast to fuse with the body of a scientist killed in an experiment gone wrong. She slaughters the Ultratech personnel and seeks to use their technology to conquer the seas, forcing fighters from all over the world to team up and stop her.
Hartman: A man in a decompression suit who once worked for Ultratech but now seeks to atone for his past, he's sort of based on the scientists from the old Sealab cartoon (not the funny one). He's mostly serious but is a bit hammy, and has a history with Organick. Hartman is actually voiced by Phil Hartman, the character's name was originally different but was changed as an homage to Hartman's performance as the character, which is almost universally praised.
Mulger: A mixed-martial arts champion, Mulger sought to win the Killer Instinct tournament, but when it was interrupted by Karkena, he teams up with the other fighters to get revenge and glory. He's a sort of jack of all trades character and the most "noob friendly" of the new fighters.
Silent: A cloaked assassin somewhat similar to Sadira in OTL's 2013 Killer Instinct game. He's hired by Ultratech as a sort of "cleaner" to kill certain fighters who come to investigate the Karkena incident. He's sort of a secondary antagonist but has somewhat of a code of honor.
Joanna Dark: One of two "guest" characters in the game, Joanna is a guest star from the Velvet Dark series and plays no role in the actual story mode, but does have story-relevant dialogue in Arcade Mode when fighting certain characters.
Donkey Kong: The second "guest" character in the game, Donkey Kong makes his way to Killer Instinct and is pretty much just there because, well, he's Donkey Kong. He's usually the last character unlocked by the player (the game starts with 14 characters available and 12 unlockables). He's big and slow but packs a powerful punch and you really don't want him to combo you. Since there's no Punch-Out in the seventh generation for Donkey Kong to show up in, Nintendo decided to allow him to show up in Killer Instinct, sort of in the same way that Rash from Battletoads appears in OTL's 2013 game.

And in addition to Chief Thunder and T.J. Combo returning as DLC, there's also a third guest character, Dynamo from the 2006 game of the same name, and finally a brand new character, Seraphia, a beautiful angel woman who holds a dark secret. Seraphia comes with an additional story mode chapter that not only expands upon the story mode of the base game but also teases events for a possible fifth Killer Instinct game.

The game features online play, both 1v1 and 2v2, with a competition ladder, tournaments, and casual play, that's even better received than Killer Instinct 3. In addition to the Arcade mode, which consists of a ladder with seven random opponents, one "rival" battle, a battle against Silence, and then a battle against Karkena, there's the Story mode, which this time can be played through with every playable character. Each character has their own unique dialogue (including Karkena, who when used in Story mode is a time traveler fighting to save herself from herself), and there are six chapters to the story, each with a certain number of fights. Though everyone's storyline plays out in almost identical fashion, certain unique events do happen for each character, and through Story mode, players are able to see how certain characters relate to one another and how each character relates to the overall story. The story starts out at the Killer Instinct tournament, which is interrupted by an attack from Karkena and her sea legions. Ultratech helps to fight them off and then the player character is recruited by Ultratech to stop Karkena, leading to a war that spreads out over several chapters. The Story mode can be played with four different difficulties: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Master, and only by defeating the Story mode on Master difficulty (fortunately, you only have to do it with one character), can the true ending be unlocked, in which Karkena's spirit is separated from the scientist it possessed and she begins her road to recovery.

Killer Instinct 4 is released on May 15, 2009, a rare Friday release at the time. The game is highly praised for its graphics, which look stunning on the Nintendo Sapphire, easily the best looking fighting game ever made up to this time. The game pushes the Sapphire quite hard, and in some spots is actually comparable to the OTL Killer Instinct 2013 game on the Xbox One. The online multiplayer is also highly praised and it would become the Sapphire's most popular online multiplayer title for quite some time. The new characters are also highly praised, and the game's initial 26 character roster, while not overwhelmingly huge, is seen as one of the most jam-packed and diverse rosters of any fighting game to date. Review scores for the game are very strong, averaging right around the 9/10 range, but aren't quite as strong as the reviews for Killer Instinct 3. The game doesn't have a huge amount of content beyond its story, arcade, and online modes, and while it does have a rudimentary single player challenge mode, it's not seen as being especially rich or replayable. The real attraction of the game is its combo system, and that, fortunately, remains quite strong. There's a mixed reaction to the game's tag team system also, but overall it's received fairly well, adding a new layer of strategy to the game. Overall first week sales are extremely good, but slightly lower than expected, moving about 500,000 copies in its first week. That's on par with Killer Instinct 3, but represents a much smaller proportion of Sapphire owners than Killer Instinct 3 represented of the Wave userbase at the time of its release. The general opinion of the game is that it's extremely good, but falls a bit short of its predecessor both critically and commercially. Expected to be a Game of the Year contender, it falls somewhat short of that mark as well amongst most critics. Killer Instinct 4 is still a very successful game, and the franchise maintains its position as one of the best fighting game franchises on the market.

-

And though Rare just launched Killer Instinct 4, the company is expected to have a major presence at Nintendo's E3 presentation, where they're expected to, at the very least, show off the new Conker game and reveal more about their new Velvet Dark title, which as of yet has only been shown in the form of a teaser at E3 2008. Rare remains one of Nintendo's most important second parties, despite having taken somewhat of a "wait and see" stance on the Nintendo Sapphire. The company has recently gone into production on what's rumored to be a brand new IP, and Tim and Chris Stamper have recently announced that the company might be cutting certain old franchises off in favor of developing new ones.

In a recent statement about the company's future, Tim Stamper announced that the only three Rare IPs that the company will "absolutely" develop more of in the future are Killer Instinct, Velvet Dark, and Battletoads. As for the rest of the Rare IPs, including their beloved franchise The Dreamers and their hit mascot platformer Conker, Stamper said that it's "unlikely" either one of them will see additional games in the foreseeable future after the release of their Sapphire Conker title. Citing the Sapphire's "incredible potential", Stamper said that Rare's programmers and developers are "overflowing" with new ideas and that they want to make at least three original titles for the Sapphire over the next few years.

Nintendo has already announced that future Donkey Kong games will not be developed by Rare, though Rare's Ken Lobb expressed his desire to adapt other Nintendo IPs on the Sapphire if Nintendo gave them the chance to do so.

So far, what we've seen of the new Conker platformer looks amazing. The game will be a traditional 3-D platformer, unlike Super Mario Flip which was a mix of 2-D and 3-D. The game's lead programmer said that the game will "utilize the Sapphire to its full potential", and could feature a potentially enormous world for Conker to explore, but we'll likely get all the crucial details during Nintendo's E3 keynote.

Known for pushing technology to its limits, Rare made some of the most beautiful and innovative games on the SNES-CD, Ultra Nintendo, and Nintendo Wave, and Killer Instinct 4, though not the most innovative fighting game out there, was definitely one of the prettiest. Though Rare's Conker and Velvet Dark presentations will likely be highlights of E3 2009, if rumors about a new IP reveal from Rare are correct, the reveal could be the biggest "wow" moment of the entire week. We're looking forward to whatever Rare is set to reveal as E3 gets ready to kick off in just a few days.

-from Blargo's "E3 2009 Countdown: Rare" article, posted on June 11, 2009

 

[RySenkari]

Since the next three updates will cover E3 2009, here's a little treat for you guys. It's the official E3 2009 Thrillseekers 2 trailer, which is played at Activision's preshow presser.

For extra effect, here's the song that plays during the trailer:

Enjoy!

-

*The camera pans in on a massive stadium where thousands of fans are cheering. Twenty teams of seven extreme sports athletes, including the Thrillseekers girls, are briefly shown. “People Like Us” by Kelly Clarkson begins to play.*

Announcer: Welcome to the first ever World X Tournament, where the world's best extreme sports champions will compete for the ultimate prize!

We come into this world unknown

But know that we are not alone

*Brief footage of Stacy, Alex, Marina, Vivian, Elissa, and Kirsten enjoying themselves as they perform in their specialty sports are shown, Stacy and Alex are shown skateboarding together.*

They try to knock us down

But change is coming

And it's our turn now

Stacy: Alex, this is awesome!

Alex: Try to keep up!

Hey

Everybody loses it

*Stacy is shown taking a hard fall on her skateboard in the middle of a competition as the crowd gasps.*

Everybody wants to throw it all away sometimes

Stacy: I'm not good enough for this...

Alex: *comforting her* Don't say that, you're the most talented person I've ever met.

Hey

I know what you're going through

Don't let it get the best of you, you'll make it out alive

*The team is shown supporting Stacy, and then a scene of the new character Rachel doing a variety of sports is shown. Scenes highlighting some of the new characters participating in various new sports such as dirtboarding and psicobloc are shown, and then we get a scene of Emma taunting Alex.*

Emma: You're not a competitor. You're not even ranked. Why don't you just go home?

Alex: I'll show you what I can do! *pulls ahead of her in a skiing race*

Oh, people like us we gotta stick together

*The main six girls are shown again, in somewhat more emotional circumstances, comforting each other in a tough time.*

Keep your head up, nothing lasts forever

*Some of the other teams are shown now, also supporting each other, showing off the relationships between some of the new characters.*

Here's to the damned, to the lost and forgotten

Alex: What would you know about being looked down on?

Emma: You have no idea what I've been through!

It's hard to get high when you're living on the bottom

*More scenes of characters wiping out in competition are shown, Marina takes a particularly hard fall.*

Kirsten: Marina!

Marina: I'm fine...! *gets to her feet, groaning*

*Alex is shown taking a massive wipeout on her surfboard as Stacy screams. As the song hits the chorus, a series of action scenes are displayed, showing off the game's incredible animation and large cast of characters.*

Woah-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh

We're all misfits living in a world on fire

Woah-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh

Sing it for the people like us, for the people like us

*As the chorus dies down, the Thrillseekers are shown struggling in competition.*

Vivian: *crosses the finish line, but isn't looking happy* Dammit!

Hey

This is not a funeral

Stacy: *collapses to her knees* I messed up, I ruined everything...

Marina: Maybe she does need to step aside.

Alex: Don't even say it!

Vivian: Marina, Alex is right, Rachel's... really good.

It's a revolution after all your tears have turned to rage

*Stacy watches from the shadows as she sees Rachel practicing, then we see Stacy punching a mirror and breaking it as the word “rage” is sung.*

Just wait

Everything will be okay

*We see a scene of Stacy being comforted by some of her friends, including the new girl Rachel, and a brief tender scene between Emma and one of her teammates.*

Even when you're feeling like it's going down in flames

Alex: YOU'RE DEAD!

*Alex lunges at Emma and throws a punch at her that looks like it connects.*

Emma: How dare you...!

Tournament Official: You'll be disqualified from the tournament!

Alex: You can't do that!

Vivian: No!

Stacy: *running out of a room in tears*

People like us, we gotta stick together

*Marina is shown hugging a sobbing Kirsten.*

Keep your head up, nothing lasts forever

*Heather, a member of Emma's team, is seen stoically watching her train.*

Here's to the damned, to the lost and forgotten

*Stacy is shown walking alone up a snowy mountain.*

It's hard to get high when you're living on the bottom

*A brief montage of several “underdog” teams is shown, including a Jamaican bobsledding team*

Woah-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh

We're all misfits living in a world on fire

Marina: Well, aren't you special. *glaring at a girl with a blonde pixie cut and an Austalian accent*

Annie: Mmmm, that's a nice way of putting it. *smirking as she surfs with Marina in competition*

Shuji: Yatta!!! *doing a team cheer with the Japanese team*

Niall: Everyone, let's go out there and have fun, right? *smiling at his other team members, who are all smiles except for Emma who just has a fierce stare*

Woah-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh

Sing it for the people like us, for the people like us

*Another rapid fire montage of scenes, this time showing the characters having fun in Japan, Rachel comforting Stacy as she sits next to a window sighing, and Alex and Marina looking up at the sky together.*

Woah-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh

You just gotta turn it up loud when the flames get higher

*Stacy and Alex are having an argument at a skate park*

Stacy: I can't believe you'd say that to me!

Alex: I can't believe you'd be so selfish!

Woah-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh

Sing it for the people like us, for the people like us

*A montage of action scenes is shown now, featuring insane tricks and more wipeouts, showing particularly how impressive some of the new characters are and how fierce the Thrillseekers' competition has become.*

They can't do nothing to you

Emma: *skating really close to Alex, threatening to knock her off her board*

They can't do nothing to me

Heather: *standing over Kirsten on the snowboarding slopes, she has about four inches of height on Kirsten and Kirsten looks really intimidated*

This is the life that we choose

*Another montage of extreme sports scenes, culminating in a spectacular wingsuiting maneuver over Mt. Fuji*

This is the life that we bleed

*A quick montage emphasizing teamwork, even showing Emma giving one of her teammates a boost*

So throw your fists in the air

Come out come out if you dare

*More extreme sports scenes, emphasizing a spectacular two-person skateboarding stunt from Alex and Stacy*

Tonight we're gonna change forever

Stacy: *slipping off a cliff* ALEX!

Alex: *screams and dives and catches her by the wrist just in time* Nnnngh!!!

Everybody loses it

Everybody wants to throw it all away sometimes

*The rapid-fire nature of the montages slows down, and we go back to Alex and Stacy, sitting in a hotel room, talking to each other.*

Stacy: I love this. I love all of this.

Alex: Then why are you sad?

Stacy: Because I love all of you more.

Alex: Stacy, if you think that us winning the competition means more than our friendship, and you don't think you can compete, then why haven't you stepped down already?

Stacy: You believe in me.

Alex: …

Stacy: You're the only one who believes in me.

Oh, people like us, we gotta stick together

Keep your head up, nothing lasts forever

*Stacy is shown wingsuiting alongside Elissa, who smiles at her, and then she looks over and sees Marina, who gives her a thumbs up. Emma dirtboards down a hill, and then we see Annie laughing as she jetskis up a massive ramp.*

Here's to the damned, to the lost and forgotten

It's hard to get high when you're living on the bottom

*A 12-year-old Emma is shown laughing as she and her friend drive a stolen car down a road as police chase them, then we see Alex with a determined look, holding her skateboard as she walks down a hallway.*

Woah-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh

We're all misfits living in a world on fire

Announcer: I've never seen tricks like these before!

Marina: *yelling at Niall* I'm gonna put you under the water, pretty boy!

Niall: *laughing* Were you just flirting with me?

Heather: *grits her teeth as she barely manages to grab a rock jutting out of a massive cliff high above the water*

Elissa: *waving to someone as she wingsuits past*

Woah-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh

Sing it for the people like us, for the people like us

*Rachel grimaces in pain as she holds her leg on the beach during a storm*

Stacy: *gasps*

Rachel: *glares at her*

Woah-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh

*Later, Emma is shown confronting Stacy.*

Emma: So now your friend's hurt.

Stacy: I didn't do it!

You just gotta turn it up loud when the flames get higher

*Alex slams her helmet down onto the ground*

Woah-oh-oh-woah-oh-oh

Sing it for the people like us, for the people like us

*Another quick montage of tricks and competition is shown, focusing on Alex, Rachel, and Emma competing in a variety of sports, ending with Emma wiping out after a spectacular skate jump while Alex lands the same trick and pumps her fist triumphantly. The song lyrics stop and the music goes into a few final quiet notes, as the seven girls (Alex, Stacy, Vivian, Marina, Elissa, Kirsten, and Rachel) walk out through a tunnel together, arm in arm.*

Alex: No matter what happens, our friendship is forever.

Stacy: ...promise?

Alex: *just smiles at her*

*The seven are shown in the arena together, taking it in as the crowd cheers. Alex's voiceover can be heard as the song slowly fades.*

Alex: Win or lose... we'll always stick together. Doesn't matter what they throw at us. We'll be right there at the end. Ready for anything.

*The video fades to black.*

THRILLSEEKERS 2

7-21-09

 

[RySenkari]

E3 2009 - Apple Keynote

Apple's keynote speech was the first of E3 2009, and there seemed to be a celebratory atmosphere as Steve Jobs took the stage following an exciting intro highlighting some of the iTwin's most successful recent games, such as Sonic Duo, Panzer Dragoon Zeta, and Commander Keen: Billy's Brave Odyssey. Jobs was quick to tout the iTwin's outstanding sales, stating that it was the best selling console of its generation, and that during the 14 months since the Sapphire's release, the iTwin has outsold Nintendo's console during that period, making it the console with the highest market share in its current generation. He also touted the sales successes of both the iPod Play and the iPhone, and spent a lot of time discussing the iPhone and the future of mobile gaming, which he plans to address later in the presentation. After some discussion of the iPhone, Jobs introduced Reggie Fils-Aime. Reggie returned to discussing the iTwin and reiterated the console's success, along with those of its games. He showed how Sonic Duo has sold twice as many copies as Super Mario Flip worldwide, and that it's sold more than ten million units so far. Then, Reggie segued into another segment.

Reggie Fils-Aime: And so, as you can see, people just can't get enough of Sonic the Hedgehog. He's the most popular video game character of today, and you can only find his games on Apple. Sonic Duo has proven to be one of the most popular games of the decade, and that's why we're about to give you even more of the blue hedgehog and all his friends, in a brand new game coming out later this year for the Apple iTwin. We've already shown you some of this new Sonic game at MacWorld and at the MTV Video Game Awards, but now, here's your biggest look yet at the brand new Sonic adventure coming just two months from now. Here is the final preview for Sonic: Elemental Friends.

Reggie then showed a brief trailer that combined gameplay and story, and along with Steve Jobs, played the game live for the assembled crowd. Sonic: Elemental Friends is a brand new, fully 3-D Sonic adventure in the style of 2002's Sonic Neon. While it doesn't feature 2-D/3-D hybrid gameplay like Sonic Duo, it does allow two people to play at a time, with one controlling Sonic and the other controlling one of up to twelve different companion characters, including Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Corona, Rouge, Vector, Flare, Sting, and even a few brand new friends, each with the ability to use special elemental powers. These powers, such as fire, ice, lightning, wind, and earth, can not only be used by that individual character, but can augment Sonic's own skills as well. This game has more of a combat element to it than previous Sonic titles, with a huge variety of enemies to fight and entire gameplay segments devoted to fighting enemies and bosses. This doesn't mean that Sonic's familiar quick gameplay won't return: we saw plenty of Sonic and friends running across massive landscapes at rocket-fast speed. There are a huge variety of environments as well, from mountains and forests to cities and towns, each focused on a different element. The game's plot centers around Sonic and friends defending their homeland from a gang of evil villains who have summoned an enormous monster to aid them in conquering the various zones and worlds. Eggman is nowhere to be seen (perhaps he really is gone for good after his defeat in Sonic Duo?), though he may show up in a future title. The very end of the preview showed off Sally Acorn as a playable companion, indicating that yes, her revival in The Time Emeralds was for real and that she's back for good, commanding the element of light. Sonic: Elemental Friends looked like one of the most exciting Sonic games in quite some time, and will no doubt be fun to play with a friend utilizing the dual controllers of the iTwin. Sonic: Elemental Friends is coming out VERY soon, just two months from now in August, and we can't wait to play it.

After the Sonic segment, Steve Jobs left the stage, while Reggie segued into the next segment. After re-iterating that Sonic was a hero you can only play on Apple, he then said that another legendary game hero was also exclusive to Apple: the Blue Bomber, Mega Man. We got to see a final preview for Mega Man Next 3. The game is nearly out, and while we've seen lots of preview footage already, Capcom saved some impressive stuff for the game's final showing at E3. Mega Man Next 3 sees Mega Man taking to the skies, allowing levels to be even more vertical with his new flight ability. The preview also showed off more of the new melee combat moves for Mega Man, adding some beat 'em up elements to this game. We saw more of the game's villain, the evil CEO of the company Ultimo, which designs robot weapons based on designs stolen from Dr. Light. Mega Man will find himself up against a powerful army of Ultimo robots as he fights to prevent the corporation from eradicating the peaceful and free robots of his world. While some longtime players might worry that Mega Man's new flight abilities might ruin classic platforming, that doesn't seem to be the case: these flight abilities have limits, and there are some areas where Mega Man will be weighted to the ground, forcing him to jump normally and bringing traditional platforming back into play. No matter what form this adventure takes, the Mega Man Next games have been quite good, and this third game looks like a winner for the iTwin when it's released in just two weeks. We next got a brief Commander Keen-centered segment, in which Reggie announced some Reynard-centric DLC for Billy's Brave Odyssey that would be released in the fall. The DLC will give the player six extra levels, four of which star the rogueish Reynard in some fun heist missions, one of which features Keen as the antagonist. Then, Reggie briefly teased a Reynard spinoff that would be released on the iPod Play and iPhone next year, followed by an announcement of a new Reynard iTwin game also targeting a 2010 release date. The Reynard announcements got the crowd really excited, along with the announcement of a Commander Keen: Billy's Brave Odyssey: Game Of The Year Edition that would include all of the Reynard DLC and would be both sold on its own and packaged with an upcoming Reynard-themed iTwin. We then got a big preview for Bayonetta, set to be released by the end of the year. Hideki Kamiya's hack and slash, featuring an Umbra Witch with a killer body and even more killer moves, looked incredible in the preview, which mostly focused on the gameplay. Bayonetta can attack with her fists, her feet, and a variety of weapons including swords, guns, scythes, axes, and even a lance. She can also wield a limited amount of magic to use on enemies, and can even conjure up torture devices to punish her foes after racking up enough damage. Bayonetta's enemies mostly consist of angelic foes, sent down from heaven to slaughter Bayonetta and her allies (this and Final Fantasy XII seem to be sharing a theme, though Bayonetta is much, MUCH less serious about her crusade than Lilith is). Despite her brutal nature, Bayonetta seems to be quite a fun-loving person, enjoying fighting angels and always having a sassy one-liner to direct at her friends or her foes. What's notable about the game is its sheer speed: it plays much faster than Devil May Cry does, and the player is rewarded for dodging enemy attacks with a temporary slowing of time that Bayonetta can take advantage of to attack prone foes. Bayonetta's foes range from monstrous, mostly brainless angelic mooks all the way up to assassins sent from heaven to take Bayonetta out with fierce magical attacks of their own. This game looks incredibly fun and VERY over-the-top, and though it'll no doubt be controversial, it could also be one of the best games of the year. The line to play Bayonetta at Apple's booth was even longer than the line for the new Sonic game, showing just how enthusiastic people are about this title. A release window for Bayonetta has been announced as fall of this year. Following the Bayonetta preview, Reggie briefly discussed the handheld Apple devices. He promised that Apple will continue to support the iPod Play, and showed off games such as the upcoming Sega vs. Capcom fighting game crossover, along with the new FPS The Raid 4 and even a couple of RPGs: Elpharia 2 and a new one from Atlus, Shin Megami Tensei: Psychic Angels, which features a group of angels disguised as humans fighting to save Japan from a demonic incursion. The most intriguing game announced for the Apple handheld ecosystem, however, was Vectorman 3, a new Vectorman game in the classic platformer style of the first two games. While it looks like a modern 3-D game, its gameplay is extremely reminiscent of the original two. It's a welcome retro throwback, and looks awesome on both the iPod Play and the iPhone. Speaking of the iPhone, Reggie announced that more games, including Panzer Dragoon Zeta and Dasho: A Young Man's Story, would become playable using the iPhone's streaming functionality. Reggie also announced some exclusive iPhone titles, and gave us the release date for Shining Force VI on the iPhone: September 8.

Following the iPod Play/iPhone segment, we got a brief sizzle reel for some other games headed to the iTwin, including third party multiplatform games. We got to see some footage of the new Call Of Duty game, Call Of Duty: Hostiles, running on the iTwin, and also got glimpses of first-party games like Ecco's New World. Some new Dead Rising 3 footage appeared in this reel, and there was a big focus on a new rhythm game called Just Dance, which features the Apple Dance Ball accessory. This accessory, which lights up like a disco ball and works in tandem with the motion controls to turn the player's living room into a dance hall, looked really neat on the video, and Apple was showing it off on the convention floor with a special "nightclub" set up where players could try out the accessory. The sizzle reel mostly emphasized the diversity of the Apple iTwin lineup, revealing that most of the year's big multiplats would be showing up on the system, and that the iTwin, while not as physically impressive as its competition, still boasts a diverse and fun lineup of games. Right after the sizzle reel, a special preview for an exclusive RPG was shown. The game, which takes place in the near future, centers around a special agent caught up in a conspiracy, and unlike other games in the genre, which are basic third-person shooters, this game allows much more decision making on the part of the player, and has a highly intuitive combat system as well, much like that of an action RPG rather than a shooter. The game seems reminiscent of the Deus Ex series, but with a modern pastiche and style reminiscent of the Bourne films. After an action packed two minute trailer showing off both gameplay and storyline, the game's title, Alpha Protocol, was revealed, and the release window was given as 2010. Reggie Fils-Aime then came back on stage and discussed the iTwin's RPG lineup, touting the recent success of Phantasy Star VIII before discussing another beloved series, Panzer Dragoon. He discussed the positive sales and reviews for the iPod Play's Panzer Dragoon Metamoria, before introducing a new title in the series. This isn't an RPG or a rail-shooter, it's a battling game where players raise a dragon and then enter into arena combat, either against the computer in a series of stages or against human opponents either locally or online. The dragon vs. dragon combat looks quite fun and the game seemed to stay true to the series' style of combat. The game's title was shown as Panzer Dragoon Arena, and it too will be released in 2010. We then saw a preview for another RPG, stated as being made by "the creator of the Tale series". This RPG, helmed by Yoshiharu Gotanda, takes place in a world completely covered by one giant city. Rather than being a paradise, this world is somewhat in disrepair, and inhabited by mercenaries who must scrounge out a living in the hopes of being able to move to the rich districts. Players must navigate the streets of this worldwide city, engaging in spectacular gun battles with robots and soldiers. The one thing that stands out from this preview are those gun battles: characters dive every which way, racking up damage and knocking parts off robots or shooting guns out of enemies' hands. It looks visually impressive and quite a bit of fun. The game's title is Ecumenopolis, and it's another thing to look forward to on the iTwin in 2010. After the Ecumenopolis preview, Reggie welcomed Steve Jobs back to the stage, and also a pair of people from Apple's online service, to discuss what to look forward to on the iTwin's online ecosystem over the next year. We also got some new Pixelworld reveals, including new Commander Keen-related skins as well as some official licensed skins from Marvel Comics and Capcom, allowing plays to stage their own Marvel vs. Capcom battles in their worlds. iTunes was touted as being the number one retro digital gaming store, and a slew of new games were announced to be added to the service, with most of the reveals coming from the Genesis and Saturn back catalogues, but also a few coming from the Katana. Jobs also announced that for the first time, non-Sega games would be added to the iTunes service, including games from the TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo, and Atari family of systems such as the Atari 2600 and the Lynx. Jobs announced a movie and TV streaming service for the iTwin and iPhone, which would launch early next year.

Following this segment, Jobs once again left the stage, and we got another quick, Alpha Protocol-esque preview for a new third person shooter called Guardian. In this game, you take the role of a special agent tasked with protecting a series of civilians, each of whom plays an important role in keeping peace in the world. Guardian is a game that seems like it will focus on escort missions, but takes steps to eliminate the frustration that they cause, making the task of protecting someone fun and giving each person you're protecting a major role in the story. The preview also showed off the motion controls, which look to change the game's feel and gameplay quite significantly, from being a traditional shooter to something a lot more immersive. Guardian looks to be one of the iTwin's most important tentpole games of next year, and another game intended for the system's more mature fanbase, which Apple has done an increasingly good job of cultivating as of late. Speaking of mature games, Reggie next took the opportunity to invite a special person onto the stage... and when Hideo Kojima walked out to join Reggie, the crowd went nuts. Kojima was there to announce Metal Gear Solid: Outer Heaven, the first game in the Solid series that won't be exclusive to a Nintendo console. It takes place a few years before the events of the original Metal Gear Solid, and chronicles one of Snake's first attempts to take down Big Boss before he threatens the world. The game looks to play much like Metal Gear Peace, but with a more simplistic, stealthy feel, and looks quite impressive on the iTwin. Kojima even exhibited the game's motion controls, which the player can use to simulate choking out an enemy. The announcement of a Metal Gear game coming to the iTwin is a major get for the system, and though Konami did clarify quietly later on in the show that the game would also be coming to the Sapphire, it's still a sign that more developers are starting to come around to the console. It would be hard for Apple to follow up the Metal Gear Solid teaser, but they did so with arguably their best game of the show: Duality, coming to the iTwin later in the year. Reggie brought up some of the game's developers to spend about six minutes showing off the game. It's a third person shooter, but rather than being a serious game like Guardian, it's more of a light-hearted, fun title featuring a pair of young heroes battling an evil empire. The gameplay is quite reminiscent of the Squad Four games, but with a more arcade-like feel, almost giving the game a pick up and play sort of look. The game is built around two people playing at once, but allows one person to control both heroes with the two controllers, Sonic Duo style, and also features a method of play with one human and one CPU player. The gameplay also revolves heavily around the two players coordinating their attacks to combine their spread fire on enemies. It's a really fast moving, almost airy kind of game. Enemies made exaggerated grunts as they're shot and knocked over, the two heroes frequently exchange witty quips with one another (and before anybody starts shipping them, they're brother and sister and both already have their own separate love interests). While the gameplay trailer did a great job of showing off a really fun game, the presentation didn't completely do it justice: it takes playing Duality to realize how fully addictive and fun it is. While the line for Duality didn't start off quite as long as the Bayonetta line, it soon became longer as word of mouth spread that this could be one of the best game's of the show. Apple is pushing Duality quite hard to be one of its big hits of the year, and the preview, which concluded with a minute long trailer detailing some of the game's plot, was a great way for Apple to close out its show.

Except... that wasn't how Apple closed out its show. After the end of the Duality presentation, Reggie started to leave, only to stop and dim the lights. He had one last thing to show us, and this took the form of a 2 1/2 minute preview that combined a gameplay trailer with a storyline trailer. It featured a group of five teenagers huddled around some kind of glowing crater, and seemed to take place in the late 40s or early 50s. After the crater began to glow, the teenagers seemed to acquire a variety of superpowers that they couldn't entirely control. Then, they were set upon by government agents, and the gameplay segments were shown. The game looks to be an action/adventure title, where superpowers play heavily into it. The teenagers used their new superpowers to fight off the government agents, but something happened, there was a flash, and the teenagers disappeared. They reappeared and looked out into the distance, where they could see a modern looking city. One of the boys said "where the hell are we?" and then one of the girls, looking more distressed, asked "WHEN the hell are we?" The game's logo and title were then shown: Land Of Enchantment. Though we didn't get much, the teaser said quite a lot: Roswell, teenagers, superpowers, time travel... the brief snippets of gameplay looked incredibly impressive, like Mystic meets Psychonauts, and this was definitely one of the more intriguing games we've seen at an E3, with the crowd applauding quite vigorously afterward. That concluded the Apple keynote, and it proved to be one of the more impressive E3 shows Apple's yet given. While a couple of the big rumors (Final Fantasy to the iTwin and the iPod Play successor reveal) didn't happen, a lot of exciting stuff did, and Apple showed off a lot of high quality games and also showed why the Apple ecosystem might just be the strongest in all of entertainment. Not only is the iTwin currently the most successful console on the market, but the iPhone is looking more and more like a worthwhile gaming device, and the iPod Play still has some good games coming out over the next year. Apple had what most considered a successful E3, and definitely something to build on going forward as the company looks to stay ahead of Nintendo in the console wars.

-

Chloe Maritzen: And now it's time for more G4 coverage from the floor of E3 2009, and right now we're here at the Enix booth, checking out some of the new games that'll be coming soon from these RPG masters. And this is Full Metal Alchemist 2, coming next month to Japan and coming here to the States later this year. 2005 saw the release of Full Metal Alchemist, one of the best action RPGs of all time. I'm here with Stephanie Crowell of Enix's North American division to tell me some things about this brand new game, coming soon to the Sapphire and the iTwin.

Stephanie Crowell: Full Metal Alchemist 2 will tell a brand new story, but set in a world much like that of the original game, a sort of steampunk, early 1900s type of feel. This one's actually set in a world a bit more advanced that that of the last game, more World War II than World War I.

*Chloe is now controlling the game's primary protagonist, a young man in a trenchcoat who is running through one of the streets of a large city.*

Stephanie: So right now you're controlling Vane, he's the hero of this game, and he's working as a detective, a detective who specializes in murders committed using alchemy.

Chloe: That sounds pretty dark, of course I remember the original game being quite dark! Remember when the little girl got combined with her dog and you had to put them down?

Stephanie: There's some pretty messed up stuff happening in this game too. You'll see right there, if you turn the corner...

*Vane enters an alleyway and sees a man with a red blade stabbing another man. The blade seems to be conjured out of thin air.*

Vane: That's him... that's the killer...

*Vane gives pursuit, but as the murderer enters a bad part of town, Vane is ambushed and attacked and must fight back with a combination of melee blows and alchemy.*

Stephanie: Alchemy is a lot like it is in the last game, you'll use the resources you have on hand to conjure up formulas to be unleashed on your foes.

Chloe: It moves a lot faster, I'm having trouble keeping up! I'm taking a beating! *tries to use an alchemy formula but gets killed by the onslaught of enemies* Oh no!

Stephanie: It's pretty tricky at first!

Chloe: I'm rusty.

(...)

Chloe: So this is Dragon Quest IX, and this already came out in Japan! It's coming out next month for the Sapphire and the iTwin, and this game... this game is really pretty. These graphics look beautiful on the Sapphire.

Stephanie: That's right, Akira Toriyama is back and he did all the character designs for this game as well, so it definitely looks much like the anime shows you'd see on TV.

Chloe: And I thought Dragon Quest VIII looked really nice on the Wave, but it really pops on the Sapphire!

*Chloe plays for a bit, getting herself into a fight. It's typical Dragon Quest fare, turn based and featuring much of the same motifs and quirks of previous titles in the series.*

Chloe: This moves along a lot slower than Full Metal Alchemist, but it's definitely easier too. I'm not getting my butt kicked so badly.

Stephanie: You'd be surprised, it gets harder later on!

*Chloe quickly dispatches the enemies and soon makes it to a town.*

Chloe: So can you tell me about this game's story at all?

Stephanie: The full title of the game is Dragon Quest IX: Inheritors Of The Forgotten Legend. This game features a group of four heroes, each of whom is descended from a hero of legend and must each accomplish that hero's legacy in their own way. It's about living up to the heroes and legends of the past, and it'll really focus heavily on each of these characters as they undergo their individual journeys and fight against an overwhelming evil.

Chloe: That sounds like it could be a really emotional game, focusing on characters is something this series isn't known for! I can't wait to play the full version when it comes out here next month.

Stephanie: I think you're going to love it.

-

Adam Sessler: So now me and Ted are checking out some of the hottest mobile games of the show, the games you'll be able to play on your phone when you're out and about.

Ted Crosley: And here we've got one of the biggest new mobile games of the show, coming to iPhone and Android, this is Metal Gear Mobile.

*Footage from the game is shown, it looks much like the original Metal Gear Solid both graphically and gameplay wise, featuring similar stealth action. Solid Snake is shown sneaking through a facility, even whipping out his box to take cover under.*

Ted: This is really incredible, it actually does play just like Metal Gear Solid, but with controls optimized for phones.

Adam: But it's also got a traditional control scheme, so if you want to use a controller attachment, you can. There's over 50 missions, divided amongst five "episodes" which each tell part of Solid Snake's early story, but one of these episodes is actually set fairly recently in the series, right before the events of Metal Gear Peace.

Ted: These episodes are all going to be sold separately at five bucks a pop but you can also buy the whole shebang at once for 20 and save a few dollars. These missions are a lot like the ones on Metal Gear Vaporized, maybe a bit longer.... this one's actually taken us a few minutes to get through.

Adam: It's also got full voice acting, with David Hayter, the awesome voice of Solid Snake, returning to reprise his role. So yeah, this is an authentic Metal Gear Solid experience and you can play it right on your phone.

(...)

Ted: This is the Motorola Elite XG, and we reviewed it last year, and it's still, in my opinion, the best mobile phone for gaming on the market. It's an Android phone, so it plays all the games that you can play on Android, including the new Metal Gear Mobile game coming up.

*Ted is shown holding the phone and its built in controller as he plays the FPS title Energy Core.*

Ted: As you can see, my fingers feel really comfortable on this thing. You remember the original Elite, where the finger positioning was pretty awkward, well this thing feels great in my hands, and when you're done playing, it folds up real easily and fits in your pocket like a normal phone.

*Ted is shown continuing to play the game on the device, getting quite into it for a bit but also showing off just how good the phone is for gaming.*

Ted: We're seeing a lot more of these gaming phones cropping up lately. None of them have been as good as the Elite XG, but there's more and more of them and some of them are starting to come out quite a bit cheaper than you'd expect. So far, my opinion has been you get what you pay for, but who knows, maybe we'll see a really cheap gaming phone in the future that can play some of these really good new mobile games that are coming out. There's also a rumor that Sony is going to develop its own gaming phone, which, of course begs the question, what kind of games are going to be on it? Might there be Nintendo games? Is it going to be a Nintendo phone or just a Sony phone? Bottom line is, these gaming phones are here to stay, and some of them, like the Elite XG, are just as good for gaming as your Supernovas and your iPod Plays. So, if you're in the market for a smartphone and you're a gamer, you might want to seriously consider getting a phone specifically designed around gaming. As long as it can make phone calls, it's a phone, it might as well be able to play some good video games too, right?

-

Morgan Webb: The THQ booth is one of the hottest booths here at E3 2009, and over the last few years this company has surged in the kinds of games it's been putting out. Most importantly, we have Rise A Knight! And not only is there some new DLC for Rise A Knight III, but we also just got the word that there's a brand new game in development coming out next year. So Rise A Knight fans, you guys have a lot to look forward to, but first things first, let's check out this DLC.

*Morgan is shown guiding Justis through a Viking-esque camp*

Morgan: This DLC takes King Justis to Frolandir, where he has been tasked with recruiting some really fearsome warriors to his kingdom. This is kind of cool, Justis is in a spot he's never really found himself in before, these guys aren't afraid of me at all and I have a feeling they'll kick my butt if I spend too much time messing around here so I'd better be careful!

*She continues to explore this Viking camp a bit, eventually challenging a potential new companion to a dual.*

Morgan: I've also got a couple of new moves to try out, including a kind of slide where I can target the enemy's legs and topple him really easily, but if I don't time it right I can get stabbed right in the neck! *she goes for the move and hits it, staggering her huge foe* All right!

*A bit later, Morgan is trying out another THQ game, one of their more anticipated upcoming games, a fighting game for the iTwin and Sapphire.*

Morgan: This is DC Ultimate Rivals, and as the name implies, it's a fighting game where we're controlling some classic DC characters like Batman and Superman, but there's also a few new heroes and villains showing up for the first time! And one of the most requested villains is showing up in this game for the first time, and that's the genocidal alien warlord Lobo. So I'm about to take Lobo for a spin, and who better to battle against than the man, the myth, the legend himself, Mr. Mark Hamill!

Mark Hamill: *using his Joker voice* Hello there Morgan... *Joker laugh*

Morgan: Oh my god that is awesome! So Mark, are you here to promote the game?

Mark: Actually I'm here to promote another game I'm doing a voice in, but I did decide to drop by the DC Ultimate Rivals booth since I'm voicing the Joker for this game.

Morgan: Awesome, so cool that we'll get to hear you performing as the Joker! So, are you ready to fight?

Mark: I'm ready to probably lose, but let's go!

*Morgan selects Lobo and Mark, of course, selects The Joker. The two begin fighting and Morgan is winning by quite a bit early on, but Mark gets a couple of blows in.*

Mark: How am I doing? I'm getting creamed, aren't I?

Morgan: *laughing as Lobo is about to knock the Joker out*

Mark: *Joker voice* Harley, help!

Morgan: *laughing again as Lobo finishes Joker off* You know, in the comics Lobo is a lot more powerful than the Joker.

Mark: That explains quite a lot. One more round, huh?

Morgan: Yep, best two out of three here.

*The round starts and this time Morgan is totally dominating, she's just too good for Mark, though he tries his best to fight back. Eventually though, Morgan wins.*

Mark: *Joker voice* That's not funny!

Morgan: Well, that was pretty fun, and thanks again for playing with me!

Mark: Always, any time, it was a pleasure. *hugs Morgan*

Morgan: You're enjoying E3, right?

Mark: Oh, absolutely, and I have a lot of fans here so it's nice to get to meet so many of them.

Morgan: I don't doubt that!

-

-from G4's live coverage of E3 2009, airing on June 17, 2009

 

[RySenkari]

Microsoft Keynote - E3 2009

Microsoft kicked off its keynote by showing off a sizzle reel of newer Xbox 2 games, in similar fashion to the way Apple's presentation started. However, the Microsoft keynote focused on a few games in particular, mostly online games, including Cyberwar 3 and Techno Angel: Immortal. The video proclaimed the Xbox 2 to have the biggest online console community (it does, just barely, over Apple), and gave sales figures for key Xbox 2 titles. Cyberwar 3 is doing extremely well, with just over 8 million copies sold thus far, and The Covenant 3 is close behind with 6.7 million. Don Mattrick then took the stage, and thanked those in attendance before launching right into a trailer for the brand new RTS game, Covenant Wars. We've actually been seeing little snippets of this game ever since it was announced in early 2008, but it kind of disappeared for a while and is resurfacing in a major way as the kickoff game to Microsoft's E3 2009 presentation. Covenant Wars takes place before the original game, but it doesn't play like a typical RTS. Instead, it lets players zoom right into the action, inhabiting the body of a soldier to fight it out on the battlefield at certain moments in battles. This concept has been explored in other RTS/shooter hybrid games, but it seems to be taken to a major extreme here, with players able to identify the soldier with the abilities that most appeal to them. The game will feature both a Space Marine and a Covenant campaign, and both campaigns play out quite differently, almost as if the player is getting two games in one. While the game's features and gameplay impressed some in the crowd, reception for Covenant Wars was somewhat muted, showing that a lot of people still haven't forgotten the disaster that was The Covenant 3. November 2009 was announced as the launch date for the game, drawing a quiet but somewhat enthusiastic crowd reaction. The next presentation, however, got a much stronger reaction: the full trailer and presentation for Cyberwar: Netizen X. The game was initially revealed at the 2009 MTV Video Game Awards to a huge crowd reaction, and the crowd was just as excited, if not moreso, for this spinoff of the hottest Xbox franchise. Netizen X takes place alongside the events of Cyberwar 3. The protagonist is a soldier working for the Power Corps organization, and he is attempting to hunt down and stop an anonymous web poster who goes by the moniker "Netizen X". Unlike the main series, which is a straight-up FPS, Netizen X plays more like an FPS/stealth hybrid, with a heavy focus on computer hacking: in fact, half the game consists of computer hacking. The player will engage in an ongoing dialogue with Netizen X as they attempt to identify and track down this online freedom fighter in a sort of cat and mouse Hannibal Lecter-style chase. The game seems to take heavy influence from the Ghost In The Shell series, and many have already compared the mysterious Netizen X to the infamous "Laughing Man" character from that anime. One of the more unique FPS titles we've seen, especially for the Xbox, Netizen X represents a very interesting new direction for the franchise. The E3 presentation showed off some very fun hacking gameplay in which the player must use their control of the computer grid to round up a Netizen X sympathizer, while at the same time, preventing her from being caught and killed by their fellow Power Corps soldiers. It's a mission with a lot of things going on at once, but the player will be able to go about their mission in several different ways. Netizen X also has online gameplay in which hacking will play a major role. It's very interesting that the two leadoff E3 2009 games of the show are Microsoft's attempts to take some of its major franchises in different directions, but if they both prove successful, it may help the Xbox 2 to change its fortunes as it continues to compete with the formidable Sapphire and iTwin.

We then saw Ubisoft show off a couple of upcoming multiplatform games coming out toward the end of the year: Assassin's Creed II and Tom Clancy's Delta Force: Rendition. The Tom Clancy game was up first, and it's a crossover title, bringing together characters from two of the most successful games in that series. The main three protagonists from Delta Force 2 (Bill Jackson, Colleen Able, and Sanam bin Salyyam) team up with Abel Henderson and Ayari Quadash from the Rendition games in order to solve a mystery behind a group of American mercenaries who went rogue and are working for the government of a terrorist nation. The game features the gameplay from Delta Force 2, enhanced for modern consoles, and looks quite excellent on the Xbox 2. It's interesting to see Ubisoft reviving the Rendition series, especially as part of a crossover, and it looks like they're bringing out the big guns to compete with Call Of Duty. Then we saw some preview footage from the upcoming Assassin's Creed II, which takes place in Italy during the late 15th century, and features a new protagonist named Ezio. The game looks even more beautiful than the last Assassin's Creed, and there's a lot more to do: a ton of side quests, combat challenges, and a sweet estate that the player can "pimp out" to their liking. Ubisoft has thrown a lot of time and effort behind this game as a follow-up to its 2007 hit, and while Delta Force: Rendition may end up being the more popular of the two Ubisoft games shown at Microsoft's presser, Assassin's Creed II looked more impressive from a graphics and gameplay standpoint. Both will be released later this year. Following that, we saw the first true "reveal" of the keynote: a look at a beautifully rendered CGI New York, followed by a reveal of Spider-Man perched on a building. It looks like we're finally getting a sequel to the hit 2007 game Spider-Man: Hunted, and it's a beauty, with a bigger and prettier New York City than in 2007's game, and a brand new villain: Carnage, who seeks to destroy Spider-Man's life by killing those he holds dear, posing big problems for Peter Parker and his wife, a now pregnant Mary Jane. This looks to be an intensely personal Spider-Man game, much darker than Hunted, and it got a fittingly appropriate name: Spider-Man: Over The Edge. While revealed as an Xbox 2 game, we later learned that it, unlike the last game, would be coming to Sapphire and iTwin as well. The next trailer, however, is a definite Xbox 2 exclusive: Forza Motorsport 3, the third installment of the hit Xbox racing series. It looks to bring more of the same, with pretty cars and pretty tracks, but the trailer looked and sounded quite stylish, and if it's as good as the last two games, it could give Gran Turismo 4 a real run for its money. Forza 3 isn't very far away: it's coming out next month. That's also the case for Miami Vice, another Xbox 2 exclusive we've been hearing about for a while. It lets players slip into the slick suits and fast cars of Crockett and Tubbs as they bust crime in 1980s-era Miami. The game reminds us a lot of the Wheelman series in terms of gameplay, with a hint of the old NYPD Narcotics Squad games as well. It's open world but has a definite storyline, and the new preview highlighted the tension between the two as they deal with increasingly deadly and wicked criminals. Miami Vice is coming out next month, and it too, at least for now, is an Xbox 2 exclusive.

Up next was an extended preview for a brand new exclusive third person shooter franchise coming to the Xbox 2 later this year. It's a game about a soldier tasked with putting down a rebellion in a brutally repressive country, but ultimately ends up joining it and fighting for the rebels as they conduct a guerilla war across the country. The game is called Uprising, and visually, it's absolutely gorgeous, with incredible character animation and some very detailed environments. We saw the protagonist, a man named Hidalgo Rodriguez, fight in both jungle and city environments, and they both looked incredibly vivid, with a lot of real-time weather effects and realistic shadows and lighting. This game is a real exhibition for the Xbox 2's graphical capabilities, and reminded a lot of us of Far Cry 2. The player has the option to kill or spare essentially any enemy in the game, and can choose between a merciful rebellion and a more brutal one. The game actively allows the player to win converts to the rebellion in one of two different ways, either by spreading fear or by gentle persuasion, and it's very intriguing to determine your own path as you go through the game. Visually, this was definitely the most impressive Xbox 2 game we saw, only Assassin's Creed II looks somewhat similar. We also appreciated the realistic animations and ragdoll physics. Uprising seems like it has a somewhat generic story, with no really spectacular plot-related moments reveal, but on a visual level it looks incredibly impressive. We also caught a glimpse of the multiplayer, which allows rebel and government factions to square off in online combat. Uprising is coming in September, and looks like a potential Game of the Year contender if the gameplay turns out as impressive as the graphics. Then, the lights dimmed, and we got perhaps the biggest surprise reveal of the show thus far. A man was shown to be limping through a dark, underground temple, with some... thing coming after him. He tried to patch up his wounded leg, but was set upon by large spiders that he had to fight off by hitting them with his rifle, which had no bullets. As the thing came nearer, he managed to find some bullets and frantically load his gun, just in time to unleash some rounds into the face of a hideous monster. The man then limped off, only for more monsters to come upon him, knocking his gun away. He scrambled to escape, only for his wounded leg to be torn off by one of the monsters. Somehow, he stumbled through a tunnel, and grabbed another gun, firing a round of large nails into the foe that had taken his leg. He crawled out of the tunnel and into a room where more monsters were waiting. Collapsing to one knee, he began firing his nail gun at the monsters coming toward him. We could only hear the sound of monsters tearing into flesh after the screen went black, to reveal the game's logo: Quake 5. Yes indeed, we're getting another Quake, and it's coming to Xbox 2. After this reveal, Don Mattrick thanked the crowd, then announced one more reveal. We spent about thirty seconds looking at various planetary landscapes before hearing the familiar Covenant theme. After that, there was no plot reveal, just gameplay... lots of gameplay. Graphics that looked worlds better than The Covenant 3, and vastly improved gunplay. This trailer went out of its way to show that Microsoft and Bungie had learned from the mistakes of The Covenant 3... and by the time the logo for The Covenant 4 was revealed, the whole crowd was cheering wildly. The Covenant 4 is coming in 2010, and Mattrick promises that it will take the series in directions it's never gone before.

So... how was the Microsoft keynote? Well... apart from Netizen X, it was mostly disappointing. We got a lot of already announced games and some multiplats, and nothing to really push people toward the Xbox 2 as a platform. Microsoft's presentation definitely wasn't as impressive as Apple's, and it seemed to have a lot less exclusives, a somewhat troubling sign. Quake V and The Covenant 4 definitely excited the crowd, but whether those games are as good as the fans have already proclaimed them to be or, like The Covenant 3, full of empty promises, has yet to be seen. We did REALLY enjoy playing The Covenant 4 (yes, it's already in playable demo form) on the floor of the show, and the shooting and movement have definitely improved. The game feels like a true modern shooter, and the addition of special moves to Master Chief's repertoire makes the game into more of an action/adventure title than a typical third person shooter game. Of course, our favorite Xbox 2 game was Cyberwar: Netizen X. It takes everything we love about the Cyberwar games and adds some majorly fun hacking gameplay, creating yet another unique FPS experience on the system. While it'll definitely take more than the games Microsoft revealed this year to catch up to Nintendo and Apple, Netizen X and The Covenant 4 hopefully represent a new direction for the company, one that is sorely needed right now.

-

Alex Stansfield: We just got done watching Acclaim's presentation, and we know a whole lot more about Destined, the company's brand new video game slash television show slash comic slash... everything multimedia franchise which launches next spring. We know about the characters, we know about the world, we know what this game is going to be. Jessica, were you impressed?

Jessica Chobot: I was ridiculously impressed with everything Acclaim showed off about the game. This game is basically like Mortal Kombat combined with Spider-Man: Hunted in terms of gameplay. You can pick any one of six characters, each with their own unique powers and backstory, and they all play differently. You've got Sarah, who has a sort of spider sense thing going on, and she can predict enemy strikes and dodge them, and she moves super fast, so playing with her is going to be really fun. You've got Brazer, who's a fire-fisted badass who can punch enemies and send them flying... then you've got Canopa, who can turn into a bat and spit sonic waves at people.... Canopa is so much fun to play, she can turn into this little bat....

Alex: I was thinking at first glimpse that that bat thing was gonna be useless, but no, you can troll the hell out of enemies with it.

Jessica: You can make people fall off buildings trying to knock you out of the sky!

Alex: There's three more characters, we'll talk about them some more later on, but I just want to talk about the world-building for a second, because this game, the way it's set up is that these six have superpowers, but every time they use them, there's consequences. Somebody gets hurt pretty much every time they use their powers.

Jessica: They can't control them at first. As the player, you actually have to teach the heroes how to safely use their powers. You get to grow with them in a way I haven't seen in a game in recent memory.

Alex: Ever, really. The closest thing is maybe Stacy's journey in Thrillseekers, the original one.

Jessica: That's kind of a good comparison. And you can definitely tell that Acclaim's trying to do something like that, with the six teenagers and the worldbuilding.

Alex: Destined is going to be everywhere this time next year if Acclaim gets its way.

(...)

Alex: One more Acclaim game I have to talk about is The Mask! I mean, holy crap, The Mask!

*Footage from the game is shown, it's an insane cel-shaded beat 'em up in which the player can use a massive variety of the Mask's crazy powers right off the bat. The Mask is shown literally ripping somebody's guts out, turning them into a musical instrument, and playing notes on it that blow enemies up in comical ways.*

Alex: As you can see, this isn't the cartoon at all.

Jessica: It looks like a cartoon!

Alex: This game is completely utterly demented! I love that it captures the twisted feel of the original comics. It's an M-rated game, by the way, which had to have taken a lot of guts to pull off.

Jessica: It's been such a long time since the Jim Carrey films came out though, so I think Acclaim realized it was safe to reboot the franchise for a new generation.

Alex: Well, they own the Mask now, so they can do whatever they want with him! I'm still reeling from the reveal of The Mask as a Divine Wrath 4 character. How did they keep that under wraps until the game's release?

*Footage is shown of The Mask fighting God in Divine Wrath 4, using a variety of hilariously cartoonishly violent moves on him.*

Jessica: I do like that they did incorporate the Jim Carrey mannerisms into the Divine Wrath 4 version of The Mask.

*Footage is shown of The Mask blowing up God with a bunch of dynamite, Road Runner-style, and then posing and saying "Somebody stop me!" as his victory pose.*

Jessica: So when are we getting a new Mortal Kombat game? Did Acclaim announce a new Mortal Kombat game?

Alex: I think now that they're done with Divine Wrath 4, we'll be hearing about a new one really soon. I know, I know, I'm excited too!

-from Games Over Matter's live video blog of E3 2009, which streamed on June 16, 2009

-

Brad Luke: E3 isn't just a show for the big gaming companies. Dozens of smaller companies also show off their upcoming games at E3, and we've got the scoop on a brand new game from a company called Rainbow Castle that just entered into a development deal with Apple. They've been working on a brand new action game for the last few months, and while this game is still early in development, it looks like a lot of fun. *he turns to two young woman standing next to a television screen showing off footage of their new game, a very colorful cel-shaded adventure* Brad Lake from Gamespot, and what's this new game called?

*One of the young women, a somewhat short blond woman with thick glasses named Riley, smiles proudly as she shows off the game.*

Riley: This game is called Sati And The Hidden Doorway, and it's a game about a girl who has to solve a mystery.

*The girl in the game looks to be of Indian descent, and the other young woman developing the game is an Indian-American herself, named Kumara.*

Kumara: It's inspired by some of the games we've played in the past, like Syrielle and Super Detective Club. It's a mystery game, but Sati's magical powers add an element of adventure as well.

*Sati is shown activating a hidden doorway with her powers and also lighting a torch.*

Kumara: We took inspiration from games like Zelda also, so in between mystery solving segments you have these dungeons to explore.

Brad: The visual style is really beautiful, like a cartoon come to life.

Riley: When Apple approached us about developing a game for them, we were really surprised, since we'd only done a couple of small platformers for the iPod Play before.

Kumara: It was a huge surprise!

Brad: Is it just the two of you working on the game?

Kumara: Oh no, we have a whole team!

Riley: There's eight of us total.

Brad: When do you expect the game to be out?

Kumara: Um... next year, maybe?

Riley: It's still really early! We want to make this as big a game as we possibly can. We're coming up with ideas pretty much every day!

-from a Gamespot.com E3 video blog update, posted on June 18, 2009

-

Morgan Webb: And now we're here at Activision's booth, and this is where all the action is at E3. You've got lines stretched all the way over to some of the other companies' booths, everybody wants to try out these games!

*A brief montage is shown of Morgan playing Thrillseekers 2 and Call Of Duty: Hostiles.*

Morgan: Call Of Duty: Hostiles is the newest game in the Call Of Duty series, and it's a big departure from the last two games, the Modern Warfare titles. In Hostiles, you're dropped into a deadly warzone where the enemy could literally be anywhere and anyone. You've got to keep your wits about you as you fight your way through enemy territory in order to rescue a captured soldier.

*Brief cutscene footage is shown of the protagonist telling his unit that no one will be left behind. There's then a harrowing cutscene of one of the soldiers being shot at from a completely unexpected direction, before the whole squad is suddenly ambushed.*

Morgan: Activision describes Hostiles as being "like a horror game" in the way that it creates tension in the player.

*Pat Dwyer, the game's producer, is shown talking with Morgan.*

Pat: We want to replicate the sheer terror of combat in Call Of Duty: Hostiles. We want the player to feel like they can be killed at any time, forcing them to fight strategically and position themselves wisely. This isn't Modern Warfare 2, where you can push forward, guns blazing. This is an authentic experience, maybe the most authentic Call Of Duty game we've ever made.

Morgan: Do you feel like the player will still have fun, even when they're surrounded by the enemy?

Pat: Oh, absolutely. When you're able to sense an ambush, or pick out a sniper in a distant building, that adrenaline rush you get from picking off a bad guy about to snipe one of your buddies? This is like no war game that's ever been released before. We're taking a risk, but I think it's going to pay off.

*Morgan then shows off some of the game's multiplayer, which has some carefully cultivated arenas to create similar ambush opportunities for teams.*

(...)

Morgan: There's one more game I want to show off from Activision, and this one was getting a lot of buzz on the floor today and yesterday, and that's One Man. It's Call Of Duty meets Die Hard, essentially. You're a cop, you're fighting your way up a skyscraper, you're killing terrorists... this game is a lot of fun.

*Gameplay footage is shown of the player running across an office, dodging gunfire while rolling into cover behind a desk and reloading his weapon.*

Morgan: If you've played Dead City Beat on the Xbox 2, that was another great game and that even had Bruce Willis, but this is more of a straight up cop game, and plays just like a Call Of Duty. I mean, the aiming feels similar, the controls feel similar... but there's some key differences. You have to save a certain number of hostages, I think on each floor...

*The player is shown freeing a hostage, only to start taking gunfire.*

Morgan: Like, look at this, right? This poor guy is handcuffed to a desk, and you're freeing him, but then you start getting shot at by one of the bad guys. So you have to position yourself to protect this guy.... OR you can actually give the hostage a gun and he can lay down cover fire while you get behind the bad guy. This is crazy! And of course, there's going to be multiplayer too. Unfortunately, that wasn't available, but I'm sure considering Activision's track record for multiplayer games that it'll be awesome too. So... yeah, it's One Man, coming next year for the Sapphire and the Xbox 2. This might be my favorite Activision game of the show, this or Thrillseekers 2.

-from G4's live coverage of E3 2009, airing on June 17, 2009

 

[RySenkari]

Nintendo Keynote - E3 2009

Nintendo's keynote began with Satoru Iwata taking the stage and politely thanking those in attendance. He thanked everyone who owns a Nintendo Sapphire or a Game Boy Supernova, and promised that the upcoming year would bring Nintendo's strongest games ever as their hardworking developers devoted themselves to innovating and coming up with fun new ways to enjoy your favorite Nintendo games and characters. Iwata's introduction was very humble, not touting sales figures or showing off a promotional video of games, but simply promising more of the same high quality from Nintendo. He then introduced Bill Trinen, and the two shared the stage as they discussed the first game of the show, Squad Four Protectors. Nintendo has been showing this game off for the last nine months, and we've gotten a lot of good information on it already, but Nintendo devoted the first eight minutes of their E3 2009 presentation to this game, showing off more details about the plot and gameplay, and focusing heavily on Evangelyne, the squad's friendly new AI who gives them their missions and advice. In fact, Evangelyne narrated about half of the gameplay trailer, reading off new moves that the four characters can perform. Shad showed off some incredible martial arts techniques, while Rebecca demonstrated some truly fearsome sword attacks. Marcus went to town on enemies with a shotgun axe, and Lane was shown setting up a myriad of traps and then setting them all off at once after baiting enemies into them. It seems that each of the game's four characters will emphasize a different type of gameplay. Shad is for people who are quite knowledgeable about combos and can set up lots of them, Rebecca is for players who enjoy speed, Marcus is for players who like power, and Lane is for players who like strategy. Iwata in particular really enjoyed showing off the game, as he and Bill Trinen actually played some of the game with two Argonaut representatives after the gameplay trailer. The game actually has a four player cooperative mode, a first for a Squad Four game allowing the whole squad to fight together. Protectors is the first game in the series to offer total player choice in terms of characters: Shad, Lane, Marcus, and Rebecca can be chosen for all of the game's missions from the start, allowing players to enjoy the game as any of the squad members they wish. Squad Four Protectors is right up there with Bayonetta as one of the year's most anticipated hack and slash games, and it'll be very interesting to see which of the two games ends up being better. Protectors is scheduled for release in November, which is shaping up like a truly huge month. Following the Squad Four Protectors preview, we got another in depth look at The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Of The Woods, which is now just a week and a half from release. The presentation showed off a segment of one of the game's early dungeons, in which Link traverses a treetop village while solving puzzles and helping the local treefolk. It's very interesting to see a town and a dungeon combined into one, and the game itself, which is said to take place entirely within the Lost Woods, is unlike any Zelda we've ever seen. It's sprawling and beautiful, utilizing the Sapphire's capabilities to full effect, but also heavily puzzle and exploration based, and Iwata flat out says "you will get lost" when playing the game. In fact, the game's tagline is "get lost in adventure". This is definitely a return to old school style Zelda after the surprising modern turn in Hero Eternal, but it's also one of Nintendo's most anticipated games of the year, if not the most anticipated. HD Zelda is something fans have been looking forward to for a long time, and now it's nearly here. While we've known about Squad Four Protectors and Spirit Of The Woods for a long time, the next reveal of a game that's just two months away took everyone by surprise, and generated the presentation's biggest cheers to date. And, surprisingly, it's a Supernova game. The game was announced with a video that showed off Super Mario World, then Super Mario World 2, and finally, Super Mario World 3. Then, we saw something amazing: footage of a brand new 2-D (but with 3-D graphics) Mario platformer, with music and assets from previous Super Mario World games. Yes, incredibly, Super Mario World 4 is coming to the Nintendo Supernova. This isn't Flip, with a 3-D gimmick or a major storyline, it's an old school style Super Mario platformer with modern graphics. It's more like the first two Super Mario World games than the isometric Super Mario World 3, and when we saw Mario whip out a cape and start flying, the crowd roared with approval. How Nintendo kept this game under wraps is a mystery, but Super Mario World 4 is just two months away.

After that announcement, Satoru Iwata left the stage, while Bill Trinen remained. We got another video... this one showing Samus Aran in command of several Federation troops. As the video progresses, the soldiers all disappear, one by one... until only Samus is left. As gameplay is shown on screen, revealing a fully 3-D and HD Metroid adventure on a small planet littered with debris, Samus talks about how she never wanted to be a leader, but now she finds herself alone again and must rescue her missing comrades. After the video, Trinen discusses the game, Metroid: Starfall, over footage of gameplay that depicts a fast-paced, exploration-based third person shooter in which Samus had her familiar moves and abilities, but with a much more cinematic feel than the Homecoming games on the Wave. Trinen reveals that during the first third of the game, you'll actually be commanding some Federation troops during the opening missions, giving the game the feel of a squad-based shooter. But then, as they gradually disappear, Samus, as always, will be left alone on a planet where everything wants to kill her. Not only must she solve the mystery plaguing this desolate rock of a planet, but she must also rescue her crew and evacuate back to safety. The squad-based segments were interesting, Samus is shown being able to give certain orders to her team, and they can also combo with her attacks on certain enemies. While the reaction to Starfall was a bit mixed, with some murmurs of The Covenant by a few of the assembled reporters, some of the segments were downright impressive, and as is the case with the other Sapphire exclusives we've seen thus far, the game is a technical marvel. Starfall will be released in August. We then got a quick reveal video for another Sapphire game, and by the time we heard the familiar engine revving of a go-kart a few seconds in, we knew exactly what this game was going to be. Mariokart Crown is coming next year to the Sapphire, boasting more tracks and promising a difficult circuit of courses for races who are up to the challenge. A challenge-based Mariokart game almost seems like a response to last year's successful F-Zero, but we're hoping Mariokart Crown doesn't quite go that route. Either way, fans roared for the trailer, even more than they did for Super Mario World 4's cape reveal, and it's abundantly clear that Nintendo has a huge slate of games coming up. The next trailer revealed a new game in the Antarctica series, Antarctica 2100, depicting an Antarctica with its ice shelf massively cracked and irradiated, and promising the ability to fight in the rocky valleys between the cracked ice. This FPS series has always been a treat, and though it's no Cyberwar, it remains quite popular. This game will be its second outing on the Sapphire, coming less than two years after the first. We then got another quick look at an upcoming 2010 Sapphire game: Star Tropics: Incursion Of Realities. This game features the same 3-D adventure gameplay of its predecessors, and the teaser revealed that fan favorite Culex would be returning, along with Mike Jones and his friends Tosh and Marion. The teaser seemed to imply that the game would deal with the consequences of the weakening of the tesseract between Mike and Culex's worlds, but we'll have to wait for more details to be released. The next segment dealt with Kingdom Quest 3, which will be released early next year. We got a bit more information for this game than we got for the last two, with Trinen bringing up two members of the game's development team to tease some of the new gameplay, show off some playable Calypso footage, and also reveal a few new characters lampooning video game tropes, including a Pikachu spoof and a character named Sarah Coldstone, who seems to be a spoof of Sadira from the hit Blackheart series. We didn't see a lot of footage from the game, but we did get enough to whet our appetites, and this is clearly looking like one of Nintendo's big marquee Sapphire games for 2010.

After all that, Bill Trinen ceded the stage to Michel Ancel and some other personnel from Ubisoft, who were of course there to discuss Beyond Good And Evil 3, the epic conclusion to the trilogy which is coming to Sapphire later this year. This was one of the most anticipated games of Nintendo's presentation, and the crowd cheered at almost every big gameplay and storyline reveal. Ancel first showed off Jade, still in prison rags and roaming a destroyed New York City. Ancel didn't exactly spoil how Jade ended up on our Earth and how it ended up in such bad shape, but from what occurred during gameplay, we could glean that the Earth is being used as some sort of prison colony by the evil corporation revealed at the end of the previous game. Robot soldiers could be seen roaming the wastes, and Jade had to avoid them, as engaging them at this point was completely impossible. After this harrowing gameplay reveal which went on for about four minutes, we switched perspective to Lorima, Jade's sister and the one leading the search for her. In contrast with Jade, who was forced to sneak and use stealth, Lorima is a full-on action badass, blasting enemies with magic and a laser pistol. It's clear that she's not sitting around waiting for her opportunity to find and rescue Jade: in the three years since Jade's abduction, Lorima has mobilized her entire civilization in rebellion against the corporation that abducted Jade, and she's already found many of the answers she's been seeking. Ancel promised flashbacks that would reveal what happened during the three year timeskip, and that Jade and Lorima's reunion would just be the "beginning" of the story. Beyond Good And Evil 3 is shaping up to be a beautiful, epic game that will span an entire universe, and hopefully wrap up all the loose ends that Beyond Good And Evil 2 left dangling. After the Beyond Good And Evil 3 presentation, Ancel then gave a very small teaser for the next Rayman game, including a title reveal: Rayman: The Light Of Heroes. He admitted that the game was still very early in development but that it would see the return of the Rayman we all know and love, and that he's looking forward to showing off more of the game soon. Ancel and the Ubisoft reps then left the stage, and we got a surprise trailer for Capcom's upcoming Devil May Cry 5, which was revealed as a Sapphire exclusive. Considering Capcom's close relationship with Apple, the fact that the company is still making Nintendo exclusives is incredible, but this game looks like a lot of fun and we'll get to play it just a couple months from now. Next up was another trailer for Retro Studios' Arcadia, which is still about a year away. After the trailer, which revealed the game's villain, an alien warlord, we got plenty of gameplay footage showing off the game itself. Arcadia plays a lot like action-RPGs such as Gauntlet, but has elements of shooting games as well. Players roam a 3-D landscape armed with various arcade-style weapons, such as laser pistols or energy swords, and they blast enemies that pop out of nowhere. Players can earn points but can also earn loot which can be used to upgrade their weapons and abilities. The game seems to be best played with four people, but can also be enjoyed by one's self with an AI companion. The game is full of retro-graphical touches and arcade-style sounds, though it also has a fully orchestral soundtrack and modern 3-D graphics. There's a huge variety of environments. In addition to the city we saw in the trailer, there's also a forest, an outer space level, and a restaurant-type level combining elements of games such as Tapper and Burgertime. Trinen announced that Nintendo and Retro Studios have made licensing agreements with a number of old-school arcade software companies, so this won't just be a throwback to classic arcade games, it'll be a full on nostalgia trip. He then said we should expect to see Arcadia released exclusively on the Sapphire next spring.

Trinen then showed off a trailer for the Sapphire version of Final Fantasy Online. It's the classic Wave and PC MMORPG that released in 2004, but with all the DLC included, updated graphics, and a brand new expansion exclusive to this version in console. The trailer did a great job of showing the Sapphire's enhancements to the game, and with a release month of March 2010, it's not all that far away. Next up was another reveal for a new Final Fantasy spinoff game: Final Fantasy: Palladium Knights. The game is a traditional turn-based RPG with a unique combat system involving "Knight" skills such as live counters and sword combinations, and will take place in a nation besieged by forces from a nation under the thrall of a demon implied to perhaps be the Emperor from Final Fantasy II. Visually, it actually doesn't look quite as good as Final Fantasy XII, but it's still a gorgeous game and it's great to be getting more Final Fantasy on the Sapphire so soon after XII, indicating that Squaresoft may in fact be doubling down on the Sapphire rather than getting ready to jump ship to Apple. Palladium Knights won't be out until next year, and that's also the case for another new RPG set to be released for the Sapphire, which was also revealed in a quick teaser trailer. This time, the game's identity remained fairly cryptic until about halfway through, when we heard the phrase "Mana is dying". Then, we saw a series of action-RPG style gameplay clips, indicating that this is a new game in the Mana series, about a legendary hero who must journey to restore Mana to the world. The trailer revealed that the game will combine action-RPG gameplay with townbuilding, giving the game an almost Ultima-esque feel. The title was revealed as Miracle Of Mana, and the release window was given as 2010. That ended the Squaresoft portion of the presentation, save for one more thing... the final North American trailer for Final Fantasy XII.

-

(the song featured in the trailer)

*The intro to ”Kings And Queens” by Thirty Seconds To Mars begins to play. Unlike OTL's Final Fantasy XIII, which used "My Hands" by Leona Lewis both in promotion and in the North American version of the game itself, ITTL, "Kings And Queens" only shows up in the game's trailer and some commercials, and the North American version of the game will include the original Japanese theme song.*

*Scenes of Lilith are shown, interspersed with scenes of Lilith and Amyra.*

Lilith: Amyra, you can't follow me. You need to stay with the Order.

Amyra: But I want to stay with you.

Lilith: That's not possible. Not anymore. *she walks away* Stay here, no matter what.

*Lilith begins to narrate as scenes of their city are shown, with Lilith as a proud warrior priestess.*

Lilith: *narrating* I had already turned my back on the Order and its hypocrisy...

*A snippet of the scene from last year's trailer is shown, of Amyra's execution at the Order's hands.*

Lilith: *narrating* But seeing first hand what became of even the Order's holiest of servants...

Gregorio: For your crimes against your god and against your world...

Lilith: NO! *screams and struggles against the warrior priests holding her*

Amyra: *bows her head and sobs*

Lilith: *narrating* I had no choice but to embrace what the Order feared most...

*Lilith is shown seizing the Xenoblade as a horde of soldiers run toward her.*

Lilith: And now I will show the world...

*Lilith's fellow party members, including a magical pirate, a plant creature, and an Order warrior priest, are shown.*

Lilith: That everything they ever knew is wrong.

*The song launches into its first major climax, showing gameplay footage of Lilith and her party traversing the world's massive landscapes, first showing off the enormous Gaur Plains, and then a snow-filled landscape, a dark plant-filled paradise, an enormous beach area with a huge coral city in the background, and the inside of a factory. The scene also shows off some of the game's enormous enemies, and just before the lyrics begin, Lilith and her fellow party members as shown staring down an enormous boss.*

Into the night

*Lilith crouches down on a grassy cliffside with the stars above her, her sword on the ground as she thinks about Amyra.*

Desperate and broken

*A group of oppressed people are shown watching the Order's skyships above them, as soldiers march in to conquer their land.*

The sound of a fight

*A couple of scenes are shown here, including Lilith sparring with her fellow warrior priests during training, and then Lilith and another party member, a guardsman named Scout, leaping up on top of two large robots as they rush to battle more soldiers.*

Father has spoken

*The face of the game's primary antagonist, Gregorio, is shown, and then a flashback scene of him with Lilith is shown.*

Gregorio: The people must be obedient to the will of God. It is the only way our world will survive.

Lilith: Of course. I just don't think we can force people to obey us.

*Gregorio continues to speak as a scene from the present of Lilith facing down soldiers is shown.*

Gregorio: We are strong enough to punish all who would defy God's will.

*As the song builds to the chorus, Lilith is shown running toward the soldiers with some of her friends right beside her.*

Lilith: Strike without mercy!

Jaffrey: Are we really doing this?

Lilith: We don't have a choice!

*As the song launches into the chorus, a montage of fighting and action FMVs are shown.*

We were the kings and queens of promise

We were the victims of ourselves

*A young thieving woman, Cassidy, is shown hopping on top of soldiers' heads with stolen goods in hand. A ferocious warrior woman slams a giant creature to the ground, then the guardsman Scout is shown using a rifle to battle back soldiers and robots invading his village. Lilith swings her sword at some enemies, and then Jaffrey is shown doing the same. Graddock, the magic pirate, fires from his skyship, taking out several Order vessels, then Lilith is shown leaping from the skyship to destroy one more as Cassidy and Jaffrey run to the edge of the ship and look down at her, worried.*

Maybe the children of a lesser god

Between heaven and hell

Heaven and hell

*Cassidy is shown leading some of the party members through a beautiful forested area reminiscent of the Sunleth Waterscape. Lilith, Cassidy, and Scout are ensnared by some vines, but Lilith slips out just in time to cut one down. Then we see Lilith turn to face a massive creature, half-mechanical, half-magical. She holds up the Xenoblade and seems to summon an equally large creature, and the two clash as the chorus reaches its end. More environmental scenes are shown, including more story exposition and dialogue.*

Cassidy: Mmm, you seem to be missin' somethin', don'tcha?

Lilith: What did you do?

Cassidy: *laughs at her and flees*

Scout: She took it!

Lilith: Get back here!

*The scene switches to show Graddock's skyship flying through the air.*

Lilith: *kneeling and chained up on the ground but still VERY defiant and in command* You're going to help us.

Graddock: And what makes you think I'm going to do that?

Lilith: Because if I get free and you haven't agreed to help us, you're a dead man and I'm taking your ship.

Graddock: Well, you're braver than the others...

Into your eyes...

*A child is shown sadly bowing his head as Lilith tries to comfort him.*

Lilith: We'll get your family back.

Hopeless and taken...

*Various scenes of the world beaten down by the Order is shown, with some of Gregorio's lieutenants, including a bespectacled female similar to OTL's Jihl Nabaat and a tall man decked out in a suit of powered black armor are shown.*

Scalera (the woman): We stand at a crossroads between order and chaos... light and darkness... obedience and death.

*The tall man is shown clashing swords with Lilith, both looking furious with one another.*

We stole our new lives...

*Scenes of the party members bonding are shown, even Graddock seems to be getting along with the rest of the group as Cassidy gives him a smile. Scout is shown hugging his family, who he has to leave behind to join Lilith on our journey.*

Through blood and name

*Lilith holds up the Xenoblade, which activates and glows, some of its parts beginning to move.*

Lilith: This thing is incredible....!

Jaffrey: That sword could change the whole world... you shouldn't use it unless you're ready to accept the consequences!

Lilith: I don't give a damn about the consequences, I want the Order to pay for Amyra's death!

In defense of our dreams

Cassidy: I won't let you hurt my new friends! *stands ready with her daggers*

*The party members run through another beautiful environment, then are shown battling in a large city.*

In defense of our dreams

Order Captain: *slams his fist against a table* Why can't we stop one woman?

Soldier: She's not alone!

Captain: How many are fighting with her?

*A city full of people is shown rallying against the Order, with Lilith leading the charge. Lilith cuts down an enormous battle mech, then a scene is shown of several of the party members appearing to use summoning attacks against an oncoming foe.*

*The party looks on as a settlement full of people burns, in various states of sadness and shock.*

Lilith: I'll avenge them all! *the Xenoblade activates as the chorus starts back up*

We were the kings and queens of promise

We were the victims of ourselves

Maybe the children of a lesser god

Between heaven and hell

Heaven and hell

*This sequence during the chorus shows off the game's battle system, which looks like an almost 50/50 hybrid of the battle systems from OTL Xenoblade Chronicles and OTL Final Fantasy XIII, with special attacks on a Xenoblade-like cooldown system. Some characters use primarily magic, some use primarily physical attacks, and some use both, with enemy staggering mostly like Final Fantasy XIII's system, but aiding in the use of Xenoblade-esque Break/Topple/Launch combos. Enemies run the gamut from a huge variety of wildlife, to humans of various factions, to massive beasts, and character attacks range from Fire/Fira/Firaga-type spells to attacks involving a variety of strategies and quirks, with even huge summon creatures available in the game, with some characters who don't use summons having their own special physical attacks. Lilith can also use the Xenoblade in much the same way as Shulk uses the Monado in OTL Xenoblade Chronicles, using it to shield her party from specials or break down enemy defenses, and also using it to manipulate time. As the chorus ends, the fight system exhibition segues into more subdued cutscenes, showing the party entering a ruin of an ancient modern city like the ruins on Gran Pulse in OTL Final Fantasy XIII.*

The age of man is over...

Jaffrey: The ancient city of Mechonis... destroyed all those years ago...

Lilith: What happened?

Cassidy: They say it was the wrath of God.

Lilith: Do you believe that?

Cassidy: Something horrible happened here...

A darkness comes at dawn...

*Shooting stars plummet from the sky as Lilith and her friends look off in the distance toward a massive fortress on an island floating in the air.*

Lilith: There. Our answers lie there.

*The plant warrior Folfol walks sadly as his own people seem to have rejected him.*

Folfol: I don't know if I should do this.

Lilith: I can't tell you what to do. I won't force you to be something you're not. That would make me no better than the Order.

Folfol: But I know this is the right thing to do.

Lilith: That makes one of us...

*The scenes continue to build up to a climax, with the heroes exploring more areas and more emotional moments on display. Scout screams as he cradles a woman's body in his arms.*

These lessons that we've learned here...

*Cassidy finds an incredible treasure, and looks up to see a phoenix-like bird flying down toward her. Two children fly together on a mechanical vehicle. A robot clad in white is shown rising out of some kind of liquid.*

Have only just begun...

*A rapid-fire montage of scenes and dialogue are shown as the song builds up to the final chorus.*

Gregorio: Find them!

Lilith: I won't stop until you tell everyone the truth!

Cassidy: I'm not afraid anymore!

Scout: Alexis! Krissy!

Lilith: *to Graddock* You're nothing but a filthy traitor!

Graddock: And how many people did you betray to get here?

Lilith: Shut up! *rushes him*

Leafian Leader: Folfol, this is outrageous!

Folfol: I am fighting for everyone, whether you want me to or not!

*As the song reaches the chorus again, Lilith is shown riding on a winged dragon that greatly resembles Bahamut, attacking a massive, angelic dragon.*

We were the kings and queens of promise

*Folfol leads a charge of Leafians against a group of soldiers led by the tall Order lieutenant from before. Then, Lilith is shown freezing time and grabbing a bound Cassidy away from a villain about to slice her throat, saving her life in a split second.*

Villain: How....?! That's impossible!

Lilith: I am the impossible. *the Xenoblade activates as Cassidy looks on in amazement*

We were the victims of ourselves

*Lilith and Scout stand back to back, battling enemies with their swords, smiling as hundreds of foes fall before them without putting a scratch on them.*

Maybe the children of a lesser god

*A voice can be heard, seemingly addressing Lilith. It's not Gregorio, but something deep and menacing.*

Voice: Do you dare to defy the will of your god? Do you dare to condemn all of humanity to an eternity of darkness and punishment for your own selfish revenge?

Lilith: I'm through listening to you! I'm through listening to everyone who tells me what I have to do and who I have to be!

Between heaven and hell!

*Lilith and the rest of the party are shown one last time battling various foes as increasingly cataclysmic events happen on screen: cities being vaporized, entire continents seemingly rising up from the ground, and the Xenoblade performing more and more spectacular feats.*

Voice: You'll die!

Lilith: I'll take you to hell with me!

We are the kings

*Scenes of various male characters from the game, most prominently Scout, Jaffrey, and Graddock, are shown performing various awesome feats, with Jaffrey battling his commanding officer one on one and Graddock ramming his ship into a huge beast.*

We are the queens

*The focus shifts to Lilith and Cassidy, but also various other prominent female characters in the game, culminating in Lilith and Cassidy embracing and Lilith battling against the strange white robot from before, along with a scene of Lilith and Amyra looking at each other.*

We are the kings!

*Graddock is shown standing on the bow of his ship with the wind at his back, smiling. Folfol rises up on a massive vine that transforms into an incredible flower creature, and Jaffrey kneels and takes a warrior oath.*

We are the queens!

*Lilith, battered and beaten, picks up the Xenoblade and looks up. She runs full speed toward something, and the camera pans way out to show that Lilith is attacking some kind of creature that looks to be the size of a continent. With no hesitation, as the song launches into its triumphant climax, Lilith leaps into the air, Xenoblade in hand, at the creature. As the chorus ends and the backing choir kicks in, we get an iconic shot of Lilith, alone and defiant, Xenoblade raised, hanging in midair and facing this creature that appears to be God itself. The video hangs on this moment for several more seconds before slowly fading to white and showing the Final Fantasy XII logo. The song concludes as the logo remains on screen and then fades away to reveal the game's worldwide release date: October 20, 2009.*

-

The Final Fantasy XII trailer was followed by one of the longest sustained ovations we've ever heard at an E3 event. It was breathtaking, spectacular, awe-inspiring, and tearjerking, and while it may have written a check that no game could ever cash, we're all hoping it lives up to the hype and becomes the best Final Fantasy game ever, or at least the best since VIII, the last one helmed by Tetsuya Takahashi. After the trailer ended, Trinen showed off another trailer, this one a teaser for a somewhat unexpected sequel...

-

(Authors' Note: The teaser for Selene 2 was given to us by the reader jolou!)

*A sad song can be heard in the background as the screen begin to show a camp in the night. More precisely what seem to be a slave camp. The tools seem relatively modern and even some futuristic. The camp is surrounded by hills.

Inside the camp, the crowd of humans seem to work as hard as they can. Some are beaten down, but we can’t see by who but their weapons doesn’t seem made by a human mind and are quite advanced*

*Suddenly, instead of Humans being pushed on the ground, it’s the “guard” who are killed precisely, one shot at a time*

All the humans turn toward a hill. We can see a form there. The camera does a jump, and it’s clearly a human protected by a mask.

It is an older Mathew Fullington. In the background, we can see the Selene far away in the sky.*

*The theme from Selene begins to play.*

SELENE 2

2011

-

While the cheers weren't as exuberant as they were for Final Fantasy XII's incredible trailer, the confirmation of a Selene sequel so quickly after the release of the original game was one of the more exciting reveals of Nintendo's presentation, and generated some strong cheers from the crowd. The next teaser began with the Sony Entertainment logo, and showed off a prison environment. This seemed to be some kind of intergalactic prison, Alkatraz on steroids, and we could see a prisoner walking through the halls. Suddenly, the prisoner pulled a weapon, and the perspective shifted to first person. After some first-person shooting, the perspective shifted back to third person as the prisoner continued to escape with guards chasing behind him. He commandeered a vehicle and drove as fast as he could away from the prison, then hijacked a space ship, only for the ship to encounter some kind of impenetrable barrier. The prisoner was surrounded by guards, and tried to shoot as many as he could, only to be suddenly pinned down by some kind of huge monster that was being commanded by the prison planet's warden, who said that he might have use for the prisoner. Then the game's title was revealed: Ballistic Limit: No Escape. The reveal of the Ballistic Limit logo generated a lot of cheering, about as much as the cheering for Selene 2. This game will be a 2010 release, and it looks like it could be ditching Ash Beckland as the protagonist, as he was nowhere to be seen in the trailer. Following the No Escape trailer, we got a quick reel of new upcoming Supernova games, including a new WarioWare game in which players can make their own microgames called WarioWare: D.I.Y., a new Twisted Metal game called Twisted Metal Liquid, a quick little preview for Pokemon LightSun and DarkMoon, a pair of remakes of 2000's Pokemon Sun And Moon that were revealed late last year and are being released later this month, and finally, a nice little featurette for Squad Four Declassified, a full-fledged 3-D Squad Four adventure in the style of Rebellion. Declassifed looks a LOT better than 2007's Unauthorized, which drew a polarizing critical reaction, and looks like a fun little companion game to the upcoming Protectors. We're also getting a new The Lost Vikings game exclusively for the Supernova, and Shin Megami Tensei III is finally coming to the West in November. After the Supernova reel, Trinen welcomed Rare's new VP of design and development, Josh Sawyer, up to the stage. Sawyer was recently let go from Black Isle Studios after its purchase by Electronic Arts, and has been a crucial figure in the development of Rare's latest titles. He started off by welcoming Chris Seavor to the stage, and Seavor and Sawyer discussed The Conkering Hero, Rare's newest platforming title starring the wisecracking squirrel. In this new game, which takes place over a sprawling world featuring a huge variety of environments, Conker can don a number of costumes which enhance his abilities, and spent most of the presentation in a knight costume, riding a cartoonish horse and slashing enemies with a comically large sword. Humor and whimsy are definitely the name of the game in The Conkering Hero, and Rare showed no shame in exhibiting a full-fledged, old school collectathon 3-D platformer at E3. Despite the game's old school feel, it definitely had its charm, and the crowd really seemed to be into it, especially during Conker's boss fight with a fire spewing but surprisingly wimpy dragon. Next up, Rare teased a game that likely won't be ready until 2011: the company's first WRPG, and the first Rare project to be headed solely by Sawyer. The game has a somewhat dark aesthetic, and will also be sci-fi based, taking place on a world tainted by corruption and a mysterious dark force. The game's title was revealed as Slaughtered Planet, an appropriately dark name for such a game, and though the game won't be out for quite some time, the crowd seemed to be quite energized by the teaser. Seavor then left the stage, and Sawyer told the crowd that he knows what game they've been waiting for. After showing a bit of last year's "what is humanity?" teaser, the teaser segued into a gameplay segment showing off Joanna Dark in her full HD glory as the crowd roared. Joanna moved through a government facility, shooting guards and evading cameras and laser fire, then ducked into a room, where she stood at a computer. She removed a "disguise", revealing that it wasn't Joanna at all, but instead was Joanna's AI sister Velvet, downloading some information. Velvet seemed to be tracking down some captured AIs like herself, and as the guards beat down the door to the room, Velvet was littered with gunfire... but she had already downloaded herself onto the internet. She then spoke to an unseen contact, revealing that her cover had been blown but that she knows where one of the prisoners is. The gameplay segment went on for a bit longer, and revealed that significant parts of the game will take place in cyberspace itself, with Velvet forced to fight in a synthetic world similar to that of The Matrix. The story reveals indicated that the game will feature significant characters that the player won't know whether they are human or AI, and that AIs were forced to become "human" to evade a government bent on destroying them all. The presentation also reveals that while Joanna will be the primary protagonist of the game, she and Velvet haven't been able to communicate in quite some time, as Velvet has been forced to go into hiding. The game's title was revealed as Dark Humanity, and Spring 2010 was given as the release window. The crowd had an extremely enthusiastic reaction to the Dark Humanity presentation, one of the most positive of all of E3, and Sawyer further excited the crowd by revealing that Dark Humanity would be playable at Rare's E3 booth. He then thanked the crowd for coming to E3.

After Sawyer left, a video began playing promoting Killer Instinct 4, showing Fulgore fighting a variety of characters from the game, including the new villain Karkena. Fulgore takes them all out, but is suddenly blindsided when a fireball is thrown his way. He turns just in time to see a gloved fist taking a swing at him, forcing him to leap back. He looks into the shadows... it's Mario! Fulgore and Mario begin fighting, when all of a sudden, Link appears and it's a three-way brawl. By now, the crowd is ecstatic... they know what this means. Fulgore fights off Mario and Link, and leaps into the air, seeing a bunch of Nintendo characters coming from all directions. He lands in the middle of them, and an all out brawl begins as the video fades to white. We then see a familiar face appear on the screen... Masahiro Sakurai, here to introduce a brand new Super Smash Bros. game for the Nintendo Sapphire. The game is still early in development, but Sakurai announces that nearly all of the characters from 2005's Smash Bros. Clash will return, along with a lot of new characters including Fulgore from Killer Instinct. He promises that nearly every week, something new will be revealed about the upcoming game. After about a minute more of Sakurai thanking fans and promising that the new Super Smash Bros. game will be the best one ever, one more video is played. Mario and Luigi and Peach are walking along when they're attacked by Bowser. They seem to have fought him off, only for a burst of magic to come flying in, revealing a second new character... the Magikoopa Kamek! Kamek flies along, laughing as his magic seems to be wreaking havoc for Mario and Luigi. Bowser grabs Peach and begins to carry her off, and then we hear a voice... "Isn't that a rude way to treat a lady?" Somebody in the crowd shouts "Henry Rollins!", and by now, a lot of people in the crowd know who's coming next... it's Nero, from the Big Bad Hero series, and he quickly wins a brief magic duel with Kamek, saving Peach. He tells her not to get used to him saving damsels in distress, then enters into a spectacular fight with Bowser that carries off the screen before the game's title is revealed: Super Smash Bros. Unleashed. The crowd cheers again, and Bill Trinen returns to the stage, telling them to expect a lot more information about Super Smash Bros. Unleashed before the game's release some time next year. That concludes Nintendo's presentation, and while Apple's slate of games was admittedly equally impressive, Nintendo's presentation and theatrics stole the show, with some of the most memorable trailers we've ever seen and some thrilling big moments for the crowd. Nintendo definitely brought its big franchises to this year's show, and the Sapphire's slate looks as impressive as any we've seen in quite some time.

-

Chloe Maritzen: *playing the early New York City segment from Beyond Good And Evil 3, showing Jade just exploring a destroyed and windswept Manhattan, dust storms blowing around her* This is one of the most haunting things I've ever seen in a video game. This is how Beyond Good And Evil 3 starts off, right?

Michel Ancel: It's one of the very first levels but I won't quite spoil how the game actually starts off. But yes, this is one of the first.

*Chloe continues to explore. It's very quiet, no enemies are coming out but Jade can pick up a ton of treasures that give lots of exposition and background information, creating an environment of sadness and desolation.*

Chloe: I'm in awe at the graphics in this game too. The Sapphire just makes this look so incredible.

Ancel: This game was actually partially in development before the release of Beyond Good And Evil 2. It's four years in the making, once we finalized the story for that game we started immediately on this one, so we've been polishing and working on it for a very long time. We didn't want to take a long time to get this game to the fans, we didn't want to keep them waiting with that awful cliffhanger.

Chloe: I remember that cliffhanger- oh crap I've been spotted! *she ducks behind a building just in time to see a patrol of robot soldiers* If they spot me, I'm toast, right?

Ancel: It's not instant death, Jade can kill the robot soldiers but not more than one or maybe two at a time, so yes, stealth is almost mandatory here.

Chloe: I know a lot of gamers don't like these stealth sections. I actually do, but I know they turn a lot of people off.

Ancel: It's very early in the game, so we make it so it's not so hard, and it's pretty forgiving at first. We teach you before we throw you to the wolves, so to speak!

*Chloe is able to get Jade where she needs to be, avoiding the robot patrols.*

Chloe: I'm so excited for this game. Is it really going to be the last one?

Ancel: It is a definitive conclusion to the series.

Chloe: Wow, really?

Ancel: I will not be making any more Beyond Good And Evil games after this one.

Chloe: But if Ubisoft wanted to make more....?

Ancel: *laughing*

Chloe: *she passes another stealth section* So when does Jade get all her abilities and stuff back?

Ancel: Does she? *laughing some more*

Chloe: Oh, come on!

Ancel: Maybe she doesn't!

Chloe: I could see making us earn them all back but don't make it so hard!

Ancel: I will say that Jade is stronger in this game than she's ever been. She starts out weaker but she becomes so much stronger. She's already fought her way out of some kind of prison.

Chloe: Will we get to see flashbacks of that too?

Ancel: Yes, we will.

(...)

Adam Sessler: It's good to see that Ubisoft is not neglecting the handhelds. Right now, I'm playing Assassin's Creed on the Game Boy Supernova. This is actually the original game, scaled down a bit, but it looks great on this machine.

*Adam can perform all the assassinations and wall climbing that he can on the original game. The draw distance and resolution are obviously severely reduced, but the game still runs at a full frame rate, and it's one of the more impressive looking handheld games ever seen.*

Sessler: It looks like, you know, Assassin's Creed on the Nintendo Wave. Which we never got, but if we had gotten it, this is probably what it would have looked like. It's a very pretty port of a really fun game. And we've also got Tom Clancy's Delta Force: Rendition, which is coming to the Supernova and the iPod Play, and also the iPhone. So let's switch over to that game and I'll show you that this one also looks pretty good. Now, this isn't the same game. It's reduced in the number of missions and it actually has some extra story stuff to make it more worthwhile of a purchase. It focuses more heavily on the Rendition characters, so it's nice that it's not just a straight up port. It looks... pretty fantastic. I'm playing this one on the iPhone, and can you believe a shooter like this looks this good on a phone?

*Adam continues to play for a while to show off the graphics and gameplay, which, again, look last gen but the game plays like a modern shooter.*

Sessler: You can see just how far handhelds have come in such a short time. It really is an amazing thing to be playing this on an iPhone, and I'm sure a lot of people will be playing this on their iPhone later this year.

-from G4's live coverage of E3 2009, airing on June 18, 2009

-

There's no denying that console games made the biggest splash at this year's E3. From the spectacular reveals of games like Super Smash Bros. Unleashed to the emotional trailer for Final Fantasy XII and popular console franchise exclusives like Cyberwar: Netizen X and Sonic: Elemental Friends, E3 2009 was the year when all the current gen consoles flexed their muscle and battled it out for the hearts and minds of players everywhere. But there's still a big place in this world for PC gaming, especially after last year's SimSociety shattered records for both sales and critical reception. The big software companies were all out in force to show off upcoming PC titles, and we got some really good ones at this year's show. Quake V was probably the biggest reveal, and even though it was revealed at Microsoft's keynote for the Xbox 2, we all know that power players will be enjoying it on their PC. id Software showed off lots of footage of the game running on the latest rigs, and it looks stunning, even better than last year's Cold War: Enlisted Man. It looks like not only the most visually impressive Quake yet, but also the scariest, and the attention to detail is part of the thrill: you can hear a monster's breathing get slowly louder as it approaches. Make sure you have a pair of nice headphones, and maybe some diapers handy, because if you have the first, you'll probably need the second. Then there was Night Comes To Venville, a game combining old-school point and click elements with a full-fledged Necrocracy-style RPG. You're a monster hunting detective who has to solve the strange events happening in the small town of Venville, but in order to do it you'll need to form relationships with the townspeople and gain clues to where the occurrences have happened and where they'll happen next. The game will let you fully customize your protagonist, and you can be anyone from an aged World War II veteran to a glasses-wearing teen sleuth girl, and anyone in between. This game swept a lot of the PC awards for the show and even beat out Final Fantasy for some of the RPG awards as well. There was an extremely good simulation title, Freightline, where you take the role of a train conductor and must direct traffic across an entire region of the country. It's the deepest train simulation game we've seen in quite some time, and might win some mainstream appeal due to its slightly quirky aesthetic hidden amongst its realistic simulation gameplay. Speaking of great simulators, Nemo Propheta In Patria returned, this time with almost a complete build. This amazing religion simulation game is chugging along nicely, and in the absence of any news about a new Civilization game, this could whet our appetite for world builder games for years to come, even with SimSociety still the biggest thing since sliced bread. We also got a chance to play The Perfect Soldier Project, which features some of the most realistic sniper gameplay ever and tells the story of a man brainwashed by a corporation to assassinate targets across the world. The game keeps track of the protagonist's biometrics, which are as important to gameplay as the player's aim and steady hand, and while the game will also feature traditional FPS segments, it has an emphasis on sniping. This game's still a bit early in development and may not be ready until late next year, but the tech demo we played was very impressive.

-from an article on The PC Enthuasiast's Blog, posted on June 19, 2009

-

Game Critics Awards E3 2009

Best Of Show: Duality
Best Original Game: Duality
Best Console Game: Duality
Best PC Game: Night Comes To Venville
Best Handheld Game: Super Mario World 4
Best Peripheral/Hardware: Apple Dance Ball
Best Action Game: Duality
Best Action/Adventure Game: Kingdom Quest 3
Best Role Playing Game: Final Fantasy XII
Best Racing Game: Mariokart Crown
Best Sports Game: Thrillseekers 2
Best Fighting Game: Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Best Shooter: Molten
Best Party Game: Just Dance
Best Online Multiplayer: Final Fantasy Online (Sapphire)

-

E3 2009 saw a much stronger slate of games than E3 2008, particularly on consoles, and particularly on Nintendo and Apple's HD machines. Nintendo came into E3 trailing behind the iTwin in market share, the first time Nintendo had been behind in the console wars since the period immediately before the release of the Ultra Nintendo, when Sega's surging Saturn was beating on an aging SNES-CD. That's 12 years that Nintendo has gone since facing a situation like this, and the company had all hands on deck at a time when it needed them most. Mario, Zelda, Samus, Squad Four, all the big guns were there, and all pointed directly at Steve Jobs and the iTwin. Though Nintendo didn't even mention the iTwin during their keynote speech, it was clear from the games they showed off, which emphasized graphical power and spectacular set pieces, that the Sapphire was gunning for Apple's underpowered machine, hoping to convince buyers that games that looked better also played better. To Nintendo's credit, their E3 lineup looked really good, with Beyond Good And Evil 3 and Final Fantasy XII being stand-outs. However, Nintendo also went surprisingly old-school, not only with a Super Mario World 4 reveal, but a showcase for their 2010 game Arcadia that took arcade nostalgia to new heights. Nintendo's message was simple: we own the past, and we'll own the future.

Meanwhile, Apple just wanted to have fun. From a hyper-colorful Sonic: Elemental Friends trailer, to a Reynaud exhibition dripping with fanservice, to a shameless bubblegum pop disco ball game in Just Dance, Apple and its enthusiastic champion Reggie Fils-Aime (with the charismatic Steve Jobs right behind him) hyped up their iTwin as the fun system, and even one you could stream movies on. What they didn't reveal was a price cut: this thing was still retailing for $399.99, the same price as a Nintendo Sapphire and by now, more than an Xbox 2. Like the iPhone, Apple continued to push their hardware at a premium price tag, and while that approach hadn't caught up with them yet, it might well in the future.

And the Xbox 2? Apart from Cyberwar: Netizen X and a surprisingly good The Covenant 4 teaser, Microsoft's presser had little in the way of excitement or fanservice, and their booth was one of the least crowded major booths at the show. Most of the people who wanted to try out Quake V were doing it on one of id's custom PC gaming rigs, and avoiding the Xbox 2 port like the plague. Microsoft needed a home run, and in the eyes of many, they barely reached first base. As compelling as their E3 2008 presentation was, that's how boring they were at E3 2009, and now they'd have to hope that what few exclusives they did reveal would be good enough to get those who hadn't bought an Xbox 2 to buy one instead of gravitating to Nintendo and Apple's machines.

The economic recession was in full swing at the time of E3 2009, but that didn't seem to put a damper on the festivities. There were just as many celebrities as in previous years, and companies still hawked their wares with excitement, hoping that the quality of their games would persuade cash-strapped gamers to buy in. There was, however, a bit of a murmur amongst game companies, a more competitive environment, if you will. Companies knew that gamers' budgets were tight, and only the best games would make it into libraries and under Christmas trees in 2009. While the full effects of the recession had yet to be felt in the industry, there was a quiet tension beneath all the celebration and buzz. Come this time next year, some companies might not find themselves in the same place as they did this year... if they still existed at all.

-from IGN's summary of E3 2009