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The X Button - Mobile Light Force


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TheZeonicFront



Joined: 20 Apr 2010
Posts: 122
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:53 am Reply with quote
I was also on the bandwagon to say the NES Kid Icarus is crap until I actually played it.

If you compare it to its contemporaries at the time it is a better game than Metroid. Most people who try and replay it can't get past the first level so they write it off, but the game goes through a unique pattern at the time were you scale upward to the top of the mountain, then you play in a mini Zelda like dungeon. Then in the final level when you are fully upgraded you play through an awesome horizontal s'hump.

It was pretty unique in its time, it is just a really difficult game.

It just never got a Super NES follow up like Metroid did, otherwise it would have stayed in gamers vernacular the same way Metroid has.
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sainta



Joined: 21 Feb 2011
Posts: 989
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:23 am Reply with quote
Isn't Persona 2 the one that has.... how should I say it... the game has spoiler[Hitler as the bad guy!]
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4342
Location: New York
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 11:39 am Reply with quote
The mobile gaming dilemma is one that does fascinate me. Mostly because the gap is narrowing far quicker than the conventional gaming system life cycle. Three years ago, the original iPhone could handle at best Genesis level games. Now the 4S is running Grand Theft Auto III perfectly. Imagine what the new iPad or the iPhone 5 will do. A conventional handheld cannot keep up.

What I'm hoping to see more of are ways to control the tablet/phone via external devices to avoid those thorny control issues.
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malvarez1



Joined: 17 Nov 2008
Posts: 1604
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 11:41 am Reply with quote
I'm getting Armored Core V and Kid Icarus.....eventually.
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Dessa



Joined: 14 Jul 2004
Posts: 4438
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 11:45 am Reply with quote
sainta wrote:
Isn't Persona 2 the one that has.... how should I say it... the game has spoiler[Hitler as the bad guy!]


From what I understand, that was in Innocent Sin, which, supposedly, was what kept it from originally being released in the US.


My concern, more, with a Persona 5, is Igor. He can't not be voiced, and I dunno if I'd want them to cast someone new.
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superdry



Joined: 07 Jan 2012
Posts: 1309
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 12:02 pm Reply with quote
Todd - Thanks for the title of this weeks column. It reminded me of the terrible localized name for Gunbird and Castle of Shikigami that XS Games brought over here.

Beatdigga wrote:
Imagine what the new iPad or the iPhone 5 will do. A conventional handheld cannot keep up.


The Vita pretty much has as much or more power than the new iPAD since it's using a quad-core CPU with, I think, the same quad-core GPU as Apple's A5X chip. But, you're right...handhelds can't keep up with smartphones/tablets because the lifecycle is different (new and more powerful chips come out every year).


edit: clarity.


Last edited by superdry on Wed Mar 14, 2012 1:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Primus



Joined: 01 Mar 2006
Posts: 2757
Location: Toronto
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 12:13 pm Reply with quote
The only reason Sakaguchi and Mistwalker are making iOS games are likely because they can't afford to develop on any other platform. From some of the things that have been said about them, the games he's making on iOS aren't exactly Blue Dragon/Last Story follow ups in quality, but rather social games. They got to where they were by making games on the wrong hardware. First the bet on the 360, which was laughable, but at least Microsoft was footing the bill for the most part. Then they bet on the Wii, which again was laughable.

Beatdigga wrote:
The mobile gaming dilemma is one that does fascinate me. Mostly because the gap is narrowing far quicker than the conventional gaming system life cycle. Three years ago, the original iPhone could handle at best Genesis level games. Now the 4S is running Grand Theft Auto III perfectly. Imagine what the new iPad or the iPhone 5 will do. A conventional handheld cannot keep up.

What I'm hoping to see more of are ways to control the tablet/phone via external devices to avoid those thorny control issues.


Actually, traditional handhelds can keep up specifically due to the throw away nature of cellphones. Apple, Samsung, HTC, Sony, etc. constantly release annual revisions of their products with increased capabilities. While this sounds like it would actually further send handhelds to the grave, it doesn't. The problem comes from the fact that if you're a developer you're not going to want to aim for the smallest piece of the pie (the newest model) while ignoring the overwhelming majority of the userbase.

There's also technical issues that'll give the handheld platforms a couple of years on the cellphones. PlayStation Vita's internals are basically cellphone parts, and will be in cellphones soon. But this doesn't mean you'll get PlayStation Vita-esque visuals from your phone. Largely because phones run extensive operating systems which draw way too many resources which means a Vita and a phone may have the same specs, but game performance will still be in Vita's favour.

Lastly, and more importantly it comes down to games. Smart phone gaming pioneered the $1.99 or less pricing structure. Which is fine for an indie game that was just a labour of love from some dude in his basement. But it's not exactly fine for the likes of Square Enix, Konami, or Rockstar. You'll never see any of them develop say, an exclusive Kingdom Hearts game on the level of Birth By Sleep, or Dream Drop Distance for iOS and Android simply because the pricing structure doesn't support those kind of games.

The question now lays in what the consumer is willing to support. There is a marked difference between handheld and smartphone gaming, from the above mentioned issues, to those of control (physical buttons vs. touch screen buttons) and more. I don't think handheld gaming is dead. I think casual experience titles on handhelds may be.

sainta wrote:
Isn't Persona 2 the one that has.... how should I say it... the game has spoiler[Hitler as the bad guy!]


Persona 2 was split into two games on PS1, Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. The person you're talking about appeared in Innocent Sin, which was released on PSP last year in Japan, and North America.

superdry wrote:
The Vita pretty much as much or power power than the new iPAD since it's using a quad-core CPU with, I think, the same quad-core GPU as Apple's A5X chip. But, you're right...handhelds can't keep up with smartphones/tablets because the lifecycle is different (new and more powerful chips come out every year).


Vita has a quad core CPU, the new iPad (ugh that name) has a dual core one.

Because the Vita is using cellphone parts, Sony could theoretically release revisions using the updated chip standards, but I'm expecting them not to. They'll be using the fact that those chips are in cellphones as a way to slash the price of Vita as component prices on it drop like a rock.
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superdry



Joined: 07 Jan 2012
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 12:48 pm Reply with quote
Primus wrote:

superdry wrote:
The Vita pretty much as much or power power than the new iPAD since it's using a quad-core CPU with, I think, the same quad-core GPU as Apple's A5X chip. But, you're right...handhelds can't keep up with smartphones/tablets because the lifecycle is different (new and more powerful chips come out every year).


Vita has a quad core CPU, the new iPad (ugh that name) has a dual core one.


Which is what I stated - "since it's using a quad-core CPU." I'm not 100% sure if the VITA and the new iPAD use the same PowerVR GPU.
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Primus



Joined: 01 Mar 2006
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Location: Toronto
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 1:37 pm Reply with quote
Ah, sorry about that. I misunderstood you as saying both had the same CPU.
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superdry



Joined: 07 Jan 2012
Posts: 1309
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 1:41 pm Reply with quote
Primus wrote:
Ah, sorry about that. I misunderstood you as saying both had the same CPU.


Yea...and I totally mistyped the beginning of my original post. So, understandable you misunderstood.
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:17 pm Reply with quote
Giraud: Truly a shame we lost such a wellspring of talent as his. To be honest, I wasn't that familiar with him until I looked his info up and realized just how influential this man truly was in the science fiction realm.

Persona 2 EP: Well it's nice to see the Persona series come full circle. Now the U.S. can fully enjoy all the numbered games in the series. Even though we did get the original PS version of EP, I have no doubt of the PSP version coming, just to be fair to all owners of said system who can enjoy them all. It's a great series (and I still need to play Innocent Sin myself).

Code of Princess:
Quote:
In fact, Code of Princess even has a similar versus mode, one where players can control all sorts of characters from the regular game, including hideous demon-bosses and everyday townspeople.


What really? That's both pretty unusual and interesting at the same time. Townspeople beating up demon-bosses would make for one unique bit of combat craziness, as if to say they're tired of being the standard extras who end up having their homes destroyed or their lives taken all the time. Anime hyper

Chaos Rings 2: I'm almost done with the original Chaos Rings (I know, I should have finished it over a year ago). I've been looking forward to this sequel, as I heard the prequel they released was pretty lame and barebones by comparison. This is actually one of the best RPGs you can play on iPhones and iPads that has a feasibly interesting and well-written story. The trailer had me wondering just what's been happening since the first game's events.

As for mobile gaming as a whole, I think it's a great market really. It's not taking business away from anyone, it's simply offering people who are frequent phone gamers more venues. It's not like we all have the wages to buy every current console and handheld plus games for both, right? Heck, putting Mega Man X on the iPhone was a very intelligent decision. It gives everyone a chance to enjoy one of the greatest SNES games ever made (though I know the way it looks bothers some people).

Kid Icarus Uprising: I saw what you did there in the annotation. I think it's about time for Pit to make his major resurgence into the gaming world (I suppose you could count Brawl to a degree, but it's not his game and that was more akin to blatant fan pandering). The trailers show off some great gameplay and the voice acting sounds great. I have a good measure of hope for this one.

Ninja Gaiden 3: I almost wish I gave a crap about the Ninja Gaiden series enough to find those infamous references to the Chrono and Xeno games.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4342
Location: New York
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:27 pm Reply with quote
superdry wrote:

Beatdigga wrote:
Imagine what the new iPad or the iPhone 5 will do. A conventional handheld cannot keep up.


The Vita pretty much as much or power power than the new iPAD since it's using a quad-core CPU with, I think, the same quad-core GPU as Apple's A5X chip. But, you're right...handhelds can't keep up with smartphones/tablets because the lifecycle is different (new and more powerful chips come out every year).


Exactly. That's the thing. The Vita components, NOW are new and shiny. In 2 years, they'll be powering mid-tier Boost Mobile phones. And a game console life cycle these days is at least double that. Now,add in the lack of need for brick and mortar distribution, and you have the foundation for something that will change the industry. Maybe not in one year, but in 2-3, who knows?
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 7163
Location: Another Kingdom
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 2:29 pm Reply with quote
By the way, the 3DS is a big success. According to IGN, the 3DS, in its first year, has outdone the original DS in its first year: 4.5 million systems sold, 9 million games sold, and $1.2 billion made for the 3DS. By comparison, in the DS's first year, there were 2.7 million systems sold, 5 million games sold, and $540 million made. Bear in mind that the DS is the second best-selling system of all time, closely behind the PlayStation 2. The 3DS had some really big shoes to fill, and if those numbers are a sign of things to come, the shoes are going to explode before long.

The 3DS indeed had a rough start, but that was due to it lacking games that had mass market appeal. Monster Hunter 3D rocketed the 3DS up to prominence in Japan, and Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land did the same for America.

I cannot say the same for the Vita though. I hope the Vita also gets some really marketable games, but so far, it lacks games with mass market appeal like the 3DS ones above. It has some games with heart, like Gravity Rush, but those are complicated to play and will never become mainstream the way Smash Bros. and Pokémon have become.
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Primus



Joined: 01 Mar 2006
Posts: 2757
Location: Toronto
PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:15 pm Reply with quote
Beatdigga wrote:
superdry wrote:

Beatdigga wrote:
Imagine what the new iPad or the iPhone 5 will do. A conventional handheld cannot keep up.


The Vita pretty much as much or power power than the new iPAD since it's using a quad-core CPU with, I think, the same quad-core GPU as Apple's A5X chip. But, you're right...handhelds can't keep up with smartphones/tablets because the lifecycle is different (new and more powerful chips come out every year).


Exactly. That's the thing. The Vita components, NOW are new and shiny. In 2 years, they'll be powering mid-tier Boost Mobile phones. And a game console life cycle these days is at least double that. Now,add in the lack of need for brick and mortar distribution, and you have the foundation for something that will change the industry. Maybe not in one year, but in 2-3, who knows?


Which is fine for Sony since that'll mean costs will bottom out. I already told you that a phone with the same specs as Vita doesn't mean it can run the same software Vita does. There are economic, and technical issues preventing that.

Will smartphones and tablets surpass Vita technically speaking eventually? Yes, just as PCs have surpassed consoles. Closed platforms have that problem, but offer benefits for being so. A person who bought a Vita on day 1 will have the same experience as the person who buys a Vita 4 years from now, and that isn't always a bad thing.

As well, Vita offers every single game as digital downloads from PlayStation Store. I mean every single game. It's a developer requirement. Yes, you have to buy expensive proprietary memory, but you'd be a fool to think that won't go down in price.

Lastly, with Sony's purchase of Sony Ericsson, I guarantee you there will be a phone that actually does run Vita software eventually. Sony's PlayStation Suite Android platform which launches later this year is testing that out with PSP, PS1, and original indie software.
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Beatdigga



Joined: 26 Oct 2003
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:14 pm Reply with quote
And the day you get a PSPhone that's not a second rate machine, but actually more akin to Vita and its ilk will be a grand day. That is the far future, though. I just don't see it killing mobile gaming, forcing to adapt sure, but not kill. I mean, if Nintendo makes a 3DS sequel machine with the phone option ala iPhone/iPod Touch, do you not think most of the populace will be all over that to play exclusive Nintendo games that you can't get on a Samsung?

Either way, it means that mobile gaming will increase in reach and hopefully complexity. Quite a way up fron Snake, wouldn't you say?
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