I've been so busy with working on music that I didn't get to talk about E3 at all. At least I finished it:
Steam Summer Sale began on Thursday and Summer Games Done Quick begins tomorrow, so there isn't much time to talk about E3. Still, I want to briefly skim over some of the games I saw this year (and a lot of good ones were announced this year).
New Games that impressed me:
Control
Control looks pretty wild with its physics based combat and trippy presentation.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is actually not a newly announced and was teased 5 years ago. Despite not showing any gameplay, the new trailer really sets itself up for what kind of world we're going to get to see in this game and it looks crazy. It's lively, colorful, and imaginative with a very immersive feel to it. Whether we're going to get to play it within the next two years or not is questionable, but I'm certainly a lot more interested in it now.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
We finally get to see something for the new Fire Emblem game on Switch and it looks beautiful! I was a little surprised when the music turned into Drum 'n Bass, but I think I like it. My only worry is that it's called "Three Houses" and I don't want them to split it into three games again like they did with Conquest, Birthright, and Revelations.
Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise
I honestly wasn't sure if we were going to get this game or not in the West. I'm glad we are because this looks really good.
Ghost of Tsushima
There aren't enough games with realistic Katana swordplay and I've yearned for one for many years. Ghost of Tsushima was certainly a surprise at E3 and I was really impressed by the dynamic combat they showed off. I'm looking forward to this game.
Jump Force
I'm not sure how I feel about this announcement yet. I love the visuals and it seems to be a much bigger budget of a game than J-Stars Victory VS, but I don't know enough about the gameplay. If it's just a nicer looking version of J-Stars Victory VS, then I might pass on this game. But if it's a completely new game with a new combat system that's faster-paced and not as clumsy along with a lot more characters, then I'll be super interested.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
When this game was teased last year during the The Game Awards, I was a little confused. I had suspected Bloodborne 2, but then I saw all those writing in the background. "Was Bloodborne 2 going to take place in Japan?" I didn't expect it to be a whole new IP. To me, it looks like Tenchu meets Dark Souls, and I couldn't be more excited. I'm definitely looking forward to this one.
There could be a ton more I can talk about, but I'll just stop right there so I can get back to trying out all these indie games I just bought from Steam Summer Sales.
Teasers that just showed a Title Logo:
Babylon's Fall
DOOM Eternal
Nioh 2
Starfield
The Elder Scrolls VI
Games I'm Excited For (and possibly pre-order):
Anthem
Code Vein
Daemon x Machina
Dead or Alive 6
Devil May Cry 5
Mega Man 11
Resident Evil 2 Remake
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal
Shining Resonance Refrain
SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy
Soulcalibur VI
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition
Total War: Three Kingdoms
Games I'm Interested in / Keeping an eye on:
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Battlefield V
Battletoads
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Call of Duty Black Ops 4
Catherine: Full Body
Days Gone
Death Stranding
Dragon Quest XI
Dying Light 2
Fallout 76
Gears 5
Halo Infinite
Hitman 2
Insurgency: Sandstorm
Just Cause 4
Kingdom Hearts III
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk
Mary Skelter 2
Metro Exodus
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
Nelk and the Legendary Alchemists: Atelier of a New Land
Octopath Traveler
Overkill's The Walking Dead
Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight
Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight
Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee!
Rage 2
Red Dead Redemption 2
Serious Sam 4 Planet Badass
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Spider-Man
Starlink: Battle for Atlas
Team Sonic Racing
Tetris Effect
The Division 2
The Last of Us II
The Quiet Man
Tunic
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Valneer of the Dragon Star
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Yakuza 0 / Kiwami for PC
Yakuza: Kiwami 2
Saturday, June 23, 2018
Monday, May 21, 2018
Looking Forward to Summer 2018
There's only 2 weeks of May left and I have a lot on my mind. My last music project was Burning Fighters which was the first remix for the Shoot-em-Up album which I uploaded in the beginning of April.
I haven't been working on any music since then aside from practicing some guitar and piano. I spent all of April trying to read. I borrowed Romance of the Three Kingdoms from a friend and tried my best to sit down and read through all 4 books. I'm not even done with the first one. I guess I could be spending more time throughout the day reading it and I'd be done by now. I've been trying to get back into exercising regularly again and it always feels like it takes up a lot of time after I've finished, eat lunch, and take a shower. I had planned on getting back into working on music in May, but I've also been focused on wanting to finish certain games as well. Interestingly enough, a friend recommended his friend to me for Videogame music composition/production. He's working on a game independently and wanted original music for it so we set up a deal with each other and now I'm just waiting for more information on what he needs. In the meantime, I'll probably still be reading and getting back into my own music work.
As for finishing games, I was adamant on finishing BlazBlue Central Fiction's story mode as BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle was releasing soon. Although they probably don't have anything related to each other, I felt it necessary to finish up the game before then. I knew it was going to take me a while, but it wasn't nearly as long as previous games since it had a lot less content. I really liked the whole story and it's become one of my favorite ones in videogames. With each passing game, I've come to love BlazBlue more and more. Although a bit cliché and finding a lot of parallels to its counterpart game Guilty Gear at times, the characters of BlazBlue stand out with its eccentric designs and striking colors. Backgrounds have a certain depth to it that sets the stage of its lore. The music is obviously good as it is composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari of Guilty Gear fame. The music often reflects the characters' personality and/or theme rather well while still managing to keep it catchy and memorable.
To give some examples, Ragna is a hardheaded combatant who keeps things simple and fights wildly. So his theme has a simple melody and the rhythm is rough and aggressive. He's also known to be a beginner friendly character to start out with because of his simple move sets. So the art design, music, personality, and gameplay of the character all work together cohesively to create this image that stands out and is memorable.
Here's another easy example. Taokaka is a playful character that has a childlike behavior. The music portrays this through its fast tempo and very happy melody.
This is one of my favorite songs. Bang's character is loud and fails to be inconspicuous which is ironic as he's a ninja. He is filled with pride leading a life of righteousness and serving justice to all who do wrong. The way the guitar wails and sings matches Bang's personality well in the same way he yells and makes his presence known. The tune honestly sounds a bit like a sentai hero theme song where the protagonist is filled with justice and hope for everyone.
Other than the story, art, and music, BlazBlue's gameplay was something that also felt new to me when I first play it nearly a decade ago. Each character has a unique mechanic or "gimmick" that stands out from the rest of the roster. Unlike other fighting games where learning one character might make it easier to learn the rest of the cast, each character is so different that you really have to find the time to sit down and find out each individual attack and their potential for each situation. This might seem discouraging to newcomers and casual players, but there's a stylish mode which simplifies the combat so that it's enjoyable for the player but not so optimal that it breaks competitive gameplay. In other words, there is a lot of depth to the characters.
I was thinking of doing a full rant on BlazBlue's story mode, but considering that it's a series that took me potentially 100+ hours to finish, I think I'll just simply say that "I loved it and can't wait to see more in the future".
As I stated in the beginning of the post, there are only 2 weeks of May left. BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle releases on June 5th and that'll probably start my summer slack in which the events of Summer will distract me from productivity. The schedule is really weird this year as it usually has the events back-to-back from each other: E3, Steam Summer Sale, EVO, and Awesome Games Done Quick. This year, Steam Summer Sale and Summer Games Done Quick over lap each other right after E3. Then nothing happens all of July (not counting Comic Con since there's never news that I care about during that event). Finally, Evo begins at the beginning of August. Maybe I'll try to stay productive in July. So before June 5th, I'd like to get some work done and finish up a few more games before then.
I haven't been working on any music since then aside from practicing some guitar and piano. I spent all of April trying to read. I borrowed Romance of the Three Kingdoms from a friend and tried my best to sit down and read through all 4 books. I'm not even done with the first one. I guess I could be spending more time throughout the day reading it and I'd be done by now. I've been trying to get back into exercising regularly again and it always feels like it takes up a lot of time after I've finished, eat lunch, and take a shower. I had planned on getting back into working on music in May, but I've also been focused on wanting to finish certain games as well. Interestingly enough, a friend recommended his friend to me for Videogame music composition/production. He's working on a game independently and wanted original music for it so we set up a deal with each other and now I'm just waiting for more information on what he needs. In the meantime, I'll probably still be reading and getting back into my own music work.
As for finishing games, I was adamant on finishing BlazBlue Central Fiction's story mode as BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle was releasing soon. Although they probably don't have anything related to each other, I felt it necessary to finish up the game before then. I knew it was going to take me a while, but it wasn't nearly as long as previous games since it had a lot less content. I really liked the whole story and it's become one of my favorite ones in videogames. With each passing game, I've come to love BlazBlue more and more. Although a bit cliché and finding a lot of parallels to its counterpart game Guilty Gear at times, the characters of BlazBlue stand out with its eccentric designs and striking colors. Backgrounds have a certain depth to it that sets the stage of its lore. The music is obviously good as it is composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari of Guilty Gear fame. The music often reflects the characters' personality and/or theme rather well while still managing to keep it catchy and memorable.
To give some examples, Ragna is a hardheaded combatant who keeps things simple and fights wildly. So his theme has a simple melody and the rhythm is rough and aggressive. He's also known to be a beginner friendly character to start out with because of his simple move sets. So the art design, music, personality, and gameplay of the character all work together cohesively to create this image that stands out and is memorable.
Here's another easy example. Taokaka is a playful character that has a childlike behavior. The music portrays this through its fast tempo and very happy melody.
This is one of my favorite songs. Bang's character is loud and fails to be inconspicuous which is ironic as he's a ninja. He is filled with pride leading a life of righteousness and serving justice to all who do wrong. The way the guitar wails and sings matches Bang's personality well in the same way he yells and makes his presence known. The tune honestly sounds a bit like a sentai hero theme song where the protagonist is filled with justice and hope for everyone.
Other than the story, art, and music, BlazBlue's gameplay was something that also felt new to me when I first play it nearly a decade ago. Each character has a unique mechanic or "gimmick" that stands out from the rest of the roster. Unlike other fighting games where learning one character might make it easier to learn the rest of the cast, each character is so different that you really have to find the time to sit down and find out each individual attack and their potential for each situation. This might seem discouraging to newcomers and casual players, but there's a stylish mode which simplifies the combat so that it's enjoyable for the player but not so optimal that it breaks competitive gameplay. In other words, there is a lot of depth to the characters.
I was thinking of doing a full rant on BlazBlue's story mode, but considering that it's a series that took me potentially 100+ hours to finish, I think I'll just simply say that "I loved it and can't wait to see more in the future".
As I stated in the beginning of the post, there are only 2 weeks of May left. BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle releases on June 5th and that'll probably start my summer slack in which the events of Summer will distract me from productivity. The schedule is really weird this year as it usually has the events back-to-back from each other: E3, Steam Summer Sale, EVO, and Awesome Games Done Quick. This year, Steam Summer Sale and Summer Games Done Quick over lap each other right after E3. Then nothing happens all of July (not counting Comic Con since there's never news that I care about during that event). Finally, Evo begins at the beginning of August. Maybe I'll try to stay productive in July. So before June 5th, I'd like to get some work done and finish up a few more games before then.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)