Wow, I totally forgot I had Nigmabox Rundown’s one year anniversary last installment. To think, I’ve been using pictures from random anime while bitching about video games for a year… well, let’s make it two, as I’ve got at least a hundred more of these in me. Even if it does mean I will need to scrape the bottom of the barrel with things like Flappy Bird, a game that I saw people more or less code back in high school that caused a form of controversy that I quite frankly do not get, mostly due to how I believe the game is, or rather was, free. Is it unoriginal and lazy? Pretty much, but that doesn’t mean it deserves anybody’s attention. Hell, I could… no, actually I couldn’t make it, as I could not program for crap four years ago and sure as sugar cannot now.
What better way to start it off with more news about Nintendo trying to get their groove back, because I’ve only done about twenty of those over the course of a year. First off, they plan on making an iOS and Android-esc architecture, implying they would work on making their systems work together properly, and not just move into smart phone development, as that would be preposterous. As a result of that, and a couple other happenings, they are boosting R&D costs by 80%, likely under the branch of logic of how you can’t make anything unless you invest in something else. Though they also realize the power of their brand and that they can also act as a localization house in North America, so they will keep on doing it. Which effectively means there will be more games like the Bravely Default, as Square Enix was thinking about keeping it Japan-only for a while there. Oh, and not good news, the founding family is looking to sell its shares. Which sounds very bad, until you realize that they easily might have done that long ago if not for how Hiroshi Yamauchi could have been the one keeping the stock from being sold until his recent death. It’s still not good though.
One last bit about Nintendo, am I the only one who is a bit surprised by how the Wii U was passed over with the Metal Gear Solid V? I mean, Snake was in Smash Brothers, Twin Snakes was made for the GameCube, and there was that Metal Gear Solid 3D. But no, Ground Zeroes is only coming out for four consoles, and is supposedly quite brief. The game’s price very much varies as it is anywhere from $20-$40, yet the length for the main story lasts little more than two hours, with the side quests just about doubling it, when that is still just around average from a $15 downloadable XBLA and PSN title. When it comes to dollar per hour, it is low no matter how you look at it, and for a prologue I suppose that should be expected. But it is a separate entity from The Phantom Pain.
Speaking of things being separate entities, the same cannot be said about Double Helix Games and… Amazon. While it is true that Amazon has been trying to become a monster in terms of its reach, as it has acquired about ten companies within the past three years, I fail to see much logic behind the acquisition of this particular developer. As for Strider HD? It is coming out in a few days. While Microsoft Studios is taking full control of Killer Instinct. It is unexpected, but as they’ve proven themselves to be better than Silent Hill V: Homecoming made them look to be, I guess all is right with the world.
On slightly less odd news, but still odd, Sonic Boom details have been unveiled! First thing’s first, the designs. There was a bit of an uproar as everybody was oddly given loads of bandages, Knuckles was buffed up, Sonic had even longer legs, and Amy now looked to have a rectangular torso. I personally did not mind most of these alterations, as I like the general direction they are going, but a few things did strike me as odd. Firstly, these characters were used as promotion material at one point or another, so giving them a slightly more “realistic” series of clothing is a bit odd. Secondly, Eggman’s moustache needs to be more prominent, otherwise he looks pretty neat. Thirdly, why is Tails not piloting the Tornado? Next thing you know there’s no Master Emerald. Fourthly, why doesn’t everybody have a Jacket or vest?
As for the game itself, it certainly looks serviceable from what was shown, though the multiple gameplay types and co-op focus seems like a bit of a daunting task for any developer, especially one who has not shipped a full retail game. Yes, there are good people in high places, but I would not be surprised for the quality to be neither here nor there from what little was shown. At the very least, however, the fact it is using CryEngine 3 should imply that it will be pretty when it lands on the Wii U in holiday 2014. Though I’m left to believe that the show will be average at the end of the day, because Sonic’s track record has never been the most keen, which I say as a 3D Sonic kid… yeah, that was a thing, ya space diggers.
In news that does not make me reflect on my childhood with head shaking, there has been an announcement about the Call of Duty, namely that they will start using a three studio system. Which is shrug worthy to me, and only good for everyone who still has some semblance of connection with the franchise, unlike me. Though if its next venture at the hands of Sledgehammer games does not meet expectations, Activision still has Skylanders, which recently made two billion. A move all the more surprising considering they kept and will keep the franchise exclusive to the medium of video games.
Now, I could talk about Dungeon Keeper Mobile being a scumbag in every shape and form, as it bribes players for five star ratings in order to get free updates. Is a time consuming mess that even one of the original game’s creators found very questionable. Allegedly used quotes from reviews talking about the original game (I couldn’t find an instance of this, but heard of it happening). And is overall not a very good free to player as it flat out tells the player to buy convenience instead of waiting for four hours. I’m not going to… except I just did. Yeah, this is why mobile games cannot and never will be genuine art, like the Chibi Robo, the most art filled game of humans.