Review Quickie: Crysis 2 (PS3)

I've been drooling at screenshots of this for awhile, and as always, seeing it in motion is even more impressive.  Most everything about the PS3 version of this game looks great, but most striking is the realistic lighting - sunspots and lens flares are like candy for the eyes.  Later in the game, when the setting turns to night, is (pun intended) when the lighting effects really shine.  The story is thankfully decent and intelligently written for a FPS (we need more of that, please).  Set in a crumbling New York City, the game tries to feel somewhat open, and only succeeds mildly before ushering you into a building and down various hallways.  This is only mildly disappointing, since the gunplay and suit powers are extremely good and always entertaining (I beat the game in ten hours and started again right away).  Enemy types are few, but once again fun to take down.  My biggest gripe is that I wish the game was a bit longer, and that there was a hulking, mean alien beast for a final boss instead of four, invisible and annoying grunts to take down before the credits rolled.  Do yourself a favor: put down Modern Warfare for a day and play through Crysis 2's single player campaign.

Review Quickie: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Just a note: I'll probably do more of these quickies, so think of them as long twitters or whatever. Just want to get a few quick thoughts out there for the hell of it. Here we go:

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

I first thought this would be yet another God of War clone. Nope, folks, not really. First, it's lengthy. Second, its combat becomes deep and satisfying once played long enough - similar to God of War, but I actually enjoyed this title much more than GoW III. Graphics are stellar. Music is gorgeous. Platforming segments can be tedious thanks to strange camera angles, but this is a small complaint. Play this game to kill monsters and you won't be disappointed. Also, the ending packs quite a surprise and I can't wait to see what comes next. A brave move forward for Castelvania, and let's hope the next installment sets it apart from the GoW clone-isms.

No Gerfect Pame

I've played a lot of video games over the years, and despite my overall fascination with the medium there has always been a downside. Call them what you will: bugs, glitches, hilarious; they are present in nearly all game releases, be they AAA or indie titles, yet we keep supporting these games and will continue to do so. I had to ask myself recently - why? Why keep spending money on imperfect products?

If I went out today and purchased The Lord of the Rings on blu-ray and found that the Balrog morphed into a seizuring hippopotamous in a tu-tu halfway through the battle with Gandolf, I might be inclined to spout a few curse words at Peter Jackson and his "let's do things half-ass because people will still buy our crap" crew. Okay, first I'd probably laugh, exclaim how awesome it was, post it on Youtube, and then let the wounded consumer in me have his way with bashing such a shoddy product. Still, any lack of polish in a triple-A movie would more than likely be caught and fixed before being released for mass consumption. So why aren't the vast majority of people who bought... oh, let's just say... Skyrim for the heck of it - why aren't these consumers crying from the mountain-tops and steering everyone they know away from this flawed product? (Not to single out Skyrim, but at the time of this writing it's pretty much the elephant in the room. Am I wrong?)

It would be interesting to go on a roadtrip and interview thousands of gamers on their particular opinions regarding this matter; but as my job doesn't allow for much distance between me and the time clock, and even when at home I feel the presence of some fell barrier keeping me from such a frivolous pursuit, we'll have to settle for what I've surmised and/or made up from trolling online and talking to my very small handful of acquaintances who game. Excited? Let's go!

Seriously though, Skyrim is an amazing experience and I can't recommend it more to anyone who considers him/herself a gamer - and this leads me to my first discussion point. I have been an unwavering fan of Bethesda since Morrowind released for XBox and PC. I've learned that, in a console-heavy environment with numerous mindless FPS's, third-person cover-based shooters, the Wii's unfortunate shovel-ware, I can always find a rich, immersive, satisfying experience within The Elder Scrolls. So, in my case at least, I've come to accept, even expect, the flaws found within these games because I think the trade-off is worth it. I enjoy Gears of War and Call of Duty very much as well; but I tire of them both, and games of their ilk, quickly because shootin' dudes just isn't as satisfying as the personal link I eventually feel with my Elder Scrolls (or any other solid RPG) characters. And if Dammit the Dark Elf wants to get stuck in between some rocks every once in a while then so be it - I suppose.

So, while long-time fans of the series have come to expect the occasional glitch, what about those who are just discovering the series?  Why do they put up with the glitches? Surely, some don't; and are likely some of the people posting complaints on Steam's and Bethesda's forums, demanding their money back or some other form of restitution. So here's a "but" for you... But, considering the millions of copies of Skyrim that have sold so far, I'd be willing to bet a large chunk of money that most of those millions are not voicing their frustrations on forums or via angry emails. In fact, most of those millions probably do the same thing I do: grumble about glitch, keep playing, grumble about glitch to gamer-friend next day, smile when turning on Skyrim after a day at work, rinse, repeat.

Here's an analogy: Games (games being: glitchy, but still beloved to certain gamers) are like a rich, adventurous friend who likes to take us places and pays for everything. Unfortunately, this friend likes to pick his nose and eat the results. He doesn't do it on every outing; but enough that you wish he would just freaking stop it. Just when you think you've had enough, and are about to tell him, "Dude, I made other plans for the weekend," he calls you up and offers to take you to a Tool concert on the back of a T-Rex (yes, a real T-Rex) and that afterward you'd both be raiding a town he had custom-built for the sole purpose of tearing it down Rampage-style with your choice of either a real T-Rex or a really big monkey. And you say to hell with it, he can pick his nose all he wants.

I don't think there's a definitive answer as to why we accept our favorite games' incessant nose-picking; but it's become increasingly obvious to me over the years that the majority of the time it's a case of tolerance - tolerance for two reasons: We tolerate the bad because, in some cases, the good far outweighs it; and also because we've been indirectly conditioned to the point that we're just used to it. Think of your favorite NES-era games and what happened when the on-screen action got a bit too busy... we had moments of massive slow-down, not to mention flashing/disappearing sprites. We got used to it back then, and now we just accept it when NPC's fall through floors and dragon bones drop out of the sky.

I suppose an appropriate way to end this post is with a question then: Should we, who pay top dollar for one of the most expensive hobbies out there, continue to just accept these flaws? Or are some of us tired to the point that our spending should become more discriminating? Would you rather purchase the next glitchy installment of the Elder Scrolls, or a game you know you may enjoy less but that is guaranteed glitch-free?
As someone who likes to have fun, I'll choose the option that provides the fun as long as there aren't any game-breaking glitches. I'm just hoping that, as the medium ages more over the years, developers can more easily clean up their code and/or amp up their QA efforts to provide the product exactly as we see it advertised - engaging, beautiful, and perfect enough to pay the sixty-dollar entry fee.

*PS: Traffic on my blog has been surprisingly good the past couple of months. So, go me! Anyway, if you're not stumbling by here on accident and actually read my posts, don't hesitate to comment on something. There is a Comment Fairy. She is real. And she'll tuck a dollar under your pillow when you're sleeping tonight. Her dollars are very small, however, so good luck finding it - but it'll be there, I swear!