Archive for December, 2009

Can Sony Keep Up The Momentum In 2010?

2009 was a year that brought Sony much fortune. Not only did the PS3 see better sales for multiplatform titles, but Sony had some AMAZING exclusives. With 2010 a heartbeat away, the big question is, can Sony keep up their momentum going into the new year/decade?

2008 was a year that left many wondering if Sony would be able to stay in the console market, and if they did, if it would ever be profitable. In 2008 the PlayStation 3 sold 9,834,896 units, where as the Xbox 360 sold 10,721,440 units. Although Sony sold a decent amount of consoles, the gap between the 360 and PS3 was steadily growing wider and wider. There was also the case of multiplatform titles.

In 2008, Call of Duty: World at War and Grand Theft Auto were released on both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. The PS3 version of World at War sold 2,390,870 copies, which seems decent; however, the 360 version sold 4,120,691 copies. Many may argue that it is the superiority of Xbox Live that leads to 360 dominating in the FPS market, but regardless, the PS3 was smoked. Also, Grand Theft Auto IV sales perpetuated this even more so. The PS3 version sold 5,245,155 copies compared to the 360’s 6,620,807 copies. These two games showed the difference in user bases, and it showed that the PlayStation 3 needed some sort of miracle to keep the divide in sales from growing larger.

2009 started off looking like it would be a continuation of 2008. The first 5 months of the year were not an indicator of much (due to sluggish releases and decreased sales). However, E3 would be where PlayStation hopefuls would have to pray for their miracle. Around the time of E3, rumors were out in full force for the PlayStation brand. Not only did rumors fly around about a new handheld, but rumors were in full force about a newer slim model of the PlayStation 3, much like the slim iteration of the PlayStation 2. Although E3 brought no slim PS3 announcement, it showed the strength of the PlayStation 3’s upcoming releases. The game announcements showed that Sony would be going into the second half of 2009 strong, and there would be no stop to this momentum in 2010. Despite the strong release schedule, sales of the PlayStation 3 were still not spectacular.

At Gamescom in Germany, Sony finally made the announcement that fans had been waiting for. Kaz Hirai announced the PS3 Slim, available the first week of September, as well as a price reduction that would be effective immediately. This announcement would be what would start the shift into stronger sales figures. PlayStation 3 sales from the first week of September to the 19th of December were 6,739,473, and the Xbox 360 sold 4,303,837. Each week since that announcement, PlayStation 3 has outsold the Xbox 360 on total sales. Also, this would mark the first year that the PlayStation 3 was able to outsell the Xbox 360 (11,085,752 to 8,959,566). This had an even larger impact because Microsoft gave the Xbox 360 a price reduction as well. Also, multiplatform sales have seen an improvement as well.

In 2008, multiplatform games were selling substantially worse on the PS3 than the 360. 2009 brought Sony improved sales on multiplatform games. Assassin’s Creed II (to Dec 19) has sold 2,106,681 copies on the PlayStation 3 and has sold 2,381,845 on 360. Also, Modern Warfare 2, the biggest release of the year, saw 5,284,868 sales on PS3 where as the 360 sold 7,830,333 units. Although the 360 still outsells the PS3 on multiplatform sales, the PlayStation 3 is catching up on lost ground. Speculation led many to believe that Modern Warfare 2 would sell 2:1 in favor of the 360. These sales show that the PlayStation 3 is gaining more ground with multiplatform releases.

Sony ended 2009 with a huge bang, but the question of what will 2010 bring for the PlayStation 3 still looms over our heads. 2010 is the first time in my memory in which I can remember a huge start to the year as far as game releases. With Bioshock II and Bayonetta coming first thing, it will be interesting to see how they sell comparatively. March will also be a huge month, with Final Fantasy XIII releasing, it will be interesting to see if the PlayStation 3 will sell more units. If Microsoft manages to sell more, then that could be a huge blow to Sony in 2010. Also, with MAG, Heavy Rain, and God of War III it looks like Sony should have no problem selling more consoles in 2010. Although all we can do right now is speculate, it should be an exciting year, not only for Sony, but for gaming in general. 2010 should leave us all with empty wallets.

Views: 349

New Dragon Age: Origins DLC Gets a Release Date

Sort of, anyway.  You’re in luck if you play on the PC or the Xbox 360, because the first DLC for Dragon Age: Origins since release – “Return to Ostagar” – will be available for download on January 5, 2010.  If you own the game on the PS3, you’ll unfortunately have to wait a bit longer, until “late January”, if all goes well.

Needless to say, this piece of DLC will allow you to return to the fortified town of Ostagar (or what’s left of it) for the first time since that fateful day early in your adventure to save Ferelden from the Darkspawn.  There will be new treasures to find – including armor and weapons of kingly build, as well as new dangers to tackle and, of course, new dialog and story elements that go along with it.

If you’ve already completed the game, you can load your post-game save and visit Ostagar from there, or, if you’re just starting up, you can revisit as soon as the world map opens up to you.  Again, it’ll be available for the PC and Xbox 360 on January 5 for 400 Microsoft points or $5.

Views: 46

Claim Your *kweh* Chocobo Avatar Pets!

Microsoft and Square-Enix gave us a task, if we chose to accept it, to do some advertising for them and the upcoming Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII.  If you signed up on Microsoft’s site and retweeted a special message about FFXIII, you were going to receive a snazzy little chocobo avatar pet.  Just yesterday it seems the e-mails went out, so if you were on board with that whole retweet spam sponsored by Microsoft, you will likely have an e-mail with a code to download the cute little yellow bird.  If you didn’t, it’s likely you missed having your own chocobo for good, as this was only a limited time promotion.

But hey, you can have all the chocobos you want come March 9, 2010, when FFXIII officially releases in North America and Europe for both the PS3 and Xbox 360.  So, mark your calendars!  Kweh!

Views: 192

DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2009!

Welcome to the 1st Annual DualShockers Games of the Year Awards 2009! To conclude this year, we have 11 awards to give away to a whole host of the best (and worst) games of 2009. However, our awards may be a bit different from what you see everywhere else. The categories are: Sexiest Female Character, Sexiest Male Character (we had to), Best Multiplayer Game, Best Graphics, Worst Graphics, Worst Plot, Best Downloadable Title/DLC, Best Exclusive Game, Biggest Let Down, and our pick for 2009’s Game of the Year. Uncharted 2 lead all titles with 5 Nominations, and there’s also a surprising winner for biggest let down of 2009. Make sure to also check out our bonus award for our most anticipated title of 2010. Also, make sure to celebrate (or cry about) your titles winnings or losses in the comments section! Enjoy the awards, we know we did!

1) Sexiest Female Character

And The Nominees Are:

Harley Quin – Batman: Arkham Asylum

Lucy Stillman – Assassin’s Creed 2

Chloe Frazer – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

And the Winner for the Sexiest Female Character of 2009  is….

Chloe Frazer !!!

This sexy little femme fatale has had gamers from all around the world wrapped around her little finger. Yes, the time for “raiding tombs” has peaked – step up… Chloe Frazer! That’s right! Our first award for the year goes to Uncharted 2’s latest leading lady! Here at DualShockers we applaud voice actress Claudia Black and the hardworking game designers at Naughty Dog for creating not only the sexiest virtual woman we’ve encountered this year, but one of the deepest – most three-dimensional character’s we’ve seen this gaming generation. Commiserations to the talented (and equally as sexy) Kristen Bell and every mentally ill boys’ pin-up, Harley Quinn – but this year Uncharted 2 becomes the first title to scoop the frosty ice-cream of achievement into their glorious bowl of victory. A poor joke? Some may laugh, others may criticize – but what do you all care! You’re all probably Google searching her right now, ready to fap away.

2) Sexiest Male Character (yes, we went there):

And The Nominees Are:

Nathan Drake – Uncherted 2: Among Thieves

Chris Redfield – Resident Evil 5

Super Mario – Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games

And the Winner for the Sexiest Male Character of 2009 is….

Super Mario !!!

Who’d have thought it, eh? Who’d have guessed that an aging, over-weight Italian plumber, rehashed to battle fantastical creatures in a sports venue would actually “take home the gold” for our second award? I’d imagine not you, but you better believe it! Whilst this was the closest category we had this year (with Chris Redfield missing out by a whisker), it seems DualShockers is proudly saying “frak you” to the perfectly handsome, chiseled and witty man of yesteryear – and are opting to support exactly what Super Mario stands for. Yes, he may be short – and he may indeed be irritating to anyone over the age of nine, but the amount of joy he has brought to gamers in all walks of life is something far “sexier” than all those other materialistic things this world has to offer. Well done Mario, SEGA and Nintendo - keep up with the big boys!

3) Best Multiplayer Game

And The Nominees Are:

Left 4 Dead 2 – Valve

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Infinity Ward

Borderlands – Gearbox

And The Winner of the Best Multiplayer Game of 2009 is…

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 !!!

Congratulations Infinity Ward and Activison, you’ve hit the nail on the head once again! If you haven’t heard of COD – where have you been? The biggest selling, most highly anticipated title of “all time” stormed shelves late this year in November, making GTA IV’s multi-million success look like child’s-play! Yes, it may be true that many people complained – stating that Modern Warfare 2 was so grandiose in scale and budget that it lost the entertainment value held dear by many of Call of Duty 4’s beloved, worldwide fans. Well, with a landslide amount of votes it is clear to say that DualShockers have crowned Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 the king of the multiplayer games this year. With improved graphics, physics, gameplay, perks, weapons and AI to name but a few – make sure this is on your pick up list, as we can guarantee you’ll be hearing a lot from it in 2010.

4) Best Graphics 0f 2009

And the Nominees Are:

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Naughty Dog

Killzone 2 – Guerrila Games

Batman: Arkham Asylum – Rocksteady Studios

And the Winner for Best Graphics of 2009 is …

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Another tough call – but the fantastically realistic Uncharted 2 picks up its second award from DualShockers this year! With some of the best character models and in-game animations we’ve seen, combined with fantastic environments and superb lighting effects in both the night-time and sunny sequences – Naughty Dog once again pip many other solid titles to the post. Whilst Killzone 2 and Batman: Arkham Asylum were graphically great in their own right, other factors were taken into account (such as frame rates and cut scenes being graphically equivalent to that of the in-game visuals) making Uncharted 2 this year’s best looking title. PS3 owners, now is the time to party!

5) Worst Graphics 0f 2009

And the Nominees Are:

SAW: The Video Game – Zombie Studios

Blood Bowl – Cyanide

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising – Codemasters

And the Winner for Worst Graphics of 2009 is…

SAW: The Video Game

What’s that SAW? You want to play a game? Well I hope it’s not your game – because you’ve just won the award for the Worst Looking Game of 2009! You’ve even lost out to Blood Bowl – and that looks like crap as well! While we recognize you did your best to ‘capture’ the ‘essence’ of the SAW movies, you completely forgot that this is the seventh generation of gaming we’re all playing! We live in an era of “High Definition” where millions of pixels are utilized to present crystal clear, realistic graphical depictions of life. Therefore, giving gamers environments consisting of three dark brown colors blotchily scraped together isn’t exactly our idea of “next gen.” You even have that irritating syndrome where you walk into a wall, and suddenly it all becomes one color with no detail on it whatsoever! WHY!? With a unanimous landslide in the voting arena, DualShockers deem SAW suitable for the PS2. It hurts to say this – we don’t like being the bad guys, you tried and really that’s all that matters. Maybe you should have just stopped half way through and taken a quick look at how you were doing so far? … Then maybe go back to the drawing board… then maybe just stick to the films…

6) Worst Plot in a Game in 2009

And The Nominees Are:

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand – Swordfish Studios

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Infinity Ward

Section 8 – SouthPeak Studios

And The Winner for Worst Plot in a Game for 2009 is …

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

Hey look, it’s 50 Cent! He’s cool, he’s muscular – what a role model for teenagers all around the world. Hahaha – and no Kanye you little whippersnapper, he doesn’t preach that he’s the genius voice of a generation – he just raps, pulls all the ladies and then rides off in his chariot made of gold…. or so we thought! Yes, the award for ‘Worst Plot in a Game’ goes, without a shadow of a doubt, to 50 Cent’s ridiculous Blood on the Sand. For anyone that’s played the game and taken a few moments to review the storyline, do you find yourself saying ‘what were they thinking!?’ I hope so. Good old fiddy’ is out with his band G-Unit, giving the crowds what they want in his latest sell-out tour. After the gig, he is saddened to discover that he can’t be paid actual money, but instead settles for an Indiana Jones-esque Crystal Skull. It didn’t work in Indiana Jones, and it certainly doesn’t work here! Who the hell would offer a Crystal Skull anyway? And why would 50 Cent accept it!? Nevertheless, things go from bad to worse for 50 Cent as the skull gets stolen by an evil organization and what follows is a rampage through many Middle-Eastern locations, killing thousands of soldiers in an attempt to retrieve it. So… what else is there to say? Well done 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. You won something… kind of. Oh but at least the dialogue is good! I mean – we love listening to 50 Cent pointing out the obvious ‘… Oh no! That bitch stole my skull!’ Classic.

7) Best Downloadable Title/DLC of 2009

And The Nominees Are:

GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony – Rockstar Games

Flower – That Game Company

Fat Princess – Titan Studios

And The Winner For Best Downloadable Title/DLC of 2009 is…

Flower !!!

Well done Flower! Blending the concept of nature and gaming together, ThatGameCompany hit the jackpot with their exclusive February release. The brilliant reviews and raving hype were completely justified, as Flower really is the ‘Best Downloadable Title of 2009.’ Whilst fighting against strong competition with our other nominees (Fat Princess and GTA: TBOGT both being fantastic titles) – the utilization of the PS3’s axial movement, and combination of unique and innovative gameplay means that Flower is the best 10 bucks you’ll ever spend.

8 ) Best Exclusive Game 0f 2009

And The Nominees Are:

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Naughty Dog

Left 4 Dead 2 – Valve

New Super Mario Bros Wii – Nintendo EAD

Halo 3: ODST – Bungie

Killzone 2 – Guerilla Games

And The Winner of The Best Exclusive Title of 2009 is …

Left 4 Dead 2

Marginally leapfrogging Uncharted 2 in a race for our ‘Best Exclusive Game of 2009’, Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2 is a fantastic, unique and rewarding title, that entertains copious amounts of audiences and really justifies what exactly you are paying for with Xbox Live. We felt it was a game you not only needed to play, but one you had to experience. To players of the original Left 4 Dead game, this may seem nothing more than an enhancement on the original formula (not necessarily a bad thing), but to newcomers it will feel like the best thing since sliced bread. The inclusion of melee weapons, updated Versus and new modes such as Scavenge – Valve has ensured that their rapid year of hard work has not been spent in vain, as Left 4 Dead 2 scoops the medal for our favorite exclusive game this year!

9) Biggest Let Down of 2009

And The Nominees Are:

Halo 3: ODST – Bungie

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Infinity Ward

Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising

And The Winner of Biggest Let Down of 2009 is …

Halo 3: ODST

Some people may argue they weren’t looking forward to a majority of these nominees, but if you owned an Xbox 360 – chances are you were once more sucked into the hype surrounding the latest Halo release. With promises of the game being gorgeous looking, extremely entertaining and far more unique to play. Fans around the world were let down with Bungie Studios’ latest efforts, which arrived as barely an improvement on Halo 3 (a game made 2 years ago). There was very little original about Halo 3, so to rehash the same material in an extremely short, disappointingly mundane new package – Halo: ODST simply has to take the cake for our ‘Biggest Let Down of 2009’.

10) DualShockers Game of the Year!

The Moment You’ve All Been Waiting For…Here Are The Nominees (in no particular order):

Assassin’s Creed 2 – Ubisoft Montreal

Left 4 Dead 2 – Valve

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Naughty Dog

Killzone 2 – Guerilla Games

And The Winner of The DualShockers 2009 Video Game of The Year Awards is …

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves !!!

Congratulations to all of the fantastic nominees, but Naughty Dog achieved this year what no one else could – a refined, rich and cinematic experience with absolutely no bugs and very few persnickety flaws. Yes, even Xbox 360 “fanboys” seemed impressed by the feat pulled off by the PS3. The “visually stunning” and “perfectly handled in all areas” story of Nathan Drake, and his exploration for Marco Polo’s Chintimani stone, is one we felt deserving of every award it received, and for us this year – that makes a grand total of 3! One of the co-founders of DualShockers has this to say on just why Uncharted 2 is this year’s best game:

“Uncharted 2 takes gaming to another level in just about everything it does. Of course, just like any other game out there, originality isn’t its biggest perk; but what it does borrow from other games it improves on with brute force. And because it perfects on just about every plausible category, I would dare say that its one of the best games that I’ve embraced in my years of gaming.”                                                   – Yaris Gutierrez, DualShockers Editor-In-Chief

To read the full (double) review, just click HERE and find out more reasons why Uncharted 2 takes home the gold this year.

Congratulations Naughty Dog, you guys deserve it!

***Bonus***

11) Most Anticipated Title of 2010

And The Nominees Are:

• BioShock 2 (Xbox 360/PS3)
• God of War III (PS3)
• Fable III (Xbox 360)
• Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)
• Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox 360/PS3)
• Heavy Rain (PS3)

And our final award of the year goes to…

BioShock 2! Yes, 2K Marin’s upcoming release has got us all at DualShockers counting down the days till its arrival on store shelves! Not only is it our most anticipated game of 2010, it has been said to be one of the most anticipated games of all time! It will have a tough job on its hands beating Modern Warfare 2, but revisiting the world of Rapture through the eyes of the very first Big Daddy is something we feel no one deserves to miss out on! One final commiserations to God of War 3 – which was pipped by one deciding vote to the post on our final award this year. Nevertheless readers, stop and take a good look at all of those nominees.

With all of those titles and more to look forward to in this upcoming year – aren’t we oh so lucky?

This concludes DualShockers’ ‘Game of the Year Awards 2009.’ It has been a tough job picking and choosing our favorite titles from these past 12 months, but all we can say is a big congratulations to all nominees and winners who made it through this year! Join us again next year when we’ll be awarding more gold medals to our favorite games of 2010! Have a safe and pleasant New Year and Happy Gaming!

Views: 1578

2010: The Year of Questions

As 2009 winds down and 2010 approaches, we at DualShockers are excited about the great gaming coming this year. Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2, MAG, and countless others are preparing to launch. HALO REACH will certainly be on alot of peoples must want lists. Dead Space 2, Arkham Asylum 2, and Dead Rising 2 will make a run for game of the year. God of War 3 will indeed be epic. A year of sequels it will be.

What is a gamer to do you might ask with so many great titles to choose from? From January 2010 to December 2010, the video game industry will swamp the consumer with must have games. Question is, will everybody have the time to play them all? Can you sit one game down to play another? That multiplayer game you have been tearing up takes a back seat to the hottest title out?

We see the return of Medal of Honor, reinvented to take place in the world of today, to try and take back it’s crown from Modern Warfare as the best first person shooter series. Can it make up the ground it has lost since the original Modern Warfare took over? Can Bioshock 2 prove to be as great as it’s predecessor? These are the questions put in front of gamers for the coming year. We here at DualShockers asks you the gamer one question. What game are you most looking forward to in 2010? And do you think 2010 will outshine 2009 due to the sequels? Tell us what you think. Better get the wallet ready readers, it’s going to be a big one.

Views: 142

Trauma Team Ready To Operate

Nintendo Wii goes back to the hospital with the April release of the Trauma series, Trauma Team. As we all know, Trauma is a doctor type game, where surgeries and healing occur, and you are in the driver seat, or in this case, the one with the knife. In this genre Trauma has been a popular game for certain advocates. Basically, it is the only game of its kind. There might have been others, but none ever stood up to them.

Views: 79

Linearity in RPGs – An Exploration

Perhaps one of the most fortunate (or unfortunate, as the case may be) realities about our lives is the fact that we travel in a linear direction through time. Our lives have a beginning and a finite point; there is no changing that. We don’t have a Delorean we can charge up and race off into a different time period to influence our past and change the future (at least, not yet, right?). It’s with this in mind, it seems, that our favorite books and movies define themselves – one linear motion, each having a start and finish, regardless of their genre or plot.

Views: 249

Next Gen Guilty Gear May Be On the Way

Producer and creator of Guilty Gear Daisuke Ishiwatari has told NowGamer that he plans to be developer for a new Guilty Gear game on XBox 360 and PS3. That is extremely satisfying news to me. I’m sorry, but as a semi-fan of the series, the past few Guilty Gear games have not interested me one bit. How many times can they recycle the same graphics and gameplay, and repackage that as new. And I hope it’s not like Guilty Gear 2: Overture for XBox 360 (weird strategy game). No, I want a complete reboot to the fighting series, and it sounds like we may be close to getting it. Daisuke told NowGamer:

“What we can say about Guilty Gear is that it is not dead yet. It has not ended. I have the full intention to create Guilty Gear for PS3 and 360.”

Intention is not good enough for me. Now make it happen!

Next-Gen Guilty Gear In The Works [NowGamer]

Views: 39

Castle Crashers Super Sale

For one day only, The Behemoth’s Castle Crashers on XBox Live Arcade will have its price slashed by more than 50%. The priced has been cut from 1200 Microsoft points ($15) to 560 Microsoft points ($7). That is a steal for such a great and popular XBox Live arcade game. But remember it’s only for today, so you have until New Year’s Eve to download this game. What are you waiting for!? Go to your nearest 7-11 or whip out your credit card, and get some Microsoft points!

It’s A Good Day To Buy Castle Crashers [Kotaku]

Views: 15

Some New Rock Band DLC For You to Rock To

Whenever I hear news of Rock Band DLC heading to our digital stores, my nipples harden and I begin to hyperventilate. ‘Why,’ you ask? Simply because there are songs out there that I would love to play and probably never would; so, these kinds of DLC news is some sort of hope that the songs will evidently be made available for download. However, today isn’t one of those days.

Although there is some excitement that a new batch of songs have been prepared as DLC for you Rock Band fans, I myself am just OK with it. There’s no Tool, Slipknot or Incubus on there (damn you!), but there is some really cool music by The Psychedelic Furs, The Ramones, some previously announced Paul McCartney stuff, and Blink-182. Don’t believe me? Then here!

Blink-182 02 ($5.49/440 MS Points for the pack, $1.99/160 MS Points/200 Wii Points per song)

• “Adam’s Song”
• “First Date” +
• “I Miss You”

Single songs ($1.99/160 MS Points/200 Wii Points per song)

• The Psychedelic Furs – “Love My Way” +
• The Psychedelic Furs – “Sister Europe”
• The Ramones – “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” +

_{(“+” indicates the tracks are also downloadable and playable in Lego Rock Band)}

If anyone is familiar with Blink-182’s “Adam’s Song,” please be aware that it is one of the most suicidal songs that I’ve ever heard. Why the hell Harmonix decided to implement a song that promotes an insane amount of sorrow and self-mutilation is beyond me; but I’m pretty sure emo Rock Band players will be happy to know that this song made its way onto the track list.

The last time I played Rock Band was during the event we had almost two months ago. I’m feeling a bit rusty and am thinking about picking up my plastic guitar and getting back on my “I’m the friggin’ man” grind; which means that I will have to start buying some Rock Band DLC again. One thing’s for sure, though – there ain’t no way in hell that I’m playing through “Adam’s Song.”

Views: 28

The Vent: Card Games

Card games are like an extension to the gaming world; it is not video games, but it is still fun and enjoyable. My favorite card game of them all was Magic the Gathering. With over 10,000 different cards to collect, each edition having its own book to read, it was very time consuming. When I was a kid I went to school and bought a deck or two to play against my friends. I was not going to bring in my Sega Genesis system if that was what you were thinking. Years have passed by, I graduated, and my card games have remained the same in its true form. I wished that the card games would evolve as we would grow older, and to my surprise it did, but then again, the attempt was not as awesome as I expected it to be.

Views: 39

Are Games Better With RPG Mechanics?

No, it’s not a written-in-blood fact, it is merely my opinion – I feel that games are improved when they employ mechanics typically found in RPGs.  Warning: The following contains things that I personally consider “RPG mechanics”, your mileage may vary. This is my editorial and so you’ll have to live with what I consider RPG-based mechanics. Sound good? Okay, let’s start.

In recent years there has been quite a few mash-ups of RPG and [enter other game genre here]. Whether it be action game, platformer, first-person shooter, racing game – you name it, developers have tapped into mechanics that were once considered (mostly) RPG staples. In my opinion, these mechanics added to a title seem like the “in” thing to do these days, so everyone is doing it, however it does make those games better overall. Perhaps that is just the RPG fan in me speaking out. Also, perhaps that is why there is such confusion these days about what to put in the “RPG of the Year” categories in various web site awards and, especially, on shows like the VGAs.

So, let’s take a look at some of the recent games that have crossed paths with the RPG, and consider the horror that these titles would be without that element.

Borderlands (FPS):
If you were having a conversation with me face to face you probably wouldn’t want me to get started on this subject. I figure I’ll just get it out of the way here and now: No matter what anyone tells you and no matter what Gearbox says, Borderlands is not an RPG. It is a stylized Call of Duty with loot and a crappy story. Now, no where in there did I say it was a bad game – quite to the contrary. For a FPS game, it is pretty darn good. I actually own it, and I’m not a fan of FPS titles! I know, you’re surprised, right? I don’t have a problem with the game itself, I have an issue with labeling it as an RPG.

Take out the loot and experience and the game is a standard FPS title (although the nice visuals help it stand out, it would still be rather typical of the FPS genre). Every year in video game awards – and one show in particular, the VGAs – it seems like they have to sneak one game in there that is mostly an FPS title but just happens to have RPG elements, and this year it was Borderlands. Come on now, if you’re going to put Borderlands in that category, why not go all the way and put Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time and Forza 3 in that category as well, because they all have about the same amount of RPG elements.

Ok, rant over. The point – Borderlands minus the loot and experience system is just a standard FPS title. Possibly still fun, but I wouldn’t own it.

Assassin’s Creed II (Action-Adventure):
Another game I adore. I enjoyed the first one, even though it was highly repetitive and lacked most of the RPG elements they added the second time around. Gear upgrades – check. A (simplistic) town-building system – check. An economic system (money) – check. Looting corpses – check. The previous game had none of those, that’s why I just liked the first game and why I adore the second. Would I have purchased it without these RPG elements? Probably, but only because it isn’t an FPS title.

I would have, however, liked to see Ubisoft go a step further with the RPG side of things. In fact, it would be awesome if they took a look at Fable II and said, “Hey, what if we allowed our character to purchase properties and decorate their own houses!” Yes, that would indeed have been a cool feature of ACII. The fact remains, many of the best features of this sequel are RPG elements, without them there wouldn’t be much improvement over the first installment. Don’t even get me started on the massive amounts of side quests…oh, wait…

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time (Platformer):
Weapons leveling up via experience and side quests? Those two features scream RPG, mostly because my first ever experience with those features were, naturally, in an RPG. Your typical platformer usually doesn’t have side quests. (I’m at a loss as to which genre this game actually fits into, but I’m going to call it a platformer for the sake of diversity.) During your time spent between story segments, you’re tasked with performing various side-quests and collection tasks in the “space” areas of the game. Many of these are optional, or, if you will, side quests. Have I said that enough? This is a platformer with side-quests. That’s not a bad thing!

Mario could take a lesson from Ratchet and Clank. Imagine New Super Mario Bros. Wii with dozens of side quests you could take part in, either during or between levels. I’d love to see Nintendo tackle that one! Giving Mario customizable, upgradable lasers might not be the best idea, however. So, imagine the latest Ratchet and Clank without any of the side questing. It would be a much less robust experience. Or, basically, like Mario. (Zing! Down Nintendo fanboy, down!)

Forza Motorsport 3 (Sports/Racing):
Okay, I can understand the RPG elements in Borderlands, Assassin’s Creed II and even Ratchet and Clank. But, a racing game? C’mon, now you’re just messing with my head. In Forza 3 you actually gain experience as you race – you gain overall experience and experience per car (or manufacturer). These experience points lead to you “leveling up”. Of course, this doesn’t signify that you get more abilities, it merely opens you up to more events and some car rewards or discounts on cosmetic and performance upgrades. Still, it’s experience in a racing game!

Again, not a bad thing, just awfully odd. Next thing you know my car will be performing a limit break on the car in first place and will get disqualified for “unsportsmanlike behavior”.

These are just a few of the more recent titles that I feel benefited greatly from adding RPG elements to the game. I certainly feel the games are better for it, however I’m strongly against labeling them RPGs in any sense of the word. Borderlands is a FPS with RPG elements, Assassin’s Creed II is an action-adventure title with RPG elements, and so on. While I’m not saying a first-person style game, for example, can not also be a true RPG (look at Oblivion), I am saying that I think we need a stricter genre labeling system for these various non-standard awards we tend to hand out as an industry.

In addition to all that, I have nothing against these RPG elements in games of other genres – it definitely makes them more attractive to me. Sure, I would buy some without those elements, but then again, some I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole if they didn’t have those mechanics.

Take this article as you will, it is purely my opinion on the matter. As always, your thoughts are appreciated in the comments below.

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