Apparently Toys-R-Us is having a 'buy one Xbox 360 game, get another xbox 360 game half-price' sale this week, August 17-23.
Quick note: The "half-off" discount applies to whatever game has a lower in-store price, so it's probably best to buy a couple of high-price recently released games with this deal. Moreover, you can't buy a copy of Beautiful Katamari ($7.68 in-store right now) and expect to get a half-price discount on the $160 Rock Band bundle.
In my case, I'll probably pick up Soul Calibur IV - I'm a big fan of the series, but Namco's treatment of the franchise, especially with this new iteration, has made me somewhat angry (scantily clad female characters, for example, dominate this game), so I decided that I wouldn't buy the game unless I could get it for cheap. I want very much to play the game, but I figure that "voting with my dollar"
as a matter of priniciple is more important.
Has anyone ever had a similar experience where you really want to play/buy a new game, but some morally objectionable content dissuades you from doing so? What would you do in such a situation?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Summer Silence
If you (like me) are experiencing some sort of spiritual, physical, or mental fatigue right now (whether or not it's related to gaming), The Anchoress blog has the right prescription: an online retreat. Give it a look-see if you need a diversion from the hectic summertide.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Gaming lull...
I've been very busy on my supposed "week off" - I haven't touched a video game since my last blog spot, believe it or not. A Player Diary for FFIV is looking highly unlikely now, but I can affirm that the story, with its focus on light and darkness, seems to lean closer to the Christian view of things (where things simply are or are not good than the ying/yang Taoist dichotomy that ulitmately makes everything a collective abyss. It's a long play-through, and it's frustratingly difficult at times, but this makes the experience all the more fulfilling.
In Story of a Soul, St. Therese tells us that God allows suffering in order to bring us closer to Him; in the psalms, we learn that God chastises those who are close to him. Final Fantasy IV DS reflects this in both its narrative and in the actual gameplay itself - as I said, it's a long haul, but it's worth it in the end.
In Story of a Soul, St. Therese tells us that God allows suffering in order to bring us closer to Him; in the psalms, we learn that God chastises those who are close to him. Final Fantasy IV DS reflects this in both its narrative and in the actual gameplay itself - as I said, it's a long haul, but it's worth it in the end.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
On Temperance, Prudence and Purchasing Video Games
As a Catholic and as a gamer, I recognize that there’s a fine line between gaming for the glory of God and glorifying games INSTEAD of God. The cardinal virtue of temperance is absolutely essential in order to distinguish between the two. Scripture tells us that “for everything there is a season, and a time and a manner for everything under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2). Catholic gamers would do well to remember that only a portion and not the entirety of their God-given existence is to be spent here on earth, let alone playing video games.
In the decision to purchase a video game, though, the virtue of prudence must be exercised, as well. Ever since video game violence first became a nationwide controversy in the ‘90s, there’s been no shortage of media coverage – including the Catholic media – regarding unsavory video game content, and while I personally believe that extolling the evils of violence in video games has became something of a tired refrain and easy scapegoat these days, I’m glad that, at least, there’s some attention to the issue now. But there’s no amount of media coverage or preventive legislation that can replace good parenting, and the complete lack of prudence on the part of some parents disturbs me greatly.
I’ll never forget the time I saw a youngster (I’d guess that he was, oh, maybe7 or 8 years old?) in a game store petitioning his mother to purchase the kid-friendly Gamecube game Luigi’s Mansion, which not only carries “E for Everyone” ESRB rating, but was available for a very inexpensive $20. The mother, however, had her eyes on the even cheaper item on an adjacent shelf: Turok, an “M for Mature” rated game featuring violence, foul language (as advertised on the box!) was available for a measly $10. The mother, seizing the opportunity to save $$$$, replied to her child in turn. “Honey, how about this one instead?” The child shrugged his shoulders and acquiesced. He went home that day with a game someone of his age should never play.
The obvious lack of prudence on the mother’ s part notwithstanding, it’s worth mentioning that Turok is a very low-quality game irrespective of the level of objectionable content. I would never recommend the game to even the most hardcore FPS (that’s “first-person shooter”, for those unacquainted with video game lingo) fanatic – the game is just completely intolerable, featuring slipshod controls, bad graphics, and tepid, repetitive gameplay. I do, think, however, that despite the game’s objectionable content (which renders it unsuitable for consumption for the younger set), there’s nothing in the game, morally speaking, that would make it unsuitable for a more mature crowd.
Part of the reason I started this blog to begin with was a perceived need for more information on this subject. Despite ESRB ratings, most parents I know are woefully ignorant of the content in videogames, and seeing as prudential judgment implies an informed conscience, the lack of knowledge (and in some cases, a lack of scruples, as the aforementioned story demonstrates) on the part of many parents about videogames as a whole is simply not acceptable. If my knowledge of the medium and its various minutiae can aid in abetting this problem, I will gladly share it.
I realize that what presents a temptation to sin for one may not present such a temptation for another – people of various ages and temperaments can digest various forms of media while others can’t, and such situations call for the discerning Christian to utilize prudential judgment. But for children who are unable to make such judgments, parental guidance is an absolute necessity; try as I might to lend my association with this medium to those who need it, I cannot be a substitute for a parent, who knows their child better than I ever could. So, for any parent reading this: know what game your child is buying/playing. Not everything is ok for a kid to play.
There are even some games that, dare I say it, NO ONE should play. Some games (like some movies and books) simply aren’t worth your time, and it’s actually not too hard to know a game falls into this category.
For example, just a few days ago, new information was released about the upcoming action game, Bayonetta. Now, the game’s premise is dodgy enough: playing as a witch who is quite literally hell-bent on killing angels certainly can’t be very wholesome, regardless of the merits of the gameplay, but tack on some posts from the link from the forum above, and…well, see for yourself:
“Bayonetta's outfit isn't actually leather despite the stitching you see in the CG art - It's magical hair that covers her entire body, and it's used in her attacks. The most powerful ones render her almost completely nude.”
“A fine mist covers the ground during the miniboss battle, designed to create a "holy atmosphere". The battle ends with an onscreen button prompt, which summons a giant hair dragon who bites the angel miniboss in half.”
I shiver at the thought of some parent(s) buying this game for their 8-year-old when it’s released sometime in the coming year. In the modern American lexicon, prudential judgment sometimes goes by another name: common sense. I pray that parents (particularly those of the Catholic variety) start employing it more frequently.
In the decision to purchase a video game, though, the virtue of prudence must be exercised, as well. Ever since video game violence first became a nationwide controversy in the ‘90s, there’s been no shortage of media coverage – including the Catholic media – regarding unsavory video game content, and while I personally believe that extolling the evils of violence in video games has became something of a tired refrain and easy scapegoat these days, I’m glad that, at least, there’s some attention to the issue now. But there’s no amount of media coverage or preventive legislation that can replace good parenting, and the complete lack of prudence on the part of some parents disturbs me greatly.
I’ll never forget the time I saw a youngster (I’d guess that he was, oh, maybe7 or 8 years old?) in a game store petitioning his mother to purchase the kid-friendly Gamecube game Luigi’s Mansion, which not only carries “E for Everyone” ESRB rating, but was available for a very inexpensive $20. The mother, however, had her eyes on the even cheaper item on an adjacent shelf: Turok, an “M for Mature” rated game featuring violence, foul language (as advertised on the box!) was available for a measly $10. The mother, seizing the opportunity to save $$$$, replied to her child in turn. “Honey, how about this one instead?” The child shrugged his shoulders and acquiesced. He went home that day with a game someone of his age should never play.
The obvious lack of prudence on the mother’ s part notwithstanding, it’s worth mentioning that Turok is a very low-quality game irrespective of the level of objectionable content. I would never recommend the game to even the most hardcore FPS (that’s “first-person shooter”, for those unacquainted with video game lingo) fanatic – the game is just completely intolerable, featuring slipshod controls, bad graphics, and tepid, repetitive gameplay. I do, think, however, that despite the game’s objectionable content (which renders it unsuitable for consumption for the younger set), there’s nothing in the game, morally speaking, that would make it unsuitable for a more mature crowd.
Part of the reason I started this blog to begin with was a perceived need for more information on this subject. Despite ESRB ratings, most parents I know are woefully ignorant of the content in videogames, and seeing as prudential judgment implies an informed conscience, the lack of knowledge (and in some cases, a lack of scruples, as the aforementioned story demonstrates) on the part of many parents about videogames as a whole is simply not acceptable. If my knowledge of the medium and its various minutiae can aid in abetting this problem, I will gladly share it.
I realize that what presents a temptation to sin for one may not present such a temptation for another – people of various ages and temperaments can digest various forms of media while others can’t, and such situations call for the discerning Christian to utilize prudential judgment. But for children who are unable to make such judgments, parental guidance is an absolute necessity; try as I might to lend my association with this medium to those who need it, I cannot be a substitute for a parent, who knows their child better than I ever could. So, for any parent reading this: know what game your child is buying/playing. Not everything is ok for a kid to play.
There are even some games that, dare I say it, NO ONE should play. Some games (like some movies and books) simply aren’t worth your time, and it’s actually not too hard to know a game falls into this category.
For example, just a few days ago, new information was released about the upcoming action game, Bayonetta. Now, the game’s premise is dodgy enough: playing as a witch who is quite literally hell-bent on killing angels certainly can’t be very wholesome, regardless of the merits of the gameplay, but tack on some posts from the link from the forum above, and…well, see for yourself:
“Bayonetta's outfit isn't actually leather despite the stitching you see in the CG art - It's magical hair that covers her entire body, and it's used in her attacks. The most powerful ones render her almost completely nude.”
“A fine mist covers the ground during the miniboss battle, designed to create a "holy atmosphere". The battle ends with an onscreen button prompt, which summons a giant hair dragon who bites the angel miniboss in half.”
I shiver at the thought of some parent(s) buying this game for their 8-year-old when it’s released sometime in the coming year. In the modern American lexicon, prudential judgment sometimes goes by another name: common sense. I pray that parents (particularly those of the Catholic variety) start employing it more frequently.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Patience! (Warning! Amatuer theologizing ahead!)
There is an important lesson to be learned from the gameplay (irrespective of the virtues of the game's story) of Final Fantasy IV, and that is the powerful benefits of patience. Saints have written about it in ways that I can't possibly emulate here and now, explaining eloquently and emphatically that God's power over time is not something that man need not fuss over. Human beings need time; but God Himself created time. We do not know "the day or the hour," for example, but God, in his "eternal-present" moment, does, and he assures us that, even though we suffer, we "are worth more than many sparrows."
As I play (and hopefully finish soon!)Final Fantasy IV, with its "active-time" battle system (where a meter slowly fills up over time before any action can be taken in battle) and its unrelentingly difficult boss battles, I will admit that my patience, (along with yours, I'm sure, as you wait for the eventual player diary) is being tested. The fact that my brother's recent excursion to Canada yielded the unexpected blessing of the new PC game The Political Machine 2008 doesn't exactly help the matter. But the rewards, as of now, have been worthwhile. I've enjoyed the story of this game far more than I expected I would, and I will be writing about it more extensively later. But for now, I merely ask for your patience as I finish this game. I'll do my best to make the wait worthwhile, but in the meantime, here's a particular saint quote that I find appropriate for this particular moment in time:
"What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know." - St. Augustine
As I play (and hopefully finish soon!)Final Fantasy IV, with its "active-time" battle system (where a meter slowly fills up over time before any action can be taken in battle) and its unrelentingly difficult boss battles, I will admit that my patience, (along with yours, I'm sure, as you wait for the eventual player diary) is being tested. The fact that my brother's recent excursion to Canada yielded the unexpected blessing of the new PC game The Political Machine 2008 doesn't exactly help the matter. But the rewards, as of now, have been worthwhile. I've enjoyed the story of this game far more than I expected I would, and I will be writing about it more extensively later. But for now, I merely ask for your patience as I finish this game. I'll do my best to make the wait worthwhile, but in the meantime, here's a particular saint quote that I find appropriate for this particular moment in time:
"What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know." - St. Augustine
Monday, July 28, 2008
Kid-Friendly Games, Parent Friendly Prices
Best Buy has a special deal for the recently released (and critically well-received) Wii game Blast Works. As of now, the game is available for a measely $9.99.
Toys R' Us is selling the Xbox 360 game Beautiful Katamari for $7.68.
I have not played either game, but both carry an "E for Everyone" ESRB rating, so content-wise there shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Toys R' Us is selling the Xbox 360 game Beautiful Katamari for $7.68.
I have not played either game, but both carry an "E for Everyone" ESRB rating, so content-wise there shouldn't be anything to worry about.
"Bid Farewell to your Bloodstained Past!"
J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis effectively demonstrated that high fantasy could be used as a form of Christian witness. Both of these writers used their mythic worlds of Middle Earth and Narnia to allegorically present Salvation history and the mystery of faith (among other things). Unfortunately, despite the fact that the video game market is saturated with games featuring settings that, in terms of scope and size, are not at all dissimilar to those of Tolkien and Lewis, these games rarely if ever communicate the values and deep mysteries of the Catholic faith. In fact, it’s not uncommon for the inverse to be true –the Playstation 2 game Xenosaga, for example, is teeming with scriptural allusions, but ultimately presents a Gnostic thematic completely contradictory to the truth of the Catholic faith. Still, some of these games do present some themes that, if not always explicitly Catholic, are powerful reminders of certain Christian virtues. Some of you may remember my entry about The World Ends With You from last month in which I praised the game’s story for presenting a powerful message of the dangers of self-destructive envy.
Final Fantasy, the forefather of fantasy role-playing video games and generally the most well-known and critically acclaimed of the genre today, has a mixed record in terms of compatibility with Catholic values. For example, Final Fantasy XII, the most recent mainline entry in the series on the Playstation 2, has a morally problematic narrative which culminates in a “kill God” conclusion (borrowing from Nietzsche’s infamous “God is dead” Nihilist writings); conversely, the story of Final Fantasy X (also for the Playstation 2) has been compared to a religious pilgrimage and appropriately concludes with the defeat of a monster called Sin.
I’m currently playing through the fourth entry of this acclaimed video game series (first available for the Super Nintendo in 1993 and subsequently released on the Game Boy Advance and, as of last week, on the Nintendo DS, which is the version I’m now playing), and it seems to hold the most promise of any narrative in any Final Fantasy game I’ve played. Having played through about three quarters of the Game Boy Advance version of the game about two years ago, I’m quite familiar at this point with the game’s main character, Cecil, a Dark Knight who, after destroying villages and taking lives by order of his King, eventually undergoes a sort of conversion experience, casting off his armor of Darkness and becoming a Paladin of Light. Recalling the words of Archbishop Sheen, St. Francis of Assisi, and many other holy men and women, I thought this moment not only served as a reminder that we are to be of the Light (and not the darkness), but the way in which the scene is presented mirrors the Sacrament of Reconciliation – the advertisements for the game itself echo the same theme: “Bid Farewell to your Bloodstained Past.”
There is the caveat that this moment of conversion and forgiveness does seem to lack the most important element: God Himself. Scripture itself attests that God is the one who shall take our hearts of stone and place new hearts within us; Final Fantasy IV seems to emphasize the inward human self more than the salvific presence of a Divine Savior, even in the vaguest of terms. Still, I never did complete the game the first time, and the revamped presentation and translation of this Nintendo DS version may shed new light on the deeper intricacies of the story and its relevance to the mystery of sin and God’s forgiveness.
Those who read this blog often know all to well by now the erratic infrequency of my posting here, and this game promises to retain this trend. To be quite blunt, this game is difficult – very difficult. Having just completed the extremely easy Rocket Slime, adjusting to this game is naturally going to make the experience even more prolonged. I may end up posting multiple player diary entries for this one; stay tuned until then.
Final Fantasy, the forefather of fantasy role-playing video games and generally the most well-known and critically acclaimed of the genre today, has a mixed record in terms of compatibility with Catholic values. For example, Final Fantasy XII, the most recent mainline entry in the series on the Playstation 2, has a morally problematic narrative which culminates in a “kill God” conclusion (borrowing from Nietzsche’s infamous “God is dead” Nihilist writings); conversely, the story of Final Fantasy X (also for the Playstation 2) has been compared to a religious pilgrimage and appropriately concludes with the defeat of a monster called Sin.
I’m currently playing through the fourth entry of this acclaimed video game series (first available for the Super Nintendo in 1993 and subsequently released on the Game Boy Advance and, as of last week, on the Nintendo DS, which is the version I’m now playing), and it seems to hold the most promise of any narrative in any Final Fantasy game I’ve played. Having played through about three quarters of the Game Boy Advance version of the game about two years ago, I’m quite familiar at this point with the game’s main character, Cecil, a Dark Knight who, after destroying villages and taking lives by order of his King, eventually undergoes a sort of conversion experience, casting off his armor of Darkness and becoming a Paladin of Light. Recalling the words of Archbishop Sheen, St. Francis of Assisi, and many other holy men and women, I thought this moment not only served as a reminder that we are to be of the Light (and not the darkness), but the way in which the scene is presented mirrors the Sacrament of Reconciliation – the advertisements for the game itself echo the same theme: “Bid Farewell to your Bloodstained Past.”
There is the caveat that this moment of conversion and forgiveness does seem to lack the most important element: God Himself. Scripture itself attests that God is the one who shall take our hearts of stone and place new hearts within us; Final Fantasy IV seems to emphasize the inward human self more than the salvific presence of a Divine Savior, even in the vaguest of terms. Still, I never did complete the game the first time, and the revamped presentation and translation of this Nintendo DS version may shed new light on the deeper intricacies of the story and its relevance to the mystery of sin and God’s forgiveness.
Those who read this blog often know all to well by now the erratic infrequency of my posting here, and this game promises to retain this trend. To be quite blunt, this game is difficult – very difficult. Having just completed the extremely easy Rocket Slime, adjusting to this game is naturally going to make the experience even more prolonged. I may end up posting multiple player diary entries for this one; stay tuned until then.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Player Diary: Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
For those wondering about the lame excuse/reason for the tardiness of this latest player diary, it doesn’t really have anything to do with completing the game in time for the scheduled posting. In fact, I managed to finish the single-player adventure/story “mode” of Rocket Slime – that is to say, I annihilated the “final boss” and polished off the game’s extra “epilogue” content – in roughly 14 hours. While it’s certainly a serviceable (if simplistic) little adventure game, it’s certainly not some sort of existential gaming experience that’s capable of setting the world on fire – and that’s fine. That’s something best left to the Holy Spirit, anyway.
No, the reason I had to delay a write-up of this quaint and cute adventure game had nothing to do with the solo sections. It was the multiplayer features that kept me engaged long enough to once again fall behind my schedule. Don't get me wrong, shirking one's duties is never something to be commended (as St. Paul says, “those who shall not work should not eat”), but it’s a testament to good game design if the multiplayer component of a video game has me playing the single-player campaign again just to boost my chances at winning future multiplayer sessions. This game does just that.
As a video game, DQH:RS takes its cues from the much-lauded Legend of Zelda series despite the fact that the game is set within the world of Dragon Quest. Both Zelda and Dragon Quest are two of the oldest and cherished video game properties in existence, and it’s interesting that this game, which stylistically and substantially speaking is more in the vein of movies like Over the Hedge than anything else, seems to draw its inspiration from games designed with an older crowd in mind.
Alas, I digress. DQH:RS will do quite nicely as a single-player adventure game, even if it is a bit on the kid-friendly side: you play as a ball of slime who needs to save his village from the mob/“Plob”, who kidnap the village denizens (who are also slimes) and reduce it to rubble. Silly slime jokes abound (the village’s nun is named “Mother Glooperior”) as do some references to other Square Enix video games (a Benedict Arnold Platypus named Ducktor Cid, after the famous Dr. Cid character in Final Fantasy video games). Throw these ingredients together, and you've got Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime in a nutshell. But why settle for nutshells?
The real bread and butter of the game is in the tank battles, which do comprise a fair section of the one-player adventure, but really become something unto themselves when you play with others. It’s not nearly as violent as it sounds – “tank battles” bring to mind gruesome images of war and carnage, but here, it’s all about team work and cooperation. Without going into too much detail, it’s awfully fun catapulting dynamite, mirrors, and other silly things from cannons while desperately defending your tank from the onslaughts of interfering interlopers trying to destroy your tank from the inside. It’s hard to relate in words exactly what goes on, but rest assured, it’s well worth it!
File it under “kid friendly games, parent-friendly prices” as well – it’s probably a little hard to find in stores now, but I got my used copy for $12.99. It’s a silly diversion at worst, and arguably at its best as a hilariously fun game well-suited for long car rides and rainy days. There are certainly far worse things – video game or otherwise – that you could spend your money on.
No, the reason I had to delay a write-up of this quaint and cute adventure game had nothing to do with the solo sections. It was the multiplayer features that kept me engaged long enough to once again fall behind my schedule. Don't get me wrong, shirking one's duties is never something to be commended (as St. Paul says, “those who shall not work should not eat”), but it’s a testament to good game design if the multiplayer component of a video game has me playing the single-player campaign again just to boost my chances at winning future multiplayer sessions. This game does just that.
As a video game, DQH:RS takes its cues from the much-lauded Legend of Zelda series despite the fact that the game is set within the world of Dragon Quest. Both Zelda and Dragon Quest are two of the oldest and cherished video game properties in existence, and it’s interesting that this game, which stylistically and substantially speaking is more in the vein of movies like Over the Hedge than anything else, seems to draw its inspiration from games designed with an older crowd in mind.
Alas, I digress. DQH:RS will do quite nicely as a single-player adventure game, even if it is a bit on the kid-friendly side: you play as a ball of slime who needs to save his village from the mob/“Plob”, who kidnap the village denizens (who are also slimes) and reduce it to rubble. Silly slime jokes abound (the village’s nun is named “Mother Glooperior”) as do some references to other Square Enix video games (a Benedict Arnold Platypus named Ducktor Cid, after the famous Dr. Cid character in Final Fantasy video games). Throw these ingredients together, and you've got Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime in a nutshell. But why settle for nutshells?
The real bread and butter of the game is in the tank battles, which do comprise a fair section of the one-player adventure, but really become something unto themselves when you play with others. It’s not nearly as violent as it sounds – “tank battles” bring to mind gruesome images of war and carnage, but here, it’s all about team work and cooperation. Without going into too much detail, it’s awfully fun catapulting dynamite, mirrors, and other silly things from cannons while desperately defending your tank from the onslaughts of interfering interlopers trying to destroy your tank from the inside. It’s hard to relate in words exactly what goes on, but rest assured, it’s well worth it!
File it under “kid friendly games, parent-friendly prices” as well – it’s probably a little hard to find in stores now, but I got my used copy for $12.99. It’s a silly diversion at worst, and arguably at its best as a hilariously fun game well-suited for long car rides and rainy days. There are certainly far worse things – video game or otherwise – that you could spend your money on.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Multiplayer Gaming
After seeing The Dark Knight this weekend (a must-see, by the way!), I stopped by my local Gamestop to nab a second-hand copy of Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime for the Nintendo DS. Normally, I don’t buy used games, but after seeing the fun my brothers were having with it, I was determined to get a copy in whatever licit way I could. Seeing the raucous laughter and hysteria that ensued when they where playing the game together reminded me of the joys that multiplayer gaming can provide. Rocket Slime, which can accommodate up to 4 players in a 2-on-2 teams, encourages both cooperation and a healthy spirit of competition among its participants. It seems silly on the surface, and I won’t blame any skeptic for having reservations about such a claim, but I sincerely believe that games like this can be used to plant the seeds of Christian fellowship, and while I’m not sure if it will nurture them into saplings, my brothers have not hesitated to recommend Rocket Slime as an exemplum of a multiplayer video game.
Beyond inspiring a form of Christian fellowship (and I can attest from my personal experience that this is actually more common than one might think - games like Rock Band manage to bring people together like nothing else), many multiplayer video games also hold the promise of reconciliation. In the many moments of frustration and unjustified anger, my brothers have used games as a way to reconcile after a quarrel. Forgiveness itself requires a sort of mutuality: the cooperative aspect of some games can certainly move the process along.
Needless to say, it’s also possible that the reverse happens: rather than utilizing a quick round of video gaming to get the two warring parties reconciled, video games just turn into another excuse to quibble and quarrel. I’ve seen first hand how relatively innocuous games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl (a game featuring a comical kind of violence seen in movies like The Incredibles) actually exacerbate filial tensions rather then provide any sort of reconciliation to a tenuous situation.
By all indications, though, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime inspires the type of positive fellowship seen in the former scenario, and I hope to have a Player Diary in the next coming days. Stay tuned!
Beyond inspiring a form of Christian fellowship (and I can attest from my personal experience that this is actually more common than one might think - games like Rock Band manage to bring people together like nothing else), many multiplayer video games also hold the promise of reconciliation. In the many moments of frustration and unjustified anger, my brothers have used games as a way to reconcile after a quarrel. Forgiveness itself requires a sort of mutuality: the cooperative aspect of some games can certainly move the process along.
Needless to say, it’s also possible that the reverse happens: rather than utilizing a quick round of video gaming to get the two warring parties reconciled, video games just turn into another excuse to quibble and quarrel. I’ve seen first hand how relatively innocuous games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl (a game featuring a comical kind of violence seen in movies like The Incredibles) actually exacerbate filial tensions rather then provide any sort of reconciliation to a tenuous situation.
By all indications, though, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime inspires the type of positive fellowship seen in the former scenario, and I hope to have a Player Diary in the next coming days. Stay tuned!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
E3 and WYD Recap
Now that both E3 and World Youth Day 2008 now officially belong to the past (and God’s eternal “present moment”), a recap and reflection is certainly not out of the question, and seeing as the date of this posting happens to be a Sunday (a day that, according to the Tradition of the Catholic faith, is reserved for God-centered meditation and thanksgiving), I hesitate to share even the most modest reflections on either. Scrupulous? Perhaps, but since I haven’t posted in a while (my current employment situation leaves me without internet access for most of the week), I thought I’d post a brief update just so no one thinks this blog has died an untimely death – patience, everyone!
So, in recognition of the fact that I must “Keep Holy the Sabbath Day” and also not shirk my responsibilities to the readers of this blog, here’s a choice selection of some of my favorite moments from both WYD and E3 – without commentary:
WYD:
- “The mission of the Church is to help people be free,” – Cardinal Francis George, at the July 20 WYD mass
- The Pope’s decision to encourage reception of the Eucharist kneeling, and preferably on the tongue (as first reported by Sydney’s very own Cardinal Pell last week)
- “My dear young friends, if you take part frequently in the eucharistic celebration, if you dedicate some of your time to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Source of love which is the Eucharist, you will acquire that joyful determination to dedicate your lives to following the Gospel”. – Pope Benedict XVI
E3
- The surprise announcement that an Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy 13 is indeed in the making
- The localization of Retro Game Challenge, a Japanese Nintendo DS game that was formerly seen as having practically no chance at ever seeing a release outside its home territory.
- Sony announcing more games for its Playstation Network, including the appropriately-titled and intriguing action game, Fat Princess.
So, in recognition of the fact that I must “Keep Holy the Sabbath Day” and also not shirk my responsibilities to the readers of this blog, here’s a choice selection of some of my favorite moments from both WYD and E3 – without commentary:
WYD:
- “The mission of the Church is to help people be free,” – Cardinal Francis George, at the July 20 WYD mass
- The Pope’s decision to encourage reception of the Eucharist kneeling, and preferably on the tongue (as first reported by Sydney’s very own Cardinal Pell last week)
- “My dear young friends, if you take part frequently in the eucharistic celebration, if you dedicate some of your time to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Source of love which is the Eucharist, you will acquire that joyful determination to dedicate your lives to following the Gospel”. – Pope Benedict XVI
E3
- The surprise announcement that an Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy 13 is indeed in the making
- The localization of Retro Game Challenge, a Japanese Nintendo DS game that was formerly seen as having practically no chance at ever seeing a release outside its home territory.
- Sony announcing more games for its Playstation Network, including the appropriately-titled and intriguing action game, Fat Princess.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
A Video Gamer's "Christmas in July"
Despite being virtually unknown to most of the mainstream public, the Electronic Entertainment Exposition (appropriately dubbed E3) is something video game aficionados the world over greatly anticipate. Not only do the major video game console manufacturers hold press conferences where they proudly display their latest wares and upcoming games, but all major game developers also showcase demos and video trailers of their products, as well. Despite a massive downsizing in the conference in recent years, the decision to move the conference to mid-summer has truly made E3 into a video gamer’s “Christmas in July.”
While I personally won’t be attending the festivities (and, as such, won’t be writing extensively about the event as various other video game websites are doing), I’m still anxiously anticipating the new game announcements, demo impressions, and – courtesy of the internet – videos of the various press conferences held by Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. It also provides a great insight into the “culture” of video games, making it an invaluable tool for anyone interested in understanding more about the video game industry and video gamers themselves. As far as this video gamer is concerned, E3 really is the closest thing you’ll ever find to a Rosetta stone. Merry Christmas, indeed…
While I personally won’t be attending the festivities (and, as such, won’t be writing extensively about the event as various other video game websites are doing), I’m still anxiously anticipating the new game announcements, demo impressions, and – courtesy of the internet – videos of the various press conferences held by Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. It also provides a great insight into the “culture” of video games, making it an invaluable tool for anyone interested in understanding more about the video game industry and video gamers themselves. As far as this video gamer is concerned, E3 really is the closest thing you’ll ever find to a Rosetta stone. Merry Christmas, indeed…
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Player Diaries: Boom Blox
Boom Blox, a Wii exclusive, has great single player and multiplayer modes, whether you want to play cooperatively or competitively. You basically use the Wii remote as a hand or other item to move or blow up blocks or block animals to complete the puzzles, play “shooting gallery” minigames, or play “don’t topple the tower!” games like Jenga. There is also an addictive “Build” mode in which you create your own “stage.” You can make almost anything you want, from castles, monkey and dog fights, sculptures of dinos…even Rube Goldberg machines. The only problems with this game are that you can’t really make stages with a multiplayer focus, and there are certain types of blocks used in some game modes that you aren’t allowed to use in the “build mode.”
You’ll need a steady hand to beat this game and if you play multiplayer be sure not to have any sore losers. Boom Blox uses all of the Wii’s features, too. It’s a perfect game for newcomers but has enough tough stuff for those of you who finish games completely, too. Highly recommended!
You’ll need a steady hand to beat this game and if you play multiplayer be sure not to have any sore losers. Boom Blox uses all of the Wii’s features, too. It’s a perfect game for newcomers but has enough tough stuff for those of you who finish games completely, too. Highly recommended!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Burnout!
It figures that, after specifically promising to post more frequently, I fail to post for 5+ days. The classic "better late than never" excuse certainly does little, if anything, to dismiss the sheer risibility of the situation. Thank God for his mercy!
Speaking of mercy, I’ve recently been playing Burnout: Revenge, a game whose title seems to prominently denote a deficit in the aforementioned quintessential Catholic value. As if that isn’t enough, the game description on the back of the game box makes matters even worse, stating that “mercy is for wimps.” Hmm. Sounds hardly Catholic, to say the least. Time to scratch this one off of the “to play” list?
Well, not quite. Burnout: Revenge is probably best described as a remedy for revenge - the modern-day equivalent of the “punch the pillow” technique recommended by mothers everywhere as a stress reliever/anger management tool for their children. While that might seem odd for a game touted as “battle racing ignited”, Burnout is a far cry from a typical racing game: it’s not enough to simply outrun other racers to the finish line; no, you need to make everyone else crash into walls, pillars, oncoming traffic…anything to take them down, really…and you’ll be rewarded with some nitro to boost your cars speed along the way. It takes multiple crashes before a car is completely and utterly totaled – and that’s where the “revenge” part comes into play. If you can take down the same vehicle that rammed your car into oblivion, you’ll be rewarded with a “revenge takedown” – providing you with even more nitro to help you outrun and takedown the competition.
You’d think a game all about crashes (and very realistic ones, at that…while the bodily carnage of crashes is not replicated in the game, the physical damage to the race cars certainly is!) would be counter productive to a racing simulator, but the game never forgoes the intense speed that makes racing games so much fun. Plus, if you’re not in the mood for racing, you can try out the “traffic attack” modes, where you’ll go bumper-to-bumper with highway traffic, tasked with causing as much monetary damage to these cars as possible within a set time limit.
If you truly want to become an insurance company’s nightmare, however, I would suggest giving the “crash” mode a shot. Here, you’re assigned with the goal of causing massive 50-car pile-ups, millions of dollars in damages, and generally causing as much havoc as possible.
Luckily, despite the focus on physical destruction, Burnout deliberately neglects to add a human face to the game. You’ll see no human carnage, blood and gore, or any kind of human violence in the game. In fact, Burnout: Revenge carries an “E10+” ESRB rating (recommended for ages 10 and up, in other words, which makes sense given the intensity of the crashes seen in the game). I would suggest parents give it a shot before letting their kids have fun with it, but despite the game’s title and rather violent take on street racing, it’s actually quite kid-friendly. It doesn’t require a heavy time investment like many role-playing and adventure games, and is, in fact, arguably nest played in short 15-20 minute sessions. The game is available on the Xbox, Playstation 2, and Xbox 360, often going for $30 or less. Give it a shot if you’re looking for something different from a racing video game.
Speaking of mercy, I’ve recently been playing Burnout: Revenge, a game whose title seems to prominently denote a deficit in the aforementioned quintessential Catholic value. As if that isn’t enough, the game description on the back of the game box makes matters even worse, stating that “mercy is for wimps.” Hmm. Sounds hardly Catholic, to say the least. Time to scratch this one off of the “to play” list?
Well, not quite. Burnout: Revenge is probably best described as a remedy for revenge - the modern-day equivalent of the “punch the pillow” technique recommended by mothers everywhere as a stress reliever/anger management tool for their children. While that might seem odd for a game touted as “battle racing ignited”, Burnout is a far cry from a typical racing game: it’s not enough to simply outrun other racers to the finish line; no, you need to make everyone else crash into walls, pillars, oncoming traffic…anything to take them down, really…and you’ll be rewarded with some nitro to boost your cars speed along the way. It takes multiple crashes before a car is completely and utterly totaled – and that’s where the “revenge” part comes into play. If you can take down the same vehicle that rammed your car into oblivion, you’ll be rewarded with a “revenge takedown” – providing you with even more nitro to help you outrun and takedown the competition.
You’d think a game all about crashes (and very realistic ones, at that…while the bodily carnage of crashes is not replicated in the game, the physical damage to the race cars certainly is!) would be counter productive to a racing simulator, but the game never forgoes the intense speed that makes racing games so much fun. Plus, if you’re not in the mood for racing, you can try out the “traffic attack” modes, where you’ll go bumper-to-bumper with highway traffic, tasked with causing as much monetary damage to these cars as possible within a set time limit.
If you truly want to become an insurance company’s nightmare, however, I would suggest giving the “crash” mode a shot. Here, you’re assigned with the goal of causing massive 50-car pile-ups, millions of dollars in damages, and generally causing as much havoc as possible.
Luckily, despite the focus on physical destruction, Burnout deliberately neglects to add a human face to the game. You’ll see no human carnage, blood and gore, or any kind of human violence in the game. In fact, Burnout: Revenge carries an “E10+” ESRB rating (recommended for ages 10 and up, in other words, which makes sense given the intensity of the crashes seen in the game). I would suggest parents give it a shot before letting their kids have fun with it, but despite the game’s title and rather violent take on street racing, it’s actually quite kid-friendly. It doesn’t require a heavy time investment like many role-playing and adventure games, and is, in fact, arguably nest played in short 15-20 minute sessions. The game is available on the Xbox, Playstation 2, and Xbox 360, often going for $30 or less. Give it a shot if you’re looking for something different from a racing video game.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Onward and Upward...
Well, I finally finished off The World Ends With You this morning. Having played the game to completion, I think I can safely stand by my initial impressions that I posted last month. It's a superlative example of an action-based role-playing game, and I highly recommend it, but be sure to take heed to the "T for teen" ESRB rating - it's well deserved, as both the complexity of the game and the thematic content are far more compatible with the sensibilities of an older, experienced video game enthusiast than with the young gaming newbie or the "casual" crowd that's accustomed to games of a more quaint and quiet variety (sudoku and Brain Age, for example).
I’m not sure what game I’ll be covering next here on the blog, as I have plenty of older games that I bought months or even years ago that I still need to finish. My copy of the Xbox 360 game Lost Odyssey that I received for my birthday nearly 4 months ago is still sitting on a shelf in the basement, waiting to be played. At the same time, there are other recently released games that I’m also anxious to try out! Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 was just released this week, and the game’s publisher, Atlus, inc, is notorious for printing and distributing their games to stores in extremely small quantities; couple this scarcity (rarity?) with high consumer demand, and it’s not hard to see why Atlus holds a unique place in the gaming industry: while most games see a depreciation in price with the progression of time, it’s not at all uncommon to see used copies of Atlus games sell for more than the original suggested retail price for a new copy, even months after the original release.
I’ll keep the blog updated with anything new, but I’ll be watching my “gaming time” with more scrutiny now, as well.. Amidst all this excitement about video games, I can’t let my hobby turn into a sort of “gaming gluttony,” and I’m resolved to refuse to let this hobby become a distraction from the call to holiness. It ought to be integrated into my spiritual life, not detract from it!
I’ve been a bit lazy with posting as of late (my trip to Mexico not withstanding), and I’d be lying if I said that a laxity in my physical and spiritual life hasn’t been a factor in my rather brief contributions as of late. If I wrote about games as much as I played them, I’d be averaging far more than 1 new post every other day. I’ll try to more astute about this from now on. St. Catherine of Siena, St. Paul, and all holy men and women, pray for us!
I’m not sure what game I’ll be covering next here on the blog, as I have plenty of older games that I bought months or even years ago that I still need to finish. My copy of the Xbox 360 game Lost Odyssey that I received for my birthday nearly 4 months ago is still sitting on a shelf in the basement, waiting to be played. At the same time, there are other recently released games that I’m also anxious to try out! Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 was just released this week, and the game’s publisher, Atlus, inc, is notorious for printing and distributing their games to stores in extremely small quantities; couple this scarcity (rarity?) with high consumer demand, and it’s not hard to see why Atlus holds a unique place in the gaming industry: while most games see a depreciation in price with the progression of time, it’s not at all uncommon to see used copies of Atlus games sell for more than the original suggested retail price for a new copy, even months after the original release.
I’ll keep the blog updated with anything new, but I’ll be watching my “gaming time” with more scrutiny now, as well.. Amidst all this excitement about video games, I can’t let my hobby turn into a sort of “gaming gluttony,” and I’m resolved to refuse to let this hobby become a distraction from the call to holiness. It ought to be integrated into my spiritual life, not detract from it!
I’ve been a bit lazy with posting as of late (my trip to Mexico not withstanding), and I’d be lying if I said that a laxity in my physical and spiritual life hasn’t been a factor in my rather brief contributions as of late. If I wrote about games as much as I played them, I’d be averaging far more than 1 new post every other day. I’ll try to more astute about this from now on. St. Catherine of Siena, St. Paul, and all holy men and women, pray for us!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Kid-Friendly Games, Parent-Friendly Prices
Thanks to everyone for your prayers during my border awareness mission in Mexico. The experience was intellectually and spiritually edifying, to say the least. Thanks be to God for such a powerful blessing!
Many thanks to my brother Martin, as well, who graciously served as my proxy during last week's interlude. It was also his first real experience in the cyberrealm that is the blogosphere, and he made no secret of the challenge involved. Feel free to browse his comments on the Space Invaders blog from last week.
I had the privilege of seeing WALL-E (the latest film from the acclaimed PIXAR animation studio) yesterday. This review from Catholic Exchange is right on target. It truly is a Catholic masterpiece and appropriate for anybody of any age group. The video game based on the movie is available in stores now for just about any platform you can imagine – but I hesitate to recommend it. For one, I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, but more importantly, I don’t really want to. Video game adaptations of movies rarely turn out well, and even less often do they manage to emulate what made the parent film so great.
That’s not to say that high-quality family-friendly games don’t exist. They do. Take the Xbox 360 game Blue Dragon, for example. Sporting a colorful aesthetic, endearing characters, and a charming sense of adventure, Blue Dragon may just be the video game equivalent of a PIXAR film. It sports a “T for teen” rating, due to some very, very brief instances of foul language, but there really isn’t any morally problematic content beyond that. In fact, it’s one of my favorite games from 2007. Best of all, you can buy the game new at most stores for $30 or less – half the price it was when it first released nearly a year ago.
I’ll try to make “kid-friendly games, parent friendly prices” a regular feature if I can. Let me know what you think of it!
Many thanks to my brother Martin, as well, who graciously served as my proxy during last week's interlude. It was also his first real experience in the cyberrealm that is the blogosphere, and he made no secret of the challenge involved. Feel free to browse his comments on the Space Invaders blog from last week.
I had the privilege of seeing WALL-E (the latest film from the acclaimed PIXAR animation studio) yesterday. This review from Catholic Exchange is right on target. It truly is a Catholic masterpiece and appropriate for anybody of any age group. The video game based on the movie is available in stores now for just about any platform you can imagine – but I hesitate to recommend it. For one, I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, but more importantly, I don’t really want to. Video game adaptations of movies rarely turn out well, and even less often do they manage to emulate what made the parent film so great.
That’s not to say that high-quality family-friendly games don’t exist. They do. Take the Xbox 360 game Blue Dragon, for example. Sporting a colorful aesthetic, endearing characters, and a charming sense of adventure, Blue Dragon may just be the video game equivalent of a PIXAR film. It sports a “T for teen” rating, due to some very, very brief instances of foul language, but there really isn’t any morally problematic content beyond that. In fact, it’s one of my favorite games from 2007. Best of all, you can buy the game new at most stores for $30 or less – half the price it was when it first released nearly a year ago.
I’ll try to make “kid-friendly games, parent friendly prices” a regular feature if I can. Let me know what you think of it!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Player Diary: Space Invaders Extreme
After spending a few days with the game, I think I can safely reiterate my initial impressions from Thursday. Feel free to peruse the following entry if you’ve got questions about some of the finer nuances of the game.
The “fastest finger” (shoot-at-the-aliens-before-they shoot-at-you) gameplay still exudes the same tension and sense of urgency that made the original so much fun, and the space invaders themselves even keep their classic 8-bit aesthetic. However, Space Invaders Extreme mixes in a few modern-day trappings that make the experience substantially different from its predecessor.
For starters, the invaders come in different colors, now. It seems like a neglible difference, but it’s really important if you care at all about high scores…which is, of course, presumably why anyone would play this game in the first place. Shoot 4 enemies of the same color in sequence, and you’ll nab a “power-up” – a laserbeam, bombs that can wipe out clusters of aliens at once, a protective shield that repels enemy fire – for a limited time. Which one you get depends, once again, on the color of the space invaders you’ve destroyed. Blue enemies grant laserbeams upon their demise, while destroying red aliens yields cluster bombs.
If you manage to this twice in a row (for example, shooting down 4 red enemies and 4 blue ones in succession) and you’ll be able to interrupt the game for a special “bonus round” – complete whatever challenge the game throws at you here, and you’ll enter a “fever” mode where, for a short period of time, each enemy you shoot down will be worth 10x the normal point value.
You can also multiply your score fairly quickly simply by shooting enemies – whatever their color – in very rapid succession. Eliminating enemies at a rapid rate activates a “chain” – a score multiplier of sorts that increases with each enemy you destroy, and decreases every moment you fail to shoot down one of those pesky space varmints (and the top screen keeps track of all these score modifiers for you, so don’t worry if this sounds a tad overwhelming).
With such drastic changes to the scoring system, the game becomes more than just a simple test of precision and quick reflexes. It adds a bit of pattern-recognition based puzzle-solving to the game (much like that of another classic videogame, Tetris). In fact, I’m more inclined to label Space Invaders Extreme as a “puzzle” game rather than a “shooter.”
The other elements of the game’s presentation also reinforce this classification. Clearly inspired by the efforts of Q Entertainment, who brought us the rhythmically-challenging puzzlers Meteos and Lumines, SIE integrates sound effects with various background music and kaleidoscope-like movies, creating a sensory overload that amounts to nothing less than aural and visual opulence.
Even with these seemingly drastic alterations to the gameplay mechanics, Space Invaders Extreme maintains the same structure as its predecessor: there’s no story to speak of, nor does this game need any; the game still incorporates the arcade-style “branching” levels, (where you can continue playing until you’re out of “lives” – or, in this case, extra ships), and there’s another game mode where you can simply play through an particular level of your choice and try to get a high score. Like the original, the game is also brutally difficult at times, especially on the later stages - it’s still an exercise in futility, and, most importantly, it’s still fun, even 30 years later.
The game boasts a multi-player mode, but the gameplay options here are really limited. My brothers and I tried it, and it’s nothing more than a “compete-to-survive” contest. The depth and breadth of the solo game is not present in the multiplayer modes, and I wouldn’t recommend this game if you’re looking for a fun multiplayer game for the family. I’ve played only the Nintendo DS version of Space Invaders Extreme, but there is also a Sony PSP version for any interested parties. Most critics seem to agree that the DS version is superior, but also agreed that game is an easily defensible purchase regardless of what handheld videogame player you buy it for. I’m inclined to agree with them on the latter point, although I’m not sure if this is a game for everyone. It’s harmless fun, like the games of old, but the “fun factor” will be dependent upon your enthusiasm for earning high scores.
On another note, I’ll be out of the country for the next coming week without any internet access. I hope to back and ready to blog in the first week of July. St. Catherine of Siena and all holy men and women, pray for us!
The “fastest finger” (shoot-at-the-aliens-before-they shoot-at-you) gameplay still exudes the same tension and sense of urgency that made the original so much fun, and the space invaders themselves even keep their classic 8-bit aesthetic. However, Space Invaders Extreme mixes in a few modern-day trappings that make the experience substantially different from its predecessor.
For starters, the invaders come in different colors, now. It seems like a neglible difference, but it’s really important if you care at all about high scores…which is, of course, presumably why anyone would play this game in the first place. Shoot 4 enemies of the same color in sequence, and you’ll nab a “power-up” – a laserbeam, bombs that can wipe out clusters of aliens at once, a protective shield that repels enemy fire – for a limited time. Which one you get depends, once again, on the color of the space invaders you’ve destroyed. Blue enemies grant laserbeams upon their demise, while destroying red aliens yields cluster bombs.
If you manage to this twice in a row (for example, shooting down 4 red enemies and 4 blue ones in succession) and you’ll be able to interrupt the game for a special “bonus round” – complete whatever challenge the game throws at you here, and you’ll enter a “fever” mode where, for a short period of time, each enemy you shoot down will be worth 10x the normal point value.
You can also multiply your score fairly quickly simply by shooting enemies – whatever their color – in very rapid succession. Eliminating enemies at a rapid rate activates a “chain” – a score multiplier of sorts that increases with each enemy you destroy, and decreases every moment you fail to shoot down one of those pesky space varmints (and the top screen keeps track of all these score modifiers for you, so don’t worry if this sounds a tad overwhelming).
With such drastic changes to the scoring system, the game becomes more than just a simple test of precision and quick reflexes. It adds a bit of pattern-recognition based puzzle-solving to the game (much like that of another classic videogame, Tetris). In fact, I’m more inclined to label Space Invaders Extreme as a “puzzle” game rather than a “shooter.”
The other elements of the game’s presentation also reinforce this classification. Clearly inspired by the efforts of Q Entertainment, who brought us the rhythmically-challenging puzzlers Meteos and Lumines, SIE integrates sound effects with various background music and kaleidoscope-like movies, creating a sensory overload that amounts to nothing less than aural and visual opulence.
Even with these seemingly drastic alterations to the gameplay mechanics, Space Invaders Extreme maintains the same structure as its predecessor: there’s no story to speak of, nor does this game need any; the game still incorporates the arcade-style “branching” levels, (where you can continue playing until you’re out of “lives” – or, in this case, extra ships), and there’s another game mode where you can simply play through an particular level of your choice and try to get a high score. Like the original, the game is also brutally difficult at times, especially on the later stages - it’s still an exercise in futility, and, most importantly, it’s still fun, even 30 years later.
The game boasts a multi-player mode, but the gameplay options here are really limited. My brothers and I tried it, and it’s nothing more than a “compete-to-survive” contest. The depth and breadth of the solo game is not present in the multiplayer modes, and I wouldn’t recommend this game if you’re looking for a fun multiplayer game for the family. I’ve played only the Nintendo DS version of Space Invaders Extreme, but there is also a Sony PSP version for any interested parties. Most critics seem to agree that the DS version is superior, but also agreed that game is an easily defensible purchase regardless of what handheld videogame player you buy it for. I’m inclined to agree with them on the latter point, although I’m not sure if this is a game for everyone. It’s harmless fun, like the games of old, but the “fun factor” will be dependent upon your enthusiasm for earning high scores.
On another note, I’ll be out of the country for the next coming week without any internet access. I hope to back and ready to blog in the first week of July. St. Catherine of Siena and all holy men and women, pray for us!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Reliving Childhood Memories with Space Invaders Extreme
The original Space Invaders was one of the first video games I ever played. Before I ever had the privilege of owning any video games (we’re talking wayyyyyyy back in the day, folks…), my parents would frequently make visits to my grandpa’s house, where he would graciously drag out his trusty Atari 2600 game console (equipped with a very old Texas Instruments Computer), for my perusal. While this naturally facilitated exposure to a smorgasbord of classic video games, no game captivated me more than Taito’s Space Invaders.
My brother and I would spend hours defending earth from those extraterrestrial invaders, and it always seemed to be an exercise in futility: eventually, the invaders would get their way. No matter how many evasive maneuvers we employed to dodge the alien assaults, despite our quick reflexes with our “trigger fingers” (which quickly turned many a spaceship into virtual cannon fodder), we couldn’t keep the hostile hordes at bay for more than 2 levels. We had fun, anyway.
Craving a bit of nostalgia (and hearing some positive buzz from some fellow gaming fans), I ran over to my local Gamestop yesterday in hopes of finding the newly-released, modern-day re-imagining of this iconic franchise, Space Invaders Extreme. I’ve invested some playtime into it, but I won’t elaborate on the finer details now, as I still need to spend some more time with the game before a final verdict. Nonetheless, I think it’s safe to say that this game retains everything that made the original so memorable and influential – with the caveat that some of the additions to both the presentation and the core gameplay itself make SIE a substantially different game than its predecessor.
I’ll probably post a “player diary” of some sort for this game either tomorrow or Saturday. St. Catherine of Siena and all holy men and women, pray for us!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Player Diary: The World Ends With You
I will admit that I purchased the Nintendo DS game The World Ends With You (henceforth referred to as TWEWY for the sake of brevity) with a bit of pretension. $40 is a steep asking price for a handheld video game, and the lackluster previous efforts of Jupiter (the game’s developer) certainly did not inspire any extra confidence in my selection. The game’s widespread critical acclaim and the lavish recommendations of a respected friend of mine certainly helped to assuage my initial hesitations, but I think that the game’s story concept may have been the tipping point in my decision. Ever wanted to know what happens when a self-absorbed, fashion-conscious teenager from Tokyo’s bustling commercial district gets recruited for a 7-day contest with his life on the line as collateral?
It sounds like something straight out of a horror movie (2002’s mystery-thriller The Ring comes to mind, especially with the “7 days” plot device). I realize that such films don’t appeal to everyone and, at times, have a negligible moral and/or spiritual value (if any at all). That being the case, I can understand why someone might not find the game’s story as interesting as I did. But TWEWY is a far cry from Resident Evil. Rather than focusing on sharp, edge-of-your seat graphic images to elicit an emotional thrill from the game player, TWEWY primarily utilizes its characters and setting, emphasizing exploration and character development, to help the player progress through the game’s narrative.
As long as I’m on the subject of narrative, I would like to take the opportunity to mention that this game presents a surprising amount of positive Christian themes throughout the duration of the game. During the story’s exposition, Neku, the game’s protagonist, is the archetype practitioner of what G.K. Chesterton famously called the most hideous of all religions – the worship of the inner god, the self. Without giving away too much, I can say affirmatively that by the story’s conclusion, Neku is no longer a self-centered egotist – his transformation, though not quite complete by the game’s reprisal, reminds us of the Christian call to conversion: the removal of our hardened hearts of stone for hearts of compassion.
It’s also worth noting that the presentation of these positive thematic elements is not limited to exploits of the main character - the supporting characters undergo their own conversion experiences, as well. Shiki, Neku’s female companion in the 7-day contest, learns a powerful lesson about the self-destructive powers of envy. There’s also quite a bit of Christological symbology interspersed throughout the game, as well, though this particular nuance of the game’s story doesn’t always hit the mark. The game borrows quite a bit from Christian and Jewish theology, but it takes cues from Eastern mythology, as well (the Chinese Zodiac, for example, clearly influenced the names of game locations and certain characters). Some Taoist philosophy seems to be shoehorned into the game at various intervals, and at times, the game even seems to relish in a rather relativistic ethic. There was even a point – near the game’s finale, no less – where I feared the game was going to indulge in the Nihilist “kill God” conclusion seen in the His Dark Materials book trilogy (and various video games, such as Final Fantasy XII), I was happily surprised to see that the game does quite the opposite. While the correlation to a Catholic understanding of God’s mercy and love is by no means perfect, the game seems to reaffirm the existence of a loving God rather than deny it.
Despite the fact that the game takes place in Tokyo, Japan, the game’s depiction of Tokyo’s thriving Shibuya commercial district is such that the setting seems authentically Western – in fact, I’d wager that if it weren’t for the fact that TWEWY features prominent Tokyo locals, I’d be hard pressed to distinguish the game’s setting from that of any major downtown city across the North American continent.
The game also benefits from a slavishly transliterated script. This makes the characters seem as authentically "Western" as the game's location, for better of for worse; since features teenagers so prominently, you can probably guess that their language is – well, far from immaculate, to say the least! There’s a fair amount of foul language and a few very mild references to homosexual activity. That being said, I still think that the “T for Teen” ESRB rating is quite appropriate for this game. A teen with a well-formed conscience will, I imagine, have no problems gleaning the many positive fruits of this game’s narrative while leaving the poor ones to rot.
Of course, to focus exclusively on the game’s narrative would be quite silly. What is, exactly, the value of the actual “game” in this “videogame”?
Well, at it’s core, TWEWY is a real-time Japanese role-playing game. The main focus of the game is on combat, where the player controls the game’s characters in some sort of battle scenario. In TWEWY, the player controls the protagonist, Neku, using the touch-screen on the Nintendo DS. Before battle, Neku can equip different “pins” for the fight. These “pins” allow Neku to perform different sorts of attacks. For example, one pin might strike an enemy with lightning, while another will allow Neku to teleport and dodge enemy attacks. More importantly, using the pins is no small order: the aforementioned lightning pin works, for example, by drawing circles on the touch screen, while the teleportation pin is activated by simply poking the screen. Since you can only take a certain number of pins into battle (and you can only use pins a certain number of times in a row), you have to plan carefully before and during each fight.
The game also allows incorporates the fashion motif very well into these battles. The type of clothing Neku wears into battle with effect the way he fights enemies (for example, wearing one shirt will makes his attacks stronger, while another might help to dodge enemy attacks). More importantly, as in reality, clothes all have brandnames. One brand might be more popular in a certain part of Tokyo than another, and the game grants Neku extra attack power if he respects the fashion sensibilities of the area he’s fighting in. It’s a pretty clever mechanic that really added to the authenticity of the game’s setting in addition to making the game more challenging.
As the game player, you’ll not only control Neku, but another character is also at your disposal on the top screen of the Nintendo DS. Here, you’ll once again have the opportunity to equip your character with certain sets of clothing, but you’ll attack and defend against enemy attacks by using the directional pad instead of the touch screen.
The real challenge is trying to control both characters simultaneously! It’s rather difficult at first, but it’s fast, frantic, and fun in a very strategic way. It challenges the player to think critically and quickly - no small feat in the world of video games. And if you don’t want to worry about both screens at once, it’s no problem – the game has adjustable difficulty that allows the game’s CPU to control the top screen for you.
I’ve been playing TWEWY quite a bit since I bought it last month, and, needless to say, I’ve enjoyed what I played. It’s certainly been one of the best $40 I’ve spent in a long while. While by no means is the above description adequate to cover every aspect of the game, I do hope that it sufficiently covers the basics. Feel free to contact/comment if you have any more questions about the game.
It sounds like something straight out of a horror movie (2002’s mystery-thriller The Ring comes to mind, especially with the “7 days” plot device). I realize that such films don’t appeal to everyone and, at times, have a negligible moral and/or spiritual value (if any at all). That being the case, I can understand why someone might not find the game’s story as interesting as I did. But TWEWY is a far cry from Resident Evil. Rather than focusing on sharp, edge-of-your seat graphic images to elicit an emotional thrill from the game player, TWEWY primarily utilizes its characters and setting, emphasizing exploration and character development, to help the player progress through the game’s narrative.
As long as I’m on the subject of narrative, I would like to take the opportunity to mention that this game presents a surprising amount of positive Christian themes throughout the duration of the game. During the story’s exposition, Neku, the game’s protagonist, is the archetype practitioner of what G.K. Chesterton famously called the most hideous of all religions – the worship of the inner god, the self. Without giving away too much, I can say affirmatively that by the story’s conclusion, Neku is no longer a self-centered egotist – his transformation, though not quite complete by the game’s reprisal, reminds us of the Christian call to conversion: the removal of our hardened hearts of stone for hearts of compassion.
It’s also worth noting that the presentation of these positive thematic elements is not limited to exploits of the main character - the supporting characters undergo their own conversion experiences, as well. Shiki, Neku’s female companion in the 7-day contest, learns a powerful lesson about the self-destructive powers of envy. There’s also quite a bit of Christological symbology interspersed throughout the game, as well, though this particular nuance of the game’s story doesn’t always hit the mark. The game borrows quite a bit from Christian and Jewish theology, but it takes cues from Eastern mythology, as well (the Chinese Zodiac, for example, clearly influenced the names of game locations and certain characters). Some Taoist philosophy seems to be shoehorned into the game at various intervals, and at times, the game even seems to relish in a rather relativistic ethic. There was even a point – near the game’s finale, no less – where I feared the game was going to indulge in the Nihilist “kill God” conclusion seen in the His Dark Materials book trilogy (and various video games, such as Final Fantasy XII), I was happily surprised to see that the game does quite the opposite. While the correlation to a Catholic understanding of God’s mercy and love is by no means perfect, the game seems to reaffirm the existence of a loving God rather than deny it.
Despite the fact that the game takes place in Tokyo, Japan, the game’s depiction of Tokyo’s thriving Shibuya commercial district is such that the setting seems authentically Western – in fact, I’d wager that if it weren’t for the fact that TWEWY features prominent Tokyo locals, I’d be hard pressed to distinguish the game’s setting from that of any major downtown city across the North American continent.
The game also benefits from a slavishly transliterated script. This makes the characters seem as authentically "Western" as the game's location, for better of for worse; since features teenagers so prominently, you can probably guess that their language is – well, far from immaculate, to say the least! There’s a fair amount of foul language and a few very mild references to homosexual activity. That being said, I still think that the “T for Teen” ESRB rating is quite appropriate for this game. A teen with a well-formed conscience will, I imagine, have no problems gleaning the many positive fruits of this game’s narrative while leaving the poor ones to rot.
Of course, to focus exclusively on the game’s narrative would be quite silly. What is, exactly, the value of the actual “game” in this “videogame”?
Well, at it’s core, TWEWY is a real-time Japanese role-playing game. The main focus of the game is on combat, where the player controls the game’s characters in some sort of battle scenario. In TWEWY, the player controls the protagonist, Neku, using the touch-screen on the Nintendo DS. Before battle, Neku can equip different “pins” for the fight. These “pins” allow Neku to perform different sorts of attacks. For example, one pin might strike an enemy with lightning, while another will allow Neku to teleport and dodge enemy attacks. More importantly, using the pins is no small order: the aforementioned lightning pin works, for example, by drawing circles on the touch screen, while the teleportation pin is activated by simply poking the screen. Since you can only take a certain number of pins into battle (and you can only use pins a certain number of times in a row), you have to plan carefully before and during each fight.
The game also allows incorporates the fashion motif very well into these battles. The type of clothing Neku wears into battle with effect the way he fights enemies (for example, wearing one shirt will makes his attacks stronger, while another might help to dodge enemy attacks). More importantly, as in reality, clothes all have brandnames. One brand might be more popular in a certain part of Tokyo than another, and the game grants Neku extra attack power if he respects the fashion sensibilities of the area he’s fighting in. It’s a pretty clever mechanic that really added to the authenticity of the game’s setting in addition to making the game more challenging.
As the game player, you’ll not only control Neku, but another character is also at your disposal on the top screen of the Nintendo DS. Here, you’ll once again have the opportunity to equip your character with certain sets of clothing, but you’ll attack and defend against enemy attacks by using the directional pad instead of the touch screen.
The real challenge is trying to control both characters simultaneously! It’s rather difficult at first, but it’s fast, frantic, and fun in a very strategic way. It challenges the player to think critically and quickly - no small feat in the world of video games. And if you don’t want to worry about both screens at once, it’s no problem – the game has adjustable difficulty that allows the game’s CPU to control the top screen for you.
I’ve been playing TWEWY quite a bit since I bought it last month, and, needless to say, I’ve enjoyed what I played. It’s certainly been one of the best $40 I’ve spent in a long while. While by no means is the above description adequate to cover every aspect of the game, I do hope that it sufficiently covers the basics. Feel free to contact/comment if you have any more questions about the game.
Monday, June 16, 2008
So Just What are Video Games Good For?
Despite the massive popularity of the video game medium, society seems far from ready to afford game developers, their products, and even gamers themselves much attention. If anything, video games are the subjects of derision and skepticism in news media; violent video games are often blamed for inspiring the tragic Columbine shootings. The Academy Awards are broadcast to a live television audience of millions of viewers and gain the attention of mainstream news networks everywhere, but gaming awards attract no such attention. It’s not uncommon to meet someone who sees video games as nothing more than a mindless and shallow diversion; others treat it as nothing more than a child’s toy. Some even condemn video games as overly violent, addictive, and even downright evil. Even Catholics fall prey to this line of thinking from time to time, and as much as I disagree with their assessments, their criticisms aren’t without merit.
When video arcades first appeared in America 2 decades ago, Pac-Man, a game starring a yellow amorphous blob with an insatiable appetite for white dots, was the epitome of the video game medium. Game players controlled Pac-Man, directing him (via a trusty joystick) to consume all the white dots onscreen while simultaneously dodging the assaults of multi-colored poltergeists.
It’s certainly quite a, well, um… unique concept on paper; I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who immediately dismissed the game as a silly and nonsensical, if harmless, diversion. Yet arcades, filled with Pac-Man machines, among other things, quickly became an American pastime: more than just a way to spend spare quarters, arcades became hang-outs for people of all ages, and despite the occasionally seedy types that could occasionally be found loitering at these locals, something about these games was clearly drawing people together.
Games continue to have this same effect today. While arcades are now nearly extinct, games live on, and games can be both intellectually and even spiritually enriching activities whether played unaccompanied or with friends and family.
Whether played competitively or cooperatively, many games offer a chance for fellowship in the same way that board games and sports do. My brothers and I have many fond memories of playing games like Tales of Symphonia, where teamwork was an essential ingredient to completing the game’s many challenges. Racing games like Mario Kart and Burnout provided us with endless laughs and nurtured in us a healthy competitive spirit. Classic, family-friendly board games like Monopoly, Risk, and Chess have “virtual” equivalents playable on a PC, a handheld game machine (such as the Nintendo DS), or a “home console” like the Xbox 360. Sports fans can purchase video game versions of nearly every game imaginable, from the ever-popular Madden football series or the more obscure World Championship Poker games.
Critics often level the charge that video games promote laziness and an unhealthy lifestyle, but recent games such as Nintendo’s Wii Fit actually attempt to promote healthy living (a nuance of Catholic teaching often forgotten in contemporary society). While Wii Fit has become a media darling within recent weeks, games designed with fitness in mind are hardly anything new. Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution - a game equipped with a “workout mode” that tracks the amount calories burned as you dance - has been used in physical fitness programs in public schools.
Games often spur rigorous intellectual stimulation, as well: The Civilization games, for example, not only foster an interest in history, but teach players the importance of strategic planning and prioritization of duties. During my younger years, I learned a great deal about the importance of the rainforest and its many natural resources from the Amazon Trail video games for PC. Classical music junkies (or anyone, for that matter) might want to check out the XBOX 360 game Eternal Sonata, which attempts to retrace the steps of Polish composer Frederic Chopin in his last moments on earth (albeit with some “artistic license” thrown into the mix).
Of course, with all the benefits video games can offer, it’s important to remember that, like all media, games can be used for both good and evil. Games like Grand Theft Auto and Scarface allow players to go on virtual killing sprees and generally fail to supply any redemptive narrative to justify the actions taking place. And even the very most enriching video game is potentially addicting – and an addiction is in no way conducive to bringing forth God’s kingdom on earth.
In the end, like all morally neutral activities, the operating principle with video games in conjunction with an authentic Catholic lifestyle is "In Medias Res" – moderation in all things. This explicitly Catholic principle has applications in almost every aspect of daily living, and video games are no exception.
When video arcades first appeared in America 2 decades ago, Pac-Man, a game starring a yellow amorphous blob with an insatiable appetite for white dots, was the epitome of the video game medium. Game players controlled Pac-Man, directing him (via a trusty joystick) to consume all the white dots onscreen while simultaneously dodging the assaults of multi-colored poltergeists.
It’s certainly quite a, well, um… unique concept on paper; I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who immediately dismissed the game as a silly and nonsensical, if harmless, diversion. Yet arcades, filled with Pac-Man machines, among other things, quickly became an American pastime: more than just a way to spend spare quarters, arcades became hang-outs for people of all ages, and despite the occasionally seedy types that could occasionally be found loitering at these locals, something about these games was clearly drawing people together.
Games continue to have this same effect today. While arcades are now nearly extinct, games live on, and games can be both intellectually and even spiritually enriching activities whether played unaccompanied or with friends and family.
Whether played competitively or cooperatively, many games offer a chance for fellowship in the same way that board games and sports do. My brothers and I have many fond memories of playing games like Tales of Symphonia, where teamwork was an essential ingredient to completing the game’s many challenges. Racing games like Mario Kart and Burnout provided us with endless laughs and nurtured in us a healthy competitive spirit. Classic, family-friendly board games like Monopoly, Risk, and Chess have “virtual” equivalents playable on a PC, a handheld game machine (such as the Nintendo DS), or a “home console” like the Xbox 360. Sports fans can purchase video game versions of nearly every game imaginable, from the ever-popular Madden football series or the more obscure World Championship Poker games.
Critics often level the charge that video games promote laziness and an unhealthy lifestyle, but recent games such as Nintendo’s Wii Fit actually attempt to promote healthy living (a nuance of Catholic teaching often forgotten in contemporary society). While Wii Fit has become a media darling within recent weeks, games designed with fitness in mind are hardly anything new. Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution - a game equipped with a “workout mode” that tracks the amount calories burned as you dance - has been used in physical fitness programs in public schools.
Games often spur rigorous intellectual stimulation, as well: The Civilization games, for example, not only foster an interest in history, but teach players the importance of strategic planning and prioritization of duties. During my younger years, I learned a great deal about the importance of the rainforest and its many natural resources from the Amazon Trail video games for PC. Classical music junkies (or anyone, for that matter) might want to check out the XBOX 360 game Eternal Sonata, which attempts to retrace the steps of Polish composer Frederic Chopin in his last moments on earth (albeit with some “artistic license” thrown into the mix).
Of course, with all the benefits video games can offer, it’s important to remember that, like all media, games can be used for both good and evil. Games like Grand Theft Auto and Scarface allow players to go on virtual killing sprees and generally fail to supply any redemptive narrative to justify the actions taking place. And even the very most enriching video game is potentially addicting – and an addiction is in no way conducive to bringing forth God’s kingdom on earth.
In the end, like all morally neutral activities, the operating principle with video games in conjunction with an authentic Catholic lifestyle is "In Medias Res" – moderation in all things. This explicitly Catholic principle has applications in almost every aspect of daily living, and video games are no exception.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
First Post!
"Among the wonderful technological discoveries which men of talent, especially in the present era, have made with God's help, the Church welcomes and promotes with special interest those which have a most direct relation to men's minds and which have uncovered new avenues of communicating most readily news, views and teachings of every sort. The most important of these inventions are those media which, such as the press, movies, radio, television and the like, can, of their very nature, reach and influence, not only individuals, but the very masses and the whole of human society, and thus can rightly be called the media of social communication."
"The Church recognizes that these media, if properly utilized, can be of great service to mankind, since they greatly contribute to men's entertainment and instruction as well as to the spread and support of the Kingdom of God."
- from the DECREE ON THE MEDIA OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS, Inter Mirifica
Since the promulgation of Inter Mirifica in 1963, Catholics have witnessed social communication employed in ways entirely compatible with this papal decree. It was only a few decades ago that Hollywood sought to produce movies for a specifically Catholic audience; nowadays, while such explicit catering to a "Catholic" demographic is quite rare, movies produced by Catholics for a specifically Catholic audience, such as The Passion of the Christ and Therese, continue to be produced. Recent decades have brought a Catholic television network, EWTN, to a global audience. The internet contains a plethora of Catholic websites and blogs, and the written word, even when delegated to the pages of a book, continues to offer us an indispensible way to engage in the New Evangelization.
In instances where media that isn't explicitly promoting the story of a Saint or a scripture study, Catholics have still utilized these communications for the promotion of the common good. The USCCB regularly publishes movie reviews, as do websites such as decentfilms.com. Catholic print publications and online venues carry book and music reviews; some, such as Lifeteen, even cover media for a specific age group.
Yet there remains one communications medium that seems to have received the "cold shoulder" from Catholics: video games. It is for this reason that "Catholic Video Gamers" exists. "Gaming for the greater glory of God" is indeed possible (hat tip to the Jesuits for the blog's "motto"), and here is where the exploits of Catholic gamers will be recorded for all interested parties. Whether it be the discussion of specific games and their merits or commentary on the gaming "culture" at large, Catholic Video Gamers aims to find ways to "spread and promote the kingdom of God" with the video gaming medium.
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