Category
Video Games
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Art, Video Games
PAIN As Art
PAIN is the much-maligned Havok-engine-driven Playstation Network (PSN) game . PAIN’s premise is simple: you throw people into an environment, and earn points for causing creative mayhem. Think JackAss with a slingshot. But can PAIN qualify as art?
Often, I see gamers turning up their nose at this game. “Pure” gamers consider the game boring, infantile, and asinine (these same gamers who hurl racial epithets at me or invite online female avatars to their virtual bedroom to “make it stink”. I kid you not.) They say “what’s the point?”
They interesting thing about this game is my girlfriend actually loves it. It’s a free-form expression of mayhem, a game that challenges you to see “what you can do next”. The game is the closest thing I can think of to gaming as art. Sure, it’s no da Vinci, perhaps not even Picasso (maybe more like Pollock), but how can you argue with a game that virtually argues back at you, challenges you: what can you do next?
My guess is that many of the gamers that complain about the game lack one component that the game encourages: creativity. While the people enjoy the game’s “what can you do next?” component, “pure gamers” desire to be lead by the hand in order accomplish their goals. Even in open world games, there are still goals to be accomplished. When a game presents no goal, just play and have fun, “pure gamers” miss the point. It’s sad that they won’t even give this game a chance.
So can games be art? I believe that Pain’s free form antics are as close to the “video games as art” argument as you are going to get. When a person is constantly vying for your attention for what you have accomplished, and you are constantly amazed, then you can’t get closer to art than this. PAIN as art, PAIN is art.
Anyways, how can you argue with a game that allows you to do THIS?
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Video Games
Guitar Hero World Tour versus Rock Band 2
First and foremost, I am a Harmonix fan, I’ve been playing their games since Frequency. Anytime they’ve created a rhythm game I’ve yet to be disappointed. So it gets me mad when people claim that Guitar Hero/Neversoft were the original innovators of the genre. Harmonix created the systems that are involved in the game, Neversoft jumped on later and added their own spin. Not much, but they added a few things.
With the release of the Guitar Hero: World Tour set list has me considering buying this game. Although I find the game intriguing, but a couple of points not related to the game, but related to the company.
Activision hasn’t gotten the DLC thing right. You’re forced to buy track packs and never give you the option of individual tracks. A quick scan of both RB and GH and the GH tracks are more expensive in some points. The Activision track record of regularly releasing DLC is spotty at best, and oftentimes I struggle with the song selection: I like one song in the set, but I’d have to spend a lot of money for one song and two songs I don’t like.The drum and mic portions of the game haven’t been proven in the gameplay department yet. For example: Rock Band has solos in their game for all their instruments, and adding a rhythm portion to singing was innovative. The best innovation GH3 had was…boss battles. Sure GH was harder, but when you just want to play with a bunch of people who want to play with you but have never played before, you don’t want a harder game. I want a game that everyone can jump into, have fun, and mess around. I don’t want a bunch of people walking away frustrated because they can’t master the controls. You’ll have a bunch a people walking away from the game in mid-set.
Activision blocked Harmonix from developing a patch to allow compatibility between Guitar Hero Guitars and the Rock Band game. Both Sony and Harmonix were ready to release the patch, Activision, blocked it for their own reason. Although this problem has been rectified, it is a sign of blocking future innovation.
I am under impression that GH fans will buy GH, regardless of any shortcomings. RB fans will buy RB, regardless of any of their shortcomings. The really intelligent people will take RB over GH only because they know the pedigrees, played both games, and got burned heavily by Activision (I’m not saying EA has a better track record. See: Spore). Game fans shouldn’t get caught up in needless rivalries and buy the set they want the most.
I’m not saying I’m against getting GHWT. I’m taking a wait and see attitude. Activision has already burned me (GH2 tracks not playable in GH3? No DLC for months on end? Blocked patches?) So, I’m taking a wait and see attitude. Besides, competition brings innovation.
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Video Games
VIDEO GAMES: Bloom Blox
Every now and then I feel compelled to write a review for a game that’s simply is not getting the attention it deserves.
Boom Blox could easily be billed and sold as a “Stephen Spielberg joint”.Those credentials alone would leave the average Wii owner intrigued enough to buy the game. But, as the game play has proven, there’s more to it than that. Bloom Blox is simple fun. The gist of it is knocking down blocks to earn points in a 3D environment. There’s also special ability blocks that do things such as “blow up real good”. And that’s it in a nutshell. But, where the “more” lies is where the game keeps you back.Puzzles are cleverly designed. Gravity, and throwing power can play a key part in each puzzle, and the special blocks serve to help or hinder you. The ability to edit puzzles and create your own also helps the game’s longevity. Although this game could have easily been ported to the PS2 (or PS3 for that matter), you would miss that satisfying throwing motion that only the Wii mote allows: you simply can’t get that interactivity from the DualShock or DualShock2. Utilizing the Wii mote is a big part of the charm of this game.The graphics aren’t much to write home about, but then again we are talking about the Wii, and they honestly don’t need to be fantastic. The cutesy, blocky, barn yard animals have their own charm that’s too sugary coated to be a turn off. The sound effects and music aren’t overly special either, however, they too have their own charm. You may be driven crazy by the looping music, but you can occasionally take out some frustrations by pelting an animal in the background, either on purpose or by accident, resulting in some funny reactions. Again, part of that charm.Boom Blox has definitely got me loving my Wii again. It’s simplistic game play, addictive puzzles, and quirky art style is a refreshing break from “yet another-Mario-themed-game”. A must-have if you own a Wii.
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Video Games
VIDEO GAMES: Uncharted: Drakes Fortune
I will start by saying the PSN demo of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune didn’t do it for me. I didn’t like the combat elements, and it just seemed bland as opposed to what I was playing at the time.
The case of the demo not doing the game justice applies here. Sure, the game has a lot of gunplay elements, but that’s not the sum total of the game. There are platforming elements that broke up the action nicely and some light puzzles that weren’t brain benders. There are also the requisite vehicle elements and some rail shooting. There also is a smattering of quick-time events that are not game-breakers. All of this, wrapped up in a pretty package.
The game graphics are, of course, gorgeous. The game is not all jungle, as you may believe from the demo, and the enemies, are a little more varied than you are lead to believe (although their dialogue does loop sometimes). The animation is good, especially when Drake is performing feats that are decidedly not everyman-ish.
People are arguing that this game is way too short. I personally think that it’s just right: I have more important things to do with my life than slog through another 40-hour game. The length of this game holds up incredibly well for me.
If you own a PS3, this is simply a game you must add to your library. PS3 owners don’t get much in the way of exclusive content (or games for that matter), so this is a diamond in the rough.
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Video Games
GAMES: Marvel Trading Card Game (PSP)
I’ve been clocking a lot of time with this one, so I figured I’d do a write up because of the negative reviews this one has been getting.
I was a fan of the Vs System card game from Upper Deck. I think I have a deck buried somewhere in my things. The problem was I never had anyone to play with. Most of my friends were into role playing games, never really being into card games. Rather than spending time with card games we’d play RPG’s instead. But still this game fascinated me, and I collected a few cards before I abandoned the idea of ever getting anyone interested in it.
I was pretty excited to learn that there was a PSP game in the works. At last, I could finally play the game with someone! (even if it was an “artificial” someone.) Of course, I couldn’t use the deck I bought and built, but still I wouldn’t have to pay for anything else- just the price of the game.
This game is definitely for the fan, since the mechanics can get a bit complex. I had to re-read some of the rules from the original box set to get a fell of the game mechanics again. The game’s built in tutorials included are adequate, but I never really learned the rules until I used the box set’s manual. Then I went back over the tutorials, and figured out how to play the game again.
The controls are clunky. You sometimes forget where the cursor is and have to move it around to see where it is. Sometimes you may end up hitting buttons you don’t intend to, which is problematic when you make a move you didn’t intend to (like pass a phase), and there is no take back especially when the computer begins its phase. This forces you to make sure you’re paying attention to who’s doing what, but I would’ve liked a “take back” feature included until you got used to the controls, or at least a better control scheme.
The game looks okay, after all it is a card game shrunk down to the size of a PSP. It’s not too difficult to follow once you get the hang of things. I do wish the artwork on the cards was a bit clearer, but I take it they had to save space on the UMD by downgrading the quality of the images. Not a huge strike against it, but still nothing to entice you to want to play the game. Also, to read the text on the cards requires you to move the thumbstick. Nothing major, but it is a good idea to read the entire card being played so you can figure out the effects during gameplay, and how and when to use the card.
Now to the “actually playing the game” part. It can be frustrating at times because of the controls. Once you get the hang of it the game can be a blast. The computer plays a decent game (I’m guessing) but there is that random factor about which cards come into play, so if you looking for more strategy you may be disappointed. Once you can figure out what the your opponent has in his deck (usually by losing, yelling at the PSP then chucking the UMD across the room…oh, wait, that’s just what I do), you can formulate a good enough strategy to and build a decent enough deck to beat him into submission. Once again, that randomness factor still comes into play, so if you’re looking for that pure strategy game look elsewhere.
Overall, this is a pretty decent game, and it has me hooked. I have to stress: if you are not a fan of either Marvel Comics, card games, or the Vs System, your money may be better spent elsewhere. The price point is decent ($29.99 in some stores). But if you think you are up for it, rent before you buy is a good option.
