GIJeffM Blog

Story Trumped Gameplay On My Top-Ten List This Year

2012-12-26T19:00:00Z

A wealth of amazing games released in 2012, which made coming up with a list of my ten favorite titles harder than most years. When the dust finally settled, I had a surprising realization: At the top of my list, story beat out gameplay.

The fact that someone would favor a strong story over gameplay might not sound that surprising, but it is for me. I've always considered gameplay to be the most important aspect of any game (or so I thought), which is one of the reasons why I'm consistently more interested in open-world titles than linear or heavily scripted games.

Furthermore, I've come to place less and less value on video game storytelling over the years. A story can only be so engrossing when all your protagonist does is run around and shoot things, and the more time a game spends telling a tightly scripted narrative, the less time I get to spend actually playing it. When David Jaffe told an audience at this year's DICE summit that creating a game driven by narrative is a bad idea, I agreed. I'd rather run around in a story-free sandbox (Minecraft, anyone?) than watch a bunch of cutscenes any day.

Then I reexamined my top-ten list from this year:

1. Mass Effect 3
2. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
3. The Walking Dead
4. Borderlands 2
5. Far Cry 3
6. Hitman: Absolution
7. Journey
8. Assassin's Creed III
9. Halo 4
10. Gateways

Not only did Mass Effect 3 win out as my game of the year, but in the last few days before we went to print, The Walking Dead shot up my list to number three, thanks to its emotionally gripping conclusion.

Mass Effect 3 won the top spot primarily because of its story and characters – I enjoy its gameplay, massive scope, and fast-paced multiplayer, but the real draw was concluding the epic story that I've been driving with my own decisions for the past five years. When I compared Mass Effect 3 to XCOM: Enemy Unknown – my other GOTY contender – my memories of Commander Shepard's sacrifice, Mordin's redemption, the Quarian/Geth standoff, and a dozen other story threads pushed Mass Effect 3 over the edge.

The same goes for The Walking Dead. The games that landed below Telltale's episodic masterpiece have considerably more complex and engaging gameplay. But when I reached the end of Episode 5 and realized just how much Clementine and Lee meant to me, the dynamic moments I had experienced in Borderlands 2, Far Cry 3, and Hitman: Absolution paled in comparison.

I never expected to favor games that I enjoy for their stories over games that I enjoy for their gameplay, but there are a few mitigating factors that make it easier to sleep at night. For one, both Mass Effect 3 and The Walking Dead have highly malleable narratives – I'm not just being told what to do or spoon-fed a one-size-fits-all story. My choices matter, which make the stories a lot more personal and impactful than the typical video game yarn.

The other aspect worth noting is that every other game on my list is there because of gameplay. This includes XCOM; even though much of my love for Firaxis' acclaimed reboot can be attributed to the personal stories of my beloved soldiers, they emerged entirely from gameplay. In that sense, XCOM is an exciting example of the direction I'd like to see video game storytelling go – but it still wasn't enough to overcome my fondness of Mass Effect 3.

While I'll still gravitate towards open-world titles that are driven primarily by gameplay, Mass Effect 3 and The Walking Dead made me realize that video games can in fact be a powerful storytelling medium. I look forward to seeing what stories 2013 offers gamers, regardless of where they may fall on my top-ten list for next year.

Tokyo Jungle Will Be The Best Game Of 2012

2012-05-24T18:44:00Z

Forget Assassin's Creed III, Halo 4, Borderlands 2, and any other game coming out this fall. I've seen the best game of 2012, and it's called Tokyo Jungle.

Tokyo Jungle is a post-apocalyptic action/adventure game set in a Tokyo that's been overrun by wildlife. You play as a variety of animals, including a horse, baby chick, deer, and my personal favorite, a Pomeranian dog. If that sounds insane, you need to watch the video right now. It also contains a monkey wearing pants, a panda mounting another panda, and dinosaurs. Where the heck did the dinosaurs come from?!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Tokyo Jungle will release on June 7 in Japan. It is now my life's mission to get my hands on this game and play it.

Coming Back To Minecraft

2012-05-15T23:55:00Z

I played my fair share of Minecraft back in the day. I wasn't one of the cool kids who knew about it before it became a worldwide phenomenon, but I bought in before the beta, and spent countless hours building castles, spelunking in caves, and fleeing from hissing Creepers before moving on to other game experiences. I wasn't planning on rekindling that addiction with the XBLA version, but after listening to the nonstop praise of my co-workers, I finally broke down and bought Minecraft for the second time. It's good to be back.

I ran into a couple of bumps while getting back into the groove of things. Jeff Cork's review of Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition gives a good breakdown of what's different from the PC version, but the first change I noticed was the downsizing of the world, which I was initially disappointed by. Being able to play Minecraft on my big-screen television from the comfort of my couch is certainly a treat, but it also highlights some of the game's minor shortcomings, which I was willing to overlook the first time around given the PC's indie status. The sparse sound design especially stands out, which is a little hard to swallow considering Minecraft is one of the pricier XBLA games on the market.

That said, it didn't take me long to discover that the magic of Minecraft is still wholly intact in the 360 version. The act of exploring a new, unique world and making it into a virtual home is as addictive as ever.

Minecraft gives new meaning to the term "open world."

The first world I created spawned me on a beach next to a large body of water. A few nearby continents converged around a central lagoon, and in the middle was a small island barely above the water line, loaded with about a dozen trees – the perfect place to create a base of operations.

Well aware of how fast the sun sets on your first day in a Minecraft world, I quickly made some wooden instruments out of a nearby tree trunk, and then swam to one of the adjacent continents to dig up some cobblestone. I returned to my island and created a crafting table and foundry, then went back to chopping down as many trees as I could. Despite my urgency, darkness crept up faster than I had expected, and I hastily threw down a two-block-high foundation for my house before realizing I didn't have any charcoal for torches. I burned some wood and threw some lights up before trying to finish my house, twitching at every ambient noise while exposed in the wilderness.

As it turns out, Creepers are still terrifying.

By the time sunrise came, my humble shack had a roof, a couple windows, two sky lights, and a front door. I also had a half-empty health bar thanks to a tenacious spider that managed to swim out to my island. I wasted no time in embarking on the next day's activities: planting a small forest on the northern continent to replenish my wood supplies, fencing in my island to defend my home from future intruders, and drowning in embarrassingly shallow water while mining submerged cobblestone. I guess it's a good idea to pay attention to your air meter.

I still have plenty of land to explore in my world; the eastern continent has a pretty awesome-looking mountain range that caught my eye last night, and I have yet to do any underground mining. I also haven't touched the multiplayer yet, which my co-workers have been raving about too. Add to that the draw of exploring new worlds and the content updates 4J Studios is promising, and I'm sure I'll be putting plenty of more hours into the game. Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition may not be as robust as the PC version, but that shouldn't stop console gamers who are eager to find out why Notch's blocky sandbox is so addicting from trying it out.

Five Game Franchises I Don't Want To See In 2012

2012-01-02T20:00:00Z

The end of the year is when video game journalists typically fawn over their favorite games of the past twelve months. Nuts to that. Here are five series I don't want to see hide nor hair of in 2012.

Dead Rising
I'm an unapologetic supporter of zombies in video games, and believe there's still a lot of interesting ground to explore with regards to our shambling undead foes. So zombie fatigue is not the reason I want 2012 to be Dead Rising-free. The truth is I just can't get into the series.

Dead Rising has everything I normally like in a zombie game: an open-world design, hundreds of onscreen enemies, and NPC companions that can actually be infected and killed. I even think the time mechanic – where the game is constantly moving forward whether you want it to or not – is pretty cool. These are the reasons I happily bought the first two Dead Rising games, but that hasn't stopped both titles from collecting dust on my shelf after only a few hours of play.

I don't know what it is about Dead Rising's formula that doesn't click with me. Maybe it's the wacky sense of humor, which saps the game of any genuine horror (I'm sorry, but a zombie Armageddon isn't supposed to be funny). Maybe it's the focus on melee combat, which isn't as gritty or nuanced as Dead Island, making every zombie encounter feel repetitive. Whatever the problem is, Dead Rising 2 didn't fix it, and I'm guessing another sequel won't either.

Capcom's release record for Dead Rising also isn't reassuring. The company followed up the release of Dead Rising 2 with Case West ("Hey look, we added Frank West!"), and then Dead Rising 2: Off The Record ("Hey look, we added Frank West...again!"). If there's still innovation to be made in zombie games I don't expect it to come from Dead Rising, and I won't miss the series if it takes a break in 2012.

Gears of War
There's no denying the popularity of the Gears of War formula, and I'm sure if Epic rolled out another sequel tomorrow it would sell like gangbusters. The reason I don't want to see another Gears of War, however, is I'm more interested in the alternative. Epic has squeezed more out of the Xbox 360 than virtually any other developer in the industry, proving just how talented the studio really is. I want to see that ability exerted on something other than alien killing and dudebro dialogue.

As such, I couldn't have been happier with Epic's reveal of Fortnite. The cartoony visuals aren't all that appealing to me, but the Minecraft-inspired focus on building custom structures? With friends? On a console? Yes, please! The indication that you'll be fending off zombie attacks in your newly created base is also intriguing, especially considering Epic pretty much wrote the book on Horde mode. All of these elements are instantly more exciting to me than a potential Gears of War 4.

I'm sure Gears of War will be reincarnated in some form or another in the future, but I feel like sci-fi shooters have done all the innovating they're going to at this point, which makes me think 2012 would be a good year for Epic to focus on something else.

Any Movie-themed Lego Title
I don't bring this up to hate on the Lego games like everyone else. As far as family-friendly co-op games go, the Lego series is great fun. Lego isn't the problem – it's the movie license half of the equation that I'm sick to death of.

What I really want to see Traveller's Tales do is create a game in the spirit of Lego, one that allows players to use building blocks to, you know, build stuff. Minecraft has proven how incredibly popular creation-focused sandbox games are with players, and Lego has been doing it since before video games even existed. Putting the focus on creative building instead of pantomiming popular movies will stop much of the eye-rolling commonly associated with the series.

This is one entry on the list that I already know is doomed. Traveller's Tales has announced it's working on another Batman title, as well as a new Lord of the Rings series – looks like we'll have plenty of Lego Gollum in our future. To its credit, the developer is also working on Lego City Stories, a more open-world title for the 3DS and Wii U, but we'll have to wait and see if it satisfies the urge to build stuff out of everyone's favorite plastic blocks.

Site Spam Update: Round Two

2011-11-15T20:30:00Z

Today we implemented some new behind-the-scenes features to Game Informer, which will hopefully prevent the spam attacks that have been plaguing the site recently.

Two weeks ago we told you about a new button we added to the site to help our mods delete and ban spammers more effectively. While this tool helped cut down on the amount of spam readers came across, it wasn't stopping the spam from happening. Today's update will help us prevent the spam from being posted in the first place, and give our admins more tools to permanently remove offending posters.

The biggest change that users will notice is that there is now a recaptcha field to fill out when creating a blog post on the site. While filling out one of these fields is always annoying, I think we can all agree it's worth it if it means not having to scroll through a dozen "Stream your favorite [insert random sporting event] here!" when visiting the community blog section.

We will of course continue monitoring for spam on the site and make any needed adjustments in the future. In the meantime, we'd like to thank all of our dedicated mods for the extra effort they've put in policing the site, and all of our community bloggers, who have continued posting great content to the site despite it sometimes getting lost in the flood of unwanted ads. Keep up the good work!

[Update]: A Note On The Community Blog Spam

2011-11-02T18:05:00Z

[Update]: We have a bit of good news for all of our community bloggers: we have implemented a new tool for our staff and mods that will make dealing with spam a lot easier.

We want to point out that this is not a long term solution (our IT department is still working on that), so you still might run into spam blogs from time to time. The new tool will, however, make it much quicker and easier to banish these blogs and their posters for all of eternity.

Thanks again to all of our mods for remaining vigilant. We will update you again when we have a final solution in place.

[Original Story]: If you've been participating in Game Informer's ever-growing community blog section, you've no doubt noticed the recent influx of spam posts. Please know that we are aware of the problem and are working on a solution.

We want to thank all of the readers who have brought the problem to our attention, and thank our mods who continue to ban the offending posters. Our IT team is doing their best to stay on top of removing the spam posts and is also working on a more permanent answer that will keep the community blog section free from such shenanigans in the future. We'll let you know as soon as we have a solution, but in the meantime, please bear with us.

On a more personal note, it's been a pleasure working with Saint for the past two months to get Blog Herding back up on the front page, and to see the community blog section continue to grow. We have no shortage of talented contributors who come up with creative and entertaining blog posts every week; we're going to do our best to keep it that way!

Keep up the good work, and if you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know in the comments section. Thank you!

Horror Movie Lessons: Vol. II

2011-01-27T22:30:00Z

In the first volume of Horror Movie Lessons, we learned a variety of life-saving tips, such as avoiding shady reality television show offers, not believing anything the Grand Inquisitor tells you, and that double-crossing Rutger Hauer is never a good idea. This time around we bring you 15 more invaluable lessons culled from the ~~crappiest~~ finest horror movies Netflix Instant View has to offer.

	Death Machine: If you are the CEO of a futuristic weapons manufacturer and one of your mentally unhinged employees creates a terrifying killer robot that has already mutilated some of your coworkers, you can just kill him. Don't bother telling him that he's fired and that you have revoked his security clearance - just shoot him in the head and be done with it.
	Hellraiser: First of all, don't play with puzzle boxes that open portals to hell. Secondly, if your ex-lover - who is now a skinless corpse - is encouraging you to bring him victims that he can drain the blood out of in order to grow stronger, you can help him out if you really want to...but don't be surprised when he double-crosses you and sucks your blood out instead.
	Hellbound: Hellraiser II: So, you're a distinguished doctor who has extensively studied the occult and the puzzle box that summons unspeakable monsters from hell. Despite this knowledge, you decide to resurrect the aforementioned mistress betrayed in the first film, who is now a skinless corpse herself. Now she's asking you to bring her victims to feed on - guess what you don't do?
	TerrorVision: If you have already established that the hideous alien that crawled out of your television has a penchant for killing and sucking the guts out of your family members, don't hit it and call it a "butthole" while trying to feed it junk food.
	Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell: When an evil-looking genie demands that you make a wish so that he can open a gate to hell, don't use colloquialisms that can be misinterpreted, such as "break my heart" - he's going to literally do it. Also, don't defiantly tell him to "blow me" either...especially when you are standing in front of a giant pair of bullhorns.
	Ghost Warrior: If you're a janitor working at a high tech laboratory that has just thawed out a frozen, centuries-old samurai warrior who is clearly having trouble adjusting to modern day life, don't try to steal his samurai sword. Sure, it's probably worth a lot of money, but you're not sneaky enough to tiptoe past him without waking him up, and you don't have the combat skills to avoiding being sliced to pieces.
	Zombie High: When the professor of your exclusive boarding school reveals that the staff is lobotomizing students and using their brain tissue to extend their own lives for hundreds of years, it's time to drop out. Don't bother trying to explain it to the sheriff; either he's not going to believe you, or - as the diploma on his wall clearly states - he's a former student and he's going to bring you back there. Instead, just hop on the back of your jock boyfriend's motorcycle and get the hell out of Dodge.
	Evolver: So, you won a video game contest that involved besting a digital robot in a series of shootouts, and as a prize the company wants to bring a prototype robot to your house that you can play against in real life. They assure you that it's totally safe, but when you hack into its programming, you see obscure snippets of code that refer back to a top secret - and unexpectedly aborted - military training program. Did we mention that the robot evolves as you play, and doesn't like to lose? Bottom line: Don't let that robotic *** into your house.
	The Legend of Hell House: Oh, brother. If an eccentric millionaire ever asks you to spend a weekend in a place called hell house with a few scientists who are determined to get to the bottom of things, reject the friggin' offer - especially if you stayed there once before with a different group of scientists who were all murdered in horrible ways. This is common sense, people!
	Attack of the 50 Foot Woman: Don't mistreat your wife. You never know when an alien might transform her into a 50 foot giant, giving her the perfect opportunity to exact revenge on you.
	Cherry 2000: It's always tragic when your sex-bot short circuits because the dishwasher overflowed while you were making love on the kitchen floor. But before you tromp out into the deadly wasteland to find a replacement, take the time to consider the sexy robot hunter you just hired as a potential romantic interest. If you realize before you leave that she's better than a replacement sex-bot because, you know, she's a real woman, you can save yourself a lot of time and hassle.
	Journey to the Center of the Earth: Trying to drill your way to the center of the Earth is never a good idea.
	At the Earth's Core: Seriously, what did I just tell you?
	The Core: Fine. By all means, burrow your experimental vessel straight down into hell and see how that goes...
	Friday the 13th: Parts 1-9: I could tackle these movies individually, but the lessons are largely the same. Do not go camping at Crystal Lake. Do not go camping at whatever they change the name of Crystal Lake to - it's still Crystal Lake. Even after Jason Voorhees is reportedly dead and everything is back to normal, Crystal Lake it is not a good place to go skinny dipping or to have unprotected sex in your hopelessly indefensible tent. Also, do not attempt to kill Jason Voorhees yourself. Do not kill Jason Voorhees' mother. Do not dig up Jason Voorhees' body for shts and giggles, or to make sure that he's really dead - he's not. That noise you hear in the woods is not a wild animal or your friends trying to play a trick on you - it's Jason Voorhees. If by some miracle your puny attack manages to catch Jason Voorhees off guard, do not loom over his body to see if he is still breathing, or peek under his mask to see what he really looks like. Do not, under any circumstances, tell Jason Voorhees to "give me your best shot." If you are being chased by Jason Voorhees, do not paddle a rowboat out into the middle of the lake, and then peer over the side to see if he's swimming out to you - no matter which side of the boat you look over, it's always the wrong side. And most importantly: Do not watch Friday the 13^th: Part 5 - it is complete horsesht.

This concludes the second volume of Horror Movie Lessons. Feel free to share any tips you have learned from this educational film genre in the comments section below.

Pro Keys Has Made Me A Rock Band 3 Convert

2011-01-02T20:00:00Z

I'm one of the few editors at GI who doesn't play a lot of music games. Despite having some experience playing the guitar in real life, I have never been enthralled by the Guitar Hero/Rock Band franchises, and when I do play them, my skill level usually peaks somewhere between medium and hard difficulty levels. Despite all of the innovations that have been made in music games over the years, I've never felt motivated to jump on the bandwagon - until I tried out the Pro Keys in Rock Band 3.

My opportunity to try out Rock Band 3's keyboard (yes, I know it's technically a keytar, but I will not be using that term again because of how stupid it is) came during a party at Jeff Cork's house. The party's main objective was to play dumb Kinect games while drinking refreshing beverages, but after everyone became a little tipsy (from all the fun we were having playing Kinect, naturally), we booted up the latest iteration of Rock Band. After playing my way through a couple of songs on the bass, I was pressured into trying the new keyboard.

I started out on the easy difficulty level of the new Pro mode, mainly due to a crippling fear that I might screw up so horribly that I would single-handedly fail the entire band out of the song. It took a few songs to get a hang of the mechanics, after which I tried out the medium difficulty level.

As the title of this blog post suggests, I enjoyed playing the new peripheral in Pro mode, even though I'm not sure how it translates into playing a keyboard in real life. Having had no real experience playing the piano, I didn't know anything about hand placement, and as such I tried to cover as many of the peripheral's 25 keys as I could at the same time. Even when I was hitting all the on-screen notes, I didn't know what keys I was playing, but rather going by which bars were lighting up at the bottom of the highway. Still, it was fascinating to know that I was playing (at least some of) the actual notes from the songs, in a way that pressing colored buttons on the old guitars simply doesn't capture (I haven't tried out the new "real" guitar for Rock Band 3, but it is equally enticing).

I was initially skeptical of the hefty price tag for Rock Band 3's new peripheral, but ultimately walked away impressed by the hardware as well. Even though it only features two octaves, the keys have the weight of a quality electronic keyboard, and it's MIDI compatible. The keys are also reportedly velocity-sensitive, although I don't know if Rock Band 3 utilizes the feature or not.

While I enjoyed trying out Rock Band 3's keyboard, I hope Harmonix adds more educational features to the series in the future, including more in-depth tutorial lessons. I know Harmonix has stated that they're against making the series too technical, but I bet gamers with musical backgrounds might enjoy more advanced options, such as the ability to view notes as horizontally scrolling sheet music, instead of the regular highway. Such an addition might be a lot harder to comprehend at first, but I think it would be an invaluable tool for gamers with an interest in learning how to play music beyond the context of a video game.

I'm interested in hearing what gamers with piano experience think of the new Pro Keys mode. Has it been easy to pick and play? Do your skills translates to the game, or are they two separate things? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and enjoy these impressive expert run-throughs I found on YouTube. Suffice it to say, I will never be this good.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Horror Movie Lessons: Vol. I

2010-10-28T21:30:00Z

In addition to playing a lot of video games, I also enjoy watching a bad horror movie from time to time. Thanks to Netflix's Watch Instantly feature, horror movie fans have no shortage of crappy films to test their patience. A lot of them end up being Troma-quality trash that insult the viewer with their laughable production values, but every now and then I come across a movie that's entertaining enough to watch to the end credits. Not only do they offer a fair amount of entertainment, but they supply important lessons for surviving perilous situations.

Want to live to a ripe old age? Read on for some invaluable tips that could one day save you from certain doom. Want to avoid spoilers for a handful of B-movies instead? Then you should probably stop reading now.

	Dark Rising: If you’re hanging out with your lesbian girlfriends in the woods at night, don’t try to commune with the spirit of a missing girl using that giant demonic-looking book you got from the creepy guy at the bookstore.
	Suspiria: If people start dying at your European ballet school and maggots inexplicably start raining down from the ceiling, move the f*** out.
	My Little Eye: Don’t join a reality television show you’ve never heard of, and definitely don’t detail your deepest and darkest fears in front of a video camera.
	Safety in Numbers: Also, if you’re doing a reunion special for a reality show on a remote island and someone poisons the drinking water with dead rats, it’s not a goof. They are trying to kill you, and you should probably leave the friggin’ island.
	Ghost Machine: When you and your friends use a top secret combat simulator to play wickedly realistic video games, don’t play them in an abandoned prison that’s haunted by the ghost of a tortured detainee. When you manage to escape the game without dying, but one of your acquaintances is still trapped in the program, don’t go back in to attempt a daring rescue – just unplug the d*mn thing and call it a day.
	Red Sands: This should go without saying, but if you ever find yourself on a military tour in Afghanistan, don’t shoot the faces off of any ancient statues inhabited by evil Djinn.
	Red Mist: First of all, the creepy guy who hangs around outside the women’s locker room mumbling to himself is never “harmless.” Secondly, when you and your friends accidentally put him into a coma by betraying his confidence and drugging him, under no circumstances should you try to revive him using an experimental drug linked to out of body experiences. I mean come on!
	Cyborg Cop: If you’re a drug kingpin and you kill the rogue cop that followed you all the way to South America, don’t turn him into a cybernetic hitman and assume he will follow through with orders to kill his own brother when he comes to rescue him.
	The Devil’s Curse: Don’t play with Ouija boards in an abandoned residence hall of a Catholic school where a group of students mysteriously died years earlier. Also, don’t study too hard.
	Redline: If you’re selling smuggled computer chips on the black market with Rutger Hauer, don’t double-cross Rutger Hauer. If you do double-cross Rutger Hauer, don’t just shoot him once and assume he’s dead – he’s not. Also, if you are Rutger Hauer, and you find yourself in the same room as a topless woman, she’s probably going to try to kill you.
	The House of the Devil: Never babysit for Tom Noonan.
	The Pit and the Pendulum: So, you broke into a church dungeon during the Spanish Inquisition to free your wife, and you managed to capture the sadistic Grand Inquisitor and are now holding him at knife point. When he says you and your wife can go free if you release him, DON’T BELIEVE HIM. He’s obviously lying, you idiot.
	Infected: When a rogue alien offers to whip you up a panacea that will prevent invading extraterrestrial forces from exterminating mankind, stay with him in his lab while he finishes it. Don’t just wander off looking for trouble with your ex-girlfriend for no d*mn reason whatsoever.
	Dead Tone: Remember that night when you and your childhood friends made a prank call during a sleepover that resulted in a psychopath showing up to the house and murdering all of your parents right in front of your eyes? Years later, when you attend a college party at a vacation home in the middle of nowhere, guess what you and your drunken friends should NOT do for entertainment?
	Maneater: I’m not sure about this one, since I fell asleep in the first 15 minutes. But I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you should probably stay away from any tigers big enough to be called ‘maneater’.

This concludes the first volume of Horror Movie Lessons. Feel free to share any tips you have learned from this educational film genre in the comments section below.

Red Dead First Impressions: Not What I Expected

2010-05-20T21:14:00Z

Like most of the editors here at GI, I have been looking forward to playing Red Dead Redemption for a long, long time. An open world spaghetti western from the developers of GTA is just too tantalizing to miss. I couldn’t wait to shoot people off the tops of buildings, tie damsels to train tracks, and horse-jack any frontier chump that happened to trot down the wrong dusty path.

If you haven’t played Red Dead yet, let me be clear: This game is awesome. It has all the depth I was hoping for, and I’ll be playing it nonstop for the foreseeable future. What I wasn’t expecting however, was what that gameplay would entail.

The first night I got Red Dead, I played for about three or four hours before I hung up my hat and went to bed. What amazed me about this play session (besides how gorgeous and massive the game is), is that I didn’t shoot anything the entire time – aside from a few pesky rabbits, that is. Instead of shooting up the frontier like John Wayne, I broke in some wild horses, wrangled cattle, accompanied Bonnie MacFarlane (the daughter of a rancher you'll meet early in the game) on a bandit-free wagon ride, and played a whole lot of poker – which didn’t once end in a shootout (I’ll go into more detail on Red Dead’s gambling in a later blog).

When I finally was confronted with my first criminals during a night watch mission – a pair of drunkards in a lazy fistfight – a flash of my pistol was enough to scare them off and collect my reward. If this was a GTA game, I would have already slaughtered a few dozen gang members, blown up a couple of cop cars, and – oh, I don’t know – torched a nursery full of babies or something equally ridiculous. Instead, I was living a quiet life on a ranch. Not only quiet, but an honest one, too.

I fully expected to play Red Dead like I was Billy the Kid – so how did I end up like Billy the Leave-Me-Alone-I’m-Trying-To-Pick-Wild-Flowers? For one, the game’s early missions keep you on the right side of the law. So far I haven’t been tasked with committing a single crime in Red Dead, and most of the time I’m actually working with the law to clean up crime. The missions you perform for Bonnie are even more righteous; the only delinquents you’ll run into are a few straying cattle.

Don’t get me wrong, you’ll be getting into plenty of large-scale firefights too, and I was pleasantly surprised at how satisfying the gun play is. But unlike the GTA games, these introductory missions established John Marston as a character I actually cared about, and wanted to do right by.

Along with the missions, Red Dead’s story has also had a significant impact on how I’ve been playing the game. Rockstar’s games are always rated M, but I’d say Red Dead is the first of their games that has actually felt mature to me, by being about more than just shooting things. Rockstar establishes John's principles early in the game (he politely declines a prostitute's advances, stating he's a happily married man), and he isn't afraid to talk about how much his family means to him. Although the game’s delivery feels a little forced at times (it doesn’t take John long to spill his heart out to Bonnie, even during the middle of a horse race), his goal of redeeming past mistakes and returning to his family has thus far curbed my penchant for creating chaos.

In fact, in the beginning I found myself being more forgiving than the law: One random event I came across involved a deputy chasing down two criminals who had ambushed and killed a man on a wagon (they even shot his horses, the savages!). I immediately rode off after them, but being a reformed criminal and all, I decided to take them back alive. It was considerably more work; after chasing them down and tying them up, I had to lug each of them back separately. Imagine my surprise when, after being paid by the deputy for my hard work, he simply turned around and shot them both on the ground, then limped away. My effort to do the right thing proved to be futile, but I was impressed nonetheless: Rockstar managed to instill a greater sense of morality in me than the law exhibited – which is often your main adversary in the developer’s usual offerings. Despite being set in the Wild West, I feel a lot more civilized playing Red Dead than any GTA game. I have, however, started shooting a lot more criminals – I'm civilized, not a saint.

Thoughts on Bad Company 2’s Multiplayer: Part 1

2010-03-10T20:10:00Z

I wrote a blog post last month about how much I was enjoying the BC2 demo. Now that the game is out and I’ve gotten a chance to play some of the full-fledged multiplayer, I thought it would be fun to do a follow up and post some more detailed impressions on the cool things BC2 does.

A Balancing Act
My favorite part of the demo was how balanced the gameplay was. I was concerned that this might be the result of the demo’s simplicity – everyone had the same weapons and abilities, and everyone was the same level. Like Battlefield 1943, I posited that by minimizing the number of variables in its multiplayer formula, DICE was able to achieve a greater balance. I’ve never been so relieved to be wrong. It wasn’t just the stripped down nature of the demo. This game is balanced.

Last night was my first real night of multiplayer (some stupid EA server problems thwarted my attempt on the night of the game's release, and before yesterday I had only logged an hour of play), so those who have been playing since launch had a significant advantage. But even stumbling blindly into new maps with the default weapons, I was able to hold my own and contribute to my team. There have only been one or two times where I’ve felt robbed in shootouts (I swear I knifed one guy too, but whatever), which is seldom enough to acknowledge the fact that I was just outplayed or unlucky. Otherwise, my time with BC2’s multiplayer has been without frustration, and the gameplay feels remarkably fair – you can still get one hit kills with even the weakest sniper rifle provided it’s a headshot, while even the most powerful tank can be taken down with a couple of bazooka rounds.

The mortar strike may be the primary candidate for a good tweak, but once you know it’s inbound (provided you don’t die during that revelation), you can usually see where the other shells are going to hit thanks to the large smoke trails they leave in the sky. But Reiner was right in last week's podcast when he said the mortar strike is the only part of BC2 where the game is playing you, instead of the other way around. We'll see if DICE addresses the mortar strike in the future, but otherwise, the only way you have a significant advantage over your enemy is when using more advanced squad tactics, which in some ways is the point of BC2’s multiplayer. Even if you do have an exceptionally adept squad, balance is restored when the opposing team pulls together and starts playing as squads, too. And if they don’t? They deserve to lose.

Less Immaturity
There’s no bigger online gaming turnoff for me than hearing some prepubescent loser shrieking racial slurs over his headset. It doesn’t just make me mute every person that’s not on my Friends List – it makes me avoid playing some team-oriented online games altogether. In the early days of Xbox Live I met a few people playing in random Rainbow Six 3 matches that I liked and befriended. Since then the level of discourse (if you can even call it that) has hit such a subterranean depth that I don’t even attempt to meet new people – doing so would be like arranging a blind date on Craig’s List.

Sometimes stuff accidentally explodes. Get over it.

But Bad Company 2 has a heavy focus on squads, so against my better judgment, I jumped into a few random squads during the demo. It ended up being a surprisingly pleasant experience (aside from the fart chopper kid I commented on in my last blog). I’ve played in a number of random squads since launch as well, and have only had more positive experiences so far. I’m not guaranteeing your mute button still won’t get some exercise, but there are two reasons I think Bad Company 2's multiplayer promotes a little more maturity than other titles.

The first reason is that your teammates are actually a valuable asset to you. The ability to spawn on squad members instead of starting at a far-off base will save you from countless transit time, something that's impossible not to feel grateful for. You'll also feel a rush of relief every time a squad mate spawns on you when you're outnumbered. The bonus experience you get from saving, avenging, or just sticking with your squad encourages everyone to play nice. Every time a medic or assault class doles out extra supplies to you, an engineer fixes up your vehicle, or a recon spots distant enemies (all of which net them experience points), you’ll appreciate their camaraderie, instead of merely tolerating their existence. Best of all, none of this requires communication over the headset, so even if your partners are 14-year-old jackasses, you don’t have to know it.

The second aspect that BC2’s multiplayer has working in its favor is that when you join a squad, you’re voluntarily choosing to be placed in a group with three other people, versus being thrown into a room of 16 random yokels. There is no big stage for an immature griefer to perform on, and when you choose to enter a squad, the anonymity of online gaming is made a little less anonymous. I suppose that potency could amplify negative behavior as well, but based on my experience thus far it seems that people who choose to be placed in a squad are genuinely focused on teamwork, and tend to be less…d*ck-ish. It's still way more fun to play with people you know, but for those who don't have enough teammates, I'd say give a random squad a chance. Also, I apologize in advance if that squad ends up having fart chopper boy in it.

In The Mode
I covered my biggest turnoff for online gaming, so I guess it’s fair to end with my biggest turn-on: creative multiplayer modes. A lot of games have multiplayer now, and for FPSes in particular, a lot of developers have perfected their control schemes. What makes or breaks a multiplayer experience – that is, what keeps you coming back hour after hour – is the rule set a multiplayer mode employs.

"Dance, you handsome ***, dance!"

In my opinion, no game developer trumps DICE in this regard. Rush seems to get the most play in BC2 so far, and continually tackling pairs of M-Com stations is fun whether you’re attacking or defending. Or winning or losing for that matter – some of my favorite matches I’ve played have been rounds where my team has eventually lost, but where I excelled (including the match I snagged Nick’s dog tags in – not that I'd gloat about something like...). I’m not avowing an “If you had fun you won” mentality; more like, “If you blew up a couple of tanks and crashed a helicopter into a crow’s nest full of snipers, then you done good.” Rush mode offers players plenty of opportunities for excellence in each round, and any of the M-Com stations can be that final stand where a group of losing defenders can redeem themselves, or where even the most elite attacking squads can be humbled.

But as addictive as Rush mode is, DICE’s first multiplayer success came from Conquest mode, and it’s just as fun in Bad Company 2 as any other previous Battlefield games. Whereas Modern Warfare 2’s claustrophobic maps make Domination an exercise in frustration, BC2’s map size, destructible buildings, and wide variety of vehicles make the battle for each control point unique and exciting every time. The rules are just different enough from Rush to give Conquest a different feel, and while I look forward to trying out the new squad-based modes, Rush and Conquest give me everything I could ask for from Bad Company 2’s multiplayer. Except for more maps.*

Alas, I’d like to keep writing about Bad Company 2, but I have other work to do today (which sadly doesn’t involve playing Bad Company 2). If you’re enjoying the game as much as I am, keep an eye out for part 2 of this post, where I’ll be discussing some of the more debated aspects of BC2’s multiplayer. Until then, feel free to add your two cents in the comments below.

*I fully acknowledge that there is no number of maps that DICE could release for Bad Company 2 that would prevent me from greedily requesting even more maps, in a scarily authentic Gollum voice.

Sarcasm 101

2010-03-03T22:38:00Z

Sarcasm is a double-edged sword: On one hand, the subtler you are in delivering sarcasm, the funnier it gets. On the other hand, the subtler the joke is, the more likely someone is to miss the sarcasm entirely and think you’re being serious…which actually makes it even funnier. So maybe sarcasm isn’t so much a double-edged sword as it is really, really funny.

In issue 203's Timeline section in Connect, Andrew Reiner and Joe Juba made a joke about the upcoming remake of 1981’s Clash of the Titans. In our Timeline, the diabolical duo proclaimed that the movie – and pretty much the entirety of Greek mythology – is a rip-off of Sony’s God of War.

We didn’t think the joke was exactly subtle – on the same page, we stated John Cusack has “a keen eye for compelling roles that win him Oscar nominations every year” in the description for Hot Tub Time Machine, for crying out loud. But that didn’t stop some readers from taking our claim seriously, and reporting to us how very, very wrong we were.

We’ve all been the victim of not being able to identify sarcasm before, so my goal in compiling these responses (which have all been made anonymous to protect the sarcasm detector-less) isn’t to make fun of anyone, but rather to celebrate that patently human experience of putting your foot in your mouth. Here is Joe and Reiner’s description in its entirety, followed by a small sampling of the 100+ responses we received (with their original spelling and grammar left intact).

The Courteous Responders:

Yes in the March issue of you magazine you have a timeline for the month of March. Well you guys didn't fully do your research. The Clash of the Titans movie was originally made in 1981. The movie is just a remake and has nothing to do with the God of War game.
…I was extremely disappointed in reading this because this means that you guys (and gals) are not familiar with the original film made in 1981 with the great Laurence Olivier and a young Maggie Smith. The new movie Clash of the Titans is not a rip off my friends but a remake and God of War owes a great debt to the film, not the other way around.

If you have not yet seen the original film, do yourself a favor and check it out. I believe it is on instant play on Netflix.

Keep up the good work
…I know you guys make mistakes every now and then, most were understandable but this could have been avoided. It just hurts me to see this, I have always agreed with you all on a lot of your articles. I hate to see you all make a mistake like this please if you wouldn’t mind correcting it….

The…Less Courteous:

…Whoever wrote this in the March timeline is an absolute idiot. Clash Of The Titans is ripping off God Of War? Really?? Whoever wrote this obviously doesnt have a clue that COTT is a remake of the 1981 movie and that GOW is actually ripping off the original movie!

…I'm surprised your editors didn't catch this. Smooth guys real freaking smooth....idiots

...Will you please slap the person that wrote this comment in your March calender in the back of his or her head. If you are the one who wrote the comment please find a large handed individual and have them slap you in the back of the head. Because, to say Clash of the Titans is a rip off of God of War is really stretching it.

...I’m appalled by the fact that there are idiots out there voicing such clueless opinions as this and are actually allowed to post them in your magazine to be read by thousands….…….

...You guys do realize that this is a remake of a movie that's almost 30 years old right? Which would mean that God of War is the rip-off...buttheads.

Someone on your staff is STUPID. In issue 203's info and release calendar (pg.43), the new Clash of the Titans movie is referred to as a video game rip-off. It's not, genius, it's a remake of a sweet 1981 classic. For someone to say it "steals" from God of War is unintelligent and uninformed. "The movie even steals locations..." Did you know Athens is in Greece (a REAL place) and that Hades existed in mythology LONG before any God of War game was even conceived? Game Informer is great (as is the GoW series), but someone in your office is an idiot. I've never written to a magazine before, but I felt compelled by this display of ignorance.

[Subject Line:] PLEASE FIRE THE LOSER RESPONSIBLE!!!

Its definitely not a rip-off of any game you loser! Whomever wrote those comments either didn't do their research before they opened their mouth or they are too young to recognize a classic.

We should all be extremely happy to see someone "remake" director Desmond Davis's classic clash, and from what I’ve seen from current previews it looks to be a blockbuster hit. Sooo!....Whomever wrote those inaccurate comments, you need to do research before opening your month and acting like you know what your talking about, blind fold yourself and go play Marco Polo in heavy traffic because Mr.Davis( legend and respected director) is probably rolling in his grave right now.

Slander!

I would like to point out that in the March issue(issue 203) in the calendar section there is a major error. It states that the movie Clash Of The Titans is a rip off of God Of War. I would just like to say that the movie is a remake of a classic made 2 decades before the ps2 even came out and 2.5 decades before the God Of War game series. I just thought I should point out that you have slandered a great movies' name. Now as for the new release, that may be coincidence that it is coming out now when there is so much hype about the new God Of War 3 game, but still I think you need to check your facts a bit better.

…I mean really how old are you? I'm only 25 and not only do I remember that awesome movie as a kid but I know better than to print lies and slander. Do some homework next time.

Libel!

Was just reading edition 203 on page 43 when I saw someone was calling Clash of the Titans a rip off of god of war. This is extremely incorrect. Clash of the Titans was originally put out in 1981 directed by desmond Davis written by Beverly cross. I wasn't aware that God of War came out before 1981. Come on guys let's get your facts straight before you get sued for libel.

Is That You, HAL?

…These comments in your magazine would suggest an uneducated writer, if said writer believes there was never Greek mythology before the God of War video game. I know your magazine is targeted at a younger demographic and is probably produced and edited by a younger staff, but that shouldn't warrant fictional claims.

A shot from this spring's Clash of the Titans remake

Count To Ten:

Rip off city?? Alright...I usually don't take to heart mistakes… They happen...no one is perfect, but if I can be frank, your ignorance regarding the Clash of the Titans movie in issue 203 is downright appalling! Your job is to be the nerds (which I'm cool with!), and with that comes the obligation of actually researching material you plan on putting into your magazine. If you HAD done your research, which you obviously did not, you would have found that Clash of the Titans is actually a remake of the classic 1981 movie, also named....whoa! Clash of the Titans! Hmm.. and if I'm not mistaken, I don't believe God of War was around in the early 80's... It truly baffles me that you can hold your writers to such a low standard of journalistic responsibility, and have the audacity to print a blatant lie!..

Time For A History Lesson:

A little history lesson:

Timeline:
1981: Clash of the Titans makes $41 million on a $16 million budget
1995: Your writer of this comment is born
2005: God of War, Kratos commits suicide jumps of the a cliff into the Aegean Sea
2010: Clash of the Titans, hollywood again is out of stories and tries to remake a classic

Who's ripping off who here?

Time For A Greek Mythology Lesson:

Ok, first of all, this movie is a remake. The original movie was made back in 1981, way before God of War was ever dreamed of. On top of that, the movie is based off of the myth of Perseus and his trials of fighting his way to saving Princess Andromeda. The hydra and minotaur are both mythological creatures so of course you would have seen them before. However, the person who wrote the blurb needs to do their homework before they make comments on subjects. Maybe they need to read up on their Greek myths before putting pen to paper Clash of the Titans was a good movie back then and I'm sure it'll be a good movie now.

Time For A Classic Cinema Lesson:

While browsing your latest issue, I couldn't believe you [insert colloquial term for prostitute here] the new Clash of the Titans remake! Before God of War was even an inkling in some game developer's eye, Clash of the Titans was a beloved stop-motion animation classic that won the hearts of many a generation back in the early '80s. Having grown up watching the movie, I was really excited to see an updated version in the previews for other flicks this winter. Who can forget Calibos, the giant scorpions, or even Medusa in all their hokey glory? How about the all star cast, filled with names like Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall for the younger crowd), and Harry Hamlin - who, by the way, voiced Perseus in God of War II...

A Surprising Compromise:

In your March calender you claim that Clash of the Titans is just a movie rip off of God of War which is incorrect. Clash of the Titans is a rip off of the 1981 movie Clash of the Titans. The conclusion remains the same, Clash of the Titans is a rip off but the reason why is different.

Correction Gift?

Who was the genius that did the March calender in the latest issue that called Clash Of The Titans a "God Of War ripoff"…If they bothered to do their research, they would know that Clash Of The Titans was originally released in 1981 and that the movie appearing this year is a remake. Know your history before bashing a classic. G.O.W. was inspired by this movie. P.S.... copy of G.O.W.3 would make a nice "correction" gift!!!

That Swinging Cat, Perseus:

…My problem with this is that the original clash of the titans released in 1981 (and i dont remember seeing Kratos on the atari 2600). Not to mention the original was about this cat who was the mortal son of zues who waged war the gods....hmmmm.

The nail in the ranting coffin will end with the fact that perseus the mortal son of zues actually made it into god of war two to have an epic battle in a bathhouse against his unknown half brother kratos.

Do they not research before they type, calling clash of the titans god of war the movie is assinine god of war could have been called clash of the titans the game.

other than that which i had to get off my chest i have nothing but good things to say about your company

The Ironically Sarcastic:

...I understand how someone may have missed watching the original 1981 Clash of the Titans film which is based on ancient Greek history and mythology, but can you please explain to me how it's possible that a writer over the age of 7 has never studied Greek history or mythology at all... on any level... or even opened Google Maps and searched for "Athens, Greece"?!

This just in! The film Saving Private Ryan stole its story from Call of Duty! Storming the beach on D-Day? Seen it.

Wait, you guys DO know that WW2 was an actual event... right?

Yours truly,

Oureducationsystem Mustreallybefailing

Another Apt Comparison:

In reading the March timeline page I was astounded at the level of ignorance in the blurb on the new Clash of the Titans film. Considering that this is a remake of a 1981 film, how can you say that it's ripping off a game released in 2005? And to say that it "steals locations like Athens and Hades from the game" (because neither of those existed before 2005) is like saying that Guitar Hero invented rock music.

My advice: stick to informing us about games because you obviously don't know jack about movies.

A scene from 1981's Clash of the Titans, which may or may not have been inspired by God of War

For Zeus’ Sake!

…Seriously? You are aware that there was a "Clash of the Titans" made in 1981, aren't you? I'm pretty sure Sony wasn't planning out the adventures of Kratos in the late 70's early 80's. And even if you don't like that argument, it's Greek Mythology for Zues' sake!!!

Almost Got It:

...In many way this claim is absurd. The mythology behind "God of war" AND "Clash of The Titans" is thousands of years old. You may as well claim that Video games are ripping off books, case in point Dante's Inferno, Call of Cthulhu, Lord of the rings......( the list goes on). but the major issue i have with this claim is that "Clash of the titans" is a remake of the original "Clash of the Titans" from 1981! you could even flip the argument to claim that "God of War" ripped off Clash of the titans…

...I am wondering if this was a sarcastic paragraph or not. I feel that it was not and I would like to point out that in 1981 was the release for the original Clash of the Titans. It seems like whoever wrote that sections did very little looking into the movie, if they had, they would have surely found that the 2010 release is a remake of the 1981 original. To me, it seems like they didn't know of the original and saw the similarities of Clash of the Titan (2010) and God of War (2005), both of which are based in greek mythology, and in an ignorant haze, felt that since God of War released in 2005 that Hollywood must be stealing ideas.

…I love the magazine, but I can't believe you guys didn't research the fact that clash of the titans was not a rip off of god of war, but a remake of the 80's clash of the titans.

I find it very hard to believe that your staff does not realize this is a remake of the cult classic from 1981 of the same name (the only difference is the role of Hades as the villian instead of the gorgon, Medusa) based, not on the God of War games as you have put forward, but loosely on the Perseus myth that predates GoW by about 3000 years. And correct me if I'm wrong, but the city of Athens (which has been occupied for approximately 3,400 years) is not the exclusive property of the GoW franchise, so claiming the new movie "steals locations" is ludicrous...

…I'm hoping there's some subtle sarcasm that I didn't pick up on there and not simple ignorance on the part of whoever wrote the March timeline. That kind of ignorance from a gaming community-based publication would just be wrong!

…And please tell me you were being sarcastic when you said that the new "Clash of the Titans" is a rip-off of God of War. If you were serious and completely forgot about the 1981 "Clash of the Titans," I would be forced to lose all respect for you.

You Thought We Were Serious About Nicolas Cage?!

I read you magazine and find a lot of it to be helpful but i am quite tired of who ever puts the time line together. I wish he would stop giving his or her two cents on movies as they obviously have no idea what they are talking about. Every time there is a Nic cage film rollin' down the pipe they praise how well he is or how it will do, now this month they have him up against Tim Burton and Alice in Wonderland. Tell you what, I bet that Burton beats the hell out of Cages film, and when it does you stop writing about things you have no clue as to good or bad and if Cage brings in more i will give up my PS3 forever! What do you say is your pair big enough to put you money where you mouth is?

As for you "welcome to rip-off city" and Clash of the Titans stealing locations from your button smasher God of War, well Athens and Hades and Minotaurs were used many times before your God of War game, where do you think they stole them from.

I leave you with a thank you for all the info your magazine gives me but also leave a middle finger salute to the time-line writer.

The Shoe Is On The Other Foot:

I'm always amused when somebody finds an error in your magazine that sends them into fits of rage...at least I was, until I became one of those people. I'm guessing that none of your editors are older than 30, because contrary to what is listed on the March Release calendar in this month's issue, the new "Clash of the Titans" movie is NOT a rip-off of "God of War." It is a remake of a film from 1981. I'm pretty sure that David Jaffe was only eight years old at the time of the original film's release, so it's a little more likely that Jaffe was ripping off "Clash of the Titans" than the other way around. Ah. I feel better now.

This scene from Gears of War 3 is actually straight from Greek mythology

Mixed Feelings:

…You people should be ashamed of yourselves. For either not doing the proper research, or blatantly ignoring the fact that it's a remake. I love GI. I've been reading your publication for a long time, and I will continue to read it. Never before have I felt compelled to write to a magazine to "correct" them or to berate them for something so silly, but this time I couldn't let it slide. Don't get me wrong, the original film was pretty bad by post-1995 standards, but for when it came out, it was an awesome film. I am greatly looking forward to this movie. Oh, and I love the God of War games. I have the special edition GoW3 on reserve.

Too Young:

Unbelievable. All I can say is my concerns about your editorial staff are now complete. In the February edition of GameInformer on the March release dates page; one of your writers took the cake, and ruined it. The new Clash of the Titans "RE-MAKE!!" was "NOT" a rip-off from God of War. Check your facts. You might want to start with the year.... I don't know.... 1981, when the original "God of War" Perseus, fought Medusa (a Hydra) and the Kraken among others from Greek mythology. And guess what...He did so in places like Athens and other locals related to said mythology.

Check your facts, or at least get a writer who has finished puberty. Kratos kicks butt, but Perseus did it first.

…If your writer is close enough in age to be able to shave he might want to retract this statement. God of War is more of a Clash of the Titans rip off than anything else. Kratos a.k.a. Jason (from argonaughts fame) is tricked by the Gods to be a main instrument in their war with each other. Gaining the Favor of the Gods Jason goes on to fight giant scorpions, minotaurs, cyclopse', Gorgons and various other creatures. Sound familiar. It should, this was the premise of God of War with a few tweeked ideas.

Clash of the Titans came out in the mid to late 70's and seems to be coming out again for old fans and new ones. God of War, if anything, is a complete and utter rip off of Clash of the Titans. Not the other way around.

Next time have your writer think before they speak, because older gaming fans could and probably would take offence to such a claim.

...SERIOUSLY!? How young was the person that wrote that? This movie is a remake of a very excellent movie that was released in 1981 that starred Harry Hamlin. The movie was ground breaking at that time and is still very watchable even today. I found that comment very poor and very dumb. God of War, and excellent franchise, MOST LIKELY takes many of it's ideas from that film and should probably be the one that is called rip off city.

Please do not comment on other forms of media any more, that looked just as bad as other media when making poor short sited comments about video games. You all serious need to inform readers that This remake is not a rip off of God of War.”

Do They Still Make VCRs?

I assume that somebody has already brought attention to the March 2010 Timeline in the 203 issue of Game Informer. Obviously whoever wrote the Timeline has no concept of history, modern or ancient. …I had to laugh when the author implied that the creators of God of War were also responsible for creating Ancient Athens, God of the Underworld Hades, and King Minos' Minotaur. Get a history book and a VCR buddy!

The Good Old Fanboy Argument:

…How big God of War fanboys are you guys? What do you mean Clash Of the Titans is a Rip off of God Of War? It is a remake. The original came out in 1981 and starred Harry Hamlin. And the movie is in fact based on the myth of Perceus.

...I think you guys need a new fact checker or maybe a reality check. Clash of the Titans is a remake of a movie from the 80s that stared Harry Hamlin, if anything God of war ripped it off instead of the other way around. Maybe if you take your Sony fanboy glasses off you'd stop worshiping them so much...

We Are Pretty Cute:

…As adorable as it is that you think that this movie is ripping-off your beloved 2005 God of War, it is actually a remake of the classic 1981 movie of the same title starring Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith. Also, I wanted to point out that Hades is not something stolen from a game, but is a god that the Greeks actually believed to be the ruler of their underworld (also sometimes refered to as Hades itself). And again, Athens is not some place stolen from a game, but an actual city in Greece.

Maybe before you choose someone to do the comments on your calendar page, you should make sure they are some what more informed about things other than video games and are more well rounded.

Nicolas Cage's performance in Con Air (pictured above) was also heavily influenced by Greek mythology

Congratulations, You Identified The Joke:

There was a comment in the March issue on the upcoming releases page that I thought was kind of funny because the person who wrote it was very wrong. The comment I'm referring to is the comment about Clash of the Titans where "Hollywood once again rips off a video game idea." The person who wrote that needs to go back and study greek mythology, especially when he/she thinks the movie stole locations like Athens and Hades... hahahah wow that is funny. By the way it is on page 43 in the magazine.

Research, Research, Research:

I just read through the issue 203 and saw the March release calendar. Whomever wrote it was complaining and whining that the Clash of the Titans movie set to come out was a rip off of God of War. Are you serious?

Maybe your writers should do a little research first. Clash of the Titans is actually a remake of the 1981 movie of the same name. It's more appropriate to say God of War is a rip off of the original Clash of the Titans movie. That was probably a rip off of Jason and the Argonauts, etc, etc until you get back to the original mythology.

Now I will give a little leeway that your writers are obviously too young to know about a movie from 1981 but honestly, research before you spout on about something.

…I just started flipping through issue 203 and got to the new release calendar and was totally blown away by the complete ignorance when it came to the release of the movie "Clash of the Titans". Did the contributor really think that this movie was made because of a video game? Do the contributors of your magazine have to do any research?

Or maybe the contributor is just too young to realize that there is nothing new made to today for the theatre, except "Avatar", and almost every movie is a remake of an older one. This movie is a remake of a 1981 movie starring Harry Hamlin called, and get ready to get blown away, "Clash of the Titans".

I can see where this would have been very hard to find out. In fact to see how hard this was to find out for myself I threw out my basic knowledge skills and typed "Clash of the Titans" into Google search. The top two results were, in this order, "Clash of the Titans" (2010) and "Clash of the Titans" (1981). Both were links to the IMDB site (Internet Movie Database), which offers all the information that any one interested in finding out things about movies and all things associated with movies might go if they were doing research.

In short this lack of simple research bothered me enough that I have to question all things written in your magazine now.”

…Come on put the controller down and do some research and find out that this is a remake of the 1981 film of the same name. Oh yeah god forbid anyone else uses greek mythology for ideas. The writer seemed a little off with the whole comment. With his comments you would think that no movie based on Greek mythology can happen in Athen or Hades. The writer reminds me of the kids on XBox Live that never heard of a Sega.

…Only if you don't do ANY research into the ancient myths that both God of War & Clash of the Titans were based on. Oh yeah and Athens? That would be an actual city in Greece.

And even if that wasn't the case, Clash of the Titans is a remake of a film that was originally released in the early 80's. Which is long before God of War was even thought about.

Try doing some more research next time.”

…the writer of this article should be ashamed. First thing he should of checked is Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 original. Also God of War didn't create places like Athens and Hades. You can still visit Athens, and Hades came from Greek mythology. A simple Google search can make my accusations truth and relevance. thank you for your time.

…Either you are pulling an April Fools joke early, or the writer of this article is too young to remember the original Clash of The Titans which is a Ray Harryhausen classic, that was released in 1981, long before there was a PS1. Instead of guessing the author of Connect is to inept to use GOOGLE, I am assuming he or she is too young to remember the original movie.

…I'm a huge fan of the movie and I was shocked how uninformed (see what I did there? Get it..? Ah... Nevermind) your editors and/or writers were. Perhaps you should take a few more minutes next time to do some research...”

Up until this point i thought you guys where somewhat smart but you proved me wrong with this one. Clash of the titans is not a god of war rip off it is a remake of a 1981 movie by the name of you guessed it clash of the titans, the original movie has the minotaur the hydra (kraken) and all the locations you mentioned like hades and athens, so unless god of war came out on the original atari then clash is copying no one, maybe next time you should do your research before trashing someones idea.

Now, I normally NEVER do stuff like this (send in letters to magazines), but I felt this particular situation required attention. I just received my March issue of Game Informer, and I have to tell you, your writers have got to learn to do their research a little better before puting certain things in your magazine...I mean, I understand you're a gaming magazine, not a movie magazine, but you really shouldn't have people who don't know movies at all writing they're personal preview/review of movies. Thank you.

...All i am saying is give credit where it's due, and dont default to the ‘_____ is ripping off ______ because they have X factors in common’ argument; it’s just embarrassing....... and do a little research.

Oh, I See What You Did There:

…And to be so obnoxious about it is shameless, just shameless.

God of War - A game series which rips-off greek mythology STRAIGHT FROM THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS or STRAIGHT FROM THE MOVIE CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981). Shameless... for writers to publish something without being rightfully informed. Just shameless.

…I think it's shameless, just shameless, that you wouldn't even give a nod to the original before writing off the remake.
…The fact that you can allow this is, how you so elegantly phrased it....Shameless. Just shameless...
…I recommend that next time you slander a movie or game you do your homework first. This is, and I quote, “Shameless. Just shameless.”

…Your apparent lack of research is ‘shameless. Just shameless.’
…The only thing "shameless" that I saw in your brief mention of the movie was the fact that no research went into your comments what so ever…

...Check your comments before you bash a great remake movie and make Gameinformer look shameless just shameless for being so uninformed.

…Please tell me that the author of this was joking because if not the only thing “Shameless. Just shameless” was giving that dope a job writing for your magazine!

...I'm not saying "Titans" is cinema gold or anything, but calling the remake of a movie from the 80's a rip off of a game from the late 90's? Shameless. Just shameless.

BC2 Demo Is Stupidly Fun

2010-02-05T01:15:00Z

I’ve been playing the 360 multiplayer demo of Bad Company 2 the past couple nights, and for me it falls into the category of being stupidly fun. Not stupid in a simpleminded way (strategy plays more of a role in BC2 than most FPSes I’ve played) but rather so fun that my enjoyment of it just plain stupid – how else can I explain spending countless hours on a one level, one mode demo, when I have so many other amazing games to play?

But my enjoyment of the demo comes as a bit of a surprise, because I didn’t enjoy the original Bad Company’s multiplayer all that much. I played DICE’s Battlefield 1943 first, and after trying out Bad Company for a modest number of hours, I found myself heading right back to World War 2. Which got me wondering – maybe simple is better.

Let me say right off the bat that I think leveling up and unlocking new weapons/perks/gadgets/kitchen sinks is probably the best addition made to the FPS multiplayer formula in the last decade. It’s addictive, it’s extremely satisfying, and it adds an unrivaled amount of replayability. But I have to wonder what effect it has on the balance of multiplayer. It must be hard enough to balance the vehicles, weapons, and class-specific abilities that multiplayer games offer nowadays – what happens when you add weapons and abilities that not every player has access to, or create a system where good players are continually becoming more powerful? The Akimbo shotguns in MW2 were the unintended result of combining a perk and an already powerful weapon that doesn’t become unlocked until relatively late in the game. You could blame Infinity Ward for the imbalance, but how could any developer foresee potential problems resulting from the near limitless loadout combinations games now offer?

In hindsight, I think this might be the reason I wasn’t able to get into Bad Company the way I was instantly hooked on 1943. Maybe I would’ve felt differently about BC had I played more of the multiplayer and unlocked better weapons and abilities. Or maybe I liked 1943 simply because it was newer, and DICE improved the gameplay in some subtle way. Bad Company 2 will answer these questions for me on March 2, and I’m interested to see if the full version feels as amazingly well-balanced as the demo does.

I’m also interested in hearing what other people think. Are unlockables what create imbalance in multiplayer FPSes? Is the state of MW2’s multiplayer the cause of its overwhelming popularity, or are there fundamental design problems? Do you think BC2 will have similar troubles? Add your two cents in the comments below. In the meantime, here’s a hodgepodge of the things I’ve learned and enjoyed about the BC2 multiplayer demo:

The Engineer is an awesome class, which I initially took for granted. After all, who wants to be the guy who brings a drill to the battlefield? But the Engineer in BC2 is a solid option: He has a grenade (as do all classes this time around) and a submachine gun that’s decent, so you’re not sacrificing firepower by choosing him – especially after you unlock his second firearm, which has a zoom comparable to the Assault class. The main draw of the Engineer however, is of course the bazooka, which is vital for taking down the opposing team’s vehicles (the Assault class’s grenade launcher just doesn’t cut it). But don’t underestimate that drill either: I hopped into the passenger’s seat of a tank during one round and racked up major XP shooting from the auxiliary turret, then jumping out and fixing up the hull whenever we took damage from inbound rockets. It’s a great combo, and an example of how important teamwork is in BC2.

Another lesson I learned is it’s okay to throw caution to the wind from time to time. During a stint on the attacking team in Rush Mode, I jumped on an ATV and drove straight down the main road into the defender’s territory. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking as I crashed into a building well behind enemy lines. Then I had a realization – I was so far behind enemy lines that they didn’t even realize I was there. I quickly jumped on a stationary rocket launcher, swiveled 90 degrees, and began blowing holes in the enemy’s defenses with their own weapons. I killed two enemies on other turrets as my fellow, more sensible soldiers stormed the targets and planted bombs. Granted, I died shortly after, but it was totally worth it.

While the result of my aforementioned suicide run was lucky to say the least, the map in the BC2 demo is big enough that sneaking around behind the enemy is always a viable option: There’s just too much real estate for the opposing team to be everywhere at once. If your team is having a hard time breaking enemy ranks, try taking a less direct approach toward the targets and take out vehicles and stationary guns from behind – not to mention snipers. Nothing is more gratifying than sneaking up on an unsuspecting sniper who has been laying waste to your team the entire round, and knifing him in the back – especially when they have a 100,000+ Gamerscore, like the chump I stuck last night. Receiving your enemy’s dogtags for a knife kill is one of the best rewards ever devised for online gaming.

While playing the demo, I’ve seen some other tactics start to emerge from the budding BC2 community. Most are built around smart squad play, but every now and then an individual shines. One such faceless hero (or in my case, nemesis), was playing as the Sniper class on the attacking team. I was on the defensive team when I was alerted a charge had been set on our final point. As I ran towards the small building, I saw him running out the back. Three of my fellow teammates were already running towards the entrance, so I stopped to shoot our fleeing opponent. What none of us realized was that he had left C4 charges in the building. He blew them as soon as the other players entered. All three of them were instantly killed, and the sniper escaped in the ensuing mayhem. I frantically ran towards the building to try and stop the charge, but was gunned down before I got there. We lost the point and the match, but I was too impressed by my enemy’s valor to be upset; this game is going to be awesome.

That’s Not Right #1: Auto Cover

2010-01-22T21:52:00Z

As I posted a couple of days ago, I have a lot of games on my plate right now. Make no mistake, all of them are in my lineup because they’re fun – I’m past the point in my life of playing games I don’t enjoy just because someone else says I should be playing them (the exception is when I’m ordered to by my boss, but at least I’m getting paid for that).

But even the best games can have annoying elements, things we forgive because the experience as a whole more than makes up for it. What’s harder to forgive is when those same elements keep showing up again and again in future sequels and copycat franchises. Some elements even become cemented into the genre. Like auto cover.

"Hey buddy, I'm crouchin' over here!"

Since the beginning of the stealth genre, video game developers have tried to come up with a way to simulate that scene in action movies where the jewel thief/secret agent/escaping prisoner slinks down a corridor with his back against the wall and peaks around the corner. The solution was the cover system, and while it looks just like it does in the movies, it also sucks.

Let me walk you through a typical scenario: You have a hallway you want to sneak down. First, you run to the wall and press a button, which enters cover mode and snaps you to the wall. Then you start moving down the hall, only now you move stupidly slow. Also, the camera has panned in close to show just how cool you look as you’re shuffling along, which means a guard could be ten feet in front of you and you wouldn’t be able to see him – he’d just stand there scratching his head, wondering if you suffer from agoraphobia.

The solution is to exit the cover system and walk down the hall like a normal human being, then re-enter when you’re closer to the end of the hallway. Then the cool part: peaking around the corner. It worked – there’s a guy right in front of you! He’s shooting you in the face while you try to remember which button unglues your ass from the wall.

Here’s another scenario: There’s a nearby guard patrolling the area, and you’re crouching behind a crate to keep him from spotting you. But your head is still clearly visible, like a toddler who doesn’t understand that closing his eyes during peek-a-boo doesn’t make him invisible.

"Those guys totally can't see me – I'm crouching for crying out loud!"

But maybe that’s just a quirk of the animation, and he really can’t see you – nope he spotted you. Your mistake? You thought that in order to crouch behind the crate, you should press the crouch button. A rookie mistake. What you really wanted to do was crouch and then press the cover button too, which makes you push up against the crate like you’re trying to make love to it. Remember that for next time, but for now, he’s spotted you! Time to pull off some more sweet Hollywood moves – let’s vault over the crate!

In 90% of the games, that means pressing the same button as the one for cover – are you going to jump over it? Nope, it looks like you’re trying to sneak alongside it; now you’re standing up with your back to the crate, the entire upper half of your body exposed. You might succeed in confusing the hell out of the guard, but he'll probably decide to shoot you anyway.

Stupid problems like these were the result of early cover systems, for which the video game industry had a solution: auto cover. This made cover so much easier! Just move your player up to a wall and he automatically pushes against it for more awkward sidestepping. Pull the joystick away from the wall, and he becomes unglued. Simple, right?

Only there's one little problem: Now every wall has been transformed into an ass magnet. If you want to say, run around a corner, you first have to run towards the camera and circle back around – all of a sudden you have the turning radius of a golf cart. That, or the auto cover requires you to run into the wall with such determination that you look like you fell for the old Road Runner gag where he paints a doorway on the side of a mountain. Neither scenario makes you look like a suave spy.

"Aliens are attacking and my ass is glued to this rubble...this is the worst day ever!"

The only thing auto cover systems truly succeed at is screwing up: If you are playing a game with auto cover it is inevitable that at some point you will get screwed over and killed by no fault of your own. This happens because no matter how much developers tweak auto cover, it still can’t read your mind, which is what it's trying to do.

The best cover systems I’ve seen are the ones where you hold in a button the entire time you want to be hiding. Release it and you’re instantly unglued. It works well, but I’m starting to wonder how important cover systems are in the first place. If I want to hide behind something, can’t ducking suffice? If I want to slip from one side of a doorway to the other, can’t I, you know, walk there? If I want to peek around a corner, can’t I just swing the camera around (assuming it’s a 3rd person game)? Is that goofy wall walk worth all the extra hassle?

Feel free to share your thoughts on cover systems in the comments section, including the best/worst examples of you have seen.

Games That Are Currently Ruining My Life

2010-01-20T22:33:00Z

Playing video games is fun. And when you are having fun, according to an old adage, time flies. That’s really awesome when you play video games at work, but I also play video games at home. And like every gamer out there knows, playing games on your free time can result in not having a lot of time for other things. Things like spending time with your family. Or eating and sleeping.

When it comes to stealing away the hours, some games are particularly heinous. Playing them doesn’t just result in time flying; it’s more like an X-Files-esque, I-just-woke-up-on-the-side-of-the-road-and-have-no-idea-what-I’ve-been-doing-for-the-past-twelve-hours-God-I-hope-aliens-didn’t-probe-me, loss of time.

As it just so happens, I find myself in the middle of about half a dozen such games, some of which I am literally afraid to turn on. Think I’m exaggerating? Check out the list for yourself:

Fallout 3:
I could pretty much end this list right here. I’m a huge fan of Bethesda’s RPGs, and also a fan of post-apocalyptic games. So when Bethesda made a Mad Max-inspired post apocalyptic RPG, I knew I was in trouble. I put off playing it as long as I could, but finally gave in during the holiday break. I’m now 20+ hours into Fallout 3, and only just finished the second mission of the main storyline. Sweating over skill upgrades, exploring random buildings, and stealing whatever I can get my hands on is as time consuming as it is fun. I can’t turn this game on without instantly losing at least three hours of my life. It’s the GOTY edition to boot, which means all of the extra DLC content. I'll be playing this game until the real apocalypse.

LittleBigPlanet:
I got a PS3 over the holidays as well, and this game is the reason why. I knew I would love the creativity LBP offers, but I didn’t realize it was the kind of game that sucks away the hours too. I started it over the holiday break, thinking the bright, lighthearted design would offer a nice respite to the depressing wasteland of Fallout 3. It does, but LBP hasn’t gotten me to bed any earlier. I’m about a third of the way through developer levels now, and I shudder to think about all the hours I’ll spend checking out the user-generated levels. But the real danger is the level creator. I’m a sucker for any game that allows me to create my own content, and just fooling around in the tutorials had me on a vampire’s sleeping schedule for about a week or so. I would literally play until dawn, hiss at the sun through my blinds, then sleep until 2:00 in the afternoon. Since we've been back to our regular work schedule I’ve been afraid to start up either of these two games again.

The God of War Collection:
I’m way behind on my Sony games, so I picked up this little gem along with LBP. The graphical overhaul looks great, and although I don’t normally like hack and slash action games, I’ve been mightily impressed by the game’s excellent level design and puzzles. I’m only about 5 hours into the first game, and so far I’ve managed to keep play sessions to manageable lengths, but only by reducing my evening routine to that of a prisoner: I have the lights in my living room on timers set to go off at midnight. When they do, I turn the game off at the next save. It’s worked so far, but we’ll see how things go this weekend.

Oblivion:
Like I said, I love Bethesda’s RPGs. So much so that I’ve spent countless hours exploring Cyrodiil, and only scratched the surface of the game’s main plot. Most of my time has been spent thieving and boosting my alchemy skill – a giant fantasy adventure awaits me, and I spend my time stealing peoples’ food to make potions! This is also the GOTY edition, which is a great deal, but also a serious time commitment.

Mass Effect:
Good lord, I have to stop buying RPGs. I don’t even know how far I am through Mass Effect – all I remember is I’m somewhere in space with a bunch of aliens. I’ve really enjoyed the game, but I have a hard time passing up even the most mundane side missions, which Mass Effect has in spades.

I was playing this one while my brother was living with me, and whenever he came in the room I was always managing my inventory – I don’t think he ever saw any actual gameplay. Thanks to how easy it is to lose track of time while playing this game though, several of these encounters happened in the morning – he was getting ready to go to work, while I was just getting ready to go to bed. I stopped playing this one when I got my job at GI, and have been afraid to return to it. Now that the sequel is just around the bend however, I’ll have to make the time to finish this one off.

Left 4 Dead 2:
This is a game I’ve played exclusively with my brother, so the real problem hasn’t been losing track of time while playing it, but finding time to play it in the first place. The one decent play session we’ve had lasted three and a half hours – we only beat one campaign. Hopefully after football season ends we’ll have some more weekend hours to practice for the zombie apocalypse.

The Rest:
I picked up a lot of games during the holidays, and still haven’t opened my copies of Killzone 2, Resident Evil 5, and Red Faction: Guerilla. Throw in some other games I’ve yet to start (Assassin’s Creed 2 and Uncharted 2), and some unfinished leftovers (GTAIV and The Orange Box) and I’ll need to get caught in some kind of Groundhog’s Day time loop to finish all of them. Not that having a bunch of awesome video games to play is a bad problem to have...

Feel free to post your top time stealers below, as well as any time management tips you have for keeping your gaming addiction in check. I could use them.