Archive for May 2nd, 2011
Many games are built around short self-contained conflicts. But then what? You win, you lose, so what? Why does it matter? Are you just playing to pass time? The answer, of course, is yes, but videogames are all about denial of that fact.
So videogames add context, ranging from high score screens to exhaustive grinds. For instance, real time strategy games put their battles into a campaign. Some of them fold in RPG-style leveling up. Starcraft II’s battle.net uses a hearty ranking system and unlockable badges. The Total War games drop battles into a larger turn-based strategy game. In League of Legends, you earn points you can spend on microtransactions.
Fighting games are mostly terrible at situating their battles into a larger context. Mortal Kombat tries, but it mostly comes down to buying koncept art in the Krypt. BlazBlue has a legion mode where you manage an army on a grid, but you have to be able to play the game in the first place. That’s not likely to happen this lifetime for us mere mortals. Soulcalibur IV has RPG character building and Super Smash Bros. Brawl lets you collect stickers to power up in the story mode. But one fighting game schools them all.
After the jump, Dissidia 2 gives you reasons to fight Continue reading →
As a child I was extremely fastidious about large purchases, or even when deliberating over what large gifts to ask for before Christmas and my birthday. I never liked surprises on such occasions and for my sanity, and their own, my parents made sure I understood the gifting parameters and I made sure I knew what I wanted. When it came time to upgrade from my NES to a 16-bit system, this dynamic led to an extraordinary level of research on my part.
In the year leading up to my eleventh birthday I did my due diligence reading every game magazine I could get my hands on. I went so far as to repeatedly check out an issues of the Consumer Reports published magazine Zillions, targeted at children, from my school library. The issue in question featured an in depth analysis which compared the relative benefits of the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and NEC’s TurboGrafx-16. I also, in turn, rented each 16-bit console and a few different games for a weekend test drive. When I rented a Super Nintendo for the first time I also brought home Final Fantasy II, properly known as Final Fantasy IV.
After the jump, Square sells hardware. Continue reading →
My first command, this expedition, has gone downhill rapidly. The enemy leader is fighting against my grasp, so I tighten my stranglehold and she quiets down for the time being. I can’t tell if it’s the loaded snub so close to her head or the idea of what will happen to her if we get an evac, but her muscles are coiled and trembling. I’m backing up against the wall, watching the corner. Anya and Marcus are watching the one entrance while Baird and Dom grab some grenades from the bunker. I can hear them, grunting in that language of theirs, preparing to come in here, kill my men. All I pray is for my men to die quick, honorably. It won’t be so easy for me.
After the jump, here they come. Continue reading →
I’ve spent some time recently checking out the latest patch for Civilization V. To Firaxis’ credit, they’ve been trying to address some of the game’s problems. However, I kept running into situations like the above screenshot. If you’re a Civilization V aficionado, that should look pretty familiar by now. If you’re not, let me explain what you’re seeing.
I’m playing the Aztecs. Russia has just declared war on me, which is exactly what she should do, since I’ve been pushing against her borders and harassing her allies. What’s more, I’m playing one of the more advanced difficulty levels that gives computer players an advantage, so Russia has a solid economic and military lead on me. At this point in the game, I should be worried.
The closest point of contact between our empires is my city, Tlatelolco, which is tucked between mountains and a coastline. A hilly hex is the approach from the south, where I’ve parked a relatively weak unit of jaguar warriors. Russia has showed up with a unit of superior pikemen that should be able to easily punch through the jaguar warriors, especially with the help of an accompanying catapult and archer. However, the incompetent AI positions the catapult and the archer in front, with the pikemen trapped behind them. Furthermore, as the turns go by, it doesn’t swap their positions. I easily take out the ranged units, and the pikemen wait patiently for me to bring in reinforcements. Russia has essentially marched its army into war backwards.
I still love parts of Civilization V, but the tactical combat plays a significant part of overall design. When it falls apart, the game teeters to one side and eventually topples. The result is like a foot race against a one-legged man. Winning is the easy part. Doing it without feeling foolish is the real challenge.
Listen, what I have to tell you right now must be kept in the strictest confidence. They are onto me, I can feel it. They have spies everywhere. They are legion. Soon they will overtake me and it will be as if I was never here, as if I had never spoken nor written a word. I’m talking about the front page articles, of course. What did you think I was talking about? Grab a tinfoil hat and let’s do this. Mine’s the one with the propeller sticking out of the top. Let’s blow the lid off the whole damned thing!
After the jump through the blue portal, Sony kills Osama bin Laden to cover up Donald Trump’s forged copy of Brave New World. Continue reading →
Assuming you’re not in it for the multiplayer, I suspect the Playstation 3 exclusive, Motorstorm: Apocalypse, is the game to get this week. The previous Motorstorms have had great arcade driving physics and even greater graphics. This latest version’s disaster theme — the idea is that you’re racing through ruined city environments — has probably had a lot of its thunder stolen by the excellent Split/Second, but you can never have too many cutting edge driving games.
If you missed Bangai-O on the Nintendo DS and the Dreamcast before that, you missed one of Treasure’s unique treasures. The Bangai-O games are a cross between a puzzle game, a platformer, a bullet hell shooter, and a giant robot game. And now they’re in high-definition and on Xbox Live with Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury.
If you aren’t interested in playing Section 8: Prejudice on the Xbox 360, you’ll be able to get it on the PC this week. And if you want another overpriced Call of Duty map pack, this time it comes with a new zombie level featuring horror movie celebrities instead of Cold War politicians. Personally, I think it’s hard to top Robert McNamara fighting hordes of faceless zombies, but politically canny metaphors can only get you so far in videogames. At some point, it’s time to resort to the more obvious choices like Sarah Michelle Geller and Robert Englund.
