I posted on facebook something about Portal 2, and some pretty funny comments came out of it, some from folks on this blog. I don't mind - Valve does have it's days, and I think most Valve fans are willing to turn a blind eye to some of the issues in their games, because of the positive things they receive when they play them. That leads me to my question - what's your game changing game?
For me, I'm gonna point to Half- Life 2. I'm not about to praise HL2 any more than people already could figure out, but HL2 changed the way that I approached everything else I play. The main element that blew me away in HL2 was the narrative structure and how it fit into their game and level design - The way this effected me when I played it... well, I've been changed.
The game doesn't even have to be a good one, or maybe one that you even finished. Maybe something was so horrifically off that you realized what makes the stuff you like fun. Maybe one game caused you to look at life differently. I know I made most of the the friends I have through Halo... it's hard not to walk away from that feeling ungrateful.
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Not trying to hijack your post, but I'll defend why I poked fun at Valve.
ReplyDeleteValve is great, but I guess I just tire of the endless fount of praise that rains on their head daily. Like Blizzard, but with a fatter spokesperson.
HL2 was amazing, but I'll give you 100 bucks if you can explain the story. Why are the Vortigaunts, the primary enemy of the first game, your friends now? The answer is easily found if you do a quick google search, but this amazing storytelling your speaking off is a farce in my book.
In regards to Gears of War I remember having to explain why the Locust were attacking us to brjahu because I'd done the homework on the backstory well before the game released. Same problem with HL2.
I think people confuse good storytelling with immersive dialogue. It's awesome to hear that dude speak over and over again in the background, but nothing new story related is revealed and yet again another silent protagonist yanks me from actually giving a crap about Gordon Freeman.
Cutscenes aren't the enemy as long as they're used well! Enslaved is an excellent example of dramatic storytelling in a cutscene.
I also think the episodic releases (with the 3rd nowhere in sight) hurt the overall story because they cut the game into chunks that feel more like chapters of diverse gameplay than a cohesive story. Episode 1 was survival horror and Episode 2 was driving.
Portal is very cool, but lacks any incentive of a second playthrough. I applaud Valve for making such a striking character (who the hell are you even playing as????) with such a minimalistic style, but again once it's over....it's over.
G Man is the shit though!
Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is my game changer (like you didn't see that coming). Not only did it have astounding visuals, but an absolutely believable world with great voice acting and the ability to play, in first person none-the-less, how you wanted. It blew my mind and is still the game I rate all FPS to.
Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena was a game changer too, but on a different level. It was very much a similar type of game, but the characters in this one (one guy in particular) are revolting, but it's his astounding voice actor and facial animation that made me literally wince at some of the stuff coming out of his mouth. He wasn't just vulgar, but a real nasty man and it wasn't childish....it was entirely believable.
Also....finish Episode 1 and then 2 if you already haven't because they're some good G Man stuff in it. Especially in 2.
I'm kinda with 3N3MY here. I played Half-Life 2 and Portal and enjoyed them both, but I do think they get a little over-praised. I'm REALLY tired of the silent protagonist, as well. I've read articles all about how it makes the game more immersive, etc., but it just doesn't work for me personally. I think a lot of other people feel this way and ask, "Why does Gordon Freeman get away with being a silent protagonist?" And the answer usually given is because he's surrounded by interesting people. That may be true, but why can't we have both?
ReplyDeleteI find myself much more immersed in games like Gears of War or Valve's own Left 4 Dead, where the characters talk to each other and interact, not just in cutscenes, but during gameplay also. I love when you hit a Locust with a shotgun active reload and he just kinda melts away and Marcus yells, "Nothin' but bits!" Or when your teammates say they're throwing a grenade out or tell you to flank. The same with Left 4 Dead. The characters are talking to each other the whole time. "Pills here." "Taking pills." "Cover me, I gotta heal." Sometimes they'll even find a weapon stash that you missed and they'll announce it. And whether it's the AI Francis or the 3N3MY-controlled Francis he always says, "Grabbin' a shotgun!" And if you shoot each other, they let you know that they're pissed off. This seems much more realistic and immersive to me personally than controlling a mute.
As far as game changers go, I'm not really sure. Maybe Resident Evil 4. Before RE4, I didn't know a game could be THAT awesome. I'll think about it some more.
I think HL2 pulls off the silent-protagonist really well but yeah, it's because Gordon Freeman is surrounded by interesting people (anyone else have a crush on Alyx Vance?). But seriously, I loved that game so much, I've played through 6 or 7 times and even pushed through on the hardest difficulty (something I rarely ever do...also see Max Payne 2).
ReplyDeleteBut the game changer for me was GTAIII. That completely changed gaming for me. I was so blown away by that game. I can still remember the night I played it at a friend's house and going out the next day and dropping so much cash on a PS2 and the game and controllers and whatever else you needed. They just took this world and opened it up. Gaming has never been the same and I still get irritated at blocked off areas, fences, or barriers of any kind in every genre of games, haha.
I agree that overall, the days of the silent protagonist are past, but it works well enough in HL2, as demonstrated by Juniper's crush on Alyx. If Gordon expressed himself, Juniper couldn't develop that feeling, but only respond to Gordon's feelings to Alyx, by either agreeing, or disagreeing. It's not a crucial part of Half Life, but still there. It actually bugs me when people call Gordon Freeman one of the greatest characters in videogames... he's only likeable because we like ourselves! We are Gordon, not just moving Gordon around.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually on the same page with cut scenes... if they make the story work, keep them in there if they are consistent with the game's overall goal of finished product. Metal Gear is that example for me... So effective when it first came out, but man... haven't we gotten past this? Metal Gear stops for everything.
I don't think this is the first time I've said this, but I like HL2's story for how it's told, not the sequence of events. I feel drawn into the world, even though I don't know what it's about. And I think that's the point.
3N3MY, I get the feeling of Valve being overrated, but I don't see how your distaste of HL2's ambiguous story and your love of G-Man fit together - the reason G-man works is because he pulls you in and out. He, for all practical purposes, is the reason we don't know the whole story. Gears story didn't make sense... because it doesn't make sense (Why would the humans sink their own city? Wasn't that what the locusts wanted to do anyway?)
Good picks though - GTA3 was a huge game changer! What happens when there are no rules? What happens when the player chooses how to go about it... amazing for the industry. Butcher Bay is a good choice as well. I remember borrowing it from you and feeling ill, both from how the realistic lighting effected me, but also how intense the character's were, especially in my direction. I distinctly remember hiding under a table in game, not wanting to leave because everyone around me was threatening to kill me.
@Lead Salad - RE4 was amazing, but I think you can do better than that. Based off of our conversations, I'm gonna say that Contra was one of your big ones. Am I wrong?
Immediately after posting my comment, I realized I wrote about the wrong game.
ReplyDeleteMyst is the one that changed me. I was raised on side-scrollers, and before the 64 brought 3D environments to the masses, Myst pulled me into it's world in a huge way.
Myst's story is engaging, relate-able, and unfolds through the gameplay (puzzles). It's a technical feat for it's time, and still is fun to play. The soundtrack still has a way of giving me goosebumps.
I, in some very core ways, am an actor. I studied it in school, I grew up always wanting an audience, and although I couldn't have told you then, "immersion" gaming has always pulled me in deeper than other games. Any game that requires an investment on my personality has treated me well, regardless of genre. Myst, HL2, and Mass Effect all come to mind quickly. All play very differently, but at some level, reward the player for investing themselves into the experience.
I suppose this could be said for all games, even though it would be silly to feel personally connected to Mario's deep narrative... Myst just does/did it better than most. At the very least, it did it first.
Great comments, Amateria. I think you nailed it on the head. When I played HL2, I WAS Gordon Freeman. All the characters surrounding him are great and the game almost lets you "fill in the blanks" with your own thoughts or comments. And I always did kind of the like not knowing the whole story. I did some research online eventually but you are thrust into this world, you know who the bad guy is, and you know who you have to kill, haha. The chapters being dispersed so far apart is annoying.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to say I'm pretty bad at puzzle games but I remember playing Myst and how amazing it was. I couldn't believe the graphics, they were so real. How could they get better than that? LOL!
My game changer is Metroid Prime. Some things have come close, but never to top that one. And that is all.
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