What did Jew Say?

On the weekend I had the pleasure of casting another game from my Hall of Shame - this time, it's the indie game wonder The Shivah.

Original image located here. Accessed 19th May 2014

As is often the case, I heard about this game largely through reputation: An indie game made by three guys? An adventure game based around a Jewish rabbi being a detective? Such a setup may sound bizarre on paper but somehow it sounds crazy enough to work. And that is enough to pique my interest.
So I went to Steam, found the game and played it all the way through - And what did I think of it?

Well for starters it is terribly short. But, as is often the case with adventure games, the game is saved by some superb writing. Indeed, the plot has enough clout to see it all the way through and Rabbi Russell Stone is a character that undergoes significant changes throughout to make him a compelling one. And the voice acting is good enough, for an indie game, to make the rest of the cast believable.

However what I find particularly interesting about this game is that it is a game that has some positive things to say about religion. This is indeed rare in gaming as religion is treated in gaming as either inspirations behind some truly lousy games (Super Noah's Ark 3d) or as the force opposing the PC (90% of all JRPGs ever made). That being said, I can't think of any game where the PC is a man of a religious faith who faces down corruption in his religion and, by the end of the game, learns something that restores his dwindling faith.
Does religion have a place in gaming? Well one would think so provided it's done right - and in that sense, the Shivah presents a convincing case.

Touched by the hand of God

You know what I'm sick of? Villains that aspire to godhood. I've seen plenty of them in JRPGs - the Final Fantasy series being a frequent offender - but the same could be said for movies, TV, and books. It's something that I've heard so many times that now it comes across as being run into the ground. Granted in gaming terms it does raise the stakes quite considerably with the villain seeking the infinite, universe-shaping, powers of a divine entity but the 'villain-seeking-godhood' has been so many times it seems more like an endorsement for secularism. Or worse, a lazy writer doing a half-arsed job.

But despite my grumbling, I still think there is an idea there. As stated above, it does raise the stakes for the player for a mortal man to defeat an immortal is certainly an incredible achievement (just ask Kratos). However, if that is the case then balance must be determined - in the form of the villain's task to achieve godhood being a grueling undertaking in itself. You never see a villain do such a thing don't you? You never see the lengths the villain goes to in their quest and with such a goal one can assume said quest will never be easy. Okay so maybe Kratos could be an exception but it should be noted he wasn't actively seeking godhood - he just happened to replace the guy he bumped off.
How come you never see the lengths the villain goes to secure his goal of godhood? Previous experience shows such villains are either dismissed as just being bonkers or seeing divine ascension as a way to a) exorcise some childhood resent and/or b) get revenge one some prick. However, with the right thought behind it, the 'villain-seeking-godhood' trope could be made to work. It is, after all, the story of a person of a humble background doing something that ultimately changes the world around them in a major way. And those stories will never get old - because if it's not Jesus Christ then it's Luke Skywalker. Or G'Kar. Or Harry Potter. Or Twilight Sparkle.

That being said if I were to write a villain based on the 'villain-seeking-godhood' trope what would I do? Well, I would do an extensive exploration of his motivation. Not the tried and tested motives explained above - no my 'villain-seeking-godhood' would be someone who would use it to justify their existence. He/She would be leading an empty life and, upon seeing the adulation lauded on the heroes figures around them, concludes that such adulation would suit them very well - and give their life meaning. So believing that divine ascension is goal worth fighting for, they set out to get it. 

That's what I'd do and that's what I believe the 'villain-seeking-godhood' trope needs to get some life back into it - and hey, the further the villain movies away from the Chaotic Evil alignment the better.
But I still think people won't buy it - at least in a gaming sense. After all, why would anyone play a game where they have to fight a villain who is doing what they do in an attempt to find meaning in an empty life?

OMG

Now here's something that came past my way recently: Game Church a site aimed at breaking down the stuffiness associated with Christianity in favor of playing games.

I had a look at the site and they seem like a pretty cool bunch - what with being less concerned with religious doctrine and seriousness in favor of just kicking back and having some fun. Look at the 'church' option on the menu and it comes up: Yeah we hate religion too.
Indeed, a lot of Christians I've spoken to over the years aren't the type to take themselves seriously so it is indeed welcome to see an open declaration of this.

But what I feel is most important is that a lot of conservative Christians like to use games as being a corrupter of youth or some nonsense - so it's indeed a relief to see other Christians band together to counter these claims.

Mind you, if Jesus was a gamer he'd play in God mode.

Losing My Religion

Evil religions are easy fodder for JRPGs aren't they? Look at any JRPG and you see it's more or less all the same: There is some religion which everyone follows run by some corrupt officials who gleefully have the populace under their thumb - also these leaders have their hopes set on the the return of some messiah figure who ultimately turns out to be some kind of demon.
How many times has that scenario been used? In fact, very few in number are the JRPGs that portray religion in a more positive light (the churches in the Shining Force series comes to mind)

But when I consider the afore-mentioned scenario, what fascinates me the most is what happens next. In challenging, and subsequently defeating, the evil demon, the player character effectively destroys the influence of the evil religion and frees it's flock from it's grip. But then what? Exposing one's religion as a sham and then destroying it is a big thing - hardly the type one can walk away freely from. So what happens next? What do the followers do? Are they happy? Now that they have free will do they know what to do with it? Do they spend their days in confusion? Or do they form a big mob and go after the killjoy player character?

You know, as I type this I want to know what happens next. I would like to see an RPG (or indeed any kind of game) of two halves where the first half deals with the 'evil religion' scenario and the second half deals with the afore-mentioned 'aftermath' scenario. Why not? It would certainly make for an interesting twist to the tried/tested/run-into-the-ground 'evil religion' scenario. I know Final Fantasy X-2 sort of tried this but it didn't take the idea far enough (that and the rest of the game was total rubbish). I also know that Shadow of the Colossus sort of tackled this idea but that's more speculative.

The door is open so any takers?

Final Fantasy: A Love Story

As mentioned previously, I prefer western RPGs over JRPGs - which is why I'm far more keen to have a second run through Baldur's Gate 2 instead of getting off my arse and completing those various Final Fantasy games I started but never finished. Perhaps this is due to me playing a WRPG first - in the form of Pool of Radiance on the Commodore 64 - whilst many people played their first RPG with Final Fantasy 7. I guess the first time you encounter something really is the one you best remember.

Therefore, it is only as recent as 2006 that my attention finally fell on Final Fantasy. I knew little of the series beforehand: I knew it was on the SNES as well as the Playstation, and beyond seeing a lot of promos for FF8 upon it's release, inspiring many upon many fans and seeing some figurines of FFX/X2 & thinking Yuna looked kinda hot, my knowledge of FF was limited.

Five years later, where am I at?
I'm not sure but that doesn't stop me writing a retrospective on Final Fantasy!

So today, I'm going to take the time to write about the FF games I have played and share my thoughts on them. It may have been done before but in my mind, I like WRPG's and I encountered my FF games well out of order. Should make for some interesting reading? Let's find out!

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Final Fantasy X
This is where it all started: This was the very first FF I ever played.
I'm not sure what set me off into the weird and wonderful world of FF: I did know, however, that when I finally got enough money to purchase PS2 I needed some games to go with it. Recognizing Yuna, I picked up FFX and, for a while, I played it at the expense of the other games.
Granted it wasn’t the best place to start explorations with FF but for some reason it was quite an entertaining game. The graphics were gorgeous, the music was equally glorious, the plot was compelling, the sphere grid was fun to use and it was generally fun to go around and bonk some heads. Plus the romance between Yuna and Tidus was actually one that was worth following all the way through. Like many people who played FF7 on the PS1, this game introduced me to the conventions of the JRPG and revealed to me how it was a very different beast than the AD&D rules I had been accustomed to through playing WRPGs.
So does the first time you encounter something leave the greater impression? Not so in this case. Now that I’ve played other FF games, the flaws of FFX become glaringly obvious: The game is awfully restrictive on where you can go, the minigames are horrifically tedious, the voice acting is plain awful, and running back and forth over the same strip of land just to find some baddies to level up is no fun at all.
Looking back, it may have been great at the time, and indeed certainly still holds some degree of appeal, but there’s a lot it’s older brothers did better. But still, ya gotta start somewhere and for an introduction to the series, I’ll give FFX that much.
And to wrap this up before moving on, seeing the rather unflattering things FFX has to say about religion, I wonder if Christopher Hitchins would like this game?


Final Fantasy IV
I should at this point stress that my encounters with the FF games are all out of order but this was more or less by accident: It just happened! That being said, it may seem a tremendous cultural shock going from wonderful PS2 graphics/sound to antiqued SNES graphics/sound but I was still willing to take the plunge: I heard IV was one of the best of the series so it would be interesting to see if the game lived up to such claims.
And you know something? It was actually quite fun to play. The graphics were bright and colourful (and in retrospect unusual for a FF game), the characters where charismatic and fun to watch (except, of course, Edward, the patron saint of useless RPG characters), the setting is truly a diverse and well-realised world. Best of all, while FF4 may be ahead of other games, at the time, in telling a story it still is quite aware it is game and requires a degree of interaction from the audience. Furthermore, it’s interesting to see how many ideas this game had – interesting when you consider which ideas have endured throughout the series right to the present day.
Mind you, there were some frustrating moments: Maybe it was me but whenever I wanted to go around trying to level up my party, FF4 seemed reluctant to let me do so: I would be levelling up smoothly for a while before the game would suddenly decide to slow down the progression dramatically. Thus the levelling-up would stop being fun and instead become laborious. It was if the game wanted to tell it’s story so badly, that doing something I wanted to do was simply not on. It’s interesting to note how certain modern games seem to be repeating the same mistake, with placing story over gameplay.
Grumbling aside, FF4 was good fun, being certainly worth coming back to have a bash and a game that has aged quite well. From a historical perspective, it is interesting to note that this game was putting forth a formula that many of the FF games have been utilising ever since. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.


Final Fantasy VI
Many people deem Final Fantasy 6 as the best in the series – I myself consider myself one of those people. Of course, it will never reach the level of popularity its successor achieved but who cares? If people aren’t willing to take the effort to track down this gem among gems of a game it's their loss. Nothing to do with me
So what can I say about FF6 that hasn’t been said before? What makes FF6 work is that it has a good degree of heart. Playing it now, it strikes me that Square knew that the SNES was nearing the end of its lifespan so they went all out: They drew all the elements that worked in its predecessors together. They had the biggest cast ever assembled for a FF game, each with their own back-story, quirks and personality. They had a story that didn’t hold back, had some surprising twists and really defined the word ‘epic’. They pushed the graphic capabilities of the SNES further than they had ever done before. They ditched the colourful palettes of the previous five games in favour of a grim, dark theme. They got Nobuo Uematsu to produce some unforgettable themes, particularly the haunting Terra Theme. They even achieved a milestone for gaming by writing the only opera ever conceived for a game!

Really though, there isn’t much I can say about FF6 because talking about game isn’t any substitute for actually sitting done and playing the damn thing. All I can say is that if lot’s of people dub a game the best game ever it’s usually for good reason.
I’m not for playing a particular game exclusively, I’m not one to shell out on merch, and I’m not one to canonise the people involved with making games. I’m for talking about a game I think is damn good. And FF6 is one of those games.


Final Fantasy IX
As a newcomer to this game, my understanding was that FF9 is the ‘Forgotten Child’ of the series. Some people may overlook in favour of defending the merits of VII, VIII and X, but that’s more likely to occur in the US. You see, I come from Australia – a land where the underdog is celebrated and anyone who has a go at something is acknowledged as a champion. Furthermore, I live by the principles of exploring and discovering things for myself beyond the influence of anyone else, and to give something to speak to me in it’s own words (acknowledge, whether positive or negative, beats being ignored any day). This should make me an ideal candidate to play FF9, right?
So, having completed FF9, it to me, represents a mixture of the good and the bad. Some heavy complaints have been aimed at FF9 and even I have to admit they are glaring – namely the cluttered script, the annoyingly high rate of encounters and the loading times. Me, I was playing this on a PS2 so the loading time’s didn’t bother me (maybe the game would’ve been more at home on the PS2 rather than the PS1?). As for the encounters, it bother me because I was having fun breaking heads – plus I’ve played worse (Skies of Arcadia being one such example) But yes, the script is indeed a mess. It’s a shame, because the first disc held such promise but the pace couldn’t keep up. There were some good ideas used throughout the game but some were swamped with clutter and/or didn’t live up their full potential.
But you know what? When FF9 does something well, it hit’s the bullseye. The party customising was great, the in-jokes/references were fun to pick, and the characters were an endearing bunch. I particularly liked Freya and I thought the story-book romance of Garnet and Zidane was quite charming. So yeah, Final Fantasy 9 got through to me and to that end, it’s a success.


Final Fantasy V
Another one of the forgotten children of the FF family. Being unreleased in the US during the 16-bit era, FF5 tends to be overlooked in favour of its more popular brothers FF4 and FF6. These days, it’s more likely to be dismissed by those weaned on the big budget monsters spawned on the various incarnations of the Sony Playstation. But for many people, it remains the ultimate iteration of FF’s greatest achievements: The Job System. And that reason alone is enough to play it.
Looking back at now, having played other FF titles, it seems to come across as being somewhat goofy: The script seems less serious and the music, in particular, seems nowhere near as the solemn tunes that came before. Both these elements ultimately contributed to FF finding its own destiny so it’s strange that they should be absent.
However, the real meat of the game lies in the job system: the ability to change Jobs throughout the game, mixing and matching abilities to adapt to situations and building up a team of completely unique characters. It was this formula that kept me going through FFX and, to me, is heaps more fun that going through a pre-determined role for the character (so to speak). It was this formula that made the grinding actually enjoyable and the story a lesser priority. Indeed, the Job system was so successfully pulled off in this game it makes me wonder why they haven’t managed to replicate it in many more recent FF games. Indeed, an emphasis on gameplay over everything else is something that makes you wonder why it doesn’t happen more often (FF12, take your License system and SHOVE IT!).
So, I came into FF5 thinking it had something of it’s own to say and found it be a goofy but ultimately very entertaining game. Chalk one up for the underdogs!


Final Fantasy VII
I’ve already spoken about my thoughts about FF7 so there isn’t much to add. So yeah, once I got past the hype, the intimidation and let the game speak to me in its own terms, I found it quite enjoyable to play. Which goes to show that it never pays to listen to hype.
It does seem a shame though that the phenomenal success of FF7 has kinda left its brothers in the shadows, struggling to reach a benchmark that can’t possibly be reached. And Squee Enix are milking that success for all it’s worth with spin offs. Sure people may shout and scream for a PS3 remake for as long and loudly as they like but will the thrill be the same? More importantly, wouldn’t that time spent wishing and hoping be better spent tying something new?


Final Fantasy I
And here, we reach the conclusion of this journey with, where else, the beginning. I recently downloaded this game for the Virtual Console and having an enjoyable time making my way through it. Sure, it looks nothing like the big budget extravaganzas that its younger cousins are. Sure the 8-bit graphics are hard to take seriously when compared to the behemoths residing on the PS3 and Xbox 260. Sure it had some ideas that just needed that extra bit of polish. Sure it was pretty much figuring itself out but DAMN, this is just a really fun game to play. Will this mood outlast the first few hours (as JRPG’s are wont to do)? Only time will tell…..

Colossal indeed

Recently I have been dealing with some bad health - hence my blog being neglected of late. Strangely, being confined to my bed would mean more time to work on the Hall of Shame but not this time.

Anyway, some posts ago, I mentioned I was playing Shadow of the Colossus a second time through. I have completed a second time but this time around, I paid particular attention to the ending.
You see, there's a theory going around that the connection between Wander and Mono is questionable at least: He loved/respected her but she didn't return similar feelings. The most telling sign is when Agro reappears but Mono doesn't show any sign of recognition. Looking back at it now, it is quite clear that this theory has indeed weight with Mono's body language and her facial expressions.

This is of course one moment in a game loaded with subtleties (which is indeed something that is lacking in a lot of game today). And thus the theory becomes clear:
Wander, an underling of the priest Emon, sacrifices Mono for the greater good - but is left overcome with remorse and questioning his faith. Thinking back to the stories of his faith, he recalls a long-forgotten god Dormin and heads out. he eventually arrives at the forbidden land long abandoned by humans. There, Wanda arrives at a temple where sixteen giant statues stand. Laying the body of Mono on a plinth Wanda is then instructed by a heavenly voice, Dormin, that in order to achieve his goal, he would need to slay sixteen colossi that inhabit this land - and even then there will be a terrible cost involved. Wanda agrees and, accompanied by his horse Agro, ventures through the land.



He eventually meets the colossi one by one. Some are hostile, some attack on instinct and others don't ever fight back. With each colossi defeated, their bodies become rock and earth and their essence bursts from them to engulf Wanda, corrupting his body and transport him back to the temple. And in the temple, the statue of the defeated colossus crumbles and a white dove comes to rest next to Mono's body.
With each colossus defeated, Wanda's body deteriorates with each colossus' essence. Towards the end of Wanda's quest, Emon, and some men enter the land and, on the way to the last colossus, Agro plunges into a ravine but not before saving his master's life. With the defeat of the last colossus, Emon and his men enter the temple. They see Mono, the remnants of the statues and, finally, Wanda's body.
Recognizing him, Emon's men try to kill him but suddenly Wanda's body is taken over by Dormin. However Emon banishes the entity, leaving only Wander's body being pulled into the pool of light. And then, when Emon and his men have left the land forever, Momo wakes up, sees a horse she doesn't recognize and then an indication that Dormin will return: A baby, with horns sticking out of it's head, where Wander used to be. This arranges a line of descendants that will eventually lead to the character of Ico.

With such a dissection, I just dread to think that the anti-religious activists will have a field day with this game.

Shadow of the Colossus: Eight down, eight to go

On a whim, I decided to make a second run through of the awesome game Shadow of the Colossus. Progress has been good so far as I've reached the halfway mark.

Having played this game before, I know what to expect - and the game's general premise intrigues me (SPOILERS ahead):
A guy, Wanda, wants to bring a dead lass, Mono, back to life so he goes to a forbidden land long abandoned by humans. There, Wanda arrives at a temple where sixteen giant statues stand. Laying the body of Mono on a plinth Wanda is then instructed by a heavenly voice, Dormin, that in order to achieve his goal, he would need to slay sixteen colossi that inhabit this land - and even then there will be a terrible cost involved. Wanda agrees and, accompanied by his horse Agro, ventures through the land.
He eventually meets the colossi one by one. Some are hostile, some attack on instinct and others don't ever fight back. With each colossi defeated, their bodies become rock and earth and their essence bursts from them to engulf Wanda, corrupting his body and transport him back to the temple. And in the temple, the statue of the defeated colossus crumbles and a white dove comes to rest next to Mono's body.
With each colossus defeated, Wanda's body deteriorates with each colossus' essence. Towards the end of Wanda's quest, a priest, Emon, and some men enter the land and, on the way to the last colossus, Agro plunges into a ravine but not before saving his master's life. With the defeat of the last colossus, Emon and his men enter the temple. They see Mono, the remnants of the statues and, finally, Wanda's body. Recognizing him, Emon's men try to kill him but suddenly Wanda's body is taken over by Dormin. Emon responds by casting a banishment spell, sending Dormin, along with Wanda, back where he came from. Emon and his men then leave the temple and the land altogether. Mono then wakes up to see Agro enter, miraculously, limping with a broken leg. Mono doesn't appear to recognise the horse but then she finds something new: There, in a spot where Wanda/Dormin was last seen, is a baby with horns sticking out of it's head. Mono then picks up the baby and follows Agro to the top of the temple where a secret garden awaits. The game then ends and the credits roll.

That being said, I have to wonder: Has anyone ever tried to use this game for anti-religious purposes? (No this is not a challenge!)