Scarywood 2015

After missing out on visiting Scarywood for the last two years I finally made it back to the park.  I was intending to record more video and document the scare-zones using a friends GoPro camera, but sadly he forgot it back at their house.  (I do hope to begin assembling my own gear for documenting various events in the future though).

One benefit I'd hope to have in visiting the event again would be a renewed since of freshness.  There were   There was still no radical jump in offerings the way there was back in 2010 but I don't know that it'd be fair to expect that kind of jump again.  Still quite a few eleements were significantly more polished than what I had experienced back in 2012.

The Zombiewood Express felt simultaneously both fresh and familiar.  The jokes and script were new and several of the set pieces were moved around.  I gotta really give the props on risk taking with the jokes as the ride relies on a bit of shock value that is a tricky line to walk.  I thought the stunts and effects were all very well executed though I feel like the Zombie ambush segment might have been performed better in 2012 everything else was greatly improved.

 

Zombiewood as it appeared in 2012

The newest attraction for the year was Caved-In.  Replacing Ancient Ruins which apparently occupied the same location last year (inbetween Tremors and the Log Flume), Caved-In takes place in a densely foggy cave filled with monsters.  My friends all tell me that it is a large improvement over Ancient Ruins, but I can't really make a comparison.  Caved-In amounts to a gauntlet rush of sorts, the fog is pumped in dense enough that you can barely see from one light to the next with the lights being the guide out of the cave.  As you navigate the attraction monsters will lunge out of the fog and darkness for jump scares. If jump scares are your thing the attraction performs this element solidly and was easily the attraction of the night for me.

3Dementia was an interesting one for me to return to.  From what I understand it's quality took a huge dip in 2013 when the park tried to do a dual path system that lead to the attraction being too short and the rooms lacking diversity.  Everyone in my group says it was great this year and while I did find the attraction to be quite good, I still prefer the variation of the first year.  I will say I loved the execution of several areas of this years 3Dementia and the final few rooms were some of my favorites.  I just felt the beginning was a bit bland and felt the attraction itself was a bit crowded (though this did make for a quick line).

Blood Bayou was the biggest disappointment of the night for me.  To be honest I'd still heavily recommend this attraction for anyone going to the event for the first time. All the elements that have made Blood Bayou one of the strongest attractions in the park are mostly still there (especially its solid set design).  The thing is that for repeat visitors this attraction is aging poorly.  There were new rooms replacing older areas of the attraction which I will say were my favorite parts of the attraction this year.  But the overall feeling was that nothing has really changed.  In fact there are several areas that are beginning to look a bit worn and in need of a bit of maintenance.  The sky actors in the forest are now a thing of the past and the entire ending hallway felt a little bit bland now with the animatronic car gone and nothing really replacing it.  It also felt as though the attraction featured fewer performers, likely because performers were needed more in other areas of the park.  Alot of these loses are going to be easily overlooked by people less familiar with this attraction though.  I'd rate it more highly for those who haven't been but for me I couldn't help but compare it to some of its better years.

The last attraction of the night was the Darkness.  I went into this attraction figuring it'd have scares similar to what I'd experienced in Caved In, instead I found an expansion on the kind of dark corners I experienced in previous years at the start of Terror Canyon.  I really loved all the sudden twists and odd corners this attraction took and found myself getting lost at several points.  It didn't really scare me too badly but can see how it might for those with a fear of darkness or enclosed spaces.  Part of me wouldn't mind if this attraction had a few creepy audio cues the way Terror Canyon used to but the current ambiance is also great.  This is the attraction I'd be the most interested in repeating next year.

What impressed me the most was how much the theming of the event had improved.  Clown Town is now spread significantly further around the park and the props and lighting fixtures have all increased and provided the performers even better ways to surprise guests.  Dollhouse had superb scaractors and set dressing and Scarecrow corner provided a nice mini maze of sorts.  Nest provided a nice colstrophibic interlude in the pathway around were Terror Canyon used to be featured.  It felt as though no corner of the park was untouched by the event.  While most of the newer attractions lacked personality the park as a whole had more personality in the event than ever before.

My ratings for all the elements of the events would be as follows:
Zombiewood Express 4/5 (great)
Caved In 4/5 (great)
3Dementia 3/5 (good)
Blood Bayou 2/5 (mediocre)
Total Darkness 4/5 (great)
Scarezones 5/5 (excellent)

Overall Scarywood is still one of my favorite things to do for Halloween and will likely to remain a tradition of sorts for my friend-group.  Hopefully I can figure something out for documenting the event more professionally as I'd really like to one day have a highlight real to compare and contrast the event through the years with.

Scarywood 2011/12

It's been a while since I've updated this blog and I figured I'd catch up on Scarywood reviews before delving into some new content.

Scarywood 2011

2011's Scarywood event wasn't terribly different from the event in 2010.  I traveled out and went for two days instead of the one I had attended the previous two events on.  Blood Bayou returned with a more complete ending, though I have to say I will always miss the dragon thing that moved through the netting in the false wall ending.  Each subsequent year thus far has had a car hitting a tree effect in it's place with the 2011 version being the best rendition of this effect.

The new maze in 2011 was Mind Warp which was located near the exit to Blood Bayou.  It showed much potential but in the end felt far to short and couldn't really capitalize on the maze aspect.  It had an interesting setup of choosing doors but the problem was that all doors eventually funnel you to the exit.  I'd imagine the reason for not wanting a true maze in a theme park is that guest frustration might be a bit too much to handle.  While corn mazes and other haunted attractions can pull things off, I'm not sure how well a truly engrossing Haunted Maze would do in a theme park environment (though I do have my own personal ideas on how to pull off the logistics keeping things scary and pushing guests through efficiently).  In the end the best part of Mind Warp was the ending through a vortex tunnel and the walk back to the park through a field of scarecrows.  The only weak part was that it also got muddy those nights (probably why there hasn't been a haunt in this area since).

The biggest improvement for 2011 was Terror Canyon itself.  The theme of girl scouts being captured was kept but for 2011 the girlscouts were subjected to horrific mutation rather than cannibal consumption.  It added the right amount of flavor to the walkthrough (there was a huge variety of mutants) and easily boosted it above Blood Bayou as the standout attraction for this particular year.  The actors gave a steller performance both nights I went with the attractions only weakness being rain on the first night.

The Zombiewood Express also returned this year with an interesting bit of cannon were King had been revealed to have been turned and was a member of the undead in the end (this feature wouldn't return in later years and is really the only bit of running cannon I can remember for this attraction).

Scarywood 2012
Thinking back on Scarywood 2012 I'd say this was when I realized the event was going to be more about small changes each year rather than huge revolutions like the transition from the first to second event were.  However I also noticed an important president was being set.  Every year seems to refine each haunt overall while also testing out a new concept that gets refined later.

2012 saw the return of Clowns, Blood Bayou, Terror Canyon (complete with mutants) and the Zombiewood.  It also brought two novel concepts to be developed further in later years.

The most interesting of these was Oddities.  Its name kinda fits because while I suppose some of it's more successful elements would return in 2013 in the form of a more fully developed sideshow attraction (or so I'm told as I couldn't make it to the event for 2013/2014).  Oddities was an attempt to provide halloween themeing further into the park.  The bright lighting around the thrill rides in the back makes for a difficult setting to hide creepy haunts.  So I suppose setting up fun sideshows was an excellent compromise and the dance area was another unique idea as well.  Overall I can't rave too much about this area.  It had it's successes but really wasn't too scary and so I was glad to hear its good parts were developed into other ideas and that they managed to find a more compatible and scary theme for 2014.

Now the real standout for the event in 2012 was 3Dementia.  I have a hard time expressing how much fun I found this one to be.  From the moving floors to the fun effects like the bubble room, 3Dementia was the king of attractions for 2012 (I hear it wasn't as great in 2013 but was restored to greatness this last year for 2014).  I'm ashamed I couldn't video it better but that's how things go I suppose.  I'm sure theme park 3D maze veterans will know what to expect but honestly if I were asked which attraction to prioritize I'd probably say this one, even for the squeamish 3Dementia just stands out as the most fun of all the attractions.

One neat detail is that the more successful elements of Mindwarp were clearly transfered into 3Dementia.  The doors sequence returned in an abreviated yet fun maze section were not every door was completley valid (still an easy solution but the fact that some doors were dead ends is nice) and the vortex tunnel returned as well (the speed was slowed down but its presence was still greatly enjoyed).

More effects improvements were seen for Zombiewood express though I felt the script was growing a bit too familiar for me this year anyways (still a must see for newbies and easily the longest line in the park).  Sadly Blood Bayou was much shorter on performers in 2012 and the bat monster performer that impressed me so greatly in 2010 was nowhere to be found.  There were several new automated effects present in the attraction which may have kept things fresh were it not for the capacity breakdowns I noticed both nights I visited.  It's likely a consequence of Scarywood's rising popularity.  Gone are the days of isolation in Blood Bayou though at least the grouping system still exhists so far (being separated into groups is one of the key separators from events at parks like Universal Studios).  I've heard it was better in 2014 though I'd like to see for myself how the crowds and Blood Bayou are working out.



Overall I loved the event both years I've commented on and am pretty upset that I couldn't make it these last two.  My hope is to at least visit the event every other year in the foreseeable future, but time will tell...

Southern California Parks will own 2012!

It looks like 2012 will be an incredible year for Southern California.  Not since 2004 have we seen so many additions made to theme parks in California.  Back then the same three players (Disney, Universal and Sea World) all added new rides (with Tower of Terror, Revenge of the Mummy, and Journey To Atlantis) to compete for visitors time.

Sad thing was all three of those rides were just copies of rides from Florida.  What made it worse was none of the rides really used experience from their prior iterations to really improve guest experience.  For numerous reasons the rides were all built with budgets smaller then their predecessors and engineered as rides the parks would prefer to operate rather then rides guests would like to see.

However it appears the attitude for this decade will be completely different.  Each park is executing its own ambitious expansion plan.  Even though some of these ride systems have been seen, the instillations are more guest focused and something unique to the market is being done with each one.

Manta

I'll start by describing Manta which is Sea World's new bid for 2012 dominance.  This was the last of the rides to be announced and so sadly will not be seeing as much time spent on its construction as the other projects are seeing.  However getting this ride installed was no small accomplishment for Sea World considering how difficult it is to install ANYTHING in San Diego.

The ride will bring a MUCH needed thrill to the San Diego park that is lacking.  The ride will be a MAC coaster featuring a launch that will bring it up to speed rather rapidly.  The maximum height was sadly limited by the coastal commission to a mere 30ft though the maximum drop height is 54 ft thanks to building much of the ride underground.
Manta layout

While some details may not sound too thrilling (I believe the Atlantis ride already in Seaworld San Diego has a longer drop) the coaster itself is actually set to be quite action packed.  When executed it should have rather impressive projection effects in its launch sequence and dip in and out of caves keeping the ride both fun and action packed (something the dumbed down Atlantis ride lacks).

The other exciting thing about the addition of this ride is the announcement that it will include an expansion to the manta exhibit present in the park.  The line will actually take guests through manta tanks giving people something to be engaged in while they wait for the ride.

Views into the tanks will also be available to those who don't wish the ride the coaster.  The whole expansion works great both for increasing the parks collection of aquatic creatures while giving the park a much needed injection of excitement.

Transfomers

Universals ride for 2012 will be a hybrid 3D darkride themed to Transformers.  The ride system used comes from the award winning Spiderman ride which opend in Islands of Adventure last decade.

The ride seamlessly integrates real props and effects with 3D movie projections to create a new sort of immersive feel not felt in other attractions.  You sit in a motion simulator base, that is connected to a vehicle, and you move between darkride scenes and 3D screens.  Initial concerns were that the ride would not have the space that the Orlando Spiderman ride has but recent news seems to indicate the ride will actually be two stories and feature a elevator to solve the space issue (also some rumors that there will be some fairly impressive Transformer animatronics as opposed to relying on pure projection tech).

This ride system has never been seen on the West coast, so its good to hear that we're finally getting one.  With the new improvements made in CG technology odds are good the Transformers will look much more impressive/realistic then Spiderman ever did.

Carsland

Finally the crowning achievement for 2012 will likely be Carsland which stands and one of the most ambitious stateside projects Disney's pulled off in recent history. It will be the crowning achievement of Disney's 1.2 billion dollar improvement project to California Adventure (a project that has included the World of Color show that opened last year as well as the new little Mermaid ride opening this year and several other large scale remodling projects that will reach completion in 2012).

Its almost unfair to compare this to the other projects as Disney has spent so much time on it.  Outside of its Eticket Radiator Springs Racers attraction it will contain two flatrides, one of which is the rare Flying Saucers type ride no longer seen in many parks (think of bumper cars on a giant air hockey table).

Radiator Springs racers will take up something of 12 acres of land and the mountain range being designed for this area is a larger rock making project then even the work don on Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom.

The ride systems to the Racers is the same one experienced in Disney World's Test track though much more refined.  The ride will be made much more interesting by an exstensive darkride segment through the town of Radiator Springs (as opposed to Test Track's rather bland car breaking tests and freezer segments).  The outdoor segment will also be improved over Test Track by not only racing over real mountain terrain (Cadilac Range > bland testing ciruit) but your vehicles will race side by side with other cars.

Spoilers Video! (old construction)

Its actually pretty unbelievable to see all the construction going on right now, can't wait for next year! (even though this year has just barely begun...)

My recommendation is pick yourself up some CityPasses or pick your favorite :P can't really lose.  Here's to this next decade being far more ambitious then the previous!

Scarywood 2010 Trip Report

What a difference one year and a million dollars can make for an event!

I went to Scarywood this year, expecting a second maze and a few mild improvements around the park.  After years watching Disney poor multiple millions into projects (sometimes with mediocre results), I lost faith in just how far a million dollars can go.

The difference between Scarywood this year and last was HUGE. In 2009 the event had some decent props and acting, but the experience as a whole came across as amateur hour (remove the good props and setting and it was comparable to something a Community College put on the night before in my hometown). Scarywood 2010 felt like the park was stepping up to match the rest of the industry, in Halloween events. There were four special attractions this year to compared to the previous years three. This year the features were Blood Bayou (walkthrough), Terror Canyon, ZombieWood Express and Timber Terror (coaster) running backwards. Unlike last year the park wasn't open in the day but instead opened as the sun set around 6:00.


The center of the park was set up as a scare zone for guests. Running with that areas carnival theme they added creepy clown scare actors that would follow guests around menacing them as they went through the area.  The area was also decorated by clowns hanging from nooses and a few that were set up with motors that made them twitch.  They also ran strobe lights and other effects that kept things disorienting and exciting.  This area was almost an attraction to itself.


Terror Canyon made a return to the event this year and was MUCH improved.  This maze was the highlight of last years event and was greatly improved upon this year.  Last year the scares were great, but there were many areas where the path spread out and it became obvious that you were walking through the drained canal for their raft ride.  The scenes last year also felt somewhat random (even had a Joker reference at one point).  This year they introduced the scenario with a buss breaking down and psychopaths capturing and tormenting a troop of girl scouts (you even see the buss outside the line for the ride).

Terror Canyon had fewer actors this year, but compensated by placing actors in key locations, making it more about being disoriented (must've read my suggestions last year ;)).  Previously there was a short part of going through dark corridors, with walls painted black and sharp corners, making it difficult to navigate. This year those corridors seemed at least three times as long.  They also turned up the fog so dense it was hard to see more then a few feet ahead.  Chainsaw wielders hid behind objects and jumped out whenever groups became distracted (usually by a girl scout crying for help or perhaps a body being eaten).  These elements combined so well there was actually backup at different points when people were too afraid to keep moving forward.


Next was the ride on Timber Terror.  This coaster was actually a surprise hit for me.  It is normally a great ride, but I hadn't expected turning the trains backwards to give the ride as much extra thrill as it did.  Not being able to see whats coming or how long each drop lasts made the airtime feel that much better (and Timber Terror is actually world class for its airtime).


After Timber Terror I made the long walk back to the front of the ride for Zombiewood express.  Last year Midfright Express had been the weakest offering and something of a disappointment.  This year the experience was completely different.  The year before the ride lacked a clear identity, advertised as too scary for those under 12, yet using child friendly terms and lacking any kind of thrill.  This year the adult premise was apparent right from the start (complete with cursing in the dialogue).  The train had fencing added to it and the inside was covered in blood splatter (and a few warnings written in blood).

The ride starts its journey around the park introducing each train gets to meet its representative zombie hunter.  The train passes several scenes were zombies are killed by the various hunters (they even use dynamite to prevent zombies from attacking beneath the rail).  Midway through the journey the train stops and the actors get out for a fun zombie brawl (gotta use axes after all).  The ending is still pretty cheesy (Elvis Impersonator sings...), but the live performers make the ride a fun adventure (100% better then last year).  The improvements really moved the train up from an avoid to a must do.


Finally Blood Bayou was the newest attraction for the event. Located inside the parks large skating building (which I have ignored most trips to the park), this attraction was AMAZING.  I couldn't believe they could make so many improvements to the rest of the park and still afford to put on such incredible show in this walkthrough.  The outdoor queue was well themed, they placed red dye in the fountain to make the water turn blood red and also set up special lighting to accent it.  Under the train track near the building you see a creep with a knife hiding.  Stepping indoors my jaw dropped.  The theming was massive, you end up inside a graveyard with a giant grim reaper swinging his scythe over the doors into the walkthrough.  People are grouped off in this room which had plenty of other details if you waited long enough.  Some of soil stirred in front of the graves and a few of the graves would burst open on occasion (this is still the queue not the attraction itself).

The maze itself placed you in several different settings, each well realized and intricately designed.  The only real way to shatter the illusion would be to look strait up and see the ceiling of the building, otherwise the sets were tall and had plenty of detail.  The walkthrough offered many great moments.

One such moment was, when I was distracted by overhead pipes hitting me with air, then having someone grab my foot from under some equipment (I think?), sending me spinning in circles to have a metal panel slam down and someone yell at me.  Probably the eeriest thing was near the end, I made eye contact with this weird creature in a tree and then proceeded along the path. Feeling something skim my hair, I ducked down in time to see the creature swoop almost to the ground and then lift up into the tree in front of me.  The creature landed in the tree, turned around and looked at me again shaking its head.  Even when I thought the walkthrough was over I was surprised by a giant skull creature bursting from one of the walls and vanishing almost as fast.  Blood Bayou made my night and I repeated it a few times because its quality was unbelievable (easily comparable to Disney grade special effects).


Last year I ended my review with a list of suggestions for improvements.  However this year I couldn't really think of anything to complain about.  Silverwood addressed all of my concerns for last year, picked a target and nailed exactly what the event should be.  Only challenge left for them is to keep it fresh.  Blood Bayou was a huge investment but if it ends up being the same thing for three more years, there could be problems (same goes for Terror Canyon).  If this year was any indicator the event is going to be a must see again next year (if you didn't go this year go next!)

3DS, Nintendo's next handheld revolution

Seems I was caught by surprise with this announcement, I literally thought it was an early April Fools joke. Nintendo has announced details on its next generation handheld system, and it will be 3D.

3D? not unlike the virtual boy?

More accurately the system will feature 3D effects but will not require special glasses be worn by the user. One report is that the 3D effect will be visible to the user but not necessarily visible to people watching the other screen. Supposedly the methods used can only be focused on a single individual which of course isn't a problem for a handheld device as handhelds are much more personal then TV based devices.

Because of these reports most people believe that the most likely method for accomplishing the 3D on the 3DS is head tracking. Head tracking is a method used to accomplish the illusion of 3D by constantly adjusting the image perspective to match that of the viewer using the screen. It was first demoed by a homebrew developer who wore a Wiimote as a hat to track were he was looking. Since then it has been adjusted into something simple enough that even the DSi's webcam can do it.



Of course it's also rumored that the system could use a form of layered LCD technology in order to generate the 3D effect as well. This rumor mainly comes as the layered technology is being put into use by some of the companies that presently manufacture Nintendo's screens. Layered technology works pretty much like it sounds, two LCD screens are placed ontop of each other with a thin layer separating them and the images are displayed on both with the gap between them used to simulate depth.

Since the 3DS won't be seen until E3 it's quite possible the system could use both (though head tracking would be most likely).

Other rumors about the system involve the possible inclusion of a 3D joystick of some sort which fits in line with Nintendo introducing new control technology with every system (though it could just be a new way of introducing analog to a portable as opposed to Sony's nub). Also the possiblity of it including rumble has been thrown around (not surprising as Nintendo as dabbled with rumble in many of it's other handhelds but has not yet offered it as a default option). In an interview earlier this year Iwata did mention the possibility of the system including gyro but we'll have to wait to see if anything else comes of it.

The greatest rumor is that the system likely uses Nvidia's Tegra chip, this would be great news as the Tegra does in most incarnations support high definition graphics. It's hard to say how things will go with the Tegra as Nintendo has traditionally turned to AMD for it's graphics needs and has apparantly met with both companies about graphical solutions.

Overall this news is great as it gives people like me new hardware to look for on the horizon (the DS has been growing stale with quite a few consumers). It also shows that despite its claims with the Wii Nintendo is still keeping an eye on the graphical horizon and making sure their systems remain visualy impressive. The 3D addition shows Nintendo is taking into account that as more companies entering the handheld market with hybrid devices, consumers will need greater reason to buy a gaming only device.
The last known detail on the device of course is it will retain backwards compatibility with the DS as well as likely having access to the DSi's online store. To be honest that information isn't nearly as useful as anything else.

It does make me think though, with all the people demanding the DSi provide downloadable Gameboy games, wouldn't the 3DS be able to offer downloadable virutal boy games? Of course this doesn't mean much as the virtual boy barely lasted on market for a year and most of its games were duds. However two games stood out as gems, Mario Clash and Virtual WarioLand and both of these I'd like to see get remakes (Mario Clash would be awesome as a downloadible!).

Mario Clash looks better in 3D

Nintendo's Media Summit

I didn't attend the media summit held by Nintendo this week and I don't see the need to retread every detail of it. However felt it might be worth analyzing a few key announcements that were made during the event.
Mario and Metroid Launch dates:
I know that Nintendo had announced Mario as an early 2010 release when it was shown at last years E3. However I didn't actually believe we would see this game released until much later this year. Nintendo is has always had a habit of delaying releases for games especially Mario. First quarter releases aren't usually as good as Christmas releases. I had figured that Nintendo would hold off until at least fall to launch Mario Galaxy 2. Instead the game has been given a May 23rd release date.

Metroid was one I was less shaky on though I was curious as to how much work the game would need to see release. Metroid games haven't exactly sold much outside their fandom, so the June 27th release date isn't exactly surprising (though summer releases are usually uncommon in the gaming industry).

Maybe I should've had more faith in Nintendo, neither of these games required massive retooling. Mario Galaxy 2 had a pretty good head start both by reusing the code from its predecessor along with polishing up several levels that couldn't make it in time for the original games release. Time will tell how good a package this is, the first was great fun and if this one matches it in length and ups the challenge it could be a real hit for Nintendo.

As for Metroid I'm sure many had assumed, that with Team Ninja (makers of the Ninja Gaiden series) involved, the gameplay would be 3D beatdown. Instead it's essentially a sidescroller which fits as most of the original Metroid team (from Japan) created it as opposed to Retro Studios (creators of the Metroid Prime series). I'm personally dissapointed with this development as I'm not a 2D Metroid fan but I'm sure many dedicated fans will line up for this game.

Other Wii Releases:
Monster Hunter 3 from Capcom also had a presence at this event, as well as Sin and Punishment 2. Both these games will also be released by Nintendo in the coming months (April 20 and June 7 respectively). Monster Hunter shows promise in it's current interest rating on IGN but I'm unsure about Sin and Punishment. Both games have had limited exposure in the American markets and could probably do with a high dose of marketing to boost sales.

It does seem however that Nintendo is finally trying a bit harder with software releases. This lineup is very Asian centric though and it deserves a marketing push like the "Wii would like to play" series, but more focused towards gamers.

A new Prince of Persia game designed for Wii only was also shown. It will release May 18th. This game is designed from the ground up for Wii and looks fine. I'm not really a Prince of Persia fan so I'm not sure what to make of it. The design shows that Ubisoft has finally started putting out quality product for Wii. The marketing will likely tie in with the release of the film.

WiiWare:
Seems Nintendo may finally be awakening to the potential for original download content. They showed off again WarioWare DIY but also a game called LightTrax.

More Art Style: Light Trax Info

I have to say the design is interesting. Nintendo actually has several stylized racing/party games like this in Japan that have never been released in the states for some odd reason. I suppose they assume that American's won't take to the games but it seems kinda odd considering what we used to have in arcades. Finally Nintendo seems to be not only testing these games out for the states in the cheep/low-risk download market but also improving them (something Xbox arcade games have been doing for a while). They still need to release the rotating stick game (it's been referenced in Smash Brothers Brawl).

WarioWare D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) is also looking to be a great release. This game will finally push both connectivity and downloadable content forward (two areas that Nintendo has promised but done little to deliver in). Microgames can be made on the DS and then shared with the Wiiware counterpart. I'm unsure if the Wiiware game also includes level creation tools but both games do come with a set of premade games. For a cheep price this is will definitely be worth a download as the WarioWare Series has yet to let me down.

DSi:
The DSi XL was also on display at the event with a price of $185. They showed off several downloadable games for it as well as WarioWare D.I.Y (since it's a game for both systems). Photo Dojo looked pretty cool, it's a fighting game were you use the camera to create the game sprites of yourself doing the moves.

Overall I can't bring myself to be too excited about the DS. I've loved the system but I feel it is time to move onto better hardware, the DSi brings a few new ideas to the table but doesn't do enough. I do think the dabbling Nintendo is doing for the system could yield some exciting new material whenever they do get around to launching both a new console and handheld though.

In Summary:
This event caught me off guard as it's untraditional for Nintendo to have an event of any significance during this time of year. This event seems to show a strong commitment by Nintendo to bring up their software business focus which has dwindled in recent times. This is probably the most aggressive stance Nintendo's had for software in a long time. Everything shown at this event is slated to hit the market before or during June and nothing further out has been announced.

This does put alot of pressure on Nintendo for E3 as people will definitively care whats next and the company can't afford another Christmas Wii Music/Animal Crossing debacle. Nintendo has lost alot of faith from the gamers with this system so it's going to take alot of work to regain it but this is probably a good start.

I hope that Nintendo can learn the right lessons from these releases and do proper marketing. I also hope that the download content they're experimenting with plays well so they can upgrade their servers to polish up the online service they provide now as well as start investment in a more forward thinking online service in the next generation.

Army of Two 40th Day (review)

Seems I'm on a co-op gaming spree. So... Army of Two?

Well I certainly enjoyed this game more then Super Mario Brothers Wii, but I'm not sure that it was more ambitious? I probably shouldn't raise the issue of laziness, as this is a game produced by EA after all. The game runs on the Unreal 3 engine (another staple of most modern games), so the visuals match up with what one would expect of a current generation product. The co-op works excellent but a two player game IS easier to develop then a four player one (and there are numerous cooperative shooters to imitate).

However none of that necessarily means lazy. What this game really nails is refinement. The enemies are fun to fight, the levels play out cleanly and smoothly. It features a weapons customization system that manges to be entertaining as well (who doesn't like a silencer made from a soda can?).

You run from situation to situation getting into large firefights. Breaking these up are hostage situations were you must use special skills like faking a surrender or synchronized sniping to outwit the terrorists. These situations add alot of value to the game and push for some team planning before running in and rescuing the hostages. Saving civilians provides power-ups, though it is possible to ignore most of them and move on if you don't want to bother.

One of Army of Two's unique elements was the aggro meeter. The game developers really emphasized this element of combat in the original game and it works great. Whoever has the bigger gun and shoots the most occupies most of the enemy's focus and allows another player to snipe or sneak attack opponents. Nothing is quite as enjoyable as your partner firing a grenade launcher strait into the air while you sneak up and pummel obviousness computer players to death.

The ability to exchange weapons between players has been removed (not that I played the first game much, so I can't say much for this system). In it's place is the ability to pick up and use any of the guns the enemy has dropped on a temporary basis (the temporary gun is dropped when you switch to your personalized weapons). You can boost your parter over ledges and areas. However the boosting is mostly automated in areas were it's actually required and is otherwise hard to find.

The biggest change of all is the games story. The first Army of Two was very campy and played out much like a stupid action movie. The characters were intentionally both over the top in their friendship and their ability to survive and kill people. I was especially amused at the rival mercenary in the original game who seemed to survive explosions/plane crashes and all sorts of other improbable things and seemed set to appear in this sequel (he's kicked out a window but never shown dead).

Instead apparently someone in EA actually got the idea to be ambitious and throw these two rather cartoony characters into a more realistic setting. 40th Day is basically a story of survival, the two characters begin on a routine mission but soon find themselves in the middle of a terrorist attack on China. The characters only motivation is escape (except near the end of the game...). You travel all over the city encountering gunfight after gunfight, broken up by the occasional hostage encounter/rescue.

New to the game is a morality system, at different points in the game players are asked whether or not to kill a character or in one case ask a child to use a gun. The system is interesting as after you make the decision the game fades into stylized comic stills showing what happens because of your decision. A surprising aspect about these decisions is the obviously good choice doesn't always lead to the happy outcome. This creates a since of balance for the game (in a way), though I would complain that some of the choices are based off of stupidly misleading information.

There is an achivement for chosing all of the good choices or all of the bad though this doesn't really effect the ending of the game. In fact the biggest letdown of the game is the ending. Simply put the moral choice provided for the ending is a trap, no matter which choice you make the game punishes you. If you chose the good choice the game will guilt you for how unhappy your character ends up and if you chose the evil choice the game guilts you for the lives lost to the terrorists. There is no magic combination of moral choices that change this outcome either.

It's probably more realistic to provide a no win situation in this game but it raises all kinds of issues (besides how they can manage the inevitable sequel). Games are played as a form of escapisum, thus most gamers are going to want a positive ending no matter how realisitic. I have personally enjoyed games with a sad/bittersweet ending (Grand Theft Auto 4), I'm not sure that I like how the game seems to trap me with this no win situation. I suppose my biggest problem is the game provides nothing to even take the edge off, your simply slammed for your decision and the credits roll.


How I'd improve it:
As far as suggestions for improving the game go, I'd only suggest retooling the ending. Create some variety in the games ending depending on the moral choices made earlier in the game to create an opportunity for a happy ending. If that isn't possible and even if it is, I'd also suggest separating the outcomes of the earlier morality choices made in the game. Basically when you make a moral choice, you should see an immediate reward/punishment for your choice. The long term impact of your decisions should be saved for the ending so that they can play out AS the credits roll so that even with a predetermined sad ending you can find satisfaction (or disappointment) in the outcomes of your moral choices. Such a move would tie the whole game experience together and make the ending more worthwhile.

Basically:
Overall ranking 8.0 or a B (I don't care about rankings, I like delving into design aspects). The game was competent and great fun. Shooters aren't the most innovative genre, but you can't go wrong with a great buddy game if you ask me.