Video game symphonies and orchestral concerts are a really cool thing. They bring together people who are fans of video games, and appreciators of music, people who might not even play the video games whose soundtracks are showcased. I've been to a few concerts in my time, and I love them all.
A few weeks ago I went to see The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. It was a fantastic show, that was well organized, and all of the arrangements of the classic music from days of 16-bit graphics blew me away.I love The Legend of Zelda games, and talk about them often on this blog. Seeing, and hearing the music live was an amazing experience that I'm glad I was able to attend.
There was an enormous projector screen that showed Zelda game footage. There was a tidal wave of nostalgia and awe that washed over me as I heard the symphony and was entranced by the visuals of the classic franchise. I've seen other video game concerts before, but they didn't have quite the same resonance that this one did. The other concerts were either solely Final Fantasy music, or a smattering of games that I enjoyed, but never had the same kind of attachment that I have with Zelda. Suddenly, I got it, and it made the concert so much better. Every time a clip from a Zelda game that I played, which was most of them that were shown, came on the screen I remembered exactly where I was when I was playing it. It was an incredible feeling that made the concert ten times better.
The concert itself was great, I managed to get seats that were only two rows back from the stage. I could look at an instrument, and single out its sound, and hear it directly from the instrument itself. It was really cool. The compositions of Koji Kondo were rearranged to fit the orchestra stage, and it was amazing. The show felt more genuine than the last video game orchestra that I attended. The hosts, and the conductor were actual fans of the Zelda franchise, having grown up with them and appreciating them the same way that we did in the audience. It felt good to be among my fellow gamers, and go to something classy like an orchestra.
The really cool part of the concert, was that it was an actual symphony. Symphonies are a way of telling a story with the music and compositions of their composers. Zelda is all about the classic story of Hyrule, a story that we've heard time and time again. the feeling of seeing the video and hearing the live music was overwhelmingly wonderful. That night, I truly did go on adventure through the land of Hyrule. I was right there with Link as he fought Ganon, and saved the world, just as he always does.
I think that video game concerts are a good way to get video games out there and more widely appreciated. I know that that's making the argument for "video games need to be taken seriously", and while that's kind of true. I think that what I want to achieve is to have a mass appreciation for video games. Video games combine a multitude of different components from different mediums to create something of their own. Writing, orchestrating, art, gameplay, animation, and pretty much everything in between. The composed music of these video games, is something that sticks with us when we play video games. Music can be appreciated by anyone, regardless of whether or not they've played the video game, or games, that is being showcased.
And while video game can be appreciated by everyone, it can be recognized by the people who played the video games. Those people who play video games are those who spend most of their time doing just that. I may be a social recluse myself, but I know that when to be respectful of others and toward those who are performing a symphony. Here's where it must be said that in order for video games to be taken seriously, acknowledged as an art form, or at the very least appreciated, we, as gamers, need to grow up. We have grown up with these games, we have matured with these games. We should also be growing up as people. Growing up to be adults, or at the very least, be respectful individuals. Here's why I bring this up: during the concert, several people played the "last clap game". That is something that, even when you played it in grade school, was immature and just plain stupid. These people were at the orchestra, and they played the last clap game. This is upsetting and disturbing. I'm sure that a majority of the people that were playing this game were above the age of 7, and that makes it all the more worse. I'm not okay with this, and for good reason. However, the concert itself was amazing enough to wash away my disdain for this act of immaturity.
Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses is an amazing concert, that I recommend to everyone to go see. If I could, I would go see it again. Though, maybe I would see it a few rows back, my neck was kind of sore from staring up at the screen. Video game concerts of all kinds are a great thing, that can bring more people into this wonderful world of video games that we gamers inhabit. Plus, it gives me an excuse to dress up all fancy and sport a bowtie.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Confessions of an Anti-Social Gamer
I love video games. They are my drug. I feel happy when I play them. People tell me that I should get out more, but the truth is I wouldn't have the slightest idea of where I would go. With video games, I have purpose. I have places to go, people to see, people to rescue, bad guys to vanquish, monsters to slay. In video games, I'm a hero.
It's the sense of agency that video games give us that makes them such a powerful medium. It's the fact that our decisions make a difference that we notice. It may be simple cause -> effect based gameplay that most games have that give us that power fantasy. Some games do things in a more subtle way, but there's nothing wrong with saving the world and looking like a badass doing it.
I like video games, because I can still express myself through my character, even though my dialogue tree is limited, I still do what I think that I should do in that situation. But, video games also offer me freedoms that this world does not. I can be evil, and not regret it... all too much. After all, they're just video game characters. I tend to empathise with a lot of characters that I come across, but that doesn't mean that I can just save, do something mean and then reload. I can totally end the feud of the two estates on Dantooine with a total massacre. I can totally push the bad guy out a window, rather than let him live and be merciful.
Lately I've been going through my backlog of video games. Starting with Final Fantasy X. It's a bit of an undertaking to start off with such a lengthy game, but I really like it. It's a big deal for me to like a Final Fantasy game. I feel like it flows and also has a really great battle system. The freedom that Final Fantasy X offers me, is the characters that I get to spend time with. The script, and the voice acting aren't top notch by any means, but you get a sense of who the characters are, and what they believe in. You get to know their goals, dreams and principles. I'm only about 20 hours into it, but it's been really enjoyable. I'd like to visit other Final Fantasy games, that don't let their gameplay get in the way of the story, or any other JRPG that I can commit to. It's difficult for me to get into them because I was raised on western story telling, but it also makes it interesting to compare and contrast the archetypes of the different cultures. Video games offer perspective.
It's been a while since I've updated, but at least I'm coming back to you on a weekly basis. Life has been full of distractions and problems that tend to get in my way. Some days I waste away on Facebook, Tumblr, or Youtube. Some days I play video games. I like those days.
It's the sense of agency that video games give us that makes them such a powerful medium. It's the fact that our decisions make a difference that we notice. It may be simple cause -> effect based gameplay that most games have that give us that power fantasy. Some games do things in a more subtle way, but there's nothing wrong with saving the world and looking like a badass doing it.
I like video games, because I can still express myself through my character, even though my dialogue tree is limited, I still do what I think that I should do in that situation. But, video games also offer me freedoms that this world does not. I can be evil, and not regret it... all too much. After all, they're just video game characters. I tend to empathise with a lot of characters that I come across, but that doesn't mean that I can just save, do something mean and then reload. I can totally end the feud of the two estates on Dantooine with a total massacre. I can totally push the bad guy out a window, rather than let him live and be merciful.
Lately I've been going through my backlog of video games. Starting with Final Fantasy X. It's a bit of an undertaking to start off with such a lengthy game, but I really like it. It's a big deal for me to like a Final Fantasy game. I feel like it flows and also has a really great battle system. The freedom that Final Fantasy X offers me, is the characters that I get to spend time with. The script, and the voice acting aren't top notch by any means, but you get a sense of who the characters are, and what they believe in. You get to know their goals, dreams and principles. I'm only about 20 hours into it, but it's been really enjoyable. I'd like to visit other Final Fantasy games, that don't let their gameplay get in the way of the story, or any other JRPG that I can commit to. It's difficult for me to get into them because I was raised on western story telling, but it also makes it interesting to compare and contrast the archetypes of the different cultures. Video games offer perspective.
It's been a while since I've updated, but at least I'm coming back to you on a weekly basis. Life has been full of distractions and problems that tend to get in my way. Some days I waste away on Facebook, Tumblr, or Youtube. Some days I play video games. I like those days.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Updates and apologies
Well, it looks like it's been over a week since I last updated. Sorry about that, I've been working a lot. Also, I've compiled my backlog of video games that I haven't beaten. Some games I haven't even touched.
That's quite a lot of games. In fact, here's the whole list of games, in no particular order:
Bayonetta
Dragon age II
Deus Ex: human revolution
L.A. Noire
Pikmin 2
Second sight
Killer 7
Viewtiful joe
Eternal darkness
Beyond good and evil
Mercenaries
Splinter cell chaos theory
Ninja gaiden
Shenmue 2
Kotor 2
Sly 2 band of thieves
Final fantasy X (Not Pictured because it's in my PS2)
We heart katamari
Jak x combat racing
The Simpsons game
Skies of Arcadia
Tom clancy's rainbow six
Super magnetic neo
Ecco the dolphin
Mdk 2
Toy commander
God of war. All of them
3d dot game heroes
Shadows of the damned
Ico
Lego pirates
Ratchet and clank: a crack in time
Ratchet and clank: future weapons
Ratchet and clank: up your arsenal
Catherine
Naruto shipuden: ultimate ninja storm 2
Fall out new Vegas
Zelda: the phantom hourglass
Advance wars: dual strike
Phoenix wright: trials and tribulations
Donkey kong 64
Jet force Gemini
Star Wars: shadows of the empire
Paper Mario
Aerofighters: assault
Winback
Banjo kazooie
That's not counting the downloaded titles from PSN, XBLA, or Steam. I've got a lot of games to keep me for a while.
I've decided to start with Final Fantasy X, that's why it isn't in my gigantic stack of games. Reason being: is that I haven't said some nice things about Final Fantasy in the past, and I want to give Final Fantasy (and other JRPGs) another shot. So far, though, Final Fantasy is really good. I want to write a review of it for all of you.
Taking out my backlog of games, and actually playing through them is really refreshing, and not even in a nostalgic sort of way. Some of these games I bought just to have in my collection because they were heralded as masterpieces, and it turns out they are. I just sunk thirteen hours in Final Fantasy X, and I know that I'm no where near finished. My first thought was, "Normal games would be done by now." and not the fact that I had spent half a day playing a video game. Most games that I play end in about twelve to fourteen hours. That's modern game design, and that's not necessarily a good thing. For some games it works, others are cut far too short, most likely as a result of trying to hit a release date. Perhaps that's a topic for another time. Anyhow, I'm really enjoying Final Fantasy X, and am looking forward to writing a review of it. Apologies for the delay in updates.
However...
Exciting announcement to come soon!
Said announcement will be a really big deal, and is the next step that I need to take to advance my career in video game journalism. It's always been my dream to be in the video game journalism industry, and all my friends and family have been extremely supportive of my drive and talent towards that goal. A friend of mine that I'm partnering up with will play a big part in this upcoming announcement, and it's going to be really big. I'm super excited, and I hope that all of you folks are as well.Here's hoping that everything goes well.
Fingers Crossed!
That's quite a lot of games. In fact, here's the whole list of games, in no particular order:
Bayonetta
Dragon age II
Deus Ex: human revolution
L.A. Noire
Pikmin 2
Second sight
Killer 7
Viewtiful joe
Eternal darkness
Beyond good and evil
Mercenaries
Splinter cell chaos theory
Ninja gaiden
Shenmue 2
Kotor 2
Sly 2 band of thieves
Final fantasy X (Not Pictured because it's in my PS2)
We heart katamari
Jak x combat racing
The Simpsons game
Skies of Arcadia
Tom clancy's rainbow six
Super magnetic neo
Ecco the dolphin
Mdk 2
Toy commander
God of war. All of them
3d dot game heroes
Shadows of the damned
Ico
Lego pirates
Ratchet and clank: a crack in time
Ratchet and clank: future weapons
Ratchet and clank: up your arsenal
Catherine
Naruto shipuden: ultimate ninja storm 2
Fall out new Vegas
Zelda: the phantom hourglass
Advance wars: dual strike
Phoenix wright: trials and tribulations
Donkey kong 64
Jet force Gemini
Star Wars: shadows of the empire
Paper Mario
Aerofighters: assault
Winback
Banjo kazooie
That's not counting the downloaded titles from PSN, XBLA, or Steam. I've got a lot of games to keep me for a while.
I've decided to start with Final Fantasy X, that's why it isn't in my gigantic stack of games. Reason being: is that I haven't said some nice things about Final Fantasy in the past, and I want to give Final Fantasy (and other JRPGs) another shot. So far, though, Final Fantasy is really good. I want to write a review of it for all of you.
Taking out my backlog of games, and actually playing through them is really refreshing, and not even in a nostalgic sort of way. Some of these games I bought just to have in my collection because they were heralded as masterpieces, and it turns out they are. I just sunk thirteen hours in Final Fantasy X, and I know that I'm no where near finished. My first thought was, "Normal games would be done by now." and not the fact that I had spent half a day playing a video game. Most games that I play end in about twelve to fourteen hours. That's modern game design, and that's not necessarily a good thing. For some games it works, others are cut far too short, most likely as a result of trying to hit a release date. Perhaps that's a topic for another time. Anyhow, I'm really enjoying Final Fantasy X, and am looking forward to writing a review of it. Apologies for the delay in updates.
However...
Exciting announcement to come soon!
Said announcement will be a really big deal, and is the next step that I need to take to advance my career in video game journalism. It's always been my dream to be in the video game journalism industry, and all my friends and family have been extremely supportive of my drive and talent towards that goal. A friend of mine that I'm partnering up with will play a big part in this upcoming announcement, and it's going to be really big. I'm super excited, and I hope that all of you folks are as well.Here's hoping that everything goes well.
Fingers Crossed!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Grand Theft Auto V review
I've never been a huge fan of the GTA series. I was never allowed to play them growing up. I never owned a Sony console, and my mom never let me play an M rated game until I was old enough. Looking back, I'm glad that she did.
Grand Theft Auto is a series that is marred with controversy and history in the gaming industry. Whenever a Grand Theft Auto game is released, the news media is all over it like flies on manure. GTA also stands out with its achievements in gameplay and technology. The cities that stage the games are full of life, and character, albeit a crass and satirical one at that. With the latest in the series out, let's take a look.
As I've said before, I've never really played the Grand Theft Auto. My experience with the series was a borrowed copy of Grand Theft Auto IV that I still have, that I rarely play. I didn't much care for the game. It was dark, and it didn't seem to cling together, everything was just kind of thrown together haphazardly, and the tone would frequently change from dark to light. What got me interested in GTA V, and eventually purchasing it come its midnight release was the direction that the studio was taking after Grand Theft Auto IV. Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire. Both of those games quickly became some of my favorites because of their ability to immerse me in them with character and story. My hopes for the newest Grand Theft Auto game were high. Does the game live up to these new expectations?
Yes, I think it does.
Grand Theft Auto V is a game that is filled to the brim with character. The island of San Andreas is so diverse and huge, and every inch of it is covered with character. Each area of the map has its own style, personality, kinds of people and cars that inhabit it, and the best part is that it all feels cohesive. There's no sudden jump from one area to the next, it's more of a smooth dissolve. Red Dead Redemption had me with its sunsets, and surprisingly lively deserts; Grand Theft Auto V has me with its incredibly detailed and densely populated... well, everything. It takes a lot for a game to make me want to appreciate a slow, leisurely stroll, and GTA V does that. I can just roam about the world sightseeing GTA, and they even gave me a camera to take pictures with. Though, there is a story to this game, and it was the whole reason for me to buy the game.
Grand Theft Auto V does things differently in that there are three main characters for the player to work with. Each have their different personality, abilities, and walks of life that they come from. First: there's Michael. Michael is a retired bank robber, who lives well, but loathes around loathing every minute of it. Michael has a dysfunctional family, with a cheating wife, a lazy, pot head of a son, and a daughter who wants to be famous but is completely talent-less and whines when she doesn't get her way. Second: there's Franklin. Franklin is a guy from south central, who is a hustler and is getting tired of putting around and getting nowhere with his thug friends. Franklin aspires to be more than just a common thug, yet instead of looking to make an honest living, he runs into Michael who mentors him to be a bank robber. Together, both Franklin and Michael pull off heists and rob banks to make money. Lastly: there's Trevor. Trevor was one of Michael's old bank robbing partners, but left because he thought Michael was dead after a bank heist gone wrong. Trevor is also a lunatic meth head who runs his own operation cooking and distributing meth throughout his neighborhood. Trevor thinks himself a legitimate business man, and the last sane person on the face of the earth. Killing on a whim and attacking the government on a regular basis, Trevor is not a stable element to the party. Trevor eventually finds out that Michael is still alive, and seeks him out, bringing about the main course of the game.
The gameplay of Grand Theft Auto V is solid. Immediately, players are given access to high end cars, which is surprising given that most video games in general make you climb your way there. I've heard that driving in most 3D GTA games is the most frustrating part of the game, here: it's not the best but it works pretty well. It's no Forza, but it's not supposed to be. Gunplay is the other half of the coin, and it plays very well. It handles a lot like Red Dead Redemption does, but with fully automatic weapons, which is to say that it's a cover based shooter with good movement behind cover and a very helpful lock-on system that makes it easy to take out bad guys. Speaking of which, players go down rather easy in gun fights, which makes sense, being shot isn't the healthiest thing for the human body.
Players can improve their characters bodies by doing various things throughout the world. Players can increase their stamina by riding bikes, running, playing tennis. They can increase their driving by driving clean and dangerous. There's even a flight school to learn to fly and increase that statistic in their characters abilities. Investing time to improving your character is a lot more fun than it sounds. Especially with all of the different activities that one can do around San Andreas.
Activities range from, going to the movies (which are fleshed out and hand drawn animations), watching TV, tennis, golf, darts, drinking, skydiving, hunting, racing, water racing (boats & jetskis), off road racing, mountain bike racing, bounty hunting, regular hunting, side missions, property management, stock trading, buying planes, buying sailboats, general GTA messing about, random events, and I'm sure that I've missed more. GTA V has so much to do in it, and it's absolutely incredible. The map being so large, and having all these activities and details just blows my mind.
If there's one thing that bothers me about GTA V, is the characters. I know I said that I love them, and I do, but it's the way that they act in the side missions that seems to make them go out of character. Franklin in particular seems to go through all of this crazy stuff in side missions and complains, and mentions that he needs to know how to say no sometimes. Trevor and Michael also seem to go the extra mile for complete strangers that they just met. Though, I suppose that reason doesn't really apply to these three. Besides, if all there was to do in the game were the main missions, the game wouldn't feel complete.
Then, there is the Grand Theft Auto Online mode, which has been presented as its own separate entity. As it should be. GTA Online isn't just San Andreas with online players running around. It is built to allow a strong community of players to interact with one another in its many, and varied, activities. The online mode has players create their own character, which is a bit of a faff, to take online and make their way in San Andreas committing crimes and murders throughout. It's almost story based, as players first arrive in Los Santos meeting with Lamar, one of the characters from the main game, who shows them about and helps them to make contacts. These new contacts, some from the game, some from the online portion, will hook players up with different jobs that earn them cash and experience. Cash can be used to buy things, obviously, and experience grants levels, obviously, which gives players access to new items and jobs. It's very well rounded, and while other players can still be jerks, it's still a good time. However, there isn't a friendly mode, as there is with Red Dead Redemption, instead players can spend $100 in game cash to grant passive mode. Which then allows for safe passage through jerk-player infested areas.
But of course, this is a Grand Theft Auto game. RATED M FOR MATURE 17+. The game is also filled with a lot of adult content. Adult language, adult themes, nudity, violence, blood, torture, this game runs the gamut of offensive materials. Though one thing that I think must be said: is that, Grand Theft Auto is satirical. That doesn't mean that it's all in good fun. There is a lot of things that GTA V makes fun of, and straight up insults about American society. It's not something that kids will understand, and it breaks my heart that apathetic parents will buy this game for their kids and think nothing of it. Okay, stepping off of the soap box now.
All in all, GTA V is an absolutely fantastic game. It's well written, albeit foul-mouthed, the scripted moments are phenomenal, as well as the non scripted moments that you can have in the world outside of the story missions, the amount of activities in the world can keep players coming back again and again. The online mode is well designed, and now that it's finally up and running smoothly, it will be the go to time sink for many a gamer. A
Grand Theft Auto is a series that is marred with controversy and history in the gaming industry. Whenever a Grand Theft Auto game is released, the news media is all over it like flies on manure. GTA also stands out with its achievements in gameplay and technology. The cities that stage the games are full of life, and character, albeit a crass and satirical one at that. With the latest in the series out, let's take a look.
As I've said before, I've never really played the Grand Theft Auto. My experience with the series was a borrowed copy of Grand Theft Auto IV that I still have, that I rarely play. I didn't much care for the game. It was dark, and it didn't seem to cling together, everything was just kind of thrown together haphazardly, and the tone would frequently change from dark to light. What got me interested in GTA V, and eventually purchasing it come its midnight release was the direction that the studio was taking after Grand Theft Auto IV. Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire. Both of those games quickly became some of my favorites because of their ability to immerse me in them with character and story. My hopes for the newest Grand Theft Auto game were high. Does the game live up to these new expectations?
Yes, I think it does.
Grand Theft Auto V is a game that is filled to the brim with character. The island of San Andreas is so diverse and huge, and every inch of it is covered with character. Each area of the map has its own style, personality, kinds of people and cars that inhabit it, and the best part is that it all feels cohesive. There's no sudden jump from one area to the next, it's more of a smooth dissolve. Red Dead Redemption had me with its sunsets, and surprisingly lively deserts; Grand Theft Auto V has me with its incredibly detailed and densely populated... well, everything. It takes a lot for a game to make me want to appreciate a slow, leisurely stroll, and GTA V does that. I can just roam about the world sightseeing GTA, and they even gave me a camera to take pictures with. Though, there is a story to this game, and it was the whole reason for me to buy the game.
Grand Theft Auto V does things differently in that there are three main characters for the player to work with. Each have their different personality, abilities, and walks of life that they come from. First: there's Michael. Michael is a retired bank robber, who lives well, but loathes around loathing every minute of it. Michael has a dysfunctional family, with a cheating wife, a lazy, pot head of a son, and a daughter who wants to be famous but is completely talent-less and whines when she doesn't get her way. Second: there's Franklin. Franklin is a guy from south central, who is a hustler and is getting tired of putting around and getting nowhere with his thug friends. Franklin aspires to be more than just a common thug, yet instead of looking to make an honest living, he runs into Michael who mentors him to be a bank robber. Together, both Franklin and Michael pull off heists and rob banks to make money. Lastly: there's Trevor. Trevor was one of Michael's old bank robbing partners, but left because he thought Michael was dead after a bank heist gone wrong. Trevor is also a lunatic meth head who runs his own operation cooking and distributing meth throughout his neighborhood. Trevor thinks himself a legitimate business man, and the last sane person on the face of the earth. Killing on a whim and attacking the government on a regular basis, Trevor is not a stable element to the party. Trevor eventually finds out that Michael is still alive, and seeks him out, bringing about the main course of the game.
The gameplay of Grand Theft Auto V is solid. Immediately, players are given access to high end cars, which is surprising given that most video games in general make you climb your way there. I've heard that driving in most 3D GTA games is the most frustrating part of the game, here: it's not the best but it works pretty well. It's no Forza, but it's not supposed to be. Gunplay is the other half of the coin, and it plays very well. It handles a lot like Red Dead Redemption does, but with fully automatic weapons, which is to say that it's a cover based shooter with good movement behind cover and a very helpful lock-on system that makes it easy to take out bad guys. Speaking of which, players go down rather easy in gun fights, which makes sense, being shot isn't the healthiest thing for the human body.
Players can improve their characters bodies by doing various things throughout the world. Players can increase their stamina by riding bikes, running, playing tennis. They can increase their driving by driving clean and dangerous. There's even a flight school to learn to fly and increase that statistic in their characters abilities. Investing time to improving your character is a lot more fun than it sounds. Especially with all of the different activities that one can do around San Andreas.
Activities range from, going to the movies (which are fleshed out and hand drawn animations), watching TV, tennis, golf, darts, drinking, skydiving, hunting, racing, water racing (boats & jetskis), off road racing, mountain bike racing, bounty hunting, regular hunting, side missions, property management, stock trading, buying planes, buying sailboats, general GTA messing about, random events, and I'm sure that I've missed more. GTA V has so much to do in it, and it's absolutely incredible. The map being so large, and having all these activities and details just blows my mind.
If there's one thing that bothers me about GTA V, is the characters. I know I said that I love them, and I do, but it's the way that they act in the side missions that seems to make them go out of character. Franklin in particular seems to go through all of this crazy stuff in side missions and complains, and mentions that he needs to know how to say no sometimes. Trevor and Michael also seem to go the extra mile for complete strangers that they just met. Though, I suppose that reason doesn't really apply to these three. Besides, if all there was to do in the game were the main missions, the game wouldn't feel complete.
Then, there is the Grand Theft Auto Online mode, which has been presented as its own separate entity. As it should be. GTA Online isn't just San Andreas with online players running around. It is built to allow a strong community of players to interact with one another in its many, and varied, activities. The online mode has players create their own character, which is a bit of a faff, to take online and make their way in San Andreas committing crimes and murders throughout. It's almost story based, as players first arrive in Los Santos meeting with Lamar, one of the characters from the main game, who shows them about and helps them to make contacts. These new contacts, some from the game, some from the online portion, will hook players up with different jobs that earn them cash and experience. Cash can be used to buy things, obviously, and experience grants levels, obviously, which gives players access to new items and jobs. It's very well rounded, and while other players can still be jerks, it's still a good time. However, there isn't a friendly mode, as there is with Red Dead Redemption, instead players can spend $100 in game cash to grant passive mode. Which then allows for safe passage through jerk-player infested areas.
But of course, this is a Grand Theft Auto game. RATED M FOR MATURE 17+. The game is also filled with a lot of adult content. Adult language, adult themes, nudity, violence, blood, torture, this game runs the gamut of offensive materials. Though one thing that I think must be said: is that, Grand Theft Auto is satirical. That doesn't mean that it's all in good fun. There is a lot of things that GTA V makes fun of, and straight up insults about American society. It's not something that kids will understand, and it breaks my heart that apathetic parents will buy this game for their kids and think nothing of it. Okay, stepping off of the soap box now.
All in all, GTA V is an absolutely fantastic game. It's well written, albeit foul-mouthed, the scripted moments are phenomenal, as well as the non scripted moments that you can have in the world outside of the story missions, the amount of activities in the world can keep players coming back again and again. The online mode is well designed, and now that it's finally up and running smoothly, it will be the go to time sink for many a gamer. A
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
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The silent protagonist is an interesting trope that only exists within video games. I've heard some people say that it's so that the player can project themselves onto the player. Or that the developers didn't have the budget for voice actors. I don't know about all that, but the silent protagonist in video games, oddly enough, works. I've played a lot of video games where the main character, doesn't say a word, but ends up saving the day and even growing a bit.
Half Life's Gordon Freeman is among the most famous of mute characters. Half Life 2 is my favorite of the series, and by far an improvement over the original. I think that Gordon Freeman is a realy good example of a silent protagonist because you, as the player, are right there with him on his crazy journey through City 17. Gordon Freeman is allegedly a theoretical metaphysicist, though we don't really know because he doesn't talk about it, or anything for that matter. However, what we do know is that he's a pretty damn good shot and a great person to have on your side in the midst of a firefight. In Half Life 2, Gordon Freeman is recognized as a hero by many of the resistance members fighting against the alien race that has enslaved most of the human race. When he first arrives, nobody really knows who he is, what he's done, or if he even exists. As players go through the game, fighting the Combine and making some headway in the fight for the resistance, he is recognized as a champion of the human race. People's spirits are lifted by his very presence. Gordon Freeman brings hope to the hopeless, and has become a confident fighter. He's grown, and changed, by the actions that he's done, he has evolved as a character. And he still doesn't have a thing to say about it.
Link, of the Legend of Zelda series is another famous silent character who saves the world on a regular basis. In Ocarina of Time, Link grows from being an outcast in his village to being the Hero of Time. The game starts off in Kokiri Forest, a magical place where all of its inhabitants are eternally children. Each child has their own fairy, except for Link. When the winds of destiny blow in Link's favor, his adventure begins. Facing terrible monsters and solving riddles of the ancients, Link overcomes all adversity that faces him. Link later acquires the Master Sword, the "Blade of Evil's Bane", it is now sealed that Link is the one to vanquish evil from the land of Hyrule. Link grows to an adult, the world has changed, and evil still plagues the land. Link is still not yet ready to exterminate the purge the dark forces from Hyrule, he must undergo more trials, and cure the land before he goes straight for the head of all evil. When he finally arrives at the final trial, Ganon's Castle, Link is ready, he has faced so much, he has grown, he has changed, and so have you as a player. The Legend of Zelda has a way of presenting itself, that makes it seem as though players are going on a grand adventure. Both Link and the Player face the same adversity and they both grow in overcoming their fears of dark, scary places that they must enter. Link shines as a character who doesn't talk, because the game design allows the players to use Link as a vehicle to travel through the world of Hyrule, that's why they let you name the character before you start your adventure. So that it is the players name that is chanted through the streets when all has been restored, and everything is right in the world. Because it was they, who saved the world.
Sometimes, the silent protagonist can be something of hate and malice. Hotline Miami's main character is silent, and does what he is told by mysterious messages left on his answering machine. He doesn't say a word, he doesn't emote anything, all he does is kill. The very thought of a stranger wearing a rubber animal mask, not saying a word, and swiftly walking towards someone with weapon in hand sends shivers down my spine. It's a scary thing, and it doesn't waste any time. If a villain talks, he usually ends up monologuing or making some kind of overly dramatic scene. Hotline Miami's main character is a quiet and efficient killer.
Voice acting in a game can really create the character in a video game. It's not just that they have things to say, but it's how they say it. Nathan Drake, with his snarky one-liners, Joel, of The Last of Us with his stand-offish demeanor and cynicism, Ezio Auditore and his evolution from a young man living in comfort to becoming a master assassin and uncovering the truth of his ancestors. Giving the characters a voice is a fantastic thing because it really does bring that character to life. Jak, of Jak and Daxter, was a silent protagonist in the first game, but suddenly got a voice in the latter two games. The voice fit the character and the circumstances that he found himself in. The tone of the games had gone from bright and sunny to dark and dingy. Jak and Daxter will remain as one of my favorite franchises and Jak, with his new voice will also be one of my favorite characters.
Whether your characters have voice or no, getting a chance to be that character, and walk around in their world, in their shoes is something phenomenal. While the silent protagonist may be something that we only see in video games, and it may be a strange concept, but it works to our wonderfully unique medium.
Who are some of your favorite silent protagonists? Who are some of your favorite vocal protagonists, or voice actors? Let me know in the comments!
Half Life's Gordon Freeman is among the most famous of mute characters. Half Life 2 is my favorite of the series, and by far an improvement over the original. I think that Gordon Freeman is a realy good example of a silent protagonist because you, as the player, are right there with him on his crazy journey through City 17. Gordon Freeman is allegedly a theoretical metaphysicist, though we don't really know because he doesn't talk about it, or anything for that matter. However, what we do know is that he's a pretty damn good shot and a great person to have on your side in the midst of a firefight. In Half Life 2, Gordon Freeman is recognized as a hero by many of the resistance members fighting against the alien race that has enslaved most of the human race. When he first arrives, nobody really knows who he is, what he's done, or if he even exists. As players go through the game, fighting the Combine and making some headway in the fight for the resistance, he is recognized as a champion of the human race. People's spirits are lifted by his very presence. Gordon Freeman brings hope to the hopeless, and has become a confident fighter. He's grown, and changed, by the actions that he's done, he has evolved as a character. And he still doesn't have a thing to say about it.
Link, of the Legend of Zelda series is another famous silent character who saves the world on a regular basis. In Ocarina of Time, Link grows from being an outcast in his village to being the Hero of Time. The game starts off in Kokiri Forest, a magical place where all of its inhabitants are eternally children. Each child has their own fairy, except for Link. When the winds of destiny blow in Link's favor, his adventure begins. Facing terrible monsters and solving riddles of the ancients, Link overcomes all adversity that faces him. Link later acquires the Master Sword, the "Blade of Evil's Bane", it is now sealed that Link is the one to vanquish evil from the land of Hyrule. Link grows to an adult, the world has changed, and evil still plagues the land. Link is still not yet ready to exterminate the purge the dark forces from Hyrule, he must undergo more trials, and cure the land before he goes straight for the head of all evil. When he finally arrives at the final trial, Ganon's Castle, Link is ready, he has faced so much, he has grown, he has changed, and so have you as a player. The Legend of Zelda has a way of presenting itself, that makes it seem as though players are going on a grand adventure. Both Link and the Player face the same adversity and they both grow in overcoming their fears of dark, scary places that they must enter. Link shines as a character who doesn't talk, because the game design allows the players to use Link as a vehicle to travel through the world of Hyrule, that's why they let you name the character before you start your adventure. So that it is the players name that is chanted through the streets when all has been restored, and everything is right in the world. Because it was they, who saved the world.
Sometimes, the silent protagonist can be something of hate and malice. Hotline Miami's main character is silent, and does what he is told by mysterious messages left on his answering machine. He doesn't say a word, he doesn't emote anything, all he does is kill. The very thought of a stranger wearing a rubber animal mask, not saying a word, and swiftly walking towards someone with weapon in hand sends shivers down my spine. It's a scary thing, and it doesn't waste any time. If a villain talks, he usually ends up monologuing or making some kind of overly dramatic scene. Hotline Miami's main character is a quiet and efficient killer.
Voice acting in a game can really create the character in a video game. It's not just that they have things to say, but it's how they say it. Nathan Drake, with his snarky one-liners, Joel, of The Last of Us with his stand-offish demeanor and cynicism, Ezio Auditore and his evolution from a young man living in comfort to becoming a master assassin and uncovering the truth of his ancestors. Giving the characters a voice is a fantastic thing because it really does bring that character to life. Jak, of Jak and Daxter, was a silent protagonist in the first game, but suddenly got a voice in the latter two games. The voice fit the character and the circumstances that he found himself in. The tone of the games had gone from bright and sunny to dark and dingy. Jak and Daxter will remain as one of my favorite franchises and Jak, with his new voice will also be one of my favorite characters.
Whether your characters have voice or no, getting a chance to be that character, and walk around in their world, in their shoes is something phenomenal. While the silent protagonist may be something that we only see in video games, and it may be a strange concept, but it works to our wonderfully unique medium.
Who are some of your favorite silent protagonists? Who are some of your favorite vocal protagonists, or voice actors? Let me know in the comments!
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