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....

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...

Falling back into third gear

Some random thoughts about my progress insofar with Mass Effect 3 (in the middle of Priority: Palaven at time of writing):

 - I didn't like the idea of a reduced crew in ME3 and I still don't like it now. These people were loyal to me dammit, so it's kinda puzzling to see them pack up and go. No to mention that is kinda depressing going about the Crew Quarters and not seeing Kasumi, Garrus, Thane, Samara and Legion where I'd left them.

 - Where once I was irritated by the Scions a new foe has arisen to annoy me: The Brutes! Oh what joy is there to be had when you're facing not one but two Brutes and a whole of mercs are shooting you. Oh Bioware, you sadistic bastards...

 - I'm not too fond of Diana Allers either: She looks more like a lingerie model and she pinched Zaeed's room. In fact Diana's presence raises an interesting question: if a journalist is coming aboard the Normandy to keep track of Shepard's progress then why couldn't I have Emily Wong instead?  I liked her a lot better than Diana dammit!

 - Where are the neutral dialogue options? Don't tell me by selecting the Paragon options my Shepard will result in getting a romance going with EVERYONE....

For the Masses

Well it happened: I took the plunge and picked up Mass Effect 3. I said I would buy it only when the fracas over the ending would die down so now seems good enough - that and it was on sale.

Going in I'm not sure what to make of it: The general consensus I gathered was that: "it's a great game UNTIL..". Such a mindset seems to suggest that the journey may not be worth taking and thus my perception is ultimately shaped by it.
So what do I think of ME3 so far? Well it's not bad. It still has some ME2 familiarity and the graphical quality is staggering. What does bother me though is the continual highlighting of items on the screen which comes across as kinda messy. And I'm still cut up over the fact that many of the crew from ME2 have packed up and left (some loyal crew-member you are!). And indeed, there are some moments that come across as heavy-handed - ie the kid on Earth in the prologue.

Still, this is all first impressions. It would be interesting to see where we go from here...

360 problems

Recently I upgraded the 360 I've been using: Now it's one of those flashy slim-line 360 consoles that's sitting proudly next to my TV. So far things have been working great: it's looks flash and and takes up significantly less space than it's predecessor.

But I've noticed an odd little phenomenon: One selling point of the slimline is that runs much more quietly than the other 360s. Whilst I don't doubt this, I did find it interesting that some games I've popped into the system run accompanied by a noise that is loud, obnoxious, and really off-putting - and thus my 360 sounds less like a games console and more like a chainsaw.
Solution? Install the game on the system hard drive and the intrusive sound will disappear.

Whilst I give credit for the silent running as a major selling point, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Sure the previous 360 made it's fair share of noises but none quite like the loud chainsaw noise. And so far, through installing games on the hard drive, I've taken up more space than the previous 360 - it's as if installing a game on the hard drive is less a benefit and more compulsory. As such this does not sit well with me at all - 'Cheated' doesn't begin to describe it.

But I suppose this is another addition in the list of technical faults that Microsoft have had with the 360. However I have been hearing rumors that a new Xbox may be looming on the horizon - So here's hoping they fix what didn't work previously...

Game of the Year

Around this time of the year most gamers are looking back over the past twelve months and selecting their pick for Game of the Year. Not me though: As this blog is discovering games in my own time, the question is more: What games from this year did I actually play?

Well I liked Skyrim.
And Iron Brigade was pretty cool too.

Well that was easy.

Tainted Love

Whew, writing that serial about my favorite game music took a lot outta me. But no matter, I still have things to say and as long as there is a creative bone in my body, the typing shall resume.

On the weekend, I decided to give Dragon Age 2 another go - Not sure why though. Yes all the talk about it being more a side-story than a legitimate sequel has indeed some weight behind it, but I don't know: Maybe it's the hope of finding a diamond in the rough. Or maybe there's some XBLA achievements worth scooping up. Maybe....

But no matter, I've progressed into Act 2 and I've found some enjoyment - but I feel dirty for saying so because, to say you enjoy Dragon Age 2 is all very well but one can't ignore the flaws: namely the repetitive environments, the dull combat system and a lack of definable goal. But then again, I've seen similar arguments and passionate defending for both the games in the Final Fantasy series and Skies of Arcadia so I'm not really that bothered.

But I have to admit that this game has made something of an impression on me because I played through the The Long Road companion quest - and came away somewhat disappointed.
Far be it from me to give away spoilers but what this quest entails is that Aveline wants to get the attention of Donnic, a soldier she fancies and enlists the help of Hawke to allow it to happen. Throughout the quest, Hawke is allowed to act flirtatious towards Aveline but, ultimately, for little good.

Now a lot has been said that the cast of DA2 has been rather dull but I must admit I've had something of a liking for Aveline. There's something compelling about her, with her being forced into the role of the knight by her father, her dealing with the loss of her husband Wesley and her assistance to Hawke in being Captain of the Guards. And in spite of her no-nonsense approach, there is still some vulnerabilities about Aveline with her duties as captain and the awkwardness with Donnic. The latter deserves particular attention: She tries to get his attention but, frustratingly, remains oblivious towards any advances Hawke can make. But in the end this is, insofar, the most vulnerable Aveline has come across.
So it begs the question: Why couldn't I romance her? Merrill bores me, Isabella has.... been around and the gay romance doesn't really interest me. Aveline however seems a far more compelling option: In that she is a widower, awkward in romance and actually seems alone. With The Long Road quest, I did choose the flirtatious options as I was really interested in seeing this play out and whether or not Aveline would open her eyes.
But no, whatever romantic potential is reduced to her acting in an oblivious manner (maybe the widower romance was done with Jahiera in Baldur's Gate 2?). And you know what? I feel hurt by this: My Hawke is breaking his balls to help her in the romance stakes and she doesn't seem to care. And all he gets is what? A quick peck on the check?! Well screw you bitch! Have fun struggling to get Donnic's attention with the ghost of Wesley hanging over you! Hope you enjoy being a captain because that's all you're ever going to do! And hope you appreciate the company of thoughts of what could've been!!!!

Actually now that I think about it, when it comes to (hetero) romances, male Hawke gets a raw deal whilst female Hawke can hit on Fenris and Sebastian.
Hmmm, maybe next time I'll take a female Hawke....

Oblivion Awaits

Recently I've been having at crack at Oblivion - it's been a long time coming but with Skyrim rumbling down towards us I guess now is as good as time as any.
And so far it seems to be much like every other RPG I've played in that I seem to lose hit-points more quickly than I can get them back >__<

Seriously though, so far things seem to be going well. Sure it's annoying that I keep dying too frequently - mostly after a long gap between saves - but I've been impressed by how well-rendered this world is. So much so I'm far more content to wander around and explore: seeing this place for myself and marking more locations on my map. But of course, doing so means I'm not doing any quests and/or dungeons and subsequently missing the point of the game completely but this is an actual world I want to explore - which is a first compared to other open world games I've played like Red Dead Redemption or any of the Zelda games. I'm not sure, maybe it's quite fun wandering around and exploring... that is until some prick comes along spoiling for a fight and interrupts the mood.

Still this is only the beginning - it's interesting what will come later on....

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.

Redeemed

Another game has been cast down from my Hall of Shame: On your horse Red Dead Redemption, you're outta here!

Now what can I say about it? Well the ending was a kick in the teeth to say the least: Our protagonist John Marston is conned into helping the government clean up their dirty and he in turn is screwed over - Mind you, when I got round to playing through the final mission, the in-game weather took a turn for the worse and the entire thing occurred in the pouring rain. A coincidence but one that, IMHO, actually the scene better and more poignant.

But what of the game itself? Well I've never been a big fan of the open world games but here it works - Not sure why though: Maybe it has a lot to do with the setting as the Old West is a far more volatile and violent place than the cities of the present (the same could also be said for that other sandbox game I love Sid Meier's Pirates!). Maybe there is a lot to do and never once does the game get boring. Maybe the world, the setting and landscapes are so well realized to the point of jaw-dropping. Maybe it'd the influence of watching Unforgiven, the Wild Bunch and the Good the Bad and the Ugly during my college years. Maybe it's the implementation of an excellent morale system. Maybe it's the very well-written story and the fascinating character of John Marston.
Or maybe Red Dead Redemption is a damn good game. Yeah let's go with that.

You know I've heard people say bad things about this game but you know what? Fuck them. This game is great and I was glad to have played it. I invested over twenty hours in the game but it felt like much longer which to me is mark of something special.
Still have no idea what's the point of the Undead Nightmare though....

Green Eyed Monster

Being the massive Rock Band fan I am, I recently picked up Green Day Rock Band. I remember when I was teenager I listened to Green Day, and Dookie in particular, a lot so buying this expansion was a real no-brainer.
Of course, there are some questionable absences (where's Walking Contradiction? Waiting? Maria? Stuck With me?), and there are moments to suggest the game being a copy of Beatles Rock Band but the opportunity to include Dookie into my Music Library is still pretty sweet.

But for some reason I don't like the character models. I have mentioned before that I preferred the cartoonish models in RB2 than those in RB3 and it's the same here. In Green Day Rock band, the avatars for Billy Joe, Mike and Tre look hideous and off-putting.
Having said that it does make an interesting counterpoint to Beatles Rock Band. Now whilst I've been playing GDRB on the 360, I have however played through BRB on the Wii. And on the latter, I actually found the models far more pleasing to the eye. Maybe it was the art design or the graphical limitations of the Wii, but I really enjoyed the avatars for John, Paul, George and Ringo and prefer them to those in GDRB.

I guess this proves that the more Harmonix strives for this 'realistic' approach to their graphics, the more off-putting the finished product ends up.

Burning up again

Recently I returned to a game I played a lot of over the past few years: Burnout 3.

Hooooboy, has there ever been a game that has, for me, inspired both loving and loathing in equal amounts. I know a lot of people love this game (and the Burnout series for that matter) but for me it is that catch 22 game: You know it's fun and enjoyable but that enjoyment is tainted with some issues - issues of the 'throw controller through the screen' variety.

I'm not saying Burnout 3 is a bad game: Indeed it's fun to ram one's opponents into the wall and it's kinda cool to partake in the kind of dangerous driving that would be unattainable in real life. Now normally I'm not one for racing games but I have to admit that, much to my surprise, the races often turn into intense affairs. And I particularly enjoyed the Road Rage events.

But get past that and you realise just how maddening the difficulty can get - particularly late in the game. Now I understand the crashes are an integral part of the game but in the later stages I crashed so much that it wasn't even funny. I swear there was one point where I'd come to a particular turn and I'll crash automatically! Sometimes crashes would happen right out of nowhere and leave me scratching my head in disbelief.
Indeed, I find this emphasis on crashing kind of puzzling when ultimately, the only way to succeed is to drive as carefully as possible. Thus I get points of particular crashes but I gte points for doing a perfect lap? What sense does that make?

And then there's the AI: Never before have I come across an AI that could only be described as brutal! Forget what I said last week about Rock Band 3 resenting the player - no the hatred Burnout 3 has for the player knows no bounds.
Firstly the burnout feature is a good idea but soon it becomes clear that it is necessity: Using it is the only only hope in hell the player has to keep up with the AI. And, going back to the crashing, why do the AI cars seem to escape the crashes? I've lost count how many times I've crashed only the have the opposing cars make the narrowest of escapes.
And don't get me started on my crashing: They happen out of nowhere and make it impossible to recover from. You know what I mean: You'll be driving along with a good lead and suddenly you'll crash for some reason only to fall back down to the last position. And you opponents would rush on ahead with speeds you can only dream of. And it's funny how my crashes, through the gloating cinematic, seem to last far longer than that of my opponents.
Granted a game should provide a challenge to the gamer but this is just ridiculous. Challenging is okay but brutal/gloating/impossible challenging isn't.
Indeed, no other game has made me scream "BULLSHIT!" and other curses as loudly as possible (much to the horror of my partner)

For this reason, many of the courses in Burnout 3 remain unfinished. But they ever will be finished. True it's fun to cause some destruction on the road but to face against an unforgivably evil AI is another.
Oh well...

I want to Rock n Roll all night

With the recent purchase of Lego Rock Band, I've made return to the Rock Band series. I've downloaded more songs, my music library was expanded and dusted off Rock Band 3 after some time away.

But having played Rock Band 1, 2 and Lego, my once glorious perception of RB3 has changed. Whereas I was singing it's praises months ago, now an ugly side has revealed itself.

Rock Band 3 a game that hates me.

Yes it's true: Playing Rock Band 3 now makes it clear that this a game that wants me to do things it's way and resents me for doing things other wise.
Allow me to elaborate: First there's the unlockables. Not a bad idea but it's problematic that nearly all of them can only be done through the the disc songs. One can use all the DLC they like but at the the end it's the disc songs that yield the rewards - whether or not the players likes them or not. That seems a little unfair.

Second, there's the DLC. Maybe it's just me but the game seems to resent me using the DLC. Whereas I was scoring on particular songs really well in previous Rock band titles, now I'm unable to match such efforts. I appear to be scoring well but the game seems really picky on what classifies as an 'Awesome' rating. Indeed I tried a DLC song and did it really well but somehow falling short of the five star ranking. Then I tried a disc song and, I swear this true, I seemed to make more mistakes but somehow the game didn't penalize me too much.
What, doesn't the game like me for using the DLC? Sorry but I was enjoying having more control over how I played the game - is it any wonder why I skipped over the pre-selected playlists in story mode for the make-your-own-setlist?

Indeed, I've been trying to replicate the gold-star ratings I've scored in previous Rock Band titles but the more I do it the more it seems clear that RB3 seems to change it's mind as to constitutes as a successfully scored portion of the song. Now in the past I have preferred Rock band over Guitar Hero because I felt the former was a bit more generous to newcomers than the latter. So to have an erratic difficulty like this in RB3 doesn't really sit well with me.

So if Rock Band 3 resents me using DLC then it begs the question of what the point in it is....

We built this city on Rock N Roll

Recently I picked up Lego Rock Band. It may seem an odd choice but I like the Rock Band series and any excuse to add to my music library is welcome enough. That and it was going for $10 at my local Big W.

Beyond using the export feature I didn't have any plans of actually paying it. But when I realized that there were some cheap Achievements I thought I might have a bash. After it is Rock Band - only populated with smiling yellow dudes.

And then, much to my surprise, I actually found myself enjoying it.
I never played the Lego games because I found them quite a strange concept but this one won me over. True Lego Rock Band will most likely never escape the label of 'kiddie' game but it's still Rock Band. Sure the Lego theme may be a bit puzzling at first but it has some charm to it that can even amuse an adult like myself. Sure there are some odd additions but those that work are quite fun - I quite enjoyed customizing my band HQ and my entourage.

And then there is the soundtrack: It may be catered for younger tastes but there are some diamonds (A-Punk, Breakout, Passenger, Ruby) in amongst the schlock (Real Wild Child [*], Check yes Juliet, Swing Swing, Final Countdown, Walking on Sunshine). Summer of 69 is fun to do (although I'm still not certain how I got a gold star rating for it) but there's far too much emo material for my liking (ie more than zero). And the presence of Korn's cover of Word Up is baffling. Is the only way Korn will get played on Lego Rock band - a sterilized version of the angry Korn of before? [**] Still the continued presence of DLC is welcome and it is indeed fun to see the Lego men performing songs that aren't really kiddie fare (Bad to the Bone, I fought the Law and Charlene).

All in all, Lego Rock Band was indeed a surprise and quite an enjoyable game to play - The additions to the Music Library didn't hurt either.
And hey, I've spent worse $10




[*] Seriously? Johnny O'Keefe must be spinning in his grave
[**] Never heard this cover before playing Lego Rock band but now I wish I hadn't.

Rock and Roll Music

Recently, I beat the story mode in Rock Band 3. I'm somewhat surprised that was so short and ended when it did - especially considering that the story in RB2 sort of continues and offers more locations and more chances to take advantage of DLC. Granted the music library in RB3 can do that as well, but without some degree of game-based purpose, it kinda falls flat.
I guess the short campaign mode is there to encourage people wanting to try a new instrument can jump straight in but honestly that seems more an act of obsessive compulsiveness if anything.

But with regards to the short campaign just what is the point of having a large collection of DLC? The goals in the game seem to have their eyes focused on the songs included in game so what's the bloody point? Sure they might turn up in the story mode but what good is it when it's the game songs that seem to really matter?

Ultimately though it would become clear that rebuilding my RB collection all over again now seems like a truly dumb idea.....

In your head! Zombie!

Still truckin' through Red Dead Redemption. Great game :)
Got no time for the Undead expansion though - I'm a bit baffled by it's need to exist seeing as Red Dead Redemption seems set well into the past - historical fiction if you will (which IMHO is something that needs to happen more in gaming) - so introducing zombies seems somewhat jarring.

But most of all, I'm tried of this zombie fascination. They seem everywhere: in movies, in games even organized zombie marches (an oxymoron if ever I did see one)! This zombie fascination has come to a point where anything with zombies will guarantee sales.
Personally however I think this line of thought undermines one simple rule about horror: Monsters aren't ever scary in the light. You take them out of their monstrous context and they become boring and lose all sense of identity. After all, if you're a monster and you aren't scary then what you? A pussy would be a fair answer.
And in this case, the idea of a zombie apocalypse is a strong one but to run into the ground kinda takes away the scariness of the idea. Good lord, Michael Jackson's Thriller has a lot to answer for.

I don't know: Maybe the time is right to give the zombie genre the slap in the face it deserves. It could work as, established above, anything with zombies will automatically sell big. So how about...
- Reversing the concept of a zombie apocalypse and having the player controlling a single zombie up against a whole horde of humans keen to live out their zombie apocalypse fantasies (becuase if the Zombie Apocalypse did occur, you'll most likely have the zombies outnumbered by people who know exactly what to do).
- Following on from my interest in breaking the bond of trust between game and gamer, how about a zombie march, of people dressed up like zombies, being interrupted by a nutter (controlled by the player) thinking it's for real, is armed to the teeth and starts shooting all these innocent bystanders?
- Or how about a zombie RTS? You gather resources in zombie fashion (eating people) and built/invade structures that generate upgrades and other undead monstrosities and you go take out a village/military base/zombie lover club/whatever?

Indeed seeing as the zombie genre has been done to death, I'll pay good money for a zombie game that does things differently. Any takers?

Are you ready to rock?

More thoughts on Rock Band 3:

One new addition to RB3 I've really enjoyed is the improved music library. It's been great being able to rate songs and having these critiques affect the gameplay. I've enjoyed this degree of interaction and it's been particularly sweet not doing songs I hate ever again.

But there seems to be something about the Music Library that doesn't sit well with me. Sure it's a great feature but I'm getting the feeling the game isn't really appreciating the critiques. I like how RB games can really take flight with a variety of music available but somehow I think the game isn't really that selective.
You see, with so many selection being placed in the player's hands, there really is no excuse for the same songs to keep popping up. Why, when given the choice during the tours, I make a beeline straight for the options for a custom made setlist.
And I like variety - I make a point to choose songs I haven't tackled yet (which the ML provides admirably) but it seems with every song I rate highly the game resents me for it: "Okay you like these songs? FINE! You're welcome to 'em! Forget all that other stuff! You like this, you snobby bastard!"

I really enjoy the variety and selection that RB3 provides but somehow I'm not sure the claims Harmonix make are up to scratch...

Rock your socks off

This weekend I've gone back to Rock Band 3 and made some more progression - well, I received no interruptions by the neighbors who were mistaking my singing for someone being strangled.

However, considering my recent rant about the value of gaming achievements I must admit I have caught myself playing a game exclusively for increasing my XBLA points total. That's right: I was doing something superficial and having no fun at all doing so.
Most of the achievements I took it upon myself to do were all based on the DLC - so I was downloaded new songs for the sake of my Xbox doing that be-boop sound. So yes: I was paying money just to boost my XBLA points total. Tragic indeed but I doubt I'm the only one whose done this. But if people are encouraged to do such a thing it is a troubling sign indeed.

But going back to the lack of fun part: It came into play through doing singing songs that were simply not fun to do. In this case, the song was awful and doing it was not really generating any enjoyment at all. And if the game is not being fun then something has gone horribly wrong.
Still there is no reason why I can't have fun through messing things up. Although I find the presence of many non-English speaking European acts on RB3 puzzling (especially when you think that many people playing this game most likely have a second language beyond native English), it does present an opportunity to mess with it the concept. I sing Manu Chaos without singing properly and got a really high score. I sang New Wave (Pleymo) with the non-singing parts done with Daft Punk.

Indeed, there is much amusement value in singing some French metal song with: "One more time / we're gonna celebrate / oh yeah / oh right / don't stop the dancing..."

Red Dead Trigger

I've been playing a lot of Red Dead Redemption this past weekend and I'm finding it very much to my liking. Strangely, I've played other open world games but I won't call myself a fan. Yes I've enjoyed Okami, Legend of Zelda Link to the Past and Sid Meier's Pirates! but the Open world gaming carries with it a sense of intimidation that I've never quite overcome. Maybe I could go over it in a future post but for now, let's say that Red Dead Redemption is one game that slipped through the cracks. :)

Also, I've been playing Chrono Trigger - Yes it would seem that my prayers have been answered and Chrono Trigger has finally shown it's face on the Virtual console - It didn't come on the SNES and the PS1 in Australia but it's finally come (you think waiting fourteen years for Duke Nukem Forever was annoying? Mate, you don't know nothing about nothing!).

I don't know how it came about but I was indeed surprised to see Chrono Trigger finally available - and sitting comfortably on the VC best seller list. So well done to Nintendo and here's hoping they're paying attention still....