Pay Day: Feb 27th

For many of us tomorrow is pay day, so today is a great day to cast my glance over all of gaming and answer that burning question;  What should I blow my money on?  I’ve taken into account sales from Steam and Steam key reseller, Xbox Gold, PSN+ and the E-shop to come up with the best possible way to spend $20.   I make no effort to represent all systems; the best games and the best deals are all that matter. This is what I’ve come up with for Feb 27th, 2014.

Humble Bundle 11 ($4.66 at time of writing) – PC, Linux, Mac

A no brainer given the fantastic quality and mind blowing quantity of games being offered in this bundle.  Dust, Twisted Dreams, and Guacamelee serve up 3 similar yet diverse takes on game play that answers a simple question: what if developers had skipped 3D altogether, and just made better and better “classic style” SNES games?   You get non-stop side scrolling action, brilliant visuals, and even character development to keep things fresh.  The Swapper provides a more cerebral experience with an introspective puzzle game that all but tricks you into thinking about the weight of the actions you are taking.  The only real question was if it was worth it to spend the extra money to get the bonus games, and Anti-Chamber seals the deal.  Another challenging and stimulating puzzle game that has some of the best “ah-ha!” moment you’re going to get all year.   Monaco adds a solid mutli-player experience to the mix.  Just make sure to set your donation level to give nothing to Fez’s developer or you're supporting Phil Fish, and that will make a Panda Cry.  Although in fairness, Fez is also a flat out fantastic game.

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment ($3.49 on PSN+) – PS3/PSP cross buy (via PS1 classics)

I generally don’t recommend you spend your new money on old games, but I’m willing to make an exception for Persona.  It comes down to what makes a game age well; you need quality of life features that were ahead of the times, and game play that hasn’t’ been repeated in dozens of newer, flashier games.  Persona 2 delivers!  Well kind of.  The game play with its mix of social simulation and RPG can’t be found anywhere else, the combat doesn't rely on graphics fidelity to make it work, and the story is engaging enough to help you see past the outdated visuals and lack of voice acting. As for quality of life ... is a JRPG, you shouldn't be expecting that to begin with.

Ni No Kuni: Wrait of the White Witch ($6.99 on PSN+) – PS3

With all the COD, GTA, Last of Us, and next gen hype we’ve been getting, Ni No Kuni seems to have missed out on the GOTY contender  spotlight it deserved. Which is a shame, as this game is an absolute gem.  Not only is it the best JRPG in years, but it’s one of the few “must play” games of 2013.  Level 5 delivers outstanding visuals, fresh and challenging game play, and a story that rides that live between cute and engrossing in that way only Japan can.  With an easy 30 hours of game play just to get from start to finish, and double that with side quests, what you are getting for you $7 is simply unmatched.

Mass Effect 2 ($4.99 on Steam) – PC

It’s hard to say anything about Mass Effect 2 that hasn’t been said before.  From start to finish, this is one of a few rare games that dose everything right.  The story is complex, but not complicated or hard to follow.  The characters are unique, diverse, and interesting yet still “human” enough to make meaningful connections with.  Your decisions matter and change the game, but you never feel you're missing out on the road not traveled.  The mechanics are simplified and accessible and yet still challenging and stimulating.   Topping it all off,  last mission of this game I still hold as the most enjoyable hour or so of gaming in my entire life, and given the number of games I play in a year that’s not a statement I make lightly.

So there you have it.  Did I miss anything?  Let me know below, and I’ll see you next pay day!

A unique take on gaming: February

At the end of the month I like to take a bit of time to look at what’s making me unique among gamers.  Not to say that I’m right and everyone else is wrong, but to add some perspective and objectivity to the otherwise polarised views the gaming media seems to take.  It’s too easy to jump to one site that’s making its' ad money by telling Xbox fans they are right about everything, then to another that is doing the same with Sony fans.  But what about someone who couldn’t give a damn?  Here is a list of the areas I see myself going against the pack.

I’m disappointed with the PS4.

Not the system itself mind you ... how could I be?  It’s a fantastic piece of tech at a lower price then it’s competitor, and it addresses almost every issue people had with its predecessor.  And not with sales or reception either.  It’s still selling out in the US and from what I’ve seen the hype train shows no signs of stopping.  Sony hit their first year sales goals in 3 months before even launching in Japan, which speaks very loudly to just how much people are loving Sony’s new entry.  It’s almost impossible to overstate how fantastic the PS4 is doing right now, and with such a level of success you would expect a outpouring of support ... and here is where the disappointment comes in.

With only two current exclusives (I don’t count indie games or PS3 ports), the line up isn’t exactly stealer.  You would expect Sony to use the 2.1 BILLION dollars we have given them in console sales to buy up some new studios or at least some timed exclusives, but instead we get a delay in “Drive Club”, a poor showing of “The Order”, and a VR headset no one wants.  We see the first core “Metal Gear” game released on Microsoft Hardware.  We see final fantasy continue a cross platform release even though sales of FF13 on the Xbox were disappointing and it would have been cheap* for Sony to buy them back to exclusivity.  We see a PS3 exclusive GT6.  We see a PS3 exclusive Persona 5.  We see NIS confirm that all current projects, stretching out to 2015, are PS3 exclusive.

More people have the PS4 then have Nintendo Wii U’s right now, but the only game anyone has to look forward to in the near future “Infamous”, and the only exclusive of note is a military shooter with only a slightly above average rating.  Even more confusing, a recent study showed that gaming makes up over 80% of the PS4 total usage (compared to numbers closer to 40% for the Xbox and Wii) and that in households with more than one system, only around 10% of them use the PS4 as the primary “non gaming” console.  With millions of people already owning PS4 and hundreds of thousands buying new ones each week it begs the question ... what the heck are they doing with them?

*There is no wizardry to getting an exclusive game.  You pay the publisher for every sale they will lose on the platforms they don’t put it out on.  For FF15, the projected Xbox sales will be small number, in the million unit range.  This means Sony could make FF15 exclusive for around 30 million ... or about a week’s worth of PS4 sales.

I thoroughly enjoyed FF13: Lightning Returns

I won’t say much seeing I plan a full review as soon as I complete the game, but I have spent a lot of time with "FF13: Lightning Returns", as well as a solid 2 weeks with FF13-X2 in preparation, and it’s been great.  I even found the first FF13, universally scorned by fans (while still picking up an 83 metacritic, mind you) to be enjoyable for the most part.  I’m impressed with the story, the production values are fantastic, and the new combat system is the most enjoyable we’ve seen out of Japan in ... ever.  I get the feeling  the people who are saying it’s a horrible game are doing so without ever trying it out of some desire to jump on a “hate bandwagon” because Square had the audacity to make something other than the exact game they wanted.  Given that what “they” want is a stale FF7 clone, I commend Square for going in this direction and hope they never back down.  And speaking of passing judgment on things you haven’t seen ...

I haven’t picked GOTY yet

You can go to almost any game site in the world right now and take part in a heated debate, with fanatics, theory-crafters and doom-speakers on both sides, about wither it will be “Titanfall” or “Infamous” that wins GOTY 2014.  This seems rather odd to me given that

1)       It’s February

2)      Neither of these games have been released.

What’s more you can pop on any discussion thread about either game and find dozens of people assigning review scores to these games they have not played.  I’m not taking about predictions; I’m talking about full on reviews with justifications.  Now I get it; these are big titles and people want them to be fantastic, plus there is a bit of a rivalry between the camps that think you can only ever own one system and who will only ever get to play one or the other (which makes no sense because Titanfall is coming out on PC, but I've never credited fanboys for being overly intelligent).  But isn't there enough to pointlessly drone on about without having to cross the line to that special type of crazy reserved for people who make factual assessments of things that do not exist?  Doing so puts you in the same boat as that guy who spent a year using high level physics to come up with Rainbow Dash’s top flight speed, and do you really want to be in that company?  Beside, neither of these games will in GOTY, because GOTY is garbage.  That brings me to my next point ...

I don’t think “The Last of Us” was a good “Game of the Year” pick

Let me just start off being saying “The Last of Us” is fantastic.  9.5/10 fantastic.  Everyone reading this needs to check it out if you haven’t already.  Had it won “experience of the year” I would have nothing but praise.  You would be reading my article about just how dang awesome the gaming industry is right now if it was the 2014 “interactive media” winner.  I couldn't agree more with anyone who gave it best story, best graphic design, best characters, even most flat out amazing thing you can do with your PS3, or your time.  I have a problem with “Game of the Year” however, because “The Last of Us” isn't any fun, and it isn't any fun because it’s not a game.

“The Last of Us” is a interactive story where you need to press button’s to get from one scene to another, and although the level of complexity in that button pushing is far greater than “Heavy Rain” or “The Walking Dead”, that’s all it is at the core.  It’s to Naughty Dog’s extreme credit that the game play doesn't end up being a distraction, as they have masterfully crafted every sequence in a way that is always building character development and your connection with them.  But how much of the overall “feel” of the game would be lost watching a play though on YouTube rather than “playing” it yourself?  For me, almost nothing.  For gamers who don’t like 3rd person I would say that’s the better way to go; there isn't anything is TLOU game play that is going to turn you on to the genre and you’ll find yourself grudgingly moving though the action due solely to your investment in the Story.

I can’t help but think that “Game of the Year” needs to be reserved for something that is simply fun to play.  This is the second year in a row the majority of media outlets have instead sided with a great story packaged as a video game and I think it shows how truly confused we all are.  Naughty dogs is trying to change the way we tell and experience stories and this deserves a lot of credit, while Nintendo is just trying to get me to enjoy collecting coins and deserves credit as well.  What’s important is that these two goals intersect exactly never.  It’s time the gaming industry acknowledged this and moved on from “Game of the Year” as the catch all award, and the only one that matters.

What makes you unique among gamers?  Let me know in the comments below.

A weekend with Titanfall (Full Review)

It's hard not to have TitanFall on your radar.  Even before it won game of the show, as well as every "best of" category it was entered in at E3 2013, the hype for this "next gen" mega blockbuster was already in full swing.  We were delighted by visions of COD meets Mech Warrior, and Titanfall promised us the next big thing not just in online multiplayer, but in games overall.  And now it’s finally (kind of) here.  After the disappointing announcement of 6v6 maps and a lot of criticism of the game’s AI, is it possible it to live up expectations?  I've only had a fragment of the game and just over 72 hours, but I already have the answer.

The basics work (basically)

No one reinvested the wheel here, yet we get something with a lot of uniqueness.  The core is what you would expect from an online shooter; you kill people while completing objectives dictated by your game mode, earning points which level up your pilot and unlock new and improved weapons and attachments to use on your next mission.  The matches are small, with only 6 humans on each team, and map sizes that would be called middle of the road in other games.  What sets Titanfall apart is a focus on mobility and egress.  The maps are littered with multiple level buildings with various ways to enter or leave, be it wall jumping in a window or double jumping to the roof.  On the goal focused modes of hard point and domination, this design really stands out and replaces chock points with a much more fluid reality.  You can’t defend by standing still because the counter attack could come from anywhere.  Adding to the chaos are two squads of AI solders on each team, one of mindless bullet catchers called grunts, and one of slightly better and far more interesting computer controlled robots called specters.  Although the AI is laughable and not likely to provide a challenge for even the greenest of players, they focus on flushing players out of camping spots and forcing them to reveal themselves on the mini map and provide covering fire rather than trying to kill anyone.  It’s a bunch of small changes a time tested formula that works well in creating something that plays and feels different.  Perhaps too well in fact.

Fresh to a Fault

Making a online shooter is always a balancing act.  It need to be close enough to it's contemporary that anyone can pick it up and understand the flow of game play, but unique enough that it's not just another clone.  TitanFall gets this half right, and it's not the half you expect.  This game isn't COD with Mech's; it's not COD at all.  Online shooters have always been about range and lanes. You run though buildings to fight shotgun vs. SMG, you run outside at test the snipers, and you run the covered lane if you want to engage with mid range rifles and side arms.  It's not the guns or the same macho feel that makes every COD clone feel the same; it's this simple mechanic played out over and over, so far in the background that most don't even notice it.  TitanFall’s added mobility takes lanes out of the equation altogether.  This game has double jump jet backs standard, a wall jump, the ability to pull yourself onto ledges, and every building has an interior.  This makes the quickest way from point a to point b whatever you want it to be and this forces you to play on the move.  Camping is almost impossible; outdoors you can't hide your titan, and even the best hiding spots for your pilot are simple to flush out with one of these giants.  Corner camping requires chock points, which the maps simply don’t’ have.  This benefits game play dramatically; I didn’t find myself cursing at the screen after a cheap death even once. Unfortunately there is a learning curve here and that may put off some of the core shooter fans who don't want to relearn what they have been comfortably doing for the last 10 years.  Matches are also shorter than what we’re used to, and that’s a good thing.  Each battle requires constant focus without even a respawn timer to let you catch your breath in most modes.  I feel like I’m playing harder in a 6 minute Titanfal map then a 15 minute COD map, and by the end I’m feeling a bit fatigued.

Remember the Titans

At some point you’re going to want to pony up one of these massive armoured warriors and take it for a spin.  In most game modes, a timer ticks down with every second and every kill until you can call in your very own titan, vastly increasing your firepower and making you almost impervious to small arms and grenades.  It’s not god mode by any means; you are still venerable to the anti-titan weapons carried by both players and bots, and the bots seem to be a lot less stupid when dealing with a Titan.  For all their power,  titans change game play less than you would expect for the best possible reasons.  By empowering the pilots with a huge tool set, including mobility, anti-titan weapons, the ability to jump on a friendly titan to move around or an enemy titan to take it down, respawn has done the impossible.  They make having a titan fell like a huge advantage without ever making not having a titan feel like a disadvantage.  In fact I find that staying outside my titan while allowing the computer to auto-pilot it for me is a more effective strategy then taking control myself in most game types.  There is something insanely satisfying about ordering a giant mech suit to guard a door while you flush people out of a building on foot.  Titans also ensure an ever changing battle field as the safe zones change dramatically based on how many titans are on the map at a given time, as does the role you should be playing.  Victory in Titanfall will depend heavily on how quickly you can adjust from using your pilot to control the ground and take objectives before titanfall, and use mobility and high vantage points in David vs. Goliath matches after Titanfall.  More importantly, both in and out of your titan, you full in control, powerful, and are having a great time.

Quite a looker

Side by side Ryse or even Shadow Fall on the same TV, Titanfall holds its own.   The gun and character details are outstanding and the maps are bursting with detail.  The titans are the easy standout, and are some of the best looking animated models I have ever seen.  There are some chinks in the armor however.  Nothing is destructible, the grass doesn’t move in the wind, and you can’t even shot a soda can off a desk.  You can also see a reduction in visual fidelity as you move out from the center of the screen towards the edges, as there is obviously some code wizardry at work here to maintain the fram rate at all costs.  It’s good and it’s bad news; it’s defiantly going to impress, and given that the game will release with a higher resolution then the already great looking beta it very well might be the best looking game we’ve seen to date on a console.  That said, most fans are looking for a game which is going to show the world that the Xbox One can be just as powerful as the PS4, and this isn’t it.  When you look closely what you see instead is brilliant graphics design that allows a game to look better than anything else we have seen despite the gap in power.  You see compromise where you want to see bravado.

The Last Word

Titanfall made a lot of promises and is able to deliver even in an extremely limited beta.  We can’t say what the full game is going to add, but what we are already playing would easily be worth full price and is one of the best new games of this generation.  However, this is a game built by a competitive shooter team for a competitive shooter audience, but what’s being offered breaks the mold perhaps too much. Ultimately its success will rely on how successful respawn is in getting the core audience to embrace the mechanics, and how well the story and other aspects not seen in the beta will bring new players to the genre.  Either way I’m hooked.  This game is a must have for anyone who enjoys action and wants to be part of the next big thing.