GameFrontMitch
jeremythemvp:
“What a joyful, beautiful, insane woman.
”

jeremythemvp:

What a joyful, beautiful, insane woman.

My Adventure in Voice Acting!

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Voice acting for me has always been “the great unknown”. Something that I’ve always wanted to try, but thought it would never happen because I never thought that I had a good enough voice for it. Every now and then I would hear my voice on video or something and I’d have the same reaction I’d imagine a lot of people have: “Oh my god, is THAT what I sound like?”

Then a funny thing happened. I started doing video walkthroughs for Game Front and people were actually leaving really positive comments about the voice that I had been so self-conscious about. 

Eventually as I grew more confident in my walkthroughs, I grew more confident in my voice, and eventually, I decided it was finally time to dive into the great unknown. So I dropped pretty substantial amount of money to take a voice acting workshop with one of my all-time favorite voice actors, Crispin Freeman.

So let’s run down what actually happened at the workshop. The first hour and a half or so was basically warm up time. We started off with some quick and simple improv games that culminated with us pairing up and playing the elevator game. You basically just have to act out a scene with your partner in an elevator, with Crispin occasionally shouting “change” to make you think on the fly and immediately change what you just said. Generally he just used this to make you aware that you broke a rule of imrpov.

The improv portion was a lot of fun and I personally think that me and my partner had the best scene. My favorite part of it was when my partner asked why our elevator was going under water and I replied “I know it’s crazy… OH MY GOD… DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS? We’re heading down into Rapture…” Obviously making a Bioshock reference that I think went over most people’s heads, but then Crispin said “CHANGE” so I said “We’re heading straight for hell!” “CHANGE!” “We’re… heading to Wisconsin!” To which Crispin and the rest of the room started busting up laughing.

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Then came the meat of the workshop, which was the actual voice acting parts. We each basically got to do one scene per workshop, which is a little disappointing, but understandable. I asked Crispin to give me a villain to play so my first scene was from Hellsing and involved the young vampire, Leif, who’s basically making out with his girl while he talks about how awesome their newly found vampiric powers are. Then she goes down on him and he starts laughing manically as he shoots at a bunch of dead bodies. 

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So yeah, my first voice acting experience was as a psychotic vampire on a power trip who gets a blow job and then starts laughing manically. Fun stuff! I learned that it’s really hard to match maniacal laughter to anime lipflaps and it’s also really hard to sound villainous without sounding angry. Crispin had a hard time getting me to talk intimate with the girl as she was getting ready to give a BJ while still keeping in the character I had established.

“She’s about to go down on you and you sound like you’re mad about it!”

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My second scene was a little disappointing in my eyes because Crispin gave me Spike from Cowboy Bebop. Now, I don’t know if you’ve seen Cowboy Bebop, but it’s one of the best and most well known dubs out there, and when I see Spike, the only voice I’m expecting to come out of him is Steve Blum. So even though I felt like I did a good job with the acting and portrayal, when I heard the playback I wasn’t satisfied with it because I know that it’s not what Spike’s supposed to sound like. 

Was it worth the money? Honestly, that will depend on whether I continue down the path. If we’re going just by what I did at the workshop, then no. In eight hours, I only got two 30 minute sessions on the mic and got to play a couple of fun improv games.

But Crispin’s advice and direction was so good and it truly made me look at voice acting in a different way. I think that what I learned from my experience was invaluable and it was stuff that I’d have to eventually learn if I’m to truly take up voice acting as a potential career.

Come on now, Ninja Gaiden 3 isn’t THAT bad

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I’m not normally one to complain about review scores because I understand that reviews are a subjective opinion, and ESPECIALLY not when I don’t even think that the game that’s getting slammed in the press is even that great. But I have a soft spot in my heart for the Ninja Gaiden series and I feel like some of the complaints being laid against Ninja Gaiden 3 are… well quite honestly bullshit.

So let me first say that Ninja Gaiden 3 is a big disappointment. It’s not nearly as good as the prior two games in the series, it changes up the formula for the worst, and if I was to personally score it, I’d probably give it a 7.0 or a 7.5 at most. 

That being said, as a standalone title that doesn’t have to be measured up against its two predecessors, Ninja Gaiden 3 is a solid action game with a fun and flashy combat system that actually does have a decent amount of depth if you’re willing to look for it.

One of my biggest problems with the reviews of the game that I’ve read is that people criticize the game for being too easy on the normal difficulty, then go into all of this detail about how they were able to get through fights just by mashing the weak attack button while looking away from the screen, balancing spinning plates on their forehead, juggling chainsaws, etc. Then when they finally talk about how the game plays on hard, its either an outright lie or conveniently glazed over.

“Even on the hard difficulty, all it takes is mashing buttons to win fights.” - Mitch Dyer, IGN Video Review

See this statement bothers me because it’s complete and utter bullshit and it misleads people into thinking that one of the game’s biggest selling points is moot. You won’t even get past the first level of the game just by mashing buttons. Ninja Gaiden 3 on hard is all about constantly staying in motion, using your aerial combos to avoid getting swarmed while on the ground, picking out the weak enemies first so you can use your ultimate attacks and ninpo on the stronger enemies, and knowing how to use your abilities to most efficiently take out each enemy. 

“Yes, there is a hard difficulty, and while that does make the enemy AI tougher, it fails to address the fundamental problem with Ninja Gaiden 3: there is just no depth to it” - Alex Navarro, Giant Bomb

As I mentioned above, there is depth to Ninja Gaiden 3’s combat system, but the problem is that you have to find it. Now THIS is a legitimate problem with NG3. The game doesn’t really teach you any of the really advanced techniques that you need to know in order to survive in hard mode. It never teaches you how to do the izuna drop, it doesn’t tell you that you can jump on enemies’ heads and use the flying swallow attack to break through their defenses and get an instant kill, it doesn’t tell you that finishing off gravely wounded enemies is a fantastic way of building up your ninpo meter, nor does it give you any indication of how many enemies you need to kill to charge up your ultimate attack. In order to figure this out, you have to take your lickings and die multiple times until you finally change your strategy to something that works. 

My problem is that it feels like reviewers burned through the game on normal, maybe switched the difficulty to hard for a few fights only to get their ass handed to them, and then switched it back to normal and maintained this notion that the combat has no depth and requires no finesse. 

And it could be that there just isn’t a sweet spot between the two difficulties. Maybe normal is too easy and hard is too hard. But if that’s the case, SAY THAT! That is a legitimate problem with the game! Don’t mislead readers into thinking that the game’s combat has no depth without fully examining the ins and outs of the combat system.

The rest of the stuff that people I say I mostly agree with. The story is kind of whack, I don’t really care about multiplayer in Ninja Gaiden because I know that in a month almost no one will be playing it, the game is super linear, there’s only one weapon, no shops, no upgrades, etc. Like I said, I’m not saying that Ninja Gaiden 3 is great or even very good. 

However, it is absolutely NOT a 3/10 or 4/10, and I feel like that score is an insult to the developers who obviously worked very hard on this game. Ninja Gaiden 3’s problems aren’t the result of poor coding, lazy QA, broken gameplay, or a general lack of effort like games that deserve such a score should have. NG3’s problems are a combination of issues that have plagued the series since the beginning and some misguided design decisions that were intended to put a new spin on the franchise. 

In celebration of Umineko 8 being translated, my top 5 Umineko songs!

In case my random anime references throughout my walkthroughs didn’t clue you in, I’m a pretty huge anime nerd. And while it’s technically not exactly anime related, I’ve been super excited for the release of the eigth and final Umineko visual novel. For those that don’t know, Umineko no naku Koro ni, or When the Seagulls Cry, is an incredible visual novel series that centers on a family that is mysteriously and brutally murdered over the course of two days on an isolated mansion on an otherwise deserted island. It’s an extremely unconventional tale that tricks you, dares you to try to solve its mysteries, and teases you with bits of the truth all throughout the 8 novels.

It also has some of the best music i’ve heard in games, movies, or anything else, which brings me to the purpose of this post: Here’s my top 5 Umineko songs for those interested in checking them out.

Hope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOq7ZNTPVug

Dreamend Discharger: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuRRe1moVhY

Dread of the Grave: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsOmgr3q4sA

Worldend Dominator: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR6PYrjEzcQ

Answer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceR7CG04xr4

It’s not you, The Old Republic, it’s me

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I so very much want to like Star Wars: The Old Republic. As soon as you boot the game up it’s easy to see how much love, hard work, and dedication went in to the making of the game. The game’s combat has a lot of depth and complexity to it, I’m sure it’s going to be great exploring the galaxy once I get my own personal space ship, and I bet participating in large scale jedi vs sith PvP battles is appropriately epic.

Unfortunately, I probably won’t get to that point because I kind of hate this game.

Like I said, I’m sure for most, The Old Republic is everything they wanted and more. But for me, it’s the same deal for me as World of Warcraft. Too much grinding, too slow at the beginning, too much of a reliance on other people and too much of a time suck. I think my problem is that I want to play them like a single player action RPG, when obviously they have to be played very differently. Like for example, playing as an Imperial Agent, when I hide behind cover I pretty much expect to be safe until I pop out to shoot or the opponent has an explosive weapon that I need to be wary of. But in ToR, apparently cover just gives you a defensive buff because I was getting shot through cover left and right and eventually got melted behind my supposed safe haven.

But I’ll stick with it for as long as I have to, hoping that eventually I’ll come to a point where it clicks and I “get it.”

Game of the Year 2011

All right, let’s do this. GameFront had me post up several videos for the sitewide game of the year nominees, and let me first be clear: even though that is my voice in those videos, those are not my choices. The nominees were basically decided from review scores on Gamefront.com and from discussions that I mostly wasn’t apart of. So here are my choices for game of the year:

Best shooter: Modern Warfare 3
 

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People can hate on it all they want, but the fact is that Modern Warfare 3 was the most complete shooter of the year. People criticize the series for not innovating enough between sequels, but give them credit where credit is due. Spec Ops Survival is a well thought out version of horde/zombies with several unique aspects that make it intersting, Kill Confirmed is a great new mode that provides a nice alternative to the standard deathmatch fare without taking the singular focus away from killing the enemy team, the campaign was as solid as the other MW games, and the strike packages are a great way to appeal to those who have trouble keeping up their kill counts by still making them feel like they’re contributing.

Runners up: 
Bulletstorm
Resistance 3
Battlefield 3
Gears of War 3

Best Action/Adventure: Uncharted 3

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I loved every single thing about Uncharted 3, but that’s probably because I loved everything about Uncharted 2. 3 was pretty much a “More of the same” sequel, but no other game offers up as exciting firefights as Uncharted 3 and then combines them with excellent puzzles, a fantastic story, and some of the best video game characters you’ll find outside of a big budget RPG. The game also has a very underrated multiplayer component and it does a lot of really interesting things that I hope will be picked up by other multiplayer oriented games to eventually become the standard. Things like the buddy system, the medal reward system, the treasure chests, etc. 

Runners Up:
Batman Arkham City
The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword
Assassins Creed Revelations 

Best RPG: Skyrim
 

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I know, I know, I feel like I’ve forsaken all of the people who started watching our walkthroughs because of my Dark Souls walkthrough, and I’m sorry, but the truth of the matter is I enjoyed playing Skyrim more than Dark Souls. Skyrim sucked me in and never let go with its gigantic open world filled with places to explore, dungeons to clean out, loot to acquire, and a seemingly endless number of quests to complete.

I will say that I think Dark Souls is a better made game with better combat, a more intelligently designed world, less glitches, and infinitely better enemies. Dark Souls is also immensely satisfying to get through tough parts, but that’s also part of its biggest problem. Getting through those rough spots of Dark Souls can be such a chore at times that it diminishes the value of the game up until you’re able to get by it and the game becomes fun again.

Runners Up:
Dark Souls
Deus Ex Human Revolution 

Best Fighting Game: Mortal Kombat

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I’m not a fighting game person for the most part. I get overwhelmed easily by long combo strings, I get frustrated when I feel like my opponent is so good that I feel like I can’t do anything because I’m constantly stuck in their combos, and I have too much pride as a gamer to resort to button mashing. Mortal Kombat ended up being a fighting game that pretty much felt designed specifically for me to enjoy. I felt like I could learn simple bread and butter combos, combine them with easy to perform special moves, and be at the very least respectable and hold my own against most opponents without feeling overwhelmed. Add on to that the spectacular fatalities, one of the best story modes ever to grace a fighting game, a wide selection of unique characters, and you’ve got my pick for the best fighting game of the year.

Runners Up:
Marvel vs Capcom 3
WWE All Stars

Best Downloadable Game: The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile

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Pretty much from March to April it was a dead slump for video games up until Portal 2 came out. As I was checking out the trailers for upcoming games I happened upon the trailer for Vampire Smile and was immediately blown away. Blistering fast 2D combat, awesomely bloody execution maneuvers, and a seemingly wide variety of ways to kill enemies. “Where the hell did this come from?!” I asked myself. When I finally got the game I was so happy that it lived up to the expectations I set for it while watching that trailer. The game is hard without ever being frustrating; new weapons were introduced just often enough to prevent combat from being repetitive; and the game packed more value in its price than most full retail releases. The problem with downloadable games is that they tend to end up being fun, but forgettable. Dishwasher Vampire Smile managed to be an experience that stayed with me long after I finished with it.

Runners Up:
Bastion
Stacking
Bloodrayne Betrayal
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet 

Best Game No One Played: Resistance 3

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All right, this should probably be “The Best Game Not Enough People Played,” but these awards are all about hyperboles, so whatever.

I honestly can’t believe how poorly Resistance 3 did in sales in comparison to other shooters out there. It physically pains me that such a great and refreshing shooter franchise consistently gets looked over for “more of the same” games like Killzone and yes even Call of Duty. Resistance should stand side by side with the Modern Warfares and Battlefields by providing an alternative to the standard “stop and pop” style of shooters that we’ve grown accustomed to. Firefights in Resistance 3 are almost always unique due to the variety of weapons at your disposal, the unique capabilities of each enemy, the amount of ammo you have for each of your weapons, forcing you constantly to be on your toes and not just be looking for the nearest chest high wall to hide behind.

Runners Up:
Bulletstorm 
Shadows of the Damned
 
Game of the Year: Uncharted 3
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2011 was an amazing year for video games, and thanks to my job I ended up getting to play the vast majority of good ones, but by far I enjoyed playing Uncharted 3 the most. I’ve pretty much already said why I feel this game is so awesome in the Action/Adventure category, but just to hit the highpoints: Amazing single player campaign that combines intense firefights, brilliant puzzles, and a fantastic story with some of the best characters in gaming; underrated multiplayer mode that introduces some pretty innovative ideas onto the competitive shooter multiplayer scene; great co-op modes; fantastic musical score; great voice acting; great pretty much everything.

Runners Up:
Skyrim
Dark Souls
Portal 2
Batman Arkham City
Deus Ex Human Revolution

Man, 2011 was an amazing year for games. Here’s to hoping 2012 can be even half as good.  

Skyward Sword Thoughts (Into the Third Dungeon)

Now that I’m three dungeons into Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword, I figured I’d post a couple of thoughts about the game and how it compares against not only other Zelda games, but similar openworld adventure games of this year.

First let’s just say that Skyward Sword, despite obvious attempts to mix up the traditional Zelda formula, is still very much a traditional Zelda game. So for those that for whatever reason have been complaining about Zelda games always following a predictable formula of “go to town, explore, find dungeon, find item in dungeon, use item to solve puzzles, use item to beat boss, repeat,” there’s going to be a lot of the same stuff to complain about here.

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But let’s start with the good first. For one, Skyward Sword actually makes an effort to develop the relationship between Zelda and Link, rather than just making Zelda some stranger he meets along the way whom he must save because it’s his destiny. Zelda is an immediately likable character and the chemistry between her and Link during these early moments of the game is about as good as it can be with Link being a mute and all. While the beginning does drag on a bit, it does at least do a good job of making Zelda a character that the player wants to rescue, rather than someone the game is just telling you to rescue.

Things start to pick up when you’re dropped into the Faron Woods and get to fight your first real enemy. It’s here where you really start to appreciate that little Wii Motion Plus on the bottom of your remote. Sure, you might be able to get lucky and be successful from time to time just by swinging the controller around like a madman, but it’ll take a lot longer to kill basic enemies, has a much higher chance of you actually getting hit, and ultimately just sucks all of the fun out of the combat. To truly enjoy Skyward Sword, you need to be calm and precise. Thrust the nunchuck forward to parry an opponents attack, execute three quick swipes with the remote to knock the enemy down, and then plunge the controllers downward to execute an immensely satisfying finishing blow.

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Being able to identify weakspots in enemies and actually aim your controller like a sword to attack those weakspots is something that’s simply never been done in a video game before, and Skyward Sword pulls it off almost flawlessly.

I say almost flawlessly because there are points where you’ll need to do a stabbing attack and the game has trouble properly registering a stabbing motion unless you do it a very specific way. Still, despite some moments of frustration, once you get the motion down, this becomes a non-issue.

It’s not all roses, though. There are some things about Zelda games that have needed to evolve and have mysteriously been left untouched. The first is some sort of side-quest log that let’s you keep track of who you’ve already talked to, who you need to talk to, and what you need to do. Rather than force me to remember what I have to do for a sidequest I started 5 hours ago before starting up a dungeon, why not just have some sort of journal that keeps track of sidequests I’ve started and gives me a marker to my next objective?

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Another issue I have is with the overworld, and it’s really the same issue I had with Wind Waker. It just simply isn’t fun to explore. 90% of the islands are tiny rocks with treasure chests that I can’t even open yet. 

If the Zelda series truly wants to evolve, what they need to do is fully flesh out their sidequests like a game such as Skyrim or Fallout would. Make sidequests about exploring small dungeons; give them substantial stories rather than “my sister is lost, if you find her give her this medcine”; and make the reward for completing them worth the effort, rather than giving me something that I need to bring to another person, who will then tell me to go say thanks to the person I just talked to, who will give me something that I need to give to another person in order to finally get some sort of reward.

Overall though, Zelda is about the dungeons, the puzzles, and the adventure, and in those regards, Skyward Sword is up to par with the very best Zelda games. What I truly hope is that the next Zelda game takes some nods from games like Skyrim and even Dark Souls, so that the next Zelda can be up to par with the very best of the best in all of gaming.