A Second Week of Gaming

During my second week off, I've been able to play some more really cool games.  Here's a breakdown.

Hard Reset

In the style of Hard Reset, I will give my thoughts based on numbers first.

Number of bullets fired: 623,450
Number of rocket launcher kills: 357
Percentage of boss fights that were totally rad: 100%
Number of completely unnecessary F-bombs dropped in cutscenes: 47
Times I accidentally switched to the wrong weapon only to get myself killed: 16
Total number of colors used in the development of this game: Approximately 1
Overall score: 8/10

And this clip doesn't even capture the hectic nature of the game...

Thank you Hard Reset, for bringing me back to a simpler time of gaming, where you have a good amount of fun weapons, a ton of baddies to kill, and nothing else to get in the way.  It's 7 hours of non-stop fast paced action that I greatly enjoyed.  There's no aiming down iron sights, no crouching, no backing up against a wall for cover, and...ok really? No crouching?  Even Half Life had crouching.  Anyway, it's fun.  The story is a complete mess, and for all intents and purposes I did try to understand it but the comic book style cutscenes that were used made it extremely difficult to follow.  There was a corporation, some robots, a giant city, a professor that's dead but alive at the same time somehow, an alcoholic guy named Fletcher who has some special power that's never actually explained, and I don't know, it was just really confusing.  I couldn't tell you which of these things was good or bad.  Definitely a good experience for 3 dollars and a solid 7 hours of fps'ing.

P.S. I just watched Zero Punctuation's review of Hard Reset after writing this blurb and it looks like we mentioned the same issues, albeit his take on it is much more amusing.  Video below.

Grim Fandango

Grim Fandango taught me one cruel truth about myself: I cannot bear to play puzzle adventure games.  I completely understand and acknowledge the reasons why adventure games must exist as a genre, that is to tell a well crafted story and take the player through a number of puzzles as opposed to doing any fighting, shooting or platforming.  And I truly wanted to love playing through Grim Fandango.  I just did not.

Awesome jazzy soundtrack though!

I have fond memories of playing this game a couple years back, when myself and my roommate both booted it up and played through about a quarter of the game in one afternoon sitting.  It was hilarious, the characters were likable, and the world was unique.  For whatever reason I stopped playing it then and figured it was about time to make the full journey this time.  So, I started up the game, kept a walkthrough minimized on my second monitor just in case, and began my journey.  If I could sum up my experience in one sentence, it would be this: The walkthrough on my second monitor ended up being maximized for the first 5 hours, not minimized, and the game was replaced with a Let's Play Youtube video for the last 5 hours.  With a story driven game such as this, I can deal with less than spectacular gameplay (see Bioshock games).  But when the gameplay, in this case a series of extremely convoluted puzzles, drives me to the brink of insanity from making no progress in the past half hour of wandering around, it is just plain not enjoyable to get through.

With that all being said, Grim Fandango is most remembered for its characters and story, and to this end it does a fantastic job.  Manny, Lupe, Glottis, Domino, Chepito, Hector, Carla, Meche, Salvador, and the rest of the colorful cast of characters are all developed very well, and this more than anything else makes the world feel alive (ironic since it is the Land of the Dead).  And just as I remembered, this game is hilarious.  Every line of dialog is delivered flawlessly and between the ramblings of Manny as you click on random objects and the lengthy conversations that he has with other characters, you are bound to laugh out loud numerous times.

For a taste, here's a conversation at the beginning of the game with an agitated clown:

Why is there a stall of just loaves of bread next to the clown? Awesome.

The Last of Us

The big game of the week was The Last of Us, which has been called the Citizen Kane of video games.  Here's my take on it.

I want to get the praise out of the way first.  The graphics in this game are phenomenal.  Absolutely the best console graphics I've ever seen.  The setting and level design is equally as impressive as the graphics are.  In this zombie apocalypse world, you're taken through creepy buildings, woods, sewers and all sorts of interesting locales.  These factors mixed with the atmospheric soundtrack make the immersion of being in a zombie infested world very satisfying and genuinely creepy.  Naughty Dog did a wonderful job of making you feel like a scavenger fighting for your life.  The voice acting is spot on (Troy Baker is a voice acting genius), and the in-engine cutscenes are very well done.  Also, character development for the two main characters is exceptional, I really felt strong emotions for them by the end of the movi...I mean game.

A gorgeous landscape to traverse.

Additionally, the plot is quite good.  I think it is important to differentiate between a back story and a game plot here, because I've seen interesting takes on both in the past two weeks.  The two concepts are pretty self explanatory: the game's plot follows the characters throughout the game and the back story is the overarching ideas and events that pull the whole world together.  In the case of The Last of Us, I think the plot is excellent, providing twists and turns along the way and good incentive to keep pushing forward.  However, the overarching story I found to be lacking.  How did the infection outbreak start?  Why are there so many different factions of people that apparently want every other human being dead?  How did we go from fine one day to a zombie outbreak overnight?  The answers to these questions and more are never really explained.  I think a good example of a game having a lackluster plot but an interesting back story is Half Life 2.  The entire game's plot and motivation is just Gordon Freeman trying to get from one place to another, but the overall story of the Combine and the G-man is very intriguing and is what really brings that universe to life.

I found the gameplay in The Last of Us to be a mixed bag.  On the one hand, the pacing and feel of the stealth and shooting mechanics were a perfect fit for the survival atmosphere that the game created.  However, I found many of the 'encounters' to be rather tedious and frustrating.  While the stealth mechanics are good, if you screw up one time and let an enemy see you, the entire area (which is often quite large and filled with 6+ enemies) becomes one big Joel-versus-all melee.  This makes sense for when he is fighting humans, as they can easily yell out where the player is or signal via radio.  However, how is it that all of the zombies in a 1 mile radius can distinguish between the obnoxious groans and clicking of a zombie and the obnoxious groans and clicking of a zombie that has just spotted me?  Are they communicating telepathically?  Or have the zombies created their own language and they're really yelling out to their comrades where I am?  Now, this shouldn't be much of a problem but the clunky, pseudo-realistic movement (Joel's three movement speeds are slow, slower and beached whale) and control stick aiming make shooting rather cumbersome; this of course is a problem when your enemies are sprinting towards you from different angles and half of them can insta-kill you if they get too close.  Over the course of the game, there were many encounters that were going smoothly for 3-4 enemies, before I was spotted by a super-zombie and eaten alive with hardly a chance to fight back.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  I will admit, successfully clearing a large area of enemies with stealth and diversion is exciting, but on the other hand dying 50 times is not.

Additionally, there is a clear divide between segments with enemies that becomes extremely predictable after a couple of hours.  There's typically a few areas of environmental puzzles and story, and then one area that Joel has to clear of enemies via stealth and the weapons he has scavenged along the way.  I think it would have helped the immersion if this line was blurred more, where you could never truly feel safe.  Perhaps having a zombie roaming about without its 5 closest friends would have raised the immersion without breaking gameplay?  This is, however, a very minor grievance.  

Overall, it is the atmosphere and plot that carried the game for me, much like Bioshock Infinite.  The complaints I have are minor and this is truly one of the more impressive games I've ever played.

ICO

I played two hours of this game and I already want to throw it out the window.  Basically, you are a boy with horns on his head who must escape a giant castle via environmental puzzles a la Prince of Persia Sands of Time (minus everything that made that game good).  Unfortunately, you are tasked with escorting a princess out of the castle too.

Now, escort missions are usually the worst parts of every game in which they occur.  But ICO takes it to a whole new level by making the entire game one long escort mission and giving the princess you are escorting the IQ of a bag of potatoes.  She will not follow you, she will not defend herself from harm and she seems extremely reluctant to be saved in the first place.  Thus, the way to get her through the castle is either stop every 5 feet and whistle at her like she's a dog or physically grab her hand in game and drag her along.  This is video game inception right here: controlling a character who is directly controlling another character.  If you get sick of dragging her along, which of course you will after 5 minutes, then a pack of demons will spawn and drag her into a void which ends the game.  Sometimes you must complete a puzzle without her right besides you because she is useless and cannot climb or walk, leaving her vulnerable and triggering the spawning of demons.  This requires you to, mid-puzzle mind you, stop what you are doing to go rescue her with some of the most clunky combat mechanics I've ever used.

Most of the reviews I have since read give praise to the art direction and the amazing world of this castle that the developers have created.  When it comes to game mechanics, some of them just gloss over it as if to say "man up and deal with it".  That's ridiculous!  When the core gameplay mechanic is a complete chore (in this case, babysitting), it makes the game not fun.  I am heavily contemplating even bothering to finish this game because it will mean another 4+ hours of the torturous escorting of a dog that is both blind and deaf (no offense to dogs that are blind and/or deaf).  If I do continue, I sincerely hope it grows on me.

At least the music is good.

A Week of Gaming

This week marked my first week of complete freedom in quite a long time, and to celebrate it, I decided to strap myself to my gaming chair and plow through some of my monstrous backlog.  Currently, according to Microsoft Excel, I have over 120 games that need to be played across the Gamecube, Wii, PC and newly acquired PS3.  Since we are nearing the end of the week I have decided to sit back and re-evaluate the games I have played, in a sort of brief collection of thoughts that will sum up my experiences.

But first, I want to bring attention to the incredible Steam winter sale that is going on right now.  I told myself at the beginning of the sale that I wanted one game, Dark Souls, and nothing else.  After 8 days I have bought the following: Killing Floor, The Stanley Parable, Hard Reset, Payday 2, The Binding of Isaac, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Dead Space 2, Dishonored, System Shock 2, Orcs Must Die 2 and finally, Dark Souls.  Needless to say I've gone a bit sale crazy, but I couldn't be happier.  Now, onto the games I've played.

The Stanley Parable

"The End is Never The End."

The Stanley Parable is one of most unique games I have ever played.  Remember the point in Portal where you break free from the test chambers and begin running around the inner workings of the Aperture Science laboratories?  Of course you do.  The way Stanley plays out reminds me very much of that point in Portal.  You play as a man named Stanley, who is just another office worker, paid to press buttons over and over and over for the rest of his dull, repetitive life.  One day he comes into work to find that none of his coworkers have showed up, and it is up to you to find out what is going on.  As far as gameplay goes, you are allowed to control Stanley's movement and interact with certain objects by pressing E, that's it.

You get to be this guy! Woo!

There's not much else to say about this extremely short indie game.  It is a game about choice in video games, which it accomplishes by giving a very short linear path to follow to the main ending with many optional branching paths to take en route to different outcomes.  It's cleverly written, brilliantly narrated, and just a joy to experience.  After roughly 1.5 hours of playing, I figured I had completely beaten the game, only to venture to Youtube and discover that I had only seen 7 of the 18 possible endings.  Totally worth the $2 I spent on it.

Bastion

In an effort to knock off two games in one day, I booted up Bastion next with the hope of rushing through it to knock it off my list.  First, just listen to this incredible music.

Bastion is a game whose atmosphere, soundtrack and narration draw you in exceptionally well.  The combat, which is really the only part of the gameplay, didn't do it for me.  I think the sheer amount of enemies they throw at you much of the time makes the fighting devolve into a spam festival, and only during the tougher single enemy encounters did I get any sort of satisfaction because they required an ounce of strategy.  I enjoyed the evasion rolling mechanic, and when they replaced it with a jump later in the game I was intrigued until they forced me to complete a jumping segment, which was one of my least favorite segments of any game in recent memory.  I swear the 'Kid' jumps whenever he wants and not when you press the space bar.  Overall though, it was an enjoyable 5 hour ride that I probably will never revisit.

Bioshock Infinite

Alright let's get the hyperbole out of the way first.  This game is one of the best games I've ever played. I enjoyed Bioshock and I thought Rapture was a beautiful world to explore, but I thought the gameplay left too much to be desired.  Bioshock 2 was a letdown as it was the same gameplay from the first, but without the refreshing new world to explore and a weaker story.  Bioshock Infinite, however, matched and greatly exceeded my expectations coming into the game.

First of all, the game has a saving feature that doesn't require an online membership, so it's already leagues ahead of Bioshock 2.  Moving on...

Mmmmm, delicious trailer.

There are in general many tweaks and additions to the gameplay that make it more balanced and enjoyable.  All of the vigors (formerly known as plasmids) and guns are viable options throughout the entire game, making the combat varied and mostly entertaining.  There's a sprint mechanic making the action more fast paced, and many of the menial mini-tasks from the other games like hacking are now done by an AI controlled ally.  One of the most enjoyable upgrades to the combat actually stems from the world itself, in that now battles take place not in cramped corridors, but in huge open areas that often consist of multiple levels and moving airships.  You can traverse these levels during a fight by use of skylines, which are rails that your character can latch onto and ride on like a roller coaster.  The skylines are exhilarating to use and leaping off of them onto grounded enemies for a surprise attack never gets old.  While the shooting is mostly unchanged and still a bit clunky, these additions make combat actually enjoyable throughout the game.

Even with these positive changes, the gameplay is far from the best aspect of Bioshock Infinite.  What really sets the game apart is the thrilling story and complex world of Columbia that it takes place in.

The colorful city of Columbia

The story grips you immediately, carries you along an emotional roller coaster and concludes with one of the most brilliant endings I've ever seen in a video game.  Truly a marvel of modern gaming.

Miscellaneous Adventures

Ah no, Miscellaneous Adventures is not the title of a game. But alas, I found myself playing through some other games to kill time in between the story heavy games mentioned above.

Killing Floor is a multiplayer zombie killing game that seems like a mix between Left 4 Dead 2 and the Nazi Zombie mode of Call of Duty.  It's a slower paced game that dumps you in a map with your online teammates and requires you to survive a set number of waves of enemies.  The catch here is that you need to continue to buy ammo, weapons and armor which are available at a shop that is located at various points in the map.  Thus, in order to win you must work as a team, have a quick trigger finger, and make sure you get to the shop before the last zombie in a wave is dead!  Although exhilarating, running around the map with a weak weapon and a small knife with hundreds of zombies chasing you means certain death.  Also, who doesn't love killing gingerbread men, reindeer and Santa zombies?

Xenoblade Chronicles is my epic RPG choice of the winter, and when I say epic I mean epic.  Currently I am on the beach of an ocean that rests atop a colossal ancient titan that is frozen in time, who happens to be standing in an even bigger ocean.  I mean come on, it doesn't get much cooler than that.

The Eryth Sea, where your social life comes to die.

Well, time to go back to my backlog.  I think I'll wade through Grim Fandango next (with a walkthrough of course). The puzzles in that game are next to impossible without a walkthrough.  One of the more intuitive puzzles in the game has you ask a clown to make you two dead worm balloon animals, which you then take to a packaging room to fill with foam packing material, which you then shove into a mail tube chute so it clogs up a mail processing machine, which allows you to turn the deadbolt on a door leading to the machine that is now being fixed by a demon mechanic, allowing you to enter the room at a later time so you can stick a playing card that has been hole punched in one of the tubes so you can intercept a letter that gives you the scoop on a new client.  Ridiculous..

NBA Titans Battle it Out

I couldn’t have picked a more soul-crushing Celtics game to watch from start to finish.  I honestly should have gone back to watching Nickelodeon after the half.  Tonight, the Celts, looking to build on their 1-game win streak, took on the championship contending Bucks.  I feel like Kenny and Charles could play “Who Dat” with literally everyone on the Bucks.  Giannis Antetokounmpo?  Ekpe Udoh?  Who are these guys?  And how are they logging 30+ minutes?

The Celtics as a unit were absolutely miserable from start to finish.  It seemed as if they were learning new rules as the game progressed.  Faverani learned about the existence of the shot clock in the 2^nd quarter, while aimlessly dribbling near the three point line.  Kris Kardashian got his mind off of reality TV long enough to discover the basic concept of “effort” in the 3^rd.  After learning he had a pulse last game, Jeff Green reverted to his old tricks.  Fake hustle, uncreative drives to the basket, and that deer-in-the-headlights look we are all so used to by now.  Bogans joined the Trillionaire Club tonight – 6 minutes, followed by 12 zeroes across the stat sheet.  Awesome.    

But if you’re looking for the glass half-full report, I’m proud to say that Jared Sullinger is legit…as long as he’s not doing his best Dirk impression.  If you are 6’ 9”/250+, three point territory should be some sort of faraway land that you never dare voyage to.  I’m all for Sully diversifying his game, but it should come in the form of post moves and defensive positioning.  Regardless, the guy was a beast tonight. 

I’m also starting to really warm up to Jordan “Be Easy Steezy” Crawford.  This guy is a complete nutcase in the best possible way.  No one cares if he’s unpredictable and careless, because this dude makes up for it with ultimate swag.  Sure he’ll bomb a few from the 4-point line, and cross a brother up just to say he did it.  But he has been a tremendous surprise all season long, and is a legit starting guard in the association.

Other than those few bright spots, it’s not a pretty story.  Brandon Knight, best known for observing DeAndre Jordan’s nether regions while simultaneously getting murdered, looked like an MVP candidate tonight.  That in itself should speak volumes.

But hey, this just means more ping pong balls for us come draft day.

Celts Progress Report

I wish I could say that I’ve watched a single Celtics game from start to finish so far this season, but I haven’t. No, it’s not because I don’t have cable. I could easily watch a pixelated bootleg stream with Turkish commentary online. It’s also not because we suck, which we do. It’s mostly because PJ Carlesimo is doing the commentary for games. My god, his voice!

In all seriousness, I think the C’s are in good shape for the future. Rondo is still wearing green, Sully has turned out to be a quality big, and it looks like Olynyk and his hair was a decent draft pick. We’ve also got the chosen one, Brad Stevens.

On top of that, we have either the Nets/Hawks 1st round draft pick this year, depending on who does worse. I don’t even know where to start with the Nets. Every time I go to the gym, I see the cover of an old Sports Illustrated with their starting five steady mean muggin for the camera. They looked like a top 3 seed in the east at least. But now, they’d be lucky to make the playoffs, and we get another dope pick in a loaded draft. Poor KG and PP, but I’ll take it. We have a ton of dead weight. Kris Kardashian, Gerald “Crash and Burn” Wallace, and apparently we have Keith Bogans too. These guys are all bona fide scrubs, completely unworthy of their contracts. I actually wouldn’t mind shipping these clowns off for the artist formerly known as Amare Stoudemire, as was rumored.

Okay, Jeff Green blows. I understand that he hit the corner three in LeBron’s eyeball for the win, and for that I’m thankful. But this dude has no sense of urgency whatsoever. I wouldn’t care if he treated NBA games like an And1 mix tape tour and just tried crossing up dudes and taking ill advised fadeaways with a foot on the line. Take a page out of Jordan “Steezy” Crawford’s book. Just do something. First options aren’t supposed to not shoot, not rebound, and not assist. They’re supposed to do the opposite of all those things.

Overall, the timing couldn’t have been better to tank/rebuild. Rigging for Wiggins/Parker/Randle should be an unspoken priority for this squad. Give a bunch of time to the young bloods who show promise. Let Brad Stevens develop his Xs/Os game, and continue to look for guys who we can surround our superstar Jeff Green with. Keep Rondo in the stasis chamber until he’s a 100% ready.

 Let’s get that banner 18…lol

Bioshocked

Spoiler free!  About a week ago I decided to make my long awaited journey into Rapture, the mysterious world that is home to the Bioshock series of games.  Back when Bioshock came out in 2007, my video card had recently fried itself; limiting me to playing games that were made essentially back in the Windows 98 days when Roller Coaster Tycoon was all the hype.  Don't get me wrong, RCT was a fantastic game, one that I continue to revisit to this day, but now that I've built my own computer with some serious GPU power behind it, it's time to take on the more graphically demanding games that I have missed over the years.

Bioshock begins with a brief cinematic of you - the main character - aboard a plane flying across the Atlantic.  Almost immediately, something goes horribly wrong and the plane crashes into the ocean.  This is where you assume control.  After a brief intro to the controls and some pretty impressive graphics, you are brilliantly introduced to the world of Rapture - a beautiful underwater city governed by a mysterious man named Andrew Ryan.  Now, right off the bat there are tons of questions that come to mind, such as: Why did the plane crash here? Why am I the only survivor? How come Rapture's inhabitants appear to be bat-$#@& crazy? and so on..  Without spoiling anything, these questions and more are answered throughout the game.  It turns out to be a thrilling story-line, filled with plot twists and turns that really makes the world of Rapture come to life.

    The mysterious Rapture in all its glory

As maybe evidence by previous reviews I've done, I'm a sucker for a good atmosphere in a game.  The atmosphere that Bioshock provides is spectacular, filled to the brim with personality and dark uncoverable secrets.  The fact that you have to explore every nook and cranny for audio diaries that give insight to the city's inhabitants adds to the awe.  In addition, the way the game cinematically introduces you to the dangers lurking in the depths of the city - without ever taking away player control - is phenomenal.  The sound in this game adds to the atmosphere by providing a general sense of foreboding, with creaking floors and distant roars (heh), as well as a Fallout 3-esque 1950's era soundtrack that makes certain areas really come to life. As the game goes on, however, this sense of atmosphere is diminished by the gameplay.  In a sense, it's way too easy.

In order to visualize just how easy the game is, imagine fighting this guy:

Pretty intimidating, right?  Now, imagine fighting the same guy, except this time you have the knowledge that five feet to your right is a mountainous pile of ammo, first aid kits and energy.  Oh, and ten feet behind you is a free-to-use restoration chamber that instantly revives you if you die and around the corner up ahead are two vending machines that will gladly concede even more ammo, first aid kits and energy upon successful defeat of the baddie.  Thus is the format for basically every enemy encounter in the entire game.  On the harder difficulty settings, the enemies have more health and deal out more damage, but the environmental aids are still present.  To be honest, I enjoy games where I don't have to fret over every single unit of ammunition and sliver of health in my health bar, but this is just ridiculous.  It gets to the point where you can casually stroll into any room or unexplored corridor in the game without a care in the world, thus detracting slightly from the overall atmosphere.

One of the best songs of Bioshock - Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Aside from being too easy, the gameplay is generally solid.  Customizable controls and standard first person shooter mechanics make for an enjoyable experience all around.  In addition to a wide range of weapons and ammo available, the player has an option to use special powers called plasmids.  Plasmids are essentially powers that allow you to defeat enemies however you please.  You can set them on fire, freeze them, shoot lightning, send out a swarm of bees, enrage them to attack other enemies, etc.  It's a neat array of powers that includes potential for some cool battle tactics, but for the most part preparing for each fight rapidly devolves into equipping your most powerful attack (lightning or fire) and alternating the use of these with shotgun blasts to the face.  The game tries to introduce RPG elements on top of the FPS gameplay by giving the player a series of moral choices to make.  I say 'tries' because these choices (which boil down to harming or saving little corrupted girls) don't affect much except the brief ending cinematic and available ADAM that the player uses to purchase additional plasmids.  The main story, however, remains the same regardless of your choices.

After spending roughly 11 hours in Rapture, the solid-but-not-perfect FPS gameplay and gradual unraveling of plot twists all come to a disappointing end with a weak final boss fight and an even weaker final cinematic (there are multiple endings, the one I got was fairly lame).  It's over in a flash and I honestly am still unsure about what exactly happened, but I guess that's what Wikipedia is for!

Now, since my first experience in Rapture was thoroughly enjoyable, I decided to jump right in to Bioshock 2 the following day.  Upon pressing the Play button in Steam, I was shown a security code that would be used to unlock the game (didn't I already purchase it?).  So I copied it to the clipboard, entered it in the next screen and - oh what's this?  "Authorization attempt unsuccessful - Try manual authorization".  Ok...So I click on the Manual Authorization page whereupon it prompts me to enter my security code along with a HUGE additional Unlock code.  After typing both codes in, I press Next and once again, "Authorization attempt unsuccessful". Great.  Minutes pass by and after enough trials and tribulations with the authorization screen (as if it was testing my patience), I finally got into the game and was greeted with the main screen.

As soon as I go to click the New Game button, an enormous popup covers the screen.  "Create a Games for Windows Live Account", it says.  No thanks, says I - Cancel, Cancel, Exit, Cancel.  Once again I press the New Game button and at last, I reach the opening cinematic.  The story this time around takes place ten years after the original game and includes some returning NPC's, but the player now controls one of the enemies from the first game and the main plot is entirely different.  Interesting...

You control one of these brutes this time around

The first problem I have with the actual game itself is that the city of Rapture is revisited almost to a fault.  You see the same vistas you saw in the first game only from a different angle.  While these set pieces provided for some breathtaking moments in the first game, it becomes stale when you see it multiple times.  As a matter of fact, nothing is really changed from the first game in Bioshock 2.  The gameplay is almost exactly the same, the enemies are the same (with a few additions), the excessive amount of first aid kits and restoration chambers is the same; it's basically just an expansion pack.  Except this time, the atmosphere has become stale and the strong story present before is now replaced by a new, less exciting story with a less exciting main antagonist.

The 50's era soundtrack makes a welcoming return in Bioshock 2.

Two hours into the game I began to get bored, so I planned on saving and revisiting the game at a later hour.  So I pause the game and go to click save - it's grayed out.  Figuring that just meant there was an enemy nearby I had to dispatch of, I journeyed to a completely safe area and once again tried to save - nothing. An ensuing Google search leads me to this little tidbit: You need a Games for Windows Live account to save the game!   What?!?!?!  You actually need an online account, completely separate from the game itself, in order to physically save your game.  Holy crap, my mind was blown.  I have Super Nintendo games with better saving systems than that.  Unbelievable.

So, as I was already two hours invested into the game and I had no plan to re-do the intro sequences, I powered on through.  I would not rest until I beat the game.  Five hours later I reach the end of the second to last chapter in the game.  All that remains (according to a posthumous FAQ search) is one final extended battle and the closing scenes.  So I go to open a door and journey to that final destination and......the game freezes.  After all that, the fact that I couldn't save came back to bite me.  It's a shame too, the last couple hours were quite good.  A couple of Youtube 'Let's play Bioshock 2' videos later and I had effectively beaten the game.

On its own merits, Bioshock 2 is a great game, as the foundation upon which it is built is very strong.  However, the game falters as a sequel, introducing new concepts that are far too insignificant to make a second journey through Rapture nearly as impressive as the first.

Overall, the Bioshock series is a unique gaming experience, definitely worth the $10 that it was on Steam when I purchased it.  But it's a good thing it was that cheap, because Bioshock 2 failed to provide enough new thrills to make it worth the price of a full game ($60 these days).

I now sit here, contemplating which of my dozens of Steam games to play next, awaiting the much anticipated release of the next game in the Bioshock series, 'Bioshock Infinite', set to release in the spring of 2013.  It will be set in a new environment (not Rapture), and if the original Bioshock has taught us anything; journeying through an unknown world with unknown inhabitants can be very rewarding.  While most of my Bioshock experience will be forgotten with time, that initial descent into the heart of Rapture and its twisted ways in Bioshock 1 is a gaming memory that is certain to last.

Appreciating Steam

So since it’s week six of my never-ending winter break, I decided now is as good a time as any to breathe some life back into SNSG. 

A quick glance down the Gaming section of Reddit evinces the power that Steam has had on the PC gaming industry.  Meme after meme of Valve’s benevolent overlord Gabe Newell grace the front page of my favorite news source on a daily basis.  Newell, the equivalent of a real-world Comic Book Guy has created a multibillion dollar (That’s billion with a “B”) computer game distribution empire. 

I think the genius of Steam lies in its simplicity.  Let me set the scene.  I’m sitting in my boxers on my throne, a tattered swivel chair.  Not a pretty sight.  After watching hours and hours of YouTube mixtapes of lackluster NBA players (who actually cares about Jorge Garbajosa?), I can maneuver to the Steam website, and after two deft clicks of the mouse, and one virtual swipe of the credit card, I’m all of a sudden playing Orcs Must Die 2.  I’m still in my boxers.  On my swivel chair.  Not bothering to clean up the ketchup stain on the desk that’s melding in with the woodwork.

Now that’s the beauty of this thing.  In an age where everyone wants to do as little as possible all the time, Steam more than fits the bill.  If I were to buy a game from Amazon, I would have to wait a few days, and then physically move myself from my swivel chair to the front door to retrieve the package.  Just thinking about installing a physical CD into a desktop computer gives me chills.  In the famous words of YouTube legend Sweet Brown, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

And then there are the magnificent Steam sales.  Not since the advent of fire has mankind been responsible for such a beautiful creation.  Publisher-specific bundles, daily deals, community-voted deals; these forces combine to wreak havoc on one’s wallet.  But no one seems to mind.  I still haven’t touched half the games I purchased last summer during the sale, and I’m sure many others are in the same boat.  Something about the aesthetic design of the website, the snappy game trailers…it’s just so easy to stockpile big name games!  And the fact that I’m not dropping $60 per game appeases my innate frugality.

But I still see room for improvement!

Achievement System:  When I first copped my Xbox 360, I was blown away by the sheer addictiveness of the achievement system.  Steam also implements an achievement system for individual games, but it would be better if there were some sort of aggregate number that tracked progress across all games. 

Hard Copy Support:  It would be nice if Steam had support for games that were purchased through retail.  Being able to play my hard copy of Sim City 4 via Steam would cut out the whole putting the CD in the disc drive thing.

Improved IM System:  Just find a way to make it better.

Now it’s time to go back to battling Albanian tweens in Age of Empires III online.  With both expansion packs installed of course. 

As always, let's try to get exceed expectations, and get a comment on this post.  

                 

State of the Video Game Industry

Hello once again, faithful SNSG subscribers! I bring to you an article I’ve wanted to write for a long time, but could never find the time to write. I present to you, the State of the Video Game Industry, a collection of my personal ramblings and disconnected thoughts.

After a frenzied five-minute Google research session, I feel that I have gathered enough statistics to make it seem like actual research was done. As one will soon realize, I do not cite any sources. Okay, so let’s get right into it then!

Industry Profile

As an economics major, I’ve spent the last three years indoctrinated in the fine arts of graph memorization and line manipulation. I also read boring things. The common denominator in this array of monotony is the use of mundane language. Things such as “Industry Profile” seem to crop up a lot.

But anyway, the video game industry is absolutely thriving. Since 2004, the total value of the industry has increased from $10.3 Billion (With a B!) to $70+ Billion today. In terms of gross revenue, the video game industry nearly matched the movie industry. I believe a number of factors are responsible for this rise.

Contrary to popular belief, the average gamer is not a 16-year old COD player who sends nonsensical messages through Xbox Live when he gets knifed. (Though it might sometimes seem that way). In fact, the average gamer is 34 years old. If you’re playing games at the age of 34, chances are you’ve been gaming for a long time. Also, chances are slim that you are married. Thus, unmarried 34-year olds, who are (hopefully) employed, have the resources to fund their gaming enterprises. An aging gamer demographic helps drive growth.

**Side note: I have a strong suspicion that someone in my Age of Empires clan is 34 and lives out of his car, but that’s for another blog entry. **

With the emergence of motion-control based gaming and mobile gaming, a ton of new demographics have been roped into the world gaming. The number of annoying teenagers who can’t dance, but wave their arms animatedly in front of a Kinect camera is staggering. Same goes for the number of obese individuals who treat the Wii Fit like a reincarnation of the South Beach Diet, and adhere to it faithfully. Then, there are always the charming elderly technophiles who emulate their favorite real-world activities in video game form. And of course, everyone plays Angry Birds.

The bottom line is that in the past decade, gaming has evolved to include everyone. 40% of all gamers are girls(!), octogenarians are getting involved, and games are even being seen as a supplement to a healthy diet! I have heard that smart phones now support vast gaming libraries. I have only experienced this vicariously, however, since my phone is not even capable of taking pictures. Even Facebook is not safe from the vicious onslaught of gaming. I just dropped a 70-point word on Words with Friends the other day, and my friend has a rather immaculate garden on Farmville.

So, is this a good thing?

The short answer is yes. The impact that video games has on job creation in the technology sector is huge. Let me tell you, after taking a computer science class, I thought I’d have the skills to make Metroid Prime 4. Turns out I can only make a rudimentary pong game that can’t keep score. Awesome! The point is, the people making these games are some of the smartest minds out there, period. I am in continuous awe of how games continue to evolve and push the boundaries of possibility. The industry standard today was a technological marvel a decade ago.

The video game industry employs people like him!

Furthermore, a number of successful indie developers have cropped up that reinforce the idea of meritocracy in the gaming world. The idea that anyone with the right skills and mindset can capitalize on a good idea is pivotal for the success of this industry. The open source Android operating system has made it possible for 13-year olds to market top-selling games.

Disturbing Trends

But of course, not everything is without fault in the world of gaming. Here are some trends that I find particularly worrisome.

1. DLC - Downloadable Content. Picture this. The year is 2005. You go to Game Stop and make what you think is a sound investment. You purchase Shadow the Hedgehog for the GameCube. (Minutes into the game, you realize that you have made a terrible mistake, but that’s beside the point). You freely traverse the open non-linear game world *sarcasm*, but upon completing the first level, you are told that you must purchase level 2, in the form of DLC. The same pattern manifests itself for the next 10 levels. Since you have already made a flurry of bad decisions (beginning with the initial purchase of the game), you simply can’t stop. You go ahead and buy every level. At the end of the whole process, you are unsure whether or not you are having any fun at all.

This illustration is to DLC what the book 1984 is to democracy. I think that DLC is fine as long as it is reasonably priced and actually adds something of value to the overall gameplay experience. It is not fine if companies purposely condense a game, and then sell vital gameplay elements off at a premium. Mass Effect 3, what are you thinking?!

2. Motion Controls - With the Wii, we saw the introduction of the waggle as a core gameplay mechanic. How many shovel ware games were built off the premise that wildly gesticulating with our arms was crucial to the overall experience? Really, it wasn’t until Skyward Sword that I saw a game that made legitimate use of motion controls.

3. Used Games – I can’t believe that is even a problem in the first place. Rumor has it that the next Xbox is trying to find a way to ban the user from playing used games. It’s one thing to counter piracy, but what’s wrong with used games? Kiss your profits goodbye Microsoft!

The Last Word

In the end, games are about having fun. Graphical prowess, an orchestrated soundtrack, and a bevy of unique gameplay elements are nice, but mean nothing if you’re not having fun. Ultimately, it is this that drives the video game industry more than anything else.