Flash Game: One Chance

I stumbled across a little Flash game earlier today called "One Chance". The game is a short 10 minute adventure filled with some really well done choices and dilemmas. You can only play the game once (unless you delete your cookies ... but i recommend sticking to the single play-through), and the ending you get is based upon the decisions you make in humanities final 6 days. It is one of the most interesting games I've played in recent memory and it is worth checking out.You can play it here.

Also if you haven't yet picked up the Humble Indie Game Bundle #2, do it now. The bundle is a pay what you want download with a portion of proceeds going to charity, and you get 5 incredible indie games so go buy it here.

Review: Mirror's Edge [PS3]

Mirror's Edge

In an industry overwhelmed by macho power fantasies, Mirror's Edge represents a breath of fresh air in the medium. Mirror's Edge core conceit is the opposite of that of most games, rather than head straight into combat, you spend much of the game avoiding it. Its a far different mind set than that of most games, and requires an interesting skill set that far too few games allow you to utilize. Mirror's Edge is essentially a first person platformer, while many first person games have included platforming elements, few, seem to do so successfully. Mirror's Edge is a great example of how focusing on a single mechanic can result in an incredibly focused and polished experience.By the end of the game, you have learned this skill set, and have had time to polish these skills.

Mirror's Edge art direction is some of the strongest in the medium, the clean, high contrast world that you are placed in is brilliantly executed, and rather eerie at times. This all works towards creating a very interesting Science-fiction world that I was still interested in learning about after completing then main campaign. Mirror's Edge's main protagonist Faith is the rare example off a strong highly motivated female protagonist, although her dialogue comes of as a little bland and emotionless at times faith is a great character to hold up the narrative arch.

The games difficulty ramps up towards the end, and the game becomes more of a trial by death puzzler than a smooth action game. This can be quite frustrating when the most enjoyable aspect of the game is running smoothly from obstacle to obstacle at high speeds. The check-pointing is good however and I never felt like turning off the game and walking away. 

Mirror's Edge's cutscenes are interesting, they are handled in a Half Life sort of style, from the first person view, yet they lock your movement. When the writing hits and the animation isn't overtly robotic these scenes work really well, however there are several instances when the writing fails and the animation enters a bizarre uncanny valley realm. They are also Anime style cutscenes which bookend each mission. These scenes act as exposition for the upcoming mission and work well, yet feel sort of out of place in the game, mostly due to the perspective and art style shift. Mirror's Edge strongest narrative mechanic is simply the environment, the world is full of little bits of fiction, from advertisements to news reels that help to expand the over all narrative. 

Mirror's Edge is a great game and something genuinely unique. It is a great example of trying something new and interesting in the medium, it saddens me to think that we may never see a sequel. 

Review: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood [PS3]

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

I went into Assassin's Creed Brotherhood with a lot of doubts. I wasn't sure 1 year was enough time to put out a new game, I wasn't sure that multi-player fit within the realm of Assassin's Creed and I wasn't sure whether the Italian setting could be interesting enough for another trip around. 

I was wrong.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood picks up seconds after Ezio and Desmond left off in Assassin's Creed 2, and follows Ezio's journey as he builds the foundation of a brotherhood of Assassins while trying to stop the Cesare Borgia. Brotherhood's campaign is shorter than that of its predecessor but is also more concise with far fewer weak areas. Brotherhood has the strongest narrative arch of the series, and its villain, Cesare Borgia, gives one of the strongest performances in the series if not one of the strongest performances this year. The writers also seem far more accustomed to their cast, the characterization is much stronger and the dialogue is genuinely hilarious at times.

The Stealth sequences within the game also feel much better moment to moment, rivaling that of Metal Gear and Splinter Cell. However these sequences are far and few between, and instead you will be forced to play through some incredibly frustrating and tunneled 'stalking sequences'. These missions don't allow for much experimentation or creativity, forcing you along an all to narrow path that feels less like a test of skill and more like a test of patience. 

Rome, the sole location of Brotherhood, is the largest, most interesting and fully realized area in the series. Brotherhood takes place in an interesting time for Rome, the city is in a state of great change, and is just spectacular to look at, several times throughout the game I would just stop to take in the scenery. Rome also features an upgrade system, similar to that of your villa in Assassin's Creed 2, despite giving you a greater feeling of impact on the surrounding world, these actions felt out of place. Why the man responsible for assassinations and murder feels the need to be an entrepreneur I will never know. Brotherhood as a whole incorporates plenty of RPG elements, some of which are well integrated and believable, and some that feel bizarre and mechanical.

Horses, are perhaps the worst aspect of Brotherhood. In AC2 Horses were forbidden from the interior of the cities and for good reason, in small spaces the horse controls poorly and avoiding people in the streets would lead to your horse rearing into a wall, turning around and bolting back in the opposite direction. Another situation where Brotherhoods control scheme bests itself is during the interior platforming sequences, when expected to be precise the Assassin's Creed Control scheme can feel very frustrating with my hands contorted around the controller.

Combat is also far more refined, now allowing you to take a more aggressive approach, stringing together critical kills together and making combat feel like much less of a chore. This allows for far more exciting action sequences, and combined with the action set pieces of the game create much greater thrills than ever before. These action sequences paired with the methodical stealth and narrative sequences create a great overall experience of superb quality.

Review: Mass Effect 2 [PC]

Mass Effect 2

In the future we will live among aliens, forming relationships will be as easy as using a TV remote and bathroom doors will open so widely and suddenly that any sense of privacy we once had will be non-existent, or at least that is what Mass Effect would lead one to believe. Mass Effect 2 for those who don't know is Bioware's Sci-fi epic on the scale of Star Wars. Bioware opted to throw out much of the RPG tedium of the first title, that split the reaction of the mass audience in the original title, and instead have made something far more stream lined and cinematic, something I very much enjoyed.

Mass Effect 2 should be commended for its excellent pacing, and in an oddity for the medium it is the conversations in Mass Effect 2 that are the most enjoyable aspect of the game. Despite the fact the dialogue isn't quite as clever as Uncharted or as intellectually rich as Bioshock, rather Mass Effect 2's conversations are instantly engaging through the use of a simple yet versatile conversation system, the player is consistently engaged in the conversation in a way that is not clumsy in the way older Role Playing Game were. The writing in Mass Effect 2 is also exceptional, in pure mass and effectiveness. Mass Effect 2 successfully builds upon the strong fiction of the previous game, and creates a satisfying narrative arch, that left me salivating at the thought of the sequel. Mass Effect 2 proves that an action game built upon the foundation of strong characters creates a far more enjoyable experience then one built upon set pieces alone. That is not to say that Mass Effect 2's actions segments are sub-par, the cover-based/squad-tactic/biotic-casting dynamic creates an experience that is equal parts tactical and exhilarating. Mass Effect 2's combat situations are open for experimentation, and combat is varied enough that 'shoot first' is not always the best coarse of action.


Choice, is at the core of the Mass Effect 2 experience, from settling disputes amongst crew members, to deciding whether or not the worth of 'free will' is greater that the worth of existence. Other than a few choices where the mechanical underpinnings were glaringly obvious, Mass Effect 2 handles the concept of choice in manner greater than any video-game to come before it, by making the choices have impact on your character, the world and the other games in the series. However it is still far from perfect, to re-iterate on something I stated in a previous post;

Mass Effect brings up a unique issue in that everything about the dialogue and the choices were so well crafted, so subtly nuanced and at times incredibly clever that I never felt the need for a shoe horned karma system. ... it makes an otherwise emotional and intellectual decision a more mechanical and reward based one. The (+2 Paragon Points) that pop up on the screen every time I successfully get my "Jesus on" makes all the excellent work that had gone into the previous scenario rather meaningless. Mass Effect 2 actually pulls the karma system off far better than most but it doesn't excuse the fact that it's still there, simply hiding the information would have made the game more meaningful and interesting.

 Following along a similar thread to that of the choice system Mass Effect 2 also incorporates a relationship system, and like the karma system is another case of "better than most games but far from perfect". Mass Effect 2's relationships really boil down to "do something for me" followed by "be nice to me" and is then rewarded with a romantic scene between your character and the character of your choice.  The relationship system felt incredibly unnatural, obtusely mechanical and a mere step above Harvest Moon's "Wow you gave me flowers, I love flowers, I Love you!".  Not to mention the fact that the entire ship seems to be watching your relationship adventure like a middle aged women watches a soap opera, because apart from your character and your lover of choice, no other characters engage in any sort of romantic interaction amongst each other from the point of view of your character. In fact it would have been nice to see a little more crew interaction because apart from a few stand out moments (Jack and Miranda, Tali and Legion and Edi and Joker) your crew mates seem to function as if they were not aware of the other crew members existence. 


Complaints aside Mass Effect 2 is an incredible experience, a game unlike any I've played previously, many of the complaints I lodge against Mass Effect in fact are complaints I would launch against the entire medium as a whole. Mass Effect 2 is a step in the right direction, it is so well crafted that its shortcoming seem almost disappointing rather than aggravating. I fully recommend Mass Effect 2, and I am left extremely excited for a sequel.

Update: New Stuff

Things to check out:

•  New Title Banner and Ending Banner.
•  Photos Page is starting to take shape, I added an archive of all the title banners I've had so you can check out the evolution of those. I also put up a few new images of my Mass Effect 2 character as well as a Marvel vs Capcom 3 Wallpaper i quickly put together...

Thinking Aloud

So I haven't posted in a while but I have been playing a lot despite how busy I've been lately, I recently picked up both Mass Effect 2 and Minecraft, two games that have garnered a lot of attention for vastly different reasons. Minecraft is for those who do not know, a randomly generated sandbox with a sort of collection/building premise, its a really interesting game that I'd like to go into further detail on in the future, the game is entirely player-motivated and is something truthfully unique. Mass Effect 2 on the other hand is a game most everyone is familiar with, and has received a lot of praise for the ever evident amount of polish and depth that had gone into creating its world. I'm enjoying it tremendously but I can't help but launch one complaint against it, the Karma system. 

Now I know this isn't exactly a new criticism, black and white karma systems have been critiqued since they became the video-game equivalent of 'now in Imax 3D' some time during the awkward Console generation shift a few years back. Infamous being a particularly guilty example with the way it beat your over the head with the most arbitrary karma dilemma since whether Moses should have freed the Jews from Egypt. 

Mass Effect brings up a unique issue in that everything about the dialogue and the choices were so well crafted, so subtly nuanced and at times incredibly clever that I never felt the need for a shoe horned karma system. Now I have nothing against the idea of incorporating the concept of good and evil choices in a video-game, in fact I think its wonderfully suited to the medium  but the way in which most video-games handle it makes an otherwise emotional and intellectual decision a more mechanical and reward based one. The (+2 Paragon Points) that pop up on the screen every time I successfully get my Jesus on makes all the excellent work that had gone into the previous scenario rather meaningless. Mass Effect 2 actually pulls the karma system off far better than most but it doesn't excuse the fact that its still there, simply hiding the information would have made the game more meaningful and interesting. That's all the energy I have for today, until next time ....

Where is my Review: The Halo Reach Problem

As an outsider looking in, Halo Reach grabbed my interest in a way the other Halos hadn't. Halo Reach would star a cast of Spartans, with individual personalities rather than an emotionless Avatar that was Master Chief. Master Chief was always my biggest problem with the Halo games, mind you I've never completed one, I always found I had no sense of who he was as a character. He was intended and built to embody the player, a phenomenon not new to video-games, and as such was an empty slate for the player to fill in the manner of a Gordan Freeman style character. Rather than fight the idea I accepted the fact that Master Chief's role was conducive to what the game experience was trying to convey, albeit an experience that was not geared towards me. 

So after seeing the initial reach trailers I thought perhaps this was the Halo game for me, a Halo game not about a conflict, but a group of characters locked in such a conflict. However after reading several 'consumer' reviews of the game I have yet to see anyone go into depth on this aspect, to be more specific I have seen reviews that spend only a paragraph or two on the single-player and instead focus more on the core mechanics, now this is fully understandable the mass market wants to know these things, but am I not a consumer? Is there not a group of people wondering the same things? Am I alone in my questioning? I don't think so, it is disappointing to know that there is not an outlet for these style reviews at the time of the games release, I guess I'll have to wait a few weeks and see what the Critical Community (I hate these terms) has to say about the game...

Playing With Myself

Unintended sexually explicit title aside, I'm a gamer whose never really enjoyed competitive multi-player. It is not that I have anything against online multi-player, I totally understand the appeal, much like sports the feeling of superiority upon defeating someone is a joy anyone would be lying to themselves if they said they did not enjoy. Yet for one reason or another I've never found myself heavily invested in a game primarily for the multi-player aspect, perhaps its because I'm not very good, maybe its because I can't invest the time to get good at a multi-player, maybe I can not be sucked into an experience so inherently repetitive or maybe it is the fact every competitive bone in my body died a few years ago.

This thought came about while playing Castle Crashers, which I recently purchased upon its PSN release. I enjoyed every moment in which we were a team and working for a cause, yet the second it became a competitive moment the joy was lost. This got me thinking about my experiences with multi-player last year. I did not enjoy Modern Warfare 2, somewhere between the dry caricatures and dull action movie plot Modern Warfare 2 is a game I'd never really mark as an incredible experience. Yet for one reason or another I put a healthy amount of time into multi-player, and I wondered why I had remained there so long. It wasn't the game, I quickly realized, that kept me coming back, I was there to play and talk with my friends, looking back all of my favourite moments weren't game-play related but moments when so and so said this. Had it been any other game these moments would have been translated over, so how do you quantify these kind of experiences. In a review I can't guarantee that the person reading has a group of friends similar to mine, and I can't reference something my friends said as a great part of a game.

Well just a thought, until next time.

Discovery, Mystery and Imagination. The Open World.

     Influenced by excitement from many of my peers, I downloaded the Mafia 2 demo two weeks ago. Much to my dissapointment I did not share the same sense of satisfaction when playing it and I found myself wondering why. It then got me wondering what it is about an open-world game that I enjoy, what elements of games such as Bioshock and Red Dead Redemption retain my interest while Saints Row and Mafia do not. 

     The most notable difference is in setting, which is perhaps the most important element of an open world game.The urban and sub-urban environments of most open world crime games is far too familiar, they don't grasp my imagination and merely act as a background to a potentially strong narrative. Red Dead Redemption on the other hand placed you in the American West, a setting very much within the constraints of reality yet unfamiliar enough to still be exciting. A similar case in point was 2008's release or Far Cry 2 which took you to a horrifically war torn location in
Africa. 

      I treat open world games much the same way I would treat a vacation. If I were to choose a local to travel to I wouldn't choose a Sub-urban metropolis along the eastern coast of America, I would choose somewhere more tropical, exotic or full of history and wonder. Yet video-games offer a unique avenue in that they are not necessarily constrained to the confines of reality. Video-Games allow us to interact with imaginary worlds inconceivable in our modern reality, which is why experiences in games such as Bioshock and Shadow of the Colossus are so valuable to me.

      Irrational Games 2007 release Bioshock was not an open world game in the sense of Saints Row or Red Dead Redemption. The world wasn't entirely open, although segments could be explored to your heart's content. Rapture, the game's fictional underwater Utopian setting, was a joy to take in. Even without the combat and collection elements of Bioshock, exploring Rapture could have held up as a game in of itself. The world was lovingly crafted, it was full of mystery and wonder, and it was there for the player to discover.

    One of my favourite games; Shadow of the Colossus could fall into the open-world category. Shadow of the Colossus gave you a world that was substantially empty, yet imaginatively rich. So much of what made Shadow of the Colossus great was traversing the silent eerily abandoned remains of a world forgotten. Shadow of the Colossus captured the players imagination in a way few games can without falling into many of the trappings of modern games (ie: Enemy encounters substituting an engaging experience).

   So this is what I look for in a video-game world; Mystery, Imagination and an every growing sense of discovery. 

SIDE NOTE: Now I've heard from many that Mafia 2 is a strong narrative game and I fully intend to give it a second chance. Perhaps Mafia 2 isn't the greatest example of what I am trying to convey, yet more of a jumping off point for this discussion.

Update: Sky Edition [08/15/10]

Update

Sky Edition

The perhaps biggest news of the last week was Ken Levine's (from Bioshock and System Shock fame) new game, Bioshock Infinite. Infinite takes place in an American utopia situated in the sky, kept afloat by a combination of Hot-Air Balloons, and propellers and called Columbia. The focus of the game is as Levine puts it on the notion of American exceptionalism, a stark change from Andrew Ryan and Bioshock's overwhelming notion of objectivism. Bioshock Infinite is interesting in that it shares the Bioshock title yet tosses away the iconic Bioshock symbols, in essence Infinite is as close to a new IP as we can get without actually getting one and for that I cannot complain that Irrational's latest endeavor was not new and original.

July NPDs came out this week as well and for the first time since September 2007 the 360 finds itself on top of the sales chart despite a decline in sales. This is in large part due to the continued boost from the latest 360 skew, but also the decline in DS sales that I assume can be attributed to market saturation and excitement for the upcoming 3DS. On the software side football proves popular yet again with NCAA topping an otherwise heavily Nintendo dominated top 20, a quarter of which are Mario titles. Red Dead Redemption continues to sell well, and Super Mario Galaxy proves yet again that Nintendo can develop titles that sell consistent numbers. CrackDown 2 manged to land the #3 spot despite not coming with a Halo Beta Code this time around.

July Hardware Sales

1. Xbox 360            444,000 (Down 02%)

2. Nintendo DS       398,000 (Down 22%)

3. Nintendo Wii      254,000 (Down 40%)

4. Playstation 3       215,000 (Down 30%)

5. PSP                       84,000 (Down 31%)

July Software Sales

1. NCAA Football 11       (360)  368,000    

2. NCAA Football 11       (PS3)  298,800

3. Crackdown 2                (360)  208,800

4. Super Mario Galaxy 2  (Wii)  193,000

5. Lego Harry Potter        (Nds)  141,700

CW: Metal Gear Solid 4 [Act 1]

Metal Gear Solid 4 
Act 1: Liquid Sun

"In The Not To Distant Future. On A Tired Battlefield. War Has Become Routine."

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a game that has received a range of both positive and negative critical reception. Personally I've adored the series yet I am perfectly willing to admit it has its fair share of issues, this feature will take you through my personal experience with the game from beginning to end. Preferably it would be nice if you had played the game prior to reading this feature but if you have no plans on ever picking up this title I'm sure you could follow along and perhaps I could change your mind. Spoilers begin here.

Just one of many bizarre MGS moments

Metal Gear Solid 4 opens with a set of television programs, all of which seem bizarre yet share similarities to modern programming with a touch of the twisted MGS world. These scenes offer the player a glance into the world outside the battlefield in the MGS Universe, and aspect of the world previous games had not shown us. 

As the commercials end we realize that much of popular culture at the time has become influenced by the ongoing conflict, to be more exact the world is caught up in a proxy arms race between PMCs (Private Military Corporations). 


As the true game begins we a greeted by a black screen with the phrase above written, the camera pans around a desolate Middle Eastern battleground, imagery that has become all to familiar to gamers and the mass public as well. As the scene continues Jackie Presti's Love Theme plays atop the imagery. The song is sung in Hebrew and written by Kojima, it is just one of many amazing songs off the Metal Gear Solid 4 soundtrack, composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. The score for this game should be commended as it had a huge impact on some of the most emotional scenes and is a standout amongst Video-Game Based Soundtracks. The game's opening is exposition heavy, and to anyone who knows anything about film-making the first 15 minutes of the game may be cringe worthy. Yet for one reason or another (I'm not afraid to admit that I am a huge fan of the series and am willing to put up with far more than the average gamer when it comes to MGS Tradition) the first few scenes really hit for me. 

Kojima's influence is felt throughout the game

Snake's opening monologue occurs to the background of an armed conflict between Middle-Eastern Militia and the Praying Mantis PMC, a highly armed and funded military organization that has been sent to this region for reason's not readily known to the player. Metal Gear Solid 4 should be commended for painting the Middle Eastern Faction in a positive light, as far to often in games do we see people form Middle East as the emotionless evil-doer, a presumption that frustrates me in many contemporary conflict oriented games. 
Snake then proceeds to exit the ME force's vehicle, where he immediately sees the effect of the system, Snake's gun jams, and Snake is left without weaponry to continue the mission. A second truck is driven in front of Snake blocking his path, this teaches the player to crouch and crawl without being overt about it. 

The Middle Eastern Militia

To the average observer or to someone that does not follow the Metal Gear franchise to closely this scene seems like a mere conflict, but to someone who follows the series this opening scene is actually pretty unsettling. The way I saw this scene was the fulfillment of Liquid's idea of what Big Boss' Dream was, the world has become his Outer Heaven, controlled and fueled by conflict, a soldier's world. This begins the game on an incredibly somber tone, a huge feeling of failure on Solid Snake's part. 


One of the games most redeeming features is the ability to form a partnership with the Middle-Eastern Militia, by assisting them you won't need to worry about them firing at you and you'll receive some added support from them. On higher difficulties however I found myself avoiding forming the bond as earning their trust was far to much of a risk, and I opted to play the first Act as a lone wolf. 

The game continues on and you are introduced to the Gekko, a large highly mobile Metal Gear capable of sweeping entire battlefields. If the exposition at the beginning of the game hadn't informed you that this was a Metal Gear game than the Gekkos defiantly will. The Gekko's help to inform the player that direct combat is not always the best coarse of action.

Octocamo is a great addition to Snake's arsenal.

The following Cut scene subliminally teaches the player how to use MGS4's greatest feature Octo-Camo, a suit that allows Snake to mimic the patterns of objects he is touching in order to hide from enemies. In a way the octo-camo is the successor to the Cardboard Box of MGS fame.


The game then begins to open up and the player is set free to experiment with any and all the tools at your disposal. Although Metal Gear Solid 4 has been criticized since it did not shoehorn stealth into the game, I feel it is MGS4 most redeeming quality that it never forces you to play a certain way (in the first 2 acts at least). Through several play-throughs you will acquire an assortment of tools to replay the sequences. If you want to play the game stealthily , if you want to play the game like a Third Person Shooter, if you want to play as a sniper, if you want to play without killing a single person the game allows you to.

Perhaps my favourite new character

As the game continues you are introduced to Drebin 893, a gun launderer who acts as the games roaming merchant and helps Snake throughout the experience. Drebin gives in my opinion one of the greatest performances in the game and not surprisingly since he is not at all tied to the games past legacy. Drebin and his monkey act as both comic-relief and another exposition dumpster, yet the mystery that surrounds his character makes his sequences far more interesting than Otacon's rants. 

The entire 1st Act demonstrates some of the best level design in the Metal Gear Franchise. Every Level seems to trick the player into feeling like you are in an open world environment, but the design of the levels is clever enough to allow several paths to take yet still be coherent enough that the player never feels lost. The background conflict helps to make the otherwise desolate environments feel life like, although if I were to lodge a complaint the animation for the soldiers is quite comical at times and feels rather misplaced.

As you progress forward Snake finally meets up with the informants, RAT PT 01, an undercover group that has infiltrated Liquid's Ranks. it is here that Snake meets Johnny (Akiba) and is reunited with MGS1 love interest Meryl Silverburgh. Meryl's changed however, she is more experienced, wise and by no means the damsel in distress from MGS1, while Kojima's games have been known to be rather exploitative of their female characters, Meryl has always been one of the more respectable female characters in video-games. The following cut-scene which stretches over 10 minutes, all though somewhat spectacular to look at the first time through, is one of several instances in the game where they feel the need to beat you over the head with what is going on. It would make sense if it worked but from watching several people play the game they were just overwhelmed by the mass of information that is thrown at them. The cut-scene delves into Meryl and Snake's former relationship as well as spends 8 minutes describing SOP (the system).

A mere shift in gender makes 

the FROG unit far more 

interesting

Let me try to explain SOP in its simplest. SOP allows those in control to monitor and control all aspect of a soldiers body, weaponry and emotional stability. That is all they really needed to say, and then put a little fate into the audience that they can see the consequence of such a system, yet instead Kojima's team decides the audience couldn't grasp such a concept and makes sure you do. 

We are then treated to the first real action sequence in the game, and the first time the player faces the FROG Unit. The Frog Unit is one of many interesting enemy design choices. While some criticized MGS4 for lacking the strongly characterized bosses of the past, I found the bosses to be quite unique while still paying homage to past MGS bosses. The Frog unit is entirely female, one of many attempts by Kojima's team to make disturb your mental process while combating enemies. The Gekko's alluded to earlier make a crying cow sound, the bizarre innocence and vulnerability of a Cow coupled with the tremendous destructive capability of the Gekkos made for a far more psychologically manipulative game-play experience. Perhaps simply for the reason I am a male, shooting a screaming female felt far worse than slaughtering hordes of male PMC soldiers, despite the fact the female FROGs were far more lethal. 

It is also in this action scene that we first see Johnny's infatuation with Meryl's character, in a rare act of subtlety, Kojima's team hints at Johnny's interest by merely showing that he uses her name for his password. This small instance is easily missed but far more effective than any exposition.

Liquid!

Following this scene Snake splits up from Rat PT and we are back to the open-ended MGS4 formula. The final sequence in this act resembles level design from the earlier games. Narrow artificial corridors made from supply crates and small crawl spaces make this level more reminiscent to MGS1 than 4. A welcome addition to an impressive opening act.

The act closes with a cut-scene that introduces series antagonist Liquid Ocelot, as well as MGS1 double agent Naomi Hunter. The scene is effective in demonstrating the sheer power of the 'system' as Liquid uses it to corrupt the minds of every soldier within his confines as well as Snake who doesn't seem immune to the System either. The act closes with far more questions then answers but sets up for whats to be an action packed globe trotting chase.

Critical Walk-Through [01/01]

Critical Walk-Through: 

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

I've decided to begin a new feature on my blog I like to call a, "Critical Walkthrough" (Pretentious yet necessary). Basically what this feature encompasses is me playing through a game and examining it from moment to moment in more detail than possible in a review. The feature will not go into great story detail but will spoil an abundance of elements, especially toward the end. For the first walkthrough I'd like to examine a game I am fairly familiar with, Metal Gear Solid 4. Having played it more than 8 times I think I have a fairly solid (pun intended) grasp of the game. I'd like to share my complaints and commend the game for being an experience I've enjoyed so much, and continue to enjoy. So over the next few weeks I'll be looking at MGS4, Act by Act ... so until next time ... [!]

Update: Shoryuken Edition

Update

So despite all the excitement around StarCraft II I have not yet forked over cash to experience Blizzard's latest offering, I'm gonna wait a little bit and pick it up at a later date. I did however pick up two new games and download PSN+'s latest offering, Critter Crunch. 

The first game I picked up is from my 2008 backlog ... FarCry 2. Although the mainstream gaming press seemed to show a distaste for Ubisoft's open world game, the critical press has held a strong appreciation for this overlooked gem. I'm about 6 hours in and so far the game is quite impressive despite its flaws, the game captures the feel of a harsh African region ravaged by conflict, the game also never breaks first person yet still manages to make you feel the momentum of movement similarly to Mirror's Edge and Killzone 2 and unlike Fall-Out 3 in which it feels as if you are sliding along ice.The game does have its issues however there are situations where I'd be driving for 10 - 15 minutes only to die and have to drive the distance all over again, and NPC animations are robotic looking which kind of goes against the attempt at portraying an emotional story of human struggle. 

I also picked up Super Street Fighter IV, this years upgrade to last year's fighting game rebirth. As someone who thinks it is a game design sin to force people to unlock characters in a fighting game by playing single player, SSF4 solved my one complaint about SF4 and added a set of new features that made the game more than worth the $40 price tag. If you like fighting games there is no better game in my opinion on the market (I haven't tried BlazBlue yet). 

Critter Crunch is a neat little puzzle game that I picked up from PSN+ this week. The game is a quirky mix of the match of many puzzle game types coupled with a cutesy art style, that results in an enjoyable experience. My favourite mode is the Puzzle Mode that throws away the time restraint and allows your brain to do some serious thinking.

Update: Relax Edition [07/19/10]

Update
Relax Edition 

What I've Been Playing

Flower: A game that saw some serious discussion last year, Flower is a PSN game that I've always been interested but never forked over the money for. Well earlier this week I finally did and let me tell you it was worth it. Flower is one of the most unique experiences I've played this generation, the combination of strong artistic design and great sound design makes for an incredibly impactful experience.

Coma: A Flash game that I first heard about on Rebel FM, Coma is a platform/puzzle/adventure game that employs some great medium centric methods to create a powerfully atmospheric and downright eerie experience. Check it out for free on NewGrounds.com ( HERE ).  The Flash community never ceases to amaze me, and this game is not exception. Warning to those who need a lot hand-holding in their games, this game throws you into the world with little to know guidance, which is part of the charm of the experience.

News 

June NPDs: The Xbox 360 following a new redesign claimed the Top spot in console sales last month, and for the second month in a row Red Dead produces surprising numbers outselling Super Mario Galaxy 2, yet Nintendo still owns the software department with 6 games in the Top 10, an interesting month in that it was dominated by late May Releases. My predictions for July; 360 remains on top, Galaxy 2 takes #1, Red Dead Continues to sell GTA style. 

Hardware (Up Overall vs 2009)

1. Nintendo DS            511,000 (UP 033%)
2. Xbox 360*                453,000 (UP 132%)
3. Nintendo Wii            423,000 (UP 026%)
4. Playstation 3            305,000 (UP 097%)
5. PSP                         121,000 (UP 105%)

Software

1. Red Dead Redemption (360)       582,900
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)          548,400
3. Red Dead Redemption (PS3)      380,300
4. New Super Mario Bros (Wii)        200,900
5. Just Dance (Wii)                          174,800

*new hardware

Update: Heat Wave Edition [07/10/10]

Update

Heat Wave Edition

With the recent ungodly heat in my area it would be suicidal to attempt to play games in my gaming space that equates to little more than a human sized microwave. So I've turned to mostly handheld games to fill my spare time in the recent days.

What I've Been Playing...

Pokemon Heart-Gold (DS) : I'm not sure what it is about Pokemon that I enjoy so much. While most turn-based RPGs have lost their luster over the past few years, Pokemon manages to feed my inner compulsion for a slow methodical experience. Maybe it is pure nostalgia, or the immense joy of compulsive collection and developing hundreds of little monsters, something about Pokemon makes it step outside the boundaries of triviality and into something more valuable (although insignificant). So I've really been enjoying that, my Alakazam/Typhlosion/Raikou/Gyarados Team pulls through for me again and again.

Canabalt (Iphone): Canabalt is a brilliant game. It is a wonderful example of both simplicity and depth. This one button platformer was originally a flash game but has become a hallmark of my Ipod for a few months now. In Canabalt you play a small suit wearing man who is trying to escape some disaster by running from crumbling roof top to roof top. You increase speed as you progressively move forward and avoid obstacles but loss control as you gain speed, so you can purposely hit object to slow yourself down and gain control, but slow down too much and you may miss the oncoming jump. Addicting and fun Canabalt should be on every gamer's Ipod/Iphone.

What I've Been Listening To...

GiantBombcast: One of my favourite podcasts the Giant Bomb crew offers one of the funniest and most enjoyable gaming discussion on ITunes. Off topic and personal the Giant Bomb Crew has a unique chemistry lacking in most other podcasts of the same nature. If your interested in video-games and you have an Mp3 the GiantBombCast is a must.

The News...

Kojima may be working on MGS5: In a recent interview Kojima talked around questions that he may be in fact working on an MGS5, he say that he is interested in developing an MGS5, given the feedback from 4, as well as developing a squeal to PeaceWalker with the mechanics and world he has laid out. He says a new project would not be in development as long as MGS4, because as he says the game industry does not work like that anymore. Could this be the PS3 exclusive announcement he hinted at at E3? I personally doubt that his upcoming game will be MGS related but the prospect of another Kojima directed Metal Gear, is always exciting.

Dragon Age of Effect 2: Bioware has confirmed that Dragon Age 2 will be a more streamlined experience akin to Mass Effect 2. As a gamer who prefers sitting on a couch to play console games this news excites me, but I can see how the PC Baldur's Gate fan base would be upset. The game will feature 1 playable race that can be either male or female, will incorporate a more accessible combat system and be a cinematic experience, the game is planned for launch early 2011.

Other News Highlights

>>> Dead Space 2 gets downloadable prequel (Dead Space Ignition) ...

>>> Enslaved gets North American Release Date (October 5th) ...

>>> Probably no Assassin's Creed III in 2011 ...

>>> PS4 will be developed with developers in mind ...

>>> New 360 sees sales spike in Japan, diminishes quickly ...

 

Review: Passage

Passage
Jason Rohrer - Independent

Released in 2007, Passage is an experience that everyone interested in the videogame medium should play, plus it is free (although I recommend you support Rohrer by purchasing the IPhone Version) so before reading this I recommend you download it here, play it, read my review and then play through it again, I promise it is worth the time. Also if you are still interested I recommend you read; Anthony Burch's Article as well as listen to Robert Ashely's A Life Well Wasted Episode "Why Game", in the second segment they go in depth on Rohrer and the creation of passage check it out.

Continue Reading AFTER reading the above...

At a glance Passage is a really simple game. Passage is a 5 minute game, you control an unnamed male character who can walk in 4 directions and explore a pixelated world that changes as you progress forward. But to merely look at Passage at a glance would be missing the purpose.

You can appreciate Passage on many levels. My first time through I had a basic perception of what I felt the game was trying to portray, then upon further thought and reading about the game and the game creator Jason Rohrer himself I began to appreciate the game even more.

Passage, shares similarities with Memento Mori, a form of artistic expression from the 17th century that basically reminds the viewer that they are going to die and asks the question what will you do about it. It is effective in that Passage acts as a self contained expression of life, you begin life with a narrow field of view, your future is blurry and far into the distance and you must make the immediate choice of whether you will proceed in life with your partner (your wife in this case) by your side. If you choose to proceed with your life with your wife by your side it become more difficult to progress, narrow paths are now inaccessible but you gain twice the amount of points for every step you take forward. This decision varies the game significantly, I personally resonated far more with the lonesome protagonist, yet for my first time through I decided to take the journey alongside a partner. As you progress your character begins to age alongside your wife, and as you age your future becomes increasingly clearer, but at the same time your past begins to blur, it is these tiny metaphoric touches that make this game such a beautiful commentary on life. You continue your progression and suddenly your wife dies, there is no avoiding it, you must accept it. Suddenly you begin to put the entire experience into perspective and you probably begin to realize that your own time is numbered. Suddenly the points you had sought throughout the experience felt meaningless. In my experience I allowed my character to dwindle right there, motionless I stood there beside my Wife's grave until I died.

Looking back on each individual experience a lot of parallels can be made to life. Many people merely move left to right and never move up or down, you could not move at all, you could seek every box along the way or you could just rush through the experience, but every single one of these experiences is equally as meaningful. Passage uses every single one of the video-game mediums strengths to its advantage in order to deliver a message. Passage is genuinely interactive in that it reflects meaning from both the participant and creator, rather than being purely reactive like a book, film or many video-games. Passage represents a colossal step forward in video-games, an experience I hope to look back on in twenty years and say had a tremendous impact on the medium.

Review: Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption

Rockstar - Rockstar SanDiego

The Wild West is a genre often ignored in video-games. Red Dead Redemption applies the open world mechanics of GTA to the Wild West and it works quite well. The Wild West is an ideal setting for the game, the combination of desolate country side and rough looking towns fit the over-arching feel of the game. Red Dead is the story John Marston's redemption, his attempt at escaping the life he had left behind in order to live peacefully with his family. John Marston as a character is both sympathetic and respectable, from the on-set of the game he lays out his somewhat ironic moral code and this makes him one of Rockstar's most likable protagonists. At the same time however John Marston does fall into a similar trope as most of Rockstar's protaganist as he becomes the quintessential errand boy, running from objective to objective in the hope that he'll find what he is looking for, often to no prevail. This game-play trope offers plenty of opportunities for character development for both Marston and several tertiary characters but stands in stark opposition with John's man of action persona.

John Marston stands out as one of the more likable RockStar protagonists

The core game-play revolves around 3 aspects; Combat, exploration and vehicle sequences. Combat, an open world weak spot, is enjoyable to an extent. The cover mechanic can be frustrating at times and shooting is very hand-holding with the default lock on controls which never makes combat very interesting, except for the RPG-like Dead Eye mechanic. Like VATS in Fall-out 3, Dead Eye allows you to slow down time and carefully line up shots, it regenerates at such a pace I found myself almost exclusively using it to attack. Dead Eye suits the theme in that it makes John Marston into the fast-handed sharpshooter of the old wild west films.

Exploration is in my opinion the best part of Red Dead Redemption. The open world is fun to ride around and is populated enough with game-play opportunities that you never feel bored. With hunting challenges, treasure hunts and random missions their is almost always something to fill time and feed anyone's need for artificial accomplishment. The wild life makes the Wild West far more believable, unlike most games, Red Dead's wild life is not strictly predatory which makes for a more believable virtual ecosystem, and makes animals more than just bullet sponges.

Horses, have always been a difficult aspect to implement into games, yet RockStar has implemented a horse in the best possible way since Shadow of the Colossus. It isn't flawless, the horses can be frustrating in smaller spaces and changing directions can be tedious but for the most part riding is an incredibly enjoyable experience.

The Landscape of Red Dead is perhaps its greatest feature

-Minor Spoiler Warning-

Structure wise, Red Dead Redemption's narrative is mission oriented. You head to a marker, talk to a guy(or girl) and do what he says, this narrative structure works for the most part except for several instances in which the chronological order of events seemed bizarre. Immediately following a mission in which a farm house was assaulted and a majority of the farm hands were murdered, I did a mission in which I attempted to scam the same farmers into buying a product. The immediate change in tone is a huge flaw of any open world game that attempts at making a linear storyline. This experience took me out of the narrative and lost any sense of emotion the previous scene had had.

The game opens well and immediately immerses you in this mid-change 1911 western world. The game gives you a society struggling to adapt to a changing world, in a way the entire world reflects John Marston's struggle, the struggle of an old fashioned man in a new world trying to find peace.

The games second act, despite offering a nice scenic change of pace, felt entirely throw away. John Marston gets stuck in a power struggle between two opposing factions. Marston meets Ricketts early in the Mexican act and Ricketts makes it fairly clear that neither faction is 'good' in this conflict. Reyes' and De Santa's forces are equally as twisted and morally void, the sole difference being the overwhelming righteousness of Reyes rebel group. Every Mexican character in the act is either a coward, ignorant, desperate or morally corrupt. I found myself almost offended by this fact and made the fact that Marston had no real investment in this conflict all the worse. Marston felt merely like an observer, yet he played such a huge role in the conflict that he should have had more of an investment in the conflict past finding the location of the man he seeks.

The games finale, which I want to go into serious depth at another time, was very well done and interesting, from a narrative standpoint it was very effective but did expose some flaws in previous experiences throughout the game.

Red Dead Redemption is a great game that succeeds and fails by the faults and successes of the open world genre, it is successful at telling a story of futility, change and redemption and is best in class in its genre.

My Score 3 Stars out of 4;

Update: E3 2010 Reflection

E3 2010 Reflection

With E3 2010 over I thought I'd take some time and reflect on this year's event and some things you may have missed... So in Chronological order here are the Press Conferences followed by my personal most anticipated game of E3;

Microsoft

Microsoft, telling kids to touch vicious animals since 2010

The Good...

• Dance Central: Rock Band Developer Harmonix showed off what is perhaps the best example of Kinect functionality yet. The Game is in its simplest form a dance rhythm game which tracks your body structure but also doesn't make your jellylike blob representation the focal point of the on screen game, a fault that many Kinect games maintain and only exemplify the faults of the Kinect hardware.
  
• Halo Reach: Despite the fact that Halo has never been my personal game of choice, the demo of Halo Reach demonstrated a more open battleground for combat, combine that with a new art-style that demonstrated a human-sized architecture that is far less geometric looking and far more interesting to look at and you have what may be the most intriguing Halo since Combat Evolved.
• Kinect Hardware: By far the most interesting tech of the show, Kinect demonstrates some of the most intriguing and potentially ground-breaking hardware leap since the Wii, but as history reminds us HardWare is only as good as the Software that utilizes it.
• 360 Slim: Microsoft newest console revision fulfills many of the most requested features lacking in the 360 hardware including; Built in WiFi and reliability. Now if only it didn't feature the PS3 Phat finger print magnet.

The Meh...

• Gears of War 3: The demo had action, bro-isms, violence and explosions. It was Gears of War and hell if you like Gears of War 2 you'll love Gears of War 3. The demo showed off a new enemy type, the Lambent, and most notably the Lambent Berserker. The enemy was faster but never really did anything to dynamically change game-play, from my perspective. The female characters were well implemented and there was a lot of green, a colour that has been missing from Gears of War for quite some time. Still no Z-axis game-play unfortunately something I feel the Gears Franchise could seriously benefit from.
• Metal Gear Solid Rising: They showed it, which was enough to satisfy me, but, merely demonstrated the fact you could cut things. I find myself already missing the Kojima touch, the trailer was polished but offered little narrative representation, a hall-mark of the infamous 15 minute Metal Gear E3 trailers.
• Call of Duty Black Ops: The demo they demonstrated was a heavily scripted Helicopter sequence, which left me neither surprised nor excited. I want to give Black Ops a chance but the more and more I see it the less and less I care.

The Bad...

• Kinect Software Line-Up: I understand Kinect's goal; target the casual market and appeal to non-gamers who never felt the need to purchase a $ 300 system they'd play once a month. Which means the influx of casual game was expected, and acceptable, but I had hoped the Kinect line-up would try to be new and unique rather than derivative and simplistic. With a few notable exceptions (Dance Central and Child of Eden) most of the Kinect centric games were very similar to their Wii counter-parts. It is rather upsetting to see such potentially great hardware go to waste, perhaps in the near future we will see some innovative and unique as developers get used to the capabilities of the hardware, but until then Kinect has left me dissapointed.
• Kinect 'the name': Kinect frustrates me for a few very small reasons mostly because I always pronounce it wrong, I often say Kinetic which would've been a far more suitable name, and have spelled it wrong at least 6 times in the last five minutes.

Electronic Arts

So I heard people like shooting stuff

The Good...

• Dead Space 2: I thoroughly enjoyed Visceral Games first game Dead Space; the combination of creepy and interesting atmosphere, brilliant UI work, and stunning sound and visual design made it one of my favourite games of 2008. Dead Space 2 judging by the trailer seems to further develop on these concepts fulfilling many of the aspects that Dead Space 1 never fully developed.
• EA Live Broadcast: A neat concept that plans on making the competitive games scene a little more mainstream EA Live Broadcast allows people to watch and follow Pro-Gamers playing EA games. The service has potential but only time will tell if the service is ground-breaking or enjoyable.

The Meh ...

• A Plethora of Shooters: With Crysis 2, Medal of Honor, BulletStorm and BBC: Vietnam, EA has become the self-proclaimed house of shooters. I get it, people like shooting stuff, but did any of it make me sit back and go wow, I've never seen a game do that before ... no. BulletStorm looks like it plans on taking a different approach, which could work. The EA gunclub is EA's attempt to capitalize on this demographic by offering them special service such as early Beta Access (are Beta's really Beta's anymore?) as well as exclusive content.
  
• EA Sports: Hey its sports ... you remember those ... right?
• Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit: As a fan of Criterion's racing games I'd like to give this game the benefit of the doubt, but the demo they showed never really grabed me. The presentation was phenomenal and perhaps if I were to play it my feeling may change since racing games are so much about feel.
  

The Bad ...

• Medal of Honor: I've have not laughed so much in a long time. EA La said they wanted to make Medal of Honor the most respectable and authentic modern shooter on the market, then went on to show a over-the-top action packed kill montage to a Linkin Park Song... Really .... REALLY !!!! This is the problem with ... never mind.

Ubisoft

When will Ubisoft Learn that Shaun White does not equal Beyond Good and Evil 2

The Good...

• Child of Eden: A sequel to Rez, Child of Eden is a Kinect enabled psychedelic shooter. The art style and music looked stunning and the implementation of Kinect seemed well placed. One of the few bright spots in the Kinect line up.
• Rayman Origins: Returning to its 2D roots Rayman Origins hopes to bring Rayman back to his former glory. The combination of humor and unique art style and the prospect of co-op platforming make for what may be an incredibly interesting adventure.
• Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Multiplayer: The multiplayer for Assassin's Creed seems to have potential to be quite interesting, the notion of mimicking AI would make for an exceptional and unique multiplayer experience.

The Meh...

• Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Single-Player: The single player Demo seemed to demonstrate an experience very similar to Assassin's Creed 2 just more action packed and large scale. Which isn't really a bad thing, but so close on the heels of Assassin's Creed 2 I can't get quite excited enough for more wrist-stabbing action

Nintendo

Hey Microsoft Remember What You Said About Motion Controls ... well Reggie does...

The Good...

• Nintendo 3DS: To be honest I wasn't very excited about the 3DS before E3 but after seeing the line up and mere graphical capability of the 3DS Nintendo has once again raised the bar in the handheld market it so heavily dominates.
• Kirby's Epic Yarn: Kirby's back and I never thought I'd be so excited. The new Yarn-based art style is quite interesting to look at and offers new unique game-play opportunities. It's really something you have to see to believe.
• Epic Mickey: Warren Spectar's latest game is Epic Mickey, revolves around a paint mechanic and pays respect to some of Disney's less popular characters. A unique game to say the least Epic Mickey's darker tone makes it a game to look out for.
• Kid Icarus: Uprising: After years of rumors Kid Icarus has finally made its return on the 3Ds. It is good to see Nintendo paying respect to some of its less popular franchises.
• Golden Sun Dark Dawn: A sequel to the beloved cult classic RPG Golden Sun is another example of a classic returning to life.

The Meh...

• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: The Legend of Zelda franchise has been a consistently solid franchise as of late, but recent installments have lacked the past Zelda's sense of awe and amazement, and has given me the sense that the series was in need of a serious over-haul. Nothing about the new Legend of Zelda made me feel like they were going in a new direction, but seemed to maintain the series roots of exploration and puzzle solving. The art style was rough, but I think was also incomplete, the game looks farther from completion then i thought it would be, only time will tell I presume.
• Donkey Kong Returns: This selection is only personal, but I really have enjoyed Retro's previous work and I see tremendous potential in their abilities, but the Donkey Kong Franchise is the only Nintendo franchise I think I'd like to see them work on. Maybe it'll be great but nothing at the moment seems to intrigue me.

The Bad...

• Goldeneye 007: The original Goldeneye was fun. Was it a good game, no not by any stretch of the imagination. It was fun because we had never had a console multiplayer of that magnitude, and I have countless great and terrible memories playing it. This recreation by Activision, not Rare, won't be able to rekindle those memories chances are it will only ruin them. The game-play has been Call-of-Duty-ized with perks and load out, if that is not a sign of Activision cashing in on our nostalgia I do not know what is.
• Pikmin 3 Not Shown: Nintendo has gone on record saying that they are working on Pikmin 3, and with another E3 in the books we still have yet to see it. Nintendo has reported they didn't want it to be overshadowed which perhaps may be for the best but I really just want to see that it exists.

Sony

Butler does what Reggie-don't

The Good...

• LittleBigPlanet 2: After developing an incredibly creative community with the first game LBP2 seeks to give further opportunity to create new levels and new games that are not just platform based. The potential for LBP2 is immense and I can't wait to get my hands on the game this fall.
• Portal 2 + Steamworks: Valve has been very upfront about not supporting the PS3, but with their recent surprise at Sony's conference means that Valve is continuing development on Ps3 and will be adding Steam-works to the PS3 console version of the game. More people playing a great game and added functionality is never a bad thing right?
• Move Support: Sony came out in full force with Move enabled games but unlike their Microsoft counterparts showed a vast variety of Core and Casual games. The Move game Sorcery seemed to take advantage of the Move in a way we have never seen on the Wii.
• Twisted Metal: Digging into their history, the Sony hallmark Car Combat action game was announced for the PS3. With David Jaffe at the helm the new Twisted Metal could bring us back to those frantic car action roots.

The Meh ...

• Killzone 3: Suffering from a similar issue as Gears 3, Killzone 3 adds extra functionality and new scenery but doesn't peak my interest for one reason or another. The Jet-Pack reminded me of the double jump in Metroid Prime, but you lose the cove mechanic and the weopan you were using while in the Jet-Pack.
• Infamous 2: The first Infamous was a great game with a lot of potential I felt the squandered. I was hoping for a little bit of a darker super hero tale that focused more on a society crumbling within the confines of Empire City. Instead I got a game that was a kind of edgy super hero tale with a broken morality system which was a lot of fun to play. Infamous 2 at a glance seem to be heading toward more light-hearted tale. Cole's character design wasn't great to begin with but I got used to it and I crafted his personality onto his figure. So when I saw they placed a Nathan Drake look alike as his new character model I almost shit a brick. i expected a studio like Sucker Punch to stand by their creative decisions better than this. They wanted to make him more like-able, well I never like the original Cole as a person but as a character that was part of the reason I enjoyed playing as him. Sigh ...
• 3D Support: Sony unveiled their line up of 3D support at E3 this year. It was nice to see them throw their support behind 3D but none of the games they demonstrated really took advantage of the fact it was in 3D. It was nice to see however that because of this the games will all be 2D/3D but I'd like to see a 3D exclusive that took advantage of 3D. Another stumbling block they must overcome is the 3D glasses, something Nintendo cleverly avoided.

The Bad...

• Exclusive Content: I understand that video-games are an industry but i'm still going to complain that the notion of exclusive content for PS3 in Dead Space 2, Medal of Honor and Mafia 2 is a definite negative similarly to the timed exclusives Microsoft has had.

GAME OF THE SHOW IMO

This Picture Brings back memories

The geniuses at ThatGameCompany showed of a few screens and the concept of their latest game Journey. The game is about adventure, you are located in a beautiful desolate desert and head toward a ominous mountain in the distance. The game emphasizes exploration and the unique environments look like a blast to explore, the game only feature two buttons, following the minimalist tradition of TGC games. TGC says the game will have a more serious tone and will incorporate an innovative online feature; As you explore you may come across another player adventuring along on their own, without voice communication you can assist one another, oppose one another or ignore one another, the idea is incredibly interesting and gets my brain racing. The world you explore is vast and tell the story of a destroyed civilization. The game is still in its early stages and is being worked on by a small team. I cannot wait to get my hands on this game in 2011.