A recent conversation got me thinking about this more than usual. Generally I don't talk a lot about video games and all that despite having worked for two companies that sold them. Two different ones, with differing thoughts on customer service and selling techniques. Let's just say time spent with the first company was fantastic and short as it was it remains the job I miss most. The other... eh... I was in it for the money and it's location. However working at both started teaching me more and more to think of games in different ways, so I'm going to share that with you.When I watch films and write my little half-hearted attempts to seem witty and 'cool' by reviewing them, I try to look at the film for what it is and I try to find reason why I should like it. So sure I'll say I like some stupid movies. I enjoyed "Ninja Assassin", I've developed a love for "Bad Boys II", a film I thought was so-so for a long time. And probably the stupid movie I'm going to watch in an hour will be something I like too. What makes it work is if A: it realizes it's stupid and doesn't attempt all out seriousness and B: it keeps me entertained and enjoying what's on screen. With games I like to think (now at least), I'm harsher than that. And I believe that stems from the lack of originality out there and the sixty-plus dollar price tag you pay to buy them. Renting is a great choice if you're unsure and something people should do more often then dishing out that much money on a gamble, but hell who hasn't done it?
With video games it feels like the market is often filled to the brim with clones of games that set some sort of bar in the industry and everyone wants to capitalize on it. Fair and understandable; it's something that happens in every industry. But the difference I find between me viewing a movie and me playing a game is... well with movies you sit, watch, react and think and with games you do all that, but you always go through the motions and make the choices you are lead to make or chose to make. When you add that to the mix things get a bit different.
And here's my beef, stories and characters. Despite how far we have come in that world there's still such a lack of strong plot lines and interesting characters with depth. You get a few a year, but gameplay is the major focus and everything else falls to the side. So yes "Heavy Rain" is a big deal for me. That's something that looks and feels different, brings something we rarely see the the table on a more mainstream level instead of being one of 'those' games people bring up here and there. Naughty Dog's "Uncharted" series is terrific and performs fantastic cinematic moments with it's characters which along with it's story are written to perfection. And Rockstar, one of the few companies that still in my eyes has it all figured out. They use the sand box, open world genres to enhance the stories they tell and also deliver characters that are attempting more than needless killing. They have reasons and purpose and emotional attachments they try to provide. General smart storytelling mixed with superior details in it's action sequences and design. Then again maybe they're attempting to just play into the meatheaded guys who play games, think that '300' is the greatest film of all time, listen to Nickleback and plays simply to cuss and kill things. But I'm attempting to remain positive and think that's not it.
Now for the B-teams. Normally this would be filled up with games a galore, but I want to focus on a couple that have left an impression on me. "Battlefield Bad Company" being one. A perfect example (like "Saint's Row" to 'GTA') of game exploitation that works. Built on the blocks of "Modern Warfare", it plays similar, but instead of just giving big blockbustery moments every few levels, it attempts to make all the action fast and fun enough AND make it funny with characters with personality and a story that's interesting enough to keep you wanting to see where it leads. "Gears of War 2" I put here as well. I picked the sequel because I was never all that blown away by the first. It had moments of good value, but overall it got very old and stale. The sequel moved faster and had a slightly better look to it. It too attempted some emotional character moments, although with a lower quality of writing and some terrific action set pieces that were interesting and fun enough.
Alright, now here's where I draw my line. Games that go in on hype and attempt to make you believe that this will change everything you play and... guess what... it's just another general genre game. Sure I liked "MW2", but it's just another first person shooter. Just like the drab ripoff that was "Halo 3: ODST". I did not like "Bio Shock" and am not interested in it's sequel. Another game with nice moments here and there, but boring gameplay, a poor ending (either way) and visuals that get tiresome after a while kill it for me. "Resident Evil 5" is maybe one of the biggest let downs in recent memory; coming off of 4 which did change the series and the survival horror genre, the fifth game was short, dull and clunky. Almost at a "Bionic Commando" level... well... maybe it wasn't that bad.
In any case I may start updating this would different reviews of games I've played and liked. Currently on playing "Mass Effect 2" and liking it quite a lot. Seems like this is the closest we'll get to a good "Star Trek" game. I'll say now that while the action tends to get repetitive, but the plot, visuals, ideas and character interactions are more than enough to make it an exciting and worth while game to have. I'll post some other stuff as it comes to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment