How to Evolve a Genre: Far Cry 2

Every year seems to be getting better and better in regards to the number of triple A game titles being released, 2008 is no exception. However, it seems like as the years go by, there are more and more redundant games being released, only to be met by mediocre press coverage and review scores. It seems like we are beginning to see the decline of various gaming genres because developers seem reluctant to take chances or spend the time and effort to polish their games. Japanese RPG's have been on the decline recently because westerners are getting tired of the same old cliche story elements and game mechanics. In the past year, there has only been a handful of exceptions like Persona 4 and.... well that's about it. The genre that has got me thinking this week is first person shooters. The industry is absolutely overrun with FPS's and 60-70% of them are trash. The number of mediocre shooters released in the last year is astounding. Developers continue to send shallow, short, and dull shooters down the pipeline and we stand here helpless as they spoon feed us this crap. I have spend a lot of time this week playing Far Cry 2 for the PS3 and while the game is not perfect, it does some really ambitious things that many developers could benefit from. I will try to save my overall impressions of the game for this week's podcast but there are some key things that I think Far Cry 2 has done that should be acknowledged.

Story presentation is an aspect of FPS's that has been handled rather poorly for the most part. Infinity Ward set the bar for telling a great story in an FPS but the length and the linearity of the game suffered because of it. The challenge is finding a way to tell a compelling story and still provide the players with hours of gaming. Ubisoft Montreal had an idea and ran with it and the game is better because of it. Rather than being totally convoluted with cut-scenes and linear event sequences, they chose to present players with a single, underlying mission statement that acts a constant motivation for every action taken throughout the game. This mission of course is to kill the "Jackal", a rogue arms dealer who is fueling a brutal civil war. While their various missions taken throughout the game, players are constantly reminded of their primary mission. This simplicity fits the games design and scope perfectly and proves that stories don't need to be complex or deep to be good.
I am fairly certain that many gamers would agree with me when I say that the FPS genre has become rather uninspired. Each game seems to be a rehash of the same point and shoot game play mechanic with little or no depth beyond that. Developers need to expand beyond basic shooting and give players more mechanics that support the basic game play. Far Cry 2 does this by providing a rewarding method of collecting money and purchasing new weapons and forces players to make key decisions on which aspects of each gun they desire to enhance. In addition to a vast arsenal of weapons to collect and upgrade, players must also maintain their Malaria fever by taking pills and physically address their worst wounds in the heat of battle by removing bullets or relocating a dislocated finger or arm. The team also implemented an intriguing buddy system that can get you out of tough situations but relies solely on decisions you make throughout the game. Basically, shooters should not rely on just one mechanic to sell copies when there is obvious room for improvement through innovation.

Last but not least, I'm sick and tired of shooters taking place in uninspired locales such as office buildings or alien battlefields. A great setting can make the difference between a good shooter and a forgettable 4 or 5 hour investment. thing that made Call of Duty 4 so good was its incredible set pieces. Despite the fact that I have never played Crysis, the main reason I want to play that game is to experience the lush and lively environment. On the other end of the spectrum is Call of Duty: World at War, a game that I know is fun but has not given me enough incentive to pick it up because of its rehashed setting. When Ubisoft Montreal chose to set the new Far Cry in an open world African environment, they were not only advancing the FPS genre but also revitalizing a dying franchise. I applaud that team for making some incredibly risky but rewarding decisions in the past few years.

While Far Cry 2 doesn't necessarily execute all of these ideas perfectly, it is definitely not a "one trick pony" like so many other shooters that have come before it. FPS is a genre that can be deeper than what it has become if the developer is willing to apply themselves. I hope this becomes a trend in the coming years and I hope that the team at Ubisoft is acknowledged for taking steps to further the genre.

(Expect details regarding all of these mechanics and my full impressions of Far Cry 2 on this week's podcast)

-Nick

Wha tha hell?.... Here is the new game from the creator of Katamari Damacy.

All I know about the controls is that each stick controls an end to his body. Also there is a button to make him eat shit. There is supposed to be way more to the controls too. I dunno, Katamari seemed pretty simple. This looks insane.

Good news is I hear it's a 4.99 PSN release. I think they are starting off the franchise with a budget price again. Hopefully so people get on board with the project early on.

There are some more clips over at GameVideos.com.

Brad

This Sucks Ball Sacks

Oh my god, when will it end. Each day I check some video game blog, I see some announcement of new Little Big Planet Costumes. The DLC for this game is becoming one of the most frustrating things for me this year. The costumes look nice, but the designs for the sack boys are so cookie cutter it feels just like a cheap coat of paint slapped on.

When the game came out, Nariko and Kratos were a nice touch. I went out and hunted down pre-order codes for both of them. I used to be somewhat of a collector so sometimes when I see something interesting or neat, I feel the need to get them. Since the release, they've released so many different costume packs, I can't even begin to keep track of them. Not to mention that the costumes themselves run about a buck or two each.

For a game that prides itself so much on customization and freedom for the player, I see the costume packs as a huge set of shackles. I think it would have been awesome to create a costume maker program. Charge money for that. And then allow people to create their own costumes according to how they wanted their level to be themed. This would be better suited for their needs and keep from players having to wait for a costume that hasn't released yet. Better yet, players could share these costumes. Someone could allow a player of their creation to have the costume ready so when they run through their level they could tailor the experience a bit better. Let's say I wanted to make a windwaker level. I could make the crawfish shirt and let the player download it to run through the level. I realize this of course would bring up all sorts of copyright questions, but I don't think that's the reason why it's not an available feature.

Thanks for listening,
David

My PSN is down right now. Can someone help me find a list of LPB DLC packs there are and what else is planned?

As promised, with a touch of WBW

Here is the promised story of my First Grade.... issue without a tissue.

The Divine Comedy
As a child I was quiet and well behaved. I would never cry, never speak unless spoken to, and never do anything silly for attention. I was content being by myself and being normal. I did not want to stick out ever and for any reason. So this day, out of all days, my commitment to being such a kid was pushed to the limits.
First grade, Mrs. Brown, lecture of sorts, twenty minutes before recess, I had to use the restroom… bad. The rules are simple if you need to go to the restroom, put two fingers up when you raise your hand. The teacher, knowing that you are a child and can’t really control your bodily functions, should let you go without much question. They are able to keep a pretty good eye on you for the restroom is in the room even! Unfortunately for me, this day in particular Mrs. Brown thought I was older than I really was. What she didn’t really understand about me was I would not put my fingers up unless I honest to god had to go to the restroom. Its embarrassing enough showing the whole world you are about to go do something in the restroom. Well I braved it.
So I put my fingers up, expecting the answer that any sensible teacher of children under ten would give.
“No Travis, you can wait twenty minutes.” She said to me, thinking she was taking a stand against your stereotypical child trying to get out of class. Well my thoughts went a little something like this, “But….. ok.”
Like I said, I didn’t want to stand out in any shape or form when I was a kid. To do so would assure me the pleasure of being called some silly name which might stick for a whole recess! The consequences would undoubtedly be horrible.
So I wait ten minutes, and now I know that I not just have to go, but need to go. Now. There wasn’t any other option in my mind. If I didn’t go in the next thirty seconds something seriously bad would happen. So I raised my hand.
“Travis I said no.”
Big mistake. I knew what was going to happen and it was happening now.
I, for the lack of a better word to describe such a situation, Shit My Britches. I did so quietly and without a change of facial expression. I knew how to do my business, for when you are a kid who is forced to use stalls when you have to go number two, you will never ever let that evil come out of you if you know someone else will hear it. Once again, the consequences would undoubtedly be horrible.
Oh! If could of only waited ten more minutes. The bell rang and I went to the restroom to inspect the damage. Pants down, pants up. I was not going to even bother. I left that restroom scared, literally, shitless. I knew what I smelled like, what I looked like, and how foolish the back of my pants probably seemed. I sat back down in my seat and was going to wait out recess.
“Travis go outside.”
“Yes mam”
If only I could have, just this once, said no. Well I was a kid, I didn’t understand. Yes the room was empty and I could trust my teacher to take care of the situation appropriately. How was I supposed to know that? Why would I even show her!? Never in a million years. I went to recess.
Recess was dull. I sat the whole time, never letting anyone see my back side or come in smelling distance. I would have never been able to live that down. People don’t forget. Recess ends and finally the dripping stops (by the way, that’s even nasty to write. Sorry.). I could now sit down somewhat comfortably. I went on the rest of the day like this, occasionally getting nasty looks, but without anything seriously life changing happening to me and my buttocks.
It’s the end of the day! Finally, the never ending itch that is my cheek will end soon enough. I can go home and take care of business. Only have music class left and we will probably play those stupid recorders that no one ever actually plays outside of third grade. Of course the day wouldn’t end like this though. What good would this story be if I didn’t have one more problem?
Before I describe the class straight from Satan himself, I want to make a quick note. While we were walking through the halls in our single file line, in which of course I was way, way, way in the back, we walked past a cute brunette. I do not remember who she was or ever seeing her again. I do remember though what she did to me. She bent down to tie her shoe, and as we walked past I looked back. She was cute and I have always been into girls, even at the tender age of 7. As I looked back our eyes met! It was a magic in which I could never have created otherwise. As soon as I smiled in gratitude for her gracing me with her smile… she, almost casually, raised her right hand and flipped me the bird. I was stricken with fear as I walked into my music room, still staring at her sweet, little surprise. I knew this class was going to be bad.
Today the gym teacher was in the music room. I could almost feel my cheeks begin to rub together in agony. We got into lines, and as I walked towards the very back of the room I hoped we were just going to do some simple stretches.
Nope, today we do jazzercise. I specifically remember using this very same phrase in my thoughts, “What the hell God!?” So we jam out to some music, doing steps and what not. I am fine because we really don’t have to move too much. We are just kids and they can’t expect me to really want to break a sweat. Everything was going smoothly until the music teacher took all the steps away.
Time for jumping jacks. You have to be kidding me. I was scared for my life, literally. There was no way I could get away with this. Someone will have to notice the way my ass moves slightly different than every other tiny little seven year olds. We began, and I could feel the giant being in my pants being suspended in midair as I jumped up and down. My heart was racing. I could have sworn you could hear the whoosh of my tiny, brown issue breaking air as it moved. I was going to get caught.
“Ok now everyone turn around!”
Excuse me? I am sorry; I don’t think I heard what you said… exactly. Do what? She said turn around. Well now this is where I take a stand. I will never turn around for twenty of my peers to look at me and the stain that is my broken heart. Too bad, so sad. Everyone turns around to look at me, but they only see my face for I will never show my dark side. The teacher begins to tell me to turn, the students tell me to turn, my good nature tells me to turn. But the saint that is my conscious told me to screw that and keep my dignity. I listened to him.
Thank God the bell rang. Everyone walks out to go back to home room to get their bags. Single filed line. I am last of course, and also the only one sweating. I get behind a boy named Luke Noxon. We walk about twenty feet while I am thinking, “I made it? No one knows? I’m free!”
And then, without any reason behind it or anything, Luke turns around.
“Dude… Did you shit your pants?”


(If that story is at all odd in terms of Paragraph structure, its the fault of blogspot.)

Also, WayBack wednesday tomorrow. Not sure when, so stay tuned all day till I get there.

We will be playing Shenmue most importantly, with a side dish of Strangers Wrath.

Hope to see you there!

-Travis

Podcast 093 - The Ghosthunters Show

The newest show is available for download here or off of iTunes.

Podcast 093 - The Ghosthunters Show [download]

Impressions: Sonic Unleashed (Travis), Prince of Persia (Brad), Mirror's Edge (Nick), Silent Hill 5 (Brad), Persona 4 (Brad)
News: Final Fantasy XIII, Dragon Quest X, EGM/ZIff Davis, NPDs
Post of the Week: Spyro
Community Segment
Viewer Questions
4Player Minute

Thanks,
David

It Ain't Over, Until You Call It Quits

As Commander Peter Quincy Taggart would say,
"Never Give Up! Never Surrender!"

I didn't want to have to come out and post this publicly. I thought about just leaving it as a comment on Brad's previous post, but I wanted to make sure He and all of you would be Quitters saw this.

First off, it is never over until you decide it is. I don't care how bad it looks, what the odds are, what you're going up against, or more importantly how many times you failed. The moment you give up and sell your video game systems, then will this kind of talk be acceptable.

First off, instead of talking about how poorly the game sold, let's examine the poor decision it was for Sega to release this on the PS3. The system is struggling. While the Xbox 360 may not have been the best choice for Japan, all I heard from responses was, "I wish I had a PS3." I'd like to not point fingers, but I think Sega could have planned the game better including advertising and marketing. We are no longer the majority. The kids grew up. The friends I played games with while growing up, don't have the same passions anymore. They have girlfriends, wives, jobs, and quote unquote lives. Young people don't find the same things as interesting as we do. I don't even think they have the same imaginations as we do. I think they've lost that talent.

For those of you who don't have a PS3, I don't want to say you're at fault. Sony released a console that was and still is way too expensive. I'm not sure if I agree with the economy is bad arguement, but it's plausible. But specifically for Brad I ask the question, Would you have paid the price of a PS3 just to play this game? You've been fortunate enough to not have to buy a PS3. Plus, there was a time where you chose to buy a 360 over a PS3, for the games. A valid decision. Straight up, this isn't Metal Gear Solid nor is it Grand Theft Auto. Is Valkyria Chronicles a game that someone would/should pay 460 dollars to play?

If anything this Sony's failure for not getting enough consoles out there into people's hands is more of a deciding factor. To make a console successful, you have to get people to buy it. People have to be interested. It sucks but that's how life is. We can take this experience from the Microsoft/Sony consoles. Sometimes you can make all the right/wrong choices, but still end up on the losing/winning side. It's unfair, no one will argue that. So I ask for everyone to stop the bitching.

As much as we like for something to be popular and be accepted, sometimes it's the rare niche items we treasure the most. They mean the most to us because we're in the select group. While everyone else walks by oblivious, we see something for it's true worth. While that may not be the answer you're looking for, it is something. Don't dismiss it. Pass the word along. Share it with as many people as you can. One by one is how we can make a change.

I can't tell you how we're going to get through this. I can't begin to draw you a diagram or plan the skematics. But I can try to give you hope. I've got an abundance of that. Sometime's I feel that it may even be my curse. Sega has been around a while. They've failed before. They've declined from being a console maker to now just a developer/publisher. But somehow they got back up. I was always worried that they'd just resort to pumping out sonic titles. And yes, they've done that. But with moves they've made this past year, I've never been more excited about what they are doing as I am right now. They've taken the role of the underdog trying to make a difference. There will always be someone rising up to face an seemingly insurmountable challenge.

Wander vs Colossi.
The Fellowship vs The Ring.
Rebel Alliance vs Empire.

That's just how we're built, to fight for what we believe in.
So pick a side.

In case that all wasn't enough....

First Shenmue. Then Yakuza. Now I'm going to kill you all. Seriously. I'm right behind you... with a knife.

Valkyria Chronicles did not even make the top 100 games sold in this country during the month of November. The game was released on November 4th.

Source

Assuming everyone bought the game at 60 dollars (which they didn't because it was floating around for much cheaper), then the game brought in less than 2 million dollars.

Meaning...

Nintendo sold more UNITS of Wii hardware than Sega made dollar bills off Valkyria Chronicles.

Are we supposed to be proud of ourselves? Proud of the industry?

Let's all do something productive now like laugh at Sony. Or laugh at Sega. Or laugh at the Japanese developers who just wanted to make something great. Let's laugh at the fact that we will never see a sequel to this game or probably even Skies of Arcadia.

You see, Valkyria Chronicles bombed in Japan as well. My guess is the game seemed like a shooter to them and they ignored it. Sega made an amazing game and tried to appeal to both sides of the world. It seems no one wanted it. My fears have been realized, and I don't think there is a home for this kind of game any more.

Is this the video game industry everyone wants?

Not me. This is making me sick.


You win. Go buy your shooter. Go buy your guitar game. Go buy your mini game collection.


Brad

Play with me!

I am planning on playing this for awhile tonight. So if anyone wants to join, we will be in the USA west server in the 4pp Channel.

Play with us!

-Travis

Uncharted 2 Has a Perty Mouth

Gotta give Naughty Dog some points for making a beautiful game.... I give you Uncharted 2: Among Theives.




-Nick

Where do we go?

So what's next for Rock Band? There's no doubt in my mind that it's the better of the two guitar simulation games. Character animations are smooth. The download content is always updated. I've recently tried out the new drums, the bass pedal is much better than the original. The accessory support from Mad Catz has been phenomenal. Rock Band has now reached a point where I could see them being happy and just relaxing. They could coast and release a new collection of songs each year. But as with anything in life, you should never just stand still. You should always be moving forward, always changing, always improving.

So here you go Harmonix/MTV, I will now tell you what improvements to make for the next game. You don't even have to pay me for it. I just want a better game next time because while Rock Band 2 was more streamlined and the instruments were improved, by far was the first game a better overall experience.

So first off, from my experience with playing music games, the golden rule: The Music Makes the Game. I'd like to see the song selection grow but not just with songs that are easily obtained. I think a big problem with music games is the licensing involved. What song you're able to secure due to cost and availability is the biggest hurdle any music game has to overcome. My biggest disappointment with RB2 has to be the song selection. While it's amazing that they are getting full albums for download. Honestly most of us aren't crazy enough to buy a video game pack of songs that cost more than the album itself. On top of that, it's very hard to pick albums in which all the songs are fun to play. You'll run into a random slow song or too easy song, and the experience will suffer. Too many songs have I seen a person sitting around not doing anything or song something waaay to easy. It's a very difficult balance. Try to keep everyone in the band happy and involved, I guess that's the reason so many real bands have problems trying to stick together. I'm never apposed to a particular type of music, but some songs just don't fit. Beastie Boys, as much as I loved them, So What'cha Want is a horrible song to play in a band, especially on Bass. The easy track should be the same as the expert one. I dare you to play that all the way through on Bass Expert and then play it on Easy. It is up to Harmonix to find the best songs from a band that best suits the experience.

Also it's impossible that a person would know all the songs from the game. That should be expected. So song should also be selected where a vocalist is able to learn the song as you go. Picking an incredibly hard song to play on guitar vs picking an incredibly hard song to sing/rap are two completely different things. I think that should be taken into consideration a little better in the next game.

The best thing to happen to Rock Band is the A La Carte song selection for download. I'm able to pick the music and more importantly, difficulty I want to play. While I do believe that playing songs that you normally wouldn't play helps you get better at reading the music and learning rhythm, Rock Band is a game and having fun means you get to play songs that you can really get into and full get involved in the experience. The problem here is what's been offered vs the possibility of what could be offered. There's this huge chasm of desire that hasn't and probably won't ever be filled. It'll be impossible to keep everyone happy. They've done a good job with the support behind the DLC that keeps coming out. It's been constant since RB's release, but a lot of times I feel that it's not about picking content that is necessarily best for the game but the most cost efficient. I'm not sure if that's a problem on the side of the music industry or the video game industry, but it's a problem they need to quickly get over themselves about. They've got people, no wait. They have FANS who love the music and will pay money to play these songs, and they want to nickel and dime them for as much as possible. That ain't right.

They're trying to make a game for everyone. By the song list you can tell, there's something for everyone, which is good for a lot but great for few. I'd like to see for Rock Band 3, it be on a disc, but you select which songs from the library that you would want for your game. I'd pick mostly 90's stuff and then some of the better stuff I've heard in the last few years. In thinking about this post I got to talking with Mike about Guitar Hero. The original game and how it was formed and who it was aimed at. You look at it. It almost feels like music sold out again. It's sponsored now and got huge corporate bucks behind it. It's licensed with authenic brands and instruments. There's all sorts of new fangled unnecessary accessories like stage kits and cymbal packs. I remember the time when it was just about playing the music. It didn't matter that the songs were original recordings. They were just fun to play and aimed just for us. The first Guitar Hero was made for video game players with a specific music taste. It was because of that exclusiveness that it caught on and is still considered by me to be one of the best music games.

For the next game, let's make improvements. Polish up the graphics. Fix up the instruments where they need them. Streamline the experience. Just let people play what they want to play. Give them what they want. People never feel bad for spending money if they feel they got their money's worth. Find a way to do it for the fans.

Also, what's up with the stereotypes in the game?

Oh and Rock Band with just Japanese Music....

David

What would you like to see? Improvements or Songs Added?