Celebrations

Around the same time as Christmas and New Year, Gangnam Style (or whatever) reached 1 Billion views. And so...this i guess:

2012, a Year of Games

Call of Duty Mario Warfare

Each year, we play many games, but only some can be the pinnacle of the industry. Some will be fun distractions, some will be utterly addictive and some will be terrible. Let's take a looks at the gaming landscape this year...

The first truly big game to come out this year was the much loved Mass Effect 3. It deliver more advanced shooting mechanics and moar RPG stuff from the previous two games that we loved and it further continued the story of Commander Shepard, a person who we'd all shaped the universe with. It had possibly the best story in all of video gaming and a fantastic setting with great characters and graphics. It also ended the most epic trilogy in gaming with...a pretty mediocre ending. Honesty, the ending itself was disappointing, but I don't think it deserved the hate it got. It was fixed with extended cut and although it wasn't perfect, it totally made it more forgivable. The sad thing is however, that people won't remember Mass Effect for it's great gameplay, story, setting, characters and pretty much everything else. The non players will only hear the rant: "Oh my GAWD, this gaem has, da wurst ending ever it must be worse than anything on the planet!" Although this ending may have tainted it's legacy, Mass Effect 3 is my personal Game of the Year for 2012.

Another game this year that I absolutely loved was Darksiders 2. Although I haven't finished it, I really enjoy being in the world, the design of the characters and just the gameplay in general. It isn't quite perfect as it has some issues, but I really do love this game. 

The actual game of the year was "The Walking Dead" These were episodic point and click choice based story games. Don't get me wrong, I think the show is one of the best ever made, right up there with The Slap, Sherlock and Rake, but for game of the year doesn't really grab me. I mean, this is a game where one of the puzzles involves putting batteries in a radio because a woman doesn't know how to. A small indie title simply cannot contend with a massive game with loads of content and heart such as Mass Effect 3. It just doesn't work.

Halo 4 took best graphics and best Xbox game while Journey (another small indie title that may be cool, but once again can't live up to scope of larger games) took it for PS3 and New Super Mario Bros U for Wii U and X-Com for PC. Boarderlands 2, Mass Effect 3 and Dishonored walked away with awards as well.

But now it's time for 4EVER's awards...

Gaming Sequels

Unlike the film industry, sequels of games are often a lot higher in quality than movies. Sequels are a chance for the developers to get right some things that they maybe didn't nail the first time around. They can improve gameplay mechanics and even story elements as well as graphics and casting. Films tend to be about sucking more money from an already finished concept. It also prevents an idea being used to it's fullest as they wish to continue a series to make more money from it. More about that later, first let's talk about some positive sequels.

A good sequel will expand and improve on elements previously established such as the movement from Super Mario Galaxy to Super Mario Galaxy 2. Nothing much was really different about the gameplay itself, but there was new content, features and things to do in the game, making it well worthwhile the purchase. It wasn't a huge leap forward in direction for the series, but it was better thanks to the additions to the game. Sometimes, you just want to play more of a game, so using similar concepts and ideas in a sequel isn't often frowned upon. Dead Space was awesome, but Dead Space 2 didn't really add anything new. Sure, Isaac had a voice and there was a lame multiplayer, but nothing too inspired. But this really didn't matter as the game was good enough to be recycled. Dead Space 2 was also able to add more to the characters and story, so it wasn't just a cash in. While universally acclaimed, a note from critics did ask for a little bit more from the game as a new title. The developers heard this and added in Co-op to Dead Space 3 as a large change, showing they want to make more interesting and diverse experiences for the player, rather than just forcing them to play the same thing over and over.

Occasionally, sequels improve a fair amount on the original game formula while still maintaining the spirit and flavour of the original. Transformers: War for Cybertron was a great game with few problems. But there were things that were done wrong. For instance, the Transformers all pretty much felt the same despite the fact you could choose between three per level. This was fixed in the sequel Transformers: Fall of Cybertron thanks to the vastly improved level design that revolved around the character you were playing as in each level to accommodate for better gameplay. Another problem of the original was the scrounging around for ammo that needed to be done. The addition of the store system into the second helped with the weapons and added in a slight RPG aspect. Also, Grimlock and the Combatacons made for awesome! 

Every now and then, a game is drastically changed by the sequel that it feels like a different experience entirely. The best example I can say off the top of my head would be Darksiders 2. Adding in the vastly expanding loot collecting and RPG statistics alongside the open world and side quests as well as other features, it hardly resembles the original. This is by no means a bad thing however, as the new one is SO MUCH AWESOME! Another example I guess would be Mass Effect 2. Although the epic story and dynamic choice gameplay remain, the gameplay and cinematic feel were almost alien (pun...geddit?) to the series, which was previously an RPG focused game. 

Unfortunately, not all game sequels are better than the originals. A big telltale sign of a cash in sequel is removing all the powers and equipment that the character earned in the previous game. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is one of these. All the stuff you spent so long getting, all the armour and gear, all that health...gone, within an hour of starting the game. The story is also a bit of a last minute effort to make money. Basically, the piece of eden you spent the whole of AC2 trying to obtain is stolen...again and you have to get it and stop the Borgia...again. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was a fun game and the trailer for the sequel looked promising...however, there was little difference in the gameplay, more repetition, lackluster story and less than six hours of gameplay.


Are we running out of ideas? Are gamers in an industry of evolution and not Revolution? Will we never see another IP?!?!?!?!?!?!

The Types of Gamers

Yes, I have used a meme on my blog.
Sue me.

The Non Gamer: 
As you might have deduced, this type of gamer doesn't play games. 'Nuff said.

The Casual Gamer:
This person might play games every now and then, but they're not really super heavy games like Fallout or Darksiders 2, but can enjoy a good singstar or dance central game.

The Relaxed Gamer:
This person plays games often and enjoys them. They may not be dedicated to deep games and just enjoy a good session of Halo or Batman. Looks forwards to games but doesn't obsess. 

The Heavy Gamer:
This gamer really likes games and will spend a lot of time on them. Games are always interesting to them and they are willing to invest time into games with depth and complexity.

The Hardcore Gamer:
This person is so into games, so often that games become very important to them and they play on high levels. These people are the ones that play games like Dark Souls and know every item in Darksiders 2 and it's effect. These are the ones who play so well they can beat a noob in Street Fighter with their eyes closed.

The MLG:
These people are beyond dedicated. These people are extremely skilled and play at tourneys and have a talent beyond most mortals. They play games professionally and can actually do this as a profession, although this leads to a lot of camping...

Possibilites of Arkham 3

Whether or not the next Rocksteady Batman game is a true Arkham City sequel or a rumoured silver age prequel, we have yet to know. But there are many hints from Arkham City that suggest a lot of ideas. Here you go. Oh, and BTW:

SPOILER WARNING!!! DON'T LOOK BELOW IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED ARKHAM CITY AND HARLEY QUINN'S REVENGE!!!

Batman says no to lookin' at Spoilers.

We good?


1.) Harley's Pregnancy? At the end of Arkham City, you can go around and discover at positive pregnancy test left next to Harley's old outfit. Not prizes for guessing who the father is. At the end of New Game Plus in the credits, you can hear her singing "Hush Little Baby" But during Harley Quinn's Revenge, you find the Scarface doll dressed as the Joker with tonnes of negative pregnancy tests surrounding it. What's going on here?

2.) Hush. After completing his side quests, you discover Hush was surgically removing the faces of inmates of Arkham City and grafting them onto his own. He looks exactly like Bruce Wayne now. He managed to elude the Dark Knight and become one of the few people to escape Arkham City's walls before the game's conclusion. 

3.) Azrael. The Watcher in the Wings was following Batman since the beginning. At the start of the game when Bruce and Jack Ryder are entering Arkham City, he is watching from the rooftops. After leaving a map for Batman across the city, he finally speaks to him and says there is fire coming and that he may lose much, saying that he may be the one the prophecy spoke of. Okey-doke...

4.) Ra's Al Ghul. Dead? Again? Maybe not. After being impaled with his own sword on a fence at the end of the game, you can no longer find his body, just his sword. Talia's body also goes missing...

5.) Prometheus. Man, just saying that name sounds cool. If you're not up to speed, Prometheus is essentially Batman's opposite. His parents were criminals gunned down by Lawmen and he swore revenge, so training himself in the art of killing, he goes to hell on the police. There are newspaper clippings with references to him all over Arkham City. He may not be a part of the next game, but he sure as hell might be...

6.) Cadmus. This may be the least tangible, but throughout Harley Quinn's revenge, you'll find numerous references to Cadmus, the group responsible for creating Superboy. Joker cloned? Seems unlikely, but you never know.

7.) Scarecrow. The most referenced villain not appearing in the game. You can find his mask as part of a riddle, and also numerous canisters of fear gas throughout the game in Hush's lair as well as the Riddler's and numerous others. During Protocol ten, you can find Henchmen lying dead wearing the Scarecrow masks. This may be a reference, but some theorise it's just a graphical glitch...right? In Arkham City, there are three radio signals not shown on the cryptographic sequencer. These spell out numbers, each of which can be decoded using real world codes. These three spell out "I WILL RETURN BATMAN" "YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME" and the last one can only be decrypted with the keyword Scarecrow "FEAR WILL TEAR GOTHAM TO SHREADS" The final reference to the fear doctor can be found in a boat on the water which can be opened using the code "City of Terror" Inside the boat, you'll find insects and canisters of fear gas as well as an inmate who sitting on a chair. When you get close, he yells out in fear and dies. The notes on that wall are invoices from a Mr Carmine Falcone to Dr Jonathan Crane. Creepy. Scarecrow may very well be the focus of the next game with this much emphasis put on him.

8.) Other places. Keystone, Metropolis and Bludhaven are all mentioned throughout the game.

With these elements in place, the next Arkham game sure has a lot going for it.

Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare

In a world of money grabbing, cash thievin' DLC it's rare to really see anyone put effort into downloadable content. However, Rockstar again raises the bar for DLC as it did for open world games with the original Red Dead Redemption with the Add on: Undead Nightmare. 

Undead Nightmare takes story elements from Red Dead, but doesn't really fit into continuity very well, so calling it a parallel story doesn't really suit it. So, we'll call the old "alternate universe" card once more. Basically, story wise...ZAMBIEZ!!! A Zombie plague is spreading and it's up to John Marston and some of his colourful friends to stop it and pretty much save the day. Once again, the writing is well done and special props the the devs remembering not to take the story too seriously and putting in some great larffs. The voice quality returns as well as sound effects in Undead Nightmare so the production value is still there and the sounds are even better than the original due to some strange zombie-esque tunes. 

For only $10, you get over 6 hours of story missions, side quests, new achievements, challenges and weapons as well as two multiplayer modes. So worth it. Good thing the bargain doesn't come at the expense of quality. These missions are fun as anything and the side quests are great. The challenges make use of the new Zombies and really make this DLC stand on it's own two feet. This isn't simply more Red Dead with Zombies; this is almost a whole new game. The Karma and fame system is gone, and so is money. Ammo is this game's currency, you'll have to make use of all your equipment to survive. Not to mention zombie horses have unlimited sprint, so that compensates for lack of fast travel from camp. Fighting zombies is very different from Red Dead. They'll charge at you in a variety of breeds. Fast zombie, spitter zombie, fat zombie and even zombie animals. You'll have a blast as you get into a rhythm of headshots a torch swings. 

There are only two real downsides to this DLC. The town saving mechanic and the fetch quest missions. Fetch quests are few and forgivable (same with Red Dead) but in Undead, you have to frequently go and save towns from zombie infection. If you don't, everyone dies and you can't really use that town again. This becomes really annoying when all you want to do is just progress. Luckily, this is really the only downside to the best DLC ever made. If you loved Red Dead Redemption, you'll love Undead Nightmare. Pick this one up. 

Haven't convinced you? Well, you get holy water and exploding bait as well as dynamite. Oh...AND YOU CAN RIDE THE 4 HORSES OF THE FREAKING APOCALYPSE!!!!!!

Red Dead Redemption Review

In 2010, the near undisputed GOTY was a little game we call Red Dead Redemption. And it's obvious why. This game is jam packed with content, great visuals and sound as well a fantastic gameplay and characters. However, there are some parts of the game which do fall a little short, but that's more than forgivable when you have a game as good as this.

Red Dead Redemption looks absolutely gorgeous. The western setting the devs were granted has been used to it's full extent and it brings the world to life. The towns look great, as do it's inhabitants. Even the lonely and sandy deserts have had so much care that even riding around looking at the place is fun. It also helps that the sound design is equally as impressive, including horse sounds, gun shots and voice acting that make this game feel extraordinary. The only real problem that arises from this is the brightness. I found myself having to constantly switch brightness throughout the game from high to low because at night, you cam hardly see anything, but in the day you're bombarded with sunlight that makes the ground unbearable to look at. And, as expected of a game this size, there's a few texture pops here and there, but it's strangely minimal. 

The story in Red Dead is actually a little disappointing. Basically, John Marston is a former gunslinger who's trying to go straight for his family, but his past is too filled with blood. You'll meet a great cast of characters not all of whom you'll like, but will feel some emotion towards them which is something that not many games accomplish. When I say the story's a little disappointing, I mean that there are certain points within the game that aren't fully capitalised on. An example is you spend time working for two opposite sides in the game and you really expect for the story to bank on this, but it never really does, leaving that section feeling a little anti-climactic. Also, some characters don't get the closure they deserve. The real high point of the narrative is John Marston himself. His character is slowly revealed over the course of the journey as you learn more and more about him. And the game's story when in Blackwater truly picks up to a truly amazing level. But the story mainly feels like you're going around doing a bunch of favours for people all around the world. 

Gameplay consists of roaming the massive world Red Dead has to offer and doing pretty much whatever. You can collect animal skins to sell at the market, complete tasks for strangers around the world, engage in randomly generated events while riding down the road, complete challenges to earn rewards, explore new towns and moar. So much to do in this game. And that's without the main missions. Most of these are really fun as well. You will storm trains, go on rescue missions, fight your way out of immense odds and even blow up mines. It's great! Only a few times do you encounter a mission that isn't fun. As said before, there is the unfortunately boring fetch quest here and there. And at times, the reason you're fighting these guys isn't really all that interesting and some missions do feel a little tacked on to make the game longer. Luckily, the ratio of good to bad is about 90:10 so it's all K. 

Red Dead Redemption does so many things that a lot of games try to do, but fail. Have a lot of content that's interesting, a great open world with stuff to do, great characters, amazing gameplay and a decent story. It's not perfect, but it's pretty damn impressive. Loved this game to death, one of the best of this generation.