Random musings on video game commercials and the future...

What is it with video game commercials that try to mock reality? I noticed it with this hilarious pole position commercial, but then I stumbled across these old Atari Jaguar commercials, which depict more people being semi-absorbed into some kind of pseudo-reality video game world. If these commercials are anything to judge, real life becomes about 15 times more intense when you step into the 64 bit world of the ATARI JAGUAR! Excuse me while I go change, because I think I just soiled myself...

Did you own the ultimate in video gaming technology, the SIXTY-FOUR BIT masterpiece that would revolutionize the gaming world?!? ...yeah, me neither.

Aside from the fact that the Jaguar failed miserably, the commercials do have an inherent statement to make, which I have brushed on ever so briefly in this blog. Virtual reality, one of the thematic mother loads of science fiction, is an inherent quality in every game console around. Every time you grab a controller, joystick or Wii-mote, you enter an artificial world that allows interaction within the limits of certain rules. Some of these rules are simple, like in Pac Man or Pong, and some are extraordinarily complex sandbox-style games like Grand Theft Auto or Assassin's Creed. But the idea remains the same: a simulated experience is created in place of a real one designed to entertain and occupy our minds. All of these commercials are expressing the idea, almost unconsciously, that you must somehow be virtually integrated into the game to have the best experience.

Thanks to enormous recent advances in consumer-available technology, the Seventh Generation of video game consoles (which gamers have lovingly called "Next-Gen systems") are moving closer and closer to reaching a level of virtual reality once only fathomed by science fiction nerds and conspiracy theorists. Multi-player, story-lines, and interactive environments all contribute in different ways to the virtual experience, which in my opinion is a really cool step forward in the entertainment industry. I think this most recent Xbox 360 commercial (apparently banned, for some reason) puts my whole idea on this issue in perspective:



And there you have it. The cabbie near the end just shows me that people are still capable of being responsible and putting virtual reality on hold for real life concerns. Like homework. Which I swear, I'll do right after I finish beating Halo.. again.

Prince of Persia 3: The Two Thrones (a battle within)

The Sheel here, coming back at you with yet another review for the Xbox. Not the 360, or the PS3, but the regular old "current-gen" [post link] system that keeps me so entertained and often prevents me from doing all the work I'm supposed to do. Like all those essays I claimed I would finish early so I wouldn't have to worry about them. Yeah, right.

Honour and Arrogance at odds with one another: the Prince struggles with a schizophrenic mind for most of the game due to a curse.




Where to begin? Well, because this is the third part of a three part series, the storyline is a little bit confusing. I'll try the simple recap: you start on a boat, after rescuing the princess of time. Everything is fine and dandy, until you return to your Kingdom and everything is in ruins, because some bad-ass army has invaded and occupied the entire city of Babylon. You spend the game trying to restore the Prince's kingdom, spending your time in puzzle solving action sequences and/or laying the smack down on the occupying troops, with a few great boss battles thrown in to keep it interesting.

This commercial might give you an idea of the frustration of learning the controls. If you play this game, expect to die.. a lot. The Prince can use "sand-capsules" that allow you to slow down or reverse time, which keeps you from having to live through the game-over sequence too often, but the game is still impeccably hard. Which is something I really enjoy about it.

A highly recommended title, go and check it out along with the first two games in the series, particularly if you are a fan of the Tomb Raider or other puzzle solving/action genres. I'll leave you with the beauty of several CGI cut-scenes that never made it into the game; disappointing considering the excellent storyline that accompanies this title. Please enjoy :)

Sheel-Score: 8.5/10

A Quick nod to useless video game media

Just a quick nod to a cool new article on IGN: the Top 100 Games of All Time is getting released as I type these words. Well, not exactly now, but the countdown has begun. Here's the criteria they used when selecting these games:

• Eligible games had to have been released no later than December 31, 2006 (perspective is a good thing)
• A number of factors were taken into consideration when selecting a winner: How good the game was compared to others of its time, its overall game design, how well it stands up over the years, how influential it has been in the realm of gaming and just plain how much fun we had playing it are all points for contention.
• The list is comprised of single, stand-alone titles and doesn't include compilations, expansion packs or add-ons.
• Titles with multiple editions such as collector's boxes, gold editions or direct re-releases have been consolidated into one single entry, with the edition deemed most deserving taking precedence.
• Updated versions of original titles were only included on the list if they were significantly different from their predecessors.

Clearly they've thought about this. These guys (and indeed many gamers) really take their games seriously. Only the first 10 are out as of this post, but the cool thing is that they allow users to post their thoughts directly below IGN's write-up. How 'democratic' of them, no? Alright, I'm stretching, and it's late. Give me a break and enjoy the list. We're up to the top half of the list and theres some really good games on there. And yes, its got NHL94, don't worry.

The Latest in CC: "Cool Controller" Technology

Its no question that since their conception, video games have been an escapists way out of the real world. From the oldest of video games to the most modern, it is all about creating a virtual world that we interact with through various methods. Originally just an analog arcade joystick, game controllers have now become extraordinary pieces of technology that give the gamer enormous control over the way in which you interact with these 'virtual' worlds. I already mentioned the mind controller using "electro-encephalograph" technology, but that system is more an experiment than a practical controlling device. Today I want to look at some of the latest controllers that are both practical and changing the way gamers interact with the environment, and perhaps one day will evolve into the latest virtual game technology.

Nintendo Wii Zapper

Way back in 2006 the Wii Zapper was introduced at the E3 conference as a pistol shape, but it has recently emerged with this more "tommy-gun" inspired look. The design was taken with a grain of salt at IGN because of a few design flaws:

"The biggest of these is the implementation of a plastic trigger in the forward grip that presses against the Wiimote's own B trigger. In use this connection doesn't work well, as the mechanical trigger has a very squishy, imprecise throw that makes it really difficult to tell when the actual button is depressed"

It looks kind of cool to me, but they could definitely have done a better job getting the controller to respond. I much prefer the simplicity of the pistol design -->



The Novint Falcon

This awesome looking mouse design is exciting a lot of people for its ablility to allow the user to 'feel' surfaces and make movement in three dimensions. Through force feedback technology, the controller moves in the standard left/right, up/down, but also has a forwards/backwards capabilities. You can also feel texture.. The demo is a hand that moves about feeling various textures. Apparently you can also feel kickback from a gun if you're playing a FPS like Half-Life. Cool.


Camy's Pro Gear "Hero Pack"

Ok, I know its another Wii-mote adaption, but its just kicks so much ass I can't resist. I mean, are you telling me I can actually weild the Master Sword? AND the shield of Hyrule? That is seriously awesome! Theres the Wii-mote in the sword, the nun chuck clipped into the shield, and you walk around like Link beating ass. I don't have much else to say about it, except how cool it is. Period.

Guitar Hero Guitar

This controller to me, is more like an adaption of DDR, that stupid arcade dancing platform that saturated movie theaters everywhere and generally made me sick. Theres not much introduction that the controller needs because more people have played guitar hero than own an internet connection (not cited, but the author thinks its possible). Just look at all these controllers I found on the internet. There's even a guy who made an actual instrument using some computer programming wizardry and a synthesizer. The "Guitar Heroes"? He actually plays better on the controller than the real guitar. Wow.


On a side-note, and as a credit to how tired I am finishing this at about 3:02 am, check out this old commercial for a game called "Pole Position." This voice (possibly a steroid-using motivational speaker) manifests himself as a giant hand that rips this innocent, 'Leave it to Beaver-style family' from their Sunday drive and into the racing game, in which the family is quite obviously terrified and end up looking like extras in a Michael Jackson music video. I can't believe how hard I actually laughed when I watched this... please enjoy




Gotta love that contemporary, anti-corporate dialogue:
Mysterious voice: "HEY...you look like a real jerk!"
Dad: "Well, I am a corporate executive.."
"Muffy": "He stops exciting things from happening!"

Shame on Ubisoft... Assassin's Creed "squandered the immense potential of this pseudo-stealth action title"

The only thing missing from this review is the fact I haven't played the game yet. Look, I'm sorry. I just don't have the spare cash to go out and purchase a brand new xbox360.. Welcome to the poor life of the student.

Luckily, I have the advantage of the internet.. and the knowledge that countless internet nerds are determined to put as much video on the internet as is physically possible. But first let me point out a quote from IGN's review:

"Assassin's Creed could easily have been one of the best games of 2007. It is, without question, impressive on several fronts. But developer Ubisoft Montreal took some missteps along the way and squandered the immense potential of its pseudo-stealth action title."

...Wait, what? This game was supposed to be revolutionary to the video game industry! I was interested in this negative statement, because after watching all the previews I was as excited as a fourteen year old with a Victoria's Secret catalogue for this game to come out. So I did something I'm not proud of... I cheated and used youtube to watch the spoilers of the game. I'll try not to spoil the game for you, but I will point out some of the factors that have disappointed the video game community about this supposedly revolutionary title.

First of all, theres a HUGE...and I mean hulking, overshadows the entire plot of the game, blue light special huge plot twist that gets revealed literally before you even start to get into the game. You can find it here, but I leave that up to your discretion as to whether you watch it or not. It shows someone playing through the game and reveals the plot twist as if you were watching the game. Its actually an interesting concept, but its extremely disappointing that they wasted the opportunity to use this within the game.

The second problem appears to be the repetitive game play. I can't back this one up, because as far as I can tell, the controls look very innovative and although perhaps difficult to get a hang of, they give a lot of control over your character. However, the reviewers claim that each mission is essentially the same thing... hunt, kill, escape. I'm not sure if I agree with this, because the fight scenes look absolutely stunning and engaging with the environment (like the crowds of people and the ability to climb anywhere in the city) seems to be done extremely well.

Overall I think IGN may have overplayed their disappointment in their review, although I can't back that up until the university lowers tuition, or I get a better job.

Faster.. Louder.. Better.. What does Guitar Hero truly offer the world?

...I remember the greatest achievement of my third year was that I could go potty by myself. Now you can go on youtube and watch diaper clad infants rock out to Poison on their PS2. What kind of phenomenon have we reached? Guitar Hero has virtually invaded the videogame market, selling over $110 million dollars in the first week of sales, and people's social lives are suffering as a result. What would happen if the world decided to put down their weapons and settled their differences by Guitar Hero duels? World peace, thats what!

Unfortunately, the world isn't that awesome. But for the privileged and indulgent masses with expendable incomes and loads of spare time, I believe that we are breeding the next evolution in the greatest and most captivating instrument of modern music history: the electric guitar.

Why should I suggest such a thing? After all, playing real guitar is drastically different from five coloured buttons, not to mention the importance of having a musical ear and understanding at least a shred of musical theory. There are no strings to press, no amps to play with and no electronics or acoustics to worry about. However, I think you only have to watch the video above to notice that at 3 years old, this kid is following in the footsteps of Poison. Presumably minus the heavy drugs and ferarri crashes.

No, what GH generates is interest in the instrument. Not every kid is going to go pick up a guitar because he's a whiz at guitar hero, but I guarantee you the next time he sees a real guitar, something inside him is going to say "I wonder..." and he's going to think about picking it up and trying to play a few notes. On top of this, they have guitar players like Yngwie (pronounced ing-vay) Malmsteen to admire. Someone will eventually have to top them.

So keep rocking boys and girls. You never know what you're capable of.

"It's not personal.. it's business" (review)

Before I start out on what a great game this movie adaption is, I have to point out that I have not actually seen the Godfather movies. I am thoroughly ashamed of this, especially since I own all three movies and they're sitting right under my tv. But give me a break; they're in VHS form and in all honesty.. nobody has a tape player anymore.

Despite having missed one of the best movies of all time, I did manage to get a movie-like experience when I played the Xbox version of the Godfather. While versions exist for both Xbox and PS2 (as well as an updated Xbox 360 version, with new missions, improved graphics, and various other game tweaks), they are essentially the same game following the plot of the movie with a new character (the player) helping the Corleone's take back control of New York.

First of all, the game kicks ass. Straight up, no question. It's a 'sandbox' game modeled after Rockstar's GTA series (see GTA Clones) which is a particular favorite gaming model of mine, because it incorporates several game genres into one awesome product. You have racing, shoot-'em-up, role playing, and even a little bit of basic puzzle solving all incorporated into a large real-world model environment that allows for lots of interaction. In Godfather you can listen to people on the streets talk about what they're going to make for dinner, complain about their unfaithful spouses or even make snide or outraged remarks when you bribe police officers in their presence ("I wish I could make deals like that"). Touches like these are what makes good games great.

EA delivers an authentic New York Gangster experience. Come and get me copper!

Regarding the game play, Godfather is a tough game. Expect to get "iced" regularly, because dying is easy when you're a mobster and tommy guns are rampant throughout the city. There are five families (based on the fictional movie families, not the ones from the book) and some tend to be more violent and aggressive than others. The Tattaglia's are notably the weakest, the Stracci's and the Cuneo's are somewhat in the middle, and the Barzini's are absolutely ruthless. So paying attention to what family you are attacking is important, because some are much quicker to violence (the Barzini's in particular will whip out a shotgun and blast your face away before you can say "spaghetti")

As with every game, there are a few glitches: the targeting system is well done but it is a little finicky on choosing a target; I found myself accidentally mowing down innocent bystanders on more than one occasion. Overall, it is clear that EA spent a lot of time making sure that these glitches were minor and easily made up for by the excellent game play. In short, if you love sandbox style games... this is a must have.

Sheel-Score: 8.9/10