When the 'Game' Changes: Am I Drifting from Gaming?

It’s not difficult for me to remember a time when a new game was on the horizon, tantalizingly out of reach, and building a hysterical excitement within me as I counted down the days until its release. Yet in spite of this easy to recall memory, I struggle to think of a game whose release I have anticipated. After some mental strain I came up with three: Animal Crossing: New Leaf, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon.



Really? I’ve only been excited for three games in one year? That can’t be right. Is the industry slowing down? Am I not paying attention to new titles? Are there fewer games being made that interest me? Or, maybe, am I losing touch with the current generation?



In all honesty, I have to assume it’s the last one. As sad and old as that makes me feel, I cannot deny that video games continue to hum and thrive all around me. I’ve always been at least a bit behind the curve on new releases, and it’s not unheard of for me to take years to actually finish a game (Skyward Sword, anyone? I’ll beat it someday). But does this mean I’ve already turned into a ‘golden age’ gamer who only likes the titles from their youth?!

You KNOW this is a good time waiting to happen.

Possibly.



But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The backlog of games that I have yet to sink my teeth into (Mass Effect and Fallout: New Vegas, for starters) is truly enormous. I could go years and years without buying a new video game and still not run out of content to devour. At least I’m saving money, right?



Mostly it’s just interesting to me that I haven’t really noticed any video game news. Where is all the news?! Is there a single, reliable source for it anymore? Last time I tried to keep up I had to visit a handful of different websites, and most of that information I didn’t care about. Even when I was buying new games regularly I had a specific scope that I paid attention to (Nintendo), and I know that I’ll never stop having a foot in that pool. I definitely saw all of the hullaballoo regarding the re-releases of Ruby and Sapphire, which elicited an almighty shrug from me seeing as that was my least favorite batch of Pokemon (don’t hurt me).

 

Meanwhile, the rest of the internet world collectively lost their minds at the announcement.

So yes, I have become a dawdling old gamer who loves to wax nostalgic about the PS2 generation and everything that came before it. I’ve moved away from the flashy new releases and have started to focus my efforts on older games that I missed (like my Final Fantasy 8 diary), titles I wouldn’t normally play that have been gifted to me by friends, favorites that will never leave me that I simply have to play every so often, and, yes, the very occasional new game that I won’t even pick up until at least 3 months after it has come out.



Am I sad? A little bit! I didn’t think this day would come. And hey, maybe it’s not even permanent. Maybe a little bit of the other factors that I mentioned are at play, and in a few years the industry will shift in a direction that’s more immediately demanding to my attention. For now at least, I have a huge library to get to, and it’s pretty fun to be the 'old' person who can actually say, “Back in my day…”

 

Get it? Or have I crossed too far over the age gap?

Where are you in your video game career? Hardcore fanatic? Calm collector? Dawdling oldie? I want to hear about your journey!



-MJ



*Header image sources: link, nes, hat.

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The Importance Of A Good Soundtrack

When was the last time an ad for "the next big hit" from "the next big developer" raved about the music?  Most of the time when people read a review for a video game pending release, you don't see anything regarding the soundtrack.  This bothers me simply because music is an immensely important thing to video games.  Apart from being visually stimulating, there is also much enjoyment to be found in the various beeps and tones found in our favorite stories.

 

Imagine what this screen would have been like with just white noise.

Music plays such a large role in digital storytelling that the premise of some titles (and even some missions/quests individually) are largely based around melody.  Think about it: the various instruments in almost every "Legend of Zelda" game, composing the tadpole symphony for Toadofsky in "Super Mario RPG", making sure the band plays just the right ditty in "Final Fantasy VIII"... I could go on.

 

This game itself (The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening) revolved entirely around one melody.

The anthems and arias we hear while on our electronic adventures can be notes in the background or tools for situational and mood conveyance.  For example, overworld music tends to be upbeat and adventurous, underworld music is generally dark and menacing, and battle music conveys a sense of urgency.

 

Can't forget the 'job-well-done' feeling of victory fanfare! Makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

To capitalize on situational conveyance (I think that's a fitting name), think of a piece of music in your favorite game that left a profound impression on you.  A couple of examples that come to mind for myself are the adrenaline rushes I suffer from almost drowning in "Sonic the Hedgehog," or the anxiety-ridden moments encompassed in the orchestral drama that is "Heavy Rain."

 

"Maybe I'd feel better about this if the music made it seem like fun..."

Simply put, while music may not always be essential to the story, it is a charming and crucial aspect of video game culture.  I am continually impressed when music is used in unique ways, gameplay or otherwise.  A perfect example is "Fallout 3" where you wander the post-apocalyptic wastelands accompanied by the swinging sounds of the '30s and '40s.

 

"You know somethin'? Maybe I do want to set the world on fire."

While the soundtracks do get some attention, I hope appreciation for in-game music, chiptunes and orchestral compositions alike, will continue to grow and gain a stronger foothold in the bigger picture.  Let us raise a glass to the composers who made us feel triumphant for starting a new adventure, and to those who make us feel like jackasses for failing!

If you've got a piece of video game music that you would like to share your feelings about, let me know below!

-Zach

*Header and preview images courtesy of Zelda Elements.*

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Real life versus Fallout: What would I do?

Many thoughts go through my head as I traverse the Wasteland.

"Is that a yao guai?"

"Everyone is so rude."

"Raiders pick fights then run away. Why?"

"Oooh, another lunchbox!"

I am developing quite the collection. I have yet to master

getting them to sit nicely on the shelf though...

And so many more along those lines. However, the most consistent thought that runs through my head is, "What would I actually do?" I'm going to be optimistic here and say there's a very good chance that I'll never find out. That's good because, realistically, I'm thinking I wouldn't fare too well.

My repertoire of gaming doesn't hold a spot for violent shooters, or games with any semblance of realism. When things look too real I find myself getting freaked out. This is especially true for any first person perspective games. I don't know about you, but it feels like I'm right there getting shot at! My visceral response is quite strong and it makes for a difficult time staying alive in-game. I'm not sure how many times I've jumped, squealed and/or yelled out of legitimate fright while playing Fallout 3. It has even happened once while playing Minecraft, which was hilarious.

I believe I've mentioned it here before, but I'm going to go ahead and reiterate just in case; I love Fallout, I've been a fan of the series for ten years (which may not be long compared to others, but still). I played Fallout 2 and loved it, and I was so psyched when Fallout 3 was announced. I was working at GameStop at the time and was constantly surrounded by posters, previews and general hype. I wanted to get it so badly, but a few things were standing in my way. Firstly, the lack of a PS3, xbox360, or a PC capable of running it were a big issue. Secondly, all of the footage I had seen, and my extremely exciting hands-on playing experience at PAX 2008, provided enough evidence to let me know that the game was extremely realistic, graphic, and put a large emphasis on first person shooting. Le sigh.

Me with a Brotherhood member and the Pip-boy mascot himself

at PAX 2008. They had the best display I had ever seen.

The one silver lining here was that the guy I was dating at the time owned a PS3, and was most interested in the game. He ended up getting the fancy edition at my request (read: begging) because I desperately wanted the lunchbox. I still had plans and hopes of playing, but after watching him play through I sadly decided it was just too realistic and gross. Limbs flying off, heads exploding, "searching" an errant eyeball. Ew. But still I longed, and harbored dreams of someday sucking it up and playing through the game.

Fast forward to present day, and I'm here in California with Andrew. He has Fallout 3 for his PC, and I moaned and groaned to him about everything I just stated above. He urged me to give it a try, insisting that he'd sit with me and protect me and help me if things got difficult or too scary. I was hesitant, but it has been almost a full three years since the game was released so I thought it was about time I at least tried.

My gameplay started slow, just a few sessions here and there. But now we are playing for hours every night. I cannot get enough. The game still scares me, the graphics are too real and the flying limbs are absolutely disgusting, but it is so fun.

This has been round-about, but it brings me to my point. What would I do? Well, for the most part I try to do what I would do. I always pick the nicest option I can, and I opt to help everyone. I give purified water to the people that ask for it, and I give caps to those that ask. You see, I simply cannot be mean or reckless. It makes me feel horribly guilty. I know it's just a game and just AI, but that doesn't matter to me. Andrew gives me crap for donating caps, but it makes me feel good. Fake, electronic good feelings. They still count!

"Very Good Capitol Crusader", hell yes.

The moral stuff hasn't been too difficult to figure out so far, so keeping my karma at a medium-to-high level has been easy, but we're starting in on some higher level quests that pose very interesting choices.

For instance, my first run-in with a slaver was horrible. I was appalled at his presence and wondered aloud why on earth he wasn't listed as red/enemy on my radar. Every time I see them I want to kill them, even though since they're green it'll lose me karma. But how messed up is that? I will lose karma for ridding the Wasteland of slavers?! My in-game karma is very important to me, but they make me want to waiver. Andrew said there's something coming up later in the game that will have a boatload of slavers and I'll have some decisions to make. I've made my decision. I'll just have to hand out lots of purified water later xD

I recently came into a quest regarding an android that ran away from its maker. I had been tasked with returning it, and then suddenly during my searches to locate the android I was given the option to let the android be free and to report back to the maker that it was 'dead'. I'm not yet sure what I plan on doing. I really enjoy helping people with their quests, but an in-game character made a very impassioned plea on behalf of the android to let him be free. DECISIONS!

Quest information for the android.

To preface this next instance, I'm going to explain that I am absolutely, positively, obnoxiously freaked out by bugs of almost all kinds. I lose my mind and scream and my goodness is it annoying. It's automatic though, I can't help it. Being faced with enormous bugs in Fallout hasn't been fun, per se, but it also hasn't terrified me, which is a relief. I can handle fake bugs, but not fake spiders. Oh no. None of that nonsense.

After a few rousing sessions of gaming and an increased familiarity with the enemies (also the enemies getting larger and more difficult), I was on the hunt for raiders in one of the many dilapidated buildings. As I snuck down a hallway and watched the red dashes appear on my radar, I readied my shotgun for some close combat. I opened the door in front of me to reveal... radroaches.

"Oh" I said, "It's only radroaches!"

I had my in-game character stand up and switch to a lead pipe. Andrew laughs from behind me and says, "If you saw cockroaches that big, you would lose your mind." I laughed as well and agreed with him. I've only actually seen a cockroach twice in my life. Once when I was nine and in Hawaii (it was large) and again just last night! Andrew and I were coming home in the evening and as we approached the front steps of the house I saw something move and jumped back and yelped. He looked down and around and finally saw it.

"What is that?!" I asked horrified.

"It's a cockroach." He said.

It looked nothing like the cockroach I had seen when I was younger, and it also didn't look like the majority of the ones I see online or in books or TV shows.

"It's really small." I commented, bending down for a closer look.

"Seriously? That thing is big." He remarked.

I continued to stare at it, inching closer. At this point it decided to play possum and became very still. It had these crazy long antennae and a long narrow body. I thought it was some sort of grasshopper at first. Andrew then warned me that some kinds of cockroaches like to jump, and he wasn't sure if this kind would, so I promptly stood up straight and stepped away. I wish I had taken a picture of it! It made me think of the radroaches though, and how my in-game character beats the crap out of them with baseball bats, lead pipes and nail boards. Could I ever kill anything with a baseball bat, even a huge bug?

They are very, very big. Photo found here.

I don't think I'd ever survive in the Wasteland.

-MJ

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