(Update! Looks like Gamespot posted a featurette about the music, sound, and voice acting today too. What are the odds?! Check it out at the bottom!)
One thing I'm not going to fret about related to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is its soundtrack. Jeremy Soule has taken the helm as composer for the Elder Scrolls series once again, and from what limited previews we have seen - or heard, rather - of the music, he's done a stellar job. I adored his work on Morrowind, raved about the soundtrack for Oblivion, and now I'm eagerly anticipating the same for Skyrim.
An official soundtrack for Skyrim has been announced and will be shipped the week after the game is released on 11/11/11.
Unlike his previous soundtrack work for the Elder Scrolls series, Jeremy Soule has scored and compiled a whopping four-disc set for Skyrim! That's a lot of music! One of the criticisms leveled at Morrowind and Oblivion was that their soundtracks - while enchanting - quickly became very repetitive as they tended to loop ad-infinitum during the hundred of hours of questing players could get in the game. A four-cd soundtrack shoud alleviate that problem somewhat (just a tad).
The four-disc set is available at Directsong exclusively for $30.00. Pricey, but it just might be worth it. Check out Gamespot's featurette on Skyrim's soundtrack, sound effects, and voice acting below, and head on over to Directsong to preorder.
If you're fans of the Elder Scrolls series, then you indubitably know that Skyrim, the fifth installment of Bethesda's epic open-world RPG, is about to be released on 11/11/11 - less than 15 days away. Now there's been an impressive amount of hype for the game, considering it has been over 5 years since the studio released the previous game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Yes, in addition to taking frivolous legal action against indie developers, Bethesda also still makes games! Imagine that.
Oblivion was hailed as one of the best RPGs of 2006, featuring stunning graphics (for the time), a massive world to explore, almost countless quests to complete, and its signature RPG leveling system; unlike most other models of the roleplaying videogame, the Elderscrolls uses a system where your abilities improve based only on use. That is, swing a sword enough times and you'll become a master swordsman. Blast enough enemies with fiery death, and you'll become a master mage. Spin enough diplomatic circles around your enemies with your silver tongue and you'll become a master ... debater.
Heh. Had to.
Skyrim allows you to kill bears like never before. As long as they aren't pandas, I say.
Still, for all its innovation and technical marvel, there was one area where I felt Oblivion fell short compared to its peers: narrative. Plot. Story. Now, I realize that these factors aren't really selling points of the Elder Scrolls series. Still, in a world where fans often feel justified in demanding improvements to game sequels (often to suit their own esoteric tastes), I feel okay jumping on the bandwagon here. After all, what gamer hasn't dreamed of ways to make the games they play better?
It has been my contention that there are two kinds of
successful fantasy stories in RPGs: one based on setting, and one based on
characters. Either your setting must be absolutely original and immersive, or your characters have to be compelling. Preferably, you would have both an original and interesting world to explore coupled with characters that you care about. In the absence of both, you must at least have one for a good story to be told.
Pretty? Yes. Interesting? That's debatable.
Case(s) in point. While Dragon Age's setting may not be the most original in all of fiction, the series still told an absolutely captivating narrative through your many party members. One of the best parts of the story in the first Dragon Age was trying to penetrate the witch Morrigan's caustic exterior. Or getting to know the man behind the string of sarcastic jokes that was Alistair. Or trying to decipher exactly what the mysterious shapeshifter Flemeth was planning.
Morrowind, the third installment of the Elder Scrolls series, took the opposite approach. The gamemanaged to make up for its lack of memorable non-player characters using a fascinating and stunningly-well crafted setting based on a truly unique culture and intricate weave of lore. The sheer drama of this politically and religiously charged world more than made up for the lack of NPCs. You didn't just get to know a character in Morrowind. You got to know a whole nation.
Morrowind's capital city of Vivec, a thousand times more interesting than Oblivion's generic fantasy.
Unfortunately, Oblivion's setting seemed in comparison to be utterly generic fantasy with an unremarkable plot and dull, forgettable characters. Oblivion's narrative had neither the expansive and intricate backstory of Morrowind, nor the well-developed and layered characters of Dragon Age. The result was an utterly uninspired story. You got to know a world in Oblivion, yes. But it was like getting to know your husband/wife of forty years. Been there, done that. Seen it all before.
Note, that I don't think Oblivion itself was bad - just this one aspect. In terms of technology, gameplay, and sheer expansiveness of its world, Oblivion should still be considered the top of the top in its sub-genre of RPG.
Standing stones in Skyrim will impart special benefits to various skills.
With that tedious and overlong introduction done, I finally come to the point of this post. What will Skyrim do to address these concerns? Most other gaming sites seem to have conceded that the story aspect of the Elder Scrolls series is unworthy of note; the emphasis in most previews I have read has been decidedly focused on gameplay. That's fine; Elder Scrolls' massive worlds and unique gameplay are after all the major selling points of the series. Still, for a gamer who enjoys games primarily for their story content, what is there to expect?
Well, Skyrim is set in a brand new location, the home of the Nords. In terms of real world correlations, Nords are essentially fantasy Vikings. They make their homes in snow-covered plains that are broken apart by frost-covered crags and frozen tundra. This is a welcome change from the generic forests and medieval cities of Oblivion. As for the actual lore and backstory, we'll have to see when the game releases, but what's been shown so far seems to hit closer to Oblivion than it does Morrowind.
We can visit everything you see here, from Skyrim. Maybe not the clouds I'm guessing. Or can we?
As for plot, very little has been revealed. Apart from the fact that for some reason, dragons are trying to destroy the world, and your character is the fated hero chosen by destiny to defeat them and save the realm. Generic? Yes. Can it be done well? Again, guess we'll have to see.
Finally, Bethesda has not made a big deal out of its NPC characters. This isn't surprising, considering Skyrim's predecessors. There's supposed to be a new NPC AI system which is supposedly pretty revolutionary in terms of giving all the thousands of NPCs their own schedules. Gameplay wise, this sounds great. Story-wise, not so much. Quantity can't make up for lack of quality in terms of developing memorable characters to interact with. If every non-player character in the game has their own schedule, but none of them has any personality, that's big minus points in my book.
Dragons are an integral part of Skyrim's lore. Also, expect to kill a lot of them.
So, in short. Looks like Skyrim's not going to satisfy any narrative cravings. I look forward to being proven wrong, but I won't go so far as to hope for it.
That said, I still plan on fully enjoying this game. Despite Oblivion's lackluster storyline, I still found its massively open world absorbing and engrossing. Fans of the Elder Scrolls series often claim to forgo the main plotline entirely, choosing to carve out their own story and make their own mark in the Elder Scrolls universe. From what we've seen of Bethesda's latest RPG so far, there's no reason to think we can't do the same in Skyrim.
It's not an Elder Scrolls game if there's not a weird zombie skeleton all up in your grill.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim releases on November 11, 2011 on PC (via Steam), Xbox 360 and PS3.
Check out my review of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion here (please note that this was done on my old 5-point review system, which has since been discarded) and then catch some of the latest footage of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, plus the live-action trailer below!
Something short and sweet for a monday morning. Maybe not that short. Sometimes not that sweet. Probably not sfw (there is some cussing. Though I suppose it's naive to say that would really bother any of you that much).
Via my friend, Gamers have apparently helped scientists to achieve a significant research breakthrough in the struggle to cure AIDS. Read the full article for all the details, but apparently a group of gamers playing Foldit was able to decrypt the structure of an AIDS-like virus' enzyme in three weeks, something that has held scientists back for nearly a decade.
It's always exciting to hear stuff like this, because it validates one of my favorite hobbies. Kids, next time your mom tells you to put away the video games, just tell her that you're working on a cure for all the world's diseases. ;)
Remember that show called Heroes? It ran from 2006 - 2010 on NBC, and was sort of a X-men for the modern age and on television? It was widely acclaimed during most of its first season, but started to go downhill in quality from the first season finale? Critical ratings - and soon after, viewership - tapered off into a spiraling disaster that resulted in the show's cancellation after four seasons?
It's a little bit late (all right, a lot late), but here's an analysis of what went wrong in the series.
1. Characters meant to last only one season were dragged on for three more.
Did you know that Tim Kring, the creator and executive producer of the show, had originally intended for the bulk of the first season's main cast to be replaced by the end of the first season? His original vision was actually to have the show feature a rotating cast each season. This became painfully obvious as early as the second season. Character development for characters that were only intended for one season's worth of stories either became ground to a halt, or involved 180 degree flips in personality.
Case in point #1: how many times did we as viewers have to see Claire and her dad work out the same tired old issues?
Case in point #2: Could Sylar have gone from bad to good to bad to good any more times?
2. The Powers. Oh Lord, the powers.
From the very beginning I was hesitant about the inconsistent and seemingly random assortment of powers possessed by the protagonists. Fortunately, for one season I was pleasantly surprised at how well the writers were able to weave these over-the-top abilities into compelling storylines. That one season was about as much as we could hope for. From Time Travel to Freezing Time to Power Mimicry to Power Stealing ... the sheer strength of these powers forced the show's writers into tight corners from which they could only struggle to dig themselves out of.
I was especially peeved with time travel/freezing time being one of the most-commonly used powers. Time travel itself is already a difficult subject matter to write convincingly, which is why I'm guessing shows often do it only as standalone "what if?" episodes. The Fact that one of Heroes' main characters had the ability to time travel only ended up forcing the writers to either explain why he couldn't use the ability as a Deux Ex Machina to resolve any and all conflict on the show, OR (and sadly this was the direction they chose) to send him on ridiculously convoluted plots to get him out of the way.
3. Plots were abandoned with ... reckless abandon.
So ... remember in the second season, how Peter hooked up with that Irish chick? Remember how Peter accidentally time-traveled (UGH!) them both to the future. And then remember how he LEFT HER THERE WITH NO WAY OF GETTING BACK?
Yeah, how did that get resolved again? Oh. Right. It didn't. Ever.
And did Peter feel bad about leaving his romance in scary future time? Not according to the following seasons. He seemed to have conveniently forgotten that she even existed.
4. Heroes was a comic-book trying to be a television show. But some things that might fly in comic-book storytelling just don't work on TV.
I'll say this once: when you have to turn to a magical potion and Eclipses to explain how people acquire powers ... something is seriously wrong in your story. Seriously, I wouldn't buy this even in a comic book.
5. Broken Promises
The worst thing about Heroes was that it actually managed to be good for a whole season. Compelling plots, excellent pacing, and strong character development marked the first twenty-two episodes, and convinced me that maybe this show was worth watching. Three seasons later, I feel like I've been misled. Deceived. Like I went to a Chinese supermarket to buy quality Asian ramen, only to find that the inside of the box was filled with Maruchan brand cup noodle.
After the first season, the show became quickly known for its utter lack of focus. Characters were constantly forced into out of character situations. Plots were lackluster, either petering out before any resolution, or just unsatisfying in general. While Heroes was sparkling with promise in its first season, unfortunately, the show just never lived up to that promise.
Here's to hoping Tim Kring's next venture Touch, about a father whose autistic child can predict the future, does better. Even starring Kiefer Sutherland, however, this new show seems to not have much promise at all.
We're already halfway through 2011 folks ( can you believe it? ) but there doesn't seem to be any shortage of cool new media to entertain yourselves with - at least not in July. We list a few reasons to be look forward to enjoying life this month, after the jump.
On a side note, did you like the blog's background image for June? If so, I've included a 1920 x 1080 wallpaper below - just click on the image and you should get a full-resolution version. I really liked this background because it suggested a lot of action, but still had enough open space so that it wasn't distracting. Find more wallpapers like this one at www.dizorb.com.
It's interesting how the consoles have treated RPGs. Back in the old days, Playstation and Playstation 2 were definite RPG titans, boasting a seemingly limitless number of titles in the genre. Then, an interesting thing happened around 2007 - 2009. The Xbox 360 - which, if you may remember, the original Xbox was more of an action-oriented console - somehow took over the reigns of the RPG kingdom. With most of the big-name spring and summer RPGs on the Xbox 360 already released, I countdown my top ten favorite role-playing games on the system. See my top five below!
5. Final Fantasy XIII
There's no question FFXIII had many faults: the extreme linearity of both the story and the character progression were in stark contrast to almost all of its recent predecessors. The Crystogen leveling system really gave you no room to differentiate your characters beyond their set path, and it wasn't until near the end of the game where you had any area that you could "explore." Still, despite this, FFXIII still was an enjoyable experience, whose strengths ultimately outweighed its weaknesses. Fluid combat, an innovative battle system, stunning graphics and a great soundtrack kept this RPG from completely abandoning its Finally Fantastic legacy.
4. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
It's a testament to the quality of this game that even after five years, the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion still ranks in the top five. Despite a rather unremarkable main plot, stunning graphics, a truly wide open world to explore, endless number of quests to complete, and a multitude of interesting factions to join make this Elder Scrolls one of the best in the series and one of the best RPGs on the Xbox 360.
3. Tales of Vesperia
Some might say the JRPG genre has grown stale and repetitive, and honestly, Tales of Vesperia doesn't really do much to disprove that. The battle system isn't revolutionized from it's predecessor series, and the story is at times just as nonsensical as most JRPG plots tend to become when translated to english. Still, there's a reason i sank 80+ hours into this game in one playthrough - it is fun. The combat is fluid, and there's no denying the gaming high you get when you succesfully pull off that chain of dozens upon dozens of combos. Stylistic visuals and a charming soundtrack top off an otherwise superior game.
2. Mass Effect
The first Mass Effect was truly revolutionary, and thrust Bioware into the forefront of cinematic storytelling. An epic space opera boasting countless worlds to explore, quests where you determine the outcome, and an array of interesting and deep companion characters made this shooter-RPG the most fun I've ever had on the system. Sure, it had its problems too, most notably the horrifying amount of level recycling used in sidequests and the sheer awfulness of its planet-exploring vehicle, but these are nitpicks at worst. This is a game you simply must play if you have not.
1. Mass Effect 2
A lot of people have argued that Mass Effect strayed too far from its RPG roots in its second iteration. Everything from the leveling system to your equipment and even inventory management had been stripped down significantly. Why then, is it at the top of my Best RPGs on the Xbox 360? Simply put, the game sacrifices these elements to make the entire experience that much better. The combat is fluid, visceral, and you still have a wide and varied amount of classes and abilities to choose from. The storytelling is refined, and the effort that went into it is clearly visible, with the ability to import the decisions you made from the first game. The addition of "conversation interrupts" gave you the sense that Shephard is definitely not someone to mess around with. Gone was the horrible planet exploration and recycled areas (though replaced by a similarly annoying planet-scanning minigame). On top of that, Mass Effect 2 came with the bonus of some of the best DLC out there (Lair of the Shadow Broker anyone?). Some truly poignant moments are waiting for you if you haven't yet had a chance to play this game.
What do you think? What are your favorite 360 RPGs?
It's interesting how the consoles have treated RPGs. Back in the old days, Playstation and Playstation 2 were definite RPG titans, boasting a seemingly limitless number of titles in the genre. Then, an interesting thing happened around 2007 - 2009. The Xbox 360 - which, if you may remember, the original Xbox was more of an action-oriented console - somehow took over the reigns of the RPG kingdom. With most of the big-name spring and summer RPGs on the Xbox 360 already released, I countdown my top ten favorite role-playing games on the system. See the first five below:
10. Fable 3
The original Fable was one of my favorite games on the original Xbox, a game that managed to fit smooth action-combat with an interesting story, adaptive character development, and that wonderfully quirky sense of humor the series has boasted since its inception. While the combat seems to have become overly simplified and the stories seem to have weakened progressively in each game, Fable 3 at least fixed the multiplayer issues from its predecessor.
9. The Last Remnant
Featuring a unique take on tactical combat in RPGs, the Last Remnant was not well-received by most professional critics during its original release. A slew of graphical and technical problems marred an otherwise interesting story and innovative fight system. Some of the graphical problems were solved by installing the game to your 360 harddrive, but texture pop-in and framerate slowdowns were still commonplace. Add to this, the fact that the game actually punishes you when you "level up" made this game a difficult one to enjoy. And yet, somehow I'm still playing through it now.
8. Eternal Sonata
A stereotypical action-RPG, except the story incorporated the life and music of Frederic Chopin. Eternal Sonata also boasted some of the best cel-shaded graphics and art design on the system at the time of its release. The game captured a sort of musical charm that fans of classical music no doubt enjoyed; all the characters besides chopin were named after some aspect of music, including such oddities as "Allegretto" and "Polka."
7. Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Another JRPG, The Last Hope featured an intense, action-packed and fun-driven real-time combat system which was both fluid and addicting. The only things that dragged the game down was the obtuse storyline and the painful character designs. Seriously, your characters looked like a moving collection of porcelain dolls, which I'm sorry, but no. Just no. No.
6. Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Marvel Ultimate Alliance was a great culmination of the technology and engine that drove the first two X-Men Legend Action-RPG games. MUA featured a large cast of playable and recognizable characters from the Marvel Universe, all of whom had their classic powers and costumes available for use. The story was competent, and the graphics and sound were just fine. Plus points for being able to telekinetically throw your enemies off ledges. Too bad the sequel to this great game oversimplified the character development options.
Check back tomorrow for my top-five Xbox 360 RPGs!
Via IGN, comes this interesting character overview of two of the new characters from SSF4: Arcade Edition. Personally I've so far been a big fan of Yun, who's attacks mix strength and speed pretty well. Not that I'm any good at the game mind you.
