Hey everyone,
Just thought I'd put a quick blurb out about a great experience tonight. For those of you who might listen (I hope you do) , my radio show Playing with Perspective is on every Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30- 7:30 PM Mountain daily time.
We had a great collaboration with another show on air called Movie Hash. There's a lot of talk about the incredibly groan worth movie Pixels, and you can get some of our full thoughts. Then Nick joins us on our show to talk about movies based on games, and games based on movies. Take a listen!
https://soundcloud.com/playing-with-perspective/season-2-sidequest-playing-with-perspective-meets-movie-hash
https://soundcloud.com/playing-with-perspective/season-2-episode-16-watch-your-games
If you want to listen in to the show, listen at the link below.
http://mymetmedia.com/listen/
Otherwise, you can catch up on Soundcloud where the episodes get posted immediately afterward.
Cheers,
Hayes
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
One Single Line of Dialogue Highlights the Best Part of The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3 is a massive sweeping fantasy tale, that spanned over 150 hours for me to complete. I recently finished the game, and was very surprised by one fact. There was one thing that had more of an impact on me than anything else in the game, one thing that tied up Geralts journey as a character. We'll get to the specific line in a bit, but first we need to cover the relationship that Geralt and Ciri hold. I will warn you that significant spoilers on the end of the Witcher 3 lie ahead, so read on at your own peril.
Through much of the story of Witcher 3 Geralt spends his time on the trail of Ciri, a young woman that is basically a daughter to him. As such, you spend most of the game one step behind trying to piece together the path that Ciri took while also playing the elusive young woman herself at a few different points. This is the driving force behind Geralt in the game, although there's much more going on within the world Geralt's only worry is the safety and well being of Ciri.
With this fact in mind, it actually altered some of the choices I made through the story. For example, there's one plot-line in the city of Novigrad that has you hunting down a crime lord named Whoreson Junior. During the process of all this you find out what a terrible person Whoreson is, a person who enjoys sexually torturing women to death. You also find out that during the time Ciri interacted with him, he may have done something to harm her. While none of this is confirmed, the fatherly love that Geralt holds for Ciri prompted me to immediately end the life of Whoreson Junior.
It was a knee jerk reaction that I had in an instant because of the thought of what the man might have done to another character. This man needed to be gone from the world of The Witcher 3. It's not exactly commonplace that a game has this strong of an emotional response from me, and I was amazed with The Witcher 3 when it happened multiple times. As much as I'd love to go on and on about all the emotionally impactful parts, the point I have here is to highlight the incredible job Witcher 3 does with the father daughter bond of Geralt and Ciri.
Once you finally find Ciri and bring her back from The Isle of Mists, you begin the final stretch of the game. After the huge event of the Battle of Kaer Morhen, Geralt gets some quality time with Ciri as they mourn over the loss of a friend. Over the next few quests and plot lines, Geralt has five different choices regarding Ciri thrust upon him. The girl is having an incredibly hard time coping with everything and there are multiple occasions where Geralt gets to decide how to deal with Ciri. This can result in a warm fatherly approach, versus a cold disapproving father approach. For example, let me show you the snowball fight scene. This is moment where Ciri is frustrated and unsure of what to do next and how to do it. With the positive choice you get an incredibly heartwarming scene where Geralt tries to cheer Ciri up in the only way he knows how. Just watch.
Through much of the story of Witcher 3 Geralt spends his time on the trail of Ciri, a young woman that is basically a daughter to him. As such, you spend most of the game one step behind trying to piece together the path that Ciri took while also playing the elusive young woman herself at a few different points. This is the driving force behind Geralt in the game, although there's much more going on within the world Geralt's only worry is the safety and well being of Ciri.
With this fact in mind, it actually altered some of the choices I made through the story. For example, there's one plot-line in the city of Novigrad that has you hunting down a crime lord named Whoreson Junior. During the process of all this you find out what a terrible person Whoreson is, a person who enjoys sexually torturing women to death. You also find out that during the time Ciri interacted with him, he may have done something to harm her. While none of this is confirmed, the fatherly love that Geralt holds for Ciri prompted me to immediately end the life of Whoreson Junior.
It was a knee jerk reaction that I had in an instant because of the thought of what the man might have done to another character. This man needed to be gone from the world of The Witcher 3. It's not exactly commonplace that a game has this strong of an emotional response from me, and I was amazed with The Witcher 3 when it happened multiple times. As much as I'd love to go on and on about all the emotionally impactful parts, the point I have here is to highlight the incredible job Witcher 3 does with the father daughter bond of Geralt and Ciri.
Once you finally find Ciri and bring her back from The Isle of Mists, you begin the final stretch of the game. After the huge event of the Battle of Kaer Morhen, Geralt gets some quality time with Ciri as they mourn over the loss of a friend. Over the next few quests and plot lines, Geralt has five different choices regarding Ciri thrust upon him. The girl is having an incredibly hard time coping with everything and there are multiple occasions where Geralt gets to decide how to deal with Ciri. This can result in a warm fatherly approach, versus a cold disapproving father approach. For example, let me show you the snowball fight scene. This is moment where Ciri is frustrated and unsure of what to do next and how to do it. With the positive choice you get an incredibly heartwarming scene where Geralt tries to cheer Ciri up in the only way he knows how. Just watch.
Another scene involves Ciri upset with being deceived by the elf Avalla'ch, once again you can see the unique relationship held between the two and even more so the father, mother, daughter relationship the two hold with Yennefer of Vengerberg. Again it's easier to just show you;
These two choices, and the three others involving Ciri decide the strength of her resolve at the end, as well as the chances for her to survive which leads to one of three major endings for you. I hope this can highlight the intense loving relationship that the two have. After all, Geralt spends 50-60 hours of the game merely on the hunt for Ciri, putting up with countless headaches and problems in order to find her. The way Geralt feels about her, shines through in both the dialogue choices as well as his facial expressions. The interesting thing is, that this holds true whether you pick the warmer or colder option on how to deal with her.
The two ways of dealing with Ciri create very different experiences for the player and a very different interpretation of the relationship between the two. The colder way gives you an impression of a Geralt that cares for Ciri deeply, but has no idea how to treat her like a father and feels uncomfortable with that fact. Feeling detached from the child he used to know, he feels disappointed with some of the brashness that Ciri approaches situations with and wants to ensure that she gains the skills and knowledge she'll need to survive. On the flip side, the warmer approach denotes a Geralt that sees a Ciri who has taken completely after him, and knows how to be the father figure that she needs as her real father was never there. Both approaches are valid, and both develop an incredibly deep but different relationship between Geralt and Ciri.
Now that we've covered that, we can fast forward to the ending of the game. After the final conflict with the Wild Hunt, events find you at a tower where the cold winds of another world are blowing in threatening to drown the world in a giant freezing storm. At this point Ciri explains that because of the power of her elder blood she's the only one that can save the world from this fate. This realization is a huge shock to Geralt and something that has a huge impact on him, as you see his emotions get thrown into a state of chaos. It's in this moment that you have a dialogue choice as Ciri is preparing to enter the portal to the other world. This choice is where Geralt desperately says, " Don't do this... to me. Please. Not now." It's at this moment that we realize, Geralt isn't the main character of this story. He's a supporting one. Here's the ending in full, note that this is the ultimate 'good' ending. With the happiest story tones wrapping up here. Each ending of The Witcher 3 I feel does some good things in their own way, but I may go into that another time.
Ultimately the choice in the end is Ciri's, and it's up to you as Geralt to support Ciri on her path how you can. But in this moment, you see a usually emotionally toned back Geralt break. His daughter is leaving, possibly going to her death and everything he's done will be for naught. After all, it's not the fate of the warring countries or the lives of non-humans that Geralt is truly invested in during this journey, it's the life of his daughter who is the single most important thing in his life. The time he spent with her was a reminder of the love that he held for her.
This single line of dialogue ties up the relationship between Geralt and Ciri no matter what approach you took to dealing with her. Like I said earlier, it's an important moment of clarity for the player in which we realize that we've merely been someone on a quest, on the trail of the real main character of this plot. Which can explain a lot about the pacing of The Witcher 3. Of course, I don't want anyone to think this is a bad thing. It's an incredible moment, one where we realize the powerlessness that we have as players at the end. Yes we found Ciri. Yes we altered the course of the war. Yes we defeated The Wild Hunt. But in the end, we are powerless to stop the most important person to our character from leaving to her possible death. You do have an impact on the outcome of course, but this is in how you build your relationship with Ciri, how you treat her as she struggles to figure out how she deals with the fate she's been dealt. In that moment, you see Geralt become emotionally broken and powerless, with even Ciri stating " What would you know about saving the world? You're just a Witcher."
Herein lies the beauty of some of the final moments of The Witcher 3, and what I believe to be one of the finest parent-child relationships in any game I've played. It builds up the level of care and love Geralt has through Ciri throughout the game, illustrating the lengths he goes to in order to ensure her safety. Then it yanks the rug out from under you, and reminds you that Ciri is her own woman and you don't get to decide what she does no matter how much you might want to. In a game that so intimately features player choice, it's a stark reminder that as players and as people we don't always have control over what others do, even when those people are important to us and our characters.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
The Inexcusable Thing Batman Arkham Knight Does
Arkham Knight is the latest in big budget, highly awaited AAA releases this year. It's released to mostly critical praise across the board. I myself finished the game last week, and very much enjoyed it overall. In terms of storytelling it's easily my favorite of the Arkham series. However, there's one serious serious issue I had with the game. One inexcusable thing I can't look past, and honestly I'm amazed that more people aren't upset about this factor. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Arkham Knight, although admittedly those Bat-tank sections were a little rough.
The main reason that I play video games, that I've always played games is to experience the storytelling that only video games can give me. Admittedly, it's a little hard for me to justify purchasing a game where the focal point is multiplayer. I love seeing storytelling in games evolve, and the different ways that we can experience that story. Whether it's the subtle storytelling of Bloodborne or the text-heavy storytelling of a Final Fantasy game.
Not to keep you in suspense of the point of this article any longer, as much as I like the story of Arkham Knight, it does something inexcusable by blocking off the true ending of the game with collectibles.
The true ending of Arkham Knight has a pretty important plot point related to the end of the game. Without spoiling anything, it adds an extra wrinkle into the ending that could change your perception, and is pretty enjoyable to boot. With that said, it's incredibly disappointing that so much time grinding away on Riddler trophies has to be spent to see the whole story. Now I know what people say, by the game blocking the ending off it gives you more incentive to see the ending and is able to make your experience even longer. Unfortunately, Arkham Knight is a prime example of over-development. Adding too much content to your game that doesn't really contribute to the overall message.
Now I'm fine with the Riddler Trophies being in Arkham Knight, I think they can be a fun diversion for someone wanting to find all 243 of them. I cannot stand the idea that an important part of the story is sealed off behind optional objectives in the game. In my opinion this has the potential to stop a lot of players from finishing the game out, and seeing the full message that the entire story provides. Indeed a lot of players may not even realizing what they're missing out on because they just don't make it to the end. This holds especially true for a game like Batman, which is such a high profile release that many people that have minimal experience with games will play it.
Herein lies the integral problem that upsets me. The fact that you can be restricted from seeing the full picture of a games story, by completing menial tasks. It is true that many of the side quests hold meaningful story content though. But this doesn't excuse what I think is a horribly poor design choice on Rocksteady's part. In this sense the ending can become much less meaningful, as people flock to YouTube to watch it instead of making their way to the end. Which makes sense as Arkham Knight isn't necessarily a short game, a lot of people may not be willing to put in the time or have the ability to put in the time to do everything and see the secret ending.
Another problem arises here, with the player getting a sense of invalidation of everything they've done to complete the game. When you spend twenty hours beating the story of Arkham Knight, and expect to get a satisfying ending you don't want to "beat the game" and then be told you have to do a ton of extracurricular activities to see the whole picture. For some players I imagine, this could lend a sense of feeling less accomplished for what they have done in the game already.
As much as I enjoyed Arkham Knight as an overall package, the design choice of locking the ending away just doesn't sit well with me. So much so, that I feel I had to say something about it. I can see why a developer may do it, in an effort to provide players with more content and elongate the experience they have. However, I feel that many players like myself may feel a bit upset at this fact. At this point in my life I don't have a lot of time to play video games, and when I choose a game that I want to invest my time in there's a hope that when I put forth the effort to finish the story I can see the whole picture and get the full message that game wants to impart. By no means did the ending being blocked, totally ruin my experience with the game but sadly it did put a bit of a damper on my exuberance upon completing the game itself.
The main reason that I play video games, that I've always played games is to experience the storytelling that only video games can give me. Admittedly, it's a little hard for me to justify purchasing a game where the focal point is multiplayer. I love seeing storytelling in games evolve, and the different ways that we can experience that story. Whether it's the subtle storytelling of Bloodborne or the text-heavy storytelling of a Final Fantasy game.
Not to keep you in suspense of the point of this article any longer, as much as I like the story of Arkham Knight, it does something inexcusable by blocking off the true ending of the game with collectibles.
The true ending of Arkham Knight has a pretty important plot point related to the end of the game. Without spoiling anything, it adds an extra wrinkle into the ending that could change your perception, and is pretty enjoyable to boot. With that said, it's incredibly disappointing that so much time grinding away on Riddler trophies has to be spent to see the whole story. Now I know what people say, by the game blocking the ending off it gives you more incentive to see the ending and is able to make your experience even longer. Unfortunately, Arkham Knight is a prime example of over-development. Adding too much content to your game that doesn't really contribute to the overall message.
Now I'm fine with the Riddler Trophies being in Arkham Knight, I think they can be a fun diversion for someone wanting to find all 243 of them. I cannot stand the idea that an important part of the story is sealed off behind optional objectives in the game. In my opinion this has the potential to stop a lot of players from finishing the game out, and seeing the full message that the entire story provides. Indeed a lot of players may not even realizing what they're missing out on because they just don't make it to the end. This holds especially true for a game like Batman, which is such a high profile release that many people that have minimal experience with games will play it.
Herein lies the integral problem that upsets me. The fact that you can be restricted from seeing the full picture of a games story, by completing menial tasks. It is true that many of the side quests hold meaningful story content though. But this doesn't excuse what I think is a horribly poor design choice on Rocksteady's part. In this sense the ending can become much less meaningful, as people flock to YouTube to watch it instead of making their way to the end. Which makes sense as Arkham Knight isn't necessarily a short game, a lot of people may not be willing to put in the time or have the ability to put in the time to do everything and see the secret ending.
Another problem arises here, with the player getting a sense of invalidation of everything they've done to complete the game. When you spend twenty hours beating the story of Arkham Knight, and expect to get a satisfying ending you don't want to "beat the game" and then be told you have to do a ton of extracurricular activities to see the whole picture. For some players I imagine, this could lend a sense of feeling less accomplished for what they have done in the game already.
As much as I enjoyed Arkham Knight as an overall package, the design choice of locking the ending away just doesn't sit well with me. So much so, that I feel I had to say something about it. I can see why a developer may do it, in an effort to provide players with more content and elongate the experience they have. However, I feel that many players like myself may feel a bit upset at this fact. At this point in my life I don't have a lot of time to play video games, and when I choose a game that I want to invest my time in there's a hope that when I put forth the effort to finish the story I can see the whole picture and get the full message that game wants to impart. By no means did the ending being blocked, totally ruin my experience with the game but sadly it did put a bit of a damper on my exuberance upon completing the game itself.
A Goodbye to Satoru Iwata
As you may understand at this point, video games have been a huge part of my life ever since I was a child. For myself and many others, we grew up with games. We played them through our child-hood and as we grew into adults. This especially holds true with Nintendo, which is nearly a Disney equivalent of video games for many young people these days.
Iwatas influence on gaming and Nintendo was massive, he started as a programmer for the company HAL Laboratories in the late 80's where he would eventually be named president of the company in 1993, working on games like the Kirby, Earthbound, and Balloon Fight series. Following his career he would then be named director of Nintendo in 2000, and then finally as president and representative director in 2002, the first president of the company outside of the founding Yamauchi family. Besides his impressive resume, Iwatas lasting legacy on gaming can be seen in the wonderful experiences he helped to create and the unbridled joy he brought to the business at every opportunity.
Satoru Iwata held a belief that video games were something fun at heart, and that everyone should be able to experience the joy that games can bring to our lives A noble sentiment to be sure, even if some may dispute the fact. Iwata always brought a smile and the feeling of joy to his work, and to fans. Throughout the years he led Nintendo through some drastic changes, Nintendo a company that had been stuck in their ways for years. Believing that what they did was best.
Since 2002, we've seen huge change out of the company under Iwatas leadership. Nintendo released the DS, changing the handheld game forever and introducing a new world of touch controls that changed how we play. A few years later they would introduce the Wii and revolutionize the face of video games, making them appeal to a broader audience than ever seen before.Even recently in the last year we've seen huge surprises from Nintendo, with Amiibo and the partnership with DeNA to make mobile games. The point is, Iwata wasn't afraid to be different to make the experiences we get from Nintendo as best as they can possibly be.
There's a quote from the late president that has been all over the internet this week, "On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." Iwata understood what video games were more intimately than most people, which is why he had such dedication to what Nintendo did. We saw the advent of Nintendo Directs that usually featured Iwata heavily, he wanted fans to know he was there and that he cared. How many CEOs of billion dollar companies can we name by name, let alone feel like we knew personally? Satoru Iwata was welcoming, warm. He wanted to share Nintedo's creations with us, he was excited to share their wonderful imaginative creations with his fellow gamers.
Nintendo games were hugely influential for me, and held some of my absolute favorite experiences of my childhood. From roaming the expanse of Hyrule field in Ocarina of Time, to blasting through asteroids and enemy ships with my Arwing in Starfox 64. These experiences helped form my identity as a gamer and a consumer of entertainment. The games that I play helped breed my imagination. During recess in elementary school my friends and I would pretend we were flying around in Arwings, shooting down bad guys while we made whooshing noises to imitate the ships.
To myself, Nintendo is so special because it captures the very essence and wonder of that childhood imagination. It reminds us all what it is to be pure fun and imagination. Just look at how fondly people remember their experiences with Mario, Zelda, Kirby, and the other titles in the incredible stable Nintendo has. These games and experiences that I had as a child, are what led me down the path I'm on today. I would be enraptured by Majora's Mask as a child, and years later come back to analyze it on the themes of sadness and grief that the game was inundated with. Game like Zelda, Star Fox, and Mario helped to breed a strong passion for gaming withing me and are definitely one of the biggest factors in my decision to work in this industry.
Games are at their best when their inventive and fun, they can be wildly immersive experiences. My ultimate goal is to make games myself after I have a wealth of experience in the industry, and with what I make I want my games to be strange and thoughtful experiences. I want them to make people feel things, and think things. Nintendo holds so many joyous experiences for so many of us, and Satoru Iwata helped get those experiences to us and make them as great as they could possibly be. He was a visionary, that taught us things about not only how we should make and experience games but what video games can mean to us and how we feel.
The industry mourns for him, and the outpouring of support and love for him as been heartwarming. He will be sorely missed, so many of us owe so much to him. As creators, as consumers, as gamers we will never forget the contributions he made. And as a small side note, the day after Iwata's untimely passing a rainbow was spotted over Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. A fitting tribute as we all hope Iwata made his way down the never-ending rainbow road.
Just this past Sunday July 12th 2015, the gaming industry received sad news as one of the most incredible visionaries of it's ecosystem passed away. Satoru Iwata, the President and CEO of Nintendo has passed at the age of 55 due to a battle with cancer. It was very sudden and unexpected, and as we can see days later by the outpouring of tributes and kind words, Iwata was a man that made an overwhelmingly positive influence on the art form we love.
Iwatas influence on gaming and Nintendo was massive, he started as a programmer for the company HAL Laboratories in the late 80's where he would eventually be named president of the company in 1993, working on games like the Kirby, Earthbound, and Balloon Fight series. Following his career he would then be named director of Nintendo in 2000, and then finally as president and representative director in 2002, the first president of the company outside of the founding Yamauchi family. Besides his impressive resume, Iwatas lasting legacy on gaming can be seen in the wonderful experiences he helped to create and the unbridled joy he brought to the business at every opportunity.
Satoru Iwata held a belief that video games were something fun at heart, and that everyone should be able to experience the joy that games can bring to our lives A noble sentiment to be sure, even if some may dispute the fact. Iwata always brought a smile and the feeling of joy to his work, and to fans. Throughout the years he led Nintendo through some drastic changes, Nintendo a company that had been stuck in their ways for years. Believing that what they did was best.
Since 2002, we've seen huge change out of the company under Iwatas leadership. Nintendo released the DS, changing the handheld game forever and introducing a new world of touch controls that changed how we play. A few years later they would introduce the Wii and revolutionize the face of video games, making them appeal to a broader audience than ever seen before.Even recently in the last year we've seen huge surprises from Nintendo, with Amiibo and the partnership with DeNA to make mobile games. The point is, Iwata wasn't afraid to be different to make the experiences we get from Nintendo as best as they can possibly be.
There's a quote from the late president that has been all over the internet this week, "On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer." Iwata understood what video games were more intimately than most people, which is why he had such dedication to what Nintendo did. We saw the advent of Nintendo Directs that usually featured Iwata heavily, he wanted fans to know he was there and that he cared. How many CEOs of billion dollar companies can we name by name, let alone feel like we knew personally? Satoru Iwata was welcoming, warm. He wanted to share Nintedo's creations with us, he was excited to share their wonderful imaginative creations with his fellow gamers.
Nintendo games were hugely influential for me, and held some of my absolute favorite experiences of my childhood. From roaming the expanse of Hyrule field in Ocarina of Time, to blasting through asteroids and enemy ships with my Arwing in Starfox 64. These experiences helped form my identity as a gamer and a consumer of entertainment. The games that I play helped breed my imagination. During recess in elementary school my friends and I would pretend we were flying around in Arwings, shooting down bad guys while we made whooshing noises to imitate the ships.
To myself, Nintendo is so special because it captures the very essence and wonder of that childhood imagination. It reminds us all what it is to be pure fun and imagination. Just look at how fondly people remember their experiences with Mario, Zelda, Kirby, and the other titles in the incredible stable Nintendo has. These games and experiences that I had as a child, are what led me down the path I'm on today. I would be enraptured by Majora's Mask as a child, and years later come back to analyze it on the themes of sadness and grief that the game was inundated with. Game like Zelda, Star Fox, and Mario helped to breed a strong passion for gaming withing me and are definitely one of the biggest factors in my decision to work in this industry.
Games are at their best when their inventive and fun, they can be wildly immersive experiences. My ultimate goal is to make games myself after I have a wealth of experience in the industry, and with what I make I want my games to be strange and thoughtful experiences. I want them to make people feel things, and think things. Nintendo holds so many joyous experiences for so many of us, and Satoru Iwata helped get those experiences to us and make them as great as they could possibly be. He was a visionary, that taught us things about not only how we should make and experience games but what video games can mean to us and how we feel.
The industry mourns for him, and the outpouring of support and love for him as been heartwarming. He will be sorely missed, so many of us owe so much to him. As creators, as consumers, as gamers we will never forget the contributions he made. And as a small side note, the day after Iwata's untimely passing a rainbow was spotted over Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. A fitting tribute as we all hope Iwata made his way down the never-ending rainbow road.
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