Crash Bandicoot

At the weekend Sony revelled in its own irreverence with their annual PlayStation event; PSX (or PlayStation Experience, just minus the E. Because Sony are too cool for “E’s” it seems). This is where they exhibit many of their upcoming games for the public to test, thereby generating fan distributed publicity that can enhance the company’s reputation as the leading games console. Oh I’m not cynical nor jealous of this exhibition I wasn’t cordially invited too despite years of obstinate loyalty. I’m sure my invitation to this prestigious event was merely lost in transit by some postal worker who couldn’t find his ass with both hands tied behind his back. Regardless, this being the designated source for breaking gaming news as well as providing up to date analysis on everything new in technology I had my ears to the grindstone, my nose to the ground and other tortured metaphors to garner every single solitary detail from this pontifical spectacle. Actually if I’m honest I didn’t know anything about the PSX until certain trends began cropping up on Twitter. And I have to admit that I was mostly pleasantly surprised by some the announcements. Here are some of my stand out reveals that range for exciting to huh?

Crash Bandicoot.

Crash Bandicoot? Crash Bandicoot?! “Hey you boy, what year is this?” Crates everywhere are now cowering in fear. Don’t pretend you’re not excited. You are, I can tell. And why shouldn’t you be, it’s Crash Bandicoot, the flagship pioneer of the PlayStation. The mascot that established NaughtyDog as one of the best in the industry. Back from proverbial storage, evoking fierce nostalgia, restrained behind years of abject ignorance. It’s been a long time coming for this dizzy, sneaker wearing marsupial but he’s finally back….albeit in a remastered version of his original trilogy. With the torturing aberrations of karts mercifully absent. But considering just how long it’s been I’m willing to take anything, and 3 games is certainly better than one. My only concern is that this new rendition is being handled by the less than distinguished hands of Activision. A company famous for Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Call of Duty Black Ops, Call of Duty Infinite Warfare, Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty Downtime, Call Of Duty Black Ops II, Call of Duty Modern Warfare III, Call Off Duty, Call of Duty Black Ops III and one decent Spider-man game. But that decent Spider-man game featured on the PS1 and Crash Bandicoot hailed from the same console. Coincidence? I hope not.

Despite my reservations I can’t help but get just a little excited for this. Not sure I’d be quite as excited for the zombie expansion pack though?

Uncharted 4: The Lost Legacy.

Another NaughtyDog staple here, with this falling rather conveniently for me considering that literally the day after I’d obtained my Platinum trophy for Uncharted 4 this surprise of a DLC was announced. Incidentally this was also at a time when I lamented at the absence of Chloe Frasier’s contribution in the fourth, potentially last Uncharted outing. So hey, it seems as though NaughtyDog has me covered on both instances (though I’m a little concerned about them surveying me now?). The discernible lack of Drake is a notable if not entirely unexpected omission, but one of necessity due to his retirement and subsequent parental duties. Although I’m presuming that the events depicted in “The Lost Legacy” actually transpires before the events surrounding A Thief’s End. I say this because of a reference Sully made in Uncharted 4 concerning Nadine’s – and by extension Shorelines involvement in tracking down Avery’s long-lost pirate colony. He mentioned that she and her companies resources were contributors in a couple of civil wars that “didn’t end well”, thus prompting her desperate collusion with Rafe in order to rectify the sovereignty of her company. Perhaps the conflict here is one of the unfortunate services provided by Shoreline? The question now is what association Chloe has with this hired militia? She has always been a rather scrupulous character with dubious motivations, but always “just” about remained on the side of the angels.

I’m glad that the Uncharted 4 DLC has shifted the attention from Drakes extensive profundity and aren’t specifically dedicated to Nates obsessive expeditions. I always felt that Nadine’s involvement became expedited by the focus of less interesting character arcs in Uncharted 4, devolving into just a supplementary goon that kicked the crap out of Nate on occasion. A collaboration between these two morally repressed anti heroes should be interesting. They’re both spirited and quarrelsome women which should provide some entertaining conflicts. Though a migration away from Nate will benefit the series, I’m still hopeful of seeing Sully’s cigar chomping visage complimenting a very female orientated story.

Knack 2.

Arguably the biggest shock of the night came courtesy of SIE Japan Studio, who announced a sequel to the pungent flatulence, commonly referred to as Knack. We all fondly remember that obscure prism based platformer a few years back right? The one that received both critical and commercial shrugs. Basically Knack’s popularity was as long-lasting as a pensioners erection, and just as penetrative. So why is there a sequel to this flaccid excuse for game? Is there some organised part of the Internet that really wanted this? Was there a dedicated group hewn from the dark places of the interweb most of us dare not enter that precipitated such a sequel?! Is this proof of the illuminati influence? What is the meaning of life? Why are Jaffa Cakes displayed in the biscuit section? Why do I always resort to dick jokes as a means of dispensing derogatory evaluations? The answers to these questions will probably remain forever unresolved. The Co-op part could be good, especially if it’s local. But all we know is that Knack 2 is a thing now. So, yeah. Gravy.

The Last Of Us: Part 2.

Booooom! You hear that? That’s the sound of every Sony fan boys head exploding! Well, that came out of nowhere! A sequel was inevitable really, but still. The original defined where gaming story telling should be heading, thereby innovating a very sterile premise; apocalyptic landscape riddled with environmental adversities, separatist militias that use violence as a means of authority and zombies. This was a game about surviving and the conservation of humanity despite the lack of it. It created a cinematic yet intimate narrative concerning the most engaging duo since Bert and Ernie (and may their beautiful union continue to blossom), in a unspeakably hostile environment. Yes there were zombies infected by a mutagen fungus that has provoked the collapse of civilised society. And you get to mutilate said creatures as well as other aggressive humans with guns, fists, improvised explosives or just bludgeon them to death with an improvised weapons that have scissors protruding from the top of a large wooden plank. But this was very much a personal story that flourished between Joel and Ellie’s individual tragedies, and finding resolution to their respective traumas through surrogate reconciliation. With Joel the surrogate father – after losing his own daughter at the start of the epidemic – to Ellie – a teenager who’d never even known her parents. It also features some of the most expedient bowel evacuations I’ve endured since Resident Evil 2, so there’s an image for you to cherish.

With such heightened elevation that comes with such an expectant sequel, NaughtyDog really have to deliver something that can emulate the visceral passion of Joel and Ellie’s perfunctory adventure yet validate another outing without it feeling forced. But this is NaughtyDog we’re talking about, not Ubisoft. It will be interesting seeing how NaughtyDog achieves this, and how it justifies a sequel featuring Joel and Ellie considering the seeming finality of the previous tales concluding ambiguity. Hopefully The Last Of Us Part 2 will be as concerned with craft rather than promoting commerce. (it will).

So what were your stand out moments of the event? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

I have already alluded to the idea that interactive and compelling story telling are requisite considerations, when attempting to craft a successful, original and most importantly, entertaining game. I typically digressed my undying appreciation for Uncharted like some infatuated teenager, obsessed with the one girl who just sees you as the weird freckled, geek in the first part. But now I’m going to completely eradicate my former statement, and instead contradict the importance of video game narratives, and the influences they have on the way we play.

Yes stories, especially over the past decade, have progressed to a more mature capacity and now apply greater significance in the way games are structured and conceived. They have the capabilities to create moments of intimate anxiety or joyous satisfaction, but ultimately many gamers would rather spend hours fragging regenerative, computer generated terrorists, whilst their respective partners are predisposed. All the while a 11-year-old brat wails incoherent demands, before your subjected to repetitive abusive profanities, because you failed to heed his implicit warnings! The inconvenient truth is that for many gamers, an imaginative story is inconsequential, when measured against immersive gameplay.

Games sometimes inexplicably benefit from a lack of story, or an absence of any emotive connectivity. Too often we are forced to tolerate poorly envisioned, and often repetitive narratives so derived of originality, pace and relevancy that we are left confused, bored and irritable. Occasionally its better not to examine or even explain a characters motivation. I mean you never inquired about Mario’s often questionable intentions, as he caused a multitude of criminal damage to gravity defying bricks, ate suspicious mushrooms that act as an apparent euphoric hallucinogenic, with profound “enlarging” consequences (no that’s not a euphemism), as he continued his savage rampage, seemingly indifferent to the countless Goombas he’d viciously squashed (Sicko!).

Theres little necessity to elaborate on insignificant procedural, and often predictable origins. It would be like Crash Bandicoot relieving his tortuous adolescents, haunted by the vivid images of his families ironic murder, when an inebriated trucker swerves to avoid them, only for the wooden crates he was carrying to come crashing out, and crushing his entire Bandicoot family. His a Bandicoot that spins around like a sugar powered spindle; trying to exude an air of vulnerability or any expansive explanation of a shorts wearing Bandicoot, hampers the natural flow, and are the reason that stories are unnecessary. You can’t rationalise these situations or humanize the character by formulating some deficient back story. Developers like Naughty Dog are aware that stories are not always necessary requirement. The fundamental fact is that games, no matter how well written, well presented, or scripted, will never be a sufficient reason to prioritize buying…..probably.

Are narratives irrelevant? Or are they a necessary requirement? Let me know what you think.