Games

Holiday Gift Suggestions For Gamers

admin

AVS bigAnd once again, the holiday clusterf**k is upon us! With Halloween and Thanksgiving behind us, we’re halfway through this ordeal or torture, but unfortunately we still have Christmas and New Year’s ahead of us (or Hanukah, or whatever it is you celebrate – the occasion doesn’t matter, we all know that holidays are just an excuse to get drunk and get presents), and you know what that means! It’s time to hit your head against the nearest wall trying to wonder exactly what you should purchase for the gamer in your life! It could be a child, a sibling, a boyfriend/girlfriend, a niece/nephew, whatever! Let’s face it – many of us are not gamers, or even if we are, we like certain games and aren’t familiar with every single videogame on the planet. So what should we get the gamers we love? Should we just get them a gift card? Short answer – yes, you absolutely should. Go to GAME, or Gamestop, or whatever your local videogame store is and buy them a £40/$60 gift card so that they can afford to buy one of the many, many releases coming out in a few months, such as “Mass Effect: Andromeda”, “South Park: The Fractured But Whole” and “Persona 5”. Or even better – just give them money so that they can buy whatever they want! There, article over. Moving on, it’s the Top 5 Worst Comic Book Characters From The Silver Age!

Nah, I’m kidding. While a lot of people (especially teenagers) would appreciate money, I can also kind of get that this is a pretty uncreative gift, and many prefer to gift an actual item that can hold some sentimental value to the recipient. Well, fear not, that’s where I come in! Let’s briefly take a closer look at what to buy for individual types of gamers based on their age, preferences or gaming hardware! In addition, I’m also going to be giving you an example of what not to buy in the same category, so that ought to be fun! Anyway, let’s get on with the show!

For PlayStation/Xbox Gamers

Do Buy: A PS+/Xbox Live Gold Membership
Don’t Buy: Any game that just seems interesting because it has a fun cover

Both PlayStation and Xbox (across their iterations) offer a subscription system called PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold, respectively. The subscription is not mandatory, but trust me, it’s a really great idea to have it, since it’s required for online play and also gives you free games every single month, alongside a myriad of other bonuses (for example, PS+ gives you discounts in the store and allows you to upload your save files online so that you can retrieve them in case you accidentally delete them). And trust me – another year of subscription is ALWAYS necessary. Personally, my grandparents always give me a £40 gift card for my local videogame store, and I always, without fail, spend it on a yearly PS+ subscription simply because it’s something that I will always need – think of it as putting oil in your car. It’s the most practical gaming gift you can possibly give! It’s honestly much better than what many people who don’t know a lot about games do, which is walk into a store, ask “Do you have any games for PlayStation?”, purchase the first PlayStation 3 game whose cover they like and then it turns out their grandson or whatever has a PlayStation 4 which can’t play PS3 games, and even if it could the game they chose is just complete garbage, and let’s just say there’s a very good reason why I’ve been getting gift cards from my grandparents lately.

For Younglings

Do Buy: Whatever The Retailer Recommends
Don’t Buy: Anything based on movies or that blatantly panders to children

Okay, the world of children’s entertainment is complicated. Most parents just assume that their kids are dumb and are going to watch whatever you put on TV for them as long as it has funny moving pictures (if you don’t believe me, just check out the myriad of horrible, lazy Disney sequels). It’s like we don’t even care what we put in our children’s brains! I mean, can you imagine if we said that about other stuff? “Pfft, let’s just feed our children cheap half-baked stuff from the dollar store, I mean, they’re only kids!” Yeah, my point is, this is dumb and kids deserve better entertainment, in both their movies and their videogames. Just like there’s a whole slew of terrible animated movies that simply rely on parents buying them to shut up a crying toddler, there’s an even bigger slew of terrible games which aim to do… Well, exactly the same thing. “Barbie’s Horse Adventure”, “Hannah Montana” and “My Baby Girl” are but a few of the titles that are done on the cheap, with the hopes that they’ll be bought by ignorant parents. Don’t be ignorant, guys and gals! So, what do you buy instead? Simple – walk into your local videogame store, talk to the clerk and ask them what game they’d recommend for your child. Trust me, videogame store clerks are typically the biggest nerds you can find, and most of them would be overjoyed to recommend your kid a good game! Do they like cute puppies, but aren’t allowed to have one in the house, for whatever reason? Get them “Nintendogs”! Do they like cartoony action? Get them “Rayman: Legends”! Do they play a lot of “Minecraft” and wish there was an animated series based on it? Get them “Minecraft: Story Mode”! Do they like the Avengers? Get them “Lego Avengers”! Do they like to collect toys? Get them the latest “Skylanders” set, which brings their toys to life on the screen! There’s DOZENS of fantastic games to choose from, so please ask for help if you’re uncertain and by all means never, ever purchase a game just because it’s on the shelf!

For Shooter Fans

Do Buy: Overwatch
Don’t Buy: Anything else

I mean, come on, you guys, this one should be obvious. If your gamer is into shooters, or competitive games at all, buy them “Overwatch” on their system of choice. Right now. The only reason why you shouldn’t buy it is if they already own it. “Overwatch” is the most fun you can have with a competitive game these days, and even I, who generally doesn’t like competitive games at all, still find a whole lot to love in it.

For Retro Games Enthusiasts

Do Buy: AVS
Don’t Buy: NES Classic

Right now, everybody’s going bananas over the “NES Classic” – a tiny machine from Nintendo that costs £50 (supposedly) and plays 30 of your favorite classic NES games such as “Excitebike”, also known as the game where you press right to win, or “Ice Climbers”, also known as the game which is only fun for maybe about 3 minutes, or “Simon’s Quest” and “Zelda II”, also known as the absolute worst in their beloved franchises. Fun stuff. And sure, there’s a couple of great games in there, like “Super Mario Bros. 3”, but a whooooooole lot of classics are just not there – and since the Classic doesn’t have the ability to add new games, you’re stick with the underwhelming selection. Not to mention, the bloody thing is sold out everywhere, so if you want to get one you need to cough up a whole lot more than £50, with the US retailer Walmart asking for $500 (or ~£400) per unit! It’s ridiculous! So if you have a friend who’s just way more into nostalgia than is healthy, or have a child that would like to try the classics, I’ll tell you what you do. You don’t buy a crap console for w*nkers for 8 times what it’s worth. Instead, you go out and you buy an AVS, which is exactly like the NES Classic, except good. Rather than coming with pre-built games, you need to buy cartridges for it, but on the plus side, it reads any and all NES carts you can find (including the grey ones popular in the US and parts of the UK AND the smaller, orange ones popular in Europe, Japan and other parts of the UK), and considering how dirt-cheap NES games are these days, you can definitely get your kid an AVS and a couple of really good games he or she will actually enjoy instead of something filled 30 games you can’t change, most of which are garbage.

The 3 Scariest 2D Horror Games

admin

Lone SurvivorHappy Halloween, everybody! You didn’t think I’d let you guys go without a proper Halloween special now, did you? Wipe that notion out of your brain, because there’s absolutely no way someone who loves horror as much as I do could possibly skip a holiday that’s literally all about scary stuff! But what was I supposed to talk about? Everybody’s talking about their favorite horror movies, or the scariest costumes online, or listing scary Creepypastas online (which typically tend to be your standard fare that everyone knows like “Jeff the Killer” or “Squidward’s Suicide” anyway) or whatever, and I didn’t quite know what to talk about that would be original. Sure, I can also make a list of my scariest games ever, but it’s going to be inevitably filled up by “Silent Hill”, “Resident Evil”, “Fatal Frame” and the other horror classics that are prominent on every single list. So then I thought… Why not talk about 2D horror games? Why not explore these games which don’t need a third dimension in order to scare the living daylights out of you? And thus, here we are! Keep in mind, I had a lot of games to pick from, and just because I went with these three choices doesn’t mean the other candidates I had are unworthy of your attention. Who knows, maybe I’ll make a part 2 of this list next year around Halloween! Anyway, for now, let’s go on with the show!

3. 7 Days a Skeptic

Okay, so technically this is actually a sequel to another game called “5 Days a Stranger”, but honestly, it’s set quite a lot of time after it and features an entirely different cast and only some shared themes, not to mention “7 Days” is a lot better than its predecessor, so I thought I’d include it! It’s basically a 2D point and click adventure title, much like the classic LucasArts ones like “Secret of Monkey Island” and “Day of the Tentacle”, or the more recent “Broken Age” and “Deponia”… Except, you know, it’s a lot scarier. “7 Days” takes place in deep space, on board of a space exploration vessel known as the Mephistoteles. Not long after its small crew encounters a small, metal and apparently manmade object in deep space and decide to take it aboard, the crew members begin dying one by one, slain by an unknown force. Did they attract some kind of alien, or is one of their own responsible for the murders? And most importantly, can the protagonist solve the mystery of what’s going on and survive before it’s too late? Yeah, if you’re a fan of something like “Alien” this will definitely be right up your alley, but I don’t want you to think it’s a simple slasher flick, because it’s really not. At the core of the game aren’t the jumpscares or the thrilling chase scenes (even though both are important elements of it), it’s the mystery element and the overwhelming fear of the unknown. How can you even take down a threat that you don’t fully understand, especially when you’re so far away from home? Great, great stuff! And if I still haven’t convinced you, I’ve got two little facts for you – first, the game was made by none other than Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw, the man behind the incredibly popular show “Zero Punctuation”, and second, it’s completely and fully free and you can download it here. Enjoy!

2. Mad Father

From the distant future to the near past! “Mad Father” is a game that has received a bit of a cult following over the years, and with very good reason! It tells the story of Aya Drevis – an eleven year old girl who lives with her scientist father and his lab assistant in their gigantic mansion. After her mother passed away from illness a year prior, her father is all she has left… Which is why she’s willing to look the other way every time she hears human screaming from the basement, which happens fairly often. After all, she loves her father, he’s kind and gentle and caring, so no matter what he’s doing it has to be for a good cause, right? Well, his hundreds of victims don’t seem to think so, and on the anniversary of the death of Aya’s mother, a curse raises all of the doctor’s ‘patients’ from the grave as disfigured ghosts who are out for his blood… And, by extension, Aya’s. Knowing that without her help her only living parent is sure to perish, the little girl sets out into the waking nightmare that her family mansion has turned into with just one goal in mind – save her mad father from his own mistakes before it’s too late. Now, I do need to point out that this isn’t the scariest game I’ve ever played, not by a long shot. It doesn’t really build tension the way other horror games do, and there’s really not too many jumpscares. Still, what it does best is set the atmosphere wonderfully through expert use of disturbing imagery. Aya’s father has performed all sorts of experiments on people, and once they come back, they’re bearing the scars from them – a boy with his eye gouged out, a girl whose body was ravaged by a lethal injection, a dog that had been subjected to vivisection… And the fact that it’s an 11 year old girl who needs to witness all of these horrors – most of which have been perpetrated by her own father – makes things even more disturbing. And the deeper she goes, the more horrifying secrets she uncovers. “Mad Father” has a free version, but I highly suggest paying a few dollars for the Steam version, which has updated graphics and a little bit of extra content. If you’re a fan of disturbing stuff, you’re going to have a blast with this one!

1. Lone Survivor

So, I hear you like classic “Silent Hill”, huh? You like playing as a psychologically complex protagonist trapped in his or her own head, you enjoy navigating through claustrophobic hallways and making sense of various maps, you adore uncanny monsters and some truly horrific scenes that rely more on terror and psychological horror to scare you while still looking utterly disgusting without almost any real gore? Well, my friend, “Lone Survivor” is the game for you – and honestly, if it was a “Silent Hill” game, it’d probably be the second or third best in the entire franchise. I’m dead serious. The story follows a nameless protagonist who is, as the name suggests, the lone survivor of an apocalypse that has transformed everyone in the world into grotesque mutants. Sure, he does meet people every once in a while, like the mysterious Man Wearing a Box, but they’re most likely what his damaged mind conjured up to battle the loneliness. Trapped in his own apartment complex, the lone survivor must struggle to, well, survive, all while trying to distinguish reality from his own mind’s twisted projections. One of the best things about “Lone Survivor” is just how much freedom it gives the player. Wanna stock up on ammo and pretty much shoot down any monster you find? It’ll be a little difficult and will require searching thoroughly, as ammo is scarce in this world, but it’s doable. Wanna sneak past monsters, setting baits and using flares to blind them, getting through them without firing a single bullet? You can do that too! Wanna explore the apartment complex, dedicate time to cooking fresh meals, finding supplies to make your apartment prettier and keep your sanity up, or would you prefer to just go on with the story and reduce the risk of enemy encounters? Yes, you can do whatever! It’s great! And depending on how you play, you’ll get a different ending which gives you a different perspective on your protagonist and sheds a different light on the events that happened. I seriously can not recommend “Lone Survivor” enough! You can pick it up on Steam, or on PS4, PS3 and PS Vita.

Top 5 Best Special Edition Bonus Items In Games

admin

GogglesI love special editions of games! I really, REALLY do… most of the time. I mean, sure, sometimes they’re just overpriced pieces of junk (no, UbiSoft, I’m most certainly not going to pay $100 for a version of “The Fractured But Whole” which comes with a 6’’ figurine and pretty much nothing else – are you even trying?), but just as often they can be really, really awesome! Whenever I see a special edition of a game I want that has awesome content at an affordable price, I know I must have it! For example, for the same price of $100, the “Rise of the Tomb Raider” special edition comes with a figure, a necklace, a journal AND also the game itself is an artbook instead of a traditional case – how friggin’ cool is that? Needless to say, it’s now in my collection, joined by other special editions that I felt like I must own! Over the years, I’ve collected some pretty sweet items from these editions, and while most are your standard fare of artbooks and figures, others are… Well, pretty bizarre. That gave me the inspiration to list out the top 5 best/weirdest special edition items that have ever come officially packaged with a videogame! In order to make it on the list, the item must have been sold at some point alongside the game through official channels, and it must be unique and memorable. Without further ado, let’s dive right in!

5. Annotated Propaganda Book – Republique

“Republique” is a very underrated stealth episodic game which takes place in an Orwellian state known as Metamorphosis. The state was founded by one Kenichiro Teglazov, who wrote a manifesto with his ideas for his utopia and pretty much made it required reading (as socialist leaders often do). The main character of the game is Hope, a citizen of Metamorphosis who actively rebels against its dictatorship and struggles to overtake its regime. Why did I waste your time telling you all of this, you ask? Well, because it’s important in order to understand the awesomeness of this entry. The “Republique” special edition (which, I admit, I only bought because it was heavily discounted, but was certainly not a purchase I regretted) is pretty solid, coming with a nice box, a soundtrack CD full of amazing tracks, all that good stuff. But the best part is an actual, physical copy of the manifesto that Teglazov has written, which serves as the foundation of the entire setting of the game. “Wait a minute”, you might be wondering, “why would I ever want to read some socialist manifesto?” Well, it’s because it’s been annotated by none other than Hope herself, who has shared her thoughts and opinions all over the place, and suffice to say, she’s not buying Treglazov’s BS. Additionally, you see her taping maps to areas she plan to infiltrate and writing down additional details on people who have been mentioned, and the entire manifesto ends with an ominous warning – she’s coming for him. It’s a FANTASTIC read that truly gives some extra depth to what would’ve otherwise been just another generic Orwellian setting.

4. Japanese-style School Bag – Persona 5

Unlike the other entries on this list, this special edition hasn’t been released yet, but it’s pretty cool regardless, so I thought I’d give it a mention. For those of you who don’t know, the “Persona” series is heavily rooted into Japanese culture. In each game, you take on the role of a Japanese high school student who needs to balance his (or, in a single, optional case – her) school life and relationships with fighting demons and saving the world. You know, as we all do. The entire series just makes you feel like a Japanese student – since you’re typically in your second year (out of the 3 years which is Japanese high school), you’re going to have your Senpai (upperclassmen) and your Kouhai (underclassmen), you’re going to be eating ramen on the school roof, you’ll be changing into your traditionally ridiculous uniform for PE, you’ll be joining clubs, and of course, you’ll be going to school every day with your ridiculously fancy Japanese school bag. While in the West most students typically go with backpacks, in Japan (and possibly other Eastern countries, but I’m way too lazy to research) students go with bags that resemble sacks or purses more than backpacks. So, for maximum immersion, “Persona 5” will give you one with its special edition, stamped with the insignia of the fictional school from the game! Stylish AND practical – honestly, what more could you possibly want from a videogame bonus item? And yet, believe it or not, this isn’t even the best thing that “Persona” developer Atlus has put in a special edition…

3. Boxers – Catherine

In “Catherine”, you take on the role of Vincent, an average 30-something man who finds himself stuck in a steady relationship with a woman he isn’t sure he loves. After cheating on her with a younger, wilder, arguably more attractive lady, Vincent finds himself experiencing surprisingly vivid nightmares in which he’s stuck in his white, pink polka dot-patterned boxers and is climbing boxes towards salvation, with failure meaning death for both his dream avatar and his real self. And… well, yeah, you guessed it. You read the title, there’s no beating around the bush. The special item is boxers. This videogame comes with an item that you are supposed to put against your genitals. I love it. I mean, sure, the special edition comes with plenty of other stuff as well (like a T-shirt and a pillow), but come on, you really need to applaud the balls of a game that wants you to place its items against yours. Sure, this particular special edition is a bit on the pricier side ($140), but if you want, you can always buy it used for around $100! Erm, actually… On second thought, probably… Probably don’t buy this used, guys.

2. Night Vision Goggles – Modern Warfare 2

Nowadays, the “Call of Duty” franchise is known for… well, a whole lot of things. It’s a gritty, boots-on-the-ground military simulator (with spaceships and zombies and robots, but still), it’s pretty much in the top 5 best-selling games of the year every single year no matter what despite the fact that its basic formula hasn’t changed at all since 2007, and, of course, almost every game comes with some kind of crazy special edition bonus, like a remote controlled car or helicopter or whatever. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare 3” comes with a fully functioning gun with its special edition! That whole trend started with 2009’s “Modern Warfare 2”, which came equipped with military-grade night vision goggles. I swear I’m not making this up. According to people who actually bought the goggles and tested them (sadly, I had to skip out on that particular special edition), you could see perfectly clearly in complete darkness up to 30 meters in front of you, which is pretty damn impressive. While there was a drawback, in that the goggles were set up so that you had to look through a screen and not through the actual goggles, the fact that “Call of Duty” publisher Activision managed to put a sophisticated piece of technology like that in a game back in 2009 is an achievement all in itself, and all things considered, the glasses are more than worthy of the number 2 spot! But what could possibly top them?

1. A Goddamn Car – Saints Row IV

2013’s “Saints Row IV” is an open world—No, you know what? I’m not doing this. I refuse. I’m done. You read the title, so you know just as well as I do that there is NOTHING in the game that can possibly justify this special edition. It is, without a doubt, the craziest special edition in the history of special editions, period. “Oh, you mean it’s like a real car? That’s pretty crazy!” You might be saying (boy, you’re awfully chatty today, aren’t you?), but nope. It’s actually TWO cars – a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Toyota Prius. But that’s not all! In addition to the game itself and the two cars, you also get a trip to goddamn outer space, a hostage rescue experience, a full day of spy training, two week-long vacations with stays in some of the most expensive hotels on the planet, a day of expenses-free shopping spree, and plastic surgery of your choice. Because while “Catherine” was content with giving you an item you can put on your genitals, “Saints Row” wants to put them under them knife. That’s just… Wow. I would make a joke here about how the creators of the game gathered in a conference hall somewhere and decided to just stick the craziest sh*t they could think of in their special edition, with any idea that’s less insane than “a car” being rejected, but it’s not a joke if that is literally what happened. If you consider purchasing the special edition of the game, keep in mind that it’s going to set you back a mere $1 million, which… Well, I don’t have my Guinness’ Book of World Records here, but it’s gotta be a record for most expensive commercially sold game, right? And just in case you think that this is just a joke, or some kind of viral marketing stunt, it’s not. It was officially for sale. Goddamn.

Is “The Avengers” The Best Slot Ever?

admin

Avengers SlotOkay, okay, fine, I know – I’ve spoken about the Avengers time and time again, but I can’t help it! I love them! They’re my favorite superhero team of all time! While other kids were all about the Justice League, or the X-Men, or the Fantastic Four (hahaha, I’m just kidding, nobody but the most hardcore comic book nerds – of which I am one – likes the Fantastic Four), I was all about Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Black Panther and the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. “New Avengers” was one of the first comic books I ever picked up, and it introduced me to some characters who are now fairly well-known thanks to their live-action appearances, like Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. “Civil War” – a very important Avengers-centric event – was the first comic book event that I actually followed as it happened, and for that reason it still holds a very special place in my heart. “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” is one of my favorite cartoons of all time, and not a day goes by in which I don’t curse the person who canceled it and replaced it with that “Avengers Assemble” crap. And of course, it goes without saying that the fact that the movies are among the finest superhero entertainment to have ever been released fills me with immense joy!

But there’s another piece of “Avengers” media that often goes overlooked outside of the gambling fields when maybe it shouldn’t. I am, of course, talking about “The Avengers” slot machine, developed by Playtech around the time the movie came out. I know that plenty my readers are into gambling (I’m looking at those metrics and reading your messages), but for those of you who don’t know, “The Avengers” at one point actually became one of the most popular slots in the UK, raking in millions in profits. Yes, one of the most popular online slot machines in one of the meccas of online gambling bore the faces of Iron Man, Thor and the rest of the Marvel superheroes. How friggin’ cool is that? Though it begs the question, why did this slot become so popular rather than literally any of the others listed on this website? Honestly, I think it’s because it did everything right.

Now, your average slot isn’t expected to rake in a whole lot of cash. Each online slot has something called a Return to Player percentage, which is always really high (over 91%, more often than not over 95%) and essentially ensures that a certain percentage of all money deposited within the slot by the players will be dispensed back to the players. It may not be to the same player, exactly (so person A could deposit a tenner and come out with nothing while person B might also deposit a tenner and come out with a twenty), but essentially, the overwhelming majority of money that players invest won’t even be smelled by the developers of the slot, which is why online slots are typically made on the super cheap. Have you ever wondered why most online slots look terrible, with cringeworthy animations that seem like they were made by a 5th grader? This is why – it’s a cost-cutting measure. The only way most slots can turn in a profit is to be as cheap as humanly possible.

But not “The Avengers”. That slot actually goes all out. It’s got great graphics, great music, voice acting, lots of bonus games and even a progressive jackpot! It’s got literally everything that a slot could possibly need and then some! It’s pretty obvious that developer Playtech spared no expense on this particular slot (unlike their other Marvel slots, many of which have quite obviously cut corners). It’s well-made, it’s got a lot of love for the source material in it, it’s jam-packed with features, and it’s based on a movie that made over a billion dollars at the box office! Honestly, is it any surprise that “The Avengers” became so popular?

Why Do Videogame Movies Fail?

admin

game console2016 was supposed to be the year of videogame adaptations. Finally, after years and years and years of failures dating all the way back to 1993 with the release of the utterly atrocious “Super Mario Bros.” movie, directors, producers and studios have attempted to bring beloved videogame properties to life on the big screen, with no luck. Even the best videogame movies, such as “Mortal Kombat”, are still only considered good by videogame movie standards and fail when measured up to literally anything else. This year, things were meant to change, damn it! We were going to have “Warcraft”, “Ratchet & Clank”, “Assassin’s Creed”, “Angry Birds”, and they were all going to be good! Well, okay, maybe not that last one, but things were looking up! As it turns out, no, they’re not – “Ratchet & Clank” was critically panned, proving once and for all that a fun game does not necessarily make a good movie, and according to early reviews “Warcraft” might be even worse. It really says something when friggin’ “Angry Birds” is currently the highest rated videogame movie of all time, doesn’t it? I still have hope for “Assassin’s Creed”, which is due to release in December, but considering the fact that A) most of it is set in modern times as opposed to a historical setting like in the games, B) it comes out mere days after “Star Wars”, and C) that horrible Kanye West song somehow made it into the trailer makes me think that the people behind it have no idea what they’re doing.

But why are things turning out like this? Why do people seem unable to make good videogame movies? Some people say that videogames are simply unfilmable – they’re a different medium entirely, and once you remove the interactive element you lose most of the immersion. No offense, but these people are idiots. First of all, books and comics are also a different medium, but they’ve given us some damn fine movies over the years. Second of all, if games are only ever entertaining if they’re being played, then why is the Let’s Play culture thriving so much? Millions of people are flocking towards famous YouTubers in order to watch them play videogames. If the interactive element was truly so important for immersion, then surely the Let’s Play culture would’ve made no sense?

If you ask me, the big problem stems from the fact that filmmakers simply don’t understand their source material properly. They don’t understand the significance of what they’re filming, and how to properly narrate it to their audience. For example, the way you build suspense in a game is a lot different from the way you do it in a movie, which is why a lot of horror game adaptations (such as “Silent Hill” or “Resident Evil”) just don’t work. The goal of the filmmaker is to narrate the same experience to his or her audience that the player would get from playing the game. Instead, what directors are trying to do is take elements from the game and just shove them in the movie for no reason other than to say “Hey, remember THAT from the game? It’s here too!”, but without understand just WHY they’re there. The “Silent Hill” movie I mentioned is like a goldmine for this kind of thing, as I could literally spend an entire article writing about it, but let’s just limit it to two examples, shall we? “Silent Hill” is an adaptation of the first “Silent Hill” game – remember that, that is important. In “Silent Hill 3”, after the main character Heather loses her father, she goes on a car ride to the town of Silent Hill and has a discussion about the fact that her life as she knew it is basically over. All the while, the song “Letter From The Lost Days” plays in the background, which, as you can hear, is rather relevant to the conversation. In the “Silent Hill” movie, the main character takes her daughter to Silent Hill with her car, and the same song plays, but since the context is so different the choice of music doesn’t really make sense. Similarly, one of the most famous characters from the series is the eponymous Pyramid Head, who first appeared in “Silent Hill 2” as a manifestation of main character James’ guilt over having committed a murder, with a design inspired by a painting of an executioner. In the movie, Pyramid Head is simply a demon who shows up for a little bit and chases the protagonist around for absolutely no reason other than for the director to wink to the fans and say “See, this is just like the games!” As you may have noticed, both of those examples include trying to shove things into an adaptation of the first “Silent Hill” game which weren’t even part of it in the first place.

Will we ever see a good videogame movie? Hopefully! The adaptation of the game “The Last of Us”, which is generally regarded as one of the best games of all time, was written by the same person who wrote and directed the game, so when, or rather if that ever gets off the ground we might be looking at the world’s first great videogame movie. Fingers crossed!

The Retro Gaming Culture

admin

retro gamesToday, gaming technology is at its peak. Games like “The Last of Us” bring us Hollywood-worthy story and performances, technologies like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive bridge the gap between the virtual world and our own and mobile platforms allow us to bring our games with us literally wherever we go without needing to worry about taking anything other than the essential items we carry every day. With the gaming industry being by far the most successful financially, overshadowing the movie and music industries, it’s pretty clear that we’re living in a golden age of gaming no matter how you look at it. Games have never been more immersive, more groundbreaking, more… Well, good. Or have they?

Despite the fact that today’s games provide all sorts of experiences, there’s still a group of dedicated gamers who don’t want anything to do with that. No, to them, gaming stopped existing somewhere around 1995, since the majority (or in some cases the only) games they play are from the very early days of the medium. We’re talking about titles for the NES, SNES, Genesis, Nintendo 64, even early operating systems such as DOS. “Mega Man”, “Super Mario 64”, “Comix Zone”, “Star Fox”, “Final Fantasy” and “King’s Quest” are all games with lasting appeal which the retro gamers hold in high esteem. Many of those games have received sequels in the modern era, but oddly enough it’s the originals which remain the most lasting among the retro crowd.

So the obvious question is why? Why are so many people ignoring the marvels of modern gaming and sticking instead to the old classics? Well, every retro gamer has his or her own reason behind it. A popular sentiment online is that “nowadays games just suck”, which is pretty obviously untrue, but it’s still a perfectly valid personal opinion to have. Still, I believe there’s far more than that. Many (even most) retro gamers grew up with the retro systems, and to them, retro games are a way to get a small taste of what made them happy as a child. It’s exactly why so many of us hold classic Disney movies in our hearts – they allow us to remember and maybe even relive a simpler time, a time when we had very few responsibilities and a lot of spare time.

But there’s another reason, a more objective one. The interesting fact about retro games is that they’re all very minimalistic, in both appearance and gameplay. Working with very primitive technology, game designers had to use every trick in the book in order to create the experience they wanted (for example, the clouds and bushes in “Super Mario Bros.” are the exact same object, just colored white or green). In today’s gaming, if the player had to be taught that their character can double-jump, all it’d take was a character shouting “Quick! Use your double jump/jetpack/rocket boots to get over this gap!” But in the early days of gaming this obviously couldn’t work, so game designers had to get creative. I’d like to show you this presentation by Internet personality Egoraptor who goes in great length about the various tricks that designers used in order to use what little assets they had intelligently.

My point is that many people enjoy this type of minimalist design quite a lot. And why shouldn’t they? When done right, it’s a work of art. Many of the most popular games today (like “Minecraft” or “Dota 2”) are well-liked precisely because they allow you to do a lot with very little. Despite their limitations, they, like the games of old, have been custom-built to provide a very particular experience to the player, which is definitely something worth admiring. It’s true that many of today’s games can learn a lesson or two about intelligent design from their retro counterparts. And at the end of the day, isn’t that a good enough reason to love them?

Mobile Gaming Isn’t So Bad

admin

mobileMany believe that videogames are only for men. After all, the classic Hollywood stereotype of the gamer is a socially awkward teenage guy, right? No one but teenage guys and grown-up teenage guys could possibly enjoy a game! Well, as it turns out, 52% of gamers are women. This isn’t an exact number, of course – it tends to fluctuate between studies, but generally, the rule of thumb is that the split of males and females in gaming is roughly 50/50. But whenever a study like that is published somewhere on a gaming site, one of the first comments is always “Well, this study isn’t accurate because most women only play mobile games, and they don’t count!” And I’m just like “Really? Are you serious right now, or just spewing stuff which you’ve been told by someone years ago?” I mean, sure, back before Android and iOS were really a thing mobile games were pretty bad, for the most part. The term “shovelware” comes to mind, where 99% of all games you could get on mobile were licensed pieces of garbage. While I have fond memories of a couple of games (man, am I the only one who remembers “Deep 3D”? That game was AMAZING), most were very disappointing.

However, in the few years since then, when we transitioned to touch screens and curated marketplaces, mobile gaming has changed a ton. We no longer just have good mobile games – we have great mobile games! I sincerely advise anyone doubting the legitimacy of the mobile marketplace to browse for a bit and find a few games for their mobile device. Whether they’re paid or free to play, you’ve got tons of awesome stuff to choose from! Games like “Monument Valley” or “The Room” (not to be confused with the worst movie of all time) are some of the best puzzle games I’ve ever played! And for the last few months (starting from about October of last year) I’ve been heavily addicted to an action-RPG titled “Marvel: Future Fight”, which is basically like a sequel to the old “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” games where you make a team of Marvel characters and then go on levels and kick ass with your customized character.

And let’s not forget that both iOS and Android have plenty of remakes of classic PC and console titles. If you’ve wanted to replay “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic”, also known as the single best “Star Wars” game ever made, the iPad version is the way to go. Old point and click adventures, such as “Syberia”, are plentiful on the app store, and you can even download the massively popular card game “Hearthstone” on any mobile device and play it there. No matter what genre of games you’re interested in, I can guarantee you that mobile gaming has something for you. Hell, even if you don’t like videogames at all and instead prefer to play casino games (slots, online roulette, that kind of thing), mobile has got you covered! The mobile landscape has changed a lot in the last couple of years, so I’d advise anyone who claims that mobile games aren’t really worthy of their title do some research. I guarantee you you’ll discover something you enjoy sooner or later!

My Rant About the Star Wars Expanded Universe

admin

maullockdownI’ve been reading “Star Wars” novels for a veeeeery long time. Admittedly, most were by Timothy Zahn, and admittedly, some were better than others, but at the end, all of them, the good and the bad, have done nothing but increase my love for the “Star Wars” universe. I read about the trials Luke Skywalker had to go through in order to rebuild his Jedi Academy, about his unlikely marriage to Mara Jade and about the attack of the Yuuzhan Vong. True, I also read some ridiculous stuff such as how the Emperor transferred his consciousness into a clone body and seduced Luke to the dark side or something (I don’t know, I generally try to keep the bad stories to the back of my mind), but hey, nothing good is good all the time. Even today, I continue reading “Star Wars” books with joy.

Except there’s one problem. None of them even matter anymore.

Not too long after Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion, they announced that the entire Expanded Universe – all the books, all the games, all the audioplays and comics, will no longer be considered canon within the new “Star Wars” universe. And don’t get me wrong, I understand that decision, I really do. The “Star Wars” canon is chock-full of materials, starting at millions of years before “A New Hope” and ending at hundreds of years afterwards. Disney wants to make a whole lot of movies – three more episodes and at least three side stories (the first of which, “Rogue One”, will be coming out this December). And if they want to retain the creative freedom to do things their way and still keep fans guessing and surprised, then they have no choice but to eliminate the old Expanded Universe and start fresh. I understand that, and honestly, I probably would’ve done the same.

What I don’t understand is why the entire Expanded Universe had to go. I mean, come on, the “Knights of the Old Republic” games and the “Star Wars: The Old Republic” MMO take place in the “Star Wars” universe’s distant past! Why did they have to get rid of that? Even if Disney wanted to set a movie in the time of the Old Republic (which I sincerely doubt they do), they could’ve easily done so without contradicting the games! Or what about “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed”, which was one of the biggest “Star Wars” projects ever with a book, comic and two games? Everyone liked the story (well, at least that of the first game), and elements from it have even been made canon within the new TV show “Star Wars: Rebels”, so why not just go out and make it canon? It doesn’t interfere with anything! Hell, the book I’m reading right now, “Maul: Lockdown”, takes place way before “Episode I” and features a character that is actually very prominent in the new canon, Darth Maul. Making the book canon would’ve given him some history, which he doesn’t really have at the moment.

Just because I understand this decision doesn’t mean I approve of how it’s enforced. I think that a team at Disney should’ve seriously sat down, evaluated all the major stories and, maybe with the help of the fans, cherry-picked what is canon and what isn’t. Sure, 100% of the material set after Episode VI should be removed, but there were some really awesome things from before that could’ve been salvaged. At the very least the aforementioned “Star Wars: Rebels” seems to be nodding a lot to the Expanded Universe, but nods and canon are two entirely different things.

Welcome To Daily Dose of Lit!

admin

If you’re here, that means you’re probably looking for one of two things – a daily dose of literature (book recommendations, reviews, articles about fiction and non-fiction, etc.) or the daily blog of a guy named Lit. I’m happy to say that you’re right either way! Hi, my name is Ryan Lit, and this is my daily blog where I’m going to be talking about books (I usually read about 60+ books a year, so you can say that there’s plenty to talk about), as well as other things that I come across which I find interesting – comic books, games, movies, roleplaying games, online casino, LARP, comic cons, you name it! Anything that could possibly be considered geeky will be covered here! I’ll generally describe this aspect of my life and not my personal one, as I know that nobody likes bragging or whining, but that doesn’t mean I won’t say a few words about myself every once in a while! So, welcome to Daily Dose of Lit, and I hope you enjoy your stay!