tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64030949990350823892024-03-05T14:58:59.902+09:00Aya's Super Awesome Adventures in GamingInstead of playing games, read about some guy who plays games! Tell your friends!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6403094999035082389.post-73948561847816589632014-07-11T10:20:00.003+09:002014-07-11T10:20:36.043+09:00A Man Chooses<i>You think your life's more than a game of suits and ladders</i><br />
<i>When nothing really matters</i><br />
<i>You're not just fluous, you're superfluous</i><br />
<i>You don't actually do anything, a human redundancy</i><br />
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I've been playing a lot of RPGs this summer. Back in May, I built myself a <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/24093j/build_complete_second_build_pulled_out_the_stops/">new PC</a> for gaming. I installed all of the fun stuff, tested it to see just what it could run, but it wasn't long before I was diving into a familiar RPG that could run easily on my tiny laptop, <i>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 - The Sith Lords</i>. Something about a game where I choose what the character does every step of the way is intriguing to me.<br />
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In western RPGs, and <i>Bioware</i> games in particular, there is a heavy focus on fleshing out your own character, and not just the abilities. You choose what kind of person you are. I haven't advanced much in <i>Bioshock Infinite</i> since I started playing it about a week ago, and I think part of it is due to how little I can control my character.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeWfdkKSugPSYiMsGsCqK1hhBzFNCCAlytR2rFYR-PVKgjq7Fp_a6kC2GwBnxR9UzN2MOWyZt2JBHZBgmHSPJXUwJzYCTagJyeGnL-VeIbN5n70v6KqawsuYcVWS_hjYWXqVIHXwrW7Id/s1600/2014-07-08_00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeWfdkKSugPSYiMsGsCqK1hhBzFNCCAlytR2rFYR-PVKgjq7Fp_a6kC2GwBnxR9UzN2MOWyZt2JBHZBgmHSPJXUwJzYCTagJyeGnL-VeIbN5n70v6KqawsuYcVWS_hjYWXqVIHXwrW7Id/s1600/2014-07-08_00002.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's gone all <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsundere">tsun-tsun</a> on me.</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_1374753756"></span><span id="goog_1374753757"></span>In <i>Bioshock Infinite</i>, you have full physical control of your character, but it doesn't really feel like you are involved with what he is doing, because he has his own personality, and his own set of abilities and traits that you don't have much control over. The only real choices you must make are whether to upgrade your shields, health, or salts capacity. <i>Bioshock</i> was originally conceived as a game that was all about choices, and it felt like that at first, but I find that this most recent entry plays more like a run-of-the-mill shooter.<br />
<br />
I don't have a problem with shooters. I've poured countless money and time into the <i>Halo</i> series, and I'm still waiting for <i>Episode 3</i> (come on, <a href="https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Valve_Time">Valve</a>). I guess I just didn't know what I was getting myself into when I started <i>Bioshock Infinite</i>. There's something very special about it, but for some reason I'm just having a hard time appreciating it. Every confrontation plays out about the same way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GV0XWbljQgPMnHRZJDEurRgWE3xhbMxiNXEKTB7ZNQwUqO-U2LMEZUvU1EWUDCPAj51FzMje-uCSuyYZw52XjSHMzK2H5zdeTW4-QDi60RAL0_J4UmXPDd43qpsNVjfZYdD3wF8iyluV/s1600/2014-07-08_00004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2GV0XWbljQgPMnHRZJDEurRgWE3xhbMxiNXEKTB7ZNQwUqO-U2LMEZUvU1EWUDCPAj51FzMje-uCSuyYZw52XjSHMzK2H5zdeTW4-QDi60RAL0_J4UmXPDd43qpsNVjfZYdD3wF8iyluV/s1600/2014-07-08_00004.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The setting is its biggest redeeming quality.</i></td></tr>
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First, I pick off most of the enemies with headshots and the fire ability, which is essentially the same thing as a grenade. Sometimes a strong enemy shows up, and I pull out my second weapon, unload a clip into it, run away, unload another clip, rinse, and repeat. Looting them just seems like a chore, because all you get is more ammo to shoot more enemies, or small amounts of money towards buying gun and vigor upgrades. I know, it sounds like every other game, but somehow <i>Bioshock Infinite</i> doesn't make it rewarding enough for me to come back and play again.<br />
<br />
I'm not finished with this game. I will still give it a few more chances, but so far I'm just not very impressed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6403094999035082389.post-34137840853222353552014-07-03T02:21:00.001+09:002016-04-07T05:37:21.052+09:00Medieval Fantasy MMMDCIXII<i>Again & again & again & again</i><br />
<i>Do it again, do it again</i><br />
<i>Again & again & again & again</i><br />
<i>Do it again, do it again, again & again</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rawr.</td></tr>
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People love to complain about zombie games. After all, they do seem to be all the rage these days. There's kind of a hipster pleasure to dismissing zombies. Why do people love those moaning, shambling masses, anyway? Is it the ability to kill people without guilt, or perhaps it is sheer hopelessness of it all? Is it the idea that one intelligent person can outsmart an entire army of mindless drones?<br />
<br />
I dunno. I'm not talking about that today though. I'm talking about something <i>way</i> more overused than <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil">zombies</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gears_of_War_(series)">bald space marines</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty">regenerating health</a>, and maybe even <a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2009/11/miyamoto_i_wanted_to_patent_jumping_in_games">jumping</a>. I'm talking about something many may consider too broad a trope to compare to these things. I'm talking about medieval fantasy.<br />
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But wait, Aya! What do you mean by medieval fantasy? Do you mean Tolkien-style fantasy, or Game of Thrones style fantasy? Are you talking about settings with magic, settings with Dwarves and Elves, or just settings with swords and armor?<br />
<br />
Yes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Nooooo!"</td></tr>
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Let me set something straight right off the bat. I love Lord of the Rings. I put more than 100 hours into Skyrim. When I was a kid, I had that <a href="http://www.thisoldtoy.com/fisher-price/dept-7-playsets/j-great-adventures/1-pics/bases/FPT19156-77110-castle.JPG">Fisher Price castle</a> playset, and I came up with all kinds of scenarios involving the king, his guards, the knights, the theives, and their swordplay. My <a href="http://gamedaibouken.blogspot.com/2014/07/long-live-queen-or-why-impossible-can.html">last post</a> was about a queen simulator. Even my favorite video game franchise of all time, <i>The Legend of Zelda</i>, is shamelessly perpetuating most of these elements.<br />
<br />
But come on, guys, enough already. I know that those old something-something Fantasy games sold a lot and had lots of successful sequels. I know that the Lord of the what-have-you is a long-running franchise that has piqued the interests of many cultures since its inception. Everybody knows what an elf is, and who hasn't wanted to wield a sword to vanquish their enemies?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88ADl95UE3RKfYDgKUuk3PwsndDWgrQTNK0XvXHxjt6UhNde8Wuk2pqiHU52-8O0Vv7Tf1WkKmNN-qf29dPnJ8R__KUGbrkSSKdZhRWwSK3w0Y17JEimvF1USLagznx5Y4dnvND89Ub4h/s1600/skyrim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88ADl95UE3RKfYDgKUuk3PwsndDWgrQTNK0XvXHxjt6UhNde8Wuk2pqiHU52-8O0Vv7Tf1WkKmNN-qf29dPnJ8R__KUGbrkSSKdZhRWwSK3w0Y17JEimvF1USLagznx5Y4dnvND89Ub4h/s1600/skyrim.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Skyrim</i></td></tr>
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This stuff is all tried and true, but if anything else had shown such a high level of emergence in every artistic medium the way that medieval fantasy has, we would all laugh and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS_i2HTJp2o">shame</a> those who perpetuated it. Why has this style become synonymous with "fantasy?" Is this really all people fantasize about? (I know I don't) What is it that makes this genre so special?<br />
<br />
To me, they are beginning to look like sequels. Every time I'm watching E3 and I hear a deep, British accent speaking in old English, see a castle, hear the clanging of swords, witness a group of horseback warriors, or watch rain disturb the waters of a mote near a drawbridge, I think, oh boy, here's another sequel to the last generic Tolkien ripoff. Why don't they just call it what it is: Medieval Fantasy: Retribution - The Beginning Returns 211.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0yTPz9cQvV3SBobS-KNcqM-f5ygMknl76gx1KGiMYAKg_DSg8o9uS3yUk2mQurl1Q62bcxZd5az_6Ca2wX9VuhgIdz3O57f3ADfqhY1n6NTyvXiO2DpCqP2mLE1mROGmWDiQOb5TmLs9/s1600/dragonquest-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0yTPz9cQvV3SBobS-KNcqM-f5ygMknl76gx1KGiMYAKg_DSg8o9uS3yUk2mQurl1Q62bcxZd5az_6Ca2wX9VuhgIdz3O57f3ADfqhY1n6NTyvXiO2DpCqP2mLE1mROGmWDiQOb5TmLs9/s1600/dragonquest-screenshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You attack me, I attack you, I win, I get gold,<br />
I go to the castle town and buy better armor.</td></tr>
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Obviously, my opinion isn't popular. These games/movies/books/<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_thrones">HBO shows</a>/toys sell like hotcakes, and my own friends and family revel in their fantasies of donning chainmail and striking their enemies down with a spiked flail from atop their noble steed. I don't want this trope to disappear completely. I just want it to stop hogging the spotlight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayMQ2qGe4abFaiOl0ziAs0x-NzQ8uz_Syyc8TTJ4l9AnRAdHPvXTSDQyYK8yrljWt-uMrezfWkkajUP6lfSXlQ1siJpVHvZVCcrIoLzKDWNv7e5RuTrjq9rgRnWbJEFtZG5LMa7ZjWJrV/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayMQ2qGe4abFaiOl0ziAs0x-NzQ8uz_Syyc8TTJ4l9AnRAdHPvXTSDQyYK8yrljWt-uMrezfWkkajUP6lfSXlQ1siJpVHvZVCcrIoLzKDWNv7e5RuTrjq9rgRnWbJEFtZG5LMa7ZjWJrV/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twilight Princess is great, but it's just another<br />
run-of-the-mill fantasy setting.</td></tr>
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Most of my favorite games take place either in<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjo-Kazooie"> alternate realities</a> or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo:_Combat_Evolved">future</a>. I don't think history is particularly boring, but it's not really where I want to go when I start up my gaming machine. Some of the best settings are created, not copy-pasted, and I think that if more storytellers realized that, we could get some really solid, fun, original art. Until then, I'll just keep ranting about it here, and you will keep reading it, and perhaps getting angry enough to write nasty comments down there.↓ Bring it on. I obviously don't understand, so somebody should just explain it, right?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6403094999035082389.post-18826913656202791922014-07-02T16:03:00.001+09:002014-07-03T08:24:31.481+09:00Long Live the Queen, or Why Impossible Can Be Fun<i>I had to fall</i><br />
<i>To lose it all</i><br />
<i>But in the end</i><br />
<i>It doesn't even matter</i><br />
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It's no secret to anybody who uses the internet that the Summer Steam Sale has come and gone. While I had a list of modern, graphics-intensive games to test my new gaming PC and time-consuming RPGs planned out to buy during the sale, there were also one or two indie games that caught my eye. Among these was <i>Long Live the Queen,</i> a visual novel by <a href="http://www.hanakogames.com/llq.shtml">Hanako Games</a>, a relatively unheard group of game designers bent on creating 2D games; "Girl games," to be specific. This does not refer to games for girls, but more for games about and including girls.<br />
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The idea of a "girl game" is nothing new. Japanese developers have been creating them for years. Visual novel developers such as Key have created what some consider to be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clannad_(visual_novel)">masterpieces</a>. However, while many visual novels are translated and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Wright:_Ace_Attorney">localized</a>, they largely remain under the radar in the United States, or pretty much anywhere besides eastern Asia. Most westerners regard them as pornographic, or tedious, which, to be fair, is true of many of them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicc43wgpdeeR_oRItl3qcGKZ71rMIZju02mybZhF5fg5I0u6UJw8WQYhrltQUZQUfmyvvkpO_4JePg8hQPmVlgcokvax16fV_SZebQIXaM12nr0amv7YXuWTJiDCLW__oXXrxUMFZ5Jim-/s1600/clannad.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicc43wgpdeeR_oRItl3qcGKZ71rMIZju02mybZhF5fg5I0u6UJw8WQYhrltQUZQUfmyvvkpO_4JePg8hQPmVlgcokvax16fV_SZebQIXaM12nr0amv7YXuWTJiDCLW__oXXrxUMFZ5Jim-/s1600/clannad.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clannad_(visual_novel)">Clannad</a>, arguably Key's most successful title, was adapted<br />
into a beautiful emotional roller coaster of an anime.</td></tr>
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Not all of these games are pandering to a bunch of greasy-palmed, neck-bearded, basement dwelling <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori">hikokomori</a>, though. In truth, girl games and visual novels in general are a very under-appreciated genre throughout the English-speaking world. So under-appreciated, in fact, that non-Japanese developers of these games are extremely rare. For this reason, I am impressed by Hanako Games' desire to create not only this type of game, but to use the Japanese anime aesthetic, which is rarely taken seriously when crafted by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaijin">gaijin</a> artists..<br />
<br />
Toss all of your preconceptions about this genre and art style out the window, and give <i>Long Live the Queen</i> a try. It isn't a game about dating. There is no pornography. The cuteness of the characters, particularly the protagonist, manifests its usefulness in a surprisingly unorthodox way. I actually felt a little ashamed about some of the things that came across as adorable to me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dark sense of humor kept me coming back<br />
again and again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is a game about failure. It's not a game of trial and error. It's just error. Sure, you can beat <i>Long Live the Queen</i>. You can beat it in more ways than one, but I imagine it's not very satisfying. That's right, "I imagine." I haven't beaten this game, despite the fact that I have played it for more than ten hours, and started the entire thing over several times.<br />
<br />
But that's the thing about this addictive game<i>.</i> I don't really feel like I need to win. Hanako has created an experience where failing is just vexing. Not in the annoying, frustrating sense, but in the puzzling, "I <i>know </i>I can do better if I just xxx" sense. Every failure is a new opportunity to improve your strategy. It's not often a game has me <a href="http://longlivethequeen.wikia.com/wiki/Long_Live_the_Queen_Wiki">taking notes</a> with a pen and paper.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbB9l9E9GhOk7n8fvnhxHo41lEUUQ07ZGdohBTX0FxwbGKGAqN56aXIplrZqGWtNDt7zW_Xv7PIwKacyFKAaHA1ATg8MY9El6n0itNFo0AGafahR-AqQ70h_nLlCy2jXhK8GBzb2N7VQb/s1600/longlivethequeenarmy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbB9l9E9GhOk7n8fvnhxHo41lEUUQ07ZGdohBTX0FxwbGKGAqN56aXIplrZqGWtNDt7zW_Xv7PIwKacyFKAaHA1ATg8MY9El6n0itNFo0AGafahR-AqQ70h_nLlCy2jXhK8GBzb2N7VQb/s1600/longlivethequeenarmy.jpg" height="187" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time management is core to this game. So many<br />
skills, so little time to learn them.</td></tr>
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It may not have the highest production values. It may not be available on PSN or the Xbox Live Marketplace. Maybe that's what makes it great, though. If you're feeling burnt out on all of the shooting, racing, and swordplay of today's mainstream titles, give <i>Long Live the Queen</i> a try. If you have a computer anywhere in your house, it can probably run it, and it <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/251990/">costs</a> ten dollars at the most.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6403094999035082389.post-1226321962579359852014-07-02T06:26:00.003+09:002014-07-02T16:09:36.928+09:00Bioshock Infinite<i>I don't know why,</i><br />
<i>But I had to start it somewhere,</i><br />
<i>So it started there.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Hello, and welcome to my new blog, where I write about video games for some reason, and you read what I wrote for some other reason.<br />
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The Steam Summer Sale, AKA the wallet holocaust, just ended, and I found myself with 12 new games. I played a few of them right after I got them, and others I haven't even installed yet. Most recently I have been engrossing myself in <i>Bioshock Infinite</i>.<br />
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If you know me at all before reading this, you know that I'm studying Japanese, and that I nearly <a href="http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/propaganda">unconditionally</a> try to set the language of everything I own to Japanese. I was overjoyed to learn that not only does the game have Japanese text, there is a full Japanese dub to go with it. I started playing the game that way, but I realized that I just wasn't understanding enough to get a grip on the story.<br />
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Throughout the course of the game, you come across several audio logs called "Voxophones." These expand on the story in a way such that players who are interested can seek them out to their hearts content, while <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bro">players</a> who just want to shoot stuff can forget about the exploration and just follow the main storyline. I am without a doubt one of the former types.<br />
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While this changes on a case-by-case basis, I like to really immerse myself in the story when I play a game. Unfortunately, these Voxophones lack subtitles, which are often a large part of how I am able to understand Japanese voices. Faced with this slightly annoying first-world problem, I found my solution <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=153481456">here.</a> I took a common solution to the reverse problem and applied it to my own.<br />
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I am now playing the game with the Japanese dub, but with all the text in English. This way, I can Listen to the Voxophones, and if I don't understand them, I can press "O" and quickly read the transcription in English, and get on with my gaming. The game is no longer a purely Japanese experience this way, but it's a good way to have my cake and eat it too, if you will. Or perhaps you won't. Actually, please don't; it is <i>my</i> cake, after all.<br />
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<b>Where Was I? Oh Yeah, the Game.</b><br />
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Now those of you who don't care about my scholarly endeavors (all of you) are probably wondering if I'm ever going to talk about the damn <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-game">game</a> itself right about now. Good news! I am going to do just that, although I've only just dipped my feet into this game, so there might not be much to say just yet.<br />
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So far, I'm very impressed by this game. On both the gameplay and the art/style fronts, it is a real winner. I am especially impressed by the way it keeps a similar tone to its predecessors, while not flat-out copying the success of the original <i>Bioshock</i>.<br />
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I have never played <i>Bioshock 2</i>, and I'm honestly not too interested, but I couldn't help but get excited approaching the mysterious lighthouse-like island, climbing the spiral staircase, and getting in the elevator that sent me to a mysterious city with its own laws. It looks and feels like everything a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_2:_Judgment_Day">good sequel</a> should be right from the beginning.<br />
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<i>Bioshock</i> never really gives the player a proper introduction to its city. Sure, there's the flyby in the submarine, where Andrew Ryan talks about the City of Rapture like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, but as soon as you arrive, there are splicers trying to loot your soon-to-be corpse. In <i>Bioshock Infinite</i>, you get to see the city of Columbia, which was doing just fine until Booker shows up. I don't know how it's going to end, but I'm sure it will leave me wondering about whether the place would have been better off living in its twisted, ignorant set of ideals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For the first time, you realize that these people<br />are <a href="http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Ape-Shit_Crazy">ape-shit</a>.</td></tr>
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The gameplay has been improved, or at least refined. Instead of letting you carry a full arsenal of weapons, it's just two at a time, which isn't a problem with the prevalence of guns lying around and being dropped by enemies. Some of the RPG elements have been <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Effect">softened</a>. I doubt I will ever need to decide which vigors to keep and which to shelf, and there doesn't seem to ever be more than one weapon upgrade option. There don't seem to be different types of ammo, either.<br />
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So far, I'm not a fan of these gameplay differences. I like lots of customization, and the choices in this game seem no less superficial than the decision of which armor ability to use in <i>Halo</i>, or whether to go with the raccoon suit or the fireball in a <i>Mario</i> title.<br />
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As an RPG, <i>Bioshock Infinite</i> isn't really doing it for me, but as a solid narrative-driven shooter, it succeeds. It remains to be seen whether the gameplay will deepen enough for me to hold it in as high regard as I do the original.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0