I'm always on the lookout for smart videogame journalism (if you want to call it that). It seems, though, that most of the writing out there is either pretentious (The Brainy Gamer, Sexyvideogameland) or dumbed down to appeal to teenagers and college kids (Joystiq, Kotaku, Gamesrader). I do enjoy the work of Giantbomb, but the reviews there can be too formulaic and the Bombcast sometimes turns into a dudefest (especially during E3).
I'm not interested in a basic review that breaks a game down into its constituent parts with the purpose of telling me whether or not I should buy it. Nor am I interested in a review that attaches a number-score to itself, thus nullifying everything that was just written. I want writing that is mature, critical, and smart; that treats video games as an expressive, artistic medium; that looks at the issues within and that surround the games themselves. But I don't want it to sound like a chapter out of a critical or literary theory textbook. There are a few writers who have accomplished this, and I'm posting links to their articles. I'll do this from time to time when I feel that you should be directed to an important or interesting article. Check them out after the page jump.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Weakness
In my previous post I dismissed the Steam Summer Sale. I had found the sale to be somewhat underwhelming in its early days. So, I got my game fix by spending a tiny bit of money on some titles at my local bricks-and-mortar store. Well, it turns out that one of those titles is not so good --- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed --- and I have yet to play either of the remaining two. Also, the Steam sale got better; it taunted me with deal after deal after deal. Steam is like that hot woman who knows that I want her, and also that my male pride won't let me reveal my true weakness by giving in at the first sign of skin. So she gradually reveals herself little by little until I can resist no longer.
I resisted as long as I could, but I finally cracked. I put $100 in my Steam wallet and promptly proceeded to spend it on games that I probably won't be able to play for several months. More on that later. First, the games I bought after the jump.
I resisted as long as I could, but I finally cracked. I put $100 in my Steam wallet and promptly proceeded to spend it on games that I probably won't be able to play for several months. More on that later. First, the games I bought after the jump.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
The Physical Copy
Steam Summer Sale be damned! I just picked up three PS3 games from my local bricks-and-mortar store for $7.11.
I took advantage of a choose-three-get-one-free promotion on used games, and put a $24.51 credit, from a previous trade-in, towards the cost of the remaining two. Sure, I had to leave my apartment and walk under the hot sun for 40 minutes (each way), but by doing so I avoided protracted downloads and quick consumption of my Internet connection's limited bandwidth. I also picked up an iced-coffee along the way. The great outdoors are wonderful, aren't they?
I took advantage of a choose-three-get-one-free promotion on used games, and put a $24.51 credit, from a previous trade-in, towards the cost of the remaining two. Sure, I had to leave my apartment and walk under the hot sun for 40 minutes (each way), but by doing so I avoided protracted downloads and quick consumption of my Internet connection's limited bandwidth. I also picked up an iced-coffee along the way. The great outdoors are wonderful, aren't they?
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Backlog Update
Since my last post I have managed to finish Dead Island, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, and Sniper Elite V2. I have also put just over 20 hours into Dragon Age: Origins, and I'm enjoying it. I usually don't go for RPGs because I don't have the patience for protracted dialog and gameplay, but this game has a good story, a deep and interesting levelling system, and an easy and straight-forward combat system. I do sometimes get annoyed with the necessity of going through dialog choices, as some of them seem to go on forever, but I find myself otherwise engaged by plot, story, and character. Sometimes, I'll even stop what I'm doing to listen to the random conversations that occur between the characters in my party. Just like the person in this video
Another game that I have gotten back into is Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PC). It was gifted to me by a friend during a Steam sale, and I'm starting to think he did it as some kind of cruel joke. Why? Well, this game is infuriatingly difficult. Even on normal difficulty I am averaging 2 hours per mission because of one-shot kills; long, slow walks across the fields, over the hills, and through the woods just to reach objective points; AI-squadmates that don't know how to take cover; glitches that cause friendly and enemy-AI to misbehave or simply not appear when they should; a shitty checkpoint system; and no quicksave option!
These last two points are causing most of the time consumption. A checkpoint usually occurs after mission briefing, but you might not get another one for another 25 minutes, unless you complete a major objective. The problem is, though, it could take 20 minutes just to walk to the objective-point. Just as you're about to reach it, your screen suddenly goes black. When it comes back, there is your character lying on the ground, dead. As the screen goes red, and begins to fade out, you hear gunfire and your squadmates yelling, "One's down, One's down". Then, you choose "Continue From Last Checkpoint", and you're right back where you started ---- 20 fucking minutes ago. If there were a quicksave option, the one shot kills wouldn't be so bad, but there isn't. It doesn't make sense to me that a developer wouldn't include it in a PC game.
Nevertheless, I find myself wanting to play and finish it. This is no Call of Duty, Ghost Recon, or Medal of Honor --- and I like that. It requires the use of tactics, pacing, and a great deal of patience. The player character moves slowly, as he is weighted down with equipment, and will run out of breath if he sprints for too long. If he gets shot in the leg or arm, he can treat it with a field-dressing, but he never gets back to 100% health, and this slows him down even more. He can also give orders to the squad or individuals in the squad to cover everything from Rules of Engagement --- Weapons Free, Return Fire Only, Fire on My Mark, etc. --- to squad formation and movement, and defensive or offensive posture. (Presumably, one can use them to flank the enemy, but since they get themselves shot up --- or dead --- a lot, I find I have to keep them close together to concentrate fire on one area.) It's not flashy, quick, or cinematic but it is interesting and challenging, in that it challenges me to control my patience and temper.
Another game that I have gotten back into is Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PC). It was gifted to me by a friend during a Steam sale, and I'm starting to think he did it as some kind of cruel joke. Why? Well, this game is infuriatingly difficult. Even on normal difficulty I am averaging 2 hours per mission because of one-shot kills; long, slow walks across the fields, over the hills, and through the woods just to reach objective points; AI-squadmates that don't know how to take cover; glitches that cause friendly and enemy-AI to misbehave or simply not appear when they should; a shitty checkpoint system; and no quicksave option!
These last two points are causing most of the time consumption. A checkpoint usually occurs after mission briefing, but you might not get another one for another 25 minutes, unless you complete a major objective. The problem is, though, it could take 20 minutes just to walk to the objective-point. Just as you're about to reach it, your screen suddenly goes black. When it comes back, there is your character lying on the ground, dead. As the screen goes red, and begins to fade out, you hear gunfire and your squadmates yelling, "One's down, One's down". Then, you choose "Continue From Last Checkpoint", and you're right back where you started ---- 20 fucking minutes ago. If there were a quicksave option, the one shot kills wouldn't be so bad, but there isn't. It doesn't make sense to me that a developer wouldn't include it in a PC game.
Nevertheless, I find myself wanting to play and finish it. This is no Call of Duty, Ghost Recon, or Medal of Honor --- and I like that. It requires the use of tactics, pacing, and a great deal of patience. The player character moves slowly, as he is weighted down with equipment, and will run out of breath if he sprints for too long. If he gets shot in the leg or arm, he can treat it with a field-dressing, but he never gets back to 100% health, and this slows him down even more. He can also give orders to the squad or individuals in the squad to cover everything from Rules of Engagement --- Weapons Free, Return Fire Only, Fire on My Mark, etc. --- to squad formation and movement, and defensive or offensive posture. (Presumably, one can use them to flank the enemy, but since they get themselves shot up --- or dead --- a lot, I find I have to keep them close together to concentrate fire on one area.) It's not flashy, quick, or cinematic but it is interesting and challenging, in that it challenges me to control my patience and temper.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Backlog
Oh man, I've got so many games to get through. Even though I still have to finish Dead Island and Catherine, I have started, and am close to finishing, Sniper Elite V2. Meanwhile, waiting in the wings I have Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Awakenings, and Batman: Arkham Asylum. Yet, for the past few nights I have put them off in favour of a few books, Beat Hazard (PC), and music listening. Here's hoping I finish them before the fall season; Halo 4, Borderlands 2, and a host of others await me. Cheers.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
E3
The big presentations at E3 were largely underwhelming and sometimes silly --- PS3 Wonderbook, Nintendo Land, Reggie Fils Aime --- but there were a few exciting games that caught my eye.
Halo 4
The graphics are impressive, the music is cool, and the weapons sound great. I'm not so sure about the enemy, though; it looked a little silly to me. I hope more demos will emerge before the game is released so I can get a better look at it.
Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)
This is a great looking game in which there is a seemless transition from cut-scenes to gameplay. The voice acting is quite good and there are some impressive wind and coat-physics, too. The gunfight near the end showcases destructible vehicles and bullet-time, which is cool, but what I don't understand is why the target just sits in his vehicle while all his bodyguards are being gunned down. Why doesn't he get out and run while his killer is occupied?
Beyond: Two Souls (Quantic Dream)
From the developers of Heavy Rain and that excellent Kara tech demo comes Beyond: Two Souls. Now, this is just a cinematic trailer, and trailers sometimes give a flase impression of the final game (e.g., Heavy Rain, Killzone 2) but I have to say that it looks interesting. It's creepy and tense, has some flashes of action-packed events, and features the voice and acting of Canadian actress Ellen Page. As in the Kara demo, it also displays some excellent face rendering and lip-synching. I hope it doesn't disappoint.
The Last of Us (Naughty Dog)
Here we have more seemless transitions, great lighting, great motion capture, and brutal hand-to-hand combat. When the lead character, Joel, punches or smashes someone's face in with the butt or barrel of a gun I cringe a little; it seems weighty, visceral, and consequential, unlike the combat in most modern games. Also, I am really impressed by the actions of Joel's AI-partner, Ellie. She remains an integral and effective part of the action, rather than just a scared, passive bystander --- check out what she does at the 5:16 mark. And that final shotgun blast always makes me jump and wince. This is the game I am looking forward to the most.
There were more games shown, but these 4 are the ones that truly interest me. I have no interest in anything that Nintendo does; I'll wait for Black Ops 2 to find its way to the bargain bin; Tomb Raider and Splinter Cell --- meh; and I'll pass on Assassin's Creed III. Call me crazy, but I don't think I would enjoy killing British soldiers.
Halo 4
The graphics are impressive, the music is cool, and the weapons sound great. I'm not so sure about the enemy, though; it looked a little silly to me. I hope more demos will emerge before the game is released so I can get a better look at it.
Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)
This is a great looking game in which there is a seemless transition from cut-scenes to gameplay. The voice acting is quite good and there are some impressive wind and coat-physics, too. The gunfight near the end showcases destructible vehicles and bullet-time, which is cool, but what I don't understand is why the target just sits in his vehicle while all his bodyguards are being gunned down. Why doesn't he get out and run while his killer is occupied?
Beyond: Two Souls (Quantic Dream)
From the developers of Heavy Rain and that excellent Kara tech demo comes Beyond: Two Souls. Now, this is just a cinematic trailer, and trailers sometimes give a flase impression of the final game (e.g., Heavy Rain, Killzone 2) but I have to say that it looks interesting. It's creepy and tense, has some flashes of action-packed events, and features the voice and acting of Canadian actress Ellen Page. As in the Kara demo, it also displays some excellent face rendering and lip-synching. I hope it doesn't disappoint.
The Last of Us (Naughty Dog)
Here we have more seemless transitions, great lighting, great motion capture, and brutal hand-to-hand combat. When the lead character, Joel, punches or smashes someone's face in with the butt or barrel of a gun I cringe a little; it seems weighty, visceral, and consequential, unlike the combat in most modern games. Also, I am really impressed by the actions of Joel's AI-partner, Ellie. She remains an integral and effective part of the action, rather than just a scared, passive bystander --- check out what she does at the 5:16 mark. And that final shotgun blast always makes me jump and wince. This is the game I am looking forward to the most.
There were more games shown, but these 4 are the ones that truly interest me. I have no interest in anything that Nintendo does; I'll wait for Black Ops 2 to find its way to the bargain bin; Tomb Raider and Splinter Cell --- meh; and I'll pass on Assassin's Creed III. Call me crazy, but I don't think I would enjoy killing British soldiers.
Monday, May 28, 2012
London Music: Happy Mondays, Black Market Karma, SULK
I'm back after a fantastic holiday in London, England, where I passed the time with some good friends, drank a few pints, and saw many, many fascinating things. Amongst them were a few bands. The first were The Inspiral Carpets and The Happy Mondays at the O2 Brixton Academy on May 11th. The crowd was lively, but well behaved, and the bands sounded great. Although the Mondays were the headliners --- and were excellent, mind you --- I felt that The Carpets put in a stronger performance. There's something about Clint Boon's Farfisa that just gets everyone rocking. I couldn't find a decent clip of The Carpets, so here's one of The Mondays perfroming Step On
The following evening I saw Black Market Karma at Paper Dress Vintage, a dress shop that doubles as a bar and band venue during the evening; the band was set up in the front window, facing the back of the store. It seemed like an odd, and very small, venue to me. The crowd was quite small, too (maybe 50 people), but that didn't seem to deter the band --- whose average age is around 18 --- because they put in an excellent performance. They played 5 or 6 songs, and then quickly packed up and departed. Check out the band's bio here, and click on "free downloads" for a code to download their 4 song EP All That I've Made and their full-length album Comatose. Both are great, and I can't wait for the new one, Cocoon, due out in late-June.
Around a week later I saw SULK at The Purple Turtle in Camden. Unlike the Paper Dress Vintage it was a proper band venue, with a stage and everything. Unfortunately, the crowd was quite small, but, like Black Market Karma, the band wasn't put off by that, and showed us all why they've created such a big buzz around England. They played 8 songs and quickly packed up because they had to vacate the stage for the next band. My friends and I left shortly after that; we had seen what we had wanted to see, and went away happy. SULK is a great band, and I'm sure they are going to be huge.
I'm going to post two videos here. The first is a tune called "Marian Shrine" which was done with a slightly different line-up and under the band's former name, The Ruling Class. It is songs like this one which garner them comparisons to The Stone Roses. It has a cool groove and some great guitar work. The second song, "Wishes", was, I believe, their first single under the name SULK. This one has a stronger pop influence, but retains that late-80s/early-90s Manchester feel, similar to that of The Charlatans.
This is great stuff, and I'm glad I was witness to it. The world needs more music like this to save it from the likes of Nickelback, Lady Gaga, and Kanye West.
I did manage to take some (blurry) photos at the SULK gig, and I'll try to get them up with my next post. Until then, enjoy the tunes, and share them with others.
The following evening I saw Black Market Karma at Paper Dress Vintage, a dress shop that doubles as a bar and band venue during the evening; the band was set up in the front window, facing the back of the store. It seemed like an odd, and very small, venue to me. The crowd was quite small, too (maybe 50 people), but that didn't seem to deter the band --- whose average age is around 18 --- because they put in an excellent performance. They played 5 or 6 songs, and then quickly packed up and departed. Check out the band's bio here, and click on "free downloads" for a code to download their 4 song EP All That I've Made and their full-length album Comatose. Both are great, and I can't wait for the new one, Cocoon, due out in late-June.
Around a week later I saw SULK at The Purple Turtle in Camden. Unlike the Paper Dress Vintage it was a proper band venue, with a stage and everything. Unfortunately, the crowd was quite small, but, like Black Market Karma, the band wasn't put off by that, and showed us all why they've created such a big buzz around England. They played 8 songs and quickly packed up because they had to vacate the stage for the next band. My friends and I left shortly after that; we had seen what we had wanted to see, and went away happy. SULK is a great band, and I'm sure they are going to be huge.
I'm going to post two videos here. The first is a tune called "Marian Shrine" which was done with a slightly different line-up and under the band's former name, The Ruling Class. It is songs like this one which garner them comparisons to The Stone Roses. It has a cool groove and some great guitar work. The second song, "Wishes", was, I believe, their first single under the name SULK. This one has a stronger pop influence, but retains that late-80s/early-90s Manchester feel, similar to that of The Charlatans.
This is great stuff, and I'm glad I was witness to it. The world needs more music like this to save it from the likes of Nickelback, Lady Gaga, and Kanye West.
I did manage to take some (blurry) photos at the SULK gig, and I'll try to get them up with my next post. Until then, enjoy the tunes, and share them with others.
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