Is It Okay To Be The Same Or Should They All Be Unique Snowflakes? The Answer Is Batman.

Written By: Tyler Selig

That's me throwin' molotovs at people who feel different than I do, and who didn't ask for my opinion anyway. I don't know who the other two are because I have no friends.

                Hey there everybody, I know it’s been a while since there’s been a blog post. My next post was originally supposed to be a review of Batman: Arkham Origins, but I got it for Xbox 360 and my save got corrupted about ten hours in. This means that I’m too annoyed to restart the game right away, and since I saw other people having this problem I’m hoping it’s not just my piece of shit 360 and it’s something they can patch. Either way, I’ll have to finish my experience with Batman later on.

                But never fear because I’ve found a way to make an article not about Batman, but actually kind of about Batman. An article with a Batman “review” (in quotation marks because it isn’t a review to me unless I’ve at least finished the story and done a bunch of side quests) jammed in there. The genesis of the article came from me reading reviews of the new game (specifically IGN and Gamespot) and taking issue with one main complaint: how similar it is to the other games in the series.

                I’ll go on record and say that Arkham City is one of those games I’d rate a 10 and I firmly believe it’s close to perfect. I don’t think any game is perfect and I never will. Even my most loved games have minor flaws but that’s the thing… they’re so minor it hardly matters. I would say Arkham Asylum isn’t perfect but damn it is an awesome game. So I had high hopes for Origins and even though the series switched developers, I felt their heads were in the right place. I thought reviews would reflect this. I single out sites like Gamespot and IGN because they’re so big within the industry. The fact that IGN gave it a 7.8 (which is pretty good) and Gamespot gave it a 6 (which is a terrible rating) rang some alarms in my head. And it hurt.

                So I investigated. The general consensus is that it’s more of the same. That’s when my brain started to do think. And that also hurt.

                Why is that a bad thing? Some of the best series of all-time have been doing it for years. And why was Batman singled out when series like Call of Duty are notorious for getting high ratings despite offering very similar experiences. In the case of CoD, there is literally one – Modern Warfare or Black Ops, which offer slightly different experiences from one another but are still ultimately CoD – every year.

                I’m not picking on Call of Duty. It can have its fans. I’m sure they do this with Battlefield but I’m not into the series. They do it with Assassin’s Creed as far as I can tell (again, not a series I’m real into). Metal Gear, which is my favourite series of all time, doesn’t really differ that much from one another. Some differ more than others but I’d say Solid 1 to 4 aren’t a hell of a lot different outside of where they take place and some evolutions of gameplay mechanics. But it’s still Metal Gear. Killzone hasn’t changed a whole lot since the first one. Another series I love. Borderlands 2 is not a hell of a lot different than the first. I doubt the third will reinvent the series.

                I didn’t want Origins to break new ground… I just wanted it to feed me more of what I loved about the other two in the series.

               In my play through that was tragically cut short, I enjoyed the shit out of Origins. It had more of the free-flowing combat that is one of the best things to ever happen to fighting games. It gave me an intriguing story that did a wonderful job of giving Batman a reason to fight so many villains in one night (saw that in a review, thought it was a good point). The predator mode is still amazing, with clever level design and so many ways to take out opponents. The crime scene investigation element isn’t as deep as it could be but the game is better for having it, though I think this is a point of contention for people. The few boss battles I’ve partaken in have been exciting and Deathstroke was challenging to me. I also got to see people like Anarky. It also has a fast travel which is always good in an open world game. I don’t care what IGN says: it doesn’t disservice the world at all to be able to move quickly around it. I fast travelled in Skyrim like a boss.   

                So to me, Origins captures the essence of both Batman and these recent Arkham games and though it’s probably not as polished as Arkham City and it’s not a step-forward like that game was, it was an extremely satisfying game, not taking into consideration things like corrupted save files (like I said, I don’t know if that’s my systems fault or the games) or other glitches that are patchable, if the developers are paying attention.

                Okay, so this has become more of a Batman review than I wanted. So let’s get down to the points I wanted to make.

                My point is: Origins is more of the same but that’s okay. You have to have your series that don’t innovate every time. There are times that I just want to take part in something familiar, something that I know I will love.                There is a reason you gravitate towards a certain series of games, or even movies, books, etc. It’s because the original gives you something that you can sink your teeth in and like drugs, you want more more more. Not everyone is like this, but judging from the sales of certain series that are mammoths within the industry, it’s obvious that there are a lot of people picking up what I’m putting down.

                It’s hypocritical of me to say this, but yes I’ve criticized games for being predictable and for playing it safe. On the surface my comment doesn’t make any sense because I play games that are predictable and play it safe. Underneath though, that statement is more of a personal preference than anything. It’s less “this game sucks for being the same” and more “I just got tired of playing it.”

                There are just so many games that have the same gameplay mechanics, but they’ll throw in a few different guns, change up the maps, tweak something a little bit here and there, polish the game, make it a little bit bigger and badder, then release it. I know it feels like I’m picking on shooters but they have been the genre of choice for a lot of people so that’s what I’ve used as a point of reference.

Not every game is going to revolutionize the industry. I don’t even want them to, nor do I want every game to be completely original. I don’t want every game to be like Journey but I’ll enjoy the fuck out of Journey when it’s given to me.

                Maybe Origins falls apart as the game goes along, though I doubt it. I’ve seen it called glorified DLC and that’s unfair because then you have to start shit-talking a lot of classic games. The fact of the matter is, the game industry, much like the movie industry, will find things that work and exploit that. Developers will find something that sticks, and they will release that over and over because it’s a business and because they know there’s a market for it. So while it can be annoying that new and fresh games get overlooked, and believe me it happens all the time, there is still place for these sequels that provide consumers with a product that they know and love. It feels weird to treat massive series like the underdogs, but I’m just calling it like I see it. I’m the first one to pimp a title that I feel brings something new to the table, but the truth of the matter is, I just love games as an art form so I embrace both familiar games and games that have their own little niche.

I didn’t mean for this to be a long article but it seems to be. I’ll make one final point and allow me to generalize for the next little bit: You can’t actually satisfy gamers. This is true for fans of everything, but since this is a game blog I’m targeting you. Yes, you. And me. And the person next door. We all suck.

If WB Games Montreal had changed the series too much people would have bitched. They keep it the same (but add a few things) and people bitch. So what’s someone to do? Origins isn’t a bad game but people keep rating it way lower (seriously, a 6?) than is necessary. I don’t expect people to gush over it, though I am, but what were they to do? Origins suffers mainly from the fact that it’s from a great series and is arguably the weakest link of the three. But that doesn’t make it a bad game, and people can’t seem to realize that. It’s like, if a game doesn’t live up to peoples ridiculous standards, it becomes a shitty game. Although I don’t think people are going that far with Origins, my point remains.

I was playing Warface a while ago and in my first-impressions I said that it’s a generic shooter but all I saw in-game were people saying it’s the worst game ever. The nerve of me to say this because it’s all personal opinion but no, it just wasn’t a good game. It wasn’t the worst ever. People who say that make me wonder if they’ve ever played a truly bad game.

So what do you think about me white knighting for a big-budget title? Think I have no soul? You’re right, but let me know what you think in the comments below and see ya next time.

'Cause I Gotta Have Faith-a-Faith-a-Faith... The Wolf Among Us Episode 1 - Faith Review

Written By: Tyler Selig

Rating: 8.5/10

Verdict: Episode 1- Faith treats us to a compelling story and an incredible first episode, where the choices you make matter.

"Where is it? Where is my Lorde CD?"

I am going to start this off by throwing out a blasphemy. I have never played The Walking Dead. My reasons are ignorant, but I never played it, so I had no idea what I was getting into in The Wolf Among Us. I heard great things about the developers and The Walking Dead, but I avoided videos and articles about the game. I went in mostly blind.

                I also never read Fables. It has always been one of those comic book series that I put on my “To Read” list, but haven’t gotten around to actually checking that one off.

                You play as Bigby, who is the Big Bad Wolf, only now he is a Sheriff. He has put all the bad things he did in the past behind him and is now trying to help people out. The game starts with you meeting Faith, a prostitute who eventually meets an untimely death. So of course, Bigby wants to know what happened to here, and the rest of Episode 1 consists of you putting on your detective hat to solve the case. From that point on, you meet a compelling cast of characters from fables of all sorts, and each interaction is intriguing.

                The main draw of The Wolf Among Us is the decision making, and it succeeded in making me feel like every question I was asked was important. Whether it’s being aggressive, or saying nothing, I thought hard – in the small amount of time it gave me, which is important because it forces you to make hard choices on the fly – about every decision I made. I was always at the edge of my seat in anticipation of how what I decided would impact the world around me and my relationships with other characters.

                An adventure game with a focus on decision making could end badly if you don’t feel that how you react is important in some way. If you can’t guess it from what I said above, Faith gets it right in a big bad way. Ultimately there is a story arc that the game will follow, but how you go about your business will change things to some degree.

                Since the first episode falls within the hardboiled detective genre, it only feels right that the game is sufficiently dark. From the way characters talk to one another, to the moody comic book visuals, and to the music which admittedly ended up subtly drawing me into the situation rather than bringing attention to itself, TellTale has done everything they could to make you believe in the world you’re inhabiting for this short period of time (though there are more episodes on the way).

                Like Beyond: Two Souls (review coming in the near future), the game is pretty heavy on making you watch, outside of some periods where you can walk around in a limited area. However, the story never fails to be interesting and the questions you get asked making you keep your hands on the controller or keyboard and mouse, because you only have a set period of time to answer most of them. So you’re always involved.
               There are slight technical problems, frame-rate hiccups during transitions for example, but they really aren’t a big deal and I can’t understand anybody making a big deal out of them. Still, as a reviewer, I feel it is my duty to at least point it out.
               Sometimes they throw in fight scenes and these are a blast, despite the fact that you don’t actually move Bigby. Fight scenes consist mostly of QTEs… move left, move right, press up, down, press a button repeatedly. I’m not big into the whole QTE movement, but Episode 1 makes fights action packed by allowing you to move your cursor to objects that are highlighted. What this means is that you could be fighting someone and you have a choice to hit them with a glass, shove them into a wall, etc. This little touch does make you feel more engrossed in the actions on screen.

                Faith is a wonderful first episode, and it ends with such a heart-wrenching scene that I can’t wait to play the next one. Fans of this genre take heed, because this is something to keep an eye on.

               

My Top 50 Favourite Video Games of This Generation, 40 - 31

Written By: Tyler Selig

I won’t waste your time because I know you’ve been so eagerly awaiting the next ten picks, so let’s do this.

40: Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (Wii)

                It’s a common misconception that the Wii didn’t have games. It’s untrue, and I hope my list proves that. Sin and Punishment: Star Sucessor is a type of game that doesn’t get made very often, the Cabal shooter. There’s often quite a bit going on at any given point on the screen, so the experience is often thrilling and intense.

39: Mark of the Ninja (360)

                A 2D stealth game, they pretty much did it perfectly. The mechanics are smooth, and this makes for an incredible spin on a genre that isn’t uncommon, but is usually 3D. Mix in a great art style and atmosphere, and while I enjoy Shank but this is my favourite Klei Entertainment game, by far.

38: Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)

                Donkey Kong is a mammoth of the platforming genre. This is a great return. It has everything that makes the series one of the best in the genre.

37: Bayonetta (PS3, 360)

                Speaking of best in the genre… I’m not going to say Bayonetta is the best in its particular genre but it’s one of the best in its genre this generation. It’s batshit insane action, at all times, with an overly sexualized main character that turned off some. Yes, the game is really silly, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun. I can’t wait for Bayonetta 2.

36: Crysis 3 (PS3, 360)

                I wish I could run this on my PC. It wouldn’t even let me turn the game on. But I did play it on 360 and it’s more of what makes the series great. It’s a pretty open-world so there are different ways to tackle objectives, and who doesn’t like going invisible and murdering people?

35: Max Payne 3 (PS3, 360)

                I think it’s at this point where I started having a really hard time placing the games, because up until a certain point they’re all really close in quality. I really enjoy Max Payne 3. It’s refreshing to see a shooter that isn’t dependant on taking cover, and Max Payne is just an iconic character. He has the worst days ever.

34: Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)

                I wouldn’t hesitate to say that this is one of the most beautiful games the Wii has. It’s a 2D action game, and it’s just charming from beginning to end. It’s one of those special games in the genre that come along every now and then. The story is a bit confusing, but hacking people up is a lot of fun.

33: Perfect Dark Zero (360)

                I used to think it was underrated, but I guess it actually got pretty good reviews. It’s not as good as the first one, but it’s a worthy follow-up. I spent a lot of time playing the multi-player, the guns feel really good to shoot, and some of the multiplayer levels are awesome. Weirdly enough, the roll adds a lot to the game too.

32: Mass Effect 3 (PS3, 360)

                Though people shit on the ending that was originally given to us, which is fine, it doesn’t change the fact that up until that point it’s a wonderful game. They changed it up from the first game a bit, but I enjoy it. It’s a solid third-person shooter with RPG elements, and a large, epic story.

               

31: Braid (PS3, 360)

                It feels weird to me to put Braid at 31, because it’s such a kick in the nuts (in the best way possible). I know the developer is up his ass, and this wouldn’t help, but it really is an innovative, incredible, emotional experience. The story could be taken on multiple levels, literal and symbolic, and the ending is one of the best that games has ever seen.

                Just from a story perspective it’s worth playing, but the puzzles are smart and they change up all the time so there’s always a new element being introduced to you. Braid really is good as they say. 

Well that's it for today. Make sure to check back in tomorrow for the next ten. 

[Click here to see 50 - 41]
[Click here to see 30 - 21]