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So Ico's finally having some influence

 
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SuperWes
Updated the banners, but not his title
Updated the banners, but not his title


Joined: 07 Dec 2004
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 9:05 am    Post subject: So Ico's finally having some influence Reply with quote

Nope. This post isn't about Shadow of Colossus or anything even remotely related to that. It's actually about Mortal Kombat. Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks to be precise. I played the demo in this month's issue of OPM last night and was simply blown away. Partially because Mortal Kombat has lowered my expectations to almost nil in the years since Mortal Kombat II, but mostly because it's absolutely incredible. This may be premature, but Shaolin Monks is the true evolution of the brawler, and it's amazing how much it borrows from Ico.

Yes that Ico.

It's mostly in how the camera works and in the animation routines, but these things make Shaolin Monks an incredibly beautiful game. As your characters travel around the stages, the camea moves around to show the most breathtaking viewpoint it can. Sometimes this means peering into the darkness of a cave in the background, and sometimes it means showing the moon shining through dark clouds as you run across a bridge. In any case, it's beautiful, and you're always shown the most amazing viewpoint thanks to a mostly static camera that follows exactly how you want it to.

On the aforementioned bridge with the moon in the background, you can actually perform ad hoc "pit" fatalities by knocking enemies off of the bridge onto the spikes below. Whenever this happens, the camera follows them down to their eventual punishment and plays the rewarding gong sound upon their impalement.

The only really tossup is the amount of seemingly hands-off brutality. It seems like there will be a lot of it. No fewer than three times in demo does the screen go dark with a giant M symbol reassuring you that the real game will be more bloody than the demo will allow. I really don't mind this giant M at all, since these scenes seem pretty pointless and you can still hear some hillarious screaming in the background, but when the M gets taken away it might just feel a bit too forced. The rewards in Mortal Kombat have always been the greusome fatallities, but it seems like in Shaolin Monks these are just part of the story. This might make them feel even more gratuitous than they already are.

But there's more. Shaolin Monks features multiplayer ko-op. I'm hoping I'll be able to talk my girlfriend into playing it with me. During the demo there were several moments where she said, "now that's cool," which is a big stretch for her.

Interestingly enough, the Evil Dead demo on the disc is actually pretty good as well, and also features an Ico-esque camera (just not as well done). And the Hulk demo ain't too bad either. Overall, the disc really reinforces the fact that American designers are actually putting out some decent stuff lately. It's all overly violent and features borrowed or sequeled characters and setpieces, but great gameplay transcends license. And really, great gameplay is what we're here for, am I right?

-Wes
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Shapermc
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Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 10:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, all I want to do is shout at you for talking about mortal kombat and Ico in the same (serious) topic.

That aside, LIAR!

Ok, MK has lowered my expectations so far that even a camera angle change will not allow me to even consider it may be good.
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SuperWes
Updated the banners, but not his title
Updated the banners, but not his title


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You know it's not a fighting game, right? And it plays nothing like Mortal Kombat (but it does have fatalities). And it was one of Psiga's favorite games at E3. Unfortunately, I didn't check it out at E3 because it had the word "Mortal Kombat" in the title. Looks like I missed out. I'm telling you, people need to try it out.

-Wes
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Mr. Mechanical
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 12:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hasn't there been a new Mortal Kombat game each year for the past three years now? Deadly Alliance, Deception, and now this Shoalin Monks business. Odd.
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SuperWes
Updated the banners, but not his title
Updated the banners, but not his title


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 1:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah. Apparently Midway's new philosophy is that they're going to make all of their games yearly series and they're going to switch back and forth between genres. So this year Mortal Kombat is a brawler, next year it'll be a fighting game, the year after that something else, then fighting, and so on. I wonder what kind of game Blitz will be next year! Flight sim?

-Wes
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Mister Toups
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Hates your favorite videogame


Joined: 26 Jan 2005
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 6:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll give it a shot. I always kind of like Mortal Kombat actually, in more or less the same way I like Rumble Roses.
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dark steve
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd love a Blitz rpg/management sim, with some extra-arcadey football segments. They could ham it up like soccer manga or the Mutant League cartoon. It'd be great.
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Lestrade
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2005 12:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am unashamedly, and without any trace of irony, very excited to play Shaolin Monks. I love Mortal Kombat. I can't help it. Granted, I didn't like MK 3, Ultimate, or 4 very much, but Deadly Alliance and Deception have brought me back, and the Midway Arcade Collection (or whatever) 2 means I can play a 99% perfect arcade version of MK2 anytime I want. And I find that even ten years later, I still want to play it quite a bit.
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Lestrade
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So... played the Shaolin Monks demo. Loved every goddamn second of it. I was really more happy with that demo than any many should be towards a piece of software. Being in The Pit was the greatest shit ever. Please pardon my lack of subtlety or tact; I am just childishly excited by the game.
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Cycle
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, I never knew this. So the game turned out ok? Let me check gamerankings... huh, it got pretty decent scores! I may need to give it a hire.

So I guess we've all seen the latest PoP and the way it "borrows" heavily from Ico's and SotC's style, right?
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Harveyjames
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm sure Ico's been more influential than you think! I've seen traces of Ico in a lot of games of recent years.
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Cycle
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

EXAMPLES.
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Harveyjames
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune- remember the early preview videos of that when we were like 'hey this is just Ico in shirts and pants'. Also there was a dungeon in Wind Waker that everyone used to call 'The Ico dungeon', since it seemed to be so obviously influenced by it. Um. I'm sure there's more!
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Cycle
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wind Waker came after ICO? Huh, so it did... I actually haven't played that one. Actually I haven't played Uncharted, too. I'm pretty behind!

I remember that one boss in Twilight Princess that was thought to be a tribute to SotC. I wish all the bosses were that epic, but alas.
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Intentionally Wrong
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The POP: Sands of Time team have admitted to being heavily inspired by Ico, which means both of the following games are also derivative. Likewise Uncharted, and also (I would argue, though perhaps to a lesser extent) Assassin's Creed. I can't remember why but I'm pretty sure that the Resident Evil 4 team said something similar.

Ico's had a huge influence on the industry. It always startles me when people suggest that it's been otherwise.
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Cycle
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 5:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess people haven't noticed because the influence has been much more subtle than many people would imagine... which I see as a good thing.

Also, I think you can change you sig now!
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Max Cola
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 8:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cycle wrote:
So I guess we've all seen the latest PoP and the way it "borrows" heavily from Ico's and SotC's style, right?


Which, of course, brings everything full circle!
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