The first day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (referred to from
here on as “E3”,) has come and gone. Microsoft and Sony have stepped
into the ring and gone toe to toe with each other. They brought out
exclusive games, big announcements, and amazing gameplay footage galore!
It was a battle for the ages, one that could only have one true winner.
And at the end of the day, the winner was none other than Microsoft’s
Xbox One. What? You don’t agree? You think that’s silly of me to say?
You honestly believe think that Sony trumped Microsoft? HA! That is the
talk of a naive individual who fails to see the bigger picture. I would
laugh at your face if I could see it. Clearly you do not understand just
how big an impact Microsoft made with their console and how inferior
the PS4 is by comparison. Sure there are “graphs” and “statistics” and
“cold, hard facts” that might prove me wrong, but that’s never stopped
me before, nor will it stop me this time. So remain in your seats, put
the pitchfork and torches down, and absorb the knowledge I unleash from
within my infallible mind. Maybe you’ll learn something!
First of all, did you notice that cheap looking camera Sony made to
go with the PS4? Talk about a rip-off of Xbox’s well designed Kinect.
Microsoft must have spent literally millions of hours coming up with the
Kinect device, and as a result we were graced with some of the finest
dancing and animal petting games ever thought up by the human mind. Have
you ever tried to pet a pixilated tiger cub in a Playstation game? You
can’t! It’s just not feasible, my dear chums! Additionally, let’s not
forget all those great exercise games. I cannot think of a better thing
for a video game to do than to get people off their butts and move! Did
you really think that sitting in a chair or couch and pushing buttons
was the future of gaming? Well it’s not! It’s all about moving and
becoming one with the console. Sure, I could go to a gym and pay a
membership fee, or even walk outside for a few minutes. But now I don’t
need to do any of that dull crap! Now I get awarded achievements
and bonus points for being able to touch my toes!
Going for the high score of 16!
Now look, when it comes to exclusive games some people think that
Sony has Microsoft beaten. Again I must shake my head and waggle my
finger at the mindless sheep that flock to Shepherd Tretton. Have you
people already forgotten about HALO?! It’s only one of the most popular
games in the history of ever, and their press conference showed Master
Chief (in full desert camo greatness) confronting a giant alien creature
for a few seconds. Gameplay? PSH! You’re not worthy of gameplay yet.
You’ll take your pre-rendered trailer and like it! Halo is the king of
multiplayer FPS action on Xbox consoles dating all the way back to Xbox
number one! No, not Xbox One. I’m talking about the first Xbox. Xbox
number one. No, the OTHER one! Oh forget it!
Now which “one” was it again? Don’t tell me.
Remember Alan Wake? That was a pretty sweet game, right? Well now the
boys at Remedy have a new title under their belt. It has nothing to do
with Alan Wake, but it’s certainly going to be just as amazing. It’s
called Quantum Break, and it’s about…um…well it’s about…a dude…who
freezes time? I think? Also there’s a live action girl who might be a
psychic and she knows a bridge will be destroyed-LOOK, IT’S AWESOME
ALRIGHT!? Don Mattick wouldn’t lie to me! And hey, you know what
Microsoft showed off that “Phony” never did? Metal Gear Solid V: The
Phantom Pain! That’s right ladies and gentlemen; MGS5 is coming to the
Xbox One. Hideo Kojima even showed up and announced that it would be on
Microsoft’s glorious console! Sure, it’s going to show up on the PS4 on
the same date of release, but you know what Sony will never have?
They’ll never have the moment when Microsoft had MGS5 all to themselves
for seven whole minutes. Suck on THAT, Kaz!
Kaz Hirai seconds after reading this.
Also, could we discuss how the PS4 looks for just a moment? Did you
see how small it was? Good lord, it was so tiny! Who on earth would want
a console that small? I’m afraid I’ll lose the darn thing in my couch
cushions. Sony’s console is so puny and pathetic. It looks like two PS2
consoles glued together unevenly. Now Microsoft’s Xbox One on the other
hand-THAT is a console! The thing is massive! It’s common knowledge that
big things are more powerful, so the Xbox One is probably just as
powerful as the Atari 5200! And that system was enormous! If I am
purchasing a next generation console, I want one that has the potential
to crush a small child. I don’t condone child abuse, but you never know
when one of those things may go rabid. Did I mention that Microsoft has
Raving Rabbids?! Finally, there’s the whole “used game restrictions” and
“can’t play a game if not online” hoopla that has everybody up in arms
with Microsoft. Don’t you guys get it? This is all part of a greater
plan to ensure that the games we play are approved by the Microsoft
elders who seat themselves high above their porcelain towers. Those guys
understand gamers. They know that we need to be properly secured with
every game purchase. They need to watch over us and let us know when we
can and cannot do something. Gamers don’t know any better! They spend
too much time debating in site comment sections to know how to control
their gaming desires. That’s why Microsoft has graciously stepped in and
made it easier for all of us to accept one way of doing things. Free
thinking is dangerous. I mean what did being open and creative ever get
us anyway?
I feel safer already!
Folks, I think the choice is pretty obvious by now. Sony only cares
about video games and the gamers who played. But Microsoft doesn’t have
time for any of that! They have a Halo movie to make! These guys need
our hard earned cash now more than ever before. So go show your support
and buy at least three Xbox Ones at launch. You’ll be glad you did. So
will Microsoft after they scan the inside of your brain. For science.
Oh don't be such a baby. You'll love Star Wars Kinect 2.
While most gamers like having a good story in their video games,
there are times when simply having good gameplay is more than enough.
When video games had their first big boom in the entertainment industry
they were designed primarily to eat up both time and cash. Before the
age of digital downloads many gamers went to arcade stores and fed their
quarters into the arcade cabinets until their money was spent; or until
their parents pulled them out of the store kicking and screaming. Few
ever completed an arcade game from beginning to end. Even fewer games
ever had a true ending. The vast majority kept playing until they were
either bored with it or had reached the “kill screen” forcing the player
to stop. Back then this was the norm and there had been no need to
stray from it. Nowadays video games are often required to have endings
due to the auspicious demand of story in games. Some developers separate
the single player and multiplayer aspects of their games in other to
please both the gamers who want an ending and the gamers who want to
keep playing. While this satisfies some players, there are those who
pine for the days when a single player game would allow them to keep
playing in the hope of reaching the highest score possible. Thanks to
the mainstream success of mobile gaming, these “endless” games are not
only back, but they’re better than ever.
It’s almost like the real thing!
These games, coined as “endless runner” games, are simple games where
the player is able to swipe a constantly running character in multiple
directions with their finger in order to avoid traps and pitfalls.
Leaping, ducking, and using power ups are essential for survival and
they take us back to a more innocent time of gaming. With the use of
many phones, tablets, and various mobile devices we use in our
day-to-day activities, these games can literally be played anywhere at
any time. They are the type of games where the player can stop what
they’re doing, play for five to ten minutes, and then go back to their
normal routine. Over time this can lead to hours and hours of gameplay
time per week. The best part? Most of these games are either free or
cost as low as 99 cents. Everybody likes cheap and/or free stuff, and
the developers behind these games know that one doesn’t have to put a
price on the central product as long as that product can lead players
towards making other purchases. Much like the arcade cabinets money can
be spent on continuing the game, but now the player can purchase
upgrades, lives, levels, costumes, power ups, and more. When enough
people make these purchases, the games pay for themselves and then some.
It’s a successful marketing strategy that continues to expand as mobile
devices get more and more advanced.
“IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!”
Temple Run, released in August of 2011, is perhaps the most popular
of the “endless runner” games. In this game the player is an explorer
who has stolen a valuable idol and must keep running away from a deadly
temple monster. While running the player collects coins and power ups
that improve the player’s chances or lasting a long time. There is no
possible way to “beat” Temple Run. The game has no end and the path the
explorer runs is randomly generated to keep on changing. Once the
explorer is killed (in a variety of humorous ways) a score pops up and
the game asks the player if he or she would like to try again. And so
the addiction of having “just one more game” begins. When more and more
coins are collected, the upgrades get better and better. The desire to
unlock everything and complete every challenge keeps the players going
even though they know that it’s impossible to “win” the game. Temple
Run, and its sequel Temple Run 2, continues to be one of the highest
ranking games for iOS and Android products worldwide. Even Disney
recognizes the appeal of the “endless runner” game when they made their
own versions of Temple Runner based on the movies Brave and Oz the Great
and Powerful. With exception to one or two minor gameplay additions,
they’re the exact same game as Temple Run.
It’s totally not the same game! The game on the right has monkeys that DON’T fly.
Even Sonic the Hedgehog, one of the most popular mascots in video
game history, has gotten his paws on this growing game genre. In Sonic
Dash the player controls Sonic as he runs through the stage collecting
rings and avoiding traps and pitfalls. Some would consider it a cheap
cash in title for Sega, and they wouldn’t be wrong about that. But at
the same time, Sonic being in an “endless runner” game makes perfect
sense. Sonic fans old and new love the games for Sonic’s speed and his
ability to dash to and away from enemies. To have a game where the
characters does nothing but run puts these two game elements together
like peanut butter and jelly. However, these “endless runner” games
don’t always have to follow the same formula. Take Grim Joggers for
example. The game, released seven months before Temple Run, has the
player controlling not one but an entire gang of joggers through a level
with the goal of reaching as far as possible before all the joggers are
dead. The side scrolling aspect, as well as the ability to control the
actions of every jogger with a single swipe, makes the game both similar
and completely different from its “endless runner” brethren. The game
does not monetize in the same way Temple Run does (perhaps that won’t be
until the inevitable sequel,) but it still manages to make a profit
from the addictive gamers who desperately desire to reach the top of the
leaderboards.
“Gotta make cash!”
And so we see that “endless runner” game developers, while creating
their own style of gaming, have taken the old tricks of the arcade
cabinets and tweaked it to meet the demands of a “here and now” world
full of instant gratification. Many mourn for the era of arcade games
that are starting to become distant memories, but have no fear. Their
spirit lives on in these games and more. For while the devices used to
hold these games are getting smaller, the number of “digital quarters”
required to have a full gaming experience continues to grow; at least
until your parents pull you away from the device kicking and screaming.
Endless crying. Not quite as good as endless running.
Written By: Thomas Gibbs Date: 05/24/13 Game: The Stanley Parable Release Date: July 27th, 2011 Developers: Davey Wreden William Pugh
One of the many important factors of video game development is the
story. Without a story, the game has no goal; no objectives for the
players to complete. The story can be as simple as “rescue the princess”
or as complex as “rescue your reality tearing daughter from an
alternate dimension version of yourself within a city in the clouds.” As
long as there is a story, there is a reason for playing. But just how
much story is too much? How much control should be taken away from the
player in order to advance the story? The Metal Gear Solid series is
often criticized for having long cutscenes that make it feel more like a
movie than a game. There are also a large number of games where the
player is forced to follow rapid button pressing commands (quick time
events) to advance a scene. It has even gotten to a point where in order
to see the entire story the player must wait and purchase downloadable
content in addition to the full game. As these stories get more and more
intricate, the player is suddenly no longer controlling the story. The
story is starting to control the player. This brings us to the main
topic for discussion, a video game titled “The Stanley Parable.”
(This is where you'll always start, but where it ends is up to you.)
This is the story of Stanley, an office worker who does the same thing
day after day without complaint. He’s happy about his seemingly endless
job…until something very peculiar happened one day. This is also the
beginning of the game’s story, and where it goes from here is entirely
up to the player; or so it appears. This game is unlike most other
games. One could say that it’s in a very minute niche of gaming. There’s
nothing to kill, nobody to talk to, and no levels other than the
building where Stanley works. There are no weapons or weapon upgrades.
There are no health items, no challenging puzzles, no high-risk platform
jumping, nothing that would normally be considered a gaming trope.
There’s a lot of walking and occasional button pushing, but that’s all
the player is given. As it turns out, it's all the player needs.
This is a character centric game, and even though Stanley is the only
“real” character in the game, the story becomes a character itself
personified by a British narrator (voiced by Kevan Brighting) who guides
the player along. The player can either choose to follow the story to
the very end, or detract from it and go in a completely different
direction. The narrator will respond to the player’s decisions and often
implore to go with the story he has laid out, but it’s up to the player
to decide whether or not to listen to him. But with every choice comes a
consequence, and the player may wind up in an unfavorable position by
the end. Each ending to the game is surprisingly poignant and leaves the
player questioning the idea of free will for not only the character,
but for the person controlling the character. Are we as human beings
controlled like Stanley with a metaphorical narrator guiding our own
stories, or are we able to break out of that shell and find freedom from
the doldrums of life? Even if we believe ourselves to be free, how can
we be certain that we’re not just being controlled into thinking we are
free? Is it even possible to know what complete freedom from control
feels like anymore? Do our decisions matter? Does anything we ever have
done and ever will do matter? How deep does this rabbit hole go?
(There better not be creepy twin girls around that corner...)
The game doesn’t answer any of these questions. That’s not the point of
The Stanley Parable; no game ever could. Instead it gives situations
for players to think and discuss at the proverbial water cooler with
other gamers. It creates questions that few games ever make even a
subtle hint towards. It’s a thinking man’s game in the same vein as
underground indie titles Dear Esther or Facade. Also like those games,
The Stanley Parable is about quality over quantity. Players can speed
through a single run of the entire game in about five to ten minutes,
but what they will experience in that time will be far more profound
than what they get in five to ten hours of standard shooters and action
titles. In addition, viewing all the game’s endings will require
multiple playthroughs. Each playthrough will feel similar at first, but
gradually separates into diverse parables, each one a treat to behold.
Best of all, the game is not nearly as somber as this article makes it
seem. In fact often times the narrator’s lines are quite hilarious. His
sarcastic wit and banter towards the player could be compared to GlaDOS
from the Portal games.
(This is the game's only "puzzle". It's not exactly rocket science.)
To explain any further would mean to give away important details that
would ruin the experience. The Stanley Parable can be downloaded for
free on the developer Davey Wreden’s official website.
Wreden also has plans on making an HD version of the game (which was
originally created using the Half Life 2 Source Engine that, while still
looking good, could honestly use a touch up.) The Stanley Parable HD
has been green-lit on Steam
and will soon be available to purchase for a small price. I would
recommend waiting and purchasing the game on Steam so that, with the
power of our wallets, we can help support the developer to create more
of these thought provoking games in the future. I give The Stanley
Parable a solid Full Price for gamers of all ages, and I
sincerely hope that as we head towards the next generation of consoles
and video cards, the stories will become just as beautiful as the
engines they’re coded into.
(Author's
Note: Hey guys! This is my first official article for the Better Gaming
Bureau. How did you like it? What did you like? What did you not like?
How can I improve? Let me know! Reply in the comments below, or message
me on the site. You can also e-mail me at tagibbs4@yahoo.com and i'm on
twitter @TAGibby4, and i'll always be lurking in the daily streams, so keep an
eye out for me. Thanks for reading!)
