Write Once Read Many

Put the console away, gentlemen.

via The Law Society Gazette, 9 June 2011

Circumference

Until FIFA 12 ships next month, the same month that'll be picking up a Kindle, my time will be devoured by a basin-full of videogaming Sci-fi. Otherwise I have been disappointed with what videogames have to offer me right now. I have reached a saturation point that I'm devoting less time playing them than at any point previously.

That said, this latter half of the year is the serious side of videogaming releases. This weeks release of the prequel to Deus Ex is just the beginning to some heavyweight titles that are due in the months leading into the last quarter of the year. As I no longer recieve review code so I will be picky over what I'll lay my money down for.

Maybe, like music was for me in the '80s and '90s, videogaming has come full circle and as a result a decline is to be expected. So, dear reader, what do you expect to be playing in the coming months ? Drop a few of your picks in the comments and let's see if our wavelengths will get a chance to combine. 

Deindividuation

Did you see the last two episodes of the current season of Luther? If you're a gamer and haven't watched them yet then set aside some time to catch these episodes. Other than the referencing to the use of dice to make judgment calls - à la The Dice Man - their are scenes of mass murder of unarmed civilians in both those episodes. The assailant, in both cases, uses a hammer to plow-down his victims indiscriminately. These cold-bloodied scenes made me reflect on the 'No Russian' controversy that MW2 invoked. In both cases, MW2 and Luther, we have no way of effecting the outcome. The most we can do is watch the carnage, impotent to do nothing but gain an emotional reaction.

What I believe is shown, to a better degree of satisfaction, is the level of deindividuation the two killers have in those episodes of Luther. My feelings were managed better than they were in the 'No Russian' scene in MW2. That scene allowed me to observe without taking action or to join in an open fire - neither action bore any consequence on the outcome or to the character you are playing.

For me, this is where TV still trumps videogames for emotional connection to characters and events within their frameworks. Courting controversy is inherent in both formats but alas videogaming has much more to learn at how to do it gracefully and with conviction.

What future vision would you bring to the single player or co-op party?

While removing old files from my Mac, my finger of delete hovered over an article I had been planning to write for an online magazine. The article is incomplete and in rough but instead of developing on it more I thought I'd post it here as is. Maybe you have some thoughts of your own or want to answer the question I posed in the title of this post?

what futuristic vision could there be of the single player element? Player action needs to be more dramatic on the outcome of the story. If we saw a story grow, change and be more predicted by player input, rather than scripted events, then outcomes would vary wildly. Different play style, technique and even morals could open up the closed nature that is inherent of single player campaigns. The recent Fallout and Dragon Age franchises have attempted this to a degree but did they offer too much obvious choice too often? Does it need to be a more organic progression of will than we are currently seeing?

Thoughts? 

SWTOR is not in my size

You'll happy now?

Preordered your CE?

Am happy for you. Enjoy.

Just remember where SWG is now and what it was. All things come to an end - good or bad. It's when you don't know when to close the book, is when the respect is lost.

MMO's have shown little respect to the gamer and the time and money given up on them.

My life has enough bitter-sweet moments.

I no longer require mana.

Bioshock Infinite: 15 mins of E3 gameplay

jl

 

Just to make a further point that I made in my last post, the above 15 mins of gameplay of Bioshock Infinite has to be one of the best looking gameplay demos I have seen this year.

While most will be thrilled by the look and seamless action shown in the demo, something else struck me as rather unique. Watch closely how the small dialogues between Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth exactly match the action as it happens. If I didn't know better I'd believe that I had been watching a cutscene rather than actual gameplay. This alone will add so much to the immersion of the game experience but can also see why there's no co-op gameplay option in Bioshock Infinite. Unless that has yet to be announced...2012 is still some way off!?

12 minutes

Trailers for videogames, like movies, don't tell the whole story. Edited to hype but also manipulate the viewer into believing these short fabrications of belief. Unlike movies, there has been a recent trend to release actual gameplay of future videogames.  These 12 or so minute gameplay demos tell much more of the 'story' than the staged trailer and are infinitely more valuable to the gamer.

Talking of infinite's tomorrow we can catch the whole 15 minute gameplay demo that was shown at E3 of Bioshock Infinite, over at GTTV. Although we have to wait until 2012 for the new Bioshock title, other titles, due this year, that have had the '12 minute treatment' have been Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City and Dead Island.

I for one hope this trend continues as it gives me a much clearer insight to whether a game will fulfil what I want from my gaming experiences.

The Seppuku of PR

Back in 2008 I wrote my first review of a game that had been sent to me by the respective PR company. It was a less than complimentary review and scored just above a 5 (out of 10). Since that review there has been exactly zero review code from said PR. Whether that is a coincidence or not I really couldn't say. My experience of dealing with PR companies within the gaming industry has had erratic results - some very generous while other PRs being very much less so.

In those 3 years since I've never known a PR to publicly reproach those, that have been sought out to publicise their titles, for bad reviews. That is not until this weeks outburst on Twitter from the Redner Group. It left 2K no real options but to drop the Redner Group within a day of the tweet, even though apologies were made to 2K by Redner. Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell has even sympathised with the Redner Group and even disclosed that Eurogamer itself has been 'blacklisted' by 2K. Tom also claiming that it 'seems to be standard practice' does reinforce my own limited experiences.

I no longer receive review code for games from PR companies. I don't currently review games even though I still enjoy discussing them here and on Twitter. There are some who hold the view that videogame reviewing is redundant activity and gamers needing to be told what to like is a fabrication of their own judgement. Personally? I like to have a selective balance of reviews to read from writers I trust. But maybe games PR don't have that luxury with the games media? Maybe too much purchase is placed on a Metacritic score above 80? Not everyone is going to like your game but is lessening the access to a title is only going to be at the detriment of a wider and more concise view point?