Killer Is Dead Review

   This generation we have seen a good many franchises and series take a firm foothold and become hugely successful, so much so that sequels have become a common order of the day. We have seen new IP in the form of Gears of War and Uncharted trilogy’s, both becoming hugely successful and significantly raising the bar in standards for each respective genre they’re in. We have also seen series from the previous generation such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Halo and Killzone all go from modest success to global dominance, while other series like Tomb Raider, Medal of Honor and Resident Evil have had to fight it out to stay relevant and fresh with varying degrees of success.

   Fortunately there are still plenty of original and down right quirky games being released, more so than the amount of sequels filling shelves this generation if only gamers would dare dig each consoles library a little deeper. So at the tail end of the longest console generation on record, and at the twilight of a new one set to be even longer, ask yourself whether you’re satisfied that you have played and experienced all this generation has to offer before moving onto the next? Bored and choked with disinterest with the same old sequels, are you sure there aren’t any other types of games and genres left to discover and tap into from this generation, before spending in excess of £400 on the next to try and fill your waning interest?

   Well here is a suggestion, try playing Killer Is Dead as it might just put a smile on your face and more than likely result in a raised eyebrow or two, as its unique over-saturated cell shaded look and sheer quirkiness will keep you going back for more. This is a game set in a familiar genre (hack-n-slash,) that happens to be less hardcore combo heavy in its gameplay than say Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, but rather more easily accessible to a wider audience without falling into the trap of being mind numbingly boring and hemmed in by genre constraints. While other games in the genre like the aforementioned are extremely over-the-top flamboyant and exuberant in their gameplay elements, relying on multiple combos and quick time events in dramatic succession to pummel and pound enemies into submission, Killer Is Dead is more reserved in that respect. While this game does have its combos, they are simple and nowhere near the extreme as other games, as the gameplay in this game is fashioned more towards block, avoid and counter attack to fend off multiple enemies, dance around them, and hit their weak spot to take them out as quick as possible. But rest assured that Killer Is Dead is just as action packed and bloody as any other game in the genre as enemies get dispensed and impaled on your characters katana.

   This reserved approach to the gameplay transfers to the upgrade system in the game to as its all kept simple and minimalistic in its approach. Your Characters Health and Blood gauge (the latter used when replenishing health or using the arm weapon) are upgraded automatically as you work your way through the game, while the upgrade menu allows you to buy or upgrade certain abilities. Upgrades and gauge replenishment come from crystals and gems emitted from dead enemies and destructible scenery, Moon Crystals are collected and used as currency to buy upgrades while Blood Roses and Health Gems will slowly increase the blood and health gauge.

   The game is split into four different game types for you to choose from on the world map which acts as the mission menu screen; these are the main story missions, sub (side) missions, gigolo and challenge missions. The main story is 12 acts long and probably lasts somewhere between 8-10 hours long if that, but when you add all the other different missions to choose from it can far exceed this in length. Sub missions are off-shoots from the main story though not necessarily related to it; they become unlocked and are set in an area of the game you have just completed. Sub missions all tend to vary from one another, some are very small story’s unto themselves, others mere challenges such as fighting through an area within a certain amount of time or finding various hidden items throughout a level. Scarlett, a Nurse in a skimpy revealing outfit holding a giant syringe can be found hiding somewhere within a level of each act of the main story, finding her will not only rejuvenate your characters health and blood gauge, but unlock various challenges. These challenges take part in an arena where you will have to meet certain criteria to win such as defeating only one type of enemy out of a swarm or killing a certain number within a time limit and so on. Finally gigolo missions are basically where your character meets up with various women he has met during the story and it is your job seduce them to receive a reward. This is achieved by staring at various parts of a woman’s body like her cleavage for example, the longer you stare without her catching you, the more points you acquire to fill a gauge. Once the meter is filled you can offer her a present (bought from the gift shop,) and you will receive more points towards another gauge depending on how much she likes the gift, fill this second gauge up and you have successfully seduced your lady. Honestly I’m not making this up; it really is in the game!

   In Killer Is Dead you take control of Mondo Zappa, a suave and sophisticated ladies man who is as sharp with a katana as he is with his one liners. He is part of a state sanctioned executioner’s office run by Bryan and Vivienne who take on contracts to hunt down and execute various monsters and creatures that have begun to inhabit Earth and the moon. The story, the way in which it is presented to the player and the style of it for that matter is quite different to your conventional game, its nothing new by any means, but certainly one some will like while others will not. The story will not be altogether clear at the start of the game, sometimes confusing even especially at the beginning as you try to wrap your head around the sheer quirkiness of it all. But this distinctly Japanese story becomes clearer the further through it you progress, as it slowly unravels and opens up with each mission the less perplexed you will be with a firmer grasp of the bigger picture.

   Grasshopper Manufacture (Suda 51) has done a great job with this game and don’t let anyone persuade you any different, as this game is just as good in its own right as any other game from this company. If you have played any other recent Suda 51 games such as No More Heroes or Lollypop Chainsaw then you should know just what to expect (or not to expect) here, and if you enjoyed them then you should enjoy Killer Is Dead. However if you have played a Suda 51 game before and ended up not liking it for one reason or another then there is a strong chance you wont like this game. What I like about Killer Is Dead is that they chose to make a hack-n-slash game without the pomp found in other games of the genre, with gameplay focused on avoid, defend and attack rather than constant super combos. By taking this direction in the gameplay they have managed to make the game stand out and stand tall on its own merits rather than following the same tried and tested formula and becoming lost in the genre. Yet the game hasn’t lost out, it packs a punch just as much as Bayonetta does with crazy bosses and swarms of enemies, Killer Is Dead just follows a more subtle yet quirky path with a different approach, this game is without doubt a must have for fans of the genre.

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What’s In the Box? Alone In the Dark Limited Edition Xbox 360

   Released in 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PC, with an altogether different version released for the PS2 and Nintendo Wii that same year, (though with a similar plot line to the 360/PC versions,) the game was embattled by a mixed reception from critics, which then ended up in a mire of controversy. But no matter what axe Atari and the review critics were trying to grind with each other at the expense of gamers no less, the game itself got buried between the two parties, shame really because if both parties had stopped trying to score points off of each other, this great horror game might have reached greater success. 

   Alone In the Dark 5 (or 2008, not to be confused with the original game of the same name) was actually a really great horror game that sadly few have bothered to play, though it did apparently sell quite well. Its surprisingly one of the better horror games of this generation, more so than the very dismal Resident Evil (RE) offerings that have been served up to disenchanted RE fans. This game can be bought at a super cheap price, and it’s worth every penny, so if you have the chance to grab a copy then do so, you’ll enjoy this game.

   This Limited Edition version was only available to European gamers, and only available through the video games retailer Game here in the UK, so if anyone in the US likes the look of this then you will have to import it. 

Alone In the Dark Limited Edition Xbox 360
Contents; 

Game
CD soundtrack by Olivier Deriviere
Making of DVD
Edward Carnby figure
Hardback art book

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AverMedia Game Capture HD

   If there was one thing that always bothered me about capturing screenshots and video footage of games from various different consoles and computers, it was just the sheer inconvenience of it all. With the need for screenshots and video footage of a particular game very much a necessity, I was always forced to laboriously disconnect a certain console or computer from its life support and haul it from its favoured spot to the floor beneath the aging behemoth that is my desktop PC. I would then have to connect it to the machine via EzCAP (yes it really is spelt that way!?) and use Windows Movie Maker (WMM) to capture the incoming video signal from whatever games machine I was playing on. This was all very laborious and inconvenient, not to mention time consuming in the extreme, complicated more by the fact that WMM would only let me view the video signal being captured in the smallest of windows (the size of which was unchangeable.) I also only had one double plug socket at my disposal which was already being used by the PC, which meant using an extension cable. Once I was done, I had the happy job of putting everything away afterwards, only to repeat the whole process a day or two later.

   Something clearly had to be done, something had to give way eventually, and I could only hope that there was a much simpler way of capturing video footage and screenshots from all my consoles and computers with minimal amount of hassle. The biggest part of this for me was cutting out the need to use a PC entirely from the equation altogether, and I was sure that a quick search of Amazon would bring up a myriad of different devices for me to choose from. But sadly I couldn’t have been more wrong.

   At the time there was only one standalone box on the market that didn’t require a PC to operate, and furthermore was specifically aimed at those who wanted to capture video from games consoles. I was disappointed at the complete lack of choice, and I found it rather perplexing that all the other manufacturers who had various capturing devices in the same marketplace all deemed it necessary to require a PC to function with their products. But therein lies the problem for me, all the other products are essentially dedicated external video cards, they are powerful which goes without saying, but they are just the hardware component. The software side of things, where you initiate the recording, processing and furthermore the storage of the video/picture files happens on the PC end, so a PC is always needed in the equation. What I wanted was an all-in-one external capturing device that was the capturing card, storage and software all under one hood that was totally independent of a PC and a self contained unit. I found what I was looking for in the AverMedia Game Capture HD; it was exactly the all-in-one box I wanted, though it wasn’t without a few small drawbacks.

   The Game Capture HD is small and compact for what it is; it’s an unobtrusive box that can be easily found a place between your favourite consoles, as it’s almost half the height of a GameCube and only a few centimetres bigger width wise. It essentially acts as a pass through box by which the video output of a console is connected to the unit via a component lead, with the output from the box connected to a TV via component cable as well. The video signal from the console passes through the Game Capture HD where it can be recorded and stored on its way to the TV, but best of all, and most importantly, there are absolutely no lag or latency issues while you play, and no impact to the video quality (depending on which mode the box is set to.)

   The Game Capture HD has a compartment underneath it to fit a 2.5” SATA hard drive, which you can add one anywhere up to 500GB in size (500GB recommended by AverMedia,) or the unit has one USB port on the front if you wish to use an external USB storage device. Be warned though, like any media unit, if you do decide to fit a hdd internally, or use non-flash USB storage externally, then it is recommended that you use one that runs as fast as possible, preferably 7200rpm or above.

   The unit has two buttons on the front, a power button and a record button, which you can be used instead of the remote. The remote, like the unit, is small and compact, but is essential as it is used not only to initiate the unit and record function, but to set the video and picture (screenshot) quality (of which there are three different levels of quality and compression to choose from,) but to also jump between a full and minimal functionality mode. Full functionality mode gives you access to all the menu and preview options while you are playing a game, so you can play back what you have just recorded, or mess with the quality and compression options. The only downside to this is that full functionality does impact slightly on the video quality you see on the TV, but only by a barely noticeable degree, and only on the real-time TV image, this does not impact on the quality of the video being recorded. Minimal functionality has no impact on the TV image and gives you a flawless picture while you’re playing a game, but the menu and video/picture playback options are not available, you are only able to use the record and stop function.

   The quality of the screenshots and Video that the Game Capture HD records really speaks for itself, on the best quality settings this device records and captures some very high quality video and pictures. I have never had any complaints about the quality of any video I have recorded, and I have had nothing but a flawless user experience with this box. There are several drawbacks to the Game Capture HD however that are worth taking into consideration when buying one though, they are not show stoppers by any means, but rather features that would only have complemented the device and make it a more complete Game Capturing all-in-one box.

   First off then, as you might have spotted already, this is a HD video capture box, so it naturally captures video in HD quality. The initial firmware out of the box (firmware version 1.5) will capture video in AVI, but as of the latest firmware update (firmware version 2.0.6) it now captures video in MP4. I have tested the quality of both video types from both firmware versions and they are fantastic of course, and now that the system captures video in MP4 as of the latest update the video is more compatible and friendly with video editing software and other media playing devices.

  The downside is that as a HD capturing device it only accepts component HD video input, so in other words it only captures video from the current generation of consoles (Xbox360/PS3/Wii,) or at least anything through a component lead as low as 480i all the way up to 1080i at 50/60hz. The Game Capture HD can also capture video from an Original Xbox if you have one, as when used with a component lead and its HD video output enabled, games will run at 480p and the odd few at 720p. The Game Capture HD does not have a composite input so you’re really out of luck for older systems, which is a real shame for anyone like me that has a variety of different systems and computers from various decades past. Not being able to capture composite video signals is somewhat of a disappointment and a missed opportunity by AverMedia to make this box the all-in-one video capture box that any gamer could ever need. It also means anyone whishing to capture composite video from older systems will need to look elsewhere, and annoyingly find a place for another device.

   Another drawback that I have come across is that this particular box only accepts component, furthermore it only allows for one component input at a time. This is also another missed opportunity, AverMedia could have at least allowed for a HDMI input at the very least, which would allow for more than one console to be hooked up at any given time, albeit by different input cable types. Or they could have offered two HDMI inputs and a component as is the standard on most HD devices these days. But truth is there was a lot more they could have done really and as it stands, this oversight or lack of foresight makes for a lot of unnecessary cable swapping that could have been avoided.

   Another feature that the Game Capture HD lacks is the ability to adjust the brightness and contrast of the video being recorded, and although it’s nothing major, it should really have been a standard feature in the box’s settings. While the box does record a crisp image that quality wise is great, the video and the screenshots do turn out to be pretty dark compared to the image being viewed on the TV. Whether AverMedia never thought to add brightness and contrast settings, or whether they thought the user could adjust these in game or even on the console end, who the hell knows? But the fact remains that the video does turn out way too dark, and this is another thing that could have easily been addressed, and it could still be addressed in a future firmware update. The only way at the moment to remedy this is to post process the video or screenshots via video editing software for the former (or Youtube if you plan on uploading) and something like Paint.NET for the latter, all of which will fix the brightness issues and make the image as it should be.

Otagi - Xbox - Post render using Paint.NET

Otagi - Xbox - Original Screenshot pre-render

   It’s a shame that the Game Capture HD has the small issues that it has, if AverMedia could only have gone that extra mile, it would make all other capturing devices on the market worthless, it really could have been the all conquering solution. But having said that using this all-in-one video capture box is a far better solution to capturing current gen gaming footage in my opinion, as there is nothing worse than having the major headache of setting up your console next to the PC just to capture some video. What the Game Capture HD is in essence is pure convenience as opposed to other devices that require a PC, which are quite honestly the total opposite. The Game Capture HD is definitely worth purchasing even with its small faults, and I am certainly happier and better off using it over the cumbersome irritation of other devices period.

Otagi - Xbox - Original Screenshot pre-render

Otagi - Xbox - Post render using Paint.NET

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Sonic Generations Poem

Sonic Generations is an amazing game

This is Sega back on top form again

And Sonic, finally, with some respect again

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Downloadable Content (DLC)

I wrote this article in either late December 2010, or sometime early 2011. I originally intended to use it in issue 1 of Pixellation, but as i already had other articles in there, this one just got side-lined. I also felt it didn't fit right in the mag, so decided to leave it out of the final draft. I have revisited this article with the intention to post it here, however the article needed a fair bit more work before posting it. So after some more work, here it is.

   DLC (Downloadable Content) has really taken off over the last couple of years, more so as online gaming has grown bigger and bigger with every passing year, and it is now big business whether you like it or not. It’s not necessarily a new part of gaming, and its form and range can, and has varied, and is constantly changing to the tune of either what the publishers/developers want and are willing to offer, as well as what gamers are demanding. Looking back many years ago now, as DLC began to really blossom, and publishers, developers, console manufacturers began to take notice and realise its so called ‘true potential,’ we should all be asking some very searching questions about this form of content. What should constitute as reasonable priced DLC? Is the consumer getting short-changed? Should we accept small piecemeal offerings over larger more substantial ones? Lastly, how should DLC be properly delivered?

   The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a perfect example of a game with DLC, and it certainly proves both sides of the argument, for and maybe against it, it also served as testing ground in a way, one that other developers and publishers were keen to keep an eye on.

   First off then, with the likes of the Horse Armour Pack, this now infamous bit of content caused a bit of a storm when it was released for Oblivion, it seems like nothing now, but at the time, (and this wasn’t that many years ago now,) a great many people argued back and forth over its value. Some offered that it’s just an accessory if anyone wants it, an item some might want to add to their game to personalise it more, further more nobody had to purchase it, the DLC wasn’t essential to the game. Others would argued what its point for existing in the marketplace was, because nobody would surly spend their hard earned cash on such minute content that didn‘t contribute to the game in any meaningful way. But also, for how much it cost, surly it couldn’t be justified to gamers, could it? But you know, it did sell, not spectacularly, but it sold enough to make on-lookers in the industry realise that such whimsical, nonsensical content, that took such little time and minimal effort to produce would sell. It turned out to be a no-brainer for some, as the cost of such small man hours to slap this stuff together, against the exuberant cost charged to the consumer, that even with such low sales figures, they would still make a profit over an extended length of time. If by any chance such DLC did sell by the bucket load, then hay, drinks on the house!

   Just look at the marketplace for this kind of DLC today, its stuffed to the brim with pointless content, every day there seems to be more outfits, uniforms, weapons, trinkets and every other little nick-knack forced onto the marketplace for ninety per cent of all games released. Even now more pointless stuff is been conjured and released, extra ability’s, different classes, better models, shouldn’t these have been in the game from the start? The worrying thing is this trend is set to get worse, not better, and even more worrying is that at the outlandish price charged; a lot of gamers are actually buying this stuff.

   As gamers, shouldn’t we be asking for, and buying more meaningful content that enriches and expands our games? Wouldn’t we rather spend a reasonable amount of money on decently priced content packed to the brim with hours of fun? Once again this is where the brilliant Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion showed the way: the two expansion packs, Nights Of The Nine and The Shivering Isles, were massive pieces of expanded content that have been hugely successful and highly praised. The Shivering Isles alone was forty hours or more of extra play time that was set in a new luscious part of the Elder Scrolls universe. Both were produced after the game was released and both have been championed and critically acclaimed by gamers and those within the industry, so surly everyone would agree this is what content should be, huge, overflowing with substance, and of course, reasonably priced for what the content offers.

   This kind of content has continued, sort of, but not always in a good way. With good content following the same kind of huge expansive DLC for the same kind of games, if you look at what’s been released for GTA4, and more recently Red Dead Redemption with the Undead Nightmare. But other games have seen reasonable priced content around the lower £6.50/$10.50 (800 points) price range, and this shows good value for money to. However, there are some bad trends that have emerged, and unfortunately seem set to continue, and while some see certain DLC for the shallow gold farming it really is, others can’t see the wood for the trees and lap it up in droves.

   It’s quite unfortunate that there are many other such bad points about DLC: how and when it’s created can walk a very tactless line, with the way in which it can be delivered being rather dubious, and at best unjust. In some cases content is being created alongside the development of a game it is intended for, it all might seem innocent enough, but to most it doesn’t seem fair and smells of publishers and developers cashing in and taking advantage of the consumer. Gamers rightly argue that developers should be focusing all their concentration on the main game at hand, especially when games ship with a lot of glitches and bugs these days, or when a particular title turns out to be lacking in certain areas, or sometimes as a whole. The other argument is that, if this content is being made alongside the game then shouldn’t it then be in the game and on the disk! It seems like a slap in the face when you spend £40/$60 on a game only to find a certain amount of content then being released as DLC the same day as the games release. Briefly, (and some time ago now,) there was the argument floating about that, on the Xbox 360 at least, this content couldn’t fit onto the disk. But this was quickly beat down as a poor excuse by angry gamers who called BS on such claims, and as it turn out were subsequently proven right when the feature was added to the 360 to allow for games to be installed onto the hdd. As such, it turned out that very few, if any, used up the full capacity available on a disk, and especially by those games which had its DLC released in this manner.

   Some publishers and developers must have taken notice that gamers were complaining about this, that’s not to say they stamped this practice out, far from it, its still the norm in the marketplace, no, instead they have come up with a new method to their madness. Now it seems companies are hiding the content on the disks, locking it away so you can’t use or get to it, so all are oblivious to its existence, then, some time later after release, announcing that very same content for the game in question. You then buy the DLC, only to find that the download is only a few kilobytes in size, why? Because the DLC is just a code to unlock the content already stored on the disk. But is this practise right? Is it fair? If we have paid for the game, and thus the content on the disk, are we then not entitled to play and experience everything on that disk? Do we, as the purchaser, not own the disk and there for entitled to use what’s on it? Or maybe this is just more crazy thinking to? If content is to be withheld from gamers when they buy games using these kinds of unscrupulous tactics, shouldn’t they then be made aware of this fact at the point of purchase? Then sign a legal document of agreement, stating they acknowledge this fact, and hence wave any issues or complaints with such a practise with said game? Surly it breaks some kind of laws to advertise and then sell a product to a customer as being the whole complete package that they will have complete access to, but then secretly restricts parts of that product without them knowing or being made aware of it.

   It could be said that in terms of DLC its still early days yet, but no gamer should be short changed along the way to wherever it is this form of content is moving towards. It should also be said that gamers should not be taken advantage of, or used as an easy source renewable cash cow by games companies. No excuse should be championed either, by any company, in their tactless and abhorrent approach towards DLC, and such exhausted complaints about the used games market and diminishing returns have proved baseless. Gamers can be a loyal bunch, supporting certain companies who’s wears take their fancy, who also support the industry by buying a good many titles through any given year. Respect goes both ways, nobody likes to feel short changed, especially in these hard times, so a tightening of quality control, an increase in length and a substantial widening of meaningful depth would go a long way. Also a drastic rethink on how and when DLC should be made for any given game is in order, as well as stopping altogether the rather shady practise of withholding content on a disk from the consumer (which they are rightly entitled to,) then later allowing them the chance of unlocking it as paid for extra content.

   Gamers can always vent their anger on forums or to the companies directly, but the best way to protest when you see something you don’t like is to vote with your wallet, if you don’t like it, don’t buy it, this will be the only way to force the type of DLC we want in the right direction. It would be in everyones best interest if these issues were ironed out, as gamers, developers and publishers would all benefit in the long run.

By Casey Suou Layne

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