On a whim, I fired up Braid today for the first time in many months. I had never been able to beat the game, and I am trying by bestest to never have to resort to YouTube to find solutions to the puzzles. Unfortuately, there was no save file left on my Xbox (weak) so I got to experience the whole game for the first time all over again.
Braid is beautiful.
It is a masterpiece of aesthetics, and music, and interesting, simple, clever gameplay. The story is told in snippets of books between levels, and the wording is such that it evokes an incredible emotional response in just a few lines of text. You connect with the hero, Tim, even though he doesn't say a single word. The game is only a few hours long, but there are so many "A-ha!" moments when you solve a puzzle all by yourself after 30 minutes of struggling. You actually feel proud of yourself for outsmarting this simple, sophisticated game - no - this experience.
On my first playthrough, there were always a few puzzle pieces I could never seem to reach. This second time, I felt much more self-assured. I already understood the mechanics of the game; I just needed to master it, to complete it. This time, I got closer. I completed level 4 and earned a nice, shiny, new achievement. But there are still a few puzzle pieces left... I am still stumped. I can't earn the beautiful Ico-esque ending I've read about in so many magazines, and heard about all over the Internet. I want so badly to know what happens myself, without reading spoilers, and without having to resort to finding solutions to the game on the Internet. Will this be another of life's great mysteries? Or will my searching mind stumble upon a solution in my sleep? I hope the latter. Maybe I just need to take a break from it for a few months again... but I can't. I'm hooked in its beautiful claws, and I don't want to be free again until I learn the truth.
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Monday, June 8, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Catalog THIS in your Dewey Decimal System.
Now that video games are becoming more recognized as "art," there is a growing movement amongst some of the geek elite to preserve their legacy for future generations to enjoy. And why not? Gutenberg Bibles are worth millions. Old Disney VHS tapes are worth hundreds of dollars each. The Beatles' White Album can't be found at a used record store for less than $50. Games start off being pretty expensive, and the price has never really changed much. Final Fantasy III (or VI, whatever you call it) was $80 when it first came out on Super Nintendo. Today, Fallout 3 is $60. But games decrease in value after a time, and a select few eventually become more valuable. Especially RPG's - Dragon Warrior IV, Shining Force, Phantasy Star, Final Fantasies, etc. But why does the enjoyment of old games have to be confined to the few people that can actually afford to drop a Benjamin on an original NES cartridge?
Let's get games into public libraries. Books are in libraries and people still go to bookstores. A lot of newer movies are free in libraries and yet people still rent movies. Old games, for some reason or another, have no forum in which they can be rented or played without actually owning them. Blockbuster and Movie Gallery have the entire center section of their stores dedicated to older movies, all the way back to the silent film era. Why can't there be a place we can go to enjoy classic games for $1 a week? Is this more viable than getting games into libraries, there's a profit to be made now! Sure, it can be hard to get many old NES carts to work... but that definitely doesn't mean that they're broken. Blow in it, slide it into the system so it barely makes it past the edge, pop the cart halfway up, turn your NES upside down, there are all manner of getting these old classics to boot up. If there was a mom and pop retro game rental store in my neighborhood, you can be sure that I'd be one of those kids hanging out there after class, waxing nostalgic with other gamers who also recall the good old days when "graphics" were a luxury and a "soundtrack" was synthesized MIDI beeps and boops. Sweet memories... would someone please get on this?
Let's get games into public libraries. Books are in libraries and people still go to bookstores. A lot of newer movies are free in libraries and yet people still rent movies. Old games, for some reason or another, have no forum in which they can be rented or played without actually owning them. Blockbuster and Movie Gallery have the entire center section of their stores dedicated to older movies, all the way back to the silent film era. Why can't there be a place we can go to enjoy classic games for $1 a week? Is this more viable than getting games into libraries, there's a profit to be made now! Sure, it can be hard to get many old NES carts to work... but that definitely doesn't mean that they're broken. Blow in it, slide it into the system so it barely makes it past the edge, pop the cart halfway up, turn your NES upside down, there are all manner of getting these old classics to boot up. If there was a mom and pop retro game rental store in my neighborhood, you can be sure that I'd be one of those kids hanging out there after class, waxing nostalgic with other gamers who also recall the good old days when "graphics" were a luxury and a "soundtrack" was synthesized MIDI beeps and boops. Sweet memories... would someone please get on this?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
What is perfect?
Throughout history, there have been attempts to create the Perfect Game - the one game that you will be able to play forever without ever having to buy another (Spore, WoW, etc.). They have all failed. Not for lack of ambition - it's just that citizens of today's disposable society are always looking for something bigger, better, brighter, and newer. There is no perfect game, as there is no perfect person.
The same problem can be seen when trying to determine the Greatest Game of All Time. Even determining the Greatest Game of the Year is problematic. Someone will always complain that this game is better than that one, or they'll complain that the voters were influenced in a digital payola scandal. As technology advances, what we expect out of our games changes. We want bigger, better, more. And we should. After 30 years of video game history, game developers should know what works and what doesn't while still being unafraid to try something new and innovative. (I hate how the word "innovative" is tossed around so recklessly nowadays as well, but that will have to be saved for another post.) Also, now that consumers are spending more money on games than ever before, it's not too much to expect that we get our money's worth. Otherwise, we will find a more economical distraction like drugs or old muscle cars.
Games can be artistic, but first and foremost they are software. A person is interacting with a computer in a way that evokes some kind of emotion. Without a seamless amalgamation of man and machine, the other aspects of the game are rendered pointless. The Great Games control well, and they are pleasing to the eyes, and the music suits the gameplay. Besides taste and smell, games cater directly to our sensory experiences. The best games are here for us and with us. They do not exist in a vacuum.
Think of your favorite game. Well, favorite games. It's far easier to choose from a specific genre than from the complete collection of all software ever produced. And the more specific the category, the fewer choices. This is why many lists on the 'Net often go by a format like "Top 10 PlayStation Racing Games" instead of "10 Best Games of All Time." The Best Games of All Time list is totally subjective, yet numerous titles from throughout history appear on nearly every list. Super Mario Bros., Tetris, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Half-Life 2, Final Fantasy VII, Space Invaders, Pong, Ms. Pac-Man, Super Metroid, Resident Evil 2. What do they have in common? Not much, except that they all appeal to our basest human instincts: run, hoarde, kill. Instead of video games being used as a form of escapism, they represent a world we will never know, and we are okay with that. Even flawed digital worlds are more orderly and palatable because everything is in it's place. Every piece of trash littering the digital streets was put there for a purpose, even if that purpose is merely ambiance. What purpose does garbage on our real-life streets serve? Ambiance for our real-life, crappy lives. Sometimes it feels that even the worst games have higer lows than our highest highs...
The same problem can be seen when trying to determine the Greatest Game of All Time. Even determining the Greatest Game of the Year is problematic. Someone will always complain that this game is better than that one, or they'll complain that the voters were influenced in a digital payola scandal. As technology advances, what we expect out of our games changes. We want bigger, better, more. And we should. After 30 years of video game history, game developers should know what works and what doesn't while still being unafraid to try something new and innovative. (I hate how the word "innovative" is tossed around so recklessly nowadays as well, but that will have to be saved for another post.) Also, now that consumers are spending more money on games than ever before, it's not too much to expect that we get our money's worth. Otherwise, we will find a more economical distraction like drugs or old muscle cars.
Games can be artistic, but first and foremost they are software. A person is interacting with a computer in a way that evokes some kind of emotion. Without a seamless amalgamation of man and machine, the other aspects of the game are rendered pointless. The Great Games control well, and they are pleasing to the eyes, and the music suits the gameplay. Besides taste and smell, games cater directly to our sensory experiences. The best games are here for us and with us. They do not exist in a vacuum.
Think of your favorite game. Well, favorite games. It's far easier to choose from a specific genre than from the complete collection of all software ever produced. And the more specific the category, the fewer choices. This is why many lists on the 'Net often go by a format like "Top 10 PlayStation Racing Games" instead of "10 Best Games of All Time." The Best Games of All Time list is totally subjective, yet numerous titles from throughout history appear on nearly every list. Super Mario Bros., Tetris, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Half-Life 2, Final Fantasy VII, Space Invaders, Pong, Ms. Pac-Man, Super Metroid, Resident Evil 2. What do they have in common? Not much, except that they all appeal to our basest human instincts: run, hoarde, kill. Instead of video games being used as a form of escapism, they represent a world we will never know, and we are okay with that. Even flawed digital worlds are more orderly and palatable because everything is in it's place. Every piece of trash littering the digital streets was put there for a purpose, even if that purpose is merely ambiance. What purpose does garbage on our real-life streets serve? Ambiance for our real-life, crappy lives. Sometimes it feels that even the worst games have higer lows than our highest highs...
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Nudity in Games
Classic renaissance sculptures and paintings are art. Video games are art. They are not the same, and they are not held to the same standard. Is it the age difference? Classic artists realized long ago the inherent beauty of the nude human form - the curves, the lines, the obvious grace etched into every peak and valley. Now, nudity is taboo. People are taught to be ashamed of nakedness. They are told it is immoral - that even beaches and network TV are obscene places where only philanderers and harlots may venture. Video games are not helping. Nudity is often used as a reward for hours of sub-par gameplay (BMX XXX, Leisure Suit Larry), or as a mere gimmick (God of War, Metal Gear Solid). Instead of elevating the human form on a beautiful golden pedestal, game developers are cheapening it by implying that nudity is something to be won. Impressionable teenage boys then learn subconsciously that seeing a girl naked is the end-all, be-all of human existence. Then, in the noble words of Ferris Bueller, the gullible boy tends to "marry the first girl he lays." He then buys flowers and jewelry all in the name of "winning" a small slice of naked female flesh. This is unhealthy. This is wrong.
Despite the lackluster "game" part, one thing the most recent Leisure Suit Larry game does well is its conclusions. Larry spends the game searching for sex from various girls all across a digital college campus. He meets them, courts them, gets them drunk, and then... something always goes wrong. They become lesbians, or they want babies instead of no-strings-attached sex, or they're Jewish. In the rare occasions Larry does get laid, it's never what he expects or wants. That is reality. You quest after something long enough, you may eventually catch it. Unfortunately, what you catch may not have been what you wanted after all. You seek love, or acceptance, or a person you can grow old with, and you just end with the clap.
Games may never reach the level where nudity is accepted or used in an artistic way, because, despite the fact that gamers are now a completely different demographic than the D&D playing nerds of the 80's, game developers are still dogs with a bone. If gamers get what they say they want, be it a nude Lara Croft of the Dead or Alive girls having an orgy, the mystery will be gone. In games, the journey is the fun part. When you complete a game, you haven't actually "completed" anything. You wasted some hours, you had some fun, and then it's over. Gamers and humans in general love the chase. Please, don't let it end with something as simple as a cheat code.
Despite the lackluster "game" part, one thing the most recent Leisure Suit Larry game does well is its conclusions. Larry spends the game searching for sex from various girls all across a digital college campus. He meets them, courts them, gets them drunk, and then... something always goes wrong. They become lesbians, or they want babies instead of no-strings-attached sex, or they're Jewish. In the rare occasions Larry does get laid, it's never what he expects or wants. That is reality. You quest after something long enough, you may eventually catch it. Unfortunately, what you catch may not have been what you wanted after all. You seek love, or acceptance, or a person you can grow old with, and you just end with the clap.
Games may never reach the level where nudity is accepted or used in an artistic way, because, despite the fact that gamers are now a completely different demographic than the D&D playing nerds of the 80's, game developers are still dogs with a bone. If gamers get what they say they want, be it a nude Lara Croft of the Dead or Alive girls having an orgy, the mystery will be gone. In games, the journey is the fun part. When you complete a game, you haven't actually "completed" anything. You wasted some hours, you had some fun, and then it's over. Gamers and humans in general love the chase. Please, don't let it end with something as simple as a cheat code.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
