About a week ago, something funny happened to me, I got accused of 'shoddy journalism'. Considering how I've never viewed these posts as nothing more than an outlet about the evil that seeks to ruin this industry, calling me a 'Journalist' (not matter how shoddy) is kind of a compliment, really.
But the public has spoken, either because I'm doing something very right or very, very wrong...so what exactly do Journalists do? Why, they go to conventions! And what better way to cement my reporter credentials by traveling to Bahrain to attend the IGN convention and report back to all you lovely folks?
I keed, as Triumph the Dog would say, but it is true that I am in Bahrain, resting after the festivities of the first day had come to pass. I got to play several demos and even got a chance to get a first hands-on look at the PS4.
So where do we start?
--- Knack ---
Knack was the first game I played, mostly because there was a pain-in-the-ass line and I just wanted to get it over with. About 40 minutes and dozens of players unable to make it past the first stage, I had a pretty good idea what the game was going for. Knack was a colorful, whimsical game that reminded me so much of Kameo back when the Xbox 360 seemed like a doorway to endless possibilities before it degenerated into cesspit of brown, corridor shooters.
Gameplay-wise, Knack's movement are more akin to Crash Bandicoot's than Mario. I think that's what got most people killed, they were so accustomed to Mario's far-reaching jump that they couldn't comprehend why Knack only travelled two feet instead of landing on the enemy's head.
The only cons about this game were a drop in the frame rate when Knack became so huge and suddenly exploded into millions of tiny pieces. The second con was a noticeable load time. I have no idea if it was the way the demo worked or not but a few people complained how the PS4 was supposed to have no load times.
All'n'all, I'm definitely getting this for my nephews but not before having a go at it myself.
--- Dual Shock 4 ---
Nothing can express the joy I had for finally getting a feel of this thing. I was told not to get my hopes up. I didn't and I was blown away. The DS4 is superior in every way to the DS3. It's comfortable, the L2/R2 buttons do not slip and analogue sticks new size do not take away from their responsivness.
--- Driveclub ---
Arguably the winner of the convention, seeing how it drew the most crowd. I never got around to have a go with Driveclub but what I saw was impressive. Though the game was running in 'Alpha Code', the frame rate had been more consistent than Knack.
--- Lords of Shadow 2 ---
I have mixed feelings when it comes to the Castlevania reboot. While I definitely do not appreciate making the gameplay into a copy/paste version of God of War, the series itself (LoD, MoF, LoD2) does not offend every fibre of my being like, say, DmC.
Still, with this game, the transformation into God of War is now complete. The stage I got play had Gabriel squaring off a colossal enemy wherein he had to climb up all the way to the top of the beast's head ot slay him. Whilst this is not unlike that one stage in the first LoD, the whole 'feel' of the climb felt more arcadey, more cinematic. It got tedious after a while, so I quit.
In the interest of fairness, though, the lightning in that game was pretty.
--- Dance Central 2014 ---
The Xbox One was suspiciouisly (or rather, auspiciously) absent from the whole proceeding so all we had to contend with was Dance Central 2014. I've always found the Kinect to be a superfluous peripheral, ever since it failed to live up to whole 'Project Milo' shenanigan and from what I've seen, I wasn't in danger of changing my mind any time soon. People were laughing their heads off, partyl because of they were knocking each other out whilst waving their arms and partyl because this one girl stood still, doing nothing and yet she was racking up 'Perfect's. Huh....
--- Killer Instinct ---
I got a chance to ask a certain someone (won't divulge who, but with a little research you can probabbly suss him out) about Killer Instinct and if he had played it. He confirmed that he had and though the game was fun between friends, he very much doubts it'll be taken seriously by the fighting community or make an impact on EVO.
"Mid-to-low level tier skill." he said. "Definitely needs more polish."
--- Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z ---
What Ninja Gaiden 3 should have been, sans the filthy humor. Playing Yaiba is like playing a comic book in videogame form.
--- Keiji Inafune ---
The man, th legend, the myth himself: Keiji Inafune came to Bahrain to promote Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z and to talk about Mega Man. About two questions in, the moderator switched to asking about Mighty No. 9 and the crowd erupted in cheer. By this point, one could also see tears in Mr. Inafune's eyes. He was a charming, humble man and spoke words of gratitude when fans turned down their questions and iinstead chose to express their gratitude for changing their lives with his games.
That's not to say no one asked a question, now and then:-
Q: Will Mega Man Legends 1 and 2 ever appear on PSN?
Inafune: *laugh* That's up to Capcom.
Q: Are you ever going to make Mega Man Legends 3?
Inafune: Right now, it seems impossible. You really need to ask Capcom.
Q: Did Zero kill the previous cast?
Inafune: I created Zero to be a really kind and gentle soul. So, no, he did not kill Rock, Roll and the rest of our friends.
Q: Are you happy or sad that Mega Man is in Super Smash 4?
Inafune: Definitely happy.
Q: If Mighty No. 9 is successful, are you open to branch out and make an RPG/Adventure iteration starring him?
Inafune: It's still too early to tell. Right now I want to concentrate on making the best game I can.
Q: Will you ever get back the rights for Zero? I mean, Capcom can keep X for all I care but Zero is your creation. You should sue Capcom to get him back. *my friend asked this question*
Inafune: *launches into excessive and embarased stiffled laugh*
Moderator: I'll answer this question for him...All together now--
Crowd: -You really need to ask Capcom-
Later on, Inafune retired to the lounge for a private meet'n'gree with those with VIP passes. Now I'm glad I scrounged up for this ticket instead of forking $10,000 over a pledge on Kickstarter. Up close, he was really charming and approachable. It's almost jarring how surreal it was to drink coffee and chat about games with the man.
Thus we come to the end of my hastily written entry. I'm low on sleep and susstenance, so what I probably believe to be well-documented blog post might actually turn out to be a bunch of incomprehensible garbage by morning.
Until next time.
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Disclaimer: MightynoX does not go out of his way to intentionally offend people with his opinion. It just comes to him naturally.
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Sounded too much like marketing so I deleted it.