Monthly Archive for August, 2007

REVIEW: BioShock (Pt 1)

Published
on August 31, 2007
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BioShock has received nearly unanimous adoration from fans and critics during the course of its development and following its North American release on August 21, perhaps most often for its immersive potency. Incredible artistic design, roving enemies and monsters, haunting sound effects, and a fitting score all lend a hand in creating an experience which is intensely invigorating, enveloping and, to be perfectly honest, quite frightening.

The design of BioShock’s setting, the underwater city of Rapture, alludes to the steampunk style of a ’60s future, with cold iron and glass walls, wood paneling, incessant curves and a hefty dose of neon. Resting atop this utopia are the decayed, debis-strewn and blood-splattered signs of Rapture’s steady decline into destruction and madness. Her residents are for the most part dressed in rotting clothes and wearing animal masks like Bacchic revelers. The Big Daddies, guardians of the Little Sisters who produce a mutative substance you need to advance in the game, look and move like giant old-fashioned diving suits.

BioShock’s sound effects are nothing short of incredible. Rapture’s crazed denizens mumble, cry, shout and scream as you approach, and Big Daddies moan an inhuman warning to stay away from their young wards. Ambient noises, such as the constant drip of the ever-present ocean and the creaking noises of Rapture, add to the terrifying atmosphere.

The orchestrated score, composed by Gary Schyman and available to download on 2k Games’ Web site, fits BioShock’s setting and style perfectly. Penderecki-like strings back the madness of Rapture’s residents and throbbing brass complement the protagonist’s struggle. It is supplemented by old ’50s songs and well-known classical music. Some of my favorite moments are when these light-hearted tunes are piped over Rapture’s loudspeakers and juxtaposed with the chaos and carnage of first person battle.

Atmosphere alone does not make a great game, but with BioShock it enables an incredible degree of narrative immersion. You feel the oppression and desperation of the protagonist which is so much a part of the storyline. It’s a level of personal immersion and investment possible only in games.

A Hero’s Death: PAX’s Panel on Storytelling in Games

Published
on August 28, 2007
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This past weekend’s Penny Arcade Expo, which has outgrown its webcomic roots to become one of the top video game conventions in the nation, hosted a a Q&A panel addressing the new possibilities for storytelling in games afforded by advances in technology.

Titled “Once Upon a Time… Storytelling in Games Today,” the panel consisted of Dave Grossman, creator of The Secret of Monkey Island, Ron Gilbert, also of LucasArts, and Sly Cooper developer Nate Fox. Moderated by Chatterbox Radio’s Alon Waisman, the three developers addressed a number of interesting points, including user created content, linear and dynamic narratives and AI involvement, all of which are quoted in Gamasutra’s coverage of the panel.

One of the most interesting and most often undiscussed subjects visited by the panel involves death in games, which is ironic because only an absolutely infallible gamer could avoid it. All of us have led our protagonist into the gaping maw of death only to have him spat out in shame, perhaps minus one of his collected “lives,” and sent back to face the barely-surmountable odds once more.

“I think the death of the protagonist is just one of those things where the belief has to be suspended. I think in games people just don’t think about that. You don’t want to kill people to introduce frustration, I think death will just be one of those languages of our medium that people just don’t think about,” commented Gilbert.

Death is so common in games that it becomes mundane. That demoralizing exclamation of “Game Over” loses any significance it holds in real life, loses any significance at all beyond annoyance–all it takes is a quick tap of the reset button to start anew. However, the protagonist’s death is not without its repercussions.

“Interruption of the narrative is much more important to me than anything else,” said Grossman. “I don’t like what happens when you have to restore from a saved game. I try to avoid it.”

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I Finally Take a Side in the Console War

Published
on August 25, 2007
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I finally broke down and bought an Xbox 360 — BioShock was the last of many convincing reasons (expect a review within the month). I want to steer clear of the Console Wars on this blog, but my purchase warrants a detour.

I admit to some Nintendo bias last generation. The SNES was my first system, and I’ve always loved their franchises, creativity, ingenuity, and their Miyamoto. I’ve since revised my fanboy ways. This generation for me is all about the games, and Xbox 360 simply had more games that I desperately wanted to play either out now or coming soon.

Dead Rising, Gears of War, and most recently BioShock are all fantastic titles, and with Halo 3, Mass Effect, and Call of Duty 4 just around the corner, Xbox 360 fans are set for life. PS3, on the other hand, has Resistance: Fall of Man in terms of exclusives. Heavenly Sword and Lair, arguably its two biggest fall releases, haven’t scored particularly well. Wii has several fun party games, but I can play those at a friends and see no point in shelling $250+ to play them on my own.

But to be honest, I still hope Nintendo wins.

In the Struggle for Creative Games, Are Publisher’s the Enemy?

Published
on August 23, 2007
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Psychonauts creator Tim Schafer exclaimed the need for creative developers in video games at the Games Convention Developers Conference, which starts today in Germany.

Schafer said that the enemy of creativity is not the publisher, but rather “mediocrity, laziness, and fear were the broad-ranging things to watch out for,” the article paraphrases. “Publishers have all the money,” said Schafer. “It’s your job to fight for your idea and convince them. Never say something like ‘Aw, they don’t have any taste…’”

This is contrary to the way I usually think about the games industry, dominated as it is by large publishers like EA which, in my experience, churn out sequels and generic licensed property like no other. However, as Schafer’s experience and the timely release of BioShock on Tuesday demonstrate, it is obviously possible for creative games to be made; all it takes is a little determination on the part of the creator.

“The most important thing about Psychonauts is not the sales numbers,” Schafer said. Rather, the artistic value of the game overrode it’s relatively abysmal record. Psychonauts, despite being a flawless example of creative storytelling in games, sold 400,000 copies, according to the article.

While the responsibility for creative plot and design in games may rest with the developers, we the people can help too by not letting games like Psychonauts gather dust on store shelves. Show publishers that we appreciate creativity as well.

In summing up, the designer had some strong conclusions: ‘It’s an illusion that people don’t want creativity’, ‘Creative people need to be more fighters’, ‘The enemy is not that big and scary’, ‘We are the unholy terrible giants in the game industry’, and even more bombastically: ‘We have machine guns full of ideas, rocket launchers full with passion.’

His ending salvo was fierce and terrible, and definitely entertaining: ‘Go forth! Burn them alive! We are the hope and the future of the games industry.’

One can only hope that Schafer’s impassioned speech will push the creative talent of the gaming world to show publishers how to take advantage of emerging technology in the interest of engaging storytelling.

REVIEW: Baldur’s Gate I & Tales of the Sword Coast

Published
on August 21, 2007
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Yes, this game came out 10 years ago. Yes, I’m just now playing it. But that only means that there must be other people out there thus far uninitiated into a truly landmark RPG. The strange thing about my experience is that I’ve already played Baldur’s Gate II, and that it’s one of my favorite games.

Baldur’s Gate uses Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition rules. I know little to nothing about good old D&D (I was instead raised on Diablo and Heroes of Might and Magic), but I do know that this makes the character creation and combat system incredibly complex. Some people may enjoy the depth allowed in creating their protagonist. I just lower my head and bull-rush my way through it.

The game’s storytelling is incredible. It drops you flawlessly into the role of a self-created character, and guides you through a free-form and intriguing plot. The ability to chose between good and evil has since become a staple of BioWare RPG’s but was quite original at the time of the game’s release. Unlike many other ethics-testing games, Baldur’s Gate does a consistently good job of posing questions with no clear right or wrong answer and with tempting incentives to take each of the many paths.

The game’s graphics have aged pretty well, all things considered. The sprites still look smart and diverse, the animations well done. Many backgrounds look hand-drawn, distinguishing the dungeons of Baldur’s Gate from the cut-and-paste tiled affairs of her contemporaries. BioWare was prescient enough to allow untested resolutions and 3-D graphics, and load times have thankfully and substantially increased over the years.

Although it’s a strange way of looking at it, Baldur’s Gate has the foundations for everything which made the sequel great. The characters, graphics, sound and interface all set the stage for the excellent climax and conclusion.

BioShock’s Storytelling

Published
on August 16, 2007
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BioShock’s release approacheth. The reviews are in, and it’s earned nothing but unremitting praise. The Xbox 360 version’s aggregate review on GameRankings.com is a stunning 99%.

One of the most interesting critiques comes from the closing comments in Charles Onyett’s review on IGN:

There is art here, despite what many would say isn’t possible with games, from Roger Ebert to game designers like Hideo Kojima. But it’s in BioShock–it’s in the gorgeously realized, watery halls of Rapture. It’s in a Little Sister’s expression of thanks when you choose to save her, or the utter silence if you harvest instead. It’s in the way the characters develop, in the testimonials of the recording boxes you pick up along the way. It’s in the way the narrative is structured, and the way it blends so seamlessly with the action.

Irrational had a clear vision with this game, something pulled off with remarkable precision in every department. They didn’t just deliver something that’s fun to play, a criterion so often cited as the benchmark of what makes a game worthwhile. BioShock stands as a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay and an irresistibly sinister, engrossing storyline that encompasses a host of multifaceted characters. This is an essential gaming experience.

Graphically, BioShock looks absolutely amazing. That should be apparent to anyone who has played the demo (available now on Xbox Live and for PC gamers by August 21).

Of course, graphics aren’t everything, but they do facilitate improved storytelling. They allow a greater range of expression on the characters, such as the Little Sisters mentioned in Onyett’s review, and a greater sense of immersion for the gamer as the world becomes more detailed and realistic.

Continue reading ‘BioShock’s Storytelling’

Two Steps Towards Making Games an Artistic Medium

Published
on August 15, 2007
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At the end of my last post of substance (on Roger Ebert’s inflammatory comments), I referenced N’Gai Croal’s blog. Croal challenged gamers “to keep doing the heavy lifting necessary to suss out where the art of videogames lies; to determine how the craft can enhance that art; and to continue the fight to push this young medium from squalling infancy into graceful adulthood.”

A bold charge. But where do we begin? I gave it some thought, and came up with two things we can do right now to start moving forward.

1. Keep talking, but keep it civil

“Yours is the most civil of countless messages I have received after writing that I did indeed consider video games inherently inferior to film and literature.”

That’s how Ebert began his response to a concerned gamer’s letter in 2005. That’s embarrassing. There’s no way games will be accepted as art if their fans respond like drunken truckers scrawling messages on the wall of a gas station bathroom at the barest whiff of criticism.

Continue reading ‘Two Steps Towards Making Games an Artistic Medium’

On the Revival of ’80s Cartoons

Published
on August 14, 2007
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I know avoiding overly-brief, link ridden posts was part of my manifesto for this site, but…

What the hell is going on?!

That being said — VOLTRON.

Edit: Another one.

Thus Spake Roger Ebert: Games Are Not Art

Published
on August 12, 2007
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Revered film critic Roger Ebert’s 2005 indictment of video games as a non-artistic medium caused renewed controversy this past month, with big-name figures like Newsweek journalist N’Gai Croal, author and director Clive Barker and gaming historian Steven Kent weighing in.

“I am prepared to believe that video games can be elegant, subtle, sophisticated, challenging and visually wonderful,” Ebert said in response to a gamer’s letter in 2005. “But I believe the nature of the medium prevents it from moving beyond craftsmanship to the stature of art.”

“To my knowledge, no one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great dramatists, poets, filmmakers, novelists and composers. That a game can aspire to artistic importance as a visual experience, I accept. But for most gamers, video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic.”

Ebert’s comments drew an outcry from gamers, responses from game developers, and even mainstream media attention. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Aussie developer John De Margheriti, founder of Micro Forte studio, countered Ebert’s arguments.

“The author of the game has written some grand plotline, has created the races, the pretext of the stories,” said De Margheriti. “He’s constrained you in a series of quests you must do, missions you must complete, objects you have to collect. There is a structure, but it’s a structure that’s interactive.”

Continue reading ‘Thus Spake Roger Ebert: Games Are Not Art’

REVIEW: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Pt 3)

Published
on August 7, 2007
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Twilight Princess’s final dungeons and climactic challenges are a blast, with well-designed and distinct levels and situations.

One complaint I do have is about the narrative. You spend the first half of the game pursuing Fused Shadows in three dungeons. This is sort of like Ocarina of Time, where you spent the first act as a kid collecting the three stones so you could get the Master Sword. Except after collecting the three Fused Shadows, you don’t get anything.

Zant, the game’s preeminent antagonist, knocks you down, grabs your Fused Shadows, calls you a dumbass and walks off. Meanwhile, your catty companion tells you to collect another fractured artifact and assures you that this one will in-fact work. You do get the ability to turn revert to a wolf at will after this point, but only because Zant wanted to punish you for being an idiot.

The Fused Shadows plot does eventually resolve itself and make sense, but initially it seems disposable and unnecessary. Completing this task progresses the plot in a way and provides an excuse for a bit of good old fashioned, and notably well-crafted, dungeon crawling. However, it does not come with the sense of accomplishment that is so important to video games, in which the viewer is responsible for keeping things moving.

I do love Twilight Princess despite this narrative flaw. The characters are likable, and the plot is very intriguing, especially at the end. The dungeons and the intermittent tasks are well-designed. It sticks with Zelda tradition while breaking new ground. And, most importantly, it’s a lot of fun.

So pick the thing up. Even if you don’t have a Wii, you can find a GameCube for next to nothing now, so there’s no excuse not to.