I love horror games, they're by far some of the most creative games I've played, but I need more. You can only have a zombie/mutant/auntie grizelda burst in from a window so many times. Pyramid head? Yeah he was scary in an enclosed hallway, and quite memorable (Harry who?...I don't know anyone named Maria.)

Resident Evil , Silent Hill, I don't really get that creepy vibe from them anymore.
Then...Condemned came along.

Say what you will of thin plots and dialogue, Condemned has done something I never really have experienced in a game for a long time: scare me. I'm pretty calm when I play, and this game has the ability to bring out the basest of instincts in me. I'm pretty sure my roommate thought I was going to jump over and strangle him with the way I would gasp loudly, and proceed yell though clenched teeth as I pressed that button that would guarantee the enemy in the screen would never eat another piece of solid food in his life. I was alone, and my fight or flight switch was hardwired to fight. no one endangers me... NO ONE.

My roommate cannot understand. He sees a raving lunatic holding a controller.

Why was I so scared?
I think the mix of "out there" monsters has really lessened the scare in games. Programmers are focused more on their look and how many times they can jump out at you, when you, the gamer can add so much to the experience by using your own imagination. I don't want to see what the designer thinks is scary. Monsters, killers, whatever need a look. Okay, let the designer handle that, don't sweat the small stuff...my mind can handle the small stuff.

Happy Halloween y'all



If your stuck at home giving out the candy this year, here are a few "seasonal" entertainment reccomendations.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari- Silent film about a somnabulist's twisted deeds
Dementia 13 -Early francis Ford Coppola "slasher" film
An American Werewolf in london- Title explains it all.
Nosferatu -Vampires! Yay!
House of Wax- (not that one) old school Vincent Price film.

Check this out this spiffy news

Score one for "video games a viable art form!"

And now...some Daft Punk to celebrate!

So as I said Friday, for most games, developers intend for a player to connect to the character they play. To under stand their desires, be it beating down an entire alien race, or to avenge their dear friend, a companion cube, or get lucky on Friday night.

For every ten games that star a space marine (I played one last night…was it Quake 4, or was it Halo? Maybe it was Doom) you see at leas one game that tries to stretch the boundaries of sexuality as opposed to blood spatter effects.
I really wish I would see more of exploring sexuality in video games.

Now let me make one thing clear. I’m not saying we need orgies and nudes running rampant in the next Mario game, rather understanding “which team the player’s character plays on,” or how a relationship with a boy/girlfriend/lover/spouse/whatever plays a part in the game world.

Take Mass Effect, or any of Bioware’s rpgs. Orientation is somewhat in the user’s hands, contributing to a better comprehension of the character, and an extremely immersive experience. While Homosexuality is fairly new to games, heterosexuality isn’t and it usually doesn’t go any farther than a sex scene or some mention that “look I have a significant other!”

It’s sort of frustrating to talk about this, simply because I can’t say “OMG MORE T&A!” or “Let’s tone town the sex, eh?” but I feel that story or character driven games lack a little extra something to truly assist me to understand the players and NPC's in a game.
I think Quantic Dream had the right idea with Indigo Prophecy, although most of it was really just a movie. You had an idea where people stood in that world (albeit some of it felt forced.)

I’m not asking for any thing but maybe a little innuendo. Not because I want games to become sexual. Just give us something else to help relate to characters. Single people play games. Hetero and homosexual couples play games. They can relate to the emotional and sexual aspects of relationships.

I would be interested to hear your take on this as well. For now, I’ll leave you with this conversation I had with a guy at a coffee shop…(written from memory)

Me: Yeah the Wii’s pretty cool. They need to release more games for it.
Guy: Everyone thinks it’s a damn toy, they need something for the adults!
Me: I know, maybe we’ll get something like Eternal Darkness 2.
Guy: No, no, no, I mean ADULT.
Me: huh?
Guy: Y’know, mini games. You would…
(He mimes holding a wii remote/nunchuck and…let’s just say the nunchuck does all the work)
Me: 0_o (I get up and leave quickly)

Every once in awhile, you just have to get the word out on some book, movie, game, music, hobo, yada, yada... so I present the first in the "Go [BLANK] This!" A series to give some attention to something, whatever (hence the blank)

With Zack and Wiki coming out soon I've got the graphic adventure fever.

One of the first PS2 games I played, Shadow of Destiny had an interesting story, hammy acting, and quite a few endings...I think there was a homunculus in there somewhere too.

What I didn't understand was, during the medival stage, after I used my cell phone, people ran away. The next day they talk to me like I belonged there! So I would use my cell again, but they just stood there...lame. Maybe someday, someone will fear my text messaging skills.

Deathnote will begin it's American broadcast tonight (or you can watch it legally on adultswim.com right now.) If prodigies outsmarting each other with wits and supernatural notepads (made from 100% recycled paper) isn't your cup of tea, might I suggest Monster?

While Deathnote is like the protagonist and antagonist plotting an intracate game of chess many moves ahead, Monster would be like the pawns in the middle on the action.

Taking place first in 1986 and then ten years later, it tells the story of Dr. Tenma an up-and-coming japanese brain surgeon in Germany. Sick with office politics he saves the life of a young boy, but in the process is too late to cure the town mayor. Dejected, and humiliated, by the hospital board, he is treated no better than an intern. Soon, convinent deaths lead to his rise in status. Ten years later some deaths in town corrolate with the killings back in 1986. Tenma quickly discovers that all these killing can be traced back to certain boy he saved a decade earlier.

Whew... The overall theme here is choice, defines us, and our future. Monster has so many moments where you wonder how things would have gone if Guy (x) did (a) instead of (b). It's an effective way to get the authors message about morality, humanity, and the greater good without being preachy.

But Deathnote's awesome as well.

Choice can be fearsome, be it the choice to eat Hardee's or Mickey D's, or the choice to say "I Do" at the marriage ceremony. It's those few words or actions that separate us from the unknown..spooky, eh?

Tomorrow:sexuality in the video game industry.

I finished watching the movie, Quills, (a decent film, though inaccurate) and started mulling over what really draws the line between offensive and art in movies and videogames, how censorship comes into play, etc. After all that intense thinking, (i.e. staring at a wall) I realized the golden rule of sex and violence: watching is so much worse than simulating…only on alternate Tuesdays, and when Jack from legal is out to lunch.

What I mean to say is people’s taste in offensiveness is as fickle as a Valve release date.

People find things like this offensive:

God of War is really violent, and there’s that scene with the *ahem* “party of three…”

Bioshock’s killing of little girls

GTA’s “Hot Coffee”

Now funny this thought was brought on by watching Quills, because everything I’ve listed is in this movie, sort of. I won’t go into too much detail for those who want to see the movie, but this was an Academy Award nominated film, and can’t recall a single lawyer bugging Fox Searchlight.

Arguments about video game persecution are quite common, so I won’t continue a debate in which I have nothing fresh to contribute.

Rather I would like to focus more on the concept of sexuality in video games. With games leaning more towards a cinematic experience, I eagerly await when games evoke major emotional reactions to events surrounding characters. Developers are getting there, but they haven’t hit it yet. One thing that would help would well defined characters, a major factor being desires of the character. I will dive into this topic next time I post, Sunday Oct 21. (I’ll also explain the Wii Remote part)

By the Way;

Thank you for reading my first post!

I intend to write weekly on ideas such as the topic of my next post and how they fit into the video game community and industry. My goal is to entertain or at least keep you interested. I’m not a writer, so any critiques, suggestions for topics, etc. are welcome.