End of week ranting and babbling

It's Friday, and it's a chance for Jared to put up his feet and get some sort of gaming issue off his chest. YAYSORS!

So it's my first english extension class, and my teacher first tells us that this is a class where we 'must think for ourselves'. Which is actually pretty good for all the free thinkers, and bad for all those who like maths (damn straight thinkers). Anyway, he said something along the lines of 'shedding too much light can something something' and basically it meant that it's ultimately more rewarding to develop our own ideas rather than find a fixed meaning. Or something like that.

Now I may be babbling, but I'd like to take that half quote and find a new meaning that can relate to gaming. Shedding too much light can be unrewarding. Yeah, like 'hand holding'. Shed too much light on a game and it can be unrewarding

'Hand holding' is known to us gamers as the act of providing copious amounts of help that it eventually feels like the developers would've been better off cramming a walkthrough into the game. It feels patronising and ultimately unrewarding.

We as gamers like to feel a sense of accomplishment. Whether it be finding a method to defeat the boss, reading through cryptic clues that the Silent Hill games are notorious for, or just finding the right piece of evidence to present in Phoenix Wright, there's this feeling of mightiness when we eventually figure it out. And it's a damn good feeling.

But alas, some games are more than happy to grab your hand and pull you the whole way through without giving you a chance to object. Now a game like Super Mario Bros Wii. which was heavily advertised as a family experience, is excused for having a function which allows the computer to take over and show it's 1337 skills, but a game like A Boy and His Blob, which was well known for it's extreme difficulty has no excuse to give you a clear cut sign on what to transform your blob into.

I know there's a cliff that the boy can't jump to, I know that I must feed my blob a bean to transform into a trampoline. Don't doubt my intelligence and assume that I don't know what to do. It's patronising, and the sense of accomplishment is lost.

And yeah, you might say that A Boy and His Blob is a kiddish kinda looking game, but even some more adult (or hardcore, meh) titles are quite content with dragging you throughout the whole game without a say. Batman Arkham Asylum, for all it's awesomeness and super cool Scarecrow, automatically assumes that once you're dead, you're in dire need of help. Like I didn't know that I had to keep quiet while killer croc is lurking beneath.

A tutorial or two is fine, but developers oughta know that we can think for ourselves too. Maybe a little more subtle, such as the excellent Uncharted 2, which ended up telling you what to do when you were stuck in a certain section for a looong time, or like how Nate leans towards where he needs to jump to. It's still help, but not as blatant, and there's still that sense of reward.

So the equation should be less handholding = more rewarding. Developers, take note, we have a brain too!

School

School's started. That means my gaming habits take a backseat towards more important stuff like...homework and assignments and crap like that. URK. So there won't be much updates coming, although I'll try my absolute hardest to post my views about everything games as much as I can. Why school, WHY?!!!!

First Impressions: A Boy and His Blob

Whenever I get a new game, I'll post up my initial thoughts of it, and will reflect on it by the time I finish the game. Will my opinion of the game change? Who knows.

A Boy and his Blob
There's a 'hug' button in A Boy and His Blob, that serves no purpose other than to show some affection to your blob companion. I thought I'd start out this first impressions blog with this opening, because from that, you could easily figure out this game for yourself. But I'm not so mean, so I'll expand further on my initial thoughts of the game.

First up, the graphics are gorgeous. I'd even go as far to say it's the best on the wii. And it isn't because the Wii is pushed to it's overheating limits, it's because of the art design that the developers took. It's perfect, from the lush green fields to the night stages were the sky is illuminated by stars, A Boy and His Blob is real easy on the eyes. Really easy.

What to make of the game play though? It has the potential to attain that status of 'simple to understand, hard to master', with beans being used to transform the blob into objects to achieve objectives. Right now, beans are automatically chosen for each stage, and there are signs that direct the player towards what bean to use. So it helps the player ease into the game which is always good. Hopefully later there won't be any hand holding and the game just really tests the player's mind capabilities.

A Boy and his Blog

I've been deprived of games for the past 2 days...ok that's not true at all. I was playing Street Fighter Turbo II and that was fun, plus a bit of Phoenix Wright on the side. When I get home, Bayonetta's gonna meet my PS3 and I plan some long night gaming sessions. OH! And A Boy and His Blob gives my wii a thorough workout! Not such good timing, since school is nearing each and every day..AAH!

Cya later alligators.

I'll count it off. One-one-two-three-GO!

Can the Scarecrow trip out scene in Batman Arkham Asylum go down as one of the best scenes in video gaming of all time? I remember the first time I played through that scene, my sister and I were just like DAMN WHY'D IT HAVE TO STUFF UP?!!!! Then it reverted back to the beginning cinematic and I was sure my progress was lost. Then I saw Joker in the front seat of the batmobile and I'm like: awwwww genius!!!

Yeah well that's my post for the day. In short: Batman Arkham Asylum ruules!!!3

P.S. Use the middle stick to dodge gunfire

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney review

There’s a certain amount of cynicism that lingers in the air when a new Ace Attorney is announced. Sure that there’ll be four (five if you’re lucky) new cases and a few new over the top characters, but the core mechanics of the game remains the same. Investigate, point and click, present random evidence and hope for the best. It’ll probably still suffer from TMTS (Too much text syndrome), and that trial and error aspect still forms a large part of the game. *sigh

So the very fact that Apollo Justice is exclusive to the Nintendo DS, brings a certain amount of hope to those who have stuck by the series. Revamped gameplay maybe? Possibly FMVs. Remember, the first 3 games were merely ports of the original GBA games, so the allure of just sticking the same game on a newer portable with a few added features (although shouting Objection on a crowded bus never gets old), was too tempting for Capcom and co. New characters, new scenarios and possibly new game play? Is it all too much to ask?

Apparently yes. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is, essentially the same game. Sure you’ve got your new characters (and there’s plenty of them, plus a few old faces here and there), and new scenarios, and the compulsory new mechanic to play with, but you’ll still be hopping around from scenery to scenery, questioning ridiculous characters and presenting random pieces of evidence in the hope that you’ll make some sort of progress, any progress! Then you’ll arrive at the trial, where the shi* goes down, and you’ll be forced to cross examine witnesses in order to determine whodunit. Never mind the fresh coat of paint; it’s still the same old wagon.

I might be sounding cynical, but it’s hard not to lament the missed opportunity Capcom had. Instead of utilising the strength of the DS, they merely stuck with what they knew best, and hoped that fans would rush out and stomp over store clerks in order to secure their copy. Same old investigation techniques, same old trial and error, same old...well trial! The only noticeable change in gameplay is the ‘perceive’ function, in which Apollo Justice has the mysterious ability to sense when someone’s lying or nervous through minute body details. While new, it isn’t anything game changing, and soon enough it becomes old searching and searching for the smallest amount of detail that changes within a witness. Six months it took me before I decided to look under the guy’s armpit and notice a small amount of sweat. C’mon capcom.

And yet, I tried, for six months to look for it. If this game wasn’t worth playing I’d put it down long before that. But six months I tried, because of one thing. The story. As with every other Ace Attorney game, the one thing that pushes the player through the tirade of trial and error, is to experience the plot that goes into each case. Sure the plot is over the top, and likewise with the characters, but they’re all so interesting and endearing in their own way. Apollo Justice may be clueless and rash at times, but by the same measure, it’s also what makes him so lovable. When he makes an error you’ll forgive him, when he succeeds, you cheer for him. New Prosecutor Klavier Gavin, is nothing like your typical, cold, steely eyed prosecutor. He’s calm, relaxed and plays air guitar in the middle of a trial, a refreshing break from the harsh, mysterious prosecutors of past ace attorney games. Along with a few old favourites, it’s a trend that Capcom hasn’t disappointed on.

Likewise with each plot as all four manage to be fresh and unique. Each is filled with enough humour, mystery and deep theme to make it exciting to play. There are the usual twists that occur somewhere in the middle, and each character always feels like they’re given enough game time to feel like they’re important to the plot. There might be a Berlin wall full of text, but if you can tear it down and be bothered to read it, it’s really quite rewarding. The last case in particular, is one of the best of the series, due to the ONE risk Capcom took in mixing up the usual structure of the game play. Adding this to the already absorbing story which ties up all the loose ends of the game, and it results in one of the best cases of the series.

So in the end, Apollo Justice really comes down to patience. Patience to weather the same old game play, and become engrossed in the aspect that Capcom has thankfully not disappointed on: the story. Some might call the game a lazy effort, and that’s correct certain to do a degree. But in the end, Capcom has retained what makes the Ace Attorney series so appealing, the engaging plot and over the top but lovable characters. Be thankful that Capcom has done justice to that.

Winston Payne, geddit?!

I've been feeling a bit of Phoenix Wright lately! After staying up till 5 to finish Apollo Justice (which took me 6 months to start playing again), I fell in love again with the hilarious characters, over the top story and Phoenix/Apollo shouting OBJECTION! Me and Justice for All are schedueled for a late night session Woohoo!

On a side note: I have been published in Kotaku for the second time! Woohoo! (links aplenty)
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2010/01/reader-review-fifa-10/


Toodles!