Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Review: Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe



Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe is a surprisingly good game, at first glance most would be skeptical of putting Batman and Superman next to Scorpion and Sub Zero but the game handles the differences very well. There are several modes with the first being the arcade mode. You pick if you want to face DC characters, MK characters, or a mix of the two. Then you pick your player and fight through a progression just like the classic MK titles. Next is the story mode which follows a simple formula; cut-scene, fight, cut-scene, fight, etc. You can play through the game on the MK side or the DC side and both have different story lines which allow for a total game time of 4-6 hours. The story is actually convincing and well put together. Playing through it as one side and then seeing the other side of some events is a really nice feature to the game.
The replay value really comes into play in the arcade and the multiplayer. There are also “Kombo” challenges for each character. The gameplay is superb for a 3D fighter. As we all know, fighters have had a hard time moving from 2D to 3D, this game fixes many of the problems though it isn’t perfect. If you have decent reflexes you can still sidestep large attacks in the 3rd dimension with the left stick. The D-Pad is used for the special moves so that gives a genuine feel to the game, there were times when I moved with the D-Pad and felt like I was back controlling my Sega Genesis, which is a good thing because it is a familiar feel. The attacks are well-balanced and a good player can win with any character. Of course Superman, Batman, Raiden, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion seem to be the first choices in terms of ability, but you can still practice and do really well with any of the others like the Flash, Green Lantern, Sonya, or Jax. There aren’t any “Balrog’s” in this game. (If you don’t know Balrog in Street Fighter had an attack that drained about half an opponent’s life and was easily done. He picked up the opponent and head butted him repeatedly, there was no way to break this and so it was very frustrating) You can counter an opponent’s attack and this helps keep the gameplay balanced.
There are four special modes of fighting. The first is “Klose Kombat”, you press the right bumper and pull your opponent close to you, and then icons appear on your side and on their side of the screen. You have to press the one button that is not highlighted on their side and you will get a clean hit. If you hit the same button they will counter. The same goes if you are engaged and are on the defensive, you need to quickly push the same button to counter. The second mode is rage mode; two small yellow bars will fill up under your life as you fight. If you are blocked or are hit the bar fills up, but it goes down if you successfully counter an enemy. When they are both full you press the left and right triggers to go into rage mode. For a short time your attacks will deal a lot more damage and you will block attacks more easily. The third mode is the free fall mode and that is when you or your opponent does a large attack near a designated area and it sends both of you flying down. If you are on top a button will appear (like in “Klose Kombat”) and you need to hit that button quickly to fill up a red bar. When it is full you can press in the right bumper and you will do a special finishing move and slam your opponent into the ground. If you are on bottom you need to counter the opponent’s buttons and if you are successful you will flip to the top. The fourth and final special mode is “test your might” and it is when you hit an opponent near a designated wall and you pick them up and slam them through multiple walls. You need to slam all four colored buttons as fast as you can to increase the damage you inflict, if you are picked up you are trying to decrease the damage you take on.
The fatalities/brutalities are not defined in the moves list or in the manual. I consulted IGN and still couldn’t perform the ending moves which are only available in the arcade and multiplayer, not the story mode. So I have yet to do any but they seem to be pretty difficult to pull off. They have to be pretty tamed though because the game has a “Teen” rating, so not too much gore, just some blood. This was controversial but I think it was nice that they respected the integrity of the DC characters and didn’t make them what they weren’t, which are brutal killers, like the MK characters. They didn’t need to make a “Mature” rated game and they didn’t. There is still plenty of violence to satisfy fans. The characters actually seem to work well against one another because of their opposing ideologies.
Overall the game brings a lot to the table. It is one of the few 3D fighters that are worth the money. The graphics are nice and there are a variety of environments. The game has the same great replay value of traditional fighters and is a good buy for any fan of fighters or of the DC characters. I highly recommend.

Gameplay: 9
Story: 8.5
Replay Value: 10
Graphics: 8.9
Overall: 9.1

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

James' Holiday Gaming Guide: Games to Ask Santa For


With Christmas approaching quickly, I’ve taken the liberty of listing some of the best games for the holiday season.
For Xbox Owners:
· Gears of War 2- My review firmly stated how much I enjoyed this game and I think you will too. It has a great story mode, some improved multiplayer, and graphics that are out of this world. The game is rated MA and is good for older teens and up.
· Fable 2- This RPG has all of the elements that it needs to be a great advancement on the first Fable. With a large open world and a story that develops based on your actions, this game is a must have for RPG fans.
· Left 4 Dead- The new zombie game from Valve (creators of Half Life) delivers on the promise of great multiplayer and a true to form zombie infestation that captures the essence of zombie movies nicely.

For PS3 Owners:
· Metal Gear Solid 4- This AAA title has been the most touted for the Playstation. It offers dynamic action gameplay and great graphics that utilize the PS3’s great hardware as well as any game has.
· Resistance 2- This game is another Playstation exclusive that has drawn a lot of attention; it is a solid first person shooter that offers a traditional shooter experience.
· Killzone 2- Perhaps the most anticipates game of the year, Killzone 2 has been the focus of conversation since its trailer all the way back at E3 2005. With graphics to rival Gears 2 and a promise of great gameplay this game could be huge for the PS3.
· Little Big Planet- The original IP has drawn a significant amount of attention and it could be a great, dynamic take on the platformer if the user generated content on Home comes through for it. Only time will tell.
For Wii Owners:
· Mario Kart Wii- A continuation of the popular franchise this game uses the wii wheel to bring the authentic kart racing experience
· Super Smash Brother Wii- Another entry in the popular franchise this game will undoubtedly please fans of the series.
Multiplatform Games:
· Fallout 3- This post-apocalyptic RPG has generated a lot of praise and for good reason. With dynamic consequences for all of your actions and a new take on weaponry and attack, this game is something new that fans will enjoy.
· Grand Theft Auto 4- An extremely comprehensive game that immerses you deeply into Liberty City and the plight of Nikko Bellic. You can spend hours in this game just driving around and never work on the story mode, it is a very fun game that has so much replay value it is ridiculous.
· Call of Duty: World at War-The next installment in the COD franchise this game brings us back to WWII and into the Pacific to fight Japanese forces. With narration from Keifer Sutherland (Jack Bauer) and classic COD gameplay, the game brings a lot to the table.
· Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe- An interesting mix of characters and a highly criticized “Teen” rated gameplay (not usual MK blood and gore) this fighter is the first in a while that I am excited about. Most fighters have not made a good transition to 3-D but this game promises to be different with a good story and gameplay. The addition of so many iconic characters doesn’t hurt either. I just hope that it is as good as it looks, I’ll review it once I actually get it ;)
· The Force Unleashed- If you didn’t buy this game back in September, then now is your chance to make up for that. With incredible graphics, fun gameplay, and a story that is better than the story in “Attack of the Clones” (My least favorite SW movie, by the way) this game is a must have for any SW fan. I would also recommend the “Jedi Temple” DLC that I reviewed earlier.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, here’s to 2009 the year of Ghostbusters!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed DLC Review


The Force Unleashed just got its first downloadable level and it is called the "Jedi Temple Level Pack." The pack is available at the Xbox Live marketplace for 800 MS points or about $10. The DLC includes a new single player level and several new characters including Mace Windu, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul. To play the level you need to start a new game and there will be a list with the normal game and with the Jedi Temple game underneath it. You don't get to use your player from any saved games that you have however they start you with a character with almost all of the powers and abilities and you will level up several times.


The level itself is fun but a little short when you figure out what to do, it is not as long as the normal levels in the game and that was a little disappointing. The story is simple, Starkiller is going to the ruins of the Jedi Temple on Courscant to find a hologram and hopefully learn more about his father. There is a very cool boss character and the action is just as fun and challenging as the rest of TFU so if you liked the game you will like this DLC. The level is also more destructible than the majority of the other levels in the game so that is a nice element.


The level doesn't bring anything radically new but it sticks to what worked in the game and that is a good thing. I would recomend it if you liked the game, if you didn't like the game than this won't change your mind.


Overall: 8/10

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Atari's First Ghostbusters Game Trailer!


After a long time in “limbo” Ghostbusters: The Video Game was finally picked up by publisher Atari and they are beginning their ad campaign now with a new trailer and a new site that will be launching any day now. The new trailer features our first looks at Peter Venkman and Walter Peck, both of which look amazing. The trailer is all cut-scenes but it has a good feel of a movie about it. I feel that the cinematic approach is best suited for Ghostbusters because of the game’s nature as, essentially, the third film.
The trailer shows off some very impressive character modeling and it is obvious that tons of effort was put into the development of the character models, which helps bring the authenticity to the game. I would prefer good character models and decent environments to the opposite because the actors were such a key part of the original movies. The emphasis on them is well placed, but that does not mean that they have forgotten the environments and the ghosts. There are some impressive visuals in the trailer as well, the ghosts are colorful and have a nice hue about them. The opening shot of the New York City skyline was so good I almost thought it was a scene from a live action movie and not a computer generated image.
The game looks very promising and I just cannot stand the wait. It will be out in June 2009, with a hinted at demo possibly coming out soon but that is completely rumor for now. Hopefully with the launch of the site we will be treated to even more GB goodness. But for now you can see the new trailer in all its HD glory at Gametrailers.com.

Monday, December 1, 2008

The New Xbox Dashboard


The updated Xbox dashboard that was promoted at E3 this year is finally out and I really like it. The new set-up has a lot of new media options, easier-to-navigate menus, and a more colorful and fun experience, although there are some things that probably should have been left out.
One of the first things that you will notice is the overall layout, all of the options appear as boxes that are staggered and you can use the analog sticks to navigate up, down, left, and right. There are all of the standard options as well as an expanded marketplace. The items you want are much easier to find, as you can browse the marketplace by title and genre. Also all of the downloads for a particular game can be viewed together, for example, if you go to Halo 3, you can see all of the downloadable map packs and videos together. There is still an abundance of game demos to try out and the interface is just plain improved.
You can also buy episodes of popular TV shows, buy music videos, and rent movies from a relatively large library of titles that will undoubtedly be expanding over the coming months. The premium themes make the dashboard itself look much better than the previous installment and the general layout is easy on the eyes. You should have no trouble finding whatever you want. The usual “Inside Xbox” feature is still there and, like everything else, it’s easy to navigate.
But there is definitely one thing that I could have done without and that is the Avatars, they are a blatant rip-off of the Mii’s and are way too “kiddy” for the Xbox 360. Seeing an avatar in front next to a big picture of Marcus Fenix just doesn’t sit right with me. The idea is to appeal to the “casual” market that the Wii targets, but I think that that is something Xbox just doesn’t need to do to be successful, the Xbox and the Playstation both appeal to the more hardcore gamers or the more mature gamers, it doesn’t need to be decked out with “kid-friendly” avatars. Not that children’s games shouldn’t be on the system, it’s just that the whole avatar system is pushing it too far. But because of the sea of new media and the easier to navigate menus I can’t complain, I think overall it is a step forward for the Xbox interface.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The Evolution of Controllers


The controller is one of the most basic parts of the video game experience and often we overlook the importance and value of the controller. We also take for granted the great control schemes that we have today to play our favorite games, but it wasn’t always so great. In this essay I will give a retrospective on the evolution of gaming controllers, from the early 1970’s to today’s generation of gaming consoles. Controllers have come a long way and have become much more effective through a lot of trial and error.
In the early days of video games, each game had its own input device. For example, a hunting game would have a laser gun attached to it and a driving game would have a steering wheel attached to the console. What must be remembered is that at this time in history video game consoles only played one game and that game was programmed into the system itself. So the hunting game would be a completely separate console from the driving game. This is the way it was in arcades and it made sense to apply that to the home video game market. It wasn’t until the development of the Atari 2600 in the mid-1970’s that the idea of interchangeable game cartridges was proposed.
With the advent of the Atari 2600 and the interchangeable game cartridges, came the necessity for a universal controller that could work for all of the games that would come out for the console. It wasn’t practical to sell each game with its own controller; that would make the prices too high and dissuade people from buying a totally new kind of product. Video games were not developed as a market segment yet so people didn’t know if they would really be successful in the home or not. In developing the controller Atari used a very basic joystick concept for movement and a single red button for any kind of action that needed to be performed. While the controller was very rudimentary it was useable for most all of the games. Atari did sell some other controllers, like the “paddle” controllers but the majority of the games used the traditional controller.
When Atari’s competitors (Coleco and Mattel Electronics) decided to get into the game market they took a different approach, they used a numeric keypad system, like a telephone, with some form of joystick or a disk. These control schemes were complicated and the controls changed for every game, so much so that people needed overlays to know what buttons to hit for what action, it was much less intuitive than the Atari controller and this led people to continue to support Atari as opposed to switching to these new systems. The idea of the numeric keypad didn’t die with this however. When the Atari 5200 was released it had controllers with a numeric keypad, not only was this a mistake but the controllers were notorious for not functioning, this was a huge step backwards for the controllers.
In 1985 Nintendo released the NES and that used a controller that utilized a “D-pad” (directional pad) and two buttons on the opposite side of the controller. This set-up was much more intuitive than anything before and it was a big step towards the controllers that we know today. The D-pad was more maneuverable than the joystick and the two buttons allowed for more actions and more complex games. For the rest of the 8-bit and the 16-bit era controllers followed this basic structure with one d-pad (usually on the left) and two or more buttons on the right. Nintendo’s prime competitor, Sega, released the Genesis with a controller that had thee buttons “A” “B” and “C.” But it was Nintendo who introduced the concept of the “shoulder” button. The SNES featured a button on both sides of the top of the controller, these buttons were rarely used but they led the way for the controllers to come that would make better use of the buttons.
Atari made a final attempt to get back into the video game race but their last try was an absolute disaster, the Jaguar was not only a bad system but it also had terrible controllers. The first problem is that they went back to the numeric system; if it didn’t work before why would it work now? Then the two red buttons were spaced out far from one another on the top of the massive controller. The controller was extremely awkward to handle and it didn’t help a system that was bad enough anyway.
If that isn’t enough bad controllers for you, Phillips released a CD based gaming console called the CD-I. This system had several controllers, all of which were bad. The only decent one was the standard looking controller that was similar to the Sega Genesis controller. The controller that came with the system was wireless and had a small joystick at the top and buttons all around it. The designs were not very intuitive and this just made a bad system even worse.
In 1994 Sony released the Playstation and this controller utilized a four button set-up, like the SNES, but in a circle on the right of the controller. Later versions made use of a dual analog style that had two analog joysticks that were more sensitive to motion and controlled view and movement independently, this allowed for more mobility on the part of the player and a better vision range, once you got used to it. There was also a d-pad on this controller which further helped give the player more control. These controllers also had two buttons on each side of the top of the controller, 2 on the left and 2 on the right. This is a style that Sony has used, almost without difference, all the way until today and something that Microsoft also used in their controllers
In 1997 Nintendo released the Nintendo 64 which had controllers with one small analog joystick and a d-pad. They also had the traditional Nintendo “A” and “B” buttons but also 4 yellow buttons aligned in a circle on the right of the controller called the “C” buttons. These buttons were primarily used for secondary actions like control of camera angles in Super Mario 64. There was also the “Z” button on the back that acted as a trigger.
In 2001 Microsoft entered the console race and released the Xbox. The original Xbox controller was an absolute monstrosity, it was huge and many joked that it was meant for a bear. Microsoft released a smaller, and much better, controller that became the standard for the Xbox. When the Xbox 360 was released in 2005 the controller had synthesized the best portions of controllers in the past. The controller has one d-pad on the bottom leftish, two analog joysticks on the top left and the bottom rightish. There are 4 buttons on the right in a circle the X, A, B, and Y buttons. Then there are two triggers one on the right and one on the left of the top of the controller and finally two additional “shoulder” buttons called the “bumper” buttons. These buttons have a variety of uses in games and they are easy to use only if they aren’t used with the trigger on the same side.
Some new features have been added to controllers over the years besides button combination and the two most significant features are wireless controllers and “rumble” technology. Believe it or not the Atari 2600 had a wireless controller and so did the CD-I which I mentioned earlier. But these controllers were primitive and not very effective. The first wireless controller that really “got it right” was the Sega Dreamcast controller but unfortunately that system was doomed to failure. But that wasn’t the end of wireless controllers, the Xbox and the Playstation had their versions of the wireless controller but they were more expensive than the wired controllers and they required a lot of batteries to keep them running. Finally the Xbox 360 has now started to come packaged with one wireless controller. The controller runs on two AA batteries, but if you buy a “play and charge kit” you will get a rechargeable battery and a wire that you can plug into the controller and the Xbox, this way if the controller is low in battery you can plug it in and still play while the battery is charged, and then you can take the wire out when it is charged and play wireless again. This development has brought wireless control to the mainstream along with the naturally wireless “Wii” controller, which works on motion detection.
The second feature is the “rumble” technology which is forced feedback from the system to the controller that makes the controller shake when appropriate in the context of the game. This was first used, in mainstream gaming, with the “Rumble Pack” accessory to the N64 controllers. If you bought the rumble pack and plugged it into the slot where the memory card is he controller would shake when you were either hit in the game or in a variety of other situations. This was made a standard feature of Xbox and Xbox 360 controllers and it required no add on. The Playstation 3 controllers are the first of that line to have rumble technology. This rumbling effect helps immerse the player in the game and make it more realistic to them.
Controllers have come a long way and we have seen many good and bad ideas but I believe that in the end we have found a good style of controller that doesn’t need significant changing unless some massive improvement is made in game control, like the elimination of an input device, but that is a long way off if it is even possible so we will have to see.

Spotlight on the Angry Video Game Nerd


My attentions in this blog entry turn to the entertainer known as the Angry Video Game Nerd. AVGN (for short) is an online show starring James Rolfe, an independent filmmaker, and it deals with the nerd character reviewing bad old games and consoles. The focus of the show is on retro gaming so the vast majority of the games are from the 80’s and early 90’s. The show began as a two small reviews done by Mr. Rolfe for private viewing amongst friends. In these firs two reviews the nerd bashes “Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” both for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The character was originally dubbed the “Angry Nintendo Nerd” and Mr. Rolfe began to post his videos on Youtube.com but when it became a feature on Screwattack.com the title was changed to the Angry Video Game Nerd to avoid copyright problems and to show that the scope of the show had changed. Soon after the show was put on Screwattack, Gametrailers.com bought the rights to post the videos on their site. Now the nerd videos are only available on Gametrailers.com.
What is interesting about the show is the emphasis on retro gaming, everyone is talking about the newest tech and it is funny and unique to hear someone ranting about a game that is 20 years old. The shows can also be somewhat informative because there are many consoles and games that are featured that I hadn’t heard about until watching the show. Then of course there are the games and systems that I have played and that makes the reviews even more fun because I have personal experience to back up the content of the review itself. Many of his reviews are tied into the release of a new movie in the franchise (like his recent review of Indiana Jones games the day before the new one came out) or to the time of year especially his annual Halloween and Christmas Specials.
The “nerd” character is just that, a character that James Rolfe plays in these videos, many people believe that he is like this in real life but he and everyone who knows him assure us that he exaggerates to be funny on camera. The nerd utilizes foul language and many of his phrases have become quite popular, however I won’t repeat them here. The range of games and systems that the nerd has covered is very large and some of my favorite episodes are his Sega CD review, his Sega 32X review, his Silver Surfer review, his Ghostbusters 3 part review, and his Chronologically Confused video where he talks about weird numbering in both movies and video games. To date, the nerd has put out more than 50 reviews and has no plans to stop which makes me very happy. His reviews are not for everyone so if you are a young child or are easily offended by foul language steer clear but if not you will find the videos quite enjoyable.
The first volume of AVGN episodes is available right now on DVD for purchase at Screwattack.com, though you can watch all of the episodes for free online. If you go to www.cinemassacre.com/new you can find links to all of the AVGN videos and to Mr. Rolfe’s other works, I highly recommend “Legends of the Blue Hole” it is an interesting story about a fabled, bottomless pit in New Jersey. Mr. Rolfe also reviews movies on spike.com, and you can find out what he is doing by going to his page. Have fun watching the videos and come back to blog soon, I have a lot more planned for the coming days.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Atari Picks Up Ghostbusters: The Video Game and Gears 2 sells 2.1 milion copies on its first day


Game company Atari has officially announced what many have suspected for a while, they are going to be publishing the new video game based on the "Ghostbusters" movies. Ghostbusters: The Video Game was left without a publisher after the Vivendi-Activision merger and has finally officially landed a publisher. Atari has set a release window of "early summer 2009." Which will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the first film. (Which is June 8, 2009 to be exact) Gamestop has set a release date of June 16th which seems reasonable since it is a Tuesday (and also happens to be the 20th anniversary of Ghostbusters II) But Atari has not confirmed that date so it is most likely speculation in the part of Gamestop.


In other news, Gears of War 2 sold 2.1 million copies on its opening day (last Friday) and is expected to reach 3.5 million by this Friday. These numbers put it into an elite group of AAA game titles like Halo 3. This bodes well for the franchise and the possible Gears of War 3 that I am already waiting for.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Review: Gears of War 2



Gears of War was released on November 7, 2006 and quickly became the Xbox 360’s killer app. After exactly 2 years Epic games has finally released the highly anticipated sequel; Gears of War 2. Lead designer Cliff Bleszinski promised that it would be “bigger, better, and more badass.” After playing through it twice in as many days I have to agree completely. Gears 2 is the best game on the Xbox 360 right now (yes even better than Halo 3) and if you don’t have it yet I would suggest you get it right now. Seriously if you don’t have it stop reading ths review and go get it. You still with me? Okay let’s get into it.
One of the first things that you will notice while playing this game is the scale, there is a large emphasis on big scale battle, large enemies, and sprawling open spaces. For example the Brumak (the big thing in the cut scene after the prison escape in the first Gears) is now in the game itself with several that you have to take down. There is a larger array of weapons on top of the standard issue Lancer. There is a mortar gun that is devastatingly powerful but a little hard to understand how to use. There is the mulcher which is a portable machine gun turret and a flamethrower.
Now onto the gameplay itself, the cover mechanic has not been vastly changed but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it right? There are a few tweaks that make it easier to use the system. The weapons all seem like they have the appropriate amount of power and for the most part they are self explanatory. The Locust AI is great; they will really make it hard for you to achieve your goals. An added element is a system where you can get knocked out but not die and one of your fellow gears can revive you. This mechanic was possible in the first game but only in co-op play. Now if you are knocked out you can crawl to another team member by moving the thumbstick and pressing “A.” Pressing the right trigger will call out to your fellow gears that you need help. But if you stay like this too long or if a Locust comes to finish you off, you will die, so it is in your best interests to get revived quickly. One other thing that should be mentioned is the “overheat” mechanic on the turrets. While you are firing a turret you have unlimited ammo but the weapon will overheat if you shoot it too long. But you can press the right bumper button to vent and cool down the gun.
The story is much more involved than Gears 1 and you get a real feel for the characters. For spoilers’ sake I won’t say too much about the plot but the basic idea is that it is 6 months after the lightmass bomb was detonated, the Locust have come back and have brought with them a force that can sink entire cities. Because humanity is now on the brink of extinction they go on the offensive and take the fight to the underground. There is a sub-plot of Dom’s search for his wife Maria and it is pretty emotional stuff. The story is a great improvement from the first game and it adds to the overall value. There are more questions raised than answered by the plot but it just gives the writers more to work with when they tackle Gears 3.
The graphics are astounding just like the first game, you will be absolutely blown away by some of the environments and it is hard to believe that video games have come this far and are this realistic. The unreal engine drives the game and it works perfectly, I only experienced lag maybe twice on two complete playthroughs and the graphics almost always loaded immediately (unlike a game like Mass Effect where the graphic qualities took a long time to load)
Overall the game is astounding and I am still shocked by how much I enjoyed this game. The story is strong and riveting, the characters are well developed, the action is big and fun, the scope is much larger, and the graphics are out of this world. This is the kind of game that they made the Xbox 360 for and it is an absolutely essential game to add to your Xbox collection.
Gameplay: 10
Story: 10
Replay Value: 10
Graphics: 10
Overall: 10

Friday, October 10, 2008

"Slightly Retro" Review: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4


It’s hard to believe that I am calling this “retro” and to be honest it isn’t that old but it has been 6 years since it was released so I don’t know what to call it. Let’s go with “slightly retro.” Now that that is out of the way let’s move on with the review. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 is one of my favorite games of all time. It incorporated everything that I loved about Pro Skater 3, and added an open-world element to the game. This free roaming element was nice because you could free skate at any time and then do an objective if you want to without having to go back to the main menu.
The levels are great in their variety; there is a college, San Francisco, Alcatraz, a shipyard, London, and a zoo. There are 16 regular goals in each level and when you complete a goal you get a “pro point” on top of money and stat points for certain challenges. After you earn 90 pro points you are prompted to go to your pro specific challenge, this challenge is harder and takes longer but when you complete it you unlock harder goals in all of the level, an additional 5 to be exact. The harder goals are marked by guys with red arrows over their heads as opposed to the regular guys with blue arrows over their heads. To start a goal you skate up next to a person with an arrow over their head and then you press the “O” button. They talk to you and explain what the goal is. Though there is a wide variety of goals there are some that are always present. There will always be the high and pro scores, the Combo letters (you have to collect all of the letters in a single combo) and the Skate letters that you may remember from Pro Skater 3. Then there are other goals specific to the environments but there is also usually a goal that involves you doing a “special” trick. To do this you need to fill up your “special” meter by doing regular tricks and not falling, and then you can perform the special trick.
There are several new gameplay elements that have been added to the mix including skitching (holding on to the back of a vehicle) the revert (a move where you can string tricks together by performing this move when you land back on a ramp) and flatland tricks (tricks that can be done while you are locked in a manual) These gameplay elements allow you to rack up huge scores and have a lot of fun. The control is great and everything is very intuitive, especially if you have played Pro Skater 3. The soundtrack is great, like always, and the graphics are pretty good although there is a lot of clipping that goes on. Overall this game just gets everything right, there is even a huge amount of mini-games that range from playing tennis with Bjorn to playing baseball with ghosts. These mini-games will get you additional money that you can use to buy new clothes, videos, decks, or levels. If you like the Tony Hawk series then you will love this game and I would highly recommend getting it because the gameplay itself is fantastic.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Halo 3 Recon


So I was just as anxious as any other Halo fan when the "keep it clean" trailer appeared a while back for what seemed to be another Halo title, it was very cryptic but finally now there is a little more information thanks to a new trailer released at the Tokyo Game Show. Apparently Halo 3: Recon is going to take place before the events of Halo 3 and you will be playing as a new character, most likely a UNSC shock trooper. It seems to take place on Earth and the game itself will have a new campaign on top of new multiplayer maps for online play. The game has been said to be coming out Fall 2009 but, as we all know, that date will most likely change. Nevertheless I am excited for the game and can't wait to hear some more info.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Storytelling in Video Games



Ever since the release of the revolutionary game “The Legend of Zelda” the role of storytelling in video games has become more and more important. Up until “Zelda” video games were an entertainment medium that didn’t need the element of storytelling that mediums like television and movies needed. However storytelling wasn’t something that was looked down upon and when “Zelda” came out in 1986 the gaming community knew that it was the way of the future. Most all games now have a significant back story and a strong story to follow it up. However it isn’t absolutely necessary as many games have a very shallow plot but are still completely entertaining. In this essay I will look at the pros and cons of storytelling in video games as well as take a closer look at some of the games that have strong or weak storytelling elements to see if there is a pattern to success.
We may as well begin with the beginning of the video game industry, Pong was the first big video game hit and there was no story at all, you were just trying to get a ball past a line on the other end of the screen. Games for the Atari 2600 and its competition were mostly based on a high score system that didn’t cater to a story. The few games that did have a story were difficult to understand and generally much more confusing ( and therefore less entertaining) than other games. Games like “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Superman” on the Atari 2600 just left gamers confused and they would much rather follow the adventures of Pitfall Harry because the gameplay was more entertaining.
Though some games had tried to tell a story most of these stories were rehashes of movie plots and there wasn’t a whole lot of originality. “The Legend of Zelda” was revolutionary in more ways than one but the way we will focus on is the storytelling. “Zelda” thrust you into the fantasy world of Hyrule and introduced you to a cast of colorful characters like Link, Ganon, and Princess Zelda. The game had a scope that had never been seen before in a video game. You could buy and sell items, talk to people, fight bad guys, or just explore the massive world without ever advancing the plot. But when you did advance the plot the story was truly gripping and it made you want to see what was going to happen, just like any good movie.
“Zelda” paved the way for a new genre of games; the role playing game. In this style of game you take on the persona of a character and you build up that character’s attributes through an experience system. You can buy and sell items, fight, and explore the world, all of the elements that made “Zelda” successful. These games were popular in a board game medium but they finally made their way to video games. Many role playing games would follow and many would end up on the PC because of the ability of online play.
But not all games became role playing games. Games like Street Fighter II were successful although there was no real story. Each character has a small bio in the game’s instruction booklet but throughout the game there is no story just a lot of classic fighting game action. This game was very popular and led to many more of the genre. This style of game was successful as well. So what is it about a game that makes gamers like it? Is it the storytelling or is that not important? Well the answer is that storytelling is the icing on the cake of a good game but it isn’t necessary to have a good game. The gameplay is the single most important thing in determining if a game is going to be a success or a flop. If a game isn’t fun to play or if the control is bad then the story could be incredible but people still wouldn’t like it. But in contrast a shallow storyline won’t destroy a game that has incredible gameplay.
Now I am not saying that storytelling is not important because it is, it just isn’t essential. However I do believe that if a game has a strong story it is a much more stimulating game experience than if you don’t really know what is going on. RPG’s are a great category for story, the story almost HAS to be strong for an RPG to do well. For example “Knights of the Old Republic” had an incredible story and mediocre combat that slowed down the frame rate and made the game very choppy, however despite the so-so combat, the story and the RPG elements of visiting other planets and finding things essential to progressing the game, made it a very enjoyable experience.
Storytelling in video games has come a long way and it is becoming a more important part of new games where even shooters are having a strong storyline. Games like Halo, Gears of War, Metal Gear Solid, and Max Payne all have great stories despite the fact that they aren’t RPG’s. Storytelling in non-RPG games is developing and it is a truly great trend in gaming because the gamer gets the exciting gameplay and the awesome story, the best of both worlds.
One series of games that is making a large leap in storytelling is the “Brothers in Arms” series. These games make you connect with the on-screen characters in a way that most games don’t allow for. The characters are so well developed that you can predict what each character would do in a certain situation. It is almost as if you know them personally and this adds to the realism that the game developers are going for. The latest installment “Hell’s Highway” tells the story of fictional characters in a real historical situation, Operation Market Garden. These characters are able to serve as “everymen” through whom you can see a little bit of what the real people went through. That is a story-telling element that has never been fully explored before and it is a fantastic addition to the stellar tactical shooter series.
But not only historical fiction is capable of drawing you in. “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” tells the story of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice and it fills in the gap of time between episodes 3 and 4. Many reviewers have said that the story is stronger than the story in the prequel trilogy of the movies. Many reviewers believe that the gameplay gets repetitive but the story is so good that you want to keep watching it to see what happens. In this way great storytelling can make up for some lackluster gameplay (although I personally believe that the gameplay in TFU is exceptional and not repetitive)
In conclusion, storytelling in video games has come a long way and it is something that can truly enhance a gaming experience. It is something that should be explored more deeply by game designers and it is the true “next gen” gaming experience. Being able to tell an emotionally gripping story in a video game is the next step for the medium and that is why I believe that games like “Brothers in Arms” and “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” are truly trend setting games that should be imitated in the future.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Preview



In light of the recent lack of news on the subject I have decided to write up a preview of Ghostbusters: The Video Game; which, as of right now, has no publisher and will most likely be pushed back until sometime in 2009, as opposed to the initial date of October 21st of this year.
The game is going to be a third person action adventure (like Gears of War) and it will feature the vocal talent and likenesses of most of the movie’s stars. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson will all be in the game. On top of the original four Ghostbusters there will also be William Atherton (Walter Peck) Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz) and Brian Doyle Murray (the doctor in the psychiatric hospital in GB II, however he will be playing the new mayor of New York in the game.)
The game promises to be a faithful sequel to the movies in terms of plot. It is set in 1991, about a year after the events of Ghostbusters II, and the Ghostbusters are looking to hire more help because of the tremendous amount of work that they are taking on. They are also trying to franchise but need a license from the city, this is where Walter Peck comes in, Peck is in charge of the new oversight committee that watches over the Ghostbusters to see how they operate and to see if they qualify for the license.
You play as a new recruit to the team the “experimental equipment technician.” Basically the idea is that you are Egon and Ray’s guinea pig that they test all of their new equipment. The new character was brought in so that you (as the player) can see and hear the interactions of the four main Ghostbusters without interruption. If you played as one of the four you would have to initiate dialogue and this would chop up the comedic timing that was so essential to the two films.

There will be a variety of environments in the game and there will be revisits to many places and some familiar faces. But the game is not a rehash of the movies; it is a new story that incorporates some old stuff with a lot of new stuff. It has even been hinted that you will travel to the “spirit world” and that can allow for the artists to let their imaginations run wild.
The ghost catching is meant to have a distinctive “fishing” feel to it and the ghosts are meant to appear strong and they will fight to get out of the proton stream. The ghost will need to be weakened by slamming it into objects and shooting “boson darts” down the proton stream. Once it is weakened you need to drop a trap and push it into the trap. You will make money for catching ghosts but you will be docked money for destroying objects in the environment. However because you now have government backing you don’t need to pay the money you are docked, it all goes to Walter Peck who probably won’t be very happy. The money that you ake can be used to buy upgrades to the equipment.
The health is a very simple system just like Gears of War, the screen will turn red f you are in harm’s way and you need to back out of the way when that happens. If you don’t you get knocked down, your Ghostbusters teammates will revive you if they are there but if they aren’t you are in real trouble. You can also revive fallen teammates that you are near, just like Gears. Since Ghostbusters is supposed to be a family game no one “dies” in the game they just get knocked out.
The story for the game is written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, the writers of both movies. There are elements of the Ghostbusters III script that Aykroyd wrote entitled “Hellbent” but it is not a game version of that script. The music will be Elmer Bernstein’s classic score from Ghostbusters including 75 minutes of unused music. Also the Ray Parker Jr. hit will make an appearance.
The game is being developed by Terminal Reality and they are using their physics engine called infernal. This is the first next gen version of the engine and it looks very impressive, especially in the tech demos. The game was being published by Sierra (a part of Vivendi games) but Vivendi merged with Activision and Activision dropped the Ghostbusters game. So the game needs a new publisher and rumors point to EA or Atari. The game was playable at Comic Con 2008 and it was the first part of the New York Public Library level.
The game is slated to be released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Stylized versions will come to the Wii, PS2, and the DS. The game will most likely be released sometime between Q1 and Q2 of 2009.

Review: Half Life 2, Episode 1 and Episode 2



I recently obtained the Xbox 360 game “The Orange Box” and on it are 5 games, I will be reviewing 3 of these games; “Half Life 2, “Half Life 2: Episode 1” and “Half Life 2: Episode 2.” These games are some of the best first person shooters that I have ever played. It ranks up there with Halo and Doom. The story is much more involved than most any other game and there is a wide variety of objectives to complete. There are plenty of weapons and strange aliens to fight. Though these games are separate they are all part of one continuous story so I will review them as one long game.
I won’t spoil the story for those of you who haven’t played it but I will say that you play as Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist who is in City 17, an urban area controlled by the Combine, a race of aliens who have essentially taken over Earth. You are a part of the resistance and a key part of its success.
The game takes a little while to get going, in terms of the first person shooter aspects, you spend a lot of time in the beginning running away from combine soldiers and dodging bullets but you will eventually gather a large inventory of weapons. There are many enemies to fight including barnacles, who have long tongue-like things that stretch down and if you come in contact with it the barnacle will pull you up towards it. There are also headcrabs who will attempt to jump on your head (obviously) and suck the life out of you. Along the way these headcrabs will latch on to dead human and combine bodies creating zombies that you will have to fight. Then there are the standard combine soldiers who are humanoid but are always completely covered with armor.
You will also run into many friends along the way who will help you out in various ways or you will help them out. The story is compelling but confusing at times, especially when the mysterious “G-Man” appears and all of the games like to leave you with a cliffhanger to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The control is fluid while you have the weapons selected and it is fairly easy to learn how to use every weapon effectively. There are some puzzles that you have to solve to move on and many times you will find yourself in crawlspaces and other weird places to get around barriers that are blocking your immediate path. The only control problem that I had was the driving stages, throughout all three games you have several levels where you have to drive different vehicles and this was a little frustrating for me because it wasn’t dual analog stick control. While the right stick makes you look it doesn’t turn the car in that direction, you have to rely completely on the left stick and there are many times when you will find yourself having a hard time controlling the vehicle.
This game has a good replay value because of how fun the action is, regardless of the fact that the story is great, replay value will come from the action in first person shooters and this game delivers. The graphics are very good and I have yet to see a glitch in any of the environments. Overall these three games are incredible first person shooters that any fan of FPS’s should take a look at. The story is riveting, the characters are strong, the action is great, and the control, for the most part, is very good. I highly recommend these titles.

Gameplay 9.8
Story 9.9
Replay Value 9.5
Graphics 9.6
Overall 9.7

Thursday, October 2, 2008

The Orange Box


One of my friends came to visit me this past weekend and he gave me an Xbox 360 game to play called "The Orange Box." I had no idea what it was and he told me that it was a combination of a couple of games. After he left I began to play Half Life 2, a PC game that I had heard was good but had never played, and I was hooked. The Orange Box has 5 games "Half Life 2" Half Life 2: Episode 1" "Half Life 2: Episode 2" "Portal" and "Team Fortress 2." The first 4 games are based in the same storyline and "Team Fortress" is another storyline entirely.


I have played through all of Half Life 2, and Half Life 2: Episode 1. I am almost finished with Episode 2. I absolutely love this game and recommend it to anyone. It is a great chance for console gamers to play some of the best PC games ever made. I certainly hope that this is a step towards PC exclusive games coming to the consoles because there is some great content that console gamers have been missing out on.


I will post a full review of Half Life 2 and the first two episodes within a few days but I just want to put this out there for anyone who hasn't heard of this awesome game.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Retro Review: Batman Forever on the Sega Genesis






Batman Forever on the Sega Genesis is without a doubt one of the worst games that I have ever played. The problem lies in the gameplay itself while the graphics and the sound are actually pretty good for the 16 bit Genesis. The story is a complete rehash of the movie so it is okay but nothing terribly special.

The main problem with this game is apparent as soon as you begin to play the game. You can choose to be Batman or Robin and you can also tackle the game with another player. Anyway the game is a platforming sidescroller that has a fighting game style combat system. These two don't mix well at all, the combat is slow and tedious. If you knock someone down you have to wait for them to get back up and it makes killing enemies take way longer than it should.

The first level is Arkham Asylum and you just fight inmates who break out of there cells. The game has a lot of hidden places and it is almost impossible to find them all on the first play through. You don't have to and it actually will probably end up with you dying one or two times more than if you hadn't seeked it out. You get 6 lives for the game and you can get more if you find hidden "Two Face" coins but these are few and far between. Anyway you may get through the first level without dying once but if you do you may as well shut off the game and restart because you will need all the lives you can muster if you intend to actually beat this game.

The second level is in the Gotham Bank and you are now fighting random villains. There are guys in orange suits with flamethrowers, and guys with chainsaws. You move up random levels trying to free all of the security guards and when you get to the 22nd floor (you don't go to all 22 don't worry only maybe 5) you end up on a large safe that is swinging back and forth. If you fall off you lose a life and this is the easiest way to lose a ton of lives. Be careful not to get into a cape glide or you'll fly right off of the safe.

The game continues on in this fashion, mirroring scenes from the movie and adding in new, weird enemies. Now I should address the control, it is terrible. First of all a lot of the times you need to shoot your grappling hook straight up but to do that you need to press both the "b" and "c" buttons together slightly before you press up on the D-pad. Why slightly before? Well because "up" jumps. This makes the game really annoying when you try to grapple up and you end up jumping. Then if you want to use a special weapon you need to press weird combinations like "towards towards away away towards and b" what is this? The moves are so hard to do you end up getting hit and it is all a waste of time. You may as well just use your standard attack.

This game has very few redeeming qualities, the graphics are pretty good but the foreground blocks you a lot and the sound is ok other than the title screen music which is really annoying. Other than that the game is not worth buying or playing it will just annoy you.

Gameplay : 2.1
Story: 5
Replay value: 4
Graphics: 7

Overall: 4.5

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on Xbox 360



Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is one of the better Star Wars games to come out in the last couple of years. The story is engaging, the gameplay is fun, the graphics are great, the score is fantastic, and the overall gaming experience is very enjoyable. However the game is not perfect and there are a couple of things that could have been better but they are easily tolerated in a game that is this much fun.
The story is the real star in this game, it is set between episodes 3 and 4 and it links the old trilogy to the new one. You play as Darth Vader’s secret apprentice. In the prologue you play as Darth Vader and you get a feel for all of the powers. Then you go into the story itself. I am not going to spoil the story but I will say that there is a variety of environments and enemies to fight. Many of the Star Wars characters make an appearance and the game does a great job of putting itself into the Star Wars canon.
The gameplay is fun and when you level up you get to buy new force powers and abilities. Along the way you learn new force powers like force repulse, force lightning, and the saber throw power. All of these powers can be upgraded and they can all be used in massive combos. The main powers that you have are force push (b button) force lightning (y button) and force grip (right trigger) These basic powers can be used in combination with the lightsaber attack button (x) to really cause a lot of havoc in the environment. The environment is pretty fully destructible and it is a lot of fun to pick up a large item and hurl it at a Storm Trooper. Each mission has a specific task that you need to do to move on but there are also 2 bonus tasks that will give you a higher force rank. One is to get a certain amount of force points in a level (varies based on the level) and then there is another task that is displayed on the pause screen and it changes from level to level. These tasks are fun and add something new to do on a second or third play through if you missed them the first time.
There are several power ups available including both Jedi and Sith holocrons. Jedi holocrons are glowing yellow squares that will give you various rewards like 10,000 force points, lightsaber crystals, or new costumes. The Sith holocrons are power ups that will either make you invincible for a short period of time, refill your life, increase the damage that your attacks do, or drain life from enemies. Life is gained from killing enemies, much like in Ninja Gaiden, you kill an enemy and some green orbs come out and refill your health meter.
The graphics are great and all of the environments are rendered beautifully, from the Wookie home of Kashykk to the junkyard world Raxus Prime. You will feel like you are watching another Star Wars movie and that is a great thing.
But there are some rough patches that should be noted. The learning curve is a little steep and I had to bring down the difficulty level just so that I could beat the game and see the end. The mission select is not on the titles screen, if you wish to return to a previous level you have to load your game (wherever you are in it) then pause the game (after any unskippable cut scenes) then you can go to mission select. Why is it like this? Why isn’t the mission select on the main page? This just makes it annoying but bearable because the game is so fun. The same thing goes for the training modules, I didn’t even know that there were any training modules until I decided to see what everything on the pause menu did. These problems are just cosmetic and don’t damper the game itself but it does make for a slightly annoying experience.
If you have seen any of the trailers for this game then you will probably remember when the apprentice pulls down the Star Destroyer with the force. That part in the game is easily the most frustrating if you don’t know exactly what to do, and trust me I was lost. It took me over an hour to finish a sequence that should have taken maybe 5 minutes. But once I realized how to do it correctly and with a little bit of luck, I finished it but look out for this because it is frustrating and it will more likely than not piss you off.
Overall the game makes great leaps in storytelling. The graphics are superb and the gameplay is a lot of fun. Just a few minor problems keep it from being a perfect game but it is still worth a look.

Gameplay: 8.9
Story: 10
Replay Value: 9
Graphics: 9.3
Overall: 9.3

What has happened to local play?

Let me preface this post by saying that I love online play. It is fun to compete with other people across the world and with your friends who may be far away. However there is one side effect of the emergence of online play on the consoles that has left me slightly annoyed and that is the subsequent lack of local multiplayer.

Before online capabilities all games that had multiplayer were split screen and required 2 or more controllers. Most games supported up to 4 players at a time. This was a nice addition to add to the replay value of games and it was always fun to hang out with your friends and play some local mutiplayer. But now with the advent of online play, games are coming out with less and less local multiplayer modes. In fact many games, like Battlefield: Bad Company, don't have local multiplayer at all.

This is an annoying trend seeing as how I have an Xbox 360 and it costs money to get onto Xbox live. Also I am at a college whose internet network doesn't allow for Xbox live. So I can't connect and therefore can't play multiplayer on many of my games, even if I have friends here in the dorm that want to play. Consider this, about half of all Xbox 360 owners are NOT online, which means that when a game comes out that only has online multiplayer about half of the system owners will have no multiplayer option. They could still play through the single player campaign but that will only go so far. As much as I love Bad Company the same levels get tiresome after a while. Some online multiplayer really keeps the gameplay fresh and exciting but so would local multiplayer.

So what ends up happening is that I play the game for a little while, get bored of the single player missions and then put it down. I can't get online so forget that and there is no local multiplayer. Local multiplayer needs to be a feature of any game that has online multiplayer. Game developers need to understand that just because online play is possible doesn't mean that everyone is doing it. Many people aren't online and local play will do them wonders when they want to get together with their friends and play a game other than Halo.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Sex and Violence in Video Games




Video games have been the source of much controversy, going all the way back to the days of the Atari 2600. Since the video game crash of 1983 in the United States video games have had a hard time “growing up” as an entertainment medium. In this essay I will attempt to explain why video games come under so much fire and are the center of so much controversy.
To fully understand why many people don’t see the difference between adult video games and children’s video games we have to understand why many people see video games as a toy and not as a form of entertainment like movies or music. It all began with the video game crash of 1983 in the United States. From the introduction of the Atari 2600 in 1977 Atari had a strangle hold on the video game industry in the US and there was very little that the competition could do to change that. Now the founders of Atari were not like the businessman who eventually took over the business and these shrewd businessmen didn’t see the art behind designing video games and paid the developers very little. After a while some of the developers realized that they were being short changed and they decided to band together to form a new company, this new company would produce games for the Atari 2600 and make profit off of what they were able to sell. At this point in time there was no real regulation over who could make games and Atari didn’t think to regulate the games that were produced for their system. This new company, named Activision, went on to make some of the best games for the Atari 2600 including David Crane’s “Pitfall.” But this led the way for many other developers to take a crack at developing games. These new developers weren’t very good at the craft because they underestimated the difficulty of making a video game. Some of these games contained “adult content” like the abomination of a game “Custer’s Revenge.” The basic premise of this game is that you play as General Custer and the goal is to get to the right of the screen by dodging arrows and when you get there you get points for raping an Indian woman. Needless to say this caused tremendous public uproar and is one of the first cases of controversy in the video game industry.
But sex wasn’t the only thing that people didn’t like about certain games, violence was also a big issue especially in the game “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” where you play as Leatherface (the chainsaw wielding maniac) and your objective is to kill little girls. This premise bothered many people and they didn’t know if they wanted to support a medium that had content like this.
As if that wasn’t enough trouble for video games Atari had lost all of its best programmers and they began to put out some terrible games including “E.T” and the horrible port of the arcade classic “Pac-Man.” Though Activision was developing some great games there were too many really bad games flooding the market. The general public couldn’t differentiate between the good, the bad, and the ugly, so to speak. People lost their interest in video games and this led to the downfall of Atari. In 1983 Atari folded and video games were essentially gone from America.
While video games were gone in America, they were still going strong in the rest of the world, especially in Japan where a game company by the name of Nintendo had their eyes set on reestablishing video games in America. Nintendo did some research into the market and decided to create the Famicom (family computer) Nintendo executives brought the famicom to trade shows and invention expos in America with no success. The basic idea was that businesses in America had no faith in video games and saw them as a fad that had died out.
But Nintendo was determined and returned in 1985 with the famicom but it was under a different name, the Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo had decided to market it as an interactive toy and not a video game console. They made a robot and light gun to add as accessories to sell the “toy” concept of the system. They had some success selling it but not enough to be satisfied. They went to toy stores and tried to sell the systems door to door, they even offered to buy back the systems that didn’t sell. This got them into a lot more stores but still not enough to make the impact that they wanted to. By now it was 1987 and Nintendo decided to make a deal with the makers of the most popular toy Teddy Ruxpin.
The makers of Teddy Ruxpin, Worlds of Wonder, made a deal with Nintendo so that if a store wanted to buy Teddy Ruxpins they would also have to buy a certain amount of Nintendo Entertainment Systems. This got the NES into many more stores and it took over the market. Video games had taken back America and this represented the shift in power from American game developers to Japanese game developers.
Now you may be thinking “thanks for the history lesson but do you have a point?” Well yes I do, hold on to your butts because here I go. Because of the way in which Nintendo was able to get video games back into America (marketing it as toy) many people saw it just as a toy. So because of this mindset mature games were seen as inappropriate. It’s like if a children’s writer wrote a children’s book about sex, people wouldn’t be very happy about that. The general public does not see video games as an art form or as an entertainment medium but as a child’s toy. So when games like Grand Theft Auto or Halo came out and are violent and involve sexual themes and language parents weren’t okay with letting their kids play those games.
Not only did parents not like their children playing those games but society, as a whole, scapegoats video games as the reason why many kids turn to violence. The shooters at Columbine HS were fans of first person shooters, there have been many examples of people trying to reenact things from Grand Theft Auto, and most recently a boy shot and killed a cab driver saying he got the idea from Grand Theft Auto. These misguided children tarnish the reputation of video games and ruin their lives and the lives of all the people that they hurt.
Many video game activists will be quick to point out that there is just as much, if not more, violence and sex in TV, movies, and music. However there is something that makes video game violence and sex different and it is because video games are an interactive medium. Movies, TV, and music are all forms of entertainment that require no participation on the part of the consumer. However video games require the player to control the in-game character and when someone is shot you (as the player) pull the trigger. It simulates reality and this worries many people and with good reason. It is the only form of entertainment that is interactive and in its nature it is more susceptible to criticism and more easily blamed for real world problems.
So, what is the solution? Well that is a very difficult thing to answer because if it was easy someone would have figured it out a long time ago. My personal belief is that the family and the society share the responsibility of raising children and making sure that violence and sex are moderated and kept from impressionable children. Many of these problems stem from parents buying games for their children without looking into what the game is all about. Most all games are content rated by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) and if a game receives an “M” rating then children under the age of 17 can’t buy it. This policy is enforced and retailers won’t sell an “M” rated game to someone without valid ID. I know this for a fact because I am 19 years old and I still get carded when I buy an “M” rated game from Gamestop.
Parents need to look into the games that they are buying for their children, and it isn’t very hard. They don’t have to look anywhere beyond the game’s box itself. The rating is displayed on the front and the back with an explanation of what is in the game (much like a movie) for example I own Gears of War for the Xbox 360 and it is an “M” rated game. Prominently displayed in the lower left hand corner of the box is a box that says “Mature 17+ M Content rated by ESRB.” On the back on the lower right there is the same box but with another part that explains why the game received an “M” rating. It says “Blood and gore, intense violence, strong language.” Can this be any clearer? Don’t buy it for your kids unless you are ready to take the blame for its influence on them.
This rating system is in place for just about every game. The only games that aren’t rated are from obscure independent developers and can’t be purchased at retail stores like Gamestop. While I do believe that society has a responsibility here I think they are doing their part, the ESRB rates the games very thoroughly and all content is explained in the rating itself. The parents are the ones who haven’t held up their end of the bargain. It really isn’t hard to look at the back of a box to see if a game is appropriate for your son or daughter. Many parents today didn’t grow up with video games and it is understandable that they feel like it is all out of their league but it doesn’t take a whole lot for them to make an informed decision. If they can decide what movies their kids can and can’t watch then they can decide what games their kids can and can’t play.
In conclusion sex and violence in video games is nothing new but it is monitored and kids can’t get their hands on it unless a parent or other adult buys it for them. Video games as a medium need to get past the stigma of being a “toy.” In reality video game consoles are entertainment mediums just like movies and TV and they should be treated as such. Parents need to do their part and society needs to understand that adult content comes with the territory but it can be done in a correct way, with taste, like in many movies and TV series where sex and violence are a key part of the story.