Ask The Dalf #3

Some say that he held Kazunori Yamauchi at gunpoint and demanded a definitive release date for Gran Turismo 5, and that he is being sued by Top Gear for stealing this segment from their show. All we know is that he’s called The Dalf...

Recent reports suggest that ATD is dead, can you confirm this?
I can confirm that ATD is in fact alive and well, and has been vacationing in the Animus 2.0, which brings us quickly to the next question…

How many Assassin's Creed games do you think there will be?
Well judging by the success of the first two installments; I feel the franchise could be here to stay for quite some time. There’s rumours floating around that they’ll end it upon completing the ‘trilogy’ of main titles, but I find it hard-pressed to believe that if they’re selling in their millions and people are still interested that they would pull the plug. Technology and video games is a partnership that goes hand in hand, and given what Ubisoft have already done with their open-sprawled, non-linear gameplay on the current generation of consoles, they’ll want to expand upon that – quite literally – in every way possible in the future.

If I could download one AppStore program to annoy my friends with what would it be?
Without a doubt it has to be the Vuvuzela. Just when they thought the World Cup was over, and they’d never have to listen to that constant drone again, you pop up and give them a quick blast down their eardrums. They’ll love you for it.

Who would win in a fight, Epona or Bullseye?
I’d like to say this is the weirdest question I’ve ever been asked, but it probably isn’t. Given that they’re both horses, and non-violent in nature, I’d have to go with… what the hell is wrong with you, I can’t believe you’re asking me this, consult your doctor.

How long do you think the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series will last? Do you think we will still play them in ten years time?
I think they’ll keep milking that cow, or in this case cash cow, until every ounce is drained. How long that is in years, who knows, but I’m sure we’ll see many, many weird and wonderful band and genre collaborations before then. If they’re both still going in ten years I just hope they’ve progressed to the point where they’re directly teaching you the instrument you’re supposed to be playing, as oppose to substituting parts with plastic paddles and the like.

Why don't all the games come out for all platforms? Why are some console specific?
There are many deciding factors, but the main reason usually comes down to the console manufacturers wanting a unique title that will bring gamers to their console above all others. A ‘must-have’ that draws people in without the option of a quality alternative elsewhere. Nintendo obviously took that to an unparalleled level with their motion-sensing capabilities, but it seems everyone has jumped on that bandwagon now. A development team also may not like certain hardware, and stick to the console they feel they could do their best work with.

What game are you looking forward to the most, Pro Evo 2011 or Fifa 11?
I feel I need to answer this in a strictly neutral manner to be fair to all parties. To me, Fifa has had the better package over the last few years, Konami seemed to have lost their way a little, got lazy, and took their eyes off the ball. Fifa hasn’t just been relying on their licenses, or their crisp animations, they’ve instead built a very solid game engine and are in the process of tweaking it, bit by bit.

This year they’re doing that by adding something called Personality+, which goes beyond assigning a set of stats to a player, this gives certain players realism like never before. Now Fernando Torres won’t just have a good shot accuracy and quick feet in the box, he’ll move like him, act like him, and do most of the thing’s on the pitch that you’d come to expect from El Nino. They’ve also added a Pro-Passing system that adds an extra depth when playing the ball around the park, something Pro Evo 2011 has also introduced, but on a much bigger scale it would seem.

Pro Evo 2011 seems thus far to be everything fans of the series have been waiting for. They’ve started from the ground up and completely overhauled the gameplay, introducing a passing system – although similar to that of Fifa 11 – but in a much better fashion. Every pass has to be carefully placed, and can be so accurately controlled that you could pass to the players left foot, their right foot, their head, their chest, or even space around them if you so wish. They’ve also added a slew of new animations to go with it, something they’ve fell short with in recent years.

I guess after what I’ve seen of both games thus far, and the general consensus surrounding both, I’d have to say it’s a pretty even contest. However, that’s something Pro Evo fans have been waiting a long time to hear - that their prodigal son has returned, and returned with enough gusto to be able to match the sporting giant that is EA. While I can’t make the decision for you, I can send out a message to all those who jumped ship, and that is, dip your finger in both pies before making any assumptions.

If you could go back to any era of gaming, and buy a different console, would you?
Hmm, a difficult question. Being Dalf I’ve actually played pretty much every platform I’ve wanted to down the years and feel I’ve got everything I could from them in the process. I guess maybe it would have been nice to have spent more time with my Commodore 64; there were definitely a few titles I missed out on. I pretty much spent most my time on Red Ant, ignoring every other game in the process. Other than that, no.

Long live Dalf!
That was actually more of a statement, but thanks nonetheless.