Category: Gaming Theory

Does Metal Gear Solid Need Better Writing?

mgs4-lolFor the last decade, Metal Gear Solid has been one of the staple franchises for the Playstation brand. It made its mark on home consoles with incredible action, awesome 3D gameplay, cinematic presentation and also, its twisty story. However, how has the writing held up over the years?

A recent CNET article blasted Kojima productions for saying that they’re going to be building a new graphical engine for the next MGS game. The author asserts that what is needed is better writing, rather than better graphics. While some Sony fanboys have jumped into the fracas, I can’t help but wonder if the author has a point. Sure, MGS has a pretty cool story. But writing and story are two different animals. You can tell a good story but still be an awful writer, and vice versa.

Personally, I found some of the writing in the latest MGS game to be ridiculously heavy handed, preachy and nonsensical at its worst. However, the story still stands among gaming’s greats, easily. So what do you guys think? Does MGS need better writing? Do video games need better writing in general?

Source- CNET

A Final Fantasy VIII Character Study

ff8I think I may have found one of my new favorite gaming articles ever. While there are many Final Fantasy games that have been praised over the years, none seem to be more divisive than Final Fantasy VIII, starring Squall and Rinoa. Some people hated the magic system, some hated the story, and some simply hated the fact that it wasn’t Final Fantasy VII.

Despite all that, though, Pop Matters has written an in-depth piece about Final Fantasy VIII called Remembering the Orphan, dissecting the things that really made the game shine, especially its attention to human relationships. The main thrust of the article has to do with the focus on the orphaned characters, who through the use of magic and battle begin to lose their memories and thus, their innocence. It really provides an eye-opening look at the game, with an attention to detail that most don’t often give to video games.

Even though I wasn’t crazy about Final Fantasy VIII, I really do think that had to do more with my age and what I expected from the game. Reading this article really makes me want to go back and play it and give it another look. And to be honest, I really would love to see more articles like this out of the gaming community, because it was fascinating.

What do you guys think? What are your thoughts on Final Fantasy VIII?

Source- Pop Matters

Why Motion Control Can’t Truly Work in Hardcore Games

natalMotion control. Everybody’s doing it, I’m told. For months, some of us have bemoaned the coming tidal wave of motion control and what it could mean for the gaming industry and games as a whole. On the positive, it could bring more casual folk into gaming and on the negative, it could just dumb down games as we know it.

GamesRadar has written a particularly convincing argument against motion control after their time with the PS3 and 360’s new motion hardware at E3. They pretty much assert that the demos at E3 have proven that motion control can’t work for hardcore gaming, and this is why the Wii is so full of minigame collections. When you think about it, even the hardcore games on the Wii just use the motion controls as kind of a bonus, while relying on traditional movement with the nunchuck and buttons. Typically, the only way to really eliminate the pain of movement with motion control is to stick the game on rails (a la Wii Sports). Here’s a tidbit from the article about our traditional analog sticks and face buttons:

As much as Molyneux and Iwata might bemoan the evils of the button fascia and dual analogue set-up, both elements evolved into the cultural landscape of gaming for a reason. They seriously bloody work for controlling modern games.

So what do you guys think? Can motion control work for hardcore games? Or will they inhibit the movement we’ve come to enjoy from our normal controllers?

Source- GamesRadar

New Releases: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

red-factionOver the last month or so some new games have started to hit that I’ve been interested in, but I can’t seem to nail down whether or not I want to play them because of some mixed reviews. The main games in question are Red Faction: Guerrilla, Prototype and InFamous.

The main complaint about Red Faction is that it’s fun to destroy things, but the game is too red. This is a funny complaint considering the game takes place on, I dunno, Mars. The quintessential Red Planet. In addition, I’ve heard that Prototype is fun but nothing special, with similar digs leveled against InFamous as well.

So who’s played these games, and what do you think of them? Go!

GamerSushi Asks: Making Changes

staroceanI’m playing Star Ocean: The Last Hope right now, and it’s the first JRPG that I’ve played in a good long while. After playing some games like Fallout 3 and Mass Effect, it really feels childish and completely ridiculous in comparison, and really got me thinking a bit about the choices that designers sometimes make in games.

The reason for this is that while I’m overall enjoying the game, there are some things about it that really irritate me, and lead me to ask “why would they do that”. For instance, the game starts with a 30 minute battle tutorial followed by both a 20 minute cut scene and a 2 hour dungeon. How does that even make sense in terms of not boring the person playing it to tears? In addition, there are some minor character and script issues that bug me, such as the annoying item creation character and adding a six year old to the party that ends all her sentences in “kay?”.

Like I said, overall I’m having fun, but there are some simple things that keep this game from being great. What’s the last game that you’ve played that you felt that way about? Solid mechanics, but if it wasn’t for one or two things, you would have loved it? Go!

Rumor: Mass Effect 2: There Will Be Bloodbaths

me2One of the coolest things I think I’ve ever seen in an RPG, and perhaps one of the defining moments of my life as a gamer, came in the Bioware RPG Knights of the Old Republic. In one crazy-ass sequence of scenes, your party can literally turn on itself, causing some to run away, some to fight you to the death and perhaps even a force command of one friend to kill another. It was glorious, because I had never experienced anything like that.

While we don’t know any details at all about Mass Effect 2, we do have a glimpse from an interview with Bioware project director Casey Hudson, who says that the game’s ending could end up being a veritable bloodbath. Apparently, the game sets you up to go on a dangerous mission at game’s end, and if you’re not prepared, it could all go south:

If you don’t do a lot of the stuff, or make the right kind of choices, the ending will be a bloodbath, and the people that you brought with you will die, and it’ll be a great ending, but it’ll be that kind of ending.

This sounds amazing. Why can’t this game be out like, tomorrow? Also, what are some of the wildest endings you’ve seen to a video game?

EDIT: Apparently this interview has caused quite a stir on the official forums for the game, because people are stupid. The dude at one point hinted that you would have an all new party, which caused people to go ballistic because they wanted certain characters back. Bioware clarified that they haven’t announced any details on parties yet, and that in some instances some of the old party could be back. Though some say that means this interview is incorrect in its entirety, I disagree. Regardless, I will slap a rumor tag on it.

Source- NowGamer

Project Natal Appears on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Microsoft has to be pretty pleased with themselves after E3, seeing as how Project Natal seemed to be the talk of the show. While the tech stuff they showed off looked impressive, it’s yet to really get gamers on board with it completely. Well, last night, Jimmy Fallon, host of Late Night, invited some XBox dudes to demo Project Natal in front of a live audience.

I have to admit, even though the dodgeball/break-out game looked a bit strange and un-coordinated, the driving bit at the end actually looks kind of fun. We’ll see how the tech continues to develop. What do you guys think?

Compare the Final Fantasy 13 Voices

One thing that shocks me about the video game industry is that to this day, voiceovers for Japanese games ported to America are generally awful. I’m playing through Star Ocean: The Last Hope right now and it is guilty of said sin. However, I must say that Final Fantasy XII for the PS2 offered one of the best voiceover dubs I had heard in years. If this video is indication, it looks like we’ll be able to say the same about Final Fantasy XIII. So what do you guys think?

A Bloody History of Duke Nukem Forever

dnfIn case you hadn’t heard, the longest running gag in the video game industry, Duke Nukem Forever, finally had the nail put in its coffin in the last month or so. After a long, ridiculous history, the game that had been teased for nigh on 12 years by 3D Realms is now officially dead.

So, how exactly did we get to this point? And just why does it take 12 years to make a game that ultimately never gets released? Well, CVG has compiled the entire history of Duke Nukem Forever in one easy to read post, complete with some video documentation to make the ride more enjoyable.

I have to say, it’s fascinating to read about, and it makes me wonder just what the hell 3D Realms was even doing all that time. One other cool thing is that they do have a leaked video of Duke Nukem Forever gameplay on there as well. What do you guys think? Does it look like it could have been worth the wait?

Source- CVG

Bioshock 2 Multiplayer Interview

The dudes behind the upcoming sequel to Bioshock have been hard at work. Recently, they gave an interview about some of the features in BioShock 2 multiplayer, including gametypes and the variety of plasmids available to combatants. While I’m still not super stoked about multiplayer in a game that I feel doesn’t need it, some of the clips they’ve got here are pretty sweet. What do you guys think?

GamerSushi Asks: Guilty Pleasure Gaming

50centOk, that post title sounded much more dirty than I intended it to. Oh well. Anywho, every now and then there’s that game that comes along and surprises us with how fun it is. This isn’t exactly extraordinary, however, sometimes it’s a game that you might not be too particularly fond of admitting that you like.

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand has been that game for me this weekend. I know, I know, but hear me out. After a few weeks of hearing that this ridiculous game was actually kind of fun, I had to satisfy my curiosity and check it out, and lo and behold, it really is an enjoyable game. Ridiculous plot aside (50 Cent is hunting down Iraqi gangsters to find a diamond studded skull- yes, in Iraq- and yes, seriously), the game has some refreshing mechanics and plays like an arcade version of Gears of War. I was surprised by just how much I’ve been getting into it. I ended up playing it for about four hours yesterday.

So what about you guys? Have you ever had that guilty pleasure game that you weren’t too excited to come clean about to others? Go!

GamerSushi Asks: Favorite Game of E3?

e3As I’ve said before in other places, E3 really is the pinnacle of the gaming year. It’s a magical time where gamers get to find out what they can expect for the next year and a half or so, gaming-wise. We’re able to speculate, drool and generally get excited about all the things we love.

The week saw a lot of crazy things. There’s Project Natal from Microsoft which actually looks to show some promise despite my earlier misgivings about it. There’s also the Team Ninja Metroid and Final Fantasy XIV for the PS3. Halo: Reach was a pretty big announcement, as well. On top of that, we got to see some gameplay for things coming out soon, like Assassin’s Creed 2, Mass Effect 2 and Modern Warfare 2.

My favorite game of the show though was probably Uncharted 2 or Splinter Cell: Conviction. I wasn’t expecting much from the next Splinter Cell at all, but they’ve really overhauled the gameplay since the last time we saw the game, and for the better.

So what about you guys? What was the most impressive E3 thing you saw this week?

Left 4 Dead 2 E3 Gameplay

In a surprising move, Valve announced the sequel to last year’s much-loved zombie shoot-em-up Left 4 Dead. Even though not much time has passed, Left 4 Dead 2 will come out this November. To be honest, while I love the first game, I’m not really sure how I feel about this. Valve is usually the kind of company that supports their games with years of free content (see Team Fortress 2), so this seems like a weird move coming from them. Regardless, the gameplay looks fun as ever, even if it is the same kind of stuff.

Anywho, enjoy this clip of off-camera gameplay from E3. What do you guys think? Fair/foul of Valve?

GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?

On the eve of E3, it’s time for gamers young and old to dream up a world of possibilities for our next year of gaming. With that in mind, I figured it was a great chance for a new Would You Rather.

In Would You Rather, I simply ask a series of questions, and you follow up with your answers. Give as much or as little explanation as you want for your choices, but we all know that we like to see the reasoning behind the madness.

Don’t let your answers suck, though. You’ll be tarred, feathered and quite possibly beaten like you stole something.

Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Would You Rather?

GamerSushi Asks: What Would You Do If You Ran Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft?

consolewarWith E3 just around the corner, everyone seems to have an opinion about what’s going to happen or what should happen. So I got to thinking: what would I do if I were running any of the Big 3?

Honestly, for Nintendo, I would keep doing what they are doing, but also I would try to get more of the classic Nintendo franchises out there to lure the hardcore gamers. Wii sales are finally tapering off, so if you can lure in those older gamers with a solid library then I think they will really show their dominance. Also, more Virtual Console games. One game a week ain’t cutting it.

For Microsoft, I would give up any hope of competing with Nintendo using motion controllers and stick to what works: hardcore gamers and buying exclusives for the 360. Microsoft doesn’t have nearly the number of Triple A exclusives for this year that Sony does so if they can hold their lead they will likely reload for next year. Look for a new Gears game to be announced at next years E3. I would also dump Rare. Their time in the sun is gone and I think they will only cost Microsoft money now.

Sony, despite the constant negative press, is not as far behind as you might think. They are only 6.5 million consoles behind Microsoft and since they started a year later, that isn’t too big a lead. 2008 was not Sony’s year for exclusives, but 2009 is. Killzone 2 and Infamous have already landed and more are on the horizon, including Heavy Rain and what the hell Kojima has planned. I have heard rumors of a MEGATON announcement that Sony has planned at E3, but I have no idea what it is, if anything. Sony needs to keep adding to the PSN and getting franchises that people associate with Sony, like God of War, Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy. If it means shelling out the big bucks, then I would do it.

What would you guys do to crush the competition?

Ubisoft Games to Have Release Day DLC

ac2I’ve griped about it plenty before, but I’m really not liking the places that downloadable content is headed. Sometimes it’s done well and is worth the money, like the Halo 3 maps or the Fallout 3 extra campaigns. But other times, it’s done quite poorly, such as the Prince of Persia “DLC” that is really the true ending of the game.

Well, the same people that brought you that last one (Ubisoft) are bringing three more DLC packages, this time for their upcoming games Avatar, Splinter Cell: Conviction and Assassin’s Creed 2. The problem? They’re releasing the DLC on the day each of these games comes out.

Remember the days when you could unlock extra costumes and gameplay modes for free? Well, those are going the way of the dodo now, it seems.
Continue reading Ubisoft Games to Have Release Day DLC

E3 2009 Predictions: Place Your Bets

e32I know we’ve already had a topic similar to this in the past, but now that E3 is just a few days away, I couldn’t resist. Rumors are starting to fall on video game sites about possible hardware releases (such as an upgraded PSP), and firm dates on games like Splinter Cell: Conviction and so on. There are even rumors surrounding an announcement of a new Mario/Zelda game for the Wii, with Nintendo’s promise that this year’s presser will be focused on games.

While E3 wasn’t a big deal last year, this year, they’re going to kick it up a notch. I figured that in light of this awesome event, we’d place some bets on things that we think are going to happen, and we’ll try to keep score of who got the most right.

So, put down 7 predictions for E3, and we’ll see who comes out on top. The more specific, the better!

More Photorealistic Graphics, Please

gow2Epic Games, the dudes behind Unreal and Gears of War, are probably some of the biggest graphics whores in the industry. I mean, with all the eye candy they constantly throw at us in their games, it’s hard to doubt that they love making games, and love making them look good. But can they look better?

While the graphics are great in games that use the Unreal Engine, photorealistic graphics aren’t quite here yet, even with this generation’s powerful hardware across consoles and PC games alike. However, Epic’s Tim Sweeney, in a recent interview with Gamasutra, has a couple of ideas about when we’ll see photorealism in real-time:

We’re only about a factor of a thousand off from achieving all that in real-time without sacrifices. So we’ll certainly see that happen in our lifetimes; it’s just a result of Moore’s Law. Probably 10-15 years for that stuff, which isn’t far at all.

Even though I’m not much of a graphics guy (I feel gameplay is way more important), this idea is pretty interesting. I’d like to see what kinds of new art directions developers take with that much graphical power at their disposal. What do you guys think?

Source- Gamasutra

A Fool And His Money… Or: Why Do Gamers Spend Money Like The Federal Government?

lolcat-moneyGames are expensive. And as you get older, you get more money to buy games. Inversely, you have less time to play said games. Therefore, life is cruel. But one thing I have noticed about gamers is that we are morons when it comes to money. It seems that we just can’t wait to part with our hard earned cash.
Continue reading A Fool And His Money… Or: Why Do Gamers Spend Money Like The Federal Government?

GamerSushi Asks: Gaming Deal Breakers

t4Hope you dudes all had a great Memorial Day weekend, for those of you that got to have some free time, anyway. Me, I played tons of video games including Sacred 2, Halo Wars and Team Fortress 2 (apparently I dominate as a Pyro). I also saw Terminator: Salvation, and yes, it was as disappointing as everyone says.

I was totally with the movie until a certain point about half way in, and then everything just takes a huge nose-dive plot wise. Seriously, I’ve never seen a movie tank so hard, so fast, but this one did. I don’t often give in to the idea of “deal breakers” in a movie, but this one definitely had a couple of deal breakers that got in the way of my enjoyment.

It got me thinking about deal breakers in terms of video games, actually. Something that is so inexcusable that you instantly stop enjoying the game that you are playing. I think for me deal breakers are multiplayer games that are unbalanced or full of exploits (hello Gears of War 2), or single player campaigns that pull you out of the fun and make you do boring puzzles again and again.

What about you guys? Do you have any gaming deal breakers?