What do you call this?

Is there a term for a game that is very much like a "Legend of Zelda" game, without actually being part of that franchise? There are whole separate franchises that are like this, "Okami" springs to mind.  There however seems to be no single term that describes this.

I hear the term "action role-playing" thrown around, but it not nearly enough of the games in that category are in fact "Zelda-like". For example Square Enix's "Seiken Densetsu" (Secret of Mana) series is very much an "action role-playing" game, while being nothing like a "Zelda" game. Often these kind of games are much closer to true "role-playing" games, simply using a more action oriented style of combat.

Games which are "Zelda-like" are, but are not limited to, "Darksiders", "Recore", "Okami", "Beyond: Good & Evil". These games all feel so very much like "Zelda". They all involve progression based around exploration and the attainment of items of one sort or another. In these games every thing found allows greater access to the world in some way, might let you pass a barrier, might allow you to damage a formerly invincible foe. Often reward are there to be found if you backtrack with what you have newly acquired. 


The lack of a term for this phenomenon just struck me the other day, and it seems odd for the amount of time this has been happening. The first "Zelda" game came out in 1986, the first game to be "Zelda" without the name was also 1986.  It just seems we could use a simple term for this in gaming.

Disappointing Parts of Good Games

Pokemon X and Y.

These are the newest in the games in the Pokemon franchise. They are fun little games. However, there is one thing that just doesn't add up.

Rather than talk about the problem, we will let two screen shots do the talking.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker from 2006 on DS

and

Pokemon X/Y from 2013 on 3DS

After 7 years and new hardware, shouldn't these games look a little further apart? What Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker that far ahead of it's time? Or is Pokemon X/Y just that far behind the times? It could be a bit of both, but that is doubtful.

System Shock 2 FINALLY Out again.

It took long enough. I am not getting paid to spread the word about this, I am just a fan that wants as many people as possible to play this masterwork of a game. It is out now on "Good Old Games" (GOG), and is supposed to come to Steam later this year. GOG has an exclusivity contract for the game for the next 5 to 6 months, after which it will likely show up on Steam, hopefully in time for the summer sale.

Greetings insect.

Originally released in 1999, System Shock 2 was mind blowing at the time, and far beyond anything else on the market at the time. While today the graphics are not much to look at, the gameplay and story are still far beyond most of the other games out there.

If you are wondering what this game is like, it is a lot like the first Bioshock. However, it is much harder, and has actual RPG elements, not just the window dressing of them. "Deus Ex" might be a better comparison now that I think of it. The point being that it is a first person game, with guns, and with lots of stats and skills to keep track of, that allow you to approach the same situations in many different ways. This leads to a very high replay value.

So pick it up on GOG http://www.gog.com/gamecard/system_shock_2. Or wait for the Steam release. Either way, you owe it to yourself to play this masterwork.

Earthbound.

A video I made about a game I remember fondly. It was back on the SNES. Enjoy.

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