"Ultimate Online RPG Action"

So, I’ve Been A Busy Boy.

This is not for the faint of heart, but I did the lion’s share/ heavy lifting for a fansub (“fan subtitled video”) of a “media briefing” (in the vernacular: press conference) for the still-in-development, upcoming online RPG, Phantasy Star Online 2. You can check it out here. There are high hopes and a lot of strong wishing involved. It was like 38 minutes. That’s some work, people. And I didn’t get paid a dime for this, either.

I have no intention of stealing the thunder of Producer Satoshi Sakai, who seems to genuinely know his gaming stuff and is a breath of fresh air here. This has the feel of a very good online action RPG that can actually fulfill its potential. The original Phantasy Star Online was ten years ago, and therefore very primitive by today’s standards, but is still beloved by many for creativity and concepts… but can go much further. Would-be successors didn’t cut it; not enough, though the most recent portable ones (PSP) are “better” (though probably shouldn’t be called great either). This has a shot at greatness.

At any rate, when a guy’s opening gambit is “Is there adventure in RPG’s today?” then let me make this clear: adventure is good. Sense of adventure is very good and most critical. Feeding that beast is a Good Thing.

Anyway, my work is done, and I credit Velocity7 for the work he’s put in, and those who helped on the other end of things. I hope people appreciate it all. I’m interested in the game after all this, at least. The rule is, promise much… and deliver.

The alpha test is on the 18th, two days hence. – J

The Virgola is a fictional machine designed as a video game original for the crossover mecha game Super Robot Taisen Z (Super Robot Wars Z). By “original,” we mean that it does not appear in any anime. So far, this includes Original Generations anime seasons 1 and 2.

The Setting

The Virgola is first presented as a series of three prototypes being flight tested to gather data for eventual adoption as the Earth Federation’s next generation mass-produced humanoid weapons system.

SRW Z is not only a cross-over of mecha, but of dimensions. Consequently, this Earth Federation is merely the one in which Mobile Suit Gundam Z: A New Translation (i.e. the three-part movie version) takes place. During an AEUG attack on a lunar base, the only force deploying fast enough to respond is Glory Star, the test pilot group responsible for testing the Virgola units. However, time and space bend and warp, and the members of Glory Star are warped into another world… where finally, a “Dimension Bomb” (from the sci fi series Orguss) leads to a strange new world mixing many worlds at once…

The Virgola

Full Height: 19.8m

Full Weight: (Reference) 51.4 metric tons for Unit 1

Power Supply: Minovsky Reactor + “Sphere”

Armor Composition: Unknown

Mechanical Designer: Mika Akitaka

Mysteriously, the Virgola itself was as astonishingly general purpose machine. Amuro Ray calls it a “Shoe-Fitter” in that it will suit the style of any pilot at any skill level, while providing a high level of offensive power through the use of its primary weapon, the Gunnery Carver (above, right side).

In the original test machines, the three Gunnery Carvers were used for firing high velocity slugs (“Straight Turret”), blunt physical attacks, and three entirely distinct modes of special attack unique to each unit: a “Jack Carver” (a giant jackknife), a “Barley Scythe” functioning as a beam weapon that reaps the harvest, and a “Ray Straight Turret” beam attack capable of straight line mass destruction. In addition, each unit carried a “Ray Pistol,” a hand-held beam weapon used only for rapid fire assault purposes or as an emergency weapon.

This reinforced the Virgola offensively, but was of no assistance defensively. While enjoying broadly high specifications, the Virgola was not equipped with either a shield or a sword for use in close combat, and its armor was not especially resistant to enemy attack. As such, the Virgola units could be one-shotted by a powerful enough attack…

Glory Star

Stepping back from the setting, Glory Star’s concept was mixing military trappings with a college sports team. As such, the uniforms look like dress uniforms (we never see any representations of spacesuits for any member, though we should not take this as meaning they don’t exist but rather as a style decision by the developers). Numerous battle phrases are like cheer phrases motivating the team on to victory. Pride, in particular, is a theme. For that matter, the name just begs these comparisons.

Go, Glory Star! Go! – Denzel Hammer

The members are Denzel Hammer, a veteran squad leader and instructor with a gift for gunnery, originally piloting Unit 1; Toby Watson, a usually happy-go-lucky pilot whose attitude screams “jock” but with a hard, serious edge in the midst of battle, specializing in melee with Unit 2’s Barley Scythe; and Setsuko Ohara, a relative greenhorn whose lunar base sortie was her first actual combat. While having an extra affinity for gunnery, her future is wide open, and she is one of the most player-customizable pilots in Super Robot Wars gaming history.

Left to Right: Toby, Setsuko, Denzel

Tragedy and Awakening

Just before the Dimension Bomb sends a number of worlds smashing together and fusing into one strange Earth, the mysterious Asakim Dowen appears and murders Denzel, who had swapped machines with Setsuko due to damage to her Unit 3 (which the veteran could handle better than she could).

Following a time when she was blown into Paradigm City (of “The Big O“), Setsuko recovers her own (quite bitter) memories and travels across the world, searching for Toby. At the end of her journey, she finds Toby – in pursuit of Asakim. Joining together, they fail to deal a decisive blow – apparently something Toby has failed at a number of times while on Asakim’s tail. Together, the two pledge to continue Glory Star, no longer as paid members of a formal military, but helping those who strive to put the world right (which by now has long included the AEUG people, since the Titans are, well, jerks!).

Of course, they also pledge to avenge Denzel (a.k.a. “Chief”).

Instead, Asakim lures the two away from the main force (which by default becomes named “Zeuth”) and even though reinforcements appear on both sides, Asakim fakes his own defeat only to turn around and wreck both remaining Virgolas, slaying Toby and instilling fear and terror into Setsuko with a physical beating in the flesh, until a “savior” named Raven arrives to save Setsuko… for now.

And so, Setsuko is alone.

Setsuko Ohara

Setsuko is young, well-meaning, very earnest and sincere… and is left with deep emotional scars after Toby’s death, which came a short while after Setsuko had finally shared her budding romantic feelings for him. He was fond of Setsuko as well, in a way that wasn’t quite as, well, teacher-student as with Denzel before his own death.

Virgola Unit 1, having already incorporated the remnants of Unit 3’s Gunnery Carver, was now infused with Toby’s Barley Scythe and his combat data. This Virgola Kai (Improved Virogla) could accommodate a 20% increase in pilot skill from Setsuko before maxing out. Thus, the onus was on her to break through the “wall” as she followed the half of Zeuth that allied itself with PLANT (in the Seed Destiny plot), which was then allied with the Diana Counter (from Turn A Gundam), which proved to be only one Moonrace (lunar dwellers) faction, and the Super Robot forces with less of a problem with military methods of operation and devoted to fighting alien threats.

Thus, there would be no lack of hard, bitter fighting for Setsuko. Slowly, she improved, but when it was time to test her spirit against Asakim and his succubus-like minion Xine, Setsuko broke down, her spirit still filled with fear. Yet mysteriously, Toby Watson – not dead?… – appeared to save her from being finished off by Xine, before disappearing again to pursue the enemy.

Finally, she answered the call to face her personal demons alone, and while Raven returned to support her against an assault in force by Xine (using AI-controlled machines to back her up), the entire Zeuth detachment showed up to provide support. Knowing she was not alone, Setsuko found new reserves of strength and Xine was once again driven off.

While stopped at a base belonging to Chimera, Raven’s force (part of their “enemy” the Earth Federation, but secretly aiding Zeuth and claiming to be dedicated to improving the world), a truly mad (as well as ugly) scientist belonging to Chimera offers to overhaul the Virgola. Setsuko ignores entreaties to turn the skirt-chasing geezer’s offer down and wants to become stronger however she can.

The resulting Virgola Glory was, externally, simply fitted with a wing system that allowed non-transforming flight in an atmosphere and overall improved agility. Armed with this unit, Setsuko once again answered a call to do battle with her personal demons, this time from “Toby.” But mysteries remained.

As the scientist explained to Zeuth’s members, such as Amuro and other interested pilots with high technical aptitudes, the Virgola in and of itself was nothing special… but the Gunnery Carver was, with parts that were “black boxed” and could not be externally analyzed. Furthermore, and this was the big mystery, the Virgola was over-specced to the point of being able to handle 200% of its own internal reactor’s power output.

What was the mystery of the Gunnery Carver? How could its secrets be accessed? Perhaps by something that could not be compelled by science, such as reacting to a human emotion? Love, perhaps? This was dismissed at the time, but in short order, these questions would be partially answered… in the worst possible way.

The Valkyrie of Sadness

Setsuko after Toby’s death. “For today only… let me cry…”

While the Virgola’s maneuverability had been greatly improved, the heartened Setsuko underwent a breakdown in the Gunnery Carver, rendering it inoperable. Forced to rely on the Ray Pistol, Setsuko engaged the mysterious black crow machines that seemed to work with Asakim everywhere, along with a mysterious ally of Asakim, Rand the Wandering Mechanic, and his construction machine colored, giant wrench using, super robot style Gunleon.

Even though the Virgola dealt with the crows entirely adequately with only the Ray Pistol, the Gunleon and its pilot, Rand, had great reserves of strength, and enormous power. The Virgola was nearly destroyed in a single blow. On the verge of death, Toby once again emerged to knock back the Gunleon. Finally, both turned to face the Gunleon together…

…and “Toby” shot Setsuko’s machine in the back.

The mysterious powers at Asakim’s command allowed him to temporarily borrow the illusion of Toby, down to his voice and tiny mannerisms, to fool Setsuko… and to truly crush her spirit once and for all, for that was the path that rested between him and his objective.

And so, “it” happened.

The Sphere

The central part of the Gunnery Carver was a second power source, but what called to it was not love, but sadness – true, soul-crushing sadness. Setsuko had found the depth of despair, and now, the Sphere awoke.

The Gunnery Carver lost its false shell and took on its true form, the Nautilus Carver, a weapon that seemed to pulse with its own life force, with a “barrel” that resembled a nautical creature.

Doing great damage to Asakim’s machine with her new power, the emotionally shattered Setsuko learned to turn her despair against her enemy, and strike hard.

Forgive the horrid resolution; it was hard to find a pic. – J

Setsuko would continue to pilot what would now be known as the Virgola Glory until the end of the game, though it later underwent a later evolution as the further betrayal of Raven – secretly one of Asakim’s comrades – further sent Setsuko into the depths of despair, beginning a process of transformation of her body. First, loss of taste; then, temporary blindness… but her sight returned, and she was able to continue fighting until the conclusion.

The Virgola Glory

Aside from the wings, the Virgola Glory gains special weapons from the Nautilus Carver:

– A straight line MAP weapon (that is, affecting a bunch of squares in a row) with two “ammunition” shots. That is, once clearing the relatively low morale requirements, she can fire the MAP weapon twice and not suffer any depletion of her machine’s “Energy” reserves, but will then be unable to fire the weapon until resupply or, more likely, until the stage ends, you go through intermission, and sortie for the next battle.

– A “Nautilus Carver” Attack that combines the blunt strike, Barley Scythe, and Jack Carver style attacks into a single high powered attack that will penetrate any “barrier”.

– An improved Ray Straight Turret style attack that has the best and most satisfying attack animations on Setsuko’s side. It’s long ranged, it hits hard, and it leaves stardust behind. It is called, “The Glory Star“! I consider it completely worthy of the name.

Character & Mecha In Game Terms

As mentioned earlier, Setsuko is one of the most customizable characters in SRW history.

In actual gaming terms, she receives all of the “pilot points” (which can be used to purchase skills or raise parameters of pilots) that Denzel and Toby received until the moment of their deaths. Thus, she truly does inherit the spirit of Glory Star. How you use that advantage is up to you.

For fully half the game, Setsuko is, put bluntly, a below average pilot in an above average machine. In particular, her “Skill” rating – which governs critical hits, how easily others critical or use special skills against you, etc. – is low. She is adequate, and handles her weapons well, but she is nothing special.

After her personal awakening, she gains a bonus to all of her parameters across the board. This still doesn’t make her an Amuro Ray, but it’s a start.

Remember, her main characteristic is that she gets a huge load of Pilot Points earlier than other people. She can use whatever high end skills you prefer to purchase with all this at a much earlier stage than others. Later, she just piles on, because, well, the MAP weapon combined with her The Glory Star attack and a high overall attack ability means she’s wiping stuff out left and right, earning more Pilot Points in the process.

Personal Quirks

Setsuko’s default tendencies are as follows:

• Heavy support attacker. Her “native” Support Attack skill rises to level 4, meaning she can follow up one unit’s attack with her own up to four times in a row, provided she is adjacent and not ineligible for some reason (can’t support an air attacker from the ground). This is her only true “starting” skill.
• Unlocked: SP Regen. This means, once she awakens, she is one of the precious few characters in the game to restore ten “Seishin Points” (often called Spirit Points, at any rate, what’s used for in-battle power-ups that are unique to every pilot) at the start of every Player Phase (player turn). This is a huge help over the course of a long battle…
• Platoon Leader Bonus: +10% Damage With All Shooting Attacks. This is just gravy, but still, it comes up. This means The Glory Star, the MAP weapon, and the bread and butter Straight Turret attacks will get a +10% to damage until the end of the game.

Another thing anyone wanting to use her might want to think about is, the Virgola is not inherently high defense, but Setsuko has a higher Defense stat than typical “real robot” pilots (i.e. Gundam series pilots). While any sane player is using special equipment to combat the Virgola’s defensive deficiencies – barriers, armor enhancements, maneuverability enhancements, plus my favorite, throwing money at the problem and upgrading – it’s not a complete package.

While I tend to prioritize skills that help me destroy the enemy faster and easier, at least early to mid game, giving Setsuko the skill that boosts defense, accuracy, and critical hit rates the closer your mecha’s HP get to 0 may not be a waste of time at all. Take the attitude that, in this game, you will get hit; it’s just a matter of time, and how bad the enemy wants it. And barriers aren’t foolproof; Tri attacks (squad team-ups) and weapons like the Nautilus Carver itself (though that’s yours…) will breach a barrier and go straight to HP damage.

But oh well. The bottom line is, early on, the extra pilot points are an offset for Setsuko being raw; later, there are few truly bad choices. You stock her up on whatever skills make sense for you. I’ve tried lots, such as giving her an S rating in Air and giving her a Minovsky Craft to boost the Virgola’s own rating to S, meaning it’s better than C, B, or A. That makes her take less hits too. Combined with the SP Regen and Seishin skills like Concentrate, you won’t be hit much like that, either.

And That’s A Wrap.

Some may wonder why I bothered to do this. Well, basically… I wanted to, and things flow a lot easier when I’m writing about something I personally like. That’s kind of why, even though the blog stats say Gundam 00 still brings people in, it’s hard to write about that because I was never a fanboy, just a viewer. Really loved the visuals, and the machines were pretty good, but I hated the humans ^^ Relatively speaking.

Setsuko, though, I like, on a gut level and many others. I like a lot of main character candidates, but this one is the antithesis of spouting taunts at the enemy and laughing at the opponent’s demise. (You know, like Asakim…) No, she’s doing this because she cares, and because she doesn’t want other people to have to go through the suffering she has.

More importantly, she becomes able to back it up – and in force, becoming a true Valkyrie avenging the souls of the dead, cutting a path through the battlefield, laying waste to those who deeply and richly deserve wasting.

By the way, Setsuko is a nice girl, fundamentally, and that’s not something you can teach. It runs deep. I find myself plenty willing to cheer her on.

By the way, Rand is the other potential main character, and their roles flip somewhat if you play him instead. He’s actually awesome. Rough around the edges to say the least, but even though he goes through his own challenges, he forces a more positive experience… and his machine is just a lot less likely to blow up than the Virgola. So there.

Nonetheless, Setsuko’s devastating in late games, and that’s how I like it. – J

Tenra Bansho Zero is a tabletop RPG – what Japan uses to differentiate from you know, Final Fantasy and stuff. After what has apparently been a long struggle, it is soon to be published in full English language format. English site here; Japanese site here.

While I heard of this effort in passing, I didn’t know the status of the project until a few days ago. I have owned the Japanese book for quite some time, largely because it has, and I kid you not, incredible artwork that is a real joy for me as a fan of Japanese culture.

The game system includes – and really this is not doing it justice, but I can’t just divulge the whole book, it’s someone else’s copyright – soul gem enhanced samurai and ninja, 14 year old kids piloting mecha patterned to look like Japanese yoroi armor (and named after it), partial cyborgs using machine parts to replace what they have lost in battle, wooden puppets brought to life as hyper-beautiful maidens, mystics, Buddhist priests, Shinto priests controlling the seemingly alien technology at work in this strange and warring world, and a scenario that holds that war has torn the land apart over the last four centuries (Sengoku Jidai x4!).

So, yes, that’s the best short description I can give. It combines a lot of stuff.

The system well.. they boast of it as the “world’s fastest” for a tabletop RPG. It follows the “use lots of dice,” “roll against X difficulty,” and get “successes” to perform actions, type of system. In that sense, there’s similarities to certain Western games. However, the system is heavily geared towards the storytelling aspect, and not that Western games aren’t, but here it’s really focused on well, things like sukiyaki westerns, anime like Burst Angel (JP name: Bakuretsu Tenshi; the translation is literal and accurate), which I’ve seen, and translated a bit of manga for… but the game has a bit of a catch.

Essentially, the human soul is treated like a bottle. Once this bottle fills up with a certain amount of karma, the weight of the sins of mankind snuffs out the remaining humanity of the spirit and the person becomes an “ashura,” essentially a demon in human flesh. It’s a lot like vampires in “Vampire: The Masquerade” losing their Humanity. There’s no more role-playing to be had with such a character. And, since karma is built up in the process of making a character a badder dude (or damsel), it is a check on having a super-powered character (even more than the aggressive system allows, that is).

More to the point, it is also used to keep the focus on the “destiny” of a character. Essentially, this is the “I’m not dying until I’ve avenged my father” type of stuff. This fate business can actually provide in-game bonuses when doing things aligned with one’s destiny, but hey, it’s really just keeping the focus on the story. And that’s fine.

I haven’t looked into it to this degree, because in my circle of friends, “systems” lost their meaning for non-computerized role playing games ages ago, but it probably pushes the view that it’s more fitting for some people to go down in a blaze of glory fulfilling some goal of theirs than surviving only to snap under the weight of everything that was done in pursuit of that goal.

That, or the old warrior finds some forgotten farm to live out his days on, preferably with a nice girl. Either way, humanity can only be stretched so far.

I hope I’ve represented, in about 600 words, the potential that this game has. Of course, I remind that there’s some incredible artwork and creativity involved. I have wished the English team the best of luck and sincerely hope for their success. – J

Old Times, Good Times

Super Turrican is one of the games for the Super Nintendo that, owing to the system, had “Super” tacked onto the front. Featuring a man in an armored suit, with some similarities to Metroid, this action platformer featured some incredible synthesized music. I have included a sample of this music below from Stage 1-3.

My only personal connection with this game is through game rentals in my early teens, but I remember the music of this stage well, even now. Amusingly, in spite of the action nature of the game, this music instilled a Zen-like state of peace in my mind. Perhaps the better to go out shooting things with. Perhaps.

Listen for yourself and enjoy the experience. – J

Go to this blog for full details on the announcement of Gundam Memories ~ Tatakai no Kioku. One small quibble: Japanese usually leaves singular and plural undefined. We silly Westerners default to singular when we shouldn’t. This could easily be read as “Memories of Battle” (as in, battle in abstract, indicating numerous battles) or “Memories of Battles.”

What caught my eye immediately is the very heavy similarity to Warriors Orochi (in the Dynasty Warriors family, a cross-over between that and Samurai Warriors games) in that mobile suits are separated into Melee Type, Sniper Type, and Speed Type (whereas Orochi was Power, Technical, and Speed). You are able to pick three mobile suits and, like Orochi, you can hot swap between these three while in a game stage.

This system was one of, if not the, best features about Warriors Orochi. Using this with Gundams seems to be a very interesting and promising idea from a gamer’s perspective.

Full series list below:

Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Z Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam Char’s Counterattack
Mobile Suit Gundam X
Gundam W Endless Waltz
Gundam Seed Destiny
Gundam 00 (including 2nd season)
Gundam 00: A wakening of the Trailblazer Movie
Gundam UC (Unicorn Gundam)

…Now personally, there’s nothing in here not to like. Even when I have my issues with a television show, I often find the mecha and even the characters refreshing when used in a video game.

Also, the more they stay away from retreading anything in existing Dynasty Warrior: Gundam games (or as I say it fast in loving Japanese, Gundam Musou) , all the better.

So, this actually makes me curious about how it’ll work out. The gameplay system is an immediate draw. We’ll have to see how it goes. – J

Since 1up.com was kind enough to put a link to a list of its Editor’s Picks for interesting stories in 2010, and more than a few touch on Japanese culture in general and gaming culture specifically (and certain personalities thereof), feel free to follow this link and take a look.

When I don’t have time for thousand-word posts, I do want to be useful and direct people to good content. I think this is a good example.

Known as スーパーロボット大戦 or Super Robot Taisen in Japanese, this franchise goes back to rather ancient gaming times and continues haltingly into the modern era.

What The Heck Is A Super Robot?

For Americans and other non-Japanese, let me explain this in terms that should be easy to understand.

Voltron. Super Robot.

In other words, not realistic.

So, this creates the issue of what is a so-called real robot? (This is Japanese loan word slang, as will quickly become obvious.)

Veritech. Real Robot.

As in, a realistic robot, not a “real world” robot!

This is Super Robot 101.

Western gamers shorten this to the acronym SRW, and to save time and ease reading, I will do so as well.

For the Japanese anime aware, yes, I am WELL AWARE that the above are “GoLion” and “Valkyrie Fighter” in the Japanese versions. Who do you think I am?… But to explain to the uninitiated, such departures are necessary.

Crossover Mecha Gaming

All but extremely limited and rare offshoots of these games are turn-based strategy games involving statistical formulas and player strategy as one army faces off against one (or more) opposing armies. Rather than purely men (and women), these battles are fought with mecha, which is Japanese jargon for a machine (from: mechanical).

In other words, they include what one would identify as a robot specifically (something with humanoid features) as well as things which are not traditional robots, but which nonetheless fit within the context of “robot wars.”

The single great defining feature of the series, however, is that it is an anime crossover game series. By crossover, I mean that the games draw upon characters (and mecha) from a diverse cross-section of mecha anime, ranging from the realistic (i.e. Gundam) to the apocalyptic and incredible (i.e. Evangelion).

Essentially, I eat these games for breakfast.

SRW games are one most challenging type of games in existence for he (or she) who wishes to read Japanese natively. The dialog ranges from the ridiculous, to the insanely colloquial, to the extremely technical, including specialized military jargon. Through it all, the language is peppered with loan words.

Well, it took me a long time to get up to the speed required for them, but it is nonetheless one way I keep my unconventional reading and listening skills sharp.

Recognize any...?

Super-Deformed Mecha

As you can see from the picture, mecha in the “super deformed” style is basically… big head, squished body, which creates a “deformed” body style.

Originally, the use of SD (Super-Deformed) mecha was because the primitive systems SRW games were on had to be this way to fit within memory constraints. Later, it became an issue of economics: studios like Sunrise (creator of Gundam and many other franchises) license SD likenesses of its properties at half the price of full size versions (or so I have heard).

Thus, by using SD models, the creator (Banpresto, derived from Bandai, the toy company behemoth) can unleash a massive army of mecha, and their associated characters, upon a large niche gaming market.

North America: Original Generations Only

Thanks to licensing hell from so many varied properties, the legal challenges of bringing these games to North America have scared everyone off from even trying, except for one.

Original Generations uses the Banpresto “original” (i.e. not appearing in an outside created anime) characters, which means Banpresto owns all the rights, which means, no licensing hell. However, only the Nintendo Gameboy series versions (mainly for the dual screen version, or NDS) have been brought to America. A PS2 version mashing together Original Generation 1 & 2 was released in Japan.

I own that game, and it’s not bad.

Anyway, we can no longer say that originals haven’t appeared in anime. That’s what the Original Generations anime, seasons 1 and 2, are all about, based on the first and second games, respectively.

The image at the top of this article is a Gespenst, one of the oldest “original” mecha used in the SRW series.

A Massive Source Of Dialog

Besides the encyclopedic data in the games themselves (and I’m not kidding – there’s an in-game mecha and character encyclopedia in every console version dating years back), there’s a huge amount of in-game dialog, particularly during battle animations where the results of the statistical foolery play out before your eyes with background music (BGM, BGM’s) playing and voice actors (seiyuu) speaking these lines as they appear at the bottom of the screen. In ancient console versions, and all portable ones, this written text is all you get, but for console versions – including ports – you get voice, too.

The sheer entertainment value of this is incredible, even if the general technology level of these games is at the lower end of the scale in general.

Cultural Value

Essentially, SRW is a gateway drug to more mecha anime, and introduced me, personally, and quite a lot of gamers to anime which they have not seen before, but would like to (largely as a result of seeing the content in these games).

Blogging Value

The reason I write these words is so that, in the future, I can simply link back to this post and people can get an explanation of what the broader subject is when I discuss, oh, “and in SRW Z, this unit is great to use) or something like that.

Put bluntly, I am capable of an embarrassingly large degree of highly detailed babble about things arising in this game series, and relating to anime appearing in these games, that I wanted to give people some kind of heads up about it.

At any rate, there’s an incredible amount of non-traditional language education that can be derived from my gaming, and rapid-fire reading, experience gleaned from these games, and that has value to me as a blogger.

So there.

In recent years, it has been argued that Japanese video gaming, as an industry, has faltered and has entered a period of prolonged decline. As a result, numerous Japanese companies are producing “Westernized” video games to compete with North American produced, or inspired, video games. But is this a viable approach?

Some say, no.

Just as in animist beliefs regarding the ancient gods (神, kami）, Japanese video games have distinct souls (魂、tamashii) to them, as a manner of speaking. They have a style (風、fuu) and a feel (感じ、kanji) to them that is distinctive.

In the process of excessive Westernizing, that distinctiveness can be lost. This diminishes a game’s value to both (両方、ryouhou) markets; the Japanese have less reason to buy soulless products, and Americans consider the same products to be inferior clones of triple-A titles like Gears of War, Call of Duty, Fallout 3, and so on.

Let us not waste time dwelling on criticism. Instead, let us look at examples of Japanese games with distinct tamashii in them.

Super Mario Brothers Series

No discussion (or monologue) of Japanese video gaming is complete without mentioning Super Mario Brothers. This series might be called the face of Japanese gaming, the original series packaged for free with all Nintendo family entertainment systems.

These games feature cute looks, extensive on-screen action, challenges, clean fun for all ages (well, especially young ages), and require thinking and skill on the part of the player. This is the essence of gaming: you earn your enjoyment.

Hokuto Musou (北斗無双)

Fist of the North Star Meets Dynasty Warriors

Officially titled Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage for U.S. shores, this is a fusion between a classic post-apocalyptic, over the top, bloody and gory martial arts anime and the Dynasty Warriors series, which Koei began as a way to bring its traditional strategy gaming “to life” for action gamers to sink their teeth in while identifying from heroes from classical Chinese literature (loosely based on history). The defining feature of the series is fighting hordes of regular soldiers, slaying them in large numbers, and bringing low the enemy’s generals to break the back of the enemy’s army.

Thus, stylized anime martial arts meets hordes of bad guys to rip apart.

Now, I’m not even a Fist of the North Star fan. However, it is impossible for me to ignore how this takes a basic idea and runs with it: taking identifiable anime heroes – who are certainly capable of slaughtering vast numbers of “regular bad guys” – and putting them in a style of game in which they can go to town on the enemy.

Such games are not played because they get high reviews from professional game reviewers. They are played because players find it to be a mix of role-playing and simple but active fun. Also, “button mashing” involves, in this kind of case, a lot of real-time choices of timing and how to refine one’s approach. It’s a thinking man’s slaughterhouse.

Gundam Vs. Series

The Gundam “Vs.” (Versus) series began as an experiment in well… if you read the description above, you’ll understand: bringing more dynamic action gaming to the Gundam franchise, which has hordes of distinctive characters (with distinct looks/ names/ voice acting) and mecha (giant war machines; from mechanical).

The PSP versions have evolved into a two on two dueling game with up to four players networked together and employing Gundams from old and new series alike, focusing on the most popular (or notorious) machines. While there are other play modes, this is the most true to the idea of portable arcade-style gaming. (And these games are indeed ported from arcade systems.)

In many cases, characters and Gundams that did not really work in the anime they come from, or which were shortchanged by storylines while remaining popular with fans, are reborn in video games. The ability to instantly identify with a known quantity – from modern science fiction rather than ancient Chinese history in this case – makes such gaming distinctive. You already know who these characters and machines are; now go forth and beat on thy opponent.

Zone of the Enders Series

Space colonists are known as “Enders” (at the end of known civilization) in this series. While the first of the two games was known as a mediocre mecha action game with some interesting ideas, the second was a sleeper hit that was considered revolutionary in the field, a shining example of how to implement gameplay of a much faster, yet complex and intricate nature befitting machines smaller and more agile than relatively clunky Gundams could ever manage.

Also, the mecha art itself was highly stylized. Add to that a lot of serious “game” in the game and you had a package that surprised people. Many in the West bought it for no reason other than the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo packaged with it (as both series are brainchilds of Hideo Kojima), but those oriented towards this kind of gaming were pleasantly surprised.

No third sequel has been announced in the intervening years. Kojima, of course, has been busy with Metal Gear Solid 4 and spin-offs and so forth, all worthy in their own right.

Resident Evil Series

(Known as “Biohazard” in Japan.)

Before zombie action games were cool, there was zombie horror survival in the form of the Resident Evil games. From modest early Playstation roots, the game evolved into Wii and PS3/ 360 versions that have truly impressed gamers with iron devotion to the basic concept: surviving is a win, and laying waste to the living dead (making them dead dead?) is a means to an end.

More to the point, there is potential terror lurking behind every door, and actual terror behind many of them, and you don’t know in advance which is which. Suspense, action, violence, and yes, a lot of bloody stuff, is part and parcel of this series.

I actually haven’t played this series, believe it or not. The closest I got was playing a spin-off called Dino Crisis 2, which was a much more action oriented version (with much more fluid motion) than its parallels at the time. Well, Resident Evil got more action-y as time passed, but I have fond memories of fighting dinosaurs with high tech equipment in that game (through well, some temporal (time) anomaly stuff).

Speaking of dinos…

Monster Hunter Series

I’ve mentioned it before, but the Monster Hunter series is a huge hit in Japan, a truly monster franchise, and it has its adherents in the West as well. Here, there’s no time travel; you are a fully fledged citizen of a prehistoric civilization hunting dangerous animals and true monsters through caves, over hills, through jungle, on snowy mountains, and at the edges of vicious-looking volcanoes. Gather, hunt, and construct weapons and armor from your prey.

Just as with a healthy diet, you are what you kill.

Ryu ga Gotoku Series

(Known as the “Yakuza” series in the west. Lit. “As A Dragon”)

As odd as it may sound, this series revolves around a tough as nails, nigh living legend Yakuza – a Japanese gangster, complete with a full back tattoo – with a heart of gold. Originally framed for involvement in the murder of his adopted father, he gets out of prison ten years later to find his city radically changed thanks to, well, modernity. Kiryuu Kazuma becomes involved in mysteries, plots on his life, underworld wars of succession, and helping a nine year old girl who is apparently related to a lost love.

Anyway, that was just the first game. There’s tons of plot in the others and I don’t intend to spoil anything for people who may play. I have played all short of the fourth, and I have been richly rewarded for my dedication to Japanese language and culture in the process.

This series is the closest Japan comes to a Grand Theft Auto-style sandbox game where you can do anything you like. It is not purely so, for the games have very strong plots, but certain points in them allow a great deal of roaming around, the ability to play mini-games, do sidequests, what the Saint’s Row games might call diversions… and one of those diversions is buying expensive gifts for bar hostesses, sweet-talking them and, if done successfully, spending a night at a love hotel.

No, that part isn’t shown explicitly on-screen. But high graphical resolution on the PS3 has not gone to waste. These Japanese girls tend to get very hot, very well dressed…

Anyway, the main gameplay component is beating up on bad guys in brutal street combat.

Put another way, this series is the best thing I can recommend to anyone wanting to imagine themselves a hero in a martial arts movie… with a distinctly Japanese, and Yakuza, edge to it.

One scene from the first game, which I will never forget, involved taking on a Chinese triad (and yes this was in Japan). You invade, for lack of a better word, a Chinese compound, and when you reach the kitchen, a group of five assistants and a Chinese chef holding a cleaver confront you. There are aisles everywhere, hordes of grab-able improvised weapons, plus you can grapple opponents and (provided your “Heat Gauge” is high enough) beat their heads against the counters and other showy, brutal, bone-crunching moves… as if you’re really in a movie!

And that was just the first game! (Albeit, such a classic scene that even the later games cannot exceed it, only shine in their own distinctive ways. It still brings a smile to my eyes just thinking about it.)

Living Japanese Culture

This legacy of gaming should not end here. Like any living organism, a series can get stale or uncreative or fall into ruts that threaten survival. This does not change that specialization, use of natural advantages, and being yourself, are powerful drivers of creativity and distinctiveness, all of which increase a product’s final value to the consumer.

It’s not a matter of doing Western games better than Westerners. (It’s not a good idea to push that. Really it’s not.) It’s a matter of doing Japanese gaming better. This is not an unachievable goal. I understand how accountants and analysts might think they should go in other directions, but ultimately, it’s about never forgetting your roots and building higher. Stand on the shoulders of giants, and reach higher.

That is the soul of Japanese gaming. May it never be lost. May it be re-inspired and rejuvenated with a commitment to making the gamer’s experience a vibrant one that is well worth the effort, and the money.

Actually Not About Japan For Once.

Actually, it’s only in the last, oh, two weeks, that I was able to get a copy of the old Knights of the Old Republic role-playing game for Xbox functioning on my Xbox 360. There were known backwards compatibility issues with it, and the first time I’d tried this, I got nowhere at all. So, I’d been missing out on a classic video game for far too many years.

Most of the studio that created the first of the two games, Bioware, is actually located in my native Canada. I recognized certain Canadian forms of English, particularly in the subtitling but not only there.

The basic idea is rather simple.

• Star Wars, some 4000 years before the movies
• Start as a non-Jedi, become a Jedi later
• Well written plot
• Memorable characters, but human and non-human
• A highly memorable assassin droid (cute concept)
• Vast freedom to play both Dark and Light sides

So in other words, you can dabble in the Dark Side or play as a goody-two-shoes and it’s all up to the player. You can even straddle the fence a lot, if you choose. In the end, all that matters is that you find a way to win, really.

On the way to that, well, the gameplay is based on Dungeons & Dragons type RPG systems, similar to certain other computer/ console games, with plenty of dialogue and steeped in all matters Jedi, plus a lot of people to interact with in a universe that feels real, divided, at war, and full of people who need blasting, even if you decide to help some deserving souls along the way.

I have come to appreciate why this game is considered a masterpiece. Among other things, it doesn’t try to be what it isn’t. It’s there to be enjoyed, do its thing, and be finished with an epic (at least for length) final boss fight. It has enough creative ideas and just, well, the feel of Star Wars to carry it through.

At any rate, being able to swing around your own lightsaber in a role-playing game is a pleasure that does not get old easily.

One must wonder if a third KoToR game will ever be made and what form it might take. Certainly memories of the first are strong. Even the second, which I had played previously, wasn’t bad except for the fact the ending was largely unfinished; it did have a lot of gameplay enhancements. How much could be done with a third?

Anyway, I do like Star Wars in general, though I will say this, for the record.

There’s no problem with Han firing first in the Cantina. None.

I rest my case.