Retro

Are You a Bad Enough Dude to Choose these Presidents?

Posted on by Kyle

For those living in America, tonight represents the first debate between two potential future presidents. Plenty can be said about both of them to ignite a flame war of a thousand suns so I’m staying away from that. That’s what Facebook comment sections are for.

Regardless of who you support, we can all agree that in the world of video games, we have the opportunity to create presidents as interesting and over the top as the worlds and stories they inhabit. Whether it’s defending the US from an unstoppable army of (insert video game enemy here) or turning the world into a future utopia, there have been some pretty memorable POTUS’s in video games.

This is by no way a definitive list, but when it comes to presidents who could truly make America Great Again.

4. President Ronnie- Bad Dudes
Let’s say some you wake up one day, turn on the news and discover that the president has been kidnapped by not terrorists, but ninjas. Real, Ninja Gaiden-ass ninjas. While the government would most likely send their best and brightest special forces to bring the president in alive, in the world of Bad Dudes, that is a needlessly excessive move that would cost the taxpayers more money than it’s worth. Why send in the Navy SEALS when you could send in some street smart punks off the street to do the dirty work.

The best part is the ending, where after being rescued, President Ronnie (not Ronald Regan) has a cheeseburger with our streetwise youths who put their lives on the line to bring him home. While most would look at this as a highly questionable reaction, let me ask you this, when was a horrible day not solved by eating a burger and laughing it all away? President Ronnie knew that the best way through a crisis is to take it in stride and have a burger after facing a national level disaster and it’s that level of understanding that makes him a great leader of the free world.

3. John F. Kennedy- Call of Duty: Black Ops
While JFK was obviously a real president, I have my doubts that he joined forces with Richard Nixon, Fidel Castro and Robert McNamara to protect the Pentagon from zombies in real life so this fictional take on Kennedy counts.

Let’s be real, any president willing to join forces with political rivals, along with members of a rival government and nation to take down the unifying evil that is the neverending undead is a president fit to rule the US in my book. As charismatic as he was in real life, adding zombie slaying to the list boost him up even more. That and his selection of one liners that put Duke Nukem to shame. Ich Bin Ein Zombie Killer.

2. Michael Wilson- Metal Wolf Chaos
When a vice president usurps the current standing president in an attempt to take control of the US, Michael Wilson doesn’t go into hiding and wait for the armed forces loyal to him to do his dirty work. He jumps into his big goddamn robot and goes on a rampage in the name of freedom, liberty, and the American way, blowing up those in his path and anyone threatening to take down the star spangled country he was sworn to protect.

While From Software is most likely known for their Souls series games, Metal Wolf Chaos is an action packed mech-based shooter filled with over ridiculously overpower weapons, fast paced action and a vice president turned villain intent on bringing back slavery as well as other horrible atrocities to the US. While most presidents are all talk, Wilson is all action. And really, any president with a bull in a china shop attitude and giant rocket launcher and shotgun armed mech is going to get things done.

1. Mike Haggar- Marvel vs Capcom 3
Mike Haggar. The mayor who cleaned up his city by pile driving every gang member who got in his way. The man who’s metal pipe swinging skills can bring down celestial gods becomes the President of the US in his arcade mode ending for both Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. Combine that with his partnership and a strong alliance with both Marvel’s Captain America and Resident Evil’s Chris Redfield, he’s fully prepared to protect lady liberty against terrorist, supervillain and undead threats alike.

Not many presidents would team up with some of Earth’s Mightest Heroes and some of Capcom’s finest to take down a literal planet eater but that’s Mike Haggar, a president who honestly may not care about political nuance as much as he does pile driving fools into the ground but I’m not complaining. A president should sacrifice everything for his people and Mike Haggar has done that, just without a shirt.

Honorable Mentions:

1. TJ Combo-Killer Instinct
Having won a fighting tournament with cybernetic implants in his arms to give him strength, Combo punched his was past ninjas, ice aliens, undead skeletons and werewolves to eventually have his implants removed and look at a possible presidency. Not only is he someone who has gone out of his way to correct the mistakes of his past, but also someone who has the experience needed to step up to anyone in the ring, political or not.

2. Duke Nukem-Duke Nukem Forever
Yes, we all know the disaster that was the release of Duke Nukem Forever but we can all agree that Duke Nukem becoming president of the US would be one of the most entertaining 4-year terms in the history of presidents. Complete destruction towards invading aliens, blatant sexism, the most secure the US has ever been when it comes to outside threats and cool monster truck instead of the presidential limo. If all else failed, at the very least the political slogans and one liners would be amazing.

3. TIE: Power Armor George Washington and Abraham Lincoln- The Conduit 2
When two of America’s most famous presidents come back from the past clad in alien powered mechanical battle armor and ask for your help in the coming war, you nod your head, say “Yes sir” and get in the damn spaceship. Back from the dead to kick ass against an alien race. If it was any more American, there’d be the distinct, yet quiet screech of an eagle in the background.

Original Article can be viewed on Destructoid.

 

To Hell with Backlogs

Posted on by Kyle

We all know that looming in the darkness, waiting to rear its head whenever we feel like we are making progress, is the dreaded enemy and taskmaster of anyone who seriously plays games. It is current year, the backlog still exists and for many and still remains an always growing threat for those wanting to finish off their collections.

I used to obsess over finishing my backlogs. There were points in time that I tracked the hours of every game I played, scheduled what games would be played each month and a projected finish date of big time sinks like RPGs. It was getting to the point that I was spending an equal amount, if not more, micromanaging the games I would play before even finishing them.

Responsibilities undoubtedly take over and with work and social activities we find more time slip away from us when it comes to games and more time partition itself to the real world.

It was only recently as I played my through a round of Blast Corps on Rare Replay that I realized just how trapped this backlog had made me. At first, I dreaded the thought of wasting time on a game that

a. I had already beaten before

and

b. Was not part of the monthly backlog schedule.

I was obsessing so much on finishing games, that I was not actually enjoying myself in the process. I would pat myself on the back for finishing a game, but never really remember my experience with it. No longer could I take a step back and immerse myself in the experience. Games were no longer measured by what made them great or not so great, but rather how much time I had left on the clock to complete another and balance it with other aspects of life.

Maybe it’s odd that a Rare game from yesteryear on a cheaply bought compilation disk made me realize why I started playing video games in the first place, but it was this little moment that made me take a step back and decide this statement:

To hell with backlogs.

I finished Blast Corps that night and made my way through Battletoads Arcade and had a blast. I realized that I really wasn’t enjoying my time playing through Phantasy Star and would be better served to drop it. I had a pile of games that looked incredibly fun to play and for the first time in a long time, my schedule was clear.

Despite what we tell ourselves, we can’t finish everything. We tell ourselves we will but the simple fact is that there are too may titles out there, too many ways to play past and present games and too many new titles coming out on the horizon. I will continue to buy and play games that catch my eye both big and small titles. I may end up missing out on “must play” titles like Witcher 3 or I may play it years down the line. I may drop games more often, asking myself the simple questions of “am I having fun?” and if I’m not, “why am I still playing?”

I’ve made the decision to move one from obsessing over being a completionist and focus on having fun.

For those who swear by defeating the backlog, I hear you and I support you. If you can make it work and find enjoyment out of it, you are much more dedicated than I am. For myself, though, I made a clear choice today and I have never been more excited to tear into new games.

*original article printed on Destructoid. You can view the article here.

Red Meat and Big Guns: Why all Guns Should Feel Powerful in FPS Games

Posted on by Kyle

Twitchy first person shooters are totally fun. It is a liberating feeling to feel light as a feather as you endlessly run around closed off arenas. From Unreal Tournament to Overwatch, the floaty and agile characters and fast-paced gunplay offer superhero like movement as you dispatch enemies in fast and flashy ways.

As much as I enjoy these games, there is something to be said about virtual firearms that feel heafty. The guns that take a little long than usual to aim. The ones that shake and rumble after each shot. Yes, the guns that stick out to me and the shooters that I find the most long-term enjoyment out of are the ones where guns feel heavy. The ones where each shot fired is ones that have devastating consequences upon impact.

I guess you could say that I like guns nice and meaty. I like Hungry Man FPS games.

When I think of heavy and beefy firearms, I think of games like Killzone 2. While the game was hardly the greatest shooter of all time, the gun mechanics, and movement, in general, were spot on for what that type of game should have been, a gritty, violent FPS that oozed hopelessness and despair the moment you started the game.

Everything from the assault rifle to the pistol felt heavy and showed it through slower times to aim and the slower than average firing rates of each gun. This wasn’t a snap on to the enemy style of shooter we see so much of today, but rather a game where rushing in would have devastating consequences. Each gun handled like a wild beast and by assessing each situation and picking off enemies from afar, the player was rewarded with that satisfying “thud thud” of bullets that devastated enemies.

The original Medal of Honor and Frontline is another example that comes to mind. From the first entry on the Playstation to Frontline’s multi-console debut, aiming was always emphasized as the factor that set it apart from other shooters on consoles. Arm shot’s made enemies react and hold their arms in pain, A shot to the chest meant that Nazis were knocked off their feet. A headshot would deliver a kill that felt like it was earned, not given to you . This was all accompanied by some of the best sound design at the time that still holds up to this day. While most current shooters seem to have weapons that sound like pea shooters, Medal of Honor had guns that sounded loud and sounded scary, making every bullet leaving your gun to feel like it was about to decimate the enemy. All of this was achieved with only a Teen rating and without a single drop of blood being spilled in the game.

This brings us to what I consider the fearsome five of meaty feeling FPS titles: FEAR, Red Faction, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Soldier of Fortune and Black.

When talking about the feeling of weight and aiming in Killzone 2 or the sense of aiming and sound design, it’s these four that blend all of these elements into a perfectly blended lead martini. All of these titles have guns that feel meaty, sound meaty and leave a visible and visceral impact on the environment and enemies. FEAR had us blasting apart office cubicles in glorious slow motion while dodging bullets from clone soldiers. Red Faction has us literally tearing down the walls to reach unsuspecting enemies on the other side. Bad Company 2 and Black had us taking all of this one step further by destroying whole buildings and their interiors. Soldier of Fortune was the most horrific of the bunch, letting you take these handheld forms of destruction and using it to deform enemies in horrible ways.

With the release of Battlefield 1 on the horizon with it’s more brutal approach to old school warfare and talk about upcoming shooters like Titanfall 2 feeling slower and weapons being tweaked to feel heavier and more impactful, it has me thinking back to the shooters that I seem to remember most and as I sit and write this, ones with these memorable shooting mechanics are the ones I always seem to remember.

I spoke about something similar in a previous post, and for the most part, many of the same lines of thoughts find their way here. While I have never fired a gun before and would be the furthest from what you would call a firearms expert, I always felt that firing a gun should be a loud, scary experience. You are literally wielding an instrument designed for one purpose: to end someone’s life and for something that life altering and that powerful; it should be visceral, it should feel powerful and it should be scary.

Here’s hoping, EA (cynicism notwithstanding), that DICE and Respawn can deliver shooters that feel this way. It’s time to feel like a force of destruction again.

“Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”

PS: I apologize in advance if this post makes me sound like some kind of closet psychopath. In reality, I am a quiet person who enjoys drinking lemon grass tea and listening to Enya.

Original Article can be Viewed on Destructoid.

Devil’s Advocate: Cheating My Way Through a Backlog

Posted on by Kyle

For years I never looked at longplays plays as more than a distraction. A quick way to get a feel for how a game plays, relive the memory of a game that I no longer had access to or to catch up on some long-forgotten story details through cutscenes and dialog. A handy tool but nothing more.

For years I had an extensive backlog that spread across dozens of consoles and hundreds of games. I could remember the excitement I had when going through different “Top 100” games of all time lists, eagerly soaking in the details on what made each game memorable and excitedly making a list of all of these games I would complete during the next few years.

As an adult almost in his thirties, with the ever demanding call of responsibility and social activity, its come to the point where I admit to myself that I will never finish my backlog. A backlog that has only grown larger as the years have gone on into a monstrous shadow that stands in the background, mocking my feeble attempts to be a completionist and maintain my daily demands.

Suddenly, those longplays that I turned my nose up at before, the thing that no “true” gamer would resort to are suddenly my way to cheat through my backlog. a small part of my dies each time where I mentally mark a game off my list, but the part of me that has yearned for closure since high school breathes a baited sign of relief.

Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of RPGS. I admire their stories, lore and characters but the sheer commitment that it takes to complete one of these beasts is simply too much for me to commit to. Combine that with older titles where the turn-based gameplay and need to grind for leveling turns me off even more. I can fully admit that gameplay wise, RPGs aren’t really for me, but for everything else, they’re something that I always wanted to experience.

For years I kept a list of RPGs that I told myself I would one day play.

“Once you finish your other games, you’ll finish these,” I naively told myself.

The years went on and the games piled up. Compared to other titles on my backlog, the RPG stack was always the highest and while a few would occasionally find their way to completion, most would sit and collect digital dust.

Once I started watching longplays of older RPGs (such as Phantasy Star for Sega Master System) I found myself taking on a different role in examining this classic. Sure I’m not experiencing it in the way it was meant to, but in all honestly, how much does it lose? The story is kept to a minimum and a vast majority is exploring similar looking dungeons and overworlds. If I can experience the music, dialog, and plot while understanding how combat works, isn’t this a similar experience?

The old me might have said no, that to truly experience the highs and lows of a game, you must play it. This old me also had no idea the time sink jobs, family and other things have on a hobby that slowly gets less time in the spotlight as we grow older. There are some games that I feel I cannot do this with and some games that I feel must always be experienced, but for someone who is interested in everything but the actual gameplay, this more than satisfies that itch to explore games on a backlog that otherwise, would not get their fair time to shine.

I’m sure for some, this is a sign that its time to turn in my proverbial gamer card, but for me, this digest version stands as a satisfactory way to satisfy that curiosity. Am I proud to admit this? Not really. Do I recommend this method to others? If you’re like me, yes I do.

Just for an FYI: When I say longplays I mean full playthroughs with no commentary. I don’t really watch letsplays. Nothing takes you out of an experience than some guy screaming over game footage.

Originally published on Destructoid.com You can view the original post here. 

Not Another Game Review: Dynamite Cop for Sega Dreamcast

Posted on by Kyle

There need to be more games that just don’t give a shit. I’m not talking about a faces fall off Assassins Creed kind of don’t give a shit, but rather the ability to be completely silly. When was the last time you used a slab of meat to beat terrorists into submission? When was the last time you rescued the president daughter, only to make you fight your fellow counter terrorist to claim rescue rights?

Dynamite Cop (Dynamite Deka 2 in Japan) has you do all of this. You’re saving the world, stopping terrorists but doing it in the most absurd way possible. It’s Under Siege meets Hanna Barbara and it works in the best possible way.
Dynamite Cop is a 3D beat em up that has you going from stage to stage beating up enemies and using a variety of environmental weapons and items to progress through the game, occasionally running into bosses who are bigger and hit harder and the random QTE event that has you reacting to punch and kick in time with the button presses. Damage is shown with health bars but also visually represented through clothing taking damage. Take too many hits and you’ll be stripped down to your bras and boxers until you regain your health again.


While this may sound like any other beat em up, one thing that sets this apart is the wide variety of items laying in the environment. If you can see it, you most likely can pick it up and use it. Rocket launcher in a bathroom? Sure. A baguette to use against a raging chef? Why not? Similar to Dead Rising, the wide variety of weapons available makes each playthrough a slightly different experience, even more so with friends. With two players, playing the game increases the level of fun tenfold and allows two players to beat up bad guys and cover one another’s backs.

Enemies are also equally absurd with a focus on the pirate theme (think Pirates of the Carribean more than Black Flag) along with some bosses such as a giant angry chef in the kitchen and a giant octopus living in the freezer. The entire enemy selection is very tongue in cheek and matches the manic and absurd atmosphere.
It’s not a perfect game by any means. It’s short, able to be finished in under an hour along with somewhat clunky controls that don’t allow for quick evasion when enemies are attacking you, but all of those problems seemingly melt away when you’re beating pirates by a swimming pool with a giant fish. It’s bright and colorful with a wide variety of environments despite being set on a single cruise ship. The plot is paper thin and laughable but if you’re looking for a ridiculous, action-packed cartoon romp and have a friend to kill the time with you, take the plunge, embrace the absurdity, stop giving a shit and laugh a little.


Dynamite Cop can be played on Dreamcast and can be found on sites like eBay for a reasonable price. There are other methods to play this game that is a little more…sketchy but still provide the same experience for those wanting to go down that route (read: nullDC emulation)

 

They Call Me Spooky: The Wonderful Spookiness of They Hunger

Posted on by Kyle

I’ve played plenty of horror titles over the years, with each Halloween allowing me the opportunity in the name of tradition to revisit as many old and new titles that time allows me. Through these year’s I’ve experienced some great titles offering gripping experiences and tight gameplay. While titles like Eternal Darkness and Resident Evil may come to the mind of most gamers, the one title that sticks out the most to this day was never officially released for commercial sales.

There’s one horror title that I always find myself going back to, and its name is They Hunger.

They Hunger is a mod for Half-Life, released during a time when the Half-Life modding community was active creating which would soon be known classic titles such as Counter-Strike, Team Fortress Classic and Day of Defeat. While They Hunger often gets overlooked when compared to these other titles, it really shouldn’t as it’s easily one of the more atmospheric games I’ve ever played.

They Hunger has you escaping from a car crash and stumbling into a small town in the countryside. It doesn’t take long to discover that things have gone south and soon with just a pistol and umbrella you must avoid the legions of undead that clamber after you.

What They Hunger did incredibly well was create a bleak situation where brute force will get you nowhere. You ammo is limited and your umbrella, while quick is nowhere near powerful enough to fight your way past a large crowd of zombies. Avoiding fights, strategically thinning the zombie heard to fight them one on one, and approaching each new area with caution was the only way to ensure survival and even then the first act of the game was tough as nails due to the sheer number of them.

Later on, you would make your way through a variety of environments including a volcanic crater, abandoned town, insane asylum (complete with hidden laboratory and Frankenstein monsters) and eventually a military base. Each of these locations provides new enemies and new weapons to acquire as you make your way to escape. Just when you’re used to running from zombies you’re dropped in a police station trying to escape only to later on make your way through an abandoned asylum while lightening shooting skeletons take pot shots at you.

They Hunger is constantly pushing you towards your goal, making sure to throw in a slower paced puzzle when you need a breather from the relentless action. While the first chapter is definitely more survival horror based, the second and third chapters learn more towards action and cheese evoking some of the more action-packed and ridiculous moments of classic horror films like The Evil Dead series and Brain Dead.

It’s these combinations of varied environments, enemies, and scenarios that make They Hunger feel like a loving tribute to classic horror tropes borrowed from Hammer films, the Universal Monster’s series and slow creeping dread like Night of the Living Dead. While some have complained that the overall pace feels uneven, I love the wild ride it takes you on and for horror nuts it feels like the loving tribute that only directors like Tarantino make to honor their specific genre of film, only in playable video game form.

It’s not perfect, however, being built on the Half-Life engine means a lot of similar looking weapons and sound effects combined with the same Half-Life jumping and physics based puzzles that you either love or loathe. The sound is also hit or miss with background noises like zombies and the sound of owls in the distance being incredibly fitting while the voice acting is stilted and in some cases, completely awful.

It’s amazing how much quality and detail was brought to what at the end of the day was a mod made from Half-Life. It’s really shame that more people don’t mention this title as it deserves so much recognition for being an excellent first person action horror title back before they became popular. Whenever my friends talk about playing Soma, Alien: Isolation or Outlast, I always think back this game and what it brought to the table.

This wasn’t made to make a quick buck or come with aspirations of being the next Half-Life, it was made from a desire to create something fun and dear to the creator’s heart. It was made to show the creative force that went into some of these mods at the time and the desire to do nothing else but bring their creative vision to the gaming world and have us share their vision.

There will most likely never be another They Hunger and in many ways, that’s what makes this game so special. To me, this game is just as much about Halloween as any other important staple of the holiday and will remain a treasured Halloween tradition for many years to come. When I need that nostalgic itch scratched just right, They Hunger will always be there to offer me a spooky good time.

Halloween Spooky Time

Posted on by Kyle

Get spooky everyone! It’s October which means Halloween time, which means it’s that special time of year when playing survival horror titles feels so good. Every year I make sure to set aside some my backlog of horror titles or Halloween like games that I never got around to playing or finishing, and make a marathon between working and other adult duties to finish as many games as possible.

It’s become a yearly tradition of going through this list of games and experiencing some of the titles I missed in the past or have been wanting to play. I always make it a habit of making absurdly long lists of titles that I know I will never be able to complete in the month of October, but still make it long anyway. It’s fun to go into this challenge with plenty of options and knowing how much I still have to complete and how much more I still have to go is a fun mountain to climb. How many can I beat before October ends? What games should I play first and prioritize? Do I only play one title per series or do I go for the entire series if applicable?

I’m starting off this year by finishing The Evil Within for PS4. It’s a fun title that brings back memories of Resident Evil 4 and 5 with more of an emphasis on ammo and resources preservation. The story so far seems to be completely nonsensical and some of the enemy encounters seem to rely on trial and error more than anything but, for the most part, I’m enjoying it. It’s not Resident Evil 4 caliber, but it’s nice to play a pretty enjoyable title that pays homage to one of my favorite Gamecube titles of all time.

My list includes:

Resident Evil: Revelations 2

Alien Isolation

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

Until Dawn

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles

Dead Space: Extraction

System Shock 2

So that’s my kick off to my Halloween marathon. Does anyone else marathon some survival horror titles during this spooky month? I’m getting ready to move onto Resident Evil Revelations 2 and Alien:Isolation next. Any other recommendations I should try?

My Issue with Remasters and Re-releases (Not a Rant)

Posted on by Kyle

Is it safe to guess that we all have at least one game that we own multiple copies of? Games have been re-released over each console generation and like classic novels or films, we often can find ourselves coming into ownership of multiple copies of games.

While I’m not one who goes out to and actively track down multiple versions of games, I have discovered that multiple copies of the same game have found their way into my library. I own three versions of Ocarina of Time, one being the original N64 cart, one being the Gamecube promotional disc featuring the Master Quest that was given away by pre-ordering The Wind Waker and the 3DS version for 3DS.

I like this because despite being the same game, each has a function that makes each version have its place. The N64 one is the original, the GCN has the Master’s Quest and the 3DS has vastly upgraded visuals and is able to be taken anywhere.
In fact, this could be my entire mentality on my game collection. Why own multiple copies or ports when you have the original that plays well? Multiples only exist in my collection, only if they have a reason to.

This line of thinking changed once the HD remastering floodgate opened up.

The recent trend of HD re-releases becoming as popular as they are now started last generation. Sure there a few collections that landed primarily on the PlayStation last generation. It was easy to pick out the ones I wanted. Since I’m in the habit of holding on to all of my older consoles and games, I only went for the HD collections of games I didn’t own. I only owned one out of the three Devil May Cry titles so the HD collection was worth it for me. I owned all three Sly Coopers and all three Ratchet and Clanks, so naturally I stayed away. In my mind, there was no need to pick them up, not while I had a perfectly good working PS2 sitting next to me.

With this generation of re-releases for recent consoles, I feel a split desire in my want and my need for the re-releases but at the same time, a voice in the back of my head yelling at me to not take the plunge.

Logic says you don’t need newer versions of the same games. I love The Last of Us and Tomb Raider and played them extensively on PS3. To me, both games still play and look great. The impulse buyer in my wants to own the remasters, wants to play the optimal version of a game, the console equivalent of getting a new graphics card and maxing out the graphic options on your old games, giving them a whole new look.

The logical side of me wants to reel those impulses back in. Your PS3 is right there. You can play The Last of Us right now and not spend a dime. Why are you even considering this? This game is only a few years old, it can’t possibly look that much better.

I feel that this generation has changed the way I look at remastered games. Where before there were only a few being released, making the choice easy to decide whether to pick them up or not. With this current generation I feel that with nearly every last generation game getting an HD facelift and that innate desire we all have to want to have the best version of something, I’m considering picking versions of games that I already own. The siren song of seeing the best version of the game is stronger than ever.

While some people have undoubtedly gone through this thought process before, for me this is a newer, more foreign experience. I never owned a NES, Genesis or SNES so picking up those games I missed on Virtual Console was a no brainer. I came into the PS1 generation late, so PS Classics were a must have to experience all there was to offer. It’s not even an issue of convenience as it’s no issue to break out the old consoles and pop in an older title. Why do I want something that I essentially already own? I take no joy in having a slightly better looking version of something, but rather take even more joy in popping in an old game for nostalgic reasons.

I don’t want this to come across as a complaint or whining because trust me it’s not, but rather just a thought on remasters in general. Since they don’t seem to be leaving anytime soon, I wonder if anyone else thinks about this or considers this before buying. I recently picked up both The Wind Waker HD and Last of Us Remastered for dirt cheap so maybe I’ll have a more concrete answer once I get around to playing them.

What are your thoughts? I can’t be the only one who thinks about this stuff.

Or maybe I’m just OCD. Probably OCD.

The original article was posted on Destructoid.com. You can view the original post here. 

Wrecking Crew: Why Destruction in Games Needs to Come Back

Posted on by Kyle

One of the things I feel modern day actions games, especially shooters lack is impact. This has nothing to do with any kind of scientific, velocity based bullet physics, but rather the impact each combat scenario leaves behind. I miss gun battles that make areas feel like gun battles took place there. I miss the feeling of combat zones torn to shreds and bullet casing littering the floor. I miss visceral, gritty combat.

I have never fired a firearm, nor have I ever been involved in a combat scenario, but based on what people and resources have told me, it is a fast, scary and loud place to be. When you fire a gun, you hear the bullets echoing as they fly out of the barrel at a rapid pace. You feel the violent vibration as this death machine rattles in your hand. Firing a gun a powerful feeling for better and for worse.

Games used to do a good job at showing this or at the very least making you feel like what you had in your hand felt deadly. The double barrel shotgun in Doom 2 felt like a monster of a gun as a single shot violently ripped demons to shreds. Soldier of Fortune had guns that could turn terrorists into morbid, modern day art projects. These games did a great job of translating violence and power to the player, however, this is not entirely what I had in mind.

When Black was released for Xbox and PS2, it was the first game that let me experience full cinematic destruction that so many games lack today. While the game did focus on guns, the experience was a bloodless one, as not a single drop of blood was spilled from any of your enemies, instead letting the violence and destruction loose on your environment as you tore apart concrete columns, wooden barriers and dry walls. It was a primal sense of glee as you held down the trigger and let loose in a building watching particles and pieces of the building fly everywhere.

A few more games following this theme of destruction came before Black with Red Faction and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, and while they weren’t as intense as Black, they still did an excellent job letting the player have an impact on the environment and in a way that made total sense. Packs of explosives should take chunks out of martian rock and a big green rage monster should be able to smash through buildings with the force of a bowling ball thrown at a China Shop. Just like a bullet striking an enemy and sword slicing through hordes of demons, violence should also have an impact on the environment around you. You, the player are powerful and as a result, there are consequences to that power that can be either fun and inconsequential or have a lasting effect.

Games today don’t have this, especially shooters. It became painfully obvious in the previous generation when environments felt like movie sets. While games like Call of Duty and Battlefield 4 are criticized for their linearity in the single player campaign, its staleness of the combat and environment also plays a heavy part. This goes beyond gameplay criticism and into aesthetics. When you have a “modern” looking game with shiny gun models and near uncanny valley looking character models, it stands out in the worst possible way when the room you just shot dozens of terrorists popping out of cover looks squeaky clean with not a single item out of place. Nothing feels dangerous, nothing feels threatening. Suddenly the realization that it feels more like an actor on a movie set, following a set of directions than a soldier locked in a life and death situation sets in “It doesn’t matter. None of this matters.”

I’m not saying this needs to be an industry standard, as there have been plenty of games that were excellent without this feature. I just feel that with the new set of consoles and increasingly powerful hardware, it seems like a missed opportunity that no one has made a game where environmental destruction has been a feature. I yearn for an FPS that leaves a lobby looking like the one from the Matrix or a restaurant looking like Chow Young Fat from Hard Boiled slow motion dived through. While I’m not a developer, as a fan of well-made shooters, I feel this kind of detail is something that could truly thrive in this generation.

Until then, I hold on to hope but not too closely. Times have changed and priorities have changed and I can begrudgingly accept that. I hear that Crackdown 3 has a massive level of destruction, so as always with older gamers entering a new generation: hope springs eternal but blooms seldom.

This was originally posted on Destructoid.com. To read the original, click here. 

Finishing the 52 Game Challenge, the passing of Satoru Iwata and EVO 2015

Posted on by Kyle

tumblr_nk0tq9CA141rxdv1vo1_500Finishing the 52 Game Challenge

This week, I finished a silly and fun challenge I started out of boredom and the necessity to do something fun with friends. This week marked the end of the 52 Game Challenge, finishing 52 games since last year. As someone who had the issue of backlogs and trying to find a way to effectively get through them, this was a great way to keep me committed to a goal of finishing what I started and giving me something to do and at the time, allow me to connect with friends and acquaintances miles away. I’m not going to go into long details but from last time this is what I finished.

44. Aliens vs. Predator Classic PC- Fun if a bit too short

45. Sonic Adventure DC- Played well despite some ports that didn’t age well. Arguably the best version of the game.

46. Call of Duty PC- Still fun and chaotic years later. Better than many of the newer titles.

47. Strider PS4- A great call back to older Strider titles with some nice Metroidvania exploration peppered in.

48. inFamous: First Light PS4- A nice but very short expansion to the main game. A much more interesting story than the main title.

49. Ninja Gaiden III: Razor’s Edge WIi U- Block. Block. Block. As a huge fan of 1 and 2, sadly did not enjoy this one.

50. Rainbow Six: Vegas Xbox 360- A little rough around the edges and not a pure tactical game, but a fun balance in between.

51. Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death PC- Short, cheesy, cheap but fun. Not as good as I thought but still entertaining for the price.

52. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening- Still a masterpiece in nearly every way. Still stands out as the best 2D Zelda.

It’s fitting that I finish with a game that was one of the factors that made me jump into this challenge to begin with. It always feels great to finish a game you’ve been waiting years to finish. It feels even better when it turns out to be worth the wait, and still excellent years later. This challenge was fun, allowed me to discover some truly great games and have some bragging rights for finishing it. Will I ever do it again? Time will tell.

satoru_iwata_mario_luigiThe Passing of Satoru Iwata

For many, seeing Iwata-san pass away was close to having a piece of Nintendo history die as well. For me, next to Miyamoto and Reggie Fils-Aime, he was Nintendo. Nintendo Directs were highlighted by his strong enthusiasm and desire to make the best 1st party titles possible. To me, this man is Zelda. He is Mario. While many criticisms have been pointed to Nintendo for their “failure” with the Wii U, one cannot deny that for better or worse, he made modern Nintendo what it is today. He will be missed by many, myself included.

evo_2015EVO 2015

I enjoy fighting games but not to the point that I’m super competitive or spending hours practicing moves and cancelling into ultra attacks. However the last few years I’ve been dutifully watching the Evolution Fighting Tournament and watching each competitor fight against overwhelming odds to claim the spot as the number one fighter in their game. There’s something that is engrossing about the fighting game community, its spirit and competitive nature and yet strong desire for sportsmanship and respect towards others, that makes it to me, the best competitive community out there. It’s a community with passion and dedication and players who come from all over the world to show off a true love for their game. I’m not even going to being summarizing the highlight from the event, but I will say from 9 am to 12:30 am, I was engrossed the entire time, watching the masters fight, feeling a sense of pride that despite all the negativity that surrounds gaming, many good things and many good people still remain.