Thoughts from a mind like a steel trap... rusted and illegal in thirty-seven states.

• 4Jul 08

  Silly rabbit, gaming's not just for kids!

  Recently a friend of mine mentioned that some relatives had expressed disapproval of her love of video gaming. They seemed to believe that gaming was a child's hobby and any adult who participates needs to grow up. Hearing that really got me thinking about gaming, gamers, and our place in the pecking order of society.
  
  In our youths, gamers take an awful lot of crap; we're called geeks and the cool kids all laugh at us. Later in life things don't really change, it's just a co-worker chiding us instead of the captain of the football team.
  
  Why, as adults, do gamers accept and endure such criticism for their hobby?
  
  The problem is one of perception and exposure. For many, the term "Video Game" still conjures images of hoards of children huddled around Pac Man or Pole Position at the local arcade. These folks simply haven't yet been exposed to the current state of the art and are blind to gaming's evolution as an art form.
  
  But can you blame them for the way they feel if they've never witnessed a Sci-Fi adventure like Mass Effect? How can they comprehend the tension a video game can create if they've never had the opportunity to sneak through Metal Gear Solid 4? And if they've never strapped on Guitar Hero III can you expect them to have felt the rush of the virtual crowd? So don't let those same people tell you that gaming is just for kids and don't think for one second that you are immature because you enjoy playing video games.
  
  My advice to you is to help them experience it first-hand.
  
  Invite them over and let them pick up a Wii remote for a few rounds of Bowling, Tennis, or Baseball and see just how realistic and addictive it can be. Then turn off all the lights and spook them with a little Silent Hill. Give them a headset and let them hear how social Call of Duty 4 or Halo 3 can be. Of course, feel free to insert some of your favourites into the mix as well.
  
  Sure, there will always be a couple of stubborn folks who will remain satisfied in their ignorance but then again when TV first came out there were people who called it the "Boob Tube" and claimed it wouldn't survive. And now the average household in the US owns at least two TV sets and spends more than half of their leisure time watching them!
  
  So go out there and do your best to change people's minds but down get down when you run into the occasional silly rabbit who refuses to accept that gaming isn't just for kids. After all, you game because you enjoy it. And who on this planet has the right to tell what you should and shouldn't enjoy?
  • Posted Jul 4, 2008 12:59 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 29Jun 08

  A Perfect End

  I'm well overdue for another blog post. Normally, I would save a review for the reviews section, but considering that I gave Metal Gear Solid 4 a perfect score, I felt it was due special mention. (It also buys me time to write my next blog!)

  Since this is technically an editorial, I think a short preface is in order...

  You may or may not be a fan of the stealth genre. If you're not, you'd probably expect that locking yourself in a closet for 20-25 hours is preferable to playing a Metal Gear Solid title. However, this game manages to give you the option of going in commando if you choose, and nothing is sacrificed in the process. Yes, I am saying that even if you don't like stealth games, MGS4 may still hook you in. That alone is a spectacular accomplishment.

  But even if you're still not a fan of the game's core concepts you should be able to appreciate that, as far as stealth action games go, and by Gamespot's definition (a game that is as perfect as a game can aspire to be at its time of release), this game is a perfect 10.

  So, without further ado...

  Since MGS4 is the culmination of a 21 year long series, a review of several paragraphs seems inadequate. My first impression of the game, on the other hand, spanned only three letters: Wow! Booting the game on my HDTV, I was greeted by a stunning rendering of Solid Snake, casually puffing a smoke as the game performed its initial install.
  
  I have to pause here to mention that since so many PS3 games have hard drive installs, I consider it a characteristic of the platform. Therefore any praise or criticism should be paid to the system, not the individual games.
  
  This game begins, as one would expect, with a cutscene. The cutscenes use the game's engine so I almost didn't notice when actual play began. I say almost because unlike MGS3: Snake Eater, which deposited you in an area devoid of enemies, Snake starts this chapter feet first into a war zone.
  
  This point is subtle, but important- especially to the criticism the series has endured from people who simply aren't fans of the sneaking genre. While this game's heart still beats in tune with the stealth genre it spawned, there is plenty of action. The game's new over-the-shoulder mechanic makes this possible. Gunplay is smooth and very intuitive. Not once did I experience the frustrating, wonky alert phases of previous titles. If there is still any room for improvement, I sure don't know where it is.
  
  The implementation of the new shooting mechanic, in turn, paved the way for other gameplay options that helped add some spice to the MGS recipe and effectively prevented monotony from rearing its ugly head. Entire sections of action, with several enemies charging a room at once felt natural and fluid. Even vehicle chases, with Snake manning the weaponry, functioned so smoothly that the player was able to be immersed in the tension of the moment.
  
  And speaking of tension, there is no shortage here. One of my favourite levels challenged Snake to follow an NPC to his hideout, which sounds simple. Of course you must avoid being seen by the guards, but to add a layer of complexity, the NPC can't be detected either! You also can't let the NPC see you or he will be spooked and run off- possibly into the waiting arms of the enemy. So you must move through the area, incapacitating (or killing) enemy soldiers and clearing a path for the NPC, all the while staying out of his way until he eventually makes it to his hideout.
  
  In most games, levels like the one I just described could easily drag on and on, but not in MGS4. Here, each area lasts long enough to allow you to get comfortable, but not to the point of boredom. Just when I started to feel like I was finished with an area, I was finished with that area. To have such perfect pacing was truly a refreshing feeling.
  
  All of the game's play elements are flawless, from graphics to sound, even the new Octocamo, which automatically matches your camo to your surroundings like a chameleon. But the glue that holds it all together is the storytelling. With this game, Hideo Kojima has outdone himself. Sure, there were beautiful, moving (and long!) cutscenes but the icing on the cake was how he managed to tie the entire series together in such creative fashion. I was personally tickled by the ipod that allows you to play music from previous games instead of the normal background music. Beyond that there were flashbacks in the cutscenes, visits from familiar but forgotten characters, trips to previous locales, and even a few very satisfying surprises like... no, I won't ruin them for you.
  
  During the 25 hours it took me to reach the end, I was so captivated that I had little desire to play anything else. The ending itself was moving and bittersweet. I found myself hoping that this was not the final chapter for Solid Snake, but it is true that all good things must come to an end- and what an end! If you have any love at all for the stealth genre or the Metal Gear series, this is an absolute must-play game. In every way, it is a perfect end to a truly outstanding series.
  

  • Posted Jun 29, 2008 11:24 am PT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 22May 08

  Top Ten Reasons Why GTA IV is not a Ten

  I feel that I must start with a disclaimer: I like GTA IV. I have fun playing it and by no means do I think it's a *bad* game. It's just not a PERFECT game, or at least not worthy of a perfect score, as many reviewers would have us believe. This is also not a commentary on reviewers or review scores and their viability in general so please, let's save that discussion for another post.
  
  Even if you don't wholeheartedly agree with one, two, or even several of the points below, I ask that you try to find at least some measure of truth to the majority of them and recognise that the point is to demonstrate that GTA IV has flaws. Most are not serious, but all are more than trivial if one is to consider the end product a "Masterpiece" and reward it a perfect score.
  
  And so, without further ado...

  10) Character Movement/Combat
  -The "new" combat system was touted and trumpeted as revolutionary. But other games have already discovered the concept of lock-on targeting and those same other games have done it better. While the new combat mechanic is certainly a step up, it feels like it's still just not quite perfected. Even basic movement in this title is still not quite right. In every single GTA since III, character movement has been a bit wonky. It's difficult to describe, but while running straight forward may be easy, it feels as though you cannot turn on a dime. There is a sort of "walk in a wide circle" that takes place. If you've played any GTA games you probably know what I'm getting at. Yes, I figure it out and get used to it, but why should I have to? How many iterations of GTA have there been? How many opportunities to get it right??
  
  9) Car Control
  -Compared to previous GTA's the cars are downright sloppy. Nevermind the fact that I hate the new default control scheme, or that switching to the old control scheme leaves the gas pedal and answering your phone mapped to the same button. In previous GTAs I could power slide, J-hook and just plain drive the snot out of each car. Obviously a "Corvette" handled a lot better than a Garbage Truck, but finesse was possible with either. This time around the gas pedal is way too sensitive, cars float all over the road, and getting through town at any speed is just a chore.
  
  8 ) Camera
  -When driving, why does the camera insist upon dropping to the pavement almost immediately after releasing the analog stick? Heaven forbid you should want to see what's ahead of you as you tear through town! I understand the need to keep a camera perspective- after-all, it would be worse if the camera didn't reset it's perspective at all. However, instead of forcing the camera back to a very strict viewpoint, why not allow the camera to right itself/face forward, but still allow you a *range* of forward view instead of a single, rigidly fixed view?
  
  7) Maintaining Relationships
  -I'd really appreciate it if game designers would respect the fact that real life has enough boring and reptitive errands. I'd love it if they would quit forcing me to spend what little gaming time I have grinding out chores to keep all of my NPC friends happy. If I wanted to spend a significant portion of my gaming experience maintaining relationships with my cyber-buddies I would play the Sims.
  
  6) Music/Soundtrack
  -GTA is well-known for its soundtracks. Previous entries in the series have really done a great job of capturing the essence of the game musically. Let's face it, this soundtrack sucks. I can only stand one station out of how many, and even that one is only tolerable about half the time. I understand that music is a huge matter of taste and I don't expect to enjoy 100% of the tunes, I'm simply stating that the previous entries did a far better job of music selection.
  
  5) Balancing/Luck
  -There is a tendency for random chance to dictate the outcome of many tasks. This is directed at multiplayer but does still apply to the single player experience. As an example, during Mafia Work an objective may spawn right next to team A while team B is halfway across the map therefore making it pretty much impossible for team B to have a snowball's chance at completing the objective first.
  
  4) "New" Wanted System
  -First of all, the so-called "new" wanted system isn't really new or innovative. The concept has been used on previous games, even in the previous generation of consoles. What makes the system frustrating is the ridiculous density of police. I'd like to know what Liberty City's law enforcement payroll looks like with a cop at every corner and a cop car every other block. After many missions I found myself spending five to ten minutes driving around in order to clear my wanted level until I finally just started letting myself get busted- at least I can get on with the game that way.
  
  3) Auto Aim/Lock
  -While on foot I have the option of locking onto a target or using free aim, but while driving free aim is the only option. Does that strike anyone else as odd? Aiming while driving is a true test of multitasking ability and seems to warrant more need for an auto-aim feature than running around on foot. The lock-on itself is flawed in several ways as well. Often times, once you've locked to a target, the game refuses to switch targets despite your best efforts. Also, while I originally thought the Crackdown-esque ability to aim at discrete parts of your target (i.e. headshots vs legs) would be an improvement, the precision required to make a headshot on a moving target leads to a lot of misses, which in turn incents me to choose quantity over quality- abandoning precision aim altogether in favour of unloading a hail of gunfire on the target's centre of mass.
  
  2) Checkpoints, or Lack Thereof
  -Most missions are activated in one area, but require you to travel to another destination before things really heat up. Why then, am I required to drive the same three minutes of map over and over every time I take an unlucky bullet to the noggin just before I complete the mission? Checkpoints are not a new concept. Why doesn't GTA IV incorporate them?

  Drumroll, please...

  1) Expectations
  -The deepest cut of all is that the original release date was pushed, accompanied by an explanation from the developer that the game just needed a bit more polish. If this is what half a year of extra polish looks like, I cringe at the thought of what the game would have looked like if it had released on time.

  ---

  So let me summarise by reiterating that I enjoy GTA IV. It's not a bad game at all. It's exactly what one comes to expect from a sequel- the same core formula that made you love the game in the first place, with a few new additions to keep things fresh. My argument is simply that achieveing a perfect score requires more. It requires well-thought and totally fleshed out concepts. It requires a degree of polish that makes it hard to find fault. It requires innovation that redefines the very essence of gaming- it must be mindblowing. And as much fun as GTA IV may be, it is not mindblowing and therefore is not a ten.

  • Posted May 22, 2008 2:43 pm PT
  • Category: Editorial
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