Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Game Studies Final Project
For my final project, I'm fairly set on doing a creative piece along the lines of a fanfiction or NGJ article. I'd much rather write a high-quality fanfiction, as it would allow for a more creative element than simply reporting game events from a first-person perspective as is accomplished with a NGJ piece. In terms of doing a fanfiction, I would likely base the events around a normally-overlooked scene from one of the two game-worlds I'm most familiar with- Half Life and Fallout 3. My main goal would be to bring the elements of the storyline to life and make the scene seem more realistic whilst injecting my own perspective and details so as to make it my own.
Half Life 2 Review
Six years after Half Life's groundbreaking release in 1998, Valve set the standard once again in 2004 with its sequel- Half Life 2. Players once again assume the role of the crowbar-wielding Gordon Freeman in a first-person shooter scenario, pushing through hordes of aliens and soldiers in an attempt to uncover more of the game's thick plot. While retaining much of the simple, dark vibe of the original game, Half Life 2 mixes in a vast amount of new features, characters, and gameplay elements that bring the plot to a whole new level.
The storyline explodes from the confines of Black Mesa and places Gordon into the dystopian City 17 after twenty years in stasis. An alien group known as the Combine have taken control of Earth, which has already been infested by many of the creatures released by the initial Black Mesa incident. Alongside the existing resistance forces, Gordon must fight through the city and surrounding area in order to free the planet from the Combine.
The most noticable change from the original game is massively intricate and detailed graphics. Valve used the Source engine for HL2, which allows for intense realism and clarity. Character models are very impressive- all are capable of a wide range of facial expression and movement, and the AI is very good. Enemies are tactically intelligent, and followers won't get lost behind awkward obstacles. Game maps are beautifully detailed and contain a lot of extra story-enhancing bits, such as resistance graffiti and rusted remains of life before the Combine invasion. In all, the graphics are highly convincing and accurately portray the emotions of a post-apocalyptic, dystopian Earth.
Another visual (and strategic) upside is the inclusion of the Havok physics engine, which is easily one of the greatest new elements of HL2. Most objects in the game can be picked up, moved, thrown, or interacted with in one way or another. NPCs are also susceptible to physics and react accordingly when subjected to various levels of abuse. To get the most out of the new physics engine Valve included a weapon known as the Gravity Gun, which allows players to pick up and launch a wide variety of objects in the game. This becomes a critical strategic element later on, where the Gravity Gun is needed to do everything from stacking bricks to launching sawblades.
Gameplay is largely the same as the original Half Life, but with a few added benefits. The game never leaves the first-person perspective, which gives a great deal of intimacy to in-game cutscenes. Being the highly active first-person shooter it is, HL2 requires high dexterity and reflexes in order to avoid death and make it through City 17. The heads-up display is the same as the original Half Life- a simple system of health and HEV power at the bottom, and a scrolling weapons catalog at the top. Two added features include a zoom function to see into the distance, and a sprint-mode that allows for bursts of speed. The flashlight, sprint-mode, and swimming underwater all consume the same self-recharging auxiliary power source. Weapons are largely similar to the original as well; classics like the crowbar, revolver, shotgun, grenades, and RPGs are used side by side with new firearms. The largest augmentation to gameplay in HL2 is the inclusion of vehicles- large stretches of time in certain levels are spend cruising on makeshift swamp boats and dune buggies. This certainly mixes things up from the usual walk-and-shoot of Half Life and keeps the lengthier travel-based levels interesting.
While the game is most certainly a breakthrough in the world of first-person shooters and a great continuation of a fantastic storyline, it isn't without its flaws. The voice acting leaves much to be desired. While a few characters retain the dark and strange tones so well associated with Half Life, many are overtly chipper and inappropriate for some situations. For example, while scientist voice-acting of the original game fit the deathly theme perfectly, Dr. Kleiner seems more suited to a children's cartoon than the blood-stained sequel. Another minor inconvenience is the severe shortage of ammunition. Only two or three reloads may be carried for many of the guns, and ammo is hard to come by. While this may hamper using spray-and-pray tactics, I feel as though Valve mainly chose this route to increase challenge and promote clever use of the crowbar, Gravity Gun, and the highly interactive environment. In one level, the horror-film-like Ravenholm, almost no ammuntion is to be found, and the zombies can only be slain through intelligent use of the environment. It was a clever move on Valve's part, but it can also bring a great deal of frustration when facing waves of Combine with naught but a crowbar.
In all, Half Life 2 is a fantastic sequel that has broken many boundaries in the world of FPS games. Not only does it boast top-end graphics and compelling gameplay, but it builds on one of the greatest (and most mysterious) storylines in gaming. While it retains the smooth simplicity and fast pace of the original game, it adds so much in the way of graphical depth, combat strategy, and overall interactivity to create a formidable end product. Excellent work, Valve.
9/10
The storyline explodes from the confines of Black Mesa and places Gordon into the dystopian City 17 after twenty years in stasis. An alien group known as the Combine have taken control of Earth, which has already been infested by many of the creatures released by the initial Black Mesa incident. Alongside the existing resistance forces, Gordon must fight through the city and surrounding area in order to free the planet from the Combine.
The most noticable change from the original game is massively intricate and detailed graphics. Valve used the Source engine for HL2, which allows for intense realism and clarity. Character models are very impressive- all are capable of a wide range of facial expression and movement, and the AI is very good. Enemies are tactically intelligent, and followers won't get lost behind awkward obstacles. Game maps are beautifully detailed and contain a lot of extra story-enhancing bits, such as resistance graffiti and rusted remains of life before the Combine invasion. In all, the graphics are highly convincing and accurately portray the emotions of a post-apocalyptic, dystopian Earth.
Another visual (and strategic) upside is the inclusion of the Havok physics engine, which is easily one of the greatest new elements of HL2. Most objects in the game can be picked up, moved, thrown, or interacted with in one way or another. NPCs are also susceptible to physics and react accordingly when subjected to various levels of abuse. To get the most out of the new physics engine Valve included a weapon known as the Gravity Gun, which allows players to pick up and launch a wide variety of objects in the game. This becomes a critical strategic element later on, where the Gravity Gun is needed to do everything from stacking bricks to launching sawblades.
Gameplay is largely the same as the original Half Life, but with a few added benefits. The game never leaves the first-person perspective, which gives a great deal of intimacy to in-game cutscenes. Being the highly active first-person shooter it is, HL2 requires high dexterity and reflexes in order to avoid death and make it through City 17. The heads-up display is the same as the original Half Life- a simple system of health and HEV power at the bottom, and a scrolling weapons catalog at the top. Two added features include a zoom function to see into the distance, and a sprint-mode that allows for bursts of speed. The flashlight, sprint-mode, and swimming underwater all consume the same self-recharging auxiliary power source. Weapons are largely similar to the original as well; classics like the crowbar, revolver, shotgun, grenades, and RPGs are used side by side with new firearms. The largest augmentation to gameplay in HL2 is the inclusion of vehicles- large stretches of time in certain levels are spend cruising on makeshift swamp boats and dune buggies. This certainly mixes things up from the usual walk-and-shoot of Half Life and keeps the lengthier travel-based levels interesting.
While the game is most certainly a breakthrough in the world of first-person shooters and a great continuation of a fantastic storyline, it isn't without its flaws. The voice acting leaves much to be desired. While a few characters retain the dark and strange tones so well associated with Half Life, many are overtly chipper and inappropriate for some situations. For example, while scientist voice-acting of the original game fit the deathly theme perfectly, Dr. Kleiner seems more suited to a children's cartoon than the blood-stained sequel. Another minor inconvenience is the severe shortage of ammunition. Only two or three reloads may be carried for many of the guns, and ammo is hard to come by. While this may hamper using spray-and-pray tactics, I feel as though Valve mainly chose this route to increase challenge and promote clever use of the crowbar, Gravity Gun, and the highly interactive environment. In one level, the horror-film-like Ravenholm, almost no ammuntion is to be found, and the zombies can only be slain through intelligent use of the environment. It was a clever move on Valve's part, but it can also bring a great deal of frustration when facing waves of Combine with naught but a crowbar.
In all, Half Life 2 is a fantastic sequel that has broken many boundaries in the world of FPS games. Not only does it boast top-end graphics and compelling gameplay, but it builds on one of the greatest (and most mysterious) storylines in gaming. While it retains the smooth simplicity and fast pace of the original game, it adds so much in the way of graphical depth, combat strategy, and overall interactivity to create a formidable end product. Excellent work, Valve.
9/10
Monday, November 9, 2009
Game Studies
The final chapter of the IGS was daunting, to say the least. It contained a lot of strong viewpoints on how a game studies project should be approached and in great detail described the various means of gathering information and presenting the research in a professional, academic format. While this will give the project a sense of direction and scale, it goes without saying that this will certainly be the toughest challenge of the class.
However, the gaming-oriented aspect of the study will certainly give it an interesting edge; researching social interaction via video games should be entertaining, to say the least. This may cause a problem, though; while the subject is gaming, the project will need to retain an academic tone. Virtually all of the class's previous efforts have been informal and matter-of-fact (such as this very blog), whereas this final project will be portfolio-worthy. I'm very interested in seeing where this goes and what my research into unknown topics will uncover.
However, the gaming-oriented aspect of the study will certainly give it an interesting edge; researching social interaction via video games should be entertaining, to say the least. This may cause a problem, though; while the subject is gaming, the project will need to retain an academic tone. Virtually all of the class's previous efforts have been informal and matter-of-fact (such as this very blog), whereas this final project will be portfolio-worthy. I'm very interested in seeing where this goes and what my research into unknown topics will uncover.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Our Limits
As the world of video gaming evolves, game writers will constantly be pushing the boundaries of what society accepts in terms of violence, sex, and other major social issues. While many will be appalled at what is being produced, sales will continue to rise and gamers will always want more of what's shocking the rest of the world. It is impossible for the level of realism and intensity in games to remain stagnant; now that progress in that direction is solidly in motion, it can't be slowed or stopped.
Our society's sensitivity to violence seems to have decreased sharply over the last several decades. Films show copious amounts of blood and gore, and the news is constantly reminding us of deaths throughout the world. By being surrounded by violence through multiple mediums, we become accustomed to various forms of death and tragedy. In games, violence occurs in hundreds of forms ranging from stomping a Goomba in Super Mario Brothers to blowing up body parts in Fallout 3. While the average person may not be mentally prepared to witness real violence firsthand, the culture as a whole is numb to the video-violence found in games, films, and television. Because we are so desensitized to false violence, gamers will always require a new level of shock to be interested in new games.
The subject of sex is a bit more complex. While the allowance of sex has vastly increased in film and television over the last few decades, it seems to bring about the largest objections when found in video games. For example, in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Hot Coffee mod, the character has sex with his girlfriend. This caused a massive controversy, despite the game already containing vast amounts of violence and crime simulation. While the game went by unchecked with it's homicide and theft, the introduction of sex sparked an uproar with everyone from parents to politicians. However, history has proven that sex always sells, and it's likely that games will continue on a route of of increased sensuality. Even in games that would normally seem to dodge the bullet of sex, it still appears on various levels. The sexual tension between Gordon and Alyx in Half Life 2 is steady and ever-present, most often shown by Alyx's random quips and gestures. In Fallout 3, options are made available to flirt heavily with male and female characters (depending on the player character's gender) in order to benefit the player. In one instance, it's even inferred that the player sleeps with a prostitute character, Nova, when they rent a room from her. While no sexual scene is present, everything leading up to the aforementioned moment still occurs.
As any art form evolves, it becomes more abrasive so as to retain the interest of the next generation and remain viable. Popular music, for example, has grown far more primal and aggressive over the last hundred years. Each consecutive generation has its music that is generally viewed as too harsh and aggressive for the previous generation. Our grandparents listened to swing and jazz, their children rebelled with rock and punk, and our generation has even more intense music. Video games are evolving along the same lines, only much more quickly. If more realism, violence, sex, and social abrasion aren't added to the coming waves of video games, they simply won't hold the interest of gamers.
The explosion of sex and violence found in games recently won't likely storm the entire industry, however. Even though the most intense games will continue to grow a harder edge, there will always be a massive amount of more benign entertainment. Forcing everyone to view simulated gore and sex is very improbable; casual gamers will almost always gravitate to the more innocent games. Parents who monitor the games their children play are also a major factor, and having a large selection for that demographic cannot be overlooked.
Despite the increasing levels of social friction found in games, major retaliation against it will probably remain low and steady, as it has since the first bloody game and rating systems were introduced. The occasional game will likely appear that contains a disturbingly violent or explicitly sexual scene that draws massive retribution, but in reality these games are just checkpoints for what's socially allowed in games. Gamers would simply lose interest if they were left at the same level of exposure to violence and sex, just as if music remained as heavy as it was thirty years ago. Each new generation requires more stimulation in order to keep interest high, and the only way to accomplish this is to continue making games more brutal and sensual.
Our society's sensitivity to violence seems to have decreased sharply over the last several decades. Films show copious amounts of blood and gore, and the news is constantly reminding us of deaths throughout the world. By being surrounded by violence through multiple mediums, we become accustomed to various forms of death and tragedy. In games, violence occurs in hundreds of forms ranging from stomping a Goomba in Super Mario Brothers to blowing up body parts in Fallout 3. While the average person may not be mentally prepared to witness real violence firsthand, the culture as a whole is numb to the video-violence found in games, films, and television. Because we are so desensitized to false violence, gamers will always require a new level of shock to be interested in new games.
The subject of sex is a bit more complex. While the allowance of sex has vastly increased in film and television over the last few decades, it seems to bring about the largest objections when found in video games. For example, in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Hot Coffee mod, the character has sex with his girlfriend. This caused a massive controversy, despite the game already containing vast amounts of violence and crime simulation. While the game went by unchecked with it's homicide and theft, the introduction of sex sparked an uproar with everyone from parents to politicians. However, history has proven that sex always sells, and it's likely that games will continue on a route of of increased sensuality. Even in games that would normally seem to dodge the bullet of sex, it still appears on various levels. The sexual tension between Gordon and Alyx in Half Life 2 is steady and ever-present, most often shown by Alyx's random quips and gestures. In Fallout 3, options are made available to flirt heavily with male and female characters (depending on the player character's gender) in order to benefit the player. In one instance, it's even inferred that the player sleeps with a prostitute character, Nova, when they rent a room from her. While no sexual scene is present, everything leading up to the aforementioned moment still occurs.
As any art form evolves, it becomes more abrasive so as to retain the interest of the next generation and remain viable. Popular music, for example, has grown far more primal and aggressive over the last hundred years. Each consecutive generation has its music that is generally viewed as too harsh and aggressive for the previous generation. Our grandparents listened to swing and jazz, their children rebelled with rock and punk, and our generation has even more intense music. Video games are evolving along the same lines, only much more quickly. If more realism, violence, sex, and social abrasion aren't added to the coming waves of video games, they simply won't hold the interest of gamers.
The explosion of sex and violence found in games recently won't likely storm the entire industry, however. Even though the most intense games will continue to grow a harder edge, there will always be a massive amount of more benign entertainment. Forcing everyone to view simulated gore and sex is very improbable; casual gamers will almost always gravitate to the more innocent games. Parents who monitor the games their children play are also a major factor, and having a large selection for that demographic cannot be overlooked.
Despite the increasing levels of social friction found in games, major retaliation against it will probably remain low and steady, as it has since the first bloody game and rating systems were introduced. The occasional game will likely appear that contains a disturbingly violent or explicitly sexual scene that draws massive retribution, but in reality these games are just checkpoints for what's socially allowed in games. Gamers would simply lose interest if they were left at the same level of exposure to violence and sex, just as if music remained as heavy as it was thirty years ago. Each new generation requires more stimulation in order to keep interest high, and the only way to accomplish this is to continue making games more brutal and sensual.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Desensitized
The argument has clearly been raised that in the Western world, people have become desensitized to violence due to overexposure via the mediums of film, art, and especially video games. The latter has raised the most concern because players must actively commit virtual violence against another being. When our culture is so integrated with artificial violence we must ask, are we truly numb to it?
When playing a game such as Counterstrike or Unreal Tournament, players kill each other with guns, resulting in a somewhat bloody but always immediate death. In Fallout 3 (and many other titles), things get a bit more gruesome with gibbing, exploding body parts, and slow-motion kill scenes. But again, once the deed is done, the enemy is dead and the player quickly moves on to the next thing. Violence exists in a wide variety of forms in a vast array of games- from stomping a 20-pixel Goomba in SMB1 to splattering eyeball across the screen in Fallout 3.
Despite our massive overexposure to film and game violence, we always retain the knowledge that what is happening on the screen is not real. While we have some idea of what death might look like, we are never truly prepared for if/when it occurs in the real world, in front of our eyes. For most people, witnessing violence in reality is a very disturbing experience, even though they grew up on action films and violent video games. Even witnessing a real death in a video or image will leave many folks shocked. We seldom think about all the aspects of death when we see it in a game or vaguely hear about it in the news, but when all the details are clearly present during a firsthand experience, things change for people.
This ultimately leads to the question of how far game writers will take the violence in their games. If it gets to the point of including every realistic detail of death in a game, it would likely lose a large portion of the market. For example, if in a fairly rudimentary shooting game like Counterstrike every shot resulted in anguished screaming and slow, bloody, panicked death scenes, it would simply leave too many people in shock. Of course there will be the self-proclaimed hard-asses who will find this amusing, but once the line of established, so-called "taste" in gaming violence is crossed, most people will be put off by the realism.
When playing a game such as Counterstrike or Unreal Tournament, players kill each other with guns, resulting in a somewhat bloody but always immediate death. In Fallout 3 (and many other titles), things get a bit more gruesome with gibbing, exploding body parts, and slow-motion kill scenes. But again, once the deed is done, the enemy is dead and the player quickly moves on to the next thing. Violence exists in a wide variety of forms in a vast array of games- from stomping a 20-pixel Goomba in SMB1 to splattering eyeball across the screen in Fallout 3.
Despite our massive overexposure to film and game violence, we always retain the knowledge that what is happening on the screen is not real. While we have some idea of what death might look like, we are never truly prepared for if/when it occurs in the real world, in front of our eyes. For most people, witnessing violence in reality is a very disturbing experience, even though they grew up on action films and violent video games. Even witnessing a real death in a video or image will leave many folks shocked. We seldom think about all the aspects of death when we see it in a game or vaguely hear about it in the news, but when all the details are clearly present during a firsthand experience, things change for people.
This ultimately leads to the question of how far game writers will take the violence in their games. If it gets to the point of including every realistic detail of death in a game, it would likely lose a large portion of the market. For example, if in a fairly rudimentary shooting game like Counterstrike every shot resulted in anguished screaming and slow, bloody, panicked death scenes, it would simply leave too many people in shock. Of course there will be the self-proclaimed hard-asses who will find this amusing, but once the line of established, so-called "taste" in gaming violence is crossed, most people will be put off by the realism.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Demolition City 2 Review
Demolition City 2 is a free Flash game composed by Joey Betz, produced by Armor Games and released on the Newgrounds Portal. It's yet another icon of Flash gaming simplicity and addiction, and a brilliant work of art at that.
DC2 is a physics-based demolition game. The player's role is that of a demolition expert set out to complete missions for various contractors. In the game, there are five different "worlds" of buildings to demolish, each new world more challenging than the last. After each building demolition, the player earns money to purchase more equipment to facilitate easier destruction of new obstacles.
The "buildings" in each level are composed of straight beams of various substances (wood, stone, metal, etc.) set up into a two-dimensional standing pattern. In each demolition, the player has a limited number of "Dynamite Points" that they need to use strategically in order to demolish the building. The number of points allotted per demolition varies from building to building depending on its size and difficulty. Upon demolition, the resulting pile of beams and stones needs to rest beneath a certain height in order to pass the level. Even if one stray beam or girder touches past the maximum height, the level needs to be replayed.
As progress is made in the game and more money is earned, new explosive devices can be purchased that are sometimes required to pass future levels. Each new device uses up more Dynamite Points per application; for example, a three-pack of dynamite uses three points, and an RDX Steel Cutter uses ten points. The strategy lies in determining what devices to use where in the building to bring it down the most efficiently.
The system that determines how much money is earned from each demolition is pretty straightfoward. Every building demolition starts off with a contract price. That is, if you reduce it to below the maximum height, you get the contract money. Bonuses are awarded for the distance you go below the max height; the lower it goes, the bigger the bonus. Extra cash can also be aquired by using less than the maximum number of Dynamite Points to bring down the building. However, on many demolitions there are extraneous objects placed near or within the buildings. If any part of the building touches that object, it will be destroyed, and a large portion of your earnings will be lost.
The graphics of the game are stellar for a Flash game- typical of the high-quality games and movies released by Armor Games. As is required for this type of game, the physics are very accurate and this added realism adds some very real challenge in bringing the buildings down. The overall nature of the game is comical and cartoonish; for example, the first world is a Wild West-type scenario where the cowboys want you to blow up the banks and houses to make room for more gunfighting. Game sound is interesting and equally animated- instead of explosion sounds, a cymbal crash occurs for every dynamite blast. The background music can get a bit repetitive and annoying, but it was a good choice for the overall feel of the game.
DC2 can be extremely challenging for such a simple premise, especially when it comes to avoiding the money-draining extraneous objects placed around some of the buildings. There are numerous ways to complete each demolition puzzle, which lends to the game's replayability and challenge. Because of the game's accurate physics, there can be a few interesting gameplay features. Placing the explosives is only half the challenge; the other half is coordinating the falling action of the bulding components so they have the "domino effect" on other beams. There are a number of both right and wrong answers to the demolitions, so no two people will play through the game the same way. One interesting glitch of the physics engine is that often times the exact explosives placement will have a slightly different effect each time- sometimes it will bring the building down, and sometimes it won't. To me, this only adds to the realism of the physics and contributes to the gameplay experience, but for others it may be viewed as a source of vexation when trying to topple the structures.
While triple-A titles may have the largest sales figures and fanbase, the backbone of the gaming world is composed of simple, addicting, widely-available games that can keep people glued to a screen for hours. Some of the most interesting in this field are the freely-available indie games created by the scores of Flash artists at Newgrounds.com, and Demolition City 2 is no exception. The premise and feel of the game is friendly and simple, but the gameplay is challenging and highly addicting. Having an excellent physics simulation and high replayability value certainly elevate the game above the rest. Ultimately, DC2 suits its niche perfectly as an engaging and simple puzzle game that's free for anyone who has access to the Internet and an hour or two to spare.
9/10
DC2 is a physics-based demolition game. The player's role is that of a demolition expert set out to complete missions for various contractors. In the game, there are five different "worlds" of buildings to demolish, each new world more challenging than the last. After each building demolition, the player earns money to purchase more equipment to facilitate easier destruction of new obstacles.
The "buildings" in each level are composed of straight beams of various substances (wood, stone, metal, etc.) set up into a two-dimensional standing pattern. In each demolition, the player has a limited number of "Dynamite Points" that they need to use strategically in order to demolish the building. The number of points allotted per demolition varies from building to building depending on its size and difficulty. Upon demolition, the resulting pile of beams and stones needs to rest beneath a certain height in order to pass the level. Even if one stray beam or girder touches past the maximum height, the level needs to be replayed.
As progress is made in the game and more money is earned, new explosive devices can be purchased that are sometimes required to pass future levels. Each new device uses up more Dynamite Points per application; for example, a three-pack of dynamite uses three points, and an RDX Steel Cutter uses ten points. The strategy lies in determining what devices to use where in the building to bring it down the most efficiently.
The system that determines how much money is earned from each demolition is pretty straightfoward. Every building demolition starts off with a contract price. That is, if you reduce it to below the maximum height, you get the contract money. Bonuses are awarded for the distance you go below the max height; the lower it goes, the bigger the bonus. Extra cash can also be aquired by using less than the maximum number of Dynamite Points to bring down the building. However, on many demolitions there are extraneous objects placed near or within the buildings. If any part of the building touches that object, it will be destroyed, and a large portion of your earnings will be lost.
The graphics of the game are stellar for a Flash game- typical of the high-quality games and movies released by Armor Games. As is required for this type of game, the physics are very accurate and this added realism adds some very real challenge in bringing the buildings down. The overall nature of the game is comical and cartoonish; for example, the first world is a Wild West-type scenario where the cowboys want you to blow up the banks and houses to make room for more gunfighting. Game sound is interesting and equally animated- instead of explosion sounds, a cymbal crash occurs for every dynamite blast. The background music can get a bit repetitive and annoying, but it was a good choice for the overall feel of the game.
DC2 can be extremely challenging for such a simple premise, especially when it comes to avoiding the money-draining extraneous objects placed around some of the buildings. There are numerous ways to complete each demolition puzzle, which lends to the game's replayability and challenge. Because of the game's accurate physics, there can be a few interesting gameplay features. Placing the explosives is only half the challenge; the other half is coordinating the falling action of the bulding components so they have the "domino effect" on other beams. There are a number of both right and wrong answers to the demolitions, so no two people will play through the game the same way. One interesting glitch of the physics engine is that often times the exact explosives placement will have a slightly different effect each time- sometimes it will bring the building down, and sometimes it won't. To me, this only adds to the realism of the physics and contributes to the gameplay experience, but for others it may be viewed as a source of vexation when trying to topple the structures.
While triple-A titles may have the largest sales figures and fanbase, the backbone of the gaming world is composed of simple, addicting, widely-available games that can keep people glued to a screen for hours. Some of the most interesting in this field are the freely-available indie games created by the scores of Flash artists at Newgrounds.com, and Demolition City 2 is no exception. The premise and feel of the game is friendly and simple, but the gameplay is challenging and highly addicting. Having an excellent physics simulation and high replayability value certainly elevate the game above the rest. Ultimately, DC2 suits its niche perfectly as an engaging and simple puzzle game that's free for anyone who has access to the Internet and an hour or two to spare.
9/10
Monday, October 26, 2009
Genre
While it is important to recognize a game for what it offers to the player, sometimes the act of tossing games into uber-specific categories can get a little out of hand. It is true that games require some sort of label in order to notify the consumer of what they're getting themselves into. However, the art of video games is so dynamic that attempting to form-fit every game to a certain pre-set genre is both impossible and ridiculous. In fact, the same scenario rings true with most forms of art, especially music. The term "metal" just can't serve as the same ballpark for two bands like, say, Led Zeppelin and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Conversely, getting too deep with nomenclature can be just as troublesome, as one can ultimately come up with as many genre classes as there are games to fill them.
The "casual-for-hardcore" article by James Portnow touched on an interesting subject- the creation of casual games intended for a hardcore audience. According to his ideas, there needs to be a new range of reduced-pace games made available to the hardcore gaming community, as the current slew of casual games are unappealing to this group. To me, this seems to draw too many senselessly-fine lines. How does one determine what is too casual or not casual enough for a range of audiences? "Now introducing new, improved, plus-sized mediocrity!" There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of "casual" games for hardcore gamers to burn time with, ranging from the mind-numbing to the slightly entrancing (remember, it's casual games we're discussing- nothing too rough). The creation of another subset of casual games would only serve to complicate an area where complexity certainly isn't needed or wanted.
In short, genres themselves should be used in a casual sense when referring to games, or any art form . Over-use with the intent to distinguish one group of games is senseless, but without a system of classification, nobody would know what they were getting in to when they purchased games. One solution would be to devise a new system of genre-labeling that used a more descriptive form, such as a sentence instead of one or two words. This would allow for much greater flexibility; however, many folks would feel the resistance of losing their rudimentary system. Until something new comes by, games will continue to be forced into poorly-fitting genre classes or singled out in obscurely-created subgroups.
The "casual-for-hardcore" article by James Portnow touched on an interesting subject- the creation of casual games intended for a hardcore audience. According to his ideas, there needs to be a new range of reduced-pace games made available to the hardcore gaming community, as the current slew of casual games are unappealing to this group. To me, this seems to draw too many senselessly-fine lines. How does one determine what is too casual or not casual enough for a range of audiences? "Now introducing new, improved, plus-sized mediocrity!" There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of "casual" games for hardcore gamers to burn time with, ranging from the mind-numbing to the slightly entrancing (remember, it's casual games we're discussing- nothing too rough). The creation of another subset of casual games would only serve to complicate an area where complexity certainly isn't needed or wanted.
In short, genres themselves should be used in a casual sense when referring to games, or any art form . Over-use with the intent to distinguish one group of games is senseless, but without a system of classification, nobody would know what they were getting in to when they purchased games. One solution would be to devise a new system of genre-labeling that used a more descriptive form, such as a sentence instead of one or two words. This would allow for much greater flexibility; however, many folks would feel the resistance of losing their rudimentary system. Until something new comes by, games will continue to be forced into poorly-fitting genre classes or singled out in obscurely-created subgroups.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Andale
It was the middle of the night, and the Capital Wasteland was eerily quiet. The moonlit rocks and ruins held no cause for vexation for me that night as I made my way down the broken concrete trail. After walking southwest of Vault 101 for quite some time, I hadn't encountered a single Talon Company unit, renegade robot, or Deathclaw- a blessing, as my health was very low and I was without food or Stimpacks. My Reservist Rifle was in good repair, but I had very little ammunition to get by on, and had no wish to stand up against the Talon Company with nothing but five bullets, a knife, and dumb luck.
After slinking through the rocky darkness for a good long while, I peered through the scope of my rifle into the distance. Looking to the south and east, I saw nothing but more broken waste and a few Mirelurks shuffling through the brush. To avoid an unfortunate encounter with the cycloptic crustaceans, I decided to continue west and see what existed ahead. With my luck it would probably be an entire nest of Deathclaws, but I ultimately decided that something so disturbing couldn't possibly exist out here.
Whilst cresting the next hill, I saw rooftops begin to crest in the chasm below. My Pip-Boy quickly identified what was left of the D.C. suburb as Andale. It was still dark, but through my rifle scope I determined the town to be deserted- perhaps populated by a Raider or two, at the worst. I crept slowly down the hill and into the remains of the village's main street, seeing nothing that constituted a threat. However, with my health and ammunition running as low as it was, I decided it would be wise to tear the place down in search of loot. Before I could proceed into any of the houses, though, something strange caught my attention. Between two of the houses on the main street stood what appeared to be a small tool shed. It seemed rather unassuming, but I felt compelled to search it first, as it might have contained some really useful equipment.
Upon approaching the door, I discovered it was locked- very locked. Someone had clearly stored something here that was not meant to be discovered. And with my stellar lockpicking skills, I felt compelled to reassign ownership of whatever was so carefully secured within. As the lock's tumbler moved and the door creaked open, I was confronted with a grizzly scene.
From wall to wall inside the shed, dismembered, half-consumed bodies were strewn about on the floor, hung from hooks, and stuffed into bags. There was a workbench that ran along the far wall; it itself was stacked with body parts, bone saws, chainsaws, and other evidence of sadism and torture. Several refrigerators stood next to the bench, and I felt no desire to discover the contents. After regaining my composure, it took little effort to turn around and escape the box of gore.
As I shut the door behind me and gazed out into the open air, I soon realized was also gazing into the barrels of several firearms and the eyes of angry humans. They made it immediately obvious to me that they were responsible for the contents of the shed, and were quite ready to mix my body into the Shed Stew. Fortunately, these folks didn't appear to be the brightest and I readily convinced them that I too was a cannibal and simply grabbing a snack. While this saved me from certain death, it didn't save them from my contempt for their behavior. They bantered on about being the last great American town in the country, and how they did all they could to uphold American values. The two families existing there- the Smiths and the Wilsons- made their living from deaths of passers by, and made mention of a "crazy" older relative living nearby. After the situation had quieted, they returned to their homes and I was confronted with an even worse conundrum. What was I to do about this? To leave the situation unchecked would result in scores of future deaths, but could I really bring myself to execute two whole families?
I ran to what I believed to be the house of the mentioned relative, and I assumed correctly. If they didn't like him, it was probably because he was the only one with any sense. Upon entering the house, I was immediately greeted by a man who introduced himself as Harris. He was absolutely terrified of what went on in the town, and feared that he might be next on his own family's menu. After speaking to him about the condition of the village, I decided the best course of action would be to quickly, quietly, and painlessly dispatch the adults of each family and put the children into the care of Harris. Such a thing would be an emotionally daunting task, but change was needed. For their sake, it would be best for the children to grow up in a healthy environment with Harris as opposed to with their demented, cannibalistic parents. The gravity of what truly needed to be done began to weigh down on me.
It was about two thirty in the morning, and all of Andale's citizens had returned to bed. A calm, peaceful silence had fallen upon the town. Every star was visible in the cloudless, early-morning sky; moonlight danced softly on the hills and rocks surrounding the village.
Drawing my knife, I stepped into the Wilson house.
After slinking through the rocky darkness for a good long while, I peered through the scope of my rifle into the distance. Looking to the south and east, I saw nothing but more broken waste and a few Mirelurks shuffling through the brush. To avoid an unfortunate encounter with the cycloptic crustaceans, I decided to continue west and see what existed ahead. With my luck it would probably be an entire nest of Deathclaws, but I ultimately decided that something so disturbing couldn't possibly exist out here.
Whilst cresting the next hill, I saw rooftops begin to crest in the chasm below. My Pip-Boy quickly identified what was left of the D.C. suburb as Andale. It was still dark, but through my rifle scope I determined the town to be deserted- perhaps populated by a Raider or two, at the worst. I crept slowly down the hill and into the remains of the village's main street, seeing nothing that constituted a threat. However, with my health and ammunition running as low as it was, I decided it would be wise to tear the place down in search of loot. Before I could proceed into any of the houses, though, something strange caught my attention. Between two of the houses on the main street stood what appeared to be a small tool shed. It seemed rather unassuming, but I felt compelled to search it first, as it might have contained some really useful equipment.
Upon approaching the door, I discovered it was locked- very locked. Someone had clearly stored something here that was not meant to be discovered. And with my stellar lockpicking skills, I felt compelled to reassign ownership of whatever was so carefully secured within. As the lock's tumbler moved and the door creaked open, I was confronted with a grizzly scene.
From wall to wall inside the shed, dismembered, half-consumed bodies were strewn about on the floor, hung from hooks, and stuffed into bags. There was a workbench that ran along the far wall; it itself was stacked with body parts, bone saws, chainsaws, and other evidence of sadism and torture. Several refrigerators stood next to the bench, and I felt no desire to discover the contents. After regaining my composure, it took little effort to turn around and escape the box of gore.
As I shut the door behind me and gazed out into the open air, I soon realized was also gazing into the barrels of several firearms and the eyes of angry humans. They made it immediately obvious to me that they were responsible for the contents of the shed, and were quite ready to mix my body into the Shed Stew. Fortunately, these folks didn't appear to be the brightest and I readily convinced them that I too was a cannibal and simply grabbing a snack. While this saved me from certain death, it didn't save them from my contempt for their behavior. They bantered on about being the last great American town in the country, and how they did all they could to uphold American values. The two families existing there- the Smiths and the Wilsons- made their living from deaths of passers by, and made mention of a "crazy" older relative living nearby. After the situation had quieted, they returned to their homes and I was confronted with an even worse conundrum. What was I to do about this? To leave the situation unchecked would result in scores of future deaths, but could I really bring myself to execute two whole families?
I ran to what I believed to be the house of the mentioned relative, and I assumed correctly. If they didn't like him, it was probably because he was the only one with any sense. Upon entering the house, I was immediately greeted by a man who introduced himself as Harris. He was absolutely terrified of what went on in the town, and feared that he might be next on his own family's menu. After speaking to him about the condition of the village, I decided the best course of action would be to quickly, quietly, and painlessly dispatch the adults of each family and put the children into the care of Harris. Such a thing would be an emotionally daunting task, but change was needed. For their sake, it would be best for the children to grow up in a healthy environment with Harris as opposed to with their demented, cannibalistic parents. The gravity of what truly needed to be done began to weigh down on me.
It was about two thirty in the morning, and all of Andale's citizens had returned to bed. A calm, peaceful silence had fallen upon the town. Every star was visible in the cloudless, early-morning sky; moonlight danced softly on the hills and rocks surrounding the village.
Drawing my knife, I stepped into the Wilson house.
Monday, October 19, 2009
MMORPG's and Addiction
Even though I've never personally played an MMORPG, I have been injuriously addicted to a game in the past. While World of Warcraft was still being developed, the addictive-game geniuses at Blizzard already had Diablo II: LoD on the market, and I was completely obsessed. I would sit at the computer for every available hour, pausing only for school, food, and sleep. One whole summer, several breaks, and countless weekends were annihilated in the name of level grinding and item scavenging- the next best thing was never enough. It was only when I took a look at what I'd become did I get truly frustrated with myself and deleted the game from my PC. Though I still occasionally play games, I've taken my experience with Diablo II as a negative one and will never allow myself to be that drawn into a game again. I hold nothing against Diablo; it's a fantastic piece of artwork in its own right, but the way I ultimately ended up playing it was very unhealthy.
Although I've dodged the bullet of MMORPG gaming addiction, many of my friends have fallen hard for World of Warcraft. Several are completely consumed; they must be torn away from their computers to simply hang out for a few hours. When the choice between getting coffee with me or going on a raid in WoW comes into question, the answer is always obvious. To these guys, the real world is nothing more than a support system for their physical bodies to continue playing a game in a world created by someone else. As is obvious, I have a bit of a grudge against those who can't respect the real world and choose to spend all their energy on something fruitless.
Sol Invictus' article really hit home with me, as he describes what it's like to go from being completely addicted back to the world of normal function. Being totally absorbed by a game isn't healthy or productive on any level; as he said, gaming shouldn't cut into everyday functioning. The article Bad Crazy in Internet Space hit on this point as well, mentioning gamers going out of their way in real life to conquer achievements and complete missions in EVE. They'd skip work, lose sleep, and generally allow themselves to deteriorate over longs spans of time to simply progress in the game. He also mentioned certain players spending huge sums of money and committing crimes to get an edge. In short, gaming should be a pleasurable form of entertainment, not a place to hide from reality.
Although I've dodged the bullet of MMORPG gaming addiction, many of my friends have fallen hard for World of Warcraft. Several are completely consumed; they must be torn away from their computers to simply hang out for a few hours. When the choice between getting coffee with me or going on a raid in WoW comes into question, the answer is always obvious. To these guys, the real world is nothing more than a support system for their physical bodies to continue playing a game in a world created by someone else. As is obvious, I have a bit of a grudge against those who can't respect the real world and choose to spend all their energy on something fruitless.
Sol Invictus' article really hit home with me, as he describes what it's like to go from being completely addicted back to the world of normal function. Being totally absorbed by a game isn't healthy or productive on any level; as he said, gaming shouldn't cut into everyday functioning. The article Bad Crazy in Internet Space hit on this point as well, mentioning gamers going out of their way in real life to conquer achievements and complete missions in EVE. They'd skip work, lose sleep, and generally allow themselves to deteriorate over longs spans of time to simply progress in the game. He also mentioned certain players spending huge sums of money and committing crimes to get an edge. In short, gaming should be a pleasurable form of entertainment, not a place to hide from reality.
Monday, October 12, 2009
New Games Journalism
Kieron Gillen's 2004 blog was really interesting; it gave solid examples of the direction that gaming journalism needed to go. Simple buyer's guides and so-called "objective" critiques still have an audience, but writing needed to advance in a way which the writer merged himself with his critique in a unique narrative setting. This method would even prove interesting to the non-gaming community, as it relates a personal story as opposed to a blow-by-blow breakdown of the mechanical aspects of a game. It's an ideal method to move games journalism from the world of reporting to the realm of narrative in order to describe the art of a game. The injection of a personal storyline into game investigation would have numerous benefits in countless situations, ranging from a better connection with the current audience whilst drawing in a larger audience that normally wouldn't have considered the game.
L.B. Jeffries' evaluation of Gillen's ideas touched on many important points; although New Games Journalism is a revolutionary means to change the face of gaming criticism, it isn't meant to be used in every situation. As he stated, it's only really effective for relaying a unique game experience, such as an epic multiplayer event. To describe the same gaming event experienced by everyone during a single-player adventure would be downright lame, so in order to keep things interesting, it'd be best if New Games Journalism tactics were only applied to unique and epic situations, such as the Jedi Knight II battle described by Always Black.
The Problem with Games Journalism article really kicked the pretentious game writers off their horses. While writers like that will always exist, it is important to remember the target audience when working for a periodical. In this case, the readers aren't looking for advanced composition and complex language, they simply want to know the in's and out's of a certain game, and whether or not they should spend money on it. This isn't to say that good writing skills aren't appreciated- this certainly isn't true, and good form is always the best means to convey an idea. Leveling yourself with the audience to get the point across will always be the best method.
L.B. Jeffries' evaluation of Gillen's ideas touched on many important points; although New Games Journalism is a revolutionary means to change the face of gaming criticism, it isn't meant to be used in every situation. As he stated, it's only really effective for relaying a unique game experience, such as an epic multiplayer event. To describe the same gaming event experienced by everyone during a single-player adventure would be downright lame, so in order to keep things interesting, it'd be best if New Games Journalism tactics were only applied to unique and epic situations, such as the Jedi Knight II battle described by Always Black.
The Problem with Games Journalism article really kicked the pretentious game writers off their horses. While writers like that will always exist, it is important to remember the target audience when working for a periodical. In this case, the readers aren't looking for advanced composition and complex language, they simply want to know the in's and out's of a certain game, and whether or not they should spend money on it. This isn't to say that good writing skills aren't appreciated- this certainly isn't true, and good form is always the best means to convey an idea. Leveling yourself with the audience to get the point across will always be the best method.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Art and Gaming
Before determining whether or not games should be considered "art", we first need to identify the established arts which gaming will be classified alongside. Music, theater, literature, film, and painting/visual still-art are the major mediums, and within these forms, it can be said that there is no "better" amongst them. Any judgment is left strictly to opinion, because no form of art is intrinsically better than the others.
The purposes of art are massively varied; it can relay a story, invoke emotional responses, exist as a social or political commentary, or even serve to critique art itself. Once it is established that the function of music, theater, literature, film, and visual arts is to fulfill these purposes, we can argue that games can and do satisfy the requirements to be considered "art".
With most games, gameplay is the same from person to person, hour to hour. Every person that plays Half Life 2 must solve the same puzzles, defeat the same foes, and aquire the same weapons and vehicles to proceed toward the end. This applies to a large portion games throughout history- Super Mario Brothers, Mega Man, Goldeneye 007, Bioshock, and many others. In the same breath, though, most other art forms use the same formula- everyone reads the same words in a novel, sees the same colors in a painting, hears the same notes in a symphony. It's a matter of storytelling done on scales ranging from the simple to the complex. Haiku to novel, Warhol to DeVinci, Fugazi to Beethoven, Mario to Bioshock. With gaming done in this style, a story is being conveyed along the lines of an interactive element. The same story could easily be put in the form of a directly written narrative and still be considered original art, so to argue that an interactively-progressed story isn't art would be absurd.
The other half of the gaming world has a much less direct approach to telling a story; such games fall under the categories of real-time strategies and role-playing games. With these modes, no two people will experience the game the same way. The writers of the game provide an environment, some tools, some boundaries, and launch you headfirst into it (quite literally in the case of Fallout 3). From then on, all gameplay choices are left up to the discretion of the player. In some cases, there isn't even a story present- for example, in Age of Empires II, you can pit the Celts against the Aztecs in an online free-for-all. Even if a story-mode is selected, the choices are so vast that a map never plays out the same way twice, in a very similar fashion to a game of chess. With a first-person RPG like Fallout 3, the possibilities are equally endless. You can spend hours finding every enemy and weapon in the game, or you can trounce through the main plot quickly and only use what you need to complete the main storyline. With games like these, gameplay is three-dimensional as opposed to the linear-style games mentioned above. This format places the "art" in the hands of both the creator and player, as the author of the game will compose a world and and some rules, while the player decides what happens from that point forward.
Besides being a work of art in and of themselves, games provide a means of employing several art forms through a single medium. A higher-end game's musical score and voice acting play a major role in the perceieved effect, as do the visual elements and (possibly) intended realism. By looking at it this way, video games combine all of the art forms described earlier into a single compelling experience. Narrative, theater, music, and visual art are all equally important to a game released today. However, while this characteristic makes a game more viable on today's market, that in no way means that older, less aesthetically-appealing games aren't art. They were cutting edge for the time, and although things have improved they're still a solid piece of art. Some of those 8-bit music scores are nothing to scoff at!
Games are the next big push into the field of widely-accepted art, whether people like it or not. While many may consider gaming "low art" or even trash, one must consider the amount of dishonest, unoriginal trash found in the realms of music, film, and literature. Does said trash negate the entire field to which it belongs? Certainly not. With gaming, it's simply a newcomer to the world of art, and it's biggest challenge is to break through the notion of simply being entertainment into being culturally equal to film, music, etc. Games have already reached a point of being able to tug on emotions, tell stories, and critique society and the world. The point of breakthrough has come, and it's high time for gaming to leave its niche and find its way to the rest of the non-gaming world.
The purposes of art are massively varied; it can relay a story, invoke emotional responses, exist as a social or political commentary, or even serve to critique art itself. Once it is established that the function of music, theater, literature, film, and visual arts is to fulfill these purposes, we can argue that games can and do satisfy the requirements to be considered "art".
With most games, gameplay is the same from person to person, hour to hour. Every person that plays Half Life 2 must solve the same puzzles, defeat the same foes, and aquire the same weapons and vehicles to proceed toward the end. This applies to a large portion games throughout history- Super Mario Brothers, Mega Man, Goldeneye 007, Bioshock, and many others. In the same breath, though, most other art forms use the same formula- everyone reads the same words in a novel, sees the same colors in a painting, hears the same notes in a symphony. It's a matter of storytelling done on scales ranging from the simple to the complex. Haiku to novel, Warhol to DeVinci, Fugazi to Beethoven, Mario to Bioshock. With gaming done in this style, a story is being conveyed along the lines of an interactive element. The same story could easily be put in the form of a directly written narrative and still be considered original art, so to argue that an interactively-progressed story isn't art would be absurd.
The other half of the gaming world has a much less direct approach to telling a story; such games fall under the categories of real-time strategies and role-playing games. With these modes, no two people will experience the game the same way. The writers of the game provide an environment, some tools, some boundaries, and launch you headfirst into it (quite literally in the case of Fallout 3). From then on, all gameplay choices are left up to the discretion of the player. In some cases, there isn't even a story present- for example, in Age of Empires II, you can pit the Celts against the Aztecs in an online free-for-all. Even if a story-mode is selected, the choices are so vast that a map never plays out the same way twice, in a very similar fashion to a game of chess. With a first-person RPG like Fallout 3, the possibilities are equally endless. You can spend hours finding every enemy and weapon in the game, or you can trounce through the main plot quickly and only use what you need to complete the main storyline. With games like these, gameplay is three-dimensional as opposed to the linear-style games mentioned above. This format places the "art" in the hands of both the creator and player, as the author of the game will compose a world and and some rules, while the player decides what happens from that point forward.
Besides being a work of art in and of themselves, games provide a means of employing several art forms through a single medium. A higher-end game's musical score and voice acting play a major role in the perceieved effect, as do the visual elements and (possibly) intended realism. By looking at it this way, video games combine all of the art forms described earlier into a single compelling experience. Narrative, theater, music, and visual art are all equally important to a game released today. However, while this characteristic makes a game more viable on today's market, that in no way means that older, less aesthetically-appealing games aren't art. They were cutting edge for the time, and although things have improved they're still a solid piece of art. Some of those 8-bit music scores are nothing to scoff at!
Games are the next big push into the field of widely-accepted art, whether people like it or not. While many may consider gaming "low art" or even trash, one must consider the amount of dishonest, unoriginal trash found in the realms of music, film, and literature. Does said trash negate the entire field to which it belongs? Certainly not. With gaming, it's simply a newcomer to the world of art, and it's biggest challenge is to break through the notion of simply being entertainment into being culturally equal to film, music, etc. Games have already reached a point of being able to tug on emotions, tell stories, and critique society and the world. The point of breakthrough has come, and it's high time for gaming to leave its niche and find its way to the rest of the non-gaming world.
Monday, October 5, 2009
One With the Game
The bond between gamer and game runs deep, like the connection between old lady and soap opera. Players leave this plane to find themselves in a completely new world where they have input via sight and sound, as well as control over their surroundings and surrogate character. This leads to a strong integration with the imaginary task at hand, and players tend to find themselves completely swept away from reality.
"A Fool in Morrowind" was very interesting; it kind of pointed in the direction of "prose-gaming". It was almost like a fanfiction, except he was simply turning his actions in the game into a first-person narrative. Another cool aspect was that he incorporated even the unintentional gaming mistakes into his narrative, such as losing his pants and getting fined for attacking a horse. Although his story greatly leaned toward the humorous, it accurately depicted what happens in the game from a combined player/character perspective. That is, he's taking it seriously as though he was living the game, but injecting the sarcastic attitude a player would have toward a game's less-than-perfect elements. Good ol' Morgan Freeman.
Having never played KOTOR, John Walker's article put me into many of the ethical scenarios I faced when playing Fallout 3. It's downright painful to support the Slavers, assist Tenpenny, or blow up Megaton! Even though "it's just a game" and the characters can tend to be far from real, a choice is still a choice whether it has real-world or imaginary consequences, and going against your own moral grain can be uncomfortably abrasive. I was even relieved after receiving the Animal Friend perk so I wouldn't have to kill any more innocent critters, quelling my aching vegetarian ethic.
The article regarding a player's triumph over racism and evil via online gameplay was very compelling. It showed a person tackling a real-world issue through the means of a game with stakes involved- thirty minutes of life waiting for a respawn. He faced a completely unknown, faceless enemy that dealt the race card fervently, but he remained collected for the entire session and managed to bring down his attacker. The victory was highly personal and meant far more to him than a simple random encounter online.
"A Fool in Morrowind" was very interesting; it kind of pointed in the direction of "prose-gaming". It was almost like a fanfiction, except he was simply turning his actions in the game into a first-person narrative. Another cool aspect was that he incorporated even the unintentional gaming mistakes into his narrative, such as losing his pants and getting fined for attacking a horse. Although his story greatly leaned toward the humorous, it accurately depicted what happens in the game from a combined player/character perspective. That is, he's taking it seriously as though he was living the game, but injecting the sarcastic attitude a player would have toward a game's less-than-perfect elements. Good ol' Morgan Freeman.
Having never played KOTOR, John Walker's article put me into many of the ethical scenarios I faced when playing Fallout 3. It's downright painful to support the Slavers, assist Tenpenny, or blow up Megaton! Even though "it's just a game" and the characters can tend to be far from real, a choice is still a choice whether it has real-world or imaginary consequences, and going against your own moral grain can be uncomfortably abrasive. I was even relieved after receiving the Animal Friend perk so I wouldn't have to kill any more innocent critters, quelling my aching vegetarian ethic.
The article regarding a player's triumph over racism and evil via online gameplay was very compelling. It showed a person tackling a real-world issue through the means of a game with stakes involved- thirty minutes of life waiting for a respawn. He faced a completely unknown, faceless enemy that dealt the race card fervently, but he remained collected for the entire session and managed to bring down his attacker. The victory was highly personal and meant far more to him than a simple random encounter online.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Fallout 3: Broken Steel DLC Review
Nobody wants a good thing to end, especially after doing that good thing for scores of hours. When I finally completed Fallout 3, that was exactly what happened. Game over; no more to be said or done. Even after completing the final quest of the central storyline, the game simply ends and your only option to continue exploring the Capitol Wasteland was to restore a save point prior to the final quest. When the Broken Steel DLC was released in May of 2009, all of that changed.
Broken Steel is an extension of the main storyline, picking up after The Lone Wander restarts Project Purity and appears to die due to radiation sickness. After the ending credits roll, you wake up in the infirmary of the Citadel and from then on are given several lengthy and challenging new quests intended to wipe out the remaining Enclave concentrations. In addition to the extended central quest, three new side quests are thrown in for flavor, as well as scads of new armor, weapons, enemies, and Perks to spice things up. One of the more important modifications is a level cap increase from 20 to 30, which you'll most certainly need to survive the extended main quest. The massive amounts of Enclave thrown at you will grind away at your health at lower levels, so an increased level cap is almost essential to complete the game.
I found Broken Steel to be refreshing and exciting in all the right ways. The enhanced storyline doesn't show any continuity errors, and the new quests were plenty challenging- swarms of Enclave troops and Vertibirds made staying alive a daunting task. However, the greatest aspects of Broken Steel are in the smaller details, as they spark an entirely new life into the open-world, free-time nature of the game. The added weapons and armor were very cool; the Tesla Cannon blew Vertibirds out of the sky whilst the new Enclave Hellfire armor gave the T51-B a run for it's money as far as being the best armor in the game. Other new weapons included a slew of flamethrowers, the Tribeam Laser Rifle, and the unique Callahan's Magnum. Powerful enemies were added to the Wasteland to assist in burning through your ammo supplies, such as the obscenely-strong Super Mutant Overlords, Albino Radscorpions, and Feral Ghoul Reavers. Purified Water is also abundant upon reactivating Project Purity; the fresh water can be found in the Potomac River and in the form of new water bottles labeled "Aqua Pura". This makes for readily-available health, which you'll most certainly need after being set on fire multiple times by the new Enclave Hellfire Troopers. One very cool new item even allows you to take control of Enclave-secured Deathclaws, turning the fearsome beasts against their captors. My personal favorite add-on to the game was simply the ability to keep exploring the Wasteland after completing the last of the new quests, instead of ending the game indefinitely. This adds a lot to the ability to play around with the new items and wreak havoc on the ever-respawning Feral Ghouls and Super Mutants. Also, many Enclave outposts can be found randomly throughout the Wasteland, often times full of Hellfire Troops and captive Deathclaws to provide bursts of experience points, items, and outright challenge.
Despite adding a whole new dimension to Fallout 3, Broken Steel isn't without its downsides. The new main quests add about seven or eight hours to the game, and keep it interesting all the while. Alongside that, only three brief side quests are added- two involving toppling corrupt cult followings, and one requiring the player to protect Aqua Pura supply trains. I feel as though more could have easily been tacked on in terms of side-quests, as these are probably the most entertaining elements of the game. They're often more colorful than challenging, as the main challenges tend to be reserved for the main quest. Also, the micro-stories and new characters involved are very interesting despite having little to do with the game's main quest. In all, more playability and captured interest could be retained if more side-quests were involved in the release of Broken Steel.
Even though it was a little on the short side, I felt that Broken Steel totally rejuvenated the Fallout 3 experience. By simply stepping up the level cap and throwing in a slew of new quests, items, and enemies, and allowing for infinite play-time in the Wasteland, the game was most certainly revived and brought back to life. It's very challenging and interesting, and plenty of skill is required to slog your way through scores of mutants and Enclave alike. I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking to pick up Fallout 3 for a second time and tie up any loose ends, or simply beat around the Wasteland and pester the Super Mutants. Good job, Bethesda.
9/10
Broken Steel is an extension of the main storyline, picking up after The Lone Wander restarts Project Purity and appears to die due to radiation sickness. After the ending credits roll, you wake up in the infirmary of the Citadel and from then on are given several lengthy and challenging new quests intended to wipe out the remaining Enclave concentrations. In addition to the extended central quest, three new side quests are thrown in for flavor, as well as scads of new armor, weapons, enemies, and Perks to spice things up. One of the more important modifications is a level cap increase from 20 to 30, which you'll most certainly need to survive the extended main quest. The massive amounts of Enclave thrown at you will grind away at your health at lower levels, so an increased level cap is almost essential to complete the game.
I found Broken Steel to be refreshing and exciting in all the right ways. The enhanced storyline doesn't show any continuity errors, and the new quests were plenty challenging- swarms of Enclave troops and Vertibirds made staying alive a daunting task. However, the greatest aspects of Broken Steel are in the smaller details, as they spark an entirely new life into the open-world, free-time nature of the game. The added weapons and armor were very cool; the Tesla Cannon blew Vertibirds out of the sky whilst the new Enclave Hellfire armor gave the T51-B a run for it's money as far as being the best armor in the game. Other new weapons included a slew of flamethrowers, the Tribeam Laser Rifle, and the unique Callahan's Magnum. Powerful enemies were added to the Wasteland to assist in burning through your ammo supplies, such as the obscenely-strong Super Mutant Overlords, Albino Radscorpions, and Feral Ghoul Reavers. Purified Water is also abundant upon reactivating Project Purity; the fresh water can be found in the Potomac River and in the form of new water bottles labeled "Aqua Pura". This makes for readily-available health, which you'll most certainly need after being set on fire multiple times by the new Enclave Hellfire Troopers. One very cool new item even allows you to take control of Enclave-secured Deathclaws, turning the fearsome beasts against their captors. My personal favorite add-on to the game was simply the ability to keep exploring the Wasteland after completing the last of the new quests, instead of ending the game indefinitely. This adds a lot to the ability to play around with the new items and wreak havoc on the ever-respawning Feral Ghouls and Super Mutants. Also, many Enclave outposts can be found randomly throughout the Wasteland, often times full of Hellfire Troops and captive Deathclaws to provide bursts of experience points, items, and outright challenge.
Despite adding a whole new dimension to Fallout 3, Broken Steel isn't without its downsides. The new main quests add about seven or eight hours to the game, and keep it interesting all the while. Alongside that, only three brief side quests are added- two involving toppling corrupt cult followings, and one requiring the player to protect Aqua Pura supply trains. I feel as though more could have easily been tacked on in terms of side-quests, as these are probably the most entertaining elements of the game. They're often more colorful than challenging, as the main challenges tend to be reserved for the main quest. Also, the micro-stories and new characters involved are very interesting despite having little to do with the game's main quest. In all, more playability and captured interest could be retained if more side-quests were involved in the release of Broken Steel.
Even though it was a little on the short side, I felt that Broken Steel totally rejuvenated the Fallout 3 experience. By simply stepping up the level cap and throwing in a slew of new quests, items, and enemies, and allowing for infinite play-time in the Wasteland, the game was most certainly revived and brought back to life. It's very challenging and interesting, and plenty of skill is required to slog your way through scores of mutants and Enclave alike. I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking to pick up Fallout 3 for a second time and tie up any loose ends, or simply beat around the Wasteland and pester the Super Mutants. Good job, Bethesda.
9/10
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Last Stand
Last Stand is a zombie-defense flash game featured on Newgrounds.com. It is centered around defending a small fortification against swarms of the undead using various weapons and traps one can find by surviving longer. After each invasion you search for survivors and weapons, and get the opportunity to repair your fort. It's very addicting and at times, brutally difficult. Check it out!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Games as Art
The article reviewing the lack of convention-busting on the part of Halo 3 was really interesting, but I have to disagree on the idea that there aren't any games that can portray a storyline without cutscenes or cinematic elements. One example is also one of my personal favorites- the Half Life series. Within the games, there are absolutely no cutscenes; everything takes place from the first person view. The closest the game arrives to a true cutscene are but a few brief moments when the controls are suspended in Half Life 2, due to game events. Plot-wise, the Half Life anthology is very intricate, and it achieves this without ever leaving the perspective of Gordon Freeman.
John Lanchester's article was great in how it compared the playful, plotless simplicity of certain games with the artistic depth and complexity of others. However, as he stated, difficulty does not always make for good art. The shred-metal bands 0f the 80's proved this very clearly. While complexity is embraced by some circles, it isn't the cornerstone of an artistic piece. For example, Pacman is extremely simple in concept, graphics, and sound, and yet can be incredibly difficult to beat. On the other hand, a game such as Halo is outstanding in terms of aesthetic appeal, but can be conquered in rather short order.
N'Gai Croal's attack on Roger Ebert's view of video games was pretty enlightening; it showed a solid snapshot of how people view things they don't- or care not to- understand. What's worse is when people like Ebert begin to lump art into categories of "better" and "worse", or in this case, high and low art. Ebert's pretentious viewpoint was very irritating, not only because he had virtually no gaming experience, but also because he seemed to be fabricating reasons to convince himself not to accept them. Art is art, and a medium as flexible and engrossing as video games are not going to slow down or go away any time soon.
John Lanchester's article was great in how it compared the playful, plotless simplicity of certain games with the artistic depth and complexity of others. However, as he stated, difficulty does not always make for good art. The shred-metal bands 0f the 80's proved this very clearly. While complexity is embraced by some circles, it isn't the cornerstone of an artistic piece. For example, Pacman is extremely simple in concept, graphics, and sound, and yet can be incredibly difficult to beat. On the other hand, a game such as Halo is outstanding in terms of aesthetic appeal, but can be conquered in rather short order.
N'Gai Croal's attack on Roger Ebert's view of video games was pretty enlightening; it showed a solid snapshot of how people view things they don't- or care not to- understand. What's worse is when people like Ebert begin to lump art into categories of "better" and "worse", or in this case, high and low art. Ebert's pretentious viewpoint was very irritating, not only because he had virtually no gaming experience, but also because he seemed to be fabricating reasons to convince himself not to accept them. Art is art, and a medium as flexible and engrossing as video games are not going to slow down or go away any time soon.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Fanboys
The commentary on the Edge review of Killzone 2 seemed to be dead on when it described the duty that game journalists have to their audience- the potential consumers of games. What they say has a direct effect on the game market, and therefore deliberate attempts to inject ego or stir up fanboy battles has no place in the industry. Although the Edge review may have revealed some potential downsides of the game, issuing such a bludgeoning review in the manner they did seemed unnecessary, and it appeared that its only purpose was to cause trouble. If they wanted to present what they felt to be the game's flaws in a clear and honest manner, it would have been better to issue a separate critique of the game instead of a consumer-oriented review that might repel people from even trying the game.
As far as the fervent Youtuber that claimed Killzone 2 will render the Xbox 360 obsolete, I had a difficult time telling whether the video was a joke, or if he was being comically serious. If he was kidding, he at least did a fantastic job at making everyone laugh and has a pretty good sense of humor. If he was serious, it only shows a case of total fanboy-ism at its worst. Fanboys (and girls) will always exist in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways, so it's ultimately up to the audience to decide how to react. In my opinion, I found this guy hilarious and wouldn't in any way take him seriously. I may have even made a similar video about the Half Life anthology.
The largest problem is when fervent fans and detractors of games are put in positions to write high-profile reviews. This has a massively negative effect on consumers' views of the games, as they're written from a totally biased perspective that could leave the purchaser either disappointed with an overhyped game, or deterred from a potentially excellent game. Reviews should be balanced and concise, focusing only on the largest elements of the game- be they positive or negative. The fine details should be left to the observation of the potential player. Another way reviewers can cause problems- as seen with the Edge's Killzone 2 review- is by giving a rating that clashes with the general opinion simply for the purpose of causing arguments. Although honesty is always a good thing, when it's presented in an abrasive manner it can easily cause more harm than good.
As far as the fervent Youtuber that claimed Killzone 2 will render the Xbox 360 obsolete, I had a difficult time telling whether the video was a joke, or if he was being comically serious. If he was kidding, he at least did a fantastic job at making everyone laugh and has a pretty good sense of humor. If he was serious, it only shows a case of total fanboy-ism at its worst. Fanboys (and girls) will always exist in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways, so it's ultimately up to the audience to decide how to react. In my opinion, I found this guy hilarious and wouldn't in any way take him seriously. I may have even made a similar video about the Half Life anthology.
The largest problem is when fervent fans and detractors of games are put in positions to write high-profile reviews. This has a massively negative effect on consumers' views of the games, as they're written from a totally biased perspective that could leave the purchaser either disappointed with an overhyped game, or deterred from a potentially excellent game. Reviews should be balanced and concise, focusing only on the largest elements of the game- be they positive or negative. The fine details should be left to the observation of the potential player. Another way reviewers can cause problems- as seen with the Edge's Killzone 2 review- is by giving a rating that clashes with the general opinion simply for the purpose of causing arguments. Although honesty is always a good thing, when it's presented in an abrasive manner it can easily cause more harm than good.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Game Criticism
I found the article "Game Criticism, Why We Need It, and Why Reviews Aren't It" extremely interesting, and feel like it hits the nail on the head in terms of the near-nonexistence of solid game criticism. While purchase-oriented reviews are abundant, honest and in-depth game critiques seem to be few and far between. The way that Greg addressed the issue of true art criticism was fantastic. It's extremely easy to say whether or not one should buy the game, but diving into artistic and creative matters reaches the true essence of criticism. I was able to relate to his message via my own interest in music criticism; unless one considers all of the elements involved in a particular piece and its creation, a critique will miss the point by miles. His idea of the irrelevance of a numeric grade system is also great; having such a system brings down the ability to truly critique a piece of art.
"If critics did more championing..." was also a great article, as it described the problem of critics focusing too much on minor details as opposed to all of the aspects of a game. Every game will have its minor mechanical flaws and inconsistencies, so it is therefore much more important to dive into the major aspects of the game such as storyline and character development. Although a game's flaws should certainly be noted in a good critique, they shouldn't become the focal point. His take on The Simpons Game was great; it showed that although the entire point of the game was to be a satire of other games and get a laugh from players, critics still managed to tear it apart citing minor mechanical issues.
The review of Fallout 3 seemed somewhat strange. Having spent numerous hours with the game, I can easily relate with the topics he mentioned. However, the review seemed unbalanced in that it championed the game whilst breaking it down in areas very critical to an RPG, including character interaction, the combat system, and overal realism. To me, failures in these areas would quickly shoot down a good RPG. Although I'll admit the game is far from flawlessly lifelike, it is still a massive leap in that direction in terms of adjacent RPGs and deserves more credit than what was given. Unfortunately, his review seemed to give the perspective that the game had insufferable flaws, but had an overly redeeming storyline and emotional effect.
"If critics did more championing..." was also a great article, as it described the problem of critics focusing too much on minor details as opposed to all of the aspects of a game. Every game will have its minor mechanical flaws and inconsistencies, so it is therefore much more important to dive into the major aspects of the game such as storyline and character development. Although a game's flaws should certainly be noted in a good critique, they shouldn't become the focal point. His take on The Simpons Game was great; it showed that although the entire point of the game was to be a satire of other games and get a laugh from players, critics still managed to tear it apart citing minor mechanical issues.
The review of Fallout 3 seemed somewhat strange. Having spent numerous hours with the game, I can easily relate with the topics he mentioned. However, the review seemed unbalanced in that it championed the game whilst breaking it down in areas very critical to an RPG, including character interaction, the combat system, and overal realism. To me, failures in these areas would quickly shoot down a good RPG. Although I'll admit the game is far from flawlessly lifelike, it is still a massive leap in that direction in terms of adjacent RPGs and deserves more credit than what was given. Unfortunately, his review seemed to give the perspective that the game had insufferable flaws, but had an overly redeeming storyline and emotional effect.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Personal Game History
As of late, I've mainly been a casual gamer- using the medium to immerse myself in subjects of interest, such as post-apocalyptic scenarios or zombie invasions. However, I grew up in the 90's totally addicted to gaming. I seldom owned the hottest system of the week, but instead found myself immersed in the same old games for months on end.
My history with gaming began when I was three years old, in 1991. My uncle purchased for me an NES, complete with R.O.B. the robot, the Zapper, and a full complement of about thirty games. I was particularly intrigued by Startropics, a fairly underrated third-person action game that required the player to hop from island to island, cave to cave in search of a missing uncle. My favorite games for the console, however, were the first three games of the Mega Man series. They wereimmersive and quite challenging, but the coolest aspect of these games to me were the amazing 8-bit soundtracks. The various themes for each robot master's level were brilliantly composed and undeniably cool, despite only working with the most basic of game audio capabilities. In all, I still see theNES as a great console, and even to this day fire up my NES emulator to relive these amazing games (as I've since given up blowing into cartridges).
In 1996 I was one of the first to aquire a Nintendo 64, and bought a large stack of some of the greatest games ever made. Goldeneye 007 probably consumed most of my time, however, because I found it to be as comical as I did challenging. I would spend hours playing the game in ways it was never meant to be played; for example, I'd test the patience of the scientists until they started throwing grenades and shooting at me. Or perhaps I would attempt to lure every single enemy into the bathroom of the Facility, and then proceed to blow it up. My friends and I spent far too much time testing the limits of that game.
After the N64, I largely lost interest in the console scene as things spun out of control with the Playstation 2 and XBox. My interest in PC gaming was ignited in the early 90's, playing games like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom on my uncle's computer. After my interest in console gaming faded, I already had a PC of my own and got a copy of the original Half Life when it was released in 1998. It was far more interesting to me than any game I could have dreamed of. The plot was thick and enormously compelling, the style andgameplay were hauntingly dark and strange, and yet it was presented in a simple first-person shooter format. It also brought me into the world of social gaming via the Counterstrike modification. My older cousin and I would frequent a place called theGamer's Hub in Lake Orion to attend the massively fun LAN parties and play Counterstrike until our eyes were red. Needless to say, I was instantly addicted to PC gaming, and Valve was a huge part of that.
My next gaming interest was Age of Empires II and its subsequent expansion, The Conquerors. It was my first stab at a real-time strategy game, and I already had a large interest in history and war. The ability to build civilizations and throw myself into the Middle Ages was a lot of fun, but the best part was the game's namesake: conquering. I would spend hours building up a massive Byzantine or Spanish civilization and wreak havoc on some armies whilst allying myself with others. At this point in time, my interest in the post-apocalyptic had taken a backseat to moremedieval themes, which led me to a game that erased entire months from my life.
Diablo II was released in 2000, but I wasn't aware of it until about 2002. After buying the game and it's expansion Lord of Destruction, I absolutely could not tear myself away from the computer. I had never played anRPG until then, and it was certainly a good place to start. Most of my eighth- and ninth-grade years consist of two memories: school, and level-grinding with my Barbarian and Paladin. I ultimately beat the game with both classes on Hell difficulty, but it hardly stopped there. Weeks were spent trying to find the best items the random number generator could give me, and many more weeks were spentacquiring the gold to buy said items. It was a sad existence, but strangely gratifying. The most beautiful elements of the game existed in the environments, which were both fascinating and flawlessly crafted. Most of the game environments struck the perfect balance between the realistic, the artistic, and the fantastic.
Once I determined that Diablo II had consumed more than enough of my time, I put down gaming for a number of years. When I quit in early 2004, many leaps and bounds were made in the gaming world that passed by me unnoticed for nearly five years. After a personal tragedy struck me in the beginning of 2008, I found myself combating equal amounts of depression and downtime that my hobbies in music and biking couldn't seem to quell. Therefore, I decided that it was simply time to chill out, melt into the office chair in front of the screen and escape the real world for a little while.
Taking cues from my interests in dystopia and the post-apocalyptic, I got an account on Steam and downloaded the entire Orange Box from Valve. In my entire gaming experience, I have never been as satisfied with game as I have been with the Half Life series. The storyline of Half Life 2 and it's subsequent Episodes is absolutely riveting and immersive, made moreso by the fact the player never leaves the perspective of Gordon Freeman. The gameplay is equalling addicting and challenging, and the graphics are stunning. Also, beating aliens with a crowbar is a fantastic stress-reliever. Above all, the Half Life series gave me a realistic escape from the real world. In my opinion they are the most beautiful games ever crafted. Despite HL2 being nearly five years old, I feel it is still aesthetically compelling and will remain so for years to come.
Although I consider myself a casual gamer, in reality I've logged a massive number of hours into relatively few games. A large portion of my childhood was spent behind a controller or keyboard, and I enjoyed every minute. I've slowed down a lot as of late, occasionally loading up aNES emulator to relive the past or playing Half Life and Fallout 3 to explore my post-alien and post-nuclear fantasies firsthand. Regardless, my interest in escaping reality in non-hazardous ways will always exist, and games will always be there to satisfy that need.
My history with gaming began when I was three years old, in 1991. My uncle purchased for me an NES, complete with R.O.B. the robot, the Zapper, and a full complement of about thirty games. I was particularly intrigued by Startropics, a fairly underrated third-person action game that required the player to hop from island to island, cave to cave in search of a missing uncle. My favorite games for the console, however, were the first three games of the Mega Man series. They wereimmersive and quite challenging, but the coolest aspect of these games to me were the amazing 8-bit soundtracks. The various themes for each robot master's level were brilliantly composed and undeniably cool, despite only working with the most basic of game audio capabilities. In all, I still see theNES as a great console, and even to this day fire up my NES emulator to relive these amazing games (as I've since given up blowing into cartridges).
In 1996 I was one of the first to aquire a Nintendo 64, and bought a large stack of some of the greatest games ever made. Goldeneye 007 probably consumed most of my time, however, because I found it to be as comical as I did challenging. I would spend hours playing the game in ways it was never meant to be played; for example, I'd test the patience of the scientists until they started throwing grenades and shooting at me. Or perhaps I would attempt to lure every single enemy into the bathroom of the Facility, and then proceed to blow it up. My friends and I spent far too much time testing the limits of that game.
After the N64, I largely lost interest in the console scene as things spun out of control with the Playstation 2 and XBox. My interest in PC gaming was ignited in the early 90's, playing games like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom on my uncle's computer. After my interest in console gaming faded, I already had a PC of my own and got a copy of the original Half Life when it was released in 1998. It was far more interesting to me than any game I could have dreamed of. The plot was thick and enormously compelling, the style andgameplay were hauntingly dark and strange, and yet it was presented in a simple first-person shooter format. It also brought me into the world of social gaming via the Counterstrike modification. My older cousin and I would frequent a place called theGamer's Hub in Lake Orion to attend the massively fun LAN parties and play Counterstrike until our eyes were red. Needless to say, I was instantly addicted to PC gaming, and Valve was a huge part of that.
My next gaming interest was Age of Empires II and its subsequent expansion, The Conquerors. It was my first stab at a real-time strategy game, and I already had a large interest in history and war. The ability to build civilizations and throw myself into the Middle Ages was a lot of fun, but the best part was the game's namesake: conquering. I would spend hours building up a massive Byzantine or Spanish civilization and wreak havoc on some armies whilst allying myself with others. At this point in time, my interest in the post-apocalyptic had taken a backseat to moremedieval themes, which led me to a game that erased entire months from my life.
Diablo II was released in 2000, but I wasn't aware of it until about 2002. After buying the game and it's expansion Lord of Destruction, I absolutely could not tear myself away from the computer. I had never played anRPG until then, and it was certainly a good place to start. Most of my eighth- and ninth-grade years consist of two memories: school, and level-grinding with my Barbarian and Paladin. I ultimately beat the game with both classes on Hell difficulty, but it hardly stopped there. Weeks were spent trying to find the best items the random number generator could give me, and many more weeks were spentacquiring the gold to buy said items. It was a sad existence, but strangely gratifying. The most beautiful elements of the game existed in the environments, which were both fascinating and flawlessly crafted. Most of the game environments struck the perfect balance between the realistic, the artistic, and the fantastic.
Once I determined that Diablo II had consumed more than enough of my time, I put down gaming for a number of years. When I quit in early 2004, many leaps and bounds were made in the gaming world that passed by me unnoticed for nearly five years. After a personal tragedy struck me in the beginning of 2008, I found myself combating equal amounts of depression and downtime that my hobbies in music and biking couldn't seem to quell. Therefore, I decided that it was simply time to chill out, melt into the office chair in front of the screen and escape the real world for a little while.
Taking cues from my interests in dystopia and the post-apocalyptic, I got an account on Steam and downloaded the entire Orange Box from Valve. In my entire gaming experience, I have never been as satisfied with game as I have been with the Half Life series. The storyline of Half Life 2 and it's subsequent Episodes is absolutely riveting and immersive, made moreso by the fact the player never leaves the perspective of Gordon Freeman. The gameplay is equalling addicting and challenging, and the graphics are stunning. Also, beating aliens with a crowbar is a fantastic stress-reliever. Above all, the Half Life series gave me a realistic escape from the real world. In my opinion they are the most beautiful games ever crafted. Despite HL2 being nearly five years old, I feel it is still aesthetically compelling and will remain so for years to come.
Although I consider myself a casual gamer, in reality I've logged a massive number of hours into relatively few games. A large portion of my childhood was spent behind a controller or keyboard, and I enjoyed every minute. I've slowed down a lot as of late, occasionally loading up aNES emulator to relive the past or playing Half Life and Fallout 3 to explore my post-alien and post-nuclear fantasies firsthand. Regardless, my interest in escaping reality in non-hazardous ways will always exist, and games will always be there to satisfy that need.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Game Culture
The section of chapter two of the IGS regarding the primary and secondary aspects of gaming was particularly interesting. According to the book, the primary element envelopes areas such as storyline, game-world, and rules, whereas the secondary elements are things like graphics, sound, user interface, etc. While some players look at the whole picture, many tend to play the games specifically for the audio-visual thrill as opposed to approaching the game like a story or piece of artwork.
"The End of Gamers" brilliantly launches games into a void they've been slowly waiting to fill- as that of a medium equal to books, music, film, and art. The amount of things that can be done utilizing games broadens its function within society and eliminates the notion that so-called "gamers" are the only folk who can take advantage of the medium.
"The Hipsters of Gaming" is a fantastic article. It held no punches whilst bashing hipster culture, and then showed how the modern gaming community resembled these trendoids when it came to mass-market casual gaming. According to these gaming-hipsters, gaming mediums such as the Wii have "reduced" gaming to something that everyone can enjoy quickly and cheaply, perhaps viewing it as the McDonalds of gaming platforms. This is of course ridiculous, though; just because something garners much success doesn't mean it's necessarily weak or wrong. However, many "hardcore" gamers tend to make a distinct effort to avoid successful games simply due to their popularity.
"The Place of Culture in Games" hits three major points- the cultures that create games, the games that create cultures, and the cultures within games themselves. The analysis of how certain cultures portray others was particularly interesting, such as how certain Japanese games portray other cultures from a Japanese point of view. He also noted the unfortunate state of non-western gaming environments being used mainly for aesthetic purposes with little or no cultural relevence. Having played Majora's Mask back in 2001, I was able to grasp his point of the game's integration of and commentary on cutural relations. Lastly, the culture created by games was well-described, such as how certain gaming iconographies have taken mainstream and underground cultural routes.
"The End of Gamers" brilliantly launches games into a void they've been slowly waiting to fill- as that of a medium equal to books, music, film, and art. The amount of things that can be done utilizing games broadens its function within society and eliminates the notion that so-called "gamers" are the only folk who can take advantage of the medium.
"The Hipsters of Gaming" is a fantastic article. It held no punches whilst bashing hipster culture, and then showed how the modern gaming community resembled these trendoids when it came to mass-market casual gaming. According to these gaming-hipsters, gaming mediums such as the Wii have "reduced" gaming to something that everyone can enjoy quickly and cheaply, perhaps viewing it as the McDonalds of gaming platforms. This is of course ridiculous, though; just because something garners much success doesn't mean it's necessarily weak or wrong. However, many "hardcore" gamers tend to make a distinct effort to avoid successful games simply due to their popularity.
"The Place of Culture in Games" hits three major points- the cultures that create games, the games that create cultures, and the cultures within games themselves. The analysis of how certain cultures portray others was particularly interesting, such as how certain Japanese games portray other cultures from a Japanese point of view. He also noted the unfortunate state of non-western gaming environments being used mainly for aesthetic purposes with little or no cultural relevence. Having played Majora's Mask back in 2001, I was able to grasp his point of the game's integration of and commentary on cutural relations. Lastly, the culture created by games was well-described, such as how certain gaming iconographies have taken mainstream and underground cultural routes.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Video Games or Digital Games?
It makes more sense to use the term "video game" over "digital game" simply because most every digital game or gaming medium relies on a visual element more than, say, audio or olfactory elements. The games contending for the nomenclature are all digital, ranging from Pong to Fallout 3. However, from a pragmatic standpoint, the interesting element of the games is not their binary nature, but the simple fact that we use some form of a controller to manipulate what happens on a visual monitor, be it a television or LCD screen. The attraction lies in the end, not the means, in this case.
Initial reactions to the VSG and IGS
The Style Guide is quite enlightening when it comes to breaking down the issues with modern game reviews and jargon. The afterword was particularly interesting; it showed how to effectively review a game from an objective standpoint while still allowing the reader to determine whether it was "good" or "bad". Most importantly, it emphasized the use of clear, concise writing as opposed to clever phrases and twisted meanings, which leave the writer amused and the reader confused.
The Intro. to Game Studies is a straightforward analysis of the societal aspects of gaming itself, looking at the perspectives of the readers and composers of games. However, this volume recognizes games of every medium, from board games to video games, chess to GTA III. The introductory chapter focuses on the study of game studies themselves, looking at the history and relevance of gaming scholarship and research.
The Intro. to Game Studies is a straightforward analysis of the societal aspects of gaming itself, looking at the perspectives of the readers and composers of games. However, this volume recognizes games of every medium, from board games to video games, chess to GTA III. The introductory chapter focuses on the study of game studies themselves, looking at the history and relevance of gaming scholarship and research.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
First post for Eng. 298
I'm pretty excited to "study" with Fallout 3 and the Orange Box. Also, I'm quite happy both the professor and I share an interest in post-apocalyptic scenarios. This should be extremely interesting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
