Monday, February 06, 2006
I Am Not a Child
Okay. I play video games sometimes. Lately those times are more often than not. If I'm home, and I'm not watching something with the wife, I'm probably playing a video game. If it's not considered entirely normal and natural for a man of my age to play video games, it's because the general population has yet to come around and realize that video games are an entirely valid form of cultural consumption for members of any and all age groups. They're not always inherently just for kids, and I think it should be readily apparent by now that the first generation of video gamers, a generation of which most of us are probably a part, will mostly persist in playing and enjoying video games as long as members of it remain on this Earth. When all those Restoration kids were going nuts for that Oroonoko shit, did that brand English-language novels as kid's stuff forever after? Should video games thus be denigrated in such a fashion? Heavens, no!
1. Beyond Good and Evil.
I played the GameCube version, but I believe it also exists on Playstation 2, X-Box, and PC. I had never heard of this until I looked at Metacritic's list of the highest rated GameCube games a year or so ago. Apparently it was a massive failure, reinforcing the unfortunate fact that games geared towards older or smarter players tend to fail when released for the Cube. Whenever I'd find myself near an EB or GameStop I'd always check the used racks for a copy, but could never find one. Over the months I noticed used copies on Amazon increasing in price, so when I noticed a copy on EBay for $17 last November I splurged and won the damn thing. I didn't start playing it 'til a couple weeks ago, though.
Anyway, this is a really great game that would have been an all-time classic if it had been slightly longer and/or more difficult. It's very much in the style of the last Legend of Zelda game, but with a more interesting and involving storyline. Unlike The Wind Waker's stock fantasy storylines and annoyingly elementary dialogue, BG&E's conspiracy theories and fully developed secondary characters aren't entirely insulting to an adult's intelligence. Don't get me wrong, I loved the last Zelda game, in fact it's a better game, overall, than this one, but its story-telling was distressingly deficient.
The story-telling is the most succesful element to Beyond Good and Evil, and is far more notable than the gameplay. The planet Hillys is beset by random attacks from terrorist aliens. The people of Hillys agree to turn their protection over to the galaxy's elite anti-terrorist fighting force, the Alpha Section. The Alpha Section gradually takes away more and more of the Hillyans' freedom, though, while failing to prevent future attacks. Eventually the main character discovers that the government is actually working with the terrorists, using them as an excuse to restrict the civil liberties of the residents of Hillys. You join an underground resistance force and try to expose the conspiracy to the public. In the process you traverse Hillys by hovercraft, traveling from island to island and solving various puzzles and defeating bosses in a number of labyrinthine structures.
The gameplay is remarkably like Zelda, right down to the heart-meters and the lock-on aiming system. There are also a number of incidental side-quests that are entirely optional, like Zelda. This isn't a problem, of course, as Zelda games are reliably awesome. Unfortunately, though, there's very little actual game to Beyond Good and Evil; I beat it in like thirteen hours, and that was with a lot of pointless dicking around. There are only about five "dungeons" to explore, maybe six boss battles, only one town to walk around, etc. They've crafted a storyline that would appeal mostly to those over the age of 13, but have made the game so easy that those players might get bored. There are a few Metal Gear-style subterfuge levels that are a bit dicey, but for the most part none of the gameplay is even remotely difficult. I was able to defeat the main boss without dying once, which isn't a good sign, as I'm a fairly horrible button-puncher. Still, though, I highly recommend this game, as it has probably the best story-line I've ever encountered in a video game, and a death scene even more moving than the notorious one in Final Fantasy VII.
2. We Love Katamari.
For the Playstation 2. I never played the original Katamari Damacy. I had read about it, and found it interesting, but seeing as how I didn't own a PS2 until this past December, I never had the capability to enjoy it. It's hard to find now, but this sequel is ever-present, and supposedly far better. I do know that it's quite the brilliant piece of inscrutable Japanese cuteness, and thoroughly enjoyable, at that.
Quite simply, this game makes no sense whatsoever. The King of All Cosmos has accidentally destroyed all the stars in the sky, and sends you, his son, to Earth to help create new ones. You do this by rolling objects up into something called a katamari. The King takes these katamari and turns them into stars, planets, asteroids, etc. The things you roll up aren't anything special; in fact, they're normal, everyday, household objects, up to and including animals, humans, and the house itself. You start off small, rolling up paperclips, bottle-caps, or dominos, and as you accumulate more and more junk you can roll up larger and larger items. Eventually you'll be tumbling over the hilltops rolling up buildings and automobiles and maybe even an oiltanker or two. You're given certain goals, like roll a katamari this big as quickly as possible, or in this amount of time, and the better you do, the bigger the celestial body created by your katamari. Eventually you get to roll up all the stars and planets created by your katamari and then attempt to roll up the sun. I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I fuckin' totally can't wait.
The gameplay is really repetitive, but for some reason rolling shit up has yet to get old. In fact I had a few Katamari-based dreams a while ago, similar to the Tetris-themed ones I'd have occasionally back in 1989. But so, everything's really cute and colorful, and the occasional cut-scenes showing you how the King met his wife, which are unlocked gradually as you open new levels, like in Ms. Pac-Man, are both humorous and kind of sweet. If you're only into stuff like GTA or those first-person shooters, this may not be your kind of game, but if you dig stuff like Animal Crossing or Parappa the Rapper, you might like Katamari, too.
3. Karaoke Revolution Party.
For the Playstation 2. Good God, is this hard as shit. You've got to hook every word of every song if you want to score well. I suck even on Easy, failing to go even Gold on every song except "Sweet Caroline" (which I fuckin' rock, by the way). The wife is really good, but I just totally suck. I don't even really enjoy it, it's so bad. Compared to real karaoke, which is fun in part because you can personalize and reconfigure how a song is supposed to sound, this game is a major let-down. If you don't hit the notes they tell you to hit, they'll boo your ass and send you home, which is a truly miserable feeling. I only recommend this to those who can truly sing, or those who don't mind being told they suck by an entirely digital audience.
4. Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2.
For the PS 2. Anything past beginner is absolutely ridiculous. The music's pretty awesome, though.
More to come...
Okay. I play video games sometimes. Lately those times are more often than not. If I'm home, and I'm not watching something with the wife, I'm probably playing a video game. If it's not considered entirely normal and natural for a man of my age to play video games, it's because the general population has yet to come around and realize that video games are an entirely valid form of cultural consumption for members of any and all age groups. They're not always inherently just for kids, and I think it should be readily apparent by now that the first generation of video gamers, a generation of which most of us are probably a part, will mostly persist in playing and enjoying video games as long as members of it remain on this Earth. When all those Restoration kids were going nuts for that Oroonoko shit, did that brand English-language novels as kid's stuff forever after? Should video games thus be denigrated in such a fashion? Heavens, no!
1. Beyond Good and Evil.
I played the GameCube version, but I believe it also exists on Playstation 2, X-Box, and PC. I had never heard of this until I looked at Metacritic's list of the highest rated GameCube games a year or so ago. Apparently it was a massive failure, reinforcing the unfortunate fact that games geared towards older or smarter players tend to fail when released for the Cube. Whenever I'd find myself near an EB or GameStop I'd always check the used racks for a copy, but could never find one. Over the months I noticed used copies on Amazon increasing in price, so when I noticed a copy on EBay for $17 last November I splurged and won the damn thing. I didn't start playing it 'til a couple weeks ago, though.
Anyway, this is a really great game that would have been an all-time classic if it had been slightly longer and/or more difficult. It's very much in the style of the last Legend of Zelda game, but with a more interesting and involving storyline. Unlike The Wind Waker's stock fantasy storylines and annoyingly elementary dialogue, BG&E's conspiracy theories and fully developed secondary characters aren't entirely insulting to an adult's intelligence. Don't get me wrong, I loved the last Zelda game, in fact it's a better game, overall, than this one, but its story-telling was distressingly deficient.
The story-telling is the most succesful element to Beyond Good and Evil, and is far more notable than the gameplay. The planet Hillys is beset by random attacks from terrorist aliens. The people of Hillys agree to turn their protection over to the galaxy's elite anti-terrorist fighting force, the Alpha Section. The Alpha Section gradually takes away more and more of the Hillyans' freedom, though, while failing to prevent future attacks. Eventually the main character discovers that the government is actually working with the terrorists, using them as an excuse to restrict the civil liberties of the residents of Hillys. You join an underground resistance force and try to expose the conspiracy to the public. In the process you traverse Hillys by hovercraft, traveling from island to island and solving various puzzles and defeating bosses in a number of labyrinthine structures.
The gameplay is remarkably like Zelda, right down to the heart-meters and the lock-on aiming system. There are also a number of incidental side-quests that are entirely optional, like Zelda. This isn't a problem, of course, as Zelda games are reliably awesome. Unfortunately, though, there's very little actual game to Beyond Good and Evil; I beat it in like thirteen hours, and that was with a lot of pointless dicking around. There are only about five "dungeons" to explore, maybe six boss battles, only one town to walk around, etc. They've crafted a storyline that would appeal mostly to those over the age of 13, but have made the game so easy that those players might get bored. There are a few Metal Gear-style subterfuge levels that are a bit dicey, but for the most part none of the gameplay is even remotely difficult. I was able to defeat the main boss without dying once, which isn't a good sign, as I'm a fairly horrible button-puncher. Still, though, I highly recommend this game, as it has probably the best story-line I've ever encountered in a video game, and a death scene even more moving than the notorious one in Final Fantasy VII.
2. We Love Katamari.
For the Playstation 2. I never played the original Katamari Damacy. I had read about it, and found it interesting, but seeing as how I didn't own a PS2 until this past December, I never had the capability to enjoy it. It's hard to find now, but this sequel is ever-present, and supposedly far better. I do know that it's quite the brilliant piece of inscrutable Japanese cuteness, and thoroughly enjoyable, at that.
Quite simply, this game makes no sense whatsoever. The King of All Cosmos has accidentally destroyed all the stars in the sky, and sends you, his son, to Earth to help create new ones. You do this by rolling objects up into something called a katamari. The King takes these katamari and turns them into stars, planets, asteroids, etc. The things you roll up aren't anything special; in fact, they're normal, everyday, household objects, up to and including animals, humans, and the house itself. You start off small, rolling up paperclips, bottle-caps, or dominos, and as you accumulate more and more junk you can roll up larger and larger items. Eventually you'll be tumbling over the hilltops rolling up buildings and automobiles and maybe even an oiltanker or two. You're given certain goals, like roll a katamari this big as quickly as possible, or in this amount of time, and the better you do, the bigger the celestial body created by your katamari. Eventually you get to roll up all the stars and planets created by your katamari and then attempt to roll up the sun. I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I fuckin' totally can't wait.
The gameplay is really repetitive, but for some reason rolling shit up has yet to get old. In fact I had a few Katamari-based dreams a while ago, similar to the Tetris-themed ones I'd have occasionally back in 1989. But so, everything's really cute and colorful, and the occasional cut-scenes showing you how the King met his wife, which are unlocked gradually as you open new levels, like in Ms. Pac-Man, are both humorous and kind of sweet. If you're only into stuff like GTA or those first-person shooters, this may not be your kind of game, but if you dig stuff like Animal Crossing or Parappa the Rapper, you might like Katamari, too.
3. Karaoke Revolution Party.
For the Playstation 2. Good God, is this hard as shit. You've got to hook every word of every song if you want to score well. I suck even on Easy, failing to go even Gold on every song except "Sweet Caroline" (which I fuckin' rock, by the way). The wife is really good, but I just totally suck. I don't even really enjoy it, it's so bad. Compared to real karaoke, which is fun in part because you can personalize and reconfigure how a song is supposed to sound, this game is a major let-down. If you don't hit the notes they tell you to hit, they'll boo your ass and send you home, which is a truly miserable feeling. I only recommend this to those who can truly sing, or those who don't mind being told they suck by an entirely digital audience.
4. Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2.
For the PS 2. Anything past beginner is absolutely ridiculous. The music's pretty awesome, though.
More to come...
