2013 on And in the game?2015-12-07T00:00:00-08:00https://andinthega.me/years/2013/Hugo -- gohugo.iohttps://andinthega.me/comic/ducktales-remastered/2015-12-07T00:00:00-08:002015-12-07T00:00:00-08:00<a href="https://andinthega.me/comic/ducktales-remastered/"><img class="comic" alt="SENPAI-CHAN: What are you playing? DOCPROF: DuckTales: Remastered! I'm going to endanger my nephews to become slightly more rich! SENPAI-CHAN: And in the game?" width="800" src="https://andinthega.me/comic/ducktales-remastered.gif"></a><section class="review">
<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>…well, why don’t you watch me play for a while? I’m sure you’ll get the idea.</p>
<p>As you can see, I’m playing as Scrooge McDuck, traversing 2D platformer levels and collecting treasure in the world of DuckTales.</p>
</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>DuckTales… ah, yes, I encountered these “tales” of “ducks” in my History of Media studies. This franchise was a favorite of the historical “Generation X.” I am surprised anyone would make a game about it in the modern era.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>Well, it’s not exactly a new game. This is actually a remake of the NES game DuckTales from 1989, based on the television show of the same name. It’s a nostalgia property targeted toward people like me who grew up playing the original and watching the show.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>If you’re nostalgic for the old game, why not just play that? Are you pretending it’s not as old as it really is?</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>In a sense! After all, when you’re nostalgic for something it’s not about the thing itself, but the way it made you feel. It’s been over twenty-five years since the original DuckTales was released, and both technology and expectations have made huge strides since then. The graphics, sound, and storytelling that worked so well on the NES seem outdated and insubstantial now. Bringing them up to modern standards allows the new version of the game to feel the way the original felt when it came out back in 1989 - it fills in the gaps that we filled in with our imagination when we were kids.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>Why are you nostalgic for a game that you had to imagine was good?</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>The game <em>was</em> good, but a lot of the polish was just implied. Here, listen to the song that plays in Scrooge’s office.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Screen"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Screen_100.png" alt="Screen says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Screen"><p><iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wwf-KodUBrc?rel=0" allowfullscreen frameborder="0"></iframe></p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>So this is the sound of anatine paperwork.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>The song is exactly as majestic and soothing as I remember it. But here, listen to what it <em>actually was</em> in the 1989 original.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Screen"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Screen_100.png" alt="Screen says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Screen"><p><iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0v95veCMdVw?rel=0" allowfullscreen frameborder="0"></iframe></p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>Ah, a masterwork of minimalism. So much is conveyed with so little.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>It’s <em>two instruments</em> playing a <em>three second loop!</em> It doesn’t soothe at all - it would quickly drive someone nuts. For the song to be the way people like me remember it, it had to be completely redone.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>So the game has to change everything in order to feel the same. Are the “tales” of these “ducks” as you remember them in the end?</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>Well, there’s a new opening tutorial level and a new final level to wrap things up. These actually don’t fit well with the pre-existing levels since they’re very scripted and linear rather than being open to exploration - the final level even includes some frustrating timed challenges. Aside from those additions, however, the changes and updates are all on the game’s surface level. By polishing the exterior, the developers allow the core to shine once more. The underlying mechanics and level design hold up wonderfully and thus have been left essentially intact. A few other bits and pieces have been carried forward as well - crucially, the pogo stick sound effect is unchanged.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>What do you mean, “pogo stick”? That doesn’t sound anything like a pogo stick, and Scrooge appears to be bouncing on his cane. A bouncy cane would provide no support for walking. This game is not a very accurate simulation.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Screen"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Screen_100.png" alt="Screen says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Screen"><p><iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SXOKeMLsFTg?rel=0" allowfullscreen frameborder="0"></iframe></p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>There’s a level of silliness that we just accepted from games of this era, like Scrooge somehow using his cane as a one-handed pogo stick, or Mrs. Beakley appearing unexplained in the middle of dangerous areas to bring Scrooge a snack. Trying to provide justifications for these things now would only highlight how silly they are - for example, the remake explains your ability to survive on the moon without a spacesuit by positing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK1ZyjFqT5I">oxygen-flavored taffy</a>, which is somehow more ridiculous than the original just casually putting you on the moon with no explanation at all.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>Oxygen-flavored taffy? Ingenious. If Scrooge were a real businessduck, he’d be better served by marketing such wondrous inventions than by gallivanting across dangerous locales in search of treasure. In fact, I have serious concerns about Scrooge’s competence as a guardian for his nephews and niece. He should hire a fleet of babysitters. And a better pilot.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>Scrooge’s approach may be unorthodox, but it works in the game because it’s the same sort of silliness that would have happened on the old DuckTales television show. The game goes to great lengths to preserve the show’s feel and tone. It even includes new story scenes featuring the original voice actors and popular elements from the series - such as the nephews checking the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>According to the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook, this is a game about <strong>exploring cartoony levels and collecting treasure while indulging nostalgia for DuckTales and Nintendo platformers.</strong></p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>Exactly right!</p></blockquote>
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</section><div class="gamecard">
<img src="https://andinthega.me/cover/ducktales-remastered.jpg" alt="Cover art for DuckTales: Remastered" />
<div class="deets">
<h1 class="link_title"><a href="https://andinthega.me/comic/ducktales-remastered/">DuckTales: Remastered</a></h1>
<ul>
<li>Genre: <span><a href="https://andinthega.me/genres/platform"> Platform</a></span></li>
<li>Year: <span><a href="https://andinthega.me/years/2013"> 2013</a></span></li>
<li>Platform: <span><a href="https://andinthega.me/platforms/playstation-3"> PlayStation 3</a></span><span><a href="https://andinthega.me/platforms/xbox-360"> Xbox 360</a></span><span><a href="https://andinthega.me/platforms/wii-u"> Wii U</a></span><span><a href="https://andinthega.me/platforms/microsoft-windows"> Microsoft Windows</a></span></li>
<li>Developer: <span><a href="https://andinthega.me/developers/capcom"> Capcom</a></span><span><a href="https://andinthega.me/developers/wayforward-technologies"> WayForward Technologies</a></span></li>
<li>Publisher: <span><a href="https://andinthega.me/publishers/capcom"> Capcom</a></span><span><a href="https://andinthega.me/publishers/disney-interactive-studios"> Disney Interactive Studios</a></span></li>
</ul>
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</div>https://andinthega.me/comic/dragons-crown/2015-02-09T00:00:00-08:002015-02-09T00:00:00-08:00<a href="https://andinthega.me/comic/dragons-crown/"><img class="comic" alt="SENPAI-CHAN: What are you playing? DOCPROF: Dragon's Crown! I'm going to organize nine bags of gear and farm monsters with strangers! SENPAI-CHAN: And in the game?" width="800" src="https://andinthega.me/comic/dragons-crown.gif"></a><section class="review">
<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>…well, why don’t you watch me play for a while? I’m sure you’ll get the idea.</p>
<p>As you can see, I’m playing as a fantasy adventurer beating up monsters.</p>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>How do you choose a character to play as? None of them look like real people. Is this game about body image issues?</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Screen"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Screen_100.png" alt="Screen says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Screen"><p><img src="https://andinthega.me/screenshot/Dragons-Crown-characters.jpg" alt="Screenshot of the Dragon’s Crown character select screen."></p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>The designs are a bit extreme, aren’t they? George Kamitani <a href="https://kotaku.com/the-artist-behind-dragons-crown-explains-his-exaggerat-482450927">deliberately exaggerated the features</a> of the characters to make the art stand out - and it certainly does. Everything is an archetype, and while there’s no real depth to the story, world, or characters, it’s a beautiful game.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>Beautiful… I see. Mermaids are more beautiful with a gluteus maximus. A perfect blend of fish and woman.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Screen"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Screen_100.png" alt="Screen says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Screen"><p><img src="https://andinthega.me/screenshot/Dragons-Crown-mermaid.jpg" alt="Screenshot of a story scene in Dragon’s Crown featuring a mermaid with a prominent fleshy gluteus maximus."></p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>Well, I’m not sure I’d say that. There are a number of places in the game where the art sexualizes female characters in unnecessary and distracting ways. It made some players and reviewers uncomfortable.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>You keep missing the enemies. Why are you doing that? I feel like they would take more damage if you hit them.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>The fact that the characters are two dimensional but fighting in a three dimensional space unfortunately means it’s not always clear whether your character is positioned to actually hit the enemies. Otherwise, though, the combat mechanics are very solid and satisfying. Each character plays differently and the boss battles are fantastic and varied.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>Then why are you spending so much time organizing your items? Is that more fun?</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>The core combat experience is wonderful, but the game’s systems are designed in a way that forces you to spend a huge amount of time juggling your items. It’d be even worse if we were playing together, since only one player can do it at a time - the game very much feels tuned for online play, rather than local co-op or single-player.</p>
<p>The inventory micromanagement is probably the worst example of how the game gets in its own way, but it’s not the only one. The character progression is interesting, with a lot of skills to choose from and a variety of possible builds, but the player is discouraged from experimentation by not easily being able to reassign skill points. Without an item that’s only available in Hard mode, if you want to try another build you just have to create a whole new character and level them up, which can take quite a while.</p>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>Did they do that to so the game will last longer?</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>Perhaps, but it may have come from a more philosophical source. There’s a fairly common view that your decisions in games are only meaningful if they can’t easily be revoked. From that mindset, being able to freely move skill points around would cheapen your character by reducing your investment in their progression.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>So repeatedly fighting the same monsters over and over is meaningful?</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>In a sense. But repetition isn’t a bad thing if it’s satisfying. The combat here is well-tuned - fighting monsters is why anyone plays this game in the first place. And as with any online game, the other human players lend variety to the experience.</p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="Senpai-chan"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Senpai-chan_100.png" alt="Senpai-chan says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Senpai-chan"><p>So this is a game about <strong>online co-op brawling, finicky skill progression, and item management in a gorgeous if sometimes hypersexualized fantasy world where the story doesn’t matter.</strong></p></blockquote>
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<p><cite class="right Docprof"><img class="quote_avatar" height="100" width="100" src="https://andinthega.me/avatar/Docprof_100.png" alt="Docprof says:" /></cite></p>
<blockquote class="Docprof right"><p>Exactly right!</p></blockquote>
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</section><div class="gamecard">
<img src="https://andinthega.me/cover/dragons-crown.jpg" alt="Cover art for Dragon's Crown" />
<div class="deets">
<h1 class="link_title"><a href="https://andinthega.me/comic/dragons-crown/">Dragon's Crown</a></h1>
<ul>
<li>Genre: <span><a href="https://andinthega.me/genres/brawler"> Brawler</a></span></li>
<li>Year: <span><a href="https://andinthega.me/years/2013"> 2013</a></span></li>
<li>Platform: <span><a href="https://andinthega.me/platforms/playstation-3"> PlayStation 3</a></span><span><a href="https://andinthega.me/platforms/playstation-vita"> PlayStation Vita</a></span></li>
<li>Developer: <span><a href="https://andinthega.me/developers/vanillaware"> Vanillaware</a></span></li>
<li>Publisher: <span><a href="https://andinthega.me/publishers/atlus"> Atlus</a></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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</div>