Watch Da Birdie
I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
My fellow Americans, and thieving European importers, four-score and last week ago, a brand-new IP by Intelligent Systems was released. This game, Codename S.T.E.A.M., was chosen by Nintendo to serve as the title to headline the 3DS Roundtable at E3 2014, and was surely meant to be a big new title adding a much needed fresh flavor to the Nintendo family alongside Splatoon.
However, it has come to my attention that there has been a right-out smear campaign against S.T.E.A.M., with people throwing around the word "shovelware" to describe it, among other, equally-crude derogatory terms. Some claim it was a quick cash-in churned out by a B-Team at Intelligent Systems, others have frothed at the mouth under the misguided belief that its existence has somehow prevented a new Advance Wars from being released. These accusations, my friends, are an outright-lie.
I, Watch Da Birdie, took a chance on S.T.E.A.M. when few were willing to, purchasing it Day 1 at exactly 12:00 A.M. when it was released. In truth, it was a split-second decision of mine, and impulse buy. I had tried the demo, and was not exactly enticed by it, yet as the release drew near something---perhaps call it providence---called out to me to buy it. And I'm glad I did, as for the next week, I found myself addicted to the game in a way a game hasn't addicted me for quite a long time, spending over 25+ hours with it in the course of exactly one week, completing the game's scenario. And having done so, I feel the need to spread the good word of S.T.E.A.M. Because if I don't, who will?
Ever since I joined NeoGAF, I have always felt like a failure on the Gaming Side---why you ask? Because I see all these members who have that "one game" they're known for, that one game that they either excel at, or are the biggest proponent of. Me? I've never had that. Sure, I'm knowledgeable about Pokemon, Banjo-Kazooie, and Mario, but those are huge franchises that countless people enjoy---and every time a new game is released, I'm often late to the party, countless members already having cleared and completed it. S.T.E.A.M. was different, for once there was a game that very few people on NeoGAF had experienced (shout out to Riposte and Regiruler, the two common regulars in the oft-ignored S.T.E.A.M. OT who have taken this wonderful journey alongside me), one that I got in on before most people, and one that truly resonated with me. S.T.E.A.M. won't set the world on fire---reports from the Eshop indicated it's off to a dreadful start, and I imagine physical sales aren't much better. It might out-unsell Wonderful 101 at this rate, incidentally a game that I think S.T.E.A.M. could call an older brother. But I hope by getting just one more person interested in S.T.E.A.M., perhaps it will be enough to make a sequel happen one day---or, at least, help people remember it fondly.
Now before I talk about the good, and oh, it is good, let's get the bad out of the way...
THE BAD
Enemy Turns
Now, I won't lie to you...they're long, and they don't get any shorter in most cases. People have claimed that hitting "Select" speeds them up, but I believe this to be merely a placebo. In fact, Start and Select perform the same functions. Furthermore, I believe every 3DS game on the market doesn't distinguish between Start and Select, they can be used interchangeably. All hitting Select does is make a clicking noise, the same as if you hit Start, to indicate the menu cannot be pulled up during the Enemy Turn.
And yes, at first the Enemy Turns seems to drag on forever, and even if you position your characters properly like you should be doing to see around the field, there's still moments where it doesn't seem like anything is actually happening requiring your attention. Or, in some cases, there are enemies that have a rather lengthy attack animation they engage in every turn, even if their attack ends up missing due to the layout of the stage.
But, after awhile, Enemy Turns become second-nature...I didn't feel bored during them, quite the opposite, you begin to feel extremely anxious and nervous as you hear the enemies crawling around, possibly moving in to corner you. S.T.E.A.M., you see, is almost like a horror game---scratch that, it is a horror game. Your heart begins to race, you bite your nails like crazy, and you just want your turn to begin because even with Overwatch, your squad is quite vulnerable if the enemy gets the jump on them. It's a rush, and soon, those long Enemy Turns feel painfully long, yet I don't want to quit. No, waiting for them becomes part of the experience. And then when it's finally your turn and you can fight back, well my friends, you'll feel the biggest high you've ever gotten from a game. And that's the brilliance of S.T.E.A.M., for me, in that what is being held up as its biggest flaw ultimately ends up being part of what makes the game special. But, perhaps you'll disagree. If you can't get over the Enemy Turns by the fourth Mission, I'd say the game just isn't for you. And that's fine. But I advise you to give it a chance, and not write it off due to one flaw.
On-Disc Amiibo DLC
Personally,the original characters in S.T.E.A.M. are so entertaining and fun to use I never really felt like I was missing out because I didn't own any Fire Emblem DLC. Yet, some people might feel a bit ripped off that four full characters are locked behind 12.99$ DLC, and DLC that's extremely difficult to find. And it's unfortunate that they couldn't offer up another way to obtain them. But, perhaps with the release of Fire Emblem If, we might see new, Fire Emblem Series Amiibo of the four characters that can be used in addition to the Smash Brothers Amiibo, to give more players the chance to use these characters? Or, we'll get those "Amiibo Cards" Iwata has mentioned. But once more, it's your choice when it comes to how you react to this---for me, I feel like the main game of S.T.E.A.M. feels complete, and the Amiibo DLC is just a bonus probably included to help S.T.E.A.M. by adding some Nintendo brand recognition.
Adam Baldwin
Who would've though that S.T.E.A.M. would've ended up as a battleground for GamerGate? Okay, so Wil Wheaton is voicing a character, Adam Baldwin is voicing a character, and the game simultaneously has Nintendo's most diverse cast yet while also being characters primarily written originally by old, white guys. It's really a bundle of contradictions!
I know some people don't want to support Adam Baldwin, but the reality of the situation is him, and the rest of the voice actors, got paid already, and I assume don't get any royalties based on sales. At worst, if S.T.E.A.M. gets good sales and a sequel or DLC comes about, Adam Baldwin might return to voice Henry Flemming, but considering how his recent actions, I have a feeling that Treehouse might reconsider hiring him again if it comes to that. And while I admittedly think he does a good job in the game, his voice is generic enough replacing it won't be a serious issue. But, I know some people are bothered by this, and while I don't personally think boycotting a game over one person who has a minor role in the grand scheme of things when it came to developing the game is that logical, people are free to do what they want with their money.
But let's ignore Adam Baldwin and Wil Wheaton, who everyone is talking about, and pay tribute to the other great voice actors who lent their voices to this game. Michael Dorn (Worf), Fred Tatasciore (Magnus from Kid Icarus), Paul Eiding (Col. Roy Campbell), James Urbaniak (Dr. Venture...who he basically plays in this game), Jeremy Shada (Finn the Human), and Grey DeLisle (Daphne Blake), among others. Now, tell me, are you gonna say no to Worf? I didn't think so.
Now, on to the good!
THE GOOD!
Great Characters
You go into S.T.E.A.M. thinking, okay, these guys are all based off famous literary heroes, that's cool. But after awhile, you forget about that---you end up just liking the characters for being a great cast of characters. Truth be told, none of them are very deep, none of them really evolve or develop over the plot of the story, and there aren't any deep interactions like in Fire Emblem Awakening. But there's a real sense of camaraderie that develops between the characters by the end, and you get a strong sense of fellowship between them when they're on the field together, crouching down behind a wall and waiting for the enemy to appear. And, unlike Fire Emblem, every character contributes. They don't join you, and then disappear, the smaller cast allows them to be involved throughout the game in the cutscenes, and it's unlikely that even one character will end up being completely forgotten by the player.
Every character is also quite unique. There are a few standard archetypes---the heavy characters, the balanced characters, and the scout characters, but they each have their own unique weapon which comes with a lot of potential, their own special skill used to turn the tide of battle, and a support ability to make use of, such as boosting the rest of the team's abilities, or being able to leap up a nearby edge. This, combined with some cute, if slightly repetitive, voice-work really brings the characters to life, and they feel like individuals, rather than archetypal units. And the game encourages you to mix and match the characters as you see fit, besides the introduction Map that almost every characters gets, you're never forced to use anyone, even the main character, Henry, can be dropped by Mission 4 when you get your fifth member.
By the end of the game, I couldn't help but want to see each and everyone of them appear in the next Smash Bros.
Great Villains
Without going into too much spoilers (and there's really not a lot to spoil, honestly), I find the villains of S.T.E.A.M. to be pretty effective. There's not a lot of depth to them---they're aliens, and they want to kill everyone. But there's a lot of unique enemy types being introduced throughout the game, with their own abilities and behavior, you're filled with terror when you first run into an enemy you don't recognize, and there are a few enemies who will continue to make you dread seeing them appear even when you learn how they work. The A.I. isn't perfect, and according to the credits was done by just one dude, sometimes the enemies seem oddly stupid, other times they seem a bit too smart, but most of the time the game hits a good middle-ground, with the enemies being threatening enough to punish you for not thinking ahead, yet manageable if you formulate a plan before charging right in.
And let me just say, Nintendo did not just draw up a bunch of aliens and go "okay, they're Lovecraft aliens!". They did their work, and it shows, with quite a few of the alien enemies having characteristics that suggest they're inspired by certain Lovecraftian creatures, and one who I believe even draws from one of Lovecraft's contemporary's, Robert E. Howard. Beyond that, there are many references to his work---literally using certain places and characters by name. It's pretty great, and surprising since it's not something you'd really expect from Nintendo.
Oh, and there's a particularly great little song sung by the aliens---yes, they sing, and it's creepy, and it's great.
It Feels Like A Cartoon
And that's a good thing. There's a weird double-standard going on, where games that use a western cartoon style like this are deemed as being "cheap", even though the game looks fairly good in motion, and has some pretty neat cutscenes that take advantage of the comic motif. It's not the best looking game, that's for sure, but it certainly isn't vomit inducing, or even comparable to the quick-buck games made for most actual cartoons.
What impresses me, though, is the game is great at keeping up that motif---it feels like it's based off an actual cartoon that you might watch on Cartoon Network. The fact that a Japanese company created this game is quite odd, as it really feels authentically western in tone, design, and gameplay. I'm honestly more into Japanese media nowadays, as I rarely watch Cartoon Network anymore, and don't keep up with modern cartoons since I don't really care for the irreverent style they go for now, but S.T.E.A.M. felt very nostalgic, like a long-lost Cartoon Network show from the early 2000s. The strong, familiar voice cast really helps pull this off, and judging by the credits it seems like NOA worked closely with IS to make sure the game felt authentic.
I'm interested if Nintendo might see the appeal in this game, and actually develop animation for it as part of their multi-media outreach, or at the very least produce an actual comic for it perhaps that could be distributed via the Eshop digitally.
It's Fun!
Yes! S.T.E.A.M. is fun, and the type of fun that doesn't just appeal to one type of fan, but I believe everyone can find their own enjoyment from it!
S.T.E.A.M. doesn't hold your hand. It gives you a quick one-screen prompt to explain the basic function of a new character's weapon, there are optional hint screens in each level which serve a gameplay purpose by restoring your steam, and sometimes the characters do give you advice especially when encountering a new enemy, but otherwise the game doesn't pull its punches beyond that, and really encourages you to learn how to take advantage of each character and sub-weapon combination, a lot of the more advanced techniques not directly explained and need to be discovered. If you don't put in the effort to experiment on your own and rely on the basic set-ups, you'll have a rough time as the game picks up and throws more and more obstacles at you.
At the same time, S.T.E.A.M. is also nice to you. There are one-time checkpoints around each map that for a rather small price, which becomes relatively cheaper in later missions where you're earning more and more money, can be used to restore everyone's health. In truth, these make certain missions far more manageable, but the great thing is this allows players to choose their own difficulty. People who want a challenge can ignore them, only using them to save their current progress, or choose to only heal the character who reached the checkpoint. Me, well, I made ample use of them, but I didn't feel it detracted from the game, it was simply a way for me to play on my level, and learn the game a bit while still making progress. And by the end, I was going longer and longer without using them, and formulating strategies to help keep my team alive so I wouldn't depend on the Save Points.
S.T.E.A.M., I think, has a future ahead of it. It has a pretty cool, yet unrealized online mode that a lot of people likely haven't gotten around to, which might have some potential, but I feel what will really give it legs are speed runs. With all the options at your fingertips by the end of the game, it'll be fun seeing what strategies people can create to beat stages quickly and efficiently, as well as clearing the Challenge Modes you can play after clearing a map, which includes a mode where any grid-based movement is permanent regardless of ending your turn, a mode that hides all the enemy HP bars and your Steam bars and you need to memorize what you're working with, and one that simply makes the enemies even harder. I myself felt satisfied after beating the main game, but I imagine those who enjoy a challenge will get a lot of fun out of these, especially when replaying maps with characters that were unavailable the first time around and totally change your strategy.
S.T.E.A.M. is continuously evolving. There are new characters, new weapons, new enemies, and new maps thrown at you as you progress throughout the story, and unlike Fire Emblem Awakening there's actually a variety of missions throughout the game as opposed to simply routing the enemy, and with maps that incorporate what's around you, above you, and below you. Usually, you'll just need to reach an escape point, but there is an escort mission (thankfully not frustrating as your escort has ample health and can even be healed), rescuing hostages, racing the enemy to the exit, defending your base from a giant enemy charging you down, or, every once in awhile, just being asked to kill all those alien S.O.Bs. And after a few tough missions, the game throws a cute and easy Mecha Battle for you to cool off with. Let freedom (of gameplay) ring!
Final Words
So, NeoGAF, go out there and make me proud. Maybe not today, maybe not next week, but if you ever find yourself with money to spare, and are looking for a fun game to play that's both challenging and addicting, join the T.E.A.M. that goes by Codename S.T.E.A.M.!
gonna be picking this up(along with bloodborne) during spring break.
