I have just played the Driver: San Francisco demo on PSN.
You play as a traffic cop who can 'shift'. This means he can have an out of body experience where you control other people. In practice this means switching to other cars in the area. The first thing you have to do is jump into the car of a dangerous driver. If you could control a dangerous driver, you would just have him/her stop their vehicle, get out and assume the position so you could come over and arrest them. The game, however, asks you to drive the car over a series of ramps with no explanation.
Letting you control your adversary is the worst idea ever. They are no longer your adversary if you can control their actions. Its like playing Street Fighter against yourself. Also when you are driving one car and then 'shift' into another, who is now controlling the car you were in? Somehow your original vehicle follows you around. I don't have a problem with the game mechanics, I just wonder why the developer had to wrap them up in such a contrived and nonsensical plot.
Driver San Francisco is quite a confusing game, partly because i couldn't force myself to pay attention to the awful dialogue. Back to Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit for me.
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Language options in Videogames should be on par with blue ray
It used to be the case that when an obscure Japanese game was released abroad it would come with english sub-titles. Now it seems that left of field japanese games from the likes of Suda51 come with english voice acting. In film there is no excuse for not wanting to read sub-titles but this is partly because of lip syncing issues games don't share but really it should be the case for games as well. Sure, an english voice over can be well done, i think the best example of this is the films of Hayo Miazaki. Its good for children who cant keep up with sub-title. Miazaki's work is so highly regarded it attracts the best voice talent.
Video game dubs are done much more cheaply and with lesser talent behind the microphone. As a result you get a very cheesy and US-centric dub. I don't have anything against US voice actors but when done cheaply, as a UK resident, they are a constant reminder that the game is not in its native language. Metal Gear Solid has high quality US English voice acting but is different because it is a much more international game. Its makers are drawing on western culture in a direct way and as such the games already fit well with english voice acting.
However, I don't think quality is really the Issue, the most important thing about voice acting is the atmosphere. Even if a japanese original voice over is not that well done it still brings the intended atmosphere of the original game, with an american voice over this is severely lost. As in Miazaki's films this can me remedied but it takes a lot of effort and care. As a rule its best to have the option of the original voice work because then at least it will work as intended.
Games stand on an interesting line, like film, games can be subtitled but also they can be seamlessly translated like literature. My hope is that games can eventually follow in the foot steps of Blue Ray and have language options come as standard on foreign language games. The localisation of Japanese games is often to their detriment. A Japanese game translated into english looses so much of itself. It makes the player categorise it with western games with similarly cheap voice acting. Games like Bayonetta derive from a distinctly Japanese type of pop culture. Without its original language it becomes diluted and loses its exotic, niche appeal. If Japanese games are going to sell abroad it should be as Japanese games, as they were made and intended to be played.
Video game dubs are done much more cheaply and with lesser talent behind the microphone. As a result you get a very cheesy and US-centric dub. I don't have anything against US voice actors but when done cheaply, as a UK resident, they are a constant reminder that the game is not in its native language. Metal Gear Solid has high quality US English voice acting but is different because it is a much more international game. Its makers are drawing on western culture in a direct way and as such the games already fit well with english voice acting.
However, I don't think quality is really the Issue, the most important thing about voice acting is the atmosphere. Even if a japanese original voice over is not that well done it still brings the intended atmosphere of the original game, with an american voice over this is severely lost. As in Miazaki's films this can me remedied but it takes a lot of effort and care. As a rule its best to have the option of the original voice work because then at least it will work as intended.
Games stand on an interesting line, like film, games can be subtitled but also they can be seamlessly translated like literature. My hope is that games can eventually follow in the foot steps of Blue Ray and have language options come as standard on foreign language games. The localisation of Japanese games is often to their detriment. A Japanese game translated into english looses so much of itself. It makes the player categorise it with western games with similarly cheap voice acting. Games like Bayonetta derive from a distinctly Japanese type of pop culture. Without its original language it becomes diluted and loses its exotic, niche appeal. If Japanese games are going to sell abroad it should be as Japanese games, as they were made and intended to be played.
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Let me feel like I'm special
Watching Rage and Bethesda's latest trailer got me thinking about special abilities in games.
At various points the player releases a spider type bot to which shoots at enemies. It looks great for getting enemies who wont budge from cover but then I thought, I bet at some point they get released on you.
It annoys me when in a game you come up against an enemy who has the same powers as your own. A cogent paradigm would be Superman 2. Superman has to fight other cryptoian's who possess the same powers as his own. How annoying, invincible people fighting each other is like the long big punch up but not funny. Also it demystifies Superman's character and makes him less special. You want to feel like he is unique.
There are two games which approach this problem in very original and different ways. The first thing which popped into my mind as was the companion cube in Portal. Its just a box like in tomb raider but it feels like so much more than that. Partly this is because your ability to use it is unique and your enemy, Glados could not be less like yourself.
The second game is Metal Gear Solid, the original that is. That seems like a strange choice as your enemy is your clone but even Liquid is a marked difference from snake. Your encounters with him are many and varied and when you finally face him mano-a-mano, it is just that, and a war of attrition. The most significant 'enemy' or boss fight is however with the Ninja. His weapons and skills are so different to snake's but this makes it such a compelling battle. It makes you think Snake is unique, but also the the Ninja is unique aswell.
Thats what I want in a game, I want to feel my character is special.
At various points the player releases a spider type bot to which shoots at enemies. It looks great for getting enemies who wont budge from cover but then I thought, I bet at some point they get released on you.
It annoys me when in a game you come up against an enemy who has the same powers as your own. A cogent paradigm would be Superman 2. Superman has to fight other cryptoian's who possess the same powers as his own. How annoying, invincible people fighting each other is like the long big punch up but not funny. Also it demystifies Superman's character and makes him less special. You want to feel like he is unique.
There are two games which approach this problem in very original and different ways. The first thing which popped into my mind as was the companion cube in Portal. Its just a box like in tomb raider but it feels like so much more than that. Partly this is because your ability to use it is unique and your enemy, Glados could not be less like yourself.
The second game is Metal Gear Solid, the original that is. That seems like a strange choice as your enemy is your clone but even Liquid is a marked difference from snake. Your encounters with him are many and varied and when you finally face him mano-a-mano, it is just that, and a war of attrition. The most significant 'enemy' or boss fight is however with the Ninja. His weapons and skills are so different to snake's but this makes it such a compelling battle. It makes you think Snake is unique, but also the the Ninja is unique aswell.
Thats what I want in a game, I want to feel my character is special.
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Lets put Nathan Fillion to bed.
The Idea of petitioning to cast an actor in a Hollywood film is ridiculous. Regardless of the film, the director must be responsible for primary casting, free from influence by the fans or the studio.
David O Russell is a respectable Director, especially since his Oscar nod for The Fighter (one which should have been given to Christopher Nolan for Inception). It remains to be seen if he can direct a straight action film. He will to have to change Uncharted a lot, it may be a revolutionary game but it is not very original in terms of cinematography or narrative.
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| Mark Wahlberg would be great with Emily Rose, am I out on a limb with this one? |
The announcement that Mark Wahlberg would be cast as Nathan Drake was met with disbelief. After petitioning for Nathan Fillion to get the role it was seen like a slap in the face. This is probably because many gamers associate Wahlberg with Max Payne. All actors get involved in bad films at some time in their career. Wahlberg was unlucky enough to be in a bad film with a big fan-base. (I would liken this to Hayden Christiensen in Star Wars, but he is just a bad actor). Boogie Nights, The Departed and now The Fighter all demonstrate that Wahlberg can turn in a solid, subtle and intense performance. More importantly David O Russell has a better track record than John Moore and I think they will be conscious of the critical and box office failure of Max Payne (Moore has not directed since.)
The success of The Fighter in the Oscar nominations should be a good thing for Uncharted. Columbia pictures will now be keen to cash in on the profile of Wahlberg and O Russel. Hopefully this should translate into O Russel getting greater artistic freedom. This is important because big changes have to be made. A great game doest necessarily translate into a great film and the same can be said of books and films.
Nathan Fillion could never have been Drake, the creative process is not democratic and that’s a good thing. I personally would have like to see Emily Rose get a chance to reprise her role as Elena Fisher but its unrealistic. There’s a bigger picture to be considered. Tron: Legacy was made on positive reaction to the teaser trailer and for all its good will to the fan-base it was boring. The Uncharted film carries a weight of expectation. In its current hands, its probably got the best chance of success you could hope for.
Beacon Bimonthlies 3 – Friday 25 January 2010
Beacon Bimonthlies is an exciting art event where people can experience and discuss art happening around the east midlands. This is my blog for the last event.
Beacon Bimonthlies: Beacon Bimonthlies 3 – Friday 25 January 2010: "The first Beacon Bimonthly of 2011 was held at the Beacon home base in Wellingore. It attracted a large crowd of local residents, artists an..."
Beacon Bimonthlies: Beacon Bimonthlies 3 – Friday 25 January 2010: "The first Beacon Bimonthly of 2011 was held at the Beacon home base in Wellingore. It attracted a large crowd of local residents, artists an..."
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| The Greestone Group. Photo: Daniel Warren |
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Reviews, Embargoes and Black Ops
It's the confusingly dated 9/11 in the UK, a date which marks the release of Black Ops. Anyone who knows anything about video games knows what Black Ops is. The core game will be a variation on previous franchise iterations with new maps, game modes and weapons. With so much already known about the game why is it not sent out for review prior to release?
Films are press screened and I don’t think games should be any different. Games might not have the same release window but the launch is still important. A lot of people will want to get the game on day one. With Black Ops under embargo the internet is full of opinion based on trailers and gossip. There needs to be the opportunity to read informed criticism beforehand.
When a film is not press screened it is usually because it is awful. Some games are sent out for review early but it seems to be too infrequent. In the video-games industry the power of advertising outweighs quality criticism and discussion. It seems reviews are only useful to publishers as a promotion tool, unnecessary when a game is ‘guaranteed’ 18 million sales.
Black Ops will be open to negative criticism for its inherited floors and perceived lack of creativity. If this discussion happened in advance of release it might nullify some of the hype. After millions of people own the game it seems hard for prominent writers to publish unbiased reviews. Individual criticism on the internet is dismissed as reactionary or fan-boyism.
Black Ops will be open to negative criticism for its inherited floors and perceived lack of creativity. If this discussion happened in advance of release it might nullify some of the hype. After millions of people own the game it seems hard for prominent writers to publish unbiased reviews. Individual criticism on the internet is dismissed as reactionary or fan-boyism.
The video game criticism is still growing and faces its own unique problems as an art form. Games need to available for review before release, and maybe more importantly, before sales figures.
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