Rock the Shaq

Let's talk remakes. Yes I have no love for them as well, yes they are a dime a dozen and yes they are quite blatantly aiming at the pockets of people who have a nostalgic fixation on times that were better than the one they are currently living in. But, assuming you're still reading this, one cant deny the power of brand recognition - which is why many new IP have a tough time trying to get made let alone sold in sufficient numbers.

However there is some potential with the idea of remakes - Anyone can sell a game by slapping on the title of a lesser known IP and they may score enough recognition to get in the door (see: Spec Ops The Line). Also, the way remakes could possibly work is by taking game that was kinda crummy and actually make it, well you know, good.
Unfortunately both these scenarios rely on brand recognition - and no one would dare touch a brand that has bombed in the past. This in turn raises a question: does anyone generally believe they can make a great game out of a toxic IP?

Lets talk about Shaq Fu - one of the most notorious gaming flops in history. Reviled and disowned to a point where a site was set up dedicated to finding every copy of this game and destroying it (and subsequently raising the game's value as a rarity). Anyone would have to completely nuts to dare suggest a remake of this right?
Well nuts or or not, it didn't stop an indiegogo campaign coming about.

I've had a look at this campaign page (once I'd stopped laughing) and I have to admit I'm actually impressed: The development team appearing in the pitch video seem passionate and genuinely believe that they can make a much better game than the original. Whilst that wouldn't be too difficult, I do credit that these are people who genuinely believe in their product and that's saying a lot considering how big a multimillion dollar business the gaming industry is.

True the stigmata attached to the Shaq Fu brand may prevent the campaign reaching it's target but I can't fault these people for trying....

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.

And E makes 3

On last night's episode of Good Game, they did a feature on this years E3.

Thus some random thoughts:
 - Too many zombie games (ie more than zero)
 - I thought Spec Ops the Line would've sent all military shooters to go stand in a corner. Seems I was wrong
 - The new Call of Duty game offering control of a military dog? Well that's something different
 - Beyond Two Souls: Yes it's nice to see some cut scenes, footage of the mo-cap process and the talking up of games offering an emotional connection but can we see some actual GAMEPLAY please?
 - Titanfall looks promising. Stomping around in a huge mech? Hell yes
 - The new Saints Row promising control of the President of the U.S. and tearing up shit? That's sounds so absurd it just might work (oh wait its been banned in this country. Oh well....)

I Know You

Game developers are always saying that they want YOU, the player, to be made to feel like they're a genuine part of the experience. But as I've said before, I've never bought that: You give the PC both a face & a name and the immersion is broken. They are no longer playing a part of the narrative but are instead pushing just another avatar.

One could make the argument that anyone could fashion the avatar they control into the likeness of the player but that doesn't work for me: If the player knows they're making a PC that resembles themselves then part of the immersion is lost: You're not playing yourself - you're playing some twat who looks like you.

No, the way it should work is to not make such an intended connection obvious: I kind of like how in Spec Ops the Line the player's XBLA name is incorporated into the credits. I, of course, had no say in this and, as a result, the immersion and the notion I was genuinely playing a part in the narrative increased tenfold.
So what would I do? Well, if I were making a 'never-show-the-face'-esque first person shooter, I would make the request of the player that they take picture of themselves using a webcam of some kind. Thus, the image would be replicated in every reflective surface. I've seen such an act being performed in various sport games so why can't it be taken out into different genre? If anything, it would make the 'player playing a part' more genuine.

Whether they'd like it or not

Down the Line

Last week I cast another game down from my Hall of Shame. This time it was Spec Ops The Line.

Hooooo boy is this a game difficult to talk about: it's not just the spoilers but the repercussions this game has on the player. I went into Spec Ops the Line expecting a big slap in the face of all the shooters that are plaguing gaming at the moment and, needless to say, I wasn't disappointed.

So what did I come away with from this game? Well I found a lot to admire - however much of it comes from the execution than the game itself: I like the setting, I like the writing (THE WRITING!!!), I like the voice acting (was Dubai where Commander Sheridan ended up?!), I like the feeling of unease as the game progresses, I like the use of symbolism, I like the handling of the relationship between player and player character, I like the passages of text that appear during the loading screens, I like the use of emotional depth in a genre not known for it and I like the fact that Yager had the balls to call out on both the shooter genre and the people that play them.
In fact as I played Spec Ops the Line I was reminded of a proposal I once put forth - of course it's doubtful someone at Yager took notice but it's always nice to know that someone else in the world thinks the same as you,.

But therein lies the problem: This game maybe trying to say something about shooter genre but it doesn't seem likely the message will be heeded. I myself enjoyed Spec Ops the Line but I'm not into shooters and therefore not the person this game was made for.
If there is one thing I've learned about gaming culture is that people play games for fun and to unwind - of anyone were to present a game to convey or point and for educational purposes, they will be met with the something resembling absolute contempt. If Yager were trying to raise a mirror to the people who play shooter games, then it's a lost cause. Why? Because based on my experience, the shooter gamers are quite passionate and/or need to kill fifty dudes in order to get it up. So to tell them what they're doing would result in downright hostility. Thus it should not come to any surprise that Spec Ops the Line, apparently, hasn't been that big a seller.

Ranting aside, I enjoyed Spec Ops the Line and the risks it took with the genre and gaming in general. What would be interesting to see if anyone else takes notice and how the genre will be effected by a post-Spec Ops the Line world....

Braid Damage

Earlier this week I had the satisfaction of striking another game from the Hall of Shame – this time it was Braid. But what made this victory particularly satisfying was for two reasons: a) it was the endpoint after numerous frustrations and b) the achievement for completion of the game was enough to reach the ten thousand mark in my XBLA achievement total. Whilst Specs Ops the Line may have contributed heavily to this goal, beating Braid was enough to cross the finish line (that and saying both games in the same sentence makes me laugh).

So about Braid: To be honest approaching this game has always carried a weight of intimidation: It is one of those games that has lauded with praise so much that one would think there may not be a lot left to say about it and saying something different may come across as treason. So did I think of Braid?

Well I enjoyed it: There is indeed a lot going for this game that certainly deserves the praise.  The game mechanics are clever and inventive, the music is great, the puzzles creative and the art direction mind-blowing. All of which sound like great but, as there always seems to be, a problem raises its head. You see, many people regard Braid as the go-to game for the ‘Games as Art’ proposal but I’m not getting it. Where Braid works for me is a deconstruction of the whole ‘rescue the princess’ gaming trope and it there it works best: Thus adding all this stuff about the atomic bomb seems …well…unnecessary. To me it comes across as tacked on, convoluted and dropping an actual good idea. In fact the title of ‘Art Game’ continuously bestowed upon Braid seem more a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card so its problems won’t have to be explained – but I’m not so easily fooled.

Still I did enjoy Braid and am glad to have played it.
As a side note though, I am now imagining Tim being drinking buddies with Wander from Shadow of the Colossus.

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...