A previous post of mine mentions having been hooked on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and getting 'trained' on the XBox 360, but the PC version doesn't have the greatest of support for gamepads of any variety, much less the console's controllers it eventually was ported to (hint for future PC game devs out there. Never overlook the possibility of PC-to-console ports, and if you can plan for them ahead of time, even better. Nothing's more satisfying than being able to system-shift painlessly). I wasn't about to go to strictly keyboard and mouse for my Oblivion fix, and so I checked with my good friend Google.
It let me to a site for a piece of software called Pinnacle Game Profiler, and at the time, the evolving Oblivion profile being developed with the 360's controller in mind. I was hooked on the possibility, and went for the demo.
The profile itself isn't 100% perfect to the control scheme you'd find on the 360. However, it's only the obscurer commands you'll have to adapt to, and only because of the limitations of software of this type. As it is, it stands about 95% accurate, and you'll only need a few minutes of playtime to adjust.
Furthermore, this program is set to detect games you've loaded profiles in for, and since it emulates a keyboard and mouse, you can control literally any program with your pad (or stick) of choice.
The version I used for this review was 3.8.4, and since then, version 4.0 has gone public, boasting even more compatibility, including Windows Vista, and refinements in input processing, plus more efficient processing.
It's the best there is at what it does, but limitations outside of anyone's control (besides Bethesda Softworks) keep it from attaining perfection.
Verdicts:
3.8.4: 9.5/10
4.0.0: 9.8/10
(Edited slightly on February 8th. Originally, I goofed and said it now worked on Windows XP, when I'd meant to say it now supported Windows Vista instead.)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Other methods for playing older games on today's hardware
Sometimes, just playing a remake (see my older post for more information about that) just isn't quite satisfactory enough, and ports sometimes fix bugs that players have come to rely on, and so there's one other method that can be used to sate whatever your classic game craving might be.
It's the one word that most companies publically treat as a profanity, but offers the truest experience outside the actual hardware: Emulation.
Like I'd stated before, some companies have used this technique in official releases, but with consoles of the previous and current generations nearing the same specifications as lower-end computer hardware, the experience can be very satisfying.
I had entered the previous generation with rather strong anti-Microsoft bias, and as such, made the standard fanboyish comments about their console. However, as the massive black thing began making its true power known, I became intrigued with it. And finally, shortly after the XBox 360 had been launched, bringing us into the current generation, I broke down and purchased a pre-owned original XBox, and a game I knew I'd enjoy, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection. After awhile, I even picked up an arcade-style stick for the game, making the experience pretty much the arcade come home. However, as my game improved, and my desire to improve further strengthened, I began to learn this port was not arcade-perfect. I knew I had only one alternative left.
So, approximately a year into my owning the console, I began researching software-based modification techniques, known more commonly as soft-mods. I learned that advancements had been made on that front, and that you no longer needed to keep constant power to the system, else the dreaded 'clock-loop' (a situation where you are unable to proceed past the time and date-setting screen) would brick your hardware. The installation had even been made so simple, all you needed to do was read the instructions and follow the prompts. I did more research, and finally decided it was time. As soon as I found a copy of the game I needed, and the appropriate pieces, I was going to go to the dark side. As I'd learned, it was very simple. I made a common newbie error, and thankfully had somone experienced to talk with to explain what had happened.
The last part was deciding which emulators to load onto my newly-unlocked gaming powerhouse. Being a fighting game fan, I knew I needed good arcade fighters, especially some entries in the Street Fighter and The King of Fighters serieses, so I needed CPS1, CPS2 and Neo Geo options. That went on first, and I found a well-coded Super Nintendo emulator. That was next. I also backed up selected copies of my purchased games onto the XBox's hard drive, as a portability solution, and to avoid the normal wear and tear of constant usage.
A word of warning, though. It's no secret that if your console is detected by Microsoft as being modified on their Live! service, your system will be banned permanently by serial number. This never affected my decision at all, as I don't play online anyway, but I set my mod up with a way to make it indistinguishable from a stock system when I choose.
Later, I learned that not only was the holy grail of emulation being worked on, it had already been broken. The one-thought-impenetrable CPS3 hardware was finally playable, and when news of an XBox port of the first emulator to run these newer Capcom offerings was announced, I was almost unable to wait for it.
I am awed, but also slightly disappointed by the result. It appears that the limits of the console were finally found, as games run at full speed and with sound, but only as long as the emulated game doesn't need to pull up new art, or render some of the more complicated effects, such as scaling. Even then, though, the dip in framerate isn't crippling, or even long-lived. This plays well with Street Fighter III and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, as most effects of this type occur during times when there's no input being accepted anyway. Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, though, due to limitations, is unfortunately nearly unplayably slow. Perhaps in the future, optimizations will be made to either the emulator or the game, and it too will enjoy playablity.
It's the one word that most companies publically treat as a profanity, but offers the truest experience outside the actual hardware: Emulation.
Like I'd stated before, some companies have used this technique in official releases, but with consoles of the previous and current generations nearing the same specifications as lower-end computer hardware, the experience can be very satisfying.
I had entered the previous generation with rather strong anti-Microsoft bias, and as such, made the standard fanboyish comments about their console. However, as the massive black thing began making its true power known, I became intrigued with it. And finally, shortly after the XBox 360 had been launched, bringing us into the current generation, I broke down and purchased a pre-owned original XBox, and a game I knew I'd enjoy, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection. After awhile, I even picked up an arcade-style stick for the game, making the experience pretty much the arcade come home. However, as my game improved, and my desire to improve further strengthened, I began to learn this port was not arcade-perfect. I knew I had only one alternative left.
So, approximately a year into my owning the console, I began researching software-based modification techniques, known more commonly as soft-mods. I learned that advancements had been made on that front, and that you no longer needed to keep constant power to the system, else the dreaded 'clock-loop' (a situation where you are unable to proceed past the time and date-setting screen) would brick your hardware. The installation had even been made so simple, all you needed to do was read the instructions and follow the prompts. I did more research, and finally decided it was time. As soon as I found a copy of the game I needed, and the appropriate pieces, I was going to go to the dark side. As I'd learned, it was very simple. I made a common newbie error, and thankfully had somone experienced to talk with to explain what had happened.
The last part was deciding which emulators to load onto my newly-unlocked gaming powerhouse. Being a fighting game fan, I knew I needed good arcade fighters, especially some entries in the Street Fighter and The King of Fighters serieses, so I needed CPS1, CPS2 and Neo Geo options. That went on first, and I found a well-coded Super Nintendo emulator. That was next. I also backed up selected copies of my purchased games onto the XBox's hard drive, as a portability solution, and to avoid the normal wear and tear of constant usage.
A word of warning, though. It's no secret that if your console is detected by Microsoft as being modified on their Live! service, your system will be banned permanently by serial number. This never affected my decision at all, as I don't play online anyway, but I set my mod up with a way to make it indistinguishable from a stock system when I choose.
Later, I learned that not only was the holy grail of emulation being worked on, it had already been broken. The one-thought-impenetrable CPS3 hardware was finally playable, and when news of an XBox port of the first emulator to run these newer Capcom offerings was announced, I was almost unable to wait for it.
I am awed, but also slightly disappointed by the result. It appears that the limits of the console were finally found, as games run at full speed and with sound, but only as long as the emulated game doesn't need to pull up new art, or render some of the more complicated effects, such as scaling. Even then, though, the dip in framerate isn't crippling, or even long-lived. This plays well with Street Fighter III and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, as most effects of this type occur during times when there's no input being accepted anyway. Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, though, due to limitations, is unfortunately nearly unplayably slow. Perhaps in the future, optimizations will be made to either the emulator or the game, and it too will enjoy playablity.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
My absense, and a mini-review
Well, I know it's been awhile, but there's been a few reasons behind this, and it starts with Thanksgiving with an out-of-town relative.
My brother brings over his XBox 360, and subsequently gets me hooked on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which is pretty much crack in a DVD case. In the weeks following, I obtain the PC version, and am merrily playing my Khajiit 'Lifestealer' custom class, and leaving nearly everything else by the wayside. Now, as it's a relatively new game, it won't get much exposure here... at least yet. I will, however, give a brief rundown on why this is one of the very few RPGs I'll actually play:
My brother brings over his XBox 360, and subsequently gets me hooked on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which is pretty much crack in a DVD case. In the weeks following, I obtain the PC version, and am merrily playing my Khajiit 'Lifestealer' custom class, and leaving nearly everything else by the wayside. Now, as it's a relatively new game, it won't get much exposure here... at least yet. I will, however, give a brief rundown on why this is one of the very few RPGs I'll actually play:
- It's freeform. You can rack up quests 'til Oblivion won't have it (note: Oblivion is the 'hell' of their world), and complete them at your leisure, or finish each quest as you recieve it.
- Completing the main quest series does not mean the end of the game. Some quests may be of the complete-or-lose-and-restart-from-save variety, but there's always more to do in the game.
- Combat is realtime, and rather strategic. If you're good enough, you can win fights without taking a single hit. And besides, it always feels nice to jump your opponent's fireball spell and slash him on the way down.
- It's open. Bethesda Softworks has made tools available for players to create their own content. Everything from new quests to new toys to play around with. Some enterprising players have even toyed with some of the default game systems to make them more player-friendly.
Now, nothing this expansive and open comes flawlessly, however, and there are some issues that can arise. Some quests don't play well with others, and quite often plugins (the term for user-created content) will conflict with others. It happens sometimes, but the flaws don't detract from the myriad pluses all that much. Let me just say, if you can find this game, for any platform (it's currently available for the XBox 360, Playstation 3 and PC), your money would be well-spent in this purchase. I would recommend the PC version over the console ports, and the Game of the Year Edition over vanilla Oblivion, for the reasons described above (console users can't access all the user-made modifications available), but make sure you clear your social calendar for at least a week before starting play. You'll need it.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
The Art of Remakes
To any company, the remake is one thing that begins to make the mouth water, and for good reason. The sole purpose for a company to exist, naturally, is to make money. A remake, or classics collection, depending on how it's done, is one of the easiest ways to do so. You take the best of what's already been, as most of the work has been done the first time around, and generally add a few extras, then put on a bargain price, and finally put it on the shelf, ready to find a new generation of fans.
Except, whether they see it or not, there's an art to remaking and collecting.
There are generally four schools of thought to this, and let's take a look at them.
Some, such as Super Mario All-Stars and the to-be-released-but-excessively-named Super Street Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix, recieve graphical overhauls while the core gameplay is untouched. The former is very noteworthy, as it was the first well-known both remake and collection, and has almost become a classic in its own right. The latter is more controversial, but getting alot of fan-based feedback, and more importantly, still in development. It should go without saying, then, the jury is still out. This is, in my own opinion, the way to go.
Another way to reviving a franchise for another go without too much hassle is an amalgamation. This is more prevalent in fighting games, and it involves taking a series with alot of tweaks to it (see Street Fighter II and Darkstalkers for examples), and then allowing the same characters to have different gameplay styles and the player to mix and match them at will. This can take some work, but when done right, and with respect and detail paid to the source material, it can be an entry in its own right. Of course, it can also fall flat on its back, especially when it's done in a rather rushed manner or makes one standard the one to follow (see Mortal Kombat Trilogy).
And now, we move on to the more-or-less ports, bundled together. This is true of smaller-sized games, like Mega Man Anniversary Collection (and it's Mega Man X-based sequel). This train differs from the mere collection in that extras are generally included, and consist of content that can't be had easily anywhere else. For example, all three versions of MMAC included ports of both arcade games the franchise spawned (Mega Man: The Power Battle, and Mega Man 2: Power Fighters), which saw very limited release outside of Japan.
Then, we get into the straight collections. Most of the work here comes in programming the console-based emulators, and then the original code from the original console is run through it. While this makes for the truest experience, given that some differences will remain, I feel it shows laziness on the part of developers, and even more when there's speculation not even the emulator itself was written from scratch, as there has been with Sonic Mega Collection. Also, unlockables tend to be either more emulated games, or maybe some art.
And finally, just finally, we get to where I believe the term 'remake' is tarnished almost forevermore, the steaming pile dropped on the Game Boy Advance called Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis. To anyone that has played this and thought it represents the actual experience, I'd like to apologize, and point you toward the above-mentioned Mega Collection. Almost all of the code was rewritten from scratch, and it shows.
Except, whether they see it or not, there's an art to remaking and collecting.
There are generally four schools of thought to this, and let's take a look at them.
Some, such as Super Mario All-Stars and the to-be-released-but-excessively-named Super Street Fighter II Turbo: HD Remix, recieve graphical overhauls while the core gameplay is untouched. The former is very noteworthy, as it was the first well-known both remake and collection, and has almost become a classic in its own right. The latter is more controversial, but getting alot of fan-based feedback, and more importantly, still in development. It should go without saying, then, the jury is still out. This is, in my own opinion, the way to go.
Another way to reviving a franchise for another go without too much hassle is an amalgamation. This is more prevalent in fighting games, and it involves taking a series with alot of tweaks to it (see Street Fighter II and Darkstalkers for examples), and then allowing the same characters to have different gameplay styles and the player to mix and match them at will. This can take some work, but when done right, and with respect and detail paid to the source material, it can be an entry in its own right. Of course, it can also fall flat on its back, especially when it's done in a rather rushed manner or makes one standard the one to follow (see Mortal Kombat Trilogy).
And now, we move on to the more-or-less ports, bundled together. This is true of smaller-sized games, like Mega Man Anniversary Collection (and it's Mega Man X-based sequel). This train differs from the mere collection in that extras are generally included, and consist of content that can't be had easily anywhere else. For example, all three versions of MMAC included ports of both arcade games the franchise spawned (Mega Man: The Power Battle, and Mega Man 2: Power Fighters), which saw very limited release outside of Japan.
Then, we get into the straight collections. Most of the work here comes in programming the console-based emulators, and then the original code from the original console is run through it. While this makes for the truest experience, given that some differences will remain, I feel it shows laziness on the part of developers, and even more when there's speculation not even the emulator itself was written from scratch, as there has been with Sonic Mega Collection. Also, unlockables tend to be either more emulated games, or maybe some art.
And finally, just finally, we get to where I believe the term 'remake' is tarnished almost forevermore, the steaming pile dropped on the Game Boy Advance called Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis. To anyone that has played this and thought it represents the actual experience, I'd like to apologize, and point you toward the above-mentioned Mega Collection. Almost all of the code was rewritten from scratch, and it shows.
The Introduction
It seems all blogs must begin somewhere, and this one is no different. I'm not out looking to change the world, nor even a section of it. I'm just going to offer my views, and should they be popular, that's fine. Should I get tons of hate mail, well, most will likely see the virtual circular file without even being seen.
So what's this blog all about? Simple. I've been a gamer for many years now, back when the market thought all we were were nerds and geeks sitting at home playing on our little toyboxes on the television and throwing the Nielsen rating out of whack. I've played, not everything, but quite a bit of it, from my first console, the Atari 2600, bought at a rummage sale for the 'bargain' price of $20 with one cartidge, all the way through to some of the latest offerings on the XBox and Gamecube.
But I'm certainly no nostalgic gamer, either. I've played good games, and I've played crap. That holds true no matter what era you're looking at, and it shows today.
While this blog won't be bereft of postings on the current generation, such as the XBox 360, Playsation 3 and Wii, it will be minimal, and usually of interest to those like myself, where there's a connection to the games of old.
So, it seems fitting this blog is primarily for those who are at least one step back from the latest trends, and the title seems catchy enough. So with no more blathering, welcome to One Step Back. Classics, to last generation's tech, and with any luck, no real filler.
So what's this blog all about? Simple. I've been a gamer for many years now, back when the market thought all we were were nerds and geeks sitting at home playing on our little toyboxes on the television and throwing the Nielsen rating out of whack. I've played, not everything, but quite a bit of it, from my first console, the Atari 2600, bought at a rummage sale for the 'bargain' price of $20 with one cartidge, all the way through to some of the latest offerings on the XBox and Gamecube.
But I'm certainly no nostalgic gamer, either. I've played good games, and I've played crap. That holds true no matter what era you're looking at, and it shows today.
While this blog won't be bereft of postings on the current generation, such as the XBox 360, Playsation 3 and Wii, it will be minimal, and usually of interest to those like myself, where there's a connection to the games of old.
So, it seems fitting this blog is primarily for those who are at least one step back from the latest trends, and the title seems catchy enough. So with no more blathering, welcome to One Step Back. Classics, to last generation's tech, and with any luck, no real filler.
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