Category: Video Games

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Sexism in gaming

Shaun

Recently, a major company went on record stating they were no longer going to feature female leads in their video games because they believe there is a correlation between poor sales and women protagonists. The company claimed it’s not a question of gender bias or inequality, just the bottom-line. According to the company, games are getting more and more expensive to produce, and if there is an element that could put a dent in profit margins, it’s only natural to remove it.

This statement is just the latest thread in an ongoing issue regarding sexism in gaming, a problem that is not isolated to the medium. The Bechdel test, named after 80’s cartoonist Alison Bechdel, paints a pretty clear picture of the industry trends regarding males and females. In order to pass the Bechdel Test, a television program or movie must be able to answer “yes” to the following three questions:

  1. Are there two or more women in the film that have names?
  2. Do they talk to each other?
  3. Do they talk to each other about something other than a man?

While there are numerous instances where a Bechdel test would directly violate the thematic structure or historic fidelity of a program (Saving Private Ryan, for example), the sheer number of productions that fail this test is startling, and gaming is heading down the same road.

So both game developers and Hollywood execs have convinced themselves that a feminine influence in their products hinders the bottom line, but the more I try to analyze the problem, the more I am left wondering if the whole thing is a “chicken or the egg” conundrum. Is sexism a problem because we as consumers fail to buy into anything feminine-related, or do game developers cater to the male crowd because of preconceived notions of our bigotry? Continue reading “Sexism in gaming”

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The Mass Effect Universe, and why you should care

Jason

NOTE: David is out of town dealing with a family emergency, so Jason Hagerty (a guest on Episode 012 of the show) is filling in this week.

Let me start off by saying that I didn’t get around to playing the first Mass Effect until quite some time after it was released. I’d seen promos here and there, of course, but at the time I wasn’t a huge Xbox fan and nothing about the game’s advertisements really drew me in. A nondescript male space marine saves the galaxy from alien invaders — tell me if you’ve heard THAT one before. But eventually, after being told how good it was time and time again by people who HAD played it, I saddled up and bought the Game of the Year edition.

Thank God I did.

While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that playing Mass Effect was a “life changing” experience, I’d definitely say it’s one of the most defining games of my lifetime. Now don’t get me wrong, the game is by no means perfect; but the combination of RPG elements, third person shooter combat, and a thrilling story line about the first human Specter (think U.S. Marshal, but in space) drew me into a universe that I would gladly go back to over and over again.

If you haven’t played the games yet, consider this a piece on why you should. Only, I’m not going to focus on gameplay or graphics or any of that stuff…that’s what reviews are for. I’m going to focus on the strength of the setting itself, and why the Mass Effect Universe is one of the strongest Intellectual Properties of our time. Continue reading “The Mass Effect Universe, and why you should care”

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Review: NBA 2K12

Chris

2K Sports had every reason to mail it in.

They won, after all. Not only was NBA 2K11 one of the most critically acclaimed sports titles in video game history, but it also managed to wipe EA Sports’ series from the face of the earth in the process. EA’s NBA Elite was a glitch-ridden, buggy mess, so bad that the company canceled development of last year’s title and didn’t even bother with one for 2011.

So no one could really fault 2K for resting on their laurels and giving us the standard roster update. After all, Madden’s been doing it for years.

Instead, they took the definitive basketball experience and made it even better. Continue reading “Review: NBA 2K12”

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An A to Z guide to Mario

Shaun

On November 13, the strangely titled Super Mario 3D Land comes out on the Nintendo 3DS.

In case you needed a refresher on the realm of insanity that is the Mario series, I’ve compiled an A-Z guide covering everything on the mustachioed Olympian kart racing partying doctor plumber.

Airship

First introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3, the airships replaced the castles of the original Mario game with floating fortresses filled to the brim with death. Cannon balls, wrenches, and every other painful object you could think of fly through the air as the screen slowly scrolls over, forcing gamers to constantly stay on their toes. At the end, Mario faces off with one of Bowser’s children before falling a thousand feet to safety. Continue reading “An A to Z guide to Mario”

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Review: Deux Ex Human Revolution

Chris

I know what you’re thinking. “But Chris … a few weeks ago you said you don’t like shooters!”

First of all, that’s not true. I said I don’t like most shooters. There are exceptions. Despite being unfamiliar with the series, I liked enough of what I saw from previews for Deus Ex: Human Revolution to give it a shot, especially since it was free for me to play it.

What followed was an experience in unstoppable roaming turrets, devastating punches, never asking for this, and a game that ultimately does a lot of things very well, but nothing truly great. Continue reading “Review: Deux Ex Human Revolution”

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Video games and artistic value

Shaun

Yes, I’m aware that everyone and their mother have voiced their opinions on the artistic merit of the video game industry, but I figure I may as well give my two cents on the topic. I’m a frequent victim of peer pressure, so this is only me acting within character.

Video games have grown up. Once a niche technology focused on high scores and competition and defined solely by its gameplay, the medium has evolved into a thematic vehicle that utilizes storytelling, character development, and audio and visual ambiance. Games now provide their audiences with a truly unique form of media by blending storytelling with interactivity.

Despite this growth and progression, the true nature of games is still fervently debated.

The biggest debate regarding this issue is whether games can be considered a “higher art.” Even Roger Ebert, renowned film critic, has voiced his opinion on this topic, stating that although games can sometimes possess aesthetically pleasing qualities, video games, by definition, cannot be art. Continue reading “Video games and artistic value”

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Gears of Mediocrity (A War Against Reviewer Bias)

Shaun

Gears of War 2 was one of the biggest disappointments of my life. Period. In a life marred by things failing to ever live up to my already meager expectations, that’s saying something. After a solid first entry in their machismo, testosterone-addled franchise, I had high hopes that the sequel would deliver more tight gameplay and visceral set pieces, as well as delve deeper into the established fiction, which was ripe with potential.

Instead of this complete package that built off the strengths of the first installment, I got Gears of War 2. The story was laughably terrible, the character development (if you can call it that) made me cringe, and the gameplay actually felt somewhat dated. I’m not sure what exactly I was looking for, but incoherent grunts and offensive, borderline racist dialogue wasn’t it. Even the gunplay was a letdown; it was still the “stop and pop” style shooter, but the build of the levels and placement of the chest-high walls for which your roided-out character takes cover behind created a sense of the game playing itself. When you can walk into a battle and see exactly the way the developer intended you to progress, it transforms the experience into a sort of rail shooter. Instead of being in control, I was along for the ride. Mix this with fights inside of the belly of a worm and one of the most anticlimactic finales of this generation, and Gears of War 2 just wasn’t as good of a game as everyone led me to believe.

So forgive me if I’m not buying the early hype and positive reviews for Gears of War 3, especially given what aspects of the game the reviewers are basing their scores on. Continue reading “Gears of Mediocrity (A War Against Reviewer Bias)”

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Tales of Disappointment

Chris

My love-hate relationship with the “Tales of” video game series goes back almost a decade now. Don’t get me wrong — there’s a lot more love than hate. But sometimes those emotions are two sides of the same coin, after all.

I was introduced to the series through a ROM of the Super Nintendo’s Tales of Phantasia back in high school. At the time, I was impressed by the idea of a fighting-game-like battle system in an RPG — it seemed like a nice change of pace from turn-based, menu-heavy systems.

That game was decent, but I wasn’t really a huge fan until the summer of 2004, when Tales of Symphonia hit the GameCube and redefined my view of the series and RPGs forever. Continue reading “Tales of Disappointment”

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Shaun’s wish list for Kingdom Hearts 3

Shaun

The Kingdom Hearts series certainly likes to space out its main entries. We are now five years and counting since the release of Kingdom Hearts 2, with only the prequels and side stories to bridge the gap. It is a legitimate concern now that if the world does end in 2012, John Cusack and his family will never see the proper third chapter in this series.

In fact, the word in the hood (also known as rumors my little sister tracks down) is that Tetsuya Nomura and his posse haven’t even started work on Kingdom Hearts 3 yet. Still, we all know it’s going to happen eventually, and after playing Birth by Sleep (and lamenting how monotone Aqua and Terra’s voice actors are), I’ve chronicled some of the changes I would like to see. Continue reading “Shaun’s wish list for Kingdom Hearts 3”

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Blog: The best of Final Fantasy

Shaun

At the end of last year, Square Enix released Final Fantasy: Dissidia Duodecim (or something…I’m gonna be honest, I don’t care enough to figure out the real title), a game in which the main characters from all the Final Fantasy games duke it out with the central antagonists. The game is decently fun and rich with the series’ history, but the plot manages to be even dumber than its premise would lead you to believe, and the script reads like a 7-year-old’s fan fiction. An illiterate 7-year-old.

Anyway, when you load up the game and pass the unnecessarily long tutorial, you are tasked with choosing which hero’s quest to first embark on. The good news is that I had already planned to select which Final Fantasy character to use first based on which installment in the series was my favorite. The bad news is that I had no idea which one that is (I am terrible at making any sort of exclusive choices). In order to work through this dilemma that I’m sure you are now deeply invested in, I decided to utilize a very in-depth process to arrive at my selection. Sit back; I know you’re excited.

Continue reading “Blog: The best of Final Fantasy”