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 Let's Play Malice Malice is a 3D platformer with a bit of a history. It was in development for four years, starting way back on the PS1, and went through countless changes before its release. At one point it was even meant to feature Gwen Stefani's voice and music. But as with many other of Argonaut's plans, that too fell through. Why do you need to know this? Because I believe it puts things into perspective when I tell you the game tanked. While the turbulent development no doubt had its role to play in Malice's reception, I feel the biggest culprit was a changing medium. This game had no horrendously offensive game design, or bugs, or even outdated graphics, but it was thoroughly mediocre. By the time it was released, the world had moved on, and what Malice put on the table wasn't as appetizing as it would've been four years ago. This was the last game Argonaut developed, and in spite of everything I just said, I consider it to be their magnum opus. So it does have things worth sharing? That depends on who you are. There are a lot of things I find interesting about it. There's the ancient platforming game design, awkwardly simplistic combat, under-utilized and over-powered magical abilities, confusing pacing, humorous voice acting, and most importantly... surrealistic atmosphere. If there's a good reason to get lost in the Malice, it's how bizarre and transient the universe is. Everything from the backdrops to the characters is hazy and dream-like, with the tone constantly struggling to balance a twisted, forgotten fairytale and questionable humor. But is it fun? If you're playing it solely for the gameplay? No, probably not. It does some things right, though. There's variety in locations and objectives, some serviceable boss battles.. but it's all so predictable. You should play Malice for its pretty wrappings, or not at all. The game's atmosphere really means that much to you? Yeah, pretty much. I'd even call it a personal classic. The best thing is that the actual game part doesn't get in the way of me enjoying it. No spoilers please. Videos         
GamesAreSupernice fucked around with this message at 22:48 on Aug 17, 2017 |
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Aug 2, 2017 15:32
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 10:07 |
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4:50: No ring.
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Aug 2, 2017 15:58
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HardDiskD posted:4:50: No ring. I was going to say that. Also, which goon worked on this game? They said "Something Awful" twice in a short period of time.
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Aug 2, 2017 18:18
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Carbon dioxide posted:which goon worked on this game? They said "Something Awful" twice in a short period of time. Goons could be anywhere, they may even be someone you love
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Aug 2, 2017 19:05
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I've accidentally strewn my babies across the cavern
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Aug 3, 2017 14:49
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I remember seeing this game a lot in on Gamestop shelves back in the day. Was always a little curious.
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Aug 3, 2017 23:16
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Geostomp posted:I remember seeing this game a lot in on Gamestop shelves back in the day. Was always a little curious. I suppose the box-art isn't so hot.
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Aug 4, 2017 01:45
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This is a game I remember seeing on X-Play/GameSpot TV/Extended Play years ago but never saw anything come of it. It'll be interesting to see what this game is about.
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Aug 4, 2017 01:58
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Chimera-gui posted:This is a game I remember seeing on X-Play/GameSpot TV/Extended Play years ago but never saw anything come of it. It'll be interesting to see what this game is about. Let me know if you find out what it's about.
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Aug 4, 2017 06:59
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You've got a cuckoo in your clock
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Aug 4, 2017 15:41
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I got at least this far as I remember that hammer being really cool. I love the way it animates as you swipe it.
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Aug 4, 2017 19:20
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BioEnchanted posted:I got at least this far as I remember that hammer being really cool. I love the way it animates as you swipe it. You also played Vexx, so I'm starting to think this was your market. I'm waiting for confirmation that you've played Voodoo Vince and Raze's Hell.
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Aug 4, 2017 19:28
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I didn't beat either of them. I got stuck at Vexx's final boss and stopped Malice shortly after this point. I also played the beginning of Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles, and liked the aesthetic but that one was just too hard.
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Aug 4, 2017 19:31
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BioEnchanted posted:I didn't beat either of them. I got stuck at Vexx's final boss and stopped Malice shortly after this point. I also played the beginning of Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles, and liked the aesthetic but that one was just too hard. Do you recall why you stopped Malice? It's one of the easier games I've played.
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Aug 4, 2017 19:34
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I think I just lost interest after the clockwork world. Can't remember why.
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Aug 4, 2017 19:36
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BioEnchanted posted:I think I just lost interest after the clockwork world. Can't remember why. I'm fairly certain I know why. You'll be reliving it shortly.
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Aug 4, 2017 19:44
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I think overall my favourite thing about old average/below-average quality games that aren't hilariously bad is the sense of discovery. You are seeing levels that there are no youtube videos of, maybe one half-written gamefaqs guide, but it's mostly your experience. Until you bite the bullet and LP it, it's like a little secret between you and a long-dead developer, where you can note "Wow, this level is interestingly designed, even if the platforming is overly awkward. I still want to see the levels ahead, so I'll push on." Really bad games get hundreds of people ironically LPing them, like Sonic 06, really good games get thousands of people making gifs and discussing them, but average games feel like the electronic equivalent of archaeology - a forgotten piece of history that gives context to a greater whole. BioEnchanted fucked around with this message at 19:51 on Aug 4, 2017 |
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Aug 4, 2017 19:48
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BioEnchanted posted:I think overall my favourite thing about old average/below-average quality games that aren't hilariously bad is the sense of discovery. You are seeing levels that there are no youtube videos of, maybe one half-written gamefaqs guide, but it's mostly your experience. Until you bite the bullet and LP it, it's like a little secret between you and a long-dead developer, where you can note "Wow, this level is interestingly designed, even if the platforming is overly awkward. I still want to see the levels ahead, so I'll push on." That's generally how I feel about that kind of experience, though occasionally I've LPed games that were seemingly too frustrating for anyone else to stomach until that point, so mediocrity isn't the only way to reach that sensation.
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Aug 4, 2017 20:00
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That's the stench of discovery.
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Aug 5, 2017 16:45
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Why does the Juju Man sound like Etemon from the English dub of Digimon Adventure? For context, here is Etemon AKA Richard Epcar who also voices Myotismon in the dub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULmOKB3j3q8
Chimera-gui fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Aug 5, 2017 |
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Aug 5, 2017 22:04
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Chimera-gui posted:Why does the Juju Man sound like Etemon from the English dub of Digimon Adventure? For context, here is Etemon AKA Richard Epcar who also voices Myotismon in the dub: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULmOKB3j3q8 I suppose he's meant to sound like a stereotypical "funky" person. I thought more of Johnny Bravo, but I think they both have roots in a specific part of American culture I can't recall.
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Aug 5, 2017 22:09
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You mentioned ripping the game's music. I took a look at that, and I couldn't figure out how to extract those files. I've only gotten far enough to get a file listing of the files in the game. Here's an excerpt. https://pastebin.com/CU6BC8MX Stuff I've figured out so far: I think the game runs on the Croc 2 engine. (GamesAreSupernice, do you know whether this is right?) extract-xiso can get the intro/outro cinematics, but every other interesting file is inside some kind of custom archive format.
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Aug 6, 2017 06:27
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thorf posted:You mentioned ripping the game's music. I took a look at that, and I couldn't figure out how to extract those files. I've only gotten far enough to get a file listing of the files in the game. Here's an excerpt. https://pastebin.com/CU6BC8MX Malice did start development on a modified version of the Croc 2 engine, back on the PS1.
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Aug 6, 2017 06:34
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He looks like a snuggly monster
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Aug 7, 2017 12:04
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To be fair it's actually not that uncommon to release games for a newly obsolete system, specifically third party games, especially during the transitional period between systems. The best recent example I can think is Shantae: Half-Genie Hero which was released for the Wii U with a Switch port being released several months later.
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Aug 7, 2017 21:37
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In regards to the game showing really obvious stuff, I have to wonder if their target audience are really kids that haven't played many videogames in the past.
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Aug 7, 2017 23:01
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HardDiskD posted:In regards to the game showing really obvious stuff, I have to wonder if their target audience are really kids that haven't played many videogames in the past. With a Teen rating and the game's style of humor, I wouldn't think so. Even if it were geared toward children new to games, "Hit the boss with your hammer" is tragically unhelpful. Chimera-gui posted:To be fair it's actually not that uncommon to release games for a newly obsolete system, specifically third party games, especially during the transitional period between systems. I do think there is a difference in releasing a long-anticipated game or something from a series with a strong fan-base. I did list Ultimate Battle 22 for that reason.
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Aug 7, 2017 23:45
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GamesAreSupernice posted:With a Teen rating and the game's style of humor, I wouldn't think so. Even if it were geared toward children new to games, "Hit the boss with your hammer" is tragically unhelpful. Ratings mean jack poo poo, though. Malice's era is the era where parents were clueless as to what they actually meant, and it's not like people understand them today, if we are being honest. Plus, it's not like people only start video gaming when they are at the ERSB's E level. The style of humor I can chalk it up for the writers wanting to have something for the parents that are in the room together with the kid. Note that I'm not saying that it has any humor for the kid or for the supposed parent. I will give you the last one, though. If someone has stuck around for this long in this game then they should already know that you have to apply hammer to enemy. As for Malice's VA I wonder if she was supposed to be voiced by Gwen Stefani but they had to scramble to find a replacement VA and just grabbed the one girl that showed up for the audition or something. I'll give you that the level design is unispired as all hell, but the world has so much charm, which is then promptly drained by that VA.
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Aug 8, 2017 02:16
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HardDiskD posted:Ratings mean jack poo poo, though. Malice's era is the era where parents were clueless as to what they actually meant, and it's not like people understand them today, if we are being honest. Plus, it's not like people only start video gaming when they are at the ERSB's E level. There are a few jokes we haven't seen yet that I'm referring to in particular. I do wonder how an 8-10 kid would react to this game though. Being exposed to media like this at that age is why I like games like this to begin with. I am in love with Malice's world, to be sure, and I'm relieved other people understand why the titular character kills it. They did have to replace several actors, including a last minute replacement on the guy voicing the grim reaper, which is why his audio in particular is so out of sync.
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Aug 8, 2017 05:53
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GamesAreSupernice posted:I do think there is a difference in releasing a long-anticipated game or something from a series with a strong fan-base. I did list Ultimate Battle 22 for that reason. Fair point though Shantae as a franchise is more niche than Dragon Ball. I do think HGH deserves credit for being one of the more overall successful games funded by Kickstarter though.
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Aug 8, 2017 05:59
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Chimera-gui posted:Fair point though Shantae as a franchise is more niche than Dragon Ball. I do think HGH deserves credit for being one of the more overall successful games funded by Kickstarter though. Shantae's success is unexpected, but I'm thankful for it. Wayforward deserves attention for its IPs.
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Aug 8, 2017 06:02
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Lush scenery, beautiful flowing rivers
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Aug 9, 2017 19:50
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Burning fire of heat crow
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Aug 11, 2017 17:48
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Doggone it
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Aug 13, 2017 13:06
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I liked the idea of that ending, it could have shown Malice's full power as she restored all life to her world. Just a little more oomph and it could have been kinda majestic, even games with stories steeped in irony need a little sincerity to solidify their foundation and let you actually get into the characters.
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Aug 13, 2017 13:27
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I'm having a hard time summerising this plot, its just a smorgasboard of half-baked ideas.
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Aug 13, 2017 17:57
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BioEnchanted posted:I liked the idea of that ending, it could have shown Malice's full power as she restored all life to her world. Just a little more oomph and it could have been kinda majestic, even games with stories steeped in irony need a little sincerity to solidify their foundation and let you actually get into the characters. The cinematic does seem rather underwhelming. Tombot posted:I'm having a hard time summerising this plot, its just a smorgasboard of half-baked ideas. The game went through countless story revisions over the years, leaving us with something far more simple than originally intended, but still without sufficient explanation.
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Aug 13, 2017 18:29
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Maybe I missed it, but what happened to the last 4 heart things? You ended the game with 96/100 of them.
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Aug 15, 2017 21:15
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Mraagvpeine posted:Maybe I missed it, but what happened to the last 4 heart things? You ended the game with 96/100 of them. I'll be getting the final four in an Extra video. They're not in the main game, so to speak.
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Aug 15, 2017 21:36
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 Just one more dip
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Aug 17, 2017 22:47
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