After going through all the entries for the Magnacarta 2 contest, we’ve narrowed it down to six finalists, out of which you guys need to vote for the best two. The three entries with the most votes will win aMagnacarta 2 prize pack. In the name of fairness, we’re not going to be revealing any names until we announce the winner. A huge thanks to everyone that entered!
(P.S: Don’t blame me for any typos in the entries!)
Marvel VS DC: When Worlds Collide
Genre: Real Time Strategy
Developers: Blizzard; for game design, Activision/WB Games. (Serious contracts and months of debating later, you know legal junk)
Description: A RTS where you can pit your favorite super heroes and villains against each other! Imagine being able to command S.H.E.I.L.D against the Justice Society! Or the X-Men vs Lex Luther! Almost like out of a comic book, you have two of the most symbolic Heroes/Villians battling it out on an alternate plane of existence. As the player you would have control of some very iconic characters including Nick Fury and many of the S.H.E.I.L.D, in general RTS fare you would gather things you would need, each relative to who needs them. (Example, if you’re fight superman you can gather Krypton to use against him.) If you are the Shi’ar you can use their alien technology to create Stargates and Forcefields. The object of the game would be a Warworld scenario meets Mojo. The opposing factions fighting each other to survive, and ultimately combining their efforts to return to their time. This would be primarily a PC game with heavy modding encouragement.
Psychotic Mansion: Scheme of the Boulefont’s!
Genre: SCUMM Survival Horror Game
Developer: Silicon Knights (of the original Blood Omen: LoK) & Quantic Dream (Indigo Prophecy/Heavy Rain). They will bring a more adult and darker approach to the story with high levels of emotional play (Fear, Happiness, Sadness, Etc.).
Composer: Chris Vrenna (of American McGee’s Alice)
Description: 3D revamped SCUMM engine where you Pick 4 of 12 characters w/different backgrounds & skills of expertise to explore the mansion of a rich, crazy family who has imprisoned locals for vile experimentation and expose their evil and/or save their tortured prisoners. Switch characters on the fly activating TCL [TimeChainLink] mode which records expired time and actions, playing out in real time during other characters turns until TCL time has caught up. Death of characters/prisoners alters the story and/or path options as does skills causing replay & multiple endings. Go online for 4p Co-op where puzzle use, item placement, and occurances are randomized for replay.
Final Fantasy-Ivalice
Co-developers: Square Enix and Blizzard, based on Square Enix’s IP and their ability to work RPG elements and grand story into a Blizzard-style RTS.
Genre: RTS-RPG, PC and PS3 with mouse and keyboard support
Description: Twenty years have passed since Ivalice’s tentative peace began. A free and growing Dalmasca and Nalbina have merged, Archadia asleep under the still young Emperor Larsa, Bhujerba alone in the sky and other countries experience prosperous times, but a paranoid Rozarria is determined to find the country who ordered the assassination of their beloved ruler Al-Cid. The people of Rozarria demand blood. You take the role of Al-Cid’s young, aggressive brother, now head of house Margrace, charged with the task of avenging Al-Cid.
Disturbing rumours of Nethicite have been circulating in dark corners. Will this weapon of war re-emerge and fall into the hands of the Rozarrians or one of their enemies? Absolute destruction is guaranteed if it is used.
Cross the jagd and invade the countries to the east in your search for blood. Command armies of foot soldiers, chocobo cavalries and navies in the sky. Reignite old fears and hatreds between nations as you seek the hands behind the killer. Battle and control Bangaa dragoons, Nu Mou mages, Moogle war machines, Hume infantry, and more under the influence of heroes, young and old, over the Dalmascan deserts, deep in the Salikawood, on the Tchita Uplands. Nowhere in Ivalice will be safe. Will the lands be scorched as your armies march across them?
Carefully decide on the order of your actions with the information gathered through espionage and diplomatic channels. Invading one country will influence the actions of others. Manage resources wisely to keep your army strong and spread your influence wide. Will you be a feared warmonger, a wise diplomat, or a ruler surrounded in his home in a last ditch attempt to defend himself from his angry foes?
Will a once defiant, now aging, Marquis Ondore be able to withstand Rozarrian pressure? Who will the fiendish Baknamy side with as they attempt to rebuild Nabudis? Espers have begun to stir from roaring airship engines and clashing weapons on battle fields. What destruction will an angry Esper cause? Form and break alliances, battle pirates and Fiends in your quest for vengeance.
Will the Occuria reassert their hands on the reins of History?
Resident Evil: Dancing With the S.T.A.R.S
Genre: Dance, Music, Simulation
Developer: Konami/Capcom team-up
Description: Use your wii-mote and dance pad to dance your way through the zombie apocalypse! Stun zombies with your dazzling moves! Chose your own wardrobe, and collect red and green plants to make your own spray-on glitter for bonus style points. Free-style levels allow you to show the undead world what you’re made of… But stay on your toes! Nemesis could be right around the corner, waiting to challenge you to a dancing contest with the biggest stakes… your undeath! You’d better bring it, because he’s been genetically engineered to DANCE.
Tales of Final Mass Effect of the Star Ocean XIV (Or any other generic RPG name, after all, its just a title.)
Genre: Role playing
Developer: Bioware, due to their experience in making role playing games in specific and enjoyable games in general.
Description: Eastern RPGs by Western companies, such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest by Bioware. Hopefully to shift away focus on some elements in JRPGs that has given the genre its very cliché ridden formula.
Less of your slender, pretty boy, emo emo, most surely a minor protagonist. A story that is more than just the journey to save the world with resolution of personal conflicts along the way. Demon’s Souls is an example of a JRPG with a very "western" feel to it. The protagonist is user created, so the hole issue with typical JRPG protagonists is null. You’re saving the world, which is alright since the world is more or less boned as it is already. It’s not a job that you happen to stumble upon. The world has been screwed for a while; you know its happening since there’s the whole bigass fog there and all. You are not the first, and most of the NPCs don’t think you’ll be the last either.
Environment is dark, no cheery casino towns, ditzy villain underlings, or tragic antagonists with a jaded past. No animal characters, no children, no over endowed women who happen to be vastly powerful until joining your party (See Star Ocean 4 for a nice collection of said archetypes). There are a few tough guy tanks, such as Biorr, Ostravia, Yurt, and to some extent Doran but they are not over exaggerated or displayed as your typical strong arm foolish hulk archetype either. While elements of your JRPG are not at all bad, such as the ones above DS is noted to not have, the modern JRPG is so formula based, recent offerings such as Star Ocean 4/Magna Carta 2 and upcoming offerings such as End of Eternity already have many points where you can clearly label who will fit which element in the formula. The problem lies in how the home country that consumes the games, Japan, eats these games up for breakfast, and for that matter, they love it. Western companies, not limited to just ones with history in RPG development, could bring "inspiration" or at least some change to the time tested, time worn formula of the JRPG.
People could actually get killed when you fight them, not just fading body or mysteriously nonreference of said murder (regardless of how evil enemy is). Violence is violence and might get less of a nice touch to them. Cuts will bleed, but not to the excessive "shooting fountains of blood" amount. Battles could be tougher, with the enemy not just taking hits like they’re unaware of attack (see most active combat system games), they could block and counter, they could back off and wait for an opening. Characters could actually develop past the molds of growing youth still green behind the ears, sexy bomb woman with bones in her closet, or sheltered princess who seeks experiences with the outside world. The story itself needs to be more than saving the world. Why is it that only the protagonists can save it? At the sake of making games longer, Western developers could give story and character development could get a new take.
Streets of Monopoly
Genre: Free Roaming, Real estate management sim
Developer: Who else but Rockstar?
Description: Own the streets of monopoly, hunt for prime real estate, earn money to buy properties on behalf of your VIP, the monopoly man! Charge rent to your opposition VIP, and watch out for the dice because OH HO, that just happened, your VIP landed on your opposition boardwalk and he has a…MONOPOLY! Now fight to keep him out of bankruptcy!
A mix of board game randomness, with free roaming action and real estate management. Everything from sabotaging enemy neighborhoods to, decking out your own to modify prices. All played from the perspective of the monopoly mans right hand man, choose from a wide variety of characters with colorful names such as "Iron", "Dog", and the manly "GUN".
Published: Nov 15, 2009 02:32 pm