This post will go into depth about the anime Dragon Ball Z and the video games of the franchise. First thing to say is how effective Dragon Ball Z was with the introduction of mass American fans in Japanese anime. The only downfall to the animated series were the very long "stare-downs" that have been cut in the later edit called Dragon Ball Z Kai. What Kai does is exactly what I would hope to achieve with a more vamped up video game for the franchise. I suggest that Bandai-Namco and Criware go in a new direction toward the creation of their next DBZ fighter.
The first step is aesthetics and to redefine the DBZ franchise through a more powerful orchestral score and more interactive menus. America is very proud of our orchestral work with films over the years and have used music as a medium for expressing emotions. This does not Japan doesn't has emotion in its music, but its not a feel that should go with the series. The past games in the DBZ franchise have been utter disappointments within this model. All we get are corny jazzy rock tunes that become a cacophony of dry tunes that just get old. A newer approach to grasp the intense emotion of the DBZ story through a powerful orchestral score could help. The menus need to have darker palette as well in order to gain acceptance from the older audiences. The palette has always been bright, fruitful colors which made you feel you were playing some children's game on the Wii. DBZ is a very powerful and emotional tale with loads of heart and I feel that it gets dimmed down to a children's tale. The menus should be more interactive in that wherever you are in the storyline should pertain to what the menu looks like. For example: You are at the part of the story when Gohan is about to go to Super Saiyan 2. The menu could have a shot of Hercule and his friends looking at Gohan from a distance. Then when you hit the play button Gohan lets out a burst of energy and Hercule and his friends get swept into the screen. Just these aspects will make the gamer feel immersed within the storyline.
The second step is to improve the design of the character profiles and selection. The gamer wants to feel that they are choosing the right fighter for where they are going. Using fighter classes and showing the power levels of the character in the selection process will allow gamers to make the appropriate matches in battle. What I mean by this is that Frieza should be more powerful than Nappa due to his power level. With this instilled in the game it would allow the true fans of the series experience the true power behind the fighter instead of a streamlined roster of fighters who all have an equal chance of winning. The profiles of the Characters should have basic physical features such as height and weight, race, power level, and fighting style. The fighting style can display if the person is more offensive than defensive or an all around fighter. These statistics would greatly assist the gamer in identifying the right fighter for them.
The third step is developing the storymode. The past games have done interesting ways of showing the story. One mode they need to try is using clips from the series to tell the story with a newly orchestrated score to the scenes. This would continue the aesthetic displayed earlier about having an orchestra with the menu music. The story should encompass most of the television series. The movies could be included to fill in the gaps after you complete the main storyline. This way the gamer feels as if they are progressing with the characters and begin to find favorites amongst the large list of fighters. The show's story is very well done, but yet again with it geared more to middle school children in America it didn't do so well with the older crowd. I feel that if the story is edited to progress like a long mini series the game will succeed in displaying the true essence of the manga. The development of the characters such as Gohan and Vegeta are centerpieces of this great Japanese work. There should be more displaying these aspects of the storyline to add depth to the characters and to have the audience feel sympathy for them.
The fourth step is the environment creation and destruction. The environment destruction in the previous titles such as Ultimate Tenkaichi was a disappointment. All it would show is a short cinematic then show the same trench dug in the same place. There is no real time massive damage. This is a big problem with the games since the anime asks for a game that can create massive craters in the ground or shape the countryside as you see fit. DBZ needs to delve into some innovations from LucasArts like DMM for destructive purposes. What they should do is have a foundation of the level and have feet upon feet of destructible matter on top of it. I personally believe it would be great to get knocked down and see your character create a trench in the ground with their own body. The environment needs to feel more real. This way the battles will get more intense which will allow the gamer to fully immerse themselves within the plot and epicness of the story.
The fifth step is gameplay. Raging Blast took the gameplay into a whole new light. With behind the back 3 dimensional combat. It was a great start, but still has yet to perfect it completely. There are parts of the gameplay that felt slow or the too fast. There wasn't a good medium. The buttons were a bit confusing with the joystick used for special attacks. As the games progressed into Ultimate Tenkaichi they improved and are the way toward making DBZ an enjoyable experience in the gameplay spectrum. The combos are fun to use and the quick combat chains are fun, but some things still need to be improved. The special combo such as special beam cannon. Whenever I would perform this move even if Piccolo was in the air he would all of a sudden be on the ground and my opponent in front of me. These random position shifts made it hard to follow the fight and made things confusing. I feel as if Bandai-Namco and Criware have just touched the surface with what they could develop as a great fighting engine. Even in the combat cutscenes for special attacks they are too quick and leave no impression on the gamer when they are shown unless it's an ultimate move. The Kamehameha shots need to be more epic and with the aesthetic of music, blended with a darker palette, and filter the game will show some rough edges to the fighters.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Wolverine Origin Trilogy
This paper will argue for a new direction in comic book films. I suggest a film series that covers the life span of Wolverine before his introduction to the X-Men.
First to start with a critique of the X-men films. I would like to begin with a congratulations to Bryan Singer and his writing team for their films on the X-Men. It is no easy task to combine a bunch of superheroes on one team and Singer's achievement is significant to comic book fans. A few criticisms I have from X-Men and X2: X-Men United is that the spoken accents of the characters were too Americanized. This is seen with Storm who in comic book lore is half American, but lived in Africa most of her life was displayed by Halle Berry with a weak African accent and then erased all together by the second film. The same can be said of Colossus who has an American accent when the character is Russian. Another criticism is the overbearing focus on Wolverine. I understand the technique that the writers were utilizing by using Wolverine as a somewhat audience proxy to be able to learn about Xavier's mansion and his X-Men. I enjoy the banter between Wolverine and Cyclops and a somewhat display of Cyclops' leadership skills. The mystery of Wolverine's past captured the audience's interest, but I was disappointed on how Wolverine's impulsive behavior was not met with a greater force from Cyclops. Wolverine is my favorite character, but if Cyclops had a stronger appearance it may have displayed some more tension. For the most part the first two films were well done. The third film led by Brett Ratner is a completely other story. I wasn't too impressed by this film for it tried to introduce too many characters toward the end of the film trilogy. The talents of Ellen Page, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Shawn Ashmore, Patrick Stewart, Anna Paquin, and James Marsden were all wasted to an extent. I did like some elements of the plot with the "Cure" incentive for mutants and Rogue's dilemma on becoming normal so she could be with her boyfriend. I enjoyed the Kitty Pryde love triangle that seemed to tear at Rogue even further. Again with too many characters introduced Colossus isn't really developed as a prominent figure in the storyline, but just as someone who can throw Wolverine across a football field. I did like the inclusion of his artistic talents, but I would have liked to see the true comic book romance of Colossus and Kitty Pryde. (It could have been a love triangle between Iceman, Kitty Pryde, and Colossus in which Bobby Drake eventually realizes that Rogue is his true love and not the younger Kitty Pryde. Colossus could show his sensitive side to Kitty Pryde during her heartache for Bobby and those two could have gotten together.) This would have broadened Colossus's role and would have added romantic tension that would have sparked some more interest into the film. I also did not like how Cyclops became a weakened and broken man who just gets killed in the beginning of the film. I am sorry James Marsden, you were an awesome Cyclops and it is terrible that your character ended that way. The good things about this film I would have to say is the powerful emotions behind Professor X's death and the epic killing of the Phoenix by Wolverine ( a powerful scene that haunts him in the film, "The Wolverine") plus the wonderful casting of Kelsey Grammar as the Beast. He would truly still be an awesome Hank McCoy.
Now onto the X-Men Origins: Wolverine film. Director Gavin Hood really seemed to just reinvent the wheel with this film. Sabretooth as Wolverine's brother? I am a true fan of Joe Quesada's Origin comic. They even showed an origin of Sabretooth just recently with him originating in the American South. (Not in Canada) Another continuity concern (Why would James Howlett of Alberta, Canada be fighting in the American Civil War?) This makes no sense at all and marks a reason why I prefer Quesada's story over any other based on Wolverine's origin. The other elements to the film that made it terrible were the surrounding characters such as William Stryker. Why? Oh for heaven's sake is William Stryker there and not Dr. Cornelius. I was pretty upset by this change for the older comics had Dr. Cornelius as the mastermind behind Weapon X. I did enjoy the performance of Hugh Jackman who is Wolverine incarnate! A fine performer and great action hero. I loved the introduction of Gambit, but felt that his character didn't mean anything toward the end. Plus Silverfox and Emma Frost as sisters? Cyclops too! I don't know by the end it all seemed to fall apart. I did not appreciate the use of Will I Am as Wraith. He's not a superb actor, but if you were to put him in there don't give him a weak role. I felt that Kevin Durand as the Blob was mostly a character for some exposition and a comical boxing match. Deadpool was a joke, but Ryan Reynolds was perfect casting. Plus thank the comic book gods for the recent Deadpool film. Ryan Reynolds got what he deserves, a superhero film that is funny, well written and true to his character.
The film series I suggest to be made is with live motion capture animation for two distinctive purposes.
1. So that the viewer feels as if they are immersed within the comic.
2. So that the heights and the weights of the characters are true to their comic book profiles.
I believe with the developing technology of Peter Jackson's WETA studio and ILM's studio will be able to do this effectively. One film to consider is the Adventures of Tin Tin in which I am still stunned by the animation and emotion that can be obtained from the characters.
The story of the films will span over the course of human history from the late 19th century into the 1970s. In my suggestion I have taken into account the great works of Joe Quesada, Chris Claremont, and many other writers and their tales of Wolverine and combined their vision into one chronology before Wolverine joins the X-Men. The films would have an instilled drama as well as superhero action. Comic books are dramatic pieces and can be used to produce amazing films.
The first film can be called Wolverine: James Howlett. This film would cover the entire Origin comic about James growing up with his two friends and how the rage of Thomas Logan drives them apart. I was incredibly drawn to this book right after I first read it. It is a fantastic read and very well written.
Rose would be the love interest in this film as it covers his life from 1889 - 1906. Rose would be a year or two older than James Howlett. There can be more added to the back story of the Howlett family and the loss of their first son John Jr. The which makes her around 19 years old when Smitty proposes to her. I felt that 1889 would fit well with the year difference between James and his older brother John Jr. who died when James would be eight. I understand that the writers in Marvel were not particularly enthused by Quesada's story, but I feel it's amongst the most plausible scenarios for Wolverine and to show why he seems to have a natural attraction to Jean Grey who is in most respects physically similar to Rose. (red hair, attractive, slender) It also gives the reader a sense of James' humility and affection for those he loves which can seem to get lost amongst the macho mumbo jumbo of the 1990s comics and other writings.
The second film I suggest would be titled Wolverine: Logan. He has no previous memory of his life before the quarry in British Columbia, but continues on into the Canadian wilderness with his wolf pack. This film covers his life from 1906-1950. Silverfox would be the love interest in this film. The only thing that is different is that instead of the love story happening throughout the whole film it only occurs within the first half hour to 45 minutes. This film will encompass both World Wars and show Wolverine's connection to Captain America. The wars roughen him up as he forms a brotherhood with a few soldiers who inevitable die in combat hardening Wolverine's emotions. (The man is surrounded by death!) The film would end with him landing in Madripoor becoming recruited by Landau, Luckman, and Lake for espionage work. He goes and tries to take down some bad guys, but then starts to realize that he wants a life away from the violence. He later finds out that Landau, Luckman, and Lake are a front for the CIA and that he has to work with two other agents to complete a mission. (After stating that this will be his last mission.) In 1947, they meet and use codenames with Logan using Skunk Bear which was a name that his wife, Silverfox affectionaly called him in the beginning of the film. They take down the enemy and recover at a hospital where the female agent finds out she's pregnant. It is later revealed that the agents were Richard and Mary Parker (Peter Parker's parents). Logan says he wants to find a place where the trees only sway to the breeze and not to the temper of a grenade. It is revealed at the end that he finds solitude in Japan.
The third film I suggest would be titled Wolverine: Weapon X. This film covers his life from 1950 - 1975. This part of the journey would show his relationship with Mariko Yashida. The love story again only lasts until half way through the film at the time of her death and Logan's decision to join the CIA once again. He now teams up with Victor Creed codenamed: Sabretooth and takes down some bad guys. He then returns to Canada and teams up with Alpha Flight, a ragtag group of mutants who live in Canada. From there he is discovered and asked to join the Weapon X program. He joins alongside three others (Sabretooth, Agent Zero, and Silverfox). They undergo a memory change process in which their memories are altered. They decide to delete Wolverine's entire memories of Silverfox and notice that he has repressed memories that even with their technology he can't look into. Weapon X is completed and he's sent to take out the Incredible Hulk who is terrorizing the Canadian wilderness. He confronts the Hulk and gets his butt whooped in other words. He continues to fight until the Hulk escapes and the Wolverine is contacted telepathically by Professor X and they meet at a military base in Quebec. He then joins the X-Men.
This kind of trilogy appears as a large project (maybe even too large), but the thing is if the story isn't good enough to show how he grows from being a passionate young boy into the feral beast of the Wolverine.
First to start with a critique of the X-men films. I would like to begin with a congratulations to Bryan Singer and his writing team for their films on the X-Men. It is no easy task to combine a bunch of superheroes on one team and Singer's achievement is significant to comic book fans. A few criticisms I have from X-Men and X2: X-Men United is that the spoken accents of the characters were too Americanized. This is seen with Storm who in comic book lore is half American, but lived in Africa most of her life was displayed by Halle Berry with a weak African accent and then erased all together by the second film. The same can be said of Colossus who has an American accent when the character is Russian. Another criticism is the overbearing focus on Wolverine. I understand the technique that the writers were utilizing by using Wolverine as a somewhat audience proxy to be able to learn about Xavier's mansion and his X-Men. I enjoy the banter between Wolverine and Cyclops and a somewhat display of Cyclops' leadership skills. The mystery of Wolverine's past captured the audience's interest, but I was disappointed on how Wolverine's impulsive behavior was not met with a greater force from Cyclops. Wolverine is my favorite character, but if Cyclops had a stronger appearance it may have displayed some more tension. For the most part the first two films were well done. The third film led by Brett Ratner is a completely other story. I wasn't too impressed by this film for it tried to introduce too many characters toward the end of the film trilogy. The talents of Ellen Page, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Shawn Ashmore, Patrick Stewart, Anna Paquin, and James Marsden were all wasted to an extent. I did like some elements of the plot with the "Cure" incentive for mutants and Rogue's dilemma on becoming normal so she could be with her boyfriend. I enjoyed the Kitty Pryde love triangle that seemed to tear at Rogue even further. Again with too many characters introduced Colossus isn't really developed as a prominent figure in the storyline, but just as someone who can throw Wolverine across a football field. I did like the inclusion of his artistic talents, but I would have liked to see the true comic book romance of Colossus and Kitty Pryde. (It could have been a love triangle between Iceman, Kitty Pryde, and Colossus in which Bobby Drake eventually realizes that Rogue is his true love and not the younger Kitty Pryde. Colossus could show his sensitive side to Kitty Pryde during her heartache for Bobby and those two could have gotten together.) This would have broadened Colossus's role and would have added romantic tension that would have sparked some more interest into the film. I also did not like how Cyclops became a weakened and broken man who just gets killed in the beginning of the film. I am sorry James Marsden, you were an awesome Cyclops and it is terrible that your character ended that way. The good things about this film I would have to say is the powerful emotions behind Professor X's death and the epic killing of the Phoenix by Wolverine ( a powerful scene that haunts him in the film, "The Wolverine") plus the wonderful casting of Kelsey Grammar as the Beast. He would truly still be an awesome Hank McCoy.
Now onto the X-Men Origins: Wolverine film. Director Gavin Hood really seemed to just reinvent the wheel with this film. Sabretooth as Wolverine's brother? I am a true fan of Joe Quesada's Origin comic. They even showed an origin of Sabretooth just recently with him originating in the American South. (Not in Canada) Another continuity concern (Why would James Howlett of Alberta, Canada be fighting in the American Civil War?) This makes no sense at all and marks a reason why I prefer Quesada's story over any other based on Wolverine's origin. The other elements to the film that made it terrible were the surrounding characters such as William Stryker. Why? Oh for heaven's sake is William Stryker there and not Dr. Cornelius. I was pretty upset by this change for the older comics had Dr. Cornelius as the mastermind behind Weapon X. I did enjoy the performance of Hugh Jackman who is Wolverine incarnate! A fine performer and great action hero. I loved the introduction of Gambit, but felt that his character didn't mean anything toward the end. Plus Silverfox and Emma Frost as sisters? Cyclops too! I don't know by the end it all seemed to fall apart. I did not appreciate the use of Will I Am as Wraith. He's not a superb actor, but if you were to put him in there don't give him a weak role. I felt that Kevin Durand as the Blob was mostly a character for some exposition and a comical boxing match. Deadpool was a joke, but Ryan Reynolds was perfect casting. Plus thank the comic book gods for the recent Deadpool film. Ryan Reynolds got what he deserves, a superhero film that is funny, well written and true to his character.
The film series I suggest to be made is with live motion capture animation for two distinctive purposes.
1. So that the viewer feels as if they are immersed within the comic.
2. So that the heights and the weights of the characters are true to their comic book profiles.
I believe with the developing technology of Peter Jackson's WETA studio and ILM's studio will be able to do this effectively. One film to consider is the Adventures of Tin Tin in which I am still stunned by the animation and emotion that can be obtained from the characters.
The story of the films will span over the course of human history from the late 19th century into the 1970s. In my suggestion I have taken into account the great works of Joe Quesada, Chris Claremont, and many other writers and their tales of Wolverine and combined their vision into one chronology before Wolverine joins the X-Men. The films would have an instilled drama as well as superhero action. Comic books are dramatic pieces and can be used to produce amazing films.
The first film can be called Wolverine: James Howlett. This film would cover the entire Origin comic about James growing up with his two friends and how the rage of Thomas Logan drives them apart. I was incredibly drawn to this book right after I first read it. It is a fantastic read and very well written.
Rose would be the love interest in this film as it covers his life from 1889 - 1906. Rose would be a year or two older than James Howlett. There can be more added to the back story of the Howlett family and the loss of their first son John Jr. The which makes her around 19 years old when Smitty proposes to her. I felt that 1889 would fit well with the year difference between James and his older brother John Jr. who died when James would be eight. I understand that the writers in Marvel were not particularly enthused by Quesada's story, but I feel it's amongst the most plausible scenarios for Wolverine and to show why he seems to have a natural attraction to Jean Grey who is in most respects physically similar to Rose. (red hair, attractive, slender) It also gives the reader a sense of James' humility and affection for those he loves which can seem to get lost amongst the macho mumbo jumbo of the 1990s comics and other writings.
The second film I suggest would be titled Wolverine: Logan. He has no previous memory of his life before the quarry in British Columbia, but continues on into the Canadian wilderness with his wolf pack. This film covers his life from 1906-1950. Silverfox would be the love interest in this film. The only thing that is different is that instead of the love story happening throughout the whole film it only occurs within the first half hour to 45 minutes. This film will encompass both World Wars and show Wolverine's connection to Captain America. The wars roughen him up as he forms a brotherhood with a few soldiers who inevitable die in combat hardening Wolverine's emotions. (The man is surrounded by death!) The film would end with him landing in Madripoor becoming recruited by Landau, Luckman, and Lake for espionage work. He goes and tries to take down some bad guys, but then starts to realize that he wants a life away from the violence. He later finds out that Landau, Luckman, and Lake are a front for the CIA and that he has to work with two other agents to complete a mission. (After stating that this will be his last mission.) In 1947, they meet and use codenames with Logan using Skunk Bear which was a name that his wife, Silverfox affectionaly called him in the beginning of the film. They take down the enemy and recover at a hospital where the female agent finds out she's pregnant. It is later revealed that the agents were Richard and Mary Parker (Peter Parker's parents). Logan says he wants to find a place where the trees only sway to the breeze and not to the temper of a grenade. It is revealed at the end that he finds solitude in Japan.
The third film I suggest would be titled Wolverine: Weapon X. This film covers his life from 1950 - 1975. This part of the journey would show his relationship with Mariko Yashida. The love story again only lasts until half way through the film at the time of her death and Logan's decision to join the CIA once again. He now teams up with Victor Creed codenamed: Sabretooth and takes down some bad guys. He then returns to Canada and teams up with Alpha Flight, a ragtag group of mutants who live in Canada. From there he is discovered and asked to join the Weapon X program. He joins alongside three others (Sabretooth, Agent Zero, and Silverfox). They undergo a memory change process in which their memories are altered. They decide to delete Wolverine's entire memories of Silverfox and notice that he has repressed memories that even with their technology he can't look into. Weapon X is completed and he's sent to take out the Incredible Hulk who is terrorizing the Canadian wilderness. He confronts the Hulk and gets his butt whooped in other words. He continues to fight until the Hulk escapes and the Wolverine is contacted telepathically by Professor X and they meet at a military base in Quebec. He then joins the X-Men.
This kind of trilogy appears as a large project (maybe even too large), but the thing is if the story isn't good enough to show how he grows from being a passionate young boy into the feral beast of the Wolverine.
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