Nintendisco Interview

For gamers of a certain age, the idea of playing retro classics in a club with their mates, enjoying a few drinks and electronic tunes all the while, might seem too good to be true. But Dave Fade and Nicky Biscuit, the guys behind Nintendisco, have made it a reality. “The nights are about bringing the experiences of gaming socially with your friends when you were younger to a more adult pub/club environment, whilst also bringing in big tunes and more vibes.” says Dave, and it's hard to deny that the premise sounds intriguing.

Launched in Camden in 2010, Nintendisco offers punters the chance to play classic competitive games on a big screen, while at the same time enjoying a traditional club night of dancing, drinking, and DJs. Dave and Nicky, two music industry veterans, came up with the idea behind the nights after their respective band projects failed to work out. “We wanted to combine our live music and promoting experience with our love for games, and make an event that everyone could enjoy. Sort of like gaming karaoke, or watching a football match on a big screen, but watching a round of Mario Kart instead.”

As for music, an eclectic mix of chiptunes, electro, hip hop, and game soundtracks is the order of the day (or nights). “We keep our nights quite musically eclectic: basically anything that is indebted to gaming in some way is fine!” the guys explain. Samples from various classic games are thrown into the mix as well, which can work in more ways than one: “It's amazing how well Mario power up sounds work in Hip Hop- it hides the swearing nicely when we have to do family friendly events!” 

 

Drinking and retro gaming come together naturally

Since their first night the Nintendisco team have developed momentum, putting on a string of successful events around the country. But have they been surprised by the positive reaction they've received? “We really have” says Dave. “When we started the event we really didn't know what the reaction would be. I think that gamers are sometimes seen as people who sit alone in their rooms and don't see much sunlight, but this really isn't the case; they like to party!” Their success resulted in them being asked by Nintendo themselves to put on the launch events for the 3DS console last year, which in turn led to appearances at summer festivals, and a tour of university unions. For Dave and Nicky, this was a step in the right direction.

“Working with Nintendo has been fun, it was great to be asked to host the launch of the 3DS and tour the summer music festivals and student freshers weeks with them. I think that we can really add something to their events and move them away from the slightly sterile and kiddy orientated brand that perhaps people have started seeing them as. Nintendo always have and always will be cool to us, and to be a part of that has thus far been a pleasure.”

Nintendisco obviously has a lot of appeal for older gamers, the kind of people who spent hours playing these games the first time around (Dave and Nicky themselves cut their gaming teeth on the 48k Spectrum). But the nights seem to have broader appeal than a particular generation of gamers. Can they pinpoint what's made them so popular? “I think the appeal lies in the social aspect of the events.” says Dave. “It's actual social gaming: people in a room, sat down next to one another playing games! We get quite annoyed when we hear the term 'Social gaming' thrown around to describe sitting alone playing a Call of Duty multiplayer with people all around the globe. We really can't see how that could be described as social. If I drink when I'm on the phone at home alone I wouldn't be described as a social drinker!”

Competitive classics like Mario Kart and Street Fighter are brought out

With events like these you'd expect a bit of shyness: not many people dream of being humiliated at Mario Kart in front of hundreds of drunk strangers. But they never have trouble convincing people to play on the big screen. “I think the fact that everything is kept quite casual helps a lot.” says Dave. “It doesn't matter if you're a seasoned pro or a first-time button masher. Anyone can get up and have a go, and know that the crowd will support them whether they win or lose.” He adds “It's great to see people who are dancing break mid way through to cheer on the underdog playing a game of Street Fighter 2!”

As for the future, Dave and Nicky are hopeful. “We would love to be involved with some more game launches and press events. We hosted the launch of Bit.Trip in Camden recently, and the event was fantastic. It's a great way for the developers and publishers to meet not only the press, but also the players, and to gauge the reactions of someone playing 'their baby' for the first time.” However, the pair are realistic when it comes to the idea of expanding the nights around the country. “It's one of the goals, but these things take time!” Dave explains. However, Scotland is at least on their radar: "(Scotland) is somewhere we would love to host something. Maybe we'll spend a few days up there and meet some like minded people, see if we can get a regular event or show or something sorted.” We can only hope it works out sooner rather than later.

For more info check out: www.nintendisco.com

We're in a tight spot! A look back at Killer 7

At a time where every FPS is an interchangeable war-themed bore, and game worlds come in a million different shades of brown, it's refreshing to revisit a game as unique and deranged as Killer 7. Equal parts on rails shooter, geopolitical thriller, survival horror, and just about everything else besides, Killer 7 revels in being difficult to characterise. You'd expect no less from a collaboration between Goichi Suda and Shinji Mikami, two of the industry's most creative minds, and from the offset you get the impression that they were having fun here.

Taking the role of Harman Smith, wheelchair-bound geriatric and world's greatest assassin, you attempt to unravel a tense political situation between Japan and the U.S all while battling an army of suicide bomber zombies called Heaven Smiles. Luckily for you Harman heads an assassins guild called the Smith Syndicate, formed from his own split personalities, who make up the eponymous Killer 7. Each of the 7 has their own unique weapons and abilities, and you can switch between them at will (in an explosion of blood). If that doesn't sound mental enough for you, chuck in advisory gimps, chatty severed heads, knockoff Power Rangers, and a whole lot of gushing blood. It's safe to say there's nothing else quite like it.

Each mission is a new assignment: there'll be a target for you to assassinate, and a whole lot of puzzles to solve and monsters to kill before you reach them. Character control is on-rails. You hold a button to run along a prescribed path, choosing to branch off onto other paths along the way. When the Smiles make themselves known with their telltale laugh, you switch to first-person mode and scan the area for them. You'll encounter a wide variety of the things, from the alien queen like Duplicator Smiles, to the distorted Phantom Smiles, that all have to be killed in certain ways. Thankfully most of those ways involve bullets, though you'll have to be quick to gun them down before they grab you and detonate.

All the twisted storytelling is complimented by a visual flair that's unmatched. Cel-shaded graphics allow for a noir-style design; all cinematic angles and moody shadows, and make it feel like more like a high-concept animation than a videogame. It compliments the bloody violence and strange characters on show well. The sound design is also spot on, adding to the surreal atmosphere perfectly. The Smiles' gleeful cackle upon spotting you will have you nervously scanning every environment, and if you hear them running your worry can turn to panic. 

Playing over it again, you end up almost surprised with how well Killer 7 has aged. Granted, the visuals are a bit on the blurry side these days. The cel-shading masks much of the issues though. But none of the gameplay mechanics feel outdated, other than the slightly archaic “Find square object to open square lock” puzzles, clearly carried over from early Resident Evils. Overall it still feels fresh, unique. No doubt because, in the seven years since it came out, there hasn't been anything else like it.

It's a crying shame that Killer 7 didn't enjoy the success it deserved back in the day. Despite praise from the gaming press, and a handful of awards to its name, sales weren't spectacular. It's telling that it shows up on so many “best game” lists, though. Few games so perfectly deserve their “cult classic” label; fans will still attempt to unravel the twisted plot, or happily quote lines from a script dripping with metaphors and hidden meanings. It's very much a mature game; not in a hollow, “filled with violence and swearing” way, but in terms of the story and the way it's told. You're never talked down to, never have your hand held. Nothing is made obvious, and it powers towards a wholly satisfying conclusion (with a twist that'll have your jaw dropping). So many other games would do well to take a leaf out of Killer 7's storytelling book.

Suda went on to bigger things. No More Heroes was a breakout hit on the Wii, spawning a sequel and an HD re-release on PS3. But as good as Heroes is, it's Killer 7 that sticks in the minds of most fans. There's something about it, difficult to pin down. If any game is deserving of an HD treatment, a decent re-release and the chance to pull in some new players, it has to be Killer 7. Still one of the best, easy. In the name of Harman...