I strongly disagree with Uncharted 2 as game of the year, but that's another discussion altogether. However, I'd like to weigh in on Uncharted 2 for a bit and what the game signifies in my eyes.
I think that video games have a bit of a minority complex. TV and movies are seen as more "legitimate"-- both have storied histories, both have well-established structures and both have banal characters and arcs and shots etc. It is my perception that many people who play video games are highly conscious of all other forms of popular media, including film and television. And even though video games do have certain traditional archetypes established (go to the castle to save the princess, defeat the boss to move to the next stage and so on), I believe that storylines in video games mimic the typical structure of movies and televisions instead of burrowing out their own niches— case and point Uncharted 2.
I don’t want to take away from the game. A lot of what Danny says is correct. It is incredibly polished. It is fun and exciting and does many things well. But I think that video games need to stop relying on old standbys and stereotypes. I don't want to see a rehashed version of Indiana Jones (that's been done 4 times already). Lets see something fresh, something provocative, something excitingly exciting. In this age of sequels and mimicry, I want to see something that pushes gaming further, not something that just works off of the same formula.
- Micah -
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Game of the Year 2009 (won't come as a shock...)
Game of the Year: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Playstation 3)
Runner-up: Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360 / Playstation 3)
The competition for 2009’s game of the year is admittedly not much of one. There were some great titles this year (don’t get me wrong), but only one that supersedes the very idea of what the gaming industry is capable of. I don’t know that we completely understand the implications that Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will have for gaming just yet; surely as a work of art it's subtlety advances the medium in areas of storytelling and technology. For the moment, it is a zeitgeist piece of entertainment, perfecting the elements that we already know make a video game work. In many cases, this is as important an accomplishment as innovation. While a debate rages about the primacy of gameplay over story in video games, Uncharted 2 gives each category its due and then some.
Uncharted 2 is a first-rate production; not just a great video game. The greatest entertainments are those we return to because of their potential for exploration. Uncharted 2 approaches this lofty echelon in its environments, characters, story, and, yes, its pixel count that has not been matched on any system since the release of Metroid Prime. You’ll want to play again and again.
What I admire most about Uncharted 2 is not only how it was able to best its predecessor in every way but also that it unabashedly advocates a theory about what video games should be. The idea here is that video games can approach the sort of depth, and thus replay value, because the game engulfs the player in a narrative which cannot be altered on the player’s whim. This means is that the player does not have the freedom to roam and break the narrative flow, a mechanism which modern games like World of Warcraft and Mass Effect so often flaunt. This finite focus allowed Naughty Dog to perfect nearly every element of the journey. You want to immerse yourself in the world provided, not branch out and find new ones. Placing restrictions like this is important to flesh out the potential of an idea instead of throwing notions into the wind and hoping one of them sticks.
Although it's linear structure lends itself to detailed graphics and a great story, the only place where Uncharted 2 is not linear is where it counts; in its level design. You can and will scale the environments from just about every angle. I have always preferred this mostly linear model of video game because I value the quality of ideas over the quantity of them.
Uncharted 2 put me in Nathan Drake’s world and left me there to make my way out. The best games make it so that you never want to leave. With Uncharted 2, the PS3 has undoubtedly found its killer app and a game that will take some serious time to overshadow.
A quick word about the GOTY runner-up:
Batman: Arkham Asylum redefines what comic book video games can be with an original premise, creative license of established characters, gorgeous visuals, and a control scheme that is both accessible and realistic. After the release of “The Dark Knight” in 2008 and Arkham Asylum this year, it is safe to say Batman is enjoying a renaissance like no other fictional character. There is already a trailer for a sequel to this game due out next year, and if it is able to improve on Arkham Asylum the way Uncharted 2 improved on its predecessor, perhaps Batman will not be playing second fiddle in 2010.
-DC
Runner-up: Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360 / Playstation 3)
The competition for 2009’s game of the year is admittedly not much of one. There were some great titles this year (don’t get me wrong), but only one that supersedes the very idea of what the gaming industry is capable of. I don’t know that we completely understand the implications that Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will have for gaming just yet; surely as a work of art it's subtlety advances the medium in areas of storytelling and technology. For the moment, it is a zeitgeist piece of entertainment, perfecting the elements that we already know make a video game work. In many cases, this is as important an accomplishment as innovation. While a debate rages about the primacy of gameplay over story in video games, Uncharted 2 gives each category its due and then some.
Uncharted 2 is a first-rate production; not just a great video game. The greatest entertainments are those we return to because of their potential for exploration. Uncharted 2 approaches this lofty echelon in its environments, characters, story, and, yes, its pixel count that has not been matched on any system since the release of Metroid Prime. You’ll want to play again and again.
What I admire most about Uncharted 2 is not only how it was able to best its predecessor in every way but also that it unabashedly advocates a theory about what video games should be. The idea here is that video games can approach the sort of depth, and thus replay value, because the game engulfs the player in a narrative which cannot be altered on the player’s whim. This means is that the player does not have the freedom to roam and break the narrative flow, a mechanism which modern games like World of Warcraft and Mass Effect so often flaunt. This finite focus allowed Naughty Dog to perfect nearly every element of the journey. You want to immerse yourself in the world provided, not branch out and find new ones. Placing restrictions like this is important to flesh out the potential of an idea instead of throwing notions into the wind and hoping one of them sticks.
Although it's linear structure lends itself to detailed graphics and a great story, the only place where Uncharted 2 is not linear is where it counts; in its level design. You can and will scale the environments from just about every angle. I have always preferred this mostly linear model of video game because I value the quality of ideas over the quantity of them.
Uncharted 2 put me in Nathan Drake’s world and left me there to make my way out. The best games make it so that you never want to leave. With Uncharted 2, the PS3 has undoubtedly found its killer app and a game that will take some serious time to overshadow.
A quick word about the GOTY runner-up:
Batman: Arkham Asylum redefines what comic book video games can be with an original premise, creative license of established characters, gorgeous visuals, and a control scheme that is both accessible and realistic. After the release of “The Dark Knight” in 2008 and Arkham Asylum this year, it is safe to say Batman is enjoying a renaissance like no other fictional character. There is already a trailer for a sequel to this game due out next year, and if it is able to improve on Arkham Asylum the way Uncharted 2 improved on its predecessor, perhaps Batman will not be playing second fiddle in 2010.
-DC
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Retro Reflecticus: DuckTales
Movie and TV Games Were Good Once- Take My Word for It
With the release of the digital epic Avatar from successful director/ writer/ all-around beast machine James Cameron , we at The Birdo’s Nest expected the Avatar game to show up around the film release, slowly waddling in the wake of its movie counterpart. For a film that bathes it’s viewers in digital brilliance and utilizes many techniques exemplified in video game cut scenes (for example, the shaky zoom-in style the Gears of War series or Resident Evil 4), an unlearned individual might assume that the Avatar game would be quite the delightful romp. Clearly, they are unaware of the Movie to Game Principle.
The Movie to Game Principle states that movies or televisions shows converted to video games must suck and they must suck hard. I know. If it were up to me, I’d change a thing or two about a thing or two, but the Movie to Game Principle is fact. But it got me to thinking. Was there ever an outlier to this rule? Not only a good game based on television or movie content, but a great game. For me, Aladdin and The Lion King games both come to mind, but none can really touch the DuckTales game for THE Nintendo Entertainment System.
For those who have never seen or heard of DuckTales, that’s oka—….Nope, I thought I could stay away from being condescending for a second but it just didn’t feel right. What is wrong with you? Watch the show or watch DuckTales: The Movie – Treasure of the Lost Lamp immediately. But the DuckTales game is an extraordinary feat of gaming spawned by the 90’s gaming juggernaut Capcom.
Right when the game opens, you have the choice as to which level to traverse. This presentation of the game allows for more control and a convenient replay ability through the game. If you feel like playing a certain level, you don’t have to wade through other parts of the game first. Amazingly enough, this level menu fits perfectly into the structure of the game.
The story follows Scrooge McDuck throughout the globe (and in one case, off the globe) collecting treasures on his journey to be the richest duck in the world. Recognizable characters like Launchpad, Webby and the Beagle Boys are interspersed throughout the game. Although the creative content was there, the writers of the game developed a completely different plot, which is interesting and different from the typical DuckTales episode but simultaneously enthralling. In most cases, the rigidity implied in the story of a movie or television show overwhelms the general gameplay of the game, but not in this case.
The gameplay of DuckTales feels incredibly original throughout the entire game. You play as Uncle Scrooge himself, wielding only an ever-useful cane to bludgeon your foes. You can bash object with it or bounce on it like a pogo stick to travel across a level or send an enemy flying. Certain deadly areas are untraversable without expert wielding of the pogo-ing ability. This interesting control scheme makes DuckTales that much more interesting. Scrooge’s unique skillset within the game, as opposed to the standard jump and throw combination, really makes DuckTales stand out above the rest of the movie and television games of the time period.
Even though the constant stream of enemies might appear repetitive, Capcom diversified the gaming experience by making each enemy move differently. For example, in Transylvania, mummy’s move slowly from left to right and periodically stop. However, on the Moon, aliens move up and down in varying rapid movements, making them difficult in their own right. Plus, with all of the diverse environments to choose from, DuckTales is always interesting to play.
Although the Avatar game is decent, it could learn a lot from a seasoned veteran movie game. The DuckTales game is the archetype for all creators to follow. It is original while utilizing the reticent creative content. It establishes its own niche, neither trying to break out of its borders by being recklessly original nor shrinking down to an evaporated version of the original content.
You would think that movie games and tv games would be great—characters are pre-established, actors are already in place and there is a buttload of content to build off of. Sure, you can see the pre-ordained aspects of creative content as restrictive if you want to, but they can also birth some incredible content. Classic poetic structure like villanelles and sonnets hone the creative process by forcing restriction and pushing limits onto the writer. The safety pin was invented under a restriction that the inventor could only use a single piece of wire. I can only be on the toilet for 30 minutes at a time, according to my doctor. Picture the Sistine Chapel, except more brown.
Restriction has always been a source of some of the greatest feats of creativity. Movie games need to be seen by creators as an opportunity to do edify as opposed to oppressive parameters. The DuckTales game accomplished exactly that.
-Micah
With the release of the digital epic Avatar from successful director/ writer/ all-around beast machine James Cameron , we at The Birdo’s Nest expected the Avatar game to show up around the film release, slowly waddling in the wake of its movie counterpart. For a film that bathes it’s viewers in digital brilliance and utilizes many techniques exemplified in video game cut scenes (for example, the shaky zoom-in style the Gears of War series or Resident Evil 4), an unlearned individual might assume that the Avatar game would be quite the delightful romp. Clearly, they are unaware of the Movie to Game Principle.
The Movie to Game Principle states that movies or televisions shows converted to video games must suck and they must suck hard. I know. If it were up to me, I’d change a thing or two about a thing or two, but the Movie to Game Principle is fact. But it got me to thinking. Was there ever an outlier to this rule? Not only a good game based on television or movie content, but a great game. For me, Aladdin and The Lion King games both come to mind, but none can really touch the DuckTales game for THE Nintendo Entertainment System.
For those who have never seen or heard of DuckTales, that’s oka—….Nope, I thought I could stay away from being condescending for a second but it just didn’t feel right. What is wrong with you? Watch the show or watch DuckTales: The Movie – Treasure of the Lost Lamp immediately. But the DuckTales game is an extraordinary feat of gaming spawned by the 90’s gaming juggernaut Capcom.
Right when the game opens, you have the choice as to which level to traverse. This presentation of the game allows for more control and a convenient replay ability through the game. If you feel like playing a certain level, you don’t have to wade through other parts of the game first. Amazingly enough, this level menu fits perfectly into the structure of the game.
The story follows Scrooge McDuck throughout the globe (and in one case, off the globe) collecting treasures on his journey to be the richest duck in the world. Recognizable characters like Launchpad, Webby and the Beagle Boys are interspersed throughout the game. Although the creative content was there, the writers of the game developed a completely different plot, which is interesting and different from the typical DuckTales episode but simultaneously enthralling. In most cases, the rigidity implied in the story of a movie or television show overwhelms the general gameplay of the game, but not in this case.
The gameplay of DuckTales feels incredibly original throughout the entire game. You play as Uncle Scrooge himself, wielding only an ever-useful cane to bludgeon your foes. You can bash object with it or bounce on it like a pogo stick to travel across a level or send an enemy flying. Certain deadly areas are untraversable without expert wielding of the pogo-ing ability. This interesting control scheme makes DuckTales that much more interesting. Scrooge’s unique skillset within the game, as opposed to the standard jump and throw combination, really makes DuckTales stand out above the rest of the movie and television games of the time period.
Even though the constant stream of enemies might appear repetitive, Capcom diversified the gaming experience by making each enemy move differently. For example, in Transylvania, mummy’s move slowly from left to right and periodically stop. However, on the Moon, aliens move up and down in varying rapid movements, making them difficult in their own right. Plus, with all of the diverse environments to choose from, DuckTales is always interesting to play.
Although the Avatar game is decent, it could learn a lot from a seasoned veteran movie game. The DuckTales game is the archetype for all creators to follow. It is original while utilizing the reticent creative content. It establishes its own niche, neither trying to break out of its borders by being recklessly original nor shrinking down to an evaporated version of the original content.
You would think that movie games and tv games would be great—characters are pre-established, actors are already in place and there is a buttload of content to build off of. Sure, you can see the pre-ordained aspects of creative content as restrictive if you want to, but they can also birth some incredible content. Classic poetic structure like villanelles and sonnets hone the creative process by forcing restriction and pushing limits onto the writer. The safety pin was invented under a restriction that the inventor could only use a single piece of wire. I can only be on the toilet for 30 minutes at a time, according to my doctor. Picture the Sistine Chapel, except more brown.
Restriction has always been a source of some of the greatest feats of creativity. Movie games need to be seen by creators as an opportunity to do edify as opposed to oppressive parameters. The DuckTales game accomplished exactly that.
-Micah
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