A large problem with game narrative isn’t the content or even the way in which it is conveyed to the player, but the linear path structure it follows. The streamlined tales found in this format not only direct story direction in a contrived progression forward but also limits gameplay to conform to the rules and boundaries it abides by.
Many say the world of movies has aged with society causing it to shift into something greater than it was originally ever thought possible; however in saying that, has it ever evolved? The answer is no, for decades the same story has been proclaimed as new and relevant simply by adding a new skin or adjusting the content to popular views. It is only these views that have altered, not the story in which we allow to be regurgitated to us over and over again.
A Hero’s Journey is known as the essential key to any story, a structured set of rules that movies and books follow in order to assure the viewer agrees with what is put in front of them. Whether this is believability in the world or the events that occur, we are presented with an easy to follow path to be stringed along. This is the exact problem with stories found in gaming, they try to shoe-horn this archaic cliché into any new or original idea that may have been. People continue to want “The Godfather” of video games but what they need is the “No Country for Old Men”. A story that does not follow a pattern or even logical path, but causes a much more realistic sense of empathy with every character and denotes an emotion to the world itself.
Every step proclaimed as a necessity in film is contorted into an over-encumbering burden on video games and any potential is thrown to the way-side for the safe-bet. It seems the choice of security has smothered the freedom to create a unique experience. The simple acknowledgment of this list of rules, not only shows the predictability of stories in games, but what is being withheld in the realm of possibility.
·The ordinary World – The hero starts off in a setting of their comfort, not always in the physical sense but in a way which is normal to them. The character is established in the first scene to the point in which an entire description of their personality can be created within the first ten minutes.
·Call To Adventure – Something happens, taking the protagonist out their element. The rewards and dangers are partially set in front of them and they always correlate with the hero’s desires/fears.
·Refusal to the call – The hero is not committed to the adventure and has to be pushed by some kind of ranged emotion such as fear or anger.
·Meeting with a mentor – The words a wise character who has walked the same path as you before or at the very least is very aware of what you are about to face. Their voice comes with the promise of aid such as weapons or advice that will help them on their journey.
·Crossing the threshold – A physical and mental threshold is broken as the hero becomes determined in their task with no thought of hesitation or risk involved.
·Tests, Allies and Enemies – Companions and antagonists are established simultaneously to introduce a clear good and evil side of the tale. The rules of the world are shown as tests that must be passed, each of which either adding to or showing some part of the hero’s character.
·Approach in most caves – The moral fibre/ideals of the hero come to light, through a great confrontation or problem.
·Supreme Ordeal – All hope is lost and a moment of doubt is felt in a life/death, win/lose scenario.
·Seizing of the sword – The hero is bestowed with what they need to prevail, something that inevitably responds to the hero’s original fear. Insecurity is suddenly replaced overwhelming confidence in a moment of triumph.
·Road Back – Something devastating happens to the villain’s plans or whatever the antagonist may be. It is shown that you have grown and those you were opposing you have not, of course leading to their downfall.
·Resurrection – The body has to be purified after battle before true progression can be obtained and they return to their home changed for the better.
·Return with the elixir – You win... the player is happy, everything is resolved nicely and final scenes show us how much they have changed.
How many times have you heard that story before? I’d guess it’s pretty close to how many games you own. The fleeting few that do not annotate this structure stand out incredibly easily, hence why Bioshock and Half-Life have deservingly become so well-known for their plot. Bioshock basically does that entire story-arch in the first five minutes of the game. All of which, except for an explanation of the player and what his motivations, origins and desires are. The only characteristic known is that he has the will to survive no matter the cost. By having this constant unknown throughout, the game allows for one of the greatest plot twists in gaming ever. In all definitions it’s not even a twist, it s literally an answer to a question that had never really been asked. Who am I?
So few developers see this genius, instead they try to re-create it with ham-fisted “twist endings” that are either convoluted to the point of broken or leave the player sociopathic towards the entire game because it changed everything that had been created as fact.
Another good example of this differing story is Hitman. Never in that series is 47 really called to action, he never leaves his original environment or comfort zone. This allows the player to interact in a completely relative and believable way because this is what 47 does; there is nothing more to his character. By leaving all this pre-constructed explanation in a applicable fashion, the player is given a completely non-linear choice how to get the end result. This is because it all is established to be something 47 would have done, no matter how varied the choices are.
Imagine what other games could do just by not conforming to this pre-conceived bullshit that society can’t handle a change to the schedule, when monotony isn’t welcomed with open arms. What if the protagonist and antagonists evolved so greatly that the roles of which is which blurred and left completely to the player’s interpretation. What if a hero is accompanied by companions and those relationships are the entire source of problems and resolution. Throughout the game no antagonist ever appears but the overall presence of mis-trust and conflicting ideals brings hardship and unsolvable ordeals to what is essentially a straight-forward path. Or even a complete blank slate, a character in a completely incomprehensible environment that meets but never truly interacts with another individual. The whole purpose is unknown, but you have an untold drive for something that is not ever told to you. Every different event the player witnesses or is part of defines a part of their personality, but with no conformation if this is true or not they are always left to question. The ending comes with a resolution or maybe it doesn’t, but either way it never answers if this is actually what they were driving for.
The potential in games is their ability to show information to a story in any order and at any point of time. The need of consistent character development over an hour and a half period is unnecessary and by stretchy this process out to 10 hours is a waste of everybody’s time. We as people may continue to ask for what we already know, but that in which we don’t even comprehend is possible, is what we truly appreciate.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Red Faction Guerrilla (Xbox360/PS3)
Developer: Volition Inc
Publisher: THQ
Released: June 2, 2009
Red Faction Guerrilla is a third person open world game that is trying to fully realise the potential of that old geomod gimmick from all those years ago. If you think you know exactly how this equation is going to work out then think again because this is one of the best games to come out this year.
The game starts as Alec Mason is transported to Mars as a minor simply wanting to work, however it soon becomes very apparent that a giant isolated desert is surprisingly not the greatest of work locations. Alec’s brother, who had convinced his older sibling to come to the red planet soon divulges that Mason’s skills should be used for a greater purpose than merely harvesting ore. The Red Faction, a rebellion group, is trying to push back the omnipotence of the Earth Defence Force (EDF) and they are in need of support. Before the word ‘no’ can even leave Alec’s mouth, he is forced to watch the EDF murder his brother and in turn finds a reason to fight.
This brings up the most integral part of the game, destruction. Every element is based on the simple human need to break everything in sight and it is a beautiful sight when it’s crumbling down in front of you. The much discussed third evolution of the geomod stands up to the hype, allowing every building collapse in an amazingly realistic way. Every component has its own weight and physics leading to endless possibilities. A giant smoke stack can be angled using explosives to fall on an objective below, avoiding all conflict or three walls of a bunker can be obliterated and five minutes later the rest will fall of its own accord.
The side-missions hinge on this factor, as they range from destroy an EDF control point, to destroy a building and save some hostages, to the ever popular destroy waves of soldier’s faces with a sledgehammer. All these objectives not only lower the control of the Earth Defence Force on a certain sector but also raise the morale of the Red Faction, causing reinforcements to come to your aid in battle.
You may think at this point Guerrilla is a mediocre third-person open world game with an incredibly fun destructibility system and you would not be wrong in saying that, but until you experience the multiplayer you have no real insight as to how great this game is. The random devastation and sweet weaponry carry over and all the afterbirth that is the grind of the campaign is left behind, leaving one of the most robust, unique multiplayers that has come along in years.
Games modes vary from the common deathmatch and capture the flag to the more exciting control point and siege modes, which entail annihilating certain objectives and taking turns attacking and defending selected targets. Classes are maintained to in-game backpacks that add just an extra layer of choice and skill. It is all laced together with a great lobby system that allows party allocation, exceptionally deep custom match integration, mode choice and tells you exactly what the server is doing. As well as this the whole process is remarkably quick at finding matches and in my many hours of playing has only lagged once.
If the fun in multiplayer wasn’t already enough it also is accompanied by an experience system that allows for avatar customisation and a perpetual drive to continue playing for the next character or sledgehammer. Hidden challenges and stat tracking both tell you exactly how much of your life has been sucked away blowing up bridges when half of the opposing team is walking over them and even the drunkards are accommodated with an offline ‘do the most destruction in a time limit extravaganza’ mode.
Overall Red Faction is an average open world game with one of the greatest gimmicks in recent memory. The story will justify any time spent on it and the multiplayer is some of the most fun you can have with a vibrating controller. If you have ever looked at someone who was getting on your nerves, thought about the possibilities of a sledgehammer and smiled then this game is for you. If I didn’t just described you, buy it anyway... it’s just that good.
9/10 (Nine's are exceptional games that have one or two minor flaws holding them back. Steal small children's money and shoes to get your hands on this game.)
Developer: Volition Inc
Publisher: THQ
Released: June 2, 2009
Red Faction Guerrilla is a third person open world game that is trying to fully realise the potential of that old geomod gimmick from all those years ago. If you think you know exactly how this equation is going to work out then think again because this is one of the best games to come out this year.
The game starts as Alec Mason is transported to Mars as a minor simply wanting to work, however it soon becomes very apparent that a giant isolated desert is surprisingly not the greatest of work locations. Alec’s brother, who had convinced his older sibling to come to the red planet soon divulges that Mason’s skills should be used for a greater purpose than merely harvesting ore. The Red Faction, a rebellion group, is trying to push back the omnipotence of the Earth Defence Force (EDF) and they are in need of support. Before the word ‘no’ can even leave Alec’s mouth, he is forced to watch the EDF murder his brother and in turn finds a reason to fight.
Red Faction’s story is simple and basically never really elaborated on from this first instance as the player is given just enough incentive to continue playing to the end with minor cut-scenes and narrative. The real positive of the plot is that Volition cleverly realised that people would rather be blowing shit up than listening to whimsical tales from the voice of Crackdown. This may come as a surprise to those wanting the inspired storyline of the developer’s previous title Saints Row, but if Red Faction tried to explain why you are spraying sewerage on old-ladies with logic I probably would have stopped playing.
Instead, nearly everything of importance is explained thinly via in-game radio communication between you and the leaders of Red Faction. Why you are so important or even more qualified than any of the other hundred people sitting around doing absolutely nothing is never explained but hey, take it as a complement. All of the game’s elements are attached somehow to the conflict between the two warring groups so you never feel that your talents are being wasted on menial tasks. Through all this the story is actually very well implemented, it won’t make you think about life’s purpose but it will make you feel like a badass on a vendetta... on freaking Mars.
Like I said before Red Faction Guerrilla is definitely an open world game in every possible aspect. It is broken up into six sectors as you would expect, however contrary to the norm the majority of the map is basically open from the get go, leaving only a relatively small section closed for the finale. This may be seen as a positive compared to the frustrations of arbitrary blockades between islands but the possibility of long drives to objectives becomes regular very early on. Thankfully very little will force you to stop driving on your way there, so large distances can be traversed in rather little time.
Like I said before Red Faction Guerrilla is definitely an open world game in every possible aspect. It is broken up into six sectors as you would expect, however contrary to the norm the majority of the map is basically open from the get go, leaving only a relatively small section closed for the finale. This may be seen as a positive compared to the frustrations of arbitrary blockades between islands but the possibility of long drives to objectives becomes regular very early on. Thankfully very little will force you to stop driving on your way there, so large distances can be traversed in rather little time.
The real problem with these long drives is it becomes painfully obvious that the massive landscape is all very alike. There are only so many red mountains that can be dawning on the horizon before everything just looks the same. To be fair this is probably an accurate description of a baron wasteland, but it is easy to forget that, when the ground and sky are burned into one constant image on your retina. The occasional blend of brown dust and white snow is appreciated, but they are both far too infrequent to break the monotony.
Volition seemed to realise both these problems, as well as a few more that people may find in the game and address them all through the upgrade system. Throughout the campaign special features will be available to purchase and each one comes just at the right time when a particular feature starts to really annoy you. The drives taking too long, they give you a teleport mechanic, the difficulty curve starts kicking your arse, they give you armour, you want a jetpack... they give you a jetpack!
Everything has a price however; some people may have asked for money, Red Faction just wants scrap, lots and lots of scrap. This can be found all over the map and is used as incentive for many collectables scattered around the place, the primary example being an incredibly expensive looking metal which begs the question why don’t they just want that instead of rusted iron? Either way it provides a means to buy awesome weapons such as a rifle that disintegrates people, cars, even buildings all in the name domination.
Volition seemed to realise both these problems, as well as a few more that people may find in the game and address them all through the upgrade system. Throughout the campaign special features will be available to purchase and each one comes just at the right time when a particular feature starts to really annoy you. The drives taking too long, they give you a teleport mechanic, the difficulty curve starts kicking your arse, they give you armour, you want a jetpack... they give you a jetpack!
Everything has a price however; some people may have asked for money, Red Faction just wants scrap, lots and lots of scrap. This can be found all over the map and is used as incentive for many collectables scattered around the place, the primary example being an incredibly expensive looking metal which begs the question why don’t they just want that instead of rusted iron? Either way it provides a means to buy awesome weapons such as a rifle that disintegrates people, cars, even buildings all in the name domination.
This brings up the most integral part of the game, destruction. Every element is based on the simple human need to break everything in sight and it is a beautiful sight when it’s crumbling down in front of you. The much discussed third evolution of the geomod stands up to the hype, allowing every building collapse in an amazingly realistic way. Every component has its own weight and physics leading to endless possibilities. A giant smoke stack can be angled using explosives to fall on an objective below, avoiding all conflict or three walls of a bunker can be obliterated and five minutes later the rest will fall of its own accord.
The side-missions hinge on this factor, as they range from destroy an EDF control point, to destroy a building and save some hostages, to the ever popular destroy waves of soldier’s faces with a sledgehammer. All these objectives not only lower the control of the Earth Defence Force on a certain sector but also raise the morale of the Red Faction, causing reinforcements to come to your aid in battle.
You may think at this point Guerrilla is a mediocre third-person open world game with an incredibly fun destructibility system and you would not be wrong in saying that, but until you experience the multiplayer you have no real insight as to how great this game is. The random devastation and sweet weaponry carry over and all the afterbirth that is the grind of the campaign is left behind, leaving one of the most robust, unique multiplayers that has come along in years.
Games modes vary from the common deathmatch and capture the flag to the more exciting control point and siege modes, which entail annihilating certain objectives and taking turns attacking and defending selected targets. Classes are maintained to in-game backpacks that add just an extra layer of choice and skill. It is all laced together with a great lobby system that allows party allocation, exceptionally deep custom match integration, mode choice and tells you exactly what the server is doing. As well as this the whole process is remarkably quick at finding matches and in my many hours of playing has only lagged once.
If the fun in multiplayer wasn’t already enough it also is accompanied by an experience system that allows for avatar customisation and a perpetual drive to continue playing for the next character or sledgehammer. Hidden challenges and stat tracking both tell you exactly how much of your life has been sucked away blowing up bridges when half of the opposing team is walking over them and even the drunkards are accommodated with an offline ‘do the most destruction in a time limit extravaganza’ mode.
Overall Red Faction is an average open world game with one of the greatest gimmicks in recent memory. The story will justify any time spent on it and the multiplayer is some of the most fun you can have with a vibrating controller. If you have ever looked at someone who was getting on your nerves, thought about the possibilities of a sledgehammer and smiled then this game is for you. If I didn’t just described you, buy it anyway... it’s just that good.
9/10 (Nine's are exceptional games that have one or two minor flaws holding them back. Steal small children's money and shoes to get your hands on this game.)
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