What's the Point? - Reaching the Next Level of Game Design.

I like all types of games. Action, survival horror, adventure -- you name it. I play countless hours of Halo, and enjoy sharing narrow escapes with Lara Croft. I get what those games are trying to do. But my aim here is to figure out what makes a story resonate. With the right combination of characters and events, even the simplest of plots can turn into something so much more. Something that reverses the game back on the player and forces them to think about their own life relative to what the designers are asking of them.


When you enter high school, no matter where you go, there is a list of books that are required reading if you are to graduate and move on with your life. Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, Fahrenheit 451(not to be confused with Fahrenheit 911), to name a few. These books aren't chosen at random; rather, they've each displayed the ability to stand the test of time. Their narratives have been deemed worthy of being passed on from generation to generation. It's not hard to see where I'm going with this -- we, as gamers, still don't have our Masterpiece. A tale so poignant that it is mandatory we know it before we are allowed to call ourselves thinking people. There are games that have tried, and valiantly failed, to transcend the medium and reach the hearts and minds of those who seek to better themselves.


Is it too lofty a goal to attain? Does the industry's by and large reliance on metacritic scores and age brackets halt any progress that might be made? I don't know the answers to those questions, but they're worth asking just the same. As we get older, our tastes change. We mature and start to see the world in a different light. That applies to everything we consume -- be it games, movies, books, politics, or anything else we focus our attention on. And with maturity comes the realization that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We all have a place in this world, and it's up to us to figure out where we want to put ourselves in relation to it. That simple revelation can lead to a deeper reflection, and that's exactly where I want to see games evolve.


I mentioned we have yet to find our Masterpiece; our shining example of what games can aspire to be. After thinking on it some more, only one game came to mind that could possibly define itself in such a way. That game is Shadow of the Colossus. Underneath its simple story and minimalist design, it poses the question, "How far would you go for your selfish needs?" The answer doesn't come easy, nor does the question itself. The game doesn't force itself on you; it merely exists. The point of the game seems obvious -- save the girl, then save the day. In the hands of lesser craftsmen, I'd agree. But Fumito Ueda and everyone working at Team ICO went far beyond the narrative confines where other developers don't dare go. From the moment you kill your first colossus, blackness engulfs you and you wonder if what you're doing is right. Are the consequences worth the risk, or are you throwing out reason to do what your heart desires?


Every aspect of Shadow of the Colossus compliments itself and mirrors its themes of love, redemption, fear and loneliness. Since there are no other enemies other than colossi, the game allows you to think about the events that are transpiring in a much broader sense than what you initially realize. And as you see your character slowly degrade to the point of near death, you finally understand at least part of the price you've paid for reaching your goal at any cost. Would a more noble person just accept the cards they've been dealt, rather than risk even more cataclysmic consequences? Possibly, but the point isn't to reach a definite conclusion. Sometimes simply posing the question yields more thought than could otherwise be reached by putting forth a certain point of view. For all its accomplishments, Shadow of the Colossus still has to stand up to time's rigorous testing. My hope is that ten years from now, people can go back to this game and see a moment in gaming history, still as giant as ever, and know that its high praise wasn't a product of the times.


Shadow of the Colossus is a perfect example of a game's story seamlessly co-existing with its gameplay. That's not to say games can't be great without doing so, but the disconnect felt when those elements don't mesh can't go unnoticed. Grand Theft Auto IV, for example, tries to tell a story of reflection and possibly redemption. But at its core, the game is morally ambiguous. Metal Gear Solid 4, on the other hand, eschewed its gameplay by rushing you through cutscene after cutscene of heavy-handed melodrama and forced perspective. Taken seperately, they can be satisfying, and even great. But to fully elevate itself to the template by which every other game should aspire to, these experiences need to be one and the same.


With everything said, I understand how hard it is to accomplish what I'm asking for. It takes the right combination of time, money, and above all, talent. Without capable minds, no strides will ever be made toward reaching a greater base level of expression. It's with this in mind that I look at what the future might hold for the games industry -- what its aspirations are, the kind of people it reaches out to, and how the rest of the world views it. Right now, I believe Ken Levine and 2K Boston are the people most able to see that future, and it's in their work I hope to find the template I so desire.


Bioshock, for all its depth and intelligence, took me by surprise. I was expecting a fantastic shooter with a competent story and a suitable world to explore. What I found was far more engrossing, and the game's financial success only makes me that much more excited for what's still in store. As is the trend with developers, there will be Bioshock clones. But I think it's reasonable to hope that whoever decides to immitate the emotions Rapture evoked, they will do so with the understanding of just what made that game so great. The way it led you by the nose the whole way without you knowing it, while all around you laid the destroyed vision of man's arrogance and ambition was near flawless. If there was any game I'd want to see mimicked, it would be this one. I don't expect an equal to rise up from such flattery, but I'll certainly appreciate the sentiment.


I'm a patient person, and it's with a positive outlook that I wait and watch where we go from here. The games industry is still in its infancy, so it's logical to expect the most profound growth is still to come. In the mean time, I'll be perfectly happy grinding away in Ninja Gaiden and Tomb Raider.


My kids just won't be reading about them in high school.

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And you shall know My name is Jehovah!

I played Call of Juarez back when it released, and I remember looking forward to it for quite some time. And while it didn't meet my expectations, it did manage to provide some great firefights. The duel six-shooters were pretty bad ass, actually. Even though overall I think they missed the mark, at least the combat really made me feel like I was in a western.


I remember liking the preacher a lot -- you could sneak up to an enemy and recite lines from the bible to him, and when he stopped to listen, shoot him in the face.




I swear to God I almost converted religions.


The developers must have thought half a good game is the same as a full one, because that's how long you were able to play as the preacher. The other half was a clogged toilet of shit stealth missions with a borderline retarded kid who really needed to have the bible read to him. I say secondary, because for me it was all about the preacher. I'd never played a character like that before, nor have I since. If they would have just stuck with him and lengthened his part of the story, I probably wouldn't have traded the game in after I finished it.


But alas, they did, and so did I, and here we are. Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood was just announced today, and I don't know what to think. Part of me wants to believe they'll make something more out of it; but on the other hand, they're a relatively small developer who's already working on another game. I'm pretty sure it will never be what I want it to be, though. I would love to have a western-themed, first person RPG -- maybe something along the lines of an Oblivion or Fallout, but with a world more like Deadwood's. That is my dream, and I cannot die until it is realized. In the meantime, I'll probably be looking forward to more of this:




Fucking hell, this was the most retarded shit ever. There was a door right behind me.



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First Impressions: Tales of Vesperia (Xbox 360)

For the most part, I'm a firm believer that if a game doesn't grab you in the first few hours, it's time to collect your ass and move on. More than once I've waded through the beginnings of heralded j-rpg's, just to find myself saying, "Well, that was just stupid." Girl with bunny ears? "Stupid." Twelve year-old moron yearning for self discovery? "Fucking stupid." Whatever I might think of the genre, it is populated with the above examples to a disappointing degree. The closest I've come to actually enjoying myself was with last year's Lost Odyssey, but eventually the turn-based combat drilled a hole in my face and I could no longer continue playing due to massive blood loss. It's too bad, really, because I thought the story had promise. I'm not a big fan of amnesia (if you don't know who you are, you can fuck off), but Mistwalker seemed to be creating something that wasn't going to tank itself halfway through.


I didn't forget the title of this post; I just think that in order for me to explain what I love about games, I also have to explain what I hate. And, if you're Lost Odyssey, what could have been good, if not for the painfully old-school combat. So, these are my two criteria for playing and enjoying an RPG:


1 ) No annoying crap characters that I would rather use their skin for lamp shades than listen to them blather on about blah-de-blah; fuck off.

2 ) Updated combat. I understand there are a lot of people who enjoy turn-based combat. I'm just not one of them. That's the end of that story.


So, Tales of Vesperia. I got burned before with Eternal Sonata, so I wasn't initially looking forward to this. I've never played any of the Tales games, and in a strictly aestethic sense, it looked like another Sonata.

Well, I was wrong.

The first thing that impressed me was how clean and crisp everything looked. It's one of those art styles that will still have girls blushing ten years from now. Very sexy. After my initial fawning period was over and I started learning what the story entailed, I discovered something previously thought of as myth: I'm not playing as some douche who couldn't tell his ass from a hole in the ground. It's an adult story about adults, doing things adults would do in an adult world. I hate kids, by the way. At least the ones who think they're mages or warriors. There is a kid in Vesperia who could easily have been annoying as shit, but thankfully, he's toned down enough to where he doesn't bother me. It's too bad there's no option for Japanese dialogue, but the English cast does a decent job. I like the conversations the two main characters(so far) have with each other, and nothing feels forced or badly translated. Plus your dog smokes a pipe. That's called Instant Awesome.




The combat is equally as promising as the story. Gone is the watch-me-as-I-do-this-totally-magical-attack-to-your-face-while-you-stand-there-like-an-idiot style. No, here you'll have to move around in real-time while your enemies do the same. And unlike Eternal Sonata, there's no action meter, so you can move about for as long as you want. There are a few attack buttons that do different things, as well as a block and jump button. Depending on the weapon you're using, you can learn new abilities and skills as you go along. I haven't dug too deep into the combat system yet, so that's pretty much the height of my knowledge at this point. Regardless, it's fun and satisfying to get a ten-hit combo going and finish a battle in under five seconds (which, yes, I Have Done).


I'm only about six hours in as of last night, but I'll make more posts about my progress as I go along. I kind of wish I'd played some of the Tales games before, but at least now I can go back and see what I missed out on. If they're anything like Vesperia, I'll gladly pick up some used copies.


( I'll put up some media later, probably once I'm set up to capture video. ) Read more...

Nearly four years into this console generation, the greatest game remains in Oblivion...

I challenge you to find a more believable game world than this.

There are so many reasons why people play games. To have fun. To escape from reality for a short time (or long time). To imagine and/or live in another world. To see a great story. To have a ton of fun fighting and kicking ass. To marvel at amazing graphics. The list goes on and on.

As we approach November of this New Year, we will also be approaching the four year anniversary of this generation of consoles. Yes, hard to believe, but it's almost already been four years since the debut of the Xbox 360.

Countless great titles have released of all different genres imaginable. Yet three years after it's debut, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion still remains the single most outstanding, definitive, and complete game of this generation.

I know it may seem curious as to why I would be writing a blog about a game that's three years old. Perhaps it is because while most of the gaming world saw 2008 as one of the greatest gaming years in a long time, I found it to be rather disappointing. All the major titles that released with huge hype ended up falling well short of expectations. GTA4 had clear story and gameplay inconsistencies, along with blatantly broken sandbox mechanics when it came to missions disabling you from completing the mission your own way. Metal Gear Solid 4 was an example of how to take a great build up of grand story ideas and then run them through a meat grinder and see if people can still make any sense of it (that, and the game wasn't really a game). Fallout 3 took everything that made the Elder Scrolls series great, and shaved off all the icing and toppings, leaving only the dry bread of the cake for us to have trouble swallowing.

Which brings me to Oblivion. Simply put, Oblivion still remains the greatest game of this generation because it fulfills all the reasons anyone would want to play a game (see list in first paragraph). Somehow, through it's blend of fantasy RPG/Action/Sandbox gameplay, Oblivion succeeds wildly in giving any gamer, regardless of taste or purpose, a reason to love it.



I think it goes without contention that Oblivion achieves a true otherworldly sense of place and time that is more convincing than any other game has to date. Cyrodil wasn't a game world, it was simply a real world. Sprawled out with diversity, locations, mystery, people, stories, and ideas, Cyrodil was a living, breathing character all on its own. And it wasn't just that it gave you so much to do, as many MMORPG's have done. It was that it gave you things to do that were actually intriguing, intricate, complex, and extremely detailed. Every side quest was brooding with conflict, and a real sense of character and purpose.

No, Oblivion wasn't perfect. The combat system definitely let me down at times, particularly in huge battles when it became very difficult to attack an enemy while making sure not to hit friendlies. And the facial animations definitely left a bit to be desired.

But to this day, I continue to find myself sinking back into Oblivion's game world, devoting hours and hours to exploring a world and game that never ceases to penetrate to that core of us that can't help but admire the amazing beauty and solitude of a great landscape, or symphony, or story.

Oblivion gives us everything at once.


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Why we Wii

I would definately classify myself as a hardcore gamer....however..in recent years..and due to the popularity of the Wii with the soccer mom type crowd..I find myself enjoying the types of casual games that nintendo is offering on the Gamecube2.0. Whenever my family has a holiday get together...it is usually inevitable that we will turn on my nephews Wii and have a Rock Band session...or get lost in all of the silly mini games that Warioware Wii offers...and I admit...we have a lot of fun doing it. I own a Wii and it is usually not my console of choice. For every original title like No More Heros..there is a thousand crappy titles to wade through like Cooking Cake Dog Turd Tortoise party or something else quickly produced with only dollar signs in mind and no care of innovation. In the end...the Wii is simply another flavor on the menu...I can always eat pizza as my favorite junk food...but sometimes...I want tacos instead..and thats OK because there is room in the video game world for all kinds of different tastes!

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The only Conan game you ever need to play!!

I'm a huge fan of the early 80's classic Conan the Barbarian. So it's a shame that over the years no developer has ever given Ahnold his just video game treatment....or have they?!

Dust off the Ps2 and travel with me back to 2002..with Sony's The Mark of Kri. This under appreciated classic gem fires on all the right sadistic cylinders and will show you a bloody...and I mean bloody...good time!

OK..so the main character is named Rau and not Conan.., but you can tell that the designers clearly had a hard-on for Arnie's sword and sandal epic. Everything from the Mako-esque opening narration to the unlockable black war paint (like the Schwarz sported when he assaulted Thulsa Doom's all night orgy paradise people soup party) SCREAMS Conan!! Believe me when I tell you this is not a bad thing!

The game is rightly focused on it's clever (even by today's standards) melee combat system which allows you to target and take on wave after wave of A.I. controlled meat sacks. A quick sweep of the right analog stick will place icons over your enemies heads and you're in business. The opponents are idiots to be sure...but the vicious combo system will simply delight you as you dole out punishment to these low I.Q. video game special edders. Human tent pole with a spear...check...decapitations...check... You will become the whirling dirvish of doom as Rau chops and impales his way through the story.

I personally take sick pleasure in the graphical style which looks like a 90's era Disney cartoon gone bad. The key plot points are told through great hand drawn style cut scenes and the music is intense at all the right times.

At a time when money is tight....a game like the Mark of Kri is just begging for you to put it out it's bargain bin misery...so what are you waiting for...seek out Rau and make him a welcome dismember to your Ps2 family!!

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Xbox 360 Community Games, Vol. 1

Holy shit, has anyone even gone to the Community Games section of the 360? While I found my first visit there to be pretty awesome, I can't say it's a treasure trove of indie games you've never heard of -- not yet, at least. I've only played one game so far, and it's called Weapon of Choice. It's a duel stick shooter, but instead of manning a spacecraft flying through bullet hell, you're running through levels on foot. It's similar to Contra, but you have a lot more control over your movements and weapons.






You run around with the left stick and shoot with the right. The left trigger is your jump, and believe me, it takes some getting used to. I tried jumping with the A button or some such nonsense a few times and paid for it with my life. Other than the odd choice of jumping control, it plays quite nicely. You can modify your weapons with the right trigger, and with the default character, it can make you hover in the air for a few seconds or give off a more powerful blast. But one of the coolest things about the gameplay is the way you navigate the levels. Whenever you want to climb up a ridge or jump to a higher area, little robotic arm-thingies come out of your body and pull you along the terrain. It's just a nifty little visual that adds a lot to both the aesthetics and general movement allowances.


Along the way, you'll encounter downed allies that you'll need to rescue by simply standing over them. They'll then attach to you like a backpack, and the idea is that you should carry them to safety. The tricky part is that everything is a one hit kill. The developers did see fit to help you out a bit in that regard by adding a slow-motion mechanic that automatically kicks in when you're about to get your ass handed to you. It basically gives you just a few moments to jump out of harms way, but if you get cornered, you're pretty much screwed.


Once you complete a level, the downed ally you rescue will be unlocked and available to play through the rest of the game. Three characters are already available when you start the game, but I'm not sure just yet how many will eventually become unlocked. As I mentioned, you die in one hit. But when you die, you can instantly choose another character to finish the level with. Once you've died using everyone available to you, it's game over. It's pretty hardcore, and getting through a level without losing a comrade is damn satisfying.


There's not much else I can say, other than the entire game was made by 8 people(very commendable), and you can find it in the Community Games section of the games marketplace. If nothing else, it's definitely worth a look at the demo. It costs you nothing, so just go do it already.


Oh, and Wilford Brimley looks to be your commanding officer.




And here's a pretty kick-ass trailer:





Hopefully this will be a continuing feature where I'll highlight some of the community games that are worth checking out. But that will depend on the quality of the rest of the catalog, and since I've only played Weapon of Choice, that remains to be seen. But one can hope. Read more...

Lets Talk Nintendo.

Apparently, Nintendo has boarded the crazy train, and Shigeru Miyamoto is the conductor. I won't re-hash descriptions of it since you can find those elsewhere, but he filed a patent last year that would basically turn games into movies. Forget about the technical aspects of what that patent entails. I want to talk about the idea itself. I agree with Jonathan Blow when he said, "The defining characteristic of a game is that you play it." No shit. If you don't play a game, then what the hell are you doing? What's the point of paying hundreds of dollars on a console just so you can watch events unfold like a movie? A dvd is 10 bucks, and it doesn't take a dozen hours to watch.


We all know Nintendo isn't really about hardcore gamers anymore. This notion of just skipping around and watching a game is paramount to my argument that they've abandoned their roots. Yes, I'm aware that by encouraging non-gamers to pick up a console, they're allowing the industry far more growth than would otherwise be possible. And by "the industry", I mean Nintendo. Just look at their system. With so much of that growth already in place, what have you played on the Wii lately? Why do you own one?


I want you to know that question is not condescending. I'm genuine in my curiosity as to why anyone would want a Wii. What do you get out of it? Is buying the system worth the couple hours or so you'd get a loved one to play Wii Sports with you? Why not just watch a movie or play a board game with them?


I've heard people say that having a non-gamer participate in a hobby they love is worth the price of admission. The problem is, they're not joining in your hobby, and they still can't relate to the gaming lifestyle. That's not the growth I want or care enough to participate in.


You either love games or you don't, simple as that. And no dvd player masquerading as a gaming console will change that fact. The more Nintendo pushes me away, the less I care about what they have to contribute to the medium I love so much. If you own a Wii and are interested in what they're doing, tell me why. Maybe you can change my mind about all this, but I won't hold my breath.

Nintendo, Clint is talking to you.

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Darwin loves Doritos.......

.....because T-Rex's chasing dudes driving Doritos delivery trucks makes the most logical sense. This, from the Xbox.com description of Dash of Destruction, the new Doritos branded Xbox Live Arcade game:

"Doritos' Dash of Destruction is a fun and fast-paced racing game. Blast your way through cities as a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex, as you chase a speeding Delivery Truck full of tasty Doritos. Or, try zooming in and out of the T-Rex's path of destruction as the speedy Delivery Truck in search of your Doritos drop-off points. For even more racing madness, Chaos mode lets you and three friends charge through cities eating Trucks or trying not to be eaten. In Zen mode, eat the Truck to become the Truck!"

Hey, Doritos! In MY Zen mode, you get to eat my Shit to become a worthless product placement that isn't worth the nothing I have to pay to play it!


At least this "game" is free. And you get 200 points for "completing" it. It doesn't seem fair that I've put 50 hours into Devil May Cry 4, and I'm sitting at 210 points right now. Man....all I had to do was download Dash of Destruction and I would have saved myself months of fun frustration. I wonder if there's a cameo by The King?

I'll possibly download the demo just so I can say with first hand knowledge how much it infuriates me. Or not. Read more...

Crystal Dynamics staff cut by 30 members; makes interesting companion piece...

...to my previous post. If you were to look at these two posts, the stories wouldn't correlate. The Crystal Dynamics news is pretty much the exact opposite of everything I just said. I still hold fast to my opinion that the safer the product, the more sales you'll see, but this bit of news makes me wonder -- with a very sad panda face -- just what the hell is wrong with people?


I mean, seriously. What the fuck is wrong with people? Tomb Raider did exactly what conservative people would have you believe was the smart thing to do; they made the same game, with some added improvements. Now let me just say that I love the revamped Tomb Raider series, blemishes and all. It's some of the best platforming you could ask for, and a story you could definitely ask better of. Who really gives a shit what's going on in a Tomb Raider game? Surely, not I. I know she's usually looking for some artifact that has to do with her mum, daddy, Amanda or that crazy winged bitch. Yea, whatever. That next jump looks pretty tough, so I gotta go.


My main concern here, however, is that the game underperformed. Is it because the story is finally getting old with this franchise? Are they not innovating enough within the platforming genre? Is the world not believable enough in these scrutinizing modern times? Or are you bastards just looking a gift horse in the mouth? I think the answer is a little bit of everything.


Using Uncharted as a reference point, the story and characters of Tomb Raider are utter shit. I don't think anyone would argue that point, however heart breaking it might be. Nathan Drake is a much more believable character; he seems like an actual human being, not some super hero who can do back flips on motorcycles using nigh but their sexy yet well built calf muscles. At the same time, I don't mind the stupidity of Tomb Raider. Call me a hypocrite, an idiot, or a boob-starer if you must, but I can't help it. Yes, everything about Uncharted(except the platforming) is technically better than Tomb Raider, but I can't quit the old girl just yet. Now, you people need to get on board with me. Pretty please? Read more...