RFM Talks: Tekken 3

Released in 1998, Tekken 3 took the fighting scene by storm. MobyGames holds it as the Highest rated PS one game to date. I'm no expert but in my humble opinion it is the greatest 3D fighting game of all time, here's why.

The key feature to Tekken’s mass appeal has to be it’s accessibility. The game’s control scheme is such that a person playing for the first time would be able to come to grips with the mechanics in a matter of minutes and those more dedicated would be able to find a deep enough combo system to perfect over a longer playtime. Unlike Street Fighter that requires a player to perform arcs and charges with the analogue stick/D-pad or Virtua Fighter with it’s complex time based inputs, Tekken keeps it simple by assigning limbs to the four face buttons, making combos easy and logical.



Another of Tekken 3’s draws is it’s roster, Perfectly combining the badass with the mad cap
Tekken provides something for everyone. Very rarely in fighting games, do I feel compelled to play every character but given the variety here there’s plenty to experience.
Each fighter looks and plays great, all have been superbly motion captured in their signature martial art styles and help communicate their individual personalities. Unfortunately you won’t be throwing any fireballs here that’s not Tekken’s style.



Combining both aforementioned features I would say I’m able to attribute a lot Tekken 3’s greatness to one of it’s characters.

My first experience playing Tekken 3 was on a Playstation demo disc. Though the demo only had two playable characters I would play that thing again and again, because of Eddy Gordo.
Eddy is definitely the first man of Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that combines rhythmic movement with unorthodox acrobatic strikes. Until Tekken 3 I’d wager no one had even heard of or had seen Capoeira before, that’s because Eddy put it on the map.



Namco had the right idea in creating a new character for their franchise that had such an awesome fighting style and one that lends itself so well to their control scheme that focuses on using hands and feet. Not only that, Capoeira’s dynamic moveset makes for a truly three-dimensional experience when compared to other fighting styles we’re used to seeing in these games. What I mean by that is, when looking at martial arts in fighting games there’s often a lot of back and forth in a manner similar to fencing rather than a real fight where opponents might circle one another. This is probably done on purpose as to not disorientate the player but in that case they may as well still be on a 2D plain. Having a character like Eddy who is very acrobatic with his flips and spins that go into the Z-axis, really show off what a 3D fight is capable of and definitely set Tekken apart from rivals on the market at the same time .



Visually the game looks great and when you consider the humble beginnings of the first Tekken it’s come a long way. It’s easy to see that Tekken 3 really pushes the capabilities of the playstation’s hardware as many games do toward the end of a console's life cycle.

All of the characters look great and from a design standpoint these may still be the best incarnations to date. Maybe it’s just me but I prefer the meatier, lower-poly models of Tekken 3 compared to say 6, I’d say that the most recent renderings reak of the uncanny valley. Given the obtuse nature of these characters, that were originally designed in such a way so that you could easily tell them apart in their original low polly beginnings they don’t need to look realistic. I’ll give a little shout-out to Capcom for the work on Street Fighter X Tekken here as they made some beautiful models of Tekken characters in their Caricature style. 



I also want to praise Tekken 3’s stellar soundtrack. The Tekken franchise has been very consistent in delivering great background music ever since the experimental beginnings of the first iteration, as a lot of games were at the time given the new advantage of the CD format. Listening to the music of Tekken 3 you’ll find that it perfectly captures the spirit of the electronic, Big Beat genre that was popular in the late 90s with musicians like The Crystal Method and Chemical Brothers just watch the game’s intro and you’ll see.

Lastly I just want to point out a few little features that are the icing on the cake.
Last bosses are shite nine times out of ten and though Ogre isn’t perfect he’s a damn sight better than Azazel from ‘6 or Seth from bloody SF4, the Shower of bastards that they are.
There’s also the daft little mini-games like volleyball or the Pseudo beat-em up mode that offer minutes of fun but are a welcome little distracton especiall when playing with friends.
A big one for me is the fact that the game doesn’t frustratingly kick you out to the start screen whenever you lose in the arcade mode, I’ve never understood that. There’s also just a simple joy of unlocking characters every time you beat the story mode just to add reason to keep playing instead of having to pay for them when they’re already on the bloody disc (I’m looking at you Capcom).



The best testament to this game though was at one of my (saucy) dinner parties around Christmas last year. Towards the end of the night I had everyone gather around to play Tekken 3 and everyone had a blast. A game that’s 15 year old can still unite everybody, regardless of how acustomed they were with fighting games or any games for that matter, I think it says it all really.

For those of you interested, Tekken is available on the PSN store and it's also relatively cheap to buy an original copy on ebay. Please check it out if you haven't already.

Thanks for reading

Kris.




   

RFM Talks: Forbidden Siren

Continuing on my Survival horror kick I’m going to talk about my experience with the Forbidden Siren series on PS2 and more specifically one of the games great features.




I love the Siren series it’s another one of those games with all the ingredients to be a real pant-cacker. The game is set in a remote Japanese village and revolves around a cult trying to raise some hellish guff from the beyond and in the process manage to turn the villagers into psychotic zombie killers called Shibito, who don’t make a habit of staying dead for too long and to make things worse the sky ends up pissing down with blood. Magic!

You play as a diverse set of people, young and old stuck in the village for one reason or another, who have to rely primarily on sneaking about to survive. Few occasions occur where you’ll be given a weapon but in these cases should only be used to get the drop on a solitary Shibito or in times where there is no other option to fight as you will become overwhelmed if you try and go all out, like I said before they don’t stay dead for long. All is not lost though, you have an ace up the sleeve.



What I want to talk about is Forbidden Siren’s unique gameplay mechanic dubbed “Sight-jacking”
a mechanic that lets you see through the eyes of the enemy and can be used to orientate yourself according to their current position so that you may hopefully avoid them. The game’s story explains the sight-jacking as a sort of hive-mind ability that the Shibito have and you the player receive as the town’s rain slowly transforms you into one of them which makes it all the more creepy.

The way it works is, with the press of a button your character’s vision is turned to static, similar to that of a TV and with a turn of the analogue stick you tune into the frequencies of each Shibito’s vision, to streamline the process you’re able to assign a shibito’s sight to a face-button to access quicker. Whilst in this state you’re also able to see your relative location to the monster with a coloured cross. For gameplay purposes the Shibito cannot see this cross, just to make it easier.



In order to use this ability you sacrifice your mobility and are completely defences whilst sight-jacking so it’s safest to use it whilst crouched or hiding behind something. It’s a great risk/reward system that adds a lot of tension to an already creepy and atmospheric game.
As you can imagine there are times when you come a cropper whilst sight-jacking and you get to see the Shibito spot you whilst prone and start running towards you giving horrific shots from their viewpoint as they run towards you snarling, knife in hand and you frantically try and exit whilst your bum-hole devours your undies. It reminds me of similar shots that were used in The Evil Dead where the monster stalks the house. It’s a great system that makes for some exciting moments.



Forbidden Siren managed to get a sequel on the PS2 as well, which I also enjoyed a fair bit. Though it didn’t change much significantly gameplay wise it did do something with the Sight-jacking mechanic that I thought was an excellent twist on the formula and is the main reason I started writing this piece.

So imagine the previous scenario, scary Japanese town, crazy blood rain starts turning everyone into Shibito and you have to get out of dodge but this time you’re a blind man...
On the list of worst case scenarios this ranks somewhere between being up Shit Creek without a paddle and Spilling gravy on yourself at Hannibal Lector’s dinner table.



What a deliciously scary scenario to create for a player to experience after establishing the gameplay mechanics and slowly increasing the difficulty curve and tension with other characters, you literally handicap them by taking away their sight. Brilliant!

Just to clarify though you aren’t completely blind and faced with a blank screen (because that wouldn’t work) rather the screen is heavily blurred in the way I imagine people who rely on strong glasses see without them. You are still incapable of effectively navigating around the level by yourself so that’s where sight-jacking comes in, not only can you see through the eyes of the terrors that lurk outside but you are able to look through the eyes of your guide dog to lead the way. Having to manoeuvre around the Shibito, switching between them and the dog to see effectively doubles your workload for these levels, ensuring you are both hidden and progressing in the same direction sounds difficult on paper but I found that it was designed in such a way that rather than it be a scenario where the player would fumble with controls and get caught, it forced you to play extra cautiously and added more close-shave encounters leaving your heart pounding until the end. It’s just a shame the game didn’t have more levels using this character.

Very rarely do gameplay franchises manage to establish a feature or mechanic and then further elaborate upon said feature in a sequel. It was great to see that here and whoever was responsible for these innovations deserves a bloody good pat on the back.

To be honest I’ve only really scratched the surface in describing how great Forbidden Siren 1 and 2 are but I would hope that it would inspire more people to check it out for themselves. The first game got a Psuedo remake on PS3 called Siren Blood Curse but unfortunately ‘2 wasn’t released in the US but I’m sure you’d be able to pick them up on the cheap on Ebay or Amazon. I’d say it’s also a likely candidate for a PSN release in the future.

Thanks for reading,

Kris
   

RFM Quickie: Text from Mom (Cry of Fear)

Some of my friends and lovely Twitter followers will know that I’ve been playing through a lot of survival horror games lately, like the Penumbra series and Amnesia and most recently Cry of Fear.

To date Cry of Fear is probably the scariest game I’ve played and so far it’s made Amnesia feel like tea with my Nanna.
Admittedly Amnesia’s horror is more sophisticated on the whole, giving a slow burn of atmosphere as well as great set pieces whereas Cry of Fear has been throwing me kicking and screaming to the lions with it’s constant jump-scares and frantic combat. Cheap and effective, but only while it lasts.



Ultimately jump scares are like ripping off a plaster, you get a couple of seconds of anticipation and then a jolt of pain and it’s over. If the game was this way exclusively then I would be quick to write it off but Cry of Fear managed to pull the rug out from my feet in a way which I wasn’t expecting.
At the beginning of the game you are given the standard tension building and foreshadowing of monsters running just out of your peripheral vision along with the creepy music that have all become expected tropes in the genre by now, but then you hear a ringtone, your character stops and whips out his phone to find a text message which reads...

“Where are you? Come home as soon as possible it’s getting dark” - Mom.
This is perhaps the most unsettling thing I’ve experienced while playing a game and it hit me like a punch in the stomach.

I think I speak for everyone here by saying we can all relate to the guilt of worrying our mothers. Granted we’ve probably never been in a scenario where we have to fight monsters on a night out (or maybe you have) but it’s the idea that there’s someone who loves us and is worrying about us and just wants us back in the comfort of our home. It really got to me, more than any Pyramid head or Zombie could because it hits you right in the feels and I applaud the dev’ team for making me feel so crappy. A great catalyst to set the tone for the rest of the story.


I haven’t made much progress in the game but so far I’ve experienced a few more instances like this that has left my brain feeling fried and even made me have to turn off the game and look at some nice kitten pictures as a palate cleanser. The biggest compliment I can give a horror game is that I’m reluctant to even keep playing it. We’ll see how I get on...

If you feel like subjecting yourself to Cry of Fear it’s now available for download on Steam and it’s completely FREE so play at your own risk!

Thanks for reading,
Kris.

RFM talks: Amnesia: The Dark Descent

“In late August in the year 1839, Daniel, a young man from London, awakens in the dark halls of the Prussian Brennenburg Castle with little to no memory about himself or his past.
All he can remember is his name, that he lives in Mayfair and that something is hunting him. Shortly after awakening, Daniel discovers a note written to himself, from which he learns that he has deliberately erased his own memory, and that he needs to descend into the Inner Sanctum of the castle to kill the Baron, Alexander.”



Amnesia: The Dark Descent is the reason I got ahold of a gaming PC. Survival horror games come and go but Amnesia came out of nowhere and took everyone by surprise. Not long after it’s release many “Reaction Videos” started popping up on Youtube showing player’s explosive hysterical reactions to the games many scares and arguably this is the reason why many people, myself included started paying attention to the game. It began to receive a reputation for being “the scariest game ever” I had to see for myself. Having been fascinated with the survival horror genre now for many years I’m on a constant mission to find a game that I could call THE most frightening experience out there and for the longest time I would argue that Silent Hill 2 should be awarded that title. So how scary is Amnesia?

Well pretty f’ing scary to be honest. The best compliment I can give Amnesia is that it does absolutely everything right, a perfect blend of mechanics, pacing, atmosphere and set pieces culminate in a thrilling experience which doesn’t outstay its welcome.
Amnesia masters the survival horror genre by properly exploring both of those concepts, Survival and Horror. It sounds obvious really but all too many games have tried to take on that genre have fell short because you might end up feeling overpowered with weaponry, safe in certain areas and a general feeling of disconnect from the atmosphere. Here’s some of the many ways Amnesia succeeds without giving any spoilers.



By abandoning all combat mechanics, Amnesia makes you feel completely vulnerable, your only choice is to run or hide from the various horrors that could lurk around any corner. Hiding is usually the most prefered method of defence as the game’s “Monsters” managed to quickly catch up if they’ve spied you and rip your giblets out. You’ll find yourself hiding in cupboards or cowering in rooms and though its never specifically demanded you’ll be attempting to poorly barricade the door even though you’re fully aware that those monsters are completely capable of ripping a door off its hinges and that’s bloody scary. Brilliant.

To make things worse Daniel (you) has the stability of Michael J Fox playing Operation. What this means for the player is you have to keep yourself "Sane" by avoiding the dark as much a possible, eye contact with the monsters and various shocking sights you might encounter. While it might sound frustrating it never really hinders the gameplay. The game is paced properly and you always have enough tinderboxes to light candles in certain areas. I may have encountered one occasion where my sanity dropped so low Daniel collapsed to the floor for a few seconds and the field of vision becomes very blurry but thats about it. It doesn't really add anything gameplay wise but Daniel's elevated breathing and soft whimpers will certainly add to the atmosphere.
The game also does well at creating these scenarios where you as the player are thrown in the deep end, to give an example a later stage of the game has you go to a morgue and while exploring you are alerted by the telltale siren that indicates a monster is on your tail and you're only choice is to hide behind a large pile of naked dead bodies, having to cautiously peep out to ensure the creature has lost your scent and also ignore a dead man’s penis next to your face. That’s enough to scare anyone if you ask me.



The whole game oozes with the Lovecraftian aesthetic from the Occult imagery and brilliantly twisted monster design to the sacrilegious artifacts perverting men’s minds into creating dimensional rifts to another world. It’s very easy to become immersed in the world. Everything feels very bleak every interior feels poisoned or decaying and there are even times when fleshy tumours start to grow and pulsate making it seem that the castle itself is out to get you.

Sound design is suitably chilling as well, all of the horrible creaks and clangs you would expect to hear in a haunted castle along with more subtle noises of the hissing of cockroaches and scurrying of mice, oh and there’s also the near constant cries of help from prisoners being tortured who may or may not even be there it can really get to you after a while. Perhaps the greatest piece of sound in the game is the monster’s “siren” which I briefly mentioned before that ring’s out to alert you to give it legs. The best way I could describe it is a cross between nails down a chalkboard, a fire engine and your morning alarm clock, it’s horribly effective and hit’s you like a punch.

Above all things Amnesia succeeds in what I consider the defining trait that makes a survival horror game successful is making you, the player paranoid. It’s the negative space the game gives you in between, where the real fear happens. The moment’s of anticipation between events where you’re mind tries to conjure what could possibly lurk around the corner. The moments where you’ll double take or close doors behind you, allocate good hiding places for the future and ensure you have an escape route in case anything happens. After all the most horrific fears are the ones conjured in your own mind.




So this leaves us with one question, Do I think Amnesia is scarier than Silent Hill 2? Well, It’s a close one and its something I’d like to discuss in more detail, so consider this a teaser for an upcoming article where I’ll be comparing the two...

Amnesia isn’t for everyone but I can assure you it won’t give you nightmares so if you think you’re brave enough, give it a shot.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is available for download on PC and MAC through STEAM.

Thank’s for reading,

Kris





  

   

RFM talks: Aban Hawkins & The 1,000 Spikes

It’s no secret that independent game development is at an all time high right now because lets face it it’s difficult for big developers to take risks on games nowadays.

Triple A games you see in stores require budgets that go into the millions of dollars so it’s completely understandable why the developers end up playing it safe or appealing to the broader market in order to take a profit (And theres nothing wrong with that).
It all sounds a bit grim doesn't it, but fear not! Fortunately, technology has come such a long way that were able to create our own games and potentially even your nanna could have a go, lovely.

In the past seven or eight years we’ve seen a significant influx of independent video games, games that are new, fresh, edgy and are pushing the medium in numerous different directions for better or worse. What is unfortunate though is that I’m not quite sure the market is ready for it, Yes it is easier than ever to create and release your own games but how do you plan on getting it noticed or turning the profit? This is the obstacle we are yet to pass.

Today I want to talk about a game called Aban Hawkins and the 1,000 spikes, (Doesn’t really roll off the tongue does it?) a game that I have recently fell in love with and feel that it is my duty to tell the world about.
My first point I want to bring up is that you’ve probably never heard of this game and that’s understandable as I only found out about it two years after its release through word of mouth listening to a podcast.
The problem was that the game was released on Xbox Live Indie Marketplace, an outlet where anybody can put a game up for sale but there’s absolutely no quality control, so your little game ends up lost among the shitey clones of existing games and the dross that hopes to grab cheap attention with poorly rendered, big breasted anime girls in it.
Unfortunately I’m not intelligent enough to bring a solution to this problem and neither is the industry at this point in time but I will say that I would recommend that you should take the time to wade through the shite in order to find the diamonds in the rough. (Please Support XBLIG and Steam Greenlight!)



Right, now thats out of the way lets talk gameplay. Aban Hawkins and the 1,000 spikes is one of the most difficult games I’ve ever played and I’ve beat Dark Souls.
‘1,000 Spikes is a 2D platformer with beautiful 8-bit graphics that demands your time and patience, I will say here it’s not for everyone but I’m also sure that it has the ingredients that would provide anyone with even the shortest burst of entertainment and at 80MSP (about £1/$1)
it’s an absolute steal!.
I don't think there has been another video game that I have cursed, at the top of my voice but have also been so engrossed that I carry on playing. To give you the rundown, ‘1,000 spikes has you playing as an adventurer, similar to Indiana Jones you go through numerous levels or tombs filled with ridiculous traps that test your memory and reflexes. Intercepting darts flying at you timing jumps and remembering intense sequences are all required to progress. The aim of the game is to make it to each level’s exit after grabbing a key (usually at the other end of the screen). The premise is simple but you will die constantly and without respite. The player is given 1,000 lives at the beginning and you will burn through them very quickly and soon the idea of 1,000 being a generous number will be crumpled by a particular level requiring hundreds of attempts (Honestly).
Smart players will quit and reload after several unsuccessful tries in order to keep as many lives as possible but its crazy how ever depleting life-counter alone can add to the daunting nature of the game.



Going into the mechanics of ‘1,000 spikes you have two jumps one long and one short, it sounds trivial but knowing how to use the right jump at the right moment is often crucial to progressing in the complicated and unforgiving obstacle courses, your other action is to throw knives, used to kill a scorpion, flick a switch or intercept a fatal dart. These three actions combined make each successful level feel rhythmic and incredibly satisfying when completed, the controls are also so tight that you know that you dying was your fault and not the games a la Super Meat Boy.
The increasing difficulty is baffling at times and you will be thinking things like “If I’m struggling with this level what’s the next one going to be like?” and “This has to be Impossible!” but trust me it can be done, you just need to figure it out!

The last few things I’d like to praise are the art and sound, as morbid as this game might be I have to say 1,000 spikes is very pretty to look at. Lovingly created 8-bit graphics help set the tone and the levels themselves look equal parts daunting and intriguing. The player character (Aban Hawkins I assume) looks adorable with his little hat and it feels upsetting seeing him die for the hundredth time. I especially love the pallet of colours used in creating this game, Aban’s fedora and jacket give a strong contrast to the surroundings and the magenta flames/lava look beautiful.
As for sound 1,000 spikes does a pretty good job although there are probably only three different songs you’ll hear throughout so I would say it does get a bit repetitive at times but I’ll make allowances for it fitting in with the style of old 8-bit games on the NES.
Music does a good job of having a walking rhythm to it and once the player grabs the key in each level turns into a tense/nerve racking sprint theme to the exit often sadistically off putting as well after a particularly difficult level. Lastly every time you die (Which I remind you, will do a lot!) you are presented with a black screen with big white letters saying “YOU ARE DEAD!” along with ominous “DUH DUH DUUUH!” sound which my girlfriend jokingly chimes in with “Kris is shiit!” feels incredibly appropriate.      



Ideally I wanted to have completed the game before posting my feature, at the time of writing this I am four stages away from completion but because of the time required to do a stage (It took me a few weeks before I figured out how to beat one level) and having a job/social life in between it’s hard to find time to invest needless to say I will be seeing this one to the end and completing it will be a grand personal achievement.

Please check out Aban Hawkins and the 1,000 spikes it’s only a pound to download on XBLIG now and it’s also worth mentioning that it’s being remade with extra levels for Wii U and 3DS and is getting renamed 1,001 Spikes, Look out for that one in the future.

Thanks for reading,
Kris
 

RFM Talks: Raw Danger

Tonight we delve into part 2 of my Zettai Zetsumei Toshi series and take a look at the sequel to SOS: The Final Escape (Disaster report in the US) titled Raw Danger.
Ambitious, unique and completely bizarre, Raw Danger holds a huge place in my heart. It is with great pleasure for me to write this piece, exposing a game that dared to be different, was criminally overlooked and in some cases, not even released. So if I could ask you, dear reader to abandon all your preconceptions of video game mechanics, aesthetics and conventions. Tonight we slide open the sluice gates of suspense and poke fun of Pandora’s Box as we immerse ourselves in the Raw Danger!



After my enjoyment of SOS you can imagine my excitement to read about a sequel in the works. Given the fact that these games were very niche and probably only sold a small amount outside of Japan it was hard to follow the games development. I went on what little information I had at the time and confusing release dates lead me to wonder if it was even coming out at all.
After reading up on forums and asking staff at local game retailers I was upset to find that Raw Danger was never released in the UK probably due to lack of interest. I wasn't ready to give up though, after further research on forums I had heard of UK residents importing a copy from Europe where it had been available for a while and not only that the game was in English (aside from the manual and the blurb on the back), excellent! So after a fiddle on with my limited linguistic skills I managed to secure a copy from ebay France. Needless to say it was worth the wait.

Much like it’s predecessor Raw Danger follows the story of survivors of a natural disaster hoping to escape from a city before it’s too late. This time we are able to take control of five characters instead of just one and also a sixth special guest.

• Joshua Harwell, Awkward young student and main man of the game. Disaster strikes Joshua while he’s working at a large banquet and he ends up fighting to escape with co-worker (and obligatory love interest), Stephanie. He also gets to ride a jet-ski down a motorway!
• Amber Brazil is caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, becoming a murder suspect when she visits her brother moments after the killer leaves the crime scene. Amber is able to escape prison when an earthquake hits the police station. Her scenario has light stealth sections, featuring the persistent pursuit from a police detective comparable to T-1000.
• Issac Schiller, Middle aged taxi driver gets roped into escorting a fiesty reporter around the city who hopes to get the big scoop. His campaign involes driving a taxi which handles like a trolley on ice.
• Paige Meyer, Quiet teen student stuck at high school during the disaster. Paige gets lumped with a girl who would constantly bully her, as well as being stalked by a creepy perverted teacher.
• Ivan Kozlov, Obligatory amnesiac and researcher for NorCal Pharmaceutical. Ivan realises his work may have something to do with the natural disaster going on in Geo City.
• *Spoilers* The final, “Secret” character of the game is Keith Helm (The hero from the last game). To absolutely no fanfare Keith is unlocked after completing certain requirements in the other chapters. Being an expert on disasterous scenarios Keith feels he has to butt in and steal the show using his amazing journalism powers.

Some of the character have special “Skills” for instance Joshua can give warm hugs, Amber is able to pickpocket and Ivan can listen to his car radio.




With bland visuals, awful animation and terrible box-art it’s easy to see why this game could’ve been overlooked but here are some interesting features that bring the game back around.
As you go through the game interacting with people and the environment, you effect the events that may happen in your future playthroughs as the other characters for better or worse. Making for some interesting outcomes that actually can make a difference and be an incentive for replaying the game.
In the previous game the main threat the player faced was earthquakes and the particular gimmick attached to SOS was hydration; having to drink water to maintain stamina. In Raw Danger we have to deal with constant rainfall and floods and the gimmick this time around is keeping our survivors warm, we do this by changing into dry clothes, huddling up to a makeshift fire and also eating hot food. Great original mechanics here but we’ve only scratched the surface to what makes Raw Danger so special.



As I mentioned before Raw Danger is a very bizarre game with a weird sense of humour. Just to bring up an example, It’s obvious that the game was made in Japan and as a result all of the characters were originally designed to look like Japanese people, nothing out of the ordinary there. But when it came to making the transition into the USA and Europe the developers must have thought to themselves How can we make this appeal more to a western audience? I know we'll change the colour of the characters hair (and make one of the characters African-American).
In an unusual move, all of the characters and NPCs in the game (bar two) are blonde. What you have now is a city almost exclusively arian, creepily reminiscent of The Children of the Corn.
It doesn't stop there though other ridiculous features include the return of the collectable compasses for SOS that come in all shapes and sizes, imagine navigating yourself through a hazardous environment with a plate of curry.

Changing clothes is essential for survival but it also provides plenty of room to dress your character like a complete plonker. You can start your adventure decked out in Matalan’s finest and end up wearing an anorak made out of carrier bags with a Groucho Marx mask on or even look like a cross between a Pirate and Santa Claus. In a side quest going through all of the campaigns the player is given opportunities to persuade a psychotic jewel thief to hand over precious jewels which can potentially unlock a secret “Super Anorak” which is day-glo pink colour and lined with those jewels you’ve collected. Madness. Conventional fashion has no place in times of struggle.



During gameplay you’re also given a certain action that when exploited, makes for some hilarious moments, for example one of the shoulder buttons has your character cup their hands around their mouths and shout “Hey!” in the context of some scenarios this makes sense like alerting a rescue team to your whereabouts or distracting someone. From the top of my head though I can only think of two instances where this is required to be used in game. Every other time I would use it as a Tourettes Button, disrupting a solemn occasion or shouting at a squatting man’s arse just to break all immersion and illusions of realistic story.

To top it all off though, the weirdest, most unconventional feature of the game is the story and dialogue choices. It is very common now in games to let the player choose their own story through dialogue choices usually molding the player character into a Good guy, Bad guy or Neutral alignment. Have the character be cool, romantic or funny. Raw Danger certainly does that but instead you usually have the options to be Nice guy, Arsehole or Weirdo. I’ll give some brief examples to get help paint the amazing and terrible possibilities in this game.

(Spoilers again!)

Playing Joshua’s scenario you become separated from Stephanie when the floor crumbles beneath her. After a brief assault course of rubble and flooded areas you find her unconscious on the floor. Rushing to the scene you are given three options

• Shake her gently?
• Slap her?
• Sniff her?

That’s right slap her! or sniff her! now I think this is the best example of covering the Nice guy, Arsehole or Weirdo dynamic available in Raw Danger. Don’t get me wrong I would never condone these acts against social norms in real life but in the context of videogames in general that try so hard to build a serious atmosphere and make you want to feel for these fictional characters, I would argue that this is acceptable comic relief.



In the finale of Amber’s scenario it is revealed that her travelling partner turns out to be her brother’s killer, who has been following her to get a hold of some MacGuffin, Amber knows the location of. Of course the options through dialogue choices can be used to express your shock and hatred for the murderer but Raw Danger being the saucy game that it is, gives you the option to also Confess your undying love for the murderer and outrage that he would turn on you, Lick the murder weapon and even become angry at the fact that he was able to murder her brother before she got the chance. Baffling.

There are copious examples of the lunacy you can achieve, that I could write about ad nauseum but I won’t. What I will finally reveal is The Greatest Sequence in Videogame History!
( link to video http://youtu.be/NzfnwRVr6Sw )

The final scenario unlockable in game, we are placed in the shoes of Keith Helm, hero from the previous game in the Zettai Zetsumei Toshi series. Following the tragic events of SOS, Keith has been left with a gammy leg and a cane and unfortunately for him he has to escape a multi storey mall, walking at a snail’s pace up escalators while water gradually floods each floor.The whole level can be compared to peeling an orange with a toothpick and I think it perfectly sums up the whole game. I would have loved to have been a fly on a wall when the dev team thought “This, is our finale!” It’s an absolute spectacle to watch or play, hilariously tense it’s like nothing else you will have seen and it begs the standing ovation that great acts of theatre receive.



Offhand its hard for me to think of games being funny or even me physically laughing whilst playing but I have wept tears of joy playing this game. If at this point you are still unable to grasp my love for this wierd and wonderfull game then I have failed, but if any of this madness has resonated with you and you get the sense of humour in this game. I urge you to track down a copy and experience it for yourself.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Please put your hands together for Raw Danger!

Thanks for reading,

Kris

RFM Talks: Hotline Miami

I’ve never taken amphetamines, I don’t think I ever will. However second hand accounts and Wikipedia results would lead me to believe the experience on said drugs could be compared to Hotline Miami, an indie hit of 2012 produced by Dennaton games. Stimulating, addictive and surprisingly affordable . Hotline Miami is a heart-stopping, relentless trip with rock-hard gameplay, mind-bending visuals and a euphoric soundtrack that given the right mood and environment can be happily enjoyed.
The game is a top-down twin stick shooter that can be compared to the likes of Smash-TV and the original GTA. The player takes control of a fledgling hit man who’s goal is to essentially massacre buildings of Russian criminals. Psychedelic pixelated visuals mixed with the neon backdrop of the 80s combine in what feels like a fever dream or hallucination. Gameplay is intense and sometimes brutally difficult but never feels cheap or broken in execution. Its a one shot kill in Hotline Miami but an instant restart is available upon death with no load times providing that one more try mentality. Throughout the course of the game the player will collect masks that can be equipped to receive a perk for that particular level, perks that include the ability to run faster, fatal bursts through doors or the ability to start with a weapon and many more. At the end of each level the player is awarded points for completing the level and style bonuses for being fast or daring, on the whole a very old-school arcade experience.

On paper this game would not appeal to me, I’m not a big fan of depictions of violence, death or gore. Three things that are becoming increasingly common in the video game industry to the point where it has become a cause for concern to some people. I can’t say I’m in that boat but I do think that the market is saturated with war simulators and power fantasies. What I like to see is something a bit different just to experience new ideas…Until, I played Hotline Miami, a game that is overtly violent, gory and morbid but is presented in such a way of gruesome beauty that I fell in love with it. The last game that has struck me in a similar way was Dark Souls, probably my favourite game in recent years. A game with an awe inspiring atmosphere of gorgeous bleak art that seeps through to the very core and clenched me throughout my experience.
Getting back to the subject, Violence and death are things that should never be glorified in reality yet I do think that it has it’s place in media and works of fiction. I am an adult and I have the intelligence to separate reality from fiction I also extend this ability to the majority of people around me and I do think that when there is a case where a person claims that they could be influenced by such works of fiction to replicate acts of violence on to another we should look to the mental state of said individual rather than the source material. Rant over.

Each level starts with the player (Who fans have referred to as Jacket) receiving a phone call in spy speak, giving idea of your job of the day but in the cryptic message of a request for a mechanic or “cleaning” to not arouse suspicion which I love and feels creepy. You then walk to your Delorean and travel to the location and begin the mission. After choosing your mask frantic gamplay ensues with you running into the fray using trail and error gameplay and split second decision making to kill before you’re killed. You’re planning the most efficient/safe route to completion all the while intense electronic music buzzes in the background. The first few levels you find yourself playing cautiously like other games you’ve probably been used to, but as you get going you become more accustomed to the fast pace and the controls and like Jacket you become a more efficient killer. A stand-out moment for me was around level 6 to which point I’m a good way into the game and suddenly the music picks up because the setting is a disco. What is significant about this is that this a particularly catchy and dancey piece of music and you can feel yourself become more engrossed and getting into a rhythm. As a result it felt like very clever choice from a design stand point and it’s definitley one of the aspects which makes gameplay so addictive.

I feel Hotline Miami is a very psychological game to what extent that was intended by the developers I’m not sure. I’m no expert but it feels like the whole game revolves around the psyche of the player character and the progressive degeneration of his mental state as he becomes a serial killer. Right at the beginning of the game you are confronted by three characters wearing similar masks to Jacket. These characters could refer to the players conscience or perhaps the people Jacket work for and combined with a fever dream filter they question what’s going on and pretty much break the fourth wall by asking “Do you like hurting people?” which if you’re a sane enough person you don’t. Yet each mission involves you brutally killing dozens of people. At no real point in this game did I feel that Jacket was a Hero or a Badass I just accepted my role as a psychopath and it was interesting. Before I had mentioned that you wear a selection of masks, each a creepy visage of an animal and having their own perks and even male names which is more than we can say for Jacket. These masks are very thought provoking, symbolising an alter-ego for Jacket to hide his human identity, possibly to scare people and could represent the transformation into something feral with the ability to act on fight or flight instinct without human conscience. If we look into the etymology of the word mask (thanks Wikipedia) we find roots in words like “Covering/hiding ones face”, “Nightmare” and “To Ridicule” which give you an idea of where I’m coming from. Other strange points in the game come up at the end of every level when you have to physically walk back to your car to leave the scene. The catchy music that accompanies the gameplay comes to an abrupt stop once you have finished off the final bad-guy creating an exclamation point on the scenario, killing your buzz like a come-down and making you take in the horror which you have created, it can be quite chilling and highlights the gravitas. One last interesting point I’ll talk about without revealing any spoilers is after every mission you play as Jacket briefly as he does everyday recreational things like go to a bar or a video rental store hinting that this may be the way he chooses to unwind or forget about the massacres that have recently ensued. In each place you will be greeted by a friendly face who seems always happy to hook you up with a Pizza or what not on the house but all strangely look like the same guy giving a real sense of paranoia as you play. I’ll leave it there.
There is one thing I’d like to quickly address, it’s that this game is clearly inspired by the film Drive and the developers do mention that even in the end credits. Hotline Miami does emulate a lot of things from Drive but I had noticed one stark and interesting difference. While watching Drive you are treated to some beautifully shot visuals with emphasis on complementing colours that are attractive to the eye as well as a stellar electronic soundtrack, truly food for the senses, you feel like you’re in an audio visual bathtub filled with warm Angel delight that is up until the mid part of the film where the floor falls out beneath you and shocking violent scenes jolt you out of you’re comfort zone leaving you feeling vulnerable and craving Angel delight again revealing Drive’s true identity. Hotline Miami goes about this in the opposite way. Immediately you are faced with the brutal violence juxtaposed with visuals and soundtrack but it’s at the games mid point everything comes together to be an addicting and enjoyable experience. I think this is a noteworthy exception to highlight between these two products that are in many ways similar.
To sum up I would say as a game Hotline Miami is an outstanding achievement that should be acknowledged. As I listen to the games soundtrack I eagerly await a potential sequel and to those who haven’t
yet tried it I highly suggest picking it up on Steam and at £7 it’s an absolute steal!

Thanks for reading,

Kris.

RFM Talks: SOS: The Final Escape.

Given the terrible weather we’re currently having in the UK it seems an appropriate time to talk about the Zettai Zetsumei Toshi series, SOS: The Final Escape (Disaster Report in the US) and Raw Danger. Two very unique adventure games for the PS2 both set on artificial islands that become destroyed by natural disaster and star a cast of misfits who are trying to escape.
I had initially found out about this series from an old video game TV program which showed off the games connectivity with a bizarre peripheral (Originally released with the game REZ) designed to fit in the players back pocket and would vibrate to “enhance immersion” good idea if a bit creepy.

In SOS: The Final Escape you play as Keith Helm (Great hero name) a plucky journalist moving to a new home and job on Capital Island but on his way there his train is destroyed by a massive earthquake. Like all good journalist’s during his escape Keith realises nothing is all as it seems and he winds up being caught in the conspiracy that is the Island’s collapse being orchestrated by the corrupt Mayor. Dun Dun Duuuun!
Gameplay involves the player exploring the island and traversing dangerous terrain while active earthquakes threaten your progress. Other features include basic puzzle solving similar to that of the Resident Evil series and an original mechanic where the player must keep hydrated by drinking water regularly. Other interesting features include exploring ruined buildings for supplies, clothes degrading over time and an optional task of collecting novelty compasses.

Within the first five minutes of the game Keith saves a woman named Karen and she travels with you for the most part of the game. The player can improve Keith’s rapport with Karen by stopping and talking regularly, being sympathetic to her requests and offering her water along the way ultimately culminating in her being an obligatory love-interest, of course that’s all optional.
You’ll meet up with other survivors like a guy called Greg, a Photojournalist with a permanent cigarette in-mouth who’s stuck around to get that big scoop and at the midpoint you can split up from the others, go to an entirely different part of the city and meet another person called Kelly a young girl looking for her brother. This fork in the road is a nice little feature in the game that gives the player incentive to replay and see what woud’ve happened in the other scenario.

Some of the stand-out moments for me come from the choice the player has with interactions and this is where the game shows its true colours and feels very Japanese and I mean that as a complement. A lot of socially awkward moments can be had with characters for example there’s a point where our survivors need to climb down a large set of ladders to escape a construction site, Karen turns to you and asks if she can go down the ladders first because she isn’t wearing any pants under her skirt. For those who are interested you can deny her request but this will result in her running ahead anyway (I had to check for science). In other scenarios you can offer Karen your umbrella, She asks “But what about you?” one of the options let’s you reply “Oh yeah.” and Keith walks away nice and dry. When exploring her house in Kelly’s scenario you can inspect her underwear drawer to which Keith will comment “I’ll pretend I never saw that.” For those who are curious, I can only imagine Keith found some hidden Christmas presents. It’s moments like this that make the game refreshing and make for genuinely funny sections. It’s very common that a game has you play as a charming, nice guy all of the time, forgetting how much fun it can be to play as a creep for a change.

Another interesting thing to note is the relative lack or violence throughout the game, aside from the game’s villains the player never commits any act of violence which if you take a moment to think about is a rarity in modern games, especially given the games genre. The only exception would be a humorous section in which Keith takes down a helicopter with a fire hose.
Overall the game can be considered a guilty pleasure, the hammy voice acting, melodrama and the dated nature of the controls and visuals would sound off-putting to some people but there is an undeniable charm to it that seeps through.
SOS: The Final Escape shouldn’t be too hard to find and I can’t imagine it being very expensive I would highly reccomend it to an open-minded gamer who would like to try something new.

Thanks for reading,

Kris.

Next time RFM Talks: Raw Danger the sequal that brings more action, more thrills and spills, more zany characters and a Hell of a lot more socially awkward moments.

RFM Talks: Shenmue

When I first wrote this post I was excited to get started and get it out there just so I could get the ball rolling, little did I know how much of a personal undertaking this would be because Shenmue is what I would consider my favourite video game. What I mean to say is I want to do the game justice and write about all of the things I've had rattling around in my head since playing it for the first time as well as give a fair chunk on exposition involving the games development history. So I'm giving it another shot and going to hopefully do what I set out to and pay tribute to the video game that means so much to me.
Shenmue was originally released in 1999 on the SEGA Dreamcast. An open world RPG that was truly ahead of it's time. Shenmue lets the player explore an ambitious setting based on actual locations in full 3D combining mechanics of adventure games and a solid fighting system culminating in a very original experience. Directed by Yu Suzuki, the legendary games designer often compared to Shigeru Miyamoto for outstanding innovation in the field of video games. Yu had originally envisioned Shenmue to be a Virtua Fighter RPG featuring many of the series characters but as the game's development progressed the story had changed and abandoned the Virtua Fighter roots to become an original IP. At it's time Shenmue was the most expensive video game ever produced and unfortunately along with it's poor sales and fierce competition it is considered a flop and is speculated as one of the reasons SEGA went out of the video games console business. Shenmue is now considered a cult favourite and to this day fans still rally together in hopes of a third installment to the series.
Unfortunately I never had the pleasure of owning Shenmue when it was first released, it wasn't until many years later when I was in college that a friend had brought it to my attention, singing it's praises and expressing the same fanaticism that I share now, he persuaded me to check it out. A few months later I was working a crummy job at a terrible independent coffee shop, I had some disposable income and not a lot else going on outside of the job so I hopped on EBAY and bought myself a Dreamcast console and a copy of Shenmue. needless to say when I fired up the game I was blown away.
Shenmue tells the story of an 18 year old boy called Ryo Hazuki, he returns home to find his father, Iwao in a fight to the death with an eccentric Chinese martial artist named Lan Di. Ryo leaps into the fray but neither father nor son are match for Lan Di's incredible fighting ability. Lan Di demands an antique mirror from Iwao and hold his son at ransom, He has no choice but to comply and submits to his demands. Ryo is thrown to the side as Lan Di claims Iwao murdered a man named Zhao Sun Ming, Lan Di tells Iwao to raise to his feet so he may allow him to die like a warrior and then finally delivers the death blow. The last scene is Ryo comforting his father and in his last words Iwao apologises and says keep your friends and loved ones close to you. The game finally picks up a few days after the event, Ryo has physically healed and he sets off to track down Lan Di.
In your first few (in-game) days you wander around the local town interacting with members of the public hoping to find leads to piece together the events and generally exploring. When I began research on the game I found that people's opinions of the gameplay to be quite polarizing some people thought this to be tedious whereas others got completely immersed in the world around them, For me it is easy to see both sides of this argument it's definitely a Marmite affair the way I think about it though is you are living the life of Ryo and not everyday is going to be packed with thrills and spills. What shenmue initially lacks in action it more than makes up for in atmosphere, every inch of the world around you (although comparitivley small by modern standards) is incredibly detailed, from Shops and Scenery you can interact with to the pedestrians that go about their day on a real day/night cycle. Shenmue makes you feel like you're part of the world if you are willing to let it.
If there is one flaw which I cannot argue is that the voice acting is pretty laughable a character named Goro springs to mind who greets you by asking "What's groovin' bro?" I would only argue that this adds to the humor and charm of the game though. Shenmue's main man Ryo isn't Mr. Personality either though, I've heard other outlets comparing his dialogue to that of a person with Asperger syndrome which is quite funny if a bit mean. A writer over at Eurogamer brought up an interesting point saying that Shenmue was a game of mourning, that the reason Ryo is so disconnected from everyone is because he's just seen his father die which is true, it made me look at things in a very different way when I was playing. There are times in game when you go into a little corner shop and the old lady who works their will call you "Baby boy Ryo." and talks of when you were younger, Ryo all the while not looking impressed, or when you talk to a girl who is clearly looking for your affection and she expresses concern for your well-being but you have your mind set on asking her for directions to continue on your quest for revenge. It does pull at your heart strings and I want to believe that this is what the developers intended.
I'm going to leave it there for now I think we'll call that part 1. In the next few parts I'm going to talk about the gameplay and combat and also share some of my personal experiences playing.

Thank's for reading,

Kris.