Operation Backlog Completion 2025

E3 2016 Pipe Dreams

 Video games  9 Responses »  Tagged with:
May 092016
 

E3 2016 looms on the horizon, just over a month away. It’s time to anticipate exciting news and announcements, some more plausible than others. Part of me still wonders if Nintendo will show anything at all, but let’s set that aside for now and talk about some E3 pipe dreams.

None of my pipe dreams from last year came true, so consider Ace Attorney Investigations 2 localization, TWEWY 2, Bayonetta 3, and a (Mithos-centric) Tales of Symphonia prequel honorary members of this list.

And here are some new ones, games I’d love see announced at E3 that probably won’t be.

Dai Gyakuten Saiban

Dai-Gyakuten-Saiban-coverThis is especially unlikely since Janet Hsu already confirmed Ace Attorney 6 was prioritized over Dai Gyakuten Saiban.

Until Ace Attorney 6 is out, we don’t even have a prayer.

But still… maybe a hint? A tease? Something to indicate we’ll get Dai Gyakuten Saiban after all?

Sure, it didn’t get the greatest reception in Japan, but that’s because it left a lot of loose ends hanging for its sequel. It’s supposed to be the start of a new series.

Not only does this Ace Attorney prequel look really cool, it co-stars Sherlock Holmes and has an amazingly cool-looking prosecutor.

Look at him! (He’s the sinister one in the upper right.) I want Dai Gyakuten Saiban if only for its prosecutor.

Xenosaga HD

I’ve never played the Xenosaga games. I haven’t played Xenogears, either, but at least I have a copy (and it’s easy to find digitally).

Xenosaga is much harder to find. That’s why I’ve supported all the efforts to make Xenosaga HD a reality. I want to play these games, and I’d love to see remasters, ports, a collection, etc. announced.

And I’m not alone! My request to bring Xenosaga to the PS4 remains one of my most popular Tweets.

Knights of the Old Republic III

On Star Wars Day, I blogged about how great Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is.

KotOR II: The Sith Lords was a good game, although it was rushed (which is never more apparent than in its all-but-nonexistent ending).

I’d love to see a new Knights of the Old Republic game. To me, an MMORPG just isn’t the same. Let this be the year a new single-player, story-driven Star Wars RPG is announced!

(On the subject of Star Wars, I wouldn’t say no to Republic Commando 2, either.)

A New Layton Game

Lucy-and-AlfendiAzran Legacy, which was a fantastic conclusion to the Professor Layton saga, was the last game to star Hershel Layton himself, but that doesn’t mean the series has to end.

Okay, so “Layton 7” is in development, but nothing about it looks like it fits with the series at all.

And as I’ve discussed before, I’d much rather a sequel to the spin-off, Layton Brothers: Mystery Room.

What will it be? The familiar accordion music heralds a new main-series game starring Luke? A jazz number kicks in as Layton Brothers 1 & 2 is bundled for the 3DS?

Or maybe Layton 7 will actually look good! And on that note…

A True Paper Mario

So far my impression of Paper Mario: Color Splash is that it looks like Sticker Star 2.0. My reaction to it was enough to appear in a montage of negative Color Splash reactions in a video about why fans are upset.

But… it doesn’t have to be that way.

Maybe Nintendo has heard us. Maybe, somewhere in between streaming The Legend of Zelda and letting people play The Legend of Zelda, they’ll unveil a Color Splash E3 trailer that shows story, characters, and the fun gameplay we want from Paper Mario!

I just hope this isn’t the biggest pipe dream of them all…

There you have it, a few more games that probably won’t be announced at E3 no matter how much I want them to be. Last E3 was pretty crazy, though, so who knows?

What are your greatest unlikely hopes for E3 2016?

New Rumors of Crash Bandicoot’s Return

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
May 062016
 

Crash-BandicootI love the Crash Bandicoot games, and it would be great to see the series return.

Rumors about Crash Bandicoot’s return have been flying like crazy for a long time, and so far they’ve come to nothing. Last E3, and probably the one before that, some fans were convinced Sony intended to announce a new Crash Bandicoot game.

But now we have new rumors.

Lex Lang, the most recent voice actor for the series’ main villain Dr. Neo Cortex, supposedly commented about how he was asked to resurrect three game characters he previously played, “a doctor, a devil and a droid/AI.”

As a result, fans can’t help but hope the doctor is Dr. Neo Cortex.

(Any theories on who the devil and droid might be?)

Not only that, but Uncharted 4 (from Naughty Dog, the developer originally behind Crash Bandicoot) is apparently exploding with references to the series, including a playable Crash Bandicoot level.

This also reminds me that I need to give Uncharted 2 a chance, but that’s beside the point.

All of these things, together with the previous rumors, make it start to look hopeful. Will a new Crash Bandicoot game be announced at E3?

The Force is With You in Knights of the Old Republic

 Reviews, Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
May 042016
 

KotORHappy Star Wars Day!

As we celebrate May the 4th (one of many odd holidays we recognize), let’s take a look at one of the greatest Star Wars games ever: Knights of the Old Republic.

I got Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic as part of a bundle of PC Star Wars games (including another favorite, Republic Commando), and it blew me away.

You create your own character and eventually become a Jedi in your quest to stop the sinister Darth Malak from overtaking the Republic.

It’s a choice-driven game, and while everything ultimately comes down to Light Side or Dark Side, many situations can be handled in multiple ways. I remember being particularly impressed with the number of options in the Korriban section, as you decide who to work with, fight, or betray.

Along the way, several companions join your quest. Some fit basic character archetypes, but a few stand out, most notably the hilarious (if you like dark humor) assassin droid HK-47.

It was the first RPG of its type I’d ever played, so when I later played Mass Effect and Dragon Age, what stood out to me at first was how similar they were to Knights of the Old Republic.

Combat is quite similar to that of Dragon Age: Origins. When you aren’t fighting, you’ll be exploring, talking to NPCs (and making dialogue choices), and having entertaining conversations with your party members. You can talk to any party member on your ship, the Ebon Hawk, and when you visit a planet, you can take two with you.

The plot takes you to several planets and is really quite enjoyable even outside of its place in the larger Star Wars story. In particular, Knights of the Old Republic has one of my favorite plot twists ever.

I never saw it coming. All of the clues were there, but when that moment came, it astounded and amazed me. The twist alone would make it worth a recommendation, and it’s a fantastic RPG aside from that.

Do you like Star Wars? Do you like choice-driven western RPGs like Dragon Age? Do you like great storytelling? Then you owe it to yourself to play Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, especially since today is Star Wars Day.

Buy Knights of the Old Republic from Steam

 Older Entries  Newer Entries