• 13Jul 08

  Sequels and Fanboys: A Match Made in Hell

  If you haven't noticed the ever-growing amount of sequels of popular games in the industry and the decrease of the new, original games, you are blind (this is not an insult to blind people, but an insult to a blind brain). The reason for this phenom is our constant clamoring for them. Most sequels turn out too similar to the original and bring nothing new to the table, and some are innovative enough to keep refreshing the franchise at a healthy rate. I like those ones. I have seen a lot of fanboys whine about new ideas and changes added to "their beloved series" especially whining about the lighting changes in Diablo 3, the gameplay differences in Fallout 3 and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. This is something called evolution. It hasn't been proven, but it is vital for a good sequel to posses it.

  Let's begin the brainstorm with what needs to be done with gameplay, the core foundation of what makes the game fun and interesting. Imagine that we have a turn-based RPG like Final Fantasy and then make it an action RPG which is what changed for FF in number twelve. For Final Fantasy, this was huge and it made people want to play it more because it was a good change of pace and something that was unseen in a Final Fantasy game. Of course there will be the fanboys that are purists to the original ideas that disagree with the changes, but would they really be happy if developers made no attempt to evolve their game and bring it up to date? In most cases, the game stays the same anyway and there is always a group that is pissed off about it staying the same. Make up your minds and deal with what you got because it's whatyouasked for, isn't it? I encourage the fine men and women that are making these to switch things up a little bit. We've already been there and done that.

  The element that definitely needs to change is the story, even though some say that they play a game not to be impressed by a story. First of all, why was Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic such a good game? Its story. The gameplay wasn't revolutionary, but it told a great narrative. I guess what I'm trying to get here is that JRPG's have a knack to have the same spiky-haired protagonist, First-Person Shooters give you the same tough guy trying to save the country or the world, and goal of almost every fantasy game is to get some random item with unknown power out of the wrong hands. Have we completely lost our creativity in creating stories that evolve or have different premises? I haven't seen a whole lot yet, but I'm sure that the talent is out there to fix this issue up.

  Sometimes there is a game in a series that comes out and ruins it's previous predessor's art style and makes the game overwhelmingly stupid. I impel risk-taking just as much as the next guy, but I shouldn't make that statement because the next guy could be anyone, like the Dynasty Warriors guys. Changing the art style in a game could end up being a disaster (Bomberman: Act Zero) and potentially ruin the game in its entirety. But there is always hope for a good change like Zelda: Wind Waker. I am a huge fan of Zelda and it was hard to take in the cell-shady Link as a friend, but as time went on and the game was released, my adoration for that style of art kicked in. When it comes to that type of change, it's hit or miss real bad, but it could be awesome enough to refresh a franchise that has become stale.

  With stuff like Banjo and Fallout, the future of sequels is looking bright and if the fanboys open there eyes and minds a little bit, we just might start a gaming revolution; not to be preachy or anything like that, I just think it would be cool to see a cell-shaded Gears of War.

  • Posted Jul 13, 2008 4:10 pm PT
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• 13Jul 08

  I Want That: 80's Nostalgia

  So most of you reading this (Peanut) might have heard that on the weekend, Diablo 3 was announced. I definitely am not as stoked as those long time fans, mostly for the reason that I am not a long time fan nor have I played the first two Diablo games. You might call me insane and I am okay with that but because I am insane for other reasons (I will make the KOTOR movie). I haven't been on this earth as long as the Blizzard fanboys so can you at least give me a break. My first real game that I got into was the first Mario Party game for God's sake, and for gaming I only go as far back to 1997.

  Maybe I'm just jealous that I never was able to get into older gaming or having the ability to participate in conversations with old nerds about the games that I was too young to understand at the time. I feel like the Apprentice to a bunch of Jedi Masters that existed in a more simple time when it was totally okay to like corny stories or living under the Reagan administration. It may seem like a stupid wish, but I just want to know what it was like to have games like Diablo which were groundbreaking at the time.

  This is probably the time to end my pointless whining about being born in the early 90's, because look at what childhood memories that have already become. Even knowing that I was never there in the 80's, this generation of games seems to be moving at high speeds and entering the throne of mainstream entertainment. Now the game industry is bigger than Hollywood and we are getting games like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto that are defining what is possible in a game. I have always loved a good story and it's about damn time that some games are starting to deliver on that front. BioWare has told a better Star Wars story than the entire prequel trilogy, in my opinion. Even gameplay has evolved somewhat with games like Portal keeping the first person view that Valve is famous for and adding platformer and unique puzzle elements that made it one of the most original games of last year.

  Now that I think about it, It was kind of cool playing games like Knights of the Old Republic and Halo that will becomememorablehits as the years go by. I will be able to tell my kids that I lived in the time that gaming started to rev up an become its own rather than something stupid like fighting in World War II.

  
  
  • Posted Jul 13, 2008 4:07 pm PT
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• 13Jul 08

  Games That Make Me All Giddy Inside

  There are plenty of games coming out this year, but there are a select few that actually have me interested in playing them rather than the usual feeling of wanting to dump them into a landfill (with all due respect to the environment). The ones that stick out to me are obvious to most people, but this is an article and as far as I know, I still have enough free will to make good decisions.

  The first game that really sticks out to me is Star Wars: Force Unleashed. If you have talked to me or have read any of my scripture located on this site or any other, you could have guessed that I am a huge Star Wars fan, but just because this game is Star Wars related isn't the only reason i am intrigued by it (it's only about 85%). What gets me going is the crazy force powers and the Euphoria engine that powers them, which is the same engine that Grand Theft Auto IV used. The story sounds kind of appealing, but when I want a Star Wars game with a narrative, I will ask BioWare.

  Another game surprisingly has it's grip on me and that game is Saint's Row 2. When the first one came out, it was practically a GTA rip-off as everyone knows, but whats happening with number 2 is that you can spray number 2 at civilians with a septic tank truck. The huge appeal for me to this one is the number of batsh** crazy stunts that you can pull, which is something that GTA4 was dreadfully lacking. It definitely seems that Saint's Row 2 is going to improve on just about everything in one. And do you remember the trains in GTA4? SR2 is finally letting me throw someone in front of one which was the major flaw of that game.

  The third game is Gears of War 2… What do I really need to say? CliffyB already gave me the words. "Bigger. Better. More Badass."

  I am a huge fan of Oblivion and I loved how immersive the world was. Even time to time, I still play it after the very day it came out. Because of Oblivion, I am totally interested in Fallout 3. However, I am not scowering the internet for rumors or what the game will have in it, because I liked how I was given little information about Oblivion before I played it. I had never played a Fallout game before and when I told the Gamespot forums that, there was a lot of comments about me being a heretic for wanting to play Fallout 3. I could care less about what fanboys say, because they are the most narrow-minded kinds of people I know of.

  At this point, I want a whole bunch of games that are coming out with the advantage of minimal bored moments. The only problem now is money.

  • Posted Jul 13, 2008 2:19 pm PT
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