Mighty No. 9 - Is it Truly Mighty, or is it a Feeble Folly?

Mighty No. 9 , a game developed by Keiji Inafune and his new company Comcept, has finally launched after a lengthy series of rather frustrating delays and a distasteful commercial pitch. However, does it live up to all the hype?

The short answer to that question is a depressingly solid "no". As a backer (or "becker" as we we were called) supporters of the Kickstarter campaign were well knowledgeable about Inafune's past successes with Capcom and their famous blue bomber Megaman. So, suffice to say, we were eager to support him with his new spiritual successor.

The game was crowdfunded with nearly $4 million dollars worth of funds collected in 2013. All of the stretch goals were met, but with frequent delays and the promise of multi-platform compatibility across last gen as well as current gen consoles, Inafune ended up biting off more than he could chew. With such an ambitious undertaking, there were bound to be complications.

Unfortunately, the reviews that have come in after Mighty No. 9's launch have been far from pleasant. I myself felt no emotional connection to the characters. We're sort of jettisoned from the start into fighting as Beck without much knowledge of his creator, his female counterpart Call, or any of the other characters (at least in the opening level) let alone what motivates them or why. Voice acting in particular for Beck's (potential) rival Ray was, from my perspective, a rather poor performance.

One of the most concerning aspects of the game though is that there are long, black loading screens (on the Wii U version at least) which occur for extended periods of time even after you've died and are waiting for the last checkpoint. These constantly remind me of the sad emptiness that is the void of life.

Most morbidly perhaps is that I somehow never got notified that the survey for entering your name into the credits had even been sent. Apparently, the e-mail was dated Friday November 21, 2014 at 3:49 AM. I had gone all this time under the assumption that I had already completed the survey and everything was set in motion. However, considering the length of time it took to produce, one would've thought a reminder e-mail or some sort of official announcement would have been made ensuring that fans who donated towards that reward tier were getting what they were paying for. I'm partially at fault for not checking my e-mail inbox for it specifically, but the message was sent on the week of my birthday so arguably, I would've been far more preoccupied with the celebration than my spam filter. (I'm sort of hoping that I am not the only person who did not get their name featured and I'm hoping that future updates may provide the opportunity to correct this predicament, but considering the negative backlash from the gaming community, maybe it is best for me not to have my name listed as a supporter at all.)

I'm right there...and I paid to have my name included...*sigh*

For what it's worth (to me at least) the game still plays like a traditional Megaman game. The nostalgia is still there, but it just seems a bit unpolished. (I've never been very good at Megaman X or the classic 8-bit series) It's not as aesthetically pleasing nor does it have the same charm, but it has the same gameplay mechanics.

Comcept previously spoke of a possible anime or sequel based on Mighty No. 9. It may not get that depending on how well the game sells.

My Dragonball: Xenoverse Review: Not Quite Over 9000

Dragonball Z: Xenoverse is a Dragon Ball game developed by Dimps for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows (via Steam).

Essentially, Towa and Mira (Female and Male Demons respectively) have begun interfering with time using manipulative magic (possession, enhancement of abilities, et cetera) in order to wreak havoc which later results in the Demon God Demigra's release from the Chasm of Time (a prison dimension both separate and a part of time). Demigra, once freed, also begins to damage history almost to the point of being irreversible. The player's role as a Time Patroller is to fix the timeline with the Supreme Kai of Time and Future Trunks by restoring certain events during fights.

From Left to Right: Supreme Kai of Time, Future Trunks (Time Patrol Trunks)

It's fresh a take on the familiar Dragonball Z storyline without being a complete rehash of things most fans have seen and heard before. What is so great about the game is that your character feels like the center of attention and absolutely vital during the plot. It's more of an RPG (Role Playing Game) than it is a typical fighter. You can gain experience, level up, and allocate attribute points as needed.

One major aspect of DBZ Xenoverse is that you can pick from up to five different races to choose from when creating your own character. You can choose from Majin, Saiyan, Human/Earthling, Namekian, and Frieza's Race (Arcosian? It's never really explicitly stated that was the name of the villain's race, but at this point, I feel as though they Akira Toriyama probably should've properly named them.) There's a pretty decent selection yet, I'm kind of irritated that Supreme Kai or Android races aren't available and that there is no "thin" Majin options for males (They're all fat).

From Left to Right: Towa, Mira

The gameplay mechanics are decent, but they're not great. The combat system is a tad overly simplistic, almost to the point of being bare bones button mashing. It becomes repetitive and frustrating at certain intervals as you're alternating between strong melee attacks, weak melee, ki blasts, and ultimate or strike super attacks. The most irritating aspect however, is when players are fighting against more than one opponent, as the COMs tend to spam attacks and will attack mercilessly as you're locked onto only one of them at any given time. There is no training mode to practice acquired skills, nor is there a preview option for when the player acquires a new outfit or piece of clothing before purchase.

The AI is absolutely terrible for certain missions (in particular, the ones where you have to keep allies alive while maintaining your own health all while trying to defeat your opponents in the time allotted).

In addition, there are no beam struggles (which means no iconic laser clashes like the Galick Gun verses the Kamehameha).

The currently level cap is 80 (at the time of this writing) and I'm honestly hoping that will change. I'm questioning why it wasn't just placed at 100 for the sake of it.

FINAL VERDICT

Overall, this is a 7.0/10.0 (C) rank title. It's most certainly worth a rental, but depending on your preferences, it may or may not be worth an actual purchase. I would argue that it's not as good as DragonBall Z: Budokai Tenkaichi III (In my personal opinion, the greatest game in the franchise.), but it pulls its own weight. It far exceeds the most terrible game in the franchise, Dragonball Z: Sagas, that's for certain.

My Custom Character: David
"I'm going to tell you more about this game, but first, let me take a selfie!"

Key Criticisms

• No "Sonic Sway" defensive move.
• Android Race and Supreme Kai Race options are unavailable.
• No "thin" Majin options for male characters.
• No Super Saiyan 3 transformations for custom characters.
• Random Number Generator Reward System.
• No Versus Mode available via the title screen. (You must select a character first, then go from the central HUB city Toki Toki Tower to get to the local and online versus screens, respectively.)
• Occasional frame rate drops (Usually only occurs during intense combat with multiple enemies. I currently own the PS4 version of the game.) 
• Audio not in sync with dialogue.
• No proper Ki Blast Deflection (The basic ki blasts all characters have.)
• No "Dragon Dashing" (or "Dash Clash") - When two players dash into each other at the same time, they should enter the "clash" simulation where both players will battle it out (usually in a Joystick struggle) for the most hits. Whoever get the most hits (in the hit counter usually displayed on screen) would win the struggle and knocks the opponent away, usually to be followed up with continued attack.
• No adjustable difficulty settings
• Limited character roster (For instance, Majin Vegeta is unavailable. Dodoria and Zarbon are not available and "base form" Teen Gohan is not either. He starts off Super Saiyan)

Praise/Noteworthy Aspects:

• No QTEs (Quick Time Events) are present during the storyline, although clashes & beam struggles should be implemented.
• Nice overall story (albeit one without main character dialogue)
• Customization options are vast (Skills, clothing, et cetera)
• True to form graphics (although, some characters look like they've put on a lot more tanning oil than needed).
• Good Soundtrack

KEY ---- HOW I RATE GAMES ----

Typically, I use a scale of 1.0-10.0 (with 1.0 being the worst possible game and 10.0 being the absolute best). Additionally, I may use an A through F grading scale to further determine the quality (or lack thereof) of entertainment each game possesses. C rank games, for example, are of average quality while D rank games (while only slightly above F rank) are far worse. What sets D rank games apart from F ranked ones involves the basic fundamental playable mechanics of the game itself. (Most movie games fall under D rank category, while games like "Sprung" for the Nintendo DS fall under the F category as it should not even be considered a game).

Rent: This game is worth a trial run. It may have some aspects to it that are memorable or noteworthy, but may need a bit more polish. You'll have to try it to see if it's worth a purchase. Player discretion is advised.

Buy: This game is most definitely worth the money you've spent (possibly even more so). These are games you should go for.

Pass: This game isn't worth your time. It may have dropped frame-rates, glitches, poor storylines, bad or non-responsive mechanics, or other terrible components. I try to avoid purchasing poor games whenever possible and I read reviews (like you are now) in order to get a better idea of whether or not I'll like a particular game.

Shantae: Half-Genie Half-Hero ALL AWESOME

I have some exciting news for those of you that are interested in the upcoming Wayforward game, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero! According to Siliconera, the action platformer has hit another of its extended stretch goals, and will now include three more playable characters—Rottytops, Bolo and Sky—each with their own unique stories and abilities. The following is the tweet from Wayforward themselves acknowledging this momentous achievement:

#FUNDED #ShantaeHalfGenieHero : Hero Modes!! Expect to see something fancier Monday ^_^ Congrats Tinkerbackers! pic.twitter.com/ls8anZHo0A
— WayForward (@WayForward) August 24, 2014

There is a video available right now detailing some of the gameplay we will come to experience soon.

I find myself extremely pleased to have supported this title and I heartily look forward to its completion. Once again, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero will be available on the Nintendo Wii U, Sony PS3, PS4, VITA & VITA TV, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Xbox One and Steam (Windows PC).

Kickstarter Finale!!!

Hey folks!!! How're you doing? Check this out, although the Mighty No.9 and Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero Kickstarter funding periods have ended, you can STILL donate and get the rewards for doing so!!! You'll have to have a PayPal account (which is relatively simple and easy to sign up for). Mighty No. 9 has surpassed my expectations and managed to meet ALL of its stretch goals. They raised a combined total of $4,031,550!!! Mighty No.9 is expected to be released sometime around April 2015.

Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero on the other hand needs your help. Although it has managed to meet four of its nine stretch goals, the fifth one is inching towards completion.

If successful, the WayForward team would be able to allow players to go through the main story as one of three additional characters, Rottytops, Bolo, and Skye!!!

As of this blog post, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero has earned $816,529. WayForward needs another $83,471 to meet this goal. So, tell your friends and neighbors that are gamers that they can still contribute!!! The game will be available on multiple platforms (Wii U, PS3, PS4, VITA & VITA TV, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Steam (Windows PC)) and will be available sometime in October of 2014. Spread the word any way that you can!!! You can find the link to their main website (with PayPal options) here.

You Go (Genie) Girl!!!

Hey folks!!! How've you been? Busy? Yep, me too (as evident by me not posting in quite some time...sorry, everyone!!! I'll get into a routine...eventually). So, first things first, hats off to the amazing folks at WayForward. Their team has managed to get their current project, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero fully funded!!! Congratulations!!!

This image has been borrowed from Shantae: Half-Genie Hero's Kickstarter campaign. Check it out!!!

For those of you that don't know, a Kickstarter fund was set up for the pint-sized genie girl's new game in the franchise. You can continue to donate to make their stretch goals here. As of this blog post, they have 10,275 backers and $408,741 pledged of their $400,000 goal with 10 days left.

They have a really cool ninja outfit and another one that resembles that which the protagonist of Mighty Switch Force, Patricia Wagon, wears!!!

This is just one of the many stretch goals that the WayForward team is trying to reach. It's add-ons like these that bring a nice polish to a finished title. How about lending them a hand, hmm?

Shantae's current design looks adorable and although I've never had the pleasure of playing ANY of her previous titles, I DO intend to make a contribution to WayForward's efforts however small. I support WayForward particularly due to the heavy influence of Jake Kaufman's musical compositions. Some of his work is available with a "name your own price" tag on www.bandcamp.com (which I HIGHLY recommend you take a look at and contribute towards).