A grown up medium

Do video games need to grow up? I often hear this argument when browsing around online. Video Games need to grow up. We need to grow as an art form. Video Games aren't child toys anymore.

But that is exactly what they are... among other things. Video Games are a huge market and I would say that they already have grown up. I mean this culture is now in it's thirties. It better have.

Also what does ''grown up'' actually mean? If only ''deep'' and thought provoking experiences are grown up, that means that nothing is.

At first let's take a look at the movie industry, because this is the obvious goal and inspiration for the video games need to grow up crowd.

Movies are a medium for grown ups. One only has to look at the movie festivals like Cannes or Venice or the Oscars. Movies tackle deep sociological questions and give us food for thought.
But is that all? I have the feeling that many critics and fans of art house movies forget the simple fun one can have with movies. I once even heard the argument that having fun is childs play and a responsible adult needs to be intellectually challenged by his media.

Bullshit!

But this is not a rant about the movie industry. When we take a look at this industry, or general every industry that is considered art, we see that they are all very diverse. Not diverse as in racially diverse, but diverse in the content provided. When I watch movies I have a huge selection available. I can watch thought provoking art pieces or popcorn entrainment. I can watch Dallas Buyers Club or Sharknado. I can choose.

So lets compare the video game industry to movies and you will see that these two branches aren't so different anymore. In video games we also have huge popcorn entertainment like Call of Duty and smaller more thoughtful games like Limbo. We can choose between many different forms of video game entrainment.

And this brings me to the main gripe I have with these people, who want video games to grow up. They have a very childlike opinion about growing up. Their goal is that some kind of games aren't produced anymore, because they are not ''grown up'' or not ''art''. They often say that we need to get away from games like Bayonetta, which are pure mindless fun and need more thought provoking pieces. But the simple truth is that we can have both. We can have a huge array off different games. Why should we give that up, just that some guys in San Francisco can tell everyone how mature and ''grown up'' the gaming industry has become. These people often forget about the most important thing a video game can provide. A damn good time.

Taking something away. Reducing the options. That has nothing to do with growing up. The games industry is already grown up. Sometimes it even manages to combine thought provoking with mass appeal as seen with the Last of Us.

We even got something that both, the film and the music industry, lack. Gameplay.

  

picture source: Nintendo 

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was my game of the last year. It didn't challenge me intellectually (now technically is another story, because this game is fucking hard), but I simply had a great time playing through it. The perfect controls, the vibrant worlds and the challenge. This all created a experience that not movie ever could hope for. Gameplay creates a feeling of accomplishment. Something movies, books and music can't. It was I who navigated Donkey Kong and his friends through their perils. I reclaimed Donkey Kong Island. And the good thing is, that if I wanted a thought provoking game I also could've got that. This War of Mine is an excellent example for this.

Being Grown up also means that you have to accept that not everything is catered toward you! Some products just aren't meant for you. I'll never be a X-Box customer because Halo, Gears of War, Call of Duty and Co don't appeal to me. I accept that. That also probably means I won't play Sunset Overdrive even though it looks like a lot of fun, but that is ok. As an adult I can make my own decisions and stick with them.

Many of these people want only what they deem ''grown up'' but in the process they appear as children, who just throw a tantrum.

Also if you read their demands on can only come to the conclusion that they just want another movie industry, because Gameplay, the one huge strength video games have, is only a secondary thought to them.

And in that case I have a simple solution... join the movie industry.

In essence what I wanted to say is that I'm for an open and diverse gaming industry. But taking away possibilities and fitting everything in your narro definition of ''grown up'' is pretty immature. Art defines itself through it's subjectivity. There is no universal guideline for it, and it's good that way.

So does the video game industry need to grow up?

No, because it already is.

Thanks for reading

Nintendos Quarterly Report:

Most of you probably have heard about the quarterly report of Nintendo by now, but if you haven't let me break it down for you.

Earlier today we got the numbers for the third fiscal quarter of this year, which ended on December 31, 2014, as well as the numbers for the whole 9 months period of this fical year.
In this last quater Nintendo managed to gain a revenue of 271.5 billion yen, resulting in a net incom of 45.2 billion yen.
Now this are good figures and Nintendo has firmly returned into the black numbers once again. Also the forecast for the next quarter may show that the company expects their revenue to drop, but also their net income to grow by 30 billion yen.
With further advancement in technology producing Wii-Us gets cheaper and cheaper and even though they don't manage to sell all to many systems Nintendo can write a stable profit.

Because of this I don't think we can count on a price drop anytime soon. It will come, but I think it will be in winter of this year the earliest. Right now a stable profit is more important for Nintendo than a huge userbase. I guess that Nintendos plan is to build a good reputation for the Wii-U through word of mouth, so that the next system starts with a lot of consumer confidence behind it. Because noe matter what happens Nintendo will always support their systems.

We also got a look at the sales figures of Nintendo hardware and some of their key software.

• 1.91 million Wii-U consoles where shipped this quarter and the total of sold consoles is now 9.2 million units.
• The 3DS managed to ship 4.99 million units and the total numbers are now at 50.41 million.
• Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire have been shipped 9.35 million times
• Super Smash Bros. 3DS sits at 6.19 million units
• And Super Smash Bros. Wii-U is quickly catching up with 3.39 million units
• This years leader on the Wii-U is without doubt Mario Kart 8, which has a record breaking attach rate with 4.77 million units shipped
• Lastly the Amiibo figurines managed to sell 5.7 million times so far

These are some really good figures. Especially Smash Bros. Wii-U and the Amiibos are insane. They haven't been available for more than one month in many countries and are already surpassing huge third party ips like Far Cry and Assassins Creed on single systems and Dragon Age in general. Also Mario Karts attach rate of nearly 52% is insane. 

The only thing that worries me a little are the 3DS numbers. Of course nobody expected them to be great with the New 3DS on the horizon, but Nintendo lowered their yearly forecast from 12 million sold units down to 9 million. Maybe the New 3DS will reinvigorate the sales, but it seems even Nintendo is sceptical. The main problem is that there are nearly zero games for the system in production outside of Japan. Most western companies have moved onto the mobile market, so Nintendo is once again mostly alone with supporting its console. 

Well at least we'll get Monster Hunter 4 and Majoras Mask soon. Maybe these two titles will manage to push the 3DS one more time. 

But I firmly think that a new handheld will be introduced in 2016 or in 2017 if the fusion rumors are true. 

So to put all these numbers into perspective. Nintendo is doing well under the circumstances the company is currently in. Wii-U provides stable numbers. Not amazing, but also not disastrous anymore. Software sales are very strong. The only ''problem child'' is the 3DS. Of course I put problem into exclamation marks here. The handheld still sells really well, but it's unmistakably in decline. Maybe the 3DS can reinvigorate the brand, but it's pretty clear that the 3DS has seen its peak and is now riding out slowly. 

and as always

thanks for reading

Source: Nintendo

Games you (probably) haven't heard about: Deadly Creatures

Well there won't be a review every week. I lack the money to buy games each week (and probably the time too). So no Citizens of Earth review... But it looks like a good and fun game.

But what I intend to do to keep this blog filled with content apart from my humble thoughts and review is also introduce some (probably) not so well known games that I think are worth playing.

And for starters I would like to talk about a good game I mentioned in one of my earlier posts. Coming directly from the age when THQ was still alive and Kicking:

Deadly Creatures is a pretty unique game. Like many others of it's kind it found its home on the Wii console, because of her cheap development costs and unique control scheme. Deadly Creatures is an action game in the style of Devil May Cry and God of War. It's not nearly as flashy though. In this game you take the control over a spider and a scorpion. You switch back and forth between the two creatures while the try to stay alive in their desert home. A secondary plot (or main plot one could argue) that happens in the background involves humans, treasures and betrayal. It's not as interesting as one might think, but it's funny how it ties together with the journeys of the spider and the scorpion.

What I really like about this game is the unique viewpoint it gives you on the surroundings. The developers really managed to give you a feel of how massive everything is from the perspective of these two critters. A simple lizard roaring like a Tyrannosaurus Rex is quite imposing... and awesome.
As a Wii game you can't expect awesome graphics from the title. They aren't bad, but the game hasn't aged well. Still I like the atmosphere of the desert. Switching between underground and ground level areas keeps everything fresh.

The main selling point of the game, at least for me, are however the two ''Deadly Creatures''. They both play pretty unique with the spider as an agile, ninja like character and the scorpion as a fucking tank. The constant switching between the two keeps each fighting style fresh and it's just a lot of fun to impale beetles with the scorpion. I preferred fighting as a scorpion, but the levels of the spider are the better ones. With her web slinging abilities she is much more mobile than her counterpart and thereof resulting her levels are more open.

I also want to praise the boss fights. There aren't many throughout the game, but they are memorable. I once read that the developers intended these fights to be reminiscent of classic clashes in Monster movies. Like Godzilla vs. Mothra.
And they achieve this quite well. Like I said, it's really imposing facing a Gila Monster roaring like a full blown dinosaur.

Yes these creature really is known as Gila Monster.

One last thing I wanted to mention is the excellent music of the game. Sound effects are wonderfully disgusting with cracking noises everywhere. Also the developers managed to capture the ambiance of the desert quite well. Actual music isn't found to often but used perfectly to set some accents.

This concludes my short post about this cool, little game. Deadly Creatures is a unique experience and a fine game. Apart from some camera issues there is nothing I remember as a negative point. However there apart from the setting there isn't also much that stands out. But for me this fresh and new setting was more than enough to warrant a purchase. And with Wii-U fully backwards compatible such games are the perfect fit to fill the droughts in Nintendos line up. You can probably find Deadly Creatures on Amazon or the next game shop in your vicinity that sells used Wii games for around 10-20 bucks. And if you're on the fence I recommend watching some Youtube Videos about the game.

Deadly Creatures hasn't sold too well, but it's definitely worth giving it a shot. I had a lot of fun playing through it, and that is what count's in the end.
However don't count on getting attached to the main characters.

Mario and Story

Picture source: Nintendo

In the last days I had an interesting discussion with one of my friends about story and gameplay. I'm more a gameplay kind of guy. My game of 2014, for example, was Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. I think that a Story should never impact the Gameplay in a negative way, so I'm quite happy with Nintendo games. My friend however is a fan of great stories. He loved the ending of The Last of Us or Batman: Arkham City and said that these made the game really worthwhile. They enhanced an already great experience even further. And he criticized Mario heavily because it's the same story since nearly 30 years.

Well I don't see a problem with that, because Mario, for me, is the purest form of gameplay driven game. It doesn't matter if Bowser kidnaps Peach, Sprixies or a bowl of Marios favorite spaghetti. It's simply there to give you a reason to face all the challenges ahead. Even if it's not really a compelling one.

So should Mario have a story? Well I would say it depends on which Mario you are talking about.

2D Mario:

These kind of games don't need a deeper story than they actually have. It serves the needs of the game perfectly well without being unneeded baggage. The whole point of 2D Marios is that they are easy to pic up. There is nothing in this games that detracts from their true stars. The great level design.

The whole reason of New Super Mario Bros. is to be a throwback to the Mario games of old. Simple, easy to pick up and fun. Nothing more. And these games don't need to be anything more. They great they way they are.

3D Mario:

Then what's about 3D Mario? Well baring 3D World all of them had a much bigger scope than the classic 2D games. Especially Galaxy 1. This game didn't have much deeper story than previous Marios (but it was deeper), but it had an interesting lore. We learned many things about Rosalina and the Lumas in passing. Rosalinas history and the ending are memorable pieces that I won't ever forget. And I think Nintendo has been on the right path with this. It's a shame that they threw it out of the window with the sequel and 3D World. But that doesn't mean that they can't pick up this thread once more and one game I'm thinking of, when expanding this kind of storytelling would be Dark Souls.

Dark Souls has a very light story, but a extremely rich and deep lore. After the opening video, which explains the creation of the world and gives a glimpse at the lore, the player is directly thrown into the game. From there on he only receives small tidbits and hints from varying NPCs, while wandering Lordran. One can complete the game without ever looking deeper into the surrounding world and that is totally fine. But if you keep your eyes open you'll realize the connections everything has with eachother. Listening to NPCs you find during your journey, reading the information tidbits every weapon and armor has, keeping your eyes open to the world surrounding you. A player can lose himself in this rich world, if he wants. And that is the great thing with this kind of storytelling and world building. It isn't forced upon you. It's not: Hey look at me, but instead you can discover everything at your own pace, which makes everything so much more fulfilling. If you're interested I recommend checking out VaatiVidya on Youtube for more Dark Souls lore. Or discover it for yourself.

But back to Mario. If the next big Mario title once again has big Worlds, that you want do discover like in Super Mario 64, this kind of approach would be great I think. Keep the groundwork of the story classic and simple, but give people who want to discover more something to discover. For example make it possible to collect the pages of a storybooks similar to Rosalinas in the first Galaxy. Also add some sort of sidquest to collect figurines that give a deeper lore to the whole world. Let us talk to some inhabitants of the worlds Mario visits. Such things make a world feel alive and I think it would suit 3D Mario games.

Also it would freshen the series up a bit and one series which definitely needs this is Mario. Plus this could increase the appeal to veteran Mario players, who are in their 20-30 right now without loosing the series charm and appeal to a younger demographic.

But what do others think about this? Would you prefer everything staying the same or a huge epic story? Is Mario still Mario then? If you want, let me know.

And as always

thanks for reading

PS.:Has anyone noticed that they totally spoil world Bowser in that Super Mario 3D World picture?

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Review

Overview:

Can Nintendo make the bonus games from 3D World into an own flull-fledged game? That question was raised a lot after their Digital Event at E3 2014. Many where skeptic if such a simple game concept would work, but just as many where euphoric. The Captain Toad Levels were a refreshing change of paint during 3D World and well received. Now Nintendo has shown us their answer. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a full game with amazing visuals and a variety of content. The gameplay mechanics weren't changed but enhanced. Just like the rest of the game. Everything feels a little grander in scope, while still retaining the diorama charm from where it all originated.

By the way. Captain Toad isn't the first game that stars our loveable mushroom heads in the leading role. This honor belongs to Warios Woods on the NES.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker... lets talk about it.

Story:

During a simple trip with his friend Captain Toadette our main hero has to witness his friend and the precious power star they tracked together get stolen away by the mischievous bird Wingo. Without hesitation he embarks on an epic journey to save his friend and get the star. As a Mario Spinoff title there is of course not much to the story, but like in nearly all Mario Games the levels are the true stars of the game that keep you motivated to play.

Gameplay:

The gamplay is the same as in the 3D-World Bonuslevels. Captain Toad has to traverse a small (most of the time) and cubical (most of the time) level in his search for the Power Star. Yes indeed. Instead of five Greenstars which are scattered all across the level our brave explorer now only has to reach the Power Star at the ''end'' of the level to complete it. And I say end very loosely because the Power Star can be everywhere. From completely hidden over right beyond your nose but out of reach to only appearing after completing a special task or puzzle.

But is this all you may ask? Luckily not or the game would be even shorter than it already is. Next to the Power Star each level also houses three hidden Supergems. And these are much harder to find. At least most of the time. These gems are used to unlock later levels of the game, but even if you play it very casually and not really look for them you should have no trouble in progressing. Just like it was with the Green Stars in Super Mario 3D World.

Apart from these two things there are a few other collectibles hidden inside the stages. Coins a scattered around and also can be plucked from various clumps of grass across the stage. One hundred of them give you an extra live, just like they always have and will always do. And every so often you may stumble across a hidden gold mushroom.. or probably won't because they are really well hidden.

So far it sounds like a pretty standard Mario game. You collect stars, coins, run and jump... But here is the deal. Because of his heavy backpack Captain Toad can't jump. Which is a pretty big hurdle in the Mario Universe. But our small hero nonetheless fights his way through the countless perils that await him on his path to glory (and Toadette). Luckily Captain Toad has some other abilities apart from not-jumping. He can run, so there's that, but more importantly, he can pluck. I mentioned the various clumps of grass that are scattered throughout the stages earlier. Under these the player not only will find coins, but also other helpful tools. The good old Turnips from Super Mario Bros. 2 return and are still as deadly as over 20 years ago. They just obliterate everything from Shy Guys to even Bullet Bills. And, apart from falling onto his enemies, are Toads only way of defending himself. Some clumps hold even better things than turnips. One may find a Super-Mushroom, which let's Toad grow back to his normal self after taking one hit. Or you could find the even rarer Super pickaxe. With this Toad turns into an unstoppable machine of destruction, which obliterates everything in its path. But only for a short time.

Weed control, however, isn't the only usage of plucking. There are many switches that only wait for our hero to pull them to see what happens. Toad can even pluck some enemies from the ground and throw them.

So running, plucking and, to some extent, falling are the only abilities Captain Toad has? Yes, but they are the only ones he needs. In addition the the mentioned pickaxe and Super-Mushroom there is also one more power up to use. The double cherry. This power up sadly appears way too rarely, because the puzzles with this had the potential to be real challenges.

The last things in Captain Toads inventory are his trusty turnip-cannon and the mine karts. In some levels you stumble across a swith which let's you jump into a cannon. Through shooting turnips you can then defeat enemies, collect coins and gems and expose new paths by destroying some of the level architecture. The clou is that the ego perspective you use to aim is only shown on your gamepad, while the TV-screen shows an overall view of the level. You aim with your C-Sticks or the gyro-sensor.
The minekart levels work the same and, luckily, are nothing like in the Donkey Kong games. Once you jumped into the kart it will automatically drive and you can fully concentrate on shooting things. These levels are pretty much rail shooters, but they break up the standard gameplay quite a bit. Sadly they also appear a little bit too rarely.

However, like I mentioned in the Story section, the real stars of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker are the games levels. This is where it truly shows that this is a Nintendo EAD developed title. It's incredible how much the developers packed into these worlds. Many seem pretty simple at first glance, but are full of hidden passageways, caves and secrets. Also there is a lot of visual variety and although the final objective is always the power star, the way of getting to it is often vastly different than in the previous levels. The only gripe I have with the levels is that they often can be solved in literally seconds, but only if you rush through them. Also the solution to solve the level is almost every time obvious at first glance. The gems and bonus objectives may add some difficulty and replayability, but the game still remains very easy. Sadly the difficulty curve is sometimes screwed up. You may encounter a level which takes a little longer, only to breeze through the next couple of stages without problems. Instead of a smooth line the difficulty curve often feels like a up and down rollercoaster.

But wait. Haven't I just mentioned bonus objectives? Yes and I'm only mentioning them now, because that's exactly how they work. After finishing a level only then you'll get displayed what the bonus objective has been. So in most cases you'll have to play this level right again. Some may find this frustrating, but I didn't mind. Apart from the occasional small blunder, all levels are so full of charm that I also enjoyed them on my second playthrough. Also I often found myself appreciating how well thought out these small levels were.

Even with a second playthrough of all levels to get the bonus objectives the game is relatively short. It took me around 10 hours to completely beat the game 100%. (Without the time trials, because the don't truly add anything, but I may give them a go later). For 40$ this is a little short, but I've definitely seen worse. However at a 30$ the price would have been perfect.

Presentation:

This game is charming. Have I said that already? It runs on the same engine as Super Mario 3D World so you know what to expect. Many assets from this game return and some new are added, but overall I'm happy to say that with Captain Toad the graphics got even more beautiful. They added small details like better shadows or water effects without sacrificing one FPS. So the game just runs as smoothly as it's predecessor. The art style still is beyond any doubt. The game still lacks any form of anti-aliasing, but you won't even notice if you don't exactly look for such things. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker looks absolutely stunning in motion.

Toad and Toadette are also cute enough to give any grown up man diabetes. During spooky levels they may shiver in fear and look around cautiously, while they happily fall asleep in the warm grass, while a setting sun shines on them. With such a great amount to detail it's a pleasure to help those two through all their peril.

Smooth graphics and charming animations. What else is needed for a great game? A soundtrack of course. Many tunes from 3D World return and are as good as one year ago. Together with some new tunes they create a wonderful soundtrack. Nothing completely new or breath taking like the orchestral music in Galaxy, but something that underlines this game perfectly.

Bonusround or the game after the game:

Spoiler Warning:

After you finished the game, rescued Toadette from Wingo and watched the credits, you unlock the Bonus-Episode. This contains some levels from 3D World to play through as Captain Toad. Of course they have been slightly reworked to fit the needs of our protagonist. You also may unlock these levels early if you have a Super Mario 3D World savefile on your system.
There are also some levels where you have to collect the other 3 members of the Toad brigade and guide them through the levels. And finally you have Mummy-Toad levels. Mummy-Toads work just like the shadow clones from Super Mario Galaxy 2. The follow the exact same path you take and damage you if you let them catch up.

However the Mummy-Toad and Toad-Brigade levels aren't completely new ones, but just taken from the normal game.

Also you unlock the Prologue of each of the three normal episodes for repeated playthrough.

And what's in store after you've done it all? You got all the power stars, super gems and bonus objectives in all three regular- and the bonus-Episode?
Well then you unlock the most sadistic level I've ever played. And I've beaten Champions Road five times. It sends you into a random generated maze with fifty floors. You'll be hunted by Mummy-Toads and every five floors the enemy layout changes. And it even comes with it's own bonus objective. It's just a cruel endurance test.

And for beating it you're rewarded with the obligatory Thank you message from Nintendo and a crown, which Toad and Toadette will wear from then on. You also unlock the coin-rush stages to farm some extra lives.

Conclusion:

Captain Toad is a charming little game that is filled to the brim with sweetness. It's colorful, rich in variety and charming. It is, however, also pretty easy, short and the whole game feels a little bit like it lacks ambition. Everything from the reused assets, music, game idea and the small worlds feels charming sure, but also lacking. They enhanced the simple game principle, but it feels a little bit like a standard job. I had lots of fun with Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. It's great variety of levels are fun to play through and if you enjoy such puzzle-like games or generally prefer a more relaxed approach, then it's surely the game for you. But it still feels like Nintendo played it safe with this one.

- Inconsistent Difficulty

- Short

- Recycled Bosses

- Lacking Ambition

+ Full of Charm and Detail

+ Loveable Characters

+ Rich Variety of Levels

+ Surprisingly engaging Gameplay

7/10

source of all pictures: Nintendo

Review incoming

I'm pretty irregular with my posts on here and for a time now, I wanted to change that. And what is a better time to do that than the start of a new year. So I'm glad to announce that apart from my unqualified opinion soon you'll also be able to enjoy my unqualified reviews. And by soon I mean pretty soon, cause the first one will be online by tomorrow.

Unqualified? Then why should you even listen to me? Well that is for you to decide. Some time ago I posted some points I deem important when reviewing a game and I intend to follow them of course. Also I would like to point out that I intend to use the whole spectrum of the review score. So a 5/10 means average.

And the last point is that I intend to rate games on what they try to accomplish. That means I wont hate in a Mario game for not having a great story, but if it's a massive RPG that wants to tell an engaging story, the story will of course be another factor in my review.

My reviews will start tomorrow with Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Also here are some of my former review scores on older titles. Just to let you know what to expect.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii-U: 8/10

Bayonetta: 8/10

Bayonetta 2: 9/10

Hyrule Warriors: 7/10

Mario Kart 8: 8/10

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: 8/10

Super Mario 3D World: 9/10

The Legend of Zelda: A Link between Worlds: 9/10

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker: 8/10

Darksiders 2: 7/10

Yoshis New Island: 6/10

Super Mario 3 Land: 8/10

The Wonderful 101: 7/10

Sonic Lost Word: 5/10

New Super Mario Bros. U: 7/10