The significance of ‘class’ in MMOs

EDITORIAL

I've been an avid Final Fantasy enthusiast since I was twelve years old. And, while I wish I could claim that I was a fan of the series long before the arrival of the monumental giant that is Final Fantasy VII, I really can't seeing as it was the first one in the franchise that I played. Final Fantasy VII holds a special spot in my heart not because it's what got me into the Final Fantasy series, rather because it acted as the springboard into my insatiable passion for gaming as a whole. Final Fantasy, and particularly VII, has, as strange as it sounds, shaped me into the person I am today and for that, I'm eternally grateful. That being said, it should come as no surprise then that when Final Fantasy XI (or as some call it, "that online Final Fantasy") hit store shelves the better part of a decade ago, I was indescribably excited.

At the time, I had never really played a massively multiplayer game, at least not like Final Fantasy XI. I had had a short run with Everquest and Dark Ages of Camelot, but nothing substantial. Moreover, what I had experienced in those games was almost totally irrelevant when it came to XI because of the vastly different take on the genre Square-Enix had with their online Final Fantasy. Needless to say, with not much of a point of reference, I dove into Final Fantasy online without hesitation, and while the game had its low points, at the end of the day, I felt as if the pros far outweighed the cons. Thus, for the next six years I'd have an on-again, off-again relationship with Final Fantasy XI, logging hundreds of hours, yet never actually reaching the end-game content, or even the level cap. But that didn't bother me – I had forged so many great memories in all those hours that the sentiment I found in my time as a TaruTaru White Mage was exceedingly profound and, still to this day, do I look back on my time with FFXI very fondly.

So, that being true, one can only imagine my level of energy when I heard another Final Fantasy was making its way to the MMO arena. This time, it would bear the name of the series' fourteenth installment, and would offer a more streamlined, accessible, and enjoyable experience than its sometimes too-hardcore-for-its-own-good older brother. It would resemble Final Fantasy XI in some ways, yet try to carve out its own path in another. It was to be an MMO that'd be comparable to the progress and development made in the genre since FFXI's launch, and try to more closely resemble a game that the MMO'ers of today wanted to play. And now, after having the game for about a week and clocking an impressive amount of time, I can say that I think Square-Enix have hit their mark in some aspects, and missed it in others. Though, seven days is far too little time to judge a game that has as much content as Final Fantasy XIV does, I would like to discuss a component that I believe is holding the title back from being everything it could, or even should, be.

Final Fantasy XIV is unique in a number of ways, most notably being its capacity to allow players to change their character's class on the fly. With the ability to change from one class to another by simply equipping a specific weapon, one can go from damage-dealer to healer to tank with just a few clicks of the mouse. I can only imagine Square did this to maximize the player's overall enjoyment of the product by keeping the gameplay refreshing and dynamic. After all, who doesn't want to be able to go from mage to warrior in the matter of seconds, right?

In most other MMOs on the market right now, a player begins a game by creating their character and picking a class, whether that class be an archer, assassin, necromancer, or what have you. It's often thought that picking a class in an MMO is the most difficult part of the game seeing as you will be leveling that particular avatar for hundreds, or perhaps even thousands, of hours. Players want to be sure that the class they've chosen is the one that will provide them with the most fun over their lengthy journey. MMO players usually refer to this first character as their 'main', or the one in which they will primarily be trying to understand and play the most. Their friends and guild-mates will know them by this character and will call on them in situations in which their particular 'main' is needed. That is to say if your friends are playing and need a healing character in their group and you just so happen to 'main' a healer, they will first and foremost associate you with that class and ask for your assistance given your specialty in the area of healing.

This system creates a sense of belongingness and purpose for players. And, while many hardcore MMO-players will make characters called 'alts' (secondary characters they may play when they're bored with their main or for some other specific reason), most will exclusively identify with that first, or 'main', character. So, ultimately, if the player wants to play their alternate character, they will be required to log out of the game, pick the desired avatar, and jump back into the game. Final Fantasy XIV does away with this system and allows players to change classes at the drop of a hat by merely unequipping one weapon and equipping another. In other words, if an individual chose to play as a tanking class, say a Gladiator, at the beginning, but wanted to play as a wizard later on, they could easily open their inventory, unequip their sword (the weapon that defines their Gladiator role), and equip a staff or wand to become a magic-wielding badass. Once they have changed out their weapon, they are now whatever class that uses that weapon, and are open to all the abilities and skills that that class has to offer (that was a lot of "that's"). Essentially, this system cuts out the need to log out and log back in under a different character. In theory, this sounds like the perfect idea to help streamline the experience, considering logging out and logging back in can be a hassle and a waste of time. BUT!…but, but, but, I believe the players loses something by doing this.

As I touched on earlier, I think most people like the idea of picking a class in an MMO because it gives them a sense of meaning and value. They are able to be proficient in an area that not all other players will be. This concept gives players a feeling of being a master of something – having a niche that not everyone will have. This niche of theirs will allow them to be called upon when their particular craft or trade is needed. In doing this, players are given a sense of belongingness; they feel unique and needed at times insofar as others are dependent on their trade just as they are dependent on others' areas of expertise in certain scenarios. Much like the real world, a doctor must consult a plumber when the pipes in his bathroom are not working properly, and a plumber must visit a doctor when he is ill. This system creates a balance in the world – and if you really think about it, it allows for each person to be especially proficient in one area, making them just as valuable as the next person no matter their job title. This system is put into play in nearly every MMO out there right now.

So, how does this relate to Final Fantasy XIV you ask? Well, it's simple; being able to play as any class at any time eliminates that feeling of being the master of something. Instead, players may be left feeling more like a jack-of-all-trades rather than someone who understands one particular vocation inside and out. Moreover, in this newest Final Fantasy, when you change from one profession, or class, to another, you can carry over skills from whatever class you changed from. Therefore, this makes it possible for warriors to be able to heal themselves. This design creates conflict amongst players in that those individuals, who would normally play a healing-based character, may suddenly feel as if they aren't valuable anymore. In essence, their job has been liquidated and their sense of belongingness in the game world is almost terminated completely. In other games, if you want to play as a different class, you have to actually disconnect yourself from the character you're playing by logging out. I think that by having to go through the sometimes bothersome task of logging out and back in, players are reminded which of their characters is their main one and which is their alternate. They can still feel as if their 'day job', if you will, is healing, and their part-time job is tanking with their alternate warrior character. But, by making it so easy to swap between the two, the line between their full time and part time job is almost entirely erased.

The very idea of a class, or job, in an MMO is what makes playing with friends and linking up with other players so exciting. You have a defined role in a group of people and you are responsible for something no one else is. And, at the end of the day, I think we, as humans, all want to be responsible for something. In the game world, it's no different. We want to feel special, needed, and even important. We want to be praised for a skillset we've fine-tuned to near perfection. We want to be able to express our uniqueness by the class in which we chosen to play. It takes a certain type of person to play a tanking character in an MMO, just as it takes a specific kind to play a character that does not engage in combat, but rather heal those that do. Whether if it's in the real world or the game world, we all want to feel like we are different from others – that we have qualities others don't. By giving us all the ability to excel at any class at any time takes this factor out of the equation almost entirely. What would happen if someone came to us one day and said, "I will bestow upon you the knowledge and know-how to be anything you want to be in life,"; more than likely, you would have an overcrowding of prestigious job types, making those prestigious jobs, not prestigious at all anymore. Rather, those once sought-after-by-many-but-acquired-by-only-a-few kinds of jobs wouldn't be as meaningful to society anymore. I think as soon as this happen, individuality and personality becomes uniform across the board, and we are no longer one of a kind.

I believe what makes MMOs so popular is the fact that they give players the ability to role-play a character they don't get to in real life. They can assume a position that is thoroughly opposite or entirely synonymous with their real world job. They can become proficient at something not possible by real life, and it's that sense of being bound to a duty that makes them coming back for more. Making players choose a class at the beginning of a game, that can stretch for thousands of hours, grants them the opportunity to find their niche and become well-versed in an area not all others will be. Thus, taking away a player's ability to be an individual, giving everyone the chance to be anything, actually limits what we can be in the end.

Hey, you’ve got The Killers in my Devil May Cry!

So, the question that is on everyone's mind, or should be at least, is why Dante, from the New Devil May Cry, looks like Brandon Flowers, from The Killers. See below:

And, with that, I'm not sure there's really much else to say...except maybe, "Somebody told me that you've got a boyfriend who looks like a girlfriend."

Does Fantasy end at the edge of our controllers; an assessment on the possible effects of controller genocide.

EDITORIAL

Disclaimer: Over the next few paragraphs, I will be talking about the gaming controller verses motion-controls, with Microsoft's Kinect first and foremost in mind. So, when reading this article, please remember that I may use the term motion-control loosely at times, but I am almost always talking about hands-free hardware and its effects on they way we've gamed for so long.

With the recent announcement of Steel Battalion making a comeback on Microsoft's beloved little box via Kinect capabilities, I started thinking about what had actually made Steel Battalion so popular in the first place. Back in 2002, Capcom released a game that flew under most players' radars called Steel Battalion. A Mechwarrior-inspired game at its core, Steel Battalion was a modern marvel of its time, not because of its content, but because of the giant, sprawling 140-button controller that came with the game. A replica of the inside of one of the game's skyscraper-like, walking tanks, Steel Battalion was known, not so much for what it offered in terms of gameplay, but because of this hulking peripheral that took immersion to a whole new level. Complete with foot pedals, Capcom's mechanized offspring was a force to be reckoned with due to this awe-inspiring controller that made players feel as if they were actually in the game, piloting one the colossal vehicles. It was the controller that made Steel Battalion what it was and is today, not the game. It was this abundantly large piece of plastic coated with candy-colored buttons that made gamers squeal with joy and delight. It was the controller that pulled the player into an otherwise slightly above average first person mech-embedded shooter. It was the controller that made the experience so great. It was the controller that gamers loved.

If you were to survey a handful gamers and ask them to list the reasons why they game, more than likely you'd see one constant statement across the board: To escape the stressors of everyday life. In other words, people are playing games to alleviate some sort of physical, mental, or emotional detriment or malady. In essence, by using games as an outlet, people are able to obtain and maintain a higher quality of life. This sounds like a bold statement, but it is most definitely true. Games, just like any other sport or hobby, invigorate us. They give us time to feel good about something, whether that be ourselves, our accomplishments, or some other uniquely exclusive idea. The time in which we play games, enables us to essentially take care of our own personal needs. This relaxation time has a direct spillover effect into the rest of our lives, allowing us to perform more effectively and efficiently in our other life roles (whether that be as a worker, student, father, husband, mother, wife, sibling, etc.). Essentially, games give us this capacity, and they do so by providing a means to temporarily put life on hold so we can enter into an arena that exists outside of the conflicts that present themselves in our 'real' lives.

So, the question is: where does real life end, and fantasy begin? I say real life ends at our fingers, and fantasy begins at the controller. The controller is a potent device that has profound power over our minds. We may not realize it at a conscious level, but on a deeper, more intricate and complex plane, the controller is giving us certain things simply not possible if we weren't holding it inbetween our hands. Since the conception of the Wii, the gaming industry has been in a frenzy over motion-controls. And, now with the soon-to-be-released Microsoft Kinect, the purpose, meaning, and value of the standard controller is exponentially diminishing to the point in which one can only assume that its extinction is inevitable. It may not happen anytime in the immediate future, but it doesn't seem unlikely think that the way of the controller may be an obsolete one sooner rather than later.

The purpose behind motion controls, and especially the Kinect, is to immerse players in the game world at an unprecedented level that cannot be reached through standard means, i.e. with a controller. Moreover, it is of absolute no surprise that most gamers out there want to feel as much a part of a game's world as possible. Being transported to an alternate universe and feeling as if you are actually there is something that only video games can truly do. However, there's an important factor in this equation that is often times overlooked. When we enter a game's world, we're transported to fictional land in which grants us the ability to forget our own. We do this at a conscious level, and we are none the wiser that the real world exists if a game is doing its job right and well. That being said, even the best game can not alter our unconscious mind, which is always aware that we are hooked up to a virtual reality machine. It knows this through various means, one of which I believe is the controller in which we're holding. Because the physical act of holding a controller is a rather foreign one, our body is constantly sentient of the fact that we're still very much so strapped into reality. Thus, having two hands glued to this little (or in Seel Battalion's case, big) piece of plastic is what keeps our minds where they need to be to optimally enjoy gaming for what it is. In the end, it's only our most alert thought, our conscious thought, that's being suppressed by the game not the part of our mind, the unconscious part, that governs the majority of our behavior.
So, in theory, the controller is almost like door to an imaginary kingdom of endless possibilities that are not limited by the laws of our own world. The Kinect and other, possible, future body-gesture recognition devices don't have a door – there is simply no journey to a fictional land. There is no vehicle, no pathway, no warpgate, and certainly no door to take us there. We're just instantly wisped away with the snap of a finger through time and space to the game world with nothing but ourselves. Like being stranded on a deserted island without food, shelter, or an iPod, there is no safe zone, no security blanket that we can cling to when we feel vulnerable. It's just us and the game world, much like it's just us and the real world every morning we wake up to go to work or school. The lines here become apparently blurred and suddenly fiction is, in fact, fact and that game, or 'fake' world becomes a hassle just like our real life. At this point, it's simply not fun or immersive anymore. It's a second life that eventually becomes just as real, stressful, and tedious as our first. Our beloved fantasy realm quickly becomes a reality of its own, which is ultimately counterproductive to most gamers' primary reason for playing games in the first place. In essence, what occurs is, instead of making the transition from reality to fantasy by coming home from a stressful day at work and winding down with a video game, one is merely making a lateral move from one reality to another. As soon as this happens that sense of magic, intrigue, and wonderment the games offer, is gone, null and void.

To me, the controller is what reminds us that we are playing a game – it allows us to enjoy that fantasy world – and I think this distinction, between imaginary and reality, has to be made, not because we need to separate reality from video games for moral purposes, but for the sheer enjoyment factor. We need to know we're playing a game to enjoy it in the way we do. The minute it becomes something other than a video game, is the minute it loses its positive and dare I say, healing, value and effect. Unfortunately this newfound war between classic controller and motion controls is a battle that may prove to be the beginning of the end in terms of how we've played and enjoyed video games for almost half a century. If the pendulum does indeed swing in favor of motion controls with an emphasis on free-hand motion controls (the Kinect), I think gaming will not have the same impact it has on players right now.

When I hear, read, or see anything about the Kinect, I always ask myself one question; what's more fun, being paid in Monopoly money or real money? To me, the Kinect is much like that. I don't want to mime Ryu tossing a Hadouken at Saget, I want to roll the joystick and press the heavy punch button and watch the madness unfold. Gaming is much like a sport that has been finely tuned and well-established. So, if you were to look at video games as such, it may be fair to say that a gamer's controller is like a baseball player's bat or glove. Without a bat or glove, baseball wouldn't necessarily be baseball anymore. These two items are the monikers of one of the world's oldest sports - they are more than mere tools the players use to propel the game forward. They have meaning, purpose, a history. Sure, there may be a better way for baseball players to hit or catch a ball, but there's a reason why they haven't implemented it in the near 300 years the game has been played. Simply put, just because one has the means to make something possible, doesn't mean they should, NOTE: the Atomic Bomb. While this may seem like a dramatic comparison, one would be simply daft to not understand the point behind my correlation.

But, aside from the controller being gaming's banner and symbol, I believe it also has an abstruse influence on us at a deep, cognitive level. Having a controller gives players a kind of feedback that is invaluable to the brain. If you think about it like the textbook example of Pavlov and his salivating dogs, you can better understand the significance and purpose of the controller. Ivan Pavlov was a psychologist who studied behavior in dogs and applied his research findings to humans. He hypothesized and demonstrated that if you ring a bell before you give a dog food, the dog will begin salivating, not at the sight of the food which is what originally caused the reaction, but rather at the mere sound of the bell. A controller, I believe, has a similar effect on our brains.

A controller provides us with precious feedback every time we press a button. It's this instantaneous response that essentially keeps us going. It's that immediate reward we receive when we hear with the simple sound of a face-button being compressed and decompressed, the feeling of a right shoulder trigger sticking at inopportune times, and the silky glide of a joystick or d-pad rotating beneath your thumb, carrying out the orders we command at the simple flick of our boney digit. It's that kind feedback that keeps our minds stimulated much like those Pavlovian dogs. We feel the controller and all it offers, and we are turned on, euphoric even. It provides us a pleasure that we seek over and over again hoping the next time will feel just as good as the last. The controller keeps players coming back for more on a incalculable physiological and psychological level. And I'm afraid that with the emergence of hardware like the Kinect, developers and gamers alike will forget what it truly feels like to game.

In the end, a controller can do more for us than kicking our legs, jump up and down, or even flailing a goofy-looking wand above our heads. We don't need these things to feel a part of the game and its world. No matter how close developers can get to having one-to-one recognition, a controller will always overshadow the competition with its comfortableness, responsiveness, and familiarity. Steel Battalion showed to the world the importance of a controller, and just how it can make a game better than it really is. Guitar Hero illustrated the same thing as did the invention of the arcade stick, racing wheel and light gun. The controller is a magnificent invention and can heighten our gaming experience in a way I just don't think is possible by other devices that are 'hands-free'. But, tragically, it looks like this spectacular device could be on its last leg. Its flashy, action-sensing cousin is the new kid in town, and looks like it could be telling the controller to kick rocks. So, here's hoping our adored remote stands up for itself, and punches the Kinect right in its motion-reading eye.

But, of course, for every point there is a counterpoint, therefore it's important for you, as a gamer, to figure out what your thoughts are on this matter. Agree with it or disagree with it, love it or hate it, when the battle lines have been drawn, which side will you stand?

"Death smiles at us all," Marcus Aurelius once said.

Name: Deathsmiles

Developer: Cave

Publisher: Aksys Games

Platform: Xbox 360

Genre: Shmup

Release Date: Available Now!

Price: $50

REVIEW

When I first imported Cave's Halloween-infused shooter, Deathsmiles, back in 2009, I immediately crossed my fingers, prayed to the Heavens above, and wore my pajamas backwards in hopes that such ludicrous acts would ultimately bring about the deserved stateside release of this fantastic, yet largely unheard of side-scrolling shooter. Now, fast forward to a little under a year later, and it seems as if a higher power does indeed exist and has proven such by answering my prayers, begs, and pleads with a fantastic localization, from Aksys Games, of this beloved shoot 'em up that has set the standard so high for all its kind that forthcoming titles of the genre will have step up their game, pun intended, in a big way.

Deathsmiles is a game in a niche genre that fans have been secretly raving about for decades now, dating back to the days of Defender and the ever popular Space Invaders. And like its prehistoric brethren, Deathsmiles is a game that pushes the genre to its limits by showcasing beautiful graphics, reflexive gameplay, epic boss battles, and a difficulty level that takes no prisoners and is not afraid to make you cry and throw your controller in a fit of rage. However, Deathsmiles should be more accurately described as a game in a niche genre of a niche genre. Confused? You should be. Within the elitist community of shoot ‘em ups, or what is more commonly referred to as a ‘Shmup’ by ‘true’ genre enthusiasts, there are various types of shmups, the more popular being the famed ‘Bullet Hell’ shooter. In bullet hell shooters, players face impossible odds of enemy bullets and have to weave in and out of the wall of death-dealing miasma avoiding each bullet perfectly, all the while laying on the attack button to blow stuff up in the most extravagant manner. Players are commended and rewarded for being able to recognize and memorize bullet patterns and for having excellently honed manual dexterity skills that allow them to effectively elude those game-ending, enemy missiles. In essence, bullet hell shooters are the ultimate test of patience as trial and error is truly and sincerely the only way to find success and the light at the end of this very dark and bullet-spewing tunnel.

STORY

So, why exactly is Cave’s Deathsmiles a cut above the rest? Well, let me spend the next few paragraphs telling you why. In all my reviews, I follow a formula in which I discuss a game’s story first. Unfortunately, if you’ve come to the shmup realm looking for a masterpiece in storytelling, you’re going to be sorely letdown and should look elsewhere as these games are not meant to be played for their narrative value. More times than not, most shmup stories are either badly contrived, convoluted, appallingly confusing, or simply nonexistent. That being said, Deathsmiles is a bit of an oddity insofar as it actually has a story that is generally well-developed with solid dialogue, interesting characters, and an emotionally charged plot that will have you shaking your fist in triumph and hanging your head low in sorrow. Alright, so maybe it won’t have you doing either of those two things, but it does have its moments that shine and will more than likely have you smiling or heavy-hearted with its abruptly tender moments. Nevertheless, it truly feels strange to talk about a shmup and a well-conceived, coherent story in the same breath seeing as most other of games of the kind appears written by a toddler or a drunk. No seriously, like I said before, most shoot ‘em up stories make little to no sense whatsoever…no seriously…no sense…at all…none.

In Deathsmiles, players are introduced to a gothic and demonic, early 20^th century Europe-inspired world called Gilverado, where monsters have begun terrorizing cities and citizens mercilessly. It seems as though your character, one of five lolicon (loli, for short) girls whose charm and cuteness is absolutely undeniable, is tasked with the mission to rid this malevolent world of its menacing beasts. Along the journey, you’ll run into new friends and enemies that give way to short cut-scenes comprised of dialogue that allow players a deeper into the characters, all the while pushing the story forward. By the end, you’ll have felt inspired, confused (for better or worse), and perhaps even a bit sad as each of the five girls have two separate endings, giving you ten total, that all have a striking sense of profoundness and heartache. This is what really took me by surprise - not only are the endings rendered in beautiful stills accompanied by a score that is sweeping and even breathtaking at times, but the actual content of these endings can be genuinely heartrending. Moreover, the story as a whole has some nice twists and turns to it, especially depending on which ending you choose for your character once you’ve vanquished the final boss. Overall, you’re not going to get the next War and Peace with Deathsmiles, but you will get some extra layers on a cake that is normally pretty thin.

GAMEPLAY

So, if you’re thinking about picking up Deathsmiles for any reason other than that of dodging an unthinkable amount of bullets and making stuff go boom, then this game probably isn’t for you. However, if you understand good and well that a shmup’s sole purpose in life is to test your patience and anger management skills, then I would feel more than confident in recommending this title. Shoot ‘em ups are all about trial and error and memorization and DS is no exception. While there are only 7 stages, plus two mind-blowingly difficult bonus areas, Deathsmiles can literally be beat in one sitting. However, that’s how shmups are. There are no save points, there are no passwords (what game uses the password system anymore?), you are simply given 3 lives, an unlimited amount of continues, and are thrown into the fray, ending your game only once you explode the final boss (who is a downright heinous tyrant of a beast) or when you eject the game and toss it across the room in a bout of pure, unadulterated rage. This game will bring out the aggression and testosterone in you without a doubt, even if you are a female. There were times when I felt like I had injected myself with a large amount of steroids, and I was roid-raging for minutes on end.

When first firing up the game, you’ll notice that DS is unlike others of its kind in the fact that you’re able to choose one character from a pool of four (or five depending on the mode you’re playing), and then are transported and introduced to an overworld map. Yes, you read correctly – an overworld map. But before you think you’re going to run around, fight random battles to the sound of a catchy tune, and wrangle yourself a Chocobo, let me explain how Deathsmiles interesting, non-linear map works. From the get-go, you’re able to play any stage, in any order, on one of four difficulties (level 1, 2, 3, and the nightmare-inducing 999). At the end of each stage, you’ll encounter a larger-than-life boss. Once you have gone through the six stages initially open to you, you’ll then have the option to take on the final area, or travel down the route of tackling the two extra stages.

But, while there are essentially 9 stages in all, you’ll mostly be doing the same thing in all these areas; dodging bullets and shooting stuff. Each stage has its own unique backdrop, monsters, and of course bullet patterns in which you’ll more than likely have to play over and over…and over if you want to breeze through the game unharmed.

Ah, but here’s where it gets interesting. Most shmups, horizontal or vertical (that just means the orientation in which the screen moves, for all you unknowing ones out there), implore the player to only watch one edge of the screen from which enemies appear. Deathsmiles takes things up a notch and allows enemies to come at you from both sides of the screen. “How in the world does one keep up with all this madness?!” you ask, scared and fearful for your gaming ego. Well, the answer is really quite simple thanks to Cave’s intuitive design. When you play the game there are three essential buttons you’ll need to keep in mind – a button to shoot right, a button to shoot left, and a bomb-button which obliterates everything on-screen in one, humongous, gorgeous cornucopia of colors and bombastic explosions. “But I want more than three buttons!” you exclaim. Don’t fret yet just, o might shmup’er, for your cries have not fallen on deaf ears as Cave has introduced some more complex control elements will keep your fingers busy for days.

See, each character in the game has a secondary fire button. Usually this firing option is the opposite of their primary weapon. That is to say, if your character is typically a slow moving one who uses a giant, powerful shot as her main weapon, her secondary will more than likely be something that is less powerful, but grants her more mobility. This demands that the player use the appropriate weapon given the circumstances and surrounding enemies. But, wait, there’s more! Each character also has side-kick that is, for the most part, out of your control. This sidekick, which is typically an unsuspectingly cute animal of sorts, shoots while you shoot, making for double the explode-y stuff. This Robin to your Batman, however, can be controlled to a small extent. By using the right thumbstick you can shift your furry partner-in-crime’s position. “But why would I want to do this?!” you ask before letting me finish. Well, you would want to do this in a number of scenarios:

1. If enemies are coming from both angles and you don’t have the capacity to shoot in both directions
2. If you’re playing on a harder difficulty

Now, before you go hastily asking another question number 2 up there, let me just tell you I’m going to go more in-depth with that right now. On higher difficulties (namely level 3 and 999), when you kill enemies, they explode and send forth a wave of revenge bullets…go figure. So, not only do you have to watch out for bullets from enemies that you haven’t killed yet, you also have to dodge the death of those you’ve blasted into oblivion. So, where the positioning of your sidekick comes in handy is when these revenge bullets are coming at you and you can’t maneuver out of their way. Instead, what you can do is place your sidekick in their path, almost as if a shield, and it will absorb the bullets without a penalty. It’s brilliant when you think about it…and when you get used to it, because until you do it’s just downright overwhelming. It’s during these times that I felt the game was a little too much. During certain stages, such as the bonus two, on hard difficulties, the bullet-hell is indeed the epitome of its name. It’s a chaotic mess that’s hard to keep up with even if you’re the most seasoned gamer. Does that mean it’s ever unfair though? Absolutely not. Whether if it’s on the easiest difficulty or the hardest, if you die in Deathsmiles, it’s not because the game is cheating – it’s simply because you’re not good enough. And that’s what a shmup is all about. A punishing difficulty that makes you want to replay stages over and over again until you can bob to and fro, in and out, this way and that, without being hit once. Completing a shmup without having used a continue really is the ultimate bragging right.

The gameplay in Deathsmiles is also made more intense by another element Cave added to set its beloved loli-shooter apart from the crowd. When you kill an enemy in the game, you receive counters, or item tokens, that help build up an Item Counter. Once you have killed enough baddies to warrant a score of 1000 on this so-called Item Counter, you can utilize a two button press to unleash pure bedlam upon your opponents. When unraveling this 1000-point ability, you shots are powered up to an absurd level and you can lay waste to even the toughest boss in the matter of seconds. However, once this ability has been activated it lasts only as long as it takes for that 1000-point meter to count down to zero. Once it’s bottomed out, you’ll have to start killing again to build it back up. This adds another fantastic dimension to a game that is very much like an iceberg; on the surface the game doesn’t seem all that complicated, but once you take a look underwater, you see that the game truly is massive with intricacies and nuances that take the game to a whole new level.

MODES

Deathsmiles, like its gameplay, doesn’t skimp in the amount of modes available. And while each mode is essentially a variation of the other, there are still certain challenges and enemies that are exclusive to each game type. Some modes allow you play as certain characters that aren’t otherwise playable, while others grant access to one or both of the extra stages. In the Xbox 360 mode, non-background graphics have been redone and optimized for the console’s HD capabilities. All in all, there are 3 modes, all of which are unforgiving and equally as exhilarating, and a score attack and a much-needed training setting. Fortunately, there’s the ability save your replays which allows you to go back through to see just how much you suck so you can only be marginally better the next time around.

For those looking to share the experience with a friend, DS sports 2-player splitscreen, and fully featured Xbox Live support, complete with leaderboards and 2-player co-op, which means you and your buddy from across the country can team up and get in on the bullet-dodging pandemonium together.

SOUND

Developers who take the time to create a good audio presentation always impress me. More often than not, a game's sound is seemingly something a lot of gamers view as a passive attribute to the larger, more obvious components of the product. I find this to be truly unfortunate as a soundtrack can really make or break the overall gaming experience. A well-composed, placed, and utilized orchestral score can create a sense of emotion and attachment to a game's story and its characters in a dramatic way. Fortunately, Deathsmiles has not let anyone down in this regard. The score here, composed by Manabu Namiki (Espgaluda, Mishihimesama Futari, Ketsui: Kizuna Jigoku Tachi), is radiant and breathes life into the world of Gilverado. Namiki is no stranger to these types of games, having composed scores for several staples of the genre, and it is apparent that his understanding of the brand has allowed for a grand soundtrack that sets the mood almost perfectly. With heart-pounding beats during the boss battles, ambient and gothic melodies when traversing the game’s grim set-pieces, and a moving, melancholic ending theme, Namiki is at his best here. And moreover, if you can find a copy of the Limited Edition, you are given the chance to jam along with his tunes with the included Premium Arrange Soundtrack which features 15 songs from the game.

Aside from the orchestral score, the sound effects aren’t too bad either, although they’re what you may expect from a game that involves shooting and blowing up a lot of stuff. You’ll hear crisp explosions, monster roars, and the puppy-dog-lip-inducing shriek of your cute loli girl whenever she gets tagged by a bullet. There are times though when the audio gets a little repetitive though (I’m looking at you, Sakura boss battle). Hearing the same mocking-laughter from a boss is never a fun thing and it doesn’t make me want to kill it any faster, rather simply mute the game so I don’t have to hear the repetitious laugh-track over and over.

THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF

Deathsmiles has some truly excellent components, but much like the most attractive runway model, it has signs of a cocaine-provoked eating disorder, so things aren’t as perfect as they appear. First and foremost, the game’s graphics are extremely inconsistent. While it trumps every other shmup in almost every way, the game showcases some odd pixilation of sprites, which are made even more apparent by the beautifully rendered backdrops in the exclusive Xbox 360 mode. The set-pieces have been redrawn for this mode, but unfortunately the characters, monsters, and animations have not – so what you have here is the equivalent of a 7-year old drawing in their own changes to van Gogh’s Starry Night. It simply looks disjointed and bad at times. Yet, at other times it looks fantastic. Moreover, the game doesn’t fill the screen entirely which can be bothersome at times. Because the game was originally designed to be seen and played on an arcade, the screen size has not be altered much, leaving giant bars on both sides void of anything other than some nonsensical filler art. Now, to those that are familiar with playing shmups on any console, this won’t be a big deal because nearly every game of its kind is presented to the player in this fashion…however, just because all those before have done it, doesn’t make it any less awful.

Secondly, while two-player cooperative splitscreen and Xbox Live is more than welcome, it feels postscript. The two-player works by all means, but that’s the problem, it just simply works. It’s not great, it doesn’t make the game experience better, nor does it make things on the screen any less chaotic. If anything, having a second player flying about and shooting wildly only adds to the panic making a hard game even harder.

And last, but certainly not least, I come to the cut-throat-ness of the shmup genre and how it is certainly not for everyone. Deathsmiles is very much like its predecessors, which means it’s an extremely difficult game. As I’ve iterated a number of times already, DS and those of its kind take an exorbitant amount of patience and trial and error to complete successfully. You will pull out your hair trying to memorize bullet patterns, so that you can avoid being hit in your next play through, and you’ll scream, illogically like a cave man when you make it to the end without using a continue only to be blind-sided and consequently killed by a bullet you didn’t see coming because you were too busy dodging the other hundred. You’ll die and you’ll die again, of this I guarantee. And while I personally find solace and comfort in a game that is this grueling, many will find it off-putting and downright exhausting. As I said before, shmups are a niche genre, and they’re a niche genre for a reason. Most typical gamers can’t hang (nor do they want to) with the strenuous nature of eluding seemingly endless waves of bullets.

CONCLUSION

In the end, Deathsmiles is a game about wits, good hand-eye coordination, and a masochistic desire to die over and over again for the purpose of proving, to your friends and yourself, that you have the patience and balls to take on a game that will eat you for breakfast and laugh while doing so. This title is a throwback to games that have been long since forgotten by the mainstream, and is essentially a love note to all those out there who passionately love a genre that rewards its players in a big way if they are willing to stick it out till the very end and make some sacrifices, i.e. their sanity. Deathsmiles does more than the average shmup and should be looked at as something of an achievement for the genre. It made a retail release on the most popular console of this generation, it sold fairly well, and it captured the hearts of newbies and veterans alike. It boots a beautiful story, wonderful music, gameplay that is white-knuckled, pulse-pounding fun, and has a slew of options to keep you coming back for more. If Deathsmiles is the future of shoot ‘em ups, then the future is looking very bright. Cave is a company that is exclusively devoted to quenching the thirst of shmup fans, and with their humble but ambitious gothic, loli-toting shooter, they have shown to the world that a little game can make a big impact. Here’s hoping the marriage between Aksys Games and Cave is long and fruitful, if for nothing else than so we can see more quality titles like this one for years to come.

I’m happy about the:

• Visceral, take-no-prisoners difficulty
• Easy to grasp, but difficult to master nature of the game
• Complexities and subtleties of the shooting mechanics
• Unique and vastly different boss battles
• Diversity in the challenging bullet patterns
• Well-developed story and characters
• Multiple, at times heart-wrenching endings
• Graphics which are (at times) great in comparison to games of its kind
• Beautiful soundtrack
• Amount of replayability and modes

I’m shaking my head in disappointment because the:

• Genre isn’t for everyone
• Difficulty may prove to be too much for some newcomers
• 2-player co-op feels like more of an afterthought
• Repetitious nature of some of the audio work
• Inconsistency in the graphics
• Price tag, which may seem a bit steep for those unfamiliar with what the genre offers - while $50 gets you the Limited Edition complete with a soundtrack, gorgeously hand-drawn Xbox 360 faceplate, premium packaging, and the game (which may be a good price for genre enthusiasts who are used to shelling out close to $100 for their imported shooters), $40 would have been a bit more appropriate for a North American retail release

Check it out if you like games such as: Border Down, Castle of Shikigami, Ikaruga, Mars Matrix, Triggerheart Exelica

What beer you should be drinking while playing this game: Rogue's Dead Guy Ale: A light to medium bodied beer, with a barly and spice nose. The heavy malt flavor upfront fades into a brief surge of hops that give way for the malts to come back in the aftertaste. This combination creates a magnificently balanced craft beer with a smooth finish.

"Just a whisper; I heard it in my ghost."

Name: NEOTOKYO°

Developer: Studio Radi-8

Platform: PC

Genre: FPS

Release Date: Available Now!

Price: Free

REVIEW

Now, you may be asking yourself why I’m quoting Ghost in the Shell, however once I explain what Studio Radi-8’s HL2 modification, NEOTOKYO°, is all about, you’ll quickly understand the anime reference. NEOTOKYO° is a tactical first person shooter unlike most that you have played. Think of it as the ultimate cross between Counterstrike and something much more methodical, like the early Tom Clancy shooters or even SWAT 4. So, now that you’ve taken that in, digested it a little bit, and compiled a vague image in your head about what to expect from NEOTOKYO° …forget about everything I just said. Things are getting confusing, right? Well, bear with me and keep following the rabbit hole deeper for just a little bit longer.

NEOTOKYO° is a standard, round-based, arena shooter like the games I just mentioned, however in truth, it’s nothing like any of those or the other dozen Half Life shooters you may find by doing a quick search over at ModDB. It’s visceral, unrelenting, stylized, and has one of the steepest, most covert learning curves I’ve seen in a mod in quite some time. The game breaks all the conventions of your standard multiplayer shooting game and gives a big middle-finger to just about everything you thought you knew about fragging newbs and facing humping their corpses.

The first thing that puts NEOTOKYO° in the “Not-like-all-its-FPS-cousins Category” is its heavily Ghost in the Shell-inspired setting. Upon first glance, you may even think NT is in fact a GitS mod. But, if you made that assumption, you would indeed be very wrong. Radi-8 has openly admitted their love of Mamoru Oshii’s work and how his beloved anime classic has played a significant role in the design and fruition of NEOTOKYO°. From its sprawling, not-so-distant futuristic metropolises, to the android dolls called ‘Ghosts’ that play an important role in the game’s core functionality, to the secretive special forces soldiers that carry out the orders of bureaucratic ideology that tears the world asunder in its unique storyline, it all screams 90’s Japanese animation. In essence, if you’ve ever wanted to PLAY an anime, this is about as close as you’re going to get.

STORY

Radi-8’s baby takes place in a near future Japan that has descended into political, economic, and social turmoil. After a failed legislative push to alter the existing Japanese Constitution, a military coup de tat transpires by members of Japan’s armed forces, the GSDF. However, much like the new legislation attempt, the coup fails, but not without striking fear into the heart of Japan’s Prime Minister. From this panic, the Prime Minister forms a branch inside the Interior Ministry’s National Security Forces (NSF) called Group Six. Answering directly to only the Prime Minister himself, Group Six and the NSF are tasked with the duty of protecting the Japanese Constitution, no matter the cost. After catching wind of that a rogue, ultranationalist group within the GSDF Special Forces (known as JINRAI) is staging a second coup, a war between the NSF and JINRAI is ignited.

GAMEPLAY

Complex stuff, no? Well, the gameplay itself makes the storyline seem like child’s play. Initially you may not think anything is too out of the ordinary as the game modes and class system don’t appear revolutionary or innovative in any way. But, again, you know what they say about assuming, right?...right?! It makes an ASS out of U and ME…get it?...cliché, overused, and not funny or clever in the year 2010, you say? Noted. Anyhow, the game offers players the ability to choose between 3 classes: Recon, Assault, and Support. Each class has its own arsenal of weapons and abilities which, in turn, create class-distinguishing strengths and weaknesses. However, while so many other games implement a rock-paper-scissors scheme to their class system, NEOTOKYO° never makes it seem like one class is abundantly or evenly marginally better than the other.

To be successful in NT, it’s imperative that each team has a balanced number of these classes. For typical PUG’ing purposes, a team that is comprised of all the classes has a better chance of winning the match than those made up of just one. So, what do all these classes do, you ask? Well, let me tell you. Recons are what you’d expect from the name; they’re nimble and fast, but can’t take many hits. The assault is the more all-around class; they don’t excel at stealth, speed, or tanking, but they can do a little bit of everything well, but not great. The Support class is, as the name may imply, the heavy-hitter. They’re like the guy that stands behind the belligerent, drunk dude at the bar who wants to throw down on anyone that gives them the wrong look, and simply ends fights before they begin just by looking tough as shit.

Adding to the individuality of each class is the pool of weapons they can choose from. However, like Counterstrike, all these weapons are not readily available at the start of each round. Until the player has earned them through acquiring XP which is rewarded for kills, surviving the round, capturing objectives, and helping capture objectives, that is to say defending players who are the objective carriers, they are limited to only a few guns. Once a player has ranked up to a particular level, they unlock a new weapon, which is then open to them for the rest of the match.

To supplement the three class’ abilities, NEOTOKYO° also sports a vision and thermooptic system that adds a depth not found in most other FPS’s. There are three modes of vision that are analogous with each class: Nightvision for the Recons, Motionvision for the Assaults, and Thermalvision for the Supports. Additionally, both the Recon and Assault classes have the ability to cloak themselves with thermooptics. This is where it gets interesting though. Motionvision is the only visor that can see cloaked players, while Thermalvision allows Supports to see through smoke, deposited by their class-exclusive smoke grenades. This system demands a level of teamwork simply not possible or captured by other games of its similarity. It requires players to stick together, call out targets, and breach rooms in unison. Adding to this desired level of team coordination is a squad system that grants players the option to join a squad at the beginning of the match which enables them to monitor their squad mates’ positions and health. If you haven’t noticed by now, this game exercises, with complete authority, the rule that teamwork is the key to success.

Another interesting characteristic of NT is the sheer size of the maps. This isn’t just a giant, square level with a few corridors, a couple crates to hide behind, and the token sniper-prone building painted with a slew of windows. No, no, no. These are some of the largest and most intricate maps I’ve ever seen…period. Each stage is enormous, with multiple levels, fantastic backdrops, numerous hallways, hiding spots, alternate passages to flank enemies, and a vast array of other nuances which help to create online matches that are unpredictable and downright exhilarating.

The scope of these maps seems to hammer home the tactical, team-oriented play that the rest of the mechanics do. Because these levels are so expansive, matches take a while to finish. Additionally, character movement speed by default is somewhat slower than what most are probably used to, so this makes rounds seem even slower than they may actually be. However, the intricacies and size of the maps, coupled with the slower walk/run/sprint speeds and the other teamwork-demanding game attributes are all very deliberate on the part of the game’s developer. Slowing down the speed makes for more strategic planning and playing. And because players have to wait for the round to be over to hop back into the saddle after they are killed, dying is not something to be taken lightly. The penalty of being taken out in NEOTOKYO° is harsh and severe, and makes you care more about how you’re going to approach each match. Caring about living and dying is something not often found in multiplayer gaming, especially when it comes to FPS’s. However, with some specific design choices, Radi-8 has made you care. Whether that’s for better or worse, is something that’s particular to each player.

MODES

So, wait, how exactly do you win rounds in this game? Good question and I’ll be glad to put your little hearts at ease with an answer. There are two modes of play in NEOTOKYO°; Team Deathmatch and, what Radi-8 has dubbed, ‘Capture the Ghost’. CTG is essentially just a fancy way of saying Capture the Flag…well, almost. In typical CTF modes, a team wins when a player obtains the flag and runs it back to their base with it in hand. This is essentially what NEOTOKYO°’s CTG mode implores except, of course, with a unique catch. When a player picks up the ‘Ghost’ they drop their main weapon and are armed with only their sidearm. Now, right away, you’re thinking:
“Oh, eff that, who wants to be that guy? By default, he’s automatically the target of the enemy because he has the objective, and now the only thing he has to defend himself is a simple pistol? No thanks.” In part, you’re right - that’s what you do as the Ghost retriever. But, you have an ability not available to those teammates who opted not for certain death by capturing the mutilated cyborg body that acts as said Ghost.

When carrying the Ghost to its specific, retrieval zone, you can equip it, making it possible to see the positions of ALL enemy operatives. Through the in-game chat option, you can then begin to relay enemy positions to all the members of your team. This means that you can either opt to hunt down the enemy, now knowing where they’re at, or scoot around them to the drop-off point unscaved…except, it’s not that easy. Sigh now, reader, for this review is filled with ellipses. When you first pick up the Ghost, your position is made available for the opposing team to see and will continue to be displayed until you drop the Ghost. This makes it essential that if you’re ballsy enough to pick up the Ghost you either A. Have teammates to back you up or B. are locked into a one-on-one duel and are using it to see where the little bastard may be hiding.

AUDIO

Having gone on about gameplay elements for the past 2 and a half pages, I want to take the time to discuss the game’s audio presentation. I’ll start off with the music. Soundtracks in FPS’s often go unnoticed or are easily dismissed. Well, I’m here to tell you that NEOTOKYO°’s OST is, without a doubt, one of the best first person shooter soundtracks I’ve heard in my 17 years of gaming. It sets the mood with its epic composition and variety. This is Ed Harrison’s debut CD release, and his passion for music and understanding of NEOTOKYO° is embedded in each sweeping progression and majestic crescendo. Aside from that, the sound effects themselves are very well crafted. Guns sound great, footsteps sound natural, and explosions rip through your headset without remorse. The audio in this game is superb and has been created with a profound sense of precision and love.

THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF

The game however, isn’t without fault. First off, gun recoil can feel obtuse, awkward, and generally inconsistent at times. While recoil generates the need to become more skilled with each gun, it can be done so in a way that doesn’t feel random. Though recoil in real life is indeed random, it has some loose sense of predictability. It would’ve been nice to see that transferred over to NT to create a more stable recoil system. In addition, map design and size can at times encourage camping, which is something you can run into here and there, especially when it’s down to one-on-one. While this occurs in most games, it’s made especially noticeable in NEOTOKYO° due to the exorbitant nature of the maps. This colossal map size, while neat in big games, does not translate well for smaller ones, making some matches drag on for far too long.

Another gripe that is constantly bothersome is how the unlocking of weapons works. To unlock weapons, one has to achieve certain ranks. But, to do this, you and your team have to do well in order to gain the XP needed for the higher tiered guns. While, in theory this sounds like a bulletproof system, it can be made difficult if you are on a team who constantly loses. Whether if it’s because you have inexperienced teammates, are having an ‘off-day’, or are simply outmatched, you are essentially penalized by not being able to access better weapons. When this happens, it makes the game even more one-sided as the winning team more than likely has all the weapons available to them, and, well, you don’t.

But, the real problem with NEOTOKYO° is that it’s too much NOT for the faint of heart. The competition is extremely cut-throat, especially now that the game has been out for a little over a year, the mechanics aren’t what a typical player is used to, and there isn’t a tutorial in-game to speak of, which is badly needed to teach people the subtleties of the gameplay. Plainly put, NEOTOKYO° is not new-player friendly in any way, shape, or form. And perhaps that is one of the reasons why the game’s population is down to a mere handful of people who have been around since the beginning and ultimately pledged their devotion to a project that never quite achieved the recognition it should have. Another reason for the game's absurdly small community could be attributed to the fact that the game, for reasons I haven't quite figured out yet, still has not been released on Steam. This shocking lack of exposure has undoubtedly hurt the game's player base in a big way. What's also upsetting is, because of the substantial drop in players since the release (and some members leaving the team), developer, Radi-8, has not put out anything new since October of last year.

CONCLUSION

But, when it’s all said and done and the dust has settled, NEOTOKYO° is truly a triumph on so many levels. It looks great, pushing the Source Engine to its limit, the style is one of the best seen in any game of this generation, the setting is imaginative, the gameplay mechanics are refreshing and exciting, the re-playability is made extremely high due to the seemingly endless nuances to learn and three unique classes to master, has 13 maps, 22 weapons, and an unthinkable amount of heart. And while the game, at first, can be disheartening due to the time it takes to become acclimated to its cerebral nature, you would doing yourself a giant disservice by not experiencing this hidden gem that has taken multiplayer shooters to new heights.

I'm happy about the:

• Great style and setting
• Fantastically balanced, class system
• Neat cloaking and vision mechanics
• Excellent level design
• Slick interface
• A good deal of varied maps
• Extremely team oriented, methodical gameplay
• Brilliant soundtrack
• Solid graphics

I'm shaking my head in disappointment because the:

• Learning curve is mercilessly steep
• Maps encourage camping and can be too massive if not played with a full server of people
• Weapon unlocking system can be frustrating if on the losing team
• Gameplay may be too slow for some people
• Lack of an in-game tutorial leaves newbies clueless
• Very small population means you can't always find a server with people in it
• The game's generally not new player friendly...whatsoever.

Check it out if you like games such as: Counterstrike, Dystopia, Firearms, Rainbow Six 3, Swat 4

What beer you should be drinking while playing this game: Brewery Ommegang's Hennepin: An extremely well-balanced, perfect summer beer with a floral nose. A combination of ginger, pineapple, and lemon zest with coriander spiciness makes this beer light, dry, and powdery.