Forgive this horrible excuse for a blog written hastily on my phone..but as a lover of all things Dreamcast and Shmup, I want to share this with you, right god damed now. A kickstarter that convinced me to actually give a shit about Kickstarter:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/redux/redux-dark-matters-a-shmup-for-sega-dreamcast

A shmup called Redux, being developed for iOS and (with our support) XBLA, PSN and mothafuckin Dreamcast. Pledge 65 or more and you'll even snag a limited edition copy of the DC version, and even more if you have deeper pockets and/or less restraint than me. So what do you say? Want to support two great things at once?

I know, I'm plugging and this isn't a real blog, but this project is something I really hope succeeds. Thanks to anyone who can help!

RenegadePitch is a thing I decided to do exactly twelve minutes ago, where I decided to take some of the random game ideas I've had floating around my head and write them down for you to enjoy and/or criticize. These ideas are rough at best, but I'll throw them out there anyway, just to see if I'm any good at this thing called kre-ay-tiv-atay. If you are a person who makes games, feel free to make my possibly brilliant ideas a reality as well, I'm open to anything.

As a warning: This will be text heavy.

Without further stalling, here's the first ever edition of RenegadePitch.

Game Title: Contagion

Game Overview:

Contagion is probably my most complete design idea, one that builds off of survival horror games such as Resident Evil but with a slightly more action blended in naturally throughout the game, while still retaining the atmosphere and resource management those titles are famous for. At least before 5. The game play would be similar to current Resi games, allowing natural movement but still requiring the player to stop to line up a shot before firing. Ammunition and item management would be essential, and there would be a heavy focus on atmosphere.

The 'hook,' if you will, is that the game world (set in the future) is contaminated by a virus that slowly turns living organisms into monsters of varying types, based on their pre-contagion forms. This virus was originally intended to combat global overpopulation by silently and painlessly killing the elderly and critically ill, among others, so as to reduce the population in conjunction with other measures already in place. It was thought the virus would have no effect on other healthy groups, as their bodies were strong enough to repel the comparatively weak pathogen.

Of course, the plan was controversial and, in the end, had disastrous consequences.

The government had developed a drug to slow down the infection process, seemingly knowing something would go wrong, called simply 'Antigen.' This was distributed in syringes to those wealthy or powerful enough, along with all top ranking government officials and world leaders. The commons had very limited access to Antigen, fueling riots and extreme distrust for the government, who eventually lost all control in most of the major cities.

You are a regular citizen caught in the chaos, and the journey starts with you driving through the deserted remains of a major American city, where you get your first glimpse at the creatures, as well as a survivor who explains the current situation.

This is, of course, just a fraction of the story so far. Without going into novel status, I'll leave it at that.

Basic Game Mechanics:

As mentioned above, the movement and shooting will feel similar to Resident Evil 4 or 5, with a variety of conventional weapons (shotguns, assault rifles and pistols) as well as some unconventional improvised weapons (such as an explosive tipped harpoon cannon called the Inferno Harpoon). Most of these are acquired through exploration or by interacting with survivors.

You are quickly introduced to the Contagion mechanic, which is a side effect of the virus. The player must find and inject Antigen after a certain amount of game time passes or they will transform into the very monsters they fight. The first survivor will give you a small supply, as well as a timer that informs the player of how much time they have before another dose is needed (which must be manually checked on the character's wrist).

(Not unlike Amy however I had formulated the idea earlier, and I believe this implementation would suit the game better.)

Transforming will not lead to a game over, however in this form players will have increased opposition from more factions, such as survivors who were previously passive. The contagion form has increased health and damage, but no access to weapons, so all attacks must be performed at close range. Once the player finds and injects Antigen, they will return to normal status. This mechanic is designed to give the player a choice, since you could realistically play most of the game as a beast, if you so desire, however it makes the game far more difficult.

(The beast mechanic could possibly have some kind of similar quota, such as kills, to keep them from dying.)

Exploration, however, can only be done in human form, and interacting with survivors as well, so you will need to balance your time effectively.

Game World:

Primarily consisting of deserted cities, overgrown and broken, but also including survivor areas which contained improvised shelter. The player also ventures to government/military facilities, as well as several in-tact city sections up kept by the government. Mission objectives vary but include: securing Antigen, introducing Antigen into local water supplies (in context to story), taking out high ranking personnel and aiding survivors.

The game will have a desolate tone to match the story, and the player will never feel truly safe as the story progresses. Focus on dialog, character interaction, and narrative building is a must here, to make the world feel real, and to give the player an uneasy feeling that this used to be their city and not just an abandoned street.

Of course things are not always simple, and the story will have twists relating to the world, and the situation within. Factions, such as survivors, are essentially at war with the Contagion, and simultaneously the government. The survivors don't trust the government/military, but they in turn try to tempt with promises of security and comfort.

(Yeah, that's a little over done, but it's rough, right?)

The End (Summary?)

Well, stopping while I'm ahead, that's the most I can really write down from memory at the moment. What do you think? Would you play this crap? Or would you wait for it to drop to $10? Or would you use the $10 on alcohol to erase the memory of reading all this? It's not the most original idea, but it's probably the one I'm most convinced would make a decent game. There's a lot more to it in my head, but putting it all down on paper is proving more difficult than I thought.

You know, today I had a wildly original idea. An idea to write a blog that no one has ever done before, to open up and share my innermost self with all of you. Like going to a psychiatrist only much less expensive, and involving far fewer drugs to even out my wonderfully unstable psyche. That's right, I had the idea to do a 10 thing list, and I'm pretty excited to be the first to do so.

Wait...what? For how long? And everyone else too?

Damnit.

Being a paragraph invested into this, I guess I'm inclined to proceed.

10. I'm not a party guy.

This may come as a complete shock to you, but I am a stereotypical gamer in regards to my social life. I don't have many friends, and most of my free time is spent playing games. I don't do much outside the house, partially because my city is boring, but also because I just don't do well with crowds of people. By crowds, I mean more than 3 or 4, and that only works if we're talking about things I like or know about. It's weird, I wind up keeping everyone at a distance so as not to become attached, which works both for and against me 100% of the time.

9. I lost my job last month.

Yeah, I did. Well, one of them. I didn't get fired, but the store I worked at shut down. The owner of the franchise did a lot of things wrong, plus the economy gas prices George Bush oil Iraq Obamacare. It was a game store, Play N Trade, and I was there for a solid 2 years, damn near the entire life of that particular location. I printed up flyers and posters for the store, made up the store sales, rearranged the place when I felt like it. A lot of me went into the place, and it was hard to just shove it all into boxes and know I'd never go back. I'm still looking for a new 2nd job to continue living comfortably.

8. I don't drink much soda.

Weird, I know, being a gamer and practically never having soda. I grab one occasionally, but I essentially survive on iced tea whenever the option is there. I'll grab a Sierra Mist or, if I'm really craving it, a Mountain Dew, but I realized my soda intake really affected me. I lost a good amount of weight doing it too, and obviously soda isn't good for you to begin with. That said, I have an extreme love of Surge (now called Vault), which is no longer sold in my region.

7. I have an unnatural attraction to Japan, and anything from it.

When I say that, I don't just mean Hello Kitty. No, I have a fondness for practically everything that is Japanese. I'm drawn to moe more than anyone should legally be allowed to. I love how damn near everything that comes from Japan has some hyper cuteness added to it for no conceivable reason. I love Takoyaki. I completely identify with their over the top perversion, their insane marketing makes perfect sense to me, and I can stare at a Japanese anything and be completely mesmerized even though I have no clue what is happening.

6. I joined the Planeteers.

A long time ago, though long after the cutoff age listed on the form, I joined the Planeteers. I sent in the form and got my official kit including a certificate, a patch, some episodes of Captain Planet on DVD, and some letter where I pledged my loyalty to mother earth, or something. I can't find any of those things now, which means I likely threw them away, which...probably makes me a pretty crappy Planeteer.

5. If I were stuck on an island with only one game to play for the rest of my life...

It wouldn't matter, because there wouldn't be any power.

4. I've never really had a proper relationship.

Yeah, isn't that just [depressing adjective]? I've had a few here and there, like 2, actually, but they both wound up being not-so-elaborate lies. No ill intent was meant, but it basically boiled down to me being pathetically desperate and them not wanting to hurt my feelings, or something. Ignoring the complete gap in logic on their part, it wasn't terrible while it lasted, but it was never really a mutual thing either. Plus, I often forget things, which doesn't lend itself well to whatever the topic was.

3. I have an extremely repressed feminine side.

I'm a man, make no mistake. I have a penis, I like steak, I'm lazy and refuse to ask for help or directions and am capable of changing a tire; the requirements are met. But I also like things many people describe as 'adorable' and 'cute.' I sometimes go to the store and see a shirt and say 'what an awesome shirt' only to find out it's a ladies t-shirt. It's awkward sometimes. I also had the best Phantasy Star Universe character ever, Cotton Candy, a primarily pink/red CAST who had what I consider the best catch phraseshout ever, 'Don't you dare call me sugar free.'

I also sat on people in the lobby and said 'This must be a chair...'

2. I have a degree in Game Design.

Aren't I immediately the coolest? Ignore the fact that I can't find a job in that particular area, and ignore the fact that the school I went to was lame and a huge waste of money. I learned about stuff, I made games, and not one of them you can realistically play. I made a side scrolling shmup called Nexus Effect, and an awesome C++ game where you play as a square, avoiding other squares, and collecting squares to score.

It was called Square Off.

1. I am incredibly uninteresting, most of the time.

(See above.)

I play a lot of games. Big games, small games, complicated games, and all those weird perverse Japanese games that most people don't openly admit to playing. I love them all, but yet there is one game I never get tired of, a game that never loses it's charm. A game that doesn't need gratuitous pantsu or convoluted storylines about the government, no fancy graphics or online multiplayer, no achievements or trophies.

A game that relies on two colors, blue and red, and the ability to hit stuff with sticks.

If you've played it, then you already know what I'm talking about. Chances are you probably feel the same as I do. If you don't know, then allow me to share this queasy feeling of joy with you. Let me into your homes so I can raid your fridge, and mess with your DVR. And then let me introduce you to Taiko No Tatsujin.



Taiko No Tatsujin, literally Taiko Drum Master, is quite possibly the single most Japanese rhythm game on the planet. Not only is it based on the Taiko drum, which has limited appeal in the US, it also features the kind of music that you will love or hate within five minutes and game play so deviously simple that it can go from first grade math to Harvard Law Degree in the blink of an eye.

Taiko Drum Master is mainly played using a controller called the TaTaCon (Taiko Tapping Controller), which can range from the life-sized arcade variants to the smaller home versions used on the PS2 and Wii. Even without the special controller, the game is simple enough to be played using standard buttons as well, without ruining the overall experience. It's a game that can be played literally by anyone, in sharp contrast to the often unwieldy demands of Rock Band or Guitar Hero, which often require you to move your foot or fingers in a way that many people can not manage.

Taiko relies on two main hits, Don, which are colored red and represent hits to the face of the drum; and Kat which are blue and represent hits to the rim of the drum. You will also sometimes be required to hit both sides of the drum at once, or wail on the drum for a drum roll. If you are playing with a controller, or one of the portable versions, these hits use the face buttons/d-pad and the triggers respectively.

The fact that the game relies on two hits, opposed to the 4-8 hits in most other rhythm games, is a testament to it's design. It's simple, but when you start working up towards the ominous Oni mode, you'll soon realize that it's far from easy. You'll be assaulted with brutal note charts and blinding speed, and you'll flail uncontrollably trying to hit whatever you can. But despite all that, the game is equally fun whether you're playing on kantan (easy), my stomping grounds of muzukashii (hard) or the pure insanity of Oni (borderline suicidal).

Whether you play with or without the TaTaCon, the art style of the game will undoubtedly make you smile. The game is bright and colorful, and is so adorable at times that you may never look at a newborn child the same way ever again. This even carries over into the game play, because even when you lose, the game still manages to makes you smile and want to keep playing. Winning and losing are hardly even factors within the game, the whole point is for you to have fun regardless of the outcome, and there's never a moment where you'll want to just give up.



The song selection is yet another thing Taiko manages to hit spot on. Where a lot of rhythm games seem focused on a single genre of music, Taiko takes it's list from everything, including anime themes, J-pop, classical, video game themes, and sometimes complete oddball picks like that Numa Numa song or a random Russian song, because why not? There's no penalty for not playing a song, and the game never really forces you to play something you don't want to.

No other rhythm game has ever really matched the sheer variety and sheer randomosity of Taiko. Every sequel is it's own game, with it's own identity, and no two of them are really alike. The Nintendo DS has an RPG-esque Taiko game, whereas the PSP had it's own unique set of minigames, and the Wii versions went for costumes, story modes and Mario Party style mini game modes. Most other games would be content with adding new music and updated graphics.

However Taiko only had a single Western release on the PS2, despite having almost a dozen iterations in Japan on the same system. While the first Taiko had an admittedly bland track list, even in Japan, the game still retained everything else that has made it such a hit in it's home country. Sure, drumming to a Britney Spears song isn't ideal, but it's still surprisingly fun to drum along to My Sharona, Rock the Dragon and the Katamari theme. I still remember playing it at Fry's Electronics for the first time, little did they know they started an obsession with would swiftly get taken away from me.

However all hope is not lost for Taiko. The game has three outings on the PSP, which is region free, and they all have solid track listings and some insanely fun minigames. There are also several DS versions as well which opt for RPG style modes and touch screen drumming if you so prefer. If you have the ability to play import titles for your PS2 or Wii, you can import those as well, and with a little effort (and money) you can be drumming in no time. You may even have a nearby arcade with an import machine too, which is a great experience.

It's sad that most people I talk to don't know about Taiko No Tatsujin outside of the PS2 release years back. To this day it is my favorite game of all time from any genre, because no other game can lighten my day the same way. It's not just a game, it's one of those things I can go back to time and time again to make myself feel better, regardless of anything else that's going on in my life.

Some people think I'm crazy for dropping over 500 dollars on Taiko games and accessories, but I say they're missing out on something amazing.

Apparently it's that time. I'm assuming it is, because I don't have a calendar nor do I actually know what that time is. But it is that time. Which time again? Oh, yes...that time. PAX time.

PAX, short for Pretty Actually eXcited to go but can't because I'm poor and in the wrong state and have no means of transportation to get there and also have two jobs to work at the same time, is coming. And apparently, there are generous people out there who will allow random strangers into their cars and escort them to said event, which I find both charming and slightly worrying at the same time.

That's love for you.

Oh, right, me. This blog is about me. And you. It's about us. Together, in public, holding hands and whatnot. That's right, I want to be adopted by you. I want to feel your warm embrace around the thin piece of office-grade copy paper that could theoretically represent me. We can share ice cream cones, talk about social and economical complexities, and maybe even drink too much and do some things which we later regret.

Fun, right?



Now I'm no stranger round these parts, but I'm certainly not popular either. I'm middle of the road. I had some blogs on the front page that one time, you remember those yes? Back when I had a Wacom tablet and the crude illusion of talent and skill? I've written some things, had some opinions, some fights and the general things that go on in any relationship.

I haven't collected a million things, nor do I have a strange and disturbing fascination with the male genitalia, and my ability to troll Jim Sterling articles is mediocre at best. I'm not fat enough to be considered adorable, yet I'm not skinny enough to take my shirt off in public without having the police called in. I'm just your average...well, no, that's a lie.

But I would very much enjoy the opportunity to be represented at PAX and fulfill the oft ignored 'anthropomorphic bear-like animals with shotguns' niche. I'm throwing my tiny green hat into the ring, so to speak. Of course, you may be asking yourself just why you should take me. Well, I've got that covered.



Bonta Kun gets the ladies. Imagine yourself surrounded by attractive females, then imagine that actually happened, then imagine it's because of me. Pretty sweet right? I only ask that you send one of them to Arizona with some pizza. Just one.

Ladies, maybe you want to adopt me because I'm more adorable than 90% of all emoticons? I've got that covered too. Bonta Kun is not just an aphrodisiac, he's also the only security guard you'll ever need.



Keep those pesky perverted nerds (me excluded) away from you using the power of a 12 gauge shotgun! Go find someone you don't like and threaten them in a way that is just vague enough to not qualify as armed assault! Or just use it to get free things!

So what do you say? Did I mention I love you? Because there's that, too.

First off, I'll apologize for an overly dramatic title. But drama is what I do best, and I believe this particular situation fills me with more drama than a daytime soap opera aired during a live episode of Jerry Springer that is shot within a high school. Oh, and all the students are part of rival social cliques. With mustaches.

I'm getting off track again, so let me put it bluntly: Digital distribution sucks.



There's two sides here, the first is that digital distribution has lead to many unique and otherwise obscure titles being able to see the light of day. Both big and small developers have made some amazing titles that never would have succeeded as 40-60 dollar retail titles, or seen any kind of profit on a Flash or web portal. It kills the overhead and allows complete creative control.

That's great, and it effectively ends the only positive argument I have for digital distribution.

Now let's approach the second side, the darker and more insidious side. The part where you realize that you, the consumer, aren't actually buying anything. This new era of digital presence is something that has yet to be truly tested, as it's only spanned a single generation of technology, so we have yet to discover many of the consequences involved, at least on a large scale.

Several years ago, buying a product meant going to a store, trading money for said product and holding it in your hands. You were physically trading one item for another physical item of equal value. When you're dealing with materials, services and other items that have a perceived value, that works just fine. Tack on a small amount to cover the labor involved and pay the distributors and the final price is set. Once you bought the item, it was yours to keep, use, give to a friend, trade to someone else, loan it to someone, store it in the attic, pull it out 20 years later for your child to enjoy.

But such is not the case now. When you 'buy' a game on XBL, PSN, Steam or NintendoWare, you're simply buying the rights to use that game under the conditions set forth by the first party company involved. Instead of having the freedom to use a product as purchased, you're now confined to your particular console, requiring internet connections, codes, accounts and whatever absurd DRM measures come with it.

In short, you're trading physical money for an intangible item that exists under an assumed contract. Your games are now, essentially, a subscription that can be terminated at the will of the first party, provided you don't meet their terms. You can't own code unless you create and protect it, and therefore you can't truly own the game, music or movie in question. You're simply buying the rights to use it until condition X is applied.

That's dry, so let me get you an example in real life terms. Steam, the leader in this new distribution era, allows you to download tons of games at completely stupid price points. But they're tied to an account, which is a service, which is subject to conditions. Say Steam one day decides to roll out Steam 2, a bigger, better service that is unfortunately incompatible with Steam 1. Your games are now worthless.

If Steam should ever go out of business, the same rule applies. The servers will go down, you won't be able to connect, and theoretically your games can be rendered useless. PSN users experienced a brief period of this when their network went down, effectively preventing a good chunk of titles from being played.

Even if they find a way around all this, the compatibility issue still remains. Updates will come, and companies won't support their older models for very long, which means at some point it's inevitable that you will lose your games, and everything you paid for will be gone. Imagine if the NES were download only, in order to play any of those games now, you'd have to be lucky enough to have had one, loaded with every game you'd ever want, and never be able to purchase any others.



I have a lot of consoles, plenty of retro ones too. I got them second hand at various stores, along with the dozens of games I've acquired for each. I can still play every single one to this day. I can play games that came out 20 years ago because of physical media, the most digital distribution can offer in that regard is a re-downloadable version, and that's only if the game is deemed 'popular' enough.

Because of these reasons, a lot of older games are remembered fondly among those of us who played them. We bought them, we have an attachment at an emotional level because we can hold it, trade it, show it to friends and basically preserve a bit of history. You could argue that Steam games have the same attachment, but I'd argue that you are wrong.

Digital distribution favors what I call a 'Pitch' approach. A service throws a game at you, you'll play it, enjoy it and then the service will throw another game at you, causing you to, more often than not, abandon the first game in favor of it. You'll still remember the previous game, but as the line goes further, that game will drift away until you forget you even purchased it in the first place.

While gamers are lured by cheap prices and convenience, they're ignoring the big picture. We're cheap and lazy. We don't want to get up and go to a store, we complain about games not being worth $60 because Steam sells them for $20. The reality is that the retail market and those $60 price tags is what drives competition in the gaming industry. If every game is full price, you better make damn sure it's worth it or people won't buy it. In a world where every game is dirt cheap, there's not much to lose and developers know they don't have to try as hard.

And lack of competition means prices don't go down either. Right now, prices are low on digital services because they have to be, because retail copies exist. But what if they go away? Developers will realize pretty quickly that they can raise the price because you now have no other option for purchasing your games. You're at the mercy of the service, and while you may trust them, remember that they're a business trying to make money, just like any store.

As an example of the competition aspect I'll throw the Xbox Live Indie Game marketplace out there. There are some genuinely good games on the service for a dollar or two, but those are the exception. For every good game, there are 10 completely awful ones that have little to no effort invested. For every 'I Made a Gaem' you get 'Try not to fart' and 'How to talk to hot girls,' made by someone who Googled a few pictures and slapped in some crudely drawn Photoshop art.

And more often than not, the latter is what ends up in the 'Best Seller' tab.

Digital distribution has a place, but if it replaces physical media, it won't be good for anyone. This new revolution in digital transactions needs time to be fully understood, but as gamers everywhere happily shell out for a game they don't own just because it's cheap, I start to worry that everything will turn this way. It's the gaming equivalent of buying a bridge, you assume it's there, you paid to call it your own, but you will never truly own it.