A Killer Robot from the Future is Concerned about Violent Video Games.

If you have not been following the Schwarzenegger v. EMA/Brown v. EMA case that is about to get a ruling this Monday in the United States, then you should turn your attention to Patrick Klepek’s coverage of it over on Giant Bomb. The general gist of the case is this: people are upset about kids playing violent games (understandable), and the Californian state government feels that they can raise your kids better than you can (not so understandable). I am not going to get into any moral debates about this, those have already been had by people who know what they are talking about, but I do want to bring to the forefront something interesting that I noticed about this whole long road.

This whole idea about protecting kids from the evils of video games is very similar, and I mean VERY similar, to the same debate that rage on about music (heavy metal, punk rock, and the like) in the 1980s. While I do agree that an eight year old should not be playing Grand Theft Auto if they cannot handle it, I also think that if your child understands the basic concept of reality vs. fantasy (like my sister did as a child. She would sit in front of the TV when she was about three or so, and would watch Terminator 2 from start to finish), then there should be no problem in what games your child plays. The video game industry has the ESRB and other ratings boards to rate the content of games, and there are already laws in place about selling mature rated games to minors, so what is all the fuss about? If Hollywood is able to rate their films, and enforce their own set of rules, why can policy makers not let the games industry do the same? It is just like art, movies, and music before it; video games are the new evil that the older generations do not, and will never try to understand.

It also bothers me that some people are content to let those in power (be it provincial, state, or federal levels of government) tell them how to deal with their own children. Sure we have to make sure that the media are kids are taking in is appropriate for them (since each child being a unique individual), but that should be the responsibility of parents and not of policy makers.

Let us hope that level heads prevail here, and the governments of the world stop trying to raise everyone’s kids for them.

Portal 2 is Great.

My god, I feel bad for taking this long to finish Portal 2. I do not see how or why people were complaining about the length of this game when it came out; after all was said and done, I was at around 12 hours of play. 12 hours to complete the single player and the co-op multiplayer. How is that a short game?

First and foremost, the story and the writing in this game are of a calibre not seen very often in the world of video games; the only other game that I feel comes close is Red Dead Redemption. I was very impressed by the amount of emotion the animators and the designers were able to get out of the faceless robots. It reminded me of Pixar’s WALL-e in a way, and that to me is the real testament to the design of the robots. The sharp writing, and top notch voice work bring this game to another level of detail rarely seen in the games of today. I would gladly sit back and watch someone play this game so I could really let the storytelling sink in. That is not to say that I did not like playing this game, in fact I quite enjoyed it.

Portal is a puzzle game first and foremost, so it is a rather good thing then that puzzles are great in both the single player and the co-op portions of the game. The single player tests are as good, or even a little better than Portal’s tests and the game forces you to do some abstract puzzle work on most of the late game chambers. I cannot pass judgement on how hard some of the co-op puzzles could be without proper verbal communication as my good friend and I played co-op in the same room. Even then, with the two of us being in the same room we both heavily relied on the ability to paint targets in game to help solve many of the tests. Aside from that, the co-op tests are fun, challenging, and always rewarding.

This game shows how, once again, Valve is at the top of the pack when it comes to storytelling. Whether it is the direct stories of the Portal and Half-Life series, or the indirect stories of Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, Valve is able to create unique and interesting worlds. Let’s hope that this trend continues, and is improved upon in Half-Life 2: Episode 3.

Anzu, The Raven Lord

After I don’t know how long, I finally got my hands on the Raven Lord mount! This mount has been the one thing I have lusted after in the World of Warcraft ever since the Burning Crusade marched across Outlands. Now with it firmly in my mount collection, I need to find something else to go after, something else to farm day in and day out; it is either going to be the Huntsman mount from Kara, or the blue proto-drake from Up. Both of those mounts are rarely seen (especially the blue drake), and collecting mounts is what I do.

Not a huge post, I know, but this is something I have been trying for for so long. So let me have this moment to bask in the glory of finally getting this damn mount. I now ride a god into battle, and show off a new mount in the streets of Orgrimmar.

Why I loved Dead Space 2

Dead Space 2 is to Aliens as Dead Space is to Alien. Both games feature the same creatures, and both are stories of desperate struggles against seemingly impossible odds. The first one built on the fear of being alone (in space, no one can hear you scream) while the second built upon the fear of numbers (this time, it’s war).

Dead Space 2 trades in the solitary ship for the chance to battle the necromorphs on the Sprawl (a space station/city that is built upon the ruins of Saturn’s moon, Titan). Isaac Clark is also no longer the silent hero like Link or Gordon Freeman, instead he is a fully realized character who has to not only battle the crawling chaos aboard the station, but his own inner demons. It was this change in focus from the monsters to the main character, which I never knew Dead Space needed.

Yes the combat is as visceral as the first game, and Isaac’s overall movement through the world has been sped up and made much more fluid, but these are the types of things we have come to expect from sequels; the story is what truly shines in Dead Space 2. I am really happy that Visceral Games, the studio behind the game, knows that there is more to Dead Space than the mindless violence and shooting monsters. The story starts with a bang and does not ever let up; the mental demons Isaac has to face chase him just as much as the re-animated necromorphs do, and his reliance on a mental ill patient (Nolan Strass) paints a grim picture of what Isaac might become. By the end, I did not know if Isaac had lost his mind or not, as reality and his subconscious started to meld together in some very interesting, and quite terrifying, ways. It is this attention given to the world as a whole that raises it above the rest of the horror/action genera (I’m looking at you Resident Evil and Silent Hill).

The cast of characters that you meet along the way are great in moving the story along. I wish that the “main villain” (air quotes), Hans Tiedemann, would have had more of a presence in the game, instead of being a face on a screen or a voice over the radio. The one character that I liked the most, aside from Isaac himself, is Ellie. Without giving too much away, she is another blue-collar worker like Isaac, and she is trying to survive just like everyone else. I loved the fact that she wasn’t a damsel in distress, and that she helps you just as much as you help her. And Isaac himself is a great character, which was something I was quite worried about; it would be hard to develop a character from one who did not speak to a point where he has to now not only speak, but have his own emotions other than the players. I am glad that they choose to give him something to say, because the game’s story greatly benefits from it.

It’s this effort that went into the storytelling that I admire most about Dead Space 2. Everything from the environment, to the way characters look at each other, to the random debris littering the world is used to tell this horror story. It goes to show you can have great, visceral feeling combat and amazingly interactive game play without having to sacrifice the story or the artistic direction. I hope that the inevitable Dead Space 3 continues on this tradition of storytelling, and I hope that the brass over at EA do not force it out the door before it is ready.

OverStrike

This new game from Insomniac, the makers of the PS3 FPS series Resistance, looks to be something new that is desperately needed in this generation of military shooters.

OverStrike looks to be a 4 player co-op experience, all presented in a lovely 50s spy sheik shell. It really reminds me of Team Fortress 2 if only on a visual level. The characters are looking to be likeable, and I hope the game is just as much fun to play as this trailer is leading us to believe. I hope we will soon learn whether or not it is an FPS or some sort of third-person action game. With the lack of any game play trailers as of right now it is hard for me to really express any more than a sense of wonder.

Wii 2? No, Wii U

While I may not be a fan of the name Wii U, the idea behind it and its controller are almost too good to pass up. It looks like we are finally getting that interaction Nintendo has been trying for since the days when you could plug your GBAs into the Game Cube. It is also awesome to see a bigger focus on the hardcore gamer, and that we are going to see things that we want to see on this new console. With a strong list of third party support already, and having John Riccitiello come on stage and state EAs commitment to the system, it is looking like Nintendo is going after everyone with this new console.

I hope in the coming few days of E3, some firsthand experience with this new console and its new controller pop onto the web.

Microsoft E3 Impressions

I’m glad that I did not get up today to watch the Microsoft E3 press conference. Aside from announcements for a new Halo trilogy (always fun), and the upcoming remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, the Kinect heavy show did little for me.

I don’t want to talk to my TV as I play through Mass Effect 3, and I think I share that sentiment with everyone who is playing Mass Effect. It sounds like an addition to the game more so for Microsoft to push the Kinect to the core gamer rather than Bioware trying something new.

An on rails Fable game, really? Where I slash my hand across the screen as a sword? No thanks.

What really gets me about all these Kinect games, from Fable to Star Wars, is how they all seem like first generation Wii games. Instead of being fully fledged games, they are mini game collections, and if Nintendo moved away from that so should Microsoft.

I guess Microsoft must had made some money on the Kinect if they want us all to be wave our arms around like idiots as we play our games. At least we heard that Minecraft is coming to the 360, so I am looking forward at seeing some footage of that hopefully over the week.

Happy E3 week everyone, and I will be constantly updating my blog with all the games and announcements I can over this week.