It's been over 15 months since the last Easy Mode. My time away from the site was fairly hectic - degree changes, moving out of home and rigorous study schedules, but with the end of June here, I finally have some free time, and I must add that it is good to be back under the PALGN banner. It's good to see how the site has expanded, which couldn't have happened without the hard work of Luke, Brendan and the rest of the PALGN staff (who are almost entirely new faces). Of course, all of this wouldn't be possible without the readers, so I thank you for your continued patronage, especially those of you who've been here since the beginning.
The usual response to an Easy Mode article
Normally Easy Mode has been about discussing issues with a slightly negative viewpoint - how company x should have done this, why hasn't company y done that, why feature z is unimportant. I've opted for a bit of a change this issue, instead deciding to focus on a few of the positives things that have happened in the industry in the first six months of this year.
The first big positive of 2005 hit in late January (or late March if you're a dedicated PAL gamer), and that was Resident Evil 4. Capcom realized that the series was beginning to become a little stale, and put the fourth game through a rigorous redesign. It couldn't have turned out better - the game is easily the best release of 2005, if not the best of this generation, and thoroughly deserved to be the first game to get a 10 on PALGN.
Resident Evil 4 claimed PALGN's first 10, and deserved every point
In February, we witnessed what was once considered to be the unthinkable - Nintendo Australia successfully launching a product with an excellent advertising campaign and a solid lineup of software. Ads for the Nintendo DS were everywhere, and it was a hot topic with everyone I know, with quite a few of them purchasing the system. The system was competitively priced - I can't manage to find anything cheaper on import (with postage included). With an awesome lineup of titles due to hit from September until Christmas, the DS could turn itself into one hot little property, and perhaps re-establish Nintendo in the minds of Australia's video gaming consumers.
The Game Developer's Conference in March is not usually an event with great coverage on most media fronts - but occasionally some big news can come out of the event, and this year the hot topic of GDC was Will Wright's latest project Spore. Starting off as a unicellular organism in what appears to be the primordial soup, you evolve your creature all the way from being a single water based life form, through the various stages of civilization, all the way through to universal conquest. The game sounds impressive enough, but the tech behind the game is phenomenal, with all of the games art assets being procedurally generated (that is, created by the computer), thanks to some supremely talented individuals that Will Wright has recruited from the European demo scene. While the game is still a little over a year away, it looks like it could snag yet another truckload of awards for the celebrated designer and his team, if not another big hit for publisher EA.
April was a pretty slow month, but the standout item was the announcement of Gunstar Super Heroes for the Game Boy Advance. Gunstar Heroes was a cult hit on the Megadrive, developed by cult favourite studio Treasure. The game was one of the best run and gun titles released for 16-bit consoles. Sequels are new territory for the Japanese developer - they haven't done any to date (well, Advance Guardian Heroes could be debated to be a sequel, but I'll leave that to Treasure fans), so it will be interesting to see how they handle it. Gunstar Super Heroes will appear on the GBA this holiday season, courtesy of Sega.
E3 struck in May, with Sony and Microsoft unveiling their respective consoles, both of which look as if they will continue their stranglehold upon our wallets. Each system had relatively good showings, even if they had very little playable content (or none, in the case of the PS3). Personally, I think E3 showed us just how much life was left in the current consoles - with big hitters like Zelda, Shadow of the Colossus and Burnout Revenge those of us who can't buy the new consoles will not go empty handed. E3 also showed just how serious Nintendo are with the DS, with the Kyoto giant showing one of the best lineups in years.
Just one of the games that will make the wait for new consoles a little easier
Most of us were bogged down with work or exams in June, but in the last few days of the month, Battlefield 2 hit. Although we haven't reviewed the game yet, I can honestly say it is one of the most intense and enjoyable multiplayer experiences I've had on the PC in the last few years. If you've got the hardware to play the game - do yourself a favour and get a copy now.
Had this hit a week earlier, I'd be repeating this semester
Well, that's enough positive stuff for 6 months. Join me again in the next few weeks for your regularly scheduled, grievance filled program.
The views expressed by Matt Keller in the Easy Mode editorial are his own, and are not indicative of the views of the PAL Gaming Network or its affiliates.
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