I’ve been enraptured with games for much of my 20 years - ever since I saw the
mustachioed face of Mario on my sister’s TV screen back when I was just a lad, I was
hooked. That was the defining moment in which I knew I wanted to continue to play
games. With time, I eventually got my own home consoles (obscure as they may be) and
got to enjoy many differing experiences from shooting aliens to kicking soccer balls at
Asians with cameras.

Although I got to play through these fantastical settings, I never really got sucked into any
of the stories these games tried to convey. Story was really an afterthought for many the
games that I enjoy, being primarily action/adventure titles. Because of this, I got into the
nasty habit of picking them up once or twice and then never playing again. I can only
remember one game that I ever finished on my 3DO (my first console): Star Wars: Rebel
Assault. Similarly, I can also only remember one game that I ever finished on my Genesis:
Gunstar Heroes.



I don’t blame it completely on lack of enthrallment in the story these games provided.
Many of the games at this time (and all that I owned) didn’t include any sort of save
system. I was a pretty busy kid with school, piano and swimming lessons - I didn’t have all
that much time to spare to work my way through Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure.

Even when I got my GameBoy Color (the first console I had which had games you could
save), this habit I had developed stuck with a lot of games. Quest: Brian’s Journey was
never finished just because of this. Even though I started to enjoy games more at this
time, I was never utterly compelled to complete one.



This all changed back in 2004 when I borrowed Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes from
one of my friends. I remembered hearing about the original Playstation game back in
elementary school but never paid it any attention since I had an N64 (I only had the choice
of one console). When I saw my friend had it for GameCube, I decided to give it a try.

I took it home and immediately got lost in the story. On my first sitting, I played right
through to the Psycho Mantis fight (which also happened to be the end of the first disc).
The game was finished the next day, with me utterly astounded at not only the quality of
the story contained in this game but at the realism with which the whole setting was
portrayed, with much help from fabulous voice acting across the board.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=45dZLYkuub4 <-- Click here to watch Meryl vs.
Sniper Wolf, as Embed isn't working right now :(

Moments like when Meryl was shot by Sniper Wolf had me in tears - this character that I
had grown attached to was hurt and I, as Solid Snake, was helpless to help her. Talk about
fantastic storytelling.

Learning that action oriented games could contain stories that draw me in and keep me
captivated was a fantastic moment. To think that not only could I watch the actions of the
characters I cared about and participate in the story as a character absolutely blew
my mind!

Fortunately for me, I’ve come across many other games with this degree of storytelling
with gameplay I enjoy. My hope is that developers of action/adventure will continue to
realize that games don’t have to be just a simple pastime - it really is a medium through
which an incredible story can be told!

[i]As an aside, I just want to point out that I know many RPGs contain stories that are as
good (if not better) than what MGS offers. At the point of playing MGS:TTS, I had played
FFVII - FFX and none of them happened to captivate me in the same way. No matter how
much the story intrigues me, I can never seem to get past the level grinding that is
required (probably due to me skipping plenty of battles at the beginning).[/i]

Here's my rig (and yes, solid snake is in his box on my rig):
Click here for picture!

My rig has actually been giving me a lot of problems recently. First, it was a faulty power
supply. Then it was faulty RAM. Now, I'm not even sure - maybe video card problems,
maybe mobo problems. Video settings get a little messed up here and there.

In any case, it's getting a little old. Specs as followed:

Antec Sonata II Case
A8N32-SLI deluxe mobo
AMD 4200+ 64 x2 @2.21 gHz (s939)
2x512 MB DDR
nVidia GeForce 6600GT (256MB)
320 GB SATA
250 GB IDE
LG DVD-RW drive
LG DVD-ROM drive
425 watt psu
Acer AL1912 19" monitor
Windows XP SP2 (ftw)

So yeah :) Winning would be nice :D

Every gamer knows that games have rules. Where you can go, what you can do, who you
can talk to. All of these things are commonly accepted and followed, albeit with a little
anger at times (damn you invisible walls!!). One of the big rules that we follow has to do
with what we can and can’t interact with. For example, background “props” aren’t usually
something we can interact with, no matter how much we try.

Well, what happens when a game forces you to disregard this huge rule to actually
progress? Confusion sets in. Frustration could possibly be a side effect as well. It also
creates a gaming moment that you’ll never forget.

Read on to see how ICO for the Playstation 2 does just this.

The Set-Up

Even if you haven’t played it, you’ve heard of it. ICO is one of those games that’s
often brought into dicussions of “games as art”, but that’s a whole other can of worms.
The basic premise for ICO is that you’re a boy with horns, something that is not taken
kindly to in them parts. You’re taken to a big, creepy castle and locked in what is
essentially a tomb to ward off the bad omen that is a boy with horns.

Cue an earthquake, and Ico (the boy) is set free.



From here on in, it’s solving puzzles room by room. Very soon after escaping from your
tomb, you’ll see a pale girl (who you later learn is named Yorda) in a cage, which is
hanging from the ceiling. After rescuing her, you’ll find she is an invaluable part of your
escape plan: only she can open certain magical doors.

You’ll continue going room by room with Yorda, solving puzzles that will ultimately lead to
your freedom from the ruined castle. After playing for a while, you’ll come to an area I’ll
call the water tower.

Up to this point, the game has been pretty standard fare. It told you what you could do in
the world at the beginning, and you used those things to your advantage. This puzzle starts
with a few jumps across some deadly gaps, normal. Then you have to cross another gap
on a rope, which is also normal.



Here’s where things get tricky. You see a switch that can be used in an unreachable area.
There’s no bridge you can extend, no rope you can swing across with, and there are
barriers restricting you from trying a long jump. It’s as it seems, unreachable. Here’s
where the moment occurs.

The Moment

Continuing along the path the game provides, you come to a room with a few objects
you’ve seen before: bombs and sticks. You know that sticks lit on fire are the only way to
light bombs. You remember passing a torch earlier on the path to get to this room. So
what the hell, lets try blowing stuff up.



The only problem is that nothing looks explode-able. Earlier, you had to blow up a weak
column, which was clearly shown as “weak”. This room has nothing so clearly labeled.
You’re left to your own vices to see what can and can’t be played with. The rules, as you
know them, have disappeared. Potentially anything in the area could explode to get you
across. The barrier? The big water tower? The smaller water tower...?

When I played, bombing none of these things seemed to work the first time. In a last
attempt before giving up in frustration, I tried bombing the small water tower once more.

I was vindicated for my efforts with a short cut scene and plenty of patting myself on the
back.

The game had actually forced you to forget what it previously taught you (things that can
be blown up will be shown as "weak") and forced you to think out a logical solution. And
what a solution it was.

Watch the moment on this video (the room starts at 3:27):



The Impact

This “type” of moment is different from what is usually shown - which is, a highly cinematic
point which evokes emotion. This moment is more of a quiet reflection on the nature of
video games. To this day, I haven’t found another game which forces you to think “out of
the box” like ICO did in that single moment.

With all the technology we have today (compared to early 2001 when ICO was
released), you’d think that game developers would do more of this. Gears of War is a
perfect example, although 2 years old now, of a game with superb technology driving the
visuals and gameplay but where “rules are rules”. Paths are set and your only choice to
progress is to take them.

I’m also rather thankful for this. Although ICO made this kind of mechanic work, I’m
not sure if it would be as successful in other games. What it might lead to is intense
amounts of frustration for everyone involved.

One could probably name several more “ah-hah” moments contained within ICO but
to me, this moment is the perfect example of all things that were done right within this
game. If you can find it, I suggest you pick it up. It isn’t too expensive anymore (I got my
copy for $14 2 years ago) and it’s a real gem.

Topher and Chad did an excellent job running down the best games that came out on the
Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade during the latest episode of RetroforceGO! I couldn't
find these lists written down for my own use, so I took it upon myself to transcribe them for
your reading pleasure. They're a really great guide for those of us who haven't checked
out some of these games yet. Without further ado, here are the 2 lists:

Xbox Live Arcade by Topher Cantler:
10. Fall Update
9. Prince of Persia Classic
8. Arkadian Warriors
7. Aegis Wing (it's FREE!)
6. Super Contra
5. Super Puzzle Fighter II HD Remix
4. Every Extend Extra Extreme
3. Bomberman Live (Featuring Mr. Destructoid)
2. Alien Hominid HD
1. Pacman Championship Edition

Virtual Console by Chad Concelmo:
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
9. Ninja Gaiden 2
8. Contra 3
7. ActRaiser
6. Paper Mario
5. Super Mario World
4. Super Mario Bros. 3
3. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1. Super Metroid

For witty commentary and explanation, go download the
latest episode and listen to it (NOW!!!). If you don't subscribe to the podcast, shame
on you - go do that now as well!

Ps. Fucking broken [url=][/url] pisses me off.

My school hosted a video game tournament today. Thats right - I got to play games
instead of go to tutorial.

Anyways, today was also the first time I got to play Halo 3, COD4, and GHIII. Here are my
impressions and stories of the day.

COD4: I like. The game looks really great and controls are tight. I dislike the fact
that once you gun down your enemy, they have a "last chance" to gun you down. That
happened all of too many times.

My score: I only played one round and I lost this one.

GHIII: The new interface sucks. I don't like it. And what the hell is with the new
colours for each note? Now they don't correspond with the colours on the guitar! Overall, I
did have fun with this title although Neversoft/Activision screwed up some things!

My score: I played 2 songs - won the first one, lost the second. Boo! It was close!

Halo 3: Oh my goodness. This game kicks so much ass. I think COD4 was a little
easier to get into, but the weapons in this game make it all worthwhile. What happened? I
beat down my friend 12 times with the Gravity Hammer. It was a total massacre. He
managed to kill me twice - once when I was running at him with the hammer and once
when I was fumbling around, looking for the Melee button!

My score: I won 12 - 2. Nice!

Now I can't wait to get my xbawks! It's gonna be fun!

I have a bit of a problem.

Well, not really a problem. More of a request.

I have Final Fantasy's VII - X. I haven't beaten any of them. I've had them all for a number
of years. And I would like to play at least one through to completion.

I'd really like to love the RPG genre for telling such great stories. I just haven't given them
enough chance yet, I think. Or played through far enough.

My request: out of these 4 games, which one should I start with?

I know many of you will probably suggest VII, but I'm leaning more towards VIII just due to
the nature of the story (or at least, what I've heard).

Suggest away, if you will!