Why Infinity Ward is taking a bold step in video game narrative

Infinity Ward, the developer behind Call of Duty 1, 2, and the original Modern Warfare is coming back with the year’s most anticipated game. And there has already been some controversy over their decision to have some (or maybe most?) of the battles taking place on American soil. They showed off a brief glimpse of the White House in ruins as a massive battle took place right on the very grounds we once thought of as safe. Of course, Fallout 3 did the whole “destroyed Washington D.C.” thing a year ago. But if it’s Call of Duty? Damn, then it’s a problem! But the real controversy seems to be stemming from the very first level in the game.

Emotions and video games

Here’s a post I’ve been planning on writing for the longest time, something that I feel is very important as a gamer. Many people may think of this as silly, or a waste of time, but I think that video games, like any other forms of media, can emotionally involve the players just as much (if not more so). I really appreciate all of the comments I received on the previous post. I reference all of them here, and if you want to read their full comments, check this post. For a lot of comments, I had to cut a lot out, but I left the main point of the comment in tact. It was also to avoid spoilers, for those reading this and haven’t played those particular games. Anyway, after the jump is the actual post, so read and enjoy.

Independent games fuel our gaming futures

I really and truly love to support independent game developers. Without them, where would we get such classics like Braid or World of Goo? Those are two examples of indie games released just last year, with many more still to come in the months and even years ahead. Most gamers at some point in their lives wanted to get into the industry; I was one of them! I considered so many career options, but thought to myself “why not just do something that involves what I love?” Now? I’m an English major who wants to simply write about games instead of designing them. But there are plenty of young developers out there, some of whom could have the next big idea.

The invasion of downloadable games

Downloadable games, they aren’t anything new, but they are certainly here to stay. One company in particular, Sony, seems determined to support and rely on downloadable games. They are releasing an entire portable system based around the entire concept of downloading games to store on the system, the PSP Go. There is no doubt that downloadable games will go away any time soon, even if the PSP Go fails. With a soon to be released PSP game becoming a PSN only title, and the download only release of Patapon 2, it’s clear that Sony is testing out the waters before jumping in.

Sometimes, you just need to roam…in a game

Playing both inFamous and Prototype recently has made me realize that sometimes, non-linearity in games is awesome. Giving the player a huge, open world to explore is great. And it’s even better when you have a character with SUPER POWERS! Okay, this post was mainly brought on by me playing Prototype. Jumping and gliding around the city is probably the most satisfying since Spider-Man 2’s introduction of the web swinging/free roaming mechanics we’ve grown accustomed to in other, not as good Spider-Man games.

But seriously, Prototype may not be the best game in the world, but it definitely nailed down the super powers aspect perfectly. Games like Prototype are perfect for playing when you’re stressed, or just need a way to escape. Sure, it’s far from relaxing, but it definitely puts a smile on my face when I’m just running and jumping around doing random things in the large world the developers have given me access to. Some people unwind with a game like Animal Crossing or The Sims. Me? Give me Prototype, thanks.

Crackdown was pretty similar, jumping around the city and such, especially when you have a friend. Although Prototype makes it much more accessible to do some very large scale platforming, since most of the powers you need to do so are available pretty much at the very beginning. So am I weird for liking this so much? I may even consider Prototype one of my favorite games of the year just because of the free roaming. It’s just that much fun. Some may disagree, especially those who want to just rush through the game. But you may be surprised by how much fun it can be, especially playing as a character with superhuman abilities.

Is it really weird to want games to just be…fun?

Developers sometimes don’t focus on what really matters, what’s really important when it comes to video games. Now some may disagree on me, which I still think is incredibly ridiculous, but gameplay is first and foremost the most important thing when it comes to a video game. I don’t care if we’re talking about Mario or we’re talking about Final Fantasy, the gameplay is the most important aspect when it comes to a video game; everything else should fall in place after that.

Pre-E3 discussion 03: Sony

Since Sony is the last up to bat, following what could be two AMAZING press conferences, we have to expect for them to continue the tradition and end on a pretty high note. After Sony’s embarrasing and downright terrible showing at E3 2005, they’ve improved greatly with the last three press conferences. I’m pretty impressed to see how far Sony has come since the launch of the PS3, which while not nearly as successful as they predicted, definitely has had quite a strong line of exclusive titles.

The PSP Go is already announced, so it leaves no surprise when they talk about it at E3. Some said they weren’t going to announce anything, others said they would. Well, it’s official, but I’m not a big fan of it myself. And from what I’ve heard from others, they don’t seem to be too happy with it themselves. I think the ugly button interface and the lack of UMD support really hurt it. I can safely assume Sony won’t completely stop supporting the original PSP though, it would only alienate their fanbase more. But yeah, I expect to see a lot of the press conference centered around that.

PS3 slim? Or even a PS3 price cut? The first, I’m not entirely sure about. I can’t imagine a PS3 working at any smaller of a size, unless they cut out…well, pretty much everything from the machine. The PS3 is so damn huge because of everything inside of it, mainly dealing with the Blu Ray technology. The PS3 price cut definitely seems a LOT more likely though, since they clearly want to catch up to Microsoft (and even surpass them) at this point. They also need a very strong first party title, like God of War III or Gran Turismo 5, to help get more people to buy the system.

As for game announcements, I don’t see much happening in that department, but I could be surprised. They’ve got Uncharted 2, God of War III, Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, Heavy Rain, and MAG. Plus, the yet to be seen but sure to be talked about Gran Turismo 5 (which I doubt will look that much better than GT5 Prologue). Not sure what else they could announce, but it seems like the very solid line-up they already have will be enough for most people.

Overall, Sony doesn’t really need to blow anyone away with a huge announcement, but people will expect it anyway. With their very strong line of games coming out this year (and some next year), it’s hard to say we’ll see any big game announcements, but I expect something is coming, whether it be a new game or something involving the PS3 or PSP hardware itself. We’ll see, we’ll see.

Pre-E3 discussion 02: Nintendo

In all honesty, I can say that I expect nothing from Nintendo’s conference, but the truth is I am very excited to see what they will have for us this year. It’s hard to be optimistic after completely bombing last year’s press conference. Nintendo certainly does have a lot to live up to, and they should be ready for some big game announcements, or else they may just destroy the rest of their loyal fanbase.

What do I expect? Simple, a huge game announcement, something that will be showcased that isn’t gimmicky. Something that uses the unique Wii controls without making them seem forced upon the player, but instead natural. Something that fans will be excited about for months to come. Signs point to a brand new Legend of Zelda game, but also there could be a new Mario as well. Let’s just hope that if a new Zelda game is shown, it is something else other than Spirit Tracks. Not saying that game will be bad, but people expect the next big Zelda game, one for the Wii (that isn’t a port of a GameCube game).

Sure, we’ll get more Wii Sports Resort news, probably a huge showcase on upcoming game that will use the Wii MotionPlus, and plenty of other third party games that will be coming to the Wii. I’m thinking Nintendo might use the conference to show a strong line-up of third party software, and focus less on the first party stuff. That is doubtful, but it’s something that is hopefully more likely than another Wii _____ game.

So, Nintendo…is there any reason to get my hopes up about Nintendo? I do keep in mind they brought us Punch-Out!! already, and Sin & Punishment 2 is on the way sometime soon. But what do they have this year that is their big game? Last year was Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart, the year before was Super Mario Galaxy. Perhaps the new Wii Zelda title will be announced, and actually be released this year? It may be too much to hope for, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed, just this one last time.

Or maybe the next time still. I feel like I can’t stop hoping for something good from Nintendo at E3, but I also feel like I will continue to be disappointed. I can’t stop the endless cycle.

Pre-E3 discussion 01: Microsoft

Since Microsoft is the first of the three, with their press conference happening the day before E3 officially starts on June 2nd, I’ll focus on them first. If you are an Xbox 360 owner, it’s pretty obvious that the last few years have been great. New additions to Xbox Live to make the service even better than ever, plenty of great downloadable titles on Xbox Live Arcade, some nice exclusive games, and finally a fantastic line-up of third party games. In terms of exclusives, the only two games Microsoft has officially announced are  Halo 3: ODST and Alan Wake, the latter being a game that might not even be released this year.

So, what’s there to expect? First, we should be hearing about a few unannounced first party exclusives to be released later this year. What exactly are they? Nobody has any idea. I’ve been hearing rumors about a Crackdown 2 and a Forza 3, but neither game screams “Holiday hit” similar to a Halo 3, Gears of War 2, or Fable II. Microsoft needs that one huge exclusive game that they can sell this holiday that will make people want an Xbox 360.

It’s hard to say what exactly needs to be done at the press conference to make Microsoft “win” E3. They need some huge announcements, obviously, announcements that will get even non-360 owners excited. And those announcements generally need to deal with exclusives. A lot of people bet on more “casual” approaches to games from Microsoft, with things like Lips and You’re in the Movies being shown last year. But based on how those two titles didn’t break any new ground, or sell nearly as much as their bigger games last year, I can’t imagine them taking that approach.

So, they need exclusives, ones that will bring over new Xbox 360 owners. Xbox Live, there isn’t much more they can do with that, Microsoft is already making a ton of money from Live that any further expansion on it besides a few updates here and there isn’t really needed. I’m sure we will see plenty of new Xbox Live Arcade titles announced, since those are generally pretty successful overall.

The past couple of years (aside from a few key announcements), we’ve pretty much known what to expect from Microsoft at E3. This year? We’ve got practically nothing. Since Microsoft has nothing else but the Xbox 360, they will mainly have to spend just about all of their time talking about the big games for that one system. So, the majority of their press conference is going to be a surprise to us. I do have a good feeling that we’ll get a “Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360″ level announcement this year, but whether or not it will excite everyone or just 360 owners is a complete unknown at this point.

RUMOR: This blog will now focus on circus performances instead of video games

Rumors are everywhere, flying across your Internet like…something moving at an incredibly fast speed. Ah, well, point being is people love rumors. They eat them up, claim them as fact, and when the rumors prove to be false, they hang their heads in shame and whine on message boards. And now, the countdown to the countdown has finished for the unveiling of Kojima’s new game. And guess what? We still don’t know jack shit, but what we DO know is that it may possibly involve Metal Gear. Or something.