Operation Backlog Completion 2024

Resident Evil 7 is Coming to the Switch… on the Cloud?

 Video games  6 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
May 232018
 

Over the weekend, Capcom announced that Resident Evil 7 will be coming to the Switch in Japan on May 24.

Using the cloud.

Resident Evil 7: biohazard Cloud Version will not actually run on the Switch like a regular game.

Instead, the game will run on the Ubitus cloud service, and players will stream it to their Switches.

15 minutes will be free, after which it will cost 2,000 yen (roughly $18, so they’d probably make it $19.99 if it was available here) for 180 days of access.

I definitely didn’t expect this.

On one hand, I can see how it makes sense from Capcom’s perspective. If they believe the Switch isn’t powerful enough to run Resident Evil 7, this lets them bring the game to Switch owners by letting it run on remote servers instead of the console.

On the other hand, streaming games requires a constant, stable Internet connection. You won’t be able to play Resident Evil 7 offline, which takes away some of the Switch’s portability, and if you have any problems with your connection, it will interfere. I’d never be able to play this – my Internet connection couldn’t handle it.

For a horror game, connection problems might be a major problem, either making it more difficult or just breaking the mood. Spirit Camera: Cursed Memoir, for example, couldn’t maintain its horror atmosphere when almost every encounter was disrupted by a message telling me it couldn’t make out the AR book anymore. Lag or lost connection messages could do the same for Resident Evil.

Now, it’s not like this is the first time anyone has thought of cloud gaming. Sony, for example, has its PlayStation Now service for streaming games. While it has never appealed to me, many people (with fast Internet speeds) swear by it.

We also should keep in mind that this Resident Evil 7 announcement is only for Japan so far. From what I’ve read, Japan’s Internet infrastructure makes cloud gaming much more viable.

So what should we take away from this?

Even if Resident Evil 7: biohazard Cloud Version comes to the west, I don’t think it’s necessarily something we should worry about. It’s unlikely to lead to developers abandoning regular game releases in favor of forcing Switch players to stream everything – the “always online” concept is still unpopular, especially for a system where the portability is such a huge part of the appeal.

However, it could set a precedent for companies whose games can’t run on the Switch to use cloud streaming as a way to get around that.

If the choice is between “no Switch version” and “streamed Switch version,” there’s nothing wrong with developers choosing the latter. The only danger would be if they decide to use cloud gaming as an easier solution for a game that could be run on the Switch.

What do you think of Resident Evil 7 running on the cloud? Do you think this will impact other games? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Why Did Steam Start Targeting Visual Novels?

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with:
May 212018
 

Near the end of last week, several visual novel developers (and developers of similar games) were told by Steam that their games would be removed from the store if they didn’t censor them.

This seemed bizarre for a number of reasons. Some of the affected games had been on Steam for years, and it’s not like they were obscure titles that somehow slipped by. HuniePop, for example, was very popular and its content could easily be checked.

Even stranger was the inclusion of Kindred Spirits on the Roof, because MangaGamer specifically worked with Valve to make sure the content was acceptable.

I haven’t played Kindred Spirits on the Roof, but I’ve gotten the impression that while there is nudity, it doesn’t show anything particularly explicit.

Now, I’ve never been quick to jump on an anti-censorship bandwagon. If companies choose to alter content or make changes for localization, I’m usually okay with that. They’re doing what they think is best for their game and its sales.

Even when visual novels are censored for Steam, I’m okay with that. In these cases there’s usually an “all-ages” version on Steam, with either an 18+ patch to download elsewhere or a separately 18+ version entirely. I play all-ages versions, and I think the compromise is fine.

But this situation just felt weird. Valve was reversing decisions it had made years ago, with no clear reason. More importantly, it wasn’t equal. If they’d sudden changed their policy and went after every game with nudity, that would be one thing. Instead, they targeted a number of visual novels, while games like The Witcher went untouched.

Why?

There’s no clear answer. The organization formerly known as Morality in Media implied they could take credit for it (while also accusing these games of being responsible for sexual assault… somehow). It also could be linked to the removal of Maidens of Michael earlier this year earlier this year, which was speculated to be caused by false reports.

Steam seems to have gotten wind that something is up. Several of the affected developers who received the warning received follow-up notices that their games will be re-reviewed.

Hopefully this means they’ll review the games, see that their content does meet Steam’s guidelines after all, and not trouble the developers further about this. On the other hand, if they do decide that these games don’t meet their new content standards, then they should apply that equally across Steam. Don’t target a niche genre while ignoring the more popular games.

(Note: I’m not advocating for censorship here, just saying that if it’s a legitimate policy shift, Steam should apply it equally.)

How do you think Steam should handle nudity and sexual content? Why do you think they targeted these visual novels? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Update: GOG has responded by opening up its store to visual novels, starting with titles from MangaGamer (including Maidens of Michael, which will be coming soon) and Sekai Project.

All the News from the Kingdom Hearts 3 Premiere

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
May 182018
 

Today was a huge day for Kingdom Hearts fans thanks to the Kingdom Hearts 3 Premiere Event, where many people got to try a demo build of Kingdom Hearts III for the first time.

With the embargo lifted, we now have plenty of gameplay details, videos, and screenshots. Here’s a compilation of comments about the premiere at KH Insider, with impressions from various publications.

The premiere event featured the Hercules and Toy Story worlds. Take a look at these new gameplay videos from each.

I’m pretty excited for the Toy Story world especially.

The overall consensus is that Kingdom Hearts III feels great, but let’s take a look at some of the specific details revealed.

As shown in the Toy Story gameplay video, Ralph from Wreck-It Ralph is a new summon. This is the second summon confirmed alongside Ariel. You’ll also be able to skip the summon intro.

You can have multiple Keyblades equipped and switch between them. Different Keyblades have their own Shotlock attacks. There are also different team commands in different worlds.

Somehow, Young Xehanort has split the Toy Story world in two in order to better understand hearts. (He can do that?) There is a possessed doll that the team must fight, too.

Rex also mistakes Sora for a character from a video game he’s playing, where he’s been stuck on a fight with Bahamut.

The official Kingdom Hearts Twitter account shared a bunch of new Kingdom Hearts III screenshots, too, and they look great!

There’s also a new interview with Nomura from Famitsu, translated at KH Insider. According to Nomura, the big themes in Kingdom Hearts III are “What is a heart?” and “resolution.”

The worlds in Kingdom Hearts III will be “vertically expansive,” with features such as wall-climbing. Each world will have new gameplay elements, such as the Gigas robots in the Toy Story world. The areas do look like they’re pretty big.

There will be other mini-games aside from the Classic Kingdom mini-games. As for the Classic Kingdom games, they won’t be all unlocked from the start. Instead, you’ll have to collect them. They’ll be played through a device called the “Mobile Portal,” which has other features as well.

Finally, everyone was hoping we might get a release date announcement today… but we didn’t. However, Nomura said the release date should be announced “early next month.”

Did I miss anything? Probably. There’s a ton of Kingdom Hearts III information out there now. What do you think about how Kingdom Hearts III is shaping up? As for me, I’m excited!

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