Saturday, December 27, 2008
Another Week Ends
I am presently waiting at my computer for a message to join a game of Left 4 Dead from a friend of mine. I'm waiting for a friend to join because I've grown tired of joining games that are filled entirely with strangers. As the frags rack up in my profile the fun is starting to notch itself down. It stings me a bit to speak poorly of a game I have championed from a developer I believe in, but I'm not here just to point out the positive aspects of the games I enjoy, and Left 4 Dead is quickly topping my list of personal disappointments in $50 titles. The longer Valve takes to fix the patches, exploits, and quirks, the less community we'll have left to host and play our games when it finally occurs.
It had to be the holiday rush. Valve has a spectacular record of releasing fully fleshed out games, some of which have been delayed for well over a year for polish. Half-Life 2 wasn't released until six years after its older brother, and was lauded by critics as a masterwork for its time. I'm worried that with all of success Valve has had in the titles succeeding that sequel they've started to lose their focus on what used to sell their games. Releasing something as unfinished as Left 4 Dead and charging a full $50 for what might amount to a complicated Half-Life 2 modification is uncharacteristic of the company. The game still stands on its own as a unique and entertaining cooperative experience, but novelty alone wont carry a game far beyond the holiday season, and I hope the team comes back strong in January to pick up the pieces.
It had to be the holiday rush. Valve has a spectacular record of releasing fully fleshed out games, some of which have been delayed for well over a year for polish. Half-Life 2 wasn't released until six years after its older brother, and was lauded by critics as a masterwork for its time. I'm worried that with all of success Valve has had in the titles succeeding that sequel they've started to lose their focus on what used to sell their games. Releasing something as unfinished as Left 4 Dead and charging a full $50 for what might amount to a complicated Half-Life 2 modification is uncharacteristic of the company. The game still stands on its own as a unique and entertaining cooperative experience, but novelty alone wont carry a game far beyond the holiday season, and I hope the team comes back strong in January to pick up the pieces.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmas Is Over! Tougher Times Ahead?
Merry the-Holidays-are-Almost-Over! Six days to go until we're all wrapped up and retail tanks back into the ground again. Video games have been fairly resilient up to this point, but will it last into the new year? I suspect we're going to see the economy affecting sales more next year than they have this year, especially on the lower-income side end of the spectrum. Less hours at work coupled with higher food prices means those of us riding the poverty line aren't going to have the luxury of disposable income until some time later in the spring. What am I supposed to do without a new toy every two weeks? Flash games!?
There is one demographic of gamer out there who wont find themselves aching for entertainment over the course of this crisis: The Wii player. For the third year in a row I find my mind boggled by how incredibly entertaining a friendly gathering can get when Wii Sports is involved. My aunts, grandparents, and cousins all manage to take something away from the experience, whether that is derived from the observation of a relative fumbling with the Wii-mote or in the demonstration of their bowling talents in front of the family. Our obsession with a two year old bundled title isn't doing much for Nintendo, but it keeps my faith alive in their ability to keep this new market entertained. How does one truly topple the giant we now know as Wii Sports? I don't think you can. I think you have to add games to it, upgrade it graphically, and re-release the thing on the next console if you want your new audience to come along for the next console. Oh, and keep it under $300!
I don't get much out of the Wii myself... I did own one, at one point. It lasted about six months before I pawned the thing off for rent money, and I think I may have only turned it on about ten times from the day I bought it. Nintendo isn't appealing to an action-oriented demographic with their library, and they aren't doing much better with story-telling. Tales of Sympohonia was to RPGs as Castlevania: Judgment was to Action Adventure titles; Both were strictly passable in play through. All the same, Nintendo is holding on strong in the sales among those of us who aren't necessarily looking for an incredible single player experience. As wonderful as Mario and Zelda are, there aren't so many first party Nintendo games out there that we can justify purchasing a Wii over either of its technologically superior counterparts. No, it isn't the single player titles that keep Nintendo in business, it's the party games.
One console, one extra controller, two years of continuous entertainment. The Wii has earned our investment and our hearts through its ease of accessibility, and even in times of economic distress is still selling as quickly as it can be stocked onto shelves. Maybe the lesson here is that good things should come in smaller packages, in that they make happier customers who aren't stuck at the store looking for the next best thing every two weeks. Maybe it's that the family-focused party games spread the interest in a console faster than all the hype and marketing of a Halo title. Whatever it is Nintendo has demonstrated that a small number of fun games can outlast more than two years of hype and technological advances. $250 isn't a lot to bring the family together for the holidays, and the memories are priceless.
There is one demographic of gamer out there who wont find themselves aching for entertainment over the course of this crisis: The Wii player. For the third year in a row I find my mind boggled by how incredibly entertaining a friendly gathering can get when Wii Sports is involved. My aunts, grandparents, and cousins all manage to take something away from the experience, whether that is derived from the observation of a relative fumbling with the Wii-mote or in the demonstration of their bowling talents in front of the family. Our obsession with a two year old bundled title isn't doing much for Nintendo, but it keeps my faith alive in their ability to keep this new market entertained. How does one truly topple the giant we now know as Wii Sports? I don't think you can. I think you have to add games to it, upgrade it graphically, and re-release the thing on the next console if you want your new audience to come along for the next console. Oh, and keep it under $300!
I don't get much out of the Wii myself... I did own one, at one point. It lasted about six months before I pawned the thing off for rent money, and I think I may have only turned it on about ten times from the day I bought it. Nintendo isn't appealing to an action-oriented demographic with their library, and they aren't doing much better with story-telling. Tales of Sympohonia was to RPGs as Castlevania: Judgment was to Action Adventure titles; Both were strictly passable in play through. All the same, Nintendo is holding on strong in the sales among those of us who aren't necessarily looking for an incredible single player experience. As wonderful as Mario and Zelda are, there aren't so many first party Nintendo games out there that we can justify purchasing a Wii over either of its technologically superior counterparts. No, it isn't the single player titles that keep Nintendo in business, it's the party games.
One console, one extra controller, two years of continuous entertainment. The Wii has earned our investment and our hearts through its ease of accessibility, and even in times of economic distress is still selling as quickly as it can be stocked onto shelves. Maybe the lesson here is that good things should come in smaller packages, in that they make happier customers who aren't stuck at the store looking for the next best thing every two weeks. Maybe it's that the family-focused party games spread the interest in a console faster than all the hype and marketing of a Halo title. Whatever it is Nintendo has demonstrated that a small number of fun games can outlast more than two years of hype and technological advances. $250 isn't a lot to bring the family together for the holidays, and the memories are priceless.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas
I hope none of you out there are having a dreary evening. I've had enough sad Christmases to last me through until my untimely but inevitable demise. Appreciate what you have, and don't dwell on whatever you don't. January starts another year, and with every near year comes new hope. Use it.
And for God's sake, put down the video games and talk to somebody! Anybody! Just get out there and give some love to somebody who deserves it.
Peace and love, all.
And for God's sake, put down the video games and talk to somebody! Anybody! Just get out there and give some love to somebody who deserves it.
Peace and love, all.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
A Personal Post: Christmas Eve- Turning a Critical Eye Inward On Myself
Catchin' up- An Older Post
I hate and love Christmas at the same time. I'm not an especially large fan of the holiday season because I'm not an especially social person at festive gatherings. Or any gatherings, for that matter. I usually find myself dreading the thought of running into relatives I haven't spoken with in a while, or being drawn away from things I would normally be doing if not for scheduling around with the holidays; however, when they finally do arrive, I usually find myself enjoying their company. Christmas is an opportunity for our family to come together and share how we've been with one another; Thanksgiving seems to be there more for people who might not make it come Christmas time and want to log their hours early.
I dread meeting with family because I haven't grown into the guy everybody thought I would be. When I was younger it was widely accepted by the family that I was bright, and I was buried in honors courses with serious plans for college; unfortunately, it takes more to make a person successful than a high Intelligence Quotient, and I haven't lived up to becoming everything I could have been. Fear, depression, anxiety, and anti-social tendencies have retarded my progress since I left school. It's taken me nearly five years just to stumble across an activity I enjoy enough to make the attempt to shape into a career at some point in my future. In all of those years I might have made fifteen friends, and of those friends I presently only keep in touch with two. I haven't returned to school, yet, and although I still maintain the intention of returning, I find myself intimidated into submission by the very school I plan to attend. So many young, busy, social people, all in a very academic and prestigious establishment, the majority of whom are coming right out of high school... It all scares me to death. I never attended a graduation for high school and some small part of myself still feels as though I'm still trapped in it. The idea of being back around people of that age and state of mind frightens me dreadfully. One step at a time I'm making an effort to poke out of my shell just long enough to figure out how to deal with the every-day-world outside of my apartment; from there, we'll see if I can deal with my social anxieties effectively enough to accomplish my aims.
I enjoy writing because I can do it on my own. Until I get an editor involved my work and my thoughts are my own, and I don't need to ask anything of anyone if I don't choose to do so. When I write, I can take my time to present the thoughts I want to present in the way I choose to present it; there is no bumbling of thoughts or awkward pauses for forgotten words. Through writing you can be judged by the quality of your argument rather than your charisma or confidence. It's the ultimate anti-social format for communication and it's the only medium I feel confident communicating through. That is to say, that I would feel confident communicating through if I had confidence in my writing abilities... but skill comes through learning, and confidence through practice. One day I'll be strong enough to take on the real world with my writing, and on that day I hope to come out of my shell long enough to meet the world I am writing for.
I hate and love Christmas at the same time. I'm not an especially large fan of the holiday season because I'm not an especially social person at festive gatherings. Or any gatherings, for that matter. I usually find myself dreading the thought of running into relatives I haven't spoken with in a while, or being drawn away from things I would normally be doing if not for scheduling around with the holidays; however, when they finally do arrive, I usually find myself enjoying their company. Christmas is an opportunity for our family to come together and share how we've been with one another; Thanksgiving seems to be there more for people who might not make it come Christmas time and want to log their hours early.
I dread meeting with family because I haven't grown into the guy everybody thought I would be. When I was younger it was widely accepted by the family that I was bright, and I was buried in honors courses with serious plans for college; unfortunately, it takes more to make a person successful than a high Intelligence Quotient, and I haven't lived up to becoming everything I could have been. Fear, depression, anxiety, and anti-social tendencies have retarded my progress since I left school. It's taken me nearly five years just to stumble across an activity I enjoy enough to make the attempt to shape into a career at some point in my future. In all of those years I might have made fifteen friends, and of those friends I presently only keep in touch with two. I haven't returned to school, yet, and although I still maintain the intention of returning, I find myself intimidated into submission by the very school I plan to attend. So many young, busy, social people, all in a very academic and prestigious establishment, the majority of whom are coming right out of high school... It all scares me to death. I never attended a graduation for high school and some small part of myself still feels as though I'm still trapped in it. The idea of being back around people of that age and state of mind frightens me dreadfully. One step at a time I'm making an effort to poke out of my shell just long enough to figure out how to deal with the every-day-world outside of my apartment; from there, we'll see if I can deal with my social anxieties effectively enough to accomplish my aims.
I enjoy writing because I can do it on my own. Until I get an editor involved my work and my thoughts are my own, and I don't need to ask anything of anyone if I don't choose to do so. When I write, I can take my time to present the thoughts I want to present in the way I choose to present it; there is no bumbling of thoughts or awkward pauses for forgotten words. Through writing you can be judged by the quality of your argument rather than your charisma or confidence. It's the ultimate anti-social format for communication and it's the only medium I feel confident communicating through. That is to say, that I would feel confident communicating through if I had confidence in my writing abilities... but skill comes through learning, and confidence through practice. One day I'll be strong enough to take on the real world with my writing, and on that day I hope to come out of my shell long enough to meet the world I am writing for.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Titles Worth Your Time
In the interests of time this evening, I'll present three games I feel anyone who appreciates video games should invest some time into.
No surprises here. When Role-Playing games were still in top-form in the late 90's Planescape: Torment came rolling off the heels of Fallout 2 and Baldur's Gate. The late Black Isle had taken many different approaches to their Role-Playing titles, testing a new technique with each franchise. The Fallout franchise was about having total freedom to make difficult decisions, and witnessing the results of those choices play out in the story; Baldur's Gate was a linear character-driven storytelling experience driven with some heavy action elements; Icewind Dale was a tactical action-driven game which went lighter on the narrative elements Baldur's Gate pushed forward. Planescape, which would likely have gone on to become a franchise if it had sold more successfully, focused almost entirely on narrative. Dialogue reigned over combat as the most effective means through which to proceed through the game, and every character in your party filled a meaningful role in the story. With a script of over 800,000 words, Planescape: Torment still sits near the top of the heap as an example of what RPGs have been and could be again.
When it comes to the First Person Role-Playing game hybrid most people refer to System Shock 2 as a ground breaker, but in my eyes, Deus Ex did more less. As Deus Ex had no prequel to set up the story from the start, the setting and characters had to explain themselves as they went along. This feat wouldn't have been especially noteworthy if this game had been light on narrative or a pure-bread Role-Playing experience, but as a hybrid, Deus Ex delivered exposition on the go, with first person shooting sequences broken up by quick character interactions, giving the player a difficult or ambiguous decision to make on a number of separate occasions. The story was long and intricate, with several interlocking plot lines and surprising reveals along the way. In many ways, 2k-Boston's "Bioshock" has refined the First-Person Role-Playing genre in its integration of action with storytelling, but Deus Ex still stands alone for its gameplay and moral ambiguity.
In 2005, Developer Quantic Dream unleashed Fahrenheit onto the world. Fahrenheit, shipped as Indigo Prophecy in the United States, was a third-person adventure game designed to play out as a movie in which the player served as both the director and the actors. The gameplay is split between quick time event action sequences and the interactive dialogue that presses the plot along. The film format allows the player the opportunity to see the game's mystery unfold from the perspectives of the protagonist as well as his persuers, and to somewhat alter the progression of their investigation through the interactive encounters. The storytelling is cinematic and its tale plays out as one the best of the B-movies this generation has to offer. Although it starts to fall apart towards its ending, Fahrenheit offers a unique storytelling experience that hasn't been reproduced or revised to date. Until Quantic Dream's next project, Heavy Rain, comes to fruition, Indigo Prophecy will remain the most compelling attempt at a cinematic expression through a video game on the market.
No surprises here. When Role-Playing games were still in top-form in the late 90's Planescape: Torment came rolling off the heels of Fallout 2 and Baldur's Gate. The late Black Isle had taken many different approaches to their Role-Playing titles, testing a new technique with each franchise. The Fallout franchise was about having total freedom to make difficult decisions, and witnessing the results of those choices play out in the story; Baldur's Gate was a linear character-driven storytelling experience driven with some heavy action elements; Icewind Dale was a tactical action-driven game which went lighter on the narrative elements Baldur's Gate pushed forward. Planescape, which would likely have gone on to become a franchise if it had sold more successfully, focused almost entirely on narrative. Dialogue reigned over combat as the most effective means through which to proceed through the game, and every character in your party filled a meaningful role in the story. With a script of over 800,000 words, Planescape: Torment still sits near the top of the heap as an example of what RPGs have been and could be again.
When it comes to the First Person Role-Playing game hybrid most people refer to System Shock 2 as a ground breaker, but in my eyes, Deus Ex did more less. As Deus Ex had no prequel to set up the story from the start, the setting and characters had to explain themselves as they went along. This feat wouldn't have been especially noteworthy if this game had been light on narrative or a pure-bread Role-Playing experience, but as a hybrid, Deus Ex delivered exposition on the go, with first person shooting sequences broken up by quick character interactions, giving the player a difficult or ambiguous decision to make on a number of separate occasions. The story was long and intricate, with several interlocking plot lines and surprising reveals along the way. In many ways, 2k-Boston's "Bioshock" has refined the First-Person Role-Playing genre in its integration of action with storytelling, but Deus Ex still stands alone for its gameplay and moral ambiguity.
In 2005, Developer Quantic Dream unleashed Fahrenheit onto the world. Fahrenheit, shipped as Indigo Prophecy in the United States, was a third-person adventure game designed to play out as a movie in which the player served as both the director and the actors. The gameplay is split between quick time event action sequences and the interactive dialogue that presses the plot along. The film format allows the player the opportunity to see the game's mystery unfold from the perspectives of the protagonist as well as his persuers, and to somewhat alter the progression of their investigation through the interactive encounters. The storytelling is cinematic and its tale plays out as one the best of the B-movies this generation has to offer. Although it starts to fall apart towards its ending, Fahrenheit offers a unique storytelling experience that hasn't been reproduced or revised to date. Until Quantic Dream's next project, Heavy Rain, comes to fruition, Indigo Prophecy will remain the most compelling attempt at a cinematic expression through a video game on the market.
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