• 1Nov 12

  Your favorite works by creators you loathe?

  I recently got into the iOS version of a popular Fantasy Flight game called Elder Sign (Elder Sign: Omens for iOS). It's a table-top game with a myriad of cards, representing investigators, adventures, and items, as well as various types of tokens. Your outcomes during adventure play are determined using dice, but there's a whole lot of strategy involved.

  The entire thing is based on Lovecraft mythology, something I previously only had a passing knowledge of. I knew he was an inspiration for Stephen King and the creator of the Cthulhu mythos. But the more I dug around, the less I liked what I was learning about the actual author, namely he was a big fat racist (well, he wasn't actually overweight, but you get the gist). Though he was wed to a Jewish woman, he was an outspoken racist who seemed to believe that people of color were trash.

  

  Now, it's easy to say, well, that shouldn't affect your appreciation of his work if the writing itself is good, but I think it's understandable that anyone would be concerned about, at the very least, being subconsciously influenced by such a destructive personality trait -- that was my initial response.

  But the Call of Cthulhu mythology is undeniably alluring, with its noir settings and absolutely dreadful creatures and outcomes. The Elder Sign game is addictive beyond belief, and I must admit, I'm now quite curious to delve into some of Lovecraft's novels. It's an interesting quandry, but one I don't think can be so easily dismissed.

  I think another concern is, are the other folks into his writings interested solely because of the horror tales, or are they in agreement with his racist views? It's impossible for me not to wonder when encountering folks who are raving fans of Lovecraftian lore.

  The guy's been dead for close to a century now, but it seems his horror has lived on in more ways than one. Is there a writer/game maker/artist that has presented you with a similar challenge philosophically?

  • Posted Nov 1, 2012 12:33 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 27Oct 12

  The Young and the Resident Evil

  So, I have been playing tons of Resident Evil 6 -- tons. I had a dream last night with Ada Wong in it. I have Resident Evil on the brain.

  Anyhoo, it occurred to me as I was finishing up Ada's campaign that the reason I love this series so much -- in spite of its many zigs and zags, both gameplay-wise and quality-wise -- is because, well, it's a soap opera. It started out that way pretty much and it's the only real constant with this series.

  

  Most of you are probably too young to remember, but General Hospital back in the late 70s had a lot of similar tropes and craziness -- stuff so over-the-top, it blasted that show to the top of the daytime-drama charts for a good long while. Luke & Laura eventually found themselves wrapped up in some of the most unbelievable circumstances, and the folks behind the scenes were the question never truly answered and the reason you kept watching the show.

  

  Resident Evil has become like that over the years, and though the gameplay has changed drastically from game to game, the underlying theme remains the same: "Who done it. why are they doing it, and please, please don't ever tell me!"

  Resident Evil 6 was a disappointing game for me in many ways, and yet I'm still chugging away at it. That isn't to say that the story and characters are the only thing keeping me coming back. The game has design problems galore, but it's still very much my kinda game. That being said, the universe Capcom have created will keep me coming back with each new iteration, though they stumbled pretty hard with this one. I just love the experience of waiting to see what's going to unfold and never truly being given an answer. In some weird way, it's the exact kind of satisfaction I want out of a Resident Evil game. And though Capcom may have fallen short in terms of pacing and gameplay, they still managed to keep me rapt.

  • Posted Oct 27, 2012 7:20 am GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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• 24Oct 12

  Resident Evil 6 Complete

  Well, the main stories are complete, but I'm far from finished with the game. I've got trophies to hunt, skills to acquire, and medals to earn, not to mention ample time to spend with Mercs.

  I tried to do a reader review for GS, but the formatting makes it one huge wall of text, and no one wants to read that. So below, I'm going to copy and paste my review here. But before I do, I just want to riff on one particular thought...

  Resident Evil 6 -- with all that it does new in terms of controls and camera -- is, I believe, more old-school Resident Evil than I think some folks are either willing to admit or realize. Of course, the horror element is gone, but many of the same uber-quirky mechanics have been unearthed from the past and inserted into this game. If you play Ada's campaign, you'll see what I'm talking about.

  Unfortunately, it's things most of us never wanted to see return. Ah well, it is what it is. In any case, here's my review of RE6 after clocking in roughly 33 hours:

  ___________________________________________________________

  Resident Evil 6 Review

  Man, did this game turn out a whole lot differently than I (and many like me) thought it would. When the first trailers hit earlier this year, the appearance of Leon and the darker tone promised a return to the Resident Evil roots -- you know, survival horror and all that? For better or worse, thats not really what we get here at all. Well, there are hints and whiffs of intensity, but most of that is born from frustration with some seriously flawed game design. In any event, the game has managed to grow on me in spite of major disappointment.
  
  I'd rather not bore you with the game's premise. You can look all that up on your own if you're not already versed on the setting(s) of Resident Evil 6 (RE6). You'll play through three main campaigns -- Leon and Helena, Chris and Piers, and Jake (Weskers son) and Sherry (you know, the kid from RE2) -- plus (the worst kept secret in gaming history) Ada's campaign, unlocked after completing the other three stories.
  
  There's a lot of game here for sure, though Mercenaries out of the box is pretty paltry, with a mere three maps (without pre-order content) to choose from. I think it took me roughly 25 hours to complete the first three campaigns, and Ada's, though much shorter than the others, is packed with a lot of interesting gameplay devices and sequences.
  
  However, all of the campaigns are a mishmash of good, bad, and seriously ugly gameplay. Leon's campaign starts out feeling a bit like Left 4 Dead and ends up stuck in a Kane & Lynch rut toward the end. Chris and Piers go for a decidedly more Gears of War approach, and though there are some excellent boss moments, their campaign too is rife with technical and design issues. Jake's story, though not exempt from a few poor design decisions, somehow manages to feel like the most cohesive and complete action game of the three.
  
  All three of the campaigns have some wonderful high points, as well as moments that make you want to pull your hair out. Most of the moment-to-moment gameplay is quite satisfying, but the cheap deaths are overdone -- way overdone. The quick-time events (QTEs) are a huge source of frustration throughout the entire experience, particularly one that requires you to jiggle the left stick to the point where it feels like its going to tear off your controller. Other QTEs are actually kind of fun, but the mechanic should have been used more sparingly.
  
  Far too often, these QTEs come at you when you least expect them, or there's simply no indication as to what you're meant do next. Sure, there was a taste of this even back in RE4, but the developers of this game seem to have misinterpreted the intent of these devices.
  
  It's also frustrating, especially in Mercenaries mode, when you're supposedly locked into a coup de grace animation and a zombie/enemy manages to get up and walk away. This happens a lot, and it can make getting high scores in Mercs the wrong kind of challenge, as well as holding onto ammo in the campaigns particularly difficult.
  
  Mainly, it's the schizophrenic pacing and lack of identity that make RE6 such a disappointing experience. There are almost no puzzles in the main game, and the ones that are present are pretty much solved for you by a waypoint indicator that constantly stays onscreen. Ada's second chapter is probably the best we get in terms of not having our hand held the whole time, but even here you're forced to replay a large chunk of game you previously played in Leon's campaign.
  
  In spite of my many complaints -- and I do have many other things I could nitpick -- the package as a whole is still quite loveable. I love being able to play almost the entire game with another player in a style that isn't as restrictive as it was in RE5 (much of the touch-and-go gameplay feels like Left 4 Dead, focused more on cooperative travel, rather than dramatic sequences). I love that the partner A.I. in this game is actually helpful and doesnt suck your inventory dry. I love the new mechanics and the camera system, even though they felt completely foreign to me at first. And I love how challenging the Mercenaries mode is, since there are so many new things to learn and relearn -- many animations can now be broken (purposely) by enemy attacks.
  
  It's a shame, though, Capcom still feel the need to try and gouge us by holding back many of the Mercs maps we already know exist in hopes of selling them to us later down the road as DLC. Had the main game been better, perhaps I wouldn't feel cheated. But three maps in a $60 package that doesn't even include a printed instruction manual (that's right, and there isn't even one in-game -- you have to go online and download a PDF if you want complete gameplay instructions) is not cool at all. Capcom have been getting worse and worse about this sort of thing over the last four or five years, and it reeks especially badly in this case because the game itself isnt up to their otherwise high standards.
  
  As a sort of aside, Ada's campaign is perhaps the ideal example of what this game represents. It's all over the place in terms of gameplay and design. One minute you're required to use stealth to make your way through a level, and the next you're stuck in these old-style, fixed-camera scenes that are finicky beyond belief. They threw out storage containers and safe rooms -- things that made sense -- and kept out-of-date gameplay mechanics most of us can agree have no place in a modern adventure. Yet, Ada's second chapter is perhaps the most enjoyable segment of the entire game. Again, RE6 just flails all over the place when it comes to quality.

  

  (A scene from one of the best chapters in the game.)
  
  Though it may have lost a sense of direction, one thing Resident Evil hasn't lost is its sense of humor. There are some great Easter eggs to experience and lots of fantastic music that stews together with the rest of the game in an oddly endearing way. The dialogue can be cheesy, hammy, and the plot devices spammy, but there are almost as many memorable lines of dialogue here as there ever were in past numbered RE games.
  
  Visually, the game is extremely attractive and runs totally smooth. I can't think of a single moment when I experienced slowdown. There are, of course, going to be lag issues when playing online, but matchmaking does a fairly decent job showing you which players are viable options to hook up with. RE6 has amazing lighting, superb set pieces, and loads of environmental detail.
  
  The audio is powerful and perfectly matched with the gameplay and cutscenes onscreen, though you may never actually stop to think about it all that much. The orchestral scores are subtle and refined, and the sounds of bashing zombie skulls are, oh, so satisfying (yes, there are actual zombies in this particular Resident Evil game).
  
  One other cool but somewhat disappointing feature is RE.net, a website designed specifically to interact with the game. In theory, you link your progress in the game to the website and earn RE points, which can be spent on virtual goods on the site. The selection ranges from new palette swaps for Mercs costumes, to dioramas and wallpapers. There are also regular online events where high-score players (though hackers have already invaded the leaderboards) can earn substantial winnings.
  
  The site, in execution, is less than perfect, though. You constantly have to re-link your console account to your site account, and updates are incredibly slow. Its still a cool addition, though, and something that should pad the longevity of the game if they can iron out the technical issues.
  
  Hopefully, Capcom will iron out the game's issues as well. There are supposed to be free updates that unlock a co-op option for Ada's campaign, but really, what we need right now is new, free Mercs content (Update: today Capcom announced a fix for the camera, which is due out in mid-December). I'll gladly pay for additional story DLC, but for what I paid, RE6 has yet to fully live up to its end of the bargain. I love it for what it is, but it disappoints me for what it isn't. It isn't a fully realized Resident Evil game; it isn't a good value for the money (don't let the length of the game fool you -- longer doesnt always equal better); and even as an action game, it isn't quite ready for primetime. RE6 holds on to archaic design whilst scrapping things from the series that actually worked. And in some places, RE6 even feels unfinished.
  
  In this instance, Capcom is like a really busy parent that wanted so badly to please their child but is so out of touch with what that child wants, it gave them something it had almost no interest in. The effort is appreciated, but instead of trying to buy our love, why not simply listen to us. I'm far from ready to give up on this franchise, but this isn't a fully baked cake, thats for sure.

  Score: 6.5

  • Posted Oct 24, 2012 10:06 am GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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