This week we talk about possessive boys in Mr Love, the on-going peril of video game preservation as the OUYA shuts down and how a camera might be keeping me from ONINAKI. Also, there’s some lovely Japanese English rap.
Magic Am I – More of That
I really like looking at Japanese-language game news websites. Mainly because there’s a lot of stuff that goes un-covered even be specialized outlets like Siliconera. Honestly, they don’t for good reason. A lot of this stuff can be pretty unremarkable!
I always fall into the trap of looking at a PC or Mobile game that has a cool aesthetic. But once you look into the gameplay, it looks like this:
That’s not to say it’s bad or that there’s even something wrong with this screenshot. I’d say it’s even one of the more visually impressive battle screens that I’ve seen in these gatcha RPGs. I’ve also enjoyed a few of these types of games myself over the last half decade. The game itself is probably perfectly fine. But when you come across multiple of these a week that all look generally the same, it’s easy to just glaze over.
Either way, I’m glad I take the time to take a look at them. I forget their names most of the time, but I’m guessing a name like Magic I Am might stick.
Let OUYA Sleep
(Image Source: IGN)
I’m not a huge fan of western indie games and I never invest any money into Kickstarter. So I more or less completely missed the Ouya. I have no idea what games came out on it or whether there’s any reason to ever check it out.
However, the time to do so will be coming to an end on June 25th. The store front for this all-digital console will no longer be accessible.
It’s easy to point and laugh at these failed services. Ouya, PlayStation Mobile and the Wii Shop Channel were all relatively unsuccessful. Well, outside of the latter’s music.
But for me, it’s yet another warning. These online services are temporary and, at least without the work of others who illegally make this content available, it’s essentially gone forever.
Most people won’t ever care. As someone who goes back and plays many games that no one ever has an intention of re-releasing, it’s important to persevere this stuff.
I mean, just look at HuneX Fighters ’98 ver. 2. As far as I can tell, C-games.info is the only English language resource on it. And by resource, I mean they have like six screenshots. If it weren’t for this thing existing on CDs, there’s a good chance it’d have largely vanished into the ether. Even with the disc, it’s a pain to get working.
Right now, we’re still lucky. Most services dying off have a local copy of the game on your actual unit, even after the servers go away. But if a portion of the market moves towards a streaming future, we won’t even be able to say that.
When or if that time comes, I feel like there’s nothing we can do than accept the inevitable. Games will be lost.
Mr. Love Wants You… Maybe Too Much
Mr. Love is a new Otome game put out by the same Publisher as Love Nikki. It seems to wrap in elements of both Love Nikki and Mystic Messenger.
I’m not really sure where the game goes from what little I’ve seen, but I’m surprised how like… possessive everyone is of you in all the trailers. They’re all just straight up like “We’re meant to be. I’m the only one for you and you’re the only one for me” in such declarative statements. It kind of feels overpowering.
That being said, I’m assuming that’s probably somewhat romantic to some people. It is kind of interesting that traits such as this can be desirable in a fictional form, but I think most people would frown upon similar language in the real world. At least to me, I’d probably take it as the dude trying to make it sound like I have no other option but to stick with them.
That being said, I totally get enjoying it in fiction. I love delinquent-type characters, but I’m not sure how that’d go in real life. Heck, I even love Mumkar from Xenoblade Chronicles who is kind of the worst scumbag of a human.
The safety of viewing someone like that from afar I think lets you play with these more extreme types of fantasies. But when there are actual risks and consequences involved, it becomes a lot scarier.
Anyways, I think the game looks cool. I might give it a look.
ONINAKI – For Some Reason The Camera Matters
I like hack n’ slash games with distinct weapon types. So ONINAKI looks right up my alley. But for some reason, I’m not sure if I’ll end up buying it.
I think I would like it, but I’m not sure what’s needed to push me over the edge to make it a must-get. I think a big part of it is the camera. Isometric views are perfectly fine, but I think over the years I’ve found that games with fully 3D environments often will grab my interest more.
I think it comes down to the dynamic feel of the gameplay and world. Not only do you get to see more, but you get an up-close and personal look at all the distinct animations of both your character and foes.
Or maybe it’s just me growing up in the 3D-era, so I’m more used to it. I don’t really know for sure. I can’t say I’ll ever play ONINAKI, but I’m confident I’d enjoy it.
Hypnosis Microphone – Enjoy this English My Fellow Chicks and Dicks
Hypnosis Microphone seems to be a fairly new rap focused idol group. I can’t say much more than that since I don”t know anything about music. I listen to it and either like it or don’t. Most of the time, it also has to be video game music.
That being said, there’s some fantastic English at the start of this video by the Mad Trigger Crew. As well as repeated use of “Cash Rules” and “My Hood.” It’s pretty great.
I will probably continue to enjoy these guys from afar. I like the variety of voice types. There’s a nice contrast between the super deep dude and the higher pitched guy at 1:30 that sounds like a school teacher trying to rap.
