Finishing With Games, Before They’re Finished.

Have you ever finished with a game before you’ve actually finished a game? Just naturally reached a point where you’ve been thoroughly engaged for many pleasurable hours but are now adequately satisfied with the progression you’ve made? Sometimes the effect is gradual, so barely perceptible that you probably don’t even realise that you’ve had enough. And then, just like that, your done. It could be 10 hours in, 20. You may even be close to the intended conclusion of the game and just exhale sharply and ask yourself what else you could be playing. It’s not necessarily a result of apathy or sudden loathing of the experience, but the opposite. As if forcing yourself to complete an arbitrary set of objectives would diminish your otherwise gratifying experience. This premature contentment I seem to have seems to be largely associated with RPGs, particularly open world one’s.

Whereas the linearity of some games keeps you focused purely on the tasks at hand, an open world game yields an expansive freedom where objectives can be approached at your leisure. You can indulge in extraneous activities, perform errands for some destitute farmer, viciously beat a random civilian or simply ramble through dense thickets and saunter through crystal clear streams, all to discover whether that huge mountain in the distance can actually be scaled. But when you eventually return to your capricious duties as saviour and anointed role as “chosen one”, maintaining that same immersion after such unrestricted freedom becomes a laborious exertion. Suspension of disbelief is harder to maintain when your characters dies repeatedly! Respawning back as if your embarrassing mauling by an oversized rat never occurred is jarring, as is the general repetition of any game.

I have taken deliberate respite from many wonderfully enjoyable games to assuage my own weary senses. “The Witcher 3” features one of the most enchanting open world environments that I’ve ever had the fortune to be consumed by. Adrift in flourishing meadows and dense woodlands, replete with various malformed beasts that impede your leisurely stroll. By the time that I’d returned from my extended recreational excursion I was throughly exhausted! Same thing happened to me with “Horizon Zero Dawn”. I’d wander off to survey some unfamiliar terrain for potential rewards, encounter some large robotic dinosaur that I could vanquish and loot their remains for valuable resources. Or discovered a camp full of incarcerated prisons that I felt compelled to liberate, completely neglecting my duties as a heroine for the people of this hostile world. Super Mario Odyssey, Breath Of The Wild, Red Dead Redemption 2, Tales Of Vesperia have all been brushed aside because I experienced enough of it. I felt fulfilled, and admittedly regularly distracted by curiosity, side quests and shiny things.

I don’t think this is bad. They’re still great games that I played the way I wanted. I’ve experienced them in way that has satisfied my needs and left without remorse for my failings. Rather that than resenting being forced to complete a game I don’t feel inclined to complete.

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What about you guys? Have you ever stopped playing a game because you’d enjoyed it enough? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

Tutorials May Be Annoying, But We Need Them.

Tutorials are often regarded with hated derision. For most veteran players being spoon fed simple directions and basic instructional movements like a toddler in a high chair is an unnecessary irritation. Not only that but these preliminary mandates, where rudimentary functions like walking or jumping are explained to you as if you’ve literally just emerged from the womb are so dumbed down and cumbersome that it’s difficult to really assimilate yourself into the experience effectively. A lot of tutorials work under the assumption that the person playing the game has never seen a controller let alone played one! “Push the left anologue stick forward to move forward” being a familiar logistic. By design tutorials have to teach by example to allow players to familiarise themselves with the controls. But when almost every button is exactly the same as every other game of its ilk, are they really a necessary inclusion? Yes, yes they are.

This customary triviality is a softening comfort for me, especially as I seem to regularly forget the controls. It only takes a couple of days neglect to completely lose track of what button does what, until you’re caught off guard by some hysterical militia and instead of dispatching them with swift, assured justice you run behind a wall or crate trying desperately to remember which button throws grenades, instead dropping one and exploding into a dramatic “You’re Dead!” screen. There are games like “Horizon Zero Dawn” that I’m scared to go back too because of the extended absence has withered away any comprehension of the plot and most of the skills I procured would just confuse me. But I don’t want to restart the whole sordid story again knowing that I’m somewhat close to the end. What we really need is mid game tutorials.

Refresher causes designed to fine tune existing skills, or simply remind you of the one’s you forgot you had. Now I realise how irritating that would be for the more consummate gamers out there, those that can dedicate half of their day rigorously attuned the finer points of an attribute, but some of us aren’t so fortunate to engage with a specific game with such fortitude. So an interim, totally optional tutorial to help guide us poor unfortunate casuals can’t be a difficult solution to implement?

You don’t realise just how privileged you are to play computer games on a regular basis until regular becomes semi regular and then finally scarce. Before long your going days perhaps even weeks between sessions. So as irritating as it is to endure countless tutorials that pander to the most basic of simulated directions, spare a thought for us older casuals who can barely remember what they had for dinner last night.

PlayStation Does Exclusives Better Than Xbox. (There, I’ve Said It!)

Where there are consoles, there is division. Where there are competitors, there is war. There will always be the inevitable bias that predictably inflates the languishing antagonism between two inanimate devices. Developed by companies that both attempt to beguile you with flashy incentives and engage in derogatory quips directed at a competitor not just to gain your fealty, but more importantly your money. The “Console Wars” endure with all the arbitrary and shallow hyperbole you’d expect from a couple of infants disputing whose Daddy is better. The whole “Console War” premise is an idly frivolous pursuit fabricated to create unnecessary division between people who play games as a leisurely enjoyed activity. It’s like Tennis fans arguing on forums about which racquet is best. It’s a marketing strategy that serves businesses, not consumers. As you can tell I don’t like to stoke the fires of the perennially irrelevant console war, but I have to say that in this instance I maybe equipped with a rather large tank of petrol when I say that PlayStation does exclusives better, specifically single player.

A controversial statement, sure. A legitimately subjective opinion, absolutely. But one I’m objectively assured is correct, particularly considering the continued success of Sony exclusives. I’ve remained loyal to PlayStation not out of sentiment or some inherent obligation to the brand, but because of its content that has not only stabilised this generation, but thrived. Partnered with talented studios, creating products of flourishing creative freedom, that don’t seem confined by an intrusive hierarchy that demands annual sequels. It’s PlayStation and its contributors that have successfully banished the ignorant rhetoric endorsed by publishers like EA that falsely claim gamers “don’t want single player formats”. Utter garbage EA, as is your appraisal of consumer preference!

You only have to look at the PS4’s solo focused games to see that such myopic attitudes are not only false but damaging to the integrity of creative expression. Just look at what they did to the ambitious Star Wars linear game, the studio developing it and the peerless Amy Hennig?! You have established system sellers like “God Of War”, “Uncharted” and “Ni No Kuni” renewing the profitability of singular play, as well as original games like “Bloodborne”, “Until Dawn” and “Horizon Zero Dawn” forging there own popularity. And it’s evident from these exclusives that by championing single player content, without marginalizing its functionality with pay walls or loot boxes is advantageous for us and financially beneficial for them.

“Horizon Zero Dawn” sold 2.6 million units worldwide in 2 weeks. “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End” managed 2.7 million in 7 days. And “God Of War” surpassed both by shifting 3.1 million units worldwide, in just 3 days! Would any of these have achieved such illustrious sales if they were fettered with pay to win mechanics? Consumer retention is vital for maintaining a consoles momentum and Sony for all their faults seem to understand that. The simple consumer friendly philosophy of providing traditional quality games that require a substantial one-off payment and distributed without crippling glitches is why the PS4 is still the most desirable choice for the discerning gamer. Exclusive PlayStation games aren’t released incomplete or worse cleaved into smaller, amenable portions so that it can be disseminated over an allotted time for greater financial residuals. Even games like “The Order 1886” though hugely disappointing, at least tried to do something creative and distinct.

Being subservient to a game that releases integral, narrative refining DLC mere months after a games initial release that amends narrative irregularities isn’t just suspect, its devious. But let’s not stray too far into the duplicitous “Destiny” tangent. I’ve laboured on that subject too many times. Though many of the issues such as “loot crates” are colloquial problems for both PlayStation and Xbox, this is a bigger issue for the latter than it is the former. Xbox complacency in relying on familiarity rather than innovation is their primary concern. They can’t just keep flogging “Forza”, “Gears Of War” and “Halo” to attract or retain an audience because fatigue will inevitably kick in, and profitability will eventually diminish.

To me, at the moment at least PlayStation is the partisan of quality, single player experience which is what I personally want. Xbox’s dearth of quality exclusive content is a symptom of a much more potent affliction: trust, or lack thereof. One that can be traced back to its source at the now infamous E3 announcement back in 2013. But why create new exciting ideas when you can continue to expand their own library of games with backwards compatibility. Because the future?

PlayStation has always been my preferred means of gaming. And it’s now more than ever that I can confidently say I’ve made the right choice.

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What do you guys think? How important are exclusive games to you? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

New Year, New Game’s, New Expectations.

A new year boasts the promise of new expectations. Opportunities to promote and impart new persuasive directions in our lives, culture and society as a whole. We seek the rejuvenating infancy of a new year to energize our collective lethargy, speculating as to its potential as well as its uncertain conclusion. Every year we dismiss the previous 12 months as hideous blemish on our ever kinetic lives, reflecting on the salient points of contention as turbulent examinations we have endeavoured to conquer. Retribution lies in the omissions of last years beleaguered pursuits and looking forward to the hedonistic pleasures of the year to come. With fresh perspectives that can imbue us with a new sense of purpose, deriving a great sense of freedom from a year brimming with potential.

Now ordinarily by this point, having established a positive context from which to build on I would interject with some sardonic cynicism that refutes the sentiments divulged above. Chortling insufferably at my own manipulative wit. “Ha, fools! I don’t really believe this year is going to be any good!” As I chuckle, guffaw and inhale my own fart with satisfying conviction. But I’m not going to do that. For one that’s gross and not funny, just irritating. But more importantly I don’t feel as though pessimism is doing me much good anyway.

All year I grunt and grown, lamenting the castration of gaming content that’s carved up and portioned off in expensive monetized segments, or debilitated by aggressive micro transactions to boost a company’s revenue. These things still irritate me, as they do most people, but let’s take comfort in fact that thanks to the incessant greed of “Star Wars Battlefront 2” loot crates and other surplus exploitations are finally being met with notable concern and perhaps even legal repercussions. There’s a feeling of positive transition that will take time to mediate with any significant effect to the way in which the industry conducts its business for sure. But let’s no forget the encouraging advancements of 2017 that can fortify the year ahead.

From a personal perspective 2017 provided an assuage of irresistible content, that has not only profited from financial dividends and eulogized acclaim, but revitalised my dwindling affinity for gaming itself. The likes of “Uncharted: The Lost Legacy”, “Zelda Breath Of The Wild” and “Horizon Zero Dawn” have been enormously encouraging to the preservation of the seemingly disdainful intimacy of the single player format. Warframe’s continued progression as a transparent and highly congenial partisan for the free to play concept, that relies on the frequent, liberating collusion of its players, as well as the communities generous contributions to sustain it, as opposed to demanding financial restitution or locking content behind pay walls has elevated it beyond the inflated audacity of other contrived, space orientated shooters. Not to mention 2017’s most confounding success story: The Nintendo Switch. An astounding hybrid device that seemed to startle industry analysts with its unconventional proposals, such as producing quality projects like Zelda and “Super Mario Odyssey”, while permitting access to these games entire content with the mere purchase of the game, rather than comprising its quality with invasive obstructions? What a novel idea!

Listen, I’m trying to remain positive here, instilled with that kind of new year purpose that provokes new diets or career changes in many. But I feel last year gave us such a compelling incentive to be positive with the quality of both software and hardware benefitting consumers. This newfound sense of affirmative ideology won’t deter my acerbic and sceptical apprehensions that linger like an unwanted Christmas gift, but if 2018 can emulate that same momentum carried from last year then I think we have every reason to feel positive for the year ahead.

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Do you believe 2018 will be a better year for gaming? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.

Horizon Zero Dawn In Pictures: Part 2.

S.O.S. STOP. REQUIRE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE STOP CAN’T STOP. TAKING PICTURES OF HORIZON ZERO DAWN’S RESPLENDENT ENVIRONMENTS STOP. SEND IMMEDIATE HELP STOP. PLEASE STOP STOP.

Will this addiction ever end?! Horizon Zero Dawn’s provocative, desolate world is already so engaging that it’s shouldn’t be surprising that I’ve now become susceptible to one of its more innate features, specifically “Photo Mode”. I just can’t stop taking photos. There’s an inherent catharsis about capturing the very singular images that you’re exposed to on the journey that you simply can’t ignore. My continued exposure has allowed me to exhibit a photogenic fervour I didn’t even know I possessed, taking liberties with supplementary errands as I make periodic trips through ravines or up perilous mountain tops in an attempt to capture yet another startling image. In fairness the game makes it remarkably easy to do so, equipping you with various initiatives to help get just the right angles. Though verticality and elevated positions provide a broader canvas for capturing those distinctly glamorous shots, I’m now finding myself engaging with hostile combatants and trying to passively arrange their assault into art. It’s sad, I realise but documenting such exquisite scenery that’s just begging to be captured has become such a satisfying accomplishment.

Below is a slew of pictures that encapsulates some of Horizon Zero Dawn’s exquisite scenery with a preferential exhibition of its startling exuberance, contrasted by the world’s arresting vulnerability. I’ve tried to capture the compelling beauty of the scenic environments, but also the sobriety of the more adverse weather conditions that displays a more authentic and oblique depiction of this world’s polarising essence. Humanity is struggling and though there is hope in the form of a brazen, red headed heroine, the much more solemn images below reflect the hardships faced by our increasingly depleted species. Actually I’m talking nonsense. What I really did was go “Oh, look. Pretty. Take picture to show fwiends”. Enjoy.