Weekly News Recap 9/13/09

Bit of a short news week this time around.

I've recently been turned on to the virtues of the FPS genre thanks to a friend getting me into Battlefield 1943. It's all the fun of WoW's battlegrounds without all the tedious grinding. Still, now that I'm on board I can't help but be disappointed that there are no immediate plans for additional Battlefield 1943 DLC. DICE says they are too busy working on other Battlefield projects. For once I understand the frustration players feel when a developer stretches themselves too thin. But it begs an interesting question - is it better to shoot for breadth or depth in a franchise? Both Valve and DICE seem to have settled on the former track, expanding their game universes through multiple releases rather than working to better existing games. The ability to support a game through dlc is relatively new and gamers may have taken to it so fast that you'd think it was their God-given right to have their favorite game supported until judgment day. Beneath it all though I wonder if it isn't a good idea for a specific product to continue to receive upgrades over time. Call it the MMO model. Imagine if a classic like GoldenEye were still supported with dlc. Perhaps Rare would still be a household name.

Finally Braid is only $5 this weekend. Did you hear me? Five bucks for Braid. Go get it.

Weekly News Recap 9/06/09

[Bit late on the recap this week owing to the holiday weekend and a road trip. On the plus side I finally have my HDTV back so I can, y'know, read the text of games I play]

Ever since he inserted himself polygonally into the tutorial for Farenheit/Indigo Prophecy I've had a bit of a mancrush on David Cage. There's something reassuring, if smug, about a director explaining, in-game, that you're about to experience something so different from the norm that he needs to break you of years of gaming habits. Now he's come right out and said that players should play through Heavy Rain only once. With re-playability a key selling point for most games that's quite a bold statement (badum ching!), but one I respect. I played through Indigo Prophecy last summer exactly that way - I didn't repeat sections that went badly, nor did I play through it again to get a "better" ending. IP, unfortunately, has its share of game over screens so I still repeated a bit, but it left a clear mark on my gaming habits. Now, rather than try to see everything, do every side quest, and get the best gear (I'm looking at you Crisis Core!) I approach games with a one-time-only mindset and I think it's high time more games made that take advantage of that kind of player. Hopefully Heavy Rain is successful because of it's consequence heavy game play and future developers realize the untapped story telling potential therein.

Not to re-ignite any hard feelings about the lack of BC on all but the earliest PS3s, but it's rather interesting what sort of creativity is engendered by constraint in the gaming world. In an effort to milk more money from the franchise Sony will re-release enhanced versions of God of War 1&2 for the PS3. Shameless attempt to make money though it be it strikes me as far more appropriate to actually take the time to update a golden oldie than to simply port it (I'm looking at you Wii Virtual Console). The work required to re-vamp a game for modern consoles is considerably less than building a game from scratch and greatly increases a game's longevity. Look at the great work Capcom did with Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Personally, as I get older I'm less inclined to keep old consoles around nor do I want to spend money to play an exact copy of something I already own. Giving me a little something extra is a great way to re-kindle nostalgia and let me show people an older game without feeling like the geezer who drones on about how much better Atari 2600 games were.

Weekly News Recap 8/30/09

[I'm trying something new (though not entirely original) here at PEEG. My time is in short supply of late which puts a cramp on my style as far as blogging and playing games about which too blog. But I still manage to keep up-to-date on what's happening in the game industry and gaming culture so, in an attempt to keep my fingers typing I'm going to subject you, Inconstant Reader, to a weekend update of sorts. Basically these are my quick thoughts on several interesting game related news stories from the previous week.]

The FCC is considering a standardized rating system that would apply to games, movies, television shows, and mobile apps. Many commenters see this as another step towards censorship which I find that a weak concern. What scares me most is the logistics of such a thing. It takes long enough to get a product rated by an independent organization focused on one specific medium - imagine a governmental body charged with standardizing ratings across multiple types media!

That issue aside I'm rather intrigued by the idea. A standardized system could garner more equity across ratings. For example, some things that are tame enough to be included in a PG-13 movie will elicit and MA rating in a game. Standardized ratings would expose this gross inequality, or at least open up debate as to why one and the same action is more "mature" if it's included in an interactive medium (even if the action itself is part of a cutscene or otherwise out of the player's direct control). I personally doubt this umbrella system will ever come to pass, but I don't see it being a gross blow to the games industry if it does.

According to the Chatty Cathys of the interwebs Best Buy is willing to bribe people out of returning their recently purchased PS3 Fats for PS3 Slims.

Obviously no one likes feeling they just got shafted by purchasing a $400 piece of hardware only to learn the following day that a newer version of it could be had for 3/4 the price. But isn't that exactly what a company does if they try (and fail) to keep these things a secret? Why not let people know about a price drop or new system in advance? Because sales will probably wane in the interim as people hold out for the newer, cheaper system. So by withholding that information the company is basically decieiving consumers. Put another way, the company is hoping consumers will get shafted. That's just bad PR if you ask me. By officially announcing something like this, say, a month in advance and also - though this is a pipe dream - encouraging stores to inform consumers at the point of purchase, you give people a choice. Maybe I just can't wait a month to get the system I want, but I should be able to make an informed choice. Besides, marketing people should know the American consumer enough to realize that we're impulse buyers at heart!

Finally, on the subject of American consumerism... can you believe that people would actually consider purchasing a Scribblenauts strategy guide!? Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees. Scribblenauts is not a game about winning, it's a game about creativity. The only possible reason a person would desire a strategy guide for such a jewel of a game is if they approaching gaming as just another conquest. Everything I've read about the game suggests that it won't be all that difficult - it's not the destination but the journey that's important. Using a strategy guide is like making the journey on rails... in an enclosed vehicle... with a single window... facing the ground....

Change of Address

It's come to my attention that some readers may misinterpret the domain name of my blog. While it's possible to connect the dots from my PSN ID (ZapatoDelDiablo) and note that my domain name is simply the English version of that pithy phrase - shoe of the devil, or, devil shoe - some have taken to thinking that I prefer to be known as the devil's hoe. Apologies for that shortsightedness and I assure you this is not the case (though why it's worse to be one of Satan's garden implements than footwear I'm not sure - there's an "E" there people!).

Therefore I'll be moving this site to optimusprymus.blogspot.com. Please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds accordingly. Both of you.

Video Games Live

Inconstant Readers are no doubt aware of my recent gaming slump. Aside from occasional forays into SFIV and a slow but steady second slog through Puzzle Quest (a corrupted file ended my first play through) I haven't had much hands-on experience of gaming in the recent past. That did not, however, keep me from being as giddy as Henry Jones Sr. upon discovering that Video Games Live was coming to Pittsburgh.

Wait, I mean Video Games LIVE!

Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it Video Games LIVE!!!!!!111oneoneone

Yes, it's geared towards that sort of audience. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I've been in love with Nobuo Uematsu's music for over 17 years, ever since I dubbed - to 4 cassettes! - a friend's copy of the Final Fantasy VI OST which, no doubt due to Americans not having the slightest clue what an OST was at the time (Original Sound Track for those of you still out-of-the-know), was strangely titled "Kefka's Domain". Having played through the 60+ hours it took to complete the game and all attendant side quests and developed an overdue appreciation for Final Fantasy (I had played I and IV but didn't think them anything special) popping those tapes into my Walkman and pedaling to school every morning was nothing short of sublime. The way each character had a unique theme woven seamlessly into the bulk of the soundtrack, the fantastic reprisals of each major theme during the closing credits, and, of course the absolute best final battle music in gaming history (yes, even better than One-Winged Angel - you fanboys realize that wasn't an entirely original composition, right?) all came together to make me appreciate just how powerful music in games could be.

Flash forward a decade or two. I've imported every OST, lyrical interpretation, and piano etude from Final Fantasy 1 through 10. I've longed to hear The Black Mages in concert. I've become familiar with other composers through my love of games - Akira Yamaoka, Yasunori Mitsuda, and Harry Gregson-Williams come to mind. Game music has found itself a staple of both my yoga and massage therapy playlists. When I heard about Video Games Live I thought this was finally it, game music has achieved mainstream appeal and I would be able to enjoy some of my favorite orchestrations in their full symphonic glory.

Someday perhaps I will. For the nonce, however, I'll have to keep dreaming.

Don't get me wrong, I love what VGL is trying to do. Anything that helps get the masses to recognize gaming as an artistic cultural artifact is a good thing. But the current iteration may not necessarily be a gateway to widespread acceptance.

Simply put the focus of the concert was more about fan service than about music. Extreme fan service. I'll admit that perhaps the video game concert of my dreams is on one end of a scale - something very much akin to a traditional night out at the symphony only all the pieces are from games - but VGL is firmly at the other extreme. The cosplay extreme if you catch my general drift. There must be some kind of middle ground.

I've got no problem with the costume contest that opened the show (and the pretty bad-ass Lich King getup that won was no joke), nor the guitar hero competition and general geeky swag-fest atmosphere that permeated the theater. But when it comes to the actual concert, well, I want to pay attention to the music.

Sure the youngsters that inevitably beg their parents to go (along with the more twitchy of the older gamers in attendee) probably couldn't handle just sitting and watching an orchestra perform, so the three screens of video clips are a good idea. Heck my SO really appreciated getting to see the graphical transformation of legendary franchises over the years (although it's jarringly obvious that VGL doesn't have the right to use images from Square-Enix games - a glaring omission when music from several Final Fantasys, both Chronos , and Kingdom Hearts is included). Having a little something pleasing for the eye as well as the ear is only appropriate for a concert rooted in a multimedia art form like games.

Still the emphasis on greatest hits medleys rather than full orchestral songs takes its toll on the artistic integrity of the music. The only piece played in its entirety and not wedged into a medley was One-Winged Angel. This meant that as a fan of the music I wasn't able to close my eyes and get lost in the nuances of a pieces with which I was familiar. Instead I had to settle for the occasional soupçon of a loved phrase during long mash ups that mostly string together riffs of the most well-known and recognizable themes.

The real let-down was the entirety of the second act during which Tommy Tallarico used an entire symphony orchestra as a platform to live out his rock-star fantasy. Electric guitar in tow (even for Scars of Time which screams for acoustic) he dominated every song with his "look-at-me-not-the-orchestra" antics and volume cranked up to 11. The crowd loved it, but as I told Renee afterward it was more like a celebration of Beatlemania than a celebration of the Beatles, more like an emphasis on Michael Jackson fandom than Michael Jackson's music.

For all my gripes it was still a very enjoyable experience. There were several moments of gooseflesh and many more of pure joy (though years of overexposure to rabid fanboys have long since deadened my heart from being affected by the first three notes of Aerith's Theme). I'm very glad that there's something out there that highlights one of the lesser talked about artistic aspects of games. Music-in-games talk today is almost exclusively about interactive music, but it's important to remember that there are well-established craft elements that stand up on their own (music, cinematography, voice-acting, etc.) and need to be recognized. But until such times as the market will support a traveling show of game music in a more traditional orchestral style I'll just keep cranking up my symphonic suites in the comfort of my own home.

What do you want out of your local video games/high culture crossover?

Tossing My Hat into the MJ Tribute Ring

It says a lot about my web viewing habits that I first heard about Michael Jackson's death through a game site. As I've processed his passing throughout the day (and done my share to aid last.fm's spike of song plays) I've tried to think of his impact on my game playing. Like any self-respecting gaming child of the 80's I played the ever-loving snot out of Moonwalker for the Genesis and pumped several dollars worth of quarters into its isometric arcade counterpart. It's Robo-Michael. Who can resist that?

Still MJ has been somewhat absent from modern gaming, with the exception of the to-be-expected rhythm game appearances (themselves far too few - although trying to actually sing decently like Michael is its own genre of comedic buffoonery). Fortunately we live in the era of the custom playlist so I submit for your approval my suggestions for songs to include in your custom soundtracks for games that allow it if you need a little more MJ in your life:

Burnout Paradise - Beat It

Several different racers offer custom soundtracks and by and large any song with a nice driving beat would work, but Beat It is especially appropriate given the more urban feel of Paradise. Besides, doesn't being the marked man whilst cranking this one sound immaculate?

Flock - Leave Me Alone

The video for this one's got quite the trippy, psychedelic carny vibe that melds well with a trippy, psychedelic alien abduction vibe. Can't think of any other tune for herding defenseless sheep. (Bonus: the dancing elephant man scene haunted my childhood!)

High Velocity Bowling - Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough

70's bowling league vibe meets disco. A spare made in heaven.

Little Big Planet - Speed Demon

You might think this song better suited to a racing game (SARBC perhaps?), but you can make racing games in LBP too! The claymation goodness of the video screams LBP and the beat reminds me of some of the tunes in the Savannah levels.

Magic Ball - Remember the Time

Yes, I actually bought this game off the PSN. No, it's not worth the money. But I've got it now and if I want to chill a little bit to some rather laid back Arkanoid-style action this ain't a bad pick. Period costumes ftw!

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe - Bad

Much like the pairing of MJ and inner-city West Side Story-like cool this clash of titanic IPs was probably best left to fanfic - but we love it nonetheless.

Noby Noby Boy - In the Closet

Um, not gonna touch this one ;)

Pain - The Way You Make Me Feel

There ain't much in the way of punk/ska/oy!oy! music to go along with Pain in MJ's back catalog (unless he went through a neo-punk phase I'm not aware of). Thus we'll have to stick to the lyrically appropriate. You knock me off of my feet!

PixelJunk Eden - Baby Be Mine

Not the most well known of MJ's songs, but the laid back synth beat is perfect for swinging around on the end of a thread and getting your grow on.

PixelJunk Monsters - Smooth Criminal

Just imagining those little monsters marching along to this one makes me squeal with glee. Those crafty criminals, they'll get their due!

Street Fighter IV - Wanna Be Startin' Something

My guilty pleasure. I'd give anything to be able to use custom soundtracks in online games. Mamma say mamma saw my moccasin - to your dome! (Oh yea, and you're a vegetable!)

Super Stardust HD - Heal the World

Perhaps I'm bordering on ironic-douchebag territory here, but come on, you are trying to save the world here (of course 99% of games have that general idea). This song really belongs in Flower - if only it had custom soundtracks.

Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars - Off the Wall

Lyrically appropriate. Think of a lovely roller disco ballet - of the supersonic acrobatic rocket powered variety.

Wipeout - Another Part of Me

Nice driving synth beat in this one, very reminiscent of the early techno that characterizes the franchise. Best reserved for endless mode on the easier tracks where you can just go on autopilot and live in a trance.

Yinz Come Back Now, Hear?

I'm officially a Yinzer. You may have noticed my rather lengthy absence from blogging and would be forgiven for thinking I had met my prediction of falling off the face of the interwebs after a scant few months (just two, really? had you no faith at all?). But, in fact, my life has been a whirlwind of change the past few months - physically, spiritually, and emotionally - which has resulted in my transformation from southerner to northerner. Or midwesterner. Or eastnorwester. Whatever it is you call Pittsburghers (apparently western PA is it's own classification).

No doubt some of the details of this transformation will leak out over the course of future blog posts (any tips for thematically linking life-changes to gaming are appreciated!). For now I'll try to slowly get back into the swing of things and catch up on all of the great blog conversations I've only skimmed. Fortunately I've got a grip (is that appropriate slang up here?) of half-finished posts I began over the past months to kick start my return to PEEGing.

That said I'm not letting you get out of this post without some post-emo-existential gaming ranting.

Michael Abbot once wrote about the clarity of focus that comes from travel when you are limited to your portable devices. This isn't travel per se (though I have logged many hours into Patapon 2) but a major move and while I do have my PS3 available it is hooked up to a gloriously low-def television at my girlfriend's place. In fact, due to packing the wrong set of cables for a time I had to use component cables on a composite connection which - while doable - results in a PS3 output in old-school black & white! There's something to be said for getting down to just the bare essentials in SFIV - and not spending 20 seconds narcissistically deciding what color outfit to pwn your opponent with. Moving from my rather respectably sized, widescreen, HD, epilepsy inducing purveyor of next-gen eye candy to a modest, boxy CRT in no way diminished the joy of SFIV (the same can't be said for my atrophied skills after a two-week hiatus). That's a great testament to the primacy of game mechanics. I wonder if I would have just as much fun playing online with hitboxes alone.

I can't think of a single other PS3 game I own that would hold up well under similar graphical degradation. LittleBigPlanet relies on the tactile look of it's scrapbook objects to draw you into its world. Flower is just depressing without the element of color (as emphasized in the second dream). Word on the street is that you shouldn't even bother with PixelJunk Eden unless you have an HD screen to pick out those pixel-sized particles of pollen.

But SFIV reigns o'er all with it's wonderful online play and poke, prod, and decieve game mechanics (it's certainly not the compelling narrative that keeps me coming back!). I'll take it monochrome on a green, scan-lined background if need be. Any other current-gen games you can say the same for?