AKA A Backlog Diary: Part 28

Davey Wreden You may have just ruined single player games for me.

Davey Wreden is the man behind The Stanley Parable, a mod which, on its surface, is about a man named Stanley, who works in an office, entering what he is told to enter into a computer, day in, day out, never changing routine. One day, no commands show up on his screen, and he comes to realise he is the only one in the building.
But this is not what the game is about. This simple mod, with few unique textures from its Half-Life 2 starting point, is really about you, and the choices you make throughout the mod which takes no more than ten minutes to complete. If you follow the instructions of the narrator, you get a satisfactory ending where Stanley walks outside and is free, all because he took the correct path, thanks to the Narrator. See, on the “correct path”, you act as the narrator says Stanley is to act. You even reach a point in the deserted managers office where a safe is on the wall; a safe which you have no idea how to open until the narrator says something to the effect of “Of course, unbeknownst to Stanley, the code to the safe was 9-3-6-4, a code which Stanley had no hope of ever guessing”. But of course, because the narrator tells you this, you enter the code, leading to a secret wall opening and the Narrator in apparent surprise saying “But against all odds, Stanley guessed the code correctly!” This scene may not sound like to big a deal, but it does raise some questions about gaming, which I’ll get to shortly.
There is a “correct ending”, but there are also several others. Rather than shutting down the machine that monitors and controls the workers, you could take control, at which point the narrator decides to blow up Stanley, annoyed that Stanley has chosen to rebel against his fate and the narrative. You can disobey at the very first of the narrators “instructions”, going through a blue door instead of the destined red door, causing the Narrator to start talking directly to the player in annoyance, questioning why the player is so insistant on going against the narrative he has crafted for Stanley. This leads to Stanley discovering an untextured room; a simple cube, at which the Narrator tells Stanley/the player that it is their own fault they ended up here after trying to hard to disobey the rules of the game; even warping Stanley to the opening setting of Half-Life 2 (with all NPC’s removed), which after Stanley escapes from, leads to another ending, an ending in which the Narrator questions whether the rebellion was really worth it. He had, after all, served up a lovely little story about a man in an Orwellian nightmare (not you Zombie Orwell) escaping his bonds, but you, the player, decided you didn’t want to see that and sought to escape the confines of the narration.


The office of a man named Stanley? Or the prison we lock ourselves into every time we put a game on?

You see the irony? In one scenario, Stanley himself escapes a certain linear fate, but in the other, it is the player who escapes a certain linear fate; following the narration, pressing buttons and entering commands until the desired result is reached, much like Stanley originally did before escaping himself.
But further, isn’t the second ending also a linear path itself? Did not Davey Wreden himself anticipate the players rebellion, and thus give them the ending they sought? One which felt like a rebellion against traditional linear game design?

The Stanley Parable has more endings than this, and later, I plan on seeing them all, but these two encapsulate the main point of this “game”. It is supposed to make you question what the hell you are doing. Not just with this mod, but with all games. We are often given the illusion of choice, whether it be multiple paths through the Mass Effect series, or doing missions in whatever order you feel like in Grand Theft Auto. How you personally do this may vary ever so slightly; whether you’re good or evil in inFamous, or whether you favour the whip mutation over the blade in Prototype 2, but when push comes to shove, you are engaged in something futile for two major reasons.

1. Every action you take is anticipated by the developer. You are confined to a small world with a strict rule set which can not be broken despite illusions. You may choose to use these tools in different ways to other players but really…
2. …You will end up with the same fate as everyone else, or merely at one of several anticipated outcomes, each one as deliberately crafted as the others.

There is no escape from the Narrator, no matter what game it is or what form he takes. If you’re playing a traditional single player game right now that has both a beginning, and an ending, you’re doomed to your fate, whether it be positive or negative, whether it be one or many.

Yes, there are exceptions to this rule, where the Narrator is impotent and not the key player. Multiplayer focused games are an example. Does it matter to me that the AI Director and the writers at Valve are governing the world I inhabit in Left 4 Dead 2? No, because I feel that my fate lies in the hands of three other real life people whom I am playing the game with. Does it matter that the design of Forza Motorsport 4 or DiRT 3 provide circuit racing and not much more? No, because the timing/score is what matters, and I can make an impact via online leaderboards or multiplayer, my actions potentially influencing the motives of other players around the world to best me. It is in multiplayer games (or even just games that contain leaderboards) that we write our own destinies and make an impact. Even in Call of Duty multiplayer, you actions can affect fifteen other people and how they play the game.

Single player exceptions are limited, but I’ll name a few. Mostly games that allow creativity, like Minecraft and LittleBigPlanet, which while I don’t care too much for the latter does give players the opportunity to provide playgrounds for other players around the world, thus escaping the confines of any kind of narrative. Heck, you can even write your own. I remember Far Cry: Instincts on the original Xbox, with which I had fun not only playing online, but also making my own maps for people to play on. So no, not all games are mere rulebooks or linear narratives to trap a player in for a few hours in exchange for money. Some are competitions, some are canvases, some are exercises in communication and group thinking and co-operation. Anything else, where you do not have the ability to reach out, change the game world to your liking and allow the world to see the results, is nothing more than a multi-linear trek to an inevitable conclusion.

Now this may sound bad, perhaps, but I’ll explain why it isn’t always. Some of the best and most well loved games are linear treks through a world with a plot. Half-Life, Portal, Zelda, Mario, Uncharted, Killzone, Halo. These are about the journey, not the destination. They’re about how many stars you can find, or about the challenge of making your way through a room with a portal gun, or even just the spectacle of a vast temple or a destroyed City 17. Your path goes only so far to the left and the right, sure, but you’re still glad to be moving forward within.

So why has The Stanley Parable put me on edge?

The only thing I can think is it’s just something I haven’t thought of before. No matter which single player experience I dive into, I’m merely playing the same game in the same way as most people out there. Is this really any different to seeing the same movie as everyone else on DVD at home? My experience with a movie may differ from everyone else’s, and I may have different opinions or levels of enjoyment. I might even watch the film for entirely different reasons than everyone else, but I’ll still have seen the same film, just like I’ll still have played the same game, without interference or alteration by other players. So why should finishing Batman: Arkham City give me any more satisfaction than watching Batman Begins or The Dark Knight? Before The Stanley Parable, I may well have been more satisfied, but now, I’m not sure.

Now I don’t want to sell the game short. It’s beautifully dark, well written, and with sixty years of Detective Comics behind it, contains a cast of brilliant villains and a great idea for a setting to put them in. The combat is satisfactory when done right, and there is no greater feeling than clearing a room of twelve armed goons armed with nothing but a belt full of mischief. The plot is not too bad, though seemed like it was trying to do too much, and thus not quite doing enough with any one key part. The main antagonist of the game seemed to change multiple times from Joker, to Penguin, to R’as Al Ghul, to Hugo Strange, quickly back to R’as, before deciding once again on the good old clown of crime. The main problems Batman faced seemed to just disappear; what happened to all those poisoned with the Titan/Joker virus? Were they cured in time? And whilst the setting of Arkham City is good on the surface, I felt like I was revisiting areas quite a lot. A whole city, and I end up in the same sewers twice? It got a lot higher rated than Batman: Arkham Asylum, and I’m not too sure I agree with such sentiments. The Asylum itself was a much better setting, and seemed, despite its open world nature, to have a more varied locale than a whole freaking city of inmates and goons. Major characters were squandered on very little. Two-Face was in for two minutes, Cat Woman simply at the beginning and the very end, and why was Harley Quinn tied up in the Sugar Mill upon your second visit? The game left me a little confused, and whilst I don’t need everything handed to me on a silver platter, the option to understand what the hell is going on would have been nice.


I’m still not sure how the Joker came to be the primary villain of the piece, or even if he ever was…

But despite a fair few criticisms, I’m giving Batman an (arbitrary) 8. Why? After realising that this game meets the criteria of the pointless exercise in linear progress through a narrative that is slightly more inferior to movie and even comic counterparts? Why still so high a score? Because the experience was pretty fun. I enjoyed beating up some fools, the battle with Mr Freeze, and the Blood of the Demon section in particular. Not quite up to par with Arkham Asylum, but still fun. I guess this is still the point of these linear narrative single-player video games, just as it was thirty years ago; it isn’t about where you end up, but the journey there. (Here I come Mass Effect 3, to test that theory!). So in answer to my original question; has a mod ruined single-player games for me? No, but they're going to have to work a lot harder now that I've come to some rather simple realisations.

In backlog news, I am now tackling Forza 4 head-on, whilst also playing Battlefield: Bad Company on Xbox 360. Until next time!

It’s been something of a busy week. In total, five games can now be ticked off my to-do list, the latter two of which I will get to shortly. Meanwhile, I have acquired some new games to take their places.

Now yes, it may seem redundant to write about a backlog which is shortened with the one-hand, and added to with the other. However, I should point out that these new games are ones I have planned on purchasing for a while, and have only bought them now due to finding them at what I consider a more appropriate price. Mass Effect 3 for PC at £20.00 is first to join the ranks, as well as three Wii titles; Donkey Kong Country Returns (£14.99) New Super Mario Bros Wii (£15.99) and Sin & Punishments (£4.99). After a fair bit of “grown-up” console debauchery, I’m ready again for some remote-wavey fun. These, along with the two No More Heroes games will be played as soon as my new Wii HDMI adapter (which scales Wii video output up to 1080p with what customer reviews are saying are very good results) and a new set of non-console specific headphones (I own a turtle beach headset for PS3, 360 and PC) arrive in the post. I’m not too sure which I’m going to start with, especially considering I last night found Batman: Arkham City for 360 in a Morrison’s bargain bin (£15.00. Steal!) I’ve also dipped my toe into X3: Terran Conflict; something of a departure from my usual repertoire. The game looks kinda huge, so I might set myself a couple of arbitrary goals so I can at least consider it played to a decent enough extent that I can post about it here.

But on to my spoils of war, the first of which, finally, being Serious Sam: The Second Encounter HD.

(Ctrl-C on Serious Sam: First Encounter blog post. Ctrl-V here)

It’s very similar to the first game, right down to weapons, enemies (with only one or two additions and some very typical but still fun boss fights) and appearance. The levels do stretch their legs from time to time, changing from your deserts and tombs of FE to your jungles, temples, medieval villages and the like. The guys at Croteam and Deep Silver did just about enough to warrant this being more than just an expansion pack, and bring all the mayhem of the first game back in full force. Considering the games age (as an entity, despite this being a prettied up re-release) it’s a lot of classic strafe-and-shoot fun. At times, it can drag on, but that’s why you stick Spotify on in the background and craft yourself a soundtrack to the murder! Considering this game is pretty much constantly on sale on Steam for under £4.00, you really can’t lose. I certainly didn’t. 8


This rather accurately gives you an idea of the scale of what you’re up against.

The two halves of Serious Sam 1 did enough to arouse my interest in the series as a whole. I have plans to track down Serious Sam 2, but for now, all I could find was the latest iteration, Serious Sam 3: BFE

Acting as a prequel to all other Serious games, the plot tells the story of Sam, a man who falls out of helicopters a lot and kills a heck of a lot of things. I thought Serious Sam’s 1 and 1.5 were nuts, but this one takes it to a whole new legume-y level.
First of, it’s pretty, and it sounds a lot better than its aged predecessors, negating the need for a personal playlist. What’s more the on-screen enemy count frequently exceeds triple figures. Towards the end, in the notorious “Valley of Death” I reckon was up against three hundred enemies at a time; something unheard of outside the realms of real time strategy. The action is so intense, I reckon I spent 80% of that forty minutes fighting my way through with the left mouse button pressed down. Absolutely insane, and a lot of fun, that last level.
And then there’s the main point of Serious Sam games; this is not a realistic FPS, despite sprinting mechanics and iron-sights now being added. This is not about picking off a squad of five enemies from behind cover. This game is about riot control. It’s about putting yourself in the safest possible position whilst dispatching as many “alien freaks” as possible. There is one game I can compare this to in this respect; Geometry Wars: Evolved. Weave your way through enemies whilst blasting away at them, clearing a path so you can turn, rinse and repeat. A very unique game, despite its roots in a rather bogged down genre.
Enemies also demand some prioritisation. The Dark Brides should be dealt with first, even if they are a bitch to find and kill whilst they… I don’t know what it is they do to you, but it hurts! Then there are the things that can shoot you from afar. They die next. Then the fast things that hit you, then the slow things that shoot you but miss a lot, and then everything else. But make sure you shoot anything screaming with no head (yeah I know) first. Oh, and the weird helicopter monsters, they’re fuckers too.


"ARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH yourself…uh oh…"

If I’m honest, despite games simplicity, I grew very, very fond of it. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m having withdrawal symptoms. Booting up X3: Terran Conflict, I found myself yawning at the lack of thins running and screaming at me. This game may have just spoilt gaming for me as a whole; hopefully nothing a little bit of Batman won’t fix, but we’ll have to see.

SS 3:BF3 gets an 8 from me, my only real problem with it being the over use of what I came to call Skele-Kanga-Horse’s, and the rather dull locale. Hopefully, the reasonable success of this game might lead to expansion packs with prettier levels. But not too soon please. I’m a bit shagged out.

Next time: Something!

Most people spend much of their lives going with the flow. It is comfortable and unchallenging to accept common views as truth. If most of the people you know say that sharks are pretty friendly creatures who speak Korean, you may smile, pick up a cheap English-Korean dictionary, and pencil in some scuba lessons for next Friday. If people told you raw onions and garlic are a very powerful aphrodisiac, you’d probably end up smelling like a French atom bomb for a month. And if most people turned to you and said that Super Mario Land 3D was worthy of your time and cash, you’d probably go along with that too, right?

Okay, so maybe those first two might only work on the truly gullible and stupid, but I for one fell for the latter. I accept that generally speaking, I’m very much in the minority when I say this, but Jesus Christ, can I have a refund and three hours of my life back?
Super Mario 3D Land is the combination of ideas from the Gameboy release Super Mario Land, and various themes borrowed from newer Mario games. There are hints of Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, and a hint of Super Mario Galaxy. I could bore you (and myself) by going into details about the synopsis of this game, but instead, I shall write a ten word summary; “Princess Peach kidnapped by Bowser. Mario to rescue. 3D visuals”. The game was touted to be the savior of the 3DS, which has seemed to be true; price cuts and Mario games have seen 3DS unit sales go slightly more skyward. Is this down to how well developed a game Super Mario 3D Land is? A lot of people would argue yes. However, I am starting to get an itch to get to the point. I really hated this game. I despised it for having the sheer audacity of taking up my time, let alone taking my money as well. I also hated myself for feeling obligated to finish it to at least justify the expenditure, but now I just feel dirty. Rather than lay my feelings out in a well presented essay form, have some bullet points.


Okay, I’m gonna lay a lot of hate down, but the game is not as bad as this.

• Despite reviews stating as much, the 3D visuals do very little if anything to enhance the gameplay. There were two or three rooms that required it, and even then it didn’t really work. Possibly limitations of the technology, but I’m more tempted to think these rooms were a bad freaking idea.
• Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser again. And oh look, just like in Super Mario Galaxy, they have flying ships. Is this a new recurring theme? My main quarrel with the Mario games is how much praise they garner Miyamoto, who may as well have been picking nouns out of a hat to make his game. “Plumber” “Mushroom” “Turtle”. Game on. Not. Now that this universe has been established, it seems difficult for anyone who works on a primary Mario game to work their way out of the corner they’ve been painted into without changing focus to Luigi for Luigi’s Mansion. Maybe it’s silly to demand something more from a game series which is not only one of the most financially successful and critically applauded, but who’s creator is regarded as the greatest games designer of all time. Miyamoto’s a hack. He got lucky in the 80’s because no one expected anything better from video games at the time, and now here we are, twenty-seven years later, and we all still kiss his ass. If any success comes out of Nintendo these days, I’m doubtful it has much to do with him. No creative originality besides the just plain odd.
• It’s too easy, until it isn’t. There are points in the game which I never truly figured out the correct solution to, and ended up dying until I got the invincible Tanooki Suit. Cheating? Fuck it, I don’t care, I just wanted it to be over so I can get rid of it. By the end of the game, I’d stockpiled 58 lives, without any kind of cheating or hacking, even with the odd frustrating bit.
• Despite borrowing some elements from Super Mario Galaxy, it hasn’t seemed to have learnt much artistic merit. Whilst my opinion of SMG is mixed, there were odd moments which actually showed someone at Nintendo was awake and ambitious. Music and level design were inspiring. However, despite my acknowledgement that SM3DL had to confine levels to a much smaller scale in the name of portability, there seemed to be a lot lacking in the music and visual design department. Levels were bland and didn’t really seem to look like anything but a pile of static or moving parts, and there only seemed to be five background music tracks to share amongst forty or so levels. Bland.
• Peach’s voice made me want to dress my best mate up in a tiara and pink dress and punch him in the face. Her only line was “Maaaarioooo”. Talk about your weak gender representation. When is Peach going to kick some ass in a non-spin-off? Isn’t it about time she took some self-defense classes?
• After suffering through eight worlds of easy platforming “fun” which was mediocre at best, the game then has the audacity to jump up and say “Wait! Luigi’s in trouble too! Have some challenge maps!” Too freaking late. I’ve seen enough. The whole idea has soiled itself and I wish for no more part in it.


The worst.

So there you have it. In my opinion, this game was made because it needed to be made to save the 3DS from oblivion, not because anyone really felt like making it. There’s no heart, no feeling. At least with SMG, I felt like some effort had gone in, and I enjoyed that one, despite my mixed feelings about the Mario franchise. In a way, this game has made me want to re-set-up up my Wii, to see if SMG 2 is equally disappointing; another game some guys made, because they were told to. Heck, if it’s as good as people say it is, maybe it might stop me cringing every time I hear an Italian accent. If it wasn’t for my bro-mance for Ezio Auditore, I swear I’d be outside, hurling abuse at a pizzeria right now. So why did it get so highly reviewed and sell as well as it did? Because people seem to need Mario games to be good, to the point where they have to think they’re good even if they’re not? The alternative to this mind sight could mean the end of Nintendo handhelds and maybe even consoles. I just think some people can’t get their heads around the idea that a Mario platformer can be bad. Well, this one, for me, was dreadful. What’s more, I don’t care for Mario Kart 7 either.

So for being highly unoriginal, wasting a unique hardware feature, lacking any real challenge until you “finish” the game, lacking any really notable artistic design and for Princess Peach’s voice, Super Mario Land 3D gets a 4. I don’t hate Mario platformers, but this one was such a disappointment. And to all those who enjoyed this game, I merely ask how they managed it. I begrudge every second I gave to it.

Next time, something else. Tchuâ

It is rare I get to post two blogs in as many days, but this week, it appears I am close to posting three in three days. Last night saw me finally complete Assassin's Creed: Revelations, a task I have been putting off for a little while. Part of this was down to being undecided as to which version to play; the Xbox 360 version I picked up at launch, or the Steam version that wrangled its way into my possession after a particularly generous Steam sale and a fancy for replaying Assassin's Creed II. In the end, I went for the Xbox 360 version, which sports stereoscopic 3D, but I'll get to that later.
I also last night completed Serious Sam: The Second Encounter on PC, but am holding off on writing about that until I finish Serious Sam 3, a task which I believe is a mere 3 hours of gameplay away, so something to write about tomorrow night.

One way I was thinking of improving these backlog blogs is tying it into a parallel and relevant topic of discussion. Yesterday, I critiqued Dead or Alive: Dimensions, but decided that the game aroused various thoughts on the state of portable gaming. I hope to do this a lot more often, and I have an idea in mind for today’s blog (I generally write as I think, and do little editing, so having a vague point in mind before I start is probably a good idea). However, while I'm on the subject of yesterday's blog, I feel I may have been too dismissive of the blockbuster console-esque RPG and action game. Of course, many people loved the PSP for its RPG's, which probably led to the PSP hardly being a failure, despite being second place in the portable war with Nintendo. I do however wish to point out that gamers who enjoy this type of game on a handheld and likely forego portability in favour of this level of depth are very much in the minority, and the PSP could have done with a lot more portable friendly titles for all ages. And better marketing than those fucking squirrels.

But on to today's game and topic; Assassin's Creed 2.8 and characters.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations has been crafted as game to finally bid farewell to Ezio and Altair, who after three and two games respectively are possibly due retirement. The game focuses primarily on Ezio as he tries to unravel the mystery of the Altair’s library, whilst simultaneously sorting out Constantinople's problems. This latter plot point at no point managed to truly excite me; missions and characters were slightly dull, save one stand out mission where, disguised as a lute player, Ezio serenades the crowd with his old Italian voice and tales of his exploits from previous games that brings a wry smile to a fan of the series face. He even breaks the fourth wall, stating that anyone still pressing an action button to hear him sing should surely have something more important to do than listen. It was a rare touch of humour which had previously failed to rear its head in an otherwise serious story. Besides this though, the game was generally more of what we've seen in Italy and the previous two games, only in a less interesting locale and with no real new additions to gameplay other than bomb crafting and the hookblade; a new version of the hidden blade that allows you to navigate the city with ease, so long as you find one of what seemed like only twelve freaking ropes to slide down. The characters within the main plot are all forgettable; no real bastard villains like the Borgia's from last time round. The only stand out characters in this one are Ezio himself and love interest Sofia. This was actually a very well done part of the story, and you felt a genuine relationship building in the few cut scenes where these two were together.



And thus comes a conclusion; one of the best things about the Assassin's Creed series are the two assassin's you play as. Altair had a real character arc in Assassin's Creed 1, starting off arrogant and all powerful, before being stripped of his possessions and rank, and working his way back up, learning humility and the true meaning of his creed as he went, becoming one of the best aspects of that game. Ezio too started off as an arrogant though slightly cool womanizer of a nobleman, but grew on his path to revenge, and discovered a true purpose and belief in something bigger than him. Indeed, he even comes to realise that his primary mission is to merely be a messenger to someone in the future called Desmond (who we need to note really needs to pull his finger out and become awesome in Assassin's Creed III, because even in this game, he's something of a non-entity). This realisation of Ezio's is actually quite tragic, and a sign of history repeating itself, because even Altair had prepared for someone in the future to hear his story through his Apple of Eden crafted Memory Keys. The Altair sections, whilst brief, were a nice touch, and helped bid farewell to what to many was a beloved character. Thus comes the tragic element; both of these moral, respectable and generally awesome men devoted their loves to something they knew they would never fully understand, and experience tragedy and love along the way. Ezio in particular is a very strong character. You can sense a real deserved respect for him when his followers are in his presence. Other examples of strong character moments include Altair's reluctance to kill the impersonator in the first game (who eventually becomes his wife) and Ezio's guilt at killing an innocent man in Revelations. How rare is that? A game featuring strong violence and themes of war and religion, and we have examples of guilt? It's a testament perhaps to either the weakness in other games at portraying truly human characters, or just how good at it Ubisoft Montreal are. In one game, Ezio is charming, commanding, sad, victorious, determined, amusing, saddened, guilty and awesome, and stands in the parathion of gaming history as one of its best, most well rounded characters, despite his day job of whooping Templar's.

Aside from the strong character of the protagonist(s) and his love interest, there is little to add in favour, except that assassinating your way through ther renaissance era is as fun as ever, with sprinting, jumping and guard evasion generally being the order of the day. I didn't care much for the tower defense mini-game, but then from what i hear, not many people did.

As one game, I reward Revelations with a 7, its few additions to gameplay and its locale rather hampering any true excitement. However, 6 of those 7 points I give it are for the plot and the protagonists, and the feeling that Ubisoft Montreal have done very well to round out the Assassin's Creed II trilogy and the life of Ezio, and to a slightly lesser extent, Altair.


The other point goes to the combat. I really quite like the combat.

Tomorrow (or Sunday), shit gets Serious...






...Sam...





...3.






...and Second Encounter

I just don’t see this panning out in the long run…

There are people out there who say the days of the portable games console are numbered. Before long, Playstation branded pocket fodder will be an embarrassing footer in Sony's ledger, and even the might of the 3DS and its possible successor will fail to weather the storm, if these beliefs are to come to fruition. Many may shed a tear, remembering fond summer days spent in the garden, with the cat curled up by your feet as you lounge in a deck chair, savouring a choc ice and battling your way to the Pokemon league to face off against that damn Gary bloke. Or perhaps whiling away the cross country train journey to the all too familiar soundtrack of the Tetris song. Portable gaming has had given me some good memories, and I will be sad to see it go if it does. Some might blame the cheap n' cheerful app stores available on mobile phones, to which so many fledgling game developers flock towards like moths to an unreachable moon. I disagree. These stores are offering something that devoted gamers and casual gamers want which the big two seem unwilling to do so; truly portable compatible games.


This is not the undoing of portable consoles. Portable consoles and those who develop for them are their own undoing.

Why is the likes of Temple Run and Cut the Rope, simple dismissible games with little artistic or innovative merit thrashing the likes of Resident Evil: Revelations and Uncharted: Golden Abyss? There are probably a lot of theories, but the biggest one for me is despite the hardware you play them on, they're just not portable games. These two in particular are crafted as atmospheric blockbusters that just happen to fit in your pocket. But what good is that? How often are most people going to be on a train journey that lasts over an hour, thus rendering such games something of a necessity? Sure, you could try playing it in the ten minute tea break you have at work, but ten minutes is rarely enough time to become reabsorbed and reacquainted into and with the game. As good as it is, portable versions of Bioshock, Uncharted, Halo and Zelda will not suit such a purpose, thus meaning that such games would have to be played at home, further meaning you may as well have released the game on a home console with boosted graphics and a much more likely chance of reaching your target audience. Software for the 3DS needs to relearn some of the lessons its predecessor seemed to master; release games that non-gamer adults will find interesting (Brain Trainer, Professor Layton), young children will love (Mario Kart and obligatory movie tie-ins) and games for us more dedicated to the medium, but which like the above, are truly portable. Something with short levels we can fit into a lunch break or bus journey. Unfortunately, Resi Revelations and Nathan Drake don't work as they currently exist in handheld form. Neither did Peace Walker in my opinion. But Layton, Phoenix Wright, Wipeout, UMvC 3 and Dead or Alive: Dimensions do.

This is the reason that for the most part, my 3DS has gone somewhat ignored. I had a good laugh with Super Street Fighter IV (a good example of a portable game), and Star Fox 64 3D served me well when I got the flu last year. However, had I been up and about, I doubt Star Fox would have been favoured with much more attention than my dusty N64 cartridge of Llylat Wars 64. Other than Street Fighter, the only other two games that seem to have adapted to portable gameplay (short levels, save points and the ability to turn off the console at any given point without losing too much progress if the game has a campaign structure), those two games being Super Mario 3D Land and the first portable version of DOA. I'm not enjoying SM3DL too much, which I'll get to when I eventually finish it (damnit, I spent £30.00 on the bastard, I will see it through). Dead or Alive: Dimensions, however, is very cleverly built. To start with, the game plays identically to its console counterparts, most prominently Dead or Alive 4. It also looks gorgeous, especially with the 3D switched off to allow a perfect frame rate. But most importantly, aside from being a fighting game, a genre which naturally lends itself to portability, the game just works as a pocket procrastination device. There is a campaign, which sees you take on the role of the four ninjas of Dead or Alive and DOATEC megalomaniac Helena, and seeing the events of all DOA games from Dead or Alive on the Sega Saturn to Dead or Alive 4 on the Xbox 360 played out, complete with fully voiced cutscenes, and even definitions of terms us Westerners may not understand to well on the bottom screen. The game is crafted as a true fan service to those of us who have been with the series from the beginning; every character from every DOA game (except the Spartan from DOA 4) is included for Arcade, Survival and various Versus modes, and the campaign mode saves your progress after every fight, meaning you can jump straight back in once you've attended an obligatory meeting about preparing for the Chinese partners to visit your firm next Tuesday. As ropey as the story often is, and as bad as the press has been in the past for the risqué female representation in the game, Dead or Alive has been a very competent fighter, with its "rock, paper, scissors" approach to fighting mechanics making it actually somewhat unique in the face of offerings from Capcom, Namco and the Mortal Kombat guys, and nothing is lost in the transition to portability.


Turn off the 3D, and this game looks stunning.

So it looks good, plays good, sounds as good as can be expected (with old music scores from previous games returning for appropriate levels), and its full of content perfect for the train back from London. "How does it suck?" you may ask. Actually, I do have a bit of a gripe; levels. I understand that data space may be tight on those 3DS cartridges, but some of the best levels are noticeably absent from DOA: Dimensions. The Dragon Palace from Dead or Alive 2, the Great Wall of China from Dead or Alive: Ultimate, the street outside the casino in Dead or Alive 4, all with multiple tiers to knock your opponent down, are horribly missing. There are still some multi-tiered levels, and the Ninja Village Garden and Kokaro's home level are nice inclusions, but most of the arenas are drab, grey boxes with little excitement. It's a real shame, because level design has always been one of Tecmo's strong points.
Additionally, turning 3D on does cause a rather bad and inconsistent frame rate, so is best turned off in favour of sweet 60fps 2D.
Sadly, the Tag Team mode seems to have lost a lot of its charm, being somehow messy and complicated as opposed to its ingenious implementation in previous incarnations.

As a portable game, DOA meets my needs perfectly, and is a shining example of true portability to anyone out there developing for the Vita or 3DS. As a game of any description, it does fall flat in one majorly disappointing area. I award Dead or Alive: Dimensions an 8. With more varied and exciting levels, it could have been knocking on the door of a perfect 10, but alas, it was not to be.

Tonight, I finish Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Tomorrow, we have a bit of a chat about it. Goodnight out there, whatever you are.

I think I must have really liked Prototype 2. A lot. There are currently only two games with which I have unlocked all achievements; Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, which stands as one of my favourite games of all time, and Prototype 2. Is it also one of my favourite games of all time? I'm not too sure. Most of the time, one can only come to such a realisation with considerable hindsight. For me, Prototype 2 was a week of pure mayhem and devotion, a game which attained a considerable achievement as one of the few games I started over as soon as finishing it a first time, and will continue with several more hours sunk into the Radnet bonus feature, a mode which allows participation in some mini-games and challenges, with competition against your friends scores. It is a game which has made me double back and consider how much I loved inFamous 2, and whilst that game attained much acclaim from me, I feel perhaps Prototype 2 struck more of a personal chord.

Now yes, there will be comparisons to inFamous 2. They're just about similar enough for such comparisons to be inevitable. However, the more obvious comparison is the original Prototype. Therefore, I feel the easiest way to describe my love of this game is to break it down into sections.

Controls
The improvements that needed to be made have now been made. Heller is a much more effective killing machine in your hands than Mercer ever was, thanks to a refined combat system that really helps you feel in control, the improved power system, which allows you to wield two powers at the same time, allowing for a more diverse and free flowing combat environment, and the same movement controls which have been lightly tuned to enhance the satisfaction of cruising the skies of NYC/NYZ. Fighting Brawlers (the big pink dudes) is much more satisfying with these refinements. A combination of whipfist and blade powers, calling in back up in the shape of a squad of Brawlers and the improved defensive manoeuvres in the shape of Block (where Heller morphs his arms into shields, allowing him to block incoming attacks, and even counter them when done right) and dodge (where Heller can leap over an attack and hack away at an opponents exposed back) mean more control, more satisfaction and a much better experience than the slightly more kack-handed approach brought to you in Prototype. Not to mention, a seven way fight with APC's, helicopters, Brawlers, Juggernauts (big infected dudes who pretty much hammer you to death given the chance) and Gentek's super soldiers is just something spectacular to behold. And when you're the last man standing, you'll have a bigger smile on your face than you might muster during inFamous 2's decent but less visually impressive combat scenarios. Prototype 2 is better at providing you a superhuman to control. You feel incredibly powerful, but that isn't to say the game is a cake walk.

Gameplay
Missions seem more varied this time round, as do locales. You'll zip about areas other than Manhatten/The Red Zone this time round, infiltrating bases, chasing military personnel, and of course, putting a stop to Mercer's plans by hunting and consuming the various lieutenants he has posted throughout Gentek and Blackwatch. New powers allow new and interesting ways to do this. One amusing one is the Bio-Bomb, where Heller infects his victim with an explosive strain of the virus, which when detonated, distracts guards from watching you as you get up to no good scuppering their evil schemes. Vehicle sections work quite well, and there was even a mission where you infiltrate a Blackwatch patrol, posing as a simple soldier, having to take down all kinds of infected nasties whilst staying undercover. Changes in location and a slightly better mix of mission types help keep the game fresh until the end, speaking of which, works quite well. Add to that the Blackwatch Dossier; a bunch of side missions which helps unlock additional mutations, and Radnet, the previously mentioned bonus mini-game mode which allows special unlocks and bragging rights, and Prototype 2 ends up being quite the package.


I make Cole McGrath look neat and tidy mo’focka

Sight and Sound
Sound is a tricky one to comment on. Whilst Prototype 2 does have a half decent score, there were few moments which audibly wowed me. This is supposed to be a city gone almost literally to hell, with tanks blasting, explosions and roars from twenty storey tall behemoths, yet the sound does take a back seat in the experience. Visually however, the world of Prototype 2 is much upgraded from Prototype 1. The world seems alive, with civilians walking around in face masks going about their business, before panicking and running from the horrors that suddenly emerge (including Heller himself). Buildings are more detailed and actually seem like buildings as opposed to textured cuboids sticking into the sky, and I'm fairly sure that time has allowed refinements here and there, simply adding up to a better looking game. Just a shame about the lacklustre sound.

Plot
In two words; surprisingly good. Prototype 1 always seemed a little muddled and weirdly paced, but Prototype 2 does a better job of keeping you in the loop. Unfortunately, you do have to read the Dark Horse comic tie-in "The Anchor" to be understand what's going on, but that aside, Heller makes a compelling hero, Mercer a great villain, and the supporting cast are not too bade either.

Spoilers
At first glance, Heller is a big sweary maniac on a nasty bloody quest for revenge. However, once you start playing proper, he becomes a bit more than that. Yes, his primary motive throughout the game is revenge, and later, the recovery of his daughter, who despite previous insinuations, is alive and well in custody, and used as leverage against Heller. Heller jokes in a dark manner, has some absolutely brilliant lines, and pretty much tells it how it is. His exchange with Mercer before the final battle really shows his anger and what has driven him to this point, as he yells and spits "WHERE'S MAYA" and after allowing Mercer to speak, yells back "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR FUCKING WEIRD...FUCKING RAMBLING SHIIIT! GIVE ME MY DAUGHTER!" Yes, he may be something of an anti-hero, but when you consider his targets; a group of scientists with no regard for human life who see New York as their giant Petri dish, a group of mercenaries who actively enjoy terrorising and killing innocent people in the line of duty, and Mercer's Evolved, the spies within the two former camps whose ultimate aim is to eradicate mankind and rebuild it in Mercer's image, it's hard to not be totally on Heller's side. Heller actively shows concern for the wellbeing of innocent people, jumping in to save them from "tests" where infected creatures are unleashed in inhabited areas. He even spares the Blackwatch commander Rooks, who throughout the game has tried to command a more morally thorough tour, and whom Heller spares at an opportune moment when he discovers Rooks on the phone to his own daughter, not only humanising Rooks, but Heller for sparing him. He really is a man with nothing to lose, until he discovers his daughter has survived, which only intensifies his motives.

Alex Mercer, on the other hand, seems to have done a 180 on his motives from the first game. Originally, he sought revenge on those who had sought to create this bio weapon, and to stop them in their tracks, going so far as to sacrifice himself by diverting the nuke at the end of Prototype. "The Anchor" however, explains this u-turn, as Mercer travelled the world looking for a reason and a way to reclaim his humanity, but instead finding selfishness, violence and evil, which leads him down a road to purify mankind by eliminating their greed and lust for violence by putting everyone on the same page; his page. No more disease, no more violence. He can be compared to The Beast from inFamous 2, who seeks to eliminate mankind and activate the conduits like Cole McGrath, so that the world can continue and be what he considers a better place. However, Mercer is much more devious and sneaky, and rightfully earns his title of Antagonist. Whilst I loved his character design in Prototype, his personality and actions always seemed to lead him more towards a villainous conclusion, which I'm glad to see has been fully realised. Whilst Prototype 1 was good, by the end of Prototype 2, I was glad Mercer got slashed up, dismembered, and eaten.


Better evil and dead than alive and playable. Who’d a thunk it?

Does this mean no Prototype 3? I hope not. I could write Mercer back in right now. How about, because he’s the originator of the Mercer virus, he escapes Heller’s digestive tract or wherever he’s kept and manifests himself in a host whom is seemingly “purified” by Heller’s massive tendril attack during the end cut-scene. You could even create a new protagonist, who for the third game, must ally with both Heller and Mercer, who themselves must ally also against a greater threat to themselves and mankind. The player could summon them from time to time, depending on his allegiance (might side more with Heller than Mercer, or vice-versa) and ultimately reach a conclusion where he must pick a side and either fight for Heller and mankind, or Mercer and his vision of a new world. Multiple endings; could be cool…

End Spoilers

All in all, I think I’ll look back on Prototype 2 with much fondness. I’m giving it a 9 to match the score of inFamous 2. Whilst inFamous 2 was prettier, and exemplified a more comic book feel by the end, along with its interesting and better written plot and multiple endings, Prototype 2 delivers what I feel to be a better protagonist, a better villain, and all in all a better feel. Both games are amazing, so play both, but they do different jobs, and thus can comfortably exist together without rivalry.

Also, a short paragraph on House of the Dead 4 which has been released and no one has noticed. It’s reasonable to look at, fun on your own but better with a friend, works well with Playstation Move and is just as cheesy and badly written as ever. For £6.29 on the PSN, it’s a steal, and should provide a few nights of hilarious simple minded fun. 7.

In other backlog news, I’ve started playing Forza 4 again (loving it), Split/Second again (kinda loving it) and am trying to shove myself back into LA Noire and ICO, but those two feel like a bit of a slog. Bye for now.