Why Do I Want To Be All About Videogames?

I've mentioned on this blog before that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is my favourite game, like, ever. That's because it took me seven years to finish. Those who've played the game will understand, but for the uniniated here's why that is important. The story goes that you are a young boy, tasked by the spirit of the forest to quest forth and find Princess Zelda who will then task you to find the three spiritual stones and open the door to the sacred realm where the Triforce is hidden. However, once you open the sacred realm, the villian of the piece, Ganondorf, takes the Triforce and takes over the world. But because you are too young to fight him, your spirit is sealed away for seven years. So when I say that Ocarina of Time took me seven years to finish, that means that I played the first three dungeons but had never myself gotten to the sacred realm. Only when I returned years later was I able to save Hyrule from evil. And a lot of things can happen in seven years. My copy actually belonged to my eldest brother who passed away when I was sixteen so when I got to that last boss, it meant something that I can barely describe. So even though I know Ocarina of Time is heralded as The Greatest Game of All Time by a large part of the videogame community, that, in all actuality, means very little to me. I can tell you that the combat is tight, the music is serene and unforgettable and it took me four hours to beat the Water Temple. But I don't want to write reviews of games. Eventually I hope to be a game designer myself, and make something of the same calibre as The Last of Us or Portal. But what I would really love to make is a game that can affect people on the same scale as Ocarina of Time did for me.

I know that there are other forms of artistic expression, pretty much all of which are more highly regarded as art than videogames. My best friend wants to be a film director. And don't get me wrong, I love film. My favourite is The Social Network. During high school I was lucky enough to star in some of my friends films and when he went to film school I got the lead role in his final project. It's not finished yet, but you can check out the trailer and behind the scenes here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/delusions-of-grandeur-short-film. I even managed to trick him into letting some of my ideas into his many screenplays. And this relates back to videogames. People tend to compare videogames to films. The triple A game industry loves to look up to the summer blockbuster, which is why we get huge explosions and cut scenes and the like. I don't find anything wrong with that and I myself have been emotionally connected during some videogames that are pretty much interactive films, such as Telltale's The Walking Dead series and Quantun Dream's Heavy Rain. But when gameplay organically lends itself to telling it's own story, like you can do in role-playing games such as Skyrim, that's when I feel like I'm in the videogame world, rather than just an observer, like you would be in a cinema. I have found that acting is a closer form of art to videogames than film itself. You may have experienced it yourself, when you "act" or role-play in a videogame. Ever driven normally in Grand Theft Auto? You could've done it because you were bored or didn't want the cops after you but either way, you probably chose to do it and not because the game asked you too. That's the type of power videogames have. Throw in a well written script (because we know that good games with bad scripts are good, but bad games with good scripts are bad) and you're pretty much making art. The key here obviously, is interactivity.

I also like to compare videogames to music, but I can't take credit for this idea. That goes to Ian Bogost, who talks about it in his book How To Do Things With Videogames. "Music and games share a fundamental property: both are playable, offering listeners and operators an expressive experience within the framework of melody and rhythm." I love all art, and I love all music. Experiencing synesthesia while on LSD for the first time was... well pretty damn mindblowing. It's difficult to describe, almost like seeing music come to life around you. Similar effects can be felt while high on cannabis as well. I found that playing Mario Kart 64 with my housemates while we were stoned could be exhilarating at times. Talking shit while high with music on in the background always led to interesting times. Everytime I took ecstacy, someone would always put on Revolution Number 9 by the Beatles and you could feel tension fall and drop with the song. The last time I took it, I got so into Supremacy by Muse that I just started air guitaring. Of course, I'm not expecting everyone to understand where I'm coming from, so I'll put it like this. When you sing a song, play the piano or strum the guitar you're playing. Videogames can be approached like learning an instrument, because you are learning how to operate a system that has rules and must be played a certain way to get the desired outcome. You could talk about someone being in the zone, and you could be talking about someone pulling off an amazing guitar solo or getting 50 kills in a row in Call of Duty: Ghosts. (Or sports, but that's a whole other thing to get into).

Alright, so I'm writing about things I like about videogames and what I think it's like to play a game. But why do I want to be all about about videogames? One more anecdote. I like to dress up as Batman. I have a mask, a bunch of shirts and a pretty spanking jacket that I like to wear. I don't get high anymore but when I'm around my friends and they're smoking, I put the mask on. Why Batman? Well because my brother's Superman. But also, Batman is awesome, why not Batman? I like what he represents, especially in the first two Nolan films (I do like the third, but it doesn't say much about the character) and I especially love him in the Batman: Arkham series. So when it comes to picking a name for my character in any game that lets me pick one? Batman. Get it yet?

Was this article Psykotic enough for you? I have more to say on the subject, if anyone's interested but I feel this is enough for now. Thanks for reading!

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Troubleshooting; or; How I Learnt to Stop Being a Noob and Love the FPS

What do you think of when you hear the term "First-Person Shooter"? Most young ones nowadays will go straight for Infinity Ward and Treyarch's incredibly popular Call of Duty series. One of them might even light a candle for EA's Battlefield. Maybe you know some of the history. Wolfenstein 3D is credited for giving us the template and Doom wins the award for making it popular. But what happened in between? Growing up licking Nintendos feet I never had much experience with the genre. GoldenEye 007 brought the FPS to consoles, but I never owned it. I myself have a taste for sword combat, most likely because I'm married to Ocarina of Time. But now I'm older, and starting to take gaming more seriously than before, what do I actually think of First-Person Shooters?

Well, besides the obvious...

The first first-person shooter than I owned was Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. I thought it was alright. You know. You got to shoot Nazis. That's good right? Bit short, but one of the first games I ever finished as well. I do remember one part where one of the interchangeable NPCs gets killed and it was very emotional for everyone. You sure I can't just use a sword? Swords are fun. Halo was another one that was popular at the time, though I only played the multiplayer with friends. Again, didn't impress me much, but I'm hard to impress anyway. I never really felt like I was shooting something unless I was using human weapons. I understood that dual weilding needlers is meant to be cool, but the way it was just "pew, pew, pew" didn't impress me. (Oh no, a blog that noone reads doesn't like Halo).

Fast foward to 2007 and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was launched. There was no escaping this one. Infinty broke away from the WW2 setting of past games and fully updated the game to a modern setting. Ergo, Modern Warfare. And yes, I did figure that out by myself, but that's not important right now. What was important about this new entry was it's multiplayer. Infinity Ward had stubbled upon a fantastic formula for online gaming, matching maps with perks and making gaming heaven. Activision was so impressed with its developers that they promptly fired them all once the game was finished. The same team is making the upcoming Titanfall if you were worried about an only multiplayer game being made by people who wouldn't get it. These guys didn't just get it, they invented it. Unfortunatly I only had a Wii at this point so I never got to play this game.

However, years later, my friend and I would get high and he would introduce me to none other than Call of Duty: Black Ops - Zombie mode. If Modern Warfare updated a series that needed it for a long time, then adding zombies to the mix... still doesn't make sense. But yet again they struck oil and zombies became another staple of the series. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to think, "Is this still an FPS? What is an FPS?" Then I realised I was still high and continued to waste two years of my life during which time, the "realistic" FPS fell out of favour, and each new installment to the series looked less like a game and more like a multiplayer map pack. To me, FPS was just another name for shit game (and frames per second because all my friends are film students).

Now the year is 2013. I've played Bioshock Infinite, Half-Life 2 and Borderlands 2. All these games deserved to be played just as much as any classic game like Ocarina of Time and Grand Theft Auto. I've begun to realise that a narrative told through a consistent viewpoint can offer storytelling techniques that other genres don't. I've learnt to appreciate the designer talent behind those at Valve who near perfected the genre. Of course I still do have gripes about current FPSs. I do get sick of the aim-down-iron-sights gimmick. The suck-your-thumb-until-jam-disapears mechanic. And the absolute non focus on furthering the medium of videogames that some developers have. But all genres have the similar problems that are unique to them. RPGs have random enemy encounters and grinding. Third-person shooters are in love with chest high walls. But still, Skyrim and The Last of Us are some of my favourite games ever. So I think that I've had enough of my hate for this genre and am ready to embrace it.

But I'm just a gamer with a personality disorder. What do you think of FPSs? What's a complaint you have about your favourite game genre? Leave a comment!

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Pow! Right in the Feels

I have now joined with those who play The Walking Dead. I apologise, my brethren, for I thought that this game would be cheap, constantly making me choose between saving nuns and saving puppies. What I was not expecting was a brilliantly written script, perfectly paced dynamic between action and downtime and an art style that pops out of the screen. There may be choices to make, even ones you see coming from a mile away, but after only finishing the first episode I was left speechless when an NPC asked me how I chose between the two. As the manual and loading screen state: silence is also an option.

Now excuse me as I try not to cry.

...

Damnit.

PS. Sorry about the two short posts within days of eachother. But it's only blog-spamming sites that read this so eh. Just so you know I am working on a Youtube channel and once I've gotten the footage I need I'll start uploading videos. I won't abandon my blog though, I have too much fun word vomitting straight onto the internet.

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So Who Liked Grand Theft Auto IV (Trollbait)

Well, if the internet is the source of anything, it's source of the fact that Grand Theft Auto V is the best selling thing ever, apparently. Earning one billion dollars in three days was a surprise to everyone, even the developers. However, seeing as developers and publishers refrain from giving us such important infomation as to how much triple A games cost to make these days, we don't know how much Rockstar actually made. Probably shitloads, but all the one billion dollar figure serves to tell us is that everyone played this game. Hell, my best friend bought a PS3 just to play it. So what was the final verdict? Well critics seem impressed with the lighting effects. Players like the return of colour and the funny, satirical nature. I know quite a few people who haven't finished the game though. This shouldn't be surprising considering statistics say that less than half of the people who start a game will finish it. So the story hasn't gotten quite as much criticism as it should have. People can say that the story doesn't matter, though we can doubt they would say that if the story had been again good. Don't get me wrong, I'm have fun doing side missions and everything so I get a new cut scene to be entertained by. The dialougue in some moments are top notch, the talkback stations are as good as ever and for the majority of the story it's a  pretty funny game. I just found it a shame that given all the build up the story and game world offer, taking shots at Facebook, Hollywood and TV shows like Cops, but in the end... the game really had nothing important, insightful or even funny to say for itself. Maybe that's the joke.

I'd put a spoiler warning in here somewhere but come on. Everyone knows this game. It's record breaking. Plenty of Let's Plays online highlighting certain things. Hell, you probably get high and play this with your friends still. It's Grand Theft freakin' Auto. Everyone remembers first playing Grand Theft Auto III. The fact you could shoot down pedestrians, steal a car to escape the cops and then fly off a ramp and land on an old lady. It spawned the phrase "Grand Theft Auto clone" to any other game that offered what we now call "sandbox" gameplay. And sandbox is a perfect word to describe the genre. Do anything you want, your imagination is the limit. Then comes Vice City, Liberty City Stories and San Andreas. San Andreas had Samuel L. Jackson in it. Games were evolving and Rockstar was there to take us on the grand tour. Then the seventh generation comes along and we all hold our breath for Grand Theft Auto IV. Waiting to be shown how games should be done in this exciting new time. The original games were aging badly and are nearly hideous to look at today. Then Niko sales into port and we go with him to explore a fully realised Liberty City.

And it was marvellous. No longer did people go flying into the air as you plowed through them - they would crumple crunchingly over your bonnet. Cars now had more realistic handling styles, reinvigorating to gamer mindset of "easy to learn, difficult to master". No more clones of Elvis walking down the street together - a new engine could randomly generate millions of unique NPCs. You could even get drunk and go bowling! People can bemoan today that the city is just made up of different shades of brown and the mission structure was always, drive here, shoot/deliver this, drive there. But we didn't care. Just sit back, rip a cone and crank up John Murphy's Adagio in D Minor from Sunshine and let the fun happen. Instead of the slew of games that would take us back to Miami or San Fransisco, we got two extra Liberty City stories in The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned. While not as popular, when IV and the next two were released in a pack that EB Games sold for thirty bucks, well, noone had to tell you what a bargain looked like.

But what was going to happen to Grand Theft Auto V? Were we going to have to wait for the next generation of consoles like before? As the current gen dragged into a ground breaking eight years it felt like we were betting off trying one of those games that would've been called a clone five years ago. Pop in Sleeping Dogs and... Well this is most definitely a clone. Well worth checking out if you haven't but you can't deny what it is. Maybe Saints Row: the Third. Well this isn't quite a clone. It's more like developer Volition, Inc saw all the complaints about GTA four and decided it was up to them to return to the colour and ludicrousness of the old Grand Theft Autos. And they more or less delivered, but my thoughts were more along the lines of, "Funny... for a bit. The jokes can get a bit old if we never get to see anything other than jokes. I do like that it counts how long I've been driving in the wrong lane though."

So we waited.

BREAKING NEWS FROM ROCKSTAR: Rockstar makes website that counts down to the release of the Grand Theft Auto V trailer. Holy shit, I think I just shat myself. I couldn't believe it was happening. Finally, it was coming. Though in retrospect I think I was being stupid. To clarify again: this was a countdown for a trailer. Then we get the trailer. Then a slew of screenshots. Introductions to the three main protagonists. We gobbled down everything, even those of us not into videogames. Websites like IGN and the Escapist had to be the first to break news for the highest amount of traffic. Rockstar was essentially telling us that if you weren't up to date you probably didn't deserve to play the game. The introductions of having three playable characters, animals in game and new heist missions gave everyone something to speculate on.

3.

2.

(Oh shit, I'm in hospital I'm going to miss out! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!)

1.

Ok, so I was sick when the game came out so I missed all the news stories talking about how GTAV was the best selling entertainment product ever. I didn't even care. I got two hours leave and got my friends to take me to a Playstation so I could play the damn thing. Controller in hand, I move my avatar toward an old lady and punch her right in the face. Sweet. Ok, I don't need to go into detail about all the new details in the game, because, again, everyone has played this. EVERYONE.

So what I want to talk about is the ending, so heres a nice little SPOILER WARNING.

So you're at the end of the game. You start a mission as Franklin and you are faced with three choices. Kill Michael, kill Trevor or "Deathwish" (assumably kill neither). Maybe it's a satirical statement about the Mass Effect 3 ending. Obviously I decided on deathwish because one would think that if I killed a protagonist I wouldn't be able to play as him again. So the choice is now the players and any descision that Franklin could have made is thrown to the wind. Deathwish has you kill all the enemies you've made in the game. Even that Asian dude, which I thought was weird, but ok. Finally you end up with Fraklin, Michael and Trevor on a cliffside with the last baddie in the trunk of the car. They kill the baddie, end of game. End of game? I thought, But how does this tie into any of the themes? What did anyone learn? What is Rockstar trying to say here? And that's when I realised that nothing was trying to be said. And if you've been keeping up with my blogs, this is my explanation as to why Grand Theft Auto V isn't in my game of the year list. It may have smart things to say about anything but it's own story, but the game really doesn't offer anything to the form of interactive art that is videogames.

END SPOILERS

Of course, I'm just a gamer with a personality disorder that doesn't even proof read his own blogs. Want to rage at me? Leave a comment. Mucho loverinos for everyone who's been reading.

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Best Multiplayer Games to Play these Holidays

I was planning on having a throrough look at Grand Theft Auto V today, but I am far too hungover. Instead, I'm going to urge you to bust out your old Nintendo 64's because that's the console with the best party games for everyone.

1. Mario Kart 64, you can't go past this one. Before the series started with it's motorbikes and Walguigi but after they learnt to put walls on Rainbow Road, this is a perfectly balanced party game that still holds up today and is one of my all time favourites.

2. GoldenEye, this one is a bit dated, but it should leave a good learning curve for those who think they know FPSs. Paintball mode plus big heads = endless fun.

3. Super Smash Bros, another offering from a series thats getting a bit too top heavy. A smaller cast of the actual famous Nintendo characters means a perfectly balanced game that mixes up the fighter mechanics to make one of the best and original fighters around town.

4. Lylat Wars, known as Starfox 64 in some places. I played this all the time with my three brothers growing up and it's just as good as Mario Kart once you get the hang of it. An underrated gem of a game, only this year was I able to unlock the tank mode for multiplayer fun. Still can't get the on-foot mode though and I lost my copy as well.

5. Mario Party. Show me someone who owned this game and I'll show you someone who doesn't have any working Nintendo 64 controllers. Four players and plenty of alchohol and you're set.


Just a small list from me, now I have to start drinking again because it's only Boxing Day. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

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Happy Batmas!

Happy Batmas to everyone. I'm sure there are many excited children sitting in front of their monitors about to play Batman: Arkham Origins for the first time and at the only time of the year it makes sense to play. This prequel to the Rocksteady Arkham series, developed by Warner Bros. Games Montreal is for some reason set on Christmas Eve. My assumption is that either Batman or the Joker are meant to be Jesus in this scenario or maybe the writer thought that since it was snowing in The Dark Knight Rises but noone mentions Christmas then he would jump on the horse as soon as he could. Or maybe they wanted to be like Die Hard. But anyway, I'm giving an honorable mention to this game because I felt like it recieved a critical lashing upon its release even though it is an admirable entry into the series.

Perhaps no picture sums up the community's thoughts on this game than this:

The best example of where this game beats its predecessors is in its boss fights. Asylum notoriously ended with you fighting a roided up Joker and City didn't fair much better, having you fight henchmen while the villian of the hour taunted you from above. But don't get me wrong, this game isn't perfect - far from it. But I do feel that no game in the trilogy was actually perfect, but if you could somehow roll all three into one then you would have a masterpiece. I'm just going to come out and say it (slightly copying Zero Punctuation on the Prince of Persia series): The Batman: Arkham series was the best trilogy of the past generation. And don't worry, I'm not going to leave that hanging there. I'm going to tell you why.

Already I can see people going to the comments (if people actually left comments on my blog) to talk about this or that series of games. Mass Effect, Modern Warfare and Dead Space come to mind but, you know, one is too well written for such generic gameplay, one caused lobotomys in people who played it and one is plagued by original sin. The Batman games, I would argue, has original gameplay, stellar voice acting (even to sub standard scripting in some places) and the obvious: makes you feel like Batman. From taking out roomfuls of grunts with one flawless combo to becoming one with the shadows as you pick off increasingly terrified henchmen, the games don't make you feel like a pixie sitting on the Dark Knights shoulder. You become the goddamn Batman.

Let's start at the beginning shall we? Arkham Asylum came out in 2009 to widespread critical acclaim. It was a world filled to the brim with Batmany goodness. Many of the cast members from the animated series return and was also written by comic book veteran Paul Dini. The game introduced its own combat system called "freeflow" which allows you to bounce around enemies with your fists and gadgets. Never have I felt such organic fighting mechanics since Z-trageting in the Legend of Zelda. Also making its first appearance was a "predator" mode when you hide in the rafters picking off enemies before pouncing on the last one. With any array of Batman gadgets at your disposal, this opens up of wide variety of tactics that means you never have to repeat moves. Unless you feel like hanging each henchman upside down from different gargoyles because that's fun too.

Next comes Arkham City. Released two years later everyone thought that this game was the shit. And admittedly it is probably one of the funnest games I've ever played, even though I still prefer the original. That's because not many of Batmans moves changed between games, so traversing the sandbox location littered with towers can be quite awkward when using mechanics designed for a more linear game. It's a small gripe I know, but thats my reason. Sue me. What I do find fun in this game is gliding around the city. Alternating between dive bombing and gliding to maximise your speed is just as fun as webslinging in the Spider-Man 2 game. A better story is found here as well, where everything you do in it comes together in the end, making it feel like everything was actually there for a reason, which is something other games seem to have trouble handling. While still not great, with some plot holes that can undermine it's rather beautiful ending, this was a solid sequel to the series from a studio who knows how to make good Batman games.

But then of course, because studio executives are heartless machine men, the franchise was given to an in house Warner Bros. games studio to make the third installment. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hammil left the series and Sonic the Hedgehog and Booker Dewitt take their place which upset many fans and I was indifferent about because I can be heartless and machine sometimes too. We eventually found out that the game was going to feature the entire city of Gotham and that's when everyone started to get really excited. This would mean that we could finally have the dream game where you can be Batman in Gotham a la Niko in Liberty City. Also advertised was a new version of Batmans "Detective Vision" (which allows the player to identify enemies and points of interests) that let you dissect whole crime scenes now. At this point, I was pumped. And then the game came out...........

To a great big "meh". No pleasing some people #amiright?

I can understand the reaction though. The Gotham we were promised (or hyped up in our heads) was only full of goons. The new crime scene analysis were overly scripted and... well everything else about the game was pretty good actually. Same combat, same stealth sections. Even the story ties in well to establish whatever the hell the writers think the Arkham series is meant to represent. It's a much simpler story than the last two games but that's because it focuses on the beginning of the war between Batman and the Joker. The new voice actors do great jobs, comfortably fitting into their younger characters. There are even some really interesting design choices, such as when the first footage of Batman is filmed, the player is still controlling Batman and fighting enemies. However, the camera changes to the news cameras point of view. I like that the designers of the game weren't afraid of making stylistic choices like this.

The only critique I have about the trilogy as a whole is that as it went on it lost its cartoony feeling. Not to say that these were meant to be kids games, just that the colourful fun that should come from pretending to be Batman is almost gone by the time you get to the end of Origins.

So there you go, my honourable mention of the year and a rundown on my favourite franchise of the last generation. Hopefully we haven't seen an end to this series, or at leats get a "spiritual successor" so that we don't lose the great gameplay from these games.

But who am I but a gamer with a personality disorder (who thinks he's Batman). What did you think of the Arkham series? Were there any games you felt needed more defending on release? Leave a comment!

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Runner Up: Bioshock Infinite

I guess you could say that when I played this game I found it quite... shocking LOL

No, but really this was a tremendous game. One of my friends actually brought his Xbox 360 and a copy of Bioshock Infinite to my house, put the controller in my hand saying, "You have to play this game." And he was right. After the opening 30 minutes I was captivated. I didn't even know FPSs where allowed to be this good. After all, I had had an over exposure to the yearly Call of Duty multiplayer map packs for years and here was a game that was not only offering me a twenty to thirty hour gameplay time, but also tackling head on themes of Christianity and American Idealism but also let me shoot MURDEROUS CROWS FROM MY FINGERTIPS. Of course I played this game before The Last of Us so I didn't have the trouble of having to compare the two as I played. Ken Levine's latest offering from his Shocking Series (seriously they should call these games that) renewed my hope for the first person shooter and made me realise that games were becoming smarter. And like I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, the ending of this game blew me away. You play Booker Dewitt, tasked by a curious, mysterious couple to go to the floating city of Columbia and rescue a girl named Elizabeth to wipe away a gambling debt. Elizabeth is the main star of this game and it is because of her you start to realise that what is happening around you is closely linked to her. Travelling dimensions and to both sides of a civil war that leads to an ultimate ending that makes you wonder what was real and what was not.

The first point I would like to make about this game is its cover. Levine has gone on record stating that just having Booker Dewitt on the front cover was done because games with men on the cover sell better. It's sad that that's true. However, those who bought the game should discover that the cover is reversible, with an orange background and the quote from the beginning of the game. "The mind of the subject will desperately struggle to create memories where none exist" - Barries to Trans-Dimesional Travel. This quote defines this game and should always be on the players mind. Not only is it a warning stating that perhaps nothing you see is real, but also putting into perspective the themes of class, racism and religion. It's beautifully simple in its design and inspires thoughts in the way that true art should.

So I've gone on a bit about how great I think this game is but I haven't explained why it's in second place. Well make no mistakes: This game is fantastic and well worth your time. Imagine playing Call of Duty or Battlefield except instead of grenades you get "plasmids" that range from the aforementioned crows to fireballs and even the excellent "Possession" where enemies commit suicide after fighting for you. Add in the "Skyhook" a means of travelling the "Skyline" system that doubles as your melee attack in gleefully violent fashion. This all fits perfectly into your swash-buckling adventure. But again, why isn't it number one?

Well, I'm going to be the first to say that I'm bias against FPSs, though that’s not my only explanation. To explain, I find that since the market is currently so oversaturated with the things that I find it hard to see where the innovation is. I would say that Infinite is probably one of the finest examples you'll find in the genre after the Half-Life series. The way you never break from your perspective gives a fantastic flow to gameplay that other genres can't offer in the same way. Nevertheless the only reason I gave top spot to The Last of Us is for its originality. Bioshock Infinite offers plenty of great gameplay elements and tactics but sometimes it does feel like when you've looked down the iron sights to one gun, you've looked down the iron sights of them all.

Ok, that last paragraph was frankly painful to write, so I'm going to clarify again. Play this game. The reason I've dedicated two whole blogs to both games is because I feel they are the most important games of the year. Yes, even more important than Papers, Please. If you haven't played this game, play it, especially if the only first person shooters you play are about wanking off to military hardware. Fantastic clean steampunk design and, again, the ability to shoot murderous crows from your hands should be more than enough to sway you.

But ok, now that explanations are out of the way the other thing I'd like to talk about is my interpretation of the game so here it comes... MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

Actually this will most definitely contain spoilers so seriously this section is only for people that finished the game. Stopped reading yet? Good.

Alright let's work backwards from the ending. In the closing scene of the game, multiple Elizabeth's convince Booker Dewitt to go back in time and drown himself, therefore erasing himself and Father Comstock from existence. But how did we end up here? Was it inevitable? Think about it. When you fight Lady Comstock, Elizabeth says that her powers can influence reality and the only reason the ghost of Lady Comstock is evil is because Elizabeth believes she is evil. This is important, because what else is Elizabeth influencing, even without her own knowledge. Shortly after breaking Elizabeth free you have your first confrontation against the baddies with her and afterwards she responds that she can't believe you (Booker) killed all those people. Booker responds by saying that "If you don't shoot first, you don't get to shoot at all." How does Elizabeth react to this? Sure, she says she'll help Booker, but I believe in her mind she is starting to see Dewitt as a hero. I feel like this is backed up when you jump realities where Booker is part of the Vox Populi, the underclass that is fighting back against the white upper class. Is this an alternate reality, or is this Elizabeth's thoughts creating a world where Booker is the hero? Of course, the Booker that is the player is different from the new world Booker and the leader can tell as much. This Booker just wants to get out of Columbia. Next comes the revelation that Comstock and Booker are the same person from alternate timelines. Was this Elizabeth realising that even though they are different men, the amount of control they wish to have over her is the same? And now we're back at the ending. I feel that Booker was doomed from the start just because he could never give Elizabeth the freedom she wanted and even without realising it Elizabeth doomed him to this fate. I find this interpretation beautiful because of what it says about women's roles, partly in society but mostly in videogames. Women in games would be better off without men. It's a kind of deep reading into the text that maybe you could only notice subconsciously and might not even still make sense to you. But this is why I think both this game and The Last of Us are important games, partly because of what they have to say about gender roles in videogames.

(END SPOILERS)

Both games are open to interpretation. Hell, any game is. A famous interpretation of Tetris is that it represents the struggles of middle class Americans. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but what can I do? I'm psykotic (with a K)

But I am just a gamer with a personality disorder. What do you think of my choice of runner up? Was I right? What was your interpretation of the ending to either game? Leave a comment below!

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Game of the Year: Naughty Dog's The Last of Us

I still remember watching the gameplay demo from E3 2012. A game that looked so immersive in its storytelling, so startling in its gameplay and with such beautiful graphics that I forgot all my arguments about realistic videogames. If you could call programmers car mechanics than this game would be James Bond's freaking Alfa Romeo. A pure understanding of what the audience wanted and becoming a how-to-game-story-tell smack down from Naughty Dog. But with all the critics and players already going on about the story, sometimes it is forgotten how fluid and immersive the gameplay itself was. Of course, no such statements can go unexplained, so I will take you through why The Last of Us is my game of the year.

It was strange yesterday writing my Can Watch_Dogs Hack It blog (available here http://psykoticgamer.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/can-watchdogs-hack-it.html) because I came across another draft that I had written that I thought Bioshock Infinite had a better story. While it is true that both narratives are superbly crafted, it is difficult to say which is better, especially because of the similarities. In both games you play as a character voiced by Troy Baker (also featured in this years Batman: Arkham Origins as the Joker) accompanied by a younger NPC female characters both of which in you develop a father-daughter relationship with. But upon returning to both worlds months later, I still found The Last of Us had a story that I still found intriguing and I still loved the dialogue and set pieces that I had loved before. So while it was difficult to decide which story I preferred (and of course remembering that art is subjective) I'm going to give this one to The Last of Us. I'm still going to say that Bioshock Infinite's beginning is the best I've ever played and that is why I'm naming it my runner-up of 2013. Expect a full blog explaining why tomorrow. I can also thank both games for kick-starting my interest in videogames up to 11 and for having brilliantly beautiful endings. This was another similarity I found between the two. At the end of both, once you've "won" the game, you're left to ponder what exactly it was that you won.

I have often said to anyone who would listen that realism in videogames is a dead end. Before last generation it was a goal to strive for as we moved from 2D games into the third dimension but now that we're here, for some reason we're trying harder than ever. The fact that the Xbox One and PS4 are just high end computers made to give us the most polygons at the highest resolution backs this up. Also, when dealing with realism you come across the Uncanny Valley problem, where if something looks human but not human enough, the more off-putting it is. That's why games that choose a style, like Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and the Fable series can be more emotionally evocative and still hold up today graphically. But I'm meant to be talking about The Last of Us aren't I? Well, I can say that it's realistic, but beautiful because of it. Naughty Dog seems to understand that something like light travelling through a trees leaves is realistic and gloriously realised this to make it gorgeous. They realise that if you juxtaposed this beauty against the collapse of humanity, you've made something more than just a game. The Last of Us is a testament to realism in the same way that The Girl with the Pearl Earring is. Not a goal, but an art form

But Sean? How does it play? Is it fun? Games are fun right? So it should be fun. Well yes and no. Games can be fun, but videogames tend to take it further. Videogames can be fun. They can be epic. They can be downright terrifying. The Last of Us accomplishes all of these things. The main gameplay is made out of encounters with enemies; mushroom zombies split into three categories (runners, the more difficult clickers and the hardest: Bloaters) as well as human enemies, such as other survivors or soldiers who wear armour. Each encounter is dynamic and different than the last. Throughout the game Joel, the player character acquires more weapons, including firearms and makeshift bombs which have to be crafted. It is up to the player to decide his or her own tactics, remembering that supplies are limited. Some encounters can be avoided by stealthily avoiding enemies and silently taking down a few. Sometimes you may be spotted and enter a fight. Will you use the three bullets you have left? Or maybe a crowbar to the face will solve your problems. Dealing with human enemies is a blast because of the unique AI system of the game that means enemies will respond if they see you have a weapon, or hear the click of your gun as you run out of ammo. The AI also means that these guys won't be pointlessly walking the same paths in circles. Like I said, everything is dynamic. Plus, going up against the clickers, enemies that are blind and hear with sound, are some of the tensest and exhilarating moments of the entire experience. Play on survivor mode and you can play without the "listen" ability that lets you gage where the baddies are. Top stuff, infinitely replayable.

(THE NEXT PARAGRAPH CONTAINS SPOILERS)

There is one thing left that I would like to say and that's concerning the relationship between Joel, Ellie and the player. The opening of the game lets you play as Joel as the outbreak begins, carrying his daughter to safety. When you finally reach the title credits of the game you realise what "the last of us" is meant to mean. My interpretation is that it is the end of humanity and the end to humanity. The beginning of this game puts you into the mindset of just one of thousands of people who lost everything during that time and prepares you to face the world twenty years later. Joel is a smuggler and he is tasked with escorting a fourteen year old named Ellie across the country because she may be the last hope for humanity. Of course Joel is none too eager to do this but circumstances prevent him from backing out. Slowly throughout the game, as you explore the world looking for supplies you are treated to dialogue between the two and you begin to form the aforementioned father-daughter relationship, leading up to the point where Joel decides to finally decides that he will go to the end of the Earth for this girl. And since this is grown beautifully out of the natural dialogue, you the player have formed an attachment for this girl. So when Joel is injured and maybe dead, the player takes control of Ellie and the stakes have never been higher. You now care about your player character emotionally and because it is now you that is directly in charge of keeping Ellie safe. Following this is almost certainly one of the most beautiful set pieces I have ever seen, in videogames or otherwise that make seeing giraffes on the walls in the final level (people who've finished the game will understand) make you want to cry.

(END SPOILERS)

From Crash Bandicoot to Jak and Daxter to Uncharted, Naughty Dog has proven too many that they simply may be incapable of making a bad game. The Last of Us provides a beautiful swansong for the Playstation 3, one that really delivers everything we could have wanted out of the little behemoth. You don't even have to take my word for it. If you have a PS3, you have to play this game. If you have already finished it, play it again. 17 hours long and never a dull moment. 5 stars, 2 thumbs up and a psykotic recommendation from me.

Though I'm just a gamer with a personality disorder. Do you agree? What was your top game of the year? Were there any games that didn't get the spotlight you think they deserved? Leave a comment!!

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Can Watch_Dogs Hack It?

How do you describe this game to a non-gamer? How can you emphasise the excitement this game brings to me, a self-confessed Nintendo fanboy? Watch_Dogs is coming soon to all consoles and you'd better watch out. Or not, because Ubisoft delayed this game to "ensure its quality" though the rest of the industry is pretty certain Ubisoft didn't want to compete against its own game, Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag. That aside, I actually want to sift through the post-hype and maybe start to generate some of my own and take a good hard look at the information we have on Watch_Dogs. The game is centred on hacker extraordinaire and anti-hero Aiden Pierce in the not too distant future of Chicago. Aiden must overcome the Central Operating System, the Windy City's very own Big Brother. Using guns, parkour and what appears to be the latest in smartphone technology, the player assists Aiden to become the vigilante that the city deserves, but perhaps not the one it needs right now... Wait I'm get my dark and gritty mixed-up again. To be fair the game boasts a cool faux sci-fi feeling that will hopefully liven up the story a bit. Also to throw in some more bias I'm going to explain why I will be getting the Wii U version.

Take Grand Theft Auto, add some Hitman and then a healthy dollop of Ubisoft which includes the flavours of Assassins Creed and Prince of Persia and we're halfway into the cocktail that Watch_Dogs is turning into. We could say, rather aptly, that the gameplay is something that the video game community hasn't seen fully developed and explored before and I think that's something worth getting excited for. In a wasteland of console games littered with sequels and remakes here comes a brand new IP, that is in fairness going to be sequelised to death like another Ubisoft franchise I could mention (*cough* Ass-2-Ass Creed *burp*). But cynicism aside, at least this is the first game and we can just pretend that companies don't keep selling us the same crap year in and year out. No! I said enough cynicism, take your medication Sean. From what has been seen from the trailers and demos, Watch_Dogs boasts being able to give control of an entire cities worth of electronics to the player. This ranges from augmented reality that gives every NPC a backstory (or at least an age, occupation and income), to hacking into traffic lights to cause pile-ups that can be used as makeshift blockades. Because what are American drivers, if not arrogant enough to drive straight into oncoming traffic because they had right of way. While not exactly realistic (or is it?) it is a new gameplay mechanic that I can't wait to have ready at my fingertips.

Yes, that's right this isn't a blog about the new demo Ubisoft let me play, just boring old trailer analysis. So while I have unfortunately not had the opportunity to play and get into the mindset of "Extreme Googling" (TM, trademark pending), from what we know about the game already we can start speculating. So everyone had a phone in Grand Theft Auto V so maybe it'll work similar to that? Maybe they may use "weapon wheel" we've seen in so many games with hacks instead of firearms. From what I can gather from the available footage, the heads-up display seems reminiscent of the Ass-2-Ass Creed weapon select and seeing as Ubisoft copy and pasted the watchtowers from those games into Far Cry 3 and nobody cared I think it’s safe to assume Ubisoft is willing to copy itself without fear of being sued.

This may all seem rather trivial, but I am trying to make a point here.

For those of you who don't know what a Wii U is, it was the first current-gen console released AND I DON"T CARE WHAT ANYBODY ELSE SAYS. I've been playing Batman: Arkham City on it and I've got to tell you, the Wii U Gamepad stuff is implanted pretty well, almost perfectly. You can equip items, purchase upgrades and access your map all through the touchpad. The game doesn't pause when you use the Gamepad though and Batman uses his own wrist-mounted touchscreen as you play around. It's a nice simple way of adding a layer of immersion into a game, basically doing away with a pause screen (though of course there is a pause button. Nintendo can be stupid sometimes, but they're not that stupid... right?) I bring this up because, to me, it looks like the Wii U has the edge over its competitors (including PC, which has been stated as being the strongest focus) in being the definitive way to play this game. Senior Producer Dominic Guay even stated that the Wii U Gamepad is a "natural" fit for the games central theme of hacking. Some may bemoan the use of a second screen for gaming, as the gamer will have to take his or her eyes off the action to use it. However (despite the DS using dual screens since 2004) when done correctly such as in my Batman example and to add another, in Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, unpausing gameplay can lead to some very dynamic situations.

Of course though, I can be devil’s advocate as well. We all know that even though the Wii sold billions more copies (quote not accurate) than everyone else, the Wiimote never gave us the feeling that we were using Link's sword or a Jedi's lightsaber. All I mean to say is that I want to see the coming together of Watch_Dogs and the Wii U live up to its full potential. Also noting that the console had HD capabilities (how could you cave in Nintendo), it paints an optimistic picture.

And as for the story, well, to say the least Watch_Dogs is the *ahem* underdog here because it has to come out in a world where triple A gaming has released two beautiful gems of games, Bioshock Infinite and The Last of Us. The benchmark for storytelling in games has been raised quite higher than it was before and Watch_Dogs will just be another game that will have to run the gauntlet. Also the game is set in future Chicago which was also in The Last of Us but I doubt we'll be seeing mushroom zombies. A more important note to make would be that, as is a very well-known fact by now, Batman's Gotham City (specifically Nolan's version) is a pseudo-Chicago. Just pray that the story doesn't make the mistake of being dark and gritty (which it clearly is) for the sake of being dark and gritty. 'Nuff said.

Of course, who am I but a gamer with a personality disorder? I'd like to hear if anyone else is still excited for Watch_Dogs and what system they'll be playing on.

NOTE: This is an article I wrote a few months back, so I did need to update some of the information I had then. I should also say I didn't even have a Wii U when I originally wrote this article and as well as before I pre-ordered Watch_Dogs

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Nintendo Released New Trailers! Let's Get Excited and Stuff...

On December 18^th 2013, Nintendo announced and released trailers for their upcoming games. All of this was a part of their Nintendo Direct presentation, an approximately bimonthly Nintendo showcase that is distributed online. There was news for Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8, DLC for Sonic Lost World and a continuation of the Year of Luigi with Dr Luigi. What most people are talking about though is the mash up game of Tecmo Koei's Dynasty Warriors with Nintendo's own Legend of Zelda series, with the working title Hyrule Warriors. Another popular announcement was for the English release of the Professor Layton and Phoneix Wright team up game. The whole show is available online (here: http://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendodirect) and I would like to take a second to have a look at some of the interesting announcements and see what  direction Nintendo is heading towards in the future of video games.

Hyrule Warriors (name not final)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOq4IiuRMWk

Release Date: 2014

Developer: Nintendo, Tecmo Koei

Producer: Eiji Aonuma

What can I say? I'm totally going to buy this game because, and I'll be the first to admit, I love Nintendo and the Zelda franchise. I can't say I've played any of the Dynasty Warrior games but this would be the only thing from me saying, "Eh, if Jim Sterling jizzes all over Dynasty Warriors 8 then maybe it would be worth playing" to "must have" on my list. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOq4IiuRMWk Skip to 8.50, but this is a show I recommend) The way I see it, this is the mechanics of Dynasty Warriors being painted over with a Legend of Zelda brush. The team up with Tecmo Koei is a brave one considering how the Philips CDi games turned out but apparently Nintendo has gotten brave enough to consider doing it again, and also doing it right. Legend of Zelda veteran Eiji Aonuma is serving as a producer so it doesn't look like it's all being left up to Tecmo Koei. It will be interesting to see how this game will vary from the Dynasty games and how they plan on including some (or any) Zelda elements, such as puzzle solving and dungeon crawling. It would be interesting if Nintendo decided to team up with other studios to produce other mash up games. Imagine seeing Assassin Kirby or Fire Emblem Modern Warfare or a Mario themed racing game. Plus, Link is sporting a swanky new blue scarf which is yet anything thing I have to buy to complete my Link cosplay outfit.

NES Remix

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQdJ8ANqcEc

Release Date: December 18th, 2013

Developer: Nintendo EAD Toyko, indieszero

Producer: Yoshiaki Koizumi

I should probably clarify what I said earlier about loving Nintendo. I grew up with a Nintendo 64 with Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Lylat Wars (aka Star Fox 64) and Banjo Kazooie. When I try to play older Nintendo games through ports or emulators I find that I just kind of suck at them and get very little enjoyment from them. So what would a bundle pack of classic NES games mean to me? Well that depends. Am I getting the full version of each game, touched up to be more forgiving a la Super Mario All-Stars or is this some kind of party game with challenges based on completing a backwards Mario level or using Link in Donkey Kong. Well the answer is more complicated than that. You can't play the full games (unless that's something unlockable in the end) but they are already available on the Nintendo eShop. Similar to the WarioWare series, the player chooses a "remix" which gives you the game and the goal. I was actually more excited about this game but the more I learnt the more I realised I'd gotten my hopes up too high. I had expected it to actually be a bundle pack of all the classics, updated slightly but still retaining their 8-bit looks. It seemed like such a good idea that I was legitimately surprised to find out it wasn't. Nintendo has been making games for a very long time and many of their games kind of just get forgotten about with each new generation. All Nintendo has to do is keep them in circulation, and seeing as those games are small as compared to current gen games, a bundle pack would be easy and cheap to make. Of course, I'll say it again, many of these games and even the N64 ones I mentioned earlier (except for Banjo RIP) are available on the eShop and playable on the Wii or Wii U. But these versions are just emulations, many without any touch-ups done at all. What I want is my bundle pack of awesomeness.

PS. On another note, continuing on the idea of just re-releasing games they own the rights to, why hasn't Nintendo (or any game company for that matter) not bought Parker Brothers or made a deal with Hasbro yet? You know, so only they would have the rights to distribute the game and make profits from it? You could just put them all in a bundle and release them for $20. Bam. Instant money.

Bravely Default

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4x_teuddv8

Release Date: Febraury 17th, 2014

Developer: Silicon Studio, Square Enix

Producer: Tomoya Asano

This one is quite confusing. While the trailer states that this game is called Bravely Default, it is actually Bravely Second a sequel to the former game which itself was a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes of Light. Also the name looks like it's just a holding title that was going to be replaced by something cooler, like Legend of Fantasy: Skyrim on Steroids. But the name comes from its interesting battle mechanic where "default" means "store battle points" and "brave" means use Limit Break. Having never been much into JRPG's or more specifically RPG's in general, I do think that the random encounters, top down perspective and turn based combat is more at home on a handheld device. However, this little game has peaked my interest for its wireless capabilities. Other players will be able to join your game and battle with and possibly against you. I feel that this opens up the possibility that if this game manages to take off like the series has done in Japan, that a World of Warcraft comparison might be made. Imagine all the questing and grinding and quest-doing but now available to be on-the-go. One to watch out for if you want to try out JRPG's and have a 3DS.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Breeze

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9oJ_b4zB4Q

Release Date: February, 2013

Developer: Retro Studios

Producer: Kensuke Tanabe

I attribute my not liking chimpanzees, monkeys or apes for that matter to the fact that I'd watched the entire Planet of the Apes series before I'd even read Harry Potter. I don't find movies with chimps to be funny, I don't think that orangutans are cute and I'm sorry to say this, but Donkey Kong does nothing for me. So how will this new Donkey Kong Country appeal to me? Well, it doesn't. Despite the fact that it seems incredibly similar to the rebirthing of the Super Mario Bros. series as New Super Mario Bros. which is a series I've had lots of fun with, telling me that you're bringing back a series that was before my time is meaningless. That's not to say that any game in the series is bad (I've only played the GBA port of the original) they just don't intrigue me like Mario does. Even less so when the entire game looks like it's been based off the ice levels from New Super Mario Bros. (which I hated). But I'm sure there will be plenty here for fans of the series and seeing as I have a Wii U and I want to be a credible games sayer-of-things I'll probably get this one. Or maybe the first one because seriously, fuck ice levels. Also David Wise, the original composer for the SNES series is returning so fanboys can enjoy that at least.

Here is where I'd put another game title, but what I'm going to talk about here are two games that have already been announced and that we've been expecting for even longer. Rather I'd like to talk about the news that Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy is coming the Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8. But wasn't Rosalina in Mario Kart 7? Shut up Sean, take your medication.

Ok, for me, this just seems like a cute way to keep people entertained with more trailers while we wait for the actual games to be released. I'm sure it would be very easy to find multiple videos online dissecting these videos frame by frame. I just have just one thing to add that actually got me excited... TOON LINK (zomg #windwakerHD #linkandtetra). But it seems that Nintendo wanted us to pay more attention to Rosalina, so let’s do that. Rosalina's addition to the roster makes sense. Ever since Nintendo announced the Wii Fit trainer, I’ve assumed that anything goes at the moment. At least they're bringing in a character that people actually cared about, including myself. Though if this is a trend expect to see those new fairies from Super Mario 3D Land called "Sprixies" as characters in Mario Kart 9

Trailer for Mario Kart 8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU7tXqYplA8

Trailer for Super Smash Bros. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA8vCTHqvIs

There are many games that were also announced but haven't discussed such as the new Kirby, the new Yoshi's Island, the new music game, Luigi game and some DLC for Pokemon and Sonic. Check out the full presentation from the link at the top of this blog. Also, I'm calling it now, the 2nd DLC for Sonic will be Legend of Zelda themed.

Wrapping up, I just want to open up discussions about videogames because after all, I'm just a gamer with a personality disorder. See you next time.

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Btw, thank you to Rach, Phil and Daniel, the only people I expect to read this. Brenton and maybe Maciej. Ali might start but I don't think he'll make it to the end. If I'm wrong HI ALI!!!! Also Brad if you decided to take time off from saving the world