In defense of Doom 3 (before completion)

Doom 3 is actually fairly special to me in two ways. Its actually quite nostalgic in a later life sort of way, but also its probably the 2nd dumbest case of loving something I just can't for whatever reason complete. The other only thing meeting that category might be a souls game, any others I probably know the reason to. Naturally I stand in a minority. Doom 3 isn't hated or really neglected, almost everybody knows it even to the point where we can call a certain graphical style "doom 3-ish". Its just that its considered very unerwhelming, and stands at the opposite of everything Doom itself was revered for. It was slow, it was dark, it was linear and obviously scripted, and its balance was questionable. It had fallen into the Half-life style of gaming where you walk down corridors, get exposition, loot, and aggressors all in one room before moving on. By contrast Doom was a fast circle strafing horror themed maze FPS where you hunted for keys, and stacked up on tons of weapons blasting apart everything from start to finish with no fluff getting in the way aside from written episodic transitions.

Fact is despite whatever I like, I'm going to admit that the way shooters worked in their fads is they got progressively more open and yet caused old fans to get more hostile. Half-life and halo's time was in the middle of it, and Doom is the first mine opened in the perceived golden era (and the COD era marks the worst we've seen yet being extremely open, but people of all kinds throwing a fit about it). So you're essentially taking an iconic game with fantastic older values, and turning it into....

everything else that exists right now. That's just as horrible as the rumors that we were going to get Call of Doom for Doom 4.

However I'm beating around the bush. Truth is right now I'm here to defend it. I feel like there aren't quite enough people bringing about its good side, and even with the good in mind very few actually bring up any emotional attachment (other than maybe scare cam videos... or disappointment that it wasn't like Doom 1/2). ...and admittedly also cover why I can only predict of why I can't get myself to bother with completing it.

Long ago, on a planet not so far away...

So back probably late in middle school, my Dad would pick me up early on Fridays and we'd occasionally stop at a gas station for a snack or drink. That's where a new treat kind of started, every friday I was trusted with an energy drink. That was pretty new for me since before I was "too young" for them, and to this very day I still love those things. Its not so much about the energy as much as it is that I hate conventional corn syrup stuffed sodas and just love that strange unique taste E drinks have. However I'm digressing from the core subject. I think the very first one I picked was the weird one named after a car chemical, and was bottled up in a big plastic bottle with a valve cap on top. It was NOS, and its honestly kind of the mountain dew of E drinks... well, before mountain dew actually got involved. Got home, surfed for demos on what was at the time the newly discovered client of steam (and I sure loved demos at that time), One of those was Doom 3, which I knew was a series with some kind of reputation. So I was quick to start it up, grab my NOS drink, and was introduced to this incredible intro that still makes me feel all good inside to this day

So good to listen to that for a video game theme, and man was I glad to return to that years later with the BFG edition on PlayStation 3. At the time though, I think that may have been my first taste to the side of PC gaming I love most to this day. Those sciency feel to its games and interface, the darkness contrasting with an ambitious looking planetary trip, and then all that atmosphere from the menu to the opening act. It was amazing. I didn't realize how much I would miss it, but those industrial halls, the audio logs and (the outdated) PDA tool, and the creatures and that suspense when everything goes from good to complete horror all felt so great in the moment and are a big part of why I love FPS gaming.

Science, why have you betrayed us!?

I played the demo for a good while, and was truly and fully immersed into it for its intro. I was checking every corner, listening to every NPC, trying to grab every scrap of objects, and being emotionally attached to the bigger moments. I remember walking into one room with the "help me" whispers and actually trying to see if I could find the source (while being equally as terrified). Sometime after that I kind of just stopped. Maybe at the time I was scared, but I don't really know. Thing is I just stopped, kind of like I did now. Weird. However it was one of my first true examples of what I could enjoy from PC gaming, and just sort of represents that field in my mind. Its part of what I also love about Alpha Prime, one of those games that very much gets the "looks like doom 3" glance. Actually without cheating figure out which games these 3 screenshots belong to: game 1, game 2, and game 3. One is doom 3, one is a certain other ID property running off the same engine, and then there's Alpha Prime. Without the HUD it would probably be pretty difficult.

Alright enough sidetracking, and we're done with the nostalgia. Present day Doom 3 is still pretty fun. I got a lot further (obviously), and I've mowed down tons of enemies, seem many cooler things, and generally had a good time with how it progresses. It is mostly old school in the exact way I want, having health packs, enemy variety, cheesy cut-scenes and story line, atmosphere and imagination, and of course crazy weaponry. It took a little bit to get used to the weapons though, but the gunplay and reactions come off as slightly weaker than my memory would make it seem. Naturally every time I see footage that cues me in on what's ahead, my excitement endures and I know that I need to take those steps that I have yet to do. Its a true FPS adventure in the exact way I want it... right?

Stuck on Mars...

Well okay here's a funny thing. When you call yourself a corridor shooter, its the implcation of a linear driven game that has you going from point A to B for the majority of your objectives. This includes Half-life, Metro, nearly every military shooter (including older WW2 types), Quake 4, Halo, even Serious Sam and Far Cry 1 (which have massive outdoor places), etc. There's a ton of them out there, and its just a type of common format. However its not literally hallways, small rooms, and janitor closets. Doom 3 didn't get that memo, and its probably the most lengthy corridor shooter I've ever played in. I know at some point you go into hell and that probably stirs up the scene quite a bit, but out of 6+ hours of play I have only seen differing types of halls and tiny rooms. There is absolutely no variety save for literal seconds spent outside on mars. Although this in theory shouldn't effect gameplay, it still exhausts the player's will.

However with Doom 3 yes it actually does effect the gameplay, and this is what older fans are probably most correct to be disappointed in. You see probably the next best example of a game this repetitive in its environment would probably be Space Marines, but yet I've loved and put considerable more hours into that game after completing it. What's the difference? Well Space Marines manages to re-use open enough areas that you'll be bombarded with a full force of enemy hordes to such a scale that Serious Sam might have to sue them for stealing his spotlight. Doom 3 on the other hand throws its most at you in small doses every hour or so. Some of the most intense moments have come from it simply spamming its tiny spider enemy at me, which isn't nearly as effective as say an open field full of diverse enemies like Doom 1/2 had at points. Maybe it changes once again when things shift to the hell scene, but that hasn't happened at a decent rate. Doom 3 really is just too slow for its own good, and while I appreciate its gameplay so much at face value I can't help compelled to reach a stopping point and go to something else. So naturally I play for some amount across 3 days, get my value, and leave for some other game only to come back months later asking myself why I don't finish Doom 3.

Hallways shooting simulator 2004

Conquering a nightmare

Despite what I've said, I still love the game and think it still deserves some good credit to its name. Its not a bad game, far from it. It has a ton of the trends I love and associate with great shooters, it has fun weapons, and it has some later level stuff I'd love to see. Its one of those games that leaves me feeling like I'd have a hole in me if I never beat it. I need to see it through sometime, and I plan on beating it. So with the latest edit on my last Now Playing, you might be able to see I wont be focusing on Mass Effect 2 like I wanted to. Unless I get that up and running, I guess my current plans are to finish Doom 3. Sure the game may have pacing issues or predictable level design, but honestly its still a blast to play and its the one game in a legendary shooter franchise I feel some kind of strange attachment to. Rather than be Doomed, I say its time to play and enjoy Doom 3.

Lets rock!

Now Playing: Mass Effect 2

Bioware's famous series is a very polarizing experience for me. Its like where dreams are met with a sub-part execution, but its a weird way where neither hits you in the way you would expect it. On the bad side the dialogue choices feel somewhat forced and arbitrary, you can never tell what your character will actually say, there's a lot of slow text based moments to take in, and the world just isn't very natural (you either walk around with your gun out constantly, or you just bump into stuff mashing the action button only able to manipulate loose contextual stuff). On the other hand the world is very creative, the scale is powerful, the game is loaded with an entire textbook worth of information and lore, and its got both a mixture of high sci-fi role playing and unique shooter combat. Idealy I should feel like a little kid on christmas being so wrapped up and taken in by such a virtual world, but the reality is I get bored of all the tedious down time or annoyed at something not going as it appeared it would, and start to remember how much a better simpler game was. I guess the game is vastly ambitious, but made more by writers than coders and they can't input the right things into motion. Things just don't feel very natural, and rather than a functional world that does as its promised, it feels like a lot of great ideas spread on a fragile and robotic canvas giving the illusion that gaming can't handle their vision (although it can, every trait here has been done better somewhere else). However if there's one challenge I'd love to overcome with my dumb ADD-ing effect in gaming, it would probably be to beat a Bioware game and complete it by playing it from start to end without skipping a day of play. In other words: play it like I'm supposed to and not have it fade to dust. I'm sure its good enough worth completing, its left a major impact on gaming, and it still has some awesome stuff within it. So its worth beating if I can just put on my rubber boots and deal with the messy parts to find the treasured moments.

So I'm off omega for good, visited the citadel, got Garus and Mordi on board, and I've got kasumi (one of my favorite levels and characters) in as well. I'm currently finishing the Project overlord mission. The problem now is how much longer will it take, and how much bad pacing or talking do I need to cover? Don't confuse that for me saying all talking is bad, but its always on thin ice. Its sometimes good, and its sometimes a chore to go all over the place only to run into dialogue trees. I also wish I could figure out more on how loyalty works, but as it is now I'm at least not pissing anyone off. However I'm a bit frustrated with how I can go so far as to flirt with ME2's equivalent of a secretary, yet I cannot even have a basic dialogue tree for the legendary theif that was at one point sold as DLC. Why!? Bioware can't even follow their own damn structure it would seem.

I don't know if I have much more to say. I still really get bugged by the robotic feeling of the world, but things are still fun enough. I guess what it really comes down to is that many still view gaming pretty shallowly, and as long as you have a great novelty, decent controls, AAA presentation, then people can overlook the lacking mechanics or delivery. So its just a matter of trying to forget that I'm on a very linear corridor path, can't touch anything but the strangely placed panels on every planet, and that I have to take the talking with a grain of salt. That's what I did wrong originally to make me turn off and put up the game. Once the novelty of all the sci-fi stuff wore off I got pissed off by the inconsistent voice acting, and got bored of the uninteractive worlds, but now I'm trying to return and focus on the narrative adventure rather than the interactive adventure. This isn't Skyrim, that much is clear. However it does have some really good writers and they want to show you some really amazing sci-fi stuff they come up with, and give you just enough freedom to trick you into thinking this is more of you writing your own destiny rather than them. Under that sort of view, I can commend Bioware, and say that this game is probably worth continuing through.

edit

Well nevermind then. I was going from my dad's place over to my mom's and in addition to facing crashes earlier that day, I now cannot get the game to install like it should on the PS3 over there. Fuck this, between my normal PS3 over at my dad's place nearly failing completely and only surviving if it could wipe all my saves, and now the one over at my mom's just plain wont install a game right and even shuts itself off in the middle of the process, I stand by what I've said in the past that consoles don't need to be this complicated and its just absurd that we can't rely on them anymore to do the one simple thing we buy and ask of them for: gaming. And don't give me this "it needs to install" crap, the Wii U is doing perfectly fine without that nonsense and runs more demanding games than the PS3. I can only hope the PS4 continues to go smoothly despite installing the whole damn disc onto its system. This is ridiculous. I'm finishing up a Doom 3 article I started on and I guess its appropriate that I just play that instead, since the people that put that together had the brains not to make it go through crappy installation nonsense and I can actually count on that.

Where I think Wolfenstein outdid itself...

Well after the completion of Wolfenstein The Old Blood, or actually even before it, I felt it odd that I was actually more compelled to hear the villain's plot than last time. It was a really weird feeling compared to the one in Wolfenstein, and their villain Deathshead (whose name I still don't know how to pronounce right, is it like death's-head or death-shead?). He had a great stage presence, and suited the job well, but when I think back on the game I remember my journey as a player rather than what Deathshead did. He just sort of felt like that crazy nazi doctor guy, and the secondary villains came off as again just more crazy nazi bad guys. They were mentally questionable, violent, angry, and sickening, but ultimately they were written to be just another super villain to shoot. Which is totally fine of course and they still had amazing screen presence with things like the train scene or your first encounter in the labs, but compared to The Old Blood and the way MachineGames likes their narratives, I would say they've found a better fit and I want to sort of discuss the villains in detail.

However because the game just came out this week its only fair to say I'll be covering spoilers. Even the screenshots might give something away, so just don't look. The game doesn't take too long to beat, just go play it and come back in two days or one big binge sitting. So... Spoiler alert!!!

Well at first I thought it was just the way I like certain things more than others. I love supernatural plot elements, I love mythology, and I can relate to the enjoyment of history. On top of that I felt special for completing the portion of Return To Castle Wolfenstein that contains some of the same plot elements, so for a while I thought my hype and suspense around the villains was related to that and was more novelty than narrative. The more I thought about it, and the more I progressed, the more I realized I appreciated the writing a lot more than I was originally admitting to. Every scene with the villains held an impact. only unlike the older villains they used their screen time to express interest in other things than being evil. Then there was all the background stuff. If you asked me about Deathsheads pass, I could tell you nothing and documents gave into almost no detail on the villain so much as the Nazi's general rise. These two villains on the other hand are loaded with intel, a past, and show  wide range of emotion. Lets start with just one though: Rudi.

Rudi at first comes off as another stock "important bad guy" character. He's big, intimidating, and shown to be mean almost for pleasure, but you know in the end he'll bleed the same if you manage to bring dual automatic shotguns up to his face. However if you're really looking into things, he comes off as actually more like a psychological case rather than just a normal villain. You don't even hve to look far either, they even went out of the way to have his troops talk about him behind his back. The guy comes off to others as a bit of a nut, and you can fin this in what he does, what letters he receives, and even what triggers him into the rage that leads up to his boss fight. He has a letter from his mother begging forgiveness of his implied abused past, and he was raised under a father with a bit of a mean streak towards Rudi whenever he messed up. Meanwhile it would appear the mother really wants money now and isn't doing so well as she is, which is a subtle way of showing why Rudi is where he is today. Its well implied that he's one of those guys that was raised under fear and wanted to feel empowered to spread that kind of fear. Its also a nice mention that when he speaks of his father being electrocuted, he does so very sternly without any feeling of remorse for what might have been his father's death. This actually inspired him to torture people with electricity.

Of course what would any man be without an animal buddy? His issues in the past might also have lead to how he makes his friends now, those would be dogs more so than other people. Those dogs also happen to be walking killers that will rip apart anyone Rudi throws to them, feeding into that empowerment Rudi has. Rudi's most precious dog is an albino hound (with freakin' RED EYES!) named Greta. Even she has a background story, being a dog so unique and well trained that Deathshead himself awarded it to Rudi. This is Rudi's best friend, and even outfitted with her own special suit... like a crazy nazi version of giving your cat a sweater. As you go through his work you can see just how much he has come to appreciate the dogs he works with, but Greta is a special case for him. When you inevitably kill her, the next time you see Rudi he is shrieking hysterically and angry with nothing more than vengeance. Some of his final words were relief that he'd at least see Greta again in heaven. As a guy that loves animals myself, I kind of felt sorry for him, but ultimately he was also a couple brain cells short of being normal and I think he was truly a bit of a crazy lonely megalomaniac. I don't normally like the more generic psychological cliches, but honestly it was fun kind of putting together the case like you could here. It wasn't thrown into your face constantly, it was there for people who look for it, and as a guy that loves doing that with shooters I'm glad they put the care into giving you that sort of background to look into. ...and that was just the assistant that was randomly made to die half way into this game, and had less of a build up. Helga on the other hand has a presence from the opening to the ending.

Helga is a returning antagonist from RTCW where the game sort of revamps and improves on that game's act 1 piece. Helga is still the same SS paranormal leader obsessed with finding a dead king and uncovering any mysteries they can use in the war, but she's so much more than just a name and a redshirt character like she was in the past... well okay she still dies the same way, but that's besides the point. Helga was more developed with a drive inspired by child hood, her father, and maybe a bit of power. She was convinced that something secret was always going to be around the corner, rewarding her be it with power or simply knowledge. She didn't want to "grow up" and be treated with a world too serious, too secure, or too stale, she wanted a mystery and to be the one that cracked the case and made history. So naturally like any child at heart, she lead a Nazi division tasked to find a supernatural weapon to command.

In addition to her desires, she just had other small characteristics. She had an obsession with good wine, and was practically known for that as much as she was for her research. People knew to give her good wine, she constantly mentions it as a good drink, and even as a spy you're told to get to her through that. She's also childishly rude, constantly swearing off and hating on an advisor type man who is reporting her work to Deathshead. Its actually quit funny yet sadly realistic how often she ignores logical arguing and just verbally abuses the man. Despite this its hinted that she's still very smart though, capable of solving puzzles, matching up historical documents, and pulling off successful interrogations without abuse (quite the opposite of Rudi actually). Unfortunately she did cause this in her work...

I just feel like MachineGames just made better villains this time around. Its quite weird because most others say the story is so much less here, and I'm not able to completely argue with them. There's no feely climatic moments, there's no massive feedback for the choices you make, and the supporting cast just isn't there. However I felt myself still more absorbed into the plot. The pulpy paranormal fiction, the goals, and the villains all just felt more powerful when they came up. On top of that I just found BJ's character to be a bit better and less of some pretentious monologue guy. However for the most part I'm just impressed with the improvement with the villains. They just feel right this time, and I think they did even better here.

The true horror of PT

So as of lately PT is no more. I don't just mean silent hills was canned, that's been known, but as of a little more recently down this week the very demo of PT is gone. The only way you could possibly play it right now is if you already have it installed on your harddrive right at this very moment, and don't you dare delete it. You wont have it returned to you again. Even if its registered to your account, even in your library, you can't touch it. ..and that manages to be the scariest thing related to this game that was already filled with horror.

I talked about my experience with PT before right here. It wasn't my cup of tea, but I managed to still enjoy it and sort of beat it (basic level of completion, not that crazy puzzle way). I played enough to say it was highly commendable work, and I could see why so many horror fans were excited. Unfortunately both are no longer set to exist. With Silent Hills I kind of get it. Konami is doing a dumb move to mobile gambling apps and hates Kojima, so Kojima is out after MGS5 and nobody wants to deal with each other long enough to make a horror masterpiece. However now they want to pretend PT never existed. I get that they may want to make a statement that its a teaser to a game that just isn't happening, but the fact is its still a rightfully good game on its own. It was such an effective marketing tool because it was so darn fun and came totally unexpected, removing it after already dropping on the best of your gaming industry is just like salting an open wound. Even worse is the implications this may have, as its yet another casualty from the digital side of gaming.

Now I want to be perfectly clear on one thing... I'm not preaching that this will be the case with everything digital, and I don't want to neglect on what good it has done. PT simply put would not exist as an easy physical form, unless it was a promotional give-away with another game, or came with a gaming magazine (you know, those things that practically aren't around anymore). Still what happens when every game has a chance for this to happen? When anyone can pull another Deadpool, or Dream Chronicles, or several demos where they just pull the game from stores? Now PT is among them, and not even previous owners can grab it. The companies are in full control of your stuff, and when they decide you can't enjoy something great, they can pull the plugs. They can choose to snuff out a major piece of someone's work, gaming history, and take the fun right out of gaming if they choose to. This is why we fear the possibility of not only a digital focused future, but DRM, cloud streaming, and other similar stuff. Its going backwards, and instead of giving us a convenience you're creating similar problems to when we only had physical: Copies could be destroyed or become obscurely rare. Only that was more of poor luck, and unless the company had a warehouse full of them like say Atari and ET, you're not likely to see that.

This is a matter of the company being a bunch of disrespectful whiny inconsiderate jerks who rob the fun because they can't get their act together internally, and they unfortunately happen to have the power to do that from most consumers. Early on I was willing to give Konami the benefit of the doubt and wait to see what was happening with their drama, or even suggest that it was another Kojima stunt, but with more clarity coming through in recent weeks things are suspicious about some less noble goals they have. Now there's just no excuse for this move, and quite frankly Konami deserves every bit of the hate people are slinging at it now. I take great offense to people crippling the fun and artistry of gaming, and you can do few things worse than this. Konami is not only selfish in their suspected future goals, but also decided they have to burn bridges wherever they can before making their final move away from the people that made them who they are. It'll be almost painful that I have to give them money in order to enjoy one of the games I'm looking forward to this year, and the only series I care about from this publisher. However I fear they aren't the only publisher out there willing to do this kind of damage with the same power, erasing things that may not be deemed of value to themselves anymore, or to spite other workers at the expense of gamers. So I can only hope that we can hold onto what's left of our physical environment while it lasts, and I urge the naive people out there who insist on a digital only future to stop and think about the consequences of their freedom-sucking ideals. I prefer having a choice, and having my games work for as long as I take care of them.

...and reduce further casualties

Now Playing: Wolfenstein The Old Blood

So I warned you I'd be playing this, and yup I am! So how's the Prequel mini-sequel to last year's best linear shooter? Well pretty great! I can't exactly say its too fantastic (at least not yet), but its fairly great and it does enough to have me excited to be back. For the record I'm in the middle of chapter 3 now, so maybe I'm like 1/3rd or so of the way through.

The most interesting thing I realized off the bat is how I recognized parts of the plot. I thought it was just a name drop first of an older character with some references, but as I went along it kept coming back more and more until it was clear that actually the first area of Return to Castle wolfesntein is being fleshed out in this prequel. No really, talk of dead kings, alchemy that brought people back to life, the paranormal SS division, and just a ton of stuff was added onto such an old and quickly dispatched enemy from a game over a decade old. That actually surprised me, but I'm quite happy for it really. Although it does mean that unless they wipe the old game cannon clean, I also know that we wont be killing her here. However its already given us personal logs, detailed work papers, nazi conversations about her and the work, invented a new interesting character who assists Helga, and even made a clever easter egg out of the scene (lets just say those who speak dragon will get it). I can't help but wonder if the future of the game will have me fighting paranormal stuff, which would be a nice surprise considering how MachineGames emphasized they wanted to stay away from that in the original game.

What of the gameplay? Well lets get the nitpicky complaints out of the way first. For starters the opening is slow. Its fine at first since the prologue is kind of expected to do that, but then almost the entire first level is made up of these fixed patrolling brutes that need to be taken out a very precise way. Its done in a way that really tests your patience above all else, and there's no real room to experiment or much to explore, its just a very boring way to start out a game especially with it in mind that this is kind of a shorter game. In concept the enemy used was neat and there was one really cool challenge to timing your move right, but making an entire level out of them was just... ugh.

These guys aren't what I play wolfenstein for

The only other real thing I could complain about is that stealth just doesn't feel as solid as I remember it. I think the AI has improved, but also they now consistently notice when a body is lying around and get worked up over something that you can in almost no way prevent. On top of that, I've just had moments where I've been shocked by what they do or do not notice. It just feels more shakey. Outside of that though everything is good, and it is really good. Lots of logs and lore to read, a bit of humor, and of course the core gameplay is just great. Watching after my health, collecting ammo with a decent pile and styles of weapons to go in with, and the eagerness to work on perks for minor improved features.

I will say though I'm not sure if I've gotten rusty or the enemies have gotten better. The enemies seem faster, more responsive, and love vaulting over rails whenever they can. Unfortunately I'm backwards and I'm pretty sure I'm slower at reacting from not playing a good FPS game in a while (been mostly playing R&C, and Dust before this). However as usual I'm coming to grips with things fast, and having a blast killing nazis.

Gimme my perks!

I'm also having a good bit of trouble with collectibles. I'm not oblivious to secrets or anything, I've found a good share of them, but I'm still missing what are probably just the lightly obscured collectibles you can easily walk right past. However whether I need a guide or just a few more playthroughs, I'm going to see what I need and do what I can to grab that platinum like I did with the main game. First thing is first though, there are 8 chapters and quite a bit more need to be worked on before I talk about replaying anything. I will say the length of the chapters does surprise me so far, even if the 1st drags on a bit. For a short DLC piece, I'm starting to think more and more that this is really closer to a sequel with how in depth I feel the experience has been so far. Besides Helga really is starting to interest me more than deathshead did, she actually feels like she's got more of a build-up and I'm truly excited to see all of this go through. Now if you'll excuse me, its time to proceed and get rid of nazis.

...and stare at their creepy decor while I'm at it

Hyping too close to the sun

So The Old Blood expansion game for wolfenstein is releasing so very soon and I'm absolutely thrilled. I mean the main game was a modern old-school FPS masterpiece and we're getting more content for it? Yes please, you don't even need to show me much to have me believe its absolutely worth investing in. ...or do you? Actually the team are really honest and confident enough in their work that they actually revealed an un-edited live lets play from the start of the game with some commentary over it. The recording of it is around 45 minutes of gameplay footage that you can see right here on their official channel if you're interested. They did something like that back with the original game as well. Of course I heard from one comment that they were ruining game details and spoiling things. That's actually an interesting point, but not one I'm willing to make against Machine Games or Bethesda so much as the normal AAA marketing and consumer response. I've actually been meaning to get around to this topic for a long time, and now its not only a good excuse to tell you how exciting Old Blood is, but to also a long coming topic within modern events.

Personally this is the only trailer I need to be excited for a returning game and team. Its exciting, stylish without coming off as too artificial, and shows off some gameplay footage mixed with well timed action scenes and dialogue. Its the kind of traditional trailer that should excite people, and exactly the kind of thing I wish a game like say Battlefront or Dead Island 2 would use. However we can always complain easily about a game trailer that doesn't show us the damn game, but is it reasonable to say there's a place for too much information? Yeah I think there actually is, and I'm mostly Ubisoft's style being a really good example of what not to do there. Well that's a bit harsh, but I mean from a consumer perspective are you really doing yourself a favor by knowing that much? I'm going to assume those kind of in-depth 10 minute trailers are for super hyped fan guys who are a little too anxious to see more, but I almost think the exact opposite would be the best effect. If I were a deeply skeptical and somewhat cynical guy about the series, maybe hearing all those little things would calm me down, but as a fan that is already locked into play mode I'm simply ruining the experience ahead of time.

Think about it from a Souls franchise perspective, as that's a fanbase that seems to really get what I'm saying here. In almost every press release of a big new trailer for bloodborne, there's always that group that is vocally refusing to watch, or saying they're struggling to hold it back. Why would they stop themselves? Well considering the trailer is showing off boss fights, move sets, spoiling the entire opening surprise the game has, and more, you're just generally being exposed to a world of cryptic mystery, suspense, horror, and danger without any of the context to truly feel that. So when you get around to it in the game... the effect is kind of muffled. You might think to yourself that the publishers and devs know best and would never spoil their hard work, but then you must have missed that Watch Dogs link I posted where they named things down to precise side modes, every core protagonist and antagonist, and showed glimpses of what was otherwise fairly shocking scenes in the context of the game. Yeah they really will go there. Now of course the souls franchise is a bit special, but the lesson here isn't exclusive. Thing is its just fun to get a brand new game and actually appreciate the new-ness of it. Be surprised, be in suspense of what awaits you, and be intrigued by some of the neat features you're able to use while you're actually in the moment and not a moment sooner.

Surprise!

Personally I've just gotten into a habit at this point of trying not to give a damn about trailers once I'm already set on enjoying a game. There are a couple exceptions, especially with FPS games where I really want to analyze every mechanical detail possible (at least an unknown or inconsistent FPS game), but as a general rule if a game looks good and you have the savings for it, just go for it. Don't read too far into expectations, don't let other people spoil you or pre-load you with ideas that naturally only they care about, and don't watch every single trailer piece that can potentially show you 1/3rd of the game and play all of its mechanical cards before you even pick up the controller. Just lay back and enjoy the game when its in your hands, and you will find yourself smiling at the most simple of creative ideas... because its not just a simple creative thing, its something new that you're actually discovering for yourself along with this brand new game you just bought. I'm pretty sure that's one of the best things possible about getting a new game, just that sheer joy of discovery, and when you've lost that from over-exposure weeks ahead of the adventure... well that's a tragic loss.

However I want to also make it clear that I'm not condemning the developers or publishers. Simply put they're just doing their job and trying to use every trick they can to sell you on a game. Sometimes that just means doing the most they can to give you the impression that "we got a lot of fun stuff, really!" even if it means playing all their cards ahead of time. The good thing is really all they're doing is giving power to consumers... its just that its kind of the same idea of giving somebody the power and freedom to be self-destructive. I think these videos are a step in the right direction for covering mechanical depth, informing people, and making sure you know what product you're getting into. Heck in some ways its even better coverage than an actual review which'll usually read like a basic description with opinions "its good/bad" tossed in (they hardly ever explore actual mechanics, and give you an idea of who the game appeals to). Plus if it leads to more open showings of the game like what Wolfenstein and its expansion are doing, then I'm all for it. Honest marketing is a really great thing in a time where AAA gaming has been taking so much well earned fire. Something like this 45 minute Wolfenstein video is a great way for a skeptic or new comer to take a glance, and judge a product for what it truly is and then see if they trust it with their money. However for just about anyone else... skimming this stuff is the only way you should be viewing it, if you view it at all. Even with my skimming of the trailer I heard of a perk that would have put a smile on my face at the very discovery, but now its just something that's going to be expected. Don't fly too close to the sun, you'll get burned. Just wait for the awesomeness to unfold, and see the whole world and all of its offerings, treasures, and surprises for yourself.

Oh yeah and at the time of this writing, unlock timer is on 1 day and 5 minutes. HYPE, HYPE, HYPE!!! ...but hype quietly without the walkthrough trailers.

Soon.... soon. ;)

PlayStation minus?

Now before I start I feel the need for a disclaimer. PlayStation plus has been a service I've found worth investing in. As a PS3, PS vita, and PS4 owner I'm able to get plenty of great stuff with it. I've been enjoying things, as you may have noticed by my Tower of Guns review, and generally just my return to the service should be enough to say I like it. I've gotten 3 of my favorite PC games ported for free there, tried awesome games I didn't think I would like, and I've gotten a few games I wanted but wouldn't put out money for. Oh and the PS3 line-up can surprise me pleasantly sometimes, like the Sherlock Holmes game I wanted to try just showing up suddenly. I can't argue that its a decent service... for me at least. However in other cases there's been a growing tug-of-war happening about the quality of it, specifically around the PS4. The recent line-up hasn't done anything to alter that.

The tug works like this. A line-up of indie games hit both the Vita, and PS4, maybe even cover the PS3, and then people complain about their new system only getting indie games (sometimes with degrading adjectives in for good measure). The crusader of the underdogs then swoop in and proclaim the haters to be pathetic and cannot be reasoned with as they're mere COD kiddies. Yeah the internet sure is subtle and persuasive with their arguments.

Look from my perspective, I've sort of jumped ships. I see where both sides are kind of coming from now, and the thing is I think both can be quite carried away. Back when the PS4 was first out, I laughed at those who were going all dramatic over the line-up. You had freakin' outcast, some interesting little niche indie titles, and later got Dust for free, quite your whining. They can't just give out brand new AAA games for (almost) free! That newest Assassins Creed game isn't going to just walk right into your collection on its own over night. However that was then, this well over a year into the PS4's life cycle and we haven't even seen knack... or driveclub + edition for that matter. Its time to actually consider that position a little bit. On top of that, its hard not to be a little suspecting that they are trying to take advantage of the PS4's online restrictions and spread the service a little thin. Instead of Uncharted 3, Bioshock Infinite, LBP racing, and Tomb Raider, we can't even get a piece of a triple A game promised to us months ago, and they feel no rush to discuss better options.

Looks like someone lost the keys

Now realistically I'm not expecting that sort of PS3 line-up anytime soon on the PS4, but c'mon throw us a bone. The only triple A game to touch the service was a re-released fighter game; A 2D fighter game that honestly is just another small game with just a bigger budget. That's part of the key word by the way, a bigger game. People, at least the rational ones, don't hate indies, we just don't like being flooded with them anymore than the overly defensive indie fanatics do with mainstream "me to!" junk. Not everybodies taste is in the same category, and when the service lacks variety and diversity then its a given that some gamers aren't going to be as happy as others. Some people want bigger games, or something they can sink their teeth into. On that note, Outlast and Dust might be the two biggest games we've got on the PS4 side of the service (yes even with Injustice and maybe Infamous's standalone in mind), and its still easy for someone to say no to a horror or metroidvania game and still be well within reason. They want at least one bigger quality product that they can count on to make them feel awesome for getting this service, and for many... that game hasn't come and they've spent a whole year and then quite a bit more on the service. Consistently over and over again they've felt anticipation fading as they see the list, and see yet another small game on their hyped up fancy PS4 console they put $400 down for.

Heck with the upcoming line-up, even indie fans might feel a bit gypped as they're re-releasing Guacamalee even though another version of that was already on +. Why is there a problem with other gamers again? Look at this point, gamers have been putting down good money for the service. Like any product or service that they fine unsatisfactory, they will feel frustrated with it and discuss their anger. Back when this stuff started, some people played that card way too early and came off as impatient ungrateful haters, but at this point some reasonable comments and people are coming forward and finding things to be lacking. I don't see why that's bad, or why its your business to tell them they're "pathetic" (to quote an actual top comment rallying against them). Some do take it overboard, but then again so are some of you guys that think everybody needs to have the same tastes as you. Here's a reality check: they don't, and your input isn't really doing anything valuable for anybody. If you want to give the indies a pat on the back and show your support and thanks in contrast with the hate, talk about how much you love their game, or how excited you are for the line-up. Don't sit there and just be another hater, the only difference is you're going friendly-fire on other gamers. Instead tell people why a game is good, get them excited to play it, and show your gratitude rather than thinking you can beat it into other people.

THANKS SONY AND HUMBLE HEARTS! :D

However to play Devil's advocate to most of this... I'll still say that to those being all down about the service, it really isn't the end of the world and you're not getting horrible offers either. It would be great if people didn't judge some of these games a week or so ahead of time just because they're small. Some games, like say Tower of Guns, can provide more fun than just any AAA game. Oh and do I need to speak on behalf of the other PS+ stuff? Most of this article just addresses the PS4, and that's for a good reason. Outside of that little bubble the argument falls flat. Freakin' Dishonored was just out there on PS3, and Killzone Mercenary for the Vita. I'm sorry but if that doesn't satisfy you combined with the other deals that have gone on out there, you need to stop being so picky. Between all the indie games, the past values, and those two games, you can't sit there and pretend like PS+ hasn't given you something of value somewhere down the line. Not everybody may have all 3 consoles, but a lot of those that are complaining seem to know a lot about the older values available. They're still coming, its just that its still where its always been at. The very least you can do though is to drop the hateful tones on general indie games. People don't put their work, soul, and hours into these games so that they get bundled into a collection you deem is "indie garbage" just because you didn't see your wishlist game in there.

Is it okay to be cynical?

A cold world...

So I'm glad I'm not the only one to feel this way with the battlefront reveal, but this video really motivated me to talk about it. Yeah I know I seem to usually refer to jimquisition, but its not even my favorite youtuber, its just that he's a great reference point for some of my discussions. In this case he helped me wonder more about how cynicism helps or hurts the industry, and on the heels of the MKX controversy, but during the same happy 'ol 2015 year its a perfect time to discuss it. Oh and E3 still to show.

Simply put I think it comes down to basic capitalism principles, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me talk a bit about my own feelings on battlefront... I don't care for it. Oh, not the entire series; I grew up loving and playing the heck out of older battlefront games. However I loved them because of that primitive sense of comradery and war tactics that was so unique to it for its time. I loved wide open battlefields full of soldiers fighting for land, and bumping into idle friendlies and commanding them into charges as though I were running a 3rd person tactical RTS, and sometimes making up my own little stories in the process. I would command a medic, and a sniper, and charge across an empty field on Hoth (or dodge through the tunnel system, loved that little area) with my sniper friend picking off distant targets, my medic supporting me, and when we got to the thick of the battle I'd dismiss them and let chaos sweep us away and enjoy the crossfire for as long as I could stand. If I survived and got bored of the battlefront (pun not intended) I would run around to desolate and empty command posts and repair their droids, preparing the world for the fact that at some point enemies would be there, and we would be geared up and ready. Modern day shooters shatter every piece of that and then some. So when Dice and EA were the chosen successors to the long dormant series, well after I felt done and sick of their current handling of Battlefield, you can imagine my lack of enthusiasm knowing the series would be resurrected by the guys that basically give you more work to do in a $60 retail game than a Free2play title.

Gotta catch 'em all!

I will say this to EA's credit. I'm not trying to come off as too ungrateful for the work on this game. It still takes effort (mostly from Dice just to be clear), it still is going to entertain people, and its still a good thing that this game series is being picked up on somewhere by someone who knows how to make a team based shooter. Likewise to those truly hopeful with less picky expectations, well I hope you enjoy the product and I don't want my nagging to get you down. As long as this game isn't damaging to anything else (and it probably wont be), its a good thing and I'm grateful that its a new release coming out. The battlefront series I love is still here in my very house and that's not going anywhere, so I'm not exactly losing anything. Of course I still want my idea of Battlefront 3 which simply improves over what was brilliant before, probably the one Free Radical was doing before it was shut down, but at least the gaming industry is getting something out of the series once more. Its just that I'm not in any way interested or trusting that they'll produce something I like. So I will still occasionally add some reasonable skepticism into everyone's hype (because I still think constructive feedback is better than google eyed cheers), and I will say that I for one do not trust this game is worth my money. Overall though its a good thing that this game exists though, and I hope it makes people happy if its a quality product.

Back to my main message though and where I get darker in my ramblings, I picture it as this... Regenerating health, over-complicated classes running off of perks and 15 guns + attachments, no bots, and an obvious change-up or lack of modes (already confirmed that space battles are gone). Some of these are assumptions and I welcome the ability to be proven wrong, but so far these are very likely cases looking at the modern gaming field and team in question. Of course that was even before I also realized there would be aggressive DLC, it was going to be pushed with the upcoming movie stuff, and it was confirmed that my favorite side of the Star Wars universe and all their related battles that I loved to watch as a kid would be gone. On the bright side though, I was actually wrong to assume bots wouldn't be here, but they could be using weasel words at this point by putting them under a "missions" co-op sounding mode, which is nothing like what I'm asking for. If real bots are involved "instant action" style, this is instantly a thing I need to buy eventually but I'm still not quite happy with what it will probably become. Of course that's not even taking into account how damn weird they're being with the reveal trailer revealing absolutely nothing but how much they love in-engine cut-scenes and pass it off as sorta like the real thing. Oh and lovely, they're begging you pre-orders at the very end before showing you the actual product you're being asked to buy. I actually only noticed that after watching The Jimquisition video because my mind just censors and blocks out the commercialized ending of videos like this, that aren't effectively selling me because they're so robotic and unrealistic to the actual product. When my only "on the bright side" note to the pre-order is that "well at least they didn't also advertise a season pass", something is just wrong because that should really be a given.

However it also kind of pains me to discuss this stuff with enthusiastic people (some of which even believe the in-game is true, which will probably lead to this ridiculous situation again, but again Dice is free to prove me wrong if they really can pull the reveal visuals off), because I really hate being that guy in the room that sits there preaching doomsday while foaming at the mouth. I'm not like that, and I hate it when others are. That's not to say I'm always an uplifiting person, people who read this blog commonly may know better, but when I fight for something I'm usually doing it with because there is even something positive underlying my anger. Like for example the recent instance where I'm fussing about Uncharted's Nathan Drake being called out as a killer; I sound livid and pissed off but that's because I'm defensive about a fun thing and I'm shouting at those who are turning gaming into this hyper progressive "lets be dark, edgy, and real and not have anything fun". I'm fussy and mad about issues like that because I'm making a point that gaming is a good and fun thing, and there are other people out there pushing political lead agendas to demonize entertainment and sub-cultures. In general I still look at life, entertainment, culture, and the very matter of existence to be something awesome, and a lot of my anger comes from passionately defending those in some form. However with this case in battlefront, standing against a wave of unconditional excitement, and telling you all that I just know this game is going to be run-of-the-mill military shooter schlock with premium fees attached that I'm tired of, I'm just being a cynical guy no matter how you spin it and that pains me to say that. Sure I'm kind of fighting against bad practices, but the fact of the matter is I've experienced this part of society so much that I'm actually predicting them on it and dismissing the hope already. That's cynicism at its very core, and I know it so well that its a constant guilt trip whenever I hear the name "battlefront" brought up. I don't want to be this way, but its been trained into me by the very games people have hope for. I'm not the only one with this mind-set either, parts of gaming have sort of earned it from people who are just able to put basic logic together. So... is it okay to kind of be a cynic at this point?

Though the thing is, is that I'm not a total cynic. Sure I am on battlefront, and for that matter any FPS Dice gets their hand on around this current time of events, but I'm not a general cynic and that's why it feels so wrong against my usual habit to be this way about battlefront. Its not normal for me. I still appreciate a lot within the medium of gaming. I'm still excited for much of the upcoming stuff. As a matter of fact two of my most anticipated games, Ratchet & Clank, and Doom 4 have absolutely no footage of gameplay or even a screenshot. They're absolutely mythical aside from their name and some details, yet I just have so much excitement built up for what little I do know. Oh and another anticipated title, Metal Gear Solid 5, is just something I'm ignoring the hype on. I trust them so much that I think the fun of their game and being surprised is outweighing that of the possibility of them going horribly wrong. Of course like Battlefront, I'm open to the idea that they can prove me wrong and be something entirely different from what I've come to expect. I'm cautiously optimistic. That's because of reputations. Some games, teams, or ideas have earned their place. EA and Dice have earned a reputation and place of not desiring their shooters, while Bethesda have proven themselves capable of putting out the exact opposite and get me excited for an older ID themed shooter. After all this is right after the year in which Wolfenstein tied with Far Cry 4 as my Game of The Year. Oh yeah and I still love a few games from ubisoft, if I can manage that I'm fairly sure you can see I still have some strong sense of enthusiasm left, it just depends on the area.

So is it okay to be cynical? In general, I'd say no, but like all things its a case by case scenario. With gaming, that case by case deal works like the very common fundamental idea of capitalism. If you put out a good product, work hard to sell it, and have put smiles on many faces, then you earn all the trust and care you get. If you exploit people for money, and try to take them for fools, or simply make a product they don't like, then you have earned people who look in on your work and tear you to pieces and they may not need anything more than an educated guess. You make a good product, and you keep people happy. EA and Dice haven't been able to do that for me. Their record and history, as well as how it compares to similar situations, has made me doubtful. They've made it so that even if I see an upcoming brand that I've been asking for across many years, and something that has kept my childhood entertained for months, I still don't trust them to make me happy enough that it is worth the value they put on it. That doesn't mean I hate or distrust everything though, it just means there are people working harder than others for what I want out of gaming. There are people who have products far more valuable to me, and to them I say good job and here's some cash I've been saving for you. Please don't let me down.

I know ratchet, I'm excited to.

April article special: The Gex series

I ended up missing any inspiration during the window of time I had to work on and publish and article around April Fools day or Easter. Of course I'm never committed to doing holiday specials (co-op for V-day, or horror games for halloween simply don't work for my style of gaming), but April is full of holidays where I feel games can be brought into the situation. One's about laughter, comedy, and tricks, and the other is about resurrection and spring, both of which could be loosely translated into something gamey. However simply missing those days isn't going to stop me from one subject I had in mind... lets talk about Gex for a bit. Its a series that I tend to ignore a good bit, yet one that actually meant something to my very early days of gaming. Whenever I felt like the Spyro magic dried up, and before I had access to M64 or banjo & kazooie, there was a 3D platformer on the Nintendo 64 I loved to turn to called Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko. Then there were also just some bored weekends or summer days when I was scrambling for something to play, and might also pop-in the very original Gex on the PlayStation. Its both one of the more comical game franchises out there, and yet a lost series that might potentially be seeing a fresh return in the upcoming years, so I figured it was a good subject to talk about it before the month is over. Oh plus I was also playing the first 3D gex on my Vita on Easter day, so there's that to.

Origins of a smart alack

The franchise started out as a 2D platformer with an attitude meant to star on the 3DO consoles. He was praised as essentially the Mario/Sonic of 3DO by one critic, but we all know how that kind of went. 3DO Sunk and the good games on it moved on to other platforms. Gex was put onto PlayStation, PC, and the Saturn. If you wanted to, you could buy up-to-date versions of the Playstation and PC formats on their respected platforms (through GOG on PC), though be warned they probably still run off a dumb password save system. Gex lived beyond 3DO on other platformers and gained a cult following. However I really do want to know what it would have been like if Gex actually lived on as a major mascot. Comercial ideas, spin-offs, and a long line of sequels spin in my head at that thought, or maybe it would just wind up like Sonic and burn in a constantly arguing and frustrated fanbase as normal people mock every release. Getting back to reality though...

Original case, back when K-A was still a thing

The thing that made Gex standout was two-fold: He had a pop-culture television theme, and his platforming made use of his character through wall climbing. He wasn't just another guy trying to be sonic like some seem to remember him as, he was actually trying to appeal to TV fanatics and the kind of people that love spewing one-liner quotes (written and voiced by comedian Dana Gould). That's not exactly aiming high of course, but it was something that gave him just enough attention to be where he is today as a cult classic that pops up from time to time with some fond nostalgia from the.... 100 or so fans that see the article. Personally I really loved this character as a kid. A lot of his humor flew over my head, and I was terrible at playing the game, but the acting and style of it just made me laugh regardless. He was also weirdly relatable considering at the time I sort of yelled out quotes from my own favorite shows or actors. Looking back... some of his jokes still go over my head (because that's just the way pop-culture works, its either in the know or not), but I get more of where his smart aleck, sarcastic quips, and style comes from and I kind of appreciate some of it more. Of course a couple things fall flat now that I'm able to seperate good comedians and humor from jokes that simply reference something and refuse to do much else, so naturally a pop-culture fueled guy has his hit and miss moments. I also kind of miss being that guy that shouts quotes at the game myself. That doesn't sound like a good trait on paper, but its far more enthusiastic, "fun", and lively than silently sitting and playing. Gex kind of makes me envy my former self in that weird kind of way, and I wonder if I'm getting old and less energetic already, or just more serious.

Gex didn't have a ton of other qualities than this. He was a platformer that for gameplay did gecko things like eat fly power ups and climb walls, and did Television theme stuff for aesthetics and humor. Its not a lot, but it was pretty fun. Actually I might go out on a limb here and say that after Donkey Kong Country it might be my personal favorite 2D platformer. Of course that's not a glowing recommendation, I'm not much of a 2D platformer guy so its probably the gimmicky feeling of it that appeals more than any super special design choices, balance, and whatnot. Of course though for the $6 you can get it now, its certainly worth a shot for those interested.

3D TV

Nah we're not talking about those weird multi-colored 3D glasses, but rather Gex's introduction to the 3D platformer space. I suppose we could say he ripped off somebody here, flying on the Mario 64 bandwagon of going 3D collect-o-thon mode. Now to be clear I actually skipped out on the very first entry for most of my life, while the 3rd game in the series was actually the biggest childhood memory of the series. Unlike the 2D gex, or the game I didn't get until this year, Gex 3 Deep Cover Gecko holds memories of an adventure. Jumping on a row boat through the hub world and crusing around with the help of a turtle friend. Running through the snow covered christmas land to fight an evil santa. Running around a mansion in a Sherlock Holmes costume while dodging cartoony bullets that had a mind of their own. Discovering a vampire costume power up. Blowing up a city (made of suspiciously repeating brick textures) in a tank. I could go on and on, and I'm just starting. Gex 3 held a ridiculous amount of levels, big open hub world environments, a great number of themes, and some really strange but interesting obstacles and power-ups. The weird thing I cannot tell you is whether or not it holds up, because I haven't had my Nintendo 64 plugged up and running for a good while, and I haven't bought it digitally yet either. Its been at the very least 5 years since I've played it, but its probably more like a good 8 years or so. If its anything like Enter the Gecko, it might actually disappoint me a bit.

Gex 2 as I'll call it for simplicity, was the first step to going 3D. Gex got a secondary voice actor in the form of Leslie Phillips for the british version, but Dana Gould would return for everyone else (and personally speaking I'm glad Dana was the version I was stuck with, Leslie really just sounded too slow for the character). He still cracked lots of jokes, but this time the platformer was entirely changed up. Instead of climbing walls, and worrying about the limited space, different textures, and fighting secrets, you had things M64'd up. You were now worrying about basic 3D platforming, fighting a camera, more creative enemy designs, and a different change up of secrets. There were still climbable walls, but it was practically a limited contextual design you sometimes found rather than a major part of the core platforming. You had to collect remotes to pass and open up certain areas in a hub world that is honestly pretty much the most boring thing I might have ever seen from a platformer of this era. The 3D platforming gave levels a more opening feeling and some added and used this to great effect while others might as well have been 2D levels. Some like the toon channel, and the limited view of the horror channel, made for an amazing effect with the 3D level design and seemed to fully embrace an interesting world. Meanwhile the kong-fu channel, and technology world use so many repeating textures and tight spaces that they were only good in 3D by mechanical design. Going to this game after the 3rd, I can see many places in which the franchise improved from its first 3D release.

The 3rd game gave the series more creative level pieces. It handled bonuses, and mini-games a lot better. For the first time levels were not only unique and well built, but stood out from each other and covered a wider variety of themes. Instead of having 3 horror levels as one of six themes, you had one good one to go alongside 20+ different themes and levels, each replayable for secret remotes and side objectives.

from the 3rd game

This is where Gex was probably at his height ironically. It wasn't the thing meant to sell consoles that worked, but rather a full blown trend riding leap onto another format where Gex found some following (and what gets references most, I'm sure some people never even knew a 2D gex existed because of how often Enter the Gecko is presented as the big debut). Sadly its also where he seemed to have died. For whatever reason Gex just hasn't been revisited beyond his 2nd 3D game. Crystal Dynamics was goofing around with some other platformers, Legacy of Kain, and then ended up becoming the go-to team for Tomb Raider stuff somewhere down the line. Sadly with the massive change in tone in the industry to be taken more "seriously" and go with ridiculous budgets, it seems Crystal has embraced that style full on and will probably not touch Gex anytime soon as they focus on Tomb Raider's pretentiously edgy (although still fun, don't get me wrong here) reboot series. So with that in mind and a hiatus that is closing in on a two decade period, will gex get a new season or is he stuck on re-runs?

How a revival might work...

Well the thing is time doesn't hold still and technology certainly doesn't. Gex could use this to a pretty interesting advantage. If he keeps a television theme, as he should, he could not only update himself with the current trends but also the decline or competition of television. Back when Gex was around the internet was barely even a thing, and "Satelight" TV from people like Direct TV and Comcast was still a developing piece of the landscape. Now not only are they being pushed back by youtube, netflix, or just general hobbies like the rise in popularity of gaming itself, but even channels are actively moving into less TV-like routes with things like HBO go happening. The entire industry is changed if not at risk to the point of scaring companies into doing some stupid crap to try and hold onto their once glorious entertainment empire. TV isn't just something you could reference, its something that is actively changing and may not even exist as we know it in the foreseeable future. Besides if nothing else, just look at Lord of The Rings. That supposedly changed TV and culture to be accepting and loving of fantasy on the whole, and that's just outside of Gex's timeline. When you think about it, did Gex ever even bother with fantasy beyond some greek myth themed level?

Gex could go about this in his normal way of referencing Television and just updating his folder of references (Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Super hero stuff, Walking dead, stream service related jokes, etc), or he could actually go on an adventure to save or progress the cycle of tech that may or may not be happening. The villainous Rez, leader of the TV dimension, could be ruining Gex's subscription plan to [Insert netflix spoof here] and he needs to go stop him. Or maybe Rez is running netflix and Gex wants to stop him from crushing the Television he knew and loved. Heck if you really want to get meta, maybe Gex doesn't even represent TV on the whole anymore. He might actually stand for video games, has become addicted to MMOs, and suddenly find cable company lobby groups attempting to ruin his medium and decides to save gaming and fight TV with a mixture of references to both mediums. I... actually really love that last idea. It'd also show Gex to be a more flexible guy, instead of just being a TV addict he turns out to be kind of a general geek that gets easily absorbed into any passion, and can go beyond a previously assigned theme without being too lose. Besides, Television, gaming, and comics are all fairly close in some way or another. What's to say he can't be a comic style hero and complain the TV show "ruined" the plot? Or that he's playing a level clearly inspired by a specific movie and mock how bad licensed games usually are? If nothing else it would just be great to see his taste in parody and humor stick around games just as much as it does TV. Of course maybe I'm saying that with a slant, being that weirdo that never keeps up with popular shows.

Plot twist: He's geico gecko's half brother!

Gameplay-wise... well I'm not afraid to apply "if it ain't broke, don't fix" logic here. I love 3D collect-o-thon platformers, and I'd love to see Gex return to that format. They can change some stuff up, sure. You can fix the camera by this point in time for a start. I'd also like to think it'd be great if more walls were climbable, or it wasn't even contextual anymore (which would be difficult to pull off I admit). Whatever you do, just make sure he can still jump and don't pull another auto-jump crap like a certain other game did. However for the most part it'd be great if Gex was just an updated 3D platformer. Better cameras, controls, graphics, and a modern theme for the cultured lizard. What else would you rather do? Its either that, or throw him into the over-saturated (by indies admittedly, but still over-saturated) 2D market with less fleshed out themes. I really can't see him going well into anything else. Open world is a demanding budget, shooter simply don't fit, sports and strategy don't make any sense, and an RPG is.... well why would you turn him into an RPG? He was born and well fitted for a platformer format and that's probably the best place to go. The only major change you could probably commit to is if the style of 3D platformer changed, like how it did for the PS2 generation where it became more about a linear adventure than a collect-o-thon style. That could maybe work with Gex, but I of course have my bias towards the same style that held Spyro and Mario 64.

However if you hadn't heard the news I just sound like a blind hopeful guy poking at the sky for a wish. Thing is though Gex actually does stand a better chance of returning in the upcoming 2-6 years than he has in the past couple of years. Square Enix, holders of the property, have announced a desire for teams to get behind some of their older IPs with one of the headline examples being Gex. The bad news is this bit...

“If the response is good, then it’s into crowdfunding, which no doubt begs an important question: Why ask gamers to pay for a game to be made if it’s using our IP? Well, because it will still be the responsibility of the independent developer to build the game – and the developer will still be the key beneficiary of its success.”

However this is still generally good news. Remember when I said the 2D market was flooded by indies as a bad thing? Yeah well chances are this will be very much like an indie-ish game, so my hope is that a solid team can still get in there and crowd fund a 3D platformer to break the mold. Its not exactly new, some potential 3D platformer types are being worked on from crowd funding, but I do have a slight concern that they'll go the budget route and do a 2D gex. Of course I don't want to sound ungrateful, a 2D Gex would be better than nothing. This also makes me wonder if they'll be able to reach out to the right voice actor, or simply need to find a replacement. It all comes down to whether or not they can get the fund, support, and right ideas to line up and bring back this gecko.

Mostly the money

Well I suppose that concludes this topic at hand. If you wish to learn more information or check my facts, I'll leave a couple basic sources to give you a head start.

Gex wiki article

The sequel

Gex 3 article

One weird gameplay ehancement...

Now despite what this entire blog is built around, I've went out of my way to warn against getting too involved in gaming culture. Yet before this post you're reading now lies an article that sort of showcases the stress and frustration with it. Clearly its hard to learn this lesson. However I think it'd be a nice change of pace to bring about one of the perks. Of course there's many like guides, tricks, and reviews, but lets discuss one a little outside of the box: ever hear of podcasts? Yeah they're basically little radio shows streamed or downloaded from the internet. Some are actually visual affairs, but most are made (if not only in) for the audio and this is actually a very accessible medium to work into with other activities. Exercise, chores, or maybe something productive like video games.

Basically its just something kind of fun to go with, and I'd highly encourage it as a rather pleasant side effect of gaming + internet. Find a podcast you like, start probably with your favorite youtube gaming channels as many big youtubers are a part of one (one of my favorites is the co-optional podcast). If you can't find anything there or don't want it to be about gaming, I'm sure you can just google [subject here] podcast and find what interests you. Listen to people talk about news, current events, politics, other mediums, or just something you enjoy. Have that at the background of a narrative-lite game. I emphasize narrative-lite of course. Multiplayer games, replaying a game with skipable scenes, or open world games where you can just play side activities are all encouraged as good examples. If you try this with a brand new story driven game you might be having issues hearing both at once, or find yourself pausing the podcast sporadically whenever a set-piece or cut-scene flashes up.

Its not only great as a way that gives you two sources of entertainment at once, but it honestly sort of helps you focus on the game at hand. It fills the gap that might be left from a game without a story. You're getting a story and something to listen to, but you're also accomplishing tasks that would otherwise feel possibly dragging or grindy. You're able to collect AC feather # 47.5 without boredom because you were laughing alongside two hosts while exploring the city. You're pushed to practice just one more online match because the last one ended before the podcast did... and you can't simply have a podcast moving on its own. Or you may simply feel better listening to it while aiming for that platinum trophy, even if you would have still worked for it anyways you just got more out of it by going in with a podcast on your ears. I find myself doing that a lot now and its just kind of an amusing type of multi-tasking.

Not the stressful multi-tasking of course

catching a killer

So this happened again. I usually expect better from PS lifestyle. They usually have better writers who generally speak with more common sense and don't fall into this weird resentful trap that a lot of journalism is turning into. Heck they even used to have a series that delved into criticizing other outlets for it, and informing the viewer on how things worked from the journalistic end to explain mindsets, goals, and methods of internet journalism. To be fair, I don't recognize that writer and maybe that's the problem, a new staff guy that got rejected from Kotaku or Polygon (the sort of site you'd expect this junk from). However lets not make it about them so much as this issue I've had (and probably stated somewhere in a smaller piece) about a small portion of hatred towards the core mechanics of a genre. You know, like calling action heroes murders because they... do actiony violent stuff. Yeah its kind of like complaining that a race is fast, or that carnivores aren't vegans, or that ice cream is cold.

Now often I've been a little critical of some of the crap that comes out of Naughty Dog's PR area, like their resentful tone on imagination, or their terrible claims on framerate (which look more like a PR lie to sell you a remaster and then turn around and claim its okay again to do 30fps when they need to sell you on Uncharted 4's graphics). However they aren't all that bad, and sometimes they say something brilliant like even giving this terrible article an answer ahead of time. I really appreciate them attempting to silence the naysayers, but it would appear some just don't get it. Back then I wrote this in response.

"Finally, its about time this response was given from a developer. I'm really tired of the argument that games are somehow primitive or have automatically terrible stories because of "mass murder" gameplay. Its a part of the conflict and fun that comes with a shooter, that's all there really needs to be to it. Asking for that to stop or rework itself is like asking that sports games can only be playayable in sync with events, and we might as well kill and bury turn based games because those certainly don't tie in with stories or realism. Sometimes game rules or fun traditions set up silly little premises that go unanswered, but that's just fine since they have a fun purpose or mechanical significance within their existence."

 And now it looks like this in the recent article:

"Ugh, I will never understand this sort of topic. Even if it were not for the self-defense argument, it still doesn't matter that much. Its a game based on fun summer blockbuster style story presence. Its mechanical drive is better with you killing a small army because that's what 3rd person shooters are good at, and it kind of feels right with the story being that of an action adventure flick. You don't stop a JRPG to complain that the story is void just because time has this weird thing of stopping for turns during combat, so why are some shooters being pegged down because they *gasp* have lots of shooting in them? You can sit there and try to say "but the story must include EVERYTHING to be good" but at the end of the day there's a reason Uncharted actually does great. It strikes a perfect balance of great gameplay, a fun story, and an adventure many people can come to appreciate. That's not to say the stories are flawless, but this is not one of their primary problems so much as underdeveloped villains, and smaller plot holes."

Oh and of course that well established self-defense argument posted by another (not me):

"People who argue that are the flawed ones. In DF drake is stranded on an island with crazy pirates. You never in the entire game initiate combat. In fact every encounter in that game seems to be wave defense . In the second Drake and flying don't kill the guards but simply put them to sleep. Drake and sully are ambushed in borneo and are forced to get outta there by force.. hell in 3 they Brawl their way outta the bar.. instead of going guns blazing. When drake fights the pirates he uses non lethal methods up until you get to the open area and again are put into wave defense . Drake isn't a blood thirsty killer neither is joel from the last of us. Kratos on the other hand is."

...but you're still a monster Jason, because the writing says so to be edgy

The thing is while the self-defense argument is a good one and one that is almost always present in games (with AI that will kill you or fail you if you don't react well to it), it shouldn't be the necessary example. Of course its going to be self-defense, but that's because the game needs to set it up so that you mechanically have an obstacle to conquer. Its for the game, its for the fun, its for basic mechanics like resource management and conflict. Its to establish a conflict. Do you really want to play a game where every single kill is contextualized with the guy having a major background, family, and then a therapy session for your character as he's having trauma effects? Does every shooter suddenly need that now? Does development really need to focus on the life of every virtual guy it makes and worry about overspending their already bloated budgets there rather than gameplay? No!While certain strides in that area are appreciated from the nemesis system in Shadows of Mordor, to the horror segments of MGS3 or Spec ops, its ultimately something that would be tiresome and unwanted in every action game. It simply doesn't fit for every shooter out there, or even the narrative. Its not even desired in other mediums. Did we need Indiana Jones to stop after sword fighter scene and cry about the possible family he just effected, or pondered if that guy had the solution to cancer if he had lived? No, we just laughed at the funny anti-climax of the scene and enjoyed an action flick which would become known as a classic. That's something these preachy drama queens can't seem to get about the entertainment industry. They seem to lack a fundamental understanding of the conflict, plots, and proven fun formulas. Unfortunately that and a series that has earned over 10 million dollars isn't enough though. Because its commited the crime of being fun and popular its holding back the medium. Read this quote if you can stomach it....

"Knowing the deeply flawed character that Nathan Drake is makes his role as a heroic symbol for Sony incredibly hypocritical. Maybe even damaging to the medium as a whole, for this is a character that’s supposed to appeal to a broad audience and is even one that many new to games encounter first. Many other games, and specifically shooters, have much smarter stories than Uncharted. Heck, even Naughty Dog’s own The Last of Us hinges on its main character being a killer. The reason that game works so well is that its gameplay is tied to its narrative in a way that makes you empathize with the main character, but know that what he does isn’t necessarily morally right. It’s a game that cares a lot about what you do in it.

Uncharted though, doesn’t seem to care at all, and that is a problem if you want to see game stories mature and grow to resonate with more people. Characters like Drake are reminiscent of what games were, when they were not expected to be much more than entertaining toys where story was secondary to fun, visceral experiences. A lot has changed since then and it’s going to take much better icons than Drake to keep pushing forward."

Yeah I know, I feel this way to

Oh and keep in mind this came out of a series known as "inventing an icon". Yeah, sounds more like this guy is obsessed with fear mongering around it instead of covering why its a good icon. Uncharted by its very existence is not holding back or damaging anything, its instead giving us another choice. People like it because its a damn good choice to make. People buy it because they love it for what it is. It keeps them entertained, it relieves them of stress, it has got people who aren't even gamers engaged in a great adventure, and it has been one of the few examples of a massive Triple A developer and publisher keeping high enough quality that they don't have an angry mob waiting for them (even if I am quite critical of ND personally). How the hell is it holding games back? I guess by this logic Terminator 2 stopped movies because it didn't emotionally touch people and elevate the medium? On no wait, we've enjoyed years and years of movies and have had quite a few masterpieces since its time. It didn't need to pander to anyone's pretentious idea of forced morals and over-emotional story segments. You want to focus on something that is actually holding gaming back through? Greed, terrible business decisions, a struggling field of reporters who still barely hold a basic grasp of ethics, and those that are harassing creators into censorship. Those are problems that cripple games and fans of all kinds, and generally hurt the medium going forward. Instead of any of those problems being addressed, this guy is hating on fun because apparently its not good enough to just settle there.

Its pretentious progressive babble without a real goal or direction. I'll give a pleasant direction, actually multiple directions: Gaming as it is. Where there are many different games with many different goals, choices, and messages. Gaming where mechanics give you purpose, and a story sits besides you to amuse you in between the fun. Communities and people of all different types coming together to find a solution in a cryptic horror game puzzle, or to help you figure out what that weird dude in Dark Souls actually meant. A place where when real life stressed you out, you can safely excuse yourself for a little bit and entertain yourself in a different world with different rules and results. People are even making it their sports and TV type entertainment now. That doesn't need to be taken away and forced to be bottled up in some hyper realistic drama about why killing people is wrong in an overblown PSA message, or turn every light hearted action romp into a dramatic Last of Us type "violence is so serious that our wallpapers are in black & white" scenario. If you do want Last of Us, great that's out there and you seem to love it. Now leave Uncharted alone because a ton of people also love that, and unlike some people they seem to have a basic understand of telling fact from fiction and can tolerate a bunch of pixel people dying without needing immediate realistic story context.

I want to think that this year will be amazing with so many potentially impressive titles of all kinds, but when this stuff happens its just... depressing. Its not just this one person I'm upset with, but rather its one of a growing minority that is strangely coming in and demanding change where it doesn't belong and it doesn't even make much sense. For example a solution is never actually addressed, its instead just convictions that this game is secretly terrible for being a more light hearted action adventure. I'm really just sick and tired of the blind progressives at this point, and its worrying that they're into everything from loud vocal press sites to being on the actual writing team and screwing up stuff by worrying about a morals over quality.

This is the kind of thing that makes me say stuff like I did for awesomenauts, sly cooper, or R&C where I talk about how good it is just to have a shameless fun and awesome gamey experience. Its because of guys that talk or make games with this progressive holier than thou mindset that resents the very act of gaming and treats it like a toy someone grows out of. I wouldn't put Uncharted within the same tier as shamelessly gamey fun stuff, but its still kind of around that area and it clearly doesn't need that much changing when so many people adore it, and yet this person actually equates it with toys. I don't force it to change and I love that big cinematic but dumb fun games exist, I just personally prefer more sillier stuff. I wouldn't want somebody to force them away, or to sit there wag their finger at it and make up silly nonsense about how its holding back gaming by being... well, a game. Uncharted still puts a smile on peoples faces. Its aiming high with that big blockbuster mark and the audience says it hits it every time, and contrary to this article its obviously doing well. So I say to Naughty Dog and Uncharted... thanks for providing a lot of entertainment, not just to me, but to everyone. Don't let critics like this hold you back from producing high quality and exciting content. You don't need to explain why Drake kills, those with common sense know enough and don't expect you to stop to mourn generic enemy #34. As for PS lifestyle... well it could be worse; this guy could be working on a Nintendo site!

Holding back gaming since 1985

So with all that venting out of the way, I guess we can leave on a good note. Its earth day and I guess it'd be nice to show off a funny video of a Pangolin for an ending.