Hurt me plenty

Hurt me plenty

2-26-10

Thinking about the games I played when I was younger it occurred to me how a great many of those games I never beat...and even curiouser how many of those games I rarely got half way though. You might be thinking well Chris...this is because you suck. You could be right but ask yourself this...how far have you gotten on Pac-Man, Defender, Joust, Donkey Kong, Ghouls and Ghosts, Doom 1 or 2, Tempest, Smash TV, Dragons Lair etc.. and the list goes on and on. You may have beat these games and are thinking still...dude you suck. Thats fine as I'm not here to prove how awesome I am. I'm here to talk about the over all lack of difficulty in modern video games. See my point in brining up those games was to point out how even though I never really got all that far in them I loved them regardless. Even if you are the game wizard I'm sure you've had a game or two that you never really got far on but still enjoyed the brief time you spent with them. Now how many modern games can you say this about? I can think of few that would get on that list. If a modern game is too difficult it slips into obscurity rather quickly and is forgotten. If it can't be beaten then its not worth playing at all...seems to be the sensibility that pervades the modern gaming mindset. Though instead of gamers getting collectively better the games are getting easier if you ask me. Can the game companies be faulted for this though? After all they are in the business to sell these little discs to us. And besides we cant all be hardcore can we? These are excuses I hear a lot...and if you ask me they don't hold watter. Much of the "companies giving the consumer what they want" excuse sounds like a chicken or the egg dilemma. And don't give me this crap about casual gamers not wanting hard core. The entire industry was founded on casual gaming...fun date night arcade romps, or silly gaming for a few minutes in the theater lobby. How do you get more casual than Pac-Man or Asteroids? Like it or not this industry has gotten where it is today on the backs of lots of lamers like yours truly. Who loved to have fun with games though we weren't all that great at them. The question I want the answer to is where do we derive satisfaction/fun from games. Is it the mere act of playing a game or "beating" it. If said game is already relatively easy then whats the fun in that? 

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

2-22-10

Few modern games seem to capture the re-playability of the games I grew up on. They just don't..though they may have superior looking visuals and ultimately end up being much grander in scope....some just aren't as much fun as the old school. Vice City is a decidedly modern game and it is as much fun as the old school. Few games linger with me the way Vice City does. I've played though the thing three times now and could easily see my self picking it up again sometime soon. The combination of open world game play...thats in a world you actually want to play a game in. The faux 80's post card Miami look of everything is just so....rad. The music on the radio is fun...how many games can you say that about lol. It just all comes together here.  

The Power of branding

Ok so we have a couple RPGs dropping in march for the big 7th gen consoles...FF13 and RoF. My question is this how would your perception/anticipation of each game change if the names/brands were flipped. That is to say imagine the games are identical all reviews are the same only the one being touted as overly linear and pretty is Rof. On the other had the one being touted as unique/fresh with somewhat strait forward/boring dungeons was FF13.

The Final Fantasy brand is a powerful one to say the least. I'm not here to debate whether it is deserving of said appeal rather to discuss whether or not that big brand can cloud peoples judgment of an otherwise mediocre game.
I remember the American reviews of LO and thinking if LO had been branded FF how different not only would these reviews be but how different the overall potential reception of the game by the public at large would be. I mean here we have a rather classic style rpg that looks good brought to us by the guy who created FF released exclusively on the 360. If that game had been branded FF....I can't help but feel it would have received a much different reception. Reviews would have been kinder and more gamers would have payed attention.

Grand Theft Auto 3

Grand Theft Auto 3

2-22-10

How I love this game...let me count the ways. Umm where to start...first off there are few things in games as shamelessly fun as stealing a car in broad daylight then using said car to mindlessly destroy anything in sight. The amazing thing about this game is that it is what you make it. That is to say there is a structure..sure. Go to little icon and start mission...but how you complete said mission is left (for the most part) up to you. So yeah...the game play is crazy fun. If that were it you would have an extremely fun game. What takes this over the top and into my personal favorite list is its since of humor. From the silly mock mafioso plot to the hilarious satire that is the radio content. Its all equals tons of fun and easily one of my top 10 games ever. 

White Knight Chronicles

White Knight Chronicles

2-21-10

Upon completing WKC it occurred to me that many game play flaws can be forgiven if I don't have to endure them for all that long. I hate reviews that proclaim something is flawed as if that were something new or unique. Every game has its flaws...this should go with out saying. The question is are said games flaws overwhelming enough that they kept you from having a good time? As far as I'm concerned that would be no in regards to WKC. Yes it has its share of issues. First and foremost its waaaayyy to easy. I think I died maybe once early in the game and that was it. I never once feared for my parties "life". Big boss fight...big deal. Just make sure Leonard has enough AC so you can morph into the titular White Knight and you're solid. Magic use was a bit...well it seemed useless. With the exception of the occasional healing spell and status boost I never used it (though the A.I. that controlled my other party members loved to lol) Also what there is of a "skill tree" is rather weak. Getting back to how easy the game is...I was never eager to get to that skill tree so i could boost my characters. Many times I would be in my menu and just happen to notice...oooh skill points...cool. The necessity was never really there to get new snazz moves I'll prolly never use. So add up all these negative qualities and It sounds like I didn't really enjoy this game. Well thats not entirely true...for two reasons. One the game is (as I mentioned earlier) extremely brief. Had this gone on much longer and I'm not sure I would have been motivated to complete it. Then there is the fun factor....I had a lot of fun with this game. The combo system was a blast as was commanding the knights. I also rather enjoyed the cliche'd but kinda twisty story. 

Final Fantasy 12

Final Fantasy 12

2-18-10

I've played through FF12 twice now and needless to say each play through left me feeling differently about the game. Unfortunately it didn't hold up well the second time through. Things like the games thin and ultimately faux complicated plot became glaringly obvious the second time around. Though I'm a defender of the games rather unique Gambit system it ends up taking a great deal of the fun out of the overall game play. Last but certainly not least..... the game is down right easy. I don't consider myself a hard-core gamer and certainly not an expert. I think I died like twice and one of those was during the final boss fight. So then why was I so blind to these blatant flaws the first time though? My former apologists stance regarding this game was due in large part to the fantastic production values. Nearly every superficial aspect on display here is just top notch. Even four years later the game still looks and sounds damn good. The art direction/design is second to none as is the fantastic score. Basically I was for all intent and purpose shocked and awed by the game. Though this is an awe that inevitably fades.