• 21May 13

  What is MetroidVania? Why is It Important?

   

  What is Metroidvania and why is it so important? 
  
  Well, let me tell you a story; a story of two of gamings most beloved franchises: one called Castlevania, the other called Metroid. Their titles were combine to give a voice to the way the Castlevania franchise adopted Metroids characteristics. And, for a time, thats all the term Metroidvania was -- a way to describe the fusion of these two names, to say "HEY, thats a Castlevania game similar to Metroid." But, over time, Metroidvania would change into something more. As the years passed by, gamers from all across the land felt this gameplay style was so impactful to gaming that it needed its own unique term to stand as a genre of its own. 
  
  And thats exactly what it did. 
  
  So, what is this crazy subgenre; whered it come from and whats it mean? 
  
  The Metroidvania genre is indicative of non-linear progression, vast exploration of environments, character upgrades required to progress and sometimes a dash of role-playing elements are thrown into the pot for good measure. Now, that might sound like Im describing Metroid and I am, but thats not how it started. To really uncover the origin of Metroidvania we have to go a little bit further back than Metroid itself, because technically it really began with a plumber who happens to sport a badass mustache and eats mushrooms to you know, get bigger. 
  
  Nintendo had unparalleled success with the brain children of legendary videogame developer Shigeru Miyamotos 2D side-scrolling platformer; Super Mario Brothers and the top-down adventure of The Legend of Zelda. With the extreme success and popularity of those two titles, the next logical step would be to unite the gameplay ideas of Mario and Zelda. And so, Metroid would become the culmination of the 2D platforming and side-scrolling elements of Mario integrated it with the exploration and non-linearity of Zelda. Thus, Metroid was born. 
  
  In Metroid, you play as Samus Aran the iconic blonde heroine bounty hunter spliced with alien bird DNA whos draped in sci-fi super armor, sort of like Jeff Goldblum in the Fly, but also sort of nothing like that at all. Samus explores the large planet Zebes in which different routes and elemental themes comprise the alien world; a world where specific passages might be blocked requiring Samus to return after acquiring a new ability or different armaments. Like the suit augmentation to morph into a little ball to fit through narrow, short passages or missiles necessary to open resilient doors. And similar to Link, Samus would also boost her hit points in the form of energy tanks in place of hearts. These gameplay tropes would lay the basic foundation for all Metroidvania games to come, but the term Metroidvania still wasnt around yet even though the original Castlevania hit American shores the same year as Metroid. 
  
  And with good reason; Castlevania and Metroid were two really different games. 
  
  Castlevania of the NES era had unforgiving platforming, merciless boss fights, and a punishing amount of ground to cover from stage-to-stage with no sign of rest-pit in sight; it was basically the 1987 equivalent of Demons Soul. 
  
  Unlike Metroid, Castlevania had a linear, segmented level design and a time limit to stages; something that definitely doesnt exemplify the idea of freedom and exploration. The main character, Simon Belmont, did have health points but a maximum HP was static throughout the game. Upgrades did come in the form of transforming a leather whip to a chain, but whip upgrades werent vital to exploration or required for progression. 
  
  Castlevania II: Simons Quest did break away from a segmented level design and timers, and it even added an inventory for items, but it still didnt have all the elements required to be a Metroidvania. Castlevania III: Draculas Curse took a step back to embrace the mechanics of the original; basically ignoring Simons Quest in the process. Super Castlevania IV, one of my favorite games of all time, really always felt like the most well-executed Castlevania game that embodies all the ideas the original and Draculas Curse were shooting for, and, well, its no coincidence... it was a re-make of the original. 
  
  But it wasnt until three years after the release of Super Metroid, a decade after the original, that Castlevania wouldnt only fully embrace the Metroid gameplay style, it would master it. The 1997 masterpiece Symphony of the Night took the ideas of the past, mixed it with Metroid and then smoothly incorporated it into Castlevania's mythos and gameplay. 
  
  As Alucard, the son of Dracula, the player battles through a huge non-linear map and gains new abilities to progress through new obstacles. And this wasnt like the vegetarian, prius-driving, twinkling wussy vampires of today, okay. Alucard could use spells to absorb enemies souls, he could transform into a bat, a wolf, mist, a lawn mower probably. Alcard, like Samus, was simply a badass, Swiss-Army-knife-of-abilties character. 

  
  In addition to Castlevania fully adobpting the Metroid mentality, Symphony of the Night also fixed one of Metroids minor flaws with huge exploration came a lot of enemy-killing with no pay off, and Symphony added an experience point, leveling, and loot system. For once the respawning enemies had a real purpose and became something more than a slight inconvenience. You wanted to kill them; you wanted to level up and get new gear. It took the idea of progression to the next level as it were. 
  
  The term Metroidvania was coined shortly after Symphony of the Nights magnificent entry into the Metroid-like genre. Beyond that, Metroid had been absent from the gaming scene for several years prior to Symphony of the Night, and would remain absent for a long time to follow. The Metroid franchise would miss the N64 console generation entirely, and from Super Metroids release in 94, to Metroid Fusion and Primes release in 2002; gamers wouldnt arm the plasma cannon of Samus for eight years. And so people used the portmanteau term Metroidvania to not only draw an absent but associated link between the gameplay of Metroid and the new Castlevania, but it also helped fill a void in gamers hearts that longed to play a title in a similar vein as Metroid. 
  
  After this time is when games started to be labeled with the subgenre Metroidvania category; past and present. Regardless of the fact that some older games, like Blaster Master and Ys III, obviously fit the criteria when they were first released, it wasnt until later that they became known as Metroidvania games. And many great titles of the future would fall into this categorization as well, like 2003s Aria of Sorrow and 2004s Cave Story; not forgetting 2009s Shadow Complex and the upcoming Axiom Verge on the horizon. 
  
  The Metroidvania genre has had a stunning past and the future looks promising as well, its not going anywhere.
  So, looking beyond the fact that some of the titles that are able to call themselves a Metroidvania are some of the best games ever created, why is this genre and label so important? 
  
  The reasons behind Metroidvanias significance are different today than it was in the past. Nowadays the adventure-platformer style is a good way for small teams to create deep and compelling games without a triple-A budget, which is extremely important. As consumers we need the so-called underdog developers to be able to create amazing gaming experiences, its just one more force that encourages all game designers to innovate and improve over the competition. 
  
  As for the reasons Metroidvania was so important in the past; well, its still relevant to modern games, but it was even more punctuated back-in-the-day. Metroidvanias had groundbreaking non-linear gameplay that encouraged adventure and exploration in a way that had never been seen before. Whats more, the gameplay style would go on to influence all of gaming for years to come; laying the foundation and essentially helping create some of the modern classics we know and love today that use similar gameplay ideas like Batman (Arkham franchise) and Dark Souls. Its simply a brilliant gaming formula, one that has stood the test of time and will continue to endure. 
  
  The Metroidvania formula is like Valves revolutionary take on digital distribution and community through Steam, or Apples implementation of the mouse in addition to the keyboard for home computers; theyre not the end-all-be-all to the evolution of what is to come, but they have a spark of genius that has influenced and will continue to influence the future forever -- thats Metroidvania. 
  
  So there you have it, what are some of your favorite Metroidvania games? Theres a ton of them and I couldnt name them all. What are the ones that really struck home with you, leave them in the comment section below. 
  
  Oh yeah, theres also the term Castleroid which is interchangeable with Metroidvania, but to hell with that stupid word; it sounds like a castle-size hemroid on someones medieval ass-basket.

  • Posted May 21, 2013 10:54 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 13Jun 11

  Re-imagined or Resuscitated?

  Re-imagined or Resuscitated? Five games we'd like to see remade for arcade.
  
  The difference between re-imagined and resuscitated is that to re-imagine a game would be to use the same intellectual property, but to completely revamp the entire concept while leaving behind some of the core mechanics. An example of a re-imagined game would be like Bethesda's take on the Fallout franchise. Bethesda took a lot of the core intellectual property like a futuristic wasteland, the brotherhood of steel, and vaults then revamped the entire concept of a turn-based strategy while leaving behind some of the core gameplay mechanics like V.A.T.S. to stop time and equipping yourself. Whereas, resuscitation would basically be an overhaul in graphics to a modern standard and porting the game to contemporary systems, but retaining basically the exact same game experience. In other words, an updated remastered product of the exact same game. An example of this would be like the recent release of Mortal Kombat. Mortal Kombat overhauled their graphics to pristine modern standards for contemporary systems while simultaneously returning to their gaming roots.
  
  Here it is, five games we'd like to see remade.
  
  Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen

  
  
  Gameplay
  
  Resuscitated or Reimagined
  
  The first Legacy of Kain was back when vampires were predatory rulers of the world that used telekinesis to stream the blood of their fallen human prey to their mouth and didn't sparkle in sunlight. Blood Omen's far to frequent and lengthy load times didn't stop me from loving the game. Kain would eventually gain several suits of armor, melee weapons, and spells to his repertoire as you progressed through the game. Feeling a bit like a Rated-R mix of old-school Zelda, Diablo, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night-- Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen would be forever etched into my memory as one of my favorite games of all time. With Geralt from the "Witcher" series looking similar to Kain I always treated Witcher like it was the spiritual successor to Blood Omen, but that is only in the fantasy world inside my head and the Witcher and Blood Omen are in no part (that I know of) made by the same people or influenced by one another. That being said though, I would love to see what CD Projekt RED could do with this intellectual property.

  Bushido Blade

  
  
  Cinematic
  
  Gameplay
  
  Re-imagined
  
  Back when Squaresoft wasn't Square Enix yet they made a realistic 3-D swordplay fighting game. Bushido Blade implemented a one-hit-kill quick combat mechanic where if a non-fatal appendage were struck it would lead to either one arm to hang injured making the character swing their weapon slower or drag their leg making them unable to run during combat. Quick combat, different fighting stances and a variety of different weapons to choose from at the beginning of battle lead to an extremely fun ancient samurai showdown scenario. A re-imagined version of Bushido Blade could be fanominal with the incorporation of modern physics and player-to-player-contact systems.
  
  X-COM: UFO Defence

  
  
  Gameplay
  
  Resuscitated
  
  One of the best turn-based strategy games of all time has been gathering dust since the franchise's arguable second best release of X-COM: Apocalypse made in 1997. The I.P. has had several more unsuccessful attempts since Apocalypse, but none were nearly as good as the acclaimed earlier games that launched the series. The X-COM I.P. has not made a game since 2003. This turn-based strategy game has such staple mechanics as equipping an entire team of first responders against alien invaders, reverse engineering alien technology to create new weapons and armor, and topnotch tactical battle situations for the player to overcome and outthink. The intellectual property does appear to be making a return installment, but is ridding itself of turn-based strategy and going with a FPS reimagining of the franchise.
  
  

  Myst

  
  Gameplay
  
  Resuscitated and re-imagined
  
  If the writers of the television series "LOST" were influenced by any video game it would have to be Myst. Mysterious ruins mixed with high-tech puzzles coalesce on an island to give players one of the most innovative and immersive puzzle games ever made. Myst is one of the very few games that I believe could honestly benefit from new technologies. I can only imagine how cool some topnotch thinkers might be able to develop the core puzzle-solving concepts with the use of a controller in tandem with modern motion sensing technology. Pulling levers, flipping through books, scanning and interacting with the environment could be more intimate than ever before with motion sensing and is one of the few genres that I believe would actually really benefit from the technology.
  
  

  MEGAMAN

  
  
  Gameplay
  
  Re-imagined
  
  While Deus Ex was still in diapers Megaman was getting cybernetic augmentations to take down the villainous cronies of Dr. Wiley. For over 20 years now this blue clade "Rocket Man" hero has been side-scrolling his way through some of the best 2-D adventures the genre has ever had to offer. I would really like to see a re-imagining of this iconic cyber superhero. Possibly taking elements from both 2-D and the Megaman: Legends spin-off to create an extremely realistic exploration and augmentation Megaman game. An absent but associated example of this would be like the transition Metriod took from 2-D to the Prime games. An ultra-realistic first-person Megaman could be equipped with his various elemental and cybernetic abilities on his gun-arm coupled with the use of a "Light saber" for a unique melee aspect of the game that altered from third and first-person perspectives. This would only be a spin-off idea; by no means do I ever wish to see my nostalgic Megaman stop taking part in 2-D formats.

  There it is, 5 examples and I am sure there are plenty more. What games do you want to see Re-imagined or Resuscitated?

  • Posted Jun 13, 2011 1:26 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg
• 23May 11

  What games continue to be 2011's most anticipated?

  We're six months deep and the year still has a lot of gaming potential left in it. With half of 2011's previously highly anticipated games now in our hands like; Mortal Kombat, Portal 2, Crysis 2, L.A. Noire, Dragon Age 2, and The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings we can't help but wait in wonderment and anticipation to whether these upocming titles will feed our hunger for amazing gaming or leave a sour taste in our mouths. I can think of at least eleven games that many people continue looking forward to with half of 2011 still to come.

  inFamous 2

  

  One of the greatest superhero tales is back. Enhancements in destructible environments are going to make those electric tornados more fun than ever to spew from Cole's hands. Most of the same team that created the first game had their hand in making this sequel and they proudly state that they now know how to get more out of the PS3's microprocessors. inFamous 2 is looking to be a hopefully fantastic addition to an already powerful game. (June 7)

  Deus Ex: Human Revolution

  

  This franchise augmented its way into our hearts back in 2000 with the release of Deus Ex. This cyberpunk action-RPG looks to dazzle with drop-ins and drop-outs of first-person and third-person combat situations by means of stellar graphics and gameplay. Eidos raised some eyebrows eleven years ago on the PC and now Deus Ex is hitting PS3 and XBOX as well. (August 23)

  Gears of War 3

  

  Epic Games concludes their smash-hit XBOX exclusive series. The PvP beta is in people's living rooms and the whispers of anticipation evolved from soft hopeful words into a roar as pre-orders for this third-person sci-fi cover shooter reaches over 1.3 million. (September 30)

  Batman: Arkham City

  

  Out of the frying pan and into the city. Batman leaves Arkham Asylum and ventures into the moody and dark streets of Arkham. Known for excellent combat, deductive detective work, and stealthy adventuring Batman promises to rid the streets of Joker's cronies once again. (October 18 )

  Dark Souls

  

  Dark Souls is the awaited spiritual successor to the PS3 exclusive Action-RPG Demon's Souls. Demon's Souls is known for not only being unforgiving and "never holding the player's hand", but also for downright slapping their hand away. If the predecessor of Dark Souls were a nursery rhyme its moral of the story would have to be "try, try again". Dark Souls leaves linearity behind as the world opens up to a more free roaming format and again From Software threatens players with a returning "spicy but edible" difficulty on the XBOX 360 in addition to the PS3. (October)

  Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

  

  Naughty Dog's PS3 exclusive makes their action adventure cover-shooter a trilogy. Nathan traverses spectacular environments leaving behind the ice covered tundra and heads into the terrains of sandy heat in a riveting game known for storytelling and execution that rival movie scripts. I can undoubtedly say that Nathan Drake will most likely be taking the player to a wonderful location that is…un…charted? (November 1)

  The Elders Scrolls: Skyrim

  

  The next addition to the storied franchise of The Elder Scrolls series hits shelves on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the eleventh year of this millennium. It would seem the RPG gods have really aligned the stars for this game's release date. The Elder Scrolls sank its teeth into this generation of gaming with the widely popular Oblivion and even as far back as Morrowind or Daggerfall this RPG's definative franchise has been known for its massive innovations and free roaming a world with vast amounts of content for the player to take part in. Sword and sorcery combine to slay dragons this time around and every fan wants to try their hand at it. (November 11)

  The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

  

  Lord of the Rings has captured the hearts and imaginations of fantasy lovers for decades now. The untold story of warriors not depicted in the movies opens a new chapter in the epic tale of the Tolkien universe of Middle-Earth. From the makers of beloved action-RPG "Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance" comes Snowblind Studios' long awaited return to the genre that made them famous. (Q3 2011)

  Forza Motorsport 4

  

  To date Gamespot has given every Forza Motorsport game a 9 out of 10 or higher. Microsoft's exclusive racing franchise returns to the XBOX 360 and this time around supports an optional Kinect motion-sensing system. This racer has shown superb excellence in the past and there is no reason to suspect Forza from slowing down anytime soon. (TBA 2011)

  Star Wars: The Old Republic

  

  Star Wars: The Old Republic is BioWare and LucasArts' upcoming Massive Multi-player Online game exclusively for the PC. BioWare has a reputation for making fantastic RPGs and some titles that were specifically Star Wars themed Role-playing games in particular. Fans of internet gaming communities and a story that takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far far away have itchy blaster fingers and light sabers ready to unsheathe to handle this stellar sci-fi online RPG. (TBA 2011)

  The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

  

  What is there to say? Shigeru Miyamoto has innovated the face of gaming multiple times with his revolutionary game concepts and characters. Zelda is one of those examples with Shigeru's vision that follows the adventures of a green suited elf named Link which always promises a wonderful sword swinging time for adventurers of all ages on the Nintendo Wii. (TBA 2011)

  Mass Effect 3 - POSTPONED until 2012

  

  Yes, Mass Effect was once a much anticipated game of 2011. Other contenders for RPG of the year can wipe their brow and know that one less title will have a chance at the award. We will have to wait until next year to see BioWare's conclusion to their sci-fi trilogy. 2012 is the year that we will discover what the Reapers have in store for the inhabitance of the Milky Way Galaxy.

  Not confirmed but conceivable for 2011

  These are the games that the world over is just waiting on the edge of their seats to hear an official release date and have a reasonable probability of falling into a 2011 release.

  Guild Wars 2

  

  ArenaNet's fantasy online role-playing game has been in the works for some time now. In a genre that says "make'em pay more…every month" ArenaNet says "NO" and waves the subscription fees that an industry has tried to make a standard convention. Over five million fans of the original are waiting in anticipation for this innovative online experience that is moving out of "instanced zones" and moving into a free roaming mythic world.

  Diablo III

  

  Blizzard's extremely successful franchise is making a third attempt to wow players with an action RPG for the PC that is focused on your chosen character and their carnage-filled path to slew the devil. Diablo first hit the scene in 1996 and was followed by the raging success of Diablo II in 2000. Battle.net is still hosting an online community to this day for Diablo and is still very popular eleven years into the future. Fans want the next installment…and they want it bad.

  The Last Guardian

  

  From the developer Fumito Ueda of the critically acclaimed ICO and Shadow of the Colossus comes the next auspicious installment to their repertoire, The Last Guardian. Known for artistic poise and finesse The Last Guardian appears no different with beautiful looking art and level design.

  With six months still remaining what are the games that you are anticipating for 2011?

  • Posted May 23, 2011 9:37 am GMT
  • Category: Editorial
  • Tag
  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Digg

See Previous Blog Posts »