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No one knew what to expect when Nintendo announced their plans to reveal a new 3DS game behind closed doors at E3, but we all knew it needed to happen. During their Digital Event, the company gave most of the focus to the struggling Wii U. They revealed software to convince current owners that they shouldn’t sell their system, and perhaps give Nintendo fans on the fence enough incentive to snag one. But in doing so, they ended up neglecting the system people actually own. The two new titles they had to show (localizations of games already released in Japan) were saved for after the main presentation. E3 isn’t much of a show for handhelds, sure, but it stung.
Though the event wasn’t for a new title from Shigeru Miyamoto, as some live blogs said, Nintendo revealed a new project from Intelligent Systems called Code Name: STEAM — the acronym “Strike Team Eliminating the Alien Menace. ”The name’s announcement generated two reactions: Some immediately thought of Valve’s Steam service, making jokes about Nintendo going third-party and putting their games on PC. Others had a “hey, that name sounds familiar moment.” (I fit into the latter group, in case you were curious.) A trademark for its name was discovered back in mid-April, which raised all sorts of questions. Some thought Nintendo had roped Earth Defense Force-developer Sandlot into making a new game for them, who previously made the Japan-only Zangeki no Reginliev for Wii. But none predicted what it actually was.
What we currently know of the story is just as ludicrous as the name. STEAM was formed by President Abraham Lincoln as a means to protect the common folk from the invading alien menace. Though the game starts in London, the developers explained that the setting will eventually shift to America. It’s crazy, but it’s to the point that it could work.
It was difficult to find anyone who wasn’t ecstatic after hearing details about it — though for some, all they needed to hear was developer Intelligent Systems’ name. STEAM is an action strategy/RPG similar to Valkyria Chronicles in its gameplay approach, featuring characters moving in real time while taking turns. How far each character can move and whether they can attack depends on how much steam they have left in their arsenal, a creative way of telling the player why their movement is restricted instead of simply implementing the feature arbitrarily. Though each character has a primary attack and counterattack, they have special techniques inspired by their country of origin. The American character, for instance, summons a golden eagle while the American flag is displayed in the background during his. It’s incredibly cheesy, but it works. Other characters seen in the gameplay include an Indian woman, a black male, and…a lion!? You can’t say this game won’t have a diverse cast.
OK, so it’s not the glorious return of Advance Wars that many of us wanted, especially given how it’s been nearly six-and-a-half years since Days of Ruin released on DS. While Intelligent Systems claimed they’re always thinking about the next installment in that series and Fire Emblem, a Valkyria-esque game is a good substitute; at least at the moment.
It was a pity that initial excitement died down when the first screens surfaced. Apparently some people still aren’t aware that most 3DS titles look bad in stills, despite the system being well over three years old. Unsurprisingly, it looks considerably better in motion.
An abridged version of the game’s reveal event has since been uploaded to Youtube by Nintendo, where the developers provided a plethora of details about what STEAM is. Much more gameplay and hands-on detail can be seen in the stream Nintendo’s Treehouse held, where you can see how everything I described in this post works in-game described by experts. They did a good job selling some people on the fence, so I recommend watching it if you haven’t.
You have to respect the art style they’re going for, though, even if it’s not to your taste. Art director and character designer Takako Sakai was inspired by American Silver Age comics, which existed from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, and the styles of Jack Kirby and Bruce Timm. That inspiration is evident in the media released so far, upon seeing the character personalities and especially the cutscenes. That’s also helped by some superb voice acting, which is perfectly cheesy when it needs to be. Games like Freedom Force were also inspired by this style, while the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired aliens are reminiscent of the XCOM titles. Surprisingly enough, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime acknowledged on a Super Smash Bros. for 3DS stream that the art style wasn’t working for everyone. As someone who likes it, I hope they don’t cave in and change it before it releases, especially upon hearing how it’s a passion project on the art director’s part.
Code Name: STEAM is due for release at some unspecified time next year, so hopefully they show something that convinces anyone still skeptical about the game to give it a shot in the interim between then and now. You know, without changing the style.
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Geoff
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I was figuring the next post would be about Smash Bros, since the previous two were Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, but this is fine. I actually watched a bit of this live, which I didn’t do for the bulk of E3 footage. I grew bored, however, when gameplay was being interrupted to show more video of them just sitting there and talking about STEAM. It definitely looks promising, and I love the look of it (the game, not the people in their chairs). I still want a new Advance Wars, preferrably in the style prior to Days of Ruin. A serious tone doesn’t work well with a predictable story. Granted, the other three games weren’t exactly original, but all of them were light-hearted and kinda goofy, so I found myself having more fun as a result.
Oh yeah, these things usually come in threes, don’t they? I hadn’t even planned for a Smash Bros. post, and that MK post was supposed to be up earlier before I got busy with a few other things. I guess stuff happens.
I’d really like a new Advance Wars, too, and I suspect they’re waiting to release a new one within the launch window of a new console or handheld (or both!?). Days of Ruin sold pretty badly and was the reason the series went into hibernation, so you don’t have to worry about them not returning to that style.
Instead, I’d worry about them playing up the otaku elements a la Fire Emblem: Awakening.
I still haven’t finished Path of Radiance, so I am not worried about Awakening. I think I burned myself out fighting through both GBA games on Hard mode, because I start to yawn now during the longer battles of PoR and usually ignore proper strategies in an attempt to end the fight sooner.
Yeah, I’d take a break in that case. That’s a shame, because Path of Radiance is good stuff; I think I enjoyed it more than Awakening.
Path of Radiance and its direct continuation in Radiant Dawn makes for a fantastic story. Loved the world-building. (More detailed opinion: Path of Radiance is good and all, but not following it up with Radiant Dawn is a sin because that’s where everything gets cranked up to 11 in terms of expanding upon all that was set up in the first game.)
They’re the only Fire Emblem games I’ve played all the way through though, so I can’t say how they compare to other installments in the franchise. I’ve read a bit about Awakening (just since it was talked about so much), and to be honest it sounds kind of… a watered-down plot? Well, I shouldn’t say too much.
Uh oh. I might be living in sin, because I haven’t played Raidant Dawn. The game’s long out-of-print, too, and it’s expensive on the second hand market. Maybe I’ll play it when Nintendo puts it on the Virtual Console in 20 years or so.
Awakening’s overall plot definitely feels watered down in a few places, because they wanted to give more attention to the relationship building. Whether that’s preferred is a matter of taste, though I’d really like them to work on both for a future game.
As for this STEAM game, I have to admit it sounds great. I always like seeing new IP being worked with, and I think it’s got a fun art style. I also get a kick out of really goofy stuff; I imagine they’ll really ham it up, but hopefully the jokes can actually be pulled off well. Humor in video games is a tricky thing to get right.
I think it sounds great too, though I’m worried about how it will be received on the market. I’ve seen some virulent reactions to the art style, to the point that some people are skipping the game entirely if they don’t change it before release. I hope it does well enough for Nintendo to be satisfied, and it could if they market it well.