Today I went to the laundromat and I used up a lot of quarters. I've never used that many quarters before, not even at an arcade. Then I got to thinking, I haven't been to an arcade in ages. They are kind of scarce now days.
In my hometown, the local mall had a video arcade. I never really frequented there as much as I should have. Looking back on it, it was a decent arcade, though most of the people that would go there were just there for the DDR machine. There were a few fighting games set up, and I remember a Time Crisis 3 machine. Time Crisis is one of my favorite arcade games to play. I loved stomping on that pedal and quickly popping off those nine shots from the pistol. It was so.... visceral. Something that a home console couldn't give to you.
The arcade started to die out when the home console started to become a commonality. I think because around the time, the console of choice was the Atari 2600. The controller for the system was very similar to an arcade cabinet. All it needed was a joystick and a button. The Atari 2600 couldn't exactly replicate the graphics and power of an arcade, but it was close enough. It was about then that the arcades around the country started to fade. Kind of like a "video killed the radio star" situation.
I do love my consoles, but truth be told I miss the old arcade. They still exist, but mostly as a side to the main attraction of whatever building houses it. I haven't seen a true arcade for a long time. That old arcade of my hometown became a nail salon, then it became part of a restaurant. They just aren't quite as popular anymore, which is a shame. The thing that I always like about arcades are the extravagant apparatuses that some of the bigger machines use.
One of my favorites is Tokyo Cop, which uses a motion sensor to detect the players height, though I'm too tall for it so I have to crouch down a little, it's kind of exhausting. Or The ever rare, F-Zero AX. There's nothing real special about it, but I love F-Zero, and the wheel on the cabinet is some kind of cool futuristic jet-plane thing. It just gives it so much of a unique experience from other arcade racers. That, and the fact that if you remembered your Gamecube memory card with an F-Zero GX save file, you could unlock new racers and tracks if you were good enough. Even motorcycle racers are more fun at the arcade. This was of course pioneered by Yu Suzuki, the creative mind behind the Dreamcast hit Shenmue.
And of course there is my favorite arcade game of Time Crisis. I get so into that game that I duck down a little when the character is in cover. Sure it may just be a rail shooter, but it's the best of rail shooters! The enemy placement and weapon variety make it all the better. The bosses are absolutely insane, and are unlike anything else the game has prepared you for. But, my favorite part is the guns on those machines, at least when they work. The different clicking from weapon type to weapon type makes it all the cooler. Like the big CLICK, CLICK when you fire off a grenade launcher, and duck down to watch the explosion wash over your cover like a wave of fire. But that's not even the coolest bit, I've been lying to you this whole time. The coolest part about any Time Crisis arcade game is the Co-Op. I have met some cool people just by playing with them. It's always a blast to play with someone else on that game.
I think the community of an arcade is something that I would have like to be apart of in its heyday. I could have been like Kevin Flynn from TRON. Oh well, fads come and fads go. I just would have liked to have seem the arcade just a little longer.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Favorite vs. Greatest
I stand by the principle that there is a difference between what your favorite game is, and what the best game of all time is. Somehow, I think that people get the two confused.
My favorite game is Jet Grind Radio for the Sega Dreamcast, though it is by no means the greatest game of all time. Just because it is my favorite does not mean that it is the best. I do not hold other games to the standard of what Jet Grind Radio is.
Jet Grind Radio is a game about a group of kids on roller blades who go around tagging up the streets of Tokyo with graffiti, all the while listening to the amazingly awesome pirate radio Jet Set Radio. This game is my favorite because it holds a very special place in my heart. It's nostalgia. I grew up playing that game. I first played it when a friend of my brother brought it over and put it up on our TV. I was so wowed by the vibrant colors and the loud boisterous soundtrack and the voice shouting "JET GRIND RADIO!!!" that I was completely captivated. This was unlike anything I could ever play on my N64. The game isn't perfect. The controls can be frustrating at times and the camera can be even more so. Even still, I love it. It's got soul. It has personality.
Now on the other hand, there is Half - Life 2
I don't always talk about this game. Normally I talk about Mass Effect, and that whole franchise. I guess because I just know. I know that Half - Life 2 is the greatest game of all time. I know that Half - Life 2 makes great use of the technology that it had at the time, and that it's gameplay is fast, fluid, and incredible. It slows down when it has to, and picks right back up after you've taken that momentary breather. The firefights and locations are intense, and they stick with you even it's been forever since you've played the game. But it isn't memory, and the fact that the game sticks with you that makes it the best. it's the feel of it. That indescribable element of the game that makes it what it is. the controls are tight, and everything flows well together. The enemies are challenging and varied. Players are so immersed in the game, and they get a sense of what they are fighting for. They form bonds with the characters, and become familiar with them. They understand them and relate to them. Even the random freedom fighters that you pick up along the way. Throughout the game you get an understanding of what these people have suffered through, and why they are fighting, and why you'll make such a difference. It's as the G-Man says with his haunting monologue at the beginning of the game "The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world." That's another thing that the game does well, and that's having the feeling that you're always being watched, monitored by this mysterious overseer that doesn't even have a name. Half - Life 2 is a fantastic game because of all of it's elements working together to tell an immersive story that you feel apart of, and giving players an experience that will last a lifetime.
But, I suppose that it's just a matter of opinion, and I'm completely wrong by making these statements. After all, video games are works of art, and you really can't classify one piece of art as the end all be all best. I mean, the Mona Lisa is pretty good, but I really like Starry Night. Perhaps if we all just gave our opinions, rather than forcing them on one another, we might enjoy the medium as a whole.
My favorite game is Jet Grind Radio for the Sega Dreamcast, though it is by no means the greatest game of all time. Just because it is my favorite does not mean that it is the best. I do not hold other games to the standard of what Jet Grind Radio is.
Jet Grind Radio is a game about a group of kids on roller blades who go around tagging up the streets of Tokyo with graffiti, all the while listening to the amazingly awesome pirate radio Jet Set Radio. This game is my favorite because it holds a very special place in my heart. It's nostalgia. I grew up playing that game. I first played it when a friend of my brother brought it over and put it up on our TV. I was so wowed by the vibrant colors and the loud boisterous soundtrack and the voice shouting "JET GRIND RADIO!!!" that I was completely captivated. This was unlike anything I could ever play on my N64. The game isn't perfect. The controls can be frustrating at times and the camera can be even more so. Even still, I love it. It's got soul. It has personality.
Now on the other hand, there is Half - Life 2
I don't always talk about this game. Normally I talk about Mass Effect, and that whole franchise. I guess because I just know. I know that Half - Life 2 is the greatest game of all time. I know that Half - Life 2 makes great use of the technology that it had at the time, and that it's gameplay is fast, fluid, and incredible. It slows down when it has to, and picks right back up after you've taken that momentary breather. The firefights and locations are intense, and they stick with you even it's been forever since you've played the game. But it isn't memory, and the fact that the game sticks with you that makes it the best. it's the feel of it. That indescribable element of the game that makes it what it is. the controls are tight, and everything flows well together. The enemies are challenging and varied. Players are so immersed in the game, and they get a sense of what they are fighting for. They form bonds with the characters, and become familiar with them. They understand them and relate to them. Even the random freedom fighters that you pick up along the way. Throughout the game you get an understanding of what these people have suffered through, and why they are fighting, and why you'll make such a difference. It's as the G-Man says with his haunting monologue at the beginning of the game "The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world." That's another thing that the game does well, and that's having the feeling that you're always being watched, monitored by this mysterious overseer that doesn't even have a name. Half - Life 2 is a fantastic game because of all of it's elements working together to tell an immersive story that you feel apart of, and giving players an experience that will last a lifetime.
But, I suppose that it's just a matter of opinion, and I'm completely wrong by making these statements. After all, video games are works of art, and you really can't classify one piece of art as the end all be all best. I mean, the Mona Lisa is pretty good, but I really like Starry Night. Perhaps if we all just gave our opinions, rather than forcing them on one another, we might enjoy the medium as a whole.
New Console Speculation
I'm sure that you've heard that the new consoles are coming out in the new future. Sony had recently made their announcement of their new console, the PS4. They showed off their new controller, which brought about some interesting ideas on how they will use some of the unique features. Like that share button, oh boy, have I wanted to constantly update my friends on Facebook about my gamerscore. However, they also boasted the new specs for the console, though they didn't show off the console itself, but I don't see how that matters much. In both respects, the power of the console nor the look of the console has ever really mattered, unless it's the N64 with it's multi-colored transparent systems.
I've had a couple of conversations with Sony supporters about the new Sony PS4, and they were bragging about the power and capability of the new console. In reality, the consoles have about as much power as a low to mid range gaming computer. However, console power has never been a factor in the sale and superiority of different consoles. What matters in the console game is the exclusivity of the titles that it has in its roster. I don't really think that the Playstation would be what it is if not for games like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Shadow of the Colossus, and many, many more. Those games make up what the Playstation, and its fanbase, is. The Playstation 3 is a great system, with a lot of innovative and good titles. However, from a sales point of view, it shrinks compared to the number of Xbox 360s sold. Though that is nothing compared to the sales of the Nintendo Wii, which blew both of them out of the water. However, most core gamers will agree that either of the consoles are superior to the Wii, in regards to specific titles and franchises that belong to their respective consoles.
The only argument were the specs of a particular gaming platform should come into play is when discussing PC games. No console game has system requirements printed on the side of the box. Because it doesn't matter what the game runs on, only how the game plays that makes it great on the console. PC games are great too, don't misunderstand me.
Power doesn't matter in the console game, games do.
I've had a couple of conversations with Sony supporters about the new Sony PS4, and they were bragging about the power and capability of the new console. In reality, the consoles have about as much power as a low to mid range gaming computer. However, console power has never been a factor in the sale and superiority of different consoles. What matters in the console game is the exclusivity of the titles that it has in its roster. I don't really think that the Playstation would be what it is if not for games like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Shadow of the Colossus, and many, many more. Those games make up what the Playstation, and its fanbase, is. The Playstation 3 is a great system, with a lot of innovative and good titles. However, from a sales point of view, it shrinks compared to the number of Xbox 360s sold. Though that is nothing compared to the sales of the Nintendo Wii, which blew both of them out of the water. However, most core gamers will agree that either of the consoles are superior to the Wii, in regards to specific titles and franchises that belong to their respective consoles.
The only argument were the specs of a particular gaming platform should come into play is when discussing PC games. No console game has system requirements printed on the side of the box. Because it doesn't matter what the game runs on, only how the game plays that makes it great on the console. PC games are great too, don't misunderstand me.
Power doesn't matter in the console game, games do.
Kickin' it old school
Last night I had a friend over to hang out and play some video games. It was a grand ol' time. Mainly due to the awesome games that we played. The video games in question were: Mario Kart 64 and Jet Grind Radio.
We started off with Mario Kart, because it had been ages since either of us had played it, so we decided to take a trip down memory lane. However, memory lane was a bit more rough than we remembered and it was paved with curse words. It's kind of funny how many swears you discover while playing Mario Kart now days. Even though we ended up losing to the computer, we still had fun. Mario Kart 64 has, and always will be my favorite Mario Kart game. It holds a special place in my heart and it's a pretty darn good game to boot. The controls may not be super tight, and the AI may be able to rubber band like nobody's business, but there is still loads of fun to be had with it. Maybe it's the rose colored shades of nostalgia talking, but I still love Mario Kart 64.
After our crushing defeat by the karts of Mario, we decided it was time to move on to something else. With the question of "What's your favorite video game?" I immediately pulled out Jet Grind Radio. The funkiest, coolest, hippest, most radical game there ever was.
The entire time I watched my friend play, I was explaining to her every mechanic and facet of the game. I know everything there is about this game. It was so much fun to see the same sense of awe and wonder on my friends face that I had those many years ago when I first played Jet Grind Radio. The sights, the sounds, the colors, the absurd amount of law enforcement and that music. Oh that music. Never in your life will you ever hear anything like the soundtrack to Jet Grind Radio. The coolest blend of the funkiest beats that you ever did see. This game makes me want to get up and dance every time that I hear it's glorious soundtrack, and it makes me want to be in the streets of Tokyo-to throwing one big dance party with everyone there. I could go on and on about how amazing the soundtrack is, and why it makes the game complete. It gives Jet Grind Radio so much soul on top of what it already has, and just adds to the experience and makes it something unlike anything you've ever played.
Games back in the day for the older generations were different, but in such a good way. Game design was still a new thing, and the emerging technologies that were being used allowed for new ways to make games. Games during the 1990s and early 2000s were creative, and they tried something different nearly every time. It is the height of console gaming in my mind, and it always will be. Again, it could be the nostalgia talking again, and the fact that I grew up with these games, but come on. You will not find another game like Jet Grind Radio, or even Mario Kart 64 anywhere else. That's what made gaming in that generation so great. The graphics may not be photo-realistic, and the game might not have been funded with millions of dollars, but damn,k were they the most fun you could have on a console.
We started off with Mario Kart, because it had been ages since either of us had played it, so we decided to take a trip down memory lane. However, memory lane was a bit more rough than we remembered and it was paved with curse words. It's kind of funny how many swears you discover while playing Mario Kart now days. Even though we ended up losing to the computer, we still had fun. Mario Kart 64 has, and always will be my favorite Mario Kart game. It holds a special place in my heart and it's a pretty darn good game to boot. The controls may not be super tight, and the AI may be able to rubber band like nobody's business, but there is still loads of fun to be had with it. Maybe it's the rose colored shades of nostalgia talking, but I still love Mario Kart 64.
After our crushing defeat by the karts of Mario, we decided it was time to move on to something else. With the question of "What's your favorite video game?" I immediately pulled out Jet Grind Radio. The funkiest, coolest, hippest, most radical game there ever was.
The entire time I watched my friend play, I was explaining to her every mechanic and facet of the game. I know everything there is about this game. It was so much fun to see the same sense of awe and wonder on my friends face that I had those many years ago when I first played Jet Grind Radio. The sights, the sounds, the colors, the absurd amount of law enforcement and that music. Oh that music. Never in your life will you ever hear anything like the soundtrack to Jet Grind Radio. The coolest blend of the funkiest beats that you ever did see. This game makes me want to get up and dance every time that I hear it's glorious soundtrack, and it makes me want to be in the streets of Tokyo-to throwing one big dance party with everyone there. I could go on and on about how amazing the soundtrack is, and why it makes the game complete. It gives Jet Grind Radio so much soul on top of what it already has, and just adds to the experience and makes it something unlike anything you've ever played.
Games back in the day for the older generations were different, but in such a good way. Game design was still a new thing, and the emerging technologies that were being used allowed for new ways to make games. Games during the 1990s and early 2000s were creative, and they tried something different nearly every time. It is the height of console gaming in my mind, and it always will be. Again, it could be the nostalgia talking again, and the fact that I grew up with these games, but come on. You will not find another game like Jet Grind Radio, or even Mario Kart 64 anywhere else. That's what made gaming in that generation so great. The graphics may not be photo-realistic, and the game might not have been funded with millions of dollars, but damn,k were they the most fun you could have on a console.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Online gaming, supposedly where it's at (along with other updates)
So, I haven't been able to keep a consistent writing schedule as I would like.I've been on vacation for the past few days. During that time, my laptop had died. However, my uncle had provided me with a computer to tide me over until something else comes along. I'm expecting some money from the state to come in and give me a bit of a boost. I plan on using that money, after I acquire a steady job of course, to build myself a proper gaming PC, complete with a capture card, so that I can start on my way to making some really cool video reviews, machinimas and let's play videos. I'm looking forward to that day, however, beggars can't be choosers.
Anyway, on with what I was going to talk about.
Recently, I've gotten back into Online gaming, of the console variety. It seems that more and more, online gaming seems to be the primary focus of game developers. Developers seem to put an online multiplayer mode in games where it doesn't belong. What seems to bother me more, is that they completely seem to scrap the idea of split screen. It wasn't a problem for us ten years ago, why would it be a problem now?
Halo was the epitome of the split screen gaming get together. If you had enough TVs, you could LAN up to four xboxs together and have yourselves a grand old time with up to sixteen total players. This was fun. It brought about a sense of community, and fellowship, and the ability to directly yell at the person who killed you.
Mario Kart 64 brought about so many memories of playing with other people in the same room, and the same screen. The stand offs of Block fort and filling the trenches with green shells, the sense of dread as the whine of a blue shell approached you from last place, and the thrill of victory after a grueling race on the Rainbow Road.
It just occurred to me that maybe not everyone would sit up atop Block Fort and shoot green shells down to the bottom level. Though, I think that was one of the best parts of playing with other people in the same room. You could make up your own games with the other people. Sure it may have been out of boredom, but some of the best things come from being bored! I can't get two words in with the people that I end up playing with online. They either don't want to listen, or don't have a mic.
However, I don't think that making up your own game would work in an online scenario. Players are too focused on the objective at hand to really mess around. If they do mess around, it's only one or two players that do, and they muck up everything for the other players by team killing or just screwing around. But, this is the way of things in the online universe.
Online gaming is great. It's easy to get sixteen people together to play a game that you all share, and have a passion for. It's easy to play multiple games without having to worry about if the other people are still having fun. Online gaming makes it easy to play with other people. Even though, to me, it doesn't feel like it.
Online gaming has become the way of the future, and a major selling point for most games. For some, it's all the game is. It's not all bad, though. Every once in a while, you'll meet someone new, and find yourself having a gaming buddy. Online gaming is what's happening right now, and it will endure. But to me, it just won't be the same as playing split screen.
Anyway, on with what I was going to talk about.
Recently, I've gotten back into Online gaming, of the console variety. It seems that more and more, online gaming seems to be the primary focus of game developers. Developers seem to put an online multiplayer mode in games where it doesn't belong. What seems to bother me more, is that they completely seem to scrap the idea of split screen. It wasn't a problem for us ten years ago, why would it be a problem now?
Halo was the epitome of the split screen gaming get together. If you had enough TVs, you could LAN up to four xboxs together and have yourselves a grand old time with up to sixteen total players. This was fun. It brought about a sense of community, and fellowship, and the ability to directly yell at the person who killed you.
Mario Kart 64 brought about so many memories of playing with other people in the same room, and the same screen. The stand offs of Block fort and filling the trenches with green shells, the sense of dread as the whine of a blue shell approached you from last place, and the thrill of victory after a grueling race on the Rainbow Road.
It just occurred to me that maybe not everyone would sit up atop Block Fort and shoot green shells down to the bottom level. Though, I think that was one of the best parts of playing with other people in the same room. You could make up your own games with the other people. Sure it may have been out of boredom, but some of the best things come from being bored! I can't get two words in with the people that I end up playing with online. They either don't want to listen, or don't have a mic.
However, I don't think that making up your own game would work in an online scenario. Players are too focused on the objective at hand to really mess around. If they do mess around, it's only one or two players that do, and they muck up everything for the other players by team killing or just screwing around. But, this is the way of things in the online universe.
Online gaming is great. It's easy to get sixteen people together to play a game that you all share, and have a passion for. It's easy to play multiple games without having to worry about if the other people are still having fun. Online gaming makes it easy to play with other people. Even though, to me, it doesn't feel like it.
Online gaming has become the way of the future, and a major selling point for most games. For some, it's all the game is. It's not all bad, though. Every once in a while, you'll meet someone new, and find yourself having a gaming buddy. Online gaming is what's happening right now, and it will endure. But to me, it just won't be the same as playing split screen.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Bioshock Infinite Review
Bioshock Infinite is one of those games that was super hyped. Though, I usually try to abstain from the hype surrounding most big name titles such as this one, it tends to ruin the game for me. All the same, I was still absolutely looking forward to this game. I even went to the midnight launch at the local Gamestop. It was pretty exciting, as it had been a long while since I've waited until midnight to pick up a video game. Midnight finally arrives and I pick up my game, and get in my car to go home and tear into the game. Only to find that my roommate is sleeping on the couch. Damn. So, I go to bed and decide to play it after a nights rest.
Finally I awoke, skipping breakfast to go straight for Bioshock Infinite. I had been waiting for this for a long time...
Bioshock Infinite is a fantastic, immersive, well rounded experience that is completely different from its predecessors, yet remains that certain indescribable feel to it that makes it a Bioshock game.
The new impossible city that players are transported to is Columbia, a city in the sky that has formed a religion based on the founding fathers of America and the citizens relentlessly follow their leader and their prophet Comstock. Players take on the role of the not so silent protagonist of Booker Dewitt, as he is sent to this mysterious, and absolutely gorgeous, place to retrieve a girl named Elizabeth in an effort to wipe away the sins of his dark past. Upon arriving in Columbia, Booker immediately finds himself in a mess as all signs point to him being the so called "False-Prophet" this then leads the population of Columbus to immediately attack Booker, and cause the game to erupt into a fit of violence, quite gorily at that, as the game starts to get going. The first act of violence is having Dewitt smash an officers face into a rapidly spinning skyhook, which he then yanks out of the body and uses it as a melee weapon. However, players grab a gun Bioshock Infinite the violence is from more of a distance. Though, the skyhook is still a useful tool as it allows players to get from one place to another, and allows for amazing firefights by allowing players to leap on to skylines and race around the area, with a sort of birds eye view.
Aside from the gore, Bioshock Infinite works a lot like the previous Bioshock games. Gunplay, atmosphere, and RPG elements are all par for the course here and allow the player to go about the world in their own particular fancy. Instead of Plasmids, players are now endowed with Vigors, but they still work the same. As with previous Bioshock games, these super powers are a major element to the gameplay and at a lot to the mix, as in players can mix the Vigor powers together to create devastating combinations. For example, throw a murder of crows at an enemy, and add in some flare by throwing a ball of Devils Kiss, a fire based Vigor, to light the crows, and the enemy, on fire. Bioshock has a sort of, two and two system. Unfortunately this means that the player can only have two weapons equipped at a time. This also means that players can only have two Vigors equipped at a time,but this does allow for the Vigor combos. Though, this doesn't mean that players can't access all of the Vigors that they've picked up along the way, in fact they still have access to them and can even purchase upgrades for them that drastically improves these powers.
Where as Bioshock had Adam to purchase and upgrade buffs and Plasmids, Infinite has gear and money. To make the game more simplistic and streamlined for a more casual audience, Bioshock Infinite has gear that can be mixed and matched to change up play styles according to the players preferences. Also, instead of having a special kind of currency for upgrading Vigors, like the Adam of the first game, everything can be purchased with money that is found everywhere in the game.
Once players finally meet up with Elizabeth and break her out of her imprisonment, the game really starts to flow. Elizabeth has the distinct ability to open up what are referred to as tears, doorways to different dimensions where things are that aren't in this dimension. Elizabeth describes it as a form of wish fulfillment, as she opens up tears that have cover, guns, or health that can really change how the battle flows. Elizabeth is also extremely good at keeping Booker well stocked on health, ammo, and Salts to keep the player alive and well. Elizabeth also finds conveniently finds money lying around when you're doing some looting yourself. The game is still a good challenge despite having a magical girl that can supply you with anything that you need.
The fire fights and combat elements of Bioshock Infinite are a real blast. With tough enemies, and Elizabeth using here abilities to change the shape of the battlefield, Bioshock Infinite is an experience unlike any other. The enemies in the game provide enough variety to keep things interesting enough as well. There is a host of bad guys that bombard Booker and Elizabeth. Rifleman, chargers, snipers, grenadiers, turrets, enemies that use Vigors, automated patriots, and the terrifying Handyman. With the sort of minimalist approach to Bioshock Infinite's loadout, the game keeps on moving, and forcing the player to quickly think on their feet and not pause the game to select the next weapon in their arsenal to keep the fight going. Because of the limitation in the amount of weapons that the player can hold, and having Elizabeth along to open up tears, there is a lot of room for improvisation.
Bioshock Infinite is amazing, in that, it is something completely different from its predecessors, yet maintains that certain, inexplicable feel that it remains to be of that certain pedigree that we've all come to know and love from these developers. This is an amazing game, and one that belongs in your library for sure. Go out and get it.
Finally I awoke, skipping breakfast to go straight for Bioshock Infinite. I had been waiting for this for a long time...
Bioshock Infinite is a fantastic, immersive, well rounded experience that is completely different from its predecessors, yet remains that certain indescribable feel to it that makes it a Bioshock game.
The new impossible city that players are transported to is Columbia, a city in the sky that has formed a religion based on the founding fathers of America and the citizens relentlessly follow their leader and their prophet Comstock. Players take on the role of the not so silent protagonist of Booker Dewitt, as he is sent to this mysterious, and absolutely gorgeous, place to retrieve a girl named Elizabeth in an effort to wipe away the sins of his dark past. Upon arriving in Columbia, Booker immediately finds himself in a mess as all signs point to him being the so called "False-Prophet" this then leads the population of Columbus to immediately attack Booker, and cause the game to erupt into a fit of violence, quite gorily at that, as the game starts to get going. The first act of violence is having Dewitt smash an officers face into a rapidly spinning skyhook, which he then yanks out of the body and uses it as a melee weapon. However, players grab a gun Bioshock Infinite the violence is from more of a distance. Though, the skyhook is still a useful tool as it allows players to get from one place to another, and allows for amazing firefights by allowing players to leap on to skylines and race around the area, with a sort of birds eye view.
Aside from the gore, Bioshock Infinite works a lot like the previous Bioshock games. Gunplay, atmosphere, and RPG elements are all par for the course here and allow the player to go about the world in their own particular fancy. Instead of Plasmids, players are now endowed with Vigors, but they still work the same. As with previous Bioshock games, these super powers are a major element to the gameplay and at a lot to the mix, as in players can mix the Vigor powers together to create devastating combinations. For example, throw a murder of crows at an enemy, and add in some flare by throwing a ball of Devils Kiss, a fire based Vigor, to light the crows, and the enemy, on fire. Bioshock has a sort of, two and two system. Unfortunately this means that the player can only have two weapons equipped at a time. This also means that players can only have two Vigors equipped at a time,but this does allow for the Vigor combos. Though, this doesn't mean that players can't access all of the Vigors that they've picked up along the way, in fact they still have access to them and can even purchase upgrades for them that drastically improves these powers.
Where as Bioshock had Adam to purchase and upgrade buffs and Plasmids, Infinite has gear and money. To make the game more simplistic and streamlined for a more casual audience, Bioshock Infinite has gear that can be mixed and matched to change up play styles according to the players preferences. Also, instead of having a special kind of currency for upgrading Vigors, like the Adam of the first game, everything can be purchased with money that is found everywhere in the game.
Once players finally meet up with Elizabeth and break her out of her imprisonment, the game really starts to flow. Elizabeth has the distinct ability to open up what are referred to as tears, doorways to different dimensions where things are that aren't in this dimension. Elizabeth describes it as a form of wish fulfillment, as she opens up tears that have cover, guns, or health that can really change how the battle flows. Elizabeth is also extremely good at keeping Booker well stocked on health, ammo, and Salts to keep the player alive and well. Elizabeth also finds conveniently finds money lying around when you're doing some looting yourself. The game is still a good challenge despite having a magical girl that can supply you with anything that you need.
The fire fights and combat elements of Bioshock Infinite are a real blast. With tough enemies, and Elizabeth using here abilities to change the shape of the battlefield, Bioshock Infinite is an experience unlike any other. The enemies in the game provide enough variety to keep things interesting enough as well. There is a host of bad guys that bombard Booker and Elizabeth. Rifleman, chargers, snipers, grenadiers, turrets, enemies that use Vigors, automated patriots, and the terrifying Handyman. With the sort of minimalist approach to Bioshock Infinite's loadout, the game keeps on moving, and forcing the player to quickly think on their feet and not pause the game to select the next weapon in their arsenal to keep the fight going. Because of the limitation in the amount of weapons that the player can hold, and having Elizabeth along to open up tears, there is a lot of room for improvisation.
Bioshock Infinite is amazing, in that, it is something completely different from its predecessors, yet maintains that certain, inexplicable feel that it remains to be of that certain pedigree that we've all come to know and love from these developers. This is an amazing game, and one that belongs in your library for sure. Go out and get it.
Monday, April 15, 2013
I am not the 100%
Achievements and Trophies. Trophies and Achievements. What does it all mean, and what does it all come to?
Nothing, I say.
To me there is no real point in acquiring all of the achievements/trophies in a video game. They don't add anything to the experience, nor do they reward the player in any way within the confines of the game. The numbers of the achievements and trophies are completely irrelevant, and only seem to serve as a quantifiable measure of how many games you own, and to whatever extent that you have played them.
Achievements and Trophies, only seem to benchmark certain, rather mundane things that eventually are "earned" over time. Something along the lines of "get 50 headshots" isn't really an achievement, or an award that is something worth striving towards. I know that Achievements and Trophies are not the main focus of any game, yet they still seem to serve no amount of purpose for when the player has completed the game.
Achievements to not motivate me to explore anything different that I wouldn't already try in a video game. Some do, and some don't, yet the reward is underwhelming. A chime, and a small graphic displaying the milestone that I have reached. I've only earned every achievement for one game in my entire library, but that was because I couldn't get enough of it, and I was looking for an excuse to play more of it.
So, is that the appeal of Achievements and Trophies? To get the "most" out of your game?
Well, let's take a look at games from a financial standpoint. They are expensive. If games are not something that you purchase all too often, achievement hunting can be a great way to get the most out of your game. However, this is all at the cost of being rather pointless. I'm not a huge fan of Achievement hunting, as there's nothing to gain from it within the game. Earning all of the Achievements or Trophies in a game gains nothing for the player. Amongst true gamers, people who truly appreciate games for what they are, gamerscore is never a topic of conversation that is discussed.
I don't know the purpose of this arbitrary number. Perhaps it is simply a device so that players can get the most out of the game so that they can continue playing until every single achievement is unlocked. Or maybe it's a sort of Pavlov thing. A way to make us salivate at the sound of earning an Achievement or Trophy, for something useless. I guess, it's not for everyone, and I suppose that I fall into that category of people who don't need it.
Play the game how you will, and just enjoy it. Some folks play for the experience, some for the challenge, others for the gamerscore.
Nothing, I say.
To me there is no real point in acquiring all of the achievements/trophies in a video game. They don't add anything to the experience, nor do they reward the player in any way within the confines of the game. The numbers of the achievements and trophies are completely irrelevant, and only seem to serve as a quantifiable measure of how many games you own, and to whatever extent that you have played them.
Achievements and Trophies, only seem to benchmark certain, rather mundane things that eventually are "earned" over time. Something along the lines of "get 50 headshots" isn't really an achievement, or an award that is something worth striving towards. I know that Achievements and Trophies are not the main focus of any game, yet they still seem to serve no amount of purpose for when the player has completed the game.
Achievements to not motivate me to explore anything different that I wouldn't already try in a video game. Some do, and some don't, yet the reward is underwhelming. A chime, and a small graphic displaying the milestone that I have reached. I've only earned every achievement for one game in my entire library, but that was because I couldn't get enough of it, and I was looking for an excuse to play more of it.
So, is that the appeal of Achievements and Trophies? To get the "most" out of your game?
Well, let's take a look at games from a financial standpoint. They are expensive. If games are not something that you purchase all too often, achievement hunting can be a great way to get the most out of your game. However, this is all at the cost of being rather pointless. I'm not a huge fan of Achievement hunting, as there's nothing to gain from it within the game. Earning all of the Achievements or Trophies in a game gains nothing for the player. Amongst true gamers, people who truly appreciate games for what they are, gamerscore is never a topic of conversation that is discussed.
I don't know the purpose of this arbitrary number. Perhaps it is simply a device so that players can get the most out of the game so that they can continue playing until every single achievement is unlocked. Or maybe it's a sort of Pavlov thing. A way to make us salivate at the sound of earning an Achievement or Trophy, for something useless. I guess, it's not for everyone, and I suppose that I fall into that category of people who don't need it.
Play the game how you will, and just enjoy it. Some folks play for the experience, some for the challenge, others for the gamerscore.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
I don't like sandbox games
All too often I find myself getting really bored in sandbox games.
the thing is, these games are cool in that they give you the free will to go off and do whatever you want to do within the realm of that game world. However, whenever I'm given that choice to do whatever I want to in the real world, I play video games.
I mean, I guess it's my introverted tendencies that get in the way of having me experience the game to it's full potential.
Let's take, for example, Skyrim. I really do like Skyrim. It does everything right for an RPG of it's kind. you can specialize in whatever you so choose, and there are no class restrictions, race restrictions, etc. that keep you from doing certain things. the whole world is completely open to you. But for you to do.... anything, really, you have to go and talk to people. I don't want to talk to everyone. I just want to play the game and experience it for it's story. I know that there is a lot of work in creating a character, with it's model, it's script, it's voice acting, where it goes, what it does, what it has on its person. there's a lot to it. And not everyone will be able to experience these characters because, like me, they just don't have the time, or see the point in interacting with this character in particular.
That's one problem I have with sandbox games, is that there is so much that i won't experience because I just don't want to explore every nook and cranny for the sake of 100% completion. I'll probably talk about my issue with 100% completion on some other post, but back to the topic at hand.
Sandbox games also give their players the ability to do whatever they want, in most cases, this means creating a save, killing everyone and reloading said save file. I've never quite understood this. I don't find senseless violence to be all that entertaining. there needs to be some kind of objective for me, otherwise i lose interest in wasting time, energy, and resources on innocent civilians, only to have the fuzz show up and blow me away.
there are some games that do the whole sandbox thing right in my opinion. Like Red Dead Redemption, which I talked about in my last post. Red Dead Redemption has a world that I feel is rich with character and many different things to do. Stuff like hunting, poker, horse shoes, bounties, and random instances that keep things fresh. Skyrim has the occasional slew of bandits that dress up as imperials and ask for a road toll, or a thief, or a freaking dragon. But these things just seem to happen too few and far between that most times you'll end up walking somewhere with just a few wolves attacking you. However, I believe that I'm comparing apples and oranges here. The reason that Red Dead Redemption has so much going on all the time is because the world is literally a desert. Skyrim has lots to do, but you have to take the time to find it.
In Skyrim there is another dungeon or something every fifteen feet.
Red Dead Redemption, there is some random fellow being attacked by wolves, or some bandits escaping from their law enforcing captors, or stuff like that.
Red Dead Redemption is also more cinematic than Skyrim. In that there are cut scenes, and character.
Not to say that Skyrim doesn't have character.
Red Dead Redemption has cut scenes that take the camera away from the control of the player that show dramatic angles and give composition and tone and setting to the events that are transpiring around the characters. In Skyrim, the camera is constantly mounted on the players face. The gravitas of the situation doesn't seem to have the same effect when characters around the player go about their regular routines and even sometimes walk around and in front of the player, breaking the sense of drama that's going on.
But like I said, apples and oranges.
but yeah, I kinda don't like sandbox games.
the thing is, these games are cool in that they give you the free will to go off and do whatever you want to do within the realm of that game world. However, whenever I'm given that choice to do whatever I want to in the real world, I play video games.
I mean, I guess it's my introverted tendencies that get in the way of having me experience the game to it's full potential.
Let's take, for example, Skyrim. I really do like Skyrim. It does everything right for an RPG of it's kind. you can specialize in whatever you so choose, and there are no class restrictions, race restrictions, etc. that keep you from doing certain things. the whole world is completely open to you. But for you to do.... anything, really, you have to go and talk to people. I don't want to talk to everyone. I just want to play the game and experience it for it's story. I know that there is a lot of work in creating a character, with it's model, it's script, it's voice acting, where it goes, what it does, what it has on its person. there's a lot to it. And not everyone will be able to experience these characters because, like me, they just don't have the time, or see the point in interacting with this character in particular.
That's one problem I have with sandbox games, is that there is so much that i won't experience because I just don't want to explore every nook and cranny for the sake of 100% completion. I'll probably talk about my issue with 100% completion on some other post, but back to the topic at hand.
Sandbox games also give their players the ability to do whatever they want, in most cases, this means creating a save, killing everyone and reloading said save file. I've never quite understood this. I don't find senseless violence to be all that entertaining. there needs to be some kind of objective for me, otherwise i lose interest in wasting time, energy, and resources on innocent civilians, only to have the fuzz show up and blow me away.
there are some games that do the whole sandbox thing right in my opinion. Like Red Dead Redemption, which I talked about in my last post. Red Dead Redemption has a world that I feel is rich with character and many different things to do. Stuff like hunting, poker, horse shoes, bounties, and random instances that keep things fresh. Skyrim has the occasional slew of bandits that dress up as imperials and ask for a road toll, or a thief, or a freaking dragon. But these things just seem to happen too few and far between that most times you'll end up walking somewhere with just a few wolves attacking you. However, I believe that I'm comparing apples and oranges here. The reason that Red Dead Redemption has so much going on all the time is because the world is literally a desert. Skyrim has lots to do, but you have to take the time to find it.
In Skyrim there is another dungeon or something every fifteen feet.
Red Dead Redemption, there is some random fellow being attacked by wolves, or some bandits escaping from their law enforcing captors, or stuff like that.
Red Dead Redemption is also more cinematic than Skyrim. In that there are cut scenes, and character.
Not to say that Skyrim doesn't have character.
Red Dead Redemption has cut scenes that take the camera away from the control of the player that show dramatic angles and give composition and tone and setting to the events that are transpiring around the characters. In Skyrim, the camera is constantly mounted on the players face. The gravitas of the situation doesn't seem to have the same effect when characters around the player go about their regular routines and even sometimes walk around and in front of the player, breaking the sense of drama that's going on.
But like I said, apples and oranges.
but yeah, I kinda don't like sandbox games.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Escape artist...
I want to talk about why I personally play video games. I do not wish to speak for the entirety of gamers, or game developers... It's just a disclosure that I'd like to get out of the way.
I really like video games. I've played them all of my life. They've always captivated me. They've always been a way to do things, and explore in ways that I can't in real life. I suppose it's because I find reality to be a drag, and nothing interesting ever happens. In video games, everything interesting happens, all the time.
I love a good video game, especially one that is incredibly immersive. One game that I always find myself going back to is Mass Effect 2. I really can't explain why I find this game to be so great. Is it the gameplay, the graphics, the characters, the environments, the cool guns, or the really good story? Yes. It's everything about that game that I can just spend hours and hours in, and just get lost. The only time that I put down the controller, is because I am a human being and I need to eat food to continue to exist, and keep playing Mass Effect 2. The universe that Bioware created for that game is simply amazing. I adore everything about it. I always find myself in awe of it's depth and glory. I love games that make me wish that I could go to wherever the hero is.
Have you ever played Red Dead Redemption? Man, that's a great game. I love the characters. John Marston is my hero. He's so cool, because he's tough and mean, but he's also a gentleman. He's respectful to the McFarlines and others that are helpful and friendly to him, but he doesn't suffer fools that get in his way and slow him down. He's such a great character, I want to be him. And because of video games, I can be. I get to walk in the shoes of John Marston and live in his world. Which is totally badass by the by. New Austin, the setting for Red Dead Redemption, is a huge sprawling wild west landscape filled to the brim with things to do. Despite it's desolate setting, the game can still make you stop in your tracks just to admire it. I remember one time I stopped to watch the sun rise, and it was gorgeous. If you can manage to distract me from my mission just to watch the sun come up, you've won. Another thing that just wows me about Red Dead, is the fact that you can say "Howdy" to NPCs in the game that walk past you. This is one of those nuances that can really immerse you in a game. It was fun walking from my apartment in Blackwater to the general store saying hello to strangers in the street.
Video games can take you many places, and do pretty much the impossible with it's level design. One of my favorite games, simply because of it's overworld and level design, is Brutal Legend. Sure, the game had its shortcomings, but it was different, and I commend it wholeheartedly for that. The most amazing thing about Brutal Legend was the environment. Double Fine looked at an old heavy metal album cover and said, "let's make a game there", and so they did. The heavy metal world is so crazy and awesome that I am awestruck every vista that I can find. Like the giant guitar stones, or Blade Henge, or the wall of pain, a giant wall of amplifiers that let out a powerful wave of feed back that the waves of the blood sea crash upon.
I am fascinated by video games ability to transport me to different places. I'm not saying this world is boring, I'm just saying this world doesn't have dragons.
I really like video games. I've played them all of my life. They've always captivated me. They've always been a way to do things, and explore in ways that I can't in real life. I suppose it's because I find reality to be a drag, and nothing interesting ever happens. In video games, everything interesting happens, all the time.
I love a good video game, especially one that is incredibly immersive. One game that I always find myself going back to is Mass Effect 2. I really can't explain why I find this game to be so great. Is it the gameplay, the graphics, the characters, the environments, the cool guns, or the really good story? Yes. It's everything about that game that I can just spend hours and hours in, and just get lost. The only time that I put down the controller, is because I am a human being and I need to eat food to continue to exist, and keep playing Mass Effect 2. The universe that Bioware created for that game is simply amazing. I adore everything about it. I always find myself in awe of it's depth and glory. I love games that make me wish that I could go to wherever the hero is.
Have you ever played Red Dead Redemption? Man, that's a great game. I love the characters. John Marston is my hero. He's so cool, because he's tough and mean, but he's also a gentleman. He's respectful to the McFarlines and others that are helpful and friendly to him, but he doesn't suffer fools that get in his way and slow him down. He's such a great character, I want to be him. And because of video games, I can be. I get to walk in the shoes of John Marston and live in his world. Which is totally badass by the by. New Austin, the setting for Red Dead Redemption, is a huge sprawling wild west landscape filled to the brim with things to do. Despite it's desolate setting, the game can still make you stop in your tracks just to admire it. I remember one time I stopped to watch the sun rise, and it was gorgeous. If you can manage to distract me from my mission just to watch the sun come up, you've won. Another thing that just wows me about Red Dead, is the fact that you can say "Howdy" to NPCs in the game that walk past you. This is one of those nuances that can really immerse you in a game. It was fun walking from my apartment in Blackwater to the general store saying hello to strangers in the street.
Video games can take you many places, and do pretty much the impossible with it's level design. One of my favorite games, simply because of it's overworld and level design, is Brutal Legend. Sure, the game had its shortcomings, but it was different, and I commend it wholeheartedly for that. The most amazing thing about Brutal Legend was the environment. Double Fine looked at an old heavy metal album cover and said, "let's make a game there", and so they did. The heavy metal world is so crazy and awesome that I am awestruck every vista that I can find. Like the giant guitar stones, or Blade Henge, or the wall of pain, a giant wall of amplifiers that let out a powerful wave of feed back that the waves of the blood sea crash upon.
I am fascinated by video games ability to transport me to different places. I'm not saying this world is boring, I'm just saying this world doesn't have dragons.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)