only joking, i just like elder scrolls.
Follow Me on Twitter: @Garruff
Post with 1 note
My Favourite Game: Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
Christmas 1998, at the tender age of 7 I was blessed with a Playstation. With it, I received the age appropriate (but still brilliant) games of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, but perhaps partly due to my father’s own intervention, I also received Oddworld: Abe’s Odysee. Released the year before, I was sadly deemed too young for a games console in 1997. Yet only a year later, in my father’s purchase of Abe I was apparently ready to understand such profound themes as mass slaughter, extermination and the war between the working classes and the anti-humanitarian ethics of some naughty capitalists.
Obviously then, it was perhaps just the toilet humour that compelled me to stay up late that fine Christmas Day evening and commit myself to this ingenious action-puzzler, but ever since then, Abe’s Oddysee has fascinated me, captured my imagination and scared the living hell out of my very soul. It isn’t a horror you say? Well, I personally challenge you to escape from Rupture Farms, whilst being confronted by both the terrifying silhouettes of the Scrabs, as well as the panic of disarming those deadly mines. The tension is screamingly unbearable. Essentially, Abe’s Oddysee remains a puzzler, but the way in which it blends with action contributes to the drama of the story.
Playing Abe now though, makes me understand what it was that must hae captivated me as a child, and this is the sense of imagination that is brought to life in just a 2D game. The artistic vision of the beautiful and peculiar natural world of Oddworld makes an intriguing backdrop, but the way in which this environment contrasts with the dark industrialisation of Rupture Farms really emphasises the theme of liberation and the sense of exploration that so defines Abe’s story. This is also realised in the near un-noticeable ambient score by Ellen Meijers, whose subtle, empty strings emphasise the wilderness of Scrabania. While the rich use of animal calls and tribal drums contribute to the sense of life in Paramonia.
The ultimate climax in the story of Abe using the power of nature to free the inhabitants of Oddworld from the tyranny of the Glukkons is, perhaps, a trifle cliché. However, the sense of humour and modesty in Abe’s character removes any sense of self-righteousness in the narrative, instead creating a simple story of good vs. evil that is so brilliantly formed and told, and so fully realised in the craftsmanship of the game design, that it even achieves merit of a literary standard. It was also so challenging, that it took me and my father months to track down all the secret areas and save the Mudokens from the various death-threatening situations. But when we finally rescued all 99, I felt like king of the world. Or perhaps just King of Oddworld.
Post with 1 note
Mass Effect 3 Demo
So if you’re excited as i am about accessing Bioware’s expectantly epic/tragic/sexy/awesome (delete as appropriate to your experience) ending to the Mass Effect trilogy, then you’ll be well aware that via the tedious medium of Facebook, gamers can access the demo early; meaning TWO FREAKIN’ EXTRA DAYS of galactic blasting, reaper bashing fun time and perhaps even a little love making (although i would blame Bioware of being a bunch of sex addicts if they felt the need to get that in the demo too.
However, the facebook ‘game’, while smartly alluding to the in game hacking screens prove to irritatingly difficult and as a result obnoxiously braggy because it is like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey, but with a gun next to its head too. The donkey also loves mass effect. Therefore, even though it’s available for the masses, it’s also very limiting, which proves well for Battlefield fans, as it means they are the only ones who get to play it easily.
Luckily for myself, the nice people at gaming angels have sent me a holy code to the beta, so i don’t have to break my brain in rage waiting two hours for the mini-game decoder to reset. They may have a few codes left, so if you’re reading this now, then get the geth over to here: http://www.gamingangels.com/2012/02/win-an-xbox-mass-effect-3-beta-code/#lf_comment=12292556
I will be posting my response here with much enthusiasm this tuesday.
The Hobbit: What Game Would Make A Fantastic Movie Tie-in?
Ever since we reached the official year countdown to its release, my excitement for The Hobbit films has built to a point of near cardiac imbalance and arrest. The apparent promise from the trailer of Jackson raises the realms of the child fiction to the more mature elements of The Lord of the Rings is something to be very interested in; and cynics of this tampering of the simple, loveable story may not be aware that Tolkien himself was once very unhappy with the juvenile fiction of The Hobbit - exercising self restraint with his revisions in order to not ‘have the text completely re-written’. Therefore, do Jackson credit, he’s trying to achieve something in his film that captures the more innocent period of middle-earth, but still raising the game to achieve something that combines the charm of a more pleasant story, and the grand narrative of Tolkien’s external fiction.
This got myself thinking about the possibilities of The Hobbit games that will inevitably surround the release of the two films, and how the history of ‘The Lord of the Rings games’ could quite needfully follow from Jackson’s example in The Hobbit films of adding depth. If we consider this history, the major problem for these games that has limited their playability and re-playability is the sincere lack of depth; often due to a dependence on the Jackson LOTR films, which in contrast to Jackson’s endeavours with The Hobbit, actually remove (quite understandably from a film maker’s point of view) a major amount the detail of the books. Otherwise it seems they weigh too heavily on the action elements and this latter problem can be seen as beginning as far back as 1982 with The Commodore 64’s Shadowfax: 
Admittedly, Shadowfax is quite addictive and as one of the first Tolkien themed games made, as well as having the draw-backs of the more simple technology, we cannot criticise it for its repetitive action based gameplay, but rather it illustrates the doom of creative stifling that has haunted most of the major LOTR games for the past thirty years; which can be more recently seen by 2002’s The Two Towers: 
Again, it remains very fun at first, but after receiving it with so much LOTR-infused glee on Christmas Day 2002, i was quickly left bored by boxing day. The inclusion of co-operative game-play in its sequel added a certain edge to it, but just like Sauron in the story of the downfall of Numenor, he might look nice with his new face, but he’s still the same old evil bastard underneath. Perhaps that’s a little strong, but when we look at the recent War in The North, the problems again become apparent. Personally, i was very excited about the prospect of a new game set in Tolkien’s universe, especially considering Snowblind were behind it, but really considering how Snowblind haven’t broken the mould in years, they were never going to create something radical in a new LOTR game; the end result being, a repetetive hack n’ slash that isn’t all that different from the decade old The Two Towers.
However, there have been at least attempts to veer a LOTR game towards the expansive world of middle-earth, rather than emphasise too much on action; and this can be seen as early as 1888 with Melbourne House’s War in Middle-earth: 
While it’s a long way from perfect, the emphasis on detail and narrative shows an admirable attempt towards something more Tolkien; and the impact of this attempt at a LOTR real-time strategy can be seen in the later The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth, which remains one of the best LOTR games you can buy:
Again, the form doesn’t exactly lend itself to a perfect Tolkien experience; which I believe, in a video game, could be found in the immersive world and characteristic depth of the books, and could perhaps be manifested in some form of RPG, but LOTR BFME 2 still remains a brilliant ode to the richly created cultural differences of the many countries and races of middle-earth; certainly capturing, more so than the EA games, the vast landscape and grandeur of the books.
Of course, due to the obvious influence Tolkien has on the work of Bethesda, Oblivion and Skyrim also remain grand contenders for a great LOTR game, because really what would make a fantastic LOTR game is being able to absorb yourself into a character involved in the expansive world of middle-earth and Skyrim captures this essence of imaginative fiction beautifully in the way we can create ourselves in an expansive world of rich fiction, history and culture. If we look at the story of Aragorn in LOTR, and in particular, his story of wandering the landscape of middle-earth in search of Gollum, we are presented with a narrative and atmosphere of lone-wanderer and isolated independence that clearly defines the gameplay of Skyrim; and for that reason, Skyrim remains closer to the essence of Tolkien’s fiction, than most LOTR games do.
Therefore, for a perfect Hobbit game, we would need to find something that is closer to Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, than War in the North, because in order to be a great LOTR game, it needs to be close to the fiction of Tolkien, rather than relying on the watered down elements of Jackson’s movies. This has of course been found in the exemplary The Lord of the Rings Online, which still holds the title for best LOTR game out there because in its heavy RPG elements, finds itself creating a massive world which works in combination with the individual gamers imagination and creativity of character creation; ultimately expanding upon the mythic elements of Tolkien’s work and capturing in a similar way to Skyrim, the individuality of all the characters in the world of middle-earth, and their importance in the events that shape that world. However, this clearly presents a problem for us, as the hard-core RPG elements of The Lord of the Rings Online are at odds with the more soft-core market expectations of a move tie-in game.A movie tie-in is naturally used as a form of promotion for the film that either expands, or reflects on the film itself, which therefore creates a necessity of accessibility for the game; and this can be seen by the simplicity of games such as The Two Towers and its sequel.
Therefore, there is a good chance that any form of game tie-in for The Hobbit film will be based in a similar mentality, and with a similar financial goal as the LOTR games that were released with the film trilogy. While the ultimate Hobbit game should be similar to something like Skyrim or LOTR:Online, I bet we will have to settle for something that is far more accessible to a more soft-core game market; which presents another problem for console gamers, as it means we won’t be seeing anything like LOTR:Online for xbox or PS3 anytime soon.
Post with 1 note
How Essential is a Soundtrack to a Video Game?
After all this recent furore over Mass Effect 3 (the release is getting pretty close now is’t it?), I picked up Mass Effect 2 for a little reminder about what makes the franchise so compelling. Mass Effect is often lauded for its importance in establishing a thin line between cinematics and gaming, as well as its brilliant use of choice based narrative, but another element that makes the game such a joy to play is the soundtrack. The prime example would be the immediately recognised galaxy map theme; which you can listen to here:
It compliments many of the themes and aesthetics of the game itself: namely, in its grandeur, the scope of a new realm of exploration, and in its depth of instrumentation it reflects the small place in the galaxy, the newly inducted human race have; whilst suggesting the promise of future adventure and opportunity.
This sublime use of music in a game got me thinking about how essential a soundtrack can be to a game; and i’m not saying simply the use of a song or songs to ramp up the action/drama (i’m thinking in particular of the cliched use of Papa Roach in Mech Assault 2), but how important it is in establishing some of the central ideas and artistry that can define a game; ultimately giving evidence to the argument for the game as an art form.
An excellent example would be the classic Oddworld: Abe’s Odysee; in which the soundtrack is used almost as an expansion of the fiction of the world of Oddworld in the way it utilises music as a way to engross and add depth to the detail of the world in its many animal noises, native music and peculiarities of noise. Upon the arrival of each new location, the aesthetic of the world is added to by this use of soundtrack; whilst the contrasts in sound emphasise the differences to the various parts of Oddworld which ultimately creates the impression that you are exploring a living, breathing world. The desert landscapes of Scrabania are complimented by a dusty wasteland of empty music of wind; emphasising the wilderness of Oddworld that is in contrast to the enslavement of the games beginning location Rupture farms:
On the other hand the rich forestry of Paramonia finds Abe closer to some of his own mudoken civilisation, and so instead of a soundtrack emphasising the foreign, we have a simple soundtrack of nature that is based around a playful use of simple, rural instruments - and pigeons of course:
What really impresses me about Abe though, is the fact that for a first game in a franchise we are treated to such a wealth of imagination that is so beautifully constructed in a combination of artistic imagery and complimentary music; that ultimately emphasises the darkness of the world itself, while emphasising the ‘oddity’ of Oddworld, which is particularly seen in the opening music:
Another classic use of soundtrack in a game that wouldn’t be the same without it is Final Fantasy 7. Arguably, the best ever Final Fantasy, the main narrative stands out from the other titles because it doesn’t focus its whole thematic focus around love; which while it does touch upon, isn’t battered to death in a cheesy, dramatic pounding (if you’ve played Final Fantasy 10, you’ll know what i mean). Instead, Final Fantasy 7 finds itself based around far more grittier issues, such as identity, fascism, care for the environment, scientific experimentation, mental breakdown, as well as the classic destruction of the entire world by a deranged half-devil. The only major inclusion of a love theme is focused around a love-triangle to begin with, but then after the death of Aries we find something that emphasises the friendship between Cloud and Tifa, rather than anything too romanticised. As you can guess, many of these ideas are established and emphasised by the rich soundtrack, but what makes it particularly remarkable is that composer Nobuo Uematsu created the soundtrack without real instrumentation, but instead used a MIDI controller that worked around the original Playstation’s sound chip. The effect being, that you get music that sounds closer to the simplicity of Pokemon than the rich orchestral depth of Halo:
And yet somehow it adds even more emotional intensity than a lot of modern soundtracks. Perhaps it is this childness to it that hits a particular nerve with the human mind, but importance of past and childhood plays a major role in the narrative unfolding of Final Fantasy 7. The relationship between Cloud and Tifa, the major change of Sephiroth from renowned warrior to genocidal god-complex and the warped mind of Cloud as a result of mako poisoning are all centred around Cloud’s childhood town of Nibelheim, and the music here plays on this nostalgic sentimentality; emphasising the importance of the past in the central events of the story, but also in its suggestively disturbing edge, hints towards the twisting of this past by Cloud’s fragile state of mind:
For me, this is what makes Final Fantasy 7 such a hallmark in the series. Nothing is as it seems, and instead of the standard hero of the story we are presented with a character who has many things in common with the disturbed mind of the primary antagonist.
Therefore, when it comes to some of the best games i’ve ever played, a major part played in making the game so brilliant is the soundtrack. Perhaps with certain games, namely Call of Duty, we don’t need to rely on the soundtrack to appreciate the experience, but otherwise, when there is a certain depth added to a game, this richness is often found due to the soundtrack of the game itself, thus showing how essential a soundtrack is to a video game.
Post with 3 notes
2012: A Saliva-Fuelled Anticipation Of This Years Games
It’s not a rounded number, or a reflection on everything coming as i’m sure there are games to be released we don’t even expect, but here are four games that i’m sure will be discussed furtively before release.
1) Mass Effect 3
Bioware almost deserve a good telling-off for the amount of ludicrously good games they get everyone obsessed with, and Mass Effect 3 is the prime example of obsession; not only do we have the natural anxiety-riddled excitement that comes with the closing of a trilogy (remember when halo 3 came out?), but we have the contentious expectation of the multiplayer platform joining this. While on the subject of it being the closing part of a trilogy, we must not forget the fact that this isn’t the ending of just Shephards story, but it’s the ending of our own story too. I’m sorry to be sentimental, but what stands out Mass Effect as such a hallmark of the current generation gaming is that its managed to find its own unique genre niche somewhere between the personal touch customisation of the RPG, but with the grand, blockbuster, intense and emotional story-telling of more linear action games such as Gears of War and Halo. Therefore, in spite of the RPG heavy first game, and the more action oriented sequel, it looks like we’re getting the best of both worlds with ME3; hopefully resulting in a game that finds the brilliant action of blockbuster gaming, but with an added depth in skill customisation (i hope this is the case, as i, and many others found ME2 to be lacking somewhat in the RPG elements). Surely it is almost legally deemed cruel to add so much tension to one game?
2) Splinter Cell 6 (hopefully?)
Remember this naughty little image? Well it’s the only taster we’ve got so far from SC6, and as a long-term fan of the franchise it is making me twitch with frustration. This frustration is definitely fuelled by the gruelling disappointment that spans from when Ubisoft announced there would be no Spies Vs. Mercs multiplayer in Splinter Cell: Conviction. It’s the potential that bugs me the most, as i fondly recall Splinter Cell Chaos Theory’s multiplayer as being the best multiplayer experience i’ve ever had; and if you’d accuse me of saying i’d find it dated now, i was fortunate enough to get quite a few hours in just before the old Xbox Live was shut down. This isn’t helped by the fact they haven’t ruled out bringing it back, even hinting it might have even been released as DLC, but considering how fed up many of us are finding ourselves with the very average multiplayer of Call of Duty, i think a fresh instalment of the innovative and absolutely adrenaline tense multiplayer of Splinter Cell would make a huge difference in the current variations of multiplayer we have available. Don’t make me beg Ubisoft, in fact, as a kind of fast, i’m not even going to mention the fact the story based mode will probably be even better than Conviction. Oh wait….
3) Halo 4
On a very different note, i wouldn’t describe this anticipation as a form of excitement, but more a poisonous cynicism that i’m hoping will be antidoted by a well-crafted, kind-of, re-boot of the series with a new trilogy. You’ll forgive my cynicism i hope, fan-boy’s, but in spite of the fact i’ve been a huge fan of the series, the official statement hasn’t really left much room for imagination:
‘Master Chief returns to confront his own destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe’.
What, like the flood? I’m pretty sure they were an ancient evil that threatened the universe? My previous blog post also discussed how Microsoft were turning Halo into a cash-cow, and due to the fact that 343 was solely created (by Microsoft after Bungie became independent) to ‘over-see future development of the franchise basically says to me that this is where it’s going. I’m sure it’s in good hands, and many people who worked for Bungie are part of 343, but the fact that the frankly, needless remake of Halo: Combat Evolved is the only real thing they’ve done gives evidence about what this franchise is going to sacrifice: originality. Still, it sounds there might be some radical changes to the gameplay, but the important thing about halo for me was how different every game was; i was really convinced creatively of the world they created and due to the fact the lead designer on Halo 4 has now quit because he wasn’t ‘creatively excited’ forecasts weather of disaster for me. I hope i’m wrong.
4) Bioshock: Infinite
This is an important one for me, and why? Because as many have cited before, Bioshock proves like no other that the video game is an art form. The creativity in its imagination, scope and depth is profoundly and meticulously created to the player in a way that really engages due to how beautiful the game is, how unique it is and just how damn good the story is too. Bioshock didn’t even really need the sequel, as we got plenty of back story just from the first, but while it is definitely a sad departure to be saying goodbye to Rapture, like your favourite musician, and all great, creatively minded bands, you’re always sad to see (or hear) the new album’s different, but you know deep down they can’t stay the same forever or it would just become dry. Therefore, i welcome Columbia with open arms, and we can hardly say it’s going to be a disappointment, as we’ve been treated with a change of setting that goes from one extreme fantasy to the other. First we’re living in a city underwater, and now its in the sky, and we’ve gone from one example of a fascist utopian city that’s been corrupted by its own original immoral vision, to a setting of American exceptionalism. Without getting too nitty-gritty, just like the great play writers of the 20th century, it’s just refreshing to see a developer using the game itself in a similar way as a form of commentary. Still, regardless of that, it’s a beautiful place for a game, and everything we loved about Bioshock looks like it’s making a tremendous return.
Post with 4 notes
Why Rayman: Origins Was The Most Important Game Of 2011
I refuse to acknowledge anyone who has so far refused to be won over by Rayman: Origins’ playful charm, joyous colouring and ridiculously fun game play as even a person. Upon it’s immediate announcement, i admit, i was cynical about a return to a dead franchise (with the rayman rabbids spiritually assaulting the remains of my fond memories of the original rayman games), but after finally getting my hands on the demo i could not have been more obsessed with the idea of returning the more innocent part of my mind to a gaming world that is free from the constraints of the darkening imprisonment of modern blockbuster gaming. Due to the massive hole in my pocket, my wishes to find the game for a more affordable 30 sterling meant that my compulsive desire to return the realms of my childhood were sadly, foiled; and i even confess that i proclaimed the absurdity of paying 40 pounds for a game that, in its simplicity, clearly could find a place in the xbox live arcade.
Eventually a nice man on ebay gave it to me for 29 pounds, and in some kind of capitalist take on Jesus, this man embodied Christ in the way that he made me see the moral errors of my ways (in reality, he was probably just a bulk-buyer, who was looking to make a quick quid), and corrected me in proving that Rayman: Origins is so much more than Arcade game . It is bold in its level design, enlightening in its colour, and down-right rootin’ tootin’ in its gameplay; creating a rich blend of both the soft-core and hard-core gaming markets. David Jaffe described it best as a living ‘Looney Tunes’ cartoon, but why i think it is so important is this key blend of soft and hardcore gaming. It is totally accessible, with a steady learning-curve, and yet the aptly named tricky treasures require dedication, practice and the patience of a glacier; and ultimately upon their completion, leads to ‘the land of the living dead’ which remains one of the most difficult pieces of platform gaming i’ve had the pleasure (or aggravation) of experiencing. Even so, these more hardcore elements still remain a joy to play, partly due to the imaginative level design, but ultimately because it is just so fun to play (even when you’ve died about 20 times in a row).
Ultimately what is important about Rayman, and what made it the game of 2011 for me, was that it was so surprising what modesty can do to a game. Progression is an important part of the gaming market, but the sheer lack of progression i witnessed in staple major titles such as Modern Warfare 3, gives evidence to me that their is not enough of it happening. Often the past can be used as an interesting influence for an entirely new experience, and this is what Rayman: Origins uses to success; creating a gaming experience that nods to the past, but in its sheer slickness, hilarity and ingenius of design creates a hallmark and forward-thinking example of the platformer, but more importantly, shows that the genre is still capable of a richness that can compete in the modern gaming market.
While Skyrim once again pushed the limit of the RPG, Rayman: Origins contrasts the often blockbuster emphasis of games such as Battlefield and Call of Duty, and instead creates a real ‘game’, that is both imaginative and well delivered; essentially showing what it is that originally made the gaming market thrive in the first place, in that it doesn’t place emphasis on cinematics, or movie standard story lines, but creates something simple, accessible, and fun. It is then, important, because it is a refreshing alternative to the usual darkness of the popular FPS genre.
