Over at International Game Journalists Association, David applauds Gamespot for changing their points system in reviews.

Everything’s in .5 increments now, so scores are either an 8, 8.5 or 9, instead of an 8.7. David’s happy about this because it’s “a step toward considering games, and game criticism, pieces in a dialog in pursuit of meaning rather than a simple number standing in place of a real idea.”

But David neglects to mention the new “medals,” which award games for certain technical or artistic merits. For example, “Good Start” means the game has introduced some new concepts, while “Technically Proficient Graphics” is pretty self-explanatory. This to me derides serious criticism by compartmentalizing aspects of a game, much in the same way that numbered ratings broken into categories do. It’s not a bad system, but it doesn’t seem like a step towards dialog to me.

And in this aspect, I think David misses a key point about Gamespot. In my mind, that site has always been about consumer reports, not critiques. Their reviews are designed to tell you what to expect from a game’s presentation, graphics, audio and gameplay. If you want to know exactly how the D-pad is used to select your weapons in The Darkness, Gamespot will tell you.

1UP, on the other hand, will probably not. Their focus seems more on critique. Their reviews are shorter, designed to eloquently capture the experience of playing the game. In a review of Super Paper Mario, for example, they’ll tell you that while the game’s platform-puzzle sequences are clever, they don’t require the same platform mastery of a “real” Mario — a point so poignant it’s impossible not to notice it when you’re actually playing the game. It’s still a consumer report in a sense (with number rating to boot), but it drives more at the question of why you might be playing the game in the first place, rather than simply whether the game is acceptable over various criteria.

Of course, if there’s a spectrum of consumer report vs. critique, neither site reaches the latter end. I would imagine a full-on critique would not include a score, and as David has implied previously, maybe reviews are better off without them. Again, I think this is beside the point. Scores are sort of a necessary evil for most types of media reviews (okay, book reviews usually don’t have them, but film, television and music do). We’d all like to have readers pay more attention to our words and less to an arbitrary number, but at the end of the day, it’s a device that helps the reader quantify what they read and make a decision as to how they will spend their money.

The better question is whether all game reviews should be critiques rather than consumer reports, and at what point is a score no longer appropriate. I think wide variety of review types is important, as it is with film and music. Edge Magazine’s essay on Super Mario Sunshine (in print only, sorry) remains one of the best critiques I’ve read, but I’d hate to make a buyer’s decision based on the theory that it’s the first Mario game to imply Bowser and Princess Peach had sex (!).

1UP is more in the middle of the spectrum. They could probably get away with dropping their ratings, but it wouldn’t be completely appropriate to do so. Gamespot, on the other hand, needs the score. Although their dense dissections of a game should tell readers what they need to know, it would be a disservice to consumers not to include a score. As for the medals, they do seem more effective than the old breakdown of scores for gameplay, graphics, etc, but neither method really served the critique or the consumer.

Just as it doesn’t seem likely for gamers to fret over an 8 vs a 9 “tilt” rating, I don’t think someone needs to see a “Brutal” medal from Gamespot to tell if the game has enough blood and guts to satiate their thirst. After all, that’s what the ESRB is for, and that’s a whole other story.

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In the span of 30 hours, I died, lurked as a zombie, and became human again.

It started with a poorly planned attack run out of Caiger Mall. Though I left myself enough Action Points to return safely to the mall, I didn’t check the entry point to make sure it wasn’t too heavily barricaded to get back in, nor did I leave enough points to find an alternate course of action. I ran out of points and fell asleep just outside the mall, and for the next few hours, real life took precident. Over that time, I was mauled.

For a few minutes, I just stared blankly at the screen. I was so determined not to die that when it finally happened it seemed like the game was over. But there are ways to become human again. Scientists trained in revivification can bring lost souls back to life. All it takes is some research and some patience.

After death, the game tries to lure you down the dark path with the promise of new evil powers, but I wanted none of it. Over the night, I sat idly, regenerating action points and plotting a course to the nearest revive point. When I got there, I uttered the obligatory “Mrh?” — universal zombiespeak for wanting a revive — and waited. I also used a Revivification Request Tool in hopes of speeding the process.

Just a few minutes ago, I was relieved to see someone had brought me back to life. I stood up, ran back to Caiger Mall, and cashed in my experience points for some firearm skills. I’ve got a few pistol clips that are waiting to be used. Fuck healing other survivors; I am out for zombie blood until further notice.

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First, a wag of the finger to Kotaku for forgetting their roots in a post on the upcoming Contra 4 for Nintendo DS. Any Contra nerd worth their salt would know that Mad Dog and Scorpion are not “new merc characters,” nor are they simply “names of really bad alcoholic beverages.” In fact, they are nicknames for the original game’s heroes, Bill and Lance, who are entirely seperate characters in the coming sequel. Shame on you Kotaku, for not drawing attention to this discrepancy. Also, I can’t post about Contra without mentioning that I have beaten both the NES and Arcade Contras with no extra lives code and no continues. I believe a w00t is in order.

This next bit is more pressing. I did not realize that Nintendo and Sony do not license games that have an Adults Only rating. I learned this when reading about the ESRB’s decision to rate Manhunt 2 AO.

I’m all for keeping games like Manhunt 2 out of the hands of minors, but that doesn’t mean those games shouldn’t be available at all. If it means putting games up on some high covered shelf out of kids’ eyesight or distributing online only, so be it — at least it’s in the publishers’ hands whether they want to clean up a game for a Mature rating. For all the arguments the games industry puts forth about the need to defend their creative expression, I’m shocked that it’s the game companies themselves doing the censoring.

Finally, I’ve hit a rut with GameFly — a sort of spin on the classic lament of people with day jobs who have too many games to play and not enough time. I’m maybe a third of the way through Super Paper Mario, and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 just arrived. In addition, there’s the two games I kept after renting them, Oblivion and Trauma Center. I want to play the games I’m renting so I can ship them back out and feel I’m getting my money’s worth, but the last thing I want is to make gaming a chore. I suppose I’ll go back to my old strategy of digging up classic games, finding interesting PC experiments and flicking at my rentals with an occasional prolonged console binge.

Perhaps I’ll start with a Contra speed run.

Wii, Gamefly, Politics, Media, Rants | No Comments »

Did I do the right thing?

As warnings of a massive zombie horde invading Dakerstown became more urgent, I decided to run — north, east and finally south to Chudleyton, near where I originally began this adventure. Now I learn the area is in dire straits. The one contact I had from the Crimson Clan has become a zombie.

My decision, I think, is justified because of my limited attack skills and nonexistant barricade abilities. The most I could have done would be to stand in the way and provide an occasional health pack. Chances are I would probably end up dead anyway, and I can’t let that happen.

Along the way to Chudleyton, I used most of my first aid stockpile on lone survivors, some of whom had pretty low health before I came along. This is what I had intended to do in my current status, and I intend to keep doing it until I’m experienced enough to fight the horde effectively.

Problem: As I typed this, a survivor entered the building I was in and killed one of the humans inside. He is gone now, but I don’t know if or when he’ll be back. I need to plan an escape, but my action points are extremely limited. Send help to factory 15,20 if possible. I don’t feel safe here, so I’m planning to make a dash toward Caiger Mall. I have exactly the number of action points I need to get there, +1 in case anything goes wrong. Of course, if there’s any danger when I get there, I’m screwed. Perhaps karma is coming ’round…

UPDATE: Made it to Caiger Mall. Nothing but survivors around. Seems safe, for now.

Urban Dead | 1 Comment »

Today, I’m putting away my Gamecube, and that’s a really sucky thing to do. I had previously left the Cube in my half bedroom/gamer pit along with the 360, and had placed the Wii out in the communal TV room, but with several single-player games to tend to, the Wii and I need a little more alone time. There’s only room for 2 consoles in this room, so my beloved indigo box must go.

I know I’m not the first to lament a dependable console replaced by a newer, backwards compatible one, but I figure this small eulogy is due. That said, I’d like to share a story with which those who know me are already familiar.

–

Back in college, I had lit some incense in my room, atop my TV, prior to one of our house parties, and had stupidly left it unattended. Dumber still, my reluctance to buy a proper stand for such occasions meant I was relying on a junk piece of styrofoam to hold up this flaming scent stick. It had never been a problem before, but you can imagine what happened.

My housemate’s then-girlfriend tapped me on the shoulder and told me the smoke alarm was going off upstars. I bounded up to my room to find the air saturated with thick black smoke, the alarm screaming in dismay, the smell of burnt plastic overwhelming. I sensed a couple people behind me, but they retreated when they saw the source of the problem: My TV, and my Gamecube below it, were on fire.

It’s hard to say what went through my head at that moment, but something compelled me to attack the problem the same way I would handle a birthday cake. With a series of quick puffs, I (miraculously?) extinguished the flames. The fire burned a hole in the TV straight through to its inner workings, and the right front side of my Cube seemed completely melted; the Animal Crossing memory card in the second slot was dripping plastic.

Sitting on the floor of my room, a black haze around me, I then did what any other gamer would do: I flicked on the Cube’s power and turned on the TV. I have never been so happy to see Samus Aran. Later on, after some serious filing and cutting of molten plastic, every input and card slot on the console was in full working order. I’ve retold this story several times for those who inquired about my Burnt Cube, and no one has ever assumed that the fourth controller and second memory slot are functional.

Obviously, there’s no chance of selling this Gamecube, and I can’t really give it away without forfeiting my games, controllers and memory cards, so it’s just going to sit in the closet, but it won’t be forgotten. If the Wii ever breaks down — and who knows, certainly the early wrist straps didn’t cut the mustard — I know my Cube will be ready for action. In an age of Red Rings of Death, of recalls and re-releases, of patches and updates, of extra costs for warrantees that are honored all too often, that’s all a gamer can really ask for.

Newman, Wii, Humour | No Comments »

Over at the Escapist Forums, some gamers reacted to news that Jack Thompson won’t appear at the upcoming Penny Arcade Expo. Apparently, talks were underway to have him debate with IGDA’s Jason Della Rocca or some other leading game industry figure, but Penny Arcade and Thompson couldn’t come to an agreement because PA wanted the event to be a surprise and Thompson wanted to publicize it.

That in itself bothers me; Penny Arcade had a chance to get Thompson and Della Rocca in the same room having an open debate, and somehow the ball was dropped. PA should have bent over backwards to make this debate happen. We are talking about the opportunity for an unprecedented live debate that could at best break new ground in the discussion of video game violence, and at worst be really interesting to watch or read about. In my mind, the only reasons this shouldn’t have happened are if either PA didn’t have the finances to schedule it (e.g. Thompson requests a large sum of money to appear) or if the terms or topics of the debate were somehow restricted by either party.

But what really ticks me off is the response from some posters on the forums. It doesn’t even occur to them that Thompson may be in the right here.

Sure, Thompson can be irrational sometimes, and maybe his request to publicize this event was a bit arbitrary, but PA’s argument that an advance announcement would overcrowd the room seems a bit thin. You’re telling me they can’t hire a few extra bouncers/ushers to prevent a possible fire hazard? Or worse yet, is PA implying that a room full of gamers who generally don’t like Thompson can’t behave themselves during a debate?

Instead of asking these questions, the posters attack Thompson without a flinch. One of these posters writes in PA’s defense that “having him simply appear on stage unexpectedly would likely have left everyone too stunned to resort to violence until after the debate was over.”

What?

So we’re saying that Thompson is right about gamers, that they’re such angry pack animals that the mere knowledge of his whereabouts will drive them to a violent rage. Maybe so, as another poster writes, “I’m going to be at PAX and I’d sure love the opportunity to punch this jerk in the face. I bet he realizes a lot of gamers feel that way and that’s why he won’t attend.”

No. To reiterate, Thompson is the one who is willing to make his presence known in advance, so you could have even planned your route of attack for punching Thompson in the face. And if you did, he’d love it. He’d take that precious little anecdote (and his black eye) to Fox News and CNN and every other major media outlet in the country and tell people about how violence-crazed gamers assaulted him during a peaceful debate.

Maybe I was wrong about Penny Arcade; maybe it’s the gamers who are dropping the ball on this one.

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This just came over the radio:

# 28.01 MHz: “Any one there?” (14 hours and 18 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “We are in the cinema and need help!” (14 hours and 17 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “anyone, please, the cooksley cinema, i don’t know wher it is” (14 hours and 17 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “Just help u- AAAAAHHH!!! ITS GO- AAAAH!!!!” (14 hours and 16 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “It is the Will of the Dark God that you surrender your life” (14 hours and 16 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “and be Reborn in a new and Holy form! Accept the” (14 hours and 15 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “What!?!?! don’t say that!!!” (14 hours and 15 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “Will of the Dark God! Accept the Will of the Storm!” (14 hours and 15 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “never demon!!!” (14 hours and 15 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “I’ll kill you!!!” (14 hours and 15 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “Allleluja! Alleluja! Alleluja!” (14 hours and 15 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “GRAAAAAHHH!!!! *static*” (14 hours and 14 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “Another Miracle, children. How blessed are we to have heard” (14 hours and 14 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “it this night. Meditate on the Will of the Dark God,” (14 hours and 14 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “Amen.” (14 hours and 13 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “Attention, Malton: the Red Shotgunner will claim the life” (14 hours and 13 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “of a survivor within the next three days.” (14 hours and 13 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “–{Transmission: Begins}–” (13 hours and 58 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “In accordance with section 943a, this is a statement…” (13 hours and 57 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “from the Tactial Area Rescue’s Council on Martial Law.” (13 hours and 57 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “Recent activity of multiple persons violating the TAR…” (13 hours and 57 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “Martial Law Proclamation, and repeated violations of the” (13 hours and 56 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “established Curfe for Wyke Hills have not gone unnoticed.” (13 hours and 56 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “Anyone found in violation of said curfew shall be terminated” (13 hours and 55 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “…” *static* “… you, dumb asshole, you …” *static* “…ers killed me. I just rev’d” (13 hours and 55 minutes ago)
# 28.01 MHz: “Those in violation shall be terminated. Transmission End.” (13 hours and 54 minutes ago)

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Free run has been acquired, and I used my new skills to access an extremely heavily barricaded police station, where I’m now chilling with the Crimson Clan. I also found a radio. This appears to be a pretty safe shelter, with a hospital nearby, so I’m going to hide out in this area for a while and build up supplies.

I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do from there, but I may wander as a rogue and help other n00bs in need.

DoctorRevive, if you’re reading this I’m going to try to migrate over to Northeastern Malton in the near future, but not until I’m fully loaded with first aid kits.

Urban Dead | 2 Comments »

I filed my first story on video games for the Wilton Villager this week, a short one about two local kids who got knocked to the floor while playing Guitar Hero II during a huge thunderstorm. To quote myself:

Ben and Chris Bergin, ages 19 and 14, respectively, were jamming to “Message in a Bottle” by the Police on their guitar controllers when a bolt of lighting touched down near the house, and the charge found its way into the house’s wiring.

“I actually looked over at my brother because I thought he hit me in the chest with something,” Chris Bergin said.

Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the controllers are done for.

UPDATE: Got this story linked on Kotaku.

Newman, Humour, Media | No Comments »

A trio of game journalists has put together the Videogame Style Guide, thus answering at the very least whether it’s spelled “videogame” or “video game.” (I’ve always considered it to be the latter, but alas, The Style Guide Has Spoken.)

The big question is whether they can get anyone to conform to this, especially mainstream outlets. I find that the AP Stylebook is great at explaining concepts (the highest court in New York is the Court of Appeals, not the state Supreme Court) in addition to just explaining capitalization and hyphens. Such explanations would be invaluable for non-gamers who are trying to wrap their heads around game jargon.

That said, it would be great if highlights from this could be incorporated into the AP Stylebook, or could at least be referenced in the AP’s pages. I don’t see this happening any time soon, since the eBook version is only available for free for a limited time, and a wiki to follow at the International Game Journalists Assocaition website will be for members only.

Anyway, I’ve requested a free copy of the eBook, but no telling if they’ll provide it seeing as I’m a freelancer when it comes to games writing. We’ll see if my clips can speak on my behalf.

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