[DS] Contact

Originally Posted by Gamespot

LOS ANGELES--One of many interesting and very Japanese games on display at Atlus' booth space at the Electronic Entertainment Expo is Contact, which seems like a standard role-playing game from a very cursory glance but seems to have many unique touches to it on closer inspection. The game combines retro-style 8-bit graphics together with the look of traditional 16-bit console RPGs and features an unusual "trick seal" system that lets you peel off and slap on magic stickers to make strange effects happen. The game "shatters the fourth wall entirely," according to press materials. What else would you expect from SUDA-51, the mind behind Capcom's completely mind-boggling Killer7, who has aided in the production of this game?

Contact begins with you staring at a professor working away at some strange programs. Nothing happens--he keeps working away. So we poked him and got his attention. He addresses us directly, asking our name, our favorite food, all kinds of things. It's hard to tell whether all this is important or just small talk, since the professor is quite an affable guy. But then the tone becomes serious for a moment. "They're after me," he admits. Who, exactly? And then it becomes clear that the professor's lab is actually a sort of space ship. And it's under attack. Meanwhile, a boy and a girl cross paths...and something happens. Contact's story is quickly compelling but as strange as you might expect from SUDA-51.

The space station gets shot down and crash-lands on a tropical planet of some sort, and at this point, we took control of the boy character. Outside of the space station looked just like the inside of a pirate ship, which was odd, but we kept going past the ship and onto the tropical island, which was filled with some semi-dangerous critters. Here we figured out the combat system, with the professor's help. You simply toggle between running and combat stance. When in combat stance, all you need to do is approach an enemy to start attacking it. Special attacks are available, such as a basic power punch you get at first, which offers a great description: "Go straight for the liver!"

We didn't spend a great deal of time fighting in the 30 minutes or so we spent playing through the beginning portions of the game, but we did get to use the trick seal system a little. We also got an alternate outfit, that of a blue-clad ninja. Different outfits seem to grant the boy different special abilities. Reportedly the game also lets you "meet your friends with the Wi-Fi connection," but it isn't clear exactly how that works--an Animal Crossing sort of thing?

Contact has a unique look to it, but it's difficult to get a great sense of a game that's presumably fairly long and involved in an environment like the Electronic Entertainment Expo. We contemplated stealing the game multiple times and playing it a lot more if that's any consolation, though. It seems very interesting, and we'd expect no less from the creator of Killer7. Contact is apparently almost complete, so stay tuned to GameSpot for further coverage.

Official site, wallpapers, trailer

Just played this on my Lite. It's very good. It's apparently due out in english sometime in september.

Discuss.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I keep hearing that this has a real Earthboundish feel to it, which means I'll buy it and love it on principle. How's the music?

Most amazing jew boots

Dear Deni,

Plz find enclosed one (1) Contact MP3.

Love,
Infernal

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

It's a mix of Star Ocean 2 backgrounds/surroundings, the outside reminds me of RO, and the spaceship and certain areas are exactly like Earthbound.

This review is far, far more detailed.

Originally Posted by Kotaku

Contact just might go down as having the most successful videogame fake-out since Metal Gear Solid 2's pre-release campaign of deception. But rather than sneakily replacing a rugged fan-favorite military hero with a fey sissy-boy and his nagging girlfriend, Atlus' upcoming DS RPG is guilty of nothing more than attempting to play off the mania surrounding Nintendo's Super NES classic Earthbound.

In the days leading up to Contact's announcement, Japanese publisher Marvelous Interactive published a series of web-based teasers featuring an elderly professor who bore a striking resemblance to Earthbound's Dr. Andonuts. Long-suffering Earthbound fans noted the similar design and graphical style of this mysterious new creation, sparking rumors that the long-awaited revival of Nintendo's series was coming soon.

The ultimate revelation that Contact was a completely new game unsurprisingly came as a disappointment to many. And, ironically, Nintendo's real Earthbound sequel -- Mother 3 for Game Boy Advance -- made its debut soon after. The timing largely eclipsed any buzz the DS game's teaser campaign had built up, and piqued fans quickly forgot about the pretender as the true sequel took form. Initial sales reports from the game's recent Japanese launch have been unimpressive.

But in a way, the fake-out did its job -- it brought the game to Atlus's attention. The company's localization producer Tomm Hulett admits his original interest in Contact stemmed from the teaser campaign, which means that American audiences will have a chance to experience the game themselves this summer.

"The Professor looks exactly like Dr. An... uh... Well, I'm a big fan of EarthBound, so Contact's similar vibe was an immediate attraction," Hulett jokes. Unlike the Japanese audience, though, Atlus' interest and confidence in Contact goes beyond first appearances and superficial connections. Despite the visual and conceptual similarities between Contact and its cult classic inspiration, they're ultimately very different creations.

"The only connection between Contact and Earthbound is the odd, quirky atmosphere and the fact that they both set out to be 'wacky RPGs,'" Hulett is quick to point out.

[click the image to check out all Contact screens]

Game Basics
But just what is Contact?

While perhaps best described as an RPG, Contact has nothing in common with the traditional random encounter-heavy style of games like Earthbound. Instead, its battle system feels more like Final Fantasy XII's, though greatly simplified. Players control a single boy (named Terry) through a variety of static 2D environments. Battles play out with a very rudimentary auto-attack system. Tapping an enemy with the stylus (or simply pressing the B button) places Terry in battle mode, where he'll automatically trade blows with enemies. Terry doesn't recruit a party, nor are there separate screens for battles; all fighting takes place in the same space as exploration.

The substance of Contact's combat lies in its special systems, some of which are more conventional than others. The most traditional is the costume system; rather than equipping armor or accessories, Terry can collect different costumes throughout the course of the game.

Each costume comes with specific advantages and abilities according to its nature. The Mogura (monk) costume boosts Terry's maximum hit points and increases his physical attack power, but limits his special abilities. The La Cuchine costume turns Terry into a chef, which puts him at a disadvantage in combat but allows him to use kitchens and campfires to cook up new healing items by combining different ingredients. Additionally, Terry as a chef is capable of wielding kitchen knives, enabling a special ability guaranteed to turn a defeated monster into a cooking ingredient.

"Think of the costumes as different character classes that come out of the closet when needed," Hulett explains. "If Terry needs to fish, you just have him toss on that funny hat and hit the lake. Something on fire? Grab that fireman suit."

Costumes are collected throughout the course of the adventure, and Terry is free to change as needed -- but he can only swap outfits in the closet of the boat that serves as his roving homebase. Thus there's a certain strategic element to costume selection, as Terry's different wardrobe selections affect his character stats differently for each part of the game.

Hulett explains: "Terry develops a wide army of stats according to how you play. As you attack, your strength increases, and as you get hit, your defense increases. Heck, your movement stat even levels up as you run around." All told, Terry's combat capabilities are determined by nearly three dozen different stats which range from the obvious (attack power) to the obscure (karma, which is earned by slaying monsters and lost by stealing, attacking people or killing peaceful animals).

This highly specific form of level-building is nothing new to console RPGs, although the games in which it has appeared -- specifically Final Fantasy II and SaGa Frontier -- are reviled by most gamers for their complex, unintuitive systems and need for excessive power-leveling. According to Hulett, though, this isn't the case for Contact. "Let me assure you, the stat bonuses come more frequently, and you really feel like the character becomes yours. A lot of the stats are class-specific, so you can have fun experimenting."

Unlike the stat and costume systems, the Decal skills (called "trick seals" in Japan) are unique to Contact and very specific to the DS hardware. While the entire game can be played with stylus input, Decals have no face-button equivalent and must be controlled with the stylus. They're "peeled off" of a menu screen album, then "applied" with a stylus stroke onto the main screen. There are a total of eight different Decals to collect, each with its own radically different function.

"If Contact were your garden variety RPG -- and it's not -- decals would be like summons or super magic abilities -- you won't use them constantly, but they'll help in a pinch," Hulett says. Decal effects range from calling an ally for backup to transforming on-screen characters into less (or more) dangerous forms; additionally, they come into play when collecting Elements, which forms the crux of the game's plot.

Perhaps the most unusual gameplay element in Contact is its wi-fi support. By going online, it's possible to visit another player's game. Each person has a special town where visitors can go. Unlike, say, Animal Crossing, Contact doesn't support live direct interaction -- instead, your friend establishes a residence in your town, which you can then visit at another time. It's an asynchronous approach to multiplayer, not entirely unlike EA's Spore, but on a smaller, more personal scale.

"The WiFi features in Contact are a little unusual," Hulett says. "Think of it like a massively-multiplayer mode where nobody has control of their character. Here's how it works -- you hook up with a friend and exchange data. Next time you play the game, you can visit WiFisland, where your buddy's character will have set up his own digs. You can chat with the character and hear a custom message your friend has left for you. The more friends you contact, the more modern WiFisland will become, and you'll be able to earn secret items and such."

Curiouser and curiouser
What truly sets Contact apart from other RPGs (and adds further weight to Earthbound comparisons) is the game's setting, its unusual vibe. Situated in something resembling a modern-day world, Contact begins when a spacefaring professor and his dog plummet to Earth after an upper-atmospheric dogfight, and draft Terry into helping them repair their craft by collecting crucial Elements scattered throughout the world.

It sounds fairly standard as far as videogame plots go, but Contact's presentation makes it far more intriguing than the synopsis alone might suggest. In fact, it's precisely what you'd expect from developer Grasshopper Manufacturing -- the same group responsible for last year's mind-boggling Killer 7. While Contact is imbued with a much mellower, less demanding sort of surrealism than its predecessor, it nevertheless possesses a genuinely post-modern sensibility.
[click the image to check out all Contact screens]

"While there aren't any wheelchair-bound killers [ala Killer 7] or Kangasharks [ala Mother 3], Contact has no shortage of non-sequiturs," Hulett says. "For example, Contact never breaks the fourth wall, because there's never a fourth wall to begin with."

The "fourth wall" is a literary concept which describes the invisible barrier between a work of fiction and its reader; breaking down this division is a favorite trick for clever game designers like Hideo Kojima, who's taken the art to new levels in his Metal Gear Solid series. As Hulett indicates, though, Contact doesn't really have a barrier to be broken.

Thanks to some clever visual tricks, the Professor functions as a frank admission that Contact is nothing more than a videogame. While Terry and the world he explores are drawn in a detailed, almost realistically shaded style, the Professor is illustrated with Earthbound-like graphics reminiscent of 8-bit games: his colors are flat and bright, he and his lab are heavily outlined with black lines, and the visuals are presented in a forced isometric perspective. As Terry explores, the Professor is constantly active on the DS's upper screen, acting independently of the game -- sometimes offering directions to the player, but clearly a separate entity.

However, it's possible to interact with the Professor directly. Not only can you summon his dog with one of the Decals (ostensibly to help in battle, though usually the stupid pooch just stops and licks itself before scampering away), but Terry can enter the Professor's chamber by stepping through a certain doorway which takes him onto the top screen, outside the confines of the "real" game world.

It's an interesting stylistic choice that should give the chin-strokey types something to pontificate about. More importantly, it's a strong example of Contact's unconventional personality and sly humor -- a crucial element of the game, and one which Hulett is determined to prevent from being lost in translation.

"I'm keeping all original intent and only changing things when necessary," he says. "Contact has a lot of jokes, so a big challenge is making sure we have jokes that make sense in English. The Japanese script relies a lot on context and inflection, so it's tricky figuring out what's a joke and what is serious, or when to play down a humorous situation for irony. Long story short, I have to make all the ordinary parts feel ordinary, and all the wacky parts feel wacky."

Despite its unique feel and Atlus' loyal fanbase, Contact could prove a hard sell in America, just as it was overseas. And with all the Contact/Earthbound comparisons floating around, it's hard to forget how poorly Nintendo's quirky RPG sold in America. Gamers today are generally more willing to give unusual games a try, but it's still a hit-or-miss endeavor. For every high-selling Katamari Damacy there are countless Phoenix Wrights -- great games that break the usual mold but fail to catch on with large audiences.

"Selling a 'funny' game is tough," Hulett admits. "You have to prove it isn't just fluff - there is an actual game behind the humor. Games like Katamari have helped, as 'quirky' is the new normal. People are a lot more willing to buy a game with an abstract cover than they were, say, when a certain RPG scratch-and-sniffed its way onto the SNES."

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

Dear Deni,

Plz find enclosed one (1) Contact MP3.

Love,
Infernal

Once again, Monkey comes through. This is pretty good stuff, thanks mate.

I was speaking idiomatically.

0374 - contact (j).zip (37 MB)

It's totally worth trying out. IIRC, yousendit links only last seven days, so get it while you can.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Spoiler:

Huge english box art. I like the feel of this game, and oh god, this game is awesome. I've played the japanese version so I can confirm. It's actually quite playable even in japanese, but of course the amount of us who're going to end up doing that before it's release is null.

FELIPE NO

I'm kinda interested in this game, and since Atlus is publishing it I might as well get it sooner rather than later. That sucks though, since this game really isn't that much of a priority on my list (since there are so many other good games coming out between now and the end of the year).

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

what is this

why are monkeys listed on the box as if they're a good thing

Quote:

A guy with spikey hair and/or amnesia

Oh... ooh, I KNOW WHO YOU'RE REFERRING TO!!! OOOOH, you did NOT just go there!!! ICE BURRRNNNNNN!!! You clever, sneaky little bastards!!! Teehee!

Strife got fucking OWdrNg3dnb.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

HRHR HUMOUR! LOL!!!

This might actually sell decently with that box. Still waiting for confirmation of a local release here though.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The back of the box is the greatest thing Atlus has ever done and demands sales! Oh yeah Rising Star's releasing this in Europe/UK/All Those Sorta Places sometime in October. =D

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Well, you gotta give them credit, they had a sense of humor when they made this game:





I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Question to people who have played it: Is it non-RPG-fan friendly? Well actually, I'm in the middle when it comes to RPGs but I don't like the "select and watch" style of gameplay. However, as with games like Lost Magic (among others) warping the traditional RPG conventions, how does this game fare? Would a "casual RPG-er" get into the game well?

I managed to have some fun in Lost Magic so yeh this piqued my interest (along with the fact it's got the SUDA 51 touch).

I was speaking idiomatically.

Hahaha, this game looks awesome. I definately need to try it out when it releases here. Definately reminds me of Earthbound with its quirky humour so far.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Bump for comedy Euro cover.



I wonder if Rising Star's even aware the game uses Wi-Fi~

FELIPE NO

This game is made of win and gold, and I will be getting it as soon as it comes out. When is that anyway?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I've got September 19th marked down on my calendar (according to GameStop's website, that is). So glad my college starts a week after.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Bloody brilliant interview with the Project Leader here. Some quotes ahoy!

Quote:

MO: What do you believe the intended message of the game's varying artstyle is? The lab is pixilated, and is stylized to look like a videogame, while the rest of the game is made to look realistic, like a real world.

TH: The Professor is contacting you from a far off world, in space. His origins are unknown, but it can be assumed that he comes from a universe even further away... (one which may or may not be rooted in classic video games). Therefore, he, and his technology, look much different than we're used to. What's rounded in our world is angled in his. What looks clear and 3D in our world is flat and pixelated in his. This is no reason to judge him. As it stands, your DS is able to display two different worlds at once: the Professor's crazy ("old school," if you will) laboratory on the top screen, and the real world on the bottom (note: this real world is taking place on a faraway planet somewhere deep in space).

Quote:

MO: We've seen some of the humor in the game with regards to the E3 '06 press conference. What other kinds of inside jokes will we see? Is Contact a comedy?

TH: Well here's the weird thing. I've spent some time talking to the Professor, and he comes up with THE weirdest stuff... I'm pretty much convinced his planet had access to every video game we did...at least pre-SNES. We had a two hour conversation about Vanguard. I mean, have you ever even heard of Vanguard? It's for the Atari 2600--never mind. What's important is, the Professor is a smart guy. And, being out there in space with just a space dog to talk to, he has a lot of time to think really deep thoughts about really deep stuff. Like, what his favorite classic arcade game is. Some of the things he says might make you laugh...some might make you think...some might make you cry, like he spoiled Final Fantasy 7 for me the other day. He's got a wry sense of humor, that one... and sometimes he says things you really have to think about before you realize they're meaningless, but also totally hilarious.

Quote:

MO: The music seems especially strong, which surprised me, to be honest. Who is behind it? What else can you tell me about the soundtrack? The title theme I believe is destined to become a classic.

TH: In the credits, the SOUND is credited to Masafumi Takada and Jun Fukuda, who I understand were also responsible for the music of Killer 7. It is quite the excellent soundtrack--portables these days are really capable of some good stuff. I understand that Contact's director wants everyone to play the beginning and ending themes with headphones on... so you heard it here first!

Quote:

MO: The Wi-Fi functionality is still hazy to me. How does it work and what can you do? How does it effect the main quest?

With all the contacting going on during Contact, you may be tempted to contact your friends as well. The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection encourages this, of course. Basically, you get a friend code and tell it to all your friends (or at least, 8 of them who also own Contact). You then exchange codes. Then, you sign on the Nintendo WFC and "contact" them. This will unlock an NPC in your game on fabulous tropical WiFisland--an NPC that may remind you quite a bit of the friend in question. So naturally, the more friends you contact, the higher the population of WiFisland will become. People there may start giving Terry special items or techniques. He might level things up faster than he normally would. I'm not sure how this works, but I've seen it happen.

Quote:

MO: What excites you most about Contact?

TH: There is a lot to get excited about in Contact, despite its lack of Blast Processing(TM). But, if I had to choose just one exciting feature (and I don't, but I will)... I would say the overall package. Contact works really well as a whole, from the cover art to the back of the box to the manual to the game itself, it's a lot of fun and it holds up fairly well. It's really something of an "experience." Everyone loves experiences.

Quote:

There is a lot to get excited about in Contact, despite its lack of Blast Processing(TM)

Quote:

There is a lot to get excited about in Contact, despite its lack of Blast Processing(TM)

Quote:

despite its lack of Blast Processing(TM)

Quote:

Blast Processing(TM)

There's nowhere I can't reach.

...am I missing something? what's that?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Tortalius

...am I missing something? what's that?

It's pure genius is what it is!

Quote:

He knows the Wii's release date, too, but he won't tell me. He says he'll only talk to IGN.

GENIUS!

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

*is still clueless about the importance of Blast Processing, or lack thereof*

I reserved the game today, but it says it won't be out until October 11th D:

Also, for anyone who's played this game: are there any bosses? And what are they like?

EDIT: GODDAMMIT WHAT'S WITH ME TODAY?!

I was speaking idiomatically.

good thing you preserved it or we might end up losing it :P

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

There was a hint for the cretins in my deleted post.

Blast Processing was a much-hyped up feature of the Sega Genesis, more specifically its use in Sonic the Hedgehog. Not much more than an on-the-fly reduction of detail to facilitate high-speed scrolling. It was Sega fans' reply to whenever Nintendo fanboys busted out words like Mode 7 and such.

FELIPE NO

http://www.atlus.com/contact/

Official US website. Looking good, except for that pushed back release date.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

And here I thought this was going to be the game adapation of the movie starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey of the same name.

Looks like an interesting game. If I had a DS and money, I'd snatch it up.

Jam it back in, in the dark.