Author's note: I want to do journal entry style posts, because this for me was an experience more than anything else. I don't wish to talk about who "won" E3. This was my first E3, and I want to share my experience with you.
I have returned! I have returned from the most amazing journey that I have ever taken in my life, and I am absolutely elated to be able to tell the tale of my adventure to Los Angeles California to experience E3. This is absolutely amazing, because I have been wanting to go to E3 ever since I found out about it many years ago. E3 stands for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, where tons of video game developers show up to show off. I have been wanting to go because I just love video games. However, this time, because I have matured, and am looking for ways to move ahead in life and in my field, I wanted to go to in order to meet some of my heroes of Internet fame, and respected members of the Gaming Journalism community. Though, that didn't mean that I wouldn't play any up and coming vidja games. Not at all! In fact, my week of E3 started my earlier than I thought that it would as Sunday was the day of the Nintendo World Championships!
The Nintendo World Championships were kind of a big deal, as they haven't been held in twenty-five years. For Nintendo to bring them back was a pretty cool thing. However, as there were no reservations, and no tickets to be purchased, folks had to show up early as wrist bands were being handed out on a first come-first serve basis. I myself, showed up at three o'clock in the morning in order to meet some fellow Nintendo fans and reserve a decent spot in line. There were many games of Super Smash Brothers played that day. I was surprised to find only a small handful of Nintendo fans there when I arrived so early in the morning. I honestly was expecting more, though the small number of them was compensated by the fact that they had been there since 8 PM the night before. I love Nintendo, and I was very excited to see the Nintendo World Championships, but let's be reasonable about it. Suffice it to say, these people were Nintendo fans. They were bundle up in Mario blankets and wearing Splatoon squid hats. I was right there with them, as I pulled my 3DS from my pocket and sat down, patiently awaiting the time they would be handing out the wrist bands for the attendees. The Nintendo officials weren't going to hand out any wrist bands until 9:30 that morning. Like I said: a lot of Super Smash Bros.
As time went on, more and more people started to show up, and the line grew larger. Nothing much happened until Nintendo had a live announcement to make on their Twitch channel. Everyone pulled out their phones to watch the event, including myself. We all huddle around the person with the nearest smartphone who had the stream active on their phone. The announcement wasn't for anything new or unexpected, as that information had been leaked already by data miners. It was rather unfortunate that happened, especially to a company like Nintendo, but the hype still remained. Even though everyone knew what was coming, we were all still excited. It was incredible to hear shouts from different groups reacting at different times because of delays in the streaming of their phones. It was quite the phenomenon, to be honest, because even I jumped on the hype train. I honestly didn't care much, but being surrounded by people who were genuinely excited and were jumping and yelling at every major and minor announcement got me just as excited. That kind of energy was infectious and it felt good.
The time finally came when we could be moved from across the street to next to the building where the event was being held, and the wrist bands would be handed out. Me and my new friend, whom I had only met the night before were excitedly awaiting our wrist bands. When we finally got them, we were met with a huge surprise: the first fifty (50) people in line were going to E3 for free. I had already registered to go, but this meant that I could bring someone with me. I called everyone that I could think of to tell them the news. I finally decided on giving it to my friend and podcast co-host. Unfortunately, he was out of town and couldn't register right away; meanwhile my phone was dying and didn't have the capacity to go through an entire registration process. Suffice it to say, we were both rather disappointed that he couldn't come along. That being said, the events that would transpire the rest of the week would more than make up for the few small setbacks that did happen.
Before the Nintendo World Championships actually began, members of the press who had deemed it news worthy showed up to the event. The folks who had shown up at 8 pm the night before had been moved to the special seating area, while me and my friend decided to take their place at the front. Therefore, the members of the press saw me and my friend at the front of the line, and decided to interview me. (I'd post some of the videos if I could find them, or remember who exactly it was who had interviewed me.) So, for that day, I was the face of the Nintendo fan-base, who had bravely shown up at 3 am to reserve his spot in line and see the Nintendo World Championships. I was interviewed by a Nintendo publication from Brazil, a local area publication, Destructoid.com, and some weird television show from Canada with an overactive host. Keep in mind, the championships hadn't even begun yet.
When the championships did begin, it was absolutely amazing to get into the air conditioned building and make my way towards the theater where the event would take place. It felt like I was going to see the greatest rock show in the history of the world. There were so many people that were already seated, and everybody was so excited to be there. There were talks of what games would be played, and who would be the victor. Everybody could finally relax when they found their seats, and could enjoy not being in the hot Los Angeles sun. The lights fell into place and fixated themselves on the stage as Kevin Pereira walked on stage, looking rather sharp in a well cut suit (how do people handle the heat wearing so many layers?). The players and commentators were introduced and the show began.
The show was a blast, and it felt like everyone was there to just enjoy video games. It was a silly concept, in hindsight, but none of us cared. We were there as a community of fans. People who enjoyed video games, specifically Nintendo ones. We all cheered and sighed mournfully when somebody on stage took a hit. We were in awe at the display of good sportsmanship that was shown, and we heckled Reggie Fils-Aime as he absolutely failed at Super Smash Bros. This was certainly a celebration of games, and the community they create. Then, the man himself came on stage to present the winner with the trophy for becoming the new Nintendo World Champion.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Star Fox, walked on stage to present the trophy. Soon the base of the stage was flooded by fans, and I was among them. Miyamoto walked along the edge of the stage and was shaking hands with those he could reach. I was in reach, too, but I didn't shake his hand. I was able to touch his hand though, and I'm okay with that. Arin Hanson, of the Game Grumps was also there, and I got to thank him for making Game Grumps and making me smile. I would get to meet him later on during the actual event of E3, but there's more of that to come later.
Well, that was day one of E3, and it wasn't even about E3. Join me next time when I write about E3: Day Zero where I talk about all of the conferences that I got to see. Thanks for stopping by!
Monday, June 22, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
I Am Not A Number
It seems to be a standard that games are to be reviewed with a score. How can you assign a number to an experience? This is standard for every kind of experience, though. We have means to review everything. Restaurants, skydiving schools, car dealerships, car washes, convenience stores. We can put in our two cents and slap a number on to whatever it was that we just did. Why is this? Why have a score? I think that it's all well and good to voice your opinion and describe your experience with something, but why do we always have to have a number to go along with it. When I see some kind of customer review, I never read it. I just glance at the rating, and make my decision based around that.
I know that my writing style is different from most other writers in the video game business, if you can call me part of that world, but I was recently looking up some freelance writing gigs and some of them gave a description of how they go about reviews. They required a scoring system. One number out of five, another number out of ten, pick a number between one and one hundred and you've got yourself a review. Sure, this number might spark an interest in reading the article, but the general consumer will only take a look at the number.
Adam Sessler, one of my heroes, would always go on about how he disapproved of the scoring system. The man is a writer, and he wants to talk about what he had experienced. At the same time, the man was also famous for the scoring system because he was on the most watched video game television show in the world. His writing style had evolved from the standard compartmentalized version of reviews to something more engaging and descriptive. I try to match that quality of writing whenever I decide to write a review, but I still fall into those standards of writing.
A basic review consists of breaking down and prioritizing the different parts of a game. Gameplay, then graphics, then story, then sound, then whatever. The fact is, that none of this does the game any justice. You can't judge a game by going of one part of it. The game has all of those elements put together for your experience of playing the game. Movie reviewers don't really seem to criticize movies by taking them apart one bit at a time, they discuss the movie as a whole. What stuck out to them, and what didn't quite grab them. I'm generalizing here, but game reviews have a very basic and sterile approach to how they analyze games. It really isn't fair to the reader, game developer, or the game itself.
I can't separate Halo's gameplay from it's soundtrack, nor can I separate Jet Grind Radio's graphics from its story. These things go in tandem, and they come at the player all at once. There is no need to break down each element. I think that we need to do away with this kind of review. Because a number isn't going to capture my exact experience.
I know that my writing style is different from most other writers in the video game business, if you can call me part of that world, but I was recently looking up some freelance writing gigs and some of them gave a description of how they go about reviews. They required a scoring system. One number out of five, another number out of ten, pick a number between one and one hundred and you've got yourself a review. Sure, this number might spark an interest in reading the article, but the general consumer will only take a look at the number.
Adam Sessler, one of my heroes, would always go on about how he disapproved of the scoring system. The man is a writer, and he wants to talk about what he had experienced. At the same time, the man was also famous for the scoring system because he was on the most watched video game television show in the world. His writing style had evolved from the standard compartmentalized version of reviews to something more engaging and descriptive. I try to match that quality of writing whenever I decide to write a review, but I still fall into those standards of writing.
A basic review consists of breaking down and prioritizing the different parts of a game. Gameplay, then graphics, then story, then sound, then whatever. The fact is, that none of this does the game any justice. You can't judge a game by going of one part of it. The game has all of those elements put together for your experience of playing the game. Movie reviewers don't really seem to criticize movies by taking them apart one bit at a time, they discuss the movie as a whole. What stuck out to them, and what didn't quite grab them. I'm generalizing here, but game reviews have a very basic and sterile approach to how they analyze games. It really isn't fair to the reader, game developer, or the game itself.
I can't separate Halo's gameplay from it's soundtrack, nor can I separate Jet Grind Radio's graphics from its story. These things go in tandem, and they come at the player all at once. There is no need to break down each element. I think that we need to do away with this kind of review. Because a number isn't going to capture my exact experience.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Very Nice, How Much?
It's no secret that gaming is an expensive hobby. You have to make sure that you have the right video game console, or make sure that your computer is up to snuff. Second, the games themselves are sixty dollars when they're brand new. How is it that a hobby that is so expensive lasted this long, and why is it that it is so expensive? Truth be told, I don't know.
I always wonder how it is that movies cost so much to make, and yet only produce an experience that is only an hour and a half long. People go to see movies all the time. They are willing to pay the price of entry, eve though it has grown exponentially over time. Have movies gotten more expensive to make? I'd say so, given that most of the box office hits are all action movies with lots of explosions and special effects. Those have got to be expensive. Yet, does this have to affect the cost of a movie ticket? What about all of the movies with smaller budgets? The ones that aren't driven by action, but by character and story. Then again, even movies like that have a budget of around a million dollars. That's still considered a small budget by Hollywood standards.
Video games cost around the same to make as a Hollywood blockbuster, but they cost six times as much to purchase. I know that everyone in the world would be outraged if they paid sixty dollars to just go see a movie. If that was the cost of the DVD or Bluray when it hit store shelves, people would be outraged. Plus, when it comes to the current gen systems of the Xbox One and the PS4, users have to pay a subscription to access half of the features in the game, or of the console itself.
Perhaps it's because these publishers, designers, and bigwigs figure that they have the corner on this market and can gauge as much money from their demographic as possible. It seems cruel, but when it comes to money, even people who have a lot already will do anything to get more. It is extremely unfair to the players. Most of the time, it isn't the players who are buying up the games, but their parents. This affects the entire family. I've been blessed, or rather spoiled, to have as many as I did growing up. I hear a lot of stories from my friends about how they only had a few games to play for their consoles. It makes sense. As I said before, video games are expensive, so it was a treasure when they would receive a video game. My friends would play the crap out of whatever game they had, and complete it to the 100%. I never did that. I've never completed a game all the way. I would blaze through the game, and never really give it a second thought. I was always saving up to buy the next game that caught my attention.
Perhaps there is value in games being so expensive. When I had enough money to make the next purchase for my Nintendo 64, I was ecstatic. I loved to buy new games. Even now I enjoy the feeling of having something new to play. I'm slowly getting into the realm of PC gaming, and I already have quite the backlog of games. When games only cost $1.25, I can buy several at the same time. In fact, just over the weekend, I bought six games, and I don't even remember the titles of all of them. Will I ever get around to playing all of them? I can't say, but I can say that I own some classic games. It's quite the conundrum. However, I think that this is a thing that happens with most people, whatever their passion may be.
I was in the local comic shop purchasing the next issue of a series that I've been making my way through, and I had a chat with the girl at the counter. She talked about how she had a backlog for pretty much everything that she was into. She had TV shows to watch on Netflix, comics to read, games to play, DVDs to watch. It was all too much. She couldn't get around to enjoying all of her stuff. I think that it's human nature that we consume all that we do. Humans can be greedy like that. We want more, even though we have enough already. We scarcely seem to value what we have, and instead we just get bored with it rather easily. It doesn't seem very kind to dismiss the things that we have so flagrantly, but we don't care. All we want is to go on to the next thing. I'm definitely guilty of this. I didn't have to buy those games, but I did anyway. I had plenty of games to play in my Steam library, but I purchased those games all the same.
Folks, take stock of what you have, and enjoy it. Count your blessings, as they say. You have more than most others if you're reading my blog, and playing video games. Enjoy what you have. Enjoy the people around you. Game on, and play hard.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Mic Drop
Last night I performed at an open mic night, and told a story that went over very well. Everyone loved it, and I received many compliments and was told that it was the best story that had ever been told during said open mic nights. However, despite my calm nature when I finally took to the mic, I was terrified. My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to suddenly stop from exhaustion. As the night went on, I only grew more nervous. Each performer was more impressive than the last, and I feared as though my story would be out of place and land upon ears that didn't want to hear the silly story that I had to tell. When I finally got up there, I achieved an inexplicable level of serenity and clear-mindedness. The story went off without a hitch, and everybody loved it. So what does this have to do with video games? I'm never afraid when playing video games.
Rarely is there a moment when my heart is pounding in my chest because I don't believe that I can do something. It's because in video games, I'm not actually there. I can die, and experiment with different strategies however many times that I want without anything to lose except time. There has never been any kind of threshold that I have struggled to cross because of my anxieties or fears. It is very difficult to capture this essence of fear. I've written before about how Zelda captures fear, but it isn't quite as intense as the fear that I experienced last night. Indeed, there is a fair amount of trepidation when entering into a dungeon in The Legend of Zelda, I do not wish to discredit or diminish that, but nothing that makes me feel as though I might fail.
What I felt last night was the fear that I might embarrass myself. That people would laugh, or look down upon me for telling a story that was intended to make people laugh, in a setting where people were bearing their soul through poetry. I felt out of place. These were amazingly talented people who have honed their craft, and continue to innovate and write something new. I was a newbie in a game of professionals. Yet, I came out of that open mic night a champion. I felt calm. I felt cool. I felt amazing. When I complete something in a video game, I'm left criticizing the end of a story arc. I analyze the characters and storytelling. I haven't really felt anything similar, except when I set a new high score in Star Fox 64.
Video games are an art form, and they should be treated as such. However, what sets them apart from other art forms, is that they seek to craft an experience. An experience that is similar to the one that I had last night. Something genuine. Something that that the players can look back upon and say that their life was changed, or that they had done something amazing. In that they had overcome something that they didn't think that they could have. I want more than tough boss battles. I want more than a good fire fight. I want more than to feel like a badass. I want to feel human. I want to feel afraid. I want to feel overwhelmed, until I can break through the ceiling of oppression and opposition and prove not only to them, but to myself that I can do this. That I DID do this. Because all I'm seeing, is a bunch of pixels dancing on a screen.
Rarely is there a moment when my heart is pounding in my chest because I don't believe that I can do something. It's because in video games, I'm not actually there. I can die, and experiment with different strategies however many times that I want without anything to lose except time. There has never been any kind of threshold that I have struggled to cross because of my anxieties or fears. It is very difficult to capture this essence of fear. I've written before about how Zelda captures fear, but it isn't quite as intense as the fear that I experienced last night. Indeed, there is a fair amount of trepidation when entering into a dungeon in The Legend of Zelda, I do not wish to discredit or diminish that, but nothing that makes me feel as though I might fail.
What I felt last night was the fear that I might embarrass myself. That people would laugh, or look down upon me for telling a story that was intended to make people laugh, in a setting where people were bearing their soul through poetry. I felt out of place. These were amazingly talented people who have honed their craft, and continue to innovate and write something new. I was a newbie in a game of professionals. Yet, I came out of that open mic night a champion. I felt calm. I felt cool. I felt amazing. When I complete something in a video game, I'm left criticizing the end of a story arc. I analyze the characters and storytelling. I haven't really felt anything similar, except when I set a new high score in Star Fox 64.
Video games are an art form, and they should be treated as such. However, what sets them apart from other art forms, is that they seek to craft an experience. An experience that is similar to the one that I had last night. Something genuine. Something that that the players can look back upon and say that their life was changed, or that they had done something amazing. In that they had overcome something that they didn't think that they could have. I want more than tough boss battles. I want more than a good fire fight. I want more than to feel like a badass. I want to feel human. I want to feel afraid. I want to feel overwhelmed, until I can break through the ceiling of oppression and opposition and prove not only to them, but to myself that I can do this. That I DID do this. Because all I'm seeing, is a bunch of pixels dancing on a screen.
Friday, April 24, 2015
You Must Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (Part 3): Keeping It Classy
Who are you? What do you do? Who do you think you are? Who are you to your friends? Who are you to your family? Who are you to your lover? What brings you joy? These questions are tough, strange, and irresponsibly existential. Yet, these are the questions that we must ask ourselves to find out who we are. We have already asked what it means to be in a party, and why one is in a party. Now we must ask the who.
The thing about RPGs is that there are different classes. It is part of the whole character creation process in video games. Players must assess how they are going to play, and choose a class to become or work to becoming. This is important, as this will be the character that players will be controlling them for a majority, if not all, of the game. After creating a character, you must then compile a party.
One must choose party members that compliment each other. Not telling the other members positive and uplifting things, but rather a set of characters that work well to be the most effective and efficient at removing enemies from ones path. In my game of Dragon Age: Inquisition, the game from which I have drawn the inspiration to ramble on about a basic mechanic of most every other RPG out there, my character is a rogue. I like to sneak about the battlefield and backstab enemies so that I may deal massive amounts of damage. Also in my part is a warrior, another rogue, and a mage. The warrior is the one who draws all the attention of enemies so that I can get behind them and get my backstabs, and my other party members wont get smashed. The role of the warrior is absolutely essential to controlling the battle, if she go down, it's chaos. Meanwhile, I have my other rogue, who specializes as an archer, and my mage. Both of these characters provide long range support. These two hang back and fire barrages of arrows and lighting. By the way, Arrows and Lighting is going to be the name of my band when I learn how to play an instrument. When everyone is outfitted with the best gear and abilities, we roll over any kind of opposition that we face.
When managing your characters in Roll Playing Games, you don't just manage yourself, but the other members of your party as well. It is important to keep them in good health and make sure that they are the best that they can be. You have to manage their weapons, armor, and even skills. Kind of sounds familiar, no? I think that the human thing for us to do with the people who matter most in our lives is that they are the best that they can be. Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another. We want what is best for those in our lives. We may not always know what is best for them, but we still try our best. It hurts to see when those we care about are feeling down. Naturally we do what we can to pick them up.
We may not always be on the same level as them, or understand what they are going through because we don't think or function the same way that they do. Yet, we want to make sure that they are at their best, because you need them just as much as they need you. Or perhaps not, and we are just keeping them around because they are familiar to us. Life is tricky like that sometimes. In video games, you can come across new party members, and easily swap them out for old ones at the word "go", but reality isn't quite as easy. To do such a thing in real life would be cruel, and heartless, even if it is the necessary thing to do so that you can improve. Like I said, life is tricky.
So, we must ask ourselves: who are we? What role do we play? Am I a warrior surrounded by other warriors? Is my team really effective against the dragons in my life? Am I outfitted to be the best that I can be? When was the last time that I leveled up? Am I just grinding, or am I making my way through the main quest, and is my team leading me towards those goals? Video game jargon aside, seriously ask yourself these questions, and find out who you are and who you are to those around you. It could very well change your life.
The thing about RPGs is that there are different classes. It is part of the whole character creation process in video games. Players must assess how they are going to play, and choose a class to become or work to becoming. This is important, as this will be the character that players will be controlling them for a majority, if not all, of the game. After creating a character, you must then compile a party.
One must choose party members that compliment each other. Not telling the other members positive and uplifting things, but rather a set of characters that work well to be the most effective and efficient at removing enemies from ones path. In my game of Dragon Age: Inquisition, the game from which I have drawn the inspiration to ramble on about a basic mechanic of most every other RPG out there, my character is a rogue. I like to sneak about the battlefield and backstab enemies so that I may deal massive amounts of damage. Also in my part is a warrior, another rogue, and a mage. The warrior is the one who draws all the attention of enemies so that I can get behind them and get my backstabs, and my other party members wont get smashed. The role of the warrior is absolutely essential to controlling the battle, if she go down, it's chaos. Meanwhile, I have my other rogue, who specializes as an archer, and my mage. Both of these characters provide long range support. These two hang back and fire barrages of arrows and lighting. By the way, Arrows and Lighting is going to be the name of my band when I learn how to play an instrument. When everyone is outfitted with the best gear and abilities, we roll over any kind of opposition that we face.
When managing your characters in Roll Playing Games, you don't just manage yourself, but the other members of your party as well. It is important to keep them in good health and make sure that they are the best that they can be. You have to manage their weapons, armor, and even skills. Kind of sounds familiar, no? I think that the human thing for us to do with the people who matter most in our lives is that they are the best that they can be. Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another. We want what is best for those in our lives. We may not always know what is best for them, but we still try our best. It hurts to see when those we care about are feeling down. Naturally we do what we can to pick them up.
We may not always be on the same level as them, or understand what they are going through because we don't think or function the same way that they do. Yet, we want to make sure that they are at their best, because you need them just as much as they need you. Or perhaps not, and we are just keeping them around because they are familiar to us. Life is tricky like that sometimes. In video games, you can come across new party members, and easily swap them out for old ones at the word "go", but reality isn't quite as easy. To do such a thing in real life would be cruel, and heartless, even if it is the necessary thing to do so that you can improve. Like I said, life is tricky.
So, we must ask ourselves: who are we? What role do we play? Am I a warrior surrounded by other warriors? Is my team really effective against the dragons in my life? Am I outfitted to be the best that I can be? When was the last time that I leveled up? Am I just grinding, or am I making my way through the main quest, and is my team leading me towards those goals? Video game jargon aside, seriously ask yourself these questions, and find out who you are and who you are to those around you. It could very well change your life.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
You Must Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (Part 2)
It really sucks to be alone. Rather, it sucks to be lonely. Why is it then that so many games have the player portrayed as "the lone hero". You know, in life it doesn't make sense to try and tackle this whole thing by yourself. That's why you have relationships with people. You have friends, family, lovers, husbands, wives, and so on. The question that I didn't ask in my last post was: why? To slay dragons of course.
Continuing with Dragon Age: Inquisition, and the unreasonable amount of hours that I have put into that game, I have been playing it a lot. As to be expected, there are dragons in Dragon Age: Inquisition. They are some of the most difficult, and awkward battles that you have to fight in the game. Players can only attack the ankles of all four legs, or the head. Attacking the ankles doesn't seem to do that much, nor does it seem all that cool. However, attacking the head is more epic, yet also puts you in danger of having your upper half bit off by the massive jaws of the dragon. That all being said, it isn't impossible to kill a dragon, it just takes a great amount of doing. With a party that compliments one another that can work together to complete the task of killing a dragon, it makes things a little bit easier.
There are things in the life that we can handle on our own. I want to make that clear. Sometimes people can muddle things up, and might just be extra weight. However, when it comes to the bigger things, you absolutely need other people to help you out. I am struggling with depression, and it is like fighting a dragon. It's difficult, and it's awkward, but I have a support group of people to help me out. It's difficult because any progress that is made doesn't feel like I've taken any steps forward at all, and it's awkward because it's extremely odd to talk about. There's a whole bunch of societal unwritten rules that make it difficult to talk about this sort of thing. As a man, I have a sort of expectation to be the hero. To be the person that can undertake any task by himself. By doing so, I will prove myself to be a man. That's bullshit.
I believe that one becomes a man by humbling himself and actually asking for help. Setting aside one's pride to handle a problem that absolutely needs help. This is the problem with a majority of other games. Halo, for example, has fellow marines that drop in with The Master Chief, but they're all just expendable chaff that gets blown away in the first few minutes of combat like dust in the wind. I don't need to be the hero of my own story. I need to survive and be happy with myself. I can't do that alone. There is something to be said about someone who accomplishes something great on their own, but I'm not that person. I'm no hero, I'm just me. That should be good enough, but I still need help getting through this thing called life.
That's why I love my friends who stand by me. I need them. Even if they don't fully understand why I get in the moods that I do, or understand that depression is a disease that affects my thoughts and feelings. It's a dragon, and it takes a lot of guts to fight a dragon. Those who are crazy enough to stand by you when facing down a dragon, those are the ones whom you can call a true friend.
Continuing with Dragon Age: Inquisition, and the unreasonable amount of hours that I have put into that game, I have been playing it a lot. As to be expected, there are dragons in Dragon Age: Inquisition. They are some of the most difficult, and awkward battles that you have to fight in the game. Players can only attack the ankles of all four legs, or the head. Attacking the ankles doesn't seem to do that much, nor does it seem all that cool. However, attacking the head is more epic, yet also puts you in danger of having your upper half bit off by the massive jaws of the dragon. That all being said, it isn't impossible to kill a dragon, it just takes a great amount of doing. With a party that compliments one another that can work together to complete the task of killing a dragon, it makes things a little bit easier.
There are things in the life that we can handle on our own. I want to make that clear. Sometimes people can muddle things up, and might just be extra weight. However, when it comes to the bigger things, you absolutely need other people to help you out. I am struggling with depression, and it is like fighting a dragon. It's difficult, and it's awkward, but I have a support group of people to help me out. It's difficult because any progress that is made doesn't feel like I've taken any steps forward at all, and it's awkward because it's extremely odd to talk about. There's a whole bunch of societal unwritten rules that make it difficult to talk about this sort of thing. As a man, I have a sort of expectation to be the hero. To be the person that can undertake any task by himself. By doing so, I will prove myself to be a man. That's bullshit.
I believe that one becomes a man by humbling himself and actually asking for help. Setting aside one's pride to handle a problem that absolutely needs help. This is the problem with a majority of other games. Halo, for example, has fellow marines that drop in with The Master Chief, but they're all just expendable chaff that gets blown away in the first few minutes of combat like dust in the wind. I don't need to be the hero of my own story. I need to survive and be happy with myself. I can't do that alone. There is something to be said about someone who accomplishes something great on their own, but I'm not that person. I'm no hero, I'm just me. That should be good enough, but I still need help getting through this thing called life.
That's why I love my friends who stand by me. I need them. Even if they don't fully understand why I get in the moods that I do, or understand that depression is a disease that affects my thoughts and feelings. It's a dragon, and it takes a lot of guts to fight a dragon. Those who are crazy enough to stand by you when facing down a dragon, those are the ones whom you can call a true friend.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
You Must Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth
I've been playing a lot of Dragon Age: Inquisition lately, and I am loving it. It's such a rich game with a lot to explore and think about. It's a high fantasy game, you know the kind with elves, dwarfs, dragons and the like, which is strange for me to enjoy. I'm normally a science-fiction kind of guy. Yet, Bioware has a knack for making games that I truly can enjoy and become immersed in. The studio takes everything that we know and love about RPGs and makes them better, with quality writing that is both well rounded and engaging, and gameplay that is fun and deep.
What I would like to write about today is the party system. Now, every RPG worth its weight in experience points has a party system. Chances are, that there is also a huge cast of characters that you can choose from to create a party that is effective. I started thinking, this is a bit like the relationships that we have in real life, right? We have lots of friends, but only a select few of them we can call our best friends. We see it all the time on Facebook. Sometimes I glance at the number next to the word Friends on my page and wonder how it was that I accumulated over one hundred people. It's really kind of astonishing, given that I feel like I can only claim to have about four or five people in my life that I can truly call a friend. Yet, those are the people who matter most to me. Those are the people whom I would take on an adventure. I can rely on them. I trust them.
This happens a lot in RPGs. There will be over twenty characters to choose from, but you can only take two or three with you when actually playing the game. It almost doesn't seem fair. Each member that you can choose from has a skillset, and are capable at getting things accomplished. It kind of comes down to preference. In Mass Effect, I would always take Garrus and Wrex. These two were my crew. We rolled over everything that stood in our way. The rest of the team would stay on the ship and check their smartphones. Meanwhile, me and my two best friends were out there saving the galaxy. I kind of feel bad for the other teammates, but I just don't enjoy their company as much as I do with Garrus and Wrex. Sometimes, though, we have to let go of the people in our lives because we realize that they might not be the healthiest person to be around.
In Mass Effect 2, which I've played through multiple times, I would do the same thing. Once I discovered that Garrus could be on my team again, you know he was right there at my side. He still needed his Krogan counterpart, though. Then came Grunt. The team was back together, more or less. One day, while playing through Mass Effect 2 for the fifth or sixth time, I decided to take an interest in Thane Krios. I usually play as female Shepard, because Jenifer Hale is my girl and because her voice isn't quite as weird as the male Shepard voice actor Mark Meer. So, being a female, I could romance either Thane or Garrus. In previous runs of ME 2, I would always go with Garrus. After all, he was the guy that I would always take on missions. There was a special bond between him and me. However, the more that I really thought about the character of Garrus, the more I started to question him. Garrus is a former cop, who was always frustrated by the rules and regulations that he had to abide by. When he got the chance to travel across the galaxy with Shepard, and not have to follow those rules, he jumped at the chance. Being that Shepard was now a Specter, a special operatives agent who answered directly to the council, she could do whatever she thought was necessary to complete the mission. What Garrus thought was necessary was a bullet through the skull of whoever was on the business end of his sniper rifle.
In the loyalty mission for Garrus, he goes 100% bad cop. The story of Garrus between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, is that Garrus took up residence in Omega, a wretched hive of scum and villainy where there was no laws or regulations to speak of. This was right up Garrus' alley. Garrus didn't like seeing innocent people get hurt, so he became a vigilante for justice. However this justice was his brand of justice, which includes the aforementioned skull bullets. Garrus created a team of people from all around Omega who would join his cause to make the galaxy a little bit of a brighter place, but it would all come crashing down. Garrus was betrayed by one of his own. We find this out in Mass Effect 2, and discover that Garrus is out for blood. At the end of the loyalty mission, we are given a choice to stand in the path of Garrus and his target, allowing him to say what has been going on since the time he had betrayed Garrus and his team. Garrus is furious with Shepard, and begrudgingly lets the target go. I think it was the right thing to let the man live. He was already beaten. Perhaps he wished for death, but murder was not the answer. Garrus wanted nothing more than to kill that man, and he would hurt as many people as he could to make that happen.
Throughout the mission, Garrus is pretty much frothing with anger and rage. He was brutal in his methods to extract information from whomever knew anything about his target. Then we meet Thane, in a completely different place and time.
Thane is an assassin. It isn't the cleanest career, but then again, neither is being a Specter for the council. Once Thane joined the crew, and I started to talk with him more, I discovered more about who he was. I learned about his thoughts and principles. I learned of his religion, and the code by which he abides. I learned of his past, and his wife and child. To gain Thane's loyalty to the crew, Shepard teams up with Thane to track down his son, so that he doesn't become an assassin like his father. Thane is not proud of killing, but he does it because he finds that the assassin is a tool, and not a person. The orders are issued, and then carried out. However, Thane still knew that he was a murderer, and he didn't wish the same for his son. Thane is a caring man, and he is a good man. He settled down, and started a family, and he swore to never kill again. However, an enemy that was made in his past life had caught up to him, and killed his family. Thane struck back by killing everyone who was connected to those who took his family from him. This is rather similar to Garrus' story, the only difference is: Thane regrets killing all of those people.
I eventually chose Thane over Garrus, and it broke my heart. It definitely broke Garrus'. Every time that Garrus went back to his calibrations, it hurt that he wouldn't talk to me anymore. I deserve it. I feel terrible for breaking his heart, and seemingly betraying him after I spent all that time talking with him to get to know him better. In the end, though, I feel as though I made a choice to be with someone whom I respected, and someone whom I admired. I could see myself being with someone more like Thane than Garrus. So, that's my story.
But, don't we all have stories like that? Stories where we realize that someone might not be the best for us. It hurts to cut them loose like that, but at the end of the day, we have to. Perhaps because they are holding us back from becoming better. Perhaps it's because we're holding ourselves back by staying with them, and holding on to the past. We have to have people in our lives that make us feel loved. People who encourage us, and improve us. People who can push us forward, and people that we can rely on. We may have many friends to choose from, but we can only take a few with us on this adventure called life.
What I would like to write about today is the party system. Now, every RPG worth its weight in experience points has a party system. Chances are, that there is also a huge cast of characters that you can choose from to create a party that is effective. I started thinking, this is a bit like the relationships that we have in real life, right? We have lots of friends, but only a select few of them we can call our best friends. We see it all the time on Facebook. Sometimes I glance at the number next to the word Friends on my page and wonder how it was that I accumulated over one hundred people. It's really kind of astonishing, given that I feel like I can only claim to have about four or five people in my life that I can truly call a friend. Yet, those are the people who matter most to me. Those are the people whom I would take on an adventure. I can rely on them. I trust them.
This happens a lot in RPGs. There will be over twenty characters to choose from, but you can only take two or three with you when actually playing the game. It almost doesn't seem fair. Each member that you can choose from has a skillset, and are capable at getting things accomplished. It kind of comes down to preference. In Mass Effect, I would always take Garrus and Wrex. These two were my crew. We rolled over everything that stood in our way. The rest of the team would stay on the ship and check their smartphones. Meanwhile, me and my two best friends were out there saving the galaxy. I kind of feel bad for the other teammates, but I just don't enjoy their company as much as I do with Garrus and Wrex. Sometimes, though, we have to let go of the people in our lives because we realize that they might not be the healthiest person to be around.
In Mass Effect 2, which I've played through multiple times, I would do the same thing. Once I discovered that Garrus could be on my team again, you know he was right there at my side. He still needed his Krogan counterpart, though. Then came Grunt. The team was back together, more or less. One day, while playing through Mass Effect 2 for the fifth or sixth time, I decided to take an interest in Thane Krios. I usually play as female Shepard, because Jenifer Hale is my girl and because her voice isn't quite as weird as the male Shepard voice actor Mark Meer. So, being a female, I could romance either Thane or Garrus. In previous runs of ME 2, I would always go with Garrus. After all, he was the guy that I would always take on missions. There was a special bond between him and me. However, the more that I really thought about the character of Garrus, the more I started to question him. Garrus is a former cop, who was always frustrated by the rules and regulations that he had to abide by. When he got the chance to travel across the galaxy with Shepard, and not have to follow those rules, he jumped at the chance. Being that Shepard was now a Specter, a special operatives agent who answered directly to the council, she could do whatever she thought was necessary to complete the mission. What Garrus thought was necessary was a bullet through the skull of whoever was on the business end of his sniper rifle.
In the loyalty mission for Garrus, he goes 100% bad cop. The story of Garrus between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, is that Garrus took up residence in Omega, a wretched hive of scum and villainy where there was no laws or regulations to speak of. This was right up Garrus' alley. Garrus didn't like seeing innocent people get hurt, so he became a vigilante for justice. However this justice was his brand of justice, which includes the aforementioned skull bullets. Garrus created a team of people from all around Omega who would join his cause to make the galaxy a little bit of a brighter place, but it would all come crashing down. Garrus was betrayed by one of his own. We find this out in Mass Effect 2, and discover that Garrus is out for blood. At the end of the loyalty mission, we are given a choice to stand in the path of Garrus and his target, allowing him to say what has been going on since the time he had betrayed Garrus and his team. Garrus is furious with Shepard, and begrudgingly lets the target go. I think it was the right thing to let the man live. He was already beaten. Perhaps he wished for death, but murder was not the answer. Garrus wanted nothing more than to kill that man, and he would hurt as many people as he could to make that happen.
Throughout the mission, Garrus is pretty much frothing with anger and rage. He was brutal in his methods to extract information from whomever knew anything about his target. Then we meet Thane, in a completely different place and time.
Thane is an assassin. It isn't the cleanest career, but then again, neither is being a Specter for the council. Once Thane joined the crew, and I started to talk with him more, I discovered more about who he was. I learned about his thoughts and principles. I learned of his religion, and the code by which he abides. I learned of his past, and his wife and child. To gain Thane's loyalty to the crew, Shepard teams up with Thane to track down his son, so that he doesn't become an assassin like his father. Thane is not proud of killing, but he does it because he finds that the assassin is a tool, and not a person. The orders are issued, and then carried out. However, Thane still knew that he was a murderer, and he didn't wish the same for his son. Thane is a caring man, and he is a good man. He settled down, and started a family, and he swore to never kill again. However, an enemy that was made in his past life had caught up to him, and killed his family. Thane struck back by killing everyone who was connected to those who took his family from him. This is rather similar to Garrus' story, the only difference is: Thane regrets killing all of those people.
I eventually chose Thane over Garrus, and it broke my heart. It definitely broke Garrus'. Every time that Garrus went back to his calibrations, it hurt that he wouldn't talk to me anymore. I deserve it. I feel terrible for breaking his heart, and seemingly betraying him after I spent all that time talking with him to get to know him better. In the end, though, I feel as though I made a choice to be with someone whom I respected, and someone whom I admired. I could see myself being with someone more like Thane than Garrus. So, that's my story.
But, don't we all have stories like that? Stories where we realize that someone might not be the best for us. It hurts to cut them loose like that, but at the end of the day, we have to. Perhaps because they are holding us back from becoming better. Perhaps it's because we're holding ourselves back by staying with them, and holding on to the past. We have to have people in our lives that make us feel loved. People who encourage us, and improve us. People who can push us forward, and people that we can rely on. We may have many friends to choose from, but we can only take a few with us on this adventure called life.
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