BOLDSTATE

You may have noticed some changes around the site.

First of all, there’s a new layout that I’m really fond of. It focuses on nothing but the posts. Problem is, it’s a lot thinner than my previous layout so some of my images may be cut off. I’ll fix those when I can, but all new posts should fit fine.

You may have also noticed te different name. Instead of Chas : Whole, this blog shall now be referred to as BOLDSTATE. It’s a name I’ve been tossing around in my head for a while that I just thought sounds good.

Finally, I’ve changed the Reviews page to a Games page in order to organize my posts better. It’s still a bit messy, but it should be easier to use.

I decided to continue my backwards journey through the Metal Gear Solid series by picking up the original at my brother’s. As I’m typing this, Sniper Wolf is giving her death speech (which is quite good and well voiced.)

Playing through the game is making me think a whole lot. On the one hand, Metal Gear Solid is great game on its own, but when looked at within the series, there’s lots of room for criticism.

It’s not because of the dated graphics or controls. Having played the game when it first came out, I’m still able to appreciate the game despite its age. That’s not the problem.

The inconsistency in my previous post is the problem. Metal Gear Solid is an over-the-top drama full of philosophical musings that dwell on war, politics, and love. As nothing but a story, MGS is cliche’ but interesting. As a video game released in 1998, it’s quite remarkable. That being said, its presentation and tone are nothing compared to any of the three games that came after it. That’s where my criticism stems from.

Playing Metal Gear Solid now after experiencing most of what came after within three days fills me with mixed signals. I’ll never be able to shake the incredibly positive reception the series has received not for its gameplay (which is mostly justified) but for its plot which I’m convinced people are confusing with the incredible presentation of each installment.

Metal Gear Solid is great as a game, and sometimes, it’s plot is great as a plot. But when the two get together, the MGS series never amounts to anything more than a game. That’s to say, these games aren’t art. The gameplay and plot clash because they’re so inconsistent with the tone Kojima tries to reinforce at seemingly random moments.

You cannot inject realism into gameplay only to have tremendous leaps of faith or multiple instances of deus ex machina as the glue that not only connects those two elements, but also the games to one another; not if you want the elements to blend together to form something more than just a game.

This argument is probably useless, but I just want people to acknowledge that the Metal Gear Solid series is not the greatest story ever told or the greatest games ever made. They are far more stories that aren’t pieced together by miracles, and there are far more games that don’t contradict themselves or the other entries in their series.

I really need to finish Metal Gear Solid 4. Unfortunately, I can’t just barge in to my brother’s house and commandeer his PS3. I can, however, borrow his copies of the other MGS games. I spent the last 48 hours playing through Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (first time through) and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, in that order.

You may remember that I gave MGS3 a try a few weeks back and hated it for its less than stellar control scheme. Well, I was watching GameTrailers’ MGS Retrospective and got that guilty feeling you get when you give up on a game that has been given so much praise.

This time around, I browsed through some of the game’s options and found a briefing on some of the game’s more complex maneuvers. I decided I would start a new file and give these techniques a try. Turns out, a simple control such as holding circle is incredibly superior to the awkward square shooting controls.

Now, I could actually sneak up on enemies and cut their throats. Going backwards to MGS2 and the original, weird neck break move was hard after slaughtering exactly 200 guards with quick knife slashes in MGS3. The move was so effective that I would actually run up to groups of up to three guards without fear, knowing that I could knock out the first two by ramming them into the ground and slitting the last one’s throat right away. Of course, I would stab the unconscious guards in the face and drag the trio into the brush afterwards.

The point in all this is that I was finally able to enjoy the majority of Snake Eater‘s gameplay through bypassing the guns as much as possible. I actually beat the entire Snake Eater mission without turning the PS2 off. It was one of those strange video game moments where I was just so sucked in that I couldn’t quit. That’s not to say I have no new complaints. Quite the contrary.

It’s now dawn outside and the credits to Sons of Liberty finished a few minutes after I began typing this post. I really want to finish MGS4 now because, having experienced half the series’ plot within two days has made me realize how inconsistent the Solid series is.

People rave about the series claiming its art and that the plot is so well-thought out and thought-provoking, but I doubt most have stopped to see it the way I just have.

I went see The Dark Knight before coming home to finish Sons of Liberty. On the way back, I told my friend how ridiculous the first movie, Batman Begins, would seem if you watched the two one after the other. While Batman Begins introduces us to a new, more realistic take on the Batman universe, The Dark Knight is something special.

You see, The Dark Knight would have been incredible even if it weren’t a Batman movie. In fact, I personally think it would have been even more incredible if it weren’t a Batman movie. Despite Batman Begins starting the new series of movies with a more realistic tone, The Dark Knight was leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor in terms of this presentation. In effect, The Dark Knight is to Batman Begins as Guns of the Patriots is to Sons of Liberty (the game that preceeds it chronologically.)

The games are very inconsistent both within themselves and in how they connect. I plan on typing up a full fledged article on these specific elements once I complete MGS4, but basically, my main point is that MGS4 cannot be considered this incredible work of literary art when it is so inconsistent with its connection to previous games and its own gameplay in its equally inconsistent attempt to inject realism in random moments and gameplay mechanics.

The series just reeks of the odor that comes with an overall story arch that wasn’t planned out in its entirety ahead of time. Guns of the Patriots compromises Sons of Liberty‘s incredibly optomistic ending for the sake of beginning itself with a very depressing cast of characters ripe with conflict. Snake Eater craps upon the entire franchise by injecting characters that can’t die if the future were to remain unchanged in situations where not being killed conflicts with the realism that Kojima injected into both the gameplay and plot of the games set in a later time.

Metal Gear Solid 4 spits in the face of all the games in the series that came before it in order to immerse the player in what is probaby the best presentation of any game in any franchise so far in history. It’s in this regard that Metal Gear Solid 4 itself is inconsistent and unworthy of the specific praise it receives. I can only agree with someone who has played 4 and no other entry in the series as they couldn’t possibly know the compromises the game makes with the plot presented so far.

It’s almost as if there is some void where chronology and continuity could be suspended in order to include a fifth Metal Gear Solid game that makes up for the compromises and fills in the odd gap that makes Old Snake more like Naked Snake/Big Boss from the end of Snake Eater.

*Sigh* I need to finish MGS4.

Microsoft’s E3 presentation ended with a well-timed surprise that received some mixed reactions: Final Fantasy XIII will be simultaneously released on both the Playstation 3 and XBox 360 in the West.

Most would think that this is great news for 360 owners and nothing else, but most would be wrong. This announcement has spawned forum comments featuring the words “lies”, “betrayal”, and “deception” among others.

I’ve looked into the issue, asking why anyone would complain about what appears to be nothing but a good move for Square-Enix and fans alike. After wading through a bit of ignorance and poor grammar, I’ve arrived at what appear to be the most logical causes for alarm, but even they are fairly lacking in foundation. Below are some forum quotes that represent the most common responses to my question (most grammar and spelling is their own).

(more…)

I finally had a chance to play through Act 3 of Metal Gear Solid 4. Actually, “play” isn’t really the right word. Let me start again…

I finally had a chance to watch Act 3 of Metal Gear Solid 4.

Seriously, there are only three separate portions of gameplay in Act 3, all of which were incredibly linear. Before, after, and in between were loads of conversations riddled with acronyms. GW, JD, CQC, SOP, GOP, LOL, WTF…

Yes, there were moments where I understood enough to be entertained by some of the major plot revelations, but I have to repeat a question a friend asked while I sat and listened: “Is this a movie or a game?” That’s a problem.

Metal Gear Solid 4 started off as a game. I enjoyed the Middle East, and I had a lot of fun in South America. Europe, however, marks a major shift in the gameplay/cinema balance. Now, it’s a movie with drawn out action scenes. It’s sad when the long-winded conversations are more entertaining than the gunfights (that you don’t get to participate in).

I did get to participate in one major fight, a boss battle to be specific. It was the same as the first: long yet superfluous. I said as much to my brother who responded with a question about whether or not Psycho Mantis was superflous in the original Metal Gear Solid. My answer was “no”.

That’s because MGS wasn’t so reliant upon its predecessors to deliver an enjoyable, interactive experience. The game was fun on its own, and because of that, the boss battle with Psycho Mantis, as well as his backstory, was an enjoyable addition that only added to the style and presentation of the game.

On the otherhand, MGS4‘s Beauty and the Beast Corps are just an aside to an already drawn out plot. I can appreciate that they serve to give the player more gameplay, but the battles themselves just aren’t fun.

Several times, my brother asked me why I was playing the game if I didn’t enjoy it to which I repsonded, “I’m not playing because it’s fun. I’m playing because it’s important.” It sounds corny, but I’m serious. With a game this critically acclaimed, I feel that I’d be missing out by not playing. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to play.

Well, I’m not a PS3 fan, and this press conference pretty much showed me why. Let me start off with what was the only highlight in my opinion:

I’m willing to bet Nintendo regrets not coming up with Little Big Planet and not having a strong enough online service to support its full potential. The game looks great, and the way they used it to present some of Sony’s numbers and upcoming developments was really creative. It got a nice reaction from the crowd, and made the first half of the Sony show the best overall presentation of the three. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like my brother’s cup of tea and he’s the only one with a PS3 that I have something resembling access too on the other side of town.

The rest of the show helped me put into words what it is that turns me off about the PS3. Aside from Resistance 2, everything just comes off as generic and soulless. Games like Ratchet and Klank might be fun, but they’ll never be a reason to own a system. I’m not even sure why Sony saw fit to spend so much time of Gran Turismo TV. It’s so specific, that it really didn’t have a place in a presentation like this.

I’m including Final Fantasy XIII in that overall generic feel, but more on that later. I’ve been doing a little research on the reaction to the announcement of FFXIII on the 360 and hope to have a post on it sometime this week.

Finally, I’m still not impressed with Home. What’s the point? To me, it looks like a superfluous interface to what should be a sleek, easy to navigate community service, not some place for my avatar to dance with people I’ll never meet in real life.

Now that the big presentations are over, I’m hoping to find out some specifics on some of the revealed games: Mostly Animal Crossing: City Folk. I was really excited about Mega Man 9 but I just read through Jeremy Parish’s interview with one of the games’ creators and learned some pretty upsetting news. Expect that and lots more Mega Man in posts to come.

Update: Whoops, left my notes in when I first posted. Also, apparently the archived video I watched cut off early, because I just read about the tentatively-titled MAG: Massive Action Game, an FPS that can support 256 players. I’ll have to see more, but that sounds insane in a very good way.

Peoples’ first impressions of Nintendo’s E3 presentation? Disappointment. I have to admit, I was very excited in the opening minutes, so much so that I was a bit afraid of my inner-fanboy coming out. To say I wasn’t disappointed would be misleading, but I understand why the show was so lackluster.

I think we’re at this point in the Wii’s life where it’s too old to retain its original excitement and too young to offer that second wave of excitement rivaling its initial reveal. That means, no Zelda and, of course, no Mario.

The highlights were Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wii Music with Wii Sports Resort and the Wii MotionPlus not far behind. Sad thing is, we knew about Animal Crossing and Wii Music for a while now. Nothing major was revealed about AC. There’s a city, but it appears to be replacing the weekly routine of some of the merchants. It does offer an auction house, which should be neat. The biggest reveal was Wii Speak, a voice chat peripheral that I’m sure will be used for more than AC. It’s a bit strange, though, since it’s meant for everyone in the room, not just the person holding the controller. While voice chat is a big step for Nintendo approaching the online experience of Sony and Microsoft, I can’t help seeing my friends abuse this to make fun of me and my e-friends.

Wii Music was finally explained, and it’s actually a breath of fresh air compared to the other music games we’ve seen since Guitar Hero hit the scene. There are no notes scrolling across the screen. Instead, you produce sound through button presses depending on the instrument and style you’ve chosen. The drum set looks to be pretty deep, and being able to join large bands and record your music is pretty nice, but the whole things seems pretty shallow overall. It’s kind of like someone owning a keyboard but never learning how to read and play music. Except with Wii Music, there isn’t even the potential to learn. I’ll save my judgment for the actual release.

Wii Sports Resort showed off the MotionPlus device which offers nearly exact precision in your motions. The sword fighting game looked quite impressive, though a bit frantic. I think if two people who really know the ins and outs of the game had demonstrated it, we would see a pretty accurate depiction of a sword fight. It’ll come packaged with a MotionPlus, so as long as it comes with a lot more content than the original Wii Sports, it’ll be a must buy for me.

Everything else was rather lackluster. Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades wasn’t all that special of an announcement considering the first wasn’t all that impressive. With Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars coming to the DS, its good to see strong 3rd party support, but I’m really not all that interested in the game.

There was a bit of talk about using the DS as a general, PDA-type device, but aside from the Japanese Cooking Navi coming to the States, nothing specific was mentioned.

Hopefully, we’ll see a strong showing on the floor. Lots of people are interested in Chrono Trigger DS and hopefully, we’ll hear some good first impressions of Wii Music and maybe some new features of AC: City Folk.

I didn’t get a chance to see all of Sony’s show yet, but I’ll watch the archived video later tonight and give my impressions.

Thanks to G4TV.com, I was able to watch Microsoft’s XBox 360 press conference live from E3. Overall, they had a pretty strong showing putting pressure on Sony and Nintendo, both of which don’t go on until tomorrow.

Resident Evil 5 was the most anticipated title for me, and while it’s not an XBox exclusive, I was pretty excited to see it displayed so early in the expo. The co-op is looking to be a pretty big part of the gameplay. Chief producer Jun Takeuchi gave us a demonstration of the co-op with Chris giving the female protagonist, Sheva Olimar, a boost across a large gap and then providing sniper support. Cover meters were shown by the weapon and health meters, but they weren’t explained during the presentation, unfortunately.

There were a few technical difficulties here and there (a controller disconnected during Fall Out 3 and Gears of War 2 glitched up before starting again causing a few suspicions of it being pre-recorded), but there were only two real low points in the presentation: the awkward You’re In The Movies mini-games and the even more awkward Lips demo with big artist…what’s her name? Kotaku’s live comments were far more entertaining.

The show ended well with the announcement of Final Fantasy XIII for the XBox. While it didn’t have a gameplay demo accompanying it, it was still a pretty big blow to Sony in the eyes of XBox fans. The game won’t actually debut on the XBox, though.

Microsoft is also treading on Nintendo’s turf with an impressive casual game campaign. I usually don’t care about the multimediea features of game systems much, but with XBox’s upcoming NetFlix partnership and Primetime membership, the 360 is really turning into a new type of home entertainment system fusing all forms of visual media in an interesting way.

The most obvious move onto Nintendo territory is with the previously revealed Avatars. Some people may claim that Microsoft has ripped off Nintendo’s Miis, but really, who cares? Avatars are already looking better than Miis in that they have more room for customization and will actually be updated with more options. And of course, they will also be featured in lots of the XBox’s solid online community features, something the Nintendo couldn’t do with the Wii even if they wanted.

Microsoft definitely put on a good show. It’s a good thing too considering I just happened to acquire a 360 for myself. And while Microsoft has put pressure on Nintendo with their appealing to the casual crowd, I don’t think Nintendo has anything to worry about as they are all about their exclusives anyway. It’s pretty much guaranteed that Animal Crossing Wii will be revealed, and that has me very excited.

Sony has the last show and the ball is in their court. Not only will they have to deal with Nintendo’s potential plethora of exclusives, but they definitely need something to counter the loss of FFXIII being their big exclusive. Final Fantasy VII remake perhaps?