Dragon Rape III

In an interesting post on his tumblr, David Gaiter, a lead writer at Bioware, discussed the female perspective his writing team enjoys during their peer-review process.

We were sitting down to peer review a plot— a peer review being the point where a plot has had its first writing pass completed, and whoever wrote it sits down with the other writers as well as representatives from cinematic design, editing, and level art to hear critique. We’ve all read it first, and written down our thoughts, and go around the table to relate any issues we encountered. 

As it happened, most of the guys went first. Typical stuff— some stuff was good, some stuff needed work, etc. etc. Then one of the female writers went, and she brought up an issue. A big issue. It had to do with a sexual situation in the plot, which she explained could easily be interpreted as a form of rape. 

It wasn’t intended that way. In fact, the writer of the plot was mortified. The intention was that it come across as creepy and subverting… but authorial intention is often irrelevant, and we must always consider how what we write will be interpreted. In this case, it was not a long trip for the person playing through the plot to see what was happening at a slightly different angle, and it was no longer good-creepy. It was bad-creepy. It was discomforting and not cool at all. And this female writer was not alone. All the other women at the table nodded their heads, and had noted the same thing in their critiques. So we discussed it, changes were made, and everything was better. Crisis averted.

Now this isn't an indictment of Bioware or Gaiter, but I'm curious what others think about this.

The topic of presenting compelling and credible stories to audiences in video games is one that absolutely fascinates me. In my view, the world is often cruel, racist, sexist, homophobic, and harsh. I do not think it necessarily makes one sexist or racist to accurately portray the prevailing attitudes of a flawed society; in fact, I think that adds to the suspension of disbelief, because if anything, offering a politically-correct and sanitized imitation would just feel artificial. And in sensitively and maturely showing the human costs and injustices cultivated by corrupt social institutions, the power of whatever point you are trying to make is enhanced greatly.

Again, I don't think we can reasonably accuse the Bioware writers for being guilty of this based on Gaiter's blog post. In fact, it could very well be a good thing -- I do not know. However, I do fear that such a writing-by-committee design may leave a sterile, incredible, and generic narrative.

Best of 2012

As the year winds downs, all of us are making our top 10 lists and reviewing the year. There are a few notable things about this year: one is that many of the big-budget AAA titles were absolute garbage, and the other is that all the games I've come up with are pretty much interchangeable in terms of enjoyment. Thus, there will be no ranking; just a "Top 10."

With that said, these are the ten best games of 2012, in no particular order, with more detailed reviews following.

Top 10

Katawa Shoujo

Journey

Primordia

Torchlight 2

Hotline Miami

Perspective

Wargame: European Escalation

Mark of the Ninja

La-Mulana

Spec Ops: The Line

Honorable Mentions

The Walking Dead

Xenoblade Chronicles

Katawa Shoujo

I debated whether or not I should even mention this, as it's arguably not even a game, and it features adult content. I've rewritten this short review like 10 times trying to find a way to express how poignant and heart-wrenching this game is, but I think I'll just be blunt.

This is a visual novel, which means that the entire game is text and pictures presenting the scene, and the only input the player has are a few (but pivotal) conversation choices, which will change the storyline radically.

The premise of the game is this: you are a high school boy who has a heart attack, revealing an undiagnosed heart condition, and you're then sent to live at a special boarding school for disabled students. The story unfolds entirely through conversation choices, and follows the protagonist as he copes with his new found disability and develops relationships -- and yes, that includes romantic ones, too -- with his fellow students.

I know what you're thinking. Yes, in the romantic storylines the game has some "adult" scenes with disabled girls. When I first heard of this game, I was slightly horrified, but I'll admit, I played it out of a morbid curiosity.

And what I found was... that this game is simply beautiful. It is unbelievably well-done. It handles complicated and mature topics with an shocking level of sensitivity -- coping with a disability, learning how to re-orient oneself to the world, coming to terms with our own restrictions and capabilities in life and how to overcome them by relying on each other. The game is not about disabled students; rather the disabilities are allegories for the normal emotional baggage and complexes were develop as we go through life, and the way in which they are framed make these characters and their handicaps seem -- in a sense, uncomfortably -- relatable. The game challenges and subverts common misconceptions about disabled people, and in doing so elevates a simple coming-to-terms story into a commentary on the strength and endurance of the human condition. And I am not exaggerating. It is, at times, emotionally devastating; and at others, uplifting and humane.

The main criticisms of the game are the uneven writing, which is to be expected of an amateur project. The thematic content of the stories are not bad, it is simply that on occasion the ideas the writers try to get across are poorly expressed. For example, the character Lilly is sometimes charged with being a Mary Sue; however, I think that this is only because the writing is too subtle in communicating to the player her fears of abandonment, the sense of infallibility she holds herself too, etc. -- all of which potentially enable her downfall, as you will see in her story. That a character can be analyzed and having such complexity and layers is a testament to the otherwise amazing writing, even if you have to read between the lines in many places.

Despite the spots of overly terse writing, this game has lingered in my mind for the better part of the year. It certainly deserves a playthrough, as it is free, even though it is known for leaving some people with a vague sense of existential depression for several weeks afterwards. And I bet you can imagine me, thinking I was going to download a hilarious-but-disturbing fetishist porn game, and getting an emotionally devastating albeit beautiful experience that will honestly leave one to reevaluate their life.

Download it here.

Journey

I feel as though if I say too much about this game, I would spoil part of the experience for you if you haven't played it already, so I will try to be short.

This is a game where you play as a robed figure journeying to a mountain off in the distance. You may meet another player along the way, but they are nameless and you can only communicate to them by a non-vocal "sing" mechanic. The game does a fantastic job in giving the player a sense of awe at the vastness of the world while also forging and emotional connection between the anonymous players you meet along the way. No words are spoken, but it manages to be perhaps the most emotionally compelling experience of the year -- in any media.

Primordia

I will say at the outset here that this is the best adventure game of the year for me. It's a point-and-click developed by Wormwood Studios and published by one of my favorite of this genre, Wadjet Eye. You play as an android named Horatio with a droid companion in a post-human dystopian setting, and you start by attempting to recover your stolen power core and end up uncovering all kinds of mysteries.

The game explores many nuanced and philosophical ideas, however they are often subtle. You will encounter ethical, religious, and social aspects of a post-human robot society that will pose many fascinating and complex questions to the player, and leaves you to consider the various answers. It is almost an existential game both in the sense that it leaves many of the implications to the player to ponder themselves and in that the overall theme of the game explores issues of identity and self-meaning ("Who *am* I?" is often a question of Horatio).

Absolutely stunning art style, music, and great voice acting (the narrorator from Bastion is Horatio). The puzzles are logical, and you have a companion that will offer you hints if you get stuck, Sam and Max style. Buy it off gog.com to get the soundtrack for free, because it's possibly the best OST of the year.

Torchlight 2

I'll admit that I usually prefer Japanese ARPGs, like the Ys series, for a few reasons: I generally like the gamepad/wasd movement better, because it feels tighter and more precise than mouse-clicking; they often have a dodge and jump mechanic, which adds a huge level of complexity on top of the combat that you don't find in Diablo-clones; and they are more story-driven, not simply loot-fests, which I normally find dreary.

Torchlight 2 changed my mind about all of this. I get it now.

This game has somehow managed to solve every problem I've had with the Diablo-like ARPG subgenre without massively innovating or abandoning the old formula. The combat feels fast and responsive, especially at later levels, when a myriad of abilities must be used in succession to survive, and small mistakes are punished harshly. The difficulty on Veteran mode, which you can chose at the start, is sublime, and the bosses are varied and challenging. Loot drops consistently and explosively; unique minibosses, puzzles, and challenges are constantly barraging the player; multiplayer is framed as co-op, not as a means to an economic game; and the game looks great even though it can basically run on a toaster. Every inch of the game is well designed and well paced.

Runic has quite literally fixed every annoyance and problem I had with previous games in this genre, namely in the Diablo series. For instance, your early skills remain useful throughout the game, even at higher levels, and they aren't just something to either skip entirely or max out and never use again in order to get synergy bonuses. White items are not pointless: they are good to pick up and don't overburden you, because you have a pet with its own inventory that can go back to town and sell them for you, and you will need every ounce of gold to enchant your equipment or spend on the gambler for better items. Looting is fun because you get usable and unique items consistently, which helps make it feel as though your character is growing organically. The skill system has a nice compromise: you can respec the last three skillpoints, but no more, eliminating wasted points on abilities you don't have a chance to try before you buy, but also not trivializing character growth.

This is the pinnacle of the Diablo-like ARPG genre. It is so good, in fact, that I think Runic has essentially killed the genre. I seriously cannot imagine much more they could do to improve any aspect of the game, other than going one of two directions with it: making it more rogue-like and attempting to incorporate the emergent behavior that comes with so many randomized events, or taking it more into a Ys direction, souping up the challenge level of the bosses but making the game much more story-driven and linear. There are probably a multitude of other directions they could go that I am just not clever enough to see, but those are the main ones in my mind.

Regardless, we shall see. In the meantime, this is the best western ARPG of all time.

Hotline Miami

Impossibly difficult but incredibly addicting. It's a top-down action

game where you improvise weapons and clear out buildings of Russian mafia 

in incredibly violent ways. Thing thing is: you can kill or be killed in a 

single shot, so clearing the levels efficiently means you must be 

remarkably precise and fast.

The game encourages combos and chains of kills, which adds to the difficulty factor. Unlockable masks provide bonuses in combat, and pretty significantly change playstyle and the general feel of the combat.

The story involves a lot of subtext and the game itself is clearly inspired by the film Drive, although with the healthy addition of a dose of LSD and set in the 80's in Miami. The aesthetics and feel of the game are wonderful, and the soundtrack fits the game perfectly, and may be the best of any video game this year.

Perspective

I'm pretty tired of puzzle/platformers. Not out of principle, but because of exposure -- it seems to have become the thing to make since the release and success of Braid, and we have been completely inundated with them ever since. With that said, I can comfortably say that Perspective is the best puzzle/platformer since Braid; and the idea behind it may be even more clever.

This is an experimental student project from some students at DigiPen Institute of Technology, a game design school in Seattle, WA. You may remember that school for a former student project, called Narbacular Drop. The students who worked on that project were hired by Valve to turn it into a game, which became Portal. Perspective is so good that rumors are abound it could very well be the next Portal.

The premise is this: you control a camera in a 3D environment, and you adjust the camera to create a 2D platform environment from whatever perspective you lock the camera into. You then transverse the levels with a 2D character over the platforms you create throughout the level.

I suggest you watch a video, because it is much easier to see than to explain. Some comparisons can be made to Fez, but the way the camera can be shifted is much more free and adds more to the possibilities of movement within the levels. In fact, if I may be frank, I would bluntly say that this game blows Fez to pieces in terms of mind-bending lateral thinking, and I see no real reason to ever buy Fez when this game not only exists, but is free.

Even though it is an experimental game, it has a surprisingly high production quality, great music, and many levels. It is truly a great proof-of-concept. Download it for free here.

Wargame: European Escalation

To call this game a "real-time strategy" almost does a bit of disservice to it, because it is so much more than that. It might be more accurate to classify it as a modern war tactics simulator, with a huge amount of realistic units and an emphasis on controlling points, not base-building or micromanaging individual units -- a trend that I find a little disheartening in many of the more popular RTS franchises.

It is almost entirely centered around positioning, army composition, reconnaissance, logistics, and control of strategic locations to win battles. And the scale of the game is amazing, where you can control hundreds of units over a huge battlefield.

There is no fog of war, but different units have greater or smaller sight radii, so recon units and line-of-sight play a vital role in determining the movement of the enemy. You have to worry about fuel and ammunition on your units, so resupplying and logistics are important not only to maintain, but to disrupt for your enemy. Terrain renders a huge advantage to providing cover or even hiding units, so positioning is vital, and ambushes are possible and extremely effective. There is no base building, but capturing control points not only give more points to spawn more units, but can provide additional avenues to respawn units or resupply, giving huge tactical importance to value of different parts of the map.

There is very little, if any, micromanagement, until you start having huge 10,000+ control point armies; and even then, it isn't so much proper "micro" as in timing abilities on individual units, but more just having a lot of stuff across the map to control and position effectively.

Just thinking about it gives me a strategy-game boner. Possibly my favorite RTS of all time, simply for the realistic elements and the flawless execution of actual tactics and logistical management where strategy and positioning matter, not simply economic efficiency leading to blob-armies attacking blob-armies, something I have grown weary of in traditional RTS games like Starcraft.

Mark of the Ninja

I was initially very skeptical of how a stealth game would work in 2D, but Klei Entertainment blew away my expectations. It is not only a great stealth game, but it is very likely in the top five stealth games ever.

To tell you exactly what this game does well, I feel like I have to compare it to Dishonored, because the shortfalls of Dishonored illustrate very well the strengths of Mark of the Ninja.

In Dishonored the multitude of ways of completing a level include options to just outright kill everyone, and this not only persisted throughout the progression of the game, but was pretty viable even at higher levels with the proper use of certain skills. The byproduct of this was that it absolutely ruined the sense of tension and dread that occur when trying to sneak through a level while not getting caught. In Thief, I can distinctly remember physically holding my breath in hopes that the guard didn't see me as he walked past -- in Dishonored, I would get caught, use the Stop Time and Blink skills to kill the entire room, and then be left wondering why I even bothered to waste the time trying to sneak around in the first place.

Mark of the Ninja does not fall victim to this sort of ambivalence with regards to punishing the player for making a mistake. It cultivates a sense of tension, and a feeling of weakness in contrast to the better armed enemies that you overcome with wit and guile. You are punished severely for being seen, and while you can escape, you cannot fight more than one or two guards at once -- and really, being able to survive and escape is a skill in itself. You really feel as though you're up against overwhelming force, but that you stand a chance by sneaking through the shadows and eliminating enemies intelligently.

I've heard some criticisms of this game that it is more of a puzzle/platformer than a stealth game, however I would argue that stealth games are just puzzle games: they are puzzle games that rely on perspective, timing, and movement. The only thing really missing in a tangible way from Mark of the Ninja is perspective, given the nature of two dimensions -- however, it more than makes up for that in sound platforming and fantastic level design. There are some laser-alarm puzzles, however I do not think they detract too much from the game, as they are relatively confined and not all that numerous -- and not all that bad, by the way, even though they do drop the veneer of stealth and puzzle games being dramatically different.

The art style is fantastic and even functional: your character changes into a stylized outlined shadow when hidden in the dark, eliminating the need for a contrived visual indicator of being hidden, like Thief's light-gem system. Stealth kills are immensely satisfying and extremely varied, with different moves that can be unlocked and different shozoku (ninja suits) providing different attributes that drastically alter the feel of the game. Martial arts moves and ninja tools can also be unlocked, which again provide surprising options for completing levels, adding to the replayability and letting you play the game in a way that suits your play style without anything being super overpowered. Different kills can even be used strategically to have a psychological effect on the guards: in one instance, I killed a guard and hung him from a tree, and when a patrolling guard came across his hanging corpse, it put him in a "terrorized state" and he began shooting shadows, inadvertently killing the rest of his allies. Different options such as that provide many ways to "solve" a level.

The story is also very nice, and the end of the game poses you with a beautifully present choice that genuinely had me sit back and think about how to go forward, completely dumbfounded by the moral dilemma posed to me.

This is, in my humble opinion, the best stealth game of the year. The only thing I am left wanting is a level editor, and possibly co-op. Go get it if you haven't already.

La-Mulana

I am not sure where to even begin with this title. The game is so intricate and deep that it defies simple explanation. I'm also still currently engrossed within this game and have yet to finish it -- even so, it is still clearly one of the best games of the year.

In essence, La-Mulana is something akin to the theoretical love-child of Castlevania, Dark Souls, and Myst. It superficially resembles the action/platforming of a Metrovania; from Dark Souls it shares the sense of uncovering the lore and world on your own and without direction -- explore where you please and fight difficult but fair bosses; yet is also has the sense of uncovering a dead civilization through extremely subtle puzzles, as in Myst.

You play as an archaeologist named Lemeza, exploring and unconvering the secrets within the ruins of La-Mulana. As many Metrovanias, there are power-ups that are obtainable that make certain areas accessible. However, the game gives no clear indication of where to go or what to do -- in fact, there isn't even a single way to beat the game.

While this may turn-off some modern gamers, it actually enhances the mystery of the setting and the desire to uncover the game's many secrets.  Given some minimal time investment, the player slowly begins to realize the true depth and intricacies of the tombs being explored -- for instance, eventually buying a translator allows you to read the text on markers and other objects in the tomb, which were previously unreadable. These texts are written in rather oblique language, but they give clues and foreshadow the deeper mysteries of La-Mulana. You very slowly come to the realization that there is much more going on beneath the surface; and with the game framed in a non-linear, directionless fashion, it perfectly simulates the feeling of exploring and solving mysteries. Were there quest markers or modern checklists of objectives, the mystique inherent in this game would be lost.

The combat is very responsive albeit standard for the genre. There are some extremely challenging boss battles, as well as a variety of well-designed enemies that require the use of different tactics and types of weapons to efficiently defeat. The puzzles in this game are also fantastic, and make use of many subtle hints, which may take various forms: for instance, in an early puzzle there is a switch that is apparently inaccessible due to it's path being covered in spikes; however, a cryptic message indicates that only those "with courage" shall deserve the treasure. It turns out that if you boldly attempt to jump over the spikes, it is revealed that the spikes are, in fact, fake; and as a test of courage, you are then allowed the treasure. Later in the game, it is not uncommon to find subtle hints in the background, like engravings of a serpent in the background that indicate to use the serpent staff in the area.

This is a remake of an older freeware game, but it is not a simple graphics update, like Cave Story+, as there are many gameplay and balance adjustments And while there are many changes, I am still left wanting higher resolution graphics and more options in the PC version -- and that is about my only criticisms of this game. It is otherwise a deep, engrossing experience, and I find myself thinking like an archaeologist while playing this game, genuinely fascinated by the world of La-Mulana and driven to uncover its mysteries, which is something I have frankly not felt since the days of Myst.

Spec Ops: The Line

A third-person, cover-based military shooter developed by Yager Development. I will fully admit that when I first played this game, my impression was that I was going to be getting myself into a third-person Call of Duty. I was very wrong.

On the outset, I must qualify that the overall gameplay mechanics and shooting in Spec Ops are very average -- at best. But the reason this game is so spectacular isn't the gunplay; it is the surprisingly challenging -- and relevant -- narrative that unfolds within the campaign. It is not unlike some of the other emotionally-charged games of this year, such as Telltale's The Walking Dead, but it differs dramatically in the kind of emotional response it stirs up. Spec Ops isn't a heart-wrenching tearjerker; it is perhaps more aptly described as a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder simulator.

It borrows heavily from both the post-colonial masterpiece "Heart of Darkness", a novella by Joseph Conrad (with whom the antagonist in the game shares a surname) and Francis Ford Coppola's film, "Apocalypse Now." While borrowing heavily from both, I would not call it an outright rip-off, as the game frames the narrative in such a way that is almost a commentary on the video game industry as a whole -- as well as the general depravity and psychological effects of warfare.

The game is set in the backdrop of the destroyed city of Dubai, which has experienced a series of devastating sand storms that effectively cut off the city from the rest of the world, spiraling the population into lawlessness. Colonel John Konrad and his 33rd Battalion are sent to assist with relief efforts, but contact is lost with them.

The story picks up six months later, where you play as Captain Martin Walker, a Delta Force operative, who is sent on a mission to confirm the status of any survivors, including Konrad, and then request extraction. With you are Lieutenant Alphonse Adams and Staff Sergeant John Lugo, who have various abilities that you can command them to use in battle.

As the player descends further and further into the ruined Dubai, he is met with challenging and outright unethical situations, and is forced to bear witness to the direct consequences of their violent actions. The characters slowly begin to transform as they experience and cope with the inhumanity of their actions; even down to very subtle changes, like the anger and forcefulness with which Captain Walker barks his orders. Spec Ops is subversive in the way it critiques modern video game design, and the unquestioning acceptance of violence with which players are often too comfortable experiencing. And this game will, at times, will make you feel outright sick, disillusioned, and hopeless.

If I can offer one criticism of the game, it would be this: the way the game is designed feels excessively linear. Being railroaded through segments and then forced to see the consequences of "choices" you really didn't have any choice to make lessens the impact of the story. If you can allow yourself to be immersed in the game, this is not a problem, however. Furthermore, the gameplay mechanics could use some work, but given the content of the game, I feel as though the developers didn't want the game to be fun.

Spec Ops is an important game. It is a commentary on both modern trends and glorification of warfare in the video game industry, but also on the nature of war itself. It is both highly emotional and cerebral; finishing the game and finally putting down the controller, one will feel not only dizzying thoughts at the implications brought up in the plot, but one will also feel more than a little shell-shocked.

Honorable Mentions:
These are games that took a considerable amount of internal debate as to whether or not they should make my personal top ten list. Ultimately, they did not; and while they are still fantastic games -- some of the best of the year, in fact -- these are the reasons they did not make it.

The Walking Dead

While it told a fantastic story, the game is framed as meaningfully adapting to player choices, which it accomplishes to an arguable degree. There are certainly many elements that do change depending on the words and actions you chose throughout the adventure, however, these are mostly confined to certain things characters will say and what characters appear throughout the game with you. It does not change the overall story-arc, nor does it even change the life or death of a character in many cases -- it just changes which character dies.

This has an odd effect, making it seem like the choices you make are inevitably futile, that some unfortunate characters are trivialized into interchangeable redshirt stock characters who differ only superficially, and that the game is really just a fatalism simulator that gets some kind of perverse joy at presenting a series of dilemmas that we falsely believe will have some further implications into the story, and then crushing the naivety of the player and reminding us that, like life, nothing you do matters, you all die eventually anyway... muahaha.

However, linear stories can be fine, but as a video game, I feel as though gameplay elements were not adequately used in The Walking Dead to enhance the telling of the story. In a way, it is the antithesis of the design you will find in games like Half-Life -- The Walking Dead aggressively railroads you from segment to segment, breaking control from the character at regular intervals, and the effect is that the player may feel excessively disengaged. Thus compared to some other equally-evocative games this year, the emotional weight of the story is numbed as the non-interaction of the core gameplay fails to really stir the experience. The Walking Dead is mostly a series of conversation choices, with a very few quick-time events, and even fewer puzzles, all of which are remarkably easy -- and the lack of meaningful input into the world really hurts the overall game. There are a few good moments where the developers force you to execute your decisions in the world (e.g. if you shoot Duck), but these are discrete cases and almost feel like they disrupt the continuity of an otherwise mostly cinematic experience.

Compare this to a visual novel, like Katawa Shoujo, which shares the reliance on conversational input with The Walking Dead, but where your early conversation choices completely change the story-arc. There is no illusion that your choices matter. Or Spec Op: The Line, which also has a linear story, but features much more involved interactive gameplay elements that enhance the telling of the story and drive home the point the game is trying to make even more. In fact, I can scarcely imagine Spec Op's story being delivered in such a forceful way if the gameplay was removed.

The Walking Dead has the reliance of conversation and non-interaction of a visual novel, but it has no meaningful branching story; yet it attempts to tell a compelling linear story, but then it does not feature gameplay that compliments or enhances the telling of this story in a meaningful way. You really might as well be watching a movie -- or watching a television series, or reading a comic.

Don't get me wrong, it is still quite a riveting experience, but this year was full of equally-compelling emotional experiences: we saw Journey, Katawa Shoujo, and Spec Ops: The Line, each of which are better at delivering their emotional impact in various ways. I would hope that Telltale would either add more gameplay elements into their future titles, because they might as well take advantage of the medium to draw players into the fantastic world they are clearly capable of creating; or they create a world that truly changes based on player choices. They are clearly capable of making a great narrative, even if the delivery is not as good as some other titles this year.

Xenoblade Chronicles

There is a simple reason this didn't make the top ten: it came out everywhere but in North America in 2011. I had many arguments with a European friend about whether or not I should include this game, and in the end I decided to leave it as an honorable mention.

Still, it is one of the best JRPGs of the last decade. The game is absolutely huge, and is much more of an open world than the traditionally linear JRPG experience. The combat system is sublime, and you not only control many aspects of your character's growth while leveling, but can combine skills with party members for more synergy. Story does, at times, delve into the "weird" side of JRPGs that alienates Western audiences, but it's largely understandable, is not generic, and doesn't detract from the overall story or the experience.

RIP Nintendo Power

Good night, sweet prince.

Peter Molyneux

In an interview with RPS, Peter Molyneux delivered some measure of temporary respite to those of us who beloved many of his previous games, such as Populous, but grew weary of broken promises of some more recent titles.

A quote from the interview:

But you’re right. I can’t blame people for not believing. I am going to put everything, every ounce of energy, every piece of myself, every statement I made into this game, because this… Populous created me. I didn’t create Populous.

[That statement was followed by a long silence. And then Molyneux cried.]

Read the full interview at Rock Paper Shotgun.

Link: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/11/22/interview-peter-molyneux-on-curiositys-failings-godus/

Hilarious video of Hitman: Absolution causing a shitstorm among fans of the series

As much as I love the Hitman series, interviews from the developers leading up to the release of the newest in the series, Hitman: Absolution, have painted the game rather poorly to hardcore fans of the series. The game is expected to be much more linear, scripted, and more forgiving than previous games; all of which are antithetical to the core design of the previous titles.

I will not recount all that has been said leading thus far, as the release is imminent anyway, but a recent video is causing quite a bit of drama among fans of the series. It rather mockingly shows the assassination of a character through a series of quick time events, where Agent 47 reveals his face to an audience of people, and still walks out with the highest ranking possible.

Judge the game for yourself on release, but I revel in this sort of drama. Watch the video -- it's quite amusing.

Link to video.

Spike's Video Game Awards are fucking terrible

Guess who?

Well, it's that time of the year I guess. Spike has opened voting on their Video Game Awards and, as such, has revealed their nominees. Let's do a rundown of some of their choices, shall we?

This won't be exhaustive, just some preliminary things I noticed.

GAME OF THE YEAR
Asscreed 3 - terrible
Dishonored
Journey
Ass Effect 3 - so bad it literally ruined the franchise
The Walking Dead

BEST XBOX 360 GAME
Asscreed 3 - multiplat and terrible
Borederlands 2 - multiplat and terrible
Dishonored - multiplat
Halo 4 - the only 360 exclusive nominated

BEST PS3 GAME
Asscreed 3 - multiplat and terrible
Borederlands 2 - multiplat and terrible
Dishonored - multiplat
Journey - only PS3 exclusive nominated

BEST WII/WII-U GAME
New Super Mario Bros. U - not released yet
The Last of Us
Xenoblade Chronicles - no complaints, potentially GOTY for me
ZombiU - not released yet

BEST PC GAME
Diablo 3 - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Guild Wars 2
Torchlight 2
XCOM: Enemy Unknown - multiplat

BEST SHOOTER
Borederlands 2 - emphasis on the "bored"
Call of Duty: Black Ops II - you probably can guess my opinion on this
Halo 4 - slow console shooter
Max Payne 3 - killed the franchise

Notice: no PC shooters. No Natural Selection II. Not even Tribes: Ascend, or Spec Ops: The Line, which essentially told the video game industry what a bunch of twats they were being by dumbing down and glorifying warfare in these modern military shooters.

BEST DLC oxymoron amirite?
Dawnguard - Skyrim
Leviathan - Mass Effect 3
Mechromancer Pack - Borderlands 2
Perpetual Testing Initiative - Portal 2 - the only one that's free

I don't know if I should laugh or cry that this is even a category.

Games that they missed:
Faster than Light
Tribes: Ascend
Awesomenauts
Legend of Grimrock
Hotline: Miami
Spec Ops: The Line
La-Mulana

All these games are miles better than many of the others on their lists.

I always derive a perverse pleasure from witnessing the annual spectacle of the VGAs collectively giving fellatio to big name developers (Mass Effect 3 is potentially game of the year -- really?), so I eagerly await the results of their little popularity contest. I know this should be beneath me, but, well -- I can't help myself.

(Spoilers) My Prediction for how The Walking Dead will end

As the final episode of The Walking Dead nears release, I thought I would make an attempt to spoil the game by giving my speculation as to how the game will end.

I have no advanced knowledge, nothing has been leaked (as far as I know), nor do I have any connection with Telltale Games. This is just purely how I, as a writer, think that it would be best to end the game, taking into consideration all of the plot buildup and development thus far.

First, the ending.

Lee will not survive the bite, but I do believe he will essentially find and save Clementine. However, a series of events will isolate him with her, and she will be with him as the life finally fades away from him.

Clementine will be forced to shoot and kill Lee as he turns into a zombie. Whether or not she is capable of doing it will depend on what the player taught her thus far in the story, and being sufficiently soft with Clementine will probably result in a zombified Lee killing her. This will tie together the overall narrative of Lee's relationship with Clementine and give a suggestion as to what kind of person Clementine will become.

It would be a nice touch if the game recalled Lee training Clementine how to use a gun as she aims the pistol at the ailing Lee.

Good, don't lock your elbows.
Squeeze the trigger smoothly, and I'll cover your ears.
Nice and easy.
Bang.

The final memories Lee will recall as he dies.

And thus will end the story of Lee.

I can't speculate much as to the other parts of the story. There will, of course, have to be a major conflict introduced; I think it will likely be centered around the mysterious man who watched Lee bury the zombie child and the person who was talking to Clementine on her walkie talkie. I believe these are likely the same people.

Furthermore, I think this is likely Crawford, the despot who was presumably disposed of sometime before the last episode. This, however, is a somewhat controversial opinion, because a lot of fans seem to think that Crawford was the zombie hung in the bell tower who grabs Ben. My reasoning for this is simply that they have some resemblance to each other, and it was hinted that the "mystery man" was following you through Crawford, suggesting that he was familiar with the area and that the survivors there were turned to zombies.

This is pretty weak, however -- and I'll fully admit that. Thus, I don't hold to it as a strong opinion. Furthermore, from a writing standpoint, there isn't much of a good reason to move the plot forward this way except to tie up a lot of the lose ends in a unified way.

Crawford? Walkie Talkie guy? One in the same?

Another potential source of conflict is the zombie horde that we escaped from via the train in Episode 3. I wouldn't be surprised if they catch up the survivors in Savannah.

Anyway, those are my predictions. Some are pretty weak, I'll admit, but I promise to keep this up even if I'm proven horribly wrong.

Also, if you haven't bought this game yet, GO BUY IT NOW. It's one of the few good games released this year, and Telltale deserve support.

All Hail King Dewritos the Beneficent, Bringer of the Halos

Video game “journalism” drama -- and if I could make those quotation marks the size of the collective irrelevancy to actual journalism by those who claim to conduct it in this industry, I would -- is so hilarious to me that I must confess to deriving a small amount of carnal satisfaction from these whole ordeals. It is especially salacious when we get photo-ops of journalists with conspicuously placed products. So lewd!

The most recent scandal we have been privy to is the dismissal of Eurogamer’s Robert Florence amidst threats of libel. This has sparked an almost philosophical discussion about the nature of bias in journalism, especially when subject to certain economic or institutional constraints.

I intend to cover the topic of bias in journalism at a later time, but for now I would simply like to take a moment to clarify my point of view with regards to bias in the content that I create.

Basically, I’m going to be biased as fuck. I don’t care. But I will always be up front about it, and will disclose any relationships I have with developers or other commercial interests (i.e. none -- probably ever).

I’m of the opinion that readers of those who review video games generally come back because they appreciate, and tend to agree with, the reviewer’s analysis. So, in that respect, I will at least attempt to remain honest and consistent, even if I can be a bit polemic sometimes.

That is all.

Maybe a bit too critical

The name of this blog comes from a quip a friend of mine charged against me, namely that I was "incapable of feeling the sensation of fun" with regards to video games.

This is generally true. I can't stand the thought of someone else having fun with video games. Disgusting.

So herein you will find overly critical and cynical analysis of video games... on a good day, that is -- I may otherwise simply be compelled to call a game shit and chide you all for playing it.