0 When I’m God, Everyone Drives

Posted on January 31, 2012 by diogoribeiro

(A Driver San Francisco review)

This could have gone wrong in so many ways, yet it avoids nearly all of them. I like to think Reflections released Driver San Francisco under Ubisoft’s corporate moustache, but the withered lizards that lord over the industry aren’t easilly fooled. Regardless, it’s one of the forgotten titles of 2011, another victim of Top Ten lists and quaint notions of entitlement by the series’ “fans”, some of which, matter-of-factly, believe Driv3r was not a crime against mankind.

Trauma, in Driver San Francisco, kicks off a different approach to detective fiction. John Tanner, asphalt cop, suffers a car crash at the hands of his eternal rival, Charles Jericho, and is left in a coma. Since the first minutes establish that Tanner is in a hospital bed, the game isn’t about figuring out how he got there, but how he will recover from it. The answer, which might have imploded the brains of executives and marketing teams at Ubisoft, manifests in a fondness for 1970′s cop shows, detective work and magical realism.

It’s also Quantum Leap in Lamborghinis.

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0 Now Playing… #5

Posted on January 28, 2012 by diogoribeiro

Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony (PC) – Final Form Games

They all look the same.

It’s the rethoric du jour when it comes to shmups; a consensual blindness that in two strokes, fails to recognize the genre’s intricate evolution and gives carte blance to other series which do little other than affixing subtitles or numerals to stale formulas. Jamestown shouldn’t be seen as an eye opener to the history of shmups, at least mechanically; its strength lies more in its creative vision than the scope of its gameplay. This doesn’t mean its systems are outdated or lacking in verve, but these will seem a secondary or tertiary concern when juxtaposed with the concept, and that is:

A shmup set in a 17th century British colonial Mars.

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0 Surviving (the absence of) Horror

Posted on January 18, 2012 by diogoribeiro

 

A zombie, clearly.

(contains minor spoilers for Silent Hill 2, 3 and Resident Evil Zero)

It is difficult to tell what does not count as a defining element of survival horror, to distinguish perifery from focus. The genre has tried to sell horror in a playable context over the years; as such, its play mechanics and themes have been reinvestigated successively, but not always successfully. For all the virtuoso explorations of psychological and body horror that inhabit it, there are also plenty of mistakes. The most disappointing of all might be the notion of what a survival horror game “should” be. This is not endemic to the format but, with the exception of role-playing games, has probably affected it more than it should; a genre that welcomes Dead Space and excludes System Shock is pointless at best.

So, what is the horror imperative at work here? As the term suggests, it combines aspects of survival (sparse resource management, difficulty) and horror (which can go from a pervading sense of unease to disorientation or outright fear). But just as StarCraft II is not survival horror because it urges players to manage resources, neither is Dead Island simply because it presents players with crowds of zombies to deal with. These artificial taxonomies obscure other potentially important elements in the structure of horror, and where the genre can look to for inspirations.

In particular, those of one old Atari game.

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0 Now Playing… #4

Posted on January 13, 2012 by diogoribeiro

Burnout Dominator, EA UK/Criterion

Some days, you just can’t go out for a stroll without bumping into idiots.

In related news, Burnout Dominator might be a serious case for crashing into idiots, along with being a case against genres. EA would like you to believe it’s a game about being highway psychopaths, and the game ostensibly does enforce the premise; the presentation might hesitate between WWF interludes and grunge visuals promoting 1999 edginess, but all else is clear. Driving recklessly is a mandate, not a cautionary tale. Which goes against what the game is actually about: rhythm.

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0 Now Playing… #3

Posted on December 18, 2011 by diogoribeiro


Sonic Generations (PC), Sonic Team/Devil’s Details

Generations, like other subtitles such as Gaiden or Densetsu, tends to create a needless sense of distance and is often used to placate children who refuse any sort of changes to their favorite games – even if those turn out to be more diverse or adventurous titles than their tepid continuity flag-bearers. It’s the kind of word that gets spreadsheet-loving executives free lunches since it’s marketable, safe and can describe just about anything – from Lego sets to Nintendo’s newfound love for grandmas, from the Rolling Stones to Pepsi.

But here, the context is that of a “members only” club. Here’s Sonic, the quintessential mascot of mascot games that, perhaps unlike any other, has illustrated its parent company’s history near flawlessly, from stardom to some murky depths, doing its best inviting yet conservative stance. Whatever feelings you nurture for the spiky bundle of action’s past games, Sega has you covered by condensing 20 years of Sonic into one single title. Everyone’s invited. For better or for worse.

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0 In rainbows

Posted on May 25, 2011 by diogoribeiro

Small notes on Phantasy Star Online’s themes and presentation (spoilers included)

The foggy gloom of Ragol’s Caves lifts up for a bit when you find rainbows further below its corridors. The presence of ferocious creatures does little to take away from the moment; even plagued by a disease at its core, the planet still gives glimpses of its wonder and beauty, and other such elements punctuate and give meaning to its otherwise long and minimalist depths.

Phantasy Star Online was Yuji Naka and Sonic Team’s desperate attempt to prove the breadth and potential of the Dreamcast’s online service to a market largely unaccustomed to such games. This period also marked what some believe to have been Sega’s most creative period before they left console development behind. This is true, to an extent.

On one hand, there was Jet Set Radio; if the industry had payed attention, Assassin’s Creed might have been about spreading urban zen with Grandmaster Flash’s blessing rather than knives to someone’s back. On the other, there was Shenmue, perhaps videogames’ first equivalent to a Hollywood “blockbuster” about sailors, cat grooming and forklift driving; if the industry had not payed attention, Heavy Rain might have been more interactive than Space Ace. And then there were things beyond the reach of most western players, both geographically and culturally, such as SegaGaga, better described as a mockumentary by Sega, about Sega.

The first contact with PSO was made of futurism, though one that kept its head down. As with the 16-bit series that preceded it, the science-fantasy tones were uneven. While Pioneer 2, the game’s hub, seemed a Blade Runneresque microcosm, and advanced technology did seep into the overall presentation and themes, it was comfortably medieval fantasy through and through, only one coated in neon. Thematically, even: genetic engineering and government conspiracies took place in a world where it was possible to destroy a god with a frying pan. If this seems unsophisticated, take heart – you could also use a wok.

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