Posts Tagged ‘3DS’

I admit I had my worries going revisiting such an iconic moment of my past. While it doesn’t sit as my favourite Zelda title The Ocarina of Time was none the less hugely significant to me. It opened up new opportunities of what the new third dimension of gaming could do and, perhaps more importantly, it was a magical adventure. Now, as a jaded adult, I feared that a rehash of the classic title would lose what made it so special.

How could a fifteen year old game remain relevant today?

Truthfully part of me hoped that playing The Ocarina of Time would inspire bile in me, that it would draw from me some hateful vitriol of how Nintendo lazily rehash their old titles, and how this one didn’t even have the decency to pretend to be a new game. I wanted my years of tolerance at re-buying the Kyoto based giant’s classic titles to finally reach breaking point, to snap with an amusing display of anger that this was a shameless cash in on the nostalgia of the weak willed. And I could, I could find all the reasons here to justify the rant, to completely tear this remake asunder but I don’t want to, because it is still wonderful.

It is just the right mix of old and new. Updates to the game’s visuals are clear for anyone to see, and to be clear the system’s 3D capability is the least of these improvements. Graphically the game manages to look almost exactly as I remember it, which is to say it manages the truly remarkable trick of looking like something that never existed. Years have coloured my memories, making the game seem far more than it ever was. I project my emotions on to the characters, stretch and morph their blank faces in my mind in to something that was never there, breathing more life in to them than the N64 ever could. But on the 3DS it exists, the expression and emotions that were in my head (along with details to the environment) bloom in to life, erasing the possible disappointment of reality clashing with memory.

Every second felt as fresh as the first time I experienced it.

Improvements to the controls and the navigation are also present, adding just enough convenience to the old system of constantly switching inventory items to prevent menu navigation feeling clunky. Originally the Zelda The Ocarina of Time achieved a lot with its control, camera and lock-on systems. It is testament to the quality of the games original design that still the camera controls still hold up well and that many titles continue to crib from the games lock-on. If there were to have been any Achilles heel it would be the menu navigation, due to the many advances that have been made in the last fifteen years by so many other titles. Ocarina of Time manages to dodge this issue though by making use of 3DS’s second screen. By adding bindable ‘soft buttons’ to the lower screen short cuts can be created allowing fast access to more items, alleviating limitations that may have existed and allowing the game a contemporary (if not cutting edge) feel.

It was the music that really touched me and caused the memories and emotions to come rushing back.

But it is not really what has improved that plucked at my heartstrings (or I more accurate blew through my heart’s holes) it was the music. My lack of musical aptitude is well noted within the contents of DoFuss, I couldn’t even tell you if changes have been made to Ocarina’s audio, what I do know is that it is how I remember it. Heart warming, evocative and beautiful, just hearing the Bolero of Fire sent me back to the first time I heard it and to the feeling of excitement and joy it inspired. Sound is primitive, instinctive, and in this case perfect.

It is hard for me not to lavish praise and love on Zelda The Ocarina of Time 3DS. It isn’t because of its history or it’s importance to gaming, but because every second I play this game, even now at thirty-one years old, feels as incredible as when I played it at sixteen years old.

I understand people’s pain at Capcom’s recent announcement that they are canning Mega Man Legends 3 for 3DS. The original PSone games were fan favourites, and by all accounts an incredibly good RPG. Legends 2 left the story unfinished and the anticipation for a conclusion has now been building for ten years. When the third chapter was announced in September of last year the patient devotees were obviously overjoyed so have it now snatched from their grasp seems, frankly, cruel.

Don't hold your breath on this getting a revival now Inafune is gone from Capcom.

Mega Man Legends 3’s cancelation is especially unexpected as the game was already well underway. This combined with Capcom’s almost complete lack of scrutiny of their recent Mega Man titles (the twenty-four year old character currently possess one hundred games to his name many of which are iffy), makes the deletion of this game from existence almost unfathomable to passionate gamers.

Perhaps if we take a step back from the passion of the situation Legends 3’s unfortunately fate would seem more understandable, though no more palatable. Capcom is of course primarily a business, and on a financial level Mega Man Legends 3 is unappealing. RPG’s have always been a huge sink of recourses; they are long games with a lot of content and they take a significant amount of man-hours to produce. Then of course account there is the 3DS platform it was destined to adorn, with it lower than expected install base no doubt affecting any projected sales expectations.

I was interested to see how a big name fan favorite would fair, unfortunately Capcom didn't want to satisfy my curiosity.

The final and perhaps key element of course is that fans of the game, while vocal, are limited. Indeed I suspect that many at Capcom never wanted Legends 3 to enter production, but the influential producer Inafune probably used his clout to push it through. His subsequent resignation from the company then probably gave the moneymen a chance to cut their losses before any further investment was made. Basically for a time the greatest Mega Man supporter ran the company who produced it, and thus forced it into existence for the 100,000 or so people who could be consider fans of the series (that is how many copies the second game sold). Once Inafune left Capcom pulled Legends 3’s life support, and they were happy to see it die.

It sucks, I won’t pretend it doesn’t, but fans getting bent out of shape simply have to see this for what it is, a wise business move. The money it would make simply not justify Mega Man Legends 3’s existence. While it MAY recoup the cash they invest, Capcom could easily pump out another set of three Battle Network titles in the same time for half the money while cashing on the Battle Network’s current and proven fan base. Ultimately, I am sure Capcom knows good business and if they think they think Legends 3 won’t make money they are probably right. But that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have been a great game, or that we have to be happy about their decision.

It has been a while since I did one of these link posts, and if all you do is follow me on DoFuss you could be easily mistaken for thinking that something horrible has happened to me — especially if you are still waiting for the last DoFuss Show (believe it or not it is still planned). I checked back the other day and I have posted alarmingly little in the past six months despite previous promises of increased content.

I will not make excuses, but my life has been turbulent and my attention drawn away from the site by my search for work and my writing for other sites. In truth though for all of this I have had more than enough time on my hands, and can’t really place how I wasted it all.

Things have been changing though. Firstly the number of sites I now contribute to has grown, now including Games Jobs Japan, a site set up by gaming recruitment agency Interactive Selection to help place foreign workers in Japan. On top of this, while my furious hunt for work has met with a number of refusals recently I have at least been responding to follow up emails and even a few interviews.

A change came for me last week though as I realised that, in order to really get my first foot on the ladder of gaming employment, a bit more direct experience was need. So I joined the Train2Game design course. This two to three year is specifically constructed to help its pupils train for work in the industry. Backed by TIGA, and supported by a range of other gaming institutions, the design course I am on is set to give me a basic grounding in the skills I need to enter the production side of the industry.

But I don’t intend to rest on my laurels or let DoFuss fall to the way side, yes I will be busy studying… and writing… and hopefully working… but my love for this little site endures. With that in mind the direction is to shift slightly. My hope for the next few months is to post daily, but with a more eclectic range of topics (with gaming remaining at the core). The plan is to add news that catches my eye, links to my other writings, diary entries about my course and, on occasion, the kind of musings you have come to expect from DoFuss.

So starting soon, maybe tomorrow, expect DoFuss to get busier. Until then (like you can’t wait) below are links to everything you may have missed since my last link post, just to prove I have been keeping myself out of trouble. Also, for the record these big link posts may look lazy but they are a pain in the arse to do, so this will (thankfully) be the last one.

Scared Gamer Reviews- DJ Hero 2, Super Meat Boy, Braid (PS3), Dr Kawashima, Costume Quest, Dead Space 2, Dead Space Extraction, Dead Rising 2, Dead Rising Case West, Stacking, Pilotwings Resort, Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Portal 2, Steel Diver, Gatling Gears, Beyond Good and Evil HD, InFamous 2.

Reporting Gamer Previews - Yoostar 2, Ninja Gaiden 3, Serious Sam 3: BFE, Catherine, SSX: Deadly Descents, Rayman Origins, Ridge Racer Unbounded, Orcs Must Die, Prey 2, Blood Rayne Betrayal, The Darkness 2, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine, Call of Juarez: The Cartel, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, Track Mania 2: Canyon, Alice Madness Returns, Soul Calibur 5, Hunted the Demons Forge, UFC Personal Trainer, Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City, Wii Exerbeat, Red Johnson Chronicles, Dark Souls, Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Silver Earring, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Solider, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Child of Eden, Anarchy Reigns, Star Wars Kinect.

Game People Podcast - Alan Wake, Stacking, Flower, Uncharted Series, LA Noire.

Reviews – LA Noire, Faery Legends of Avalon, Soldnerx 2: The Final Prototype – The Last Chapter, Mircobot, Zeit, Spare Parts, Hard Corps: Uprising, Nintendo 3DS, Pilotwings Resort, Super Street Fighter 4: 3D Edition, Nintendogs and Cats, Steel Diver, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Strania: The Stella Machina, Ghostbusters Sanctum of Slime, The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile.

Previews – Bullet Storm.

Articles and Interviews – Nine Things to Remember About Japanese Business Culture, Interview with Q-Games Ariel Angelotti, Interview with Q-Games Jaymin Kessler.

Life may be busy but that hasn’t stopped us here at DoFuss, so here for your entertainment is the latest show. If you have been counting (and I don’t know why you would have been) you may have noticed this is the thirtieth show since we rebooted last year, which makes it as old as us, kind of.

With E3 coverage drawing to a close Darren and I dedicated this show to looking back on the announcements that caught our shared eye. Of course Move, Kinect and 3DS dominated discussion but we also indulge in some of the games that stood out to us, such as the beautiful Journey and Lost in Shadow. And we like Pierce Brosnan.

Enjoy and check back later this month for the second anniversary of the DoFuss Show.

The DoFuss Show – Some thoughts on E3 and Pierce Brosnan. [ 59:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download