The Evening Inbox Gets Down And Dirty
Hope for Mirror's Edge 2 Discussed, Opinions on The Witness and Astebreed for PS4
I was really intrigued by EA's line-up at E3, especially the Star Wars: Battlefront sequel and Mass Effect 4. They seem to be putting a lot of effort into both games and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more, I just hope they iron out the kinks and mistakes of the last ones in the process.
I was quite sad when I heard about Mirror's Edge 2, to be honest, since I'm almost positive the original was better than everyone says now. I don't think it was a great game or anything, and obviously it had issues, but as a piece of design it had a lot to recommend it. I just hope the sequel either sticks to the original's style but corrects the errors or finds new ways to improve on it. Otherwise, why bother making it at all?
I'm still quite shocked by Criterion leaving Need For Speed to DICE, as they were really the only thing keeping that franchise alive for me. The new video has definitely got me excited though, as I think it looks like a worthy follow-up to Hot Pursuit. Hopefully it can bring back skill-based racing and offer some new game modes at the same time.
The other thing that's caught my eye is Doom 64 on Switch, which I didn't even realise was announced. Given how little I enjoy the Nintendo Switch I almost feel I should ignore the latest announcements, even if they are interesting, but I keep myself up-to-date on r/doom because I've always had such nostalgia for the original games. I'm OK with remakes, but they need to be done right, as I think Rage did.
But what fascinates me more are the revelations that it was Okamiden and not Okami that was given to Platinum to follow up the original Okami, even if it wasn't a great follow-up either. It seems like Kamiya-san then left Platinum to work on their first project, The Wonderful 101, and is now apparently involved with Bayonetta 3. They keep him pretty quiet during interviews, but obviously he was very influential on the first game so the recent news has piqued my interest again.
Anyway, I was curious which game first introduced the double jump as a standard feature. From what you can tell there isn't a clear answer, since we seem to keep changing our minds about which early games featured the move. My suspicion is that one of the early Mega Drive platformers did it first, since that certainly wasn't a new idea by then and they spawned a ton of imitators.
Who Leapt First?
I've been wondering about this for a while now and I was hoping you might be able to help. Is there any information about which game was the first to have a character double jump as part of their core controls, rather than a temporary power-up? It seems like it would have to be an early platformer, certainly before Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but I don't have any specific examples off the top of my head.
I've searched online but I never really find a definitive answer – everyone seems to have their own favourite example and I think I'd like to know the true originator! I'd give a crown to whoever provided an exact year for me.
Brawl Out Recommendations
I'm not the best at fighting games but I've always enjoyed them, especially one-on-one ones like Tekken. I mainly stick to the Tekken series but I'm open to trying new things, as long as they're not overly complex like Street Fighter or Virtua Fighter.
I've been considering Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for Wii U or Dead Or Alive 5 for PlayStation 4. I have neither but both machines, so I can pick either up and don't mind if they're a bit old. I've never played a Dead Or Alive game before though and I wondered if you could recommend either, or if there is another fighting game I should definitely check out.
Thanks,TheCRASSman
GC: Dead Or Alive 5 on PlayStation 4 is probably more technical than Tekken Tag Tournament 2, so if you want something simple to start with Tekken is probably a better bet. Mortal Kombat X is also an easier fighter and you might find it's a better place to start.
Fuelled By Nostalgia
I've always wondered about this – which game was the first to have a character double jumping as part of standard controls, as opposed to a temporary power-up like in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 or Castlevania? I know most of the early platformers probably had it hidden somewhere, but I'm curious which one made it standard.
I wish we still had early retro gaming articles or websites around, as that would be a great topic for an Interesting Feature. Failing that, I'll just armchair science it. I reckon it must have been Super Mario Bros or something very similar, as that was when the genre really kicked off and it seems unlikely it would be added to every game after it without there being some inspiration for it before. But, again, I'd love some more factual information if anyone has any.
Normally Recommended
I'm looking for some fighting game recommendations and I mainly enjoy more strategic ones, like Tekken, but I'm not above trying the simpler ones like Mortal Kombat. I own a Wii U and PlayStation 4, so I can play games on both and I'm considering Dead Or Alive 5 on PS4 or Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on Wii U.
I've never played a Dead Or Alive before and from what I've seen they seem to have very detailed graphics, which makes it hard to tell if it's a more complex game or not. I'm planning on trying them out over the weekend but I wondered if you'd recommend me either if you've played them, or if you know of another fighting game I should give a try.
Thanks,TheCRASSman
GC: Dead Or Alive 5 has more complex graphics and mechanics than Tekken Tag Tournament 2, but it's also not as well-liked by general audiences or critics. If you want something simpler that's still very good then Mortal Kombat X (on PlayStation 4) or Rage Of The Bahamut (on Wii U) could be good options. Both are a lot simpler than Dead Or Alive 5 but still have a lot to offer.
Going, Going, Waiting For The Gone
I'm moving to China in the very near future for work, leaving my PlayStation 3 behind sadly. I don't travel much and so I doubt I'll get another console for a long time, so I wanted to hear if anyone knew about the gaming market in China. I'm considering getting a portable console like the Vita or 3DS but neither seems to have a very vibrant playerbase. Also, I worry if consoles – including ones region free – will be widely available there, or even if they are in English. Would the Wii U be a better option, even though it's not been officially released in China yet?
GC: The Wii U has had an official release in China but it's not as widely available as the Xbox One or PlayStation 4. There's also a large grey market for console import in China, so it's worth looking into if you're set on the Wii U. A good portable alternative to the Vita or 3DS is the PlayStation TV, which is small and compact and is widely available in China. The Astebreed may not have been officially announced in China but it is pretty popular around Asia, so hopefully it will be released there relatively quickly in the future.
A Life Beyond Your Grasp
I don't go in for big hot topics every week but this one grabbed my attention. I want to ask what's everyone's favourite retro game, yet still one they still play now? I have a few that instantly spring to mind but I'd be really interested to see what everyone else's thoughts are.
For me, it's Ninja Gaiden II on the NES – mainly because I've memorised the code to access the final levels and I always forget it! I don't get to play it often as my Nintendo isn't hooked up to a TV anymore but I still have a lot of fond memories of it. Contra was my third favourite, until Shadow Of The Ninja came out and absolutely blew me away. I've spent hours on those two games and I sometimes think about learning to code so I can make a Gauntlet-style team game that involves those elements.
Anyway, I'd love to hear everyone else's thoughts on this.
No Joke
I was reading through the list of emails and I was in hysterics when I saw the email about restricting the name you put in the hall of fame to just four letters. I honestly thought you must have been winding us up because I remember Timesplitters being one of the last games to allow you eight letters, and then it was a mess for some people. I've seen a few people include multiple dots, spaces, and other punctuation in their name so they could appear first in the list. I've sharpened my pencil and am ready to write – assuming you still care.
GC: Ha ha, we do still care very much and we totally appreciate your loyalty!
Results
Guess it's no surprise that people's favourite retro games tended to involve stages that really pushed their skills to the absolute limits. The double jump really did come from Super Mario Bros, which was pretty much revolutionary for the time, or potentially Donkey Kong Country, if you count the Kongs doing the long jump as a double jump.
The most common games seemed to be the likes of Sonic The Hedgehog or Mega Man, although there was a huge variety in the replies with graphics adventure games, platformers, beat 'em-ups, and even puzzlers represented. The one thing that remained consistent – apart from the hatred of Pokémon – was the love for split-screen multiplayer.
That's all for this time but we hope you're achieving all your goals and more, no matter what they are. Or, as we like to put it, keep it light, heavy, bright or... well you get it.
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- The reader was intrigued by the variety of technologies used in different games, and wondered if there was any gadget or piece of technology in existing games that he hadn't seen before.
- In discussing the potential for a sequel to Mirror's Edge, the reader expressed hope that the new game would feature innovative technology and gadgets that would set it apart from its predecessor.
