This Month in Gaming: January 2013

At the end of every month I’ll be taking a look back through the previous 30 or 31 days and pulling out games, events, or issues I thought were of particular note. January certainly set 2013 off on the right foot, and the coming months promise plenty of interesting releases. Some might describe January as somewhat subdued for the videogame industry. That’s, arguably, true, especially after gamers were bombarded with some excellent AAA releases at the end of 2012. But, the lack of big names doesn’t make January any less interesting or meaningful. Here’s This Month in Gaming for January, 2013.

DMC Devil May Cry and ‘Fanboyism’

There was another conversation taking place alongside the discussion of how good or bad DMC Devil May Cry (the most inane titling to date, perhaps) was, and it was an important one, too. DMC is a popular franchise with a legion of devoted fans. So, of course, when DMC was announced and trailers started to leak, that legion of devoted fans shrieked and hissed all sorts of nasty things at developer Ninja Theory. They continued to shriek and hiss as the game was being released, and when positive reviews started pouring out, pretty much across the board, those shrieks and hisses grew, yet again, even louder. The term “fanboy” started being thrown around by those defending the new direction Ninja Theory was taking the franchise. For the most part, the discussion has died down, but for a while gamers and game commentators were having meaningful discussions about what the Devil May Cry reboot meant for the industry and how other studios handle the reintroduction of material so many gamers already know and love to a new legion of devoted fans. With Metal Gear Rising: Revengence and Tomb Raider coming out February and March, respectively, I suspect the conversation over franchise reboots will continue. We haven’t seen the last of the fanboy.

Skulls of the Shogun Finally Comes to XBLA

Skulls of the Shogun is out, and if you haven’t done so already, go and download the demo. I guarantee that’s all it is going to take. I had been excited for this game ever since I read the PC Gamer preview of it way back in January, 2011. Of all the games that came out in January, from a game design perspective, it is the most important. It also helps that it’s really fun to play. Developer 17-BIT took inspiration from the legendary turn-based strategy franchise Advanced Wars, but minus the traditional movement grid. The pacing of the difficulty and the surprising amount of complexity to be found in Skulls of the Shogun make for a really fun experience for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the turn-based strategy genre. Like I said, if you haven’t already, definitely download the demo and see what all the raving is about.

Violent Videogame Debate Continues

I wrote a column for The Game Scouts not too long ago that presented my thoughts on this topic. If you haven’t already, you can read it here. We’ve made some headway as a community in addressing the ignorance most people have about videogames circa 2013. Just yesterday, Adam Sessler was on Fox News Live talking about videogame violence. I’m glad more and more gamers are getting in on the discussion, and I hope this continues to be the case. However, several comments recently made by politicians go to show just how much work everyone has yet to do in wrapping their minds around today’s videogames and today’s videogame industry. Leland Yee recently made comments about the videogame community that sparked some nasty backlash. According to Mr. Yee, we’re all just supposed to sit down, shut up and let everyone else decide what to do with violent videogames because we have no “credibility” in the debate. Then there was this little gem from Senator Christopher Murphy (D-Connecticut). If anything, recent comments made by politicians mean that the videogame community has to do even more, be even more involved, in the conversation about violent videogames. One thing is becoming clear: The only people that have any idea what it means to be a gamer in 2013 are us, the gamers. It’s time to educate those that would label us pop-culture lepers.

By Way of Ni no Kuni, Joe Hisaishi Comes to America

Yes, I know Ni no Kuni was released in Japan a couple years ago. Yes, I know the score was also released a couple years ago. But, hey, we just got this stuff in America. The latest import from Japan has proven to be quite the evocative topic. Reviewers were generally split on what they thought of the game, but they all agreed on several things across the board. 1.) The game is gorgeous. Its art style is charming, beautiful, and awe-inspiring. 2.) The localization for the game is really, really, really damn good. 3.) The music is amazing. It’s that last bit that everyone should be excited for. I love all things Joe Hisaishi, and his score for Ni no Kuni is simply some of the best orchestral game music in recent memory, right up there with Jeremy Soule and his score for Skyrim and Guild Wars 2. I haven’t found the score available for order from within the United States, only imported albums from Japan. As far as I’m concerned, it’s well worth the asking price in order to hear some great music by a great composer who deserves more exposure over here in the United States. Definitely try and get your ears on some of this.  

So, there you have it. I look forward to bringing you all more of these in the future and I absolutely cannot wait to see what 2013 brings for gamers!       

Article by Jon Hamlin
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jon Hamlin is a freelance game journalist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He plays too much Mass Effect 3 multiplayer and enjoys a good glass of wine. Occasionally, he can be found commanding his legion of doom on Xbox Live as GeniusPantsPhD. Follow him on Twitter @WordsmithJon, or email him at jonshamlin@gmail.com. All Articles by Jon.             

Posted in: Article,Jon Hamlin