The Reel Deal

There are plenty of movie adaptations of video game properties.  I find most aren't very enjoyable to watch, but I do have a soft spot for live-action parodies that mimic the games they are based on down to the minute and quirky details.  Over the years I've posted links to fan-made videos of everything from Streets of Rage to Final Fantasy VII, and even Prince of Persia.  This time though, I have an especially well made example of this weird little amateur film sub-genre.  It's primarily Resident Evil (or Biohazard as it is known as in Japan), but there are elements of GTA, MGS and the Yakuza franchises mixed in.  If you ask me, I think there's a little bit of Forbidden Siren mixed in as well.  Regardless, I should also mention this six part mini-series is entirely in Japanese so for those who don't know the language please make use of the English subtitles.  

Horror Tidbits

New releases and announcements have been a bit slow as of late.  So, for this blogpost, I'd like to write a few paragraphs about some horror-themed video games I've recently taken notice of.  Two are not out yet, but the third has been available on itch.io for awhile now.

Chasing Static is an upcoming low-fi indie title that reminds me a lot of the original Silent Hill.  I've heard people online referred to it as having PS1-era graphics.  Having played the free demo, I don't quite agree.  While it's true that the textures have an intentionally pixilated quality, the draw distances is beyond what even the most optimized original PlayStation game was capable of.  At the same time, the visuals aren't smooth enough looking to be PS2 (or even PSP) quality either.  So what we're really looking at here is a retro horror game for the hypothetical PS1.5 home entertainment system.  That alone makes the game kind of creepy...sort of like if you found the media disc for this game, dust-covered and forgotten in a gloomy attic or basement - then got it to work through some sort of esoteric form of software emulation.

Aliens: Fireteam is yet another attempt bring everyone's favorite xenomorph to interactive media.  It's not out as of the posting of this blog entry, but based on previews the graphics and sound are topnotch.  The titular "Aliens" though appear to be suffering from an exceptionally  severe case of the inverse ninja strength law.  The AI, in particular, doesn't seem to consider the possibility of launching an ambush.  Granted, the game isn't done yet so it might be improved upon.  As is though, the xenomorphs have a bad habit of charging down long corridors.  From the Colonial Marines' perspective it makes for a rather nice shooting gallery...and yet there is a strange lack of tension.  In order to capture the strain and catharsis of the 1986 film this game is based on, I think the developers need to put more consideration into the pacing...otherwise it's just going to end up being a poor-man's Space Hulk. 

The Whisper In Darkness is a video game adaptation of a short horror story by H.P. Lovecraft of the same name.  Actually, it's more of a visual novel than a proper video game in that the interactive segments are extremely barebones.  Even so, this little indie title does a shockingly good job of setting the mood with ambient music and sound effects.  The text crawl has this eerie scratching noise as the words appear onscreen.  There's also sparse use of static art that looks like the work of an amateur oil painter.  This might seem like a minus except for the fact that the story is framed such that the narrator is recalling events from memory, hence the images are supposed to be the product of an unskilled artist's recollections.  Overall, it's a very faithful retelling of the original.  That might sound like a complement, but it's also means the experience is entirely linear in nature.   

There's a belief among horror fans that the genre really only works when the budget is low.  Personally, I don't think the amount of money spent really matters in terms of scare factor.  Instead, it's all about the content.  Specifically, most horror games aren't very good and yet if enough people make enough games sooner or later some will start to resonate.  It just so happens that most of those titles were made with a miniscule amount of resources.

Multilayered Complexity

To this day, I do not know what is going on with
the protagonist's hair.  Are those antenna or what?

A typical shorthand analysis of Vagrant Story will call it a flawed masterpiece.  In truth though it is a fairly ordinary tale and setting, but with a highly stylized presentation and some very complex (to the point of being obtuse) mechanics.  It's also a precursor to the Souls series and a PS1 game that has never been remade.  

Not that it really needs to...the animation and camera work are superb and the game even has hair physics!  The developers were able to circumvent hardware limitations by using a number of clever tricks such as baking lighting effects into the textures.  Interspersing gameplay are short, but incredibly dense cutscenes.  To say "blink and you'll miss it" would be an understatement.  Compounding this is the faux middle English which, unlike the localizations for Final Fantasy: Tactics or Final Fantasy XII, is condensed such that information is conveyed with an eye for economy of language.  If that sounds like a contradiction, it's because it is.  Much of Vagrant Story is opposing purposes being melded into a single path.  It is most apparent when it comes to game mechanics.  

Playing Vagrant Story involves everything from box puzzles and platforming to semi-tactical combat and item crafting.  There's a rhythm mini-game used to chain attacks together or counter enemy attacks.  Weapons have not only a durability stat, but also "phantom points" which increase with use.  Both of these numerical ratings need to be kept high in order to maximize damage output, but raising one reduces the other.  There's also a "risk" stat that increases when the player chains a large number of attacks together.  As risk rises the chance to miss increases, but so does the maximum possible damage from an attack.  In other words, you miss more, but when you hit, you hit hard.  There is magic in the game (referred to as "grimoires" rather than "spells").  Casting them (after the first free use) consumes magic points which, like hit points refill over time.  Additionally, there is a set of "break arts" which are unlocked as the player fights enemies throughout the game.  They eat hit points in return for one of several special attacks based on weapon type.  This might sound infeasible, but healing magic isn't resource intensive and their is a plethora of items that restore MP/HP and even reduce "risk" points quickly (rather than having to wait).  So, there are a variety of ways the player can customize their playstyle especially when considering the types of gear they can equip.

The character dialogue utilizes text bubbles akin
to most comic books.

Equipment comes in the form of armor (by location), shields and arms.  Weapons come in familiar categories (daggers, rapiers, swords, spears, axes, clubs, staffs, crossbows, etc.); each with their own attack animations based on subtype.  However, that's only the tip of the iceberg in terms of customizability.  There are a variety of materials (wood, leather, bronze, silver, iron, "hagane", and "Damascus"), as well as affinities in which the weapon excels (human, beast, undead, phantom, dragon and evil).  These stats for "preferred" enemy type can be adjusted by mounting special gems in the weapon handle or simply by using a particular weapon against a particular kind of enemy.  How many gems depends on the handle or grip which can be swapped around in workshops found throughout the game.  Certain workshops can only handle certain materials though...and if that isn't complicated enough all objects can be combined with any other object to create entirely new objects.  Oh...and there are also elemental aspects to consider such as light, dark, air, earth, fire and water.        

Story-wise there are layers upon layers of intrigue that are steadily reveled over the course of the game.  Some are shown to be lies and falsehoods told by characters who seek to deceive, but then other aspects are left ambiguous or simply unexplained.  Overall, the story takes a backseat to gameplay in the latter half, but picks up again at the end.  Like Final Fantasy XII and the Final Fantasy: Tactics series, the setting of Vagrant Story is the world of Ivalice.  Unlike like those other two games though the time period is significantly later to the point that most players would not make the connection on their own.

I haven't even talked about the amazing soundtrack, bombastic sound effects, bizarre fashion choices, old-school Dungeons and Dragons traps, friendly fire, maps in which every room has a unique and evocative name, or an option to view the world from a first-person perspective...but, let's face it, this game is absurd in terms of complexity and depth.  Better that anyone reading this experience Vagrant Story for themselves or watch someone's playthrough on Youtube/Twitch.  I simply can't capture everything there is to this game in writing...at least not to the degree needed to do this game justice.    

Aside from the prologue, the entire game takes place over a period of about one-and-a-half days and
in a single location - the fortified island of Leá Monde (based on the real-life commune Le Mont-Saint-Michel)

Recycling in Space

Hardspace: Shipbreaker is a game I purchased when it first became available via early access on Steam.  I played it for a total of about five minutes (just to make sure it ran properly) before setting it aside.  I fully intended to come back to it soon after, but a lot happened between then and now...the good news is I finally got around to clicking on that LYNX corporation icon that has been sitting patiently on my desktop between "Google Chrome" and "Microsoft Edge" for the better part of a year.

At first glance one might think that Hardspace got its inspiration from the blue-collared work experiences found aboard a deep sea oil derrick or logging in some remote northern woodland.  In truth though, nautical shipbreaking is a real thing done mostly in places like India and Pakistan.  It's dangerous mostly due to inadequate safety precautions and gear.  Without going into reports of child labor law violations, it is easy to see why the developers have such cynical take on their sci-fi version of the concept.

Players take the roll of an indentured servant in low-Earth orbit, tasked with the job of dismantling old spaceships for scrap.  Early on, the vessel look similar to corvettes found in Homeworld.  This should come as no surprise given that a number of the developers who work on that series are also making this game.  Visually, it's all very beautiful and the audio complements the environments perfectly.  In addition, the main voice actor has a folksy vibe that goes with the overall theme.  Generally speaking, Hardspace starts off strong, but runs into some trouble pretty quickly down the line.

When it comes to the mechanics of shipbreaking, the game opts for a fairly bog-standard narrated tutorial.  A, W, S, D, shift and spacebar allow movement left, forward, right, down and up respectively.  Because the game takes places in a microgravity environment the player can move in any direction via a reaction control system built into their spacesuit.  Additionally, it is possible to rotate or roll using mouse inputs and the Q/E keys.  "R" brings up a selection wheel consisting primarily of two tools, a grapple and a cutter.  The grapple is basically an energy lasso while the cutter is used to slice up or melt away pieces of metal.  All this is well and good, but there is quite a bit of pertinent information displayed in the HUD and aiming reticle (in particular) that goes unexplained.  I guess players are expected to figure things out as they play, but sometimes it can feel like pertinent information gets left by the wayside.

A good example is the "tethers" subsystem.  They are a secondary function of the grapple tool, but pull like heavy duty wenches.  In other words, they pull things apart just as well as hold them together.  At no point does the game make a distinction between this two very different functions.  Another example is the three kinds of scrap:

• Complex components that go in a barge (green)
• Nanofiber stuff that goes in the processor (blue)
• Alloys that go in the furnace (red)

Sounds straight forward enough...except some objects that look like they go in the barge are actually meant for the player to keep for themselves (such as repair kits and oxygen canisters).  Additionally, the player must be somewhat careful when chucking things into the barge.  If objects collide they can become unsalvageable.  The blue and red recycling systems are less fussy, but also more deadly in that they have a suction effect that will devour anything (including the player character).  The real annoyance though, comes in the form of mixed and matched materials.  While the indicator tied to the reticle might earmark a chunk of spaceship for the processor or incinerator it could be a combination of both which means regardless of which system the object is places in unwanted material will simply be lost.  It's not well explained and, in fact, I learned a lot more from watching Youtube videos than I did from the tutorial.  What more can be said other than this is definitely an early access game? 

On the plus side Hardspace does provide some useful advice on how to avoid accidents such as rapid decompression.  Wrangling reactor cores is a bit weird though in that the countdown warning implies that they need to be moved expeditiously to some kind of overload containment system, but in actuality all the player does is drop them into the barge like any other piece of green salvage.

I have no doubt that the game will eventually iron out most, if not all, of these issues.  As of now though (version 0.3.1), I feel like the roughneck feel of the game is perhaps a bit too authentic.  Still, I'm excited to see what the story is going to be like and how our blue-collared astronaut is going to play off his billion dollar debt.     

Good Game, Bad Dev

In today's politically charged atmosphere, I see a lot of false flags, slipping masks and lines drawn in the sand.  What if we were to change the scope in terms of timeframe and subject though?  This probably isn't much of a shock, but a lot of highly regarded art has been made by some really awful people.  For example, H.P. Lovecraft was one of the most influential horror writers of last century, but was also notoriously racist.  The same sort of thing holds true for video games and their respective developers.  Let's look at a few examples, shall we?

It's hard to overstate how popular Minecraft has become since it's initial early access build was made available to the general public back in May, 2009.  Since then, the mastermind behind the game (Markus "Notch" Persson) has become amazingly wealthy.  Ultimately, he decided to sell his game and development studio to Microsoft.  After taking his millions of dollars and retiring to a sprawling mansion in Beverly Hills, Notch began to earn a reputation for making misogynistic and racist remakes on social media.  Needless to say, this soured a lot of people's opinions of him to the point that Microsoft had all references to him removed from Minecraft (outside of the ending credits sequence).  A running joke on the internet is: when children ask who made Minecraft, the correct response should be "Hatsune Miku did."  That's how much Notch is disliked by fans of what once was his game.

Opposing Force was the first addition made to the original Half-life.  Coming in at approximately two-thirds the length of its progenitor, this stand-alone expansion featured a variety of new enemies, weapons and even some new gameplay mechanics, as well as different perspective on events at the Black Mesa Complex.  The online deathmatches were more enjoyable too.  So, who was behind this excellent fleshing out of the Half-life IP?  Why none other than Gearbox software with Randy Pitchford at the helm.  He is, by all accounts, one of the most sexist and abusive CEOs in the video game industry - right up there with the head of Ubisoft.  Calling the man a sleezeball might actually be a compliment.  Although, I do think that his nickname "Randy Pitchfraud" is well deserved.

Earthworm Jim, despite being panned by a number of critics, was one of my favorite games on the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive).  I like the sequel nearly as much as the original, and even met one of the artists who worked on the game in person.  Having said that, the creator, writer and director of Earthworm Jim 1 and 2, as well as the cartoon mini-series, is a really toxic individual by the name of Doug TenNapel.  Aside from being a massive transphobe and homophobe, he's been involved in an organized campaign against diversity in comic books.  Even the intensely conservative comedian, Mike Nelson (of MST3K fame) has cut all ties with the man and refuses to associate with him anymore.  I guess that Doug decided that being a vile bigot was more important than anything else.

At the beginning of this blogpost, I mentioned H.P. Lovecraft.  The thing about him is he has been dead for nearly a century.  He died penniless and forgotten with no children to carry on his name.  All his works a in the public domain, and he is not held up by any extremists groups as a champion of their cause.  He can't be "canceled" because there is nothing to cancel.  On the other hand the three individuals I've mentioned here are alive and well.  They have notable social followings and use their influence in the worst possible ways.  For those who want to fight the good fight don't waste time on a decaying corpse.  Instead, go after people that hide behind a shield of accomplishments while actively seeking to make the world a worse place for everyone.