Comments on: Magna Carta 2 – first proper trailer is proper awesome

By: SticKboy

SticKboy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:40:22 +0000

This looks like unadulterated ARSE.

By: No_PUDding

No_PUDding — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:28:35 +0000

Well, that is very much understandable.

But don’t you think the faces avoid Star Ocean 4′s scariness, White Knight Chronicles’ PS2ness and there’s no hint of cel shading to cover up awful art direction?

I think the fact that there is an individual looking art direction in an UE3 game, really does it for me. Not quite like heaving bosoms, but you know.

By: Blerk

Blerk — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:20:28 +0000

The drawn art for the Magna Carta series is usually pretty nice, though. All heaving bosoms and that. I approve.

By: No_PUDding

No_PUDding — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:14:39 +0000

Haha.

Let not get too technical here Blerk! I can’t keep up.

By: Blerk

Blerk — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:13:11 +0000

Well, I sort of thought they were crap as well. Here’s hoping the game can transcend its outer crapness and actually turn out okay.

By: SplatteredHouse

SplatteredHouse — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:08:16 +0000

In fact, what gameplay elements they show seem really good and interesting, but overall this trailer does have a feeling of over-familiarity, it doesn’t really excite. Though I think it likely, that as more details are released my feeling towards it may well change.

Having played the first as much as I was going to, after having been really pleased with the epic trailer, and finding a game that was good, but not great, but had its own sense of style and place which I appreciated – some of the mechanics that in the end, inhibited smooth gameplay, the cause of my ceasing playing it.
I’m glad to have the opportunity to try the new game, after the previous one fell short only on a couple of points.

By: No_PUDding

No_PUDding — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:00:13 +0000

I am not saying they are good CHARACTER models. I was not even saying they were good MODELS.

I was commenting on the art direction with the hair and faces. It’s unique and not uncomfortable to look at, at all – I go as far as to say great looking. Until you look at one of the guys. An alternate facial model might have worked better for them.

By: Blerk

Blerk — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:56:09 +0000

The character models are crap, Pud. What are you on?

By: No_PUDding

No_PUDding — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:50:14 +0000

Oh… Clearly I am not clued in. Yeah, everything looks like SHITE! SHITE I tell you!

By: Shatner

Shatner — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:48:19 +0000

But PUDding, being negative is exactly the same as being critical!

Not only that, it also implies that we know what we’re talking about and conveys a suggestion of having high standards.

By: No_PUDding

No_PUDding — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:38:05 +0000

man you are all so negative.

I for one love the art direction, and well done for not beign scared of blurring the edges instead of using AA, for the Ue3 egine.

Seriously, the faces and hair are what imrpessed me despite being completely inconsistent.

The girls looks pretty great all the time, and most of the guys look ridiculous.

By: SplatteredHouse

SplatteredHouse — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:27:15 +0000

It may be the intro, but it featured as a highlight on the OPSM covermount disc, at the time, where it was clearly being used as a trailer.
All I get from watching the video you selected is that it’s a soccer game, and there were some good tunes that year. It’s effective, but I still think my clip does a better job of depicting a world that encourages you to want to play within it – they’re two different genres, though. Still, I picked the RPG, because you were expressing opinion about the general composition of a JRPG trailer.

By: Shatner

Shatner — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:10:39 +0000

“Shatner, I hate to say it, but you’re right.”

It means more to me because you hated to say it

But the video you link to isn’t a trailer – it’s the game intro. Its purpose is different from that of a trailer. I don’t think it’d make a particularly good trailer/advertisment for the game it represents.

Now this is a game intro that works great as a trailer too. I couldn’t give a stuff about that game. But it’s the perfect blend of audio and video (goes sublime at 1:03!). If I saw that running in a shop I’d have bought the game in an instant.

Genius.

By: SplatteredHouse

SplatteredHouse — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:02:43 +0000

Shatner, I hate to say it, but you’re right. Trailers should be done like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q09quI356sQ&feature=related
…right?

By: Blerk

Blerk — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:44:05 +0000

Hmm. It looks like a slightly-higher-res PS2 game and the American voices are bloody awful. Not hopeful.

By: Shatner

Shatner — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:05:51 +0000

00:10 – Semi androgynous character with silly hair
00:16 – Semi androgynous character with sillier hair
00:29 – Bearded character who, in spite of beard, reamins semi androgynous
00:43 – Girls running away from something
00:47 – Boygirl from 00:10 reappears wanting to know something about his own past
00:53 – Semi androgynous character with silly hair in Sgt Pepper’s cosplay appears
00:54 – We learn that someone in the narrative is called “Judo”
00:55 to 01:15 – Exciting battle montage
01:16 – Semi androgynous character screams whilst camera does EXTREME ZOOM OUT WITH MOTION BLUR
01:21 – Two semi androgynous characters with silly hair make a pact
01:33 – Close up on lips followed by more EXTREME CAMERA ACTION WITH MOTION BLUR
01:36 – Montage of over-acting, cliche, silly hair and people standing in flaming circles
01:42 – Soothing voice-over man earns pay-check
01:43 – Silly eared girl does silly arm-waving thing
01:44 – Montage+soothing voice
01:56 – FADE TO LOGO and cliche statement from game script

That was the best two minutes of my life.