Guardians of the Galaxy

Big news has emerged with the announcement that the Last Guardian is set for release in 2016. This has come after years of delays and confusion.
And we have a video to go with it:

Original video located here. Accessed 17th June 2015

Make no mistake, that I'm a big fan of Team Ico's (two) games and this video is interesting from that perspective: Here, we have shades of Ico with a protagonist wandering through a crumbling fortress with a companion. And, at the same time, we see the monster-climbing mechanic lifted straight from Shadow of the Colossus.
Considering that Shadow of the Colossus was a much bigger seller than Ico, I suppose it would be unsurprising for Team Ico to go back and revisit that territory. But such a prospect mirrors the comparisons I found between System Shock 2 and Bisohock: It's the same game but with a different coat of paint. Whilst the Griffon-esque creature seems a far more effective companion than Yorda, one can't help but think that perhaps Team Ico may be running short of ideas - especially considering the long gestation time this game has been in. 

But, of course, all of this is speculative: It's too early to call on this game when it has yet to be released.
If anything the real question here is: Could the Last Guardian be enough to sway me back to Sony? Only time will tell.....

System of a Down

Another game has been cast down from my Hall of Shame (and the first for 2015 too!). Goodbye System Shock 2!

Man oh man, has this game got a reputation and a half: the father of Bioshock, a complete reinvention (alongside Deus Ex) of the First Person Shooter genre, one of the scariest games ever made, one of the greatest villains ever conceived in gaming history.

And you know what? In this case the reputation is justified.

Okay so I may have been using a heavily modded version of the game, that resulted in updated graphics, reworked environments and high level textures but even such modifications can;t take away that this is a game dripping in atmosphere. There is real tension with danger lurking around every corner, there is dread invoked with the sound design and there is a real sense that this is survival horror done right (ie you're all alone and no one else can jump you & nick your gear).

However whilst System Shock 2 may be pushing sixteen years, it still stands as one of the toughest games I've played. Never mind the careful selection of skill allotment (it's been well-established that this game is unforgiving to a point that if you chose the wrong skills, you may find yourself unable to complete the game), I had to contend with weapon degradation, constant threats, never having enough ammo, and dying over and over again. Even the boss fight with the Many was a real nightmare - one that somehow made the eventual confrontation with SHODAN seem tame by comparison. That being said, I think I can now understand why Bioshock was made easier - and may have contributed to greater sales. Still, beating any tough game is certainly an achievement and that certainly was the case here.

Not much else except to say that System Shock 2 is a great game. And it is finally great to play it when it was lost in the legal limbo for so long.
Now, about No One Lives Forever....

The System is Down

Lately I've been playing a lot of System Shock 2.

This is an interesting game to approach on two fronts: Firstly it has a fearsome reputation in that is home to one of the greatest gaming villains (I am of course referring to SHODAN). And secondly, this is game I have come to to having played Bioshock, a game that has been made abundantly clear that it is the successor to System Shock 2.

It is that notion of System Shock 2 being a predecessor to Bioshock that is, to me, inescapable. I see so many similarities that it isn't funny. The weapons are the same, items are obtained via vending machines, there are turrets and security cameras everywhere, there are chambers that resurrect the player when they die, health and power-ups are provided via syringes, there's characters from both games running parallel to each other, there's hacking, weapon upgrades, cybermodules are ADAM, and Psionics fill in for plasmids.
Indeed, when comparing the two, one can't shake the feeling that Bioshock is just System Shock 2 with a new coat of paint (along with a steampunk aesthetic). And even then System Shock 2 started life as a completely different game before it was attached to the System Shock franchise for the sake of pushing sales.

Such is the similarities that I wonder if this is what gaming is going to be: a mere case of dusting off an old game and giving it a new coat of paint. I suppose that may make for an interesting solution to games that are lost to time and unable to played any more *coughPanzerDragoonSagacough* but at the same time, it does suggest that gaming progression is facing something of a standstill. I will concede that revamping an old game may be a way buck the system, generate interest in the father title and give new IP a fighting chance. But it makes me wonder how many people played Bioshock and then went to Steam to check out this System Shock 2 game....

Seventh Heaven

And so the seventh generation of console gaming has well and truly rode off into the sunset. So where does this leave us? Well for me this may as a good a time as any to do a retrospective on this generation outgoing.

At first I had no interest in the seventh generation. At the time the seventh generation was dawning, I got off my arse and got a PS2. A bit late to the party true but I didn't care: I merely wanted to find out what the PS2 had to offer - as well as what I'd missed out on with the PS1. And the shaky start of the Xbox 360 confirmed the wiseness of this decision.
True I did eventually obtain a Wii but that was more for the Virtual Console than the actual games the Wii had to offer.

But it didn't take long before something came along that really piqued my interest. The game was Dragon Age Origins - and somehow it being marketed as a successor to the mighty Baldur's Gate  was enough to warrant more investigation. And then, seeing a friend play Mass Effect 2 furthered my decision to fork out for a 360. It seemed a dumb decision to get yet another console when I had a PC, PS2 and a Wii but I don't regret it one bit.

Now. Do I have any favorite games from this last generation. Funny you should say that: I've got a top ten list prepared!
So here's my favorite games of the last generation all arranged in order of preference. All of these games I may have, at one stage or another, already talked about at length on this blog so I'll try and keep this brief.

10. Cave Story
It was made by one guy but damn what a labor of love this was. True the last boss may have prevented me for beating the game (otherwise this will be ranked much higher) but Cave Story has plenty of charm that puts a lot of triple A games to shame.

9. Braid 
I found Braid bogged down by the pretensions towards artiness this game had. But then I remembered this game had fun puzzles, clever mechanics and a lovely art direction. Enough to save it? Damn right.

8. Dragon Age Origins
Say what you like about Bioware but somehow Dragon Age Origins feels like one of their last watermarks. True it is more enjoyable on the PC, with mods, than the Xbox, but there is still a lot going for this game with it's art direction, gripping plot and solid writing.

7. Bioshock
Before I played Bioshock I was feeling somewhat unhappy with gaming - but by playing Bioshock I got the kick up the arse I was needing. Compelling in it's narrative, inventive in it's ideas and a great game all round, Bioshock was all this and more. Now about System Shock 2....

6. Bastion
A lot of games seem to rely on spectacle and explosions - so any game that attempts the 'Less is More' approach is worth nothing less than my interest. Four characters, a glorious narration, and an art direction to die for, Bastion is nothing short of brilliant.

5. Spec Ops the Line
The slap in the face that military shooters needed. It's not a game I'd play for enjoyment but it's a game that is indeed worthy of my respect. It takes balls for a game to critique it's audiences and Spec Ops The Line has the biggest balls of them all.

4. Thomas Was Alone
If the seventh generation proved anything it's the time that indie games truly flexed their muscles. And Thomas Was Alone could well have been the best of the lot. It may have won me over on sheer personality alone but being a great game certainly didn't hurt either.

3. Rock Band 2
I hate to think how many hours i may have sunk into Rock Band 2 but I honestly loved every minute of it. The implementation of the music library was a masterstroke and I've gained a new appreciation for music I wouldn't have otherwise been aware of.

2. Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age Origins may have proven that the seventh generation my be worth my time but Mass Effect 2 truly sealed the deal. It seems to me that Bioware were taking the concept of the Dirty Dozen and putting into game form for the first time. And I personally wouldn't have it any other way, 

1. Red Dead Redemption
Game of the generation? Hell yes. Beyond that I can't really think of much else to say about Red Dead Redemption. It's the game I got the most out of in the entire generation and it looks set to be a favorite in the years to come. Can something top it? Now there's a challenge to rise up to.....

So where am I at the beginning of the eighth generation? Anything but confident.
I'm serious: Nothing has come along that has really grabbed my attention. Indeed I have found, like most people, the seventh generation being truly defined by the presence of indie games on XBLA & Steam. And in particular I've found, much to my surprise, that many of them are more substantial than the games available on the shelves of EB Games. It is indeed telling that the only game I've truly gotten excited over in the past twelve months is The Stanley Parable.

But then again I have no patience for the eighth generation - not while my Hall of Shame continues to exist anyway.

Take a Straight Line

For Christmas my brother got me a new game for my 360: Spec Ops the Line. You might have heard of this: Spec Ops the Line has been creating a stir in the gaming community through it being a deconstruction of the shooter genre. That was my first impression at least and being rather sick and tried of shooter games & the 'must kill fifty guys to get it up' players that flock to them, I thought having game that would challenge it all would require a lot of balls. Well, apparently someone at Yager had the balls so that is worthy enough for my attention. Mind you, my brother noted of my 360 games, with the presence of Bishock, Mass Effect, Gears of War, Halo and the Orange Box, a preponderance of shooters so would Spec Ops the Line be an upset of this?

Well, I like my shooters to be Doom: Fun, exciting and unafraid to place the player in desperado situations against near-impossible odds. That being said I have little to no time for Call of Duty, Battlefield and the like as I find their rigid seriousness/self-importance unappealing beyond basic familiarity. Thus one would I think I would be perfect for Spec Ops the Line.
Well the first thing that struck me about Spec Ops the Line was the use of the menu music: Jimi Hendrix's famous rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Then there was the unnerving sight of my XBLA name included in the opening credits - obviously this is a game that isn't fucking around.

At time of writing I had made it to Chapter 4 and already some signs have been detected of the game's deconstructive intentions: The shouts made by characters during the fighting, clues made out via the intel drops, use of sixties metal music, and being led on in a linear fashion. There have already been some unsettling moments but not enough to put me off completely. Sure the gameplay may be a bit broken but somehow one suspects that may have been the point...

So I will continue playing Spec Ops the Line and it would be interesting to see what happens next...

Silent Bill

I find the idea of silent game characters a rather strange choice in gaming. Why build a world where everyone can talk and interact with other bar one? Why give character a face and a name but refuse to make the final jump in giving them a voice? I just find it odd that worlds get built with so much detail but one detail is missing with the player's entry point into said world not saying single damn thing.
In fact to have a Player Character silent when everyone else isn't does portray them in a rather puzzling manner. Do they have poor social skills? Do they have trouble interacting with the people around them? Are they shut-ins who spent many years of their life cut off from the rest of the world that they missed out on some vital communication skills?
If anything, the lack of voice in a Player Character doesn't really suggest anything about them: What they think, how they view the world around them and how they perceptive being repeatedly handed tasks to complete for the populace. The last point is of particular note: We know the scenario: The Player Character is given tasks by the populace in order to advance further in the game - but the PC accepts this without a second thought. But really how does he/she really feel about this? Would they get irate that no one can do things for themselves? Would he/she get annoyed that he/she's continually getting sidetracked from their main quest? I think Lenny Bruce said it best when he declared that: 'Take away the right to say "fuck" and you take away the right to say "fuck the government."'

Yet many gamers think otherwise - and as result, the likes of Link, Samus Aran and Gordon Freeman are continually thought highly of in gaming circles. The reason being is that because the character is silent, the gamer is free as they please to build their own opinion about them. I guess that argument has weight with one's personality being built up through one's actions rather than the words spoken - and previous attempts to make a personality (ie Legend of Zelda cartoon and Metroid Other M), have been pathetic to say the least. That may be the case but I refuse to accept the idea that the silent character is meant to be the eyes of the gamer in the game world. They aren't me: Why? Because they have an appearance and a name that I don't really have a say in. The characters I've played in both Baldurs Gate and World of Warcraft are mine because I made them and guided them through their
respective game worlds - whereas Link is....... well.... everyone's Link.

So yeah, for me playing a character who already has a name and face but no voice doesn't mean they are me in the game itself. If anything, the games that want to involve the player themselves are those that a) address them directly, b) make the player feel like they're making some kind of difference and c) remove any visual representation of the PC.
That being said I think the games that have done this best are Starcraft and Bioshock. Starcraft did so by having a well-written script with characters address the player directly - helped considerably by some solid voice acting - and really created the impression the player was making a difference. Bioshock also took a brave step by refusing to make any visual reference to the PC (apart from hands and a bit of arm) and through placing the player in situations that challenged linear gameplay.

So, if anything, building a character a face, a name but no voice strikes me as a little odd - like a runner that jumps numerous hurdles but then chooses to not clear the last one. If this is a character that's meant to represent me, the player, then why do I have a set name and appearance?

Free Will revisited

Now that I've played Bioshock all the way through, I'm reminded of that post I made about the deconstruction of free will. So how does the idea hold up now I've taken the plunge into Rapture?

Well much of the success of Bioshock can be attributed to it's handling of free will. The player spends most of the game being guided through it by Atlas on the basis that he knows exactly what's going on. Thus the player follows an instinct that he is the game's entry point and the more they follow, more will be revealed about this game and the rules it hands the players. However, halfway through the game, the rug is pulled from under the player and it becomes clear they've been played for fools. Whilst not to give too much away, the eventual confrontation with Andrew Ryan involves him chastising the player character (ie YOU) for following Atlas' guidance without question. Thus the phrases 'would you kindly' and 'a man chooses' come across as having more weight than first realized.

So how does my idea stand up? Well I can see some similarities between my idea and Bioshock. But I should stress that I came up with my idea well before I sat down and played Bioshock - and even then my knowledge of the world of Rapture was based on scraps of information (ie Bioshock = System Shock gone steampunk; Andrew Ryan = We R Ayn Rand).
But I can see a difference in that my game has a named character whilst the character in Bioshock is pretty much the Player - and this makes a huge difference in building a connection, and a personable one at that, with the players themselves. Thus the choices presented to the player encourages them to seriously think and having moments taken out of the player's control, ie the afore-mentioned confrontation with Andrew Ryan, will certainly create an impact on the player.

So is there a place for my idea? Well, I can't see any where that Bioshock did better - still the idea of a guy mistakenly gunning down his liberators has at least some potential. And said guy refusing free will for a fabrication could be put to good use...

A man chooses....

I don't watch a lot of TV but I will admit I'm currently following Buffy the Vampire Slayer on TV. For me this is the first time I've encountered it - I never saw Buffy during it's original TV run (maybe it was on at a stupid hour? I don't know) and I'm only watching it now on a friend's insistence. Not that that's a bad thing of course as I've been enjoying Buffy - much to my surprise. :)

Anywho, what I find particularly funny is that the guy who plays Principal Snyder, Armin Shimerman, is the same guy who plays Andrew Ryan in Bioshock. Of course I discovered Bioshock first so, for me, it is extremely funny to see a delusional disciplinarian enforcing strict rules in the school when it's the same guy who played another delusional disciplinarian who built a city under the sea. And every time Snyder comes on screen I have to shout "A Slave Obeys!!"

Kind of funny how things, the benefit of hindsight, turn out.
Mind you, now I'm expecting Xander to knock out Snyder with a golf club....

Chronicles of a Gamer (Michael Revisited)

Here's a little something I bashed out - inspired by the legendary Michael ad:

I’m the one who walked with Link on his journey
The one Princess Zelda calls when danger nears
To Ganondorf I’m his constant enemy

I told Snake how to destroy the Metal Gears
Through me he found a sense of meaning in life
And we still meet regularly to drink some beers

I showed John Marston how to kill with a knife
With me he became a Legend of the West
And I got him back with his son and wife

I went with Commander Shepard – he’ll attest
I was with him through the Omega Relay
As everyone ‘round us gave their very best

I walked with Yuna every step of the way!
Got Ico and Yorda out of the fortress!
I’m that which makes Cyberdemons run away!

I got Samus Arun through planet Zebes!
Kefka, Loughain, M Bison, I did fracture!
Even Morrigan Aensland I did impress!

I got the Little Sisters out of Rapture!
I’ve faced down lines of relentless invaders!
Made friends with a wolf god and a space hamster!

I’ve been with Avalanche and Raynor’s Raiders!
When all’s gone to hell I’m the one they rely!
And I’m a friend of many a gun trader!

I’ve fought sand demons, zombies and colossi!
For I am the gamer and I’ve done it all
And in the eyes of my comrades, I’m their guy

That was the year it was: 2011

So this will be my last post for 2011 - Because the festive season is here and there are people who I should spend some time with. And besides, this past week has been rather barren with things to say.
So to wrap this year up, some quick thoughts about the games I played this year. Sure not all of them were released this year but still:

Bioshock
Intimidating at first but this won me over with it's compelling plot, great use of ideas and it's well-realised setting and imagination behind it. The praise lauded on it may have left me reluctant to play it but, much to my surprise, it turned out great.

Dragon Age 2
Why didn't Bioware keep the pattern established with Origins and Awakening and give this game a subtitle? This game had some good ideas true but they were bogged down with dull environments, stupid combat and no proper goal. Still it would be interesting to see what Bioware will do now with Dragon Age 3....

Green Day Rock Band
Dookie was a welcome addition to My Rock Band Library - not sure about the other two albums though.....

Iron Brigade
I became aware of this game through a positive review on Good Game. I've enjoyed playing Mechwarrior 2 in the past so the idea of stomping around in a huge mech had some appeal. Can't say I'm a big fan of Tower Defense games but this was good fun.

Lego Rock Band
Something of a surprise: I originally got for the games for the songs but somehow, it won me over. Juvenile yes but with some a charm of it's own.

Oblivion
Another long time coming but I enjoyed this game purely for wandering around and checking the well-realised world out. But as this game is an action RPG, one would think I'd missed the point...

Portal
Somehow the memes based around this game made actually playing the damn thing redundant. Oh well...

Red Dead Redemption
I've heard some less than praising comments for this game. Can't imagine why....

Rock band 3
Well what can i say that hasn't been said before? Some changes were nice others weren't. Music Library good, stupid difficulty not.

And that's the end of Game Tumour for 2011. Thank you for reading and I'll see you on the other side of 2012
So what will the new year bring? That's a very good question...

One Man Army

During my college and university years, I watched a lot a movies - in particular I was struck by the 'one man army' genre of action movie. You know the kind: One guy is up against a whole horde of baddies and spends the entire length of the movie taking them all out one by one.
Indeed, such is the strength of the concept that it has since provided the basis for many action games.

But here's something I've been pondering on for quite some time: In regards to this one-man-army scenario, what exactly is the correlation between action and motivation? Killing a bunch of guys by yourself is a mammoth undertaking - more so if the guys in question own and operate some kind of organization/corporation. To do so would take a motivation worth seeing through to the end.

That being said, I have, for the longest time, wanted to see someone take this formula and turn it on it's head. How about a one-man-army where the protagonist is someone who blundered his way into this mess by accident? And has to fight for his life against foes who are equally confused by his presence as he is? Or how about where the protagonist is someone who is doing this undertaking for something so, by comparison, small and insignificant?

Such scenarios have potential and I would like to see one played out - and what do you know I can see glimpses in he games I've played. When I was playing Bioshock I could see the scenario being put to use as the player controls an interloper to the city of Rapture and Andrew Ryan, through his video logs, is baffled as to who the player character is and what he's doing there. This set up is of course ruined with the confrontation with Andrew Ryan but then again 2K had their own story to tell but for me it's still a missed opportunity. How could it be for an average shlub to accidentally stumble across Rapture and explore it...only to have them fight for their life against a foe who's mistaking him for the CIA or some other organization?
As for the second scenario I can see traces of it in the Nuevo Paraiso portion of Red Dead Redemption. Throughout the portion John Marston gets caught up in a conflict against a corrupt president and idealistic revolutionary. Eventually Marston must pick a side and take part in the subsequent revolution. But it is interesting to note that all Marston wants is the location of Javier Escuella and Bill Williamson - thus Marston ends up doing odd jobs for the two opposing sides on the promise of telling where these men are. But most of the promises don't come through much to Marston's increasing annoyance. Thus there is something somewhat evocative with when the revolution comes and Marston is reacting to the mayhem around him by shouting: "WHERE'S JAVIER ESCUELLA?!?!?!?"

But in the end these examples are just fleeting glimpses - all it need is someone to take the first full step. And when I think about it, it is rather puzzling why this hasn't caught on seeing that video games rely on the 'one man army' concept and even cases of 'Who needs motivation when there are dudes to shoot.' I figured the scenarios I mentioned be more akin to a natural fit.
Still at least it's a start....

Shocked to the Heart! And You're to Blame!

Recently I’ve been having a shot at Bioshock. Last week, I finally completed it so what do I come away from it?
Well to begin with, much like Portal, much has been written about this game – And in Bioshock’s case, the deconstruction of free will in the video games and the usage of the objectivist philosophies of Ayn Rand. But that’s where the similarities end for whereas Portal inspired the meme’s that ultimately ruined the game and drove it into the ground, Bioshock has managed to avoid such a fate – okay so yes I may have heard the phrase ‘Would You Kindly…’ before but somehow, it didn’t diminish the impact of how those words were put into use.
And somehow the game is even better for it: Word of mouth is a powerful tool that can make or break any new IP – whilst exposure is nice it also runs the risk of destroying much of what the game is trying to get across and ruining a lot of the mystique of the original. And seeing as the makers of Bioshock have something to say and are getting it across in their game, so much hinges on a game being discovered on the player’s own terms – not those of some douche who thinks quoting a video game makes him look cool (personally I’m still waiting for the voice quotes from Impossible Mission to make a comeback via meme but what are the chances of that happening?).

As for the game itself well I’m quite impressed by the creativity and inventiveness that’s gone into it. I’ve often been fascinated by steampunk – in that how many elaborate devices can be produced via steam power and this is a shining example of that principle. Seeing as shooters thrive on current firearms and some bizarre novelty weapons, it is welcome change to see some obsolete firearms being put to use – also pleasing is the designs of the weaponry once they’ve been put through the upgrades.
And keeping with the steampunk theme, I liked how the splicers talked with British accents, the use of the gun turrets (even though it is puzzling how they could identify friendlies from foes) and how everything is available through vending machines. I even enjoyed the hacking mechanic which involved the pipes! Yes even when no one else seemed to!!!
Indeed, it should be noted that I'm not a big fan of shooters - personally I think they're a dime a dozen and the shooters I've enjoyed are the old ones where you could go desperado against an army of dudes (ie Doom and Duke 3D). So to see someone else do something different with the genre is indeed a treat.
I also enjoyed the idea of exploring the city of Rapture. The setting looked fantastic with the place being lived in and once glorious in its day - but now succumbing to ruin and abandonment. I liked the idea of venturing into the place as the residents have descended into madness. I also found Andrew Ryan to be a compelling villain who is still hanging on even when his idea of a utopia has all but crumbled away.

So yes, I liked Bioshock for it’s great writing, it’s inventiveness, the creativity involved and it’s willingness to go beyond the conventions both shooters and games in general. However to does leave one question:
Why the hell does the sequel exist? Must be a bit hard seeing as Rapture crumbled and the villains of the piece are kind of.....dead....and wet.....

Under the sea! Under the Sea! There'll be no accusations Just friendly crustaceans...

Recently I've been having a crack at Bioshock. Now this is one game I've been putting off a lot but it's same old argument: I prefer to encounter games in my own time as playing a game with an open mind and zero expectations makes for a experience I can truly call my own. And, pretenses aside, I've been burnt out by games before through going in with expectations high to the point of ridiculous.
Now this may seem odd seeing that I've spoken about Bioshock in the past but that was from the perspective of being on the outside looking in. And, unlike the memes that made/destroyed Portal, my knowledge of Bioshock is rather minimal - apart from the references to objectivism and the works of Ayn Rand scattered throughout the game itself.

But in any case, I went into Bioshock with an open mind as I'm ever going to get so how's it looking so far?

Well so far so good: The plot is gripping, the action intense and it's interesting to see Rapture and explore it it as a city on the verge of collapse. The steampunk setting is great and I particularly like the use of antiqued firearms in a shooter and how they're designed. Sure the turret system is puzzling as apparently steam power can identify the difference between friend and foe but so far everything else seems rather well done. Andrew Ryan makes for a fascinating character and the details of how Rapture came to it's present state are compelling enough.

Of course this is partway into the game - things may change ahead but for now I guess it;s safe to say that all the adulation lauded onto Bioshock came for good reason.

Where There's a Will

Whilst I have yet to play Bioshock, I am well aware of the thinking that went into it - Not that I could escape it anyway. Much has been made of how the makers were inspired by the writings of Ayn Rand and it’s implementation of the concept of free will into the game mechanics. I like the idea of the gamer having their perceptions challenged through their actions and the game progression – and it would seem that game makers are following suite.
I’m also interested in games that pull the rug out from under the player: leading them for on so long before the gradual introduction of an idea that challenges the gamer’s actions and makes them consider what they are doing before they realise it (ie Shadow of the Colossus).

These two ideals seem to have given many game developers pause for thought in how convey the story they want to tell and the response they want to get out of the gamer. So, to shamelessly capitalise on these trends I present my own spin on these ideas: Using the ingredients of ‘free will’ and the ‘bond of trust’, I present my own synopsis for a game plot in the (seemingly vain) hope that someone important is reading this.

The game begins with a character who, for the purposes of this synopsis, is named Barry. Barry is released from something – cryogenic suspension would be the most workable source – to find himself on a medical table. Barry’s memories are jumbled and unclear but the thing he remembers the most is a glorious Hawaiian beach. However, the facility is under attack from some unknown enemy so Barry takes up arms to defend himself and to find some answers to his existence.
So far this sounds like it’s all been done before but this is but the first step towards a massive twist: As the game progresses Barry is driven only by the memory of the Hawaiian beach – the only thing he recalls and the only thing that seems closest to peace of mind. But as he progresses, Barry picks up clues to his past, suggesting he was a former secret agent and a murderer of many.
BUT! The big twist is at the end: At the end of his journey, Barry realises his journey has been a sham: he was indeed the product of scientific experiment and he was indeed released from cryogenic suspension but it wasn’t by the scientists who operated the facility: It was the antagonists he been fighting all through the game. It turns out they were some liberational force (or something) who opposed humans being operated on in such a manner. And the memory of the beach was fabricated: The one thing he been driven by doesn’t really exist at all and was merely implemented into his mind by the scientists as a test for brain research. Beyond that, his entire memory has been wiped clean.
And thus the game ends with Barry liberated from experimentation and fabricated memories. But then he makes a choice: He rejects it. Instead, Barry makes to conscious decision to return to cryogenic suspension, favouring to remain with his dream for all eternity.

A compelling scenario and one which has the potential to work. It deconstructs the notion of free will in game and provides some spins on some gaming formulas.
If anyone would like to take up such a challenge, contact me. We’ll talk.

Wait! There's more

For those keeping score, some more games I recently got a hold of:

Bioshock/Oblivion (Xbox 360)
These two were given to me as a Christmas present from a good friend. Both came in the same pack. I've played Oblivion before, however briefly, and I was impressed by the rendering of it (particularly seeing things stretching out for miles). Sure many of the NPCs share the same voices but for an action/medival-esque RPG this may be just the thing...
Bioshock, conversely, is something that's completely foreign but may be worth taking a look. Personally I've had a keen interest in steampunk so someone trying their hand at it is fine by me.

Faxanadu (Virtual Console)
Now this is interesting: I have a long-standing love for RPGs and a long standing love for platformers - both of which stretches back many years. So someone combining these two? I'm sold! Looking at it, Faxanadu has a degree of charm to it and worth taking further.

Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem (Wii/Gamecube)
I'm intrigued by how techniques of horror movies can work in games: The sense of isolation, thinking something's there when it isn't, fighting a losing battle against madness and fighting an unstoppable foe with limited resources. Indeed, video games have a significant edge over horror movies as the viewer is an active participant. And with horror games, you may as well start with one of the best. I've heard good things about this (particularly with it being on a 'kiddie' console), so it will be interesting to see how it holds up.

So many games, so little time. Seeing as I have many games to work through (not least my Hall of Shame) I think its fair to say I'll be occupied until....2020?